Okay, new addiction...well not really new, but just bigger. I'm totally addicted to all the incredibly creative things my Cricut Expression can do. (And NO I don't get paid by Provo Craft!!)

Here is a birthday cake my daughter Hailey and I are working on for her brother Ashton. He'll turn 18 on the 29th of this month and we've been cutting and gluing and assembling for a while now. It takes a while for a 12 yr old to cut all 20 cake pieces, score them, fold them, and then glue them...especially when her favorite TV shows are on LOL :)

Anyway, Hailey used my Cricut (Tags Bags Boxes and More cartridge) to cut 20 cake pieces and she put each one together. Then I glued the "bottom layer" to the cake board (I bought that at Walmart in a multipack...not very expensive.)

Then I cut the "frosting" layer for the middle (which I don't think you can even see) and then the frosting from the top. I then decorated it with his name and all that "jazz." I also cut scallops to use as icing around the outside of the cake on both layers, kind of like the icing is dripping out and over. I can't put those on until after we put the goodies in each cake slice or we won't be able to open them. We're putting things in the slices like candy, happy birthday wishes, and gift cards.

We will give it to him in an actual cake box, also purchased as Walmart for only $2. I think it's a fun way to give something different birthday gift. Especially right now when none of us have a lot of money, but as a crafter, I have TONS of paper (LOL!!) I know it may not be Ashton's favorite gift for his 18th birthday, but he will know that we love him and were thinking about him. He is also a very talented artist so he'll appreciate the time and effort that went into make it.

Some projects I've done

Here are two cards I made using my Cricut Expression and the Wild Card cartridge. I still like making cards my "old" way, but this is fun too. It gives me more options and I like that.

The clipboard is for a friend of mine and I used vinyl to decorate it (after I painted it pink of course.) I'm going to do a mini scrapbook page about the kitties for her.

My next project is a birthday cake made out of paper for Ashton...pictures to follow. It's a two layer cake (lots of cuts with the Cricut) and hopefully it will turn out really cool. The neat thing is that each "slice of cake" can hold a small gift, so we'll be filling it up with candy and little goodies and some gift cards....it's his 18th birthday. All the cake slices are cut and assembled, now I just need to put them on the cake board and put on all the icing and decorations.

THEN, because I can never be without another project to work on LOL, I am going to do a small window (kind of like the window in my previous post, but smaller) for my grandparents. My grandma is in a nursing home and doesn't have a lot of personal things in her room, so hopefully I can get the window painted tomorrow and then work on the pictures and embellishments so that it's all ready for when we leave on Friday to go up North. We'll get to see them on Sunday. I can't wait. I love giving unusual gifts and especially handmade things!!

I'm so excited!!

I've been really tired lately (darn fibromyalgia) so I haven't been doing much except going to work and trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to do things around the house. I've had the creative urge, but by the time I get to my table, there's no energy left. While my card orders are caught up (for the time being) my house is a disaster. BUT I'm not writing this blog to complain. I am excited because change is on the way...

I've been thinking of ways to make my life more productive without give up sleep (LOL.) I've kind of broken down the hours in my day...and I'm looking at what I NEED to do, what I WANT to do and what I can throw out. I am not silly enough to think I can/will/want to give up my computer time (at least not all of it) or even all my TV time...but I have a plan. Okay, it's an outline of a plan, but I'm hoping it works. I need a lot of structure and if the plan works I'll have that and can get more done:)

What I'm REALLY excited about it all the great videos I found on YouTube today about the Cricut Expressions and things beyond the scrapbook page and cards that I can do with it. I already have one project lined up to do wall out for one of my good friend's little girl. (Using vinyl for wall decorations...you know, words and things like that.) I also have the stamp material so that I can cut my own stamps with my Cricut....WOW!! I saw videos today of using the Cricut to cut a stencil to decorate (with fabric paint) a t-shirt....I could go on and on.

I'm feeling really creative and that feels good!! The other excitement is that I'm on vacation next week and not going anywhere!! I can't wait!! I will have quiet days to "get my act together" and get my plan rolling.

I'll be posting some pictures soon...maybe even today, of some cards I've been working on and I'll have lots of other things to show you soon!!

A new project

I'm really excited about this project (for a couple of reasons.) I found this window for sale at a yard sale for $5!! I immediately so the potential for a way to display photos (imagine that!) It needs to be cleaned up and then painted. One of the reasons I'm excited is that Dawn (my husband's ex-wife) is going to help me "antique" it. I know that sounds strange, but I've wanted us to have some sort of friendship all a long. We are very different people and I don't expect her to want to be my best friend, but I do want to have a good relationship with her if for no other reason than for Hailey. In fact, we're going to the fair together tomorrow to take Hailey. I'll keep you posted on how this project goes. I'm hoping to learn a lot about how to refurbish things like this. It should be fun!!

I've been busy

I've been busy lately (big surprise) and have lots to share...thinking I'll break it down in to more than one post so that I don't appear to go on and on!! LOL!! At least then I won't feel like I'm babbling.

Here is a couple of pictures of a birthday card I did for a friend and coworker. The only reason it's "blog worthy" is that it's my very first gate fold card and I think the Michael Strong stamps on it seem to put the finishing touch on it.

This friend has had a very tough year and I thought an extra special card was in order for her. I hope she likes it!!

Busy day

Yesterday was a busy day for me creatively! I finished two 8.5x11 layouts (I do these and put them on a clip board to display them. I print the pictures as wallet size prints and then can fit two or three on a page. They are just quick little pages of pictures that I want to be able to look at for awhile, before they are put away in an album.

The first layout is my husband sporting a famous passenger while he was riding the scooter. A co-worker of his strapped Mr SquarePants to the back of the scooter while they were working and my husband road the silly thing around like that all day!!

The second layout is for my friend Lisa. Her son's first grade put on a circus and he was the "world's strongest clown!" He was adorable!! I took a lot of pictures that day, but these were my favorites. The page is on a clip board ready for her to take home the next time she comes over!

Looking at the Big Cats

Today was Hailey's 12th birthday, so we took her to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center
Point IN. It was an amazing experience and sad at the same time. I have a million pictures...okay, almost 100 pictures of all the cats. Some aren't the greatest as all of the photos were taken through chain link fence.

Please check out their website. They need all the help they can get. It costs a lot of money to run the Rescue Center. I mean, can you imagine what it costs to feed a 600 pound tiger?!!