Masculine Birthday Card

This simple masculine card was made using an embossing folder and my Cricut machine.

I used a wood grain embossing folder for the background.  I cut the word "happy" from a piece of kraft cardstock and used the negative space for my card.  I also used a pen in my Cricut to write "birthday" just below "happy", then cut around the entire sentiment to form a rectangle with a zigzag pattern across the bottom.  I finished the card by wrapping jute around the front panel.

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Happy Birthday Card with Metallic Accents

Here's a simple birthday card I made for a very special young man. I wanted to add a little sparkle without making it look girly, so I used metallic paper for the banners and patterned paper with metallic accents for the background.  I won't even pretend to remember which Cricut cartridges I used, but I'm pretty sure I did actually use my Cricut.   

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What I Did On My Winter Vacation

I can't ski on a good day.  I haven't had a good day in years.  My husband loves to ski.  I'm not sure my granddaughters "love" it, but they're pretty good at it.  So this is how I ended up in frigid temperatures watching the world pass me by.

My husband knows I'm still recovering from a broken ankle, but he felt compelled to make reservations at a ski resort anyway.  Why he didn't book a trip to the Caribbean I'll never understand.  Lounging on the beach--now that's something I'm sure I'm capable of doing.  But whatever.

I try to be a good sport.  (That's different from being an athlete.  I'm pretty sure I'm not one of those.)  At first I let my husband convince me that a ski boot would support my weak ankle enough to allow me to risk breaking a new set of bones.  Then one night several weeks before the trip, I found myself waking up in a panic at the thought of desperately trying to snowplow my way to a stop before I hurtled to the bottom of the mountain.  That's when I realized this idea of skiing wasn't the best idea I've ever had.  So I put my still-tender foot down.  I would not be putting my swollen ankle into a tight boot to slide down a mountain for anyone.

Contrary to what my family might say, I'm really not the type to demand that others change their lives to accommodate me.  I would still be willing to take a ski vacation, just not willing to ski. So now the dilemma for me was how to best utilize this time away from home.  (I did make it clear to my husband that he would be expected to take the girls skiing with him, at least for part of each day.  Seemed like a fair trade-off to me.) 

I haven't worked outside my home (or inside either, if we're being honest) since my oldest granddaughter was born over twelve years ago.  I wanted to make the most of this vacation, not just pack my mundane existence in a suitcase and take it on a road trip.  As luck would have it, this was the year my husband decided to try a different resort property far from the heart of the action.  So spending my days wandering the village wasn't practical.  Aha!  Maybe I could use this time to do some crafting projects!  It would require me to drag half the contents of  my house to a far-away location, but it would be worth the trouble.  I would use the time to actually create fun things without feelings of guilt; after all, you can't clean a house that's hundreds of miles away.

Then we were there.  Smack in the middle of reality.  It was no longer "what if" but it was now what it was.  And what it was was just another version of My Life.  We got up rather early each morning, got the kids dressed and fed, then my husband and kids were off living their lives. After they left I showered, spackled my face as best I could, and fought with my unruly hair.  Yes, so far this was looking a lot like the life I led back home.

I barely had time to cope with the inevitable depression that happens after I spend 30 minutes in front of a mirror when it was time to meet my family for lunch.  Now mind you, I never knew what time they would find themselves both hungry and near a restaurant, so I spent my "free time" waiting for their call.  Then the rush was on to catch a shuttle bus to meet them at whichever location was convenient for them.  And as I totally expected, my youngest granddaughter had had enough skiing by lunchtime every day.  So it was back to the condo for her and me.

Guess what I did every afternoon?  I taught my granddaughter to use my Cricut machine.  

And when the slopes closed every evening, my other granddaughter wanted me to teach her to use it, too. 

Did I use my vacation to create fabulous things that I would be eager to post on my blog?  No. Did I relax and enjoy quiet time alone?  Not a chance.  But I hope what I did manage to create over that long weekend were lasting memories with my granddaughters.  Yes, you might even say I spent the time Creating Fond Memories.  And it was all good.

My Non-vite (or Un-vitation) from Cricut

Well, the fine folks at Provocraft have joined the ranks of the high-end clothing designers in attempting to divide us into classes--those who matter and those who don't.  I don't.

When I first toyed with the idea of buying the Cricut, I hesitated because of the ongoing expense of buying cartridges.  But it was such a fun crafting tool that I let myself get drawn in.  In the 18 months since I bought my first machine, I have purchased over 60 cartridges, two more cutting machines, two copies of Design Studio software, a Cuttlebug and  a YourStory machine.  Somehow, this doesn't qualify me for inclusion into the exclusive "Cricut Circle". 

This really shouldn't bother me because it's a marketing ploy, the same one used by top-of-the-line handbag designers who charge a ridiculous amount of money for a bag that, although well-made, isn't really that much better than one that can be purchased for 90% less.  I'm no psychologist, but I believe I understand the concept that by marketing a product only a select few can buy (whether for financial reasons or simply that it isn't available to the "masses"), you create a frenzy where people will do almost anything to own your product so that they can feel like a member of the "special club".

It sucks.

Yes, I feel excluded.  It's irrational, but it feels like a slap in the face that I wasn't included in the "top 3% of loyal customers" (or whatever verbage they used to make the invitees feel like plunking down $275 to be part of the club). 

So thanks Provocraft for making me feel like the high school girl who wasn't invited to the dance.  I think I'll take my cartridge money and buy a big ol' freezer-ful of ice cream.

Wedding Scrapbook using Cricut & Bind-it-All

This was started as a crafting blog, so I guess it's time to start crafting! 

My daughter insisted we not spend money for her birthday because we had paid for her wedding just three months earlier.  Well, that was easy because we had no money left.  (Oh, I'm kidding! It wasn't that bad.)  I did find something practical to buy, but I wanted something special to give her. Then it hit me--I've got tons of scrapbooking supplies just begging to be used, and I had a digital file with all the wedding photos, so guess what I made?

I only had a couple of days to work on it in between visits from my daughter and her new husband, who were in town for Thanksgiving.  So I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.

I wanted to play with my new Bind-it-All, so I decided to make my own book instead of using a premade scrapbook.  And since I was trying to beat the clock, I chose my DCWV Once Upon a Time 8x8 paper stack (it gave me an instant theme, the paper was already embellished, and the smaller pages would be easier to fill--what more could a lazy crafter want?)

To start, I cut chipboard slightly larger than the pages to make a cover, then used some patterned paper cut slightly larger than the chipboard to cover the front and back, wrapping to the inside.  I glued a photo to the front, then wrapped an acetate sheet over each cover, again wrapping to the inside.  I cut a coordinating paper slightly smaller than the covers and glued it to the insides to finish it off.

I wanted to protect the scrapbook pages and give them more stability, but I didn't have 8x8 page protectors.  So I used 8 1/2 x 11 protectors, cut the top to 8 inches (excluding the bottom seam), then cut one side slightly larger than 8 inches (to allow for the binding).  This would make it possible to slide the finished pages in and out if needed.

To complete the book I punched holes in the covers and the cut sides of the page protectors using the Bind-it-All, put the protectors between the covers, and bound the book with O-wires.  I used my Cricut and several cartridges to further embellish the pages with flourishes and phrases. The finished pages were inserted into the protectors, I tied a small ribbon at the top of the binding, and then agonized over all the changes I wished I could make.  But at least I had a gift to give my sweet daughter on her 26th birthday!

And here are the finished pages: (Some of the colors are off- I have no idea what happened!)

Maybe it was the content more than the actual scrapbook, but I truly enjoyed the finished product.