Cricut Weekend

   Thank goodness it's Saturday, right?? I hope you all had a wonderful week! It's been cold cold cold up here so I have spent most of the week indoors trying to stay warm!

   I also have been trying to catch up on all the projects and artwork that I want to show all of you! Do you ever start a project list?? I have a check list for projects I want to complete, and I swear it grows every day!

   The last two weeks, though, I have been able to make more creative time, and am starting to cross off projects from my crazy to-do list!

   Today I want to share with you the project we created during last week's Crafting with Cricut class! This was a super fun project to design! I knew going into my creative process that I wanted to combine Artbooking and Artfully sent on one project, but I wasn't sure how I was going to tackle that.

   I decided to use the super cute Christmas tree pop-up card from Artfully Sent, and the background and icons from the Artbooking cartridge! I paired those die-cuts with the Yuletide Carol paper pack and matching Complements to get a super cute Christmas display!

Full display layout

   I was really pleased with how this turned out, but I have to be honest. I designed and made it in less than an hour because I was sleep deprived and really didn't think about it. Sometimes I think that coming up with a new project is way easier if you stop thinking about it and just start doing. So that's what I did, and I love how it turned out!

Close-up of the tree cut from the Pop-up card from the Artfully Sent cartridge

Close-up of the deer from the Artbooking cartridge

Close-up of the top of the display layout showing the Yuletide papers and Complements

   Are you wondering how I cut the border around the Yuletide cream paper? Well let me share a little Cricut Craft Room secret.....you can take an image and choose what you want to cut from it by selecting "Hide Contour".

Close-up of the gold shimmer trim under the Artbooking overlay border

   The image I started with was the overlay from the travel mini-album on the Artbooking cartridge! Then I selected "Hide Contour", and selected all the clouds and airplanes to tell CCR not to cut them. This left me with just the border to cut out! I love this trick! Definitely try this....the possibilities are endless!

Overlay I started with in CCR

Select the image and the "Hide Contour" button will show up on the bottom left-side

When you select the images you don't want to cut they show up grey. Then when you hit exit, the images will fill in solid and not cut. This is my favorite trick ever!

Display layout in the Colonial White Shadow Box frame from Close to My Heart

   Isn't this the best?? If you like this tip, you should sign up for my Candid Cricut Club and attend my next Crafting with Cricut class! We get to play with fun tips and tricks like this every time! It's the best!

   If you have any questions, please let me know! I would love to help you make this fun shadow box display for yourself! Have a great rest of your day and enjoy your weekend! I hope you get time to be crafty this weekend, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Challenge Post #4: Vinyl

   As promised, I wanted to post a couple quick projects I have done recently using vinyl. Vinyl is WONDEFUL for home decor projects! I absolutely love it! Plus you can get it super cheap online and in many different colors! My go-to website for vinyl use to be Oh My Crafts, but lately they have had issues with their processing and shipping. So I might be looking else where next time I need it (which won't be for awhile...).

   These first few projects are all different photo and scrapbook albums that I decorated with vinyl to dress them up and personalize them!

This is an album I did using vinyl cut outs from my Cricut Expression. I used the "Accent Essentials" cartridge which has a nested circle design on it. I cut the circles in a 2-3 different sizes and two different colors. To get the border effect, I simply cut come of the circles and applied them about an inch to 1 1/2 in from the sides.

This album I made for an expecting friend. The giraffe and the borders matched a photo box I decorated to keep loose photos in of the baby. At the shower, we each decorated and signed a scrapbook page to start the scrapbook album for her! I used the "New Arrival" Cricut cartridge for the giraffe and the bow.

This album I made for my sister a few month back as part of her baby shower gift. I decorated the front and the spine of the album to match the invitations I sent out for the shower (also shown on the table). The same giraffe image was used as the previous one.

   I have a couple more albums I am working on for a couple other baby shower gifts. These ones I would like to try and use Mod Podge over the vinyl to keep the vinyl permanently adhered to the cover. I do not think it will show too much on the album, but it depends on the type of album used. All of the previous albums were leather finish, 3 ring albums.

   The next set of projects were ones I just completed for our wedding last month. These were little "treasure" boxes I made for the nieces and nephews that were in the wedding. They were filled with goodies and games for the kids to play with during the down times throughout the night. They were a huge hit!

These were the ring bearers "Pirate Chests" complete with the skull and cross bones! I used a simple black vinyl to cut out both the image and the names. I stuck the vinyl on there as best I could (the boxes are wood), then used Mod Podge Matte to seal the vinyl to the box.

A view of the top of the "Pirate Chests" with the boys' names sealed on top with Mod Podge!

The flower girls and junior bridesmaid received these cute little jewelry boxes. I decided to make them more personal by added pennant banners and each girl's initial on the top with vinyl. I sealed each of these with the Mod Podge Matte as well. It definitely helped with all the edges on the pennant flags.

A view of the top of one of the girl's jewelry box! These were so quick and easy, but really made it special for each kid! They loved them!

   My last project I am going to share is an etched mirror that I made for the families a couple Christmases ago. The funny thing is, I only got a couple done before we had to move a couple times. So I still owe a couple mirrors to a couple people (Sorry Zac and Nichole...I promise you will get it soon! haha)

   Etching mirrors is very tricky and it takes a little practice. I practiced on a couple small table mirrors I bought at the craft store first to make sure I was using enough etching cream and to get use to using the vinyl as a stencil. I will post a picture of my practice mirror once I find it in my mess of pictures!

   I definitely suggest using transfer tape on the vinyl before placing it on the mirror. It helps keep the vinyl straight and smooth. I also would suggest using some type of vinyl scrapper tool to smooth the vinyl down on the mirror and make sure all the edges are stuck down really well! I use Armour Etch etching cream for etching mirrors and glass. I will post a picture of the finished project tomorrow when I'm not so tired!

   I hope you are enjoying these little creative posts this week! Hopefully you are getting inspired to create your own projects! Like always, if you have any questions or need extra details on anything I posted, please leave me a comment below! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Challenge Post #2

   So I'm a couple days late on this post...oops...mostly because I wasn't around a majority of the day on Sunday and also because I was traveling back home during the day yesterday. I was going to try and post this last night, but we had another commitment to attend. I'll just have to post an extra project or two this week to make up for it!

   Today's project post is one that I did last Christmas as well. It was a home decor gift for a friend. I originally saw a similar project on Etsy and decided to try my hand at an adaptation! This is the end product!

Shadow box fern decor

    I started with a 12x12 shadow box frame and used the frame backing as the mat for my collage of scrap papers. I then used Cricut Craft room to design the main image and matting. It takes a little practice and manipulation with craft room, but it will work (not sure how other die cutting machines would do...I only have the Cricut Expression). 

   In Craft Room, select a square frame image. I used one from the "Wild Card" cartridge. I then expanded the image to fill the mat. The newer update would not let me do a 12x12 image, but I used 11.30x11.30 and it filled the frame with little to no gaps. I then selected the main image to fill the center of the frame. I used a fern-like branch from the "Straight from the Nest" cartridge as my main focal point. I tilted the image to fit corner-to-corner and expanded it so it overlapped the square frame at multiple points. Craft Room then automatically "welds" the images together. When I cut the welded images on white cardstock, the fern appeared to be part of the square frame and stayed attached. I cut two of these total.

   For the blue background, I lined the fern framed die cut over the frame backing and used a pencil to mark the corners. I then connected the corners with light pencil lines using a ruler. This gave me the work surface area I needed to make my background. I then cut strips of blue patterned papers from my scrap paper pile. I did not measure these. I wanted it to look collage-like with random sizes and lengths. I even let the papers overlap my pencil lines so that no white edges showed up behind the fern. I glued the strips of paper down directly on the frame backing. Once my area was filled, I glued one of the 12x12 die cut frames over top of the blue collage. This was the base of the frame. you could leave it like this if you wanted, but I wanted a 3D type effect with my image.

Tilted camera angle shows the 3D effect of the shadow box

   To create the 3D effect, I used vellum adhesive to attach the second 12x12 die cut frame directly to the glass. I used Glue Dots vellum adhesive sheets and cut them into strips to attached all four sides of the die cut. I considered using Mod Podge matte finish to adhere the paper, but I needed something quick drying and less mess for this project. It might be worth playing with, though, for a repeat project. The key point with attaching anything to glass is to make sure the glass is completely clean and dry. If there is any residue or fibers left on the glass, the adhesive will show it when it's attached (especially using white cardstock). I also cut down a couple vellum adhesive strips to attched the edges of the fern that are "floating" on this die cut. 

   Next, put the shadow box together and KAPOW....a 3D home decor frame! This was a lot of fun to do, and really easy to arrange! It also is another great way to use up some of those paper scraps lying around the work space!

   If you have any questions about this project, feel free to ask in the comments below! Hopefully this will inspire you to start creating fun home decor pictures before the holidays! Until next time:

 Here's to life, love, and creativity!