Friday, February 18, 2011

Monkey Business

A friend of mine, decorated her kids' bathroom with monkeys.  She requested a sign that said "My Little Monkeys" so this is what I came up with.  I used Make the Cut for the words and the New Arrival cartridge for the monkeys. Hope she likes it. :)


  Here's a picture of the shower curtain from Target that she was coordinating with.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Valentine's Food etc.

For your viewing pleasure...Here are the Valentine's I made for my family.  I used the Cricut cartridge "Simply Charmed."  It was my first time using the cartridge and it was definitely more challenging than most.  It seemed like many layers and keeping track of them all was tricky.  I used Cricut Design Studio to lay out the pieces and to weld the base of the cards.  (The program is good for little else in my opinion.)  Wish I could use Make the Cut to cut out the same things...MTC is so much more user friendly! 





Friday, February 11, 2011

I need some Sunshine!

In the spirit of thinking warm and looking forward to some sun, I made this baby plaque for a friend's new little one.  Because of her Hawaiian middle name which means "Little Fire from Heaven", the tropical flowers seemed like the theme to go with.
I used Make-the-Cut for the flowers, the flip flops (my favorite part!) and the lettering.  Some yellow glitter glue for the ends of the flower stamens, orange polka dot ribbon and chalking helped give some dimension to the project.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Paper Dolls and Wiggle Eyes

My all time favorite cartridges for the Cricut are the Paper Doll Cartridges.
 There are so many accessories that one can use for non doll type projects. But...there is also a plethora of clothing and hair styles that are fun too! I was commissioned to make this project for a friend of a friend for her yearly Women's Only Weekend.  She sent pictures of each lady and descriptions of likes and personalities. Here is what I came up with.









 Did I mention, wiggle eyes are one of my "Favorite Things" too?

Monday, February 7, 2011

Birthday Ensemble

 If one ever wants to add that little something to a card, prisma glitter is a great subtle effect that packs a gentle blingie punch.  I'm not sure you can see it on the photo, but the cake slice (from PC Hugware) is outlined with a 2 Way Glue pen and then sprinkled with glitter.  I keep the glitter in a resealable container so I can dump it directly back in the container.
The inside of this card has a fun pop up cake.  I've made a tutorial in this post showing how to assemble the cake.
  
This cute little cake is made from a flameless tealight. I thought it was a fun addition to the go with the card.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Pansy Card

A staple to my crafting is gingham ribbon.  I love the homey touch it adds to projects.

 Another detail I like to add is sponging with a little splatter.  The warmth it adds as it tempers the starkness of blank areas without being too busy, is nice. The splatter background stamp is a very easy way to add texture.
Here is a card I made for my Grandmother.  I made the Pansy using Make the Cut. The edges of the flower and the white panel are all sponged.  A light splatter finishes the look.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Victorian Hat Card

To continue the "Favorite Things" theme...I absolutely love my Cuttlebug!

My favorite embossing folder is Swiss Dots but coming in close is the Sizzix Twirling Vine and Twizzle set used on the card at the end of the post. 
 Another thing I'd be lost without is solid card stock.  It's so much easier than trying to match patterns!  I am plagued by indecision when it comes to picking out patterned paper. Solids make it so much easier. My favorite is Stampin' Up's brand.

 Here is a card using some of my favorite things.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Happy Birthday to Me *Updated*

In just a couple of days, we'll be celebrating SpareThymeInk.blogspot.com's first birthday!  In celebration I thought I'd share some of my favorite things.  I definitely have preferences of tools for my paper crafting.  Today I'm going to share my ATG Gun.  (ATG=Advanced Tape Glider.)  Originally used in the framing industry Scotch now makes one specifically for paper crafters.  What makes it different you ask?  IT'S PINK! I got mine for my birthday and I love it.  I love the quantity of adhesive it holds.  I love the smooth application. And I love the color.

See?  Isn't it pretty?  I'm thinking I'm going to use a bit of vinyl and personalize it a bit :)

*Updated* Here's the personalized version.

Here is a card I used the ATG Gun to assemble.  A simple reverse image Card.  I actually cut the tractor out and wasn't happy with how that was shaping up and decided I liked the negative better.  Super simple!  I may embellish it a bit, but haven't had any revelation of what it needs, yet.


and the *Updated* version