Happy Birthday to You....

This week at H2H Challenges, we were asked to create projects related to children's birthdays.    Our guest Design Team member, Debi Davis is playing along with us this week, so make sure you check out her blog, and leave her some love!

I thought this week would be a perfect opportunity to put my new Cricut cartridge, Art Philosophy, through its paces.  It performed beautifully!!  I made a banner, cupcake toppers, and a card, all with some cardstock, and the Art Philosophy collection.  Here is a picture (click on the image to enlarge it):

The cupcake toppers were made using the scallop circles, cut at 2", a regular circle cut at 1 1/10" (did you know you can change the increments from quarter inch to tenths of an inch?  At least you can on the Cricut Expressions machine!), and the star cut at 1".  The white part of the star is a stamp that comes in the Art Philosophy collection, and coordinates with the star cut-out.  Isn't that cool??  Once I layered the circles and stars, I placed 2 back to back, and secured them with dimensional foam tape.  I just stuck the toothpick in the foam, and put them in the cupcakes.

The banner was also made with the Cricut.  I am really loving my Cricut these days!  :-)  I have to admit that I forgot to write down what size I cut the banners at, but really you can make them any size you want.  I think it was about 3", though.  I used some B&T paper from Fanfare, and made the pleated circles, then added letters stamped using my Pennant Alphabet stamp set.  The banner images already have a hole cut out at the top, so I just threaded white ribbon through.  I also covered some dimensional elements stars with the yellow paper, to add splash of color.  Here is a close-up of a banner piece:

Last, but not least, the card was also cut from the Cricut.  This image already has the cupcake cut out...how cool is that????  I just backed the cupcake with some patterned paper, decorated it with some bling, added the border (also cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge), threw some buttons on, and done.  Easy peasy!  Oh, and the Happy Birthday sentiment is from one of the sets in the Art Philosophy collection.

Contact me if you are interested in learning more about this amazing Art Philosophy collection.  I'll even tell you the secret of how to get it at a 50% discount.  :-)  As anyone who has talked to me in the last 2 weeks knows, I am absolutely, positively IN LOVE with this bundle, and it is a must-have for all Cricut owners!  :-)

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek.  I hope you join us at H2H Challenges this week!

Ready for the 4th!!

This is picture of a layout I made in June, for my "Use Your Stash" class.  It is based on a sketch in the newest addition to the Close To My Heart "how-to" books, Magic.  I think it's one of the first times I've created a layout in advance of the event. LOL!   :-) 

(click on the photo to enlarge the picture)

There will be a vertical photo on the left page, centered over the red circle, but my little place marker fell of as I was bringing the layout downstairs to photograph, and I was just too lazy to go back upstairs to get it.  :-)  I used the Fanfare paper pack, which I'm thrilled to announce will be carried over in to the new Idea Book.  I did some tone-on-tone stamping with the Cranberry strips, and some Clear Sparkles add a bit of pizzazz.  There is some dimension on the page too, with the Dimensional Elements stars and letters.  I simply inked them up, using a dauber (the letters in JULY), and I stamped on the stars.

Thanks for looking!!

Materials list (all products CTMH, except where noted):

-paper:  White Daisy cs, Cranberry cs, Fanfare level 2 paper pack
-ink:  Pacifica
-Stamps: Friendship Alphabet Large, Boom!, Friendship Alphabet Small
-Embellishments:  Clear Sparkles, Dimensional Elements Stars, Dimensional Elements Simple Alphabet Uppercase (discontinued)