12 Tags of Christmas

It is that time of year again - Tim Holtz's Christmas tags. I have attempted to complete all of the tags each year. Unfortunately, I tend to quit half way through, for a number of reasons. Mostly, life gets in the way! So far, I have been able to keep up.
Part of the fun for me is to come up with a similar tag, even when I am not using Tim Holtz products. For the above, Day 1 tag, I actually used the Heritage Cricut cartridge to cut out the house and fence.  For the small wreath on the fence, I dyed white Flower Soft with a green dye based re-inker. I used card stock, as opposed to Grunge board. I do have the majority of Distress Inks, and I used a variety of rubber stamps. How many of you are playing along? It is a great way to refresh your Distress Ink skills - and helps you think a bit outside the box (as far as substitutions).

Tuesday"s Tip

I have been using my Cricut quite a bit lately. It seems like it always goes in spurts - I will use it daily for awhile and then not at all. Since I have been completing swaps for Club Scrap's October Retreat, I have been using it almost daily. My cutting mat is starting to lose its stickiness. It is not so bad that I need to replace it, yet. How do you get a little more mileage from your mat? Spray the mat with Re-positional Adhesive spray (available at art and hobby stores). Works like a charm to get a little more mileage from your mat. Always remember to replace the acetate cover to keep dust and hair away.

National Scrapbook Day

Today is National Scrapbooking Day. Many stores have events happening this weekend. I figured it would be a good time to complete a couple more pages of my daughter's theatre album. I kept the layout above very simply using Club Scrap's Extra Extra kit. Red and black seemed like good colors for "Rocky Horror" - with lip brads and a stamped corset image.

For this second layout, I used Club Scrap's Dream in Indigo. The title and die cut images are from the Cricut Heritage cartridge. Again, it was quick and easy!

Spend some time celebrating by creating your own pages!

More Valentine Minis

Couldn't resist trying different sizes of cards and frames! The paper is from Club Scrap Heart to Heart and Cruisin'. The word stamps are from Stampin'Up. All of these open from the top - making it easy to write the name of the giver.

Can you tell I'm enjoying my Cricut?!

Heart to Heart

I am still experimenting with my Cricut. I have been trying to find some fun little holiday treats to send college kids (and to prepare for future classes). I cut the card and the envelope from Club Scrap's Heart to Heart kit using the Wild Card cartridge. The stamps are also from Heart to Heart. The little treat box was cut from the same kit using the Boxes,Bags and Tags cartridge. I stamped hearts in red an the box. It will hold a small plastic bag with candy hearts, M & M's, or a small candy bar. This is a great (as well as quick and easy) valentine treat to hand out in elementary classes. Too bad my kids are in college! (not really!)

Mini Cards

I had the opportunity to buy an original Cricut for $50. This was several months ago. I went back and forth on the decision - after all I have a Big Shot and recently bought a Slice for portable use. I decided to see it in action before making my decision. Well, long story short, for $50 I could not go wrong.

Then, it sat in my room...until recently. I bought a few cartridges to play with - one of which was "Wild Card". I made my son's 21st birthday card with that cartridge - and a matching envelope with liner! The "Happy" tag and "Birthday" are from Hero Arts. All cardstock is Club Scrap. The little bottle is actually the front page. I was pleased - given my first shot!