Cricut Couple

Today is a WONDERFUL Day!!!

2012-03-09T08:00:00.047-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I am SO excited to share this card with you today! My Dad has a heart attack on March 9th of 2011. He has done so well with his recovery and is doing everything that he is supposed to be doing and it's been a wonderful year considering how scary it started. So, I had to make him up a card to celebrate this special day. I wanted to be all about him and I wanted it to be a little funny because that's the way we are. So... Here we go...

For this card, I used a couple of different stamp sets. The first one is all about Dad that is from Close to my Heart that we won in 2011 as some blog candy. The background paper is white denim from a DCWV stack. The stamp set has a distressed rectangle. I used it and stamped all over the paper in a blue ink. I then used the DAD stamp and stamped in the center of all of the rectangles with red. I then used another stamp from the set and stamped it in between all of the rectangles with cocoa ink. That made up all of my background paper and I was just thrilled with the way it turned out! I got a $0.99 stamp from Paper Wishes that is a ticket with three sentiments. The sentiment I used was Hip Hip Hooray. I used CTMH Art Philosophy for the ticket shape and cut a strip. I used the Gypsy and welded them together. I then stamped them and then inked the edges with cocoa. I then ripped them apart to look like real tickets. I used a bandana paper from the paper stack to cut the hearts in different sizes from CTMH Art Philosophy. I also used a border from this stack and cut the strip on the bottom and some denim ribbon.

I used the cocoa ink and stamped the pocket watch from the CTMH stamp set as well. I used colored pencils to shade in the stamp set and cut it out with precision scissors. Once that was all dry, I used Glossy Accents on the watch. I used a couple of bronze brads and a piece of chain that Jill had in her jewelry stash from a broken necklace. I thought it was just a fun touch.

For the inside, I just got on the computer and printed out the sentiment. I thought it was a fun way to celebrate. Everything on this card was inked with cocoa ink. When it was all done, I was just so happy with the way it turned out. Thanks so much for visiting today and celebrating with us! We are so proud of Dad and are looking forward to coming up with something great for next year! We would love to hear your thoughts!

The Bug Bytes Design Team Project...

2012-03-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, have you ever had one of those stamp sets that has bunches of bitty stamps and you didn't really know what to do with them? Hopefully today's project will help with that.

For this card, I did a half size out of craft paper. I used a green color for the bottom mat cut at 5 1/4" x 8 1/4". The butterfly mat is cut at 5" x 8". Everything was inked with Cocoa Ink. I used the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge for all of the cuts in this design. The stamps that I used for this came with the starter kit with CTMH. You could use any stamps that you have. I cut several round 1 inch scalloped circles. Then I cut several different flowers from the cartridge. The inner petals of the flowers are cut at 1.50 and the outer petals are at 2.00. The butterflies (both layers) are cut at 1.20. The leaves are cut at different sizes from 2.00 down to 1.20. The vase cut is from a vase with flowers. I used the Gypsy to contour out the flowers and stems, just leaving the vase shape. It was cut at a height of 7.20.

I used 3D adhesive to pop everything at random until I was happy with the arrangement. I used baker's twine on the vase and then added the second butterfly.

On the inside, I added a 3" x 6" sentiment mat and an extra flower from the extra cuts.

Overall, I loved the way this card turned out. I hope you like it too! If you didn't know, Close to my Heart is having a special during the Month of March where you can get the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge free when you sign up as a CTMH Consultant! To read more about this, please check out the Announcement Post. The stamp set I used in this card was also from the starter kit.

Thanks so much for visiting today and Thank you to Pam over at The Bug Bytes for letting me play today! I would love to hear your comments!

Stamp Release Coming Up!!!

2012-03-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Just a heads up... On March the 26th, we will be having another My Craft Spot Stamp Release Party! YAY! Please come back and check it out. There will be prizes and everything!

My Craft Spot Challenge #47, "For the Birds"...

2012-03-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Happy Monday to ya! Well, today is Challenge day over at My Craft Spot. Today's Challenge is "For the Birds"! All you have to do is have a bird somewhere in your project. Difficult, right? NOT!!! Hee! Hee! I wanted to do something a little bit different today. I just received the new My Craft Spot stamps that are going to be released in a couple of weeks so that I can start making up some goodies to inspire ya'll with and it just KILLED me not to be able to use them for today's project. I kept thinking... I can do this and I can do that... then I would realize... Oh Crud! I can't show them yet. Hee! Hee! So... I decided to just play with Ribbon for this one. I hope you like it!

I used the Sophisticated cartridge for the bird with crown. The only thing that altered was that I cut the bird shape out completely with chocolate card stock. Then cut it again, twice, with blue card stock. I cut the legs off of the blue layers so that there was a difference in color on the legs. The Cherish You is from the same cartridge, but two different word cuts. The oval and scalloped oval are from CTMH Art Philosophy. The flowers are a punch that I had. This beautiful ribbon is the flat seam binding ribbon from My Craft Spot. This is the color called Caribbean! It was a perfect match to my Recollections Card Stock. The base for this card is craft card stock.

The bottom most mat is chocolate card stock and then the paper. I inked everything for this with Chocolate Ink. The lace is some from the old stash. Hee! Hee! I used Liquid Glass on the entire oval. I started just adding it to the letters and I didn't like where it was going, so I just covered the whole thing and liked it much better.

I kept the inside very simple. Just inked the edges and added a plain sentiment mat.

For the bird's wing and the centers of the flowers, I did something very easy to do. For the wings, I simply covered the wing area of the bird cut with ATG tape. I then took and stuck down an end of the ribbon. Then I twisted the ribbon and started to press down the spiral rolled ribbon until I had the entire wing shape complete. For the flowers, it's kinda the same thing. I started with ATG on the back of the flower. Stuck the end of ribbon down and then twisted it in the spiral. You just turn and turn until you get it the way you want it and then pull the end back under the flower. Stick that in place and you have your flower complete. It's super simple to do and really makes simple flowers really stand out. These little punched flowers take about 3 inches of twisted ribbon to complete. It also looks wonderful to do this with crinkle ribbon as sometimes the color will be a little different here and there on the ribbon and it adds some beautiful texture to the centers of the flowers.

Well, I hope ya'll enjoyed the project today. Now... I know there is a little birdy in your craft space somewhere, so grab it, get some paper and start crafting! You have a challenge to do this week and could win a prize! Hop on over to My Craft Spot to see what the rest of the wonderful design team has done and enter! I can't imagine how many wonderful projects will be done this week, but I am sure going to enjoy it! Thanks so much for visiting today and we would love to know what you think of this one!

How Sweet Of You!!!

2012-03-04T00:49:00.000-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, this evening, when I opened Google Reader, I had 322 posts to try to get through. It has been just crazy around here lately. Imagine how excited I was to see that 3 of our friends gave us this wonderful award!!!

Tanya at Nonna's Craft Corner

Stephanie at Cricutmimi

and Candy over at Candy's Craft Corner

Have given us this award! Cool huh?!?

If you have never visited them before, you really owe it to yourself to check out their amazing designs! A sincere Thank You from the Cricut Couple and big bug hugs!!!

Here are the terms under which this “Green Blend Award” are to be given.

1. This award is for any co-blogging friend who has helped you develop your blog in any and all ways.

2. This award is for any co-blogging friend who has cheered you along in your blog building, craft advancing career.

3. This award is for any co-blogging friend who always stops by and is kind to you. You can count on them to always be one of the great comments at the end of your post.

4. This award is to be given to 3 to 5 Blends whom you feel meet the listed requirements.

5. Create a post with the terms of use and publish your Blends of choice.

6. Blend of choice may copy the award from your blog and proudly post it on theirs.

7. Blend of choice may continue the kindness by issuing this award to keep the circle forever growing.

I am choosing to pass this award to the following blogs...

Audrey at http://cuteandsome.blogspot.com

Sheila at http://shesasassylady.blogspot.com

Gaby at http://www.gabycreates.com

Donna at http://nanadonnascarddreams.blogspot.com

and Diane at http://diane-mycards.blogspot.com

I hope you all can take a few minutes to visit them and share some love.

It's so wonderful to be recognized by friends and I really love these awards.

Thanks for visiting us today and enjoy your visit with our dear friends.

We all get busy, right???

2012-03-03T00:41:00.000-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I have to apologize for the lack of content this week. I didn't want my blog to turn into a commercial and I am truly sorry about that. I want to thank everyone so much for such a fantastic response to the new blog and the March CTMH promotion. We have several new friends who have joined the Cricut Couple team and I can't wait to get everything organized and introduce them all to you! You talk about a talented group!

There are a couple of things going on right now. I have been preparing content for the other blog and then I have been working on projects for Kimberly's release of My Craft Spot stamps later this month and WOW! She really out did herself with this last batch of stamps! The only downside is that the projects are top secret until the release. Hee! Hee! I hope you like them when they come through. So... today, I am going to share my first project with the new blog. You can hop over if you want the directions.

Link to the New Blog

Ok... So some of you know that Jill and I are in the Branson, Missouri area. Well, we had a Tornado the other night that they are calling "The Skipper". I was all set to launch this blog and get all kinds of fun content. Everything I am starting with is created, but it takes time to write the posts and get the pictures ready. I am pretty particular about how I shoot my pictures. Hee! Hee! One of the people I work with lost everything in this tornado. His entire apartment is gone. There is only one wall standing in the room that he was sleeping in at the time. Obviously, he has had to take a little time to recover. He has a few minor injuries, but his car had quite a bit of damage and his life is somewhere over in Forsythe, Missouri now. I work for a wonderful company and everyone has jumped in to help out. Our manager immediately got on the phone and called for reinforcements. They certainly didn't disappoint. He has a new wardrobe on the way, pretty much everything he needs (very stylish) for his new apartment, his car windows are getting replaced immediately and he will not have to worry about any expenses in his life for at least a couple of months. It's really been a great restart for him. But... I love to help in situations like this, so it has really taken a lot of my time the last couple of days. I promise that I will have some more content soon and thanks so much for your patience. For now, please enjoy the card and thanks so much for visiting.

I hope that everyone is ok. I haven't seen many details yet, but I know that another outbreak of tornados hit today. This is some craziness. We are so blessed in this area that we didn't have any deaths in our town from it. It could have been so much worse, especially if all the tourists has been in town. Fortunately, most of the places that were hit with lots of damage were closed at the time. If you are interested in seeing some pictures, the local television station KY3 has really been covering things well. It so sad to see some of the old favorites in Branson that were damaged.

Everyone around here can still use some prayers. Unfortunately, there have been people arrested here from 6 different states that basically came to town to loot. I swear, they should be shot on site for such a thing.

Well, I have very strong feelings about that kind of thing. Hope everyone is happy and safe. Good things to come to all of us!

TODAY'S THE BIG DAY!!!

2012-03-01T08:00:00.004-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, Today is the big day! It's finally MARCH 1st! If you don't know what that means, it's the first day of the Close to my Heart Free Art Philosophy Collection Promotion!!!

How to get it? Sign up to be a consultant with Close to my Heart and get, not only the amazing start up kit, but you get your choice of the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection or $100.00 in free product (if you already have one) for just $99.00 as it is included with the amazing starter kit! To skip the rest and sign up now, just use this LINK TO SIGN UP! It will take you directly to the sign up page.

So... Have questions? Keep on reading. Hee! Hee!

What is the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection? So glad you asked. It is pictured below. You get the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge. In my opinion, it the the most versatile cartridge that has ever come out. You can click on the labels on the side for this cartridge to see how obsessed I have been with it since I got mine last year. Hee! Hee! In addition to the cartridge, you get 3 full sized coordinating stamp sets that include cut sizes on the stamps to get the perfect cut to use with you Close to my Heart Stamp Images. You also get 3 large sheets of amazing chip board shapes that match the cuts on the cartridge. They are ready to perfectly work with your stamps and inks. This is a $124.00 value. CTMH's normal price is $99.99 for this collection. You get yours FREE!!!

So... What do I get in my Kit? So glad you asked! Everything is pictured below. You get business goods and tons of the best CTMH products to get started with! The collection included in this is gorgeous and so versatile! You get inks, tons of stamps, acrylic blocks, embellishments, the famous stamp double scrubber, cards, envelopes, paper samples, idea books, cleaners, adhesives, liquid glass, etc. etc. etc... That's a $288.00 value and it's yours for $99.00... plus you get the Art Philosophy Collection FREE!!! That's almost $400.00 worth of amazing stuff for $99.00!!! Oh... Did I mention that not only does the Art Philosophy cartridge include shapes that were created exclusively to go with CTMH stamp sets, but there will be more and more future stamp collections in the future. Basically, this means... you don't need more cartridges, dies or punches to go along with your favorite stamps. You just cut the shapes with your Cricut and stamp away! AMAZING!

Is there more? Glad you asked! Below are some add ons available exclusively when you sign up as a consultant. These each include a workshop on the go, extra inks, extra stamps, extra acrylic blocks, extra embellishments... Both are worth $94.00 to $95.00. You can add them for $40.00 each. These are completely optional, but both include amazing stamp sets that you are going to want because they coordinate with your new Art Philosophy Cartridge Too!!! When you complete your order form, you will have the option to add these to your starter kit. If you add both, you are looking at over $600.00 worth of amazing stuff for $179.00! Wow!!! Again, this is optional.

One last thing that is also available as an add on is a 3 month Studio J Membership. If you are into digital scrapbooking, this is a great package. It's a $63.00 value for $40.00 exclusively to "New" consultants. Just wanted to make sure you knew of all the extra savings values.

So... What makes this offer so sweet? There is NO PRESSURE! You can sign up today, enjoy all of these goodies and learn everything you would ever want to know about Close to my Heart. You will not only get these amazing values, but you will also have full online access to the behind the scenes places of Close to my Heart. There is an entire online training academy for every consultant. You can learn everything you need to know about making this a successful business opportunity, you can learn how to use the products, techniques you have never seen before, technology you didn't know existed and access to a full network of consultants who have been doing all of this for years.

You also begin with a 22% discount on all of your purchases. If you sell products, you receive a 22% commission on all of your sales. These increases with continued success with the business side.

How much am I going to have to pay if I don't use this as a business? Answer... NOTHING! There are no hidden fees, no hidden pains, no hidden hardships. If you want to continue with it as a business and maintain your consultant status, you need to have at least $300.00 worth of sales per QUARTER. That's it. Of course, you are encouraged to do more than that, but that's all it takes to keep everything at the status you are beginning with and maintaining your commission/discount.

What happens to me if I don't sell $300.00 in a quarter. You become a Jr. Consultant. The commission is smaller and you don't have as much access to everything online. You will not have any fees or anything like that. However, you are still going to be stuck with seeing us make all kinds of fun stuff and constantly inspire you. If you don't stay a consultant, you will always have a place to be inspired and get all of your favorite products!

How do I keep things going? Well, that's the easy part. Use up your beautiful and amazing products and show them off! Get together with the girls and make some things. You know, everyone is gonna want what you are using and you can provide that for them. As you get stronger with your craft, you get stronger in your business. It's that simple.

How do I keep up to date and know what to try next? Well, that's easy too! You will have the support of Me and my team, the support of CTMH at every turn with the latest techniques, ideas, products and I will be constantly sharing things with a new blog called Cricut is Close to my Heart. This blog will still have lots of fun things too, but this one is for those who blessed me with the opportunity to be on their design teams. The new blog just opened today, but there will be TONS of content! The biggest thing is that as you create and as you develop your skills, you are going to be asked about it. You will be the one everyone wants to learn from. We will teach, you get all the credit! Hee! Hee!

I have a blog and lots of friends who would be interested in this too. What do I do to really get a jump start on this offer? Simple answer for that one. When you sign up, you will receive an e-mail while your shipment is being processed. Once that e-mail comes in, you will immediately be able to go online and get into the consultant website. While in the consultant website, you can go right in and set up your own MYCTMH website. Simply click on My CTMH in the training page and set it up. Again, there is a $5.95 per month fee if you want your own website, but as soon as that is setup, you will have a link for others to take advantage of this amazing offer and sign up with you! It's really that easy!!! Besides that, you have the ENTIRE MONTH OF MARCH to advertise this to friends and family and get them started as well! How cool is that?

Did you miss the video? Here it is!

What do I do if I have more questions? Just e-mail me! I would be so glad to answer any and all questions you have. Please feel free to e-mail me at cricutcouple@gmail.com and ask away. Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question. We're family here in craft land! Hee! Hee!

Thanks so much for visiting today! In the future, there are going to be lots and lots of fun projects with CTMH projects we are all going to share with you and as soon as the new blog is ready, you will hear it here first!

If you want to follow this journey with us and would like to stay informed, please feel free to subscribe on the right. I don't know what is getting ready to happen with the Google changes, but I would hate for you to miss anything.

Thanks so much for visiting today! We are so blessed to be able to do this and thank you all so much for being a part of it with us!

TODAY'S THE BIG DAY!!!

2012-03-01T01:20:00.001-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, Today is the big day! It's finally MARCH 1st! If you don't know what that means, it's the first day of the Close to my Heart Free Art Philosophy Collection Promotion!!!

How to get it? Sign up to be a consultant with Close to my Heart and get, not only the amazing start up kit, but you get your choice of the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection or $100.00 in free product (if you already have one) for just $99.00 as it is included with the amazing starter kit! To skip the rest and sign up now, just use this Link to sign up! It will take you directly to the sign up page.

So... Have questions? Keep on reading. Hee! Hee!

You also begin with a 22% discount on all of your purchases. If you sell products, you receive a 22% commission on all of your sales. These increases with continued success with the business side.

Did you miss the video? Here it is!

Thanks so much for visiting today! We are so blessed to be able to do this and thank you all so much for being a part of it with us!

Tempting Little Treats...

2012-02-29T11:12:00.000-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Happy Leap Day To You!!! Well, tomorrow is the big day for the CTMH Free Art Philosophy Promotion. I thought I would share some things I have been working on from the kit and make a very special announcement at the end of this post...

The first picture are some cards I had a blast playing with using items that come with the Consultant Starter Kit. These are from the Stella line and stamps that come with the workshop on the go. The little lamp and chair are just wonderful and so much fun to put together!

If you decide to go with the add on kits, I have some inspiration from those as well. Below are a few things I put together using the Florentine goodies that come from that add on. The paper is so pretty and the stamps coordinate with the Free Art Philosophy Collection!

Below are two different pictures that are things I came up with using the Pemberly Add On Kit. All of the cuts with these card are from the Art Philosophy Cartridge! The top two cards are with stamps that come with the AP collection and the initial kit, but the others are from the add on kit.

One of the stamps with this set is called "Card Word Puzzle". It's an AMAZING set that has gorgeous images of flowers and critters (seen on the bototm left picture) and then a ton of little words that you can use to do the ENTIRE card! From the sentiment on the cover to the words used inside, you can literally grab your arcylic block and just stack and stack until you have said everything. The words are seen on the little banners of the top center card and the sentiment on the bottom left. The flowers on the bottom left card are also from this stamp set and I cut them out and colored them in with colored pencils.

It was a little overwhelming at first because it's so much great stuff, where do you start? Well, I have something very special to share with you today!!! In the next few days, I am starting a brand new blog! I have been so blessed to be asked to be on the design teams with She's a Sassy Lady, The Bug Bytes and, by now, you all know how much I love everything Kimberly has over at My Craft Spot, that we have decided that Cricut Couple is going to be the same that it always has. I still want everything here to respect how it's always been. When making things with CTMH products, you kind of want everyone to know where they can get the items used, if they want to. It tends to be a little more commercial in nature just because of the way you share the free information and some don't like that. So, Cricut Couple will remain Cricut Couple as it's always been.

Since I have signed up with CTMH as a consultant and now this March promotion is getting so much interest, I don't want anyone to be left in the dark trying to figure out what to do with everything, so the new blog is going to be totally devoted to making things using the Art Philosophy Cartridge! How cool is that? I am blown away with how versatile this cartridge is, so why not just show everyone exactly how versatile it is!!! I also want to have a home for my consultants to be able to share and have fun with each other while still having an audience to share their amazing talents with. I have some wonderful guests that are going to be designing, we will have challenges and giveaways... etc. So... if you are on the fence with the March Promotion, let me tell you... By the time that you accept delivery on those amazing kits, you are going to FLIP over what we have in store on how to tear that stuff open and start crafting!

Tomorrow is the big day for the promotion and I am going to be reminding everyone in the morning, so please come back and take advantage of this amazing offer. I am still in shock with how good it is and I just don't want anyone to miss out!

If you have anything that you wanted to order today, since it's the last day of the February Stamp of the Month set... which is fantastic... I am just saying... And

The Studio J Special where if you purchase a 5 pack, you get one free!

Just a note about these two promotions... If you love Digital Scrapbooking and order the Studio J 5 Pack, you will actually get an extra 5 Pack for Free and it will qualify you to get the stamp of the month set for $5.00. That's only $60.00 for "20" 12x12 Scrapbook Pages AND the February Stamp of the Month that works with the CTMH Art Philosophy Collection. There are so many good deals right now! Hee! Hee!

If you are wanting to get in on these deals, just CLICK HERE!

I also wanted to say "Thank You" to Ladybug Linda. She was so sweet to share on her blog this new link thing to address the new changes that are happening to the Google Network, so I followered her lead and added an new linking tool where you can follow our blog, if you are not involved with the Google Network, so "THANK YOU LINDA! BIG BUG HUGS!!!"

Thanks so much for visiting today! Please leave me a comment and let me know if you think I am doing ok with some of these first designs.

My Craft Spot Challenge #46 - Make Us Laugh...

2012-02-27T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Welcome to my sick since of humor. I know I am going to probably offend all of you bird lovers out there, but I have been wanting to create this card for a really long time and I think it's pretty funny! This is for the "Make Us Laugh" challenge this week over at My Craft Spot. The only thing about this particular challenge is to keep the humor clean. Now... I know that if there are any golfers looking at this, they are going to love it!

For this card, I used Everyday Paper Dolls (Golf Ball), Pooh and Friends (Grass and Stump), Pop-Up Neighborhood (Birdhouse) and Sophisticated (Bird with crown cut off). I used My Craft Spot Stamps (Jingle All The Way) for the "I can explain". I used Navy Crinkle Ribbon from My Craft Spot for the bow. I used chocolate ink on everything.

I used a brown marker to draw in the cracks in the front of the bird house where the golf ball got stuck. For the golf ball, I used a stylus to round it and then a mini stylus tip the other direction to enhance the little dents in the ball.

For the inside, I got on the computer and printed out the sentiment. I wish I could take complete credit for the entire design, but years ago, there was a woman who made these adorable bird houses using broken putters and mushroom birds. She would craft a birdhouse and have the broken putter sticking out of the top with a mushroom bird upside down "Dead Bird" on the front of the house with a little sign that said "Hey! I got a Birdie today!" I don't know why I remembered it, but as soon as I did, I had to make it into a card. I can't wait to see everyone's creations in the challenge this week. I think it's gonna be lots of fun, so make sure you head over to My Craft Spot and get in on the fun! We sure appreciate you spending some time with us today and would love to hear what you think of our card!

Art Philosophy Cartridge for FREE!!!

2012-02-24T00:45:00.002-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, things have been super crazy around here lately. Fortunately, I had some projects lined up that I have scheduled out so ya'll didn't think we fell off the face of the earth. But... with the craziness, we haven't been able to visit as much as we have wanted to. So, there are a couple of things that we need to talk about.

First of all, I have become a Consultant with Close to my Heart. I am finding that I use the Art Philosophy Collection (or at least the cartridge) in just about everything I do now. It's by far the most versatile cartridge ever!!! With that, I may have not necessarily joined in the right month. I just got my kit last week. Anyway... I have added the link to our website at http://cricutcouple.myctmh.com/ to the sidebar if you need anything.

Now... Today, I get on the consultant site for a bit and see something that is CRAZY GOOD!!!

Can you Believe that?!? For $99.00, you get the entire starter kit "Which is really good, by the way" and the entire Cricut Art Philosophy Collection! Plus, all of the other goodies that you want to order gives you the Consultant Discount!!! If you already own the Art Philosophy Collection, you can elect to get and extra $100.00 in free CTMH product instead!

So... I didn't really plan on doing much of any kind of recruiting with this because I needed to get some new inks and things and just really wanted the discount, but I wanted to share this with all of my friends. I know some of you have mentioned wanting this collection in your comments and things and this is such a great deal! When I ordered my kit, I got both paper kit add ons and they are awesome too. I sure wish I had waited.

Now... This offer is only available during the month of March, so don't go an sign up right away. Wait until the 1st of March, if you are interested in this. If you are interested, the following link will take you to my sign up page and you can get started.

Enrollment Link

BUT - REMEMBER NOT UNTIL MARCH 1ST. One thing to note, and that is why I am sharing this early... If you remember, they ran out when the AP cartridge was first released, and this is going to be a WHILE SUPPLIES LAST offer. If you go directly to CTMH's site to sign up, my number is 147821453 if you need it.

If you have any questions for me, please feel free to e-mail me at cricutcouple@gmail.com with anything. I don't mind at all. Just please remember that we both work full time and it may be a few hours before I can reply.

Cat in the Window... Sassy Dude Project...

2012-02-23T08:00:00.097-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Sassy Dude here today. I have something very different for you today. When I thought up this design, it took a LONG time to lay it all out. It took lots of practice, but when it was all done, I was so excited with the way it turned out. To start, the base for this card is a half size (8 1/2 x 11 folded in half) I used a lavender card stock for the base.

The next step is to print out a picture that will fit on the cover of the card. This is a picture I found on Google. You could use anything you want that creates a scene like you are looking out of a window. At the bottom of this post, I will be sharing box files for you to download. One is the picture and the other is the Gypsy file. You will also need some white card stock. I used textured white for this and inked it with Pansy Purple from CTMH. You need to cut the following with a straight cutter.

1 piece at 3/4" x 8 1/4".

2 pieces at 1/2" x 8 1/4".

2 pieces at 1/2" x 5 1/4".

The window picture is 5" x 8".

Once all of the pieces are inked, this is what you will have. You probably wont see it, but I inked the picture as well just to be safe.

Stick down the two side pieces first, then a 1/2" piece to the top and the 3/4" piece to the bottom. Below is what it will look like. You are basically creating the window frame and your mat at the same time. I used ATG tape to do this. You will have a 1/2" piece left. Pop it with 3D adhesive.

When you add that piece, you will have what is shown below. It looks like the ledge at the bottom of the window.

Once that is done, you can start assembling your window. Below are the pieces that you will get from the Gypsy file. I used Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art, A Child's Year, Cake Basics, Flower Shoppe, Mother's Day Bouquet and Ribbons and Rosettes for this card. Even if you don't have all of these carts, you can still download the file to your Gypsy or CCR and change out whatever shapes you don't have. All of the sizes are in the file for you. The drapes on the window are actually a tear drop type of shape. When those cut, you will need either cut them in half like I did, or fold them in half. If you use thinner paper, I would recommend folding them so that they are good and strong.

Above is how you layout the pieces. Add 3D adhesive to all pieces. When you have finished with that, flip over the bottom most row of the valance and add ribbon. I used this beautiful white seam binding from My Craft Spot. I simply ran a strip of ATG tape across the bottom of the scallop and then gathered the ribbon as I went along. I then tied two bow ties to use for tie backs.

When you pop all the layers and add them, below is what you will get. Also, when you cut the file, there are two cuts of the cat. Glue one directly to the picture and then pop one and let the tail hang over the window ledge. It makes the shadow of the cat really look good.

Then add your tie backs to your little drapes and the front of your card is done! That was easy, right? Well... sort of. This was about 6 tries later. Hee! Hee!

For the inside, you will just cut your mats with a straight cutter. The bottom most mat is 5 1/4" x 8 1/4". The second mat is 4 1/2" x 7 1/2". The white sentiment mat is 3" x 6". Again, everything is inked with the Pansy Purple Ink.

Once everything is together, I stamped my sentiment. This is from a stamp set called Friends and Neighbors from My Craft Spot.

Add all of the little leaves from the Gypsy file. I just used Scrappy Glue to attach them all. That is my FAVORITE GLUE!!!

Then just add your flowers. Just be careful not to cover up part of the words of your sentiment like I did. Oops. At least you can still read it, right? Hee! Hee! If you want a little more detail, you can ink all of the flowers and leaves as well. For this card, I didn't think it was necessary.

Once it's all done and dry, simply hit it with a couple of strips of ATG and stick it inside your card. When it's all done, below is what you have in all of it's layered glory! The final thing is the banner in the front. I used the Friends and Neighbor stamps again for the sentiment. I inked the edges and then rolled the paper back and forth with a pen. This made it look like it was just flying or something. Love that!

Then, when you open the card, you have this beautiful flower arrangement surrounding your message. Pretty Cool, Right? I used Anna Griffin Papers for the patterns in this card and recollections solid lavender for the flowers and base.

It took many tries, but I really love the way this card turned out. Now that I have the Gypsy file created, I will be making this card again and again! I hope that you will try one too! Now... Here are the files.

Garden Window PDF File

Cat in the Window Gypsy File

We sure hope you enjoyed today's project! Thanks Sheila for letting me be Sassy today! I would love to know what ya'll think about this, so please leave us a comment. Thanks so much for sharing your time with us today! BTW, if you want to see what the other amazing Sassy Designers have been up to, hop on over to She's a Sassy Lady and check it out!

Tweet Happy Birthday Card...

2012-02-21T08:00:00.003-06:00

Hey Ya'll

Well, I have a very "Tweet" Birthday Card to share with you today. This is a card that I made for my Aunt's birthday that's coming up. This was so much fun to create!

I used a stamp set from Hot Off The Press called "Sweet Tweets". When I got this stamp set, I thought it was very pretty, but when I looked at it, I thought... What in the heck am I gonna do with that?!? So... This is what I came up with.

I stamped several different bird houses, cages and birds from the set in black. I then used colored pencils and colored here and there. Still too chicken to try markers. Hee! Hee! I used CTMH Art Philosophy to cut out the label shape and the Happy Birthday stamp that came with the set for the sentiment.

I stamped a couple of large birds, colored them and cut them out with a craft knife. I then added a couple of silk roses that were in the old stash on both ends. They just went really well with this design.

I did the same paper on the inside. I didn't want to take too much away from the beautiful stamping, so I just did the same label shape that was on the front to write in a sentiment. When it was all done, I was really proud with the way that it turned out. The card base is pink and everything was inked with Cocoa Ink from CTMH.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this card and sincerely appreciate you sharing your time with us today!

My Craft Spot Challenge #45 - Birthday Shaped Cards...

2012-02-20T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, today is Challenge day over at My Craft Spot. This week's challenge is to make a Birthday Shaped Card. I don't have any stamps yet that have a Happy Birthday sentiment on them, so I kind of struggled with what to make out of what I had. Hee! Hee! What I came up with is a very simple card. This is a quarter card sized eisle style card. The face of it is just the cake cut.

I used the Sweet Treats cartridge for the cake and all layers. I used pinks and blues on the layers and then a chocolate color for the swirl. I inked everything with a Chocolate Ink. I used this adorable pink and blue Baker's Twine from My Craft Spot and just swirled it to look like icing. I was thrilled with the way it turned out. I also used the twine for the inside of the card and the little bow. I used the "Friends and Neighbors" stamp set by My Craft Spot for the "Just for You" sentiment on the inside.

We sure appreciate you visiting today and hope you will leave a comment and let us know what you think about the card. We would love to see your talent in this weeks challenge over at My Craft Spot.

Congratulations!!!

2012-02-17T08:00:00.003-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, today, I am sharing a card with you that continues from earlier. Heather over at Houses Built of Cards won the stamp set donated by Kimberly over at My Craft Spot during the release of her Valentine's Stamp Sets. In true fashion, and even though the prize will be shipped directly from Kimberly, we always send a hand made card to congratulate a winner from our blog... so... Heather... we hope you like it!

For this card, I used CTMH AP for the Congrats label and the scallops. For the paper on this card, I actually made it myself with butterfly stamps. The larger butterfly is from an Anna Griffin set and the smaller is from a Stampendous set. I used two colors of purple and a bright green. I then inked everything with the card with the darker purple color. I used craft card stock for the base, lavender for the first mat and then the stamped paper for the main mat. I added some lace and ribbon up the left side. I then cut three rows of scallops for the bottom, inked them and then scored in between each scallop. I then used a marker and rolled the scallops over to add some fluff to it. I then added a bow with My Craft Spot Baker's Twine below the label.

I didn't add the normal ton of embellishments that I usually do, but I was so pleased with the way the paper turned out that I didn't want to detract from it.

I added a simple sentiment mat to the inside so that I would write what I wanted. I was just thrilled with the way this turned out. I am getting totally addicted to stamping my own background paper, which isn't necessarily a good thing because of all of the beautiful patterned papers I have already. Hee! Hee! We sincerely appreciate you sharing some time with us today, hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and we hope you share your thoughts with us on this card. We also want to say congrats to Heather and can't wait to see what she creates with her new stamps. If you haven't seen her blog, be sure to stop by for a visit today and tell her Cricut Couple sent you to share some love! Her cards are just AMAZING!!! Here is the link to Houses Built of Cards.

Lots and Lots of Cards...

2012-02-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I have been SO busy lately that I am a little light on content right now. I have had several friends at work that have come to me in the last minute and asked if I had a card made already for this and that... Then I am jumping through hoops to get one made and not having the time to do what I want to do. So... since I had these Anna Griffin All Occasion Card Kits, I thought... That's the ticket!!! So... I made them all! Hee! Hee! Now there is a big box with 90 cards sitting in the break room waiting for the occasion they may need them for. I had three of the kits and it took about two hours to put them all together, so these are pictures of many of the cards made from the kit.

It was wonderful putting all of these together because it gave me some great ideas for some future cards. It was also nice having an afternoon where I didn't have to think about anything. Hee! Hee! I still have a bunch of left overs that will be great in future projects too! Well, we sure appreciate you visiting with us today! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2012-02-14T08:00:00.001-06:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

We don't have anything to share today except...

Happy Valentine's Day!

We LOVE you all!!!

If you didn't have time to stop by last night, please scroll down and check out last nights post. I had it scheduled for early in the day for the My Craft Spot Challenge and I have no idea what happened to it. Hee! Hee!

My Craft Spot Challenge #44 - Girly Girl...

2012-02-13T21:43:00.000-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I don't exactly know what happened, but I had this post scheduled and it disappeared! I am still trying to figure out what happened, but unfortunately, I am really late getting this posted.

This week's challenge over at My Craft Spot is to make something "Girly Girl". When thinking about a design for this challenge, I couldn't think of anything more Girly Girl then a Ballerina. Hee! Hee! Besides that, it finally gave me a reason to blow the dust off of that "Shall We Dance" circle cartridge. Hee! Hee!

I used the Build a Valentine Stamp Set by My Craft Spot for the sentiment on this card to simply say "You're Awesome". I used the ballerina with all layers and the frame feature for this card. I used the shadow to cut the music paper, then the frame for the pink paper and then cut all of the individual layers of the ballerina with appropriate colors. I inked everything with a chocolate ink. You may have to enlarge the pics to see all of the tiny details on this card.

I used some bright pink tulle, rolled it up and then cut into it with scissors to make the little skirt. I used Pink and Cream bakers twine from My Craft Spot for the bow. I also added some glitter glue here and there for the outfit and some details. I added some pink stones on the frame as well.

I kept the inside as elaborate as the front and cut an oval out of the cream paper for the sentiment on the inside of the card. It wasn't actually my week to design for the challenges, but I just wanted to challenge myself with this card. I was so pleased with the way it turned out that I thought it was worthy of the post. Even if it's a little late. Hee! Hee! Thanks so much for visiting today... I would love to hear what you think of the "Guy's" version of a Girly Girl card! Hee! Hee! I hope you all try out the challenge this week too over at My Craft Spot! This was so much fun!!!

Last of the Valentine's Cards...

2012-02-13T08:00:00.007-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

I had a couple more Valentine's Cards I wanted to share with you. The owl card that I did back during the Anything Goes challenge over at My Craft Spot was such a big hit at work, that I made some more. I tried to make each one a little different. I got an amazing deal on some older Anna Griffin papers. I found a site online that has a bunch of stuff on clearance and we got 180 sheets of her papers for $20.00! YAY! That was a good mail day. Hee! Hee! For the details, Click Here to link back to the original post.

We hope you all enjoy these cards. We would love to hear your thoughts and hope that you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day! Thanks so much for visiting today!

Bulk Valentines...

2012-02-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I had a couple of friends at work ask for some Valentine's that their kids could share at school. This is what I came up with.

These are simple 1/4 cards that were done with several different colors of background paper. I just used CTMH Art Philosophy for random label shapes and stamped them with Happy Valentine's Day from the Build a Valentine stamp set from My Craft Spot. The kids are cut with the main layer and shadow layer from A Child's Year. I didn't get shots of the inside, but I matted the inside the same as the fronts and added a white heart for a personal sentiment. I just thought everyone might have fun seeing them. Thanks so much for visiting today! Hope everyone's ready for Valentine's Day.

Glistening Birthday Card...

2012-02-09T08:00:00.045-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I finally had time to play with the Ribbons and Rosettes cartridge and thought I would share this card on my design spot at The Bug Bytes! This was a really fun card to put together. It's a little thicker than I expected, but it turned out so pretty that I thought it deserved finishing the way it was. Hee! Hee!

I used my favorite paper for this card from DCWV. The Black Currant Stack is just beautiful! I also used Paper Trimmings for the butterfly and the butterfly doily. I used CTMH Art Philosophy for the Happy Birthday stamp and the label shape on the bottom. I cut both layers of the doily with papers from the stack. I cut the butterfly base layer with translucent paper by Recollections (love the way this stuff cuts... much better than most vellum.) and then cut the detailed layer from purple stock from this paper stack. For the center of the butterfly, I used a black marker. When it was put together, I covered the detail layer with stickles and the center with glossy accents.

I used the Ribbons and Rosettes cartridge for the rosette. I cut the shape to the size that it called for in the book. I cut 6 of them. The hash marks that the machine makes when cutting made it so much easier to fold. The next time, I will cut this smaller so that it doesn't stand quite so tall on the card. It's gonna take a 1" thick box for this one. Hee! Hee! I put together the 6 pieces with scrappy glue after it was folded and then clipped it with a large binder clip to dry. Then glued them into a loop and made the rosette. For the bottom label, I cut them at a height of 2.50. I used 3D adhesive to make the border stand out more.

I used a black card base. I also cut a smaller butterfly and added it to the inside. The card and all mats are inked with black ink. Overall, I was very pleased with the way it turned out. I hope you all like it. Thanks so much for visiting today! We would love to know what you think of it too! Be sure to hop over to The Bug Bytes and see all of the wonderful projects that amazing design team have been working on!

Bee Mine - My Craft Spot Valentine Challenge

2012-02-06T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

This is a very quick card I wanted to share with you today for the My Craft Spot Valentine Challenge! I used the Build a Valentine stamp set for the sentiments. Bee Mine is included in the set.

I used Create a Critter for this adorable bumble bee with all layers. The hive is also from this cartridge. I inked everything with a pink ink. On the hive, I used a q-tip with pink ink and kind of scribbled here and there. Then I used glossy accents over where I scribbled and it looks like honey on the hive! Cool, huh? I also used the same q-tips for the blush on the bee. I cut a couple of hearts from this cartridge to add here and there. I also used some adorable bakers twine from the valentine's colors to trail behind the little bee. I must admit, I stole this look from Aymee. Love what she does with twine!!!

I added glitter to the wings on the bumble bee, used a marker to add some eyelashes and then thought... well... it's for Valentine's Day, so I added a little bit of glitter above the eyes. Hee! Hee! Looks like glitter eye shadow.

I kept the inside simple and used the same ink to "Build my Valentine". All of the stamps used on the inside are seperate stamps from the set. Great for the inside of cards!

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's project and I sure hope you jump in on the challenge this week over at My Craft Spot. We would love to hear your thoughts on this card and really appreciate you visiting today!

Unique Shaped Thanks Card...

2012-02-01T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

I have something very different today. This is a card I made just playing around with something new. Audrey, over at Cute and Some sent me this beautiful paper a while back. I had been waiting for the right idea to try it. I sure hope she likes the results.

For the base, I used craft card stock. I used this beautiful Butterfly Paper on both sides. I used a corner/border stamp set from Anna Griffin on craft paper. I stamped it with white ink... which wasn't enough, so I embossed it with detail white embossing powder. I love these lace border stamps. The Thanks is stamped in black on a white shape cut from Fabulous Finds. The tab that it's on is also from this cartridge, but it's a card shape, so I used the Gypsy to contour out the extra cuts. I also added a white scalloped circle behind to finish it off. I had an extra scrap piece of the butterfly paper, so I used a MS punch and punched out some more of the butterflies. I added a bow made with Cranberry Crinkle Ribbon from My Craft Spot and then folded out the wings on the punched butterflies and glued them in place.

This is how the card opens on the front. I used a rounded corner punch on the left bottom and right top edges. I am really getting into this look. Hee! Hee!

I kept the inside pretty simple. I added another lace border to the inside and some cranberry crinkle ribbon.

Overall, I was very pleased with the way that the card turned out. We would love for you to comment and let us know how you like it. We are sure glad you stopped by for a visit today!

You are SEW special to us!!!

2012-01-31T08:00:00.001-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, today, I have something to share with you that is a little new for me. I got all of this great Anna Griffin stuff for Christmas. I am finally getting a bit of time to play with some of it and trying some new things. This is a card I made with some stamps that I hadn't used yet. These are a beautiful vintage sewing stamp set that is available on HSN.

I took some white card stock and stamped several things from the set in black. I then used colored pencils (new for me) and colored them in. I used precision scissors and a craft knife to cut everything out. After the hand cramps stopped, I got back to work assembling everything. To start with, I took several strips of Anna Griffin paper that I had left as scraps. I stuck them down to a piece of scrap card stock in stripes. I then loaded the sewing machine with gold thread and sewed all of the stripes together. I cut out the mats and added the lace. I then cut the scalloped hearts and pillow shapes (CTMH AP) and inked them with a chocolate ink. I couldn't find any stamps that had the sentiment that I wanted, so I wrote it myself. I know... should have printed it on the computer. Lesson learned. Hee! Hee!

I popped everything with 3D adhesive and added the ribbon (My Craft Spot). I added a couple of gems to the pins and some glossy accents to some of the pieces.

I added a few more cut outs on the inside of the card as well. These, again, were stamped in black and then colored in with colored pencils. When it was all said and done, we were just thrilled with the final card. The only problem with this one will be mailing it. Between the mats and all of the layers of paper, it is probably the heaviest card to come out of our craft room, so it will probably cost more to mail than it did to make. Hee! Hee! Oh well... It's worth it. We would just love to hear what ya'll think about this one and we sincerely appreciate your visit today!

My Craft Spot Challenge Week - Valentine

2012-01-30T08:00:00.003-06:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I have a fun one to share with you today. This week's challenge over at My Craft Spot is to make a Valentine. I am really having a blast playing with all of the beautiful Anna Griffin papers I got for Christmas and they work perfectly with the stamps from My Craft Spot. I just wanted to pick some colors that were inspired from these papers. I picked out this beautiful floral which had a pale pink, bright yellow and kind of an old looking green.

The Owl Always Love You is from 3 Birds Straight from the Nest. The stamp shape and pink layer are from CTMH AP. The owl is from Sentimentals. The hearts are from a MS Punch. The banner for the Happy Valentine's Day Stamp is from CTMH AP. I inked everything with a bright pink color. I added some buttons to some lace flowers and tied them with twine from My Craft Spot.

I used some glossy accents on the owl's eyes and the lettering. I added some stickles to the hearts and envelope the owl is holding.

I did use the sewing machine with white thread around the mat edges and on the lace on the front. For the inside, I added a couple of hearts to finish it off. I also used a rounded corner punch on just the bottom left and top right of everything. I hadn't done this before, but really liked the way it looked.

We would love to know what ya'll think of this card today and we sure appreciate you sharing your time with us! Now, be sure to hop over to My Craft Spot to see the rest of the amazing design team projects and get in on this weeks Valentine's challenge! I bet you have something already made to enter with!