It's Secret Santa Time!

Hello everyone.  This year marks the third year for the Cricut Circle Secret Santa Swap.  It is always so much fun to try and guess who your Secret Santa is, but not so much fun to wait for opening day.  Well, opening day was yesterday and I thought I would share wit you what I received. =)

My first Secret Santa was none other then the swap hostess herself, OctoberBeauty!  Thank you so much Sherri!  I just adore sock monkeys and everything I got is just THE BOMB!!!  I love how everything coordinates and how it is all sock monkey colors.  Isn't it all so cute (love that stamp)?  I can't wait to create with everything!

My second Secret Santa was TracyScrappinMom.  I met Tracy at Circle Mania and she is just the sweetest!  What is even more sweet is that she must have heard me asking questions about how the Xyron works, because she not only bought me one, but she personalized it JUST FOR ME!   There was also a personalized plastic storage box with the names of all my children and the cutest elf hat.  She also personalized some Martha Stewart craft scissor for me (how did you know I needed a good pair just for cutting ribbon?).  I already terrorized the chocolate and I have lots and lots of embellishments to craft with this upcoming year.  Thank you Tracy!

Doesn't it just "ROCK"?

Folk Art Lanterns ~ Cricut FANatics

Hello Everyone!  Today I would like to share a quick holiday project with you that I posted on the all Cricut, all the time blog Cricut FANatics.

I know that many of you are looking for quick, easy and inexpensive ways to decorate for the holidays or simply to add some cheer to a small space. How about creating some paper "gilded" lanterns?

Materials Used:

• Cricut cartridge Folk Art Festival
• Gold paper
• Variety of colored vellum
• Tea lights

CCR file:
https://www.box.com/s/52rkxuauyugy84eigs34

Gypsy file:
https://www.box.com/s/8sfh8l7qmex7ssaf1ogk

Directions:

1. Using the files provided, cut each lantern from gold paper. I used gold placemats from Target that I found in the holiday decor dept. I liked the lightness and "gilded" look of the paper.
2. When cutting the homes, remove just the house base from the mat at first. Then use transfer paper to capture and move the house "insides" (this is optional, but easier then moving each piece one by one) and set aside. Pull the 12x12 piece of paper from the mat.
3. Using different colored vellum for each lantern, adhere it to the back of each gold sheet. Take your transfer tape and adhere the house "insides" on to the the vellum of each coordinating house. At this point, I took an extra step and cut two of the lanterns down a bit in size (height) to create more of a trio look upon completion (optional).
4. Using a tape runner or strip tape, bring the two ends together and adhere one end on top of the other.
5. Now just add tea lights to the inside of each lantern to light up your "gilded" lanterns.

If you haven't visited the Cricut FANatics blog yet, I encourage you to do so.  There are over 30 very talented Cricut crafters that share your crafting passion and would love to share their creations with you.  Enjoy!

Stacked Animal Card

Have you seen those rustic pictures of a bunch of barnyard animals stacked on top of each other?  I have been wanting to create a "cricut version" of these images for a while now.  When the latest cartridge Folk Art Festival was released, I knew that now was my time:

Material Used:

• Cricut cartridge Folk Art Festival
• BasicGrey Serendipity 12x12 paper pad
• BasicGrey Serendipity button
• American Crafts jute string
• Webster's Pages designer trim
• Stampin' Up! Pool Party 1/2" seam binding
• Ranger distress inks in Vintage Photo, Antique Linen, Worn Lipstick and Fired Brick
• Stampin' Up! Square Lattice embossing folder
• Cuttlebug Swiss Dots and Divine Swirl embossing folders
• Copic Sepia inking pen

CCR file: 
https://www.box.com/s/sb76isfj0orzgt3i7ph2

1. Using the file provided, first cut your card shape and layer.  Using the Square Lattice embossing folder, emboss the layer and add your first ribbon layer before adhering to the card base. 
2. Using an ink pen, create faux stitching around the card layer.  Of course, you could actually sew it if desired. =)  String your second ribbon layer to the top of the card, running it through the openings on the left side and creating a bow on the right.
3. Using different patterns and or colored cardstock for each animal, cut and assemble each animal.  Emboss any animals as desired and ink the edges using coordinating colors.  Begin stacking and adhering to the card base starting with the cow.  Alternate the direction each animal is facing as you add the sheep, hog and rooster.
4. Using jute string, tie a coordinating button to the middle of your seam binding/ribbon bow.

Teddy Bear Parade Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of the the upcoming Teddy Bear Parade Swap I will be sharing later this week:

 

 

Wild & Crazy Bead Swap #2

Here are the swap items I received back during a recent swap entitled "Wild and Crazy Bead Swap 2" hosted by JJewel.  There weren't any guidelines except use your Cricut somewhere and beads. 



CaliforniaRose



Sis O'Snap



Scrapperbecka



Maile Lei



Sara Andrews



Jodie R



JJewel's thank you gift.

The starfish on the bottom jsut ROCKS!



Ohh Snap



Marcjo



TiffysMom



cowgirl1hh



bleedingcricutgreen



I was TURTLE TWISTED!

Thank you Sherry for my award! I LOVE them!

I forgot to take a picture of mine before I sent it in, so hopefully a fellow circlet will take some and send them to me so I can share.  Feel free to visit their blogs and see what other craftiness they are up to.  =)

Children Around The World Sneak Peek

Hello Everyone! Sorry I have been on a hiatus.  I have been super sick, super busy, and super stressed.  Some of the things that I have been busy doing are Swaps on the Circle message board.  Let me see, there was the Crazy Bead Swap 2, the Steam Punk Swap, the Children Around the World Swap, and the Teddy Bear Parade Swap.  I will be sharing photos of all these swaps throughout this week, so please come back often to admire all the creations my Circle sisters have made.  They are AMAZING!!!

Here is a sneak peek of the Children Around the World Swap I hosted:

Be sure to come back to see all 25 creations!

Falling for Halloween Blog Hop Winner

Sorry gang, but me and the kiddos have been under the weather and I haven't done any posting.  I did want to jump in and announce my Falling for Halloween blog Hop Winner:

Congratulations Francine!  You are the winner of the Cricut Lite cartridge Dude!  Thank you again everyone for hopping along with us. 

Falling for Halloween Blog Hop

Welcome to the Falling for Halloween Blog Hop. Thanks for joining us to enjoy all the wonderful crafty inspiration for the fall and Halloween season.

You should have arrived here from Beth's blog. If you missed the beginning of the hop, please go to Maria's blog to start so you don't miss any of the fantastic fall projects we have to share with you.

For my project, I made a trio of cards:

Materials Used:

• Cricut cartridge Elegant Edges
• Imagine cartridge The Good Old Days
• Reminisce Hallowe'en Greetings paper
• Misc patterned cardstock
• Black cardstock
• Black seam binding
• Webster's Pages red ribbon
• Misc hat pins
• American Crafts white twine
• Misc antique buttons
• Martha Stewart course glitter
• Black stitching
• October Afternoon Witch Hazel Miscellany wording

The hat pins I used were traded during the last swap I was in.  All the hat pins used on these cards were made by the talented Caffinee.

I added stitching for added interest and texture.

The phrase "Beware!" is from October Afternoon's Witch Hazel Miscellany kit.

The glitter used is Martha Stewart's course glitter.



The witch on this card is printed from the Imagine cartridge The Good Old Days.

This is the sheet of paper that inspired my creations:

The sheet is by reminisce and is called Hallowe'en Greetings.  I can still make quite a few more cards just from this one sheet of paper! 

Here is my Cricut Craft Room File for easy recreation:  https://www.box.com/s/tlttd8dwmszp6qufw1tv

Thank you so much for joing us today!  As a thank you for visiting my blog today, I am giving away the Cricut Lite Cartridge Dude!:

All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this post.  I will be picking a winner, using Random.org, next Tuesday, October 9, 2012 and post to my blog.  The lucky winner will have until Friday, October 12 to contact me with their mailing information. 

The next blog you will be visiting belongs to the very talented and fun Debbie.  Happy Crafting!!!

And here is the entire Blog Hop list in case you get lost:

Maria stampcutcreate.blogspot.com
Michele scrap-n-dance.blogspot.com

Paulette http://scrapalette.blogspot.com/

Cindy http://www.inlovewithpaper.blogspot.com/

Beth  http://seaswancreations.blogspot.com/

Renee icameisawicreated.blogspot.com  You are HERE

Debbie @ www.debseclecticthoughts.blogspot.com  Go here NEXT

Khrista @ http://creativeandcraftyteacher.blogspot.com/

Angela @ Angie's Paper Passion

Nadia @ http://www.withglitteringeyes.com/

Donna @ http://CarolinasCreativeCropper.blogspot.com/

Diane @ http://dianesdribble.blogspot.com/

Sara @ sarawandrews.com

Michele @ www.michelegreen.com