Monogrammed Mini Kraft Matchbooks

Mini Monogrammed Kraft Matchbooks

I know there will be audible gasps, but I actually made something without my Cricut! It doesn't happen often, but like Blue Moons and hunky men picking up my dinner tab it does happen (okay, maybe my hubbie is the only man who has ever picked up my dinner tab - but you get the idea).

These matchbooks are eensy weensy and so cute - about an 1 x 2 inches. I used an OLD (like back in the day when the red Sizzix was the thing) Large red Sizzix die for them. They have been distressed with my favorite ink - VersaMark, dry embossed and the inside pages are held in with stitches through the button on the cover. I had a set of Technique Tuesday stamps with lots of fun phrases on them and did a few with monograms and a few with stamps.

My daughter is begging to take a few to hand out to her friends so they can pass notes to each other (during recess, of course she swears). I haven't decided if I want to give her teacher that kind of headache or not. They would be fun to write a phone number or shopping list on and a super inexpensive gift.

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Thanks for Note-cing my posts,

CarrieAnne

Recipe:
Die: Sizzix
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug: Swiss Dots
Ink: VersaMark, Stampin' UP!
Paper: Couture Cardstock
Floss: DMC (Ecru)
Stamps: Technique Tuesday

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

Altered Mini Trash Can

Give A Hoot Cartridge Altered Mini Trashcan

I came across this trash can a few weeks ago on a Target clearance end cap. My husband is something of a hamster when it comes to paper bits. He has a hard time parting with them so they make piles around his home computer. I thought I would alter the can and put it next to his monitor so he would be prompted to throw out his used post its and what not right away. The original can had a bizarre color combination and dot pattern so I covered it with Sassafrass Lass Paper and die cut stickers.

To make the cute little balls of wadded up paper I used white cardstock and Stampin' UP!'s three flower punch. Spritzed them with water, scrunched and piled them on the trash can die cut.

Recipe:
Cricut Cartridges: Give A Hoot
Patterned Paper: Sassafrass Lass
Cardstock: Couture Cardstock
Pearls: Recollections
Epoxy: Epiphany Crafts
Punch: Stampin' Up!
Die Cut Stickers: Sassafrass Lass
Ink: VersaMark
Mini Trash Can: Target
Adhesive: Beacon Adhesive Zip Dry, Stampin' Up! (Glue Dots)

Cuts:
"Don't Be Trashy" sentiment from the Give A Hoot Cartridge: "TrshBr-S" cut at 2 inches in orange and at 1.75 inches in red.

Trash Can from the Give A Hoot Cartridge:
"TrshBear" cut with the "Layer" function selected from gray cardstock at 2.25 inches and the "TrshBr-S" cut from gray cardstock at 2.25 inches.

Thanks for stopping by,

CarrieAnne

Batty about You

If you have ever been a fan of Christmas in July, perhaps you will also like Halloween in April!  Recently a number of online Scrapbook stores have seriously reduced the prices on last year's Halloween lines.Because I acknoweldge I have a papercrafting addicition, I know I need to feed it as cheaply as possible. This means I rarely buy a line when it is newly released, but I do go a bit nutty when it is cleareanced out. I just received all sorts of awesome Halloween products and just couldn't resist sharing a few projects I made from them throughout the rest of the month.

This little bat is from the Hello Kitty Greetings Cartridge - isn't he just the cutest! I love that this cartridge includes a number of shaped cards on it and the bat itself opens while the rosette is the card base.

Recipe:

Cartridges: Provo Craft: Hello Kitty Greetings, George Basic Shapes
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug: Textile Texture
Dies: Spellbinders: Nesting Scallop Circles
Patterned Paper: Echo Park Paper Co.: Happy Halloween
Pearls: Want 2 Scrap (Black)
Ink: VersaMark
Paper Piercer
Embroidery Floss: DMC (Black)
Adhesive: Stampin' UP!: Stampin' Dimensionals, Tombow: MonoAdhesive, Beacon Adhesive's ZipDry


How To's

1. Use the "Bat" cut on page 72 of the Hello Kitty Greetings Cartridge with the "Card" Function selected to cut hinged bat card from black cardstock at 4 1/4 inches.

2. Select the "Clothes/Clothes" function and  the "Bat" cut and cut the black layer pieces out from black cardstock at 4 1/4 inches.

3. Use the Cuttlebug Textile Texture embossing folder to emboss all of the layer pieces cut in step 2.

4. Ink the edges of the wing and feet embossed pieces with VersaMark ink and adhere to bat card base.

5. Adhere a piece of patterned purple paper between the eye holes of the bat head.

6. Layer the bat's head over the belly layer piece and add interest by using dimensional adhesive.


5. Remove the remaining black card base border around the head with scissors as seen in pictures so that the head is the only portion of the bat without a solid black outline of cardstock around it.

6. Use a paper piercer to punch a border of holes around the wings and feet.

7. Embellish bat head with pearls so that the eyes have a small purple outline.

8. Use DMC floss to add thread to button and adhere button nose with glue dot.

9. Cut two scallop circles by using Spellbinders' largest scallop circle nesting die.

10. Score between every scallop.

11. Use scissors to cut from the end to the mid point of one score line. Repeat this for both scallop circles.

12. Accordian fold on the score lines to create two pleated half  circles.

13. Glue half circles together to create a full pleated circle by overlapping one scallop on each side and adhering with glue dots.

14. With orange cardstock cut at a 3 1/2 inch circle with the "circle" cut on page 108 of the George and Basic Shapes cartridge.

15. Adhere orange circle to back of rosette with Beacon Adhesive's Zip Dry for stability.

16. Adhere embellished black card to rosette with Beacon Adhesive's Zip Dry.

Hand Delivered Note

At 31 I am very blessed to have all my grandparents still living. I try pretty hard not to take them for granted and let them know how much I love them. This week both of my grandfather's have been hospitalized so this week I will be sharing a few projects I made to send them to cheer them up.

I am mailing out this "hand delivered" card later today. Inside the envelope is a personal note. The "stamp" was cut out from Creative Imaginations paper and then "canceled out" with a marker. I like the idea of the hand having painted nails that really looked painted so I painted on embossing ink with a liner brush and heat embossed clear enamel over the red nails. I am mad about tulle these days so I tucked a bit into her shirt sleeve and hand made the little rose with a flower from the Mother's Day Bouquet Cartridge.

Recipe:

Cricut Cartridge: Sentimentals, Mother's Day Bouquet
Patterned Paper: Graphic 45, Creative Imaginations
Ink: VersaMark, Stampendous Clear Embossing
Embossing Powder: Stampin' UP!
Pearl, Tulle: Stash


Thanks for looking,

CarrieAnne

Vintage Suitcase Card

I love vintage suitcases - the travel stickers that tell stories of someone else's adventures, the cracked leather, and the beauty of scuff marks and tears hard earned in who knows how many countries. This shaped card features both heat and dry embossing to get that faux crocodile finish. The "travel stickers" were hand cut from Creative Imaginations paper and then coated with a bit of Mod Podge to give them a slightly lacquered look. The suitcase itself is from the "A Child's Year" cartridge. It was intended to be a tag, but I cut it out at 9 3/4" to turn it into a card. The cluster with the hat pin, Eiffel Tower and button is a compilation of fun vintage stuff from my stash.

I am entering this card in two challenges. The Fantabulous Cricut is featuring a challenge for shaped cards this week and the Cuttlebug Spot is hosting a challenge for projects using a hat pin.

Recipe:

Cricut Cartridge: A Child's Year
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Animal Prints
Patterned Paper: Creative Imaginations
Embossing Powder: Stampin' UP!
Ink: VersaMark
Halfback Pearls: Reminisce
Hatpin: Jenni Bowlin
Sealing Medium: ModPodge

Thanks for stopping by,

CarrieAnne

Relax and feel better ...

A friend is going to be having some surgery this week so I thought I would make her this card to remind her to relax and take care of herself after wards.

I also used this card for the challenge over at Fantabulous Cricut blog. The challenge was to use any kind of embossing.

RECIPE:

Cricut Cartridges: Sweethearts, Splish Splash
Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket
Microbeads: Stampin' UP!
Stickles: Ranger
Gel Pen: Signo White
Alpha Stickers: Doodlebug Designs
Punch: Stampin' UP!

Thanks for stopping by,

CarrieAnne


The How To's

There are two really fun things about this card. The "bubble bath" is from a combination of stickles and micro beads. I thought it came out fun and frothy.

The tile floor I designed using a combination of heat and dry embossing.

1. Use a stylus and ruler to score on the diagonal on a piece of patterned paper.

2. Use a signo white gel pen and a ruler to fill in the scored lines.

3. Apply VersaMark ink to entire piece of patterned paper.

4. Apply clear embossing powder and heat.

I love that it came out like travertine tile. I even "burned" a few areas to get some pretty color variegation.

"Be Mine" Pleated Heart Card

I have always wanted to try paper pleating around a shape. After spending quite a bit more time than I wanted to getting the paper to pleat around this heart shaped card I think I can check that goal off the bucket list and put it on the "things not to do again" list.

This is just a sweet over sized card to give to my Valentine.

Recipe:

Stamp: Be Mine from My Pink Stamper, "Love-alicious"

Cricut Cartridges: Create a Critter, Tags, Boxes & More
Paper: Stampin' UP!, Bo Bunny

Embossing Folders: Cuttlebug: Floral Fantasy
Punches to make the lilypad flowers: Stampin' UP!
Brads and Bling from my stash
Ink: VersaMark

How I altered the Cricut Cuts:

Two frogs were cut at 3 1/2 inches from Create a Critter. On the second frog I removed the legs. I then made these the hands to hold the "Be Mine" heart.

I cut two of the lily pads (3 1/2 inches) and layered them, but slightly offset the underneath lily pad. Both pads were inked with VersaMark and the top one was embossed with the Floral Fantasy Cuttlebug folder.

The base of the card is the heart tag cut from Boxes, Tags and More on the mirror function.

The pleating was done by cutting 1 x 12 inch strips of paper and scoring at the 1/2 inch mark. I then folded it and adhered it with red line tape.

Thanks for looking,

CarrieAnne

Inked up Fingers ...

Though I spent three years as a Medical Officer in the US Army, I am not a huge fan of dirty hands.

Most of my artwork has clean simple lines and you would be hard pressed to find gobs of paint on a layout, and I may not even currently own a bottle of gesso. So for me using watermarking on this card was a step outside my comfort zone. I first stamped the background image (from Stampin' UP!) in Versamark's Clear ink and then I went back over the stamped images with red ink and a sponge. I cut a similarly stamped and inked butterfly out a few times and layered them for dimension. I then distressed the edges of the white cardstock. I used my paper piercer on the green cardstock mat and one of my favorite punches for the flourish. The patterned paper is Jenni Bowlin and the buttons are from my stash.

I plan on sending the card to my brother (hopefully he doesn't read my blog). He is going through a bit of a rough patch and I thought a little love note in the good ole snail mail might cheer him up.

I am off to wash the red ink of off my hands!

Thanks for looking,

CarrieAnne