Sweat Pea

I know several ladies who are pregnant (including 4 of my Scrap Girls!) and my best friend just had a baby girl, so I decided it was time to get going on some baby cards!

The brown rectangle is 2x4.75 in.  The pink rectangle is 2x3.5 in.  The bottle is from Doodlecharms.  The "Sweet Pea" embossing is from the Cuttlebug set "It's a Girl."
This card will be entered in the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday sketch #149
More Than Favors--Wacky Wednesday #23--colors green, brown, and pink

Sweet!

In looking at the requirements for the challenges out there this week, I decided to make Valentine's Day cards for my two new nieces.  The cupcake is from Doodlecharms.  The image comes with a birthday candle, but I just cut that off with scissors after the Cricut cut it out and added a heart, from the same cartridge.  The frosting was run through the Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls folder and the red background was run through the Heart Blocks folder.  The triangles in the "banner" at the top are also from Doodlecharms.

I used the Cricut markers that I got for Christmas for the first time on this project.  Calligraphy Collection was the first font cartridge I ever purchased for my Cricut, after much deliberation over all the styles that are out there.  I have been so disappointed at how the letters cut though.  In certain areas, they seem to just get too skinny and they are nearly impossible to get off the matt in one piece unless perhaps you cut them REALLY big.  The markers were a good way to use the font on that cartridge.  Thanks to my sister Ann for getting me the markers, and to the Scrapbooking Grandma for her video on using the markers on a Cricut die cut image.

This card will be entered in the following challenges:
Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog #44--neglected cartridge.  The challenge was to use a cartridge you have not used in 6 months or more.  I have just had my Cricut for a year, and when I went through them, there weren't any that quite met that criteria yet.  I have only used Doodlecharms once recently, however, and while I have used Calligraphy Collection for basic shapes, I'm sure I have not used its font in over 6 months due to the challenges with it I described above.
Cardztv--cupcake challenge
Cricut Cardz Challenge #59--make a Valentine's Day card for a child
Skipping Stones Design--sketch challenge #61
My Time To Craft Challenge #125--embossing
My Pink Stamper--something yummy
Paper Playtime #35--anything party related

Nice to "sea" you

My husband and I visited his cousin shortly after Christmas and he took us out to eat at an awesome seafood restaurant.  I made this card for him and his family as a thank you.

The crab is from Create a Critter.  I created the black tag using a circle and two rounded rectangles from Gypsy Wanderings.

This card will be entered in the following challenges:
Peachy Keen sketch challenge #43
Paper Cutz challenge #74--tags
Cricut Cardz challenge #57--use red, black, and white only

Thanks "snow" much

After Christmas, my husband and I went on a mini trip for a couple of days to visit relatives of his.  His great aunt was the first that we visited, and as always, she had a gift for us.  So, I wanted to send a thank you card for the gift and will also be sending her photos we took with her that day.  Here is the card I created for her:

I used Graphically Speaking for the lighter blue rectangle with the rounded corners and the oval.  The snowman is from Doodlecharms.  His hat is from Snow Friends (I used my Gypsy to make sure it was the right size.) and his face is from Peachy Keen Stamps Winter Face Assortment (PK-520).  If I were to do it again, I would have run the layer under the snowman through my Cuttlebug Snowflakes folder.

I want to thank Mary at Cardztv.  I won the Snow Friends cartridge from one of her Christmas in July challenges--the first thing I ever won from a challenge!  I also want to thank Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog again for sharing their awesome tip on how to print on die cuts.  I'm sure I'll be using that technique on many cards to come as well.

This card will be entered in the following challenges:

Skipping Stones sketch #59

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #42--winter warmies (winter clothing/accessory)

Paper Cutz Challenge #73--use metal (see brads at the bottom)

Totally Papercrafts #48--Thank you card
Made by Momo--snow theme

Portrait cross stitch

Several years ago (probably about 8), as a former 4-Her I was walking through the project buildings at our state fair.  There was a both that, from a distance, appeared to be displaying many old-time photographs.  When I got closer, I was shocked to learn that they were in fact cross stitch pictures.  The women working there explained that they had sent photographs in to a company that turned them in to a pattern for the cross stitch.  I got the information on the company and sent in 3 photographs: one of my maternal grandparents, one of my parents, and one of my sisters and I.  (I am not providing the info on the company because shortly after I sent in my pictures, they sent me a letter announcing that they were going out of business.)  I began the picture of my grandparents first.  I worked on it for many hours and made good progress on the project, but for some reason, eventually set it aside.  It sat there in a state of "almost done for several years."  Every time a holiday came around, I'd tell myself I should get it out and finish it as a gift for my mom or for my grandma.  This summer, my grandmother passed away (my grandfather passed away when I was a child).  That really motivated me to pick up my project and finish it as a gift to my mother.  It was so close to done--I can't believe I had left it sitting like that for so long!  I finished up the project and my sister Ann helped me pay for the framing.  I really love how it turned out, and so did my mom.  She was talking about taking it to church to show off to her friends, and to our next family gathering to show all of my aunts and cousins.  Now, let's see how long it takes before I get the next one done...