More Tumblers...

I have been busy, busy, busy making tumblers.  I'm terrible at remembering to take pics, but here are a few I did remember to take that I thought I'd share.  All of these were done using my Cricut and vinyl.  Some are cut from SVGs using the SCAL software, and some were cut using Cricut cartridges. 

This next one was a special gift to an Ohio State fan from a Michigan fan...that's why the colors are maize and blue.

Then, I had a request for a Miami Hurricanes tumbler.  This one gave me some trouble, but I think it turned out great.

I was also asked to do one that was pink and girly...

That's all for now.  I've got a few more to do in the next couple of days.  I'll try to remember to take some pictures.

Graduation Tri-shutter Card

Here's another card that a friend requested...I seem to get a lot of last minute phone calls.  This call came on a Friday night, asking if I'd be able to have something by the time we met for lunch on Saturday...I love a challenge, so I said yes, of course.  This was my first tri-shutter card, and I used the tutorial found on Splitcoaststampers for cutting, scoring and folding the base.   

Deocrating the panels was as easy as measuring the paper and cutting.  I used the Cuttlebug to so some embossing on a few panels, and added some "doctor" cuts using my Cricut.  I know that I used Wild Card for some cuts, but can't remember what other cartridges I used...sorry. 

The rosette on the front panel was simply made by scoring a 1 1/2 by 12 inch strip of paper at 1/4 inch intervals.  Once scored, you fold it up accordian style and glue the ends together.  This will look kind of like a cupcake wrapper without a bottom.  Carefully push down on the inside and flatten it into a circular shape and secure it with some kind of adhesive.  I use a glue gun or a large glue dot.  I added the cap to the middle to hide the glue and secure the rosette. 

Happy Birthday Mermaid

My daughter woke up yesterday morning, and asked me if I could make a card for her friend's birthday (her party was later that evening).  First I had her look through the bucket of cards I've already made to see if she found one she liked...guess what, she didn't.  So, out came the paper and Gypsy and I got to work.  She mentioned that her friend liked mermaids, and I just happened to have the Life is a Beach handbook memorized (since I've been using it for school stuff).  I knew just what I wanted to do. 

Using the Just a Note cartridge as a template, I welded together some squares from George and Basic Shapes and a liner from Wild Card to make the card base.  Then, using the Don Juan cartridge, I welded the shadow for "Happy Birthday" to the card base (after flipping the letters so they would be correct once the card was folded.  I did the same for the base of the mermaid on the other side of the card. 

Once all the pieces were cut, assembly was super easy.  I did hand cut some rectangles to add to the sides before adding the letters and mermaid...felt like it needed a little something.  The mermaid was finished off by embossing her hair (with my Cuttlebug and the divine swirls folder), adding adhesive pearls to her waist, and stickling (yes, that is a word, lol) her top, flower and fin.  I also added just a tiny bit of chalk to her cheeks...what a difference it makes.

I think this might be my new favorite card.  Now that I've set it up, it should be really easy to switch out the main image to fit any birthday.

School Calendar

 It's that time of year again...back to work.  As much as I hate to see the summer end, I'm glad to have been called back.  Last year I used a color theme throughout my room...black, white and pink.  This year, I've decided to go with an ocean/beach theme.  So, I decided to make a few things for myself and the room.  Today's project is a calendar that I made for myself.  I keep one on my desk all the time, and it's always been something plain (and cheap).  As you can see, not plain...but pretty cheap.

I printed off some free calendar pages I found online, and used my YourStory to bind them together in one of the YourStory "leather" binders.  This one is 8 1/2 by 11.  After binding and letting it cool, I got busy decorating.  All of the images on the front were cut using my Cricut and the Life is a Beach cartridge.  Of course, I used my Gypsy to plan it and make sure everything was cut to the correct size and would fit before cutting. 

Once assembled, I added some stickles to make it really shine.  These pictures just don't do it justice, it is sooooo pretty in person.  Now I think I'll make myself a post-it holder to match, and maybe pretty up my hand sanitizer as well....

Back to School

Only a few weeks left for summer vacation...UGH!  Time to start planning some classroom decor.  This wall hanging was made to hang outside my classroom door.  I cut the base shapes out of old cereal boxes, then cut the layers from cardstock.  All the images came from the Locker Talk Cricut cartridge.  I'm thinking about making some calendar pieces next......

Diaper Cake for MacKenzie

I made my first diaper cake a few weeks ago, and thought I'd share how EASY it was to do.  The picture you see above is in the beginning stages of decorating.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a good pic of the finished cake.  I do have a few more pics to share, but they were taken on a cell phone, and the lighting was really bad.

Making the tiers for the cake was super simple.  You'll need diapers, small ponytail holders (I found clear and black near the hairbows and barrettes at my local Target), a large rubber band for each tier you plan to make, ribbon and your items to use to decorate.  I also used a baby bottle in the middle of the first tier to give me something to build around.  I filled it with M & Ms for mom. 

Start by rolling up each diaper from the fold out.  Wrap it with a small band to secure it.  When they're all rolled, secure them together in a circles around the bottle (or building out around a single diaper in the center)with the large rubber band.  My top tier had a total of 7 diapers...1 in the center and a "ring" of 6.  The middle would be 1 in the center with 2 "rings" around that.  In my case, it was built around the top of the bottle.  The bottom layer has a center and 3 "rings".  All that's left to do is deocrate. 

I wrapped each layer with 2 different ribbons, securing them with terrifically tacky tape where they met in back.  I used leftover ribbon and a glue gun to make the bows tha were added to each tier.  Each bow was attached to either a barrette or alligator clip (so that they can later be used in MacKenzie's hair or on a headband or hat), and attached to the cake using glue dots. 

Here you can see the other monkeys (cut from Create a Critter, using my Cricut) and the letter cards that were added to spell out her name.  The shape comes from the images on the Cricut Imagine.  All of the parts were printed and cut using white paper and the Imagine.  Around the back of the cake I added some soaps, lotions, socks and onsies that were decorated with images from the CI Nursery Tails cartridge (and, here's a surprise, I forgot to take pics!).

Welcome and thank you for joining us for Jenny's Big 3-OH Birthday Blog Hop!   You should have arrived here from Monica's blog.  If you just happened to stumble upon this hop, please be sure to go back to Jenny's blog, so you don't miss any of the wonderful projects we have to share.

Jenny asked us to use 3 colors and some bling.  I decided to make a birthday card (since it's Jenny's birthday), but went with something my daughter could give to a friend that would soon be driving.  The cuts were made with my Cricut (big surprise, huh?), and the papers were some that I had in my stash.  It's difficult to tell, but the car is cut from glitter paper, and the wheels have some extra bling for good measure. 

Thank you so much for joining us for Jenny's Big 3-OH Birthday Blog Hop!  Your next stop is Nikki's Blog!  Here is the line up in case you get lost:

Jenny www.papercutcreations.blogspot.com
Linda http://www.fancyframework.com/
Jennifer http://scrap-a-tude.blogspot.com/
Katie http://kwilliamskreations.blogspot.com/
Jennifer http://craftyfulgardens.blogspot.com/
Kathie http://kathleessnippitsncricuts.blogspot.com/
Jen www.jenscraftcorner.com
Diana www.daisylovecreations.blogspot.com
Kristen http://fantabulouslypink.blogspot.com/
Nadia www.nadiasbeautifulmess.blogspot.com
Giselle www.crossmyheartpapercrafts.blogspot.com
Belinda  http://theembellishedcard.blogspot.com/
Savannah http://www.simplecricutcrafts.blogspot.com/
Amber www.amberscraftsandstuff.com
Monica  http://www.stampindaisies.com/
Michelle http://www.madebymisha.blogspot.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)
Nikki http://www.theglamoroussideofscrapping.blogspot.com/
Juel http://jandjsyummycreations.blogspot.com/
Sher  www.patternsbysher.blogspot.com
Darlene www.talesoftayandbay.blogspot.com
Kara http://www.karassweetcreations.blogspot.com/
Jamie http://cutecardsandcraftsbyjamie.blogspot.com/
Jessica www.bakingupcrafts.com
Elaine www.ExpressionsByElaine.blogspot.com

The Tumblers are Here....

I finally got my order of insulated acrylic tumblers, and got right to work cutting some vinyl for them.  The first one I did was for my sister...I never seem to be making things for myself...of course, I really like making things for other people.  Here's a surprise...I used SCAL2 and my cricut to cut the vinyl.  After it was cut, I used some transfer tape to layer the different colors on top of each other.  From there it's just a matter of applying it to the tumbler...kind of like you'd apply a sticker.  Here are a few more pics showing a little more detail.    

 

Thinking of You

Here's a card I found while I was looking through pictures on my old phone, transferring things to the new phone on Friday.  It occured to me that it had been 2 years since I made it.  I don't think I'll ever forget the shocking phone call telling me my younger sister's husband had died.  Really makes you stop and think about how important today is.

The stamped image was colored using chalks and an aqua brush.  I've never really gotten the hang of coloring with chalks, but I liked the way this turned out.  I think I'll pull out the supplies and make up a few more to have in the card box.  You can never have too many all occasion cards like these. 

I'll be crafting all week (SPRING BREAK!!!!!), so I should have lots to share with you.  My list  includes a diaper cake, a glass block, some tumblers, birthday boy/girl shirts and other birthday items.  I may also be making a tu-tu for the birthday girl as well...if my sister gives up, lol.  Time to get busy.

A blog award...Whoo Hooo!!

Imagine my surprise when I opened an email the other day and found that I had been given a blog award.  This came from Cindy Lou at ScrappinC.  Be sure to check out her blog, lots of great things to see.  I especially like the Halloween mini album that she made.  Very creative.  

The rules for this award are pretty simple:
1.  Thank the person who gave it to you.
2.  Tell 7 things about yourself.
3.  Give the award to 15 other blogs.

THANK YOU, CINDY LOU!!!!!

1.  I have two children, my first graduates this year and the second is finishing middle school.
2.  I'm an elementary school teacher.
3.  I like to consider myself a "paper artist"...even tho I really just make cards and do some scrapbooking.
4.  My biggest fear is of drowning, even though I've been a swimmer since about the age of 4, and worked as a lifeguard for years.
5.  I'm an avid reader...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE  my NookColor.
6.  I'm a reality T.V. junkie.
7.  I'm not an animal lover, BUT, in the last 15 years I've had fish, 3 hamsters, 4 cats, 2 dogs, a guinea pig (thanks, Aunt Cyndi) and a ferret living in my house...see #1...the things we do for them...

Ok, on to the new awards.  I wanted to pass this on to some less known bloggers.  I specifically looked for blogs with less than 200 followers because chances are they'll be new to you.  I hope you'll pop over and check them out.  I think there is some real talent here.

1.  http://craftyfulgardens.blogspot.com/
2.  http://katieoscreations.blogspot.com/
3.  http://www.kendrascreation.blogspot.com/
4.  http://ratherbecraftin.blogspot.com/
5.  http://greenscrapinmachine.blogspot.com/
6.  http://myclosetcrafts.blogspot.com/
7.  http://pinkbonbons.blogspot.com/
8.  http://trace-elementz.blogspot.com/
9.  http://www.inklingsandyarns.com/
10.  http://www.millermall.blogspot.com/
11.  http://creativescrapscorner.blogspot.com/
12.  http://cricutmania.blogspot.com/
13.  http://mycraftingtime.com/
14.  http://tanisterrificcreations-tanya.blogspot.com/
15.  http://www.scraptasticgrammy.blogspot.com/
 

Bunco Fun

My sister lives in a great little subdivision which includes all sorts of social events.  Once a month the "Bunco Babes" get together at someone's house and spend the evening playing bunco (with plenty of eating, drinking and socializing thrown in).  For the holidays they planned a wine glass exchange, so my sister called to see what I could do for her.  Once again, I turned to my Cricut and got to cutting some vinyl.  The dice are an SVG that I designed using SCAL2.  After cutting the shadow and individual die, I layered them and applied them to a glass.  The words were done the same way, using the AR Christy font, again cut with SCAL2.  I added a few of the dots left from inside the die, tied on a ribbon and it was good to go. 

I always worry that when I'm left to design something myself,  it won't be quite right.  I'm happy to say that wasn't the case with the glass...I just finished making 15 22 more for the girls that didn't win the glass in the gift exchange.  Here's a picture of a few that were requested.

I'm waiting now for a supply of insulated acrylic tumblers like these

to arrive so I can do some personalization on them as well.  I think they'll be great for those cool summer beverages that we'll be drinking soon...if the warm weather ever finds its' way here. 

April Fool's Day Blog Hop!

Welcome to It's A Joy 2 Scrap's April Fool's Day Blog Hop! I'm pretty excited to be participating in my first ever blog hop.  I was a bit worried earlier this week that I wouldn't be able to do it afterall...THANKS again to my niece and nephews for sharing their stomach virus with Aunt Chelle, lol. 

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Friday! If you came here from Paper Cut Creations, you are in the right place. However, if you just happened upon my blog, please head over to It's A Joy 2 Scrap's blog so you don't miss any of the fun.

For this hop, we were asked to create a project that “tricks the eye.”   I immediately thought of doing a fancy fold card.  One of my favorites to make is a slider card.  The front panel gets pulled up revealing your special message on the inside.  You can find a tutorial for making your own at Splitcoaststampers.

All the materials used to make my card came from Stampin Up!  You can find a demonstrator by visiting the website HERE. 

Next in line is Linette from Moonscrapper.  She's got another great project to show you. Now get to hopping, and enjoy all the creativity that is out there waiting for you.  If you get lost along the way, here is the line up of my fellow crafters:

ELAINE

VICKI

DARLENE

LINDSEY

TAMMY

KARA

AMY

ASHLEY

JANICE

TONIA

KIM

JANICE

JILLIAN

WENDY

KAYLA

JENNY

PATTY

TIFFANY

CARLENE

KRYSTAL

JENNY

MICHELLE (you are here)

LINETTE (next stop)

KATIE

DEBI

Don't forget! If you leave a comment on all the blogs by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. CST. You have a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

Easter Eggs already???

No, I haven't started Easter/spring cards yet...I'm the world's biggest procrastinator.  These were actually done a few years ago and I'm just getting around to posting them.  I needed a place for the pictures so I could explain something with the visual rather than trying to write the words.  Anyway, this is a stamped image that I stamped onto different colored cardstock and heat embossed with white powder.  I then cut the different areas apart and used some pop dots to layer it back together.  I also "colored" the visible spaces from each layer with stickles that matched.  Lots of work, but I love the result.  I wish you could see just how much it sparkles.