Circle Box Swap ...Yipee !

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was in a Cricut Circle Box Swap. We each had a secret partner who make a box for each other and filled it with goodies.  Well today is the day we got to open the box from our Secret Partner.

My partner was CouponLover aka Jen.  The box she made for me was so PERFECT FOR ME.

 I just love all the little touches she added to personalize it for me.

Here is a view of the lid. She even made the Circle

image look like my own avatar !

She even decorated the inside of the lid. so cute !

And inside the box...ALL these GOODIES!

I love each of the embellishments , papers and

more importantly the Picket Fence Distress Marker 

that I have been searching for !!!

And on top of all those goodies, she even

handmade me a little box with custom brads !

CouponLover...you did fantastic ! Thank you from the bottom of my heart !!

Fun Times !

Last night I went down to Galveston to meet up with some Circlets that were going on the Cricut Cruise leaving today.  We had a fun time at a pre-cruise dinner that Mary Cork arranged for us at the Salt Grass Steakhouse on the seawall. I wasn't able to go on the cruise cause I needed to stay in town for the arrival of the new grand daughter, but I didn't want to pass up the chance to meet some Circlets coming so close to me :)

There were 32 of us that attended, many circlets from around the country, a few tag alongs and Dan and others from Provo Craft too.

Mary even had door prizes she brought for us...isn't that sweet ! Here is Mary ready to draw another winner and a happy winner next to her, Karen aka KarenDKrafter.

  We thought it was funny that Karen and her friend Cammie, aka Cre8ncam,won the exact same prize !

I even won a prize...a Cricut Cake apron. I think it is adorable something Cricut I didn't already own !

Here I am with one of the Circlets, if I remember correctly her name was Mary.

We even had fun exchanging some Circle Calling cards...

This is Karen's cruise calling card and the adorable twine ship holder too !

Cammie made this really cute layered butterfly calling card.

And Margie Hunter, aka bleeding cricut green, made this fantastic

Cricut on a pink moped calling card that was also a magnet.

And to top off our dinner, Mary had made these adorable Cricut cupcakes.  They were not only delicious but cute too !! 

I had so much fun....sorry I couldn't sail with them all today on the cruise.  Will try and plan to go on the cruise next year if there is one.  Okay, back to reality...laundry, grocery shopping and scrapping !

Happy Sunday to you all !  And Happy Cruising for those on the cruise.

USE YOUR STASH CHALLENGE - LOVE Layout

Still doing the USE YOUR STASH CHALLENGE on the Circle messageboard.  Here is a layout I made using some old paper scraps I had laying around and doily stamps from My Minds Eye I have been wanting to use. I hand cut the heart shapes out of the scrap paper and inked them up some.

I also used a LOVE die cut from the new Victorian Romance cartridge that I actually made

 for a Valentines Day project but was too large...it worked perfectly on the layout instead :)

I just distress inked over it to get the color I wanted.

So what have you created lately ? 

2012 Organize your Stash Challenge-Stamps & Inks

Another wonderful thing that comes from being a member of the Cricut Circle is the way all the members support each other on the message board.  From inspiring us with their creativity, providing a needed shoulder to cry on when tragedy strikes to helping us celebrate achievements, this group of crafters really are a big part of my online family.

Now some of that support is a "wee bit bad" since they "enable" you by posting deals on scrap supplies they found.  But then, that is balanced by also helping us figure out how to store those items in our craft room !

For 2012, we have an Organize Your Stash Challenge going.  Each week the host post an area we need to organize.  This week we are organizing our Stamps.  I mostly had a system going but needed to straighten this area out and re-org how I was sorting them and all my inks.

This is my stamping station.  My DH added a larger shelf

to some existing builtin bookcases in my craft room so I

had more room to stamp.  Yeah !

I store all my stamps in CD cases.  They are sorted and labeled

by theme and type.  This works out great for me to easily

find what I am looking for when I need a certain stamp.

This is what they look like in their CD case.

As you can see, you can get quite a few in here.

I have a small wire basket

(it's  cute & pink...I bought it at Target last year)

and I keep all my "new, need to be stored" stamps

in here until I get around to using them and putting in

a CD case.  I even have some scrap white cardstock

tucked in the front to use when I need test a stamp.

My inks are stored with my stamps.

I found this wooded shelf set out for

trash in my neighborhood and re-purposed it

to hold some of my inks.

Starting at bottom: embossing inks and large acyrlic blocks

2nd shelf: stazon, waterproof inks and small acrylic blocks

3rd shelf: permanent inks & 7 Gypsy stamper

top shelf: Paper Towels, wet wipes

On the side wall , I hung my roller. And tucked in

between wall and shelf is Ranger Dry Foam and Felt Sheets.

I even have some 12X12 chipboard sheets covered in plastic to use

for portable stamping, painting, glittering when I need to set aside to dry. 

My Distress and Chalk inks are stored temporarily in

some photo boxes...it ain't pretty I know, but

DH is gonna make me two little shelves across that

whole area for me to keep these most used items on

above the stamp cases.   And my markers are stored here

as well in a folding pen holder I turned on it's side.

And my latest addition to this area

is my awesome 4 tiered revolving tray

where I have my mists, daubers, ink daubers,

blending tools, alcohol inks, ink refills, etc.

I LOVE this !  And I saw one on Pinterest and

hunted it down.  For only $20 I can hardly

believe how much this stores !!!!!!

I keep my Cats Eye inks, Stickles and Ranger Pearls and Paint on a shelf next to my inking station.

My Cats Eyes are stored in this Plano box and sorted by color family.

I do keep some basic colors like Chestnut Roan and Black in my tool bag.

My Stickles, and Dimensional Pearls I keep in this

taller Plano box.

I store this box upside down on my shelf so the Stickles

stays to the top and does not dry out. 

Again, I keep one of the white glittery ones like Crystal

or Star Dust in my tool bag for easy access.

My Perfect Pearls. Perfect Medium and assorted brushes are kept in the clear plastic shoe box.

Well, I hope this inspires you to get your stamping area set up.  It's nice to have everything handy

and a specific place to stamp.



Use Your Stash Challenge ...oh yeah !

I have decided to particpate in a USE YOUR STASH challenge on the Cricut Circle Message Board.  Basically, you are challenged to only use up things you already own and not purchase more supplies to complete projects. The challenge is January 1 through March 31st.   Now of course, there are few exceptions such as getting more adhesive,etc. so you can keep working along in the challenge.  You also get to have 1 FREE PASS to purchase something during the three month period if you have a special circumstance such as a scrapbook convention or a special buy you can't resist but you do have to post what that is and justify it to the group.

After looking around at the piles and piles of stuff in my craft room that has gone unloved lately, I thought this was a great way to encourage me to use what I have and enjoy some fun while at it.

So, for USE YOUR STASH #1 I found two Basic Grey card kits I had in my stash and tackled those.  I am nursing a bad cold and just didn't feel inspired to create from scratch but wanted to get something done this week.  The card kits went together quickly and it was encouraging to see my stash pile go down into something that would be used. 

16 cards for birthdays and other events too.  I plan on adding a

stamped sentiment to the inside as I select each card to send out.

and from the scraps leftovers, I made 5 more birthday cards !

yeah, no scraps leftover and now I have 22 cards to send !!!!! 

Okay, who needs a card?  I have some ready for the mail ! 

Introducing Lady Cricut

I have a new scrapbook buddy...Lady Cricut.  She has a slight British accent and comes from a Royal Cricut Bloodline...or so she says.  She has decided to take up residence in my scraproom and appearantly decided to steal my crown for her very own.  We are going to have a talk about that...

Lady Cricut reigns over her scrapbook domain.

Lady Cricut is wearing her ever so fashionable Scrapbook apron. 

She is a great example to us all since she keeps her camera ready for picture taking

so she doesn't miss capturing those specials moments to treasure and share with others in her scrapbooks.

I have a feeling Lady Cricut is here to stay and will want to tag along on all my own scrapbook adventures

so don't be surprised if you see me with her at my next scrapbook event.

                                           

Cricut Circle Blogiversary - Cuttlebug Challenge

I am entering another one of the Cricut Circle Blogiversary challenges...this time featuring the Cuttlebug and any two Cricut image cuts.  The prize is a Yudu Cardshop which is a mini version of the Yudu silkscreening machine and great for making cards and smaller projects.  My fingers and toes are crossed that my entry gets picked.  

I am really getting excited about Halloween this year and decided for this challenge I wanted to make a Halloween Layout page.  Cricut has several Halloween images and cartridges that I love so the decision on what to use was hard but I finally came up with a few fun images to use.

Here is the layout

I had so much fun making this layout from my stash of supplies. 

Since I first saw this silly looking Spider with the long legs from the Stretch Your Imaginations cartridge, I have wanted to use him on a project but hadn't gotten around to it until today.  I cut him out of black cardstock and then  used Ranger Paint Dauber in yellow to color his legs.  I used a black sharpie and added some stripes to make his long legs a little more comical.  Next I used a small dot Cuttlebug embossing folder to add some fun bumps to his body and highlighted a few of his bumps with green Stickles and some orange Stickles to his hat. He was just screaming that he needed googlie eyes so he got those too!  

Next I made a mat using my Cuttlebug and a Halloween embossing folder on some orange Coordinations cardstock which I then sanded to expose all the fun embossed images.  I love to do that with my Cuttlebug folders!

For the lettering I used the awesome Happy Hauntings cartridge for the "Spooky" title and the EEK! on the layout.  I also used Accent Essentials cartridge to create the circle backgrounds for the punched out pattern paper pieces that I used to make embellishments. I added a few Dress Up Buttons Halloween pieces for a final touch.  Love how this turned out.  And now I have one layout ready for some Trick or Treating photos this year!   
Good luck to everyone who enters the contest !

Cricut Circle Blogiversary - Sketch Challenge

One of the perks of being a Cricut Circle member is that we get to participate in craft challenges using our Cricut products for a chance to win awesome prizes.  The Circle is celebrating the Blog Anniversary with an even more spectacular giveaway.  I have decided to participate in a few of them and will be posting pics of my Challenge Entries to share with all of you too.

First up is my entry for a chance to win an Cricut Imagine (it's the only Cricut machine I don't already own) she says sheepishly. 

We are supposed to use this sketch they provided and create any project of our choice using at least two different Cricut cuts from any cartridge we prefer. 

Here is my entry based on the sketch

The Cricut cuts used on this card are all from the new Creative Memories Art Philsophy cartridge including the card base.  And I also used my new Snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder too.  As you can see, I added some Crystal Stickles to add that special touch to the die cut snowflakes and the embossed piece.  The card is gorgous in person but the shiny paper I choose was a little hard to photograph to get the luscious colors to show better. 

Good luck to all others who enter the contest too!

What an honor !

My "Splish Splash" Layout was chosen as

on the Cricut Circle Blog today !

Thanks PC for picking the layout. I love it too! \

P.S. Our resident silly 8 year old was thrilled to see herself on the blog today ! That kid is such a ham :)  

See Why They Call Me ScrapHappyDeb

Ever wonder why my MB name is "ScrapHappyDeb"?
My DH took this picture tonight of me in my scraproom tonight for a contest on the Cricut Circle Blog that requires we submit a picture of ourselves in our scrap rooms. 

We decided to ham it up a bit...I am wearing my "signature crown",

surrounded by some of my Cricut machines including my new E2 while

reading my inaugural copy of the Cricut Magazine.

Sadly my Cake Machine, YUDU and V1 didn't make it into the picture. 

Now all I need is the IMAGINE

so I can have a complete and happy Cricut Machine family !

I have decked out my adorable Cricut Plushie in his own Scrap Apron courtesy of Build A Bear!

He loves being right un the lovely Circle Scarf serving dual duty as wall decor. 

Since we are here, why don't I give you a little tour of the place that makes me so happy.

When you walk into the room, my scrap space is just to your left.

I use an old oak dining room table that seats 8 for my scrap table.

It's perfect for having friends over to scrap or

when I want to really really spread out myself !

In this picture you can see my inspiration station with projects and magazines,

my cutting station with Cricut and Cuttlebug stuff, cricut cart storage and ribbon storage.

If you scan around to the right, you will see my Stamp Station,

my Paper Station and My Small Embellishment Stations.

Here's a few close up shots and explanations method to my madness...

I store all my patterned paper sorted by manufacturer and kits

in 12X12 plastic sleeves in assorted baskets.

This makes it so easy to find just what I want.

I keep all my most current scrap buys in a 12X12 rolling hanging file bin under the scrap table.

All my small embellies I store in jars on this shelf.

Buttons, brads, fabric brads, metal tags, decorative pins, etc.

And hanging on hooks form the bottom is my extensive

Flower collection sorted by color in hanging bags on binder rings.

Here is how I store my large ribbon collection.

As you can see, I have sorted my ribbon by color, type or theme by attaching

each piece on a safety pin hung on a large binder ring. 

Each large binder ring of ribbon is then suspended from a smaller ring on the rod.

The rod is just threaded through the shelf brackets above.

This system works great for me...I just unhook the large binder ring from the smaller ring

of the colors I want to try with my project, snip off what I want and then hang

back up on the smaller ring.  This system cost me about $5 total.

Here is my stamping station. All my inks, glimmer mist, 

Paint Daubers, Acrylic Paints and stamps are stored here.

I have a nice hard wood shelf that DH extended for me so

I have plenty of room to stamp and clean up here too.

Most of my stamps are acrylic so I store in CD cases.

Here is how I store all my many Cricut Cartridges.

These are large size Snapware containers with two tiers each.

   I just expanded into my third Snapware container system for my Cricut Cartridges. 

I love this system but I changed it up a bit from other's I have seen posted. 

The top tier holds the booklets divided by alpha.

I have plenty of room to add more to this A-F Set.

For now, I am storing my E2 & Imagine carts separately

from my regular Cricut Carts.

On the bottom tier, I have placed 4 drawer dividers I bought at the $ store.

I used plastic needlepoint canvas to make a few dividers I slid between slots.

This gives me room to put 5 carts in each section and they don't fall over

when I take them out of their spot and makes it easier to replace them.

As you can see I have about 34 carts in this bin so far and

room to expand to up to 60 if needed.

On the tall shelf, starting at the top:

 1) my extra trimmers and MS Scoring board and misc blank albums

2) Stacked boxes to hold my bling, all my Thickers in big box

3) Small Sterlite bins hold my journaling cards and epherma, twine,

 doilies, gaffer tape, etc. I have my heat gun and ribbon iron on top.

4) Small Sterlite bins hold envelops, tags, bingo cards. 

Large bins hold Rub Ons, Large Bling sheets,

 Metals, Stickers, Mini Alpha Sheets 

Rest of that shelf unit

5) All my cardstock, sorted by type and color

6) Specific Scrap Items sorted by Holidays in 12X12 Bins

  And last but not least is our BIG SCREEN TV...woohooo....I can scrap and watch chick flicks too !!!

I do share this very large bonus room with my DH. His geneology area is on the right of the room when you walk in but it is just a big desk with a wall of shelves with boxes and boxes and boxes of Geneology stuff in them so not really worth showing you.

Now do you can see why I am "ScrapHappyDeb", right? LOL  I love all my yummy scrap stuff and spend
most of my free time in this room creating.  Hope something you see in my room inspires you !