Botanical Garden

Here's the mess I created today...LOL
I'm so upset at myself that I used such a gloomy gray for the background paper...grrrr!!
This was our visit to the Botanical Gardens while in Iowa.. It was such a lovely place.. lots of different types of flowers, birds and gardens..
Here is a photo of the title.. I used the Opposites Attract cartridge ..

Here is a close up of some of the flowers I used..
and the sign I used for the city and state we were visiting.. The text is sooo small that the "W" in Iowa kept breaking, so I finally decided to try to glue it all together...LOL
Side view of the flowers.. I pop dotted all of them..
and another side view..

Supplies Used:

• Cricut Cartridge: Opposites Attract (title)
• Cricut cartridge: Plantin Schoolbook (city and state on sign)
• Cricut cartridge: Walk in My Garden (Daisy's, sign and small pink flowers)
• Cricut cartridge: Home Accents (small yellow and orange flowers)
• Cricut cartridge: Accent Essentials (purple flowers)
• cricut cartridge: Indie Art (butterflies)
• cricut cartridge: Storybook (leaves)
• Papers: Paper Pizzaaz brick wall and crackle
• cardstock: gray, white, purple, pink, orange, green,
  
• pearlized cardstock: pink and light blue(butterflies and title)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink: walnut stain, black, worn lipstick and faded jeans
• Stickles: lime green, Yellow, baby pink
• red mini brads
• pop dotts
• brown and black marker for doodling

Thank you ladies so much for looking.. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, I am more than happy to answer..
cheers

Love2Watch her Strut

this is a layout I did today of m DD riding her favorite horse.. this must have been a few years ago..
close up of the title.. I used the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge for the hears and font..
here is a close up of the flower that I have added the tutorial for at StuckonUsketches.. hope you get the chance of checking us out there..
smaller flower which I cut some horseshoes with the Paper dolls dress up cartridge..

Supplies Used:

• Cricut cartridge: Graphically speaking (flowers)
• Cricut cartridge: A childs Year (leaves)
• Cricut cartridge: Plantin schoolbook (hearts and title)
• Cricut cartridge: Home Decor (LOVE)
• Cricut cartridge: Storybook (Marquee-flowered and yellow)
• Cricut cartridge: Paper Doll Dress Up (Horse shoes)
  
• Fiskars border punch-Lace (<--I'm not 100% sure of the exact name of the punch, but looks like lace) will fill in this informaiton as soon as I find it..
• K&Co papers: Wild Saffron
• Paper Pizzaz: Use Them For Anything Pastels (yellow/white paper underneath the flowered one)
  
• Cardstock: Yellow, dark orange red, olive gree, brown and pearlized green(photo mat)
• Tim Holtz distress ink: old paper and walnut stain
• chalks: Pebbles Inc-Earth Tones
• big brown buttons, mini brads-metallic
• pop dots
  
• zig way black ink marker fine tip for doodling edges..

This layout was highlighted in the Cricut Chirp Newsletter September 28th, 2009..

thank you ladies so much looking and I appologise for taking so long with the list of supplies used..
cheers

*Awesome Flower tutorial..

Here is what the flower will look like from the side..

and the flower from the top..

Good Morning everyone..
I just want to let you all know that our challenge blog has a new flower tutorial that we posted today.. Were hoping if you get the chance to stop on by there and have a look..

Click HERE for the link to the tutorial.. and while there take a look at the other tutorials as well.. hope you get a chance to make some of these great flowers..

New Challenge Blog.

Good Morning Ladies..
I just want to give you the scoop on a new Challenge blog that Sandy Windsor, Sandi Clarkson and I have started and our first Challenge post will be October 1st..
So, won't ya come along and join in on the fun of weekly challenges, tutorials and more..
http://stuckonusketches.blogspot.com/
Here's a link, so stop by and become a follower, don't miss out on all of the fun. You can also sign up for a subscription..
cheers
and warmest of hugs to all my followers..

Destined 4 Greatness

Here is my oldest son Aaron, now age 16.. Gosh, how fast the time has gone..
This is his school pic from this year.. He gave it to me the day before yesterday.. I just couldn't wait to get started on it..
I have a hard time embellishing boy layouts and didn't want to over do it with this one.. I love just the stars and keys.. and the blue goes great with what he is wearing in the photo.
Here's a close up of the title.. I just welded all of the letters together and then cut it.. this using the A Childs Year Cartridge.
I rolled the end corner of the top paper and punched holes and then threaded some light blue lace through it.. I also added a tag of his name and the date of the photo.
I used some grunge board keys I had in my stash.. Used some Tim Holtz distressing ink on them and then glued them to the layout.. These keys represent all the possibilities that will open up in his life once he finishes school.. Doors opening, etc..

Supplies Used:

• Cricut Cart: A child Year: Title
• Cricut cart: Home Decor: stars and flourish
• Cricut cart: Graphically Speaking: arrow
• Cricut cart: tags, bags and boxes: tag
• Papers: Fancy Pants designs: Papa
• Cardstock: Black, yellow and light blue
• Tim Holtz distressing ink: blue denim, old paper and walnut stain
• light blue lace ribbon
• pop dots
• black button
• holes made with "Crop a dile"

thank you all so much for looking and dont forget to share some love by leaving a comment.

Its Elementary My Dear

A school layout I made today of my oldest son Aaron when he was in 2nd grade.. This is before his hair started turning brown..
In Finland school starts when you are 7 yrs old. He is 9 yrs old in this photo, he got held back one year cause his Finnish wasn't good enough for them to allow him to advance up to the 3rd grade. He had a real hard time learning how to understand the finnish language..
Here's a close up of him and of the title.. I used SCAL to cut the title.. I love font possibilities with SCAL, you are not limited to just a few fonts.. I wanted the title to look like a childs handwriting, I think I succeeded..LOL
I wanted a welcoming feeling to this school layout, so I added a teacher standing waiting for her students. I love dressing these little characters on the cartridges.. she is from My Community cartridge.
I tried taking a good photo of the school building I put together last night.. it took a while trying to figure out the layers, but I think I did a good job..LOL
I also added the trees losing their leaves to represent Autumn.. which is when schools starts..LOL
I love love love this little school bus on the My Community cartridge.. I had so much fun putting it together..
I hand doodled all over this layout, adding what looks likes like stitching.. but I really like the way it all ended up looking..

Supplies Used:

• Cricut cart: My Community (school bus, school building, fence, teacher, trees, road, stop sign)
• Cricut cart: Accent Essentials (leaves)
• Cricut cart: Locker Talk (2nd grade and A+'s)
• SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) for the title
  
• Papers: DCWV The Grade School Stack
• Cardstock: light blue, black, red, green, orange, yellow, brown,white
• zig black pen- acid and linguin free
  
• pop dots
• zig two way glue
• chrome mini brad
• white gel pen-doodling
• yellow ribbon

Thank you all so much for looking and don't forget to share some love by leaving a comment.
Cheers and warmest hugs

Unwrapping A Miracle

A layout I made of my dd when she was just born and my mom.. Amber was born 5 weeks preemie weighing only 4lbs 12oz.. so she was a miracle baby.. I wanted to make everything over sized on this layout.. I came up with the big flower in the middle and then just embellished around it.. Sorry the photo is a bit dark at the top and the title is hard to see.. I have a close up of the title if you scroll down.
Here's a close up of the bottom left corner.. I added the garden tools just for fun.. I wrote ambers birth weight on the scoop..
Here's the bottom right corner. I wrote the month and year she was born, which is May of 1989


close up of the title..the colors are so light that they don't show up all that well in the photo of the whole layout.

Here's my mom and my dd.. she was such a precious little thing.. I journaled around the frame.. I thought it looked too blah without a little bit of something..


Upper left corner..just a close up of the bugs..
this is a close up of the left side middle.. I loved adding all of these vines, flowers, leaves and bugs to this layout..they were so much fun to make
I took a photo from the side just to show the dimensions on this layout..Nothing, I repeat nothing is glued flat to this layout.. Its just not my style..LOL

supplies used:

• Cricut cart: Walk in My Garden (ladybugs, pale, piles of dirt and garden tools)
• Cricut cart: Home Decor (butterflies, flourishes and leaves)
• Cricut cart: Graphically Speaking (Over sized Flower)
• Cricut cart: George and Basic Shapes (circle picture frame)
• SCAL Title font: Candice
• Papers Graphic 45
• cardstock: olive green, light yellow, dark yellow, cream, mint green,black and dark orange
  
• pop dots
• zig two way glue
• cricut design studio software
• Tim Holtz distress ink: green and old paper
• Chalk: yellow, orange and green
• paper flowers
  
• mini star brads
• white gel pen and brown marker hand added detail
• zig black ink marker for hand journaling

thank you all so much for looking.
Cheers

Forever My Gramma's LiL Girl..

I found this old photo of me while going through my grandmothers photos. I knew I wanted to make a layout with it and I also wanted to point out that it is my grandmothers photo of me..
She held onto it for over 30 years and I'm sure this is the way she always seen me.."as a lil girl!"
Here's a close up of the photo and the title.. I love the little butterflies surrounding the title and "holding the baby" cut from A Child Year Cartridge..
just a close up of the butterflies.. I added some baby pink stickle drops for the trail.
close up of the forever cut.
Everything is once again pop dotted off of the page.. I don't seem to like glueing anything flat..LOL

This layout was featured on the Cricut Chirp Newsletter September 2009

Supplies Used:

• Cricut Cartridge: A Childs Year (title and "holding child" cut)
• Cricut Cartridge: Home Decor (picture frame, "forever",
  
• Cricut Cartridge: Home Accent Essentials ( Butterflies)
  
• Cricut Cartridge: Graphically Speaking (Scalloped circle)
• Cricut Cartridge: George and Basic Shapes: (big circle)
• Papers: Graphics45
• Cardstock: lime Green, tan, brown and light pink
• Tim Holtz distressing ink
• stickle: baby pink
• brown marker: sewing trim
• pop dots
• cricut design studio software

thank you all so much for looking and please dont' forget to share some love by leaving a comment.
Cheers