Splatter Birthday Canvas by Amie!

Amie, my 9 year old, has become quite the little crafter! She attended a birthday party this weekend and wanted to add a homemade gift to the gift she purchased for her friend, and this is what she came up with!

She started off with a blank canvas and some Dylusions Ink Sprays. She created the splatter effect by taking the nozzle out of the bottle and tapping until she achieved the desired amount of splat!

How fun are these bright dots of colour?! She then Mod Podged on a diecut initial cut from some ombré cardstock and a cute little grasshopper cut from the Cricut Explore, since her friend loves grasshoppers.

She added the fun Spring Blooms Sequins from Spiegelmom Scraps to add some shine!

Here she is proudly displaying her project with her sister, Erica. I just love that they love being crafty! And her friend loved her gift!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a lovely week!

FCCB #284 - Back To School!

 Happy Monday and welcome to another Monday challenge!

Challenge #284-Back to School
Make a project with a school theme.

This Weeks Sponsor

$10.00 Gift Certificate

And we are giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate, courtesy of FCCB Design Team! 

To qualify for the prize, be sure to use at least 1 Cricut cut on your project and if it's not obvious, let us know what cartridge you used. If you use a Cricut Explore machine, at least one cut must be from the Cricut catalog of images.

If it isn't a card, you will get two entries into the drawing!

I can't believe our summer vacation is coming to an end! We really have enjoyed a great 2 month break though, and in some respects it will be nice to get back into the swing of things, but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for early mornings yet! I did want to get caught up on making lunch notes for my daughter, though, and this was the perfect opportunity to do that!

I started off by setting up 3x3" squares in Cricut Design Space and adding a square border from the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge. I changed the border to the Write feature and used different pens to add borders to my lunch box notes. Next, I chose images from the CTMH Artistry cartridge and sized them to fit inside my cards, leaving room to stamp with cute sayings from Pretty Cute Stamps. I added some coordinating Distress Ink around the edges.

The mustache sentiment is from Best Dad Evah, and the tea sentiment is from Tea-rrific.

The fox sentiment and tiny hearts are from Forest Friends, and the whale sentiment is from Sea Life Sentiments.

This cute pumpkin sentiment and sweet face is from Little Pumpkins, and I added these fun Spring Blooms sequins that I'm absolutely in LOVE with from SpiegelMom Scraps!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and be sure to head over to the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog to check out all the other awesome Back To School themed projects! We'd love to see what you're up to as well! 

Linked to:

SSS Monday Challenge - It's Hip To Be Square

Scrappy Cat and My Local Scrapbook Store!

I am so lucky to have a scrapbook store, Scrapendipity, very close to me, and even luckier to know the wonderful ladies who are part of that store! I go there weekly for a make 'n take card and a visit as well as go to usually a class a month. Over the summer my girls have enjoyed going there as well and are always spoiled by everyone there!

Back when we used to get together at the owner, Selena's, house, everyone used to get some snuggles in with her cats. Of course, once the store opened she couldn't bring her cats, but she did get a really cute stuffed cat that the girls, especially, love! Well, this cute, fuzzy kitty needed a name, and the girls thought Scrappy Cat would suit her (or him), so we promised to make Selena a cute sign. Amie helped design it and the girls both picked out the colours to match the signature store colours. 

We opened up Cricut Design Space and used the long frame from the Stamp Frame Cutting Files along with the Winter Cat - both from Pretty Paper Pretty Ribbons, along with one of the Signature Cricut Fonts and a Cricut Flower.

Even though this cute cat comes with a hat and scarf, you can choose to cut her without it! I love that you can do it separately. We used part of the scarf for the collar and duplicated the large flower, making it really tiny to fit on the collar. I used some Distress Ink around the edges before layering her together.

Here are the PPPR cut files we used:

Stamp Frame Cutting Files

 Winter Cat

Amie saw this Hello Kitty ribbon and thought it would make the perfect collar for Scrappy Cat. She added a pink flower with some Stickles in the center. 'Cause a cat's gotta have some bling!

The girls pose beside Scrappy Cat with the new sign decorating her bed.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you want to check out the Scrapendipity Online Store click here, and if you're anywhere near Calgary, Alberta, we'd all love it if you stopped by for a little shopping, a class, or just to say hi to Scrappy Cat! - 208 3400 14th St NW Northmount Plaza (facing Chelsea St) Calgary, Alberta.

Linked to:
PPPR Linky Party - AG using PPPR cut files
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Go For The Border (frame)

Using Digital Stamps on a Digital Project Life Page!

I love using my Project Life app on my iPad, and it was so easy to incorporate the cute digital stamp files from Pretty Cute Stamps onto my page, that I just had to share!

I first opened my saved digital page in the PicMonkey program and then choose to embellish with the PNG versions of the digital stamps I wanted to use by choosing to add an overlay by clicking on the butterfly icon. This allowed me to layer on the PCS Digital Stamps to create a scene. I adjusted the opacity of some of the stamps so they were lighter, like the sand dollars on the card background on the top left and the seashell which looks like it's inside the jar on the bottom right!

I love the way I can change the colour of the stamps and even turn them to fit just the way I want on my page. The Splish Splash card reminds me of hand stitching. You could easily embellish single cards this way and print them with your photos to put in a physical album as well!

Here's a look at the page when I first created it in the PL app, with the journaling cards I chose. I typed my journaling on one of the cards and left the others blank so I could embellish with PCS digital stamps.

Here's a look at the stamp sets I used. The sentiments are so awesome! 

Life's A Beach

Wave Borders

Beach Babes

Beach Bums

Thanks so much for joining me today! Don't forget to check out our current challenge - Let's Celebrate, at the Pretty Cute Stamps blog, and be sure to head over to the PCS Store to see all the awesome stamp goodies!

Pretty Cute Stamps August Challenge - Let's Celebrate!

I just love the challenges each month on the Pretty Cute Stamps blog! It gives us a chance to see all the amazing creations that you wonderful crafty peeps make with the awesome stamps from Pretty Cute Stamps! This month our challenge is "Let's Celebrate"! If you saw the New Releases that just came out last week you know you have a ton of options, along with all the previously released sets!

For my project I decided to use the Otterly Amazing clear stamp set in my collection, but of course I had to add in some of the adorable new digi stamps from this month's new releases! I used the balloon from the Birthday Monkey set, and the fun thing about the digital stamps are that you can make them shorter, taller, wider when you print them - so I was easily able to make these 3 different shaped balloons! I coloured them with Prismacolor Markers and fussy cut them out and then added some hemp twine for the strings and tied them onto my little otter's tail!

I watercoloured this cute little otter using Prima Watercolor Pencils (love them!) and stamped the cute cupcake, included in the Otter set onto a watercoloured background before adding a Stickle cherry on top! The sweet sequins from SpiegelMom Scraps decorate my balloons and the watery background.

I was playing around with some alcohol inks and the Snow Cap white mixative and you can see the backgrounds I created with different cardstocks/tag papers. I ended up using the one on the right, which was done on glossy white cardstock. I cut it to fit inside the Simple Stories chipboard frame and heat embossed the tiny seashells included in the Otterly Amazing stamp set

Inside, I used a sentiment from the Hey Cupcake digital stamp set, along with the gift box from the Birthday Puppy digital stamp set (I love being able to size these digi stamps!!). I tucked a couple seashells from the Otterly Amazing set into the box - because if I was an otter, I would totally want seashells for my birthday! and then added some more wonderful sequins. These tiny stars are too cute!

I stamped two sentiments from the Otterly Amazing stamp set directly onto the chipboard frame with Archival black ink, which dries nicely on the slick surface. This wonderful StarShine paper from Shimelle was just perfect to layer on all my birthday fun. I added the striped border strip along the bottom from one of the 12x12 pages.  I'm sure whoever gets this card will be ready to celebrate!

Here's a look at the sets I used to create my card:

 Otterly Amazing 

Birthday Monkey

Hey Cupcake

Birthday Puppy 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure to head over to the Pretty Cute Stamps blog to see what all the other designers have come up with for this challenge - and enter your own project here to have a chance to win a Gift Certificate to Pretty Cute Stamps!

Also, don't forget there is an amazing sale going on right now until August 21st! Get these clear stamps before they're gone!!

Linked to:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make For The Border (paper border strip along card bottom)

SALE at Pretty Cute Stamps!

This awesome SALE is just too good not to share!!

http://prettycutestamps.com/

and don't forget to check out the Super Duper August New Release digital stamps while you're there!

Have a wonderful day!

FCCB #283 - Vacations!

 Happy Monday and welcome to another Monday challenge!

Challenge #283-Vacations
Create a project that features what a vacation is to you!

This Weeks Sponsor

Bugaboo Stamps

The prize is 7 digital stamps!

And we are giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate, courtesy of FCCB Design Team! 

To qualify for the prize, be sure to use at least 1 Cricut cut on your project and if it's not obvious, let us know what cartridge you used. If you use a Cricut Explore machine, at least one cut must be from the Cricut catalog of images.

For my project this week I've created a scrapbook layout, based on Sketch #7 from the Ready Sketch Go online class, of one of our summer vacations a few years ago! I love the rainbow colours in this floatie my daughter is laying on, so I just decided to go wild and make this a fun, colourful layout! The Simple Stories cut apart papers worked great on this page, and some pretty sequins from the Spiegelmom Scraps store decorate the page.

I coloured this fun sunshine tab cut with Primacolor Markers and then traced some of the Simple Stories paper onto the tab base and cut around it. I added another fun sequin, and edged the cloud cuts with Distress Ink before layering them on. You can find the link to these free cut files, along with the wave cuts at the bottom of the post.

This cute camera, from the Cricut CTMH Artistry cartridge, is popped up on a foam dot on top of my Simple Stories journaling card. I find using a ruler and pencil to mark straight lines on my card and then erasing after allows me to make sure I'm writing straight.

I backed the Away We Go diecut from the Artistry cartridge with more of the green dotted paper that I used for the cute seahorse and for the inside of the Summer title cut - both linked below. I cut the Vacation title from a Miss Kate Cuttable file and layered it partly on top of my photo.

I coloured this adorable Poppi Penguin digi stamp from Bugaboo Stamps with Prismacolor and Hobby Colour Markers and then used a sponge to blend Distress Inks around the edge before placing it behind this Polaroid cut file from the Artistry cartridge.

Erica wanted to help, so she had to hold up the layout!

To grab your free cut file for the waves, Summer title and sun tab go to Spiegelmom Scraps Blog here, and to grab the free cut file for the seahorse and clouds go to Spiegelmom Scraps Blog here.

Linked to:
Spiegelmom Scraps - Summer cut file layout
Lasting Memories Scrapbook Challenge - Use the colours of the rainbow
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Let's Go Wild (with colours!)
Cut It Up Challenge blog - #102 Summertime Memories
Emerald Creek Dares - summer activities

http://blog.emeraldcreek.org/2016/07/get-outside-and-play-this-summer.html

Pretty Cute Stamps August New Release Blog Hop!

Thanks so much for joining us for the August 2016 Digital Stamp Release Blog Hop, where we are all sharing projects featuring the new digital stamps this month that are now available in the Pretty Cute Stamps Store!

If you came from Larissa's Blog - Muffins and Lace, you are in the right place. If you just stumbled across this post and would like to start from the beginning, please visit the Pretty Cute Stamps Blog. 

For my project for the hop, I've used the Little Sweetie stamp set to create a cover for my Dylusions Art Journal! I've wanted to decorate the cover for my art journal for a very long time, but just couldn't decide on what I wanted. When I saw this adorable cupcake girl image, I knew it was perfect!

I first layered some pretty papers from the Pink Paislee Fancy Free collection and Mod Podged them onto my journal. Then I gessoed the remaining spots on the background, which added a white painted layer. After printing my Little Sweetie out onto white cardstock, I printed her again onto the patterned paper I wanted for her hair and dress. I cut out the 'sweet' sentiment and added it to a Fancy Free circle and tore around the printed Cherry On Top sentiment. How cute is this sentiment?!!

I've been having so much fun taking the Online Card Class Creative Chemistry 103 and learning some new techniques using my Distress Crayons, so I definitely wanted to incorporate them on my Art Journal! I used several different stencils to apply texture paste to my background. After the paste dried I added a layer of Collage Medium by Tim Holtz and when that dried the inky fun started!

I lightly rubbed the Distress Crayons onto my textured background and smudged it around with my finger. I love the way it blends with the other colours and highlights the stenciled areas!

I added Stickles to the cherry and Little Sweetie's lips, earrings and jewelry - because a girl's gotta have bling!

I used Prismacolor and Hobby Colour Markers, which are alcohol based, to colour in all the areas that I didn't paper piece, and then used the markers to highlight my paper piecing.

Here's a look at this super sweet stamp!

Little Sweetie

Blog Candy!! There is a $15 Gift Certificate to the PCS Store available to win! All you need to do is:

1) Comment on each of the blogs. 

2) For extra chances to win you can LIKE Pretty Cute Stamps on Facebook and/or sign up for the Pretty Cute Stamps mailing list. (Leave an extra comment for each on the Pretty Cute Stamps blog as your entry)

A random winner will be chosen on Tuesday, August 16, 2016.

Be sure to check the Pretty Cute Stamps Store to pick up your favorite sets!

 August 2016 New Releases

There is also a FREEBIE digital stamp available for you today at the Pretty Cute Stamps blog!

Wonky Cake

Now, you can head over to the next stop on the hop- Tasha's Blog - Crafty Pink Pixie!

If you get lost along the way, here's the lineup!

Lisa: http://prettycutestampsblog.blogspot.com/

Gloria: http://gloriasgoofycraftspot.blogspot.com/

Shannon: http://designsofapaddymack.typepad.com/

Henriette: http://hmier.blogspot.com/

Lena: https://pysselokaffe.blogspot.com/

Carolyn: http://2freespirit.blogspot.com/

Noe: http://elscrapdecrisynoe.blogspot.com/

Larissa: http://muffinsandlace.com/

Karla: http://creative-love-affair.blogspot.ca/ You Are Here!

Tasha: http://www.craftypinkpixie.com/

Amber: http://sew-ink.blogspot.com/

Kel: http://www.scrap-photograffs.com/

Thanks so much for joining me today! Don't forget to leave your comment for a chance to win :)

Linked to:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Let's Go Wild (I went wild with Distress Crayons!)