Birthday Cupcake Card Set

A few months ago a friend and I made a swap for our home business products.  I got a really great little bottle of Frankincense and I made her a big stack of birthday cards. Take a peek!

Inks: Hollyhock, Crystal Blue, Juniper, Spring Iris (retired), Crème Brulee, Chocolate, Cashmere

Papers: Hollyhock, Crystal Blue, Juniper, Spring Iris (retired), Crème Brulee, Chocolate, Cashmere, White Daisy, Black cardstock plus B&T papers from Bella, Notebook, Perfect Day, and Dreamin' Reflections Kits (all retired)

Tools: Artiste Cricut cartridge, paper crimper, Liquid Glass

I wanted her to be able to use them for any age, boy or girl.  And who doesn't like cake on their birthdays?

Now if you'll excuse me, our school break has started and the boys will be home for 3 weeks!  That means we'll be hitting the pool as much as possible...to keep them from the video games as much as possible!

Heart 2 Heart Challenge: Color Me Happy

This week at Heart 2 Heart we are all sharing our favorite colors in our projects.  Sounds easy, right?

Ha!

Asking a crafter to choose their favorite color or combo is like asking a parent to choose their favorite child!  And while I may have some children...COLORS...I meant colors,  that I like to create with more than others, I just couldn't pick one or two...or even three.

So my card has a whole subtle rainbow of colors!

 

Stamps: Card Chatter-Birthday

Inks: Black

Papers: White Daisy, Hollyhock, Ruby, Sunset, Honey, Topiary, Sky, Pacifica, Gypsy

Accessories: Sparkles

Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, Piercer, Corner Rounder, 3D tape

 

I pulled this card together quickly with the AP cartridge.  The butterfly is found on page 41 of the handbook.  I cut one of each color + White Daisy at 1.25".  They are attached together at the body with a rolled up mini glue dot.  Each of the sparkles are colored with the coordinating marker, besides the three clear ones of course.  I did trace several "flutter" lines with a pencil until I was happy with the look.  I used the piercer along the line and place the colored sparkles as I went.

This may have to be a hand delivered card...there are 11 layers where that butterfly is!

Thank you for stopping by and playing along with BOTH design teams this week!  I'm sad to say this is the final week of my term on the team.  I've enjoyed being back and a part of the group.  And I hope I'll be able to keep up with the new ladies starting the second term!

If you want to play along, visit the H2H blog and get inspired by all the beautiful artwork.  Then get cracking on your own!  Just remember the few rules to play by:

1. Use CTMH products when you can.
2. Link your blog post (not just your blog) with the Linky found at H2H.
3. Share your favorite color or color combo!

Have fun this week!

Birthday Cupcakes

I know the end of the year is the start of the holiday season for us all, but it also seems to be the start of our family birthday season as well!
 

Earlier this year we had a very special lady join our family, my step-mom Diane!  We all love her so much and she has been a real blessing in my Dad's life.  Her birthday was just before Thanksgiving and I wanted to make something special to help her celebrate it.

I've had the idea floating around in my head ever since I saw this fantastic card Tresa Black made and showed us at Convention.  And who wouldn't love a cute cupcake card?  Especially one that is low calorie!

I paired it up with a mini birthday cake made from a battery operated tea light candle I had.  (Don't worry, I know how some of you are and yes, I'll tell you how I made it!)

Stamps: Artiste Cricut Bundle Birthday Collection

Inks: Chocolate

Papers: Perfect Day Reflections Kit (retired), Bella Reflections Kit (retired), Colonial White cardstock, Chocolate cardstock

Accessories: Colonial White Rosette Ribbon, Red Button Assortment, Opaques Mocha Gems, Chocolate Embroidery Floss, Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Tools: Artiste Cricut Cartridge, 2" Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Micro-Tip Scissors

Other: Transparent Velcro Dots, Battery Operated Tea light Candle, Scor-Tape

Making the Card:
The card itself was cut using the button on page 70 in the Artiste handbook, set at Fit To Page, which turned out to be 6.5".  It's a bit too big for a 6"x6" envelope, so next time I think I'll just cut it at 6".  I used the card base to trace and cut the front and back of the wrapper, as well as the cakey part of the cupcake.  I lightly scored the front wrapper and inked everything with Chocolate ink.  The banner is the button on page 58, cut at 1".

For the icing, I placed strips of Scor-Tape on the top portion of the cupcake.  Then attached strips of the rosette ribbon, trimming as needed.  I placed medium sized Mocha Opaques around like sprinkes and added the button to the top for a cherry.

Inside the card I made a gift card holder.  I asked my Dad to pick one up from her favorite restaurant in their town...totally surprised her!  (I had another piece of cardstock we all signed that I attached to the inside wrapper of the card.)

And now

Making the Cake:
This was totally fun to make, and really easy!  (You can use all paper for this, but with CTMH Dark Chocolate Ribbon looking so much like a layered cake, how could I not use it?!?)
I first put a strip of Scor-Tape around the candle. Then wrapped a piece of ribbon around it and secured the end with more Scor-Tape.  This ribbon is a bit too wide for the candle, so I simply trimmed it flush with the top of the candle.
The frosting is made with the scallop punch and Chocolate cardstock.  Use whatever "flavor" cardstock you like!   You need to have a hole centerd on your scallop big enough to fit over the flame.  I tried to eyeball it with a hole punch, but ended up just folding it into quarters and snipping off the tip to make the hole. Try what works for you!
I colored the edge with my Chocolate marker and spritzed it a bit with water to make it a little more pliable.  I ran a thin strip of Scor-Tape around the top edge of the candle and placed a few bits of it on top as well.  Then I placed the cardstock over the flame and pressed it onto the tape strip to keep it in place.
The roses were done with the 1 1/4" circle punch and scissors.  Punch out five circles and cut quick spirals with the scissors.  Yes, I know the Cricut has flowers on it, but these are so small I was afraid they would just tear on the mat.  And really, it didn't take long at all to do by hand.  I used mini glue dots to secure the flowers and keep them on the cake...after I had inked the edges with more Chocolate ink.
The cake plate is just 4 layers of Colonial White cardstock and 1 layer of B&T paper.  I used my Juniper marker to run around the edges as well.
I dug through my velcro stash.  I placed a velcro dot on the battery cover so when it needs to be changed, it's easily accessable without tearing apart the whole thing, but will sit still on the plate!

So I hope this gives you a quick and cute idea to make for birthday gifts...have your cake and eat it, too!

Heart 2 Heart Challenge: Birthdays By the Numbers

Happy Saturday everyone!  I have another of this month's Heart 2 Heart Challenges to share.  When I saw the Birthdays by the Numbers challenge a couple of weeks ago, it couldn't have been more perfect timing.  I was needing to get a card made for my Dad's birthday and it was the kick in the pants I needed.  See, every year the poor man has to wait for his card.   Sometimes up to a month afterwards!  But not this year...see what I came up with for him.

Stamps: Card Chatter-Birthday

Inks: Archival Black, Saddle

Papers: Dakota Reflections Kit, Clementine Reflections Kit, Scholastic Reflections Kit,

Kraft cardstock, Black cardstock, Colonial White cardstock

Accessories: Almond Glitz Glitter Gel, Liquid Glass, Baker's Twine Neutral Assortment,

Milepost Shapes, Blue Button Assortment

Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

The challenge was to celebrate a birthday using numbers.  I really hope he doesn't mind me sharing his age with everyone!   It just shows how wise he is, right?!?

I waited to share the card here because  1.  I didn't want him to see a sneak peek.  And 2.  I didn't want to spoil the surprise of actually getting a card from me on time!  My gift-giving/card-sending punctuality skills are quite well known in the family.

In fact, when he got it early and called me, the first words out of his mouth were, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"


Hope your Birthday is amazing Dad!

Studio J: My Fairytale

So it seems to have been a while since my last post. Darn that whole "life gets in the way" thing!

But I have a special layout to share today. Engineer may not appreciate me sharing it, but today I can do whatever I want. So here it is...


Studio J: Sweetheart Reflections Kit

The quote, in case you can't read it, says,

"Every once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale."

I wanted to have a layout of just me and Engineer...and truthfully, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find enough pictures to fill the layout I chose! I am usually the one behind the camera (like many of you, I'm guessing) and Engineer...well, he's really good natured about having his picture taken, even though I'm sure it's not his favorite thing to do. So I was pleasently surprised to find so many of just us together.

So why can I do anything I want today you ask? Go ahead...ask.
Well, it's my birthday today!

And since it's my day and I can do anything I want...I've opted to not do any of the regular things I do about the house like:

laundry

shopping

cleaning

or cooking


I had a nice visit with some friends that stopped by earlier and later tonight I get to pick someplace to go for dinner. No cooking or cleaning! I may even go to a craft store or two and clean out their scrapping and beading sections!

Now that would truly be a fairytale!

Studio J Birthday Layout

Today is my Dad's birthday.

Hi Dad!

I have this wonderful tradition of getting his birthday card made/sent late. I think it may have to do with the fact that his birthday is so close to Halloween and by the time the end of the month comes around, the boys have me on candy/costume/decoration/school festival overload and it slips my mind. And I know he knows I don't mean to be late...but why mess with tradition? This way, he gets to celebrate his special day just a little bit longer!

So while I don't have the card ready to share, I can share a Studio J layout I did of a special birthday party we threw him several years ago.


Studio J: Stardust Reflections Kit

You see, my dear father has a slight appreciation for all things Stargate. This particular year, he received a Stargate DVD season set, a soundtrack, a book, a boardgame, and yes, even a Stargate shaped cake...complete with DHD cupcake. My brother put together a Teal'c from spare G.I. Joe parts to finish off the look. We all wore standard Stargate wear: black and olive.

He was quite surprised when he walked in the door and saw us all!

So Dad, even though the card will most likely get to you just before Thanksgiving (just being real here), you know I love you and hope your day is full of wonderful surprises.






PS: I know the journaling looks wonky when you click on the picture to enlarge it...but it doesn't look that way in real life!

The Present

Happy Monday everyone! I have just a couple of cards to share this morning. Yesterday and today are birthdays of some special ladies I know. I made them these cards to let them know how great I think they are.


Stamps: CTMH The Present
Inks: CTMH Chocolate, Juniper, Garden Green
Papers: CTMH Veranda Reflections Kit, Veranda Creative Basics


I cut my stamp apart to be able to use different inks with this sentiment...I think it makes the image more interesting! I also used a couple of Mocha Opaques as embellishments.
So Happy Birthday Kim and Cori!



And a big thank you for the Anniversary wishes. Would you like to see what Engineer got me? Can you Imagine what is was? Well, last Monday night...like so many other craftaholics in the country, I was watching the world launch of the new Cricut Imagine machine on HSN. Just to watch it in action...I swear! I casually said to Engineer, "You know, our anniversary is this weekend. That would be an awesome gift!" He watches the tv with me, then tells me to get his wallet.



Seriously?

But I was told this will also count for my Christmas present this year...and maybe my birthday, too.

You know what? Who cares! I'll even through in Mother's Day and Valentine's Day on top of that!

This lovely machine was delivered to my doorstep on Friday!



My family may have to fend for themselves for a couple of days!

A Long Time Ago In A Craft Closet Far, Far Away...

Last night Engineer and I took the boys to see Star Wars In Concert.

Awesome, it was!

There was an exhibition room full of movie memorabilia, posters, costumes, backdrops, and even a couple of the galactic residents themselves. We stood in line for pictures with Clone Troopers, Vader and Leia, but the boys quickly got tired of that...said it reminded them of Disneyland.


So after checking the time we got some snacks, took our seats, and waited for the show to begin. Lights, lasers, movies and music...what a performance! And I don't mind my geekness showing for a moment when I tell you I teared up a bit when the whole thing started. Maybe you have to be fan to understand that...Engineer sure gave me a weird look when I told him.

With everything else I needed to be working on today, I just couldn't get that theme music out of my head and I figured the only way to do that would be to make a card. Yeah, that doesn't really make sense to me either, but I got to have some fun before the boys got home from school. I found some perfect clip art pages and looked for one that would fit the card I had in mind. I colored it with my Copics, but since I was going for the actual cartoon look, I didn't do any shading...which was really weird to do.

And now, I give you Master Yoda:


Stamps: CTMH Weathered Backgrounds (retired)
Inks: CTMH Desert Sand
Papers: CTMH Desert Sand, Bamboo, Colonial White, Garden Green


And I decided to give this to my brother-in-law who is turning 40 this year. Problem is, his birthday is not until December! So I better not lose it, right?

Here's what it says on the inside:



So DeAnna, you can't let your hubby see this! Got it?



And on that note, I've got to fly.


It's the last day of school (!) and I'm sure the boys will want to start their summer vacation right away.