Fun Cards for My Kiddo!

Yay!  It is Circle Mania Weekend and I am crafting in-person with my message board friends... but my daughter is home and I wanted to make some some cards for her to open while I am gone.  She was a little teary about my trip away, so I wrote little messages inside of each, reminders that I am thinking of her.  I put them in envelopes with instructions on which to open each day.  

For my cards, I used animals that I morphed together with Teddy Bear Parade to create new and different critters that wear the little outfits from the teddy bear cartridge!  You can see my initial post on that by clicking here to see a whole menagerie of characters!  Some of the critters from that post were used on these cards today!  These cards each finish 5" wide by 6" tall and are created by simply scoring a 6" x 10" rectangle of card stock in the middle.

Don't Daydream During Math card...

Crafty details for Don't Daydream During Math card:

• Base mat - trimmer-cut to 5" x 6" from a 6-1/2" flood-filled square created on the Imagine, printed from Best Friends (page 36).
• Balloon - cut at 7" on the Expression from Children Around the World (key #8).  Shape was manually cropped down to 6".  I snipped the inside balloon strings so the dog could be placed inside.  The basket was embossed.
• Dog -  body cut at 2" on the Expression from Teddy Bear Parade; head cut at 1-1/2" from Doodlecharms.  School uniform cut from Teddy Bear Parade at 2".  
• Bird - cut at 1-1/4" on the Expression from 3 Birds on Parade.  Glasses were cut from Teddy Bear Parade (key #29) at 1-1/4".
• Numbers - Printing 101.

Backpack Bookmark card....

This silly card just kind of pays homage to crazy, clip-on, zipper pulls my daughter puts on her backpacks.  This card features a pocket to hold money, a note, or (as I have done here) a bookmark! 

Crafty details for Backpack Bookmark card:

• Mat - trimmer-cut at 5" x 6" and embossed with Cuttlebug Skyward Set.
• Backpack - cut on the Expression at 5-1/2" from Locker Talk (page 41).  Pockets were popped up with 1/8" pop dots.  I created a zipper by cutting a strip of metallic paper with decorative scissors.  I also cut a 'blackout' version of this cut.  The two layers were attached with 1/8" pop dots to create a space for the bookmark.

• Zebra zipper pull -  body cut at 1" on the Expression from Teddy Bear Parade; head cut at 1" from Animal Kingdom (page 107, head feature).  I used while gel pen to add stripes to the body.  Glasses were cut at 2" on Teddy Bear Parade (key #29).  I used a jump ring to attach the zebra to a hand-cut metallic paper zipper pull shape.

• Pencils - hand-cut yellow paper strips were "painted" with gel pen and marker to look like a pencil.

• Bookmark - Cut on the Imagine using Animal Kingdom (page 131, shift feature) at 5" floodfilled with a print from Doodlecharms (page 10).  I tucked the bookmark into the backpack.

Stupid Smelly Bus card...

Here's a little background bit...There are no buses at my daughter's school but we always get behind at least one on the way to school!  In Kindergarten and First Grade, she used to enjoy reading Junie B. Jones stories.  Once she read the Stupid Smelly Bus, we started referring to all school buses that way, in honor of Junie!  My daughter is always intrigued by what goes on in a school bus... always making up scenarios as we pass them or follow them.

I used three critters from my previous post on my blog, adding school uniforms.  I stuffed 'em in my favorite bus cut and added a little scenery to plant the bus on the road!

Crafty Details for Stupid Smelly Bus:

School bus - cut at 5" on the Expression from Locker Talk (page 34).  Two black bases were cut and  1/8" pop dots were used between the two bases to create a little depth for the critters to exist in.

Blue base - trimmer-cut at 5" x 6"

Green mat - trimmer-cut at 5" x 3"

Gray mat - trimmer-cut at 2-1/2" high with top cut at 2-7/8" and bottom cut at 5"

Pig - body cut at 2" on the Expression from Teddy Bear Parade; head cut at 2" from County Fair. (Head was manually separated from the body).  School uniform cut from Teddy Bear Parade at 2".

Cat -  body cut at 2" on the Expression from Teddy Bear Parade; head cut at 1" from Doodlecharms.  School uniform cut from Teddy Bear Parade at 2".  

Frog -  body cut at 2" on the Expression from Teddy Bear Parade; head cut at 1-1/2" (real dial size) from New Arrival.  School uniform cut from Teddy Bear Parade at 2".

Bumper sticker - trimmer-cut after printing with Microsoft font.

Thank you for checking my blog post today!  You can see many of my previous projects by visiting My Project Gallery, or click here.  I am off to Circle Mania. Hope you get to do a little crafting with friends wherever you are!

Ms. Elephant's Third Grade

 So, do you remember those Teddy Bear Parade morphs from a previous post?  There, I learned how to put bodies and clothes from Teddy Bear Parade with heads of different critters from different carts-- sometimes even the super oldies-- to make a whole menagerie of fun characters.  Well, I found that Everyday Paper Dolls and Animal Kingdom also have some fantastic 'head only' animal cuts!  I used them on this project:  Ms. Elephant's Third Grade!

I started this project by making characters!  I stayed with the 2" bear body for the students (3" for the teacher).

Animals were created as follows.  Uniforms for all the students were a combination of the school girl and school boy on Teddy Bear Parade (keys 28 and 29)!  All clothing was cut (of course) the same size as the bodies.

• Elephant - 3" body from Teddy Bear Parade with a 2" head from Animal Kingdom (head feature, flipped, page 102).  Dress was the sailor dress  (key # 22) on Teddy Bear Parade.  Glasses were cut from Paisley (page 56) at 1/2".  The head was popped up 1/8".  Glasses were popped up 1/8".  The chalk in her hand is just a tiny rolled up piece of paper.

• Raccoon - 2" body  from Teddy Bear Parade with a 1-1/4" head from Animal Kingdom (flipped, head feature).  

• Rabbit -  2" body  from Teddy Bear Parade with a 2-3/4" head from Everyday Paper Dolls (page 74, 'head only' cut).  I cut one arm and sleeve so she could 'raise her hand'.  (I just snipped in at her underarm and moved the arm up as if it were on a hinge.)

• Cat - This is the very same cat that I made on my previous post.  Click here for info on making this critter!  

• Pig -  2" body  from Teddy Bear Parade with a 1-1/4" head from Animal Kingdom (flipped, head feature page 84)  This is a different pig from my last post!  I like this cut because, unlike the one I used  previously, this one is a 'head only' cut!

• Panda -  This is the very same panda that I made on my previous post.  Click here for info on making this critter!  This time, I used the glasses from the school boy costume!

• Monkey -  2" body  from Teddy Bear Parade with a 2-3/4" head from Everyday Paper Dolls (page 75, 'head only' cut).  I cut one arm and sleeve so he could 'raise his hand'.  This is a different monkey than I used before on my last post.  I like this one because he is looking to the side!

I gave all the students desks from Sentimentals, cut at 3/4" (shadow feature, page 42).  I trimmed off the inside points to make them less decorative.  The desks are popped up 1/8" off of the animals.

I decided on walls and added a floor to anchor them and to give them an environment that I could start to decorate.  The final floor was 2" wide (a change from this version).

I hand-cut a chalk board (4-1/4" x 2-7/8") and bulletin boards (3-1/2" x 2-5/8", trimmed to 2-1/4").  I made a penmanship border by cutting up a page from my daughter's tablet leftover from the last school year.  (My little girl was shocked that I knew how to do proper letters like she learned to make last year in the 2nd grade.  I guess my regular penmanship leaves something to be desired.  She actually offered to do it for me because she didn't think I could do it!)  The flag was cut at 2" from Stand and Salute (page 22).  It was popped up 1/8".

At this point, I added foam to the characters so that they would be at proper distance from the surface of the page.  1" foam for the teacher and front row; 1/2" for the back row.

I hand-cut their drawings (1" x 3/4") and reports (3/4" x 1/2").  The reports were punched with a tiny Martha Stewart hole punch to make those tiny holes.  The bulletin board edging was made with decorative scissors.  The picture of George Washington was cut at 1" from My World (page 28).

I hand-cut tiny pencils, using markers and pencil to give details.

The globe was cut at 1-1/4" from Locker Talk (page 47).  It is popped up 1/8".  The table it sets on is from Sentimentals at 1-1/2" (shadow feature).  Like the student desks, I also trimmed off the inside points here too.

The books on the cat's desk were cut from Locker Talk at 1" (page 47).  I trimmed off the bottom book.  The books are popped up 1/8".

The pennant banner at the top of the page was printed and cut from Spring Chic.  (1.3" for the red/yellow ones; 2" for the blue.)  I hand-cut to change the shape of the blue ones.  Some are glued flush to the paper; others are popped up 1/8".

The apple on the pig's desk is from the Teddy Bear Parade cartridge (key #28) at 2".  It was popped up 1/8".

After looking at the project in natural light....

...I placed it in a shadow box that allowed for my 1-1/4" projections.

I learned a lot from this project!  And what a joy to get to review older cartridges, like My World, to find treasures!  Did you know there are busts of Lewis and Clark on that one? -- and maps, and so, so much more!  I loved finding the 'head feature' on Animal Kingdom!  Lots of 'head only' cuts for more morphed animals!!  I loved making some hand-cut elements and really enjoyed adding in lots of fun details for the classroom.

I am the guest designer on the Cricut Fanatics blog today!  I have another small Teddy Bear Parade morph over there-- a back-to-school card!  Check it out:  click here!  

This card is on the Cricut Fanatics blog (see above for link).  I will be featuring a whole set of these cards with different designs later this month here on my blog!

To see many of my previous paper projects, check out My Project Gallery (or click here)!

Gift Wraps: Teeny Princess and... Is That a Man Jumping Out of a Donut?

September 5th means just one thing over here:  we will be juggling between birthday celebrations.  My mother-in-law and my sister's little girl share a birthday today!

Baby Carah turns four!  This is the gift bag I decorated for her princess-y gifts.

I used a light box and my printer to customize the castle for her.

My daughter decided on a princess to use.  Look at how tiny she is!

Crafty Details for the Princess Carah bag:

• Dimensions of the kraft paper bag (not including the handles):  7-3/4" x 10-1/4".
• Mat cut for base:  10" x 10-1/2".  Adhered to bag with Terrifically Tacky Tape.
• Castle:  Wrap It Up (page 24), cut at 10-1/4".  Popped up 1/8".  Top cuts were run through a Xyron and glittered.
• Princess Carah text printed using Microsoft Pointedly Mad font at 24-18 point to fit on the flag.  Flag cut was placed over initial printing on plain paper and re-run back through the printer to put the text on it.
• Clouds:  Serenade, cut at 1-1/2".  
• Princess:  Once Upon A Princess, cut at 1".  Popped up 1/8".

For my mother-in-law, I picked up donuts super early this morning so they would be fresh.  I created a gift card box and card.  On the way to school, we let ourselves into her home and left these treats for her to wake up to.

Yes, I know it is silly.  I just love that guy and thought that having him pop out of a donut would be funny... but maybe it is just weird.  Made us laugh anyway!

Because Imagine ink dissolves in liquid, I used my Your Story to laminate him and trimmed the excess plastic off by hand.

The box was created with Artiste.  This is the cut that I used before for a child's gift card box.  Click here to see that project.  What is so fantastic about Imagine art cartridges is that they not only include prints, but also matching solids.  I picked a print and a solid to floodfill my box cuts to coordinate with a mini card and the donut guy.

Crafty Details for Nana's gift wrap:

• Box:  Artiste (page 49), cut at 3.7".  Flood filled with the pink solid from Greeting Cards Inside and Out for the tray and the print from page 43 for the sleeve.  Sleeve was adhered with Terrifically Tacky Tape for strength.
• Mini card:  Greeting Cards Inside and Out (page 4), cut at 3".
• Donut decoration:  Greeting Cards Inside and Out (page 4), this separated layer only, cut at 4.5".  Laminated in the Your Story machine.

My sweet little girl made a little card for her Nana using her Cricut and cuts from the Mother's Day cartridge.  

Just showing that for fun!  I have no idea what size her cuts were but she used my Quick Dry Glue because I found it in her room.  Apparently, that is the discerning 8-year-old's adhesive of choice these days!

Thank you for checking my blog post today!  You can see many of my previous paper projects by looking at  My Project Gallery, or click here.