This one is for Aunt Cissy...

The third of twelve challenges for National Scrapbook Day was a Breast Cancer theme.  This is a subject that is close to my heart, as my "second mother" is a 6 year survivor.

Aunt Cissy was my friend's mother, who then because my real Aunt, when I married my friend's cousin.  When I first moved to CT, she took me in like I was her own child and we because very close.

This card is for her.  I used a pink ribbon pin I had for the center.

I used pink cardstock I had on hand, some Mulberry paper (LOVE that stuff!) and I cute all the pink with a little green for a pop.

It was also my first use of my new Sew Easy stitching tool.

To be continued...

Get well soon!

National Scrapbook Day challenge #2 was "Kraft cardstock".  I don't think I own any, so I am substituting it for "make something with cardstock".

I made this care package for a dear friend of mine who had surgery this past Friday.  She is working on recovering, but she missed out on the Somerset NJ Scrapbooking Expo that day.  It was GREAT!  I went and have a fabulous time.  I missed not having her there, since we went together last year and we are scrapbooking sisters!

I took a regular plain brown paper gift bag and filled it with all kinds of goodies I picked up for her at the Expo.  Her favorite color is purple, so there was a lot of purple things in there.

I stuck the "get well wishes" note on the front, using cardstock and stamps I had on hand.  Pink ribbon gives it that extra touch to say "I am thinking about you!"

 The following two items I made for her while at the expo.  One is a pin and the other is a necklace.  The supplies come from Craft Fantastic.  They sell glass and hardware to make your own jewelry.  They also sell fabulous Japanese washi paper, with beautiful images you can use to make said jewelry.  You can also print your own image or picture, or use cardstock you have on hand.

I had purchased the "starter kit" last year at the expo, which comes with medium size square glass, glue, necklaces and the grommets.  This year, I purchased the mini and large squares, shown above.  They also sell oval and circle shapes in varying sizes.

What I love about this kit is that it can be used in so many ways.  Since you use ANY image or paper you want for the background under the glass, the posibilities are endless.  You could make a necklace, or pin, or earrings, or a ring, or a bracelet.  You could glue the glass to the front of a card or on a scrapbook page.  I have also seen projects where people glue the glass on top of small photos and then glue the photos to wood.  Instant art piece!

To be continued....

Johnny come lately...

Ok, the next 12 posts will be my projects for National Scrapbook Day: Pink Stamper Style.  I know, I know, National Scrapbook Day was over 2 weeks ago.  But, as Susana over at Susana's Scrappin' Corner would say, "I would be late to my own funeral.

So.... here we go!

Project #1 was "Cupcake".  I made this card for my sister-in-law.  The red and white polka dot background is a pre-cut card I had leftover from a kit.  I cut the cupcake on my Cricut, using my new Doodlecharms cartridge, and the words are a Creative Memories phrase sticker.

I think this is the cutest little cupcake!  Normally, I like simple and clean, but this card screams "fun, celebration, excitement".  And that is exactly what a birthday should be!

Happy birthday to all the May babies!  And happy half-birthday to all the November babies (my Hubby happens to be one of them)!

To be continued.....

I got my first award!

I am now the proud recipient of a "Your Blog is Cricut-tastic" Award!

Thank you so much to Sue over at Susana's Corner for passing it on!

Here are the 5 Cricut-related things about me:
1) My Cricut only cost me $25.
2) My favorite Cricut cartridge is Create-a-Critter.
3) I really, really want the discontinued Snow Friends cartridge.
4) I give my Cricut a good cleaning every once in a while.
5) I think the Cricut bug is super cute!

Woohoo! :)

Ice Cream Social

I always get stuck on cards for guys.  I - being a girl - am drawn towards the more feminine colors and patterns.  But, when making a handmade card for a gentleman, pink paper and frilly ribbon won't cut it.

This card is for my brother-in-law, who is the quintessential guy.  I knew I was pushing it just by giving him a handmade card.  So this one had to be less girly and more appealing to the manly man that he (thinks he) is.

Who doesn't like ice cream????

I started with a boy blue background, some chocolate brown ribbon to bring out the chocolate in the ice cream cone, and matted it on neutral colors and a simple pattern.  The cone was hand cut and embossed using a friend's CuttleBug.

The scoops were made by first punching a scalloped circle out of each of the colors for Neapolitan ice cream.  Then, cut them in half to look like the half circle of a scoop.

Happy birthday Mark!

Easter Bunny!

Happy Easter everyone!

I spent a wonderful Easter weekend down in Ortley Beach, at my aunt and uncle's vacation home.  We walked the boardwalk, rode the go carts, took pictures, ate ourselves into a stupor, and I - who inherited my father's pasty white skin - now look like a ripe tomato.  But it was worth it!

The Easter Bunny brought me a chocolate-scented stuffed bunny, chocolate of every shape, size and flavor, Portal 2 video game and the Harry Potter 7.1 (aka Deathly Hallows Pt 1) DVD.  I hope the Easter Bunny visited all of you too!  Let me know what goodies he left you...

My assignment for Easter supper was dessert.  Every year, my mother makes a Bunny cake.  This year, she passed the tradition down to me.  Doesn't he look tasty????

He is so easy to make.  All you need is two 9-in round cake pans, your favorite cake mix (I used boxed funfetti mix, but next time I will make my own red velvet batter), two tubs of icing and whatever toppings float your boat.  I used green sprinkles for the bow tie and red for the ears.  Easter-themed MandMs were for the face, but my mom usually uses red hots for the eyes, MandM's for the nose and red or black licorice for the mouth and whiskers (I didn't add whiskers this year).

And, how did I make the bow tie and the ears, do you ask?  If you are good at puzzles, you may have already figured out that they all fit together to make a circle.  Below is a diagram of how to cut the second cake round to get these pieces.  Measurements do not have to be exact, as long as the end product looks somewhat like ears and a bow tie:

I hope spring comes soon for each and every one of you!

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

Looks like we are going to get a lot of flowers this May!  April has been cold and rainy here in Central Jersey, and it's starting to get to me.  So here is a spring card that hopefully invokes memories of green grass, the smell of flowers and nice, warm weather...

This stamp set is from the Stampin Up! sale-a-bration promotion.  It had the cutest little bees and a smiling sun I just had to find a use for.  The grass is from the same set, but I kept stamping the same image over itself to give the grass a fuller effect.  I stamped the bees and sun on white, cut a circle aorund them, then filled them in with yellow marker.

I am dying to try this card again, but this time with Embossing on the grass.  I ordered my Veramark, but haven't gotten the order in yet.

I hope tomorrow is as nice a day as the weatherman says it will be.  Happy Spring! :)