It's in the mail

I'm still not 100% satisfied with this one yet. Not sure how many have cut the file yet but I can tell you I'll be making updates to the file now that I've had a chance to make it.
The size is large at 6" in length, 3 3/4" width and 4 3/4" height.

The original flag is too small so I will be making that bigger for sure.

Also, the opening end doesn't close perfectly. And that is why I'm not 100% happy with it just yet. I hope to fuss with it some more tomorrow.

I used my 3x3 "top note" .cut file for the tag and decorated with green and red markers.

And inside I was able to put one of my 3-D star ornaments. As you can see there is LOTS of extra space to add other treats.

Here's a close up so you can see the dimension of the star

Dimensions are 5 1/2" x 5 3/4" and 1" depth. As soon as the glitter glue dries I will put the hanging cord on.

Details:

• CricutDS- mailbox: George; top note: George; 3D Star: George
• Donation amount $1 each (Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file/format you want when you purchase.
• Papers: DCWV glitter stack, scraps of white and red
• Red glitter glue
• Ribbon: Costco 2007 holiday ribbon collection

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Joanne made a cute holiday themed mailbox. Don't you just love the flowers she attached at one end. Almost like a leigh. THANKS for sharing Joanne!

Michael's sale....

So I ran to Michael's to see what carts they had. Fair assortment. What surprised me was that when I pulled into the parking lot there was already 150 people with the same idea that got there before me. LOL Go figure!
Luckily, not all 150 people wanted cricut stuff. Many wanted just the machines but there were at least 20 people ahead of me right in front of the cartridge display. They were nice. After they got the cart they wanted (after all, they got there first) they also handed additional carts back to people behind them that wanted them. It was all very civilized. I was patient slowly making my way to the front.... then I made my move. I got down low while those in the front were reaching high and snagged the carts I wanted down on the bottom row.... Tink, My World, Alphalicious and Joys of the Season. I had hoped to find Cars too but they didn't have any in stock. Also as I was driving away I thought, "Why didn't I grab Pooh and friends?" oh well. Maybe there will still be one in stock tomorrow.

Hope you all were as blessed this fine Thanksgiving day as I was if you decided to venture to Michael's tonight.

The gift of organization

Hey sis... I know you read my blog. Look away! Don't read this post! :o)
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Every year my sis and I swap gifts... not just between the two of us but she buys for me and my family and I purchase for her and hers. Every year I end up giving her an envelope stuffed with random receipts in case something needs to be exchanged or returned for any reason. This year after seeing a Julie Buhler's receipt organizer I decided I needed to do something a bit more stylish with the receipts.



You can almost see the glitter on the tag... the pic below shows it off a bit better.



Organizer opened... 5 pockets so I can organize by recipient or store.

Details:

• CricutDS - Organizer: All George, requires Expression due to size; Label: All Plantin Schoolbook
• Donation amount $1 (Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file/format you want when you purchase.
• Also available in PDF or SVG format. Let me know if this is what you need.
• Papers: HP super bright white 110# card stock, DCWV glitter stack and reversible orange/yellow card stock
• Stamp: PaperTreyInk, Sweet Love
• MS glue stamp pad, fine glitter
• Ribbon: Target $1 spot, JoAnn's $1
• Magnetic closure: Basic Grey
• Flowers: Target $1 spot
• Brad: OTC

Another Fashionable Lady

Laura asked for help after seeing my Fashionistas. She requested a 5" tall pregnant lady from New Arrival but in George.

Details:

• ALL GEORGE
• Donation amount $1 (Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file/format you want when you purchase.
• Also available in PDF or SVG format. Let me know if this is what you need.
• Baby bug compatible

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Look how cute this card is that TeriLane1 made!!! Thanks for sharing, girl!

YAY ME! lol

Ok... normally I'm not this excited about something so small but I've been working on this on and off for weeks and I finally got it!!! Woohoo! One more thing OFF my to-do list.

I had been told over and over that this punch was 1 inch. Not the actually branch but the circle around it. So I was trying to get the detail needed inside a 1" circle. It was so tiny that my cricut would chew it up and spit it out in pieces. (so sad). Well, guess what... the circle is NOT 1". YAY! I finally found one and was able to measure it personally. It's more like 1 1/4" Don't laugh. One quarter inch makes a HUGE difference when you're creating something this tiny.

Look.....

Big smiles!! :o)

I don't recommend cutting it from thick cardstock. The blade chews up the layers and it's not pretty. Instead cut it from good heavy paper. The above example was a scrap of SU designer paper.

Details:

• All George
• Donation amount $1 (Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file/format you want when you purchase.
• Also available in PDF or SVG format. Let me know if this is what you need.

Envelope for Card Wallet

After creating the card wallet I decided it looked a little funny swimming around inside a regular envelope. So, I decided to create an envelope for it.

The score lines in the file are meant for a flat wallet. I added additional score lines using my Score-Pal to accommodate the button I embellished the wallet with.

Details:

• All George
• Donation amount $1 (Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file/format you want when you purchase.
• Also available in PDF or SVG format. Let me know if this is what you need.

 
Check out Laura's CUTE card wallet and envelope! She did a terrific job!! Thanks for sharing Laura!

Christmas Cards

I've been working on my cards off and on now for the last ...um.... 3 months! I know. It's a sickness. Don't even ask about when I made my Christmas ornaments! lol



I've made 30 of the 60 that I need to make. Woohoo! Half way there! I really love how they are turning out.

The way the red velvet/suede paper has turned out when I embossed it with the Ornament background embossing folder is so cool. And then the touches of red stickles dotted here-n-there on the tree tie it all together.

The tree is adhered with the 3-D glue dots. I wasn't sure if the foam dots would stick to the velvet and I certainly didn't want the cards falling apart in the mail. A couple glue dots worked fabulously! (sorry about the blurry pic)

Last night when I took the picture below, the flash from my camera made the clear beads show as white in the picture. The picture shows a better idea of the true colors of the card... the rich red velvet paper and dark green cardstock. The colors get washed out in the sunlit pictures above.

Details: 

• Red velvet paper: SEI 
• Green cardstock: Old Hunter Green, CardstockHeadquarters (Thanks Nicole!!) 
• Gold shimmer cardstock: PaperTreyInk 
• Gold ribbon: PaperTreyInk 
• Embossing Folders: Ornament background, Lace Christmas Tree, Provo Craft 
• Gold ink: Encore 
• Clear microbeads: PennyWiseArts 
• O'So Sticky powder: PennyWiseArts 
• Stickles: Xmas Red 
• Cream cards, envelopes: JoAnns

Card Wallet

AsiaMarie asked me to make her a card wallet like Lauren's. (love her!) I made her one that is identical to Lauren's creation using her template. Once I made it for myself I decided I needed to change it because I didn't need one with a 1/2" thickness/depth inside the wallet.

One of the wallets opened..... there's a pocket for the gift card on one side and a place for a note on the other.

Details:

• All George
• Donation amount $1 (Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file/format you want when you purchase.
• Also available in PDF or SVG format. Let me know if this is what you need.
• Paper.... SU paper from Christmas 2006
• Button... was a basic wooden button found at a craft store 10+ years ago. I colored it with a marker to match the reddish brown dot on the paper and used the same marker to do faux stitching around the edges of the wallet
• Set up to cut 2 wallets at a time so it requires the Expression

Fashionable ladies

ChinaDoll requested some help with DS creating these Fashionistas.... (I don't know where the original artwork came from.)

Lady number 1....

Number 2....

Number 3....

And number 4.... (her neck is a little short but I wanted to keep her baby bug compatible like the others without making her smaller than the others.)

Details:

• All George
• Donation amount $1 each (Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file/format you want when you purchase.
• Also available in PDF or SVG format. Let me know if this is what you need.

You can check out what Dakotahbear created using one of these fashionable ladies on a card. Fantastic!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!

Check out Melissa's BEAUTIFUL card she made for her daughter! Don't you love all the texture and the glittery chandelier? Thanks for sharing Melissa!!!

PJ posted the most FAB gift bag created for an 8yr old's birthday party! So cute! Thanks for

sharing!

Danita made another super cute card and posted it on the message board. The floral dress is cute, yes?? :o) Thanks for sharing Danita!

Tiffaney made some darling cards using these ladies. You can see them here. Thanks for sharing Tiffaney!!

Tutorial: How to put Boot together

I've been promising this for days. Sorry for the delay. Amazing how crazy things can get when you take a day or two off, huh?

OK.... Here it finally is. For those of you that have questions on how to put the boot together. It's similar to the witch's shoe but there is the additional upright piece.



Begin by pre-folding all of the score lines.



Start at the toe of the shoe. Fold the tabs in to create the toe box...



.... then fold the two angular pieces in overlapping them over the toe box to hold it in place. Adhere the top layer to the bottom to create the toe of the boot.



Separate the sides of the shoe and pull the sole of the boot up



Bring the sides of the boot together.



Overlap the two end pieces and adhere to create the back of the heel.



Then overlap and adhere the two pieces under the sole of the shoe for the underside of the heel.
Now you can push the sole of the boot into place inside the shoe.

The upright piece is pretty self explanatory I think. Pre-fold then adhere along the seam. The seam actually goes near the front instead of in the back.

Tuck the top of the boot inside the shoe and Voila! You're done!

Details:

• All Plantin Schoolbook
• Donation amount $1 (Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file/format you want when you purchase.
• Also available in PDF or SVG format. Let me know if this is what you need.

Bottoms up!

Months ago Lacy asked if I could make her a bikini card. I had started one but never gotten around to finishing it until I had a bit of motivation (Thanks Lacy!) I had pretty much forgotten about the card until I saw a request from Jade from the message board for a bikini card. I shared the file with her. You gotta see what she created with it!! It's so stinkin' cute!
And here are some additional pictures with the message she added to the finished card. THANKS for sharing Jade!!

Details:

• All George
• CUT FILE AVAILABLE: ** Donate button is at the top right. Please specify which file you want when you purchase.

** Refer to Cut File link to see how to get my files. 

**Please note: I created this for the baby bug. Well, the No Cut Zone on the Expression is wider than the baby bug along the left edge. If you want an updated copy of the file I have that too. Sorry for the inconvenience. (Thanks Leslie for letting me know about this!)**
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Check out Cindy's creations! They are FAB too!!! Thanks Cindy for sharing!!

Debbie shared her version of the card too! So cute!! Won't it be a fun surprise for her hubby LOL Thanks for sharing Debbie!!

Linda also posted some sassy little numbers she made on her blog. What a fab job!! Thanks so much for sharing Linda. I hope your brother likes his card (*wink!*)

Another Linda posted this sexy little number. She used Contact Paper to get the "leather" look for her bra & panties. Brilliant!!! Thanks for sharing RavensFan!!

ScrappinCat made an adorable card too! You can see it here! THANKS for sharing Cat!

Karen added her sassy little number to the message board! The purple/black color combo is great!! Thanks for sharing Karen!

Check out Jill's cute nametag idea!! She's making 135 of these babies for the RaceForTheCure event! WOW! Thanks Jill for sharing. You are amazing!!

Deborah made a super cute card to go with a birthday gift for her cousin. LOVE the Happy Birthday embossing on the bikini! Great idea Deborah!! Thanks for sharing. :O)

CraftyGal/Leslie made a darling version of this card for her nephew who had a booboo on his posterior. GREAT job Leslie! Love it!! Thank you for sharing.

I just found this card on a blog because someone else requesting it mentioned that's where she found it. :) Thanks for sharing Cam and Thanks for the nod Kelly. Great card! I hope your hubby liked it.

Kristin just made a wide assortment of these bathing beauties (or maybe lounging ladies is a better description). Each card is unique and stylized for the woman receiving the invite for the lingerie shower! They're really terrific Kristin! Thanks so much for sharing!

Boot Scootin' Christmas style

This boot was created by Ellen Hutson! Isn't she wonderful!!?? Love her! Here is my plain paper copy from the magazine all cut out and put together. I didn't increase the size or anything so the boot is quite small but it was a great place to start.



She published the pattern in the Paper Crafts special edition "You Go, Girl!" last year. I snatched it up thinking it would be $6 magazine. Turned out to be $15!! OUCH! That'll teach me to not look at a price before getting to the register.
Anyway, ever since I created her witch's shoe in DS I've wanted to get the boot created in DS also.



Man! The DS upgrade (from August) sure is finicky! I had to save and close about a billion times before it was done. Several people have asked if I've ever given up on making anything. This boot was almost one of those times. Countless errors... Unhandled exceptions mostly due to being out of memory but a few of those dreaded "couldn't read to end of stream." I started over so many times I can't even tell you. I finally finished the pattern last night and had a chance to test it out today. It still needs a few tweaks here and there but I think overall it came out pretty good!


Ok kids.... Gotta go get some errands done and finish prepping for visitors this week. I'll be back as soon as I can.

Details:

• Boot is all Plantin Schoolbook
• .cut or gypsy files available.  Click HERE for more information.  ( Please specify which file/format you want when you donate.  Thank you.)

• Lights from Christmas Cheer
• Flower - George
• Tag - hand cut
• Decorative paper from a scrap
• Decorative wire - Memory Makers
• Embossing folder - Cuddlebug
• Finished size: 8" from toe to heel, 7" from top edge to sole, 2" wide.

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Check out Rosa's CUTE boot! Love the papers she used! Fantastic job. Thanks for sharing!
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Janice made some great little black boots. The red and white details really POP!! Great job Janice. Thanks for sharing!

Pinwheel box

YES! you heard me correctly. Pinwheel box. I have wanted to make this for a while now but just now had a few minutes to put it together.

There is a chocolate company in San Diego called JFConfections. LOVE LOVE LOVE these chocolates. So much so that I wanted to create a special box to gift some of them to some friends in.


These are not your See's Candies. Nor Fannie May nor Mrs. Field's.
Check out the flavors.....


So, here's the pinwheel box. It can be closed flap over flap in pinwheel style or ...


... side flaps over top and bottom flaps for a different look.



Untie the ribbon and open the flaps to find the delectable treasures inside. **



Dimensions of the box are 4"x 4"x 1 3/4" so it's a great size box for many things.

Details:

• Available in George or Plantin Schoolbook. Please specify when requesting file.

• .cut or gypsy files available.  Click HERE for more information.  ( Please specify which file/format you want when you donate.  Thank you.)

• Cardstock used was from CardstockHeadquarters (Thank you Nicki!!!)
• Decorative papers came from a scrap
• Ribbon was in $1 at Michael's (love that!)

 Hope you like it. Have a great day!

**You may have noticed a slight difference in the pictures of the chocolates in my box verses the picture of the chocolates menu posted at the top. You can thank my post-person for that problem. The box arrived packaged with a cold pack inside to help keep the chocolates at the correct temperature, but she forgot to give me the key for 3 days! Do you know what happens to chocolate locked in an outside post box in 100 degree temperature?? I'm lucky the chocolates look as good as they do. I was expecting melted puddles of goo. Thank goodness they still taste fantastic even though some are not good for gifting. I will be sacrificing them for quality control purposes. :o) Anyway, I highly recommend checking the website out. They will ship priority mail or next day and they are SO worth it!

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Q: CraftyKaren asked what the "brown stuff" is in the base of the box.

A: It's shredded crinkled paper. It's not edible but it will keep the chocolate delicacies from bouncing around the box since I didn't have any candy cups to put them in.

Q: Bobbi had a question about the two small circles with the holes included in the file.

A: The original idea in my head was to attach paper grommets on two opposite flaps and loop a string around them to close the box (side flaps over top and bottom flaps), but decided not to use them because I overlapped the flaps pinwheel style instead.

You are most like....

Tink!!

I love baby things!

Ok, remember my cute elephant card? Jenn (yes, another Jenn, I'm not talking about myself. lol) had posted the cute elephant toy that her hubby had cut out for her (thanks Jenn's hubby!). Well today I went and purchased the goodies to go with the card.

First up, the softest flannel at Joann's. Elephants on one side and a coordinating stripe for the back. And I brought it home and made a cute little baby blanket with green stitching. I love it!

Then, because I'm hardly a seamstress. (I only do straight stitches and they're rarely as straight as I want them) I hit my favorite little boutique.. Target (pronounced "tar jhay" with a french accent hehehe!) They had the cutest monkey themed clothes but I had already chosen elephant for the theme so I went with the Gerber wild animals which featured an elephant and happened to be in the perfect green color to match the blankie.

elephant with giraffe on one-piece zip-up thing

elephant with lion on front of layette...

elephant on sock....

The blanket stitched together super fast then I put the whole thing, card included into a nice little Priority Box and USPS will be by to pick it up for me tomorrow. Have you tried the USPS pay-for-postage-online-and-have-the-post-guy (or -girl) come-pick-it-up-from-you thing yet? I highly recommend it!

I love it when I'm able to do a coordinated package like this.