Crustacean Creation

Today's creation is a creative attempt to play along with Stuck on U Sketches die cut challenge to create a paper craft using a crustacean.  Now if you click on the highlighted link above, it will take you to their blog site where you will find the most amazing and adorable cards & scrapbook pages using crabs, lobsters, seashells, etc.  I have to admit, I too wanted to create something more along the alley of adorable and searched through all of my cricut cartridges to find a cute crustacean....and came up empty handed.  Well, that is except for the one I found on the Bucaneer cartridge for use in my Cricut Imagine machine.  I love my Cricut Imagine machine...it prints and cuts for me, and putting a card together with it is a breeze.  I have to admit that most of the reviews for this machine have not been favorable and many customers had to return theirs and have them repaired because it did seem to have many glitches.  That being said, I have been one of the lucky ones that has not had any issues...so I was really sorry to hear that they have discontinued the Imagine. 

Now I love the Bucaneer cartridge, but have to say that there is nothing cutesy about it!  It is pirate theme thru and thru!  So keeping in mind I would probably need a boys bday card sooner or later, here's what I came up with using a lobster crustacean die cut....




What could be more scary than a bearded, muscular lobster sitting on top of the pirates treasure chest you would like to open?  I know I'd be backing away...but somehow little boys are always thrilled with these pirate themed cards!

This entire card was printed off of the Imagine...even the background papers! (With the exception of the washi tape).  To soften up the lobster die cut I added some Garnet Glitter from the Martha Stewart collection.  I also cut a second image of his face and adhered it over the original cut with pop up dots so there was some dimension to the crustacean.  I also used pop up dots under the lobster so that it would appear that he is sitting on the treasure chest.  To make the treasure chest glisten, I used Gold Smooch and sprayed it all over (wish you could see it in the picture).  I once again aged the background paper edges with brown toned ink and sprayed them with Mister Huey's mist in Manilla color just to add some age and grunge effects.  The strip of black and white washi tape in the centre of the card is made by Queen & Co.  The "No Trespassing" sign and the birthday sentiment are also die cuts using the Imagine. 

Once all was assembled, my 7 year old son came to take a peek at the finished project.  He loved it!  With his approval in place, I guess it's good to go for the next Bday Party he's invited to!






Thunderstorms & Little Robin Redbreast...

The sun came up this morning, and has now decided to hide behind the clouds that are rolling in here today.  They are calling for the first thunderstorm for this spring season...and secretly I hope it shows up.  I absolutely love the first thunderstorm of the season.  The ground gets shook up, the dirt that the running/melting water has deposited on the ground is washed away, and things start to green up!  The other thing I love about thunderstorms, is when it has passed and the sun peeks out from behind those clouds and all the birds start to sing!  It's nature praising God at it's finest! 

Now, I have a sentimental attachment to song birds....they totally remind me of my Grandma Penner!  She was a bird enthusiast!  My absolute favorite birds are the Hummingbirds and the Goldfinches...but I have a fondness for Robins that all started with my Grandma Penner.  You see, when my brother and I were young, we had an April Fools trick that we always played on Grandma (year after year).  Whoever got to the phone first would call her and tell that we'd just seen the first robin!  And we'd all giggle and giggle because she knew it wasn't true!  But that never stopped Grandma from playing along, the good sport that she always was!

When I came across some beautiful vintage bird diecuts, I knew that I had to buy them because they so reminded me of Grandma.  And I immediately knew which one I had to turn into a card first...because it reminded me of those little robin redbreasts that we always used to look for.  Take a peek...




Now I wish you could really see this card in person, because the colors are definitely more cheery and vibrant than they show up in the photo.  The background papers & circle frame are from Graphic 45's "The Secret Garden" collection and have been inked around the edges to add that aged feeling. The vintage bird diecut which I have distressed with the Tim Holtz distressing tool is from a collection of Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps made by Crafty Secrets. The paper flowers are a purchase I made years ago at Costco in a bulk scrapbooking kit package...unfortunately I don't know who made them.  The ribbon & button are both from Stamp'n Up and are old olive in color.  And lastly, the circle frame around the bird has been cut with the Spellbinders Nestabilities Die called "Lacey Circles" using my BigShot.

I do believe Grandma would have loved this card...and I enjoyed making it because it made me think of her.  As my blog title says..."Today's Beautiful Moments, Tomorrow's Beautiful Memories".  And, I so love having those beautiful memories to inspire me to create and to think of days gone by!  Thanks for sharing this trip down memory lane with me today!

Another First...

A friend of mine, actually my old (pardon me...former neighbour is a better way to describe her as she is definitely not old!  LOL) sent me a link via FaceBook a few months back to a great scrapbooking/card making blog with some great sketches you can follow and play along with! It's called Stuck on U Sketches and has some really creative ideas on it!  Well, I've been a "silent blog stalker" and have just enjoyed browsing and admiring everyone's creations from afar.  I've never attempted posting my work for any of the challenges as I always feel that other people are more creative and do a far more superior job.  Well, tonight as I was quietly browsing the blog, I came across a card challenge and got inspired to participate.  Here's the sketch for the card...

April 17/13 Card Sketch - Stuck on U Sketches - by Nanne

Now I've never been one to follow an example exactly...I'm always having to experiment and come up with my own take on things!  So trying to stay somewhat true to the sketch, this is what I came up with...




The paper used on this card was from Graphic 45's "Secret Garden" Collection.  I inked it up to age it and give it a vintage feel with Stamp'n Up's Close to Cocoa.  The buttons are also from a Stamp'n Up collection.  The cute polka dot washi tape is unfortunately from an unknown source, sorry! I fussy cut the sentiment portion of the card from a collection of Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps made by Crafty Secrets.  The circular diecuts were created using my BigShot and the Spellbinders Nestabilities "Lacey Circles".  Lastly, the yellow toned background layer was created in the Bigshot as well with a Tim Holtz Movers & Shapers die called "Mini Tickets".  Throw all the layers together for a quick card that can be used to congratulate someone for pretty much any occasion!  And that my friends, is the first sketch challenge card I have ever completed and submitted to a blog!  Thanks for looking!

A Last Minute Creation

Today's post features a birthday card my daughter and I created for her friend's 10th birthday.  It was a busy week and I have to admit this was left to pretty much the last minute.  I even tried talking my daughter into just picking out a card at the local dollar store (gasp...I know...), and she would have no part of it.  She knew exactly what she wanted for her friends card...a puppy diecut from the Everyday Paper Dolls Cricut cartridge.  Now I guess it's confession time...I cringe when I have to design a card quickly with the Cricut.  It takes time to cut all the little pieces, assemble them, and then there's the embellishing....truth be told I just struggle with the whole process sometimes.  So I decided it would be nothing fancy today, and I would try to do it without stressing out!  LOL

We put our heads together, and here was our end result...



For the background we chose some Cricut paper scraps we had laying around in the scraproom.  As I stated earlier, the puppy was cut from the Everyday Paperdolls Cricut cartridge.  The rest of the diecuts were created with the Special Treats Cricut cartridge.  We made sure the puppy was dressed for the occasion by adding some Stamp'n Up pearls to the collar!  Then we added a little Stamp'n Up glitter to the bow on the present and party hat, and a touch of Glitter Ritz to the flames on the number 10 candles.  Darling daughter was thrilled with the results...and I'm happy to report so was her friend!

Thanks for looking!

A New Adventure Begins!

And so a new adventure begins....as I sit here typing this I cannot believe that I'm going to to give blogging a try.  This type of thing is so out of my comfort zone...but sometimes it's good to put ourselves into a new situation! Right?!?!?

First of all, I am not a very techie person, and computer knowledge is definitely not my strongest gift.  And second of all....my crafty talents are far exceeded by others out there!  That being said I love cardmaking and at times can be found working on the occasional scrapbook page!

Last weekend I attended a local crop and decided to spend the weekend relieving stress by making cards.  The first card I knew I needed to complete was for my hairdresser.  At the end of March she had a baby girl...her first, and what better way to say congratulations than with a handmade card tucked into the gift!


Now I absolutely love vintage themed cards and decided to run with it when I found some awesome "Bundle of Joy" diecuts made by Kaisercraft.  After all, who doesn't love old style carriages, cherubs, etc.?   So I set to work with several of the diecuts included in the package, some washi tape (unknown source...sorry), some vintage style paper made by Graphic 45 and some odds n ends buttons.  I also broke out the Distress Stickles (Scattered Straw) by Ranger just to give the card a hint of shimmer.  Stamp'n Up ink in Close to Cocoa was what I used to distress & darken the edges of the card to make it appear more aged. And to give it a softer baby like feel, I used a Stamp'n Up Doily Die which I cut in my BigShot! Layer it all together and here's a close up of the final product!


And, so concludes my first blog post!  Not as complicated as I thought it might be!  LOL  Thanks for taking a peek...it's been fun sharing with you!

                                                                                             

Thanks for visiting!

Thanks for visiting!