Dog Food Die Cuts

Hello Friends!

Hope you are having an awesome weekend!

Today's post may seem a little strange when you read the title! No, I didn't die cut dog food! (Not yet anyway!) But I did think "outside the bag" for this project! Let me give you some background info so you won't think I have totally lost it! ( No comment from those who know me well, please)

My BFF Mary and her hubby have asked me on occasion to babysit my dogniece and dognephew, Susie and Max, for them. This time, their anniversary fell during there time away.

You have to understand, with my three dogs and their two, it is a cute circus at times in my house! Thankfully, they all get along well! More thankfully, they all eat the same dog food! This is a real plus when you have five eating at the same time! NOW, Mary's favorite colors are pastel blue and pink! One night while I was feeding the dogs, I looked at the bag, and guess what?!?! Those colors were on the bag!! Well, me being me, the concept for their card was established!! Perfect sense, right???

I got the animals fed, out to potty and settled in for the night. Then I began to cut apart their dog food bag! They were a little confused, but full, so they left me alone with the bag! I cut panels from the bag to fit my Cricut mat. I used the Daisy from the Walk In My Garden cartridge to start cutting flowers from the bag! Well, the bag had a coating, kind of like freezer paper on it. My cuts were sliding all over the place and I was almost crushed that I would not be able to use my awesome (to me) idea for their card. Then I was blessed with an AHA moment! I have the spray for renewing your mats! I sprayed the panels before putting them on the mat and it worked beautifully!! I was so tickled, I woke the dogs when I uttered a very loud, "YES!!" Once again, they looked up, gave me the "she's lost it again" look and resumed their naps.

After cutting out various sizes of the flower, I layered them to resemble Mary's favorite flower, the Dahlia. I think I got pretty close! I punched the centers of the layers and bound them with a large gem topped brad. Whew! It worked! Now, what to do next?!?!

I decided to go with a craft colored base. I had to get something in there for hubby! I used some DCWV Spring paper for the background, cut the sides with a border punch and edged it with a Versamark pen, and embossed the edge with copper powder. I stamped the sentiment with Versamark on some coordinating paper from the same stack. I then embossed that with the copper powder also. I used a Spellbinders Fancy Tags die to cut out the greeting. I also embossed the ends and edges of the tag. Now it was time to put it all together on the base. I used some leaves from my floral stash to accent the flower, which is attached with glue dots. The sentiment is mounted on dimensionals. I added a computer generated greeting inside, rounded the corners, and called it "done"! I wanted to dress up the envelope a little so I stamped the flying bird with Versamark and embossed it in the copper also. The bird represents them being away and going to Florida as "snowbirds" to get away from the cold! I know, I'm awful!

I hope I didn't bore you with my journey through this project. I just felt I might need to explain myself a little. Who am I kidding? If you follow my blog, you know this is typical of me, right?!?!
I know Mary will get a big kick out of it and that is what I was after! She and Don have been wonderful to me and are always there to give me rides, fix my broken house, or just give me a boost when I need it! I love them dearly!

If this post starts your week off with a chuckle or a sigh (sympathy for my friends...lol), then I am happy! It makes my heart sing when friends drop by and check out my latest craziness! Thanks so much and come back again soon, won't you?

Love and hugs to you all.. and .....

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Cricut Birthday Roses

Hello Friends!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend and thawing out from our serious snows! I was kind of sad to see all the snow melt away. Everything was so beautiful in that blanket of white!

Today, I'd like to share with you a card project made for a very special lady! Her mother actually ordered the card; but, bless her heart, the mother gave me the freedom to create anything I wanted. I love it when I can let go the reins and just create!

I started with a half-fold card base (5 1/2 x 8). I used DCWV cardstock and cut it down to size. Most of the vintage floral is covered, but it still made for a beautiful background. I then cut the outside edge with a Fiskars border punch. I distressed all the edges and sponged them with SU Old Olive ink.

I knew I wanted to do a floral bouquet on this card, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to display it. I decided to go with a nosegay look, so I gathered some lace trim and attached it to the card with Quick Dry Tacky Glue. I also chose to use roses as the flower. These were cut with the Cricut "Walk In My Garden" cartridge. I used the blackout feature to cut the base of the rose head in a soft pink cardstock. I cut the top of the rose in a darker shade of pink. This is where I started playing until I was happy with the look! I went ahead and put the rose together with foam dimensionals. Then, I sponged on SU Pink Passion ink. Not happy with that result, I went over them again with Warm Violet Brilliance ink. They still looked too "new" for the vintage style I wanted, so I went over them again with SU Really Rust. And, yes, the paper held up well through all that!! I decided I wanted some shimmer on them, so, I added some Kaleidoscope embossing powder by dabbing them with some Boss Gloss embossing ink. I had to be careful with the heat tool so as not to melt the dimensionals. I got a little shimmer, but I just wasn't happy with the look yet. As a final step on these "dried" roses, I decided to emboss once more with clear powder. Voila! I finally liked the vintage look that came through! I am sure there are many ways I could have achieved this "color" but I had fun with this! I attached the roses in a bouquet pattern with dimensionals. For the stems, I doubled floral wire and covered them in green satin ribbon. These were attached under the roses with the tacky glue. I made a simple multi-loop bow with seafoam green satin ribbon and attached it with glue dots. I used a pearl head corsage pin with a heart cross charm to also anchor the bow. As an extra removable accent, I stuck in a beaded hat pin. Whew! I was finally happy with the finished bouquet! I know, I know...a little anal wasn't I?

For the sentiment layer, I stamped the greeting with Versamark and heat embossed it with gold powder. I used a Spellbinders Label 9 die to cut the panel. The "daughter" is a gold sticker. I sponged the edges with the Old Olive and attached the layer with dimensionals.

The inside of the card was very simple. I let the pattern of the paper do the "work" inside and added a computer generated "Daughter" greeting.

Now, with all those layers and the overall dimension of the card, I had to come up with a "cover" for it. I had no envelope that would hold the thickness, so I made a box for it. I used coordinating cardstock and the card as a template. I cut the top of the box the same way only 1/8 inch bigger to cover the base. I tied a green satin bow around the box and it looked so pretty. Sorry, but it was delivered before I could get a picture of the box.

This was a total labor of love for a very special friend! Thankfully, she loved it! She even loved the box!! And that's why I love what I do! To know someone appreciates your work is so rewarding! Don't you think so?

I hope all of you who were interested survived the Super Bowl! I'm off to play some more with paste and paper!

Thank you so very much for stopping by today! The gift of your time and your comments are greatly appreciated! Hope you will come again! I leave you now with...

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Blue Birthday Greetings

Hello and Welcome!

Just a quick post today to share a birthday card. I started this project using a blue floral card base. The layers were created using white card stock cut with the Cricut. (Forgive me, but the cart for this layer has left my brain completely.) I outlined the border of this layer with a silver gel pen and added pearl accents. The Flower T was cut with the Songbird cartridge. The bow is a little goody from my stash! The sentiment layer is a rectangle with the corners punched using a filigree punch. The Happy Birthday was stamped with Versamark and then embossed with silver powder. A tiny pearl was used to dot the"i". The layers and flower were raised on dimensionals. I used a white gel pen for faux stitching all around the card and layers. For the inside of the card, I used computer generated sentiments on layers cut with deco scissors and a border punch. I added a stamped heart outlined with the white gel pen again as a last touch.

As you can see, this card was designed for the daughter of a dear friend. I seem to always have greater inspiration if I know the recipient of the cards I make, don't you?

I hope everyone's New Year is getting off to a great start! The weather has been a big factor for us this year. We're seeing more snow than we have in many years. I love it, but I feel so bad for those who have to drive in it. These first few days of the year also bring back memories of my grandmother who grew up in these hills and lived by the proven statistics of her life. She would record the weather for the first twelve days of January and then predict the weather for the twelve months of the year! I was amazed by how accurate her predictions always were! We can be skeptical of these mountaineer or hillbilly visions, but they used every aspect of their surroundings to provide a better chance of survival for their families. And it worked!!

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed your visit and will come by again soon! It is always a joy to have folks drop in! I am off to see if I can predict what will be missing from my kitchen after I eat!! I leave you with.....

Blessings to you,
Vicki

House Full of Birthday Blessings

Hello Everyone! Are you getting excited about your Thanksgiving holiday? It is one of my favorites! This year is a special treat as I am going to be with my daughter and family for their first Thanksgiving back in the States! After three years in Germany, we are so thankful to be together!

The card I have to share today was a little time consuming to complete but still fun to make. It's always a fun time when I can use my Cricut!

I started with a cranberry cardstock base and layered patterned paper with a diamond pattern. The house is cut with the Winter Woodland cartridge from a DCWV adhesive mat stack. The fence is cut from pink cardstock with the Heritage cart. The sentiment is cut with the George cart, first in green and then in shadow layer in pink. I added small cranberry pearls to the center of some of the flowers and larger pearls as accents for the gate. The ribbon is threaded through the card and tied into a bow. I used a hand held diamond punch to make slots for the ribbon to run through. I distressed the edges of the card base to add a little more interest. On the inside, I layered more patterned paper and added the greetings which were stamped and computer generated. The greetings layers were punched with a Martha Stewart border punch. More steps than usual for this card, but I think worth the time! Hope you like it, too!

It is so good to be back in my craft room and making cards for friends again! My "therapy" of crafting is back in session and making my days a lot more enjoyable! Life has its twists and turns but I can always count on my craft goodies to keep me going! LOL! Isn't it amazing how some paper, ink and "toys" can make you smile?!?!?

I want to wish each of you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for and a big part of the blessings I enjoy are due to my wonderful cyber friends and family! Hope the turkey comes out just right, your football team wins, and you can enjoy knowing you are loved and appreciated!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Keep On Rollin'

Hello Friends!

I have a fun card to share with you today! I was asked to make a birthday card for a friend's roller skating buddy. The really neat thing about this group of skaters is they are all Seniors and the oldest is 93! It is amazing to see them circle the floor like they do! I can barely stand on roller skates, much less look good at it!

I started with a Kraft cardstock base and layered patterned paper from my stash. I rounded the outside corners on both pieces. Next, I distressed all the edges and sponged them with Vintage Photo Distress ink. I used the Cricut Wild Card cartridge to cut the "It's Your Day". The skate was cut with the Cricut Sports Mania cart. It is actually an ice skate pattern, so, I cut it in shadow and then trimmed off the blade. I punched the shoestring holes with a 1/16th punch and threaded them with red twine (from the dog food bag!). Then I added a little bow at the top. The edges of the skate are embossed with black powder. I used circle punches to make the wheels and the stop. Those are edged with gold glimmer pen. I added crease lines, stitch lines and sponged a sort of shadow on the skate with the Distress ink. I then attached it to the card with dimensionals. Keep on Rollin' is written with a calligraphy pen. Finally, I added brown striped grosgrain ribbon to the top and bottom. A Happy Birthday sentiment is stamped inside. I love the finished look! I think this is what my friend was asking for, and it should be just the right card for a male skater!

Hope you enjoyed your visit today! Please come back often and let me know what you think! I appreciate all your comments and suggestions! It is part of the learning and growing experience for me and my craft projects!

Have a great week and I will leave you now with~

Bountiful Blessings
Vicki

Welcome Little One

Hello Friends!

When you recover from the fact I actually posted something, I hope you can enjoy this baby card!

I made this card for my daughter to give to a good friend. It is the first crafting I have been able to do for quite some time. I'm hoping this will jump start my joy for crafting again.

I used lavender cardstock for the base and layered a piece of patterned paper for the background. The edges were punched with a Martha Stewart border punch. The title, bassinet and inside baby dress were cut with the New Arrival Cricut cartridge. The inside greeting was computer generated. I added some ribbon bows as accents.

It felt so good to be making a card again! Now, if I can just keep it going! My health issues are getting taken care of slowly but surely. It has taken the better part of summer to get here, but I am excited for the days ahead! I truly appreciate all the prayers and well wishes! It is a great comfort and morale boost to hear from you.

Hope your Summer has been a good one! I know most have children back in school now. I had a real treat when my youngest daughter and her family returned to the States from Germany and stayed with me until they could get housing arranged. They are MUCH closer now and I will get more chances to be with them. My oldest daughter has become a foster parent so we have two more delightful children to enjoy! I am so blessed!!

Thank you for stopping by today! Come back when you can and please let me know you were here by leaving a comment. Until next time, I leave you with...

Blessings to you,
Vicki

M is for Mary

Happy Monday All!

Hope all the Moms had a fantastic Mother's Day! I was blessed to be with my Mom and one of my daughters and two of my grandchildren! We had beautiful weather and a fun time at a neighbor's cookout!

The card I am sharing today was made for my dear friend Mary. She is so special to me! She is always there for me, drives me wherever I need (or want) to go, and is a true Sister in Christ! A birthday card for her was a joy to make! It is a 6 x 6 card made with cardstock from a K&Co collection. I cut a window in the center and curled the pieces back. I used mini copper brads to hold the curls in place. I then cut another piece of the cardstock for the backing. I added a border in coordinating cardstock cut with a MS border punch. The M was cut from gold textured cardstock with the Cricut. Inside I adhered a computer generated verse printed on Swiss dot cardstock and colored with chalk to coordinate with the floral print. I didn't have an envelope for this size and thickness of card, but I was able to make one from a 12 x 12 sheet of coordinating paper. This design is a favorite of mine and I was very pleased with this result! Best of all, Mary loved it!!

Hope you all have a terrific week! Take time to tell those important to you that you love them! And, if you have a special friend like Mary, be sure to give them a call or send a card to let them know how precious they are to you! Friends like these are a treasure!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Birdie Birthdays

Hello Friends!

I wanted to post a couple more birthday cards today. These cards are accented with the same Cricut die cut but different papers!

Simple cards but fun and feminine!

Hope you are having a great week! Come back and visit again soon!

Blessings to you,
Vicki