Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun!

I've had this card rolling around in my head for a few days, and when I saw Momo's Tuesday Challenge today and realized I could make the color scheme fit, I decided to go for it.  Her challenge rules this week were using the colors orange, green, and yellow, and you also had to do faux stitching or doodling somewhere on the card.   Most of the examples I saw were fall cards, but, lets be honest, I'm obsessed with Halloween right now, so I made a Halloween card!

 

On Momo's blog earlier this week, she featured an ADORABLE penguin easel card, and that is where I got the idea for this card.  If you want a super easy to follow easel card tutorial, go to her YouTube channel.  She's so easy to follow :)

Recipe

DCWV Midnight Spell Paper and Cardstock

Cricut Happy Hauntings Cartridge

Crop a Dile and Eyelets

White Embossing Powder

Versamark Stamp Pad

Heat Gun

Dimensionals

White Gel Pen

I started with a 4 1/4 x 11" piece of black cardstock, and I scored it at 2 3/4 and 5 1/2.  This forms the base of the easel card.  I set eyelets in the corners of the spider paper using my Crop a Dile and then adhered it to the cardstock.  I cut Frankenstein and his bride at 4 1/2 inches (they were surprisingly easy to assemble) and then glued the bottom half of their bodies to the lower half of the card, below the score line.  That way they will pop up when you set up the easel. I also glued their hands together :) I used a little Startdust Stickles on Mrs. Frankys white hair streak, because let's face it, even monsters deserve a little bling, right?

The sentiment was from the Michaels $1 bin.  I can't stress enough the pure awesomeness of that bin.  I have found so many wonderful $1 cardmaking finds there!  I stamped with the Versamark pad, and then embossed it with white embossing powder.  This is another tip I picked up from Momo (are we sensing a pattern here?) from her Ustream class last night.  It is sooooo much easier to emboss in white then it is to stamp in white.  Stamping in white NEVER comes out right for me, no matter what ink I use.  Using the white embossing powder was the best idea, and the sentiment looks perfect!

I popped up the sentiment on Pop Dots, faux stitched around the card and VOILA!  There you have it.  When you fold the card back down, it is the perfect A2 size.

On an unrelated note, I was playing around with my new Distress Inks to get ready for a project I'm doing in a few days, and I made this tag.

 

Isn't that COOL???   The two colors on that tag are Spiced Marmalade and Walnut Stain (can you believe that tag used to be white?). I also used my Cuttlebug and a Sizzix embossing folder to emboss bats all over the tag.  I'm slowly becoming obsessed with Distress Inks...

Have a great day everyone!!

"Thankful" Fall Card Video

We are FINALLY getting fall-like temperatures around here (yay open windows and no A/C!), so I was itching to use my new DCWV Amber Autumn Stack, so I whipped up a cute Joy Fold fall themed card.  This is also the first time I've inked the edges of all of my pages.  I was TERRIFIED of not doing it correctly and ruining my paper, but it all turned out find and I love the look it gives paper.  I finally bit the bullet and bought some Tim Holtz Distress Ink (In Walnut Stain and Spiced Marmalade) along with the applicator to use in a future project, I've pretty much decided I'm going to have to collect all the colors because I couldn't decide which ones I wanted!



I hope everyone is having a happy Monday!  I'm in the process of working on a HUGE cupcake wrapper order that is pretty much dominating all of my craft time, but I hope to be done in a few days so I can play again!

Missouri ICES Fall Day of Sharing

Today I had the privilege to attend the Missouri ICES (International Cake Exploration Societe) in Columbia, MO.  It was an all-day event, and I learned SO much from all of the talented demonstrators.  I went with a few ladies from my cake club, and we had a blast.  Here's some pictures of what we learned today!

This woman is a certified one-stroke painting instructor, and she's applied her knowledge to cake decorating.

Is this not GORGEOUS??  She's teaching a class in the next few weeks on this technique, and I can't wait to take it!

Linda McClure's Cricut Demo.  She did not use the Cricut Cake, only the Baby Bug with Make The Cut

 

 

 

 

Linda also demonstrated the Silhouette machine, which, combined with a laptop and printer with edible ink, can both print on and cut out gumpaste.  I was talking with Linda before her demo and she said "Wait until you see the Silhouette.  It will make you hate your Cricut Cake".

My opinion?

The Silhouette machine was a neat demo to watch, but honestly, the cut and print images just were not the look I like on cakes.  Some of the display cakes they had really looked like you printed out paper and glued it to your cake.  Just not the asthetic I like.  PLUS, you'd have to buy a seperate printer and edible inks to get it all to work.  I'd rather stick to what I know and love.  No worries, I'm still a Cricut Cake lover!  :)

We got to watch an AWESOME SugarVeil demo.  I can't wait to use this stuff!

 

 

Mike Elder (of TLC fame) was there to do a great cake sculpting/airbrushing demo.  He let us choose the cake we wanted him to carve, and I shouted out "Truman!".  For those who don't know, Truman is Mizzous mascot, and he looks a little something like this:

Mike thought this was an excellent idea and decided to carve his face.  This was the final product, all carved covered, and airbrushed in under 45 minutes!

Is this not AMAZING?????  It was incredible to watch.

Mike and his cake.

Don't tell anyone, but I think he is adorable and after watching him work I may have a teeny tiny crush on him. I'm pretty sure I asked more questions then anyone else in the room ;)

I cannot WAIT for the next ICES event.  I always learn so much and come away so inspired.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend, I can't wait to share some of my new projects with you next week! 

My Pink Stamper 5 million hits challenge!

Robyn at My Pink Stamper (http://mypinkstamper.com/) is celebrating 5 million hits, and I have to say, no one deserves it more than her. She is an all around great person with great creative style. To celebrate, shes having a day full of challenges and giveaways. 

Her first challenge is a card with a bird on it, and here is my entry!I used Wild Card to make this simple Get Well Soon Card and matching envelope. I love to take the cuts they give you and then personalize it using my own style. I think it turned out super cute!

I also apologize for the color quality on these photos.  My poor digital camera bit the dust and until I get a new one, I've been taking pictures with my iPhone.  The birds and the frame are supposed to be yellow, and I covered the frame in Stardust Stickles.  Don't worry, a new camera is on the way :)

Go Tigers!!!

I made a buttercream cake this weekend for my mom to take to a fundraiser.  I live in Columbia, MO, home of the Mizzou Tigers, and I figured a Mizzou cake would go over well.  I cut the paw print, the M, and the tiger stripes all by hand.

Why no Cricut Cake, you ask?

I decided to do a cake without using my Cricut, mainly because I wanted to remind myself that the Cricut Cake is a tool, just like any other caking tool I own.  I don't want to rely on it for every little cut I make, because then I'll stop using my OWN skills to decorate.  I LOVE my Cricut Cake, and use it ALL the time, but sometimes cakes using just me and my hands are great too :)

Oh, and as an added bonus, the inside of the cake is fudge marble, colored black and gold.  How's that for some team spirit?  :)


Materials Used:

*Black Fondant: Fondariffic (or Duff brand, if you're buying it at Michaels)
*Gold fondant (for "M"): Satin Ice
*Clay extruder (For rope border)
*Homemade buttercream

Hey, do you want the easiest, tastiest buttercream recipe ever?  Here it is!


*1 1/3 cup Crisco
*1/2 to 1/3 cup of milk, depending on consistency needed
*3 Tbsp powdered Dream Whip (you can buy this in your grocerys baking aisle)
*3 Tbsp of flavorings (use whatever you want, but I usually do 2 Tbsp vanilla and then 1 Tbsp of either butter flavoring or almond extract, depending on how sweet I want it)
*2 lbs powdered sugar

Throw all of that into a stand mixer, let it mix on about 10 minutes and you have pure deliciousness.


Have a great day, and happy caking!  :)

Thinking of You...

I'm beginning to think my craft habits are affected by my mood.  Today was a blah day, dreary, rainy, and I didn't get much sleep.  When I went to craft, I didn't reach for those bright pinks and purples like I usually do.  Today was all about naturals and browns.  I really wanted to experiment with my Perfect Pearls, so I inked up a damask stamp with Perfect Medium, stamped it on a piece of off white cardstock, and then brushed it with Forever Violet.  I thought it came out super cute, with a great distressed look.  All of the other papers are from DCWV's Naturals stack.  The butterfly is a Cuttlebug die that comes with matching embossing folders, and the punch is EK Success.  Stamp from Hero Arts.

My love for Perfect Pearls is growing, although I have to say I'm not too crazy about the tiny thing of Perfect Medium that comes in the kit.  I'm going to have to grab a Versamark pad the next time I go to Michaels.  You can't tell from the picture, but the damask pattern is really shimmery and shiny in the light.  I can't wait to start experimenting with Perfect Pearls!


Stay tuned this week,  I'm going to have a fall card as well as some baking projects!

Testing

Testing out mobile blogging on my new iPhone. Let's hope it works!!
I'll test pictures with a shot of my sweet Bella (who, in case you're wondering, is NOT named after those awful Twilight books):

This Weeks Hello Thursday Cartridge Releases

Hi everyone! I'm sure every Cricut lover already knows, but yesterday was Hello Thursday, and Provocraft released three new full cartridges. I wanted to post some images here and tell you my thoughts.

1.) Birthday Bash

 I think this cartridge is SO cute!  I also love the tag and card feature on this cart.  I love the animals holding numbers!

2.) Nifty Fifties 

I'm LOVING this cartridge as well!  The retro images are simply adorable, and I can see some GREAT cards being made with this cart.  Both this and Birthday Bash are now in my "must have" list :)

Finally...

3.) Shall we Dance?

 This cartridge is a Cricut Circle Exclusive, and I have to say, this is my least favorite cartridge to be released in quite a while.  The font is nice, but the dancers are just not my style.  There are a few of them who are supposed to be children dancing, and they look a little weird, to be honest. A fellow Cricut Message Board user pointed this out to me:

 It's spelled wrong!!!!  It should be Un-Deux-Trois.  Again, I'm not a French major, so if I'm wrong let me know, but I did take enough French in college to remember how to count :)  I truly hope PC fixes this before releasing it to their Circle Members.

So, in short, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE two out of three of these carts.  Which ones do you love?  Which could you live without?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

HALFWAY TO 100! Plus a haul video!

I hit 50 followers today!  50 people follow my lil' old blog, and that makes me SO happy!  I'm so grateful for each and every one of you!  Thanks for the comments, and just checking out what I do.  I've decided once I hit 100 followers, I'm going to do a giveaway of some sort.  So, if you're not a follower yet, jump on board!  I promise lots of paper crafts (and yummy treats) here on my blog.  :)

Here is a quick video I made showing what I got this week.  Michaels has some GREAT DEALS (and a 50% off coupon!), so I had to take advantage!  Hope everyone is having a great week!

My HSN Day of Crafting Wish List

Is anyone else as exhausted as I am from staying up late for the Imagine launch?  I've been glued to the TV ALL day!  Cricut, Tim Holtz, Martha Stewart...I just can't stop.  I've also been extremely good and bought NOTHING.



That hasn't stopped me from doing some serious window shopping.  ;)

My Christmas list is slowly expanding, and I thought I would make a post showcasing everything I've wanted to buy today (if I had unlimited funds).

1.) Cricut Imagine

 

I think I may be the only Cricut lover on the planet that doesn't have a Cricut Expression.  My Cricut Cake was actually my very first Cricut purchase, and then I inherited a Baby Bug, which fueled my paper crafting obsession.  I've been on the fence about buying an Expression for a long time, and now I'm wondering if I should just get an Imagine and be done with it.  The price tag is kind of insane.  I'm hoping someone that loves me very much will buy this for me for Christmas using Flex Pay ;)  (wink wink, nudge nudge)

2.) Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad Set

 

I also think I'm the only crafter on the planet that doesn't own any Distress Inks.  I see them in craft stores and I always pass them by, mostly because I'm terrified of inking.  I don't know why, I just am.  Tim did a demo today on HSN that totally sold me on inking.  These sets sold out ridiculously fast today, and I got a little depressed that I was being strong and didn't buy them.  I guess I'll have to start hoarding 40% off coupons and buying a few at Michaels.

3.)  Martha Stewart Halloween Foil and Flocking Transfer Kit

OK, I'm not going to lie, I may go ahead and buy this.  It's only $14.95.  I haven't flocked before, and I've always wanted to try, and these Halloween kits are too stinking cute.  Do I really need to make 500 more Halloween cards?  Probably not.  But I'm hoping once I start with these, I may be brave enough to buy individual pots of flocking and try them on other cards.  I don't know if I've ever seen these at M's, so I may be tempted to pick these up.

4.) Martha Stewart Halloween Glitter Set

That Glow-In-The-Dark Glitter gets me
EVERY.
SINGLE.
TIME.

I can't even count the amount of times I've walked into Michaels, grabbed the bottle, carried it around the store, and then put it back at the last minute.  The black tinsel glitter is really nice too.

5.) Anna Griffin Clear Stamp Storage Binder

I'm a damask FREAK.  My wedding was damask, when I finally get my own craft room, it will be damask, I love ALL THINGS damask.  These are GORGEOUS and I really want them, and you get 2 for $22.00.  Hopefully they stay on the website for awhile and I can get them eventually.

6) Xyron Create-a-Sticker Kit

                                             

I've seen this before (at Tuesday Morning, I believe, and it was cheaper) but I never bought it because I had NO idea how it worked.  Now that I do, I think it's a handy little tool!  Next time I'm at Tuesday Morning I'll have to grab one.

So, what did YOU see on HSN today that you would love to have (or bought)?  I would love to hear your comments.

P.S. I re-did my blog layout, and hopefully comments will work now.  So...this is the perfect opportunity to test it out!  Leave me a comment, my lovely followers!

Cricut Imagine Launch TONIGHT on HSN!!

It's here...TONIGHT!

The launch of the super-awesome Cricut Imagine is tonight at midnight on HSN!  Some pretty awesome bloggers are going to be having pre-parties on Ustream starting at 10 PM CST. 

Robyn (My Pink Stamper) will be hosting a Ustream party at 10 PM CST, and then at 10:30 CST, Creative Critters will be taking over the party up until the HSN Launch!  These two lovely ladies will be answering a lot of questions and giving away some pretty cool prizes.

As for me?  I will NOT be purchasing the Imagine tonight.  Unfortunately, even on Flex Pay a $499 machine is out of an unemployed teachers budget :)  However, it has quickly moved to the top of my Christmas list!  I will be glued to the TV all day tomorrow to watch the HSN Day of Crafting.  A little window shopping never hurt anyone, right? 

Trick or Treat! (plus a video!)

The video I posted yesterday got me hooked, and I immediately wanted to make another one.

Except maybe actually making something this time  ;)

I really loved my little witch frame gatefold card I made the other day, so I decided to make another one.  I wanted to use Happy Hauntings, but use a cut that isn't very popular (like the shoes or the frames).  This morning I literally woke up with an idea for a card in my brain, and I couldn't get it to go away until I sat down and made the thing :)  I think it turned out really cute, let me know what you think!!

Also, I got the tutorial on how to make gatefold cards from Momo's Ustream class.  She's been doing a weekly live class and they are SO fun and SO informative.  I've learned so much and she's only had two!  You can see recordings of previous classes at her website HERE.  Mari (AKA Momo) is such a sweet girl, you'll love her blog :)

I'm really excited to have so many followers.  I've decided when (or if) I get to 100 followers, I'm going to do a giveaway of some sort.  Not sure of the prize, but I promise it will be fun.  So, if you're not a follower yet, become one today!  I can't wait to share all of my crafting and baking fun with you :)

Check it out, I made a VIDEO!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I finally made a video.

I picked up some cute stuff at Tuesday Morning and had to share.   Now that I know I can successfully make and upload videos, expect more :)

My dog Dixie makes a suprise appearance at the end of my video.  She tried to get her furry sister Bella in on the fun but she was being camera shy.  Maybe she was having a bad hair day ;)

P.S:  Just in case you didn't hear, I'd appreciate if you could leave a comment.  I got a message from a very nice viewer saying she wasn't able to leave me a comment, and I want to see if that applies to everyone.  If you can't leave a comment, please drop me an email (click the image under my "Email Me!" sidebar) and let me know, so I can fix it (or, find someone smarter then me to fix it)!

P.P.S: Dixie is incredibly vain and would totally love the comments to be about her ;)

Just Because...

Have you ever made a card for a friend "Just Because"?  I've been doing that a lot lately.  I have some pretty amazing friends that have been really there for me over the past few months, helping me through some tough times.  Here's a card I made today for a friend "Just Because".

The cute little cupcake is from Create-A-Critter, embossed with my Cuttlebug and the D'Vine Swirls folder and popped up on Glue Dots.  The brown mat is from the DCWV Sweet Stack (you can't tell in the picture, but the background of the mat is the word "Chocolate" over and over, LOVE), and the cupcakes frosting is Core'dinations Gemstone paper (Seriously, Core'dinations is the BEST paper I have to use with the Cricut.  Cuts like BUTTER).  I used a Martha Stewart punch on the side of the pink mat, threw on some dollar bin ribbon, and added a "Just Because" sentiment stamp from Hero Arts.  See that little cupcake brad in the corner?  I found him at Walmart.

Yes...WALMART.

I know, not the first place you think about buying crafting supplies, but I was perusing the Cricut Lite carts the other day (I didn't buy any!  I'm so good...40% of the time), and they had these K & Company embellishments on sale for $3.  I got a cupcake set, a flower set, and some really cute bees.

So, who have you made a "Just Because" card lately?  Dropping a note?  Sending thanks to someone who helped you out?  Leave me a comment and let me know!  I love hearing from people in the crafting world :)

Cardz TV Halloween Challenge Card

I may or may not be slowly becoming obsessed with Halloween papers and cards.

How did I realize I had a problem?


When I discovered I had more Halloween themed stamps and paper packs then I did REGULAR stamps and paper packs.

Hello, my name is Kristin, and I'm addicted to Halloween crafting.

One of my favorite blogs, Cardz TV, is having a Halloween Challenge, and of course, I couldn't pass it up.  So here is my entry.

Please ignore my fingers...now I really want a manicure.

 

 

Also, please excuse the crappy photo quality.  I swear I'm going to make a light box soon!

This is my first attempt at a gatefold card, and I'm pretty sure I'm in love.  The witch frame on the front is from my new favorite cartridge, Happy Hauntings.  I cut her at 4 inches, and then used my Jolee's hotfix tool to add a little bling  All of the paper and cardstock is from the yummy DCWV Midnight Spell Collection.  Yes, I own it ALL.  I love it that much.  The chandelier stamps are from a Martha Stewart Halloween stamp set, and the "Boo" sentiment is from a stamp I found in the Michaels dollar bin (LOVE those dollar bins!)  The two rose embellishments on the outside are from Recollections.

Want to submit your own card for the challenge?   Head over to Cardz TV and submit your own!  She's keeping the prize a secret (but who am I kidding, I would have made this card prize or no prize).

My Entry for MoMo's Tuesday Design Challenge

As I was reading Made By Momos blog entries this morning, I saw she was having her Tuesday Design Challenge, and this week the challenge was to design a black and white card using one other color.  I decided to test my creativity and make a card for the challenge.  This is my first challenge card EVER, and I think it's pretty cute.  I made a Halloween card using black, white and orange.  Ready for it?

All cardstock is DCWV, and the glitter paper is from their Midnight Spell pack, which is ADORABLE.  The images on the front are from a Sizzix Halloween embossing set on Core'dinations paper that I sanded to reveal the white core.  The cute little spider brads on the front I found at Michaels, and of course, it's hard to make a Halloween project without using Martha Stewarts Drippy Goo punch :).  On the inside, all of the stamps are from one of Marthas new Halloween stamp sets.


I have a question for whoever reads my posts, especially if you photograph your cards: what's the best way to get great card photos?  Is it the camera, or the setup?  Please share your opinions in my comments, I would love to hear them!