Introducing Zoe!

Welcome to the Zoe blog hop.  If you are arriving here from Kara's blog you are on the right track.  Zoe is the first paper line from the upcoming new Close To My Heart Annual Inspirations catalog.  We are thrilled to be able to share some project with you that were created using the Zoe paper line.

My project is a 5.5x4.25 card that uses the herringbone technique.  Each strip of paper is cut at .5x5 the glued to a base paper alternating directions.  I then added the lighthouse image from the Seaside Greetings stamp set and glitter triangles.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy the projects that have been created to inspire your creativity.  Your next stop on the hop is Ellen "CardMonkey" Jarvis's blog.

If you get lost along the way return to Andrea's blog for a list of all the blogs in hopping order.

Christmas in July challenge

Welcome to another fantastic challenge at Exploring Cricut and More.  This week's challenge is to create a card, layout, or other paper craft with a Christmas theme.  To add to your enjoyment this challenge is a blog hop.  You should be coming from Rae Ann's blog.

For my project I decided to decorate a frame (Michael's).  I started off by wrapping the frame in various washi tape designs from various suppliers.  The tape sticks fairly well, but some of the ends were wanting to pop up so I used ModgePodge to cover the entire frame just to make sure the tape would stay.  I picked a snowflake design from the December 25th cartridge.  I really liked this design because it wasn't just a snowflake, it was a little fancier.  The images were cut at 2.53" and one image was flipped.

Thanks for visiting today and don't forget to join in on the challenge and link your project back at Exploring Cricut and More.  Now you are ready to head over to Michelle N.'s blog.
If you get lost along the way here is the path of the blog hop.
Annette
Sharon
Faith
Donna
Rae Ann
Emily
Michelle N.
Christi
Liz
Tina
Katrina
Michelle S.
Diane

july 24th daily project

Welcome to another project for Exploring Cricut and More.  For today's project I'm using a cartridge that when I purchased it it was one of my favorite ones; I just never used it very much.

 I used the flower card cut at 5.47" from the Wild Card cartridge.  This was a very simple card, simple but sweet.  A little bling makes it just right.

This month has become one that has taught me to do things quick.  Everytime I turn around there's another crisis going on.  I've been without my vehicle for over a week (physically).  It hasn't been working correctly for months.  At this time I'm waiting to hear from the service department to see what's wrong with it.
A week ago today, my "baby", Allie decided to become a gymnist.  She jumped off the bed and broke her leg in 2 places.  She had to have surgery to have a metal plate put in for the bones to heal properly.

July 14 Challenge

Welcome to another challenge.  This week's challenge is a crafters' choice.  You must have at least 2 cuts.

For my project I decided to make a birthday card.  You can never have too many birthday cards.

All cuts were made from Paper Doll Dress Up at 3.5" using the mermaid key.  The face was made using a stamp from Peachy Keen stamps.

Thanks for visiting!

July 10

Wow!  This summer is really flying by.  The card I'm sharing today is a very simple card that is mainly stamped, but I saw this flower on a Pinterest card and I thought it would be perfect for this card.

I used:
Ariana pattern paper and cardstock
Outdoor denim and sorbet ink
Banner Wishes stamp set

Cartridge used:
Art Philosophy:  flower @1.", 1.5", and 2.0"
I inked the edges of each flower and used a jewel in the center.

June 30 Challenge

I don't know about you but this summer is flying by.  Before you know it we'll be starting back to school and all the hustle that goes with that.  Today's challenge was to create a card, layout, or other paper craft celebrating summer and using at least 1 sign.  This was a challenge and I didn't decide what to do until basically the last minute.

 I was actually very pleased with how this turned out, especially since I was trying a couple "new" technique.

I started by tearing the tan card stock and inking the edges.  Then using the same color ink that I used to ink the edges I used a stippling brush to dab a little color on the "sand" to give it a little texture.

I then added the sign.  I did the same technique for the sky; I used 2 colors for the sky to give a little added depth.

Once finished with the sky I added the water.  I used the image then welded 2 of the same image together to ensure that the pieces would be long enough.  When I glued the "water" together I alternated the waves going left and right to attempt to give it some movement.

I'm definitely pleased with the results, especially since I was stumped on what to do for this project.  Thanks for visiting!

Cartridges used:

3 Birds on Parade: chick @ 3", inner tube @ 3"

H2O: sign @ 2.29"

Paper Doll Dress Up:  water @ 1.0 (2 cuts welded together)

Accent Essentials:  sun @  2.76"

June 26

Happy summer everyone!  I'm still in graduation mode for today's daily project.  As a special education teacher, I have the chance to really get to know my students because most of them I work with from 7th grade till they graduate.  This year's group of seniors I was able to work with in 1st grade and 3rd grade.  These three students have always held a special place in my heart, even on their worst days.  I will miss them, but I can't wait to see what they do with their futures.

I used the same design, but changed the background paper so there would be a difference between the girls' cards and the fella's card.

My little fella's card (he'll always be my "little" fella even though he is a young adult)

The girls' cards.
For this project I used:
Ariana pattern paper and cardstock
Congrats Graduate stamp set
outdoor denim ink
Cartridges used:
Artbooking:  owl @12.18" and overlay @7.12"
Everyday Paper Dolls:  graduation cap @3.59"