Christmas Clock

My husband came up with this idea while we were folding socks and watching Martha Stewart. I was complaining on how all she was doing today on her show was to promote her circle cutter. I guess if you have your own t.v. show you can do that. Anyway, Frank said, "HEY, do you know what would be cool?" Then he goes on about how I should take the plastic cover off of the clock and make an insert for each holiday. I thought it was a good idea, but wasn't ready to go to the basement to start. He then says, "You should go downstairs and do it. Right now." So, I did. But first I had to vacuum about 3 million dead ladybugs and clear off a bunch of junk off of my tables.
I used a Stampin' Up! jumbo wheel for the background, Stampin' Up! patterned paper for the presents, Riding Hood Red and Basic Black cardstock, my Cricut Beyond Birthdays and one other cartridge I can't remember..
This turned out pretty darn cute, I must say. Who would have thought that my husband would have sent me to the basement to craft today? :)

My Cricut can do THAT?

I was at SCS today and found a thread about using your Cricut for scallop punches. Now, when the Stampin' Up! Scallop punch came out (and So Many Scallops during Sale-a-Bration), I almost couldn't stand the excitement. I *love* my punch and all the other ones I have, so I'll still be grabbing those first. However, sometimes, you just don't have the size you need. I was going to splurge after getting a bonus for a task force I was on in my school district and buy a Wizard and Nestabilities. Then, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't justify spending $99 for the machine and then over $80 for the dies and that was just for the circles. My parents bought me the Cricut for Christmas and I got some cartridges with the rebate that Cricut offered.

So, like I said, I found the thread today about how some Cricut cartridges have scallop circles. I ran *like wildfire* down to my basement.....I *HAVE* those cartridges.

So, I spent the next 60 minutes cutting out circles, squares, rectangles, ovals and scallops. I plan on using these as size guidelines for all my Stampin' Up! stamps. I still cannot figure out why the same number with different shapes are different sizes. I don't even touch that "real dial size" button, because I still have NO idea what they are talking about. Tell me if you know!!!!! Also, none of the images are a "border" or "background", it's just the regular cut.

I will always pull down one of my Stampin' Up! punches when I can, but when I can't, I can use my Cricut. Also, how cute would a scrapbook page be with giant circle scallops? How easy would it be to mat some pictures?

Here are the details:
Mini Monograms cartridge
Scallop Circles (Real Red)
Circle (Kraft)
Scallop Square (Glorious Green)
Square..rounded corner (YoYo Yellow)

George and Basic Shapes cartridge
Square..sharp corners (Only Orange) R + shift
Oval (Bordering Blue) W + shift
Rectangle (Perfect Plum) Y + shift

Summer and America Name Frames

I have been meaning to make myself a "Summer" name frame since last year. I made my mom one (and for spring, fall and winter too), but somehow I ran out of time and never got around to finishing my own Summer frame.
Today, I was on a mission to make it! I originally got out my Citrus and Such set by Stampin' Up!, but then realized that I had some designer paper that would work just fine. And instead of using the Big Deal alphabet like I did on my mom's, I decided to use my Cricut and layer the letters. I love that darn thing! (My mom and dad surprised me at Christmas with one!)

Also, I had made this God Bless America frame a while back, but it was just ugly somehow. So, I ripped off the top set of letters and re-cut larger ones on my Cricut (never would have done THAT by hand!). I think it looks much better now. I'll use it for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.

Another Teacher Name Frame

Last year, I made this name frame for Carter's kindergarten teacher. I was so excited to see that she had it hung in her new classroom window when I visited the school this year. So, I decided to make one for his first grade teacher as an end of the year gift. I also made this notebook for her earlier this year. I hope she loves it! :)

Stampin' Up! Stamp Sets:
Headline Alphabet
School Days

Stampin' Up! Cardstock:
Whisper White
Real Red
Basic Black
Stampin' Up! Ink:
Whisper White Craft Ink

Accessories:
Stampin' Up! Bold Brights Brads
non-SU ribbon
stickers
Cricut (to cut out the "Ms.")

No, I am not a model

That's the first thing my husband thinks of, "Modeling, like an agency?" Not quite. You know how glamorous teaching is.

As part of my job as an elementary school Literacy Coach, I go into classrooms and model (teach) lessons for teachers as professional development. I'm kind of like a "teacher of the teachers". I have an ugly computer printed schedule on my office door and decided today that I needed to "pretty it up" a little bit.

I used my new Cricut that my parents got me for Christmas, plus my very favorite Berry Bliss Designer Paper to make this header. Plus, it gave me an excuse to try the rub-ons from the Sale-a-Bration catalog. How easy are those? I've never used them before, but it involves a non-sticky sticker and a craft stick. The photo does not do justice to the paper and colors, but believe me, it's really *cute*.

All materials are from Stampin' Up!, except for the Cricut that I used to cut the letters.

Stamps: None!
Paper: Berry Bliss Designer Paper, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose
Accessories: SU! Rhinestone Brads, SU! Sale-a-Bration Rub-ons

God Bless America

Ok, so it's not 4th of July. (That would be awesome, though, wouldn't it?!?) I started this name frame a long time ago and never finished it. Now that I have my new Cricut, I went back to work. One of my cartridges has a God Bless America saying....perfect! I put these name frames out for each season (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer) and also for my daugher's room and son's teacher. I now want to expand for holidays. I want one for Easter, Halloween, Christmas, etc. This one was going to say 4th of July, but I thought that was too limiting. This way, I can use it for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day! Pretty swifty, huh?

I used a white Prima flower and colored it with an SU! marker in Not Quite Navy. Right in the middle went a red Stampin' Up! Rhinestone brad. I tried to make a little ribbon in the corner, but once it got smushed flat, it looks yucky. I also added blue and red ribbon at the bottom under "America". I need to put something else up in that corner. Right now that corner is pretty UGLY. Maybe I'll find a flag or some other kind of embelly to go there. :) I have time, right....it's only January. Suggestions are welcome!

365 Day Challenge Notebook

I made this composition notebook for my 365 Day Challenge. I liked the color scheme of the card I made yesterday and wanted to incorporate my Cricut and all of the Stampin' Up! Designer Paper I've been hoarding. The notebook is one (of about 60) I bought at Target for $.12 when they had all the school supplies on clearance. Don't you just love Target?

Here are the details:
Stamps: Simply Said, A Little Birdie Told Me
Paper: SU! Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Barely Banana, Groovy Guava DP
Ink: SU! Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Barely Banana
Accessories: Cricut George cartridge, SU! eyelets, SU! Ice Rhinestone Brads, Scallop Circle Punch, Accents and Elements, non-SU ribbon

The notebook only has 100 pages, but if I use both sides, I'll end up with enough room for photos and journaling for 200 days. And, if you saw my previous post, I *know* I won't be able to do this every day. So, 200 might just be enough. I really hope that I'll say that I did it every day, but geesh, the kids don't even get a bath every day sometimes.

Todays journaling was a quote about imperfection, so I talked about being a perfectionist and took a photo of my smudged nail polish, as an example. This is really fun, you should try it!

Finally, a card! With the Cricut!!!

But first, a story....(scroll down for the card if you don't want to read my rambling....)

As I said yesterday, I have been sick for the past couple of weeks. A month actually...
I started a new medicine the week of Thanksgiving for my Crohn's Disease in addition to steroids. The symptoms I was taking the meds for disappeared, but I couldn't nail down the cause of the nausea. I ended up having my immune system all out of whack because of the steroids and ended up with Shingles on Dec. 10th. I was fine and the next minute I was throwing up and broke out into a rash. All in a matter of 15 minutes. The worst part was that was my *last* night of my master's class and I had to miss it. :( Not to mention that I was ready to hurl during the entire graduation ceremony. Right, Holly? Poor thing, she got stuck sitting next to me, but she did a bang up job keeping my mind off of throwing up. :) Here we are after the ceremony:


Then the weekend before Christmas, I start getting nauseous and get a fever. Christmas Eve...urinary tract infection. December 26th...puking. So my husband hauls my butt to Urgent Care (in my pajamas..like I cared) on Thursday night and I've got the flu AND my liver enzymes are 10 TIMES too much and I'm dehydrated. So, I get an IV and some nausea medication and get sent home. Did I mention that he took a picture of me sleeping on the mini-bed while getting my IV fluids?


I start putting two and two together and realize it's the medicine I started during Thanksgiving, not the medicine for the Shingles like I thought. I stop taking the meds on Friday (after throwing up some more...are you seeing a pattern here?) I went to my gastro guy on Monday (my first time getting dressed in almost a week) and he confirms that I will live and that I cannot take the Imuran anymore. Additionally, my wacky liver enzymes are probably because of the Imuran as well. So, I'm having more blood work in a week and maybe an ultrasound to rule anything out. In the meantime, I'm now finally back to my normal self and have eaten more cheese balls today (the little orange crunchy ones) than any sane person should. The bucket is about double the size of a gallon of milk, but I haven't eaten them all.....yet. I see more puking in my future.

So.....now on to the card! I was going to go downstairs and play with that Cricut if it killed me. I had not made a card in three weeks..since finishing the Christmas cards. ***side note- Dear husband wants to know WHAT THE HECK I am typing over here....I'll know if he reads it or not. He subscribes to my blog!*** Back to the story. My friend Holly (remember her from Graduation?) says that she used her Cricut to make Christmas thank you cards. Ding! That's what I'll do! This card took F-O-R-E-V-E-R! I should have just played around and not had my mind set on actually making a card! Geesh. Here's what I ended up with...and only ONE of them, I might add.


I *think* when I make the others, I will make the parenthesis a little bit smaller? And I might cut off the "s" on thanks. And maybe put the word "you" in the middle of the parenthesis instead of the flower. Everything is Stampin' Up! except for the Cricut. Here are the details:

• Stamps-Simply Said
  
• Cardstock-Barely Banana, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava
• Ink-Wild Wasabi
• Accessories-Ice Rhinestones
• Cricut Mini Monograms cartridge
  

Yippee Skippee! Spring-Summer Collection is Here

Some of you have this glorious catalog in your hot little hands....if not, contact me and you can get one too. :)

I'm always searching out for new and exciting stamp sets. But I find lately that my stamping, or lack thereof, includes Designer Paper. I took advantage of the Buy 3, Get 1 free last month. Now, I have all 4 packages...unopened except for the three or so sheets I used for my pink and wasabi Christmas card. It's so pretty, I don't want to use it. I'm hoarding the paper.

But, I did find a few stamps I had to have from the Preview Brochure.

• Happy Heart Day (page 65, item 111089, $20.95) How cute are the kids' valentine's going to be with this little gem? AND, it coordinates with the tag punch. Glorious!
  
• A Little Birdie Told Me (page 65, item 10992, $25.95) Love those birds. Don't know why, but they're darn cute and this set will be so versatile.
  
• Mark the Date (page 125, item 111097, $$24.95) How cute will this be to personalize cards with the actual birthday or anniversary marked? It will be easy to make little count-down calendars for kids...maybe their birthday, the end of the school year or an upcoming vacation.
• Time Well Spent (page 24, item 111054, Hostess Level 3 set) We got this HUGE set for free as a Christmas present from Shelli Gardner, the mastermind behind Stampin' Up! I love the *doodely* stamps. Yes, I know that *doodely* is not a word. But hey, Julie Ebersole makes up words all the time.
  

AND, finally....

I went downstairs to stamp and play with my new Cricut. I got one for Christmas, but I've been puking for the past week and I'm finally feeling better. I'll post the card tomorrow!

Merry Cricut Christmas!

Guess who got a Cricut for Christmas? I hope to get some time to play very soon....