Mother’s Day Card –Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #159

Hey there my crafty friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend. There was so much going on these past couple of days – Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day and yesterday was Cinco de Mayo! And today is the Mother’s Day card challenge on Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog. Come on over and join in on this weeks challenge and not only will you be inspired by my fellow Design Team sisters, but you’ll have a special card that you created yourself for Mother’s Day next Sunday. Now here’s my Mother’s Day card -

I wanted to try some different card-making techniques that I came across on Split Coast Stampers. They have wonderful tutorials for so many different kinds of projects. So I combined this Lever Card with some Cricut images to create my card. The photo above is what the card looks like when it’s closed. Now this is what it looks like when opened -

Cool, huh?

For the front of my card I cut out the birdcage from the Bloom Lite cart at 3” and used pop dots to adhere it to the front ‘lever’ panel. I had forgotten how much I liked this cart – there are some very cute images on it! (The digital version is on sale now at Cricut.com.) I stamped a sentiment onto cardstock and punched it out and adhered it to the bottom front of the card with pop dots.

For the center panel, I cut out another birdcage from Bloom also at 3”. For this birdcage I decided that I wanted it to ‘hang’ from a tree branch that I cut from Serenade at 1.4”.  The branch is adhered so that it stretches across both panels. I then threaded some twine through the top of the cage and tied it around the end of the branch.

The butterfly was a part of the second birdcage image and it has three layers, two of which are popped up with pop dots.

I wanted to add a Mother's Day sentiment to the last panel but most phrases were a little too big for this spot. I needed something no wider than about 1.5”. Here is just one of the reasons why I love my Cricut so much (ok, I know that should be plural as in CRICUTS!, LOL). You have the ability to manipulate the images to your liking! For instance, the “I love you” sentiment from the Artiste cart is actually one long phrase that measures 2.7” wide. I really couldn’t make it any narrower because it would’ve been too small to read or even to cut out nicely. At 2.7” wide, it was only 1.11” tall! So I left it as it was, and after it was cut, I hand cut the word “love” from the rest of the sentiment and rearranged it into a vertical sentiment!

Here’s a screen shot of what the phrase originally looked like in the Craft Room:

I think it looks pretty good in it’s new arrangement! So there’s another challenge for you – if an image doesn’t work for you, change it!

So there’s my Mother’s Day card! (Sorry the colors in my photos are the way they are. This paper is so much prettier IRL! It was just hard trying to get it to look that way here!)

Now head over to FCCB, get inspired by the other Design Team member projects, and then join in on this weeks challenge!

If you’d like to learn how to make your own Lever Card, go to the tutorial here on Split Coast Stampers.

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow on Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog. I write a post there every Tuesday with Quick Tips! I’d love to hear some of your comments about my tips!

Supplies used:

• Cricut Expression and Cricut Craft Room
• CTMH Artist, Bloom, and Serenade Cricut cartridges
• Sentiment stamp, label punch, patterned paper – Stampin’ Up
• Twine – Pink Paislee
• Ink – Tim Holtz Distress ink pad
• cardstock, adhesive, pop dots

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

It’s a Card Day! (Stamping but no Cricut!)

Since my Mom doesn’t get out much but she loves to send cards to people, I try to help her out by making cards and sending them to her with a book of stamps. I made an altered lunch pail for her last year to keep her cards all together. So when there’s a birthday, anniversary, or a death – hey she is 91! – she only has to go as far as her dining room table to pick out a card! Well, I have been cleaning out my scrap room – seems like I’ll NEVER get it finished – and I came across some cards that I made in my Stampin’ Up! days. I gathered them up to send to my Mom but I wanted to share them with you first.

I used one of my favorite stamp sets on the card on the right!

I tried my hand at water coloring with the card on the left! I used watercolor paper to stamp the image on and then embossed it in gold. I really liked how it came out!

The stamp set on the left was the very first set that I purchased before I became a SU Demo. It’s been discontinued but it is still one of my most favorites. I did some masking on the card on the right. I miss Kiwi Kiss!

I have a few more cards to share with you tomorrow. One is very fun and only uses punches! I’ll bet that it could be created on the Cricut! Ummmm! Something to think about!

It’s blog candy time from the Craftin’ Sistahs Blog Hop! I hope that everyone enjoyed the Craftin’ Sistahs very first Blog Hop. I had a great time and it has inspired me to host my own Blog Hop to celebrate my birthday! So keep in touch – there will be some great blog candy given away then also!

So the winner of my Blog Candy is………………… (drum roll please!)

 

Craft Creations by Netta

She said... “great project..thanks for the instructions..I am now a follower of your blog”

Here are your random numbers:

3	

Timestamp: 2011-02-16 12:15:17 UTC

Thanks Netta for joining us in the blog hop and for becoming a follower! Please send me your name and addy to I can get your candy to you! I also hope that you liked my blog. I would love to have you come back and visit again.

Until Next Time,

My Mom is 91 Today!

Today my dear Mother is 91 years young! She stills lives by herself - not that any of her 4 kids are happy about that but she loves her independence. And even though she has been through many tough times during her life she still maintains an upbeat, happy and positive attitude. She has fought through a heart attack, open heart surgery, diabetes, double leg amputation, and many more physical problems but even in a wheelchair she gets around and tries to make it to church whenever she can. My Mom has had a tough road through life to make it this far but she taught all of us kids how to live a Christian life and becomes productive citizens. She and my Dad had 2 sons (born in 1939 & 1942) and then a surprise daughter – me – almost 20 years later! Then they adopted my little sister in 1967! So my siblings range in age from 71 to 43! Mom has11 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren! I’m so proud of her and love her so much and I am so blessed to still have her in my life!

Here is a scrapbook layout that I made in her honor. It’s called “A Warrior’s Lessons of Love”.

This layout shows photos of my Mom at different stages of her life and the lessons I learned. I printed a beautiful poem on a transparency and placed it over a photo of my Mom after her amputation. Here is the poem:

This morning my thoughts traveled along

To a place in my life where days have long since gone.

Beholding an image of what I use to be

As visions were stirred, and God spoke to me.

He showed me a warrior, a soldier in place,

Positioned by Heaven, yet I saw not the face.

I watched as the warrior fought enemies

They came from the darkness with destruction for me.

I saw as the warrior would dry away tears

As all of Heaven’s angels hovered so near.

I saw many wounds on the warriors face,

Yet weapons if warfare were firmly in place.

I felt my heart weeping, my eyes held so much,

As God let me feel the warrior’s prayer touched.

I thought, “How familiar”, the words that were prayed,

The prayers were like lightening that never would fade.

I said to God, “Please, the warrior’s name.”

He gave me no reply, He choose to refrain.

I asked, “Lord, who is so broken that they need so much prayer?”

He showed me an image of myself standing there.

Bound by confusion, lost and alone,

I felt prayers of the warrior carry me home.

I asked, “Please show me Lord, this Warrior so true”

I watched and I wept, For Mother, the warrior was you!

Journaling:

 

My mom has always stood by my side, stood up for me, and many, many times she has stood behind me and held me up. I’d like to think of her as a “Gentle Warrior” ~ a woman who has always remained strong and determined through the many trials in her long and sometimes difficult life (trials whose weight a lot of today’s young women, including myself, would buckle under) but also showing her very kind, gentle, and compassionate side while dishing out infinite amounts of affection, life lessons, and good moral values along with loving discipline.

Now that I am an adult and married with children of my own, I realize just how many of these lessons she taught me not only verbally but by example. As I watched her experience many hard times, make numerous life decisions that were sometimes difficult, and make many personal sacrifices for her family, I learned many lessons that have expanded my heart and have allowed me to love my family and my life more deeply and profoundly. I love my mom so much… she is my hero… and I hope to be just like her when I finally grow up!

With each experience that my mom has gone through in the past, and continues to go through, she teaches me a new Lesson of Love!

 

Sorry about the poor picture quality! It’s much nicer IRL! It actually won first place at the Great American Scrapbook Convention!  Thanks for looking and helping me celebrate my Moms special day!

 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

 

Until next time, Happy Crafting,