Happy Winter!!

Isn't he cool? I cut this snowman from an older Sizzlit and the labels from Emma's My Creative Time. I used paper from DCWV and kraft paper from Papertrey Ink. Paper was embossed using the Cuttlebug and frosted using Stickles. The sentiment comes from My Pink Stamper's "Winter Punnies." The Hershey's Nuggets were covered with address labels stamped with images from Papertrey Ink. So simple! (I can't believe I didn't use my Cricut!)

Happy winter! Stay warm!!
♥Karen

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful and blessed day sharing with your loved ones...I certainly did! We woke up to presents under the tree and breakfast cooked by my amazing husband. Our children were thrilled to open their gifts! Time quickly flew by, and it was time to go to church. After church, we had to head home so that I could quickly make the little treat bags that you see above. Dinner was going to be served at Mom and Dad's, and I wanted to make sure that I could bring something I created (since I don't cook - LOL!) to share with everyone.

To make these little goodies, I used my Imagine and printed designs from "Mr. Frosty" on address labels. I covered Hershey's Nuggets and then packaged two of them in a 3x5 cello bag. The toppers where cut (4x2) from paper by Reflections and folded in half. Using a Marvy punch, I punched out tags from kraft paper and inked the edges with "festive berries" by Tim Holtz. My favorite part was using a stamp from the "Christmas Love" stamp set by Close to My Heart. I used "seed packet" ink by Jenni Bowlin.

I hope your Christmas was filled with much love!!

Peace and Blessings,
♥Karen

Happy Weekend After Thanksgiving!!

Yes, yes... I know I should have posted this days ago, but I've been busy...you know, Black Friday and all. Well, haven't you?! Nevertheless, I wanted you to see what I created for our Thanksgiving tables...our annual 80+ family member gathering on Thanksgiving Day! Yes, I said over 80 people! So I dared to make one for each...here they are...

Even though it was a lot of work, it really was a pleasure to make these! I used various Autumn paper packs by DCWV and SEI. I featured cuts from Close to My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge (tags, acorns, and tickets), and I used coordinating stamps by Close to My Heart. I embossed some of the cuts with my cuttlebug, using swirls (tags) and swiss dots (acorns). All edges where distressed with Ranger's Walnut Stain ink, and everything was adhered to kraft paper by Papertrey Ink. Oh, and the cute little "blingy" leaves are stickers by Jolee's boutique. Finally, I used Tim Holtz's Tiny Attacher to staple 1/4" ribbon. I thought they were super cute. My family loved them...they really think I'm quite creative...but that's easy to do when you have so many great products to work with! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! ♥Karen

Summer's Over, But...

I just had to post this one! I created this card back in July!! I used a stamp by Cat's Meow and used paper from "Funhouse" collection pack by GCD. For the cut in the center, I added texture by using a Tim Holtz Alterations folder called "Rays." So... did you go to the fair? Hope you had a great summer!

I'm going to quickly post my entry for the 100th JUGS challenge! Beneath my card creation is the sketch that I had to follow and a picture of my main ingredients! Enjoy!

Coffee, Anyone?

This is how I love to start my day... with a cup of coffee! This card was inspired by the sentiment and frame by Waltzing Mouse - Frame It. This cute little coffee cup stamp came from a Fiskars (I think!) stamp set, and I colored it using Copic markers. Here's a shocker...I didn't use my Cricut! However, I did use my Cuttlebug and simply ran a pink square through it before stamping and inking the edges. The design cardstock is from Colorbok - Flea Market. I added a simple cut of ribbon before laying down my pink square. The final touch was to add bling to the cup. Here it is... a perfect cup of coffee!

Have a great day!

Karen♥

Sometimes We Just Have to...

Be still...

All of our lives face challenges, and most of us are moving at a too fast and hectic pace. Our minds can get so clouded with all of our responsibilities and dealing with technology...emails, texts, facebook, twitter and our Cricut machines - Lol! Anyway...as we get overwhelmed, we just need to step back, sit down in that chair, be quiet and be still. Sometimes we need to be reminded who is in control. God's got the whole world in His hands, and He's got you!

Now on to the card creation... The printed paper comes from DCWV - the All About Girls stack. I cut the chair from the Sentimentals Cricut cartridge and used my Big Shot to emboss the cushions. I added ribbon, pearls, and a stick pin. The stamp comes from Stampendous - Inspired Verse. For the flourish, I used a stamp from Waltzing Mouse - You're Lovely.

I must confess that after I submitted this card for a challenge, I decided that I should fix it up a bit and add a flower to the ribbon, a mat behind the verse, and use Ranger's Distress ink (tea dye) around all of the edges. Above is the original version, and below is the updated version.

Now I'm thinking of some other things I could do differently, but I'm going to leave it as is and move on to the next challenge! Have a great day and be blessed!

Karen♥

There's Hope

When all else fails... there's still hope. You just have to believe and hold on! I just felt like saying that before I continued on with my challenge entry...Hope you don't mind! :)

So... Just us girls (JUGS) had a sketch challenge. I love sketch challenges! I feel like my brain doesn't have to work as hard! Anyway... I'm always inspired by butterflies (thus my name) so I thought I'd use a butterfly cut from my Cricut Sentimentals cartridge and a floral cut from Damask. The cute little tag and stamp at the bottom come from Stampin'Up! The pretty paper at the bottom is "hello luscious" - BasicGrey. I added pearls, ribbon and ink....and of course, Hope! Have a great day!

Peace, love & happy crafting! ♥

Happy Independence Day!

First I must express my thanks to all of the men and women who have served our country. We are the land of the free because many have fought to make and keep it our reality. We will not forget.

Now on to the Cricut Circle Weekly Challenge! This is my first time entering and I'm just excited that I got it done! We were asked to show our patriotic pride and use 2 Cricut cuts. I used the liberty bell and "Let Freedom Ring" cuts from the Stand and Salute cartridge. I used Stampendous fireworks stamps and embossed the images. I added ribbon that I picked up at Walmart years ago and inked the edges - torn and straight - with Ranger's Distress ink. Of course, after I finished, I thought of other things to do & also wondered "why did I do that to the card?" (I'm talking about the rhinestones!) I just figured I wouldn't do it over... I'm submitting just as it is. Hope you can see the beauty in it!

Hope you had a great 4th of July however you celebrated. God bless you and God bless America!

Peace, love & happy crafting!

Karen♥

Celebrate Freedom!

I created this card for Just Us Girls - JUGS. Hope I can get this in right on time! I used K&Company - Americana paper and cuts from the Cricut cartridge Stand and Salute. I simply inked all the sides with Ranger's Distress ink in tea dye and adhered everything. Maybe a little too quick of a card... but at least I did something today! Lol!

Cricut Circle Swarm Rewind

I finally got to experience the Cricut Circle when I attended a crop in Sacramento. It was great to meet other locals in the Circle and observe there creativity in person. At this "meet up," each participant was asked to make enough calling cards to pass out to the others. The above photo is mine. I used a Cricut Circle exclusive embossing folder and an exclusive cartridge Cricut Everyday. The butterfly was cut from the Storybook cartridge. After I adhered the cuts, I stamped the sentiments and added ribbon at the top.

Another task we had was to create a pair of sunglasses. We had an outdoor theme, so I used a cut from Campin' Critters. To complete the project, I adhered rhinestones and Stickles. Here's a pic of the finished project...

Spiders! EEK!!

I don't like spiders, but this one's a cutie! I made this card for my school librarian who came to my rescue one afternoon. I was working at my desk area when along hopped a spider - all big, black and furry! Scary! She rushed in with a very long ruler to escort the spider to the great outdoors! So to thank her, I put together this very simple card cutting this spider from the Create a Critter cartridge. The cardstock comes from DCWV and the sentiment stamp is from My Pink Stamper's "Even More Punny-licious." I added ribbon, googly eyes and Stickles! Now this is a spider that doesn't scare me! :)

Mother's Day Rewind

It became a real project for me to create this Mother's Day card. This was my very first card sewing experience (as you can see all around the edges) and attempt to give a vintage look. I cut an image from Elegant Edges and added flowers, ribbon, a button, and pearls. I used an oversized sentiment "adore" and tore around the edges before inking with Ranger's Distress ink in antique linen. The tiny sentiment "Mom" comes from Papertrey ink.


Here's a second Mother's Day card. This was one of my first attempts sewing lace on a card. I'm hooked now! The only cut I used was the center piece from elegant edges. All other supplies are miscellaneous scraps. I used a corsage pin and adhered additional beads to stick into the ribbon. The sentiment stamp comes from Papertreyink.


Finally, I made this third Mother's Day Card. Again, I used cuts from Elegant edges and simply embellished. This sentiment was printed onto the cardstock using a typewriter font.

So Very Sweet!

One of my students gave me the sweetest "end of the year" gift, and I just had to create a card just for her. This 15 minute card was made using Create a Critter, DCWV cardstock, ribbon, googly eyes, and Stickles. Easy peasy!

Cute Tag

Is this sweet as honey or what?! I created this tag to send along with a gift for my BFF's birthday. Yep, I was late! Lol! I used the Cricut Everyday cartridge to cut out the tag and Kate's ABC's for the honey bees. I used my Stampendous stamp for the background print and a Heidi Grace design stamp for the chandeliers at the top of the card. The floral cardstock comes from Colorbok-Flea Market, and I added a simple paper doily. The edges have been inked with Ranger's Distress ink in antique linen. Finally, I embellished the tag with ribbon, pearls, and rhinestones. There you have it... sweet as honey! ♥

Happy Birthday Dear BFF!

My BFF enjoyed a double celebration! Not only did she graduate from grad school at Harvard, but it was also her birthday!! Because I lured her into all this Cricut madness -Lol!- I had to get her a cartridge... Damask! Of course, I had to buy one for myself as well, so I made a card using one of the cuts - the CUPCAKE! Yum! The background paper is K&Company, and the cupcake is cut from Colorbok - Flea Market. I used ribbon that I purchased from on etsy by MemrieMare, and secured it with a rhinestone brad. Notice the stitching around the card? Once again, I pulled out my Janome Sew Mini & whirled around the card...after I inked the edges with Ranger's Distress ink in Antique Linen. As you see I threw in a doily, stamped on a sentiment by WaltzingMouseStamps, and further embellished with pearls, more brads, and Stickles. Here's a little secret...the pearls next to the brad on the ribbon are acutally on a straight pin that I secured in the ribbon with tacky glue. I just love this card & I love my BFF! ♥

Congrats to My BFF - Harvard Grad!!

I couldn't be happier for my "Bestie"...I've known since we were 5 years old. Last month she graduated from Harvard with a graduate degree (OK... so I don't know the exact degree!), and I was instantly inspired to create a card for her. I used foil paper by AC and card stock by K&Company - Americana. I tried to give it a vintage look, so I used Ranger's Distress Ink in antique linen around all the edges. I acutally pulled out my little Janome mini sewing machine and stitched around the card stock before adding ribbon, lace, and buttons. I cut the owl on my Cricut using the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge. I used Elegant Edges to cut out the sentiment image and manipulated it on my Gypsy before cutting it on the Cricut. My large Stampendous wooden stamp finally came in handy when I used a portion of it to stamp the definition of "celebrate" before using my Waltzing Mouse stamp, "Celebrate." I also used a Papertrey Ink stamp, "proud of you," on the crinkled star I created. Finally I used a bit of acrylic paint on the star & Stickles on the owl. Oh, and the bow? I made the bow separate from the ribbon and attached it with the rhinestone brad. The initials on the owl are also brads. Tons of fun to make! Made with love! ♥

Happy Father's Day!

About 15 minutes before I presented my husband with his Father's Day gift, I whipped up this card using my cricut expression & the Father's Day cartridge! I used paper from DCWV "The Guy Stack" and a stamp from a $1 g Studio stamp pack. The card matched his gift (tool box filled with tools) & he loved it!

Happy Spring 2011... I'm Back!

I can hardly believe it's been well over a year since I have posted anything on my blog! The last time was Winter 2010, and now it's Spring 2011... time flies... when you're overwhelmed!! But I won't go into that right now. :)

Although I may not have been blogging, I certainly have been making greeting cards for anyone I thought needed one... you know, a birthday here, a holiday there, etc. So I thought I would post a few pics of some cards I made over the past year, especially the ones that celebrate spring. Of course, I used my cricut to make each of these cards, and some of the stamps I used are by Robyn Cardon - My Pink Stamper. Most of my paper was also DCWV, and I often used Stickles, various punches, ribbons, and other bling.

Enjoy the view of my cards for now, and look forward to a video that I will make and post in the next couple of weeks.

Peace, love, & happy crafting!

Karen ♥