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♥