Have a SCENT-SATIONAL Day!

Ahhh, the smell of Spring. I LOVE IT!! The weather is amazing today! It truly is a SCENT-sational day - perfect for me to come out of hiding and post something new on this here Happy Place blog of mine!

I was so excited last Thursday to open my mail and receive the Scrappy Moms stamp set I won on Scrappy Mel's blog called Furry Friends! It is SOOO cute!!! They are good quality stamps, too. Here is my first card using the set:

I cut the perfume bottle out of dark pink cardstock using the Cricut Paisley cartridge, embossed it with the D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder, and blinged the "cap" with Golden Rod Stickles. Then after stamping "Have a Scent-sational day," I broke out my chalk that I haven't used in literally years and tried to make it look like a pink perfume aroma coming out with the sentiment. I'm not sure about the look of the "aroma," but it was a good thought for someone who has been creatively lacking lately. I also used the pretty ribbon that was tied around my Scrappy Mom's Furry Friends Stamp Set when it arrived. I love that Scrappy Moms added that extra touch, and then I was able to be "green" with this very pink ribbon by re-using it on this card! :)

Thanks again, Mel, for this awesome stamp set! I'm already enjoying it if you couldn't tell!! You and Tammy make fabulous stamps!!!!!

Happy almost Spring fellow crafters!

Colorado Bound!!

Our Spring Break plans are made! We're heading to our family's "Happy Place" - Colorado! In honor of this exciting prospect, I updated my scrapbook frame in my home office last night:

I got a Gypsy for my birthday last June, but haven't used it too much. I think I've been a little intimidated! But lately I've needed to weld letters and such, and have found that it's not too difficult to use! I love that I can use it anywhere, create a bunch of layers, use several cartridges on the same project, have the ability to weld, and save the project until I'm ready to put my Cricut machine to work. My inspiring decoration above was made completely on the Gypsy and was pretty easy!

Supplies used on my frame:

• Cricut Camp Out Solutions Cartridge (mountains, bears, mountain lion)
• Gypsy Wanderings Cartridge preloaded on Gypsy (sun)
• Cricut Old West Cartridge ('Colorado Bound' letters)
• DCWV sky paper
• Bazzill cardstock

Usually the ribbon across the frame with the mini clothes pins is toward the bottom, but I wanted Colorado Bound to be in the sky, so I flipped it. I'm happy it's versatile like that. BTW, my husband made the frame for me. I wanted the Creative Memories white frame when it came out, but my husband said he could make one for much less. So, that's what he did!

Well, that's it for now. I'll try not to be such a stranger and post more often. The truth is I've been busy visiting all of your wonderful blogs!! Keep your creativity coming!! I LOVE IT!!!

Let us eat CAKE . . . Beautiful CAKE!!

Ok, so I promised about a month ago I would do a post on my daughter's 1st cake using the Cricut Cake mini machine that she got for her birthday. Well, here it is! Better late than never, right???

Here is my oldest daughter making her first cake for the occasion of her Dad's 40th birthday:

The fitting of her homemade marshmallow fondant

(thank you, MPS Robyn for the recipe!)

Trimming the excess with one of her Cricut Cake tools . . .

Then applying "The Big 40" phrase cut from the

Life's A Party Cartridge made with gum paste.

She used black gel (the edibles version of Stickles-LOL)

 for the black outlining . . .

Voila! Such a beautiful cake!! It tasted great too!

We had colored flame candles to enhance her wonderful design!

He may not seem like he's happy (too bright of flash, Jen!), but my husband was very happy with his daughter's homemade cake! Hooray! We now have another baker in the house!!

 

Valentine Cards 2011

Here is my valentine card for this year sent to close family showcasing the photo shoot torture for my girls!

I must admit that this card is not one of my faves that I've made. I had it in my head that I would use the conversation hearts from the Simply Charmed Cricut cartridge, but the card turned out a bit plain and the color of the prints were off from my cardstock colors. But, I like the photos and at this point in my jam-packed life, it got the "It'll have to do" stamp of approval from me. I seem to be doing that a lot lately!!

 The font I used for the inside of my cards is called Hank BT.

Another valentine card I made was just me playing around with ideas for a really good friend of mine who is having a Valentine tea party for her daughter this coming weekend. It is an invitation using the Once Upon a Princess cartridge. The hearts were stickled onto the paper doll's dress and the tea pot. I so wish I were going to this party! My friend has been sending me photos of crafty things she's made for it so I just know it will be a FABULOUS event! Her daughter is one lucky girl . . . :)

Well, that's it for this post. We're getting toward the weekend, so enjoy it my paper-loving friends!!

Valentine Teacher Appreciation Luncheon Favors

This week my daughters' school is having a teacher appreciation luncheon, so I made these little favors for it with my daughter! The theme of the luncheon is "comfort food," so there are a lot of yummy dishes being made! Thankfully I'm not doing any cooking, but I thought that being able to take a couple of chocolate mints back to their desks afterward would be nice.

I used the following:

•  Forever Young Cricut cartridge to make the holder (pg 72, purse creative feature cut at 5 1/4")
• Red cardstock
• A sheet of Recollections white glitter chipboard-like cardstock from Michael's for the hearts
• Designer's Calendar Cricut cartridge to cut heart
• Valentine ribbon from Michael's
• Ziggy Zoe font wording printed on white cardstock and punched using the Stampin' Up small tag punch
• 2 Andes Mints per holder

There is a bible verse on the tag, which is Colossians 3:23:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.

Then below the verse it says:

Thank you for caring for our children with all your heart!

All 36 favors plus an extra for me to keep are all done and ready to be delivered to school this week. These were very fun to make!

Have a good week fellow crafters!!