Faux Scrap'n Easel

As promised, I have something to show you that helped me tremendously w/ my last project, working w/ li’l design pieces. As we all know, these pieces can go astray at the drop of a hat. Some people work from their Cricut mat, while gluing the pieces together. I prefer not to have my mat exposed to the elements very long, so I remove my designs right away and then replace the cover on the mat.

I’ve been admiring the Scrap’n Easel for a lonnnnnng time. As I can’t justify the cost right now, I’ve been trying to win one from different blogs, w/out any luck. So I decided to create a "Faux Scrap’n Easel". Now, this one doesn’t completely mimic the famous Scrap’n Easel by no means:-

• It’s not an easel; J
• It’s not a fold-‘em-up item; J
• It’s not 12 “x 24”; J
• It doesn’t have set pockets on the corners; J

But it does have:-

• Magnetic surface (11” x 11”), which is the “biggie”; J
• Corners (which I made myself) that can be moved around on the board, for different sized paper;
• Ladybug magnets (that I made using magnetic buttons and felt ladybugs).

Only cost about $15.00. Board was $13.00. Magnets and ladybugs were $1.00 each/pkg.

Worked like a charm when I had all the li’l layers for Tweedledee, Tweedledum and the Cheshire Cat. J

Looking forward to using it for all my projects, now. Hope I’ve inspired some of you!

"Just Because" Card

Made this card for a dear friend --- just because! There’s a li’l story behind why it is "what it is":-my hubby would refer to my friend and I as “Tweedledee and Tweedledum”. Sometimes, he’d go one step further and call us “Tweedledum and Tweedledumber” and we’d always tease each other as to who was which one. :-)

When I got my Disney Classics cart, I knew exactly which design(s) I was going to use, first.

inside of card:

Tools/Items:-
Cricut Imagine
Cricut Cartridges – see below
Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page – Ribbon Loop
Glue – regular; ATG; Zig Two Way
Cardstock – purple; white (for the Imagine)
Corner rounder – Corner Stone by EK Success
Popdots
Rhinestones

Cricut Cartridges
Disney Classics – Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Cheshire Cat
Lyrical Letters – “You & Me”

This card was completely created on the Cricut Imagine, flood-filling designs, using the regular Cricut cartridges. I used the “Color Cop” to obtain the RGB codes for the Disney characters, via Disney Clipart. What an awesome way of getting the exact colour that the character is supposed to be. No fumbling thru coloured cardstock to find the right shades --- the Cricut Imagine does it all!

I found a background of Alice in Wonderland on the Net, using that as the backdrop for the “twins”.

Used the same background, for the inside of the card, only cut it down and used the MS punch around it.

Added rhinestones to the ties; then pop-dotted the “twins. The sentiment was computer-generated.

Tomorrow, I’ll showcase how I was able to “keep track” of all the teeny tiny design pieces.

Something Different Day 13

Today's "something different" is going to be. . . . .no more hotels! I've noticed that they haven't been a very big hit, so I won't bore you w/ any more. LOL :-)

I'll be showing you a "just because" card shortly (as soon as I get the "recipe" together) and I have a "make-shift" item that I'll be showcasing. Something that really helped me w/ my "just because" card.

I have two Father's Day cards that I'll be sharing, too. Soooooo, no more hotels, just "crafts". :-)

Hope you're having a great week-end!! :-)

Something Different Day 12

Coral Hotel Muscat, Oman

The Coral Hotel Muscat is an elegant boutique hotel built like a ship reflecting the tradition that depicts the seafaring history of the country and the hospitality that Oman is so well known for.

Something Different Day 11

Grand Lisboa, Macau

Grand Lisboa (traditional Chinese) is a 58-floor, 261 metres (856 ft.) tall hotel in Macau, designed by Hong Kong architects Dennis Lau and Ng Chun Man. Its casino and restaurants were opened on February 11, 2007, while the hotel was opened in December 2008. The casino offers 800 mass gaming tables and 1000 slot machines. The hotel contains 430 hotel rooms and suites. The Grand Lisboa is the tallest building in Macau and the 118th Tallest Building in the World (by architectural structure).

Something Different Day 10

Inntel Hotel Zaandam, Amsterdam

Now THIS is what I'm talking about ---- unique for sure!!! No doubt!! Right?? Gorgeous, eh? :-)

Using the iconic green wooden houses of the Zaan region, and the assumption that a hotel is your temporary home, as inspiration – Wilfried van Winden has created a truly unique structure by creating the illusion that various examples of these traditional houses, ranging from a notary’s residence to a worker’s cottage, are randomly stacked upon one another.

Something Different Day 9

Imperial Palace, Las Vegas

Now, not to be disrespectful --- but I'm at a loss as to why this would be on the list of the "TOP unique hotels". I mean, I would choose either the Luxor or even the Excalibur over this one. What am I missing??? Can anyone give me some insight into what's so special about this one?

Something Different Day 8

Holiday Inn, Sarajevo

This hotel was built for the XIV Winter Olympic Games. Does it not look like a giant LEGO block ---- or is that just me?? LOL

"Under the Sea" Birthday Card

Made this card for a special friend, who loves the deep sea --- either diving or snorkeling. :-)

I printed/cut this on my Cricut Imagine, flood-filling the designs w/ patterns/colours from the Imagine Blossom cartridge. However, I used the Cricut Design Studio, to size all of the designs. Here’s what it looks like on the mat and the cut file is below, if you wish to use your Expression or Baby Bug.

http://www.mediafire.com/?emuvyb7hvazb7f7

You’ll notice some squiggleys beside the octopus. I inadvertently plunked them on the mat, thinking they were layers for the octopus, but they weren’t. (I was one button off. LOL) The circles are o.k., tho. They’re the octopus’ cheeks. :-)

Ohhh, and I added the turtle after the fact. Oooops, I just noticed that I hadn’t added the layers for the seahorse, either. Sorry.

I wasn’t sure which seahorse I was going to use, so I have two, from different carts. on the mat.

Tools/Items:-
Cricut Imagine
Cricut Imagine Cartridge – Blossom

Cricut Cartridges (see below)

Cricut Design Studio

Martha Stewart punch – Double Loops
Glue – regular, Zig Two-Way

Cardstock – blue

Cardstock – white (for Cricut Imagine)

Pop dots
Wiggly eyes

Cricut Cartridges

Birthday Bash – octopus & layers

Create a Critter – seahorse & layers

Life’s a Beach – fishies & layers; diver & layers; seaweed; turtle & layers

The sentiments are computer-generated. I found the cutest font (RM Fish2) for the li’l fishies.

I wanted to add Philip’s name to his swim trunks. Now, how to do this, w/out having it show “white”?! Soooo, I put on my thinking cap and came up w/ this:-

I went to Cricut.com and in the cartridge section found the Blossom cart. Copy/pasted the “swatch” that I used for his trunks and used MS Word to do “text boxes” for the swatch and his name. Grouped them together and bada bing, bada boom, I was in business. Blended in quite nice and I was very pleased. :-)

Punched the side, google-eyed all the li’l critters and his card was borne. Hope he likes it!!!

Something Different Day 7

Hiya. Hope you're all having a great week-end! Are you enjoying these "unique hotels"?? Well, here's the next one. . . .The Standard Hotel, New York City

Doesn't look anything "standard" to me! LOL

Rising from one of the city’s most sought-after sites, in the heart of the Meatpacking District, two glass-curtain slabs literally jump the tracks of the High Line, the old freight railroad that’s been transformed into a park on stilts. The design spans—and expands on—a century of modern architecture.

Something Different Day 6

Hotel Unique, São Paulo, Brazil

Wowsers! This hotel certainly lives up to its name:- Unique! and just what my "showcase" is all about. Isn't this one totally unbelievable?

A reference in modern architecture and originality, Unique’s spacey, green copper façade alone makes this hotel unlike any other. Located in the well-heeled residential area of Jardins, and just meters from Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo’s largest green area, the building rises like a gracious ocean liner in dry-dock.

Cricut-tastic Award

Whoooo Hooooo! I was just awarded the Cricut-tastic award by ScrapCrazyyyy! at: http://tytyexplores.blogspot.com/

Thank you sooooo much, ScrapCrazyyyy! What an honour to have received this award. I LOVE all things Cricut!!!

In accepting this award, I must provide five Cricut-related things about myself and pass the award on to five other Bloggers.

My Cricut-related things are:-

1. I have a Cricut family:- Baby Bug, Create, Expression, Imagine, Gypsy and Design Studio. They all live happily in my craft/sewing room. :-)

2. I love my “Cricut kids” unconditionally, as they give me unconditional love back. :-)

3. I enjoy using the Cricut Design Studio to “map out” designs before cutting w/ the Expression or printing/cutting w/ the Imagine.

4. All of my Cricut kids have jammies. Don’t want any of them to catch cold!

5. I just recently got a new Cricut baby:- the li’l Cricut plushie. His name is:- “Cricut”. Go figure, eh? LOL (very original, I know! LOL)

The five bloggers I’d like to pass on this award to:-

Cricut Chick -- http://cricutchick.blogspot.com

Cricut Diaries -- http://www.cricutdiaries.com

Jamie -- http://jamielanedesigns.blogspot.com/

Janell -- http://thehomemakerscricutj.blogspot.com

Mary -- http://www.scrapbookinggrandmacrafts.com

They are all marvelous crafters. Be sure you check out their blogs.

Something Different Day 5

Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea

The building is also known as the 105 Building, a reference to its number of floors. Construction began in 1987 with planned completion in 1989. However, after several delays, construction was eventually halted in 1992; the Dissolution of the Soviet Union had resulted in widespread economic disruptions in North Korea and shortages of raw materials.

The hotel stood topped out but without windows or interior fittings for the next sixteen years. Construction resumed in April 2008 under the supervision of the Orascom Group of Egypt, which has invested heavily in the North Korean mobile telephony and construction industries. The company expected to complete exterior work on the building in 2010, with interior work on the hotel's 360,000 square metres (3,900,000 sq ft) of floor space taking until 2012 or later.

The hotel rises to a height of 330 metres (1,080 ft), making it the most prominent feature of Pyongyang's skyline and by far the largest structure in North Korea. Construction of the Ryugyong was intended to be completed in time for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in June 1989; had this been achieved, it would have held the title of world's tallest hotel. The unfinished building was not surpassed in height by any new hotel until the 2009 completion of the spire atop the Rose Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Ryugyong remains the only hotel in the world with more than 100 stories, and it is currently the world's 35th tallest building (alongside the China World Trade Center Tower III) in terms of total height and has the 4th highest number of floors.

Latest Cricut Cartridge Check List - May 2011

Hiya. As promised, I have now updated my Cricut Cartridge Check List. ProvoCraft just released the Hello Thursday cartridges:-

These are all exclusive to the new Cricut Expression 2 machine, w/ the exception of Paper Lace 2, which can be used on all machines.

Four new Cricut Lite cartridges:-

Five "Best of" cartridges from the years 2006, 07, 08, 09, and 2010.

Three new Cricut Imagine cartridges:-

If you haven't already discovered the new Cricut Blog, you can find more info about these new cartridges (& much MORE) here:- http://cricutblog.org/

There are pix of the designs available on these cartridges, plus some selected projects from the Cricut Designers.

Here's the latest Cricut Cartridge Check List. The cartridges exclusive to the Cricut Expression 2 machine have been highlighted in "RED".

http://www.mediafire.com/?hzphmagi0hp95hd

Hope you enjoy!! :-)

Something Different Day 4

MGM Grand, Macau.

This casino resort is a 35-story, 600-room, 220,000 sq. ft. over two levels hotel, which officially opened on Dec. 18, 2007.

Something Different Day 3

Sorry I was late in posting Day 3's unique hotel photo!

It's the Westin Times Square, New York City
Quite different, eh? :-)

Something Different Day 2

Son of Heaven Hotel, China

Now is that unbelievable, or what????!!! Here's a li'l bit of info about it:-

Located in Hebei province, China, the Tianzi Hotel was built sometime in the 2000-2001 period. It is a ten-story high representation of Fu Lu Shou (good fortune, prosperity and longevity) that apparently holds the Guinness World Record for the “biggest image building”.

It’s also known as The Emperor Hotel and Son of Heaven Hotel.

Something different. . . .

Hello blogger friends!

I thought I would try something a li'l different on my blog. For the next 2 weeks, I'm going to be posting a picture, every day, of something that "caught my eye" and thought you might like to see it, too. What is it, you might ask?? Well, I won't keep you in suspense :-) -- it's a "hotel" from different parts of the world. Not just any ordinary hotel, but a very unique one --- in it's architecture. You'll see what I mean, once you see the first one.

If you're from that City and have actually seen this hotel, I would love to hear about it in my "comment section". :-)

Hope you enjoy this, as much as I did. :-)

Here's the first one: First World Hotel, Malaysia. . . .

If you click on the picture, it will "enlarge". :-)

See what I mean? Is that unreal, or what??? Beautiful!!!! :-)

Mother's Day Card

This was my very first attempt at making a side-step card. I’ve seen ones that are 4.25” x 5.5” but I wanted it to be a little bit bigger (5.5" x 5.5"), so I had to improvise, BIG time. :-)

Here are the measurements you will need:-

Start w/ a piece of cardstock 5.5” x 11”.
* Place cardstock vertically in your trimmer at 3” and cut a slit from 1” to 8” (7” slit)
* Place cardstock horizontally in your trimmer, w/ the 3” area on top of the slit.
* Score from the top just to the slit at: 3”; 6”; 7.5”; 9” and 10”
* Then score the bottom area from the slit to the bottom at 5.5”.

Fold the card using mountain and valley folds. Here are some top and side photos to give you a better idea of how it was created.








Tools/Items:-
Cricut Imagine
Cricut Imagine Cartridge – Best Friends
Cricut Cartridges – see below
Martha Stewart Deep Edge Punch – Daisy Fan
Glue – regular; Zig 2 Way
Cardstock - white
Flower – hand crocheted
Button
Seed beads – for birdie’s eyes
Fancy fibre
Stickles – Eucalyptus
Chipboard letters – “M”

Cricut Cartridges:
Paper Lace – Frame – Quilt2, Lace 2 and Lace 2 Shadow, p. 34 in handbook
Stretch Your Imagination – Bird House – Brdhse-s, and Layers, p. 63 in handbook
Stretch Your Imagination – Birdie – Bird and Layers, p. 64 in the handbook
Holiday Cakes – sentiment – Happy Mother’s Day, p. 70 in the handbook

I used the Cricut Imagine for the entire card, using the Best Friends Imagine cartridge for the patterns and colours.

* I cut the frame at 2.5” for the base and 2.3” for the layered top.
* The birdhouse was cut at 4.5”; the birdie at 1.5”
* The sentiment was cut at 1.2”

I was really surprised, but ecstatic, that the Imagine printed and cut such detailed work, as in the scroll layer and the sentiment. :-)

The chipboard letters were stickled; and seed beads used for the birdie’s li’l eyes.

I previously had created some medallions using the MS deep edge punch. I just cut them in half and arranged them on the bottom of the card; then tied some fancy fiber around the top step.

I just recently learned how to double-crochet, so added a crocheted flower, w/ a button, for the “O” in mOm.

Hope my mother likes it.

Hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!! :-)