Girl Stuff

The theme at Creative Cutting Challenge this fortnight is "For the Girls". Pretty easy, right? There are plenty of creative ideas from our very talented Design Team, so please check it out and I hope you'll play along.

A while back, I hit the mother lode in a Michael's clearance bin...oodles of hardcover journals for 50 cents each! The catch? The covers were garishly circus themed. I bought several knowing that a little decorative paper would fix them right up.

For my "For the Girls" DT project, I decided to make a pretty journal as a hostess gift. 

I found the lovely corseted lady that had once adorned a hand-decorated gift bag in my stash. She became my muse and I gathered papers and embellishments to coordinate with her.

My favorite embellishments are the paper roses. I used The Creative Pointe's "Rolled Roses" SVG set to create them from scrap paper. They are so easy. Well...once I retrained myself on how to roll them...I swear I don't know why it won't stick in my head that you roll them from the outside in! Once you figure that out...they are so EASY!

Our pretty posies are growing on a leafy vine from The Creative Pointe's "Fancy Flourishes-Two" set.

Gentle reminder:  You must use an SVG file for your project to qualify for the challenge...rules are rules!

More Challenge Fun
Craft My Life:  All Crafts Challenge - August / September
My Craft Creations: Anything Goes Challenge 23/9 - 5/10
Mema's Crafts:  September's Challenge - Ribbon/Lace and/or Flowers
Anything But a Card Challenges: #27 - Books for ALL Media and Seasons
2 Sisters Challenge:  #162 - Recycle
Challenges 4 Everybody: #29 - Anything Goes
The Corrosive Challenge Blog:  #183 - Maiden, Mother, Crone

Supplies:
Patterned Paper:	K&Co.  ‘Engraved Garden’ 12x12, scraps, Graphic 45
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Rolled Roses’, ‘Fancy Flourishes-Two’
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’, ‘Tattered Rose’, ‘Iced Spruce’; Distress Stain ‘Worn Lipstick’
Embellishments:	Hobby Lobby ribbon, twill tape; My Mind’s Eye Fine & Dandy ‘Tickled Pink’ chipboard sticker; Bo Bunny ‘Welcome Home’ combo stickers; Liquid Pearls ‘Petal Pink’
Tools:	SCAL; Cricut Expression; tweezers; Glue Dots; Glossy Accents; Mod Podge Matte; Wondertape; foam ink blending tool; make-up sponge; water pen
Misc:	Michael’s hardcover journal

Fun With Photo Props!

We're back with a new season of fun and inspiration at Creative Cutting Challenge.  If you love using SVG files with your electronic cutter, this challenge blog is for you.  Not sure what an SVG file is and don't want to miss out?  Check out this post and then this post from Cindy at The Creative Pointe.  She does a great job explaining what SVG files are and how they can accentuate your creativity.  Even if you don't use SVGs yet, there are plenty of creative ideas from our very talented Design Team, so please check it out!

Our theme this fortnight is "Anything Goes"...we're starting out easy, so there's no excuse not to play along!

The Creative Pointe's Photo Props SVG set has so many possibilities.

The most obvious use is to cut the props exactly as Cindy has scaled them for true photo props (these were SO MUCH FUN at our wedding!!).

For my design team project, I wanted to give you even more inspiration for this fabulous set...and there was a bit of selfish-ness involved.  After being away from the craft room for a while this summer, I was getting very low on birthday cards, especially some suitably masculine ones.  These punny cards were quick and easy to make using scrap patterned papers, Cricut, and laser printer.  I used foam tape behind the SVG cut outs to give them a bit more prevalence.

Trendy times two...mustache + chevron patterned paper!

Here kitty, kitty...this one's purrrfect for feminine birthday, congratulations, friendship, etc.  Graduated dots of Perfect Pearls accent the cat's eye glasses.

I have so many more ideas for this SVG set, so I'm sure I'll be featuring it again.

Don't forget to join the challenge...you can win free stuff!  J

More Challenge Fun
Cards in Envy: Manly Challenge
Make It Monday: MIM #157
Unstampabelles: Challenge #27 - Using Scraps and/or old Stash (No Stamps)

Supplies: Mustache
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Aqua Mist’, ‘White’, ‘Black’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye Fine & Dandy ‘Tickled Pink’; scrap
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Photo Props’
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Adirondack paint dabber ‘Snow Cap’
Tools:	Sure-Cuts-A-Lot; Cricut Expression; 3M foam tape; foam ink blending tool; tweezers; EK Success punch ‘Corner Rounder’

Supplies: Cat’s Eye Glasses
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Soft Stone, ‘White’; Stampin’ Up! ‘Not Quite Navy’
Patterned Paper:	Scraps
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Photo Props’
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Adirondack paint dabber ‘Snow Cap’
Embellishments:	Liquid Pearls ‘White Opal’
Tools:	Sure-Cuts-A-Lot; Cricut Expression; 3M foam tape; foam ink blending tool; tweezers; EK Success punch ‘Corner Rounder’

Good-bye Summer...

Well hello again and Happy Labor Day to my American friends!

I can't believe summer is pretty well past.  It was a whirlwind!  Especially since there's now a Mr. Squirrel living in the nuthouse.  :-)  We were married June 29, so between planning for the big day and adjusting to married life, summer flew by and crafting / blogging were the furthest things from my mind!

I wanted to do a quick post to let you all know that I've been back in the craft room and will have things to share with you very soon!

Hope you enjoyed the unofficial "last weekend of summer"!

Paper Squirrel

CCC #17: Star Spangled Banner

Happy Memorial Day!

Our two-week theme at Creative Cutting Challenge is "Fourth of July", but this patriotic project is perfect for today as well.  Come join the fun!

Some Details

• I'll admit it, my goal for this project was "keep it simple"!  I don't have a lot of spare time these days as the wedding is only a month away, so I used the pinwheel star from The Creative Pointe's "Patriotic Set" to create this festive banner.  It's super quick to make because it's all multiples of the same cut.  

• The stars are about 4-1/4 inches high.  I love the bold graphic design and dimension achieved with the simple red/white and blue/white stars.

• I used my smallest punch to add holes to two of the points, then used a needle to string the stars onto white cotton crochet thread. 
• For a festive touch...and to keep the stars in place...I tied short lengths of red and white gingham ribbon between each star.
• And to finish things off, I added small red buttons to the center of each blue star.  

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Night of Navy’; Papertrey Ink ‘Pure Poppy’, ‘White’
SVG:	The Creative Pointe’s ‘Patriotic Set’
Embellishments:	Gingham ribbon; buttons; crochet thread ‘White’
Tools:	SCAL; Cricut Expression; hole punch

CCC #16: Number One Dad

June and summer fun will be here before you know it, so join us at Creative Cutting Challenge with our two-week “Father's Day” theme and get a jump start on a card for dad's special day!

I paired washi tape with The Creative Pointe's "Number One Dad" SVG file to create a quick and quirky card for my dad.

Some Details:

• I started with Stampin' Up!'s "Confetti White" cardstock.  This had the festive look I wanted, but wasn't quite "confetti enough", so I flicked on some red paint using a toothbrush.  
• After cutting the pieces of "Number One Dad" from cardstock, I added washi tape to the tie portion to create a fun and wacky tie...you know, the kind that dads usually get from their kid's on Father's Day!

• A thick layer of Glossy Accents provides just the right amount of dimension to the "Number One" section.

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Confetti White’, ‘Ballet Blue’; Papertrey Ink ‘Smokey Shadow’
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Number One Dad’
Inks:	Americana acrylic paint ‘Cherry Red’; fine tip Sharpie
Embellishments:	Washi tape
Tools:	SCAL; Cricut Expression; toothbrush; bone folder