FCCB #182: Black and Purple (Color Challenge!)

...and things that go BUMP in the night.

This weeks challenge over at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog is to use the colors black and purple in your project.  Well, what else comes to mind with those colors and this time of year?  It has to be HALLOWEEN!  Right?  Purple-y dark nights with eyes that glow.....that's what came to me!

FCCB #182

I've showed you many times how I lay things out using the Cricut Design Studio, so I won't bore you with that this time.  This is how it came together.

I started out with a 5" x 6" (6" x 10" before folding) card base.  Onto that, I layered a black mat approximately 4.75" x 5.75".  I used my watercolors to paint the background onto watercolor paper and let it dry.  I then cut that down so that it fit on my mat with just a small frame showing.

I cut out the following shapes using my Cricut and Cricut cardstock:

• Trees were from the Bloom Cartridge
• Bats were from the Tags, Bags, Boxes & More 2 Cartridge
• One headstone was from Trick or Treat
• The other headstone was from Create A Critter 2

I added googly eyes and a hand-lettered sentiment (both inside and out).  

How do I do such straight lines you ask?  I have a cheater....It's called the "Easy Straight" tool by Local Legacies.  I've included a pic with the website so you can check it out.  I use it on cards, envelopes, pretty much anything I hand-letter.  I bought a set years ago at a scrapbook show and have never regretted it.

And there you have it!  Please leave me some blog love.  I really enjoy reading your comments!

Hopefully, you're inspired to play along with us for this week's challenge.  Head over to FCCB now and see what the designers have brewed up!

Til next time, keepin' it crafty!

FCCB #158

PAPER ROSES

That reminds me of Marie Osmond.  Except when I was younger (much, much younger), I always thought she was singing "Paper Rosy".  When I think about it, there were a lot of songs I didn't really know the right words to.  But I still sang them at the top of my lungs.  Still do.  LOL

#158 Paper Roses

After all the craziness this week of working full-time, doing home remodeling (my mom is moving in next month and we needed to make some rooms "handicap accessible" as she uses a walker), getting our seasonal site at the campground cleaned up, cleaning up the flower beds and yard at home, my granddaughter's third birthday party and trying to keep up with 7 dogs, I've been a little bird brained.  Can you understand why?  I'm so glad I HAD to spend some time in my craft room for this challenge.  More than just meeting my timeline for the Design Team, I needed the peace and quiet and craftiness that I get from spending time in my little Craft Room.  It is my therapy.  It is my zen.  I can close the door and the world disappears.  All that I have to think about is creating.  Woosah.

So with my bird-brained mentality, I naturally had to have something bird-related on my project...a card.  Shocker, I know.  I love doing cards.  They are tiny masterpieces that don't take a long time to perfect.  They're perfect for the tiny amount of time I have lately.  I can complete one project in a sitting and still get that sense of accomplishment and joy.  And the bonus is, someone else will get to enjoy it at some point when I send it away.

And this is my card.

I used white cardstock as the base and a beautiful tangerine for the layer, which was embossed with one of the new Anna Griffin's Cuttlebug Embossing Folders called Poppy.  The bird and birdcage was cut from the Bloom cartridge, and the leaves were cut from Cricut Essentials.  I actually think they are supposed to be flowers, but I rather liked them as curly leaves and they matched the curly legs on the birdcage so nicely.  

The sentiment is from a Stampin' Up! set called Happy Harmony.  I mounted it on a chipboard tag and added a couple of pearl embellishments.  The flowers I have actually had for years and have no idea who manufactured them.  I inked a little bit on the white flowers and added pearls to all the centers.  I was going to use the Cricut to cut out some flowers since there are such a wide variety of them available, but in the interest of time (not to mention I have no patience lately), I decided to use what I had on hand, and they were a perfect fit.

Here are a couple of close-ups.

That last one really shows the beautiful detail you get from the Anna Griffin embossing folders. And some of the ones she does are larger so I could easily do a 5x5 layer in them.  I love that.

As I'm writing this on an early Sunday morning, I am listening to the carpet guy slamming staples birds singing and watching the crappy rain beautiful sunrise and squirrels and bunnies playing in my yard. All is right with the world in my little corner of the house.  I'd really like to just stay here all day, but, unfortunately, I hear rakes and dishes and bathroom walls calling my name.  At least I got to enjoy a few minutes of woosah.

Til next time, keepin' it crafty!

FCCB #153

Spring Is In The Air

I am so ready for Spring.  When this publishes, I will just be returning from a Eastern Carribean cruise, and going from beautiful tropical weather to Michigan weather is a drastic change.  Hopefully but the time my plane touches down in Detroit, Spring will be evident.

Spring has sprung all over the place at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog. The theme this week is "Spring Is In The Air" and what better way to play along than with a springy tree on a card.

FCCB #153

I used the Bloom cartridge for the tree and fence.  The little flying critters are from my stash and the sentiment was stamped with an alphabet set that I dug out of my stash.  I added Stickles to the flowers and leaves to give it a little bling.

Hope you enjoyed my card and are inspired to play along!  Head on over to FCCB and see the neat stuff the Design Team has posted.

Til next time, keepin' it crafty!