Pretty Scary Mummy Card - Evidence that good taste can be Fickle

Mini Monsters Mummy Card

Today's  Halloween card is evidence that my judgment and "taste level" (to plagiarize Project Runway) is not always on its A Game. I used Provo Craft's Mini Monsters cartridge and from the very beginning I was plagued with problems. My daughters wanted me to make a "girly" card with a Halloween theme. Instead of going for the easy "A" and choosing a witch or other typically female typecast gory girl I choose to add a second "X" chromosome to a mummy card.

My girls absolutely love every detail from the handmade flower to the bakers twine shoe bows, but I think its a bit ugly - without being sure it is in the "pretty ugly" category. Maybe its the mismatched eyeballs or the idea that mummy wrappings would ever come in 80's pink and lime green, whatever is up with this card it has left me a bit unsettled and wondering who I could give it to. Perhaps a frienemy?

I thought I would share the card anyway since its done and my eldest says I should embrace my off days too (which is proof positive of her affinity for fortune cookies).


Mortified after muffing up a mummy,

CarrieAnne

Recipe:
Cricut Cartridge: Mini Monsters
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug: Swiss Dots
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
Cardstock: Couture Cardstock
Bling: Recollections
Twine: The Twinery
Adhesive: Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry, Stampin' UP!

Ink: VersaMark

Cuts:
"Mummy" from the Mini Monsters cartridge cut at 5.5 inches with the Card function selected.

"Mummy" cut at 5.5 inches with the Layer 1 function selected.

"TrkRTrt2" cut at 1.75 inches with the Phrase function selected.

"TrkRTrt2" cut at 1.75 inches with the Phrase function and shift key selected.

Mom Sleeping Sign - An antidote to doorbell torture

Mom Sleeping Sign

My son is a fantastic sharer - he hates sleeping and feels a strong desire to deny me its rejuvenating benefits as well. He is currently on a schedule in which he sleeps from about 5am to 8:30am and then if he is feeling generous he'll take an hour or so nap around dinner time. I've taken him to the pediatrician just to make sure he's not a vampire, or some kind of bizarre nocturnal mutation and all she did was chuckle and shake her head in that "stinks to be you, and there's nothing I can do to help" type of way. Why is it we have to pay a co-pay again if they don't actually provide a solution to your problem? You'd never go in and order food at a restaurant, pay and not actually eat something.

But I digress...

I'm not quite sure how my 12 month old is functioning, I feel like a garbage compacter that mated with a tornado - devastated and not to good looking or smelling. (How do you shower when your now mobile infant never hits the pause button?) I have become obsessed with snatching a few moments of sleep whenever and wherever I can. Did you know a microwave situated above your stove doubles as a vertical pillow?

So woe be it to any kindly delivery man or neighbor should they lovingly ring the door bell when my son accidentally nods off for a nano second. I'm fairly certain my local flower delivery man checked to see if I was on the FBI's most wanted list after the not so happy reception he got when he attempted to play Chop Sticks on my door bell last week. To make it worse he didn't even have the right door! I think he should have given me the two dozen roses as an apology, but perhaps he was to scared to offer them to me.

So to spare delivery men, government employees and poor college kids trying to sell magazine subscriptions from future harm, I made this sign to hang over our door bell.

I know they normally say "baby sleeping," but I pride myself on honesty and accuracy.

A sleep deprived pseudo human,

CarrieAnne

Recipe:

Cricut Cartridge: Sweethearts, Sugar and Spice
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug: Textile Textures
Ribbon & Lace: May Arts
Cardstock: Couture Cardstock
Chipboard: Maya Road
Alphastickers: Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon, American Crafts
Patterned Paper: Crate Paper, October Afternoon, Jillibean Soup
Ink: VersaMark
Twine: The Twinery
Adhesive: Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry, Glue Dots, Stampin' UP! Dimensionals


Cuts:
Sleeping Mom
"1stKiss" cut from the Sweethearts cartridge at 6 inches from fleshtone cardstock.
"1stKiss" with Layers function selected  cut from the Sweethearts cartridge at 6 inches from brown and vanilla cardstock, and green polkadot patterned paper.

Bed -
"Naptime" cut from the Sugar and Spice Cartridge cut at 4.5 inches from ecru cardstock
"NapTme-s" cut from the Sugar and Spice Cartridge cut at 4.5 inches from blue and ecru striped patterned paper
"NapTme-s" cut twice with the layers function selected from the Sugar and Spice Cartridge cut at 4.5 inches from red cardstock
"Naptime" cut twice with the layers function selected  from the Sugar and Spice Cartridge cut at 4.5 inches from floral print patterned paper

Circle Background -
With Real Dial Size selected use the "Hugs-s" cut set at 8 inches from the Sugar and Spice Cartridge

Graduation Cap (Mortarboard) Gift Box

Graduation Cap Gift Box with Happy Hauntings Cartridge

  You probably looked at the heading to this post and wondered whether I was aware that we are full into Fall and not Spring's graduation season. Well, while working on a Halloween project I will be sharing with you later, I came across the 3d cemetery box in the Happy Hauntings cartridge and the shape of it spoke to me.

It said "Don't I look just like a graduation cap box if you remove the tombstones, creepy hand, tree, etc."

And my crafty self replied, "Why yes, yes you do."

I was afraid if I didn't try the idea out right away I would forget about it. This was sooo easy to do and I can't wait till Spring when I can make lots of them. Never one to miss an opportunity to do something different, I choose vintage Crate and October Afternoon papers to add a little personality to this traditional blah piece of celebratory apparel. The mortarboard top is attached to a flap on the box and lifts up to open. I secured it with a glue dot to keep it closed. This would be fun for a gift card or any small gift.

Recipe:

Mortarboard Gift Box Top view

Cricut Cartridge: Happy Hauntings
Brad: Imaginisce I-Top Tool
Patterned Paper: Crate Paper, October Afternoon
Trim: The Girls Paperie
Pearls: Recollections
Floss: DMC (black)
Adhesive: Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry, Glue Dots
Stickers: Karen Foster
Chipboard: Misc.

Cuts:
Box Base
"3DBox" cut from the Happy Hauntings cartridge cut at 11.5 inches from black toile patterned paper.

Thanks for stopping by,

CarrieAnne

We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Review

Sew Easy Stitched cards with Sentimentals Cartridge

 If you follow my blog, you know I have a pathological fear of sewing machines. They make me nervous - most likely because they outsmart me at every turn. The only tension I associate with them has nothing to do with a bobbin and everything to do with a furrowed brow and me stressing out. With this is in mind, you can understand why I was excited to try out the We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy product line. I have a few of the different design heads, the mat and the handle. I thought I would give you a quick review and my first two projects with the tools.

We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Stitch Piercer Tool System

 The Price Point: 
Sew Easy Stitch Piercer Tool: $9.99
Heads: 3.99
Piercing Mat: 7.99


The Concept:
The idea behind the product is pretty simple. Using the handle and the interchangeable heads, roll the tool across cardstock and pierce designs into your paper. Then use regular floss or string to stitch in your designs with the provided needle.



The Reality:
I had a difficult time getting the tool to actually pierce through the paper. I would classify this more as an embosser and even with that I would always pull the tool towards you when working. When I pushed away from myself the results were dreadful. I used the recommended mat and applied a great deal of pressure. The supplied needle was rather dull so I used the tool and then went back with my paper piercer to pierce the holes. Given that paper piercing templates are dreadfully expensive and I LOVE to make holes in stuff, I am still going to be using these tools, but I won't be buying additional heads. I will view these as embossers or pattern creators.

Grade Based on Advertised Function: B-

Card featuring Sew Easy "Banners" Design

Pros:
1. Lots of different designs to choose from

2. Love the compartment in the handle to hold the needle - no more finding it with your feet in the carpet.

3. Because this is a free hand system you can make your stitches curved, straight or use them to outline and accent something.

4. Keep your packaging because each card comes with suggestions for doing several different stitches with the same head.

5. The mat is quite large and allows you to stitch on a layouts and cards without having to readjust your paper.

Cons:
1. Needle is WAY to big which causes you to waste thread when you want to secure your ends or try to squeeze in that last stitch.

Card featuring Sew Easy "Love" Design

2. This tool is more of an embosser than a piercer as on each of the heads I tried the majority of the dots did not pierce through the paper.

3. On several of the heads key pierce points are missing on the design and don't emboss at all, because they are not even there. This was especially true for the "love" head as I kept having to look at the packaging to fill in the blanks myself.

4. I would love for the head to have a marker on it so I could know when the design begins to repeat. This would be especially nice for designs with wording. Who wants "ove" instead of "love" on their Valentine's Day card?


Please note this is an independent review, and I am in no way affiliated with We R Memory Keepers.

Thanks for stopping by,

CarrieAnne


Recipe:
Cricut Cartridge: Sentimentals
Tools: We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Product Line
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug: Swiss Dots
Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers
Cardstock: Couture Cardstock
Bakers Twine: The Twinery
Floss: DMC
Adhesive: Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry

Cuts:
White Scallop Card
"Label1" cut at 4 inches from white cardstock with the "card" function selected.

Simply Enchanting Baptism Layout

 It has been 2 weeks since I have been able to get in my craft room!  Between teaching and the kids being on Summer Vacation I have been super busy.

Last night I finally got some scrappy time and made this layout of my daughter on her baptism day. I used a kit from Miss Art's available here. And lots of Epiphany Crafts epoxys, buttons, and vintage settings.

I am so happy to be back creating in my crafty space!!

Recipe:
Patterned Paper, ribbon, corrugated cardboard: Miss Art's Papercrafting School: Ruth's Recipe kit
Vintage Settings: Epiphany Crafts Vintage Settings Clubhouse

Epoxy embellishments: Epiphany Crafts: Shape Studio Tool Round 14, Shape Studio Tool Round 25

Buttons: Epiphany Crafts: Button Studio Tool Heart 20

Charm: Epiphany Crafts: Charm Settings
Adhesive: Beacon Adhesives: ZipDry

I'll be heading to CHA later this week and can't wait to start sharing with you images and information on the new releases over at the Miss Art's blog.

Thanks for stopping by,

CarrieAnne