My Creative Time Thursday Challenge

I don't often get the chance to play along with challenges, but I had to make a thank you card for a dear friend. I found a fabulous Designer's challenge issued by Miss Shar going on over at My Creative Time that inspired my card.  If ever you need a little inspiration this is the place to find it.  Emma and her designer's are amazing.  The challenge required three self-made flowers and asked that you use the color palette of yellow, blue and brown.  I used My Mind's Eye Stella Rose Hattie 6x6 paper pad for my patterned papers.  It's been a real struggle for me to create anything since making our move to Florida.  I'm still having a hard time finding my craft supplies and learning to use my Cricut Imagine all over again.  They've been in a storage unit for the last 15 months while hubby and I traveled around in our RV after selling our home.  Now we're just getting settled into a tiny new place that will be our winter home.  It's called a park model RV and it's 500 sq. feet.  We have truly mastered the art of downsizing and couldn't be happier.  We don't miss our 5 bedroom, 2600 sq. ft. home at all.  In fact it's been one of the most liberating experiences ever.  I'll be sharing some pics of the new place in a post on Saturday.

For this card I used the top note shape that came with the machine and the Flower Shoppe cartridge.  I used my favorite quote stamp that I've had in my stash for years and years and I stamped it with Momento brown ink.  My flowers use two layers each.  The center flower has layers cut at 1" and 1.3".  The two smaller flowers are .80 and 1" layers.  The leaves were also cut from the Flower Shoppe cartridge.  After cutting the leaves I used my bone folder to put a crease in the center, cutting each section into the center of the leaf to separate them a little and then I accordian folded each leaf to add a little dimension.  I used some sparkly Twinkle Goosebumps embellishments for the flower centers.  They're made by Queen & Co.   Now I've got to quickly get this into an envelope to mail before hubby leaves for a trip to the post office.  Thanks for stopping by.

BBTB2 Breast Cancer Awareness

Well, my friend and DT Sister, Brenda has done it again.  She chose this week's challenge at BBTB2 and it's another cause near and dear to my heart, literally.  (Her last choice was honoring our Servicemen and women and I got to brag on my son, the U.S. Marine). This week the Design Team's making breast cancer awareness projects.  For those of you who don't know, I'm a breast cancer survivor.  On November 12th it will be four years since I had my bilateral mastectomy.  I must take this opportunity to retell my miraculous story.  Four years ago, after returning from a wonderful trip to Hawaii to see my daughter get married, I was reading through my stack of mail that accumulated while we were gone for a month.  I found a letter from my insurance company which was offering a Target gift card to women who had a mammogram.  I figured, what the heck, I love to shop at Target.  So off I trotted for my first mammogram.  I was so confident that it was the one thing I didn't have to worry about.  After all, I breast fed five babies (which is supposed to be good for protecting against breast cancer) and no one in my family has ever had breast cancer.  How wrong I was.  My whole life changed that day.  Ladies, no one is safe from this disease and you MUST get a mammogram.  I'm living proof that early detection saves lives.  My doctors told me that where my tumor was located, I would not have felt the lump until it was much larger.  Maybe so large it would have been too late.  Okay, I'm done preaching.

Onto my card.  Every one knows that pink is the color associated with breast cancer so, of course, that's the color I used.  My papers are from My Mind's Eye.  Most people also know that more than any other word, HOPE, is the one that most breast cancer patients hold onto through surgeries and treatments.  Even when the journey is over HOPE still remains strong because a breast cancer survivor knows that it could return.  I used the Home Decor cartridge and cut Hope at 1.75".  Then I placed it atop a portion of a top note shape that I cut from the Elegant Edges cartridge.  I embellished with sheer cream colored ribbon and a few pink buttons.  I apologize for the glare on the photo.  I was going to take another picture but I decided I kind of liked the way there was a glow around the word hope.  Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to schedule that mammogram if you haven't had one.  It could save your life.

The Cutting Cafe Breast Cancer

This week at The Cutting Cafe Blog the DT is featuring breast cancer awareness projects.  Many of you may know that I am a breast cancer survivor.  I never pass up the chance to encourage getting a mammogram.  I am living proof that early detection saves lives.  I found out I had cancer when getting my very first mammogram.  My tumor was buried deep and the doctors told me it would have been a long time before I was able to feel it with a self-exam.  Perhaps, by the time I was able to feel it my outcome might not have been a good one.  I also want to mention that no one should think they are safe from this disease like I did because no one in my family had ever had breast cancer.  I also had the thought that I was protected because I breast fed five babies.  Neither of these mattered in my case.  So I urge you to go for a mammogram.  The discomfort of a mammogram is nothing compared to what you'll go through if you're diagnosed with cancer.  Enough preaching for now.

I used the Breast Cancer T-Shirt Printable set for my card.  I simply printed it out, cut it, and folded it on the score line.  The only extra I added was the pink ribbon that I cut with my Cricut Stand and Salute cartridge then embellished with a pink rhinestone.  Super simple and quick!   You could easily make up a bunch of these to send to friends or family members as a reminder for them to get a mammogram. 

If you like this little T-shirt card but would like some with a Halloween theme so you can whip up some quick and easy Halloween cards, Regina has another fabulous set that would be perfect called, what else, Halloween T-Shirt Printable set and you can find it here.

BBTB2 It's Pumpkin Time (but not for Halloween)

I was so excited when I found out our challenge for this week at BBTB2.  Our wonderful DT Sister, Glenda, asked the Team to create using a pumpkin.  The catch is it can't be a Halloween project.  Now, why was this so exciting for me.  I DO NOT like Halloween.  Gasp and shudder.  I think it stems from the fact that I had to come up with Halloween costumes for five children.  Now that is a real gasp and shudder!  To me pumpkins mean the fall harvest and the wonderful colors of the season.  I've always been fond of the taller, skinnier pumpkin and I found this one on the Happy Hauntings cartridge.  The smaller pumpkins came from Celebrate with a Flourish.  I used my new 6x6 Bo Bunny Double Dot paper pad for my pumpkin cuts.  I placed the pumpkins on a decorative square I cut from Elegant Edges.  My sentiment is from Cardz TV Stamps Thankful forYou stamp set.  Be sure to check the amazing designs from the rest of the DT for your pumpkin inspiration then play along with us.

The Cutting Cafe Spiders and their webs

Jeepers Creepers I don't like spiders, but isn't this one cute.  This is my Cutting Cafe card I'm highlighting this week.  Regina asked the Design Team to use some of her spider sets.  Spiders and Their Webs is the set I used.  I started with an A2 size base card of black cardstock, then added an orange mat.  On top of that I printed out the card size web background from the set.  Next I printed the spider on green Bazzill Dotted paper and cut him out by hand.  I cut a piece of black and white twine to place behind him to look like he was climbing down from the top of the card and placed a piece of dimensional foam under the spider.  I added the gingham ribbon and the sentiment is from Cardz TV Stamps More Spooky Sayings stamp set.

Cardz TV Stamps Buttons and Boos

It's time for a new Cardz TV Stamps challenge and the DT is using Mary's newest stamp set called Oct 31st.  We're making Halloween cards using the new stamp set and had to include buttons on our card.  I used the Cricut Lite Trick or Treat cartridge.  As soon as I saw the Fraidy Cat sentiment in this stamp set I thought it would be perfect to pair with the cat from the October 31 Cricut Cartridge.  Then I saw this Frankenstein peeking around the door from the Trick or Treat cartridge and new it would frame my frightened cat perfectly.  Wouldn't you be afraid if you saw Frankenstein peeking out at you?  I followed the color guidelines in the cutting manual that came with the cartridge.  I also added a googly eye so I could enter my card in the My Creative Time googly eye challenge. My background paper is Cosmo Cricket.  I hand cut the banner for my sentiment.  I had to go buy some buttons for this card.  I have a huge container of buttons, but do you think I could find three black buttons that matched.  Nope, so off to the store I went.  Wait 'til you see all the fabulous cards the DT made for this challenge.  Then I hope you'll be inspired to play along.  This challenge will run from Oct. 5-Oct. 11.  Have FUN!

BBTB2 Tree

This week at BBTB2 our fabulously talented DT Sister Jayne asked us to create a project using a tree from any Cricut cartridge.  I've been on a kick to use some of my older, little used cartridges so for this project I used the Jubilee cartridge.  Yes, I know this is a font cartridge, but it has a few images on it, too.  This is a quick, simple easy card.  That's pretty much the only kind of card you're going to see from me in the next month.  My husband and I are in the midst of packing, moving and traveling.  More about that to come in future posts.  I do want to mention that I am currently without the internet and unable to visit blogs and leave comments.  So please forgive me for not visiting you.  I'm feeling terribly guilty about it, even though it's completely out of my control at the moment.  We're hoping to be settled in and have the internet hooked up within the next couple weeks.  I cut the tree at 4" and ran the top section through my Cuttlebug. Sorry, I forgot to look at the name of the folder before I packed my craft stuff up and it went to the moving truck.  Then I cut a section of grass from the Plantin' Schoolbook cartridge and added it to the bottom of the tree and scattered leaves around.  My sentiment is from Cardz TV Stamps Thankful for You stamp set and I embellished with a bow of brown jute and small yellow button.  Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you'll join our tree challenge at BBTB2.  Remember, to enter the challenge you must have a tree cut from any Cricut cartridge.  You'll find some fabulous inspiration this week on the BBTB2 blog.