Shop Until You Drop Contest …. Craft Style

Are you ready to play the shop until you drop contest? To play, you need to be a subscriber/follower of my blog. You can sign up over on the left side of this blog (if you are not there already).

Leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite place to shop for crafts and why. It can be an on-line site or a brick and mortar store. Please, one comment per person and remember the contest closes Sunday night at midnight. Don’t worry if someone has picked your favorite shopping site, it will be fun to see what turns out to be everyone’s favorite spots, so please comment away.

The winner will be picked at random, using the random number generator and will be announced on Monday February 6th. The winner will receive either the Cricut Once Upon a Princess or the Just Because Cards cartridge. You get to choose. Be sure to check back on Monday to see if you won!

I can’t wait to read all your craft shopping tips and I know you will want to read everyone’s tips too! Here is mine. I love to shop at the Helena Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store because I enjoy the friendly staff, their products, and the 40% off coupons so help my budget. They also take Michael’s coupons. Yahoo!

Now it is your turn to play…. Ready, Set, Shop!!

Fab Five Friday!

Welcome to Fab Five Friday! For those of you that are new to this blog, every Friday I showcase five blogs, websites or posts that I think you will enjoy.

This amazing chocolate truffle box by Marlene Gomez was just featured in the Cricut Chirp and I just had to make sure that everyone saw it. Be sure to visit her blog, Scrappin Cookie for more details. Wow!

Yesterday, I pinned a photo of a beautiful bouquet made from pages of old books. In less than one hour I had over 100 repins on Pinterest. Click here to see the original post by 100 Layer Cake. I would love to have you follow me on Pinterest just click on the red Pinterest button on my side bar.

Do you love the little candy hearts with the cute messages on them? If you do, visit Delighted Momma for directions on how to make a candy heart bracelet out of polymer clay. What a great project for yourself and to share with your children.

Bonnie from Pink bon bons made a roller skating card that is too adorable. I love the purple and black color combination and think you will too.

I am so excited about CHA and wanted you all to know that CHA released their Hot 20 on Wednesday.  According to the article by CraftyCoordinator, The “CHA Hot 20,” were selected from more than one hundred new products entered into the Innovations Product Showcase which is a small sample of the thousands of new products that will be launched from the Winter Show this week. The “CHA Hot 20” will be featured during an exclusive CHA Innovations Sneak Peek Media & Buyers’ Event at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, on Saturday, January 29. To read all about it, click here. Did I mention that I love the CHA blog?

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a fun filled Fab Friday! Stay tuned for a fun new contest…hint it involves shopping tips!

Cricut Craft Room….Buying Digital Cartridges and My Favorite Design Tip!

I love ordering Cricut Craft Room digital cartridges and thought I would do a quick video on how easy it is to order! I also want to share my favorite design tip when using Cricut Craft Room. I learned this great technique from Joy at Obsessed with Scrapbooking. Thanks Joy!

Please scroll down for today’s video which also includes a new card made with the Valentine’s Sentiment Digital cartridge.



See you Friday for Fab Five Friday. Thanks for visiting!

Linda

Baby You Rock for my Hubby!

This is my first card using a cartridge from the Cricut Craft Room exclusive line. I purchased the Valentine’s Sentiments cartridge online and had it almost immediately and loved not having to wait!

This was inspired by a card on the Cricut blog, but mine has a couple of added elements.

The outside of this card measures 5¼ x 6 inches. The Guitar and layers were cut at 4 inches from the Cricut Craft Room Exclusive, Valentine’s Sentiments using the Cricut Craft Room Studio. The baby letters were cut at 1 inch from the Plantin cartridge.

I thought this would be a perfect Valentine’s Day card for my husband. Shhh….this will be our secret!

Hugs and Kisses was cut at 3 ½ inches from the Sweethearts cartridge. The glitter paper is from the Christmas and Winter Glitter cardstock stack from DCVW. I wish I would have bought more of this paper since it cuts perfectly using the E2 machine.  I added a few rhinestones and was done!

Recipe:

Cricut “Plantin and Sweethearts ” Cartridges

Assorted paper from my stash

Cricut Craft Room Exclusive, Valentine’s Sentiments

DCVW Christmas and Winter Glitter Cardstock Stack

Rhinestones from my stash

Be sure to stop back on Wednesday for a fun new video on the Cricut Craft Room.

Fab Five Friday!

Welcome to Fab Five Friday! For those of you that are new to this blog, every Friday I showcase five blogs, websites or posts that I think you will enjoy. Grab a cup of cocoa or coffee and enjoy!

Kittie from Kittie Kraft made this amazing card using flowers made from paper punches. Check out her blog and be sure to watch her tutorials that are located on the left side of her blog. Her attention to detail makes her cards unique.

Speaking of flowers, Tammy from Paper Pastimes of a Scrapbooking Mimi made an adorable card using the Cricut Flower Shoppe Cartridge. Tammy’s birthday card will make you smile. Too cute!

You know how much I love Valentine’s Day and freebies. For free printables including, cupcake toppers, party favor tags, box templates and more, click here. Pizzazzerie is one of my favorite blogs!

CHA 2012 is almost here and I can’t wait! I love seeing all the new products and ideas and I know all of you do too! My favorite CHA blog is The Scrap Review which is currently featuring lots of sneak peeks. Just keep scrolling; it will take awhile to see all the new items. I love the new Bo Bunny lines and the new Prima flowers. Click here to see the new Fabrications Canvas by Theresa Collins! Wow! Canvas is going to be so hot this season!

Speaking of CHA, Tim Holtz has done it again. His new lines are a must see! Click here to see his latest CHA sneak peeks. Just remember to keep scrolling; he has lots of new goodies! His new stamps are my favorite!

On Wednesday I posted a tea bag holder video and have received a number of emails asking me to add a diagram to my post. Click here to see my revised post with the new diagram. Thanks for all your wonderful emails and comments!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a fun filled Fab Friday!

Easy Tea Bag Dispenser

My homemade tea bag dispenser is made out of cardstock and is so simple to make. I am giving this one away for a Valentine’s Day gift, but you could make it for any occasion. Mine is filled with Stash brand Chai Tea bags. Please scroll down to see the video.

I love how the glitter paper shines.

UPDATE: Several people have requested a diagram like the one I used in the video. The diagram in the video was hard to read, so I created this one for you. Remember, it is not drawn to scale, so please don't try to print it out and use it as a template. Just follow the sizes on it and your tea box will be fine. -Linda

Chocolate Party Spoons for Coffee or Cocoa and More…..

A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of the cutest candy spoons made by Mr P, aka Delicious Delicious Delicious and could not wait to make them.

For complete instructions, be sure to check out the Delicious, Delicious, Delicious Blog. Here are a few things that I discovered while making mine. I used Wilton Candy Melts and they turned out great. After pouring the chocolate, I waited until the edges just started to harden and then added the decorations. If you don’t wait, your decorations will sink and if you wait too long they will not stick. A delicate balance to be sure!

Another tip is to tap the spoon on the counter to remove any air bubbles and use a sterilized tweezers (dedicated to food use) to help pick up the tiny decorations.

I can’t wait to use these in my coffee and cocoa! I may also make some for Valentine’s gifts.

They are also adorable wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow.

Next year we will be making these as part of our annual Christmas candy making party. Hmmm ….. maybe I will make some for Saint Patrick’s Day! Irish coffee anyone?

Since I had a lot of candy decorations left over I decided to try making sugar cookies. This was my first attempt at making flood filled sugar cookies. I need a lot more practice, but I was encouraged with my first attempt. Martha Stewart makes it look so easy.

Have fun and please stay tuned for my next video. I love how my new project turned out and I think you will too!

Fab Five Friday! Thanks Fantabulous Cricut!

Welcome to Fab Five Friday! For those of you that are new to this blog, every Friday I showcase five blogs, websites or posts that I think you will enjoy. Before we get started I want to thank Fantabulous Cricut for showcasing my video on three easy ways to make a shape card with or without a Gypsy. I am a huge fan of their blog and I am honored!

I love using twine and I know you do too! Amy Crockett from Scrapping Mommy made this card using twine from the Twinery. Click here to see more of Amy’s projects using twine. You will want to buy more twine, I know I do!

To see the latest adventures of Glitter Girl, be sure to visit Shimelle.com. Her blog is full of amazing layouts and cards. Her latest video on spray mists and spray products is mega informative! Go Glitter Girl!

Do you know what the 2012 color of the year is? Hint…think fruit! Click here for the answer and here to view Pantone’s blog. Get ready for some mega color inspiration.

You know how I like freebies and these are some of my favorite valentine printables ever! VixenMade was kind enough to link to them, so be sure and check out her blog. It is too much fun!

A couple of months ago, I did a 3-part video series on how to make a  smash book for food lovers including accessories and I received lots of wonderful emails. Recently I discovered a video from Above Rubies Studio showing ideas on how to use your purchased smash book and thought you might like to see it. Click here for Rubies video and here for part one of my video series, part two and part three. Happy smash booking!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a fun filled Fab Friday!

Homemade Detachable and Reusable Decorations for Your Napkin Rings

I love to use napkin rings and thought it would be fun to make detachable and reusable decorations for my napkin rings. You can also use the detachable decorations as refrigerator magnets or for party favors.

For complete instructions please watch the video. The technique is easy, nothing is glued to the actual napkin ring, not even a magnet so you can use your napkin rings with or without a decoration. Easy Peasy! 



Thanks for visiting!

Trip to Yellowstone

Hi, this is Bill, Linda's DH. Linda was nice enough to let me go on a three day dawn to dusk photo trip to Yellowstone Park and she asked me to share some of my photos.

The view north from Blacktail Plateau towards Electric Peak.

I have always hoped to find otters, but have not had much luck recently. This time, however, I hiked off the road towards the Lamar River and was lucky enough to be in the right place. The otters had traveled under the ice to this small patch of open water and were quite willing to let me watch their antics.

Wherever otters, go, there is always a slip-n-slide.

This bull elk #10. He is taking a rest after the rut in the Mammoth area of Yellowstone National Park.

I stopped to watch some bison and while I was shooting pictures, the park rangers darted one to get scientific data. They were stampeding up the hill when I took this shot.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. Linda will be back Wednesday with a brand new post so see you then!

Bill

Fab Five Friday!

Welcome to Fab Five Friday! For those of you that are new to this blog, every Friday I showcase five blogs, websites or posts that I think you will enjoy. This is the first Fab Five post of 2012 and I am featuring a post by Angi to help with your New Year’s resolutions.

Angi from Angi and Cokie Designs created a vision tray instead of a vision board for 2012. Be sure to check out her blog for more close-up photos of her vision tray. I love this idea!!

If you have not checked out Sizziz’s blog, it is a must see. Their tag line is the Start of Something You and their blog is inspirational. I was impressed with all the project categories especially the fashion area. The jewelry is amazing…just click on a project for directions.

I am addicted to Glue Dots and was so excited when I discovered their website. I never realized all the uses for glue dots and can’t wait to try some of the ideas. Who knew you could use glue dots to hold an outdoor tablecloth in place, fix a crooked picture or use glue dots to retrieve items in hard to reach places? Click here to see more great ideas.

For immediate inspiration, check out I love Scrapbooking favorite cards for 2011. I love the robot and the adorable There’s No Place Like Home card. Her gallery is amazing too!

For tons and I mean tons of ideas for scrapbook layouts and adorable cards, check out Fancy Pant’s Gallery. I love their Winterland collection! If you want to drool, download their free catalogs.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a fun filled Fab Friday! Stay tuned for a fun post. Hint it involves my Hubbie!

Linda

Homemade Earrings and Valentine’s Card

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays and I thought it would be fun to combine jewelry making and card making. This is my first attempt at making jewelry and fortunately for me, the earrings were so easy to make! Whew….

The exciting thing about this project is that it is a card and gift in one. Who wouldn’t want to receive three pairs of earrings for Valentine’s Day attached to a cute card? There are so many different beads and stones that would work for this project. It looks like I may have found a new hobby! If you did not want to make the earrings you could attach purchased earrings. Easy peasy! Scroll down to see the video.

I used Photoshop for the sentiment.

Recipe:

Cricut “American Alphabet” Cartridge

Assorted paper from stash

Swarovski Elements in clear 7 mm size

Premium Rhinestones in pink and red 7 mm size

Earring flat pad posts and backs 6 mm or you can use 7 mm size

E6000 adhesive

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are having a terrific week!

Valentine’s Gift Tower and Happy New Year!

Can you believe it is really 2012? I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Day and that 2012 is your best year ever!

I love getting gift towers filled with cookies or candy and thought it would be fun to make a gift tower for a Valentine’s Day gift for a friend. My homemade tower will be filled with chocolate, cookies and cocoa packets.

To make the gift tower I used my new Sweet Tooth Boxes cartridge. Did I mention this is my new favorite cartridge? This cart contains lots of amazing boxes and inserts that you can size to meet any of your needs. The square box and lid are on page 60. I used the lid with the scalloped edges and circle window and lined the lid with acetate. Unfortunately the cut out circle doesn’t show up in my photos but it is super cute! The first tower and lid is cut at 11 inches, the second at 10, and the smallest at 9 inches. I used double sided paper so the inside looked as nice as the outside.

All that is left is to line the boxes with tissue paper, fill and wrap like a package. These are an easy yet elegant gift that can be custom sized. Next time, I am going to try making a smaller jewelry tower.

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned for a fun new video combining jewelry making with card making!