New Craft Room Delight

I am so proud to present my new craft room.  I have dreamed about this room for at least 5 years, touting "if only I could win the lottery, I would build a craft room where all things crafty would reside instead of having things scattered all over my house".  I don't play the lottery and I never dreamed this would ever be a reality.  But here it is.... and it is truly beyond my dreams. 

My patio was 10x53, and had recently had Saltillo Tile laid.  Unfortunately the new room (10x16) required a foundation to be level with the house so that section of the lovely Saltillo was covered up in concrete.  Still, this is a photo of the remaining patio and it is plenty big for me, the two porch cats and a wonderful place to sit and admire.... you can see the craft room at the back, with the white blinds on the west facing 4x6 window. 

 This is a view of the left side of the closet.  My closet has only those items I use more frequently than others (and the old craft room closet is still full of other crafty things).  I had my builder place that last shelf high enough so I could shove the rolling bins of papers in the closet and not have them on the floor.  My closet has a light inside and lovely mirrored doors. The ceiling has 6 recessed lights so I no longer will use my Ott Light.

 Below  is a view of the "hanging side" of the closet...I can hang my quilts, sewn projects and I was delighted to find the Tea Cart with all of my threads for regular and embroidery machines could live in the closet as well.

 Here is my Sewing Station.  This is the new table that was built...since the former table collapsed and gashed my big toe to the bone.  This table will never collapse... The drawers (from Walmart) hold all of my fabrics, the embroidery design CD's, the hoops, and some of the stabilizers and batting... At the east end is a rolling cart that has more stabilizer, and a working drawer with all of the sewing tools I need when I am busy at the machines.  I made colorful tablecloths for each table, and this one is a bit short since the collapsed table was not as long.  I will add some length on each side so the ends of the door slab will not show. I made simply sewing machine covers ...two long panels, back with pretty fabrics, tied at each end with bright ribbons.

Below  is my Work Station...where the creativity begins. One thing is missing...the new TV set which will be set up tomorrow.  The old craft room counter was literally loaded with "stuff"... paper bins, tubs with all sorts of things to use.  I didn't want that on the new table so those 2 white bins hold the adhesives, the jewels, pearls, vinyl dots, and other things I use frequently to create. The room is entered off the master bedroom and by keeping the door open, and using the ceiling fan, the room is wonderfully comfortable.  However that AC unit works wonders should the room become too warm. The drawers hold my wonderful needs, including all of my Copics, pens, punches, glues, glitters, all things necessary. The drawers were ordered from Walmart for $49 and I love them.  They are sturdy and hold all things necessary. .

 Looking onto the patio is my wonderful Cricut Station.  My two Cricut machines, the Cuttlebug, embossing folders, Nesties, some paper and sundry tools reside here.  Also showing but to leave is the serger.  I find I don't use it like I once did and it will go to a friend.

 Here is a photo of the room capturing all 3 stations.  I love my new craft room.  Hope you enjoyed my tour.

BBTB2/Down On The Farm

Welcome to the Monday post for Bitten By  The Bug 2. Our talented and beautiful hostess, Krista, has asked us to design with a farm animal in mind.  I love my  carts that have such darling animals but I went to Create A Critter to design this gate fold card.  I love this little cow and barn and gate fold card designs are so much fun.  Everything is cut from  CAC except for the little sun punch.  Of course the card is heavy with embossing.... and a little jewel is on the sun. 

We hope that you will join in on our challenge for the Farm Animal theme...just be sure to read our challenge rules printed at the very top of our blog.  I find now and then that someone has posted a card and they forgot to give a shout out to BBTB2 challenge, I always hope to find the mention of which cartridge is used but now and then I find  that is left out... I find and grit my teeth when I run into a blog that still has Word Verification enabled.  When I encounter that, I will try one time to get thru those wavy difficult words, and if I cannot (which is almost always the case) I usually try to email the visitor and ask them to disable WV, but I am never able to leave a comment.

Saturday, July 28th was my 75th birthday...and I spent the day at the Creative Memories All Day Scrapbooking Workshop.  This is a monthly event I have been involved in for almost 14 years.  I am the resident photographer and I have kept a scrapbook for the event all these years.  This Saturday was the last workshop.  A few of the gals will now come to my house and we will have fun scrapbooking and visiting but sadly I will not be prepared the most wonderful meal that we have enjoyed over the years by the hostess' husband.  I am good at calling for Pizza delivery..

At the end of this week we are ready to greet the month of August.  I will be creating in my brand new craft room, opening drawers and closets trying to find where I put one of my sweet tools and supplies.  It's a fun adventure and eventually I will know where everything is.

BBTB2/Christmas in July, Oh My

Happy Monday dear visitors.  Our Bitten By  The Bug2 challenge this week is from our new team member, Jayne.  She asked us to design with a Christmas In July theme...  I love making little signs to hang up so that's where I headed with this challenge.  There are many welded words "Joy" on cartridges but I decided I wanted to cut individual letters from Don Juan.  I love the letters on this cartridge.  The little Christmas stockings and star were cut from Joys Of The Season cart.  All in all, I like the way my little sign turned out.  Hope you do as well. 

Please join us on this fun challenge. The design team gals will offer you so much inspiration for their creations.  Please read our challenge rules at the top of our blog.

Craft Room Ooopsies

Sometimes delightful times get sidetracked. So it was with the set up on my long awaited new craft room.  I was excited to know that I would have a room where all things crafty would reside...I would have 4 tables.  One table would be a complete Sewing Station with all 4 of my sewing machines, a second table would be a Work Station, my wonderful TV set right there, with some of my fav tubs sitting there for me to access my most used supplies, a third table just for my 2 Cricut machines, my Cuttlebug, the Nesties and some paper cubes. and a forth table (smaller) for the telephone, printer, computer.  Plans can change so rapidly it can make you gasp.  My room constructor, Rodney took down the large 6 foot table that was in my current Studio, folded the legs down and took it to the new room ... he set it up, and we added the 4 sewing machines. All was fine.  The next morning I decided I needed to roll in the tea cart that has my thread tubs and sewing tools on it and it would sit at the end of this Sewing Station...BUT...the 6 ft. table had to come toward the door about 3 inches.  When I pulled the center part of the table at the one end, without warning it collapsed.  My sewing machines are very nice, and the embroidery machine is expensive... and suddenly they all tumbled and crashed into one another with the embroidery machine leading the way. I was horrified....and Riley the cat had reached the far end of the house in 3 leaps and bounds. 

Here is the fallen table without the 3 other machines. 

  The smaller sewing machines  were easy for me to pick up ...and later when I tested them they did sew...although one has no thread spindles.  They broke off. I fretted big time over any damage to my wonderful embroidery machine....however today Rodney came back, lifted the table...and we were surprised to find that the metal plate that hooked the two end legs on it had just yanked itself away from the underside of the heavy particle board table top and a big chunk of particle board was laying on the floor.. I tested the embroidery machine and was so relieved there is no significant damage... My workstation is a wonderful set up.... two three-drawer dressers from Walmart with a big thick door slab sitting on top, legs in the back to support, covered with a lovely handmade tablecloth and a Plexiglass cover....... Needless to say I ordered 2 more dressers so Rodney can set up a second sturdy table for my sewing station....and now I ask myself why I just didn't do this for all 3 tables.  Hindsight, as they say!!!

Moments after the shock of the table falling and my machines crashing,  I saw the blood on my foot...I hadn't felt a thing....  I don't do well with these things, but I managed to get a wet wash cloth to enhance the view of the toe area and I nearly fainted at what I saw.  I really thought I had cut my big toe off,. but it just (just?...did I say JUST?) a very deep gash almost to the bone.  I called my high school friend Bonnie and asked how she felt about blood of others.  She lives close, rushed right over and after she cleaned up my foot a little better she assured me that a butterfly bandage was not going to work, I needed stitches.  So off we went for a 4 hour adventure at a nearby emergency center.  I thought my foot was broken, but Xrays said no (although today the whole foot is in bad pain because of the overall trauma of being slammed into)... the doctor on call warned me that the shots in the toe would be painful.  HA, I snorted, I just had dental surgery and I had 9 shots of Novacane on each side and if I can endure those, well I sure can......

he shook his head and said "these are worse".  How right he was.... and I can tell you that I will never everrrrrrrrrrr forget the pain of those 3 needles going into that toe.  Today, 3 days afterward, my toe looks pretty good despite the 9 stitches, the discoloration, the pain, but my whole body hurts and I am quite sure it is because I had a TBTU (total body tense up) from those blankety-blank shots. 

Here is the toe, nicely bandaged just a few hours after I got back home.  I won't show you the toe in all its glory because it is not a pretty sight.  Still, I am thankful to have my toe.

My dear friend Pat came over yesterday and was enormously helpful in getting my many punches and other crafty goods into the drawers of the workstation, and she helped get some of the beading trays into my closet.  My current closet is fully shelved and fully loaded but all of that will not move into the new room.  I've resigned myself to allow some of the lesser used items stay in the old craft room and if I really need something, it's a hop skip and jump to get it.   Once everything is moved that I want into the new room, once that closet is rearranged nicely, then Rodney will remove the Butcher Block Counter he built for me on the two walls about 20 years back.  Then he will repair the walls from the mounts, he will paint, restore half of that closet to allow for hanging clothes and I will get a bedroom set.  This is my story of the great adventure of July 18th.  My room will be lovely and when finished I will add some photographs of it....this little toe adventure was just a little bump in the road, thankfully.

Tucson Card Camp

Annual Card Over, July 13-14-15 in Tucson, Az. 

 This year our hostess is Deb...she is second from the left.  On the left is Pat, a newbie join up, and as you can see that smile says it all.  She is so excited to become part of our Card Over Crew and we are so thrilled she is in our clan. Next to Pat is Deb, then comes Sandy in the cute white and turquoise shirt, behind her is Kris....  and then holding herself up by the table is moi'.... Carole... me...My back and leg issues are rampant so I am always holding onto something these days. We had so much fun, we always do.  We languish in the creations that each of us make,..  I am known for my slam dunk cards and this trip was no exception because I managed to slam together 98 cards. Don't be impressed by that, however, because I took down a tray of already folded cardstock for the card bases, I took down 4 packages of 100+ die cuts so I could just reach in and grab one.  I had pattern papers to build upon...and before I knew it I had 98 cards.  And that was just Saturday because on Friday I worked on 5 Memory Albums for friends out of town that could not attend the Memory Lunch I hosted for my Uncle who passed away last December.   What a fun crew, eh?

BBTB2/Fashion Show

Happy Monday dear visitors.  Our BBTB2 post this week was selected by one of our new design team sisters, Rebekah.  She asked us to design with a theme of fashion.  I went to my Forever Young cartridge for my cuts, although I did use a spare cut from French Manor for the closet. There are so many cuts to chose from.  This little gal is modeling one of her 4 new dresses.  I've added a little bling to the neckline of the model's dress, and there are some gold pearls added to the hangers for the other 3 dresses.  The word "style" is also from FY.  I embossed the background and the dresses. 

Please join us on this fun fun fun challenge.  Just please read our rules.

BBTB2/Window To My World

Happy Monday and welcome to my BBTB2 post for this week's challenge from our new design team sister, Brenda.  She asked us to design with the theme "Window to my World".... My card was designed from the French Manor cartridge which was a gift a while back from my dear friend and DT sis, Sandi.  I love this cartridge.  I chose the window cut with the pretty scroll work on page 36, keypad #9.  I added some frosted paper behind the extra cut of windows...and I added some little gold pearls for the handles and decor.  On the corners you will see some of my "card candy" which was a gift from my friend Pat. The inside of the card says "A warm hello"... 

I hope you've taken a look at the DT's offerings because their creations are always full of inspiration.  Please join us on this challenge.  Just be sure to read our rules at the top of our BBTB2 blog site...  We ask that you please disable the word verification but each week we encounter WV and some of us simply cannot leave a comment to thank you for joining our challenge. As a blog administration (you) you will not be able to see that WV is enabled unless you go to your blog settings.  There is an option to disable the WV and we encourage to please consider it.  I cannot leave a comment otherwise.
Thanks for visiting, and I hope you all  have a wonderful week.

Long Awaited Dream Room

My long awaited craft room is in the works.  Here is a photo taken a few weeks ago from the middle of my yard.  The room will be 10-x16, it has two big 4x6 windows, the entrance is from my master bedroom and there is a door on the east wall.  A great closet will provide the shelves I need, and a space for hanging quilts, and my sewing projects.  It will have 4 tables;  one will hold my 5 sewing machines, the second table will accommodate my Cricut, Cuttlebug, etc., the third will have the computer, printer and telephone and the 4th table is my workstation and  will have the TV set for my enjoyment and a nice space to create.  I will show some of the finished areas when the room is finished which should be about the middle of July.  I am so so excited.  

BBTB2/Here Comes the Sun

Welcome to our weekly BBTB2 Monday fun. ...Our new design team sister, Suzanne, is our hostess this week and she asked us to design with a Fun In The Summer theme.  We can use any cut from any Cricut cartridge that reflects this theme.  I selected all of my cuts from a delightful cartridge named Life Is A Beach.  I use this cart often because it has so many fun cuts to chose from. The umbrella, flip flops and smilin' sun creates this card for our challenge.  I drew the face on the sun.  The sentiment is from Cutting Cafe.  I've added some Stampendous Vinyl dots here and there...and I've done my usual embossing.  And you might see some yellow polka dots on the word "sun".

The background paper wasn't planned, it was just laying around and I decided it would look okay with the overall design. Hope you like it.

I know you will find oooooodles of inspiration on the design team cards, and please, ...join us for this challenge.  Just be sure to read our rules at the top of the BBTB2 blog.  Now and then we get an upload that doesn't meet the requirements and even tho the card may be just simply wonderful, it has to be deleted to be fair.  Please please disable the word verification if you have it... and I might mention, as a blog administrator, you will not see the WV on your own blog.  You will have to visit your blog preferences and under settings, it has the option to disable. . I cannot ever leave a comment when I encounter a WV on a blog I am visiting because I can't get past those difficult words.
Happy Monday...and within a few days, we all will be saying Happy July 4th...that is my daughter in law's birthday too so it is a day to celebrate.

Gypsy Fun

My sweet Gypsy girl just sort of lays around waiting for me to pay attention to her.  I decided to make a little colorful tote for the Gypsy.  I made 8 in different fabrics.  They are just the perfect size for the Gypsy, the tote is lined with the same outside fabric and there is soft batting between the layers for a little extra safeguard.  The flap hooks on the front with Velcro and I've added a cute little felt flower with a button that I made. Most of the totes have the word "Gypsy"embroidered in black thread. Although it doesn't show fully,the bright orange and green tote is embroidered with 

"Hanging with my Gypsy" and there is a ribbon on the back so that I can hang it up between use.  The other totes do not have the ribbon..I am selling some of these on eBay to see if there are interested parties.  If you are interested in one, just email me. I will discuss the details with you. 

BBTB2/Patriotic USA

Good Morning...Happy Monday to each of you visiting me today to see what's up at Bitten By The Bug2 for the Monday challenge. Our lovely and talented design team sister, Susan, asked us to design with something patriotic.  I went to my INDEPENDENCE cart and used the cuts for on my red white and blue patriotic card. 

I did my usual heavy embossing, added a red and white checkered ribbon ...and the stars are actually from one of my remaining Sizzix die cuts.  I seem to have issues cutting stars on my Cricut because  the little points never quite come out without a snag.  I love my little Sizzix star die cut.

I know you've found loads of inspiration from the design team cards... I also hope that you will join in our challenge for the patriotic theme.  Remember....your card or project has to have a Cricut cartridge cut, and we hope you've followed our rules posted on the top of our BBTB2 blog.   Please remember too to disable that baaaaaad word verification so we can leave a comment easily when we visit your blog to say hello and thanks.

Sweet Memories

Sweet Memories, indeed.  It was a year ago today that my sweet Heidi left my side to travel to the RainbowBridge .....I miss her so very much. 

 Tomorrow will mark one year that my precious Riley cat came into my house to be my companion.  A sad sad day followed by a happy happy day.

BTW, Riley has a wee bit of a tummy on him but he isn't as fat as he appears in this photo. He appears to have some Maine Coon Cat in his breed and his fur is extra long and silky... ..

BBTB2 - Birthday and Pearls

 Happy Monday.... June 18th and I am shaking my head in disbelief that June is nearly over.  The older I get, the faster time whirls around me and flees off into the world like a little whirlwind.

Welcome to BBTB2. Our hostess this week is Stephanie.  Stephanie is one of our newest design team members and I know she was excited to do her very first hostess assignment for our DT.  I remember back....maybe 2007 when I was a new team member for Regina on Bitten By The Bug, and it was my turn to hostess.  I was so giddy, I embarrassed myself.  I simply could not believe I was part of Regina's team.  She was my card-makin' hero and still is to this day.

Stephanie asked us to design with a birthday day theme and to include some pearls in the mix.  I knew that one of my favorite cartridges, STAMPING, would have the birthday sentiment and a really neat cake.  The background paper was laying around, and I think it might be an Amy Butler paper.  I added a doily edge punch from my EK Success punch line (love 'em)..at the top there are 3 layers of scallops, and in the center I added a pretty little ribbon.  I love this Happy Birthday cut from Stamping, and the little cake is sweet upon a Nestie mount.  A lot of embossing goin' on, which doesn't surprise my regular visitors.

Here's a close up of the little cake, adorned with flowers and pearls.  I love the colors on the papers used to design this card. 

Thanks for visiting me.  Please take a peek at the wonderful cards and projects our team has offered for this challenge.  We would love it if you join in our birthday/pearl challenge.  Follow the rules listed at the top of our blog.  Remember...we are a Cricut based design team so all entries have to have a cut from a Cricut cartridge....  Link your specific card back to your blog, and mention on your blog that you have joined in with our challenge.

BBTB2/Rose Thou Art A Rose

BLOG CANDY WINNER:...Congrats to Yoshira of Amo mi Cricut who won the draw on the Rose/Lace Tote.  Thanks to all for playing along.... Yoshira, please email me and I will mail the tote to you.  Happy Monday....Welcome to BBTB2.  June is National Rose Month and our design team sister Glenda asked us to honor that celebration by creating with a rose.  I instantly went to Indie Art for my rose.  I bought this cartridge long ago mostly for the wonderful butterfly, I love the ice cream cone and there are a few other cuts I've used now and then.... and now I've discovered ...the rose cut. I cut 3 so I had a nice sturdy 3 layer rose.  I used my Nestie die cut for the opening of this A2 sized card, and I centered the rose in that space.  I've added some red jewels, a red ribbon and one little green jewel for the leaf.  I used the word "love" from another standby trusted  cartridge, Beyond Birthdays..  The base card in black has been embossed, and I used one of my fave rubber stamps for the inside sentiment that says "I just love you".  Such a simple but says-it-all sentiment.

Please join us by submitting your new creation of a rose themed card or project....just be sure to follow our rules for entering the challenge.  We love it when you participate in the BBTB2 challenges.... there is such talent around us in this wonderful bloggy world of Cricut. 

Now for a little blog candy offer.  I sew...a LOT...I am almost frantic in the endeavor to use up the tubs and stacks of fabric, along with tubs of laces, buttons, glorious embellishments... so I make a lot of totes.  I just donated a big tub of laces, bias tapes, ribbons and some fabrics to a friend who has jointed the groups all over that make "pillowcase dresses" for some children in Africa.  I was so happy they could use these items that were just laying around.  I kept out some of the lace for my creations... These little totes  are a wonderful handy little fabric creation to tote just about anything...books, iPads, cell phones.  Here is a little offering for you ...just join in with your comment and I will put your name in the draw on June 15th by with a random.org drawing.  Check back after 2PM that day to see who is the winner of the blog candy.  This tote has been sewn with fuschia rose design, it is lined with the same fabrics, the handles were made with a cream solid fabric, the lace is cream, and I have created a multiple layered rose with a sweet silver heart in the center. The little tote is 11-1/2 inches wide and 9 inches deep.  

Thanks for visiting and leaving a sweet comment.  I appreciate all of you. Have a wonderful week.

Water Water Cool Cool Water

Welcome to BBTB2 Monday inspiration from the talented design team sisters.  Our hostess this week is the talented Miss Sandi Kelly who asked us to design with a water theme.  I have a lot of friends who always take a lovely cruise and I decided I would make a card for any trip coming up  AND have my challenge completed for the team.  

I used Life Is A Beach for the ship...that is on Page 77 of the manual, and on Page 45 of the same LAB cart you will find the wave cut.  I embossed the base card in blue, applied an embossed Nestie mount, and placed the design thereupon...along with the sentiment from LAB.  I added some Stampendous Vinyl Stickers for the side of the ship, and Martha's beautiful turquoise jewels adorn parts of the waves. Now when a friend tells me they have a cruise coming up, I will have a card to send to them. 

We hope you will join our challenge.  Please follow the challenge rules as always.  Happy June.  

BBTB2/GARDEN

Here we are...Monday...and we present to you our Bitten By The Bug2 challenge by Julia.  We are to design with a Garden theme.  This theme sent me into wild ideas on what to use, what to create, which cartridge to use.  I had 14 different ideas, and I made several cards but in the end, I didn't like what I  had done.  Here is one that didn't make muster.  I know that I grew watermelons years back in my own garden, and I liked the gate fold design (one of my faves) but I didn't like the colors.  They were brash.

The card that DID end up being acceptable to me is this  cute little garden scene with carrots and a sweet happy sappy-smiling  rabbit in his "garden delight".  I used JUST BECAUSE for the carrots and title, but the sappy Rabbit came from CREATE A CRITTER.  I added a little red punch heart just to show how happy little rabbit is to be in his garden of carrots.

Thanks for stopping by.  Remember, we would love it if you joined up with our Garden challenge.  Just make a new card, upload to Mr. Linky, link back to your blog for that card, mention BBTB2, and please make sure you do not have word verification enabled or I cannot leave a sweet comment and thank you.  I just flat cannot read those annoying words.

Approval Rating From Riley

I ordered a new Pink Expression.  I have one baby bug  which will be shared with a friend next week and my current Expression was purchased from Hallmark Scrapbooking when they first came out.  So it's been around a while and it has been used to the hilt....It is still working but now and then does something that could be a warning.  The Pink E was delivered last week and immediately Riley leapt upon the box to give his approval.  Ah that Riley Cat... 

BBTB2/Kitchen

Julia Moss, our BBTB2 talented design team sister, has the helm again this week in her second challenge to use a kitchen theme on our projects. I used two cartridges for my card.  JUST BECAUSE gave me the coffee pot while A CHILD'S YEAR provided the coffee cup.  I have done my usual embossing,  the coffee pot and coffee cup are mounted on some Nestie designs, the title is cut from the fonts of Divine Wedding.  You can see some  cute little "Card Candy"  on the top of the lid, and I added  some Stampendous Vinyl dots ...those are scattered on the coffee cup.  At the annual Card Camp, my friend Pat gave us a plastic bin full of the Card Candy  and when I saw her using the Stampendous Vinyl dots, I just had to get some too.  I like these because they take away that little problem that could arise when mailing a card with bling.  This bling is flat and I like that.  Here is my card.

Please join in on our kitchen challenge...as always we ask that you follow our simple rules.  Thanks for your visit.

BBTB2/Bakery

Welcome to our BBTB2 Monday show....Our hostess is Julia Moss.... This talented  lady stepped up and had a grand idea.  She took 3 weeks in a row and challenged us with some wonderful themes.  This first week she asked us to design with a bakery theme.   For about 12 or more years I have attended a wonderful Creative Memories Workshop group at a dear friend Judi's house.  We scrapbook, visit, have a wonderful meal and Judi brings out all of the new items from Creative Memories.  I just happened to purchase DIVINE WEDDING, a lovely wedding themed Cricut cartridge that is carried exclusively by Creative Memories.

Here is my card.  I cut a shape card for the cake...something I rarely do.  I couldn't get my Gypsy to wander over to the weld section and wander back so I had to be a bit clever in this shaped design. I cut 2 of the main cake in blue, and one in ivory cardstock which was glued inside after I added a black fold tab. I put the one blue cut onto the black shadow cut, and then I cut the cake in 3 sections and began the popdotting process.  That lowest layer actually has double popdots.  Once I added the pretty scrolled decor on the cake, I also added sweet white pearls, and a blue ribbon.  Before I glued the blue cake layers to the top shadow, I inserted the black fold tab, and this allows me to open and close the card in one piece. The inside of the cake has a EK Success Border and a Happy Wedding Day sentiment on a square punch.  The card is about 5 inches tall and 3 inches wide and fits nicely in an A2 size envelope.

We hope you will join up with our Bakery challenge.  You can use any cartridge that has a bakery/baked item.  Make this a new project, upload to our BBTB2 blog, link back to your blog and be sure to give BBTB2 a shout out that you have joined in on our challenge.  And please make sure that word verification has been disabled.   Thanks for stopping by.

BBTB2/Frame

Before I begin with our challenge, I want to welcome our 7 new design team members.  You can see their names on the BBTB2.  We are so happy to have them designing for BBTB2. Our talented hostess this week is Melissa who asked us to design with a frame.  We can do a layout or a card and I selected not only a card but I did a sweet box with an open acetate covered lid.  I teach scrapbooking and have for about 12 years, I attend a monthly Creative Memories Scrapbooking group and have for about 12 years.  I have done at least 42 scrapbooks for my own photograph collections and I've been commissioned to do about 18 scrapbooks for others. I have had about 4 scrapbook layouts published in Ready Set Create magazine, and I always have a hard time getting a decent photograph of the layout page.  So.... It was an easy sway for me to go from a layout to the card and box creation. 

The box lid and bottom are cut at 6x6 and scored at 2-1/2 inches and 2-1/2 and 1/8 for the sides.  I cut my frame from Elegant Edges.  Oh my, I love this cartridge.  I was told about this wonderful cartridge by my sweet friend Pat who says it is easily one of her most favorite cartridges and my oh my you should see the wonderful cards this lady creates.  I embossed the frame, I added two MS butterflies in layers, added some pink pearls.  The sides of the lid are small panels cut with an EK Success edge punch, and I added some more Elegant Edges cuts in white. 

The card has a pink base, a white embossed mount that has been edge punched with the doily punch, I've added an embossed Nestie in pink, and a smaller Elegant Edges die cut.  I set a pretty white layered butterfly in the center. More pink pearls are scattered about.

I hope you will join our challenge.  Remember to follow our simple rules and once again, please disable word verification.  I am still encountering entries that do not have it disabled and I leave without telling how pleased I am they joined our challenge.  Be sure to use a Cricut die for a frame from any cartridge. list the cartridge, link your card up to Mr. Linky with a link back to your specific card on your blog and be sure to shout out that you have joined us on BBTB2.

BBTB2/Ice Cream Cone

Our hostess this week is talented Penny who asked us to design with an ice cream cone.  We can use any cartridge that has this cut.  Here is my take on the challenge.  I can always use a birthday card and what better way to celebrate one's birthday than to have a yummy pink polk dotted ice cream cone?

I cut my ice cream cone from my CHARMED cartridge... the background is a Cutting Cafe printable, and  that is set upon some EK Success punched edging.  I added some pink and white polka dotted ribbon and a sweet little pink rose.   The inside says "Have a sweet birthday"....

We'd love for you to join us in our ice cream cone challenge.  Just make a new card using the selected die cut from any Cricut cartridge, link your card up to our Mr. Linky with a link back to the card on your blog.  Be sure to mention you've joined our challenge and don't forget, make sure you have disabled that word verification so we can leave a sweet comment.  I can't read those difficult words so I can't leave a comment, and our very own BBTB2 blog asks you to please disable the WV.  Remember, as a blog admin of your own blog, you cannot see that WV is enabled but we can if we visit.  If you need help to disable it, and would like to enable Moderator comments, that will allow you to have control over all published comments, please contact Donna or I and we will be glad to tell you how.

Nifty Fifties, Class of 1955

I am the Class of 1955 from West Phoenix High School, Phoenix, AZ.  The school name is gone, it has become a Tech school teaching wonderful careers to young people.  They have an awesome dining room with students learning the trade and we often have class reunions in the dining room.  Last Friday our class of 1955 celebrated our 57th class reunion. It was a big blast of a birthday party where most of the class will turn 75 in 2012.  We thought it was a sweet little twist to see 57th year of graduation, and flipped that becomes ....75...

Here is a giant poster I made using the Cricut cartridge "Nifty Fifties".  We were very blessed to be teenies in the fifties, doncha think?...

BBTB2/LadyBug

Happy Monday, dear visitors.  This week our talented hostess is our darling Krista who asked the design team to create using a ladybug or a bee...your choice, and you can use any cartridge that has those die cuts available.  My ladybug is cut from Doodlecharms. My card is a gate fold.  The base of each side of the fold has a pretty red pattern paper, then I mounted an embossed Nestie shape.  On the left side is the sweet little ladybug with googly eyes and some sparkly dots .  The sentiment is a Cutting Cafe sentiment.  On the right side of the card, I have added two flowers that were cut from George & Basic Shapes in several layers.  The inside of the card says "Happy Birthday Ladybug".  

We would love to have you join our challenge.  Just make a new card using a Cricut cartridge with a ladybug or a bee, upload the card and direct the link back to your blog with the selected card, give us a shout out that you have joined our challenge, and please please disable that awful word verification.  Our challenge rules have added the request to disable the WV.  I simply cannot read the difficult words and the end result is I visit the blog, attempt to leave a thank you comment, and then I leave disappointed because I've encountered the word verification.  I will email anyone with WV to let them know I've attempted to leave a sweet comment and I ask them to disable the WV.  Once I know that has been done, I happily bounce back to their blog to say hello and thank them for joining in.  If you need help in getting that disabled, Donna and I will be glad to guide you to the right spot on blogger to do rid your blog of the word verification. 

BBTB2/Balloons

Happy Monday....Happy April. Here in AZ it is the month we wait for. A month to bring forth a short springtime that seems to scurry away before we can enjoy it. The flowers are blooming, the birds are alive with their happy songs....and it is a time when I can open up all of my doors and bring in fresh air and see the world about me. My darling cat Riley loves it too because he can rush from front door to back door, keeping guard and making sure those two porch cats, Sweetie Pie and Meow Meow, have not gained entrance to his inside kingdom. And when he tires of all that rushing back and forth, he simply lays in the center of the room so he can keep watch over both areas. I love this cat....!

It is also Birthday Month for our talented sister, Jeri, who asked us to design with balloons for our weekly challenge. All four of her daughters were born in April so she has reason for such a wonderful celebration. I used the balloons on my Celebrations cartridge but if you wish to join up with our challenge, you can pick a balloon from any cartridge. The rules are: make a new card that must use the selected cut from a Cricut cartridge, upload it to our Mr. Linky, mention on your blog that you have joined in our challenge, state which cartridge you used and a link back to BBTB2. And to be really kind, I hope you have disabled that awful word verification.

My card is a gate fold design, the bejeweled "wish" and word "birthday" overlap to the right side. Inside it just simply says "My wish for you is to have the best birthday". The jeweled sentiment was from the dollar bin at Michaels, and the printed sentiment is from Cutting Cafe printables "Happy Birthday 40 Ways" set and you can view that wonderful series right here:

Hope you join us on our challenge. Thanks for visiting me, and if you leave a sweet comment, I will so appreciate it.

BBTB2 Design Team Call

Hello everyone.... we are taking a bit of a break this week on our challenges but we will be back on April 16th with a neat challenge. Meantime, please take a peek at the BBTB2 blog because we have announced a design team call. As you know BBTB2 is a Cricut based design team and we are looking for a few more design team members to add to the inspiration of a creating cards with Cricut cuts. Please see what we are asking of you as a design team sister and follow the instructions if you wish to apply for our team. We cannot wait to see what you create.

Family and Friends

In March I hosted a Celebration of Life luncheon with family and friends to remember my Uncle Jack who died December 6th. He was much loved, and his passing has left a void in so many lives. Here is our wonderful group... We had a lovely meal, I shared some fun memories and I introduced each family to the group even though most of us were connected through my Uncle. He was cherished. I miss him. That me in blue ..in front row, far left , and my darling daughter in law sits to my right. My son is in the back row, third one from the right.

BBTB2/Princess (the Word)

Happy Monday... I am so glad you are visiting me to see the Monday card challenge for the BITTEN BY THE BUG2 design team. Mona, our sweet DT sister, is the hostess and she asked us to design with the word "princess". You may use this word from any cartridge. I do not have a cartridge that had the welded word so I opted to use Blackletter and to cut each letter individually.

Let me admit. I almost opted out of this challenge. I have not had as difficult a time in creating a card in a long time and this one did me in. Four times!.... I made 4 other cards and they were so NOT, I tossed them. This card is the 5th attempt and I have to admit, I don't like it. But I never ever want to miss a challenge so here I am with what could be called a birthday card for a little girl. And as is so typical when things aren't going smoothly, after I photographed the card for upload, after I transferred the photos to my computer and I reviewed them, I discovered two of the little pearls had fallen off. Back to the studio, add the pearls, back to the patio to photograph again... sigh.... Last year in Michaels I was wandering around their dollar bins and I found the jewel butterflies and I bought several packages. I was cleaning the little bins and cups of whatnots yesterday and I found them. I decided to further annoy this card and I would add two. There are mini pearls as well...on the crown and on the lifted sentiment. Everything is embossed as it my usual style.

Please join in... create a new card using the word Princess from any Cricut cartridge, upload that card to Mr. Linky on our BBTB2 design team blog, be sure to mention on your blog you have participated and name the cartridge you used...and please make sure you have disabled that horrid word verification. I cannot read the letters and if I visit your blog to say thank you and comment on your card entry, and the WV pops up, I can leave no comment. I know you've visited BBTB2 to enjoy all of the wonderful creations from my design team sisters.

BBTB2/Flourish

Welcome to my presentation of our BBTB2 weekly challenge. Our hostess, Julie H from across the pond, has asked us to design with flourishes from Cindy Loo. If you don't have Cindy Loo, that's okay, ...just design a card using any Cricut cartridge flourish. Join us by uploading your new card with Mr. Linky, link it to your blog with the card for this challenge, give BBTB2 a shout out that you have joined in the fun, and tell us the cartridge you used. If you haven't done so, please turn the word verification off so we can leave comments easily.

I used my newest Cuttlebug embossing folder on my blue base card... Oh my, I love this beautiful embossing. The flourish is from Cindy Loo. I cut the shadow in white while the flourish is in a beautiful rich brown cardstock. I added a few little blue ribbons and those pretty pink flowers are the Spellbinder's Flower. I added a pretty gold jewel for the center, and the flower layers have been embossed as well.

Thanks for visiting me... I hope that you have come my way from BBTB2 and I know you enjoyed seeing the wonderful cards and projects from our design team. Have a wonderful week, my friends.

BBTB2 - Welcome

Happy Monday.... the BBTB2 design team is presenting their projects for Theresa's hostess choice to use the word WELCOME.... from any cartridge. I used the wonderful My Cricut Search.com to find the cartridges that had the word Welcome. And believe me, there are a LOT of choices. I selected Simply Charmed and New Arrival for my project. Welcome Little One is Simply Charmed while the cute little girl baby die cuts are from New Arrival. I embossed everything, added a lot of scalloped edge punching and embossing. This little hanging sign would be cute on a wall, a crib, a doorknob.

Join up with BBTB2 with your take on our challenge. Upload your card through Mr. Linky, link back to your blog for the specific card, mention the Cricut cartridge you have used to make the selected cut (Welcome) and be sure to mention that you are joining our challenge. Hopefully all of our wonderful BBTB2 friends and visitors have removed that hard to read word verification so we can leave you a sweet comment and thank you for joining us.

BBTB2/Easter Stuff

Happy Monday.... this week's challenge at BBTB2 is from hostess Julia Moss who has asked us to design using a chick or a bunny to celebrate Easter. We can use any cartridge, any chickie, any bunny. I picked up my wonderful EASTER 2010 cartridge. I actually had a folded pattern card base and I just sort of plopped a few scalloped edges in the center, added a MS weave punch and then added those cute cute chicks and bunnies. Of course they were embossed.... The sentiment is one of my favorite rubber stamps. Mama Bunny has a sweet blue ribbon around her neck.

Please join us on our bunny or chick challenge this week. Load up your card from your blog to Mr. Linky, be sure to give us a shout out that you have joined the challenge, and please please please do us a favor and disable that awful word verification that has slammed so many blogs. I can't read those wavy blurred words and that prevents me from leaving a sweet comment to the participants. One thing I might mention: as a blog administrator (you and me) we are not able to see that the word verif is enabled. You have to enter your "settings" and find the option there. If you would like to have control over postings, enable the Moderator Comments which allows for you to preview all comments before you allow publishing....Have a wonderful week.

BBTB2 - Shamrock

Welcome to my take on the weekly challenge at Bitten By The Bug2. Our hostess is Lori and she asked us to design with a Shamrock. My Shamrock was cut from Give A Hoot cartridge (love this cart)... and I admit... I had a hard time getting something completed that I liked.

I think I made about 4 cards before I just decided to go with a door hanger. The shamrock has been embossed and has some pretty green jewels to add a wee bit of blarney bling. The title is actually a pretty turquoise cardstock and no matter how many photos I took of the project, the title came out blue. I added some pretty little MS flowers with a yellow center jewel.

Be sure to join us for the Shamrock challenge. Link up your card or project through Mr. Linky, link back to your blog for the specific card, and be certain to mention you are participating in the BBTB2 challenge. Thanks for visiting...

Card Camp Adventures

Oh what a wonderful morning.

Oh what a wonderful day.

We had a lovely weekend

With all that came to stay.

Kris Lancaster, Deb Emrick and Pat Korver joined me on the weekend of February 24 to do our annual 2-1/2 day Card Camp. This was Pat's first time joining in, and she was here early, so excited to be included in this creative gathering. I told her "when those girls pull in, you stand back because it will be an assembly line of taking supplies from the car to the living room and before you can sneeze, it will be all set up and ready to create. This is our 4th year so the process if pretty well under control.

Pat is standing, Kris is the blondie and Deb is the brunette...and these gals are oh so talented. Pat makes absolutely the most wonderful cards with details down to the tiniest degree, Kris is the most talented Prisma pencil gal I've seen and Deb plans her cards out with wonderful auditions that bring forth a perfectly planned card design. During our Card Camp, I usually mention that I've slammed together about 75-90 cards because I spent a week or so getting the cardstocks folded, pattern papers selected and cut, and embellishments and sentiments all ready to apply. However this year I had a special project of making some Memory Albums to hand out to my family and friends who will attend a Celebration of Life luncheon I am hosting to remember my Uncle Jack who passed away. The girls saw me go into a pretty good stressful Friday but on Saturday I calmed myself and managed to complete the albums. I had planned a certain format for the albums and then changed my mind. I had everything all together so I could sit down and pull all of the elements together. But there I sat, midstream on one plan, my mind formulating a different design and I just sat and stressed because I couldn't find my starting point. That doesn't usually happen to me, but these albums are oh so important and I wanted every detail to be the best it could.

The little fold over 24 page slip in pockets of the album was just perfect for adding photographs of my Uncle as well as a photo of each and every person who will be at the luncheon. I added some personal memory statements. When I finished adding the contents, the flap would not lay flat. It has a magnetized flap but because of the contents, it could not connect. Another stress arose... and then I had a most wonderful epiphany. I remembered a tub of wide ribbons that my Uncle had given me years back to use... they were from the 50s, in browns and grays and blacks. A perfect perfect ribbon to tie the little albums together. The front of each album has his initials and I've added a little tag with the name of each recipient. I know that my Uncle Jack would be very happy with my efforts to remember him with family and friends.

Thanks for visiting me...

BBTB2 Monogram

Our leader and ultra talented Donna is the hostess this week...and she asked the design team to create with monograms. Any cartridge, any lettering.... Anytime the subject arises for a letter, I head right to my Cindy Loo cartridge. I think the letterings on that cartridge are simply the best and I love the selections.

The coral card set was made for a sweet gal named Tia at my bank who took a few hours to correct some important paperwork ... I embossed the card base, used an MS weave punch, embossed the white mount and added her initial. The second card with the initial J is a birthday card.

Please visit our blog at BBTB2, enjoy the wonderful talented design team cards and projects and be sure to join in on our monogram challenge by uplinking your blog and specific card thru Mr. Linky and be sure to mention BBTB2 in your blog post. Remember...it's important that you have that awful word verification disabled so your visitors can leave a sweet comment. You can read the request in the challenge rules on the blog here.

Riley Cat

I hosted the Card Camp this weekend and Riley had great fun moving from spot to spot, leaping upon work spaces to snoop and he became used to "NOOOO Riley, NOOOO". Last night he hopped into MY recliner and this is the look on his face as if to say "MOVE AGAIN????"

BBTB2/Nate'sABC's/Garden Boots

SPRING BLING

Spring is almost here and I know we are anxiously awaiting green grasses, the blooms on flowers, bees buzzing around the sweet scents of spring, birds chirping....and weather that is pleasing.

I am the hostess this week for the BBTB2 challenge. I asked the design team to use Nate's ABC's and to design a card or project with the garden boot cut. There are boots on other cartridges ..Create a Critter, Everyday Paper Dolls, Freshly Picked. There are other boots that can be decorated with a garden theme. Please join in on our challenge. Upload your project to Mr. Linky, link back to your challenge card on your blog and give us a shout out. Make your project a new project to meet our challenge selection.

I want to comment on a problem I am encountering. As a design team member of BBTB2 I love to leave comments to those visitors who upload their card to our weekly challenges. Recently I am finding a topsy turvy very blurred word verification that must be entered in order to have my comment published. I have tried many times on several blogs but I simply cannot read that blurred lettering and I end up leaving the blog without a comment. That makes me sad because I want our BBTB2 visitors to know that I appreciate their participation.Blogger announced later last year that word verifs are not necessary and to quote a friend "be a friend to your visitors...delete your word verifs". I just want to explain why I am not leaving comments on some of the blogs.

I had some pattern papers laying around that I used because of the garden colors. The green of the grasses, pinks of the flowers. First, I embossed the boot cuts, then I added some pink jewels ... hence the title of Garden Bling. I am not much of a gardener anymore because of aged joints, but at one time I had a splendid garden full of vegetables and flowers. The little flowers added are a MS punch. The title of Garden Bling is cut from my favorite lettering cartridge....Cindy Loo.

Thanks for visiting, my friends. I always love your comments... be sure to visit BBTB2 and delight in the design team projects.

BBTB2/Love Struck/Couples Heart

Happy Monday everyone.... Our BBTB2 hostess this week is the lovely Susan who asked us to design from Lovestruck cartridge and to use the couple's hearts. I do not have that cartridge, so I went to my first cartridge ever owned and created my design. George and Basic Shapes has the wonderful heart shape I need for this design. This is a hanging tag. The base of the tag is the letter O five inches in diameter... I cut 6 hearts 2 inches in size, and each was embossed with a different embossing folder from Cuttlebug. I glued the hearts side by side and then I punched two holes on the side of each heart, strung a ribbon through and tied a bow. I added a small fuchia punch heart, and a red jewel. The word "love" is cut from Beyond Birthdays cartridge. I had a dimensional flower laying around and I just decided this little flower would take away that blast of red hearts.

Here is a little bigger view of the tag which measures, in total, 5-1/2x5-1/2.
Please do enter our weekly challenge using a heart design. You do not have to have the selected cartridge, just make sure you follow the entry rules posted at the top of the BBTB2 blog. Make a new project, link your card and blog to Mr. Linky, and be certain to give BBTB2 a shout out.

Have a wonderful spiffy week.

Valentine Gifties

Each year at Valentine's Day I take some gifties to my friends at my former office. They are my forever cherished ones. I saw the most awesome candy wrapper by my dear friend Sandi Kelly and try as I might, I could not duplicate the beautiful flower she created for her candy wrapper. I made 3 wrappers and just took on a simple Valentine design for each. I created the paper by typing sentiments in different fonts and I found that one sheet of 8-1/2x11 would create a cover for two candy bars. I added some MS punch edges, a few hearts, a ribbon and a jewel to each. I love the design and they will have to deal with all those lovely calories beneath the papers. The initials are from Cindy Loo.... this is one of my fave letterings.

This shows some of the candy bars, a small gift card folder that will accept a Starbucks gift card for my friend Gay. Each of my friends will get a ribbon string of hearts. I've tossed in 3 little bookmarks too.
This is Gay's birthday card. The hat (from Doodlecharms) and it sits above the card edge. I will have to get one of the larger envelopes to put the card in.
I can't wait until Tuesday to take my gifties into my friends.

Just Ducky

I have been passing the time away playing in paper piles and I put together this little D is for Duck card. All designs are from Nate's ABC's. I added a lot of embossing and a little heart for fun.

BBTB2/SweetHeart/Tag

Shelly is our hostess this week at BBTB2 and she has asked us to design from Sweethearts cartridge and to use the heart tag. If you wish to join in our challenge, you can use any tag from any cartridge. Just follow our challenge instructions posted at the top of our BBTB2 blog.

I almost want to name this project my "junky tag" because it just sort of was slammed together ... I cut a bunch of hearts with a shadow in black, I had the word "love" in a box lid (spare parts, ya know) The tag, the hearts and the key all came from Sweetheart cartridge. I did lay a gold ink pad over the key cut, sprinkled gold embossing powder on it, then gave it a good heat up with my embossing gun. I added a red ribbon and some gold thread, everything is embossed. I had this little box of black and white and red buttons so I decided "why not" and glued some on the tag. See?....junky.

I hope that you enjoy visiting BBTB2, because we truly enjoy creating projects to inspire. Please do join in our challenge. We want to see what you did with a tag.