Hoppy Birthday

It's challenge time at Exploring Cricut and More. This time we are celebrating birthdays with some sparkle!

For my project, I decided to make a birthday card for one of my 5 nephews. If you follow my blog, you know that I have 3 nephews on one side and 2 more on the other side, so cards for boys are always needed!!

I absolutely loved this hopping frog from Designs on Cloud 9. It's from the Hoppy Days cutting file. My favorite was his upside down frog and lily pad. I love using goggly eyes for fun animals on my cards because my nephews love it. If you notice the blue layer in the middle is embossed with a wave folder. My favorite embellishments, Skittles, were added all around in the color bottle. Finally, I smeared green and orange glitter around the frog and the flower. 

Of course, my sentiment comes from Cardz TV, Critter Captions set.

Challenges
4 Crafty Chicks: Masculine
Fab n Funky: For Kids
Fresh Brewed Challenges: Glitter Galore

One Hip Chick

It's time for my inspiration post at Exploring Cricut and More. 

Let's see: By a show of hands (kidding), who is stock piling SVG files? Especially when so many companies are offering FREE files daily or weekly or even crazy $1 sales. My file folders are overloaded with files. Goodness how do we remember them all? 

For me, all of a sudden, I'll remember a file that I just have to use. In this project, I am using Pretty Papers, Pretty Ribbons  cute chick file. There are three chicks in the file, and I wanted this one because she looks kind of hip. It certainly make sense since I have this perfect stamp from Cardz TV, Critter Captions set. I buy Cardz TV stamps the most of any other stamp company. They take ink very well, are easy to clean, and there is incredible variety. Of course, a card of mine isn't the same without Skittles, a favorite embellishment. I used watermelon skittle here. I had a chance to use these great metal photo corners by Miriam's Crafting Supplies.

Challenges Entered

Crafty Little Fairies: Cute and Cuddly

Creative Moments: Animals

Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge: Critters

Desconstructing Jen: Sketch

Scrap Creations: Animal

Summer's Over... Back to School

It's challenge time at Exploring Cricut and More. This time we are headed back to school. 

I often talk about my nephews and making projects for them. That's because I don't have children. So when I want to make some cute and fun cards, I keep my four nephews in mind (and now a little niece). My two eldest nephews are finally in school, and they are still young enough to love school and be excited about it, so fun cards in their lunch bags is definitely a great addition to their day.

I used my Cricut cartridge Recess, to create this fun "title" School. I love the variety of colors, and the small apple in the middle of the "o". I layered it on a muted patchwork style patterned paper and then added a red frame with cut out arrows. Isn't that pencil great - it's actually a brad. The stamp is from Cardz TV from the Garden Greetings set, and the Skittles (my favorite embellishment) are in the color Terra Glitter. 

Berry Cherry

It's time for my inspiration post at Exploring Cricut and More. This time I have for you a 50's "feeling" cherry easel card that I made using an SVG file from My Scrap Chick. I love that the black shadow on the cherries did not cut out (it was supposed to). The bee above the cherries is a brad and the stamped sentiment is from Cardz TV from the Garden Greetings set. Of course, I just couldn't resist adding a few Skittles in watermelon at the top, especially against the dotted patterned paper (The Paper Stack, The Basics pack). 

Not Very Merry

It's challenge time at Exploring Cricut and More. This time we are hosting a Blog Hop, and the theme is Christmas in July. I've noticed many projects themed with Christmas in July, so I hope one more isn't too much. Maybe that's why I went with a Not Very Merry theme in my Merry Grinchmas card. Isn't this hilarious. I found this SVG file at PPnB and knew it was the way to go. This was such fun to put together; the only real choices I made were the small Christmas embellishments in the bottom corner. 

Blog Hop:

Annette   www.mymindsdustbunnies.blogspot.com
Sharon    www.meemeescreations.blogspot.com

Faith        www.thecraftingprofessor.blogspot.com YOU ARE HERE

Donna     www.wwwkindredkreations.blogspot.com 

Rae Ann   www.joyinart.blogspot.com

Emily       www.emilyqueenofallthingscrafty.blogspot.com

Michelle N  www.justanutterpapercrafter.blogspot.com

Christi      www.tidbitsoftexas.com

Liz             www.unikbyyes.blogspot.com

Tina          www.thescrappinrabbit.blogspot.com

Katrina    www.scrappyhorses.blogspot.com

Michelle S www.cricutcrazyscrapper.blogspot.com

Diane      www.happyscrapperdiane.blogspot.com

Challenges
Aud Sentiments Challenge: Christmas in July
Creative Knockouts: Christmas in July
Southern Girls Challenge: Christmas is Coming
Jellypark Challenges: Christmas in July
Hiding in my Craft Room: Christmas in July
Send a Smile for Kids Challenge: Christmas in July

Summer Vacation

It's time for my inspiration post at Exploring Cricut and More. This time I have for you a child's imagination of blasting off into summer vacation - where to - he doesn't know. I had so much fun putting this card together. The first thing I started with was the airplane from the SVG cutting file The Sky is the Limit from PPnB. Then I layered the patterned papers from the Imaginisce Perfect Vacation paper stack. The camera is from the Brad Buddies Tourist set. Finally, I added a denim glitter Skittle to help propel the wings.      

Challenges Entered

Try it on a Tuesday: Anything with Wings

Love to Create: Bright and Sunny

Make My Monday: Vacation

Owlways Remember!

It's challenge time at Exploring Cricut and More. This week's challenge is Crafter's Choice - use at least 2 die cuts. For my project, I created a square card base and then cut this adorable owl from an SVG file from My Scrap Chick. I really enjoyed putting this guy together with the different patterned papers. For the owl's belly, I used a crosshatch design from Recollections Bold Basics Stack. For the wings, I used the green circle designer paper from the Lemon Flower Stack by DCWV. The stamped sentiment is from Sweet & Sassy's Owl Be There set.

Challenges Entered:

CELEBRATE!!

It's time to share a project for Exploring Cricut and More. For my project, I designed a Card in a Box to serve as both a card and decoration for my friend's MACH party. A MACH stands for Master Agility Champion, and she and her dog had just earned this prestigious title. I covered the base of the card with DP from The Paper Studio's Spoiled Rotten Stack. Next, I started decorating the flaps of the card with stickers and gems from my stash. I cut the balloons from the Circuit cartridge, Life's a Party, and I cut the title, MACH, from the Circut font, Southwest - Short. 

But first and foremost, this was a card!

Summer Nights

It's challenge time at Exploring Cricut and More. 

Here we are, friends, at the place where tan lines and flip flops and sunglasses are part of everyday life. A place where vacation abounds. We are here. In Summer. 

While many summer paper craft projects focus on the fun of playing all day, I decided to remember my vacation summer nights!

Can you hear John Travolta singing his famous song from Grease? 

I started with a white on white base and used a star embossing folder on the second layer. Next, I very, very carefully cut the palm tree landscape from Cricut Design. Here's a tip with Circuit Design and paper settings - really pay attention to the feel of your paper. You'll know instantly what setting will work best. This took just one cut, and the intricacy of the palm trees made me hold my breath!

Finally, to add to the romance of being alone at night on the beach with the one you love, I included the sign for the waterfall. And, the rest is up for imagination... 

Challenges Entered:

Cut it Up - Twilight
Fussy and Fancy Friday - Summertime
Chocolate, Coffee, & Cards - Summer Days
Jellypark Challenges - Seaside
StuckonUSketches - In the Water
Catered Crop - Summer Lovin'
Pile it On - Outdoor Fun
The Crazy Challenge - By the Sea

Make it Now or Make it Later

It's time to share a project for Exploring Cricut and More. This time, I decided to check out the Cricut Explore function of Make it Now. I scrolled through the "card" options, and I found the base of this card. It's a honeycomb card with bee die cuts in three layers each on a simple circle base card. Why a bee card? It's summer time!!! The bees are out to play! Last weekend, we were surrounded by all sorts of flying things - and some bite marks to prove it. Yikes. It still itches. 

Every time I hit "make it now" the screen zoomed from the design space to the cutting layers. I barely had a chance to figure out my own color scheme or how to add layers. Ah ha! There is great button next to the "make it now" that says, customize!!! Now the image pops up in design space, and I was able to move items, change colors, and even add layers. 

Instead of just layering yellows and whites as shown, I decided to use bark (wood) designer paper (by DCWV) as the card base so that the idea of a beehive is more realistic. Next, I decided to pop up the honeycomb layer so that there is some dimension, but now, you can still see the bark (wood). 

I opted out of using the bee die cuts, because I have these awesome bee brads. I used them instead of where the die cuts would be. On the inside of the card, I layered a black and then white circle, and I used the Cricut Explore writing function to add a sentiment. 

Challenges Entered

Crafty Creations - Things with Wings
Crafty Cardmakers - Wood
Incy Wincy Challenge - Things with Wings
Jo's Scrap Shack - In the Garden

Yeah, That Guy!

It's time to share a project for Exploring Cricut and More. This time, I used an SVG file from Pretty Papers Pretty Ribbons as my inspiration. This guy is so amazingly funny, and he reminds me of the animated M&Ms. I just had to use it. I used my Cricut Explore writing feature to capture what I think he is saying. To add some texture, I used three watermelon color Skittles (AKA Abusybee), and to break up the white, I used a scrap piece of paper from the BoBunny paper stack, Head Over Heels. 

Challenges Entered: 

Crafting for All Seasons - No Squares
Fab n' Funky - Laugh
Paper Take Weekly - For the Boys
Tuesday Throwdown - Special Man
Cute Card Thursday - So Macho
Docerela Creations - Anything Goes

What a Pear!

It's time to share a project for Exploring Cricut and More. This time, I decided I wanted to go clean and simple. I wanted to make a card for my husband. No special occasion, a "just because" card. So I turned to my Cardz TV stamp set, Garden Greetings. My favorite saying  was "what a pear," and I knew I could find just the right pear shape from my Cricut stash. Sure enough, I found a wonder pear on the Just Because Cards cartridge. I finished the card with orange bling around the sentiment. 

Challenges Entered:
PDE Linky Party: Food

Summer Sun Bag Topper

It's challenge time at Exploring Cricut and More. With Summer coming around the corner, and why not make a project for summer. The twist: use red and blue. 

For my project, I created a bag topper. We are having a pool party in a few weeks, and I thought this would be a great decoration for a for a bag with little tubes of sunscreen and bug spray and more in it. I used my Cricut Explore with the Bag Topper image set. 

The base patterned paper is from the My Mind's Eye paper pack, Bohemia. It felt very California summer to me. I embossed the blue sky and white cloud with a swirl folder for motion of wind. The feel of the paper and sky made me think of running my toes through the sand, so I had these small flip flops to the corner of the card. Finally, it wouldn't be summer without summer birds and bugs like the small bee brad at the top right corner. 

Challenges Entered:

Crafts for Eternity: Die Cuts
Simply Create Too: Anything But a Card
Craftitude: Use die cut
Crafty Calendar: Sunshine

Cuddle Monster

It's time to share a project for Exploring Cricut and More. With my new Cricut Explore, I have been trying out different writing functions. It feels so free to be able to incorporate my own sentiments directly onto the die cuts. 

For this card, I started with the idea of making a fun card for my husband to put in his briefcase, and I wanted it to be cute. I thought about the juxtaposition of cuddling with a cute monster. I found this monster on the Bump in the Night Cricut cartridge, and I went from there. 

All of the colors came from the DP (The Paper Studio, Uptown Flair). The paper is embossed and glittered.  I layered the circles and embossed the top scalloped circle with swirls. 

I loved adding the goggly eyes and the clusters of flowers with gems inside. Here's a close up. 

Challenges Entered:
The Cutie Pie Challenge: Add bling
A Creative Romance: For the boys
Docerela Shop: Colors and flowers 
Color Throwdown: Color set
Simon Says Challenge: Use your Dies

For Mom

It's challenge time at Exploring Cricut and More. Mother's Day is creeping up on us, so join us in this Mother's Day challenge. 

My project for this challenge is all about what my mom loves from colors (mauve) to dress forms. Even the detail of the frame around this easel card is something she would love. Here's to you mom. 

The card is cut from my Cricut Explore using an SVG cut file from from SVGcuts.com. The first layer is a pale green with a soft dot pattern from the Wisteria paper pad by Basic Grey. The DP mat is from the Kaitlin collect by Recollections. The paper is green, purple, and white and is glittered and embossed. I colored the stamped image to pick up all of those colors. The stamp is from Sweet n Sassy, It's a Girl Thing. 

Spectrum Noirs: CR3, CR4, and CR6 + LV1.

Side View

Challenges Entered:
DL.ART Challenge: Mother's Day
Stampin' Royalty: Mom
Crafty Catz: Anything But a Square
Creative Corner: For Mom
A Creative Need: Mother's Day

G is for Girl

I'm happy to be sharing this project for Exploring Cricut and More today. 

There is definitely a story behind this card. I have five nephews ranging from two to eight. And as of just a fews weeks ago, I have a NEICE. So, I have been enjoying making all kinds of pink girl cards... is that super obvious with this card!

I used Mojo Monday sketch #342 as my inspiration (although it is not a challenge this week). 

I started with the the color combination I wanted to use, and then I embossed the bottom two layers with flowers and dots to give the card plenty of texture. The die cuts in the square come from the Graphically Speaking Cricut cartridge (I have been wanting a reason to use that for so long). My sweet niece, isn't just a girl though; she is a princess. The crown die cut is from the Slumber Party Cricut cartridge. The silver layer is all glitter, and it is popped up off the pink base of the crown. 

Here is the sketch:

Challenges Entered:
Creative Card Crew - Girlie
Die Cuttin Divas - Make it Girly
Miriam's Crafting Challenge: Texture
Fresh Brewed Blog: Color Combination
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards: Circles and Squares

Springtime Cocktail

It's time for a challenge at Exploring Cricut. This week's challenge is to be inspired by spring and use at least one flower. 

For my project this week, I thought about my best friend coming over for dinner after our agility competitions and relaxing with a cocktail on the deck. When the weather is nice, we catch the afternoon sun, and the dogs chase each other around the pool. 

I wanted every part of this project to sparkle, shine, and shimmer. 

The DP is Paper Studio, Uptown Flair. The piece is both embossed and glittered, and it really sparkles and shimmers. I added scalloped border using the Cricut cartridge, Ribbons & Rosettes. And kept to the black and white with the border, box, and circle since there is so much color coming from the card. The white mat in the square is embossed with a dot folder. The cocktail is cut from the Cricut cartridge Pack Your Bags. I used Martha Stewart's tourmaline glitter on the drink and straw, and added the Sentiment, Smile (embossed) by Hampton Art. Finally, I added green gems all around the elements. 

Challenges Entered

Hiding in my Craft Room: Flowers
A Gem of a Challenge: Spring is in the Air
The Squirrel and Fox: Die Cuts
Penny Black and More: Blossoms

Smile!

I am thrilled to be sharing today's Daily Inspiration for Exploring Cricut and More. 

I had so much fun with this card because my inspiration came for this adorable angry fish from Pretty Papers Pretty Ribbons Fishy Friends cut files (using my Cricut Explore). I just love him, and I wanted to pair him with a Smile sentiment for a little twist. Unfortunately, this stamp is from an unknown set. 

I imagine this little guy in murky water, so I went with this green swirl paper from Fancy Pants. The circle mat is embossed with a swirl Cuttlebug folder, and actually is lined up as best as I could with the patterned paper. His eyebrows are flocked from all the gunk in the water. 

Challenges Entered:

House of Cards - Cute
Party Time Tuesday - Die Cuts
Simply Create Too: No Stamped Images
Cute Card Thursday: Splish Splash
The Male Room: Pet
Simon Says: Animals