Sheena's Faux Leather Technique

January is gone and a new month begins. I came across this video in an email I get from Crafter's Companion. Sheena does a beautiful job. I buy quite a bit from them, especially the cardstock. Please check them out for ideas and inspiration.

Rubber Band Emboss

 Who would have thought of using rubber bands, I guess she did :)

OCTOBER MONTHLY CHALLENGE: Halloween Home Decor Challenge!

Ghoulies & ghosties and Long-Leggity Beasties,

And things that go “YUM” in the night . . .

Hooray for Halloween!


It must be the kid in me, but I just absolutely love Halloween! Not the creepy, icky part of Halloween (I know there are people out there that enjoy that part of it) . . . but the endearing part of Halloween. The chance for kids AND adults to play dress-up ALL day if they want, the thrill of planning out your costume months in advance, the candy (especially the mini chocolate bars! YUM!), the class parties with Halloween games and fun where teachers let their hair down. Having a fun reason to visit your neighbors on a cool Fall night and see them act a little sillier than usual. The crunchy leaves beneath your feat as you walk, and the warm bowl of soup that awaits you at home. It all just makes my heart happy!

The WINNER of this challenge will receive a $150 Credit to Cricut.com!
The Challenge: Create a Halloween Home Decor project! Your project must include atleast 2 different Cricut Image Cuts.

Rules and Guidelines: Circle Blog Challenges are open to Cricut Circle Members only. You can create any type of project you would like (tag, altered project, mini album, etc.) but your project must be newly created for this challenge and include atleast 2 Cricut Image Cuts. You must submit a project to be entered into the Challenge Prize Drawing.


How to Enter: Submit your entry using the InLinkz tool found at the bottom of this post. Please post your full name along with your entry. Entries are due by 9:00 pm MST on Sunday,October 30th, 2011.


Prize: This month the winner will receive $150.00 in credit to Cricut.com.

Winner: The winner will be selected randomly from qualifying entries using www.random.org and will be announced on the Cricut Circle Blog on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011.

1st flower is sun from GBS, 2nd,3rd and fifth from flower on GBS, 4th from Forever young

Mask cut file from Okieladybug, she Rocks!

Mask form Destinations Do you see the gate smiling? His eyes glowing?

Recipe for this:

Mask fit to page 8x8 cardstock and feathers

Butterfly mask cut file from Okieladybug Indie art and GBS cart- shimmer cardstock purple and green w/ blue gliiter cardstock glued to chipboard for stabilty

Black cat fit to page 8x8 cardstock

flowers: GBS-sun and 3 flowers, Forever young-flower at 2 1/2 inch

ghost, gate and spooky eyes from Oct. 31st cart.

stickles in: Orange Peel, Diamond, Black Diamond, Starry Night, Gold, Christmas Red and Dark Blue

Black swirl embellishments

2 lrg green bling brads, small matching brads for center of flowers

reindeer moss and batting (fog) for graveyard

spider from morab99 that I was in a Halloween swap with

BOO from a yard sale find

bamboo skewers inked in brilliance lighting black

Tim Holtz vintage photo rubbed on pumpkin for a fresh picked pumplin look

Weekly Challenge #40: Glittery Card Sketch Challenge!

The Challenge: This week we want to see your interpretation of the following card sketch. Please include some kind of glitter or bling on your card.

Rules and Guidelines: Circle Blog Challenges are open to Cricut Circle Members only. Your project must be newly created for this challenge and include atleast 2 Cricut Image Cuts. You must submit a project to be entered into the Challenge Prize Drawing. One entry per person, please.

How to Enter: Submit your entry using the InLinkz tool found at the bottom of this post. Please post your full name along with your entry. Entries are due by 9:00 pm MST on Thursday, September 15th, 2011.

Prize: This week the winner will win $25 in credit added to their Cricut.com account. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery from winner announcement.

Winner: The winner will be selected randomly from qualifying entries using www.random.org and will be announced on the Cricut Circle Blog on Friday, September 16th, 2011.


Hello, Circlets! Are you ready for another Weekly Challenge? I apologize for getting the challenges up late this week. It is completely my fault and I hope you will forgive me.

Let’s do another Card Sketch Challenge this time around and let’s make those cards sparkle! Pull out the glitter, the gemstones, the pearls . . . whatever strikes your fancy . . . and give your project a touch of bling.

Here is what I created for the challenge. Since I had not used the Cricut Everyday cartridge, I felt this was a good one to use.

Recipe for card:

4.5x6.5 card
cardstock of same size from DCWV RockStar
Tim Holtz vintage photo ink around the edges of the cardstock
3 gliiter adhesive dots from Recollections
Ribbon from my stash
plastic case from a cricut got cart cut at 1 3/4 inch wide and 5 inch long & run through cuttlebug folder cricut circle heads
Tim holtz sunshine yellow and sunset orange dabbed onto plastic
Cricut cake, gypsy logo and Cricut Circle head cut at 2 inches and pop dotted on card
gliitery cardstock
sentiment: I heard you caught the bug!!! computer generated.

TFL~

Cricut Circle Magazine challenge Cosmo Cricket

AUGUST COSMO CRICKET CONTEST!


Cosmo Cricket has been with us from the beginning, so we are super excited about this contest. They always produce such fabulous product that fits perfectly with the Cricut and Cuttlebug machines. This month’s contest will be a fun way to put all of your favorite things together.



Contest Rules: Use any Cosmo Cricket product, at least three Cricut cuts, and any Cuttlebug folder. Contest will open on August 20th. Please upload a working link or picture of your project to the blog under the Magazine Challenge tab. One entry per person. Entry deadline is Friday, September 9th. The winner of this contest will receive $150.00 credit on Cricut.com! Don’t forget to take a high resolution picture so if you win, you can send it in for the Magazine!


I chose to do a tag for this challenge. Since I like the wild west, I thought this paper from Cosmo Cricket: Halfway Cafe-Amarillo would be perfect.

Recipe for tag:
hand cut tag to size desired( mine is about the Tim Holtz die size)
2 paper clips painted of your choice of color
matching fibers to tie to one paper clip
little bag of mini punched items- I chose horses to put on other paper clip ( this one came from a swap I was in)
*3 cricut cuts- I chose 2 stars cut at 1" and country girl 1 1/4 " from Old West cart.
*cuttlebug folder-diamonds in the rough
2 copper mini brads
*Cosmo Cricket- Amarillo and Wanted paper
tim holtz vintage photo distress ink
2 staples
dcwv-Immortal love for counry girl cut
1 small piece of printed ribbon
1 prima flower w/rhinestone

I distressed the edges and the diamonds with vintage photo. I then took siccors to the edges of the tag to give it more of a worn look. Stapled the ribbon on and the attached the paper clips. Adhered the stars and country girl with xyron sticker 150. Added brads and the flower. I like this tag the best of all the tags I have done. TFL~

July: Stack-a-holic Template Challenge

DCWV is having a challenge, below is what you need to do for it.
 
 
 
Another month, another challenge!! DCWV Diary


These challenges have quickly become my favorite thing on the blog :) Probably because I love seeing all of your talent!! It's so much fun to see the entries! I wanted to shake it up a little this month :)

I will give you the template...you make the page. Share it on our Facebook page, share it on your blog and send a link or email it to me at erinmadsen@diecutsinc.com. You have until July 27 to submit your page. I will pick my "Top 10" submissions to share on the blog and I will pick a random winner from those 10 for an awesome prize of three of our newest stacks! Wanna play??!

Here is your template from Susan at Sketch Savvy!



Yes, I picked a 2 page layout this month!! I am usually a one page layout kinda girl. But it's fun to mix it up sometimes, especially when you have lots of great memories in photos that you want to capture in your page.


 
 
I have been wanting to put my pictures of my motorcycle and the class I took on some pages, but just could not find anything that I thought they would right on. Until this challenge. I think it turned out really nice. It has that rough and rugged look but with some feminine charm. TFL~
 

Recipe:
Immortal Love cardstock stack grey cardstock
Immortal love stack printed prints
Tim Holtz vintage photo on edges of cardstock
Karen Foster Motocycles collage paper (motorcycle and born to be wild cut from it)
Harley stickers from EK Success 8x8 scrapbook kit (black scrapbook)
and sheet of copper metal paper

WWII Navy Veteran, my Grandpa

I made this for my grandpa. He was a Torpedoman in the Navy. I am very proud of him and wanted to show my appreciation. He is 17 years old in this picture.
Recipe for shadowbox:
10x13 shadow box from Hobby Lobby
multiple Navy sheets from K&Co.-torn
Star buttons from Dress it up Boot Camp
Embossed stickers Navy foil from K&co.
Rub ons from Memories in Uniform.com (unfortunatly no longer in bussiness)
Jolee's 3-D Navy stickers
Cricut cuts: Navy hat, Anchors Aweigh and American Pride-Stand and Salute cart.
Vinyl words-Base Camp w/ DS
Modgepodge-Matte and pop dots
light and darkblue rhinestones in 3 sizes
Tim Holtz vintage photo
If you look along the edges of the shadowbox I have words along the edges.
TFL~

Cricut Circle Magazine challenge Thrift store find contest~

THRIFT STORE FIND CONTEST!
We are taking the challenge from Lisa’s Design Star Feature for our contest this month!

Find something from the thrift store to repurpose with your imagination and your Cricut Machine. Please use at least four Cricut cuts in your design. Upload before and after shots of your project to the blog under the Magazine Challenge Tab. Only one entry per person. Entry deadline is Friday, January 14th, 2011. Winner will receive a new April Showers cartridge!!  Prize will be shipped within 4 to 6 weeks after the announcement.

I found this at our local thrift store a few months ago and was not sure what to do till now. This is what it looked like before I altered it, I beleive I only paid a few dollars for this, I know it was not much more than 5.

Recipe for this:

White Tulle

4 sheets silver translucent paper form The Paper Company + 1 sheet for alcohol inks to be applied to

alcohol inks: Carmel, Butterscoth and Lettuce

2 heart buttons

Black vinyl 

Cricut cart. Home Accents-words used are Home, Family, Faith and Grow 

2 bunches of flowers from local craft store Darice classical silks brand

Gold Tattered Angels glimmer mist

Tim Holtz distress ink Vintage photo

battery operated frosted white lights

1 small strand of green beads

1 sheet of plexi glass

GBS cart for ovals. 

I first applied the vintage photo ink to the window frame here and there to give a distressed look and then sprayed glimmer mist on it. Not sure if you can tell in photo, that it has some glimmer and looks aged.

Here is pic of it with lights on.

I cut the words Home and Family at 1 inch, Faith and Grow at 1 1/2 inch so it would look proportioned. When they were all cut a 1 inch the words Faith and Grow looked smaller so I adjsuted them.I applied them to the front of the plexi glass.

I then took one sheet of translucent paper and applied carmel all over it then took the butterscotch and lettuce here and there. I then cut out 4 ovals from the sheet with GBS cart. at 5 inches wide and 2 3/4 inches long in CDS. I applied them to the back of the plexi glass. Then I took the other 4 sheets of silver paper and put them over the glass.

       I then wrapped the beads around the tulle pulled the tulle through the button holes on the back and glued to each corner. Then I arranged the flowers and lights. I even glimmer misted the flowers with gold so they to would have a bit of shimmer.

TFL

Christmas card holder

I deceided to make a Christmas card holder and this is what I came up with. I have also entered this in My Sheri CRAFTS challenge #36 Christmas.

Recipe for Christmas card holder:

Chipboard 4x16 or any size you want

K&Company Gold glittered Twinkle type letters and flourish

red and green ribbon

BIA and 1/2 inch o wires

Crop a dile and eyelets 3/16

Cricut cartridge Christmas cards at 3 inch

Folk art paint-metallic Christmas green, metallic silver sterling and metallic bright red

badge clips 10-20

Tim Holtz Distress ink Vintage photo

Embellishemts of your choice

I painted each one in the three colors. Then I swiped the distressing ink along the edges.  I then took my BIA and punched holes to hold the owires.On one board I put Merry then on another the flourish in the middle then Christmas on the last. I chose three cards off of the christmas card cart to add to them along with some other embellishments. I then punched holes with the crop a dile and added the eyelets and then srtung it up. The badge holders can be moved anywhere on the wires to hold the cards of any size and shape. Thanks for looking~