The Cutting Cafe Christmas Box

This week at The Cutting Cafe Regina asked the Design Team to highlight some of her box files.  There are just tons of files to choose from, but I used one of my favorites that I've used in dozens of different projects because it's so versatile.  The box I used for my project is the 8x5.5" Box with Dividers.  I used the box to hold the makings for a set of eight Christmas cards, tied a big bow around it and added a circular sentiment from The Cutting Cafe's Create Set.  I made this little kit with my aunt in mind.  She and I have spent many an hour crafting together.  I miss her so much since my husband and I left Michigan for a warmer winter climate.  She has not been very healthy this year and is battling Essential Tremor Disease.  It has many of the characteristics of Parkinson's Disease and causes her hands to shake something terrible making crafting difficult for her.  I decided to give her a bit of a head start on her Christmas cards by putting this kit together using another of Regina's Cutting Cafe files called Christmas Card Fun.  This is a cutting file that comes in WPC or SVG form.  This set features twelve different Christmas cards with cutouts in them.  For my project I cut out four different cards from the set--the reindeer, the ornaments, the snowflake and the trees.  Then I made four plain cards that could be decorated with the cutout images.  Each card is 4.5x4.5".  This set also comes with 17 sentiments. 

In the photo above you can see the cards layed out with the box lid and box bottom next to them.  For the cards with the cutouts I cut printed papers at 4.25x4.25" for a backing layer.  I did not attach any of them so my aunt would be able to choose whichever pattern she liked best for each card.  I hand cut the plain solid color cards and rounded the edges to match the cutout cards.  She will be able to take the cutout images and add them to whichever card she'd like.  For photo purposes I placed the images on the cards.  I also embossed some of the cards for texture. 

In the small sections of the box I added embellishments, the cutout images and a few sentiments and mini words.  I used a couple of other Cutting Cafe sets for this purpose--the Christmas Mini Words set and the 12 Circle Christmas Printable Stamp Set.  I know my aunt is going to be so excited to get this little treat to help her put together some homemade Christmas cards for her friends.

Here's another set I put together last year using the same box and The Cutting Cafe Christmas Bingo set.  This was a big hit with the grandkids.  It's such a cool and fun set.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my projects and you'll want to put together a few fun little boxes of your own.  If you have some non-crafty friends that love your cards this card kit might be a fun little gift, with little expense, that you could put together for them.  And I know that a favorite child in your life would love a Bingo set of their own.  The Cutting Cafe files make personal gifts like this easy and fun to put together.  Happy Crafting!!!

Cricut Cardz Challenge #96 Say It With "S"

This week's theme at Cricut Cardz is Christmas-Say it with "S".  Mary asked the Design Team to create a Christmas card using an image that starts with the letter "S" using any cartridge and colors.  I used the Christmas "S"tocking from the Winter Frolic cartridge.  My card base is standard A2 size made from a dark red cardstock.  I topped it with a mat of cream colored cardstock embossed with the Cuttlebug folder Snowflake Flourish which was offered in a set a couple years on HSN.  Unfortunately, it doesn't show up in this photo, but my shadow base for the stocking is metallic gold cardstock.  I know it looks like kraft cardstock.  My patterend papers all have glittery accents on them which do not show up either.  So this card looks way better in person.  I found the glittery paper pack made by Best Creations at a scrapbook store in Virginia Beach, VA while we were traveling south.  It's a 6x6 paper pack, which I absolutely adore because they take up less space in our RV.  My Christmas stocking is cut at 4".  As you can see I used Swiss Dots to emboss the trim pieces for the stocking.  I think a nice touch would have been to add flocking to these pieces but I didn't have any cream colored flocking.  I added a cream colored bow made with crinkled ribbon.  My circle sentiment is from The Cutting Cafe Circle Christmas Printable stamp set.

The Cutting Cafe Christmas Daily

It's time for this year's first installment of my Christmas Daily album that I make for my granddaughters.  This will be the third year that I've put a book together using Regina's fabulous sets from The Cutting Cafe. We've been super busy the past few months traveling around the country in our RV, so I decided this year's album needed to be smaller than last year's.  I have very limited space for my crafting supplies in our RV so most of my papers are 6x6" paper packs.  I found a fantastic small scrapbook in a 6x6 size made by SEI at a scrapbook store in Lakeland, Florida.  It came in red which was perfect for a Christmas album and you can add pages to it.  (Which you will need to do to have a page for each day from December 1st-25th.)
This week The Cutting Cafe Design Team is featuring projects highlighting the three December Daily sets.  These are three sets- December-Christmas Daily Printable stamp set, December Daily 2 Printable Stamp Set, and the December Daily Numbers Printable Stamp Set.  So, if you don't know what a December/Christmas Daily Journal/Scrapbook is let me explain.  This is a way to document, journal and photograph your family Christmas traditions into a quick and easy book by doing a single page each day.  Regina's sets make the process quick and simple because the titles and page ideas are all done for you.  You just add the paper, photo and/or journaling.  Today you are seeing the title page of my book for this year.  My papers are from Best Creation's Merry Christmas glitter paper pack.  I used this year's December Daily Number set for my circular sentiment.  Then I used my Cricut Plantin' Schoolbook cartridge to cut 2011 to place in the center.  My present is cut from my Sweet Treats cartridge and I added a mini tag with the word Jolly which came from The Cutting Cafe's Christmas Mini Words printable stamp set.  Next to the package I will add a small journaling tag from The Cutting Cafe's Jot It Down printable stamp set with a personal message for my granddaughters.  To see my entire book from last year click here.  This will give you an idea of what an entire album looks like.  I will post other pages of this year's book through the next few weeks.

BBTB2 Mouse

Wow, it's Thanksgiving week and I can't believe it.  For me it means I better get busy with those Christmas cards.  All the traveling we've done since July in our RV has really put me behind.  So I took the opportunity to use this week's BBTB2 assignment to make another Christmas card to add to my pile.  This week's cut was chosen by our sweet DT sister, Melissa.  She asked us to use the mouse on the Cricut Lite Meow cartridge.  As with all BBTB2 challenges you may substitue any other cartridge cut as long as it's a mouse.  I chose to use the mouse from  the Birthday Bash cartridge.  I thought this cut was perfect for adapting into a Christmas card.  I used My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Christmas stack papers.  I cut my mouse/present image at 3.5".  I used black pearls for the mouse eyes and nose.  My cute "No Peeking" package tag was cut from the Christmas Cheer cartridge and the sentiment is a printable stamp from The Cutting Cafe's Christmas Mini Words set.

Cardz TV Design Team Premier

Hooray!  Today is the premier of the Cardz TV Design Team.  No words can describe how grateful I am that Mary chose me to be part of her first Design Team.  For our first creation Mary asked the Design Team to create something in "our style".  I'm not really sure what my style is, but I know what it's not.  I rarely do shabby chic, fancy folds, or overly embellished.  If I had to name my style I guess it would be clean and simple.   I started papercrafting about 17 years ago before all the fancy supplies they have now.  Back then it was just solid color papers and stickers.

I'm a neat freak in both design and personal life.  I like my creative arena to be neat.  I had a neat and organized craft room.  Notice, I said had.  The reason---in July my husband and I sold our home of over twenty years.  The home where we raised our five children to adulthood.  Now we are living our dream.  We've retired and taken off in our RV.  Which means I find myself creating with limited supplies, in a very small space on a tiny dining table.  I am in no way complaining, because I say again...I'm living my dream. When I started packing the supplies to bring with me, first on my list was my Cricut machine.  My papercrafting visions really came to life when I got my first Cricut machine.  Hence, the name of my blog---Bug 'n Me Creations.  

For my card today I started with a white cardstock base and made a standard A2 card (4.25" x 5.5").  All my patterned papers are from Authentique's Blissful 6x6" paper stack.  When we left home in our RV I left all my 12 x 12" papers in storage.  I've been collecting 6x6" paper stacks along our travel route.  I bought this one at an Archiver's store in Raleigh, NC.  I added a front mat cut 4.25" x 5.5" then added two 1" strips of coordinating papers.  My white scallop was cut with my Cricut's Elegant Edge cartridge.  I used Mary's Encouraging Thoughts stamp set for the Thinking of You sentiment.  I embellished simply with brown jute and a single button.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  You'll want to check out the rest of the Design Teams creations from the Cardz TV blog here.  You can just click on each designer's name under the photo of their card.  To look at all of Mary's fabulous Cardz TV Stamp Sets click here.

Scrapbook page for challenges

I'm writing this post from DisneyWorld.  We met a couple of our kids and grandkids down here.  I decided to make a small 6x6 scrapbook for my granddaughters to document the trip.  There's a challenge over at My Creative Time to make a project with a child friendly cartridge.  There's also a challenge over at My Pink Stamper for a scrapbook page or mini album.  I used the Mickey and Friends cartridge to cut my mouse ears then added a circle on top of it for my Smile stamp which came from Cardz TV Stamps Thinking of You set.  My journaling spot is a Studio G stamp.  I cut my photo mats with the Plantin' Schoolbook cartridge.  Now I'm off for more fun at the Magic Kingdom.  Wish you were here!

The Cutting Cafe Thanksgiving Day

This week for The Cutting Cafe Blog Regina asked the Design Team to use her Thanksgiving Day printable stamp set.  This set features 26 images including two background word stamps, a couple images you can use for party invitations, several turkey images and plenty of sentiments.  For my card I used the strip of small turkeys in a row and the gobble background cut at 1 1/16".  My patterned papers are all scraps cut at
1 1/16".  I attached all the strips to a standard size A2 card made of kraft cardstock.  I added some faux stitching and some brown twine and a button for embellishment.  Make sure you stop over at the blog to check out the rest of the Design Teams creations.

Bitten By the Bug 2 Joy Winter Woodland

Happy Monday.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  It's time for another BBTB2 challenge this week chosen by one of our newest DT sisters, Mona.  She asked the DT to use the Joy cut from the Winter Woodland cartridge.  I started with a base card of black cardstock and topped it with a mat of holly print paper from my 6x6 Best Creations Merry Christmas paper pack.  I fell in love with all the beautiful glitter papers in it.  I used a cut from Elegant Edges for the background to place my Joy cut on.  The shadow is black cardstock and the top mat is ivory cardstock that I embossed with a Sizzex folder.  I'm sorry I don't know what it's called though.  There was no shadow cut on Winter Woodlands for the word Joy, so I cut a second Joy word from black cardstock and offset it a little.  I cut one of the little pieces of ivy from the patterned paper to add to the bottom of the letter "O".  I thought it made it look a little bit like a wreath.  I decided not to add any other embellishments so the word would stand on it's own.  I hope you'll have a chance to play along with this week's BBTB2 challenge.  Remember, if you don't have the Winter Woodland cartridge you can use any other cartridge to create with the word "Joy", but it must be a new creation.

Cricut Cardz Challenge We're So Thankful

It's time for a new Cricut Cardz Challenge on Cardz TV.  This week Mary asked the DT to show "We're So Thankful" cards and use a card feature from any cartridge.  I used the Thanksgiving solution cartridge from last year.  This scalloped edge card is actually supposed to be a placecard I think.  I adjusted the size using my Gypsy and turned it into a 4x6.5" card.  I used patterned papers from Recollection.  My base card is kraft cardstock.  I cut the Give Thanks at 3.5".  I embellished with two leaf buttons and an acorn button.  We'd love for you to join the challenge and show us how you're thankful using any cartridge with a card feature.  Remember to make a new creation to enter the challenge.

The Cutting Cafe Jot It Down

This week at The Cutting Cafe the Design Team is highlighting Regina's  Jot It Down printable stamp set.  This set features 43 images that are perfect for scrapbook pages and cards.  There are some great images for journaling.  Now that we're settled in our RV at our winter destination I've had time to start several projects that I've had brewing around in my little brain.  I've started a journal that will highlight our lives while living full time in our RV.  Of course, I had to start the journal with the picture of my husband and I on the last day of our life in our home where we raised our five children and lived for over twenty years.  We wouldn't be living our dream if we hadn't sold our house so it seemed the fitting place to start.  I'm using a really great scrapbook/journal that I found at an Archver's store in Raleigh, North Carolina while we were there visiting our daughter.  It's called a Brag Book by Fancy Pants Designs. It has a customizable cover, 50 kraft paper scrapbook/journaling pages, 15-2 slot photo protectors (holds up to 60 4x6 photos), and 5 pocket folder pages for storing memorabilia.  Fantastic!  I used recollections patterned paper for my background.  My title word block and large black arrow were cut from Cricut's Graphically Speaking cartridge.  I printed the two Jot It Down journaling pieces on yellow polka dot paper.  It took me about 30 minutes to complete this page. 

I'll be adding pages to this journal from our travels, visits with family along the way and time spent in our winter destination of Lakeland, Florida.  We've been here two weeks now and we're loving everything about it so far.  Thanks so much for stopping by today and thank you for your sweet comments.  They mean so much to me.

Amazing News

My life is so truly blessed!  Today I got the news that I will be a member of Mary's Cardz TV first ever Design Team.  If you haven't had the chance to check out Mary's new line of high quality photopolymer stamps you can see them here.  I'm so excited to be chosen to help Mary show off her stamps.  I've had the opportunity to work with Mary now for a few years.  She gave me my very first DT job and then I went on to be her Cricut Cardz Team #1 Design Coordinator.  I can't wait to start creating with her fabulous stamp sets.  Fun, fun fun!  Head on over to Cardz TV so you can check out the rest of my talented teammates.

BBTB2 Heritage Accent 9

This week's challenge at BBTB2 is to use Accent 9 from the Heritage cartridge.  I decided to use it along with the lampost and lantern from the same cartridge.  I simply cut off the hook that the lantern was on, replaced it with the accent and then added the lantern on the end.  I cut the candle from the Sweet Treats cartridge and colored it with Copics.  I added a little sparkle to the flame with an orange Spica pen.  My background is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder called Snowflake Flourish.  This folder was part of a Christmas set offered on HSN a couple years ago.  To give it a little sparkle I highlighted the embossing with a glue pen and then added Martha Stewart Crystal Fine glitter.  Each snowflake has a pearl in the center.  My circle sentiment is from The Cutting Cafe.  This photo does not do the card justice, you can't see the glitter and sparkle.  We had a rare cloudy, rainy day here in Florida and I just could not get a decent picture, so I apologize for that.  But, I'll take a warm, rainy day in Florida rather than the cold, raw rain I'd be getting if I was still in Michigan.  It seems strange that it's November.  We left Michigan at the beginning of September when it was still warm so I feel like it's still summer time.  We have discovered that it cools off nicely at night and then warms up nicely during the day.  We're sure loving it here and are starting to think about getting a place that's a little more permanent.  Not a house, mind you.  I'm still not missing my house at all and I like living in my beautiful RV.  We're thinking about a second RV that would just stay in Florida and the one we have now we'll take back up to Michigan in the spring and leave it there.  Just a thought, nothing firm yet.  We are getting very excited because we have children and grandchildren arriving on Thursday.  We will be taking our camper over to DisneyWorld and staying right on the Disney property at Fort Wilderness.  I can't wait to see my two little granddaughters and take them to the Magic Kingdom.  Yippee, a whole ten days to visit with them.  I'm a kid at heart when it comes to DisneyWorld.  I love it there.

The Cutting Cafe-Huge Circle Words

This week at The Cutting Cafe Regina asked the Design Team to create with any of her huge circle printable stamps.  I used the So Thankful Circle Word Printable Stamp Set to make some placecards for Thanksgiving.  This set comes with 20 images--10 huge circle words and 10 straight sentiments.  In just a couple weeks my daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters Paige and Payton will be coming to Florida to celebrate Payton's 5th birthday at DisneyWorld.  We are so very excited to meet up with them there.  We haven't seen the kids since mid-August when we left Michigan.  We are going to take our camper and stay right on the Disney property at Fort Wilderness.  I'm a kid at heart and I just love DisneyWorld.  I can't wait.  Anyway, we are going to celebrate an impromptu Thanksgiving with them while they are here, mostly to appease my husband.  This will be the first time ever that we aren't with family over the holidays and it is really bothering him.  Me, not so much.  I made these little placecards for the table.  I thought Payton would get a big kick out of them.  I cut 4" squares from kraft cardstock for the base and scored them in the middle.  Then I used my Cricut Mini Monograms cartridge to cut a scalloped circle from Bazzill Dotted orange cardstock.  I cut the circle in half and used one on each placecard.  Then I printed the huge Give Thanks circle words onto kraft cardstock and cut it in half and placed each half on the scalloped circle.  I used these cute turkeys on mini clothespins to clip on each corner.  I found them at World Market when I was visiting my daughter in Raleigh, NC.  Aren't they fun?  They came in a package of six which is just the exact amount I needed for our family Thanksgiving dinner.  I finished the placecards off with a little doodling using a white gel pen.  I hope this little project shows you another way to use the huge circle words.  I think they turned out so darn cute!

Thanks so very much for stopping by today.  Make sure you head over to The Cutting Cafe Blog on Wednesday so you can see the fabulous creations from the rest of the DT.  Good stuff, I tell ya!