Baby Shower Banner

Continuing with all the goodies that I made for the baby shower, here is a welcome banner that we hung above the cake table.
Supplies:

• cardstock in 4 different colors. Here is what I used *all from Stampin' Up!*: bashful blue, certainly celery, chocolate chip, not quite navy

• tie the knot cricut cartridge
• a child's year cricut cartridge
• 1 roll of 1/2" ribbon
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• 1 3/4" circle punch
• paper trimmer
• scallop edge punch *Stampin' Up!*
• score-pal
• crop-a-dile
• cuttlebug folder (fleur de lis)
• sticky strip (red tape)

Steps:

1. cut the scallop pennants using the tie the knot cartridge. I cut three from a 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of not quite navy cardstock
2. cut the inside portion of the pennant from certainly celery cardstock
3. run the green inside portions through the cuttlebug to emboss them
4. attach the green embossed paper to the not quite navy paper
5. cut 1 1/2" X 11"strips of bashful blue cardstock **you need one for each pennant**
6. punch one side of the strip with the Stampin' Up! scallop edge punch
7. using the score-pal (or other scoring board, trimmer) score between each scallop
8. accordion fold the strip on each score line.
9. wrap ends of blue strip around and attach using sticky strip tape. **make sure that you attach the ends together while keeping the accordion shape matched up
10. punch a 1 3/4" circle from the bashful blue cardstock
11. attach hot glue to the circle and push the accordion strip down to form a circle shape. Hold until the glue dries.
12. cut out welcome and the baby's name and attach each letter to the blue accordion fold you just created **I attached mine with hot glue**
13. attach the blue accordion accent to the center of the pennant
14. punch a hole in each corner of the pennant
15. thread each pennant onto the ribbon leaving enough for spacing between words and enough to hang on the ends.
16. step back and admire your creativity!!!

Thanks for looking and if you have any questions, please let me know!

Diaper Cake--How To

Well, this is my fourth diaper cake to make. My husband said that I need to start selling these! We shall see about that! I have included how-to instructions with pictures in case you are needing to make one of these yourself. These instructions are for a 3 tier diaper cake which requires 2 pkgs of diapers. I have also made a smaller version that is 2 tiers and only requires 1 pkg of diapers.

Supplies:

• 1 14" cardboard cake round
• 1 pkg of newborn diapers
• 1 pkg of size 1 diapers
• 1 bottle of baby wash-28 oz
• 1 bottle of bedtime baby wash-9 oz
• 1 bottle of bedtime baby lotion-9oz
• 1 bottle of bedtime baby wash-4 oz
• 1 bottle of bedtime baby lotion-4oz
• 1 pkg of newborn pacifiers
• 1 pkg of 0-3 month pacifiers
• large rubber bands
• small rubber bands
• 1 pkg of basket shred
• bamboo skewers
• floral wire
• cricut cuts
• 1 1/4" ribbon
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
  

Steps:

1. begin by rolling all the diapers and secure with a small rubber band. I roll them folded from bottom to top.
2. for this cake, I used the newborn diapers in the middle b/c they were white and put the size one on the outside **I decided to do this after I took the picture**
3. place the large bottle of baby wash in the center of the cake round and place the two 9 oz bottles on either side if it. Put a large rubber band around all bottles
4. start arranging the diapers around the baby wash, placing them inside the rubber band. This way all the diapers will be secure as you place them. Make sure that you leave an edge along the cake round. Do not place the diapers all the way to the edge.
   
5. 
6. add another rubber band to the top of the bottles.
7. start adding your second tier of diapers
8. you want to add until you can only see the outer layer of the bottom diapers
9. 
10. add your two four oz bottles around the large baby wash bottle
11. put a rubber band around these
12. begin adding your last tier of diapers. The 4 oz bottles with stick out at the top, and that is ok. It gives you a place to add your topping!
13. 
14. for the top decoration, I cut a piece of Styrofoam to fit between the two 4 oz bottles
15. attach the cricut cuts by placing the wire into the styrofoam
16. cover the styrofoam and bottle lids with basket shred
17. 
18. place the pacifiers along the top row by pushing the "handle" part down into a fold of the diaper.
19. wrap the 1 1/4" ribbon around the center of each tier to hide the rubber bands. You can tie it in a knot or a bow and trim the ends. You can also glue end to end to hide to make a smooth ribbon wrap.
20. attach cricut cuts to the ribbon with a hot glue gun
    
21. begin putting basket shred between the tiers by gently lifting up and stuffing the shred between the layers. (I put the bottom layer of basket shred on when it was placed on the table at the shower)
    
22. step back and admire your creativity.

Helpful Tips:

• don't glue anything together or to the diapers. If you do, mommy won't be able to use them or take it apart!
• put the rough edges of the rolled diapers on the inside so that you have a clean look on the outside.

Shower Centerpieces

I made two center piece vases for the shower. I used the theme from the baby bedding and matched up colors as close as I could. Thanks for looking
Supplies:
two glass vases
1 1/4" ribbon
basked shred
styrofoam
glittery tulle
cricut cuts
floral wire (heavy gauge)
various floral sprays

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Baby Shower--Door Wreath

My sister-in-law is having her first baby in February. Her shower was this past weekend. My gift to her was to do all the decorations. Well, being the 'cricuteer' that I am, I hand crafted all the goodies. Here is one and check back later this week for the rest!! Thanks for looking!

This is my first attempt at making a door wreath for a baby. My sister-in-law wanted me to create something to hang on her hospital door after the baby is born. Since they live 3 hours away and I might not be able to be there right away, I wanted her to have something she could take to the hospital with her. I gave her a paint pen so she can write in the stats after the baby is born.

Supplies:
* grapevine wreath 14"
* blue ribbon
* bear
* small chalkboard
* vinyl--baby blue and certainly celery-Stampin' Up!
* green floral spray
* cricut machine and cartridges (everyday paper dolls (car), a child's year (lettering))
* floral wire (to hang the chalkboard and to form the bows and to attach the bear)
* decorative wire wrap (I used a blue star one I bought at Walmart during Christmas time)
* hot glue gun and glue sticks
* craft staple gun (you can use a regular one, but the crafting one will be ok)
* wire cutter
* paint pen

Steps:
1. create the bow for the top of the wreath and form
2. wrap blue ribbon around the wreath and hot glue the ends on the back of the wreath
3. tie a hanging loop around one or two of the branches in the wreath
4. wrap the decorative wire around the wreath
5. attach the bear by wrapping floral wire around his neck tie and wrap around the branches of the wreath **this way, mom can remove the bear later if she chooses**
6. cut letters from vinyl and attach to the chalkboard as desired
7. take a piece of wrapped floral wire (I used brown) and run through vines at the top, right of the wreath
8. staples the ends of the wire to the top of the chalkboard corners
9. glue the right side of the chalkboard to the wreath to stabilize it
10. hot glue the floral spray to the wreath under the bear
11. stand back and admire your creativity! :)

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Occasions Mini

It's here and you can start shopping today! It is packed with lots of great goodies! I can't wait to play with all the new things!! Click HERE to start looking and shopping!

Happy New Year

God truly blessed me and my family in 2010. I'm looking forward to what he has in store for us in 2011. Thanks for your visits and comments and I look forward to even more creating in 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Vinyl Tile

I made this for a friend of mine who was starting her first year of teaching. This is the first tile that I've done. She had mentioned something like this a while back, so I thought this would be a nice surprise. Thanks for looking!

Supplies:

• ceramic tile (from the hardware store)
• vinyl in various colors
• cricut machine
• cricut cartridges: 50 states, Graphically Speaking, Cursive 101, Plantin Schoolbook,
• Gypsy
• white gel pen (for the stars on the flag
  

Cricut Expression Dust Covers

I made these as Christmas gifts for my two best friends that I scrap with all the time. Actually, they are the ones who bought me my first scrapbooking supplies and I always joke with them and say that "you created this (me) monster!" I bought my original cricut first and they soon followed behind with expressions! I made both of them Gypsy clutches earlier in the year for their birthdays, so I thought that I would make them dust covers for their expressions. Here are their gypsy clutches with their matching expression covers! Thanks for looking!

The red expression cover

The matching Gypsy clutch

The pink expression cover

And the Gypsy clutch to match






























I found the pattern HERE from Custom Crops. It is a very nice pattern! They even created some youtube videos to help you out with the pattern!! You can view them HERE. They also have the pattern for other cricut machines!

Christmas Gifts with a Vinyl Review

I never know what to get for my husband's siblings and their spouses. I always try to come up with something creative. This year I made these glass blocks.

With the room light off

With the room light on

Here is how to make some for yourself:
1.I began by using some glass etching cream that I purchased at a craft store. I etched the entire front of the block. I layered it on pretty thick with a foam brush and let it sit for about 30 minutes. When doing this, make sure that you go in the same direction when you are paining on the etching cream. It will give the finished project a more professional look if you do and won't be as streaky. Follow the instructions on the bottle to etch the glass.

2. I created a design on my gypsy and cut out the vinyl.

3. I placed the vinyl on the block as designed.

4. Put your lights inside the block. In the big block I used a string of 35 lights and in the small block I used a string of 20 lights.

5. Wrap ribbon that is at least 1.5" wide all around the edge and create a bow on top.

Supplies:

• kraft glass block (these have the holes already cut in them. You can use the ones from the hardware store, but you will have to cut your own hole for the lights)
• string of lights
• vinyl
• glass etching cream
• ribbon (at least 1.5" wide) *I also used wire edge ribbon
• foam brush

Notes:
* I used various vinyl brands for these products. Here is my opinion of them
---brown vinyl: Brand--Paperstudio--very thin and pliable; was nice for layering
---blue vinyl: Brand--Cricut--thick and sturdy
---green and red vinyl: Brand--Stampin' Up!--very similar to Cricut vinyl. A bit smoother than cricut vinyl. It was thick and sturdy and was nice for the bottom layer of the tree. This was my first time to use it and I was very pleased!

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isiah 9:6

May you have a wonderful time of celebration with your family this CHRISTmas!!

Gypsy Clutch

So I've been working on improving my sewing skills lately. I sewed a few things this summer for my classroom and now I'm improving my gypsy clutch. This is my third one to sew so far and probably the best. This is a birthday gift for a very close friend of mine who purchased her Gypsy this summer. I made my own pattern. It is very basic. I used the quilted fabric for the outside and a pretty red, black, and ivory print for the inside. I did use fusible batting between the layers for added protection.

Inside:

Thanks for looking! If you have any questions, please let me know.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you are spending this day with your family contemplating all the things you are thankful for! God has blessed my life greatly this past year and I have so much to be thankful for! Thanks to you who visit my blog and encourage me with your comments! May you have a very blessed day!!!

P.S. Thanksgiving holiday break means vacation from school which equals crafting time!! :)

Amazing Deals....One Week Only

Check out Stampin' Up!'s latest promotion HERE. Select products are discounted up to 50%!! Plus, you get free shipping on your order of $150 or more. This is a great time to get some Christmas shopping done!! If you have any questions, just let me know!! Happy Shopping!!!

Begin Shopping HERE

Become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator today for HALF the price!!

Thought about becoming a demonstrator, but still unsure?? Well, from now until the end of the month, you can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for half the price!!

**Click HERE for more information**

If you are interested, just send me a message and I'll help you get started!!!

Owl Punch Card

Ok, so at first I did not buy this punch when it was available. I thought "I'll never use it," and "it looks like a lot of work!" Well, it is a lot of work, but the results are adorable. I have seen others use it on projects and I finally broke down and bought it. My mom is an owl collector and it's her birthday, so I knew that I had to use it on her birthday card. My advice is to use a liquid glue to assemble the owl, but only use a little at a time. Thanks for looking!!


Supplies:
**All products are Stampin' Up! If you would like to order any, contact me or click on the link to my SU! store at the top right of the page**

• Chocolate Chip cs, Melon Mambo cs, Daffodil Delight cs, Whisper White cs
• Square Lattice Embossing Folder
• Two Step Owl Punch
• Melon Mambo ribbon *retired
• Little Leaves sizzlit die
• Tombo multipurpose liquid glue
• stampin' dimensionals
• XL scallop circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Pinking Hearts border punch
• Birthdays Count stamp set *retired
  
• 
  

Wipe Containers

I have been making wipe containers for all the baby showers I've been to recently. These are really easy and fun to make. You just cover the top lid with a bit of batting before covering with fabric. I will say that using a hot glue gun is the easiest way to cover these. I have tried other glues and I like the hot glue the best. I added buttons and a bit of bling to these before giving them away. Thanks for looking!!!

**Tip** strechy fabric is not advised! The denim I bought was strechy and it was very difficult to get it smooth and even and the fabric did not cut very nicely. I used corduroy on the chocolate and regular cotton for the zebra and both did beautiful.


Supplies:

• 1 travel wipe container
• 1/4 of a yard of fabric
• piece of batting to cover the top lid
  
• 1 roll of 3/8" ribbon to corrdinate
• buttons, die cut fabric, etc. to embellish
• hot glue gun and glue sticks

Baby Showers, Baby Showers, and More Baby Showers

I guess 8 months ago was the time to get pregnant here in Texas because I have been to 4 baby showers in the last month. Of course I did not go out and buy a card or many gifts......I made them. I posted THIS baby shower card that I made for the first one a couple of weeks ago. I have been making altered variations of it since. The Fox and Friends set is perfect for baby showers.

Here is one that I made for a shower in which the baby's room theme was Monkeys:


I used Chocolate Chip craft ink to stamp the monkey and then applied clear embossing powder directly on top of it. I heat set it and applied more layers until I was happy with the coverage and the sheen. The Craft Ink works really well as an embossing base.

I made this diaper cake as a gift. It is a smaller version and it was much easier to make.


This card I did for another shower and stayed with the same design and stamp sets.


Thanks for looking. If you have any questions, please let me know!!!




Monkey Card Supplies:
**All products are Stampin' Up! If you would like to order any, contact me or click on the link to my SU! store at the top right of the page**

• Chocolate Chip cs, Bashful Blue cs, Whisper White cs
• Scallop trim border punch, XL scallop circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch
• Chocolate Chip classic ink, Bashful Blue classic ink, Chocolate Chip craft ink
• clear embossing powder
• Chocolate Chip Satin ribbon
• Curvy Verses stamp set (item # 114948)
• Fox and Friends stamp set (clear item #117020 wood item #118565)
  

Monkey Diaper Cake Supplies:

• 1 pkg of Huggies Diapers size 1
• 1 box of travel baby items
• 1 10" cake round
• rubber bands
• 1 1/2" ribbon
• 5/8" ribbon
• Chocolate Chip* and Bashful Blue* cardstock

* Stampin' Up! products

Owl Card Supplies:
**all supplies are Stampin' Up! If you would like to order any, contact me or click on the link to my SU! store at the top right of the page**

• Chocolate Chip cs, Pumpkin Pie cs, Whisper White cs
• Scallop trim border punch, XL scallop circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch
• Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
• Pumpkin Pie classic ink, Chocolate Chip classic ink
• Curvy Verses stamp set (item # 114948)
• Fox and Friends stamp set (clear item #117020 wood item #118565)
  

Check out Stampin' Up!'s latest promotion! It will run from October 19--December 16. There are some great bundle sets at 20% off the regular price!! It's a great opportunity to purchase all the supplies you will need to create your Christmas cards and/or holiday gifts!!! Click HERE for all the great details! Let me know if you need anything! Thanks for stopping by!!!

Diva Diaper Cake

A friend of mine recently had a baby shower and I decided to make a diaper cake for her cake table. This is only my second diaper cake to ever make, but I really liked the way this one turned out. I bought lots of things to go on the diaper cake, but after I put it together, I decided that I didn't like the way that any of the lotions and other baby items looked. So I decided not to use any of it. There is a bottle of baby shampoo in the center of the top 3 tiers. My husband thinks that I should start making these and selling them. They really are a lot of fun! If you have any questions, just let me know. Thanks for looking!

Baby Card

Wow, there are so many baby showers lately! I just realized that I don't have a specific baby shower stamp set. I have several that say something along the lines of "congrats on your new baby" but that's more for something after the baby is born. Guess I'll be adding that stamp set to my next order! Here is a card that I made for a shower I went to last week. Thanks for looking!



Card Recipe:
Stamps: Fox and Friends (Clear-118565/Wood-117020); Well Scripted *retired*
Paper: Crumb Cake (120953), Wild Wasabi (108641), Daffodil Delight (119683), Whisper White (100730)
Ink: Early Espresso (119670), Daffodil Delight (119667)
Accessories: Clear Blocks, 1/8" taffeta ribbon daffodil delight (119254), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), 2 3/8" Scallop Circle XL Punch (118874), 1 3/4" Circle XL Punch (119850), snail adhesive