A Gift from Barbara Stewart...plus Gift Tags from a Recent Crop!

I wanted to share a gorgeous piece of artwork that Barbara Stewart gave to me at the Circle Mania crop.  It is one of her multi-media canvases.

I love the hanging hearts and dimensional flowers!  The blue sky and stylized sun have a folk art feeling that juxtaposes with the painterly surfaces perfectly.  I love the letter tiles... and the message!  It makes my heart sing!

Barbara uses Decou-page and magic to make these.  I love the lacy ruffle on the sun!  The layers of paint and pattern mystify me.  I love it and it is a beautiful piece of art that I love having in my home!  Thank you so much, Barbara, for this beautiful canvas!  (And I loved that you signed the back!)

Barbara made tags for everyone!  They were all different and perfect.  This is the one I received:

I know at least one crafter who was there who was so inspired that she worked on her own tags after getting one from Barbara.  They are truly inspiring.  I LOVE this look and it is a mystery to me how she does this!

Circle Mania was so much fun!  I thought I would share with you a few silly tags and gift wraps for Circle Mania gifties that I took....with cut info.

For the mini lunch boxes, I cut the text from vinyl using Cricut Everyday at 2-1/2".  Under the text is a Circle logo, also from Cricut Everyday, cut at 3-1/2" from vinyl.  The pink tags were cut from Artiste at 1-3/4".  I backed them in black.

This is a tag I made to go on a gift for the hostess with the mostest that weekend.  The base was cut from Wrap It Up (page 56) at 6" (tag blackout).  I cut part of a cloud from Serenade so I could use the negative space of the cloud.  Then I cut the tag again in white and backed the blue tag with it and popped it up.  The bird on the branch was cut from Live Simply at 2-1/2" and inked.  I added details by hand.  The white cloud on top was cut from Serenade at 1-3/4".  The hearts were cut from a punch.  The letters were cut from Hannah Montana at 1/2".

This tag was made for a traveler from far away who I knew would not be headed through Kentucky so I brought a bit of Kentucky to her and wanted a tag to match.  The base is from Mickey Font (page 134) cut at 5".  I cut the center from a map that I misted with Glimmer Mist and embossed with a chevron embossing folder.  Kentucky was cut cut from 50 States (page 29) at 7".  (I cut one from red and one from blue and attached them with pop dots after using a heart punch on the blue layer).  I hand-cut the banner after running the paper through my printer to add text.  The scattered hearts were cut with a punch.

The base of this tag is from Artiste (page 32), cut at 4".  The bug head was cut from Cricut Everyday at 3.5".  The body and outfit were cut from Teddy Bear Parade at 4".  The sign was something I printed from my computer.

The base of this tag is from Artiste (page 32), cut at 4".  The bug head was cut from Cricut Everyday at 3.5".  The body and outfit were cut from Teddy Bear Parade at 4". Because I think the Bug Guy is a guy, I didn't cut the shell bra, rather, I made the shell something to hold.  The base and fish body were embossed on the Cuttlebug.

These tags were cut from Everyday Cricut at 3".

These were simple picture frames that I packaged to look 'Cricut-y'.  I used Greeting Cards Inside and Out, printing and cutting on the Imagine at 9.7".  I added a little message on the back that I printed from my computer.

It was a really fun event!  So thankful that I was able to go and meet, in-person, so many of my friends that I talk to daily on the message boards.  I think this was the fourth Circle event I have traveled to.  These friendships that I have made are a blessing to me-- such an unexpected joy!  What a  fantastic group of ladies!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!  You can see many of my previous projects by visiting My Project Gallery.  My next blog post will be Sunday and I will be showcasing a Boxed Card with a tutorial.

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)!