Red Queen Costume

I’m not a great sewer which is kinda surprising if you know that  my mother worked as a sewing machine operator for virtually her entire working life. My mom never taught me to use a sewing machine – I think she hated what she did for a job so much that she didn’t want to teach her children that skill. So, having no formal or informal instruction in sewing, I bought a little machine about 10 years ago and have through trial and error managed to teach myself how to sew just a little.

So it was terribly ambitious of me to try to sew a Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland costume for my eldest daughter, but I did it:

I used the  Simpliciy 2325 Misses' Alice in Wonderland Costumes pattern for the dress and purchased a hoop skirt to go under it.  The only Cricut on the dress are the hearts which were red glitter heat transfer vinyl cut from Plantin SchoolBook cartridge.

I also made her a crown using the "crown cut" from Cricut Lite Cupcake Wrappers Cartridge, but she forgot to put it on.  It was simply cut from a transparency sheet that I then ran through my Xyron Creative Station, so that I could cover it with Martha Stewart gold glitter.

Thanks for checking out my post today and hopefully you'll forgive my amateurish sewing.

Monochromatic Cupcake Birthday Card

The third challenge for the Cricut Circle’s Canadian Online Swarm is to create a birthday card using a least one Cricut cut, a Cuttlebug folder and the following sketch:

For this challenge, I wanted to challenge myself with a monochromatic palette that focuses on pattern/texture rather than colour.  Here’s my 5”X5” card entry:

On the card is my attempt at making a more realistic looking cupcake than I have in the past.  The cupcake itself was cut at 3” while the corresponding wrapper was stretched wider using Cricut CraftRoom (the original dimensions of the wrapper before stretching were 2.694 by 1.611 and after stretching the dimensions were 3 by 1.611), so that the wrapper would be the right width after running it through a paper crimper. The icing cut on the cupcake was painted with puffy paint that was heated to activate the puffing.  Once dry, I covered it with Glossy Accents and then sprinkled glittered on it.

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application
Cricut Artiste Cartridge (cupcake)
Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (square with rounded corners)
Cricut Tags, Bags, Boxes & More Cartridge (tag)
Fiskars Paper Crimper
Martha Stewart Scoring Pad
Cuttlebug Moroccan Screen Embossing Folder
Sizzix Three Dots.Embossing Folder
Zig Opaque Writer (doodling on balloon and letters)
Inkssentials Glossy Accents
Tulip White Puffy 3D Fashion Paint
Chunky Glitter
Cardstock from my stash
Memento Ink – London Fog (inking cuts)
Studio G “Happy Birthday” Stamp
Craftsmart Embossing Pad
Stampendous Embossing Powder (Silver)
Lace
Ribbon

While there is a lot of sparkle on this card both with the glitter, lace and silver paper, I think the monochromatic tone make this card suitable for a man as well as a woman.  I’d love to hear if you agree.

Witching Hour Clock

The sixth challenge for the Cricut Circle’s Canadian Online Swarm is to make any type of project that has at least one Cricut cut and uses something old and something new.

I decided to alter a clock using the an "old" Halloween cartridge (i.e., Mini Monsters) and a new Halloween cartridge (i.e., A Frightful Affair ). 


I love the sassy witch cut from A Frightful Affair. I cut a couple of extra layers of the witch(one in a silver grey and the other in black), so that I could make the hair silver rather than black. I had to hand trim the hair and the hat from the extra two cuts. The green skin layer was actually cut from a cream piece of paper and then colored with a green Copic marker since I didn't have a suitable shade of green paper.  Lips were drawn in with a sharpie marker.

I  accented the bubbles above the cauldron from the witch cut with Stickles.

After applying the vinyl and gluing the witch cut down , I applied a couple of coats of Mod Podge to the entire clock and voila, my project was done.

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application
Cricut A Frightful Affair Cartridge (numbers & witch)
Cricut Mini MonstersCartridge (witching hour phrase)
10" Clock
Vinyl from my stash
Card Stock Recollections, Wausau  and AC
Stickles
Copic Marker (YG67)
Sharpie Marker (fine point red)
Mod Podge

I'm giving this clock away, so I hope the recepient likes it.
 

Trick or Treat Cat Card

The second challenge for the Cricut Circle’s Canadian Online Swarm has the following requirements:

• A card with a black cat
• Use two Cricut cuts
• Use the colors black, white and purple
• There must be stitching on the project (machine, hand or faux)

Here’s the card I came up with:

 

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application

Cricut Chic & Scary Cartridge (Cat)

Cricut Ribbons & Rosette Cartridge (spider rosette)

Martha Stewart Scoring Pad

Inkadinkado  Stamp - Creepy Crawly set

Craftsmart Embossing Pad

Stampendous Embossing Powder

Patterned Paper: DCWV – The Black Current Stack

Solid Card Stock Recollections and AC

Celebrate It Ribbon

Markers (to outline card stock)

Self-adhesive foam mounts

Heat set rhinestones set with an I-Rock tool

Sakura Gelly Roll pen (faux stiching)

Witch Parking Sign

It that time of year again - time for the second annual Cricut Circle’s Canadian Online Swarm.  The first challenge is to create Halloween Decor Item with the following criteria:

the project must include the following:

1) at least one Cricut Cut, and

2) the colour purple

and at least one of the following:

a) Glitter

b) Ribbon

c) Use of a Cuttlebug folder.

I decided to make a sign:

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application
Cricut San Serif Cartridge (font)
Cricut Pooh & Friends Cartridge (witch’s hat)
Cricut Animal Kingdom Cartridge (frog cut masquerading as a toad)
Cricut Destinations Cartridge (arrow)
Vinyl from my stash
Celebrate It Halloween Metal Sign with glitter around the edge
Sakura Gelly Roll pen (highlighting on hat and toad)
Silver grey marker (warts on toad)

My daughter just loved the sign and hopefully you will too.

Fabulous Witch Shoe Charger Plate

I know it’s only the beginning of August, but I’m starting to get excited for Halloween and couldn’t wait to work on altering this charger plate that I had picked up on clearance:

I had seen the sentiment on a couple of different projects and knew I had to use it.  I laid out all my cuts using Cricut CraftRoom, so that I could make sure all the vinyl cuts would all fit on the centre of the plate.  I also used  CraftRoom to slant the “Good Witch” to give it the feel of an italic font.

The shoe cut did not have a heel tip on stiletto, so I just cut a small piece of silver vinyl to make the tip.  I also added some glossy accent to the spider “embellishment” on the witch’s shoe to add some dimension to it and trimmed off the excess legs so it would look like the rest of the spider wrapped round to the other side of the shoe.

I’m pleased with the way this turned out.  Though, after I finished it, I thought I should have made the shoe purple and green rather than purple and orange.

Supplies Used: 

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application

Cricut A Frightful Affair (font)

Cricut Forever Young (shoe)

Cricut Chic & Scary (spider)

Cricut Lyrical Letters Cartridge (question mark)

Vinyl from my stash

Black Charger Plate

Mark Richards Star Crystal stickers
Black Gems from my stash

Inkssentials glossy accents

LePage Extreme Repair Adhesive

Sawtooth Picture Hanger

Thanks for stopping by to have a look. 

Birthday Card Using Art Philosophy

Here's a simple card I made using the Art Philosophy Cartridge:

I cut the butterflies from a transparency sheet, inked the entire cut, covered them with embossing powder and heated carefully with a heat gun.  I really liked how they turned out as an embellishment.

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (Butterflies & Label)

Zing Embossing Powder (Blue)

All Night Media Embossing Powder (Gold)

Studio G Stamp (“Happy Birthday”)

Craft Smart Embossing Pad

Plain Paper - Recollections

Patterned Paper - DCWV

Copic Markers

Beads and Wire from my stash

Celebrate It Brown Tulle

Rhinestones from the Dollar Store

Transparency Sheet

Embossing folder from the Cuttlebug WinterWonderland set

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Winnipeg Hockey Fan Birthday Card

My brother is a huge Winnipeg Jets fan and I made him this card for his birthday:

The paper doll is meant to look like him in his team jersey.  I used rectangles and triangles from the Cake Basics Cartridge welded together with Cricut CraftRoom to make the jet on the logo. The maple leaf on the logo is from the Go Canada Cartridge.  I wrapped steel wire around two copic makers to make the glasses.

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application

Cricut Paper Dolls Everyday Cartridge (Doll & Clothes)

Cricut Paper Dolls Dress-Up Cartridge (hair)

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (Banner)

Cricut Cake Basics Cartridge (shapes for logo)

Cricut CraftRoom Basics Cartridge (circles for logo)

Cricut Go Canada Cartridge (Maple Leaf)

Zing Embossing Powder 

Studio G Stamp Happy Birthday To You

Craft Smart Embossing Pad

Versa Fine Onyx Black  Ink Pad

Peachy Peen Groom Faces Stamps

Googly Eyes

Plain Paper Recollections

Patterned Paper DC WV The Blossom Song Stack

Copic Markers

20 Gauge Galvanized Steel Wire

Punch Buggy Anniversary Card

My wedding anniversary is coming up and I made this simple shape card for my dear husband:

One of our vehicles is a 2009 Blush New Beetle Convertible (it has white gold metallic paint with a red roof), so when I saw the car cut on the the Cricut Sweethearts Cartridge  I couldn't resist making a shape card that looked like our car.  The shape card base was made by welding two "blackout" of the car cut together using Cricut CraftRoom.  The taillight cuts were replaced with red gems from my stash and the heart on the license plate is a piece of confetti also from my stash.  All the paper is Recollections.

The sentiment on the inside (also from the same cartridge) was cut from a scrap piece of silver vinyl.  I find that small intricate cuts like phrases usually cut better if I use vinyl rather than paper.


Thanks for stopping by to have a look.

Teen Birthday Card

This month's Circle Magazine Challenge is to use the Circle exclusive cart Out of Character (one full image cut including layers)  to create a project. Since my youngest daughter's birthday is around the corner and she views being called a Diva as a positive, I decided to incorporate the Diva cut from Out of Character into a birthday card for her.

The teen carrying the cake is cut from the Paper Dolls Teen Scene cart.  The dolls do not have mouths, so I stamped a Peach Keen face stamp onto a separate piece of paper and hand cut the lips form the image for the doll.  I also added a little three dimension nose inspired by the noses on some of the projects done by the very talented Nadia on her With Glittering Eyes blog.


The cake itself is a piece of confetti with white enamel accents added for the icing.  Since this card was for a teen girl, I was liberal with the rhinestones and glitter.


Supplies Used:
Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application
Cricut Paper Dolls Teen Scene Cartridge (Teen)
Cricut Out Of Character Cartridge ("Diva")
Cricut Life's A Party Cartridge ("Birthday')
Cricut CraftRoom Banners Cartridge (Banner)
Peachy Keen Stamps blushing bride interchangeable faces (lips)
Copic Markers (inking cuts)
Stampology ink pad - Ruby 
Sizzix Embossing Folder - Three Dots

Recollections paper
DCWV The Cherry Limeade Stack paper
Martha Stewart Glitter - golden beryl
Recollections Black Blank Card Base
Rhinestones from my stash
Stickles (candle flame)
Inkssentials White enamel accents
CakeConfetti from my stash
Glue Stick

Self-adhesive foam mounts

I'm very pleased with this card and I think my crafting is actually showing some improvement. Thanks for looking and, as always, I'd love to hear what you think.

Girlfriend Birthday Card

I love the Girlfriends stamp sets from Art Impressions and the one I used on this 5"X5" card is called "Out to Lunch":

I cut a circle out of  white cardstock, stamped the image on the circle and colored  the image with pencil crayons.  


The daisies on the lower left of the card were a pain to cut that small (1/2 inch), especially since each daisy is three layers of the same cut (Daisy2) from the Flower Shoppe Cartridge. It took twenty cuts to get the nine good pieces that I used for the three daisies.


The Happy Birthday sentiment is a piece of confetti to which I added some iridescent glitter to soften the color so that it was closer match to the ribbon I wove through the card base. 

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application

Cricut Wild Card Cartridge (Doily Card Base)

Cricut Flower Shoppe Cartridge (Daisies)

Cricut CraftRoom Basics Cartridge (Circles)
Art Impressions "Out to Lunch" Girlfriend Stamp

White and yellow cardstock  (scraps from my stash)

"Happy Birthday" Confetti

Celebrate It Ribbon

Hot Fix gems

VersaFine Black Ink Pad

Crayola Pencil Crayons

Iridescent glitter 

Inkadinkado Blending Chalks (soft tones)
Self-adhesive foam mounts

Thanks for looking.

"Chef" Apron

This is an apron I personalized using fabric paint and the freezer paper stencil method:

The apron is for a thank you gift for Marica who is the artistic director of the Alumni of the Croatian Folklore Dance Group with which I'm involved. “Šef Kuhinje” is Croatian for “Kitchen Boss” or “Kitchen Chief”.  In addition, the Croatian letter “š” (an "s" with a caron diacritic) makes a “sh” sound and so the Croatian word “šef” sounds like English word “chef”.  Marica loves double entendres, so I thought this was totally appropriate for her.
Supplies Used:
Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application
Cricut Lyrical Letters Cartridge (font)
Cricut CraftRoom Basis Cartridge (squares)

Reynolds Freezer Paper 

Red Apron (Wal-Mart)

Tulip Soft Fabric Paint 

Sweet 16 Explosion Box - Gift Card Holder

I made this gift card holder explosion box for my daughter’s friend:

Top view:

  

I cut the “16” four times - twice with a rectangle welded to the bottom of it using Cricut CraftRoom and twice without the rectangle.  I was able to fold out the rectangle to create a stand to hold up the number.

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application

Cricut Out of Character Cartridge (Happy Birthday)

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (tag)

Cricut Paper Trimmings Cartridge (scallop box)

Cricut Cupcake Wrappers Cartridge (scallop circle)

Cricut Celebrations Cartridge (retangle welded to 16)

Cricut Sanrio – Hello Kitty Font Cartridge (Sweet 16)

Martha Stewart Scoring Pad

Craftsmart Embossing Pad

Zing Embossing Powder (Blush)

Hero Arts “Special Birthday” Stamp

Ribbon from my stash 

Studio G Chalk Ink, Inkadinkado Blending Chalks and Copic Markers (to outline card stock)

Self-adhesive foam mounts

Self-adhesive rhinestones

Flower from the Dollar Store

Making Memories Packaging Tape (Cheeky)

Brads

Solid and sparkle card stock are Recollections brand

Patterned card stock is GDC studios – material girls paper stack

Leftover plastic packaging

Chunky Glitter

Embroidery Floss

Thanks so much for looking.

We Love Grandma Frame

Here's a simple altered mirrored frame:

Supplies Used:
Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application
Cricut Base Camp Cartridge
Black Outdoor Grade Vinyl (scraps from a sign company)
Mirrored frame (dollar store)

"Volimu Baku" is Croatian for  "We love Grandma".  My daughters gave this frame to their Croatian grandmother for Mother's Day.
Thanks for looking.

Birthday/Un-Birthday Card & Gift Bag

Several years ago, we took a family trip to Disney World.  As part of the trip, we had booked our two daughters for a “princess” experience at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in preparation for a Pirate & Princess party that was taking place in the evening.  My eldest had previously seen an Alice in Wonderland costume at Downtown Disney, but unfortunately the Boutique did not offer that costume as one of the "princess" choices, so she opted to get the “Crown Package” which included hairstyle, nails, make-up, but no dress, shoes or photo shoot.

After the makeover, we went on a hunt throughout Magic Kingdom for the Alice costume to no avail.  My dear husband then took our eldest daughter on a roundabout trip back to Downtown Disney, so that she could buy the Alice dress, change and get back to Magic Kingdom in time for the Pirate & Princess party.  Here she is in her costume.

Well, my eldest little princess is no longer so little, but she still has a fondness for Alice in Wonderland -- though she’s favours the Red Queen over Alice these days.  So, I thought for her birthday it would be appropriate to give her a Red Queen card, but an Alice gift bag for while she is getting older, that little girl is still a part of her.

Here’s the card:

 The card is 5.5” x 5.5” and the Red Queen is on a homemade wobble spring.

Here’s the altered gift bag:

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expression & Cricut CraftRoom Application

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (Banner)

Cricut Disney Classics Cartridge (Alice and the Queen)

Glossy Accents (Queen’s Crown and Earring)

Zig Opaque Writer (drawing in the whites of the eyes)

Sharpie Markers (drawing in the iris and lips)

Copic Markers (inking some of the carstock)

Sentiment Computer Generated on MS Word

Celebrate It Ribbon
Florist wire (for wobble spring)
Heart Confetti

Gift Bag from Michaels

All Card stock (except card base) was scraps from my stash

Wausau Bright White Premium Card Stock (card base)
Sizzix Embossing Folder (from the "Love Set")

Sewing Machine and white thread

If anyone is curious about the reference to the un-birthday in the sentiment, an un-birthday is any day that is not a person’s birthday.  In the Disney animated film Alice in Wonderland, Alice comes upon the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse having an un-birthday party.  The Mad Hatter explains un-birthdays to Alice, she realizes it is her un-birthday as well and the Mad Hatter presents Alice with an un-birthday cake.  The un-birthday reference seemed more appropriate sentiment for the card than the Queen’s typical “off with her head”, don’t you think?

Newlywed [Game] Treat Boxes

Well my dear hubby and I have been invited over to a friend's house for “Newlywed Game” party and I thought I'd give my new  Tags, Bags, Boxes & More® 2 cartridge a try and create a little treat box for each of the host and hostess of the party.

The bride box was cut from Recollections shimmer cardstock while the groom box was cut from regular Recollections cardstock.  I used the fit to page setting to cut the boxes as large as possible from the letter sized paper. I cut the groom box out twice - once in black and the other in white, so that the groom's shirt could be white on the box.  I had to hand cut the collar piece off the white  box to attached to the black box but the front of the shirt for the groom box is already a separate piece.  


I think these would make a wonderful favor boxes for a wedding especially if you embellished them a little more (perhaps a boutonnière or pocket square on the groom and a ribbon on the bride's waist?).  Here's a side view of the boxes:


The bride box is approximately 4.75" x 3.5" x 1" while the groom box is  approximately 5" x 2.5" x 1".  I put about four  individually wrapped toffee candies in each of the boxes.


To be clear, none of the attendees (including my hubby and I) are newlyweds, so I really am curious as to how the evening will go.  In the meantime, I just have to figure out what appetizer I'm going to make to bring. Maybe I'll feel ambitious and make some California Sushi Rolls....


Thanks for looking and as always I'd love to hear your comments.