{E•A•S•T•E•R•}

When I first got my Expression, about 3 years ago, I wanted to cut large chipboard letters and create something cute with them. Well, I finally did it and it was easy and a lot of fun!

With Easter fast approaching {okay, so about a month from now, but still, it will be here before we know it} I decided I wanted to make this table decoration for a really good friend of mine. She always decorates her house so cute for the holidays and I knew she would just love this. (And she did, I took it to her this morning)

I was really surprised by how quickly I finished these letters. I thought it would take me days, but it only took about 3 hours. I was pleasantly surprised by this! °Ü°

Here's a look:

Here's how I did it:

♥ I used the Storybook cartridge and cut the chipboard 5 1/2" tall on "shadow.

♥ I then cut solid cardstock to match.

♥ Then, I took my decorative papers and cut them, no shadow.

♥ I also cut plain white cardstock on "flip" for the backs of the letters.

♥ Using white acrylic paint and a sponge, I painted the edges of the chipboard.

♥ When the paint was dry, I glued the letters together.

♥ I then took my Spring Seasonal Easter cartridge and cut the chick, eggs, the bunny, the daffodil, lamb and grasses. The basket I cut using Doodle Charms.

♥ A little inking, some chalking, seed beads for eyes, cute flowers, brads, and ribbons and I was done!

I bought the new Easter line from Reminisce and plan to make one for my own entry way. Such a fun afternoon project. Can't wait to make more of these for future holidays. I figure since I have the clips, it would be fun to a whole year's set of decor and just change them out with the months. Oh, I bought the clips at Wal*Mart in the office supply section. I loved the polka dots. Reminded me of decorated Easter eggs. I also bought a more neutral set with a damask pattern. I can't believe how cute they make office supplies these days. Yay, for us crafty people! °Ü°

{Tuesday's Tips: Chalks & Inks}

After my last Tuesday's Tips posts, I got several emails from ladies wondering about the different chalks and inks and wanting to know which kinds to purchase. I thought it would make a perfect post for this week.

It can be a little tough choosing with so many choices out there. I first started with chalks, about 8 years ago. This is the set I found at my local scrapbook store:

I instantly loved them! They came with a few "make-up" applicators (you can see them on the right side of the picture) and so I went and purchased a pack of 24 applicators at my local store so that I would have one for each color. Working with the applicators is easy and they are small enough to get just the right amount of color in tight spaces. I STILL have this same set today! Really, I do. They seem to last forever and even though some of the pieces are withered down with holes in them, this set is my old stand by. The average cost is about $14 for the set.

FYI, if you run out of applicators, Q-Tips work pretty good. They don't last as long, but they get the job done beautifully!

About 2 years ago, I was looking for some new chalks and found these at the same store I had purchased my first set from.

I bought three sets of them: Primary colors (seen in the photos), Pastels and Earth tones. These I didn't like so much. Some of the colors were so hard, you could hardly get any chalk to rub off onto the applicator and because of this, it tore my applicators up pretty good. Other colors were so soft that they crumbles to powder! For the most part, they worked like my first set, but it was frustrating to have to work with those colors that didn't quite cooperate. The average cost is about $9 each, I bought them because they were on sale for half off, so that wasn't so bad. Still, that put me on the hunt for newer chalks...

That hunt led me to these:

This is my most recently purchased set and I am in LOVE! °Ü° Each color has a matte and shimmer, which is why you see two halves of a whole circle. The ones on the top are shimmery and the bottoms flat matte. You can see that each color has 3 little white round puffy balls, called "pom-poms". They range in size from small, medium and large. These are your applicators! The tool to the far right, is what you use to grab the pom-pom of your choice, rub the color you need and apply it to your project! It also comes with a chalk eraser for mistakes (upper left tool), a burnishing spoon (which I have never used), a brush (equivalent to a "blush" brush) and stencils.

Pebbles Inc. is the manufacturer and sells refills for the pom-poms and eraser. A great set if you are looking. Lots of great colors and tons of versatility! The cost is about $28, I got my half off at JoAnns.com for $14. An EXCELLENT deal!

Ok, let's move onto inks. Like I told you last week, I prefer the Color Box Cat Eye Fluid Chalk ink pads. They come in over 45 colors, fit perfectly in your hand and are easy to work with. They go on like an ink and dry looking like you chalked the edges. For small spaces, I use a tiny paint brush and it works great! I have also used Q-Tips and daubers (will get to these soon) when working with crazy cuts and hard to reach edges. It requires a little more patience when using the brush and Q-Tips, but well worth the effect. The average cost for each is about $2. I usually find mine for about $1.19 on JoAnns.com.

Color Box also sells this set:

They are called Petal Point Ink Pads. There are 7 different sets, all sold in coordinating colors: pastels, earth tones and so on. The average cost in about $16 per set. These don't have the versatility of the Cat Eye pads, but you can use these with them:

Daubers. These ones in the picture, fit right on the end of your finger and allow you to work the ink. These are great for using with ANY ink pads you have. I do love them because they allow you the luxury of purchasing large ink pads and still having the ability to ink edges using all the fantastic colors that are offered in the larger pads. These are also sold in a smaller size, for smaller projects.

I really wanted to get some photos taken of how exactly to chalk and ink edges, but did not have time this week. It has been a little crazy around here and my daughter, who would have taken the photos for me, has been busy working. I still would like to them and hopefully will in the near future.

So, there you have a teeny-tiny idea of what is out there. The trick, again, is finding what works for you and then stick with it! Use scrap pieces of papers to practice your technique. Remember to start softly and then go on heavier with the color and lastly, just have fun with it! Like with any hobby or craft, there are endless possibilities to where you can take your shading! °Ü°

{STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE Handmade Card}

I thought I would bring SS to my card making.

This 5x7 card features SS, one of my favorite images of her. Of course, she has 3D elements. I cut the strawberry from the Indie Art cartridge and the "hi" from the Hello Kitty Font cartridge. Some brads, a little rick-rack and some pink ink pull it all together. She is so adorable! I just love creating with her. Inside the card, any message can be written.

{THANK YOU Handmade Card}

I love this paper from Memory Makers! It is the "Sabrina" collection and if it looks familiar, it's because I made a chipboard album out of it.


This card is 5x7. Like the "Sister" card, in the following post, I made a little pocket to slip a tag into. The tag pulls completely out. I used the George cartridge to cut it. Using some ribbon, ink and Sabrina embellishments, I decorated the rest. Oh, the flourishes were cut using the Home Accents cartridge and the "lace" with my Stampin' Up! punch.


A really beautiful card. Only took me about an hour and half to design it and get it put together. Really love this one and know exactly who I am going to send it out to. °Ü°

{YOU ROCK! Homemade Card for Girls}

This is a smaller version of my other YOU ROCK! girls card.

This one is 5.5x5.5". I cut the skull and cross bones from faux suede, using the Indi Art cartridge. The black strip is also the faux suede. I used wired silver ribbon for her bow. Really loved the way it turned out. Using a stamp, I stamped the YOU ROCK! A little inking and some eyelets and I was done! Such a fun and easy card to make. I have several more cut out and ready to be pieced.

{A Sister Is... handmade card}

I made this card for my sister for this coming Mother's Day. Shhh... °Ü°

The card is 8X3.5" and created using Chatter Box "Scrapbook Walls" paper collection. The tag slides down into the front pocket. I inked with green and pink. The "lace" edging was punched using my Stampin' Up! punch. The flowers are made by K&Co. I loved making this card. Really simple and yet so beautiful. I was really pleased with the way it turned out.

Framed gemstone brads really add some simple elegance.

The tag pulls right out to reveal the entire quote.

Inside I can write my own personal message!

{HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gift Card Holder Card}

I think gift cards are the way to go when it comes to birthday's and some holidays! It just makes sense to create cards that will hold the gift card, too. So much cuter than just putting it in the card!

I created this 5x7 card using Imaginisce's Summer Cool line of papers. The ice cream cone was cut from Cricut's Indie Art cartridge and the "Happy Birthday" from the Celebrations cartridge. My girls loved this one and loved that it will hold the gift card, too. Really, you could place all kinds of goodies on the front; money, an invite, concert tickets, itunes card... whatever you like!

{"Post A Comment" Winner's Cards}

Back on February 1st, I posted a post asking for your comments. In return, I would draw the name of someone to win 5 of my handmade cards. Only ONE person posted a comment, which surprised me. Well, that made it easy for the drawing, anyways. °Ü°

Here are the cards that are going out to Brandy. Thanks for all the great comments and words of encouragement. They are truly appreciated!

You Rock!
5.5x5.5
girls card







Any Occasion
5x5 card

A Sister Is...

8x3.5

Pull out tag card

Happy Easter
4x6 card

You Hold the Key to My Heart
4x5 card

Watch for more drawings to come...

{Tuesday's Tips: CRICUT~ Shading & Dimension}

Okay, so we know how to pick out papers, right? Now what do ya do with them? °Ü° Shading and dimension will bring your piecings to life! I guess it is the old painter in me, but I try not to look at any of my dies as a 2-dimensional object. I am always looking to give them a little more.

Let's take this cute little chick, for instance.
{Image can be found on the new Spring Seasonal Easter cartridge}

Here is the image freshly cut.

Here is the bow. You can cut 2 layers for it, which I love.

Put the cuts together and this is what you have.

A very cute little Spring Chick-A-Dee

hmmm...I think we can do better! °Ü°

Get out your inks, (or chalks, your choice)

I use Color Box's (Cat Eye) Fluid Chalk Ink pads.

They are small, inexpensive, and really easy to work with.

Here is what I cut: 1 yellow chick, 1 orange & white polka dot chick, 1 pink patterned bow and 1 solid darker pink cardstock bow.


So let's start with our chicks.

I know this sounds a little mean, but cut the legs off your yellow chick. Be sure to follow the natural line of the body, so you can't tell this is what you did. You want it to look like it was cut naturally, with the Cricut, when you are done.

Now, take your yellow inks, or chalks, and go around the edges. Don't worry about the eye. We have something else in store for that.

So now, your chick has gone from looking like the first image to the second. And we are lookin' good... movin' on...

Take your orange chick.

Again, I know it sounds mean, but cut off the beak.

Be sure to cut it at a curve. You want it to look like a real beak when you are done.

Ink or chalk around the beak and the legs. (You don't need to waste on the body, that part won't even show!)

Now, take your little yellow chick and adhere the beak over the yellow beak.

Adhere the yellow chick to the orange one.

This is what you get!

Notice, I have a little baby blue brad ready for the eye.

Now for the bow.

The chick I cut is 4" tall, so when I go to cut the bow, it automatically cuts it to the proportionate size.

I cut the first bow, the one with the ribbon holes cut out, with patterned paper at the same size as the chick.
BUT, for the darker cardstock bow, I upped the size to 4 1/4" so that it would be just a tad larger and give me a shadow effect.

Here's what it looks like layered and glued down. See how nice the darker edges look? Much nicer than if they were the same size.

For me, the bow is still missing something. We need some BLING!

By adding a simple gemstone to the center of the bow, you get a whole new look! One that has a bit of a richer feel. Love it!

But, we're still not done.

Take the bow and GENTLY, with your thumbs, bend and roll the edges up just a little bit. This is going to add a little more dimension, just a like a real ribbon bow has.

Adhere the bow to your chick and you are done!

How stinkin' cute is she? The original was cute... but this one STINKIN' CUTE! °Ü°

She has some life to her and is adorable.

If you want a more realistic look, skip the paper bow and tie a ribbon around her neck. Add a little flower for a festive look.

To add more dimension, I would use pop dots to adhere her to my card or scrapbook page. It's that easy! When you look at an image, allow your mind to see past what is there and create what you REALLY see! The possibilities are endless!

Here are a few more examples of what inking and chalking will do:

A little ink around the edges of the paper, ice cream and cone will add some life.

Okay, backing up... I love make-up! I always have! I remember being a little girl and sitting and watching my mom and my older sister do their make-up and loving every second of it. I was so excited when I got to wear it. So, what does that have to do with anything? Well...

When I create babies, kids, girls and the Princesses of Disney, I always put a little color on their faces. Blush will do a lot for an image. Eye shadow will make them striking! °Ü°

Here Snow White is with no make-up. How embarrassing. Ü

Here she is with a little blue eye shadow and some blush! Really makes those red lips of hers pop, wouldn't you say?

A little chalking to the faces will warm them right up and make them more realistic that you will ever believe!

I did the same with Ariel

For her tail, I took some white chalk and chalked where highlights would naturally be.

For Minnie, I inked the edges of her bow and dress with red ink. For her shoes, a yellow ink.

Using 3D pop dots, I popped up her bow, dress and nose. Shoes, face and eyes lay flat. The difference to using no 3D effect is huge!

Here's Goofy, you can't tell from this angle, but he has 3d effects, too.

First, note the inking around his shirt.

and shoes

I popped up his hat, shirt and pants.

So, there you have it. Play with chalking and inking. Use 3d pop dots. You will be amazed at the results you get and your images will WOW everyone who sees them. I always get asked, "How did you do that?" Well... now you know! °Ü°