I feel All Fluttery Inside!

As mentioned in the previous post, I am so honored to have received the Butterfly Award that is fluttering about on many crafting blogs lately! Samantha of http://hooliewoodcreations.blogspot.com/ bestowed this lovely award on my blog and now I need to do some homework to earn it and pass it along.

To receive this award, I need to: answer the following questions, award this  Butterfly award to 10 other bloggers, contact the 10 bloggers to let them know they have been given this award, and I also need to show a link to the person who gave me the 'Butterfly award (check!).

Here are the questions with my answers:

Q1) Name your favorite color.
Today it is turquoise, but that could change literally at any given moment. Squirrel!!

Q2) Name your favorite song.
Another thing that changes for me at any given moment.

Right now I really like "I'm With You"

By Nichole Nordeman and featuring Amy Grant.

Here are the lyrics:

Love is a hurricane in a blue sky
I didn't see it coming, never knew why
All the laughter and the dreams
All the memories in between
Washed away in a steady stream.
Love is a hunger
A famine in your soul
I thought I planted beauty
But it would never grow.
Now I'm on my hands and knees
Trying to gather up my dreams
Trying to hold on to anything.
We could shake our fist in times like this
When we don't understand or we could just hold hands

(Chorus)
You and me
Me and you
Where you go I'll go too
I'm with you, I'm with you,.
'Till your heart finds a home
I won't let you feel alone,
I'm with you, I'm with you, with you.

You do your best to build a higher wall
To keep love safe from every wrecking ball
Then the doctors clearly will
See the house that love rebuilt
Guarding beauty that lives here still.
Chorus

Who can say I'm left with nothing?
When I have all of you, all of you
In the way you've always loved me.
I remember, He does too.

Pretty, huh? It is based on the biblical figures, Ruth and Naomi.

 

Q3) Name your favorite dessert.
Fresh baked cookies!!

Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar - Oh I'm not picky! Bring 'em on!

Q4) What wizzes you off at the moment?
Construction traffic.

Q5) Your favorite pet?
My 14-year old black lab, Daisy. She's AWESOME!!

(My golden-not so much! He's a brat.)

Q6) Black or White?
I do enjoy my white space.

Q7) Your biggest fear?
Dying too young - I want to watch my girls grow up.

Q8) Best Feature?
My kid-like freckles-LOL!

Q9) Everyday attitude?
I wish I could say I am positive as I always sound in the crafting blogging world,

but my attitude could use some improvement for sure.

Q10) What is perfection?
If you've followed for a while, you'll know that I'm a Colorado mountains chick.

I live in the Midwest, but long for those majestic landforms.

Me perched on one with my camera is quite the

perfect bonding moment with God and his beautiful creation.

Q11) Guilty Pleasure?

Buying crafting supplies of course!

Q12) When you're upset you . . .

Vent  . . . mostly to my sis

Now I need to pass this fun award on, but I really hate choosing! Do you see my blog roll??? There are so many talented crafters out there that it is very hard for me to pick. But the last time I had bloggy homework, I took the easy way out and offered it up to anyone on my blogroll list. But, this time I will play by the rules and pick 10.

In no particular order:

1. Steph at http://www.stephmade.com/  - Great sewing projects and a simple classy card style!

2. Lori at http://craftinblind.blogspot.com/  - Despite many health obstacles, is so impressive!

3. Kristy at http://craftin-on-my-door.blogspot.com/  - Such an awesome scrapbooker!

4. Nicole at http://creativedelightsbynicole.blogspot.com/  - She's the Vinyl Goddess!!

5. Jennie at http://jenscrapstoo.blogspot.com/ - My aussie blogging bud that enjoys Scrappy Moms stamps, too!

6. Jenni  at http://mylollipopgarden.blogspot.com/ - Great party projects and another Scrappy Moms fan!

7. Stephanie at http://onceuponapaper.blogspot.com/ So creative with her various projects!!

8. Holly at http://ribbonsandglue.blogspot.com/ A newer blogger with great projects!

9. Tiffany at http://sparkledmemories.blogspot.com/ Great cards and such a sweet commenter!

10. Laurie at http://stampingupnorthwithlaurie.blogspot.com/ and http://cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/ - She cooks it up in the kitchen AND on paper!!

Well, now I need to tell all of these fine crafters about this award, So I'm off to do that! We're heading toward the weekend - enjoy!

Winner! Winner!! Chicken Dinner!

I just had to type that. I think it's funny and see it often on different crafty blogs when the blogger has a winner. And yes, it's finally MY TURN to have a winner! I've hit my 100 followers mark!! I'm so excited to be in 3 digits. And to think there are 100 of you crazy people following me-LOL! That's unbelievable!!

I had my kids pick the winner, and the winner of my 100 follower giveaway is (insert drum roll here please) . . .

Sherrie K of  http://sherriescraps.blogspot.com/!! You win these fabulous Autumn Leaves Christmas Seals stamps!!

Send me an email, Sherrie, with your addy to cricutcrazed@comcast.net so I can ship these babies out to you! :)

Thank you all to my followers. I truly enjoy reading your "happy" comments. You give me such a nice online retreat through this blog!

Also, I feel honored to have received this Butterfly Award from Samantha at http://hooliewoodcreations.blogspot.com/:

I need to do some homework on it first, though. I will post it as soon as I can. Thanks so much, Samantha!

Make it a great Tuesday, my fellow crafters!!

Owl-themed Birthday Party - The Invitation

Hello my crafty friends!

I've been having so much fun helping my friend plan her "Night Owl" pajama birthday party for her almost 8-year old daughter. I offered to make the invitations and had a blast making them!!

This is what I came up with:

This cute girly owl with birthday

invitation wording goes into . . .

this "sleeping bag!"

And here she is all tucked in the sleeping bag!

Here are both pieces side by side.

And yes, that Hoot-n-Holler saying on the front

is all pop-dotted up for dimension!

Here are all 13 invitations

(12 plus an extra for the scrapbook of course!)!

I used envelopes from past holiday photo card orders that

I never used, and also made return address labels to match.

Love, love, LOVE everything to match!

And here is the whole ensemble

ready to mail off to my friend-YES!

Supplies:

• Cricut Hoot-n-Holler cartridge (for the front saying)
• Cricut Everyday Paper Dolls Cartridge (for the pillow)
• "You're A Hoot" birthday themed clipart purchased from Dreamlike Magic Designs Etsy Store
• Recollections "South Beach" Cardstock package (dark pink, turquoise and lime green) from Michael's
• Georgia Pacific white cardstock
• CK Fun font
• CK Jolly Elf font

So, about the clipart I used. Since I've had my Cricut, I haven't used clipart that much. I talked my crafty Cricut-y friend into letting me purchase the Hoot-n-Holler cartridge for her that was on clearance for $20 at Wal-Mart. I figured I would use it to make the invitations, and then mail the cartridge to her with the invitations when I was done so that she could use it for other party details. Great plan, right? She liked it, so she sent me via text photos of the paper goods she was using for the party for the purpose of choosing colors for the invitation. The photos were pretty good, but I wasn't positive of the colors (AGAIN, I LOVE when everything matches!!), so I hopped online and did a Google search for this party pattern. This is what I found:

So cute, right? Well I go to this blog, Dreamlike Magic, and it turns out Alicia (Dreamlike Magic's owner) makes clipart and such and was selling the matching clipart to this birthday party pattern in her Etsy shop! I so LOVE this paper crafting industry!!! Since I love matching so much, I scrapped the idea of using an owl from Hoot-n-Holler and bought the clipart and digital papers for this party. How could I not?!?!

I did feel guilty about not using the Hoot-n-Holler cartridge, though. It does have some pretty cute owls and sayings on it. So, I fulfilled its purpose by using it for the saying on the front of the sleeping bag. Yay! All is well in my paper-crafting world-LOL!

Since making these invitations, many emails, texts and phone calls have occurred between my friend and I regarding this mega bash. I will be making more fun items for her party so stay tuned! :)

I'm entering this invitation in the Fantabulous Cricut's Challenge # 74 - "Birthday Bash."

Have a great week all!

Lighthouse Beach Pail Farewell Gift

This little project was made a while back, but I forgot to post it. Thought I should do it before the Summer fades away . . . sniff, sniff! My younger daughter had a classmate move away this summer, so a farewell party was held in the girls' honor. She's moving to Southwestern Michigan where lots of pretty beaches and lighthouses can be found! We should know - we vacationed there this Summer!

Here was our farewell gift:

 Sand pail in school colors, shovel, sunscreen,

glow bracelets, frisbee & a beach towel from Target that said

"This space saved for someone AWESOME"

(or something to that effect - can't remember exactly)

Supplies:

• Cricut Life Is A Beach cartridge for lighthouse card
• Red and white cardstock
• Blue, red and yellow Stickles
• CK Tipsy Font

My girls start school tomorrow. I'm so sad! That means I actually have an earlier bedtime now . . .  one less hour of crafting or surfing my favorite crafty blogs. Say it isn't so!

Have a good week all!

Personalized Tubs of LEGOS

So sorry for the delay in posting. Yikes I've been busy! And when I've managed to have a free moment, I've been so tired that all I've done is view my fellow crafters' blogs. My best friend was in town with her family, we babysat my baby cousins last weekend, and don't EVEN get me started on my job - BLAH!! Let's just say I'm SO HAPPY it's the weekend!!!!

Since I knew my BFF was going to be in town with her kids, I gave her twins their birthday gifts a little early. I rarely can give them in person with them living in North Carolina, so I planned a fun time for the kids by going to Legoland and giving them their gifts at the end of our time there. It was their own special birthday party! :)

Here are the gifts I gave them:

Supplies:

• Cricut white vinyl
• Cricut Birthday Bash cartridge welded on Gypsy for Alex
• Cricut Alphalicious cartridge welded on Gypsy for Cassidy
• Cricut Disney's Hannah Montana for stars on Alex's Lego tub (Shh! Don't tell him they were from Hannah Montana!)
• Cricut "mystery" cartridge for circles on Cassidy's tub (I honestly don't remember what cartridge I used. I did a search on my Gypsy for a circle and pretty much picked the first one I saw where the cartridge was linked. Sorry!)

What a short supply list for a change! And this gift was quite the hit with both of the kids, my BFF, and other patrons in Legoland. I had a few people stop and ask if the store in Legoland did the personalizing - SO COOL! I love when people think that something is professional when it was something I crafted. Even my BFF thought I "had them done" somewhere! :)

I haven't done too many projects with vinyl, but WOW is it easy!!! And thank you to Nicole of Creative Delights By Nicole for emailing me suggestions for the tubs. She is the "Vinyl Goddess" I'm pretty sure!! If you haven't visited her blog, you should pop over. She does some amazing work!

Well, that's all for now folks. I will try not to be too much of a stranger, but I do have a full plate the next couple of weeks (insert heavy sigh here). Blessings on your coming week!

S'more Birthday Gift Ensemble

WARNING: Pic heavy!!

Here's me 2 years ago with my birthday "cake"

while camping in my real life happy place, Colorado.

And yes, that is a stick lit as my candle!

This week I've been busy making a fun gift for my daughter to bring to a friend's birthday party. I know I went way above and beyond for a kid friend birthday gift, but I was inspired by my new Scrappy Moms Happy Camper stamp set and some of the recent challenges going on. But most importantly I had fun making it (isn't that what it's all about??) and it makes for a fun blog post! :)


Here is the ensemble:

The card/anti-bac holder  - The tutorial

I used can be found HERE. Thank you, Jan!

What anti-bac scent? S'mores of course!

Key Ingredient # 1

I was tempted to get the generic, but these are

America's Favorite after all. It says so on the package.

Must be true.

Key ingredient # 2 - Love that they make

the squares now. Of course the box says Limited Edition,

 but they'd be crazy to discontinue it!

 Key Ingredient # 3 - But let's face it-

If you didn't have 1 or 2, you could live on this one.

 This sweatshirt is the main gift that got my idea engine

going. My pre-teens are obsessed with Aeropostale!

 This was a Wal-Mart find. I figured it

could come in handy for this sporty friend.

Supplies:

• Cricut Campin' Critters cartridge (campfire on bag, s'more on card/anti-bac holder)
• Cricut Gypsy Wanderings cartridge preloaded on Gypsy (water bottle vinyl)
• Cricut A Child's Year cartridge for candle on s'more 
• Cricut Cuttin' Up font cartridge on the gift bag
• Cricut white vinyl
• Stampin Up Kraft and Night of Navy cardstock; orange and brown Recollections cardstock, & tan and white cardstock from my scraps
• Scrappy Moms Happy Camper, Simple Sentiments and Sweet Somethings stamp sets
• Black Versa Color ink, Ranger clear embossing powder and Marvy Uchida heat gun
• Stampin Up Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip ink with sponge for card/anti-bac holder edges
• Fiskars deckle edge scissors and Fiskars ribbon punch for all of the tags
• Rafia
• Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder for "graham crackers"
• Hobby Condensed font for tag and card wording that is not stamped
• Velcro dots to close card/anti-bac holder
• Orange Peel Stickles for candle flame

I am entering this ensemble into the following challenges:

1. Cricut Cartridge Chaos Challenge #26: Campin' Critters
2. Celebrate The Occasion # 24: Kid's Birthday!!!
3. Whimsical Wednesday # 16: Fun With Folds! 

Remember that I have my 100 follower challenge going on! I'm just 10 away from mailing out a Christmas stamp set! :)

Enjoy your weekend!

When Life Gives You Lemons . . .

Make lemonade!

That's exactly what I did here with this "Long and Short of It" 4x9 card for CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 13:

Supplies:

• Cricut "Just Because" cartridge for the glass of lemonade, straw and lemon wedge
• White Georgia Pacific cardstock for base; red, white, yellow and blue cardstock from my scraps
• "When life gives you lemons . . ." typed on PC using Coffee Milk Crazy font from Free Font Fun  (Thank you Lauren! She used this on her butterfly birthday projects for a recent post and I LOVE it!)
• "God won't bring you to it...If he can't get you through it!"sentiment on inside from Scrappy Moms' Designers Choice stamp set (Had to sneak one in! :))
• Icicle Stickles for sugar on the glass rim and lemon wedge
• Stampin' Up scallop trim border punch

This card is actually for a friend of mine who just found out a couple of weeks ago that one of her 16-year old twin boys has Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). The shock is just slowly starting to set in. At this point, her son has 100% function of his kidneys, but PKD is a disease that will be life-changing for this family as it will always be with him and currently has no cure. His diet has been severely changed, he is on medication that he has had trouble adjusting to, and he has to refrain from most physical activity. That is tough for a rough-and-tumble teen-aged boy who loves sports! My dear friend also battled breast cancer 6 years ago, so she is definitely feeling like lemons are being handed to her in her life. If you are of the praying kind, please pray for this family. God will know who! :)

I am also entering this card in the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge # 71: "Let's Be Friends" challenge.

Blessings on your week!