Birthday Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the blog hop for Anita's birthday!

 

I've made this card for Anita (co-ordinator of Through The Purple Haze Challenge Blog) using some butterfly birthday papers and sentiment I had in my craft stash. I folded some squares of the patterned paper to make butterfly wings and adorned the butterfly with some sequins. I added some glitter glue to make butterfly trails in the background. A nice bright card to break up the weather at this time of year.

The pictures looked really good on my phone but after uploading them (and posting the card in the postbox) they look a bit blury so I do apologise. 

Happy Birthday Anita!

I'm the last stop on the blog hop as the newby at Through The Purple Haze but if you've not had chance to look at the other blogs go to Through The Purple Haze Challenge blog to view the full list.

 http://throughthepurplehazechallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Playtime with My Cricut Mini (Finally!)

So I broke the blade on my Cricut Mini on Christmas evening......and didn't realise but wondered why the Cricut Mini didn't seem to cut as good as I thought it should. I did it due to tiredness and because I used Adorable Scorable Card thinking that was suitable (I did notice the blade get caught on the card at the time but didn't notice any chipped blade).

Yesterday (Thursday) my replacement blades arrived (having ordered them on eBay on Boxing Day so I had spares). The only problem was I thought they were the wrong ones, then had a little hissy fit until my husband told me the green bits were covers covering the blade (he is so helpful when I get stressed due to crafting).

So Friday night.....I'm a 27 year hold I'm sitting in my craft room armed with a Disney Cricut cartridge, with a glass of non-alcoholic shandy in my dressing gown....and WOW does the new blade make a difference! I have guides printed on the wall with the blade depth, pressure and speed for each cutting material so they really helped and I even managed to cut glitter card! The only thing I need to work on though is my sticking down the pieces when I do my Disney characters, or at least Ariel with her mass of red hair.

Here are a few bits I made tonight while playing with my Cricut Mini PROPERLY with an unbroken blade! I used Disney Happily Ever After Cricut Cartridge, and Damask Decor cartridge.

 
Ariel was my first attempt. She cut fine but my sticking abilities were stretched here. Her hair was the problem because it was so big with lots of cuts in and I think it stretched a little with the glue and I just couldn't get it in the right place. I used 'Anitas Tacky Glue' which was too tacky and stuck fast. She looks more Amy Childs that Ariel to me (I think it's the lips). I'll try again but this was my first project with my Cricut.

 This Flounder card was my second project and I was so pleased with it! My glue skills improved (and it helped he didn't have a mass of flowing hair). I used an apeture card I recieved in a bundle when my card was featured in Papercraft Inspirations Magazine.

 The 'THANKS' was cut from glitter card stock I brought in Home Bargains last year. This is my last sheet of it and it cut so lovely I'm going to try and track down some similar as Home Bargains always change their stock.

I played around with my glues and used Tacky PVA, Collall All Purpose, glue pen and glue stick depending on the area needed to cover, and where they were going (I used the glue stick for the base layer of both Ariel and Flounder and then on the first cupcake card below)

The below cards I made using the Damask Decor cartridge. The top one is the cake design and when it cut, it cut so lovely that the 'waste' was perfectly cut too and I didn't want to bin it, but as it was glitter card I knew it wouldn't be any good as a stencil as it would be too rough and shed glitter so I cut it out and used it in the bottom card. The design is a bit hard to see in these photos but in real life its so glittery it does stand out.  The backing papers were free with the current Simply Homemade Magazine (Issue 38).

I just need to add a sentiment and some extra bits to the bottom card though as the background looks a bit bare.

After all that excitement I'm off to bed (after I peal the PVA off my fingers). I will post a review of the Cricut machine once I've played with it some more. I've definately picked up a few things since I've started playing with it....mostly that I won't be rushing to put Adorable Scorable in the Cricut and time soon!

Craft New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year!

This year I'm going to finish the craft projects I've started and not finished. I have the things I need but I've just not got round to doing/finishing them. They include:

Pj trousers - I made one pair for my Dad from the Great British Sewing Bee book and brought enough fabric for a pair for my husband but haven't got round to cutting the material out.

Felt mat - this was from a Tilda book which I brought when I had just got my small purple sewing machine but the sewing machine wasn't suitable for thick materials so I was going to use my Mums machine but I now have a big sewing machine so I can actually make it.

I'm also going to get more organised and sort out cards ahead of time for birthdays. I have a birthday book with pockets for each months cards so I can make then ahead of time and be organised and not have a sudden panic and have to make a card last minute.

This year I'm off to Orlando for my holiday so I must save up to buy crafty stash out there. 

I'm off now to sort out the baking cupboard (and all my Disney Cakes and Sweets bits) then going to play with my Spectrum Noirs.

Happy New Year

Craft Room Revamp

My craft room/study use to be my husbands music room but now he used the second bedroom however my desk still had 2 computer monitors and a sound mixer on so crafting area was limited. The computers weren't used! However....yesterday Lee finally got round to sorting it out so I could set up my Cricut Mini and have room for my sewing machine etc. 

This is it currently but I'm waiting on my Spectrum Noir storage trays which will go where the blue box is (my pens are currently in the black rolls on top of the white drawers) and I'm also going to get a shelf just under where the two pieces of white paper are on the wall (they're my cricut mini guidance sheets)

I just got back from Hobbycraft (popped in after work) and managed to buy more Spectrum Noir pens (original style) for £3.50 for a pack of 6! So I now have all my core pens plus two of the larger packs meaning I now have 120 pens! Just the last two big packs left to get (birthday list!)

I'm off now to put all my Hobbycraft goodies away then start on dinner. 

Welcome home Cricut Mini!

I had such a lovely Christmas Day. The homemade crackers were brilliant as everyone got useable gifts not things that ended up in the bin. The crackers also cracked perfectly! My Dad did the jokes inside each cracker so it was nice not to have the same jokes you have each year and they were suited to each person. 

Inside all the crackers I filled (ie all but mine) I put a Molton Brown minature plus a handmade item. Mum had a keyring with their dog on, Dad got cufflinks with one of his pictures he had taken of a cat woman statue, Lee got cufflinks with his tattoo design on (treble clef and heartbeat) and my sister got earrings I'd made. In my cracker my Mum put a Revlon nail art nail varnish duo.

Also I recieved a Cricut Mini from my parents! I've wanted one for ages but haven't had the room and felt they were too expensive to justify buying one or someone buying one for me but you have to love Amazon Black Friday. I did know I was getting it so purchased a few cartridges I wanted if I could find them at a good price on eBay including Disney Dreams Come True and I made this quickly when I got home on Christmas Day before bed (we were up by 5.45am, at Mother-in-laws by 7.30, then at my parents by 12, home at 8.30pm)

If it doesn't move, it gets personalised with vinyl!

I think I may have a dodgy cricut blade as the cuts aren't that crisp but I have been playing with some vinyl and personalised my hard plastic beaker using Cricut Disney - Mickey Font

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas and get lots of crafty goodies! I know one present in getting tomorrow and sooooio excited!