Bridal Shower Decor!

Hey there!

This past weekend we celebrated my dear friend Amanda's bridal shower! I'm so excited to celebrate the upcoming wedding of 2 of my best friends! :) The four of us bridesmaids all worked together to pull off a beautiful yellow and grey themed shower on Sunday.

I didn't get as great of photos as I had hoped, but here's what I was able to somewhat capture of the crafty stuff -- the banner, food labels, and a keepsake box with notecards.

For the banner, I spelled out "bride to be" using my Cricut and Cindy Loo Cartridge with deep grey cardstock. I used the George + Basic Shapes cartridge to cut out 2 hearts. (Good old George - it seems so plain but always manages to come in handy!) I adhered the accented letters and shapes to yellow and grey cardstock cut to 6x6" square pennants using liquid glue. I used a ribbon punch to punch two holes in each square-shaped pennant, and finally, began weaving grey grosgrain ribbon through each slit. I love love love the finished product! The colors were perfect and it hung beautifully on the mantle! (Do you spy the gorgeous lemon centerpieces??)

For the Vegan-Friendly food labels, I cut some nice thick yellow cardstock to 3x3". I scored it at 1.5" and folded it in half. Using Lawn Fawn's Smitty's ABC's, I spelled out "Vegan Friendly" and stamped it on all the of the mini cards in pretty grey London Fog ink. Next, I punched some hydrangeas in the dark grey cardstock. I rolled them petals, layed the flowers using liquid glue, and adhered one to each card. Once they were dry, I used Platinum Liquid Pearls to add a subtle and pretty center to each bloom. I loved these! The bride did too, and wants to repeat using them at the wedding. :)

Finally, as a keepsake for the bride, I make a "Shower Memories" box and lots of notecards for all the guests to record a memory or advice on. To begin, I painted a kraft box and lid with yellow acrylic paint - I did 2-3 coats to get a good even color. I created a flower using grey cardstock and Tim Holtz' Tattered florals die. (This brought back QUITE the memory of my own wedding, just 6 months ago, for which I die cut and embellished hundreds of the Tattered Florals by hand for my reception centerpieces. A labor of love and totally worth it!) I added a bit of Tea Dye distress ink for dimension, and finished the center with a pretty yellow October Afternoon button and grey baker's twine from Doodlebug. I stamped a vintage lady in London Fog on ivory cardstock and added Mustard Seed Distress Stickles to her dress. After cutting her out, I adhered her and the flower next to one another on the lid of the box. I adhered a strip of dainty grey lace along the bottom, and wrote "Shower Memories" in silver metallic Sharpie. This was a lot of fun and I was pleased with the finished product!

Finally, I had lots of fun creating a variety of cards for guests to write on. I cut them to various sizes, and decorated them with a variety of stamps, punches, border punches and washi tapes. I hope the almost Mrs. had fun reading over them! <3 p="">
Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you have and questions, comments or requests just let me know. Happy crafting!
xoxo,
Emily

P.S....

Merry Christmas!

Hi there! Merry Christmas Eve! I got to work early on some Christmas thank-you cards -- here is a video and a few pictures.

Here's another card -- a regular sized one to pop in the mail, with many of the same features.

MATERIALS USED:

Cricut/Winter Lace Cartridge (Provo Craft)

Cuttlebug/Snowflake Embossing Folder (Provo Craft)

Various cardstocks (Bazzill Basics & Core'dinations)

Adhesive gemstones (Recollections)

Foam Adhesive (Paper Studio)

Pumice Stone ink (Ranger)

Classic sentiment clear stamps (Hero Arts)

1/4" Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Crystal Stickles (Ranger)

Patterned paper scraps

ATG (Scotch)

Thank you so much for reading/watching. May you all have a blessed Christmas with warmth and loved ones.

Lots of Christmas love,

Emily

Sympathy Card + Video

Here is a sympathy card I made using the Cindy Loo cartridge. In case you haven't checked it out, this cartridge features loads of pretty and delicate flowers and flourishes. They're really versatile and can be used for lots of things, which can be great when you're stumped.

I'm still really new to this video thing, so they're nothing outstanding but they get my point across!



Recipe:
- Cream A2 card
- Flower2 cut at 3 3/4"
- tea dye & vintage photo ink
- black satin ribbon (3/8") by ribbon boutique
- patterned paper -- circa 1934 (Cosmo Cricket)
- golden rod stickles
- sentiment by stampendous

As always, thanks for reading/watching!
Hugs,
Emily

Cuttlebug Folder Storage

How do you store your Cuttlebug embossing plates? A while back, I decided with a growing collection I needed a more practical way to store them than keeping them in the cardboard and plastic sleeves and dragging them out each time. I saw several really great ideas on the internet, but I couldn't find any of the exact materials, or they required cricut design studio, which I do not have or plan to have. So I came up with my own idea!

I have to give Mr. Fiance the credit for this one - I showed him the size I needed and he found the perfect storage box. (Hobby Lobby). I have found that this method works really well and looks nice too. :)










* I begin by cutting kraft cardstock to 8 3/4" x 6". Score it at 4 3/8". You can do this using any scoring tool. This will form a folder.
* Round the top 2 corners of the folder at 1/2".
* Run one side of the folder through the Cuttlebug, with whatever plate you are going to store in that folder. NOTE: This must be matched up and done twice, as the embossing plate size is larger than the kraft folder.
* Cut tabs from From My Kitchen Cricut Cartridge. I use the round tab on page 55, (Row 3, # 8), cut at 1 1/2" with Real Dial Size ON.
* Score tabs in half and adhere to one folder at a time using ATG tape or similar adhesive. I alternate the colors of mine, and also stagger them in 3 rows.
* Insert each embossing plate in it's new folder.

VOILA!


I store my A, B, and C plates and a few dies behind the folders. I keep an index card with these measurements taped to the bottom of the box (in the photo, the wrong cricut information is written - please disregard). I also keep a small bag of extra tabs for when I get a new embossing plate.


Hope this helps someone! Thanks for reading.
xoxo
Emily

Graduation Cupcake Toppers

Yesterday was the open house in honor of Josh (my fiance), who graduated from IU May 13th! I'm so, so proud of him - and we had a nice day to celebrate with the family and friends who came to support him.

For the occasion, I made choc/choc cupcakes (his fav) and fun toppers. I used Cricut Cartridges: Storybook, Cindy Loo, and Happy Graduation.

They were gobbled up in no time. Cupcake toppers seem to take quite a bit of time for something that just gets peeled out of the treat right away. But they look so pretty stacked up in the cupcake tree... Fun!

Thanks for reading:)

- Emily

Top o' the Mornin'!

In my family, Saint Patrick's Day is a fun, peaceful celebration. It's one of my favorite holidays. My family has strong Irish blood on both sides, and it's something I'm very proud of. While some people celebrate only on March 17th, I prefer to take the time leading up to Saint Patrick's Day to reflect on my family's history, and fill my ears with beautiful Irish music, and my well-loved Irish movies. My favorite? Evelyn. I have a mondo crush on Pierce Brosnan, especially in this role.

SO, I have decided to make a few mini cards for the upcoming holiday. I made two identicals of this one, for me mum'n'dad. :)

- These measure approx. 2.5 x 3.25 on a forest green base. I was really at a roadblock as far as color inspiration until I paired the peach and mint. LOVE 'EM!

- The images were cut at 3", I believe (I had to play around to get it right).

- I spritzed the peach with copper pearl mist; yellow stickles on the rays. Copper paint dabber around the edging.

- The peach was pop-dotted onto the mint mat, which is edged with lettuce paint dabber.

- White mat on interior with negative of cricut scraps; sentiment (studio g) is stamped in crushed olive.

Hope this gets you in the springy, Saint Patrick mood. Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Emily

Kiddo Valentines

As you may know, I am a preschool teacher at 2 different schools.

Since I ran out of time, I was only able to make my Valentines for 1 class, the smaller of the 2, and give pre-made ones to the other class. These were one of the first things I did on my brand new Cricut Expression (using the auto fill feature). I had a lot of fun doing these, and the kids LOVED them (along with the attached treat, of course). I wanted to do something simple, but sweet, and this is what I came up with:

These are 3x4" and punched with Fiskars Apron Lace.

The hearts are cut at 3.5" from CAC, in lt. pink and black cardstock.

Cotton Candy Stickles for accent.

Stamp is by Studio G, in Worn Lipstick.

Names (pixelated for privacy) and my message are written with Crayola markers.

Krispy treats attached to back with ATG.

fun<3

Thanks for reading!

Emily

work work work

...It may appear that I've fallen off the face of the earth, but I am still here. :) I have lots to post, but right now I'm working lots on top of my class, and work from home. Noooo craft time until this weekend, I'm afraid!

I did get a chance to take advantage of a great Cricut sale! I got Nifty Fifties and Spring Solutions cartridge for a total of about $37. I can't wait!

I hope everyone is enjoying this GORGEOUS spring preview - I know I am. :)

hugs,

Emily

Birthday Chihuahua

Made this card for my aunt for her birthday. She loves Chihuahuas (they have 2), so I really wanted to feature one. I ran into a problem when NONE of my cartridges or embellishments had any. Then I took a closer look at the terrier in Create a Critter… I decided with minimal alteration and the right color choices, I could turn that terrier into a Chihuahua. Ah, Create a Critter, you came through again. There’s a reason it’s my favorite!

I wanted to tie in a 'princess' theme, so I used as much pink as possible.

Recipe:

Create a Critter cartridge
stamps: Stampendous; Hero Arts
stickles
punch: Martha Stewart
cuttlebug/pop culture
tattered rose ink
colored pencils

Thanks for reading! :)

Emily

True Colors

It. has. been. so. long. since I completed a scrapbook page - at least since September. Oy! I got to looking at my ongoing project, and decided I really wanted to get to work on it while I still had memories in my head (they tend to fall out easily with me...). My current ongoing project is a 12x12 album of my trip to Chicago to see GLEE live in concert. Yes, I'm still beaming about it. :) I have no idea why the pictures upload sideways. It's quite the aggravation. Hope you can get the idea. :)

The bulk of the pages in the album are themed on titles of the songs they performed, most of them exact reenactments of the scenes in the show. This particular page/2 pages are based upon "True Colors", a Tina solo. This was a great choice to get me back into scrapbooking mode, because I LOVE bright, fun COLORS. This took a lot of time, but it was super fun. :)

A 2 page spread. I'm a fan of those...

Page 1. The photo is from FOX (I used a mixture of photos I took live, and shots from the show that really capture the themes well).

Font from Wall Décor & More, cut at 3.25" with Monogram feature. I cut them all in white cardstock, and then applied ink and coordinating Stickles, to create a rainbow effect.

I love this photo!! It set the perfect tone for inspiration.

It's not secret that I'm obsessed with these... :) I made them each by hand from paper studio cardstock, glossy accents, buttons, and stickles.

Page 2. Both photos taken by me. I used this page for all of my journaling.

Font from Wall Décor & More, cut at 2.5" with Monogram feature. I cut them all in white cardstock, and then applied ink and coordinating Stickles, to create a rainbow effect.

I am having so much fun documenting this night. The show itself brings me so much joy, but getting to see them live? Knowing that my boyfriend loves me so much that he made it actually happen? I have no words. No one can ever top it - and no one can ever take those memories from me. :) Thanks so much for reading with me. I hope everyone is staying WARM! Brrrr!

big hugs!!
Emily

My Purple Cricut Expression!

It's here!! My purple Cricut E arrived Friday while I was at work. I can't believe how fast it got here! I was like a giddy kid on Christmas, manically ripping opening my boxes...haha. :)

Willy loves the purple cricut... :) And I love that it lights up purple!!

It came with Cricut Classic Font, and Playtime Lite. I also got Inspired Heart. :)

Separate mini-haul: 3 ribbon holders + 18 spools of prima ribbon; martha stewart paper tags; 2 basic grey button sets = ~ $14.

I am one happy girl. :)

Guess what I just ordered!!

Busy, busy, busy week. I have so many projects to post, that I hope to have here soon! But in the mean time... I have been saving, and contemplating, and GUESS WHAT I just ordered...?!

MY CRICUT EXPRESSION!!! And not just any Expression...It's PURPLE!!! My very favorite color, since I was a little tyke! :) I am so so so excited, and will probably have my fingernails chomped off by the time it arrives.

If you have an Expression, please feel free to leave me some tips, for I know I am going to be overwhelmed with both joy and confusion when it finally arrives. :) I am upgrading from the original bug.

Thanks for sharing my excitement!

xoxo

Emily

Piece of Cake!

I wanted to get a craft fix in this evening, so I made this card for my mom to give to a friend of hers. The recipient is a cake maker - so I immediately got busy thinking of what cake images I have on my cartridges. I was able to use Simply Charmed, which my mom got me for Christmas. Perfect!

So often, I use more monotone color combo's, so this was fun to do. I like that it has a variety of colors that I wouldn't ordinarily combine.

Recipe:

- White 4.25"x5.5" (A2) card

- Cake and all layers from Simply Charmed p. 74, cut at 3"

- Cake accents embossed with Tim Holtz Swirls

- Cake accented with Stickles (Crystal, Yellow, and Orange Peel)

*please note the vivid orange color on the flames. This is due entirely to the Orange Peel Stickles; the actual color of the paper was pale yellow (see base of cake). I am quite familiar with Orange Peel, as it was my first and much-used Stickles, but this is a perfect example of why you should test things out before you slap them on a final project - it's brighter and more pigmented than most Stickles!

- Pink mats embossed with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder

- Pink mat punched with Martha Stewart Lacy Doily Lace Border Punch

- Sentiment by Hero Arts, stamped in crushed olive

- glossy accents

This was a pretty quick card - unusually quick for me. I think the main reason it flew by is because I had pre-sketched what I wanted to accomplish. I've written about this before, but I find this to be a really time-saving technique, especially for a Miss Busy such as myself.

- - -

I'm thinking Etsy shop. I am being urged by several loved ones. We'll see. :)

Hope you're keeping warm! Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Emily