Challenge Cards

It seems it's been ages since I've been able to complete any cards for RAQ's Challenge on the Cricut mb.  Yesterday I did both sketches.  I think it's a first - both sketches submitted on the first day of the challenge.
I love participating in card challenges and am looking forward to the upcoming weeks when I can be a regular contributor.

I used the Heritage cartridge for this card.  I chose the Accent image on page 58, copied it then flipped one image.  I welded both to a rectangle from George, sized on my Gypsy.  Lots of paper layering and called it done.

The papers for this card (actually both cards) are from my scrap drawers.  The flower is cut from 3 sizes of EK Success punches and then layered.  All I added was a little inking.  I'll save the sentiment for later when I decide how I'll use the card.

I hope you have a safe and wonderful New Year's Eve and Day.

May 2011 bring you happiness, love, peace and security.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

An Album for my Hubby

I made this 8 x 8 album as a gift for my husband.  He has raised and trained bird dogs for many, many years and Yaller is his newest acquisition - a two year old English Pointer.  When hubby is busy training and hunting, I have lots of time for my cardmaking so it's perfect for both of us!

The papers have been in my stash for awhile.  I'm always on the lookout for hunting papers and embellishments so that when I have the right pictures, I'm ready to scrap them. Also, this is the first time I've used my Cinch.  It was really simple to use - yay!

I must say, I was pleased by how excited he was about this simple gift. 

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn



Altered Composition Books

I have 3 great-nephews who love to write and draw when they're at Grammy's house (my sister-in-law). I made them their own personalized composition book so they could write stories while visiting (and maybe sit still for a few minutes!).  I used Lyrical Letters - jumbo, for the names.  When my daughter saw what I was making, she asked for one too.  I made her two, one work-themed, and one more personal.  These are so quick and easy to make.  I stock up on the composition books during the back-to-school sales.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas.  It rained most of the day here, but that didn't dampen the holiday spirits.  My daughter is packing to head back to Lubbock, Texas.  It will be interesting to see how all her gifts plus her after-Christmas shopping will fit in her Tahoe along with what she brought and her two dogs! 

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Thank you so much for joining me on my blogging journey. It's been amazing so far.  I appreciate your visits, your comments, and your support.  I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that it is a day of love, peace, and joy.

I'll be back after Christmas to share some altered composition books that I made as last minute gifts, and a mini-album for my hubby.  Also, my debut as a guest designer for Sketches in Thyme is January 4.  I hope you'll take a look.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Glittered Ornaments

My daughter is home for Christmas and she had a wonderful time creating these glittered ornaments.  What makes her's so creative is the way she mixed the glitters to achieve some rather unique colors.  Three of them are on the tree and the rest are being given as gifts.  She used vinyl for the initials, cut on the Cricut, and the bows are either stiff organzas or wired ribbons.

Although I'm still finishing up a few last minute quick gifts that I decided to make, we really are ready for Christmas.  It seems to be over all too quickly, so I plan on enjoying friends and family as much as I can.

If I don't get in another post before Christmas, I wish each of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I truly appreciate your kind words and your visits to my blog.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Tuesday Takes Challenge #4

I found a few minutes to create this card for the Tuesday Takes Challenge.  I love this BoBunny double-sided paper.  I also love the pink, black, white combination (you'll see more on my January 4th designer spot - hint, hint).  The large flower is from the coordinating BoBunny rub-ons set, and the small flowers are punches with Stickles centers.  The label is from one of the Nestabilities Labels sets.

My daughter has been making glitter ornaments.  She's having fun mixing the different glitters to come up with unique colors.  All we have to do is add bows and then I'll post her efforts.  We even went back to JoAnn's to pick up more glass ornaments - with the 70% off sale, not too many were left, but we bought what we could to save for next year.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Magnetic Stocking Ornaments

We had a White Elephant gift exchange at the Holiday Crop last Sunday and I got these magnetic stocking ornaments made by Petaloo.  I just added my neighbor kids' names and the year and, wa-la, a quick and easy gift.  The stockings open up (the magnets keep them closed as they hang on the tree) to reveal a pocket, which I added, filled with a little Christmas spending money.  Now, it just can't get any easier than that!  I think these will be a good project for My Sheri Crafts challenge this week :)

My daughter just drove in from Lubbock, Texas today and now I feel like Christmas has arrived.  The only thing that would make it better would be to have both of my daughters home.  My youngest (who lives in Champaign, IL) is working on Christmas day, so we'll have Christmas via Skype with her.

Don't forget to take time to enjoy the season.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Using Those Scraps!

I know, I said I was finished with Christmas cards, but I had some nice-sized scrap pieces left from challenge projects so I figured I'd add two more designs to those being mailed.  I truly am finished now because the cards are signed, the labels are on, and I'll be heading to the post office first thing in the morning - woohoo!
Besides, I purchased some fabulous BoBunny papers at Monique Griffith's Holiday Crop and I can't wait to start using them.
So, these cards are pretty simple (simple becoming my middle name, I think) with just paper layers, some ribbon, and embellishments - I got the holly brads and leaves at M's, and the snowflakes are a MS punch with a few Stickles added.  That's it!  And no paper went to waste.

I hope you're finding time to complete all your holiday projects.  Don't forget to take a moment or two to just enjoy yourself and your family.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Notecards in a Purse

The wonderful Glenda at Glenda's Cards created an adorable Red Hat Snowlady Purse.  I have a dear friend who is a Red Hatter and I thought the idea would be perfect for her.  She is a Santa collector (an entire room is devoted year-round to every kind of Santa you can imagine - rugs, blankets, candles, dolls, figurines, dishes, etc. ), but since she recently lost her husband, I felt something more personal would be nice.

I used purse2 from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More and cut it at 11.5 on a 24 inch mat. The snowlady was created from circle Nesties and her hat came from a package of embellishments I found at JoAnn.  The snowflakes were punched and then I added lots of bling.  I made notecards to go inside the purse.  They measure 5.25 x 3.75.  I used Beyond Birthdays for the "Hello Friend" cut.

Thank you again, Glenda for the darling idea.  I hope my friend will be pleased with her gift.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

My Final Christmas Card

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!  When I return from Sunday's crop, I should have 60 Christmas cards ready to mail.  Each time I thought I was finished putting together a kit, I would find another sketch or fall in love with more paper combinations.  I finally decided this is it - I'm done (we'll see how far that goes!!!).

I love all the papers in the DCWV Homemade Christmas Stack and one of the sketches in Raq's Challenge seemed to be the perfect layout for the papers I chose.  It's a simple layout, just corner punching, scallop and plain circles, a few MS branches, and, of course, paper layering.  The embellishment is from that great K&Company pack I found at Michael's.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.  We're having dinner with my bestest friend and her husband tonight - going to try to do some serious damage at a rib place , then an Open House tomorrow and the Holiday Crop on Sunday.  I love getting out and looking at the lights as we travel from place to place.  "Light Looking" was a family tradition for many years, then coming home and having a big pot of soup.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Oh Christmas Tree

Even though I've been creating Christmas cards for many of the recent challenges, I still haven't quite finished my personal cards.  I keep getting  those darn "card visions" running around in my head late at night or in the early morning hours (boy, have my dream subjects changed since I've gotten older!).  This is one of those visions and I decided to make multiples of this one to mail.  I try to keep in mind that the cards I actually  mail shouldn't have too much raised dimension (foam dots or embellishments) because of the extra postage required for special handling.

I used George for the tree, stretching the triangle on the Gypsy and then embossing it with Divine Swirls.  The star is punched from DCWV glitter paper.  The background border is an EK Success punch and then embossed with Diamonds in the Rough.  The snow is hand cut and embossed with Swiss Dots.  Finally, the tree trunk is embossed with Distressed Stripes.  I played around with different inking and decided that the white on white worked best. 

I'm sorry that the picture is dark.  It's cloudy and rainy so I had to take it indoors. 

I have 6 Crop Kits ready for Sunday's Holiday Crop.  I'm still working on a few more things to take, but at least I know I'll come home with all my Christmas cards ready to mail - woohoo!!

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Masculine Birthday Card

My brother-in-law's birthday is Saturday so I made this card for him.  The paper is DCWV The Guy Stack.  I used French Manor and Beyond Birthdays for the cuts.  I love layering papers, so this card definitely reflects my style.

I know it is a busy time for all of you and I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you take time to visit my blog.  I also appreciate your comments.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Tuesday Takes Challenge #2

This is my card for the second Tuesday Takes challenge at the Sketches in Thyme.  I really gave my Cuttlebug a workout on this one.  I used Nestabilities Labels Eight and three embossing folders; Holly, Divine Swirls, and Swiss Dots.  The embellie is K&Company - I hit it big at the Michael's sale yesterday and came home with quite a few Christmas goodies including 5 packages of embellishments!

I'm busy putting together Crop Kits to take with me on Sunday to Monique Griffith's Holiday Crop Party.  I'm trying to get all my Christmas cards cut so that I can spend the day assembling.  I also have a few other projects that I'm hoping to complete.  By having all my projects ready to assemble, I can enjoy  chatting with gals, eating, and just having a grand time.  Of course, I'll take my Cricut and Gypsy just in case I get divine inspiration during the day

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Fuzzy Sock Cupcake

This is certainly not an original idea - I've seen it posted on quite a few blogs - but what a great quickie gift for the girlies (young or old) on your Christmas list. 

I used the cupcake wrapper from the Easter 2010 cartridge, using the hide contour on the little holes around the top.  I added the trees from Joys of the Season.  When you select the grouping button on the Gypsy, the trees become cutouts.  The paper is BoBunny.  I was excited to find paper with purple accents to match the socks I'd purchased.  I just added a sparkly pom pom for the "cherry" on top. 

Such a simple gift with a little added love because you created the wrapping.  Gotta love that!

Well, it's holiday crunch time.  Most of the decorating is done and I'm ready to wrap presents.  I'm still deciding on my final Christmas cards for mailing - hmmmmmm?? 

Hope your December is off to a wonderful start.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Sharing My Blog Award

I received this Blogger Award from Rachel at Back Porch Creations - thank you so much, Rachel.  Now I get the opportunity to pass it on.  The rules for this award are:
* Thank the person who awarded it to you - Done!
* Share 8 things about yourself - oh my, here goes:
      1.  I've been married for 41 years, living all of them in Northern California.
      2.  I have two grown daughters - Aly is a softball coach at Texas Tech University
           and Janna is group sales coordinator at the iHotel in Champaign, IL
      3.  I am a retired educator, spending my last 10 years as a Curriculum and Instruction coach - loved it!
      4.  I began this journey two years ago by starting with a scrapbook to celebrate Janna's college softball
           career and earning her Masters degree.  
      5. I discovered the joys of cardmaking when I joined the Cricut messageboard.  Who knew I'd make
          so many wonderful cyber-friends and have so much fun!
      6. My blog began in July with encouragement and guidance from Crystal (Card Fairy
           Commander) and Carolyn (The Scrapping Cat).
      7.  Making and giving handmade cards gives me such joy - that's why I proudly participate in
          Card Fairies and Cards for Soldiers.
      8. We traveled a great deal (4 years in a motorhome) watching our daughters play
           softball and visiting the many friends we made during their playing and coaching careers.
*Pay it forward to 8 bloggers you have recently discovered - see the list below.
*Contact the bloggers to tell them about their award.

I'd like to share this award with:
Sandy - so glad you got your new blog up and going - A little piece of Heaven.
Wendy - such a gifted crafter and sweet lady - *****Bling Queen. . .
Peachy - a true artist - Peachy Papercrafts
NanaDonna - Amazing cards - Card Dreams by Nana Donna
Sandy - a northern CA gal that I've met at Monique's crops - Sandy from Ukiah
Kelly - fantastic cards with great card recipes -  Kreative Korner By Kelly 
Kimberly - see how she makes hand-dyed crinkle ribbon - My Craft Spot 
Kristie - lots of different and wonderful projects - Kristie Kreates   

            I'm off to meet a special friend for lunch and a little window shopping.  Fall decorations are packed away and now it's time to think Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.  We did have a totally white lawn this morning because of the heavy frost. 

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

A New Card Challenge

Sketches in Thyme debuted its new card challenge spot called Tuesday Take.  Along with the newly selected Card Mavens, Kim will feature a guest designer each week (I'll be featured on January 4 and February 15).  I love this blog because it has both card and layout sketches with lots of wonderful examples from the Design Mavens.  I hope you'll visit soon.
I designed this card for the first Tuesday Take sketch challenge.  The paper is DCWV Christmas Combo.  I used Nesties to cut the two scalloped circles and a MS punch for the snowflakes.  The flourish is from a set I picked up at the Expo manufactured under the name Forever in Time.  The sentiment design is heat embossed and the ribbon is dotted organza from JoAnn's.

And now, a big thank you to Rachel, from Back Porch Creations for the Blog Award.  I'll be paying it forward soon.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Christmas is coming!

My daughter's flight was delayed on Sunday giving me a little extra time to complete two cards before leaving for the airport.  Now it's raining, so I figured I'd take the time to post, hoping the rain will let up before we head out to do a little shopping.

The first card is is the wreath from my new Gingerbread cartridge. It has a simple, primitive look with the inking, hemp, and kraft paper.
The next card was for Santa's Slackers.  I wanted to use ornament hangers, but they were too big so I crafted my own for the card.  The stars are cut from Christmas Cheer, both base and shadow, and then popped on the background paper.

OK, so this isn't a card, but it is a new addition to our family.  My husband has trained and run bird dogs for years.  He no longer competes, but he is an avid waterfowl and upland bird hunter.  He has a lab that has been his hunting companion for 9 years.  Now we've added Yaller, a two year old English Pointer.  The dogs keep him busy and active and it gives me all the time I want in my craft room.  Can it get any better than that?

Have a marvelous Thankgiving.  That means Christmas is ONE month away - woohoo, better get busy.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn



A Card of Thanks

I'm entering this card in the Jitterbuggin' and My Sheri Crafts challenges. The paper is DCWV Amber Autumn - it has such a gorgeous selection of papers. I embossed the green dot paper and the leaves with the Swiss Dots embossing folder (difficult to see) and also heat embossed the sentiment with Distressed embossing powder.  The flower stem is hemp.  The yellow flower is from Hero Arts.  They now have coordinating sets of flowers and gems - so fun - I bought five different sets :).  I also added a little ink to the corners and popped the sentiment, flower, and leaves. 

My youngest daughter is flying home tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with us.  She has lived in Champaign, IL since 2000 and doesn't get home very often so this is an exciting time for the family.

In case I don't get an opportunity to post, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I am thankful for your encouraging comments and the support you have given me as I continue this journey.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Valentine's Day and a Mystery

I know, I know.  You're up to your elbows in turkey and cranberry sauce and have Christmas projects galore.  Me too!!  But since my guest spot at Sketches in Thyme is in January, I have to think beyond Gobble, Gobble, and Ho-Ho-Ho. 

I was going through my card samples and found these two that are favorites of mine.  The "Kiss Me" card is cut from Sweethearts.  I cut the frog 3 times so I could pop him up.  I used my red 3-D glaze pen on the heart that dots the i and my black 3-D glaze pen on his toes (are they called toes on a frog - hmmmm?).  I added jewels for the eyes and to accent the crown.  A little doodling here and there and he's waiting for a kiss! 

Now, this card is a mystery.  I can't remember which cartridge I cut the bird from - yikes!  My brother-in-law sent me some supplements that are supposed to help with memory (darn aging brain anyway), but I don't think I've taken them long enough.  Do you think it's because I forget to take them?  I've gone through every cartridge preview page and also did the search on both the Gypsy and DS.  Still can't find it.  It must be one of those hidden treasures found on the icon feature of some cartridge.  I won't give up.  I'm going through all my booklets this evening - who knows what wonderful things I'll uncover.  Hopefully one of them will be this darn bird.  I really love how the bird just pops against the two patterned papers.  It's such a simple card, but I love it - he-he!

Well, I'm off to continue the search.  If you recognize the bird, please leave a comment and tell me where I can find it.  I will be ever so grateful. 

Mystery solved - it's from Joys of the Season.  It's the partridge (in a pear tree) and I cut off the branch.  Phew, only had to go through 28 booklets to find it (could have been all 80!).

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

A Wedding Card and Some Exciting News

First, I have exciting news to share.  I have been asked to be a Guest Designer at Sketches in Thyme!  Woohoo!  This is my first guest designer spot and I am excited, honored, and a little nervous.  Beginning November 23, Kim, at Sketches in Thyme, is adding card designs to her challenges.  How fun will that be?  Her Design Mavens do wonderful work on their page layouts.  Drop over and take a peak.  I'll be designing for the January 4 and February 15 card challenges.

Now for today's card. My daughter's former roommate is getting married after Thanksgiving and my daughter asked me to create a simple wedding card.  This design is lifted from SusieB on the Cricut mb.  She is the master of simple elegance.  I used my MS Scoreboard and Punch Around the Page, the Victoria and Swiss Dots embossing folders, and Nestabilities.  The sentiments are computer generated.  A few pearls, a little ink, some organdy ribbon and the card is done.  I hope she likes it.

Oooooohhh, I've been trying to take pictures indoors, but obviously they are a little dark.  Guess I need to improve on my picture taking skills - lol.  Well, I'll head back outdoors next time.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Peace

I'm enjoying the Christmas cartridge that was a free Gypsy download.  This week's Santa's Slackers challenge was simply to make a card with a tree.  I wanted a more realistic scene for my card so I used this cut found on row 5 of the Christmas cartridge.  I cut the shadow, 2 images (so I could use two different papers), and the layer of snow (shift key).  The star is found with the tree in row 3 (shift key).  I used the hide contour feature on the Gypsy so that only the star cut. Again, I cut two so that I could use two different papers. 

To complete the card, I embossed the larger tree with the Victorian embossing folder, the small tree with Tiny Mosaic, the snow with Swiss Dots, and the background with Snowflake.  My Cuttlebug got a workout on this one!  I applied Stickles to add a little starlight to the scene.  "Peace" seemed the most appropriate sentiment.

I hope you enjoyed your Veteran's holiday.  Now the sprint towards Christmas begins!!

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

A Holiday Tag

Yikes!  My scraproom is a giant mess. I've been selecting papers for a number of projects so the room is overrun with piles and piles of papers, stamps, and embellishments.  I usually keep it neat (I'm a square-pile kinda gal), but it really got away from me this time.

Anyway, since nothing is complete, only designed on the Gypsy, I thought I'd share a holiday tag I made for a challenge several weeks ago.  The tag measures 2.75" x 4.5".  The ornament is cut from Celebrate with Flourish at 3" including the shadow and the layer.  I used Stickles to accent the cutouts on the ornament and the ribbon, and to doodle around the scalloped oval.  I also inked both ovals with Star Lite Silver Brilliance ink.  Finally, I popped the ornament to give the tag a little more dimension. 

I received a beautiful thank you card in the mail yesterday from Glenda Boyd.  I love getting cards from fellow cardmakers.  It's such a special treat and I treasure each one.  If you get a chance, pop over to Glenda's blog.  Her cards are amazing!  Thanks again, Glenda.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

A Quick, Easy Gift

I got this idea from a "make-and-take" at my local scrapbook store Holiday Open House.  They sell the clear vinyl holders in 3-packs for $1.99.  The background paper is cut at 2.5" x 7".  Think of all the different themes you could choose for your bookmarks!  I'm also going to add the recipient's name on the back.  I've decided these will make quick and easy holiday gifts; alone, with a book, or even a gift certificate.  As my pile of projects grows, I'm definitely looking for quick and simple.

And now my exciting news:  my Get Well Soon card (see Monday, November 1 post) was a winner in the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog "Bird Bonanza" challenge.  Woohoo - this is the first time I've won a challenge and I'm just so honored.

Finally, to the Veterans and current members of the Armed Forces , THANK YOU!    Words cannot express my gratitude for the sacrifices you make to ensure that we live in freedom.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Anniversary Wishes

In our family we celebrate several anniversaries on the same dates.  My sister-in-law and her husband share their anniversary with their oldest son.  My husband and I share ours with their youngest son!!!  I guess the "boys" thought we had selected great dates to get married :)  One set of anniversaries is this weekend.  I made these cards for my sister-in-law/brother-in-law and my nephew and his wife.

The papers for both cards are from DCWV Linen Closet stacks - so yummy!  The ovals are from George. The inside reads "to wish you Happy Anniversary"

I made this card a little less formal by distressing and inking the base for the hearts and adding a second bow made of hemp.  The hearts are cut from Gypsy Wanderings - they're actually the insides of the heart image.

The layouts for both cards are sketches for Raq's card challenge.

I think it's wonderful when couples share their lives for so many years.  My in-laws are celebrating 45 years of marriage and we'll be looking forward to 42 in June.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

A Soldier's Thank You

I am so pleased when I have the chance to send a card to one of our troops.  It is such a wonderful opportunity to say Thank You for the personal sacrifice our armed forces make so that my family can live in freedom.  This card was created for the MySheriCrafts challenge, but will be mailed, along with personal Christmas cards, to our troops through the Cards for Soldiers forum.

I love this printed paper!  It has both pale golds and muted silvers so I was able to accent with both.  I used a Tonic punch on the gold paper and silver star brads to embellish.

I just sent 50 cards for our troops to select and send back home to their loved ones.  Now our group is making Christmas cards with personal messages to be given TO our troops.  It's such a nice way to get into the holiday spirit.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Pedestal Card

The Santa's Slackers challenge is to create a pedestal card.  These cards are fun and easy.  I chose a tree design because that is the new theme at Jitterbuggin'.  It took a lot longer to finish this card than it should have LOL.  I designed it on the Gypsy since the tree is cut from the Christmas cartridge which I got on the Gypsy download (6 cartridges to download - how great is that?).  I originally tried some fancy corners cut  from Straight From the Nest, but they just wouldn't cut right, even when I tried different papers.  The ones I chose were just too fine so I went with the scalloped corner shadow instead.  I also fiddled around with the sentiment and then wound up using a Sixxix die in my Cuttlebug.  Well, after all my redo's, here is the final product.

It's difficult to tell (it was cloudy outside) but the paper that appears gray is actually silver glitter paper.  The white background is embossed using the Cuttlebug Snowflake folder and the pedestal background is embossed using the Swiss Dots folder.  I used Star Dust Stickles on the tree.

I had a great day at the Scrapbook Expo.  I didn't overdo on any one thing, but I did come home with quite a bit of Bling!  How could I pass up all those $1 bargains? 

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

Shabby Chic

This isn't usually my style, but I had a Card Fairy request for a woman who loves girly/vintage.  I thought I'd give it a whirl. The background papers are DCWV Linen closet.  The floral is from my scrap drawer.  I picked up the pin and lace at a scrapbook store "garage" sale (4 pins for 25 cents!).  I just added some ribbon, flowers, and a few pearls.  I guess to make it vintage, I should have inked and distressed the papers, but I do think it's pretty girly - what do you think? 

Scrapbook Expo is in Sacramento Friday and Saturday.  I can't wait go!

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

A Change of Pace - A Get Well Soon Card

I decided it would be fun to move away from Halloween, Fall, and Christmas - at least for one card :).  I designed this card on my Gypsy using only the Cindy Lou cartridge.  The challenges were to 1) create a card with a circle, a square, and an owl, and 2) create a Get Well card.  After I was satisfied with the layout, I went through my papers (which could very possibly take all day!) and found this pink, green, white, and black floral print.  I think it was bundled in a $2 buys-it-all pack that I bought at my LSS sidewalk sale.  I found a few other prints that I thought would compliment the print and this is the result.

To get the scalloped square, I had to use Real Dial size and set my height and width at 5.25.  In order for the dotted paper to align with the scalloped square on each side, I laid a wider piece of the dotted paper right over the floral paper on the cutting mat so that they were cut together.  The owl has 4 different layers.  I added pink VersaMagic chalk ink to the white accents and green Versa Magic to the shadow layer as well as the white scalloped circle.  I drew in the eyes, then added a few lashes and some doodling and popped the owl onto the branch.  A little bling, a touch of ribbon, and little more doodling here and there and that's it.

Hope you enjoyed Halloween.  We don't get too many kiddos trick or treating, but I was very generous to the ones that came so we wouldn't have any candy left over.  It's just too tempting and the holidays are upon us - lots of yummy food to be had over the next two months!

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn

A Blast from the Past

While I'm busy prioritizing my next set of projects, I thought I'd share a few cards that I made right after I got my Cricut Expression in September, 2009.  Things have sure changed since I started scrapping with my Baby Bug on the dining room table two years ago. Last year I moved to the desk in one of the spare bedrooms and emptied a closet that was all shelving. I sure filled that up quickly.  Now, the entire room is filled, and I do mean filled, with all things scrappy. 
I'm glad I took pictures of my cards.  I can see my progress as a cardmaker and I have something to share with you :).

This was a sketch for Raq's card challenge.  I think that Accent Essentials snowflake is my all time favorite. I used the Divine Swirls Cuttlebug emboosing folder then inked with silver.  The stems are handcut.

Our Cricut Card Fairy Commander moved into a new home.  This was her welcome home card.  I love the Stretch Your Imagination bird house.  The bee and its trail is a Pez-a-doodle stamp and skittle.  The flowers are Walk in My Garden.

The monkey is stamped betweet two SYI trees.  The "coconuts" are skittles that I colored (they are light green) by shaking the clear ones in a baggy with a few drops of alcohol ink and then letting them dry.

Thanks for traveling down memory lane with me.

Hugs and Happy Crafting,

Larelyn