Circle Mania Atlanta 2012

I just got back from a fabulous weekend event called Circle Mania held in Atlanta, Georgia with some of my Cricut crafty peeps !  The event was hosted by Paulette aka Scrapalette.  Kudos to her..she did a fabulous job with the entire weekend from arrival to departure with lots of crafting, inspiration, eating, and laughing squished in between !   The hotel was great and very accommodating for our group of 50 crazy crafters. 

Here are some photos to share from the event.  I will post a few more in another post after I unpack.

Our hostess, Scrapalette (Paulette) showing us the

aweseome photo prop that Gina made for us to use.

 

Goodies from our welcome bag and what greeted on on our table when we arrived for the event...

so much fun stuff !

There was even a folder with helpful info...like best places to shop in Atlanta

& an agenda for the weekend too ! 

Just a few of the awesome calling cards we exchanged with other Circlets

 And Granny Anne made us these adorable table tent cards.

She even made me a sparklie crown for mine !  Thanks Granny Anne.

Lots of greeting and talking going on all weekend !

Here is Nadia (in red facing camera), Rockin Renee (in stripped shirt),

Gina (back of her with long hair), not sure who is in the black shirt..sorry.

And even some crafting went on too !

That's Linda aka Tulip Collector and Cassandra working

on a project.  And all the others mingling around.

 

And Friday Night we did some Tim Tam Slamming,

courtesy of Narelle from Australia.

Tim Tams are a delicious cookie with a wafer cookies sandwiched between

some delicious chocolate cream and then coated in more yummy chocolate.

I hear there are other flavors, but frankly why bother !  LOL

 

Here is Tracey trying her hand at Tim Tam Slamming.

You take the Tim Tam cookie and bite off opposite corners of the cookie.

Then you take a cup of hot beverage...hot chocolate or coffee then

dip one corner of the cookie in it and suck through the other end.

The results are the hot beverage melts the filling and gets all creamy and then

 you pop the entire thing in your mouth.  It super, super DELICIOUS !!

 

In fact, it had me declaring I should open a Tim Tam Slamming bar...

I think it could be the next big food craze instead of cupcakes!

Speaking of Cupcakes...Sis o Snap bought us all cupcakes from

Julie's Cupcakes (I heard she won the Cupcakes Wars show on Food Channel).

They were delicious !!!

 

And it was my roomies birthday so of course we all sang happy birthday to

Maria aka Marcjo as she blew out the candles on her birthday cake !

Circle Greetings  (from left to right)...Debbie (me aka ScrapHappyDeb),

Maria (Marjco) and Donna (DonnaGravel)

 We LOVED this Polaroid photo prop for us to capture our Kodak moment.

 

I will post more photos tomorrow of some of the make n takes, and items we received from each other so check back then.  I really really need to go rest now !!!!!! 

 

Check our new Cricut FANatics Blog

Hi All...I started up a new blog with several other Cricut lovers and it's called Cricut FANatics.  Today is the grand opening of that blog.  We have about 45 designers who will be posting Cricut projects exclusively on the blog for all to enjoy. You get to see new projects by a designer each day of the month.  Isn't that fun !

Here is the layout I posted on there today....you can see more details on the Cricut FANatics blog.

 

MEET ANGELINA ...an adorable Movable Monster

There is a new Cricut Craft Room Exclusive Digital Cart called "Movable Monsters".
 As you can imagine after taking one look at these Halloween images, I was more than willing to "test drive" the Movable Monsters and create one for you all to see. There are several monsters to choose from: Skeleton, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Witch, Cat, Scarecrow, Dracula and a Zombie.

All the monsters are made in pieces so you can add brads to make their body parts movable which is so fun. Unfortunately, the digital cart doesn't have any instructions so putting this together was a bit of trial and error but I think it turned out okay. You can cut the images at any size but I choose to make my monster a total of 4 ft tall.

So... INTRODUCING ANGELINA - She was created as a DATE for Skeleton Brad who was made by another Cricut Circle member.  

Hanging about 4 feet tall, she was cut at 12" for each section of her

skeleton body out of white poster board. I outlined her bones with a

Spectrum Noir EB1 Alcohol marker to add a little more dimension.

The bone shapes were attached to each other by using white brads.

To make her a little more Girly, I used pink glitter paper for her "insides" and accessories.

And of course, I had to bling her up a little bit too with some rhinestones since she was

going on a DATE ! Her crown and heart were made using Create A Critter.

Her purse was cut from Forever Young at 4" and highlighted with

Spectrum Noir BP6 Pink marker.

And her fab-u-lous Shoes were also cut

from Forever Young at 6". I added a little fluff to the toe

and again highlighted with Spectrum Noir BP6 marker.

And since no girl would go on a date with out getting their nails done,

I did her nails with Spectrum Noir BP6 marker.

Plus added a bracelet with some rhinestone mesh cut to fit her wrist.

Well, Angelina is ready for her date with Skeleton Brad, I hope he shows up or she

will be crushed after all the trouble she went to get dressed up for him :)

CRICUT INFO & SUPPLIES USED:

Designed by: Debbie O'Neal

Cricut Machine Used: E2

Cricut Cartridges Used: Movable Monsters Digital, Create A Critter, Forever Young

Other Supplies Used: White poster board, pink glitter cardstock, Spectrum Noir Markers,

Rhinestones, Brads, Googly Eyes, Feather Boa, Adhesives

Tip: To super-size the monster, I used the 12X24 Cricut mat and cut the posterboard to fit the mat since I didn't have any of the 12X24 paper pads on hand. I bought the poster board at a local craft store. I recommend you use either a Gypsy or Cricut Craft Room to help you fit the most images on the mat to save cutting time. To maximize your space, you will need to turn and move the images around on the mat. Just don't flip the images or they will come out backwards and be hard to fit together with the other pieces. For the pink glitter pieces, I used 12X12 standard glitter cardstock and a 12X12 mat. I did move the bones pink layer images around on the mat slightly to be able to fit the entire 12 " size.

Lots going on in my little world..A new Business Venture !

WOW...I am so sorry I haven't posted anything new here in awhile but you see I have been very very busy the past few weeks.

Let me take a moment to thank you for all your kind comments about my DCWV/May Arts Challenge Entry.  It was fun to do. A bit nerve wrecking since I knew a lot of people would be viewing it.  I do appreciate every comment I received here and via email. It was an honor to have been selected to create a project for them.

Things have been really busy since I have my dear granddaughter staying with me over the summer and that hasn't left much room for blogging lately.  We have done Vacation Bible School, Girl Scout Camp, Swim Lessons, trips to the museums and gone to the movies to see all the summer block busters, gone to the beach, visited the library and got books to read, worked out everyday, gone shopping, learned to cook new foods, and crafted to our hearts content.   I know, I am tired just reading the list much less keeping up with a 9 yr old :)  She is a dear heart but she likes and needs to be kept busy every moment so hence less computer time for me.

But the main thing taking up my time is I have been focused on getting my new little online crafty business off the ground.  Yes, you heard that right, I am working on starting a new venture.

I hope to announce the new business here very very soon.  I am about ready to unveil what I am up too.  Let me give you a little teaser...it's called SCRAP ME QUICK and involves helping you get more use out of tools  and supplies you already own while getting professional results quickly. 

Now use your imagination and dream of just what that could possibly be about.  More to follow soon.

Happy scrappin' everyone !

DCWV/May Arts Craft Challenge Entry

Well, the day is finally here.  I can share with you my entry for the May Arts/DCWV Craft Challenge. To recap, we were asked to submit a project idea using DCWV Snapshot Stack and some lovely May Arts ribbons.  Then Erin of DCWV and Betheny of  May Arts selected 25 of the ideas  and sent us all the products to create our project idea.  Mine was one of the ideas chosen ! !

The DCWV Snapshot Stack papers had so many great patterns and elements that I was inspired to create a "Family Photo Wreath". With the recent addition of another granddaughter to our family,  I decided to focus on celebrating the grandchildren in our lives.     

 To make the " wreath base", I covered a flat pressboard circle I purchased at a local craft store with strips of the Typeface patterned paper from the stack.  

To create each "photo spot" , I cut out the glittery Polaroid Images and matted them on the glittery Red Paper from the Snapshot Stack. Using some of the  gorgeous black lace ribbon from MayArts, I added a strip to the bottom of each "photo spot" to add more texture. Next I cut some of the elements from the paper stack page and added a little heart and a photo turn to each with a brad and a "name banner" made from printing on the Green patterned paper.  I covered the back of clear buttons with different pattern paper punch cuts, pierced the holes and tied the MayArts Twine into a bow on each and used foam dots to adhere to each  "photo spot".

I added photos and also a heartfelt saying about grandchildren printed on paper from the stack to finish off those pieces. 

I made additonal embellishments for the wreath using 2 sizes of scalloped circle punches and either the MayArts Yellow Chevron Ribbon or the Black Lace Ribbon and more of the paper backed clear buttons tied with the twine bows.

The "FAMILY" embellishment was created taking the FilmStrip Paper image, lightly misting it with water on the backside and bending it to form gentle curves so it looks like it is unfurling. I then die cut letters out of the glittery Red Paper from the stack and adhered all to the wreath base. 

The "Banner" was made by taking various elements from the paper stack and building each banner piece including making banner pieces from the Yellow Chevron ribbon and hanging all from more of the MayArts Twine.

And in my opinion, you can't have a wreath without a big fluffy bow, so I used the beautiful May Arts Sheer Ribbon  and layered it with some of the  Yellow Chevron and Black Lace Ribbons for more interest and topped it all off with another handmade embellishment from the patterned paper and paper backed clear buttons and twine and Yellow Chevron Ribbon.  

I also made a wreath hanger from the Yellow Chevron ribbon and taped it to the back of the wreath.  This was a fun project to make and now I have a lovely home décor project to honor the happiness our grandchildren bring us.

Thank you DCWV and May Arts for giving me a chance to make this project idea a reality!  On Friday, June 15th we find out who wins prizes for their designs on the DCWV Blog.  I'd appreciate it if you would drop by the DCWV Blog and leave a comment about my project.  

The Box I Made My Secret Swap Partner

I was so relieved yesterday when I got word from my Secret Swap Partner, GrannyAnne, that she LOVED the box I made for her.  I worked really hard to create something beautiful that she would enjoy sitting around her craft space or even in her bedroom for jewelry, etc.

                               We all started with this plain cardboard box from Cricut.com.

                    You could then alter it however you like to match the desires of your swap partner

                 who had filled out a little questionnaire about their wishes for box and scrap goodies.

                                                                        

Here is the top of the box I made.

I painted the box white, added layers of papers

that I had inked up.

Then added lots of pretty lacy flowers, pearls and doily for the top of this garden inspired box.

And to personalize it for GrannyAnn...I added a glittery "a"

Side view of the box.

More layered, inked papers were added and some pearls too.

I even added painted wooden feet to give it the feel of

a little jewelry box.

I also decorated the inside of the box

using more inked papers.

                                                  And of course, the inside of the lid too !

Note: I used ModPodge on the entire box to paste on the

papers and then to seal them. It gave the box a slightly shiny matte finish

that added to the overall loveliness of the box.

Then the box was stuffed full of goodies for GrannyAnne...

Flowers, journaling spots, buttons, twine, brads, paint daubers,

metal charms, labels, trims, ribbon, paper pad. Plus a little

birthday surprise since her special day is coming soon

that included a birthday stamp, bling, flowers and a rhinestone pin.

And of course, a little chocolate treat too!

Well GrannyAnne...so glad to have had you as a Secret Swap Partner. 

Can't wait to see what you make with all the goodies I crammed in your box !

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 !!

My supplies have arrived !

My supplies from DCWV and MayArts have arrived so I can get busy bringing my idea to life for their Craft Challenge project.  I can hardly wait to start cutting the paper and crafting with the luscious ribbon they sent ! 

I can't share my idea just yet, it will be posted on their blogs in mid-June.  Will post more about that later. 

Happy Mother's Day Ladies

I want to wish all the wonderful Mother's out there a very Happy Mother's Day.  Hope your family treats you especially extra nice. We are celebrating with my Mother in Law and Daughter at our house this year.  Hubby is grilling up some Shrimp Tacos for lunch...yummy !

I made a few things this year for Mother's Day gifts..can't post those cause the special ladies haven't opened them yet, but I did want to share two of the cards I made to honor the special mother's in our life.

this card was made using a doily that I glimmer misted pink,

then added some distress ink to it to mimic the vintage

feel of the My Minds Eye patterned paper I used.

I made the flowers out of paper roses, inked and added leaves.

this card was made with some pretty patterned paper

as inspiration. Again, I added a doily but only distress

inked it.  I did distress ink and glimmer mist the sentiment.

And I loved added the pretty antique lace trim I had in my stash

to this card as well.

Hope each of you have a wonderful Mother's Day...whether you are being celebrated Or

you are celebrating a special mother in your life. 

Can NOT Believe I WON !!!

Today it was announced I get to be a Challenge Winner Designer on DCWV Blog!  My project idea  was selected for the May Arts/DCWV Craft Challenge !  I am so thrilled to have been chosen since my project idea is so vivid in my head that I really want to see it come to life !

A couple of weeks ago, they asked for ideas to be submitted for a project using their awesome

Snapshot Stack

and some lovely May Arts Ribbons

which they will furnish to the winners to do their final project to send them.  Erin Madsen of DCWV Blog and Bethany of May Arts Blog review all idea entries and pick a few people to win.

The deadline to submit my project is June 8th, and the entries will be posted on June 11th.  And they will announce Winners for prizes on June 15th.

I am in HEAVEN !  I can hardly wait to receive my supplies and turn my idea into a reality.  I am waiting for the details to be sent to me so I don't think I can share my idea just yet...hoping I can do a few sneak peeks though :)

So Hard to Part with this Project...

Some of us are in a Box Swap on the Circle Message board...we all ordered the same paper box and altered it for a secret partner and then filled it with scrap goodies for them. This was so fun to do.  Mine is ready to go in the mail to my partner.

I know who my partner is that I am sending to but no idea who is making a box for me....I am so curious and can't wait for my box to arrive. We are all opening them on the same day...well, unless someone gets a little impatient and opens theirs ahead of time... LOL

Here is a little sneak peek of the box I made...using some of the colors and items my partner mentioned she liked.

Well, all I can say is my partner better LOVE the box OR she can just send it back to me !  I so want to keep it...may need to order another box so I can duplicate it for myself. 

I promise to post full pictures of the box I made ... of course, after my secret partner opens it for herself.  Okay, counting down the days until we can all open our boxes...what day was that again?!?!?

It's Here, It's Here....

YEAH, NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY IS HERE FINALLY !!!  It is always the first Saturday of May.  I ALWAYS have it marked on my calendar each year.  Doesn't everybody?   It is a great time to get together with other scrappers and enjoy a full day of scrapbooking and comraderie. And there is always a bit of chocolate too :) 

What are you doing this year for NSD?  I will be attending a Charity Scrapbook Crop with a bunch of other scrappers to raise funds for March of Dimes. I love the fact that I get to enjoy my favorite hobby PLUS get to support such a worthy cause.   My bag is pack and ready to be put in the car.  I can hardly wait.

I plan on getting a few mini albums finished up for Mother's Day gifts and maybe a few layouts done.
 I will be back later to post some pictures from the crop day and my projects.

So, what are your plans for National Scrapbook Day ? What are you hoping to get done? 
Whatever you do, whether scrapping at an event or just scrapping at home with some friends or even by yourself, enjoy yourself !!! 

P.S. The NSD image at top of this post was something I snagged from Google Images by way of the Leelou Blogs.blogspot.com .

Just call me HOP ALONG

No, it's not another blog hop I am in.  I actually hurt my left knee pretty badly after the MS150 weekend and have been having to take meds and rest my leg.  Luckily the xrays did not show a tear in my LCL, just a severe sprain.  Who would have thought a little twisting of my knee in the wrong direction could wreck such havock ??

Last weekend I hosted a Pre-National Scrapbook Day Crop for about 24 ladies.  We had a blast but it was a bit challenging getting ready for it.  Thanks to some of my dearest friends, I was able to stay off my knee most of the day...thanks ladies for your help !

I had planned to post some pictures of the crop, however, because I was grounded with my knee propped up on a chair all day long, I completely forgot to take any photos of the event.

The only picture I have to share is of the Matchbook Style Paper Bag Mini Album class that I taught in the afternoon of the crop.

I will post a few more photos later.  Blogger is taking forever to upload today.

While the knee is a bit better and the swelling has mostly gone down...I am still kind of Hopping Along on it....if it isn't better next week, I may have to go see the orthopedist.  Praying that doesn't have to happen.

Well, just wanted to check in. Be back later with more project photos.

Perfect Weekend !

This past weekend my dear hubby rode his bike from Houston to Austin to raise money for MS.  He did a great job raising over $1,500 and had a wonderful time on the ride. It was bit windy the first day
but weather was nice over all. I always get to drop him off that the starting line in Houston at 6 am !!

Here he is looking at me right before crossing the finish line in Austin.

And then after he got back to the party tent area.

So you may be wondering what I was up to this weekend, while he was riding his bike 150 plus miles.

hmmm, let's see....

Standing in a really long line in Lexington, TX on a gorgeous Saturday morning

To get some of the best bbq in the state according to

Texas Monthly Magazine.  (sorry about the lack of food

on my plate, it smelled so good I wolfed it down

before I remembered to take a picture.  LOL)

And next,

I traveled on to Austin and checked into a hotel

(and yes, the bed was as comfy as it looked)

And later on Saturday, I met up with

some friends to scrapbook and

of course, have a Margarita , TEXAS sized !

And on Sunday, I went to the MS150 race and cheered by hubby

across the finish line, enjoyed some food and then

drove a very tired man back to Houston.

Perfect weather, perfect company = Perfect Weekend !