LTCCB; February Anything Goes

As always, the challenge at the Love To Craft Challenge Blog (LTCCB) is Anything Goes.

If you’re like me, you are always crafting. I couldn’t decide what to do for February’s challenge since I didn't want to do a Valentine's project. I came across these cute punch art pieces that I made years (and I mean years) ago. I used them for inspiration for this month's project.

They are so easy to make using a few punches and cardstock scraps. I decided to update the pieces with a few additional products & to turn them into cupcake toppers.

It’s hard to tell, but I used a black glitter pen to add sparkle to all the black pieces as well as a white pen for highlights in the pupils. I used 3D foam tape to pop up the eyes and a glue dot to adhere the toothpicks & the original faces to the backs. By doing this, the cupcakes are decorated no matter which way you look at them.

Here's the complete set. I love this photo. It looks like they are posing for a selfie. Just a bunch of friends, huddled together & peeking over their "shoulders". LOL

Aren’t these so cute and so simple  & easy!! What I especially like about this project is that it's a simple way to give a wow factor to these cupcakes. With all the new cutting machines and tools out now, sometimes we can go overboard on these type of things which basically get thrown away. A quick project using scraps won't make me cringe when they get tossed after they are pulled out and the cupcakes are eaten - ya feel me, right?!

Now it's your turn, click on over to the LTCCB and link up your crafty project. This can be any type of creation. There are lots of linkers so you will find lots of inspiration from the DT and other crafters like yourself.

TGIF; Thankful Friday #116

I was notified by my DIL that I skipped last week. Yes, I did. LOL

I've been so busy at work and at home - well, not really at home, but I feel a little overwhelmed. So last weekend, my daughter and I went to a weekend scrapbook retreat (YAY!) and when we returned, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my DIL cleaned my shower. Ok, when I say clean, I mean with a hard K...Ka-leaned that shower!

I'm embarrassed to say that it was pretty disgusting. Hubby and I both have bad backs and it's really tough getting down to scrub the shower. Well my DIL worked up some magic potion and probably recited a magic spell because we can actually see through the glass door and the shower floor is actually white.

So this week, thank you Krystal for the amazing job you did on our shower!

How about you? What are you thankful for this week? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section.

I had a great conversation with one of my nephews last week about some depression he's going through. He has many things to be thankful for...a great career, wonderful marriage, awesome aunt - I mean family that loves him, great friends, etc., but every so often he gets depressed. And when I say depressed, I mean clinically depressed. I gave him the advice about finding one thing each day that he's thankful for even as simple as a warm blanket and add one more thing each day.

Guess what, that list will never end. We're alive! We get to wake up each day and see a sunrise, hear the birds chirp, smell grass growing...the list never ends! The next time you're feeling down, sit for a second and think about these little things that we take for granted every day. God provides so many small things and if you stop to think about it, each of these things are huge.

Well that got deep real quick. I hope your list of items is super long and you live a life with lots to be thankful for.

Scrapbooking Weekend!

Hey everyone. I was away for the weekend at a Scrapbooking Retreat. My daughter and I met up with some Facebook friends and cropped the weekend away!

I got a lot done, met some really nice people, ate way too much and had a lot of fun. I was able to complete the layouts of our Acapulco trip, Easter 2019 and most of Disneyland 2019. (Yes, I crop chronologically - or at least try to.)

The person who hosted had a house full of kitties that entertained us all weekend. This little cutie was the one that really caught my eye. Look at that adorable moustache! I always tell me kiddos that God has a great sense of humor and this is another example why...

So cute!

I haven't taken photos of the layouts yet since we just got home yesterday, but here's a shot I did take of the beginning of a card (by the way, we also took a fieldtrip to Tuesday Morning and I bought this build a character stamp set).

Another shot of some of us working hard:

On our way home on Sunday, we passed a billboard that had Kobe Bryant and the dates 1978-2020. We thought that was weird. He didn't play for the Kings (we were in Sacramento) and didn't know why it looked like a death announcement. My daughter then went on her phone and realized he died earlier that morning. WHAT!?! What a tragedy. Kobe, his daughter, six other passengers and the pilot died in a helicopter crash. So sad. He was only 41 years old.

Kobe Bryant

1978-2020

RIP

BBTB2; Something New

I’m hosting the current challenge at Bitten By The Bug 2 (BBTB2) site. I chose the theme as Something New. What does that mean? Is there a technique you’ve been waiting to try? Did you get new vinyl or new paper that you haven’t had the chance to use yet? Anything as long as it’s new and you use your Cricut.

I’ve wanted to to create a scrapbook overlay for a long time so I thought this challenge would be a perfect time to experiment.

I started by adding a square using the shapes feature in DS. From there, I added one more square but made it into a rectangle a little smaller than the top third of the square. I duplicated that rectangle two more times. Each of those rectangles were sliced from the original square. The vertical lines were created the same way and then welded to the original square.

The title is the Don Juan font and was welded as well. Be sure to size it so that it overlaps the horizontal lines. The palm trees (Beach Life) were done the same as well but I also duplicated the image so I could layer on top of the base. (I show them apart so you can see what I mean.)

Once this is complete, I sized the image to 11.5x11.5”.

Silly me. I adhered the overlay to the cardstock base first instead of placing my photos between the layers, so I placed the photos a little wonky and now it looks like I did it on purpose.

Added some embellishments, journaling and splatter to finish.  Closeups:

If you have any questions on the process, please let me know. I should have created a video. I know that now but I do have this project saved if you’re interested in it. I can share it with you.

Cuts:
Palm Tree - Beach Life
Font - Don Juan
Shapes in DS for square, rectangle and lines

Now it’s your turn, link your project to the Bitten By The Bug (BBTB2)site.

TGIF; Thankful Friday #115

Good morning and happy Friday!

This week I'm thankful for my hubby. He went on a road trip with his cousin to visit their uncle & aunt in Arizona. You know you truly don't appreciate someone until they are gone.

Hubby does the laundry, takes care of the dog, gathers the mail, charges my cell phone along with a lot of other things that don't fly under my radar.

I'm also thankful that he's coming home tomorrow.

This was taken a few weeks ago at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA.

Let me know in the comments what you are thankful for this week.

WOYWW #554

Happy Wednesday and Happy WOYWW! I have been trying to keep my work desk clean and clear, but as we all know, it didn't stay that way for long. Every time I work on a new project, my work area gets smaller and smaller.

Here's a look at my work desk:

Why am I sharing this? It's all part of a world-wide phenomenon - WOYWW! Click on over to Stamping Ground and learn more about it.

Just wanted to let you guys know, my hubby is on a road trip and will be gone all week. My daughter and I are watching "Making It" which is a competition for makers. We didn't get to watch it when it originally aired, but thank goodness for DVRs. Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman are hilarious together and these makers are amazing!

New Year Goal 2020

It's still January so I can still say, "Happy New Year!" I did not make a resolution for 2020, but instead set myself a goal.

I make many, many cards for DT submission, challenges and some times just for creative fun but rarely send them out. Although, I do sell them by having Pop Up sale at my work 3x a year, but my box is still full.

This year, I set a goal to send at least one handmade card every week (that's a minimum of 52 cards!). I went through my planner and put in the obvious birthday cards to send and then I'll need to fill in with "Just Because" or other occasion cards for the rest.

If you are interested in receiving a handmade card from me, please send me an email. You can find my email address in the Contact Me tab on the homepage.

I'll post an update every month or so for two reasons...the first is to keep you guys in the know and the second is to keep me accountable & remind me of my goal.

It's only week two and so far I'm on track! :)

2/52 Count Down:
Week 1:  Nephew #5 Birthday
Week 2:  Nephew #1 Just Because (filled w/photos I promised him)

Also, let me know if you'd like a photo of the cards I send out. I'll do a montage every update.