BLOG CANDY! Martha Stewart Punches!

Have you joined the craze surrounding the new Martha Stewart punches yet?  Michaels has been exclusively carrying most of them, but several 'sets' made a short appearance in Walmarts all over America recently!  They are flying off the shelves so fast, that nobody can keep them in stock.  Why... you ask?  Because they are soooo cool!  Here is the spider web border AND (this is what makes them so cool!) a coordinating corner punch! 

Isn't that just adorable!  And so easy to do!  Now last year, the 'Drippy Goo' punch was so popular it sold out in no time.  I know, because I moved too slow on that one and looked everywhere to buy one, but never could find it.  Oh... there were several being sold on Ebay for 5x what they originally cost!!!  And people were buying them too!!  But, I waited...  and my patience won out, because not only did they release it again this year, but they improved it by making the sides fold up for storage!!!  LOVE THAT!

Well, you are going to LOVE it too!! Because you can click HERE to go to my BFF Joy's blog (http://www.obsessedwithscrapbooking.com/) and enter to win one of these punches!!  Tell her I sent ya and browse around while you are there, because her blog ROCKS with information!  She truly is obsessed! LOL!

CUTTING ABOVE DESIGN TEAM!

I've been selected to join the Design Team over at the Cutting Above blog! I'm so excited because this will be another opportunity for me to share my passion for crafting with the cricut!

Here's what the blog is all about:

Cutting above is your one stop shop for all things die cutting related. Our goals are to provide you with all the latest industry news. We'll cover the latest tips, tricks and techniques for scrapbooking, card making, home decor and even altered art projects. We want to become your #1 news source for all types of automated cutting tools such as the Cricut, Silhouette, Wishblade as well as other scrapbooking tools. Visit often to see the latest product reviews, tutorials, videos, cutting files and so much more.

And click HERE to go check it out!!!

Bday Croppin at the Creative Cottage

Wow... I've been so busy this month! Where did July go? Between church mission trip and church camp... quick vacation down in Galveston and launching the GREATEST BLOG in the world... I've been a bit busy!! The month of July started out with the best birthday crop ever! Here are a few of the ones who attended...



... we had a blanket theme going on because we were hot and then we were cold... we are all great friends, but our body temperatures definitely do not match! LOL!



We divided up all the weekend meals so that everyone only had to cook one meal all weekend! Joy started us out with some delicious yummies on Thursday night! It was great!

School Projects can be fun!

My youngest son just finished his sophmore year of High School. I used to love to help him with class projects, but he no longer needs my help.... but he does need my scrapbook supplies/tools from time to time! Even all his friends know where to go when working on a project that might require the cricut or stamp pads... yep, my scrappin studio!





So, Matt's best friend Derrick had to do a scrapbook page for his science class at the end of the school year. The teacher wanted a page from each student for her scrapbook and they had to answer certain questions on the page. Smart teacher!





I taught him how to mat the picture and ink around the edges.





Then he got to use my cricut (his favorite part!) and make a nametag with PLANTIN SCHOOLBOOK using the endcaps and he used LOCKER TALK to cut a black microscope to represent the science class.





Didn't he do a great job!? And he did it... I only gave him the tools to do it with. What a cutie!

ATO Charity Crop SUCCESS!

We had so much fun!

Great goodie bags and fun activities! The Scrapbook Kit Silent Auction was great... a big thanks goes out to Emily at The Scrappin Bunny in McKinney, Texas for donating the kits (U Rock Emily!).

DOOR PRIZES GALORE!

And lots of winners!

Several Demonstrators...

Jodie George with Debbie Gunion & Associates

They were embossing acrylic shapes with the cuttlebug!

Erin Schlosser with Schlosser Designs


Stephanie demonstrates the BIND-IT-ALL (thx Stephanie!)

Deb demos grungeboard...

Don't forget the food!

Alonti Cafe, Chick-fila and Dickey's BBQ all donated some wonderful food! We ate all day! Yum!

Detective BJ put up with all us crazy cropping gals all day! LOL!

Charity Crop for the Dallas Police ATO

We are so excited!! I am sponsoring a charity crop this Saturday (June 13, 2009) that will benefit the ASSIST THE OFFICER (ATO) Foundation of the Dallas Police Department! Chairperson of the event, Deb is an officer's wife herself and she has worked her buns off getting donations for door prizes! So far... tons of scrapbook supplies, a beautiful Pandora bracelet (valued $250!), cricut cartridges, and our big prize.... a CRICUT EXPRESSION! Yep! Someone is going to go home with a brand new cricut... now THAT is exciting! And dinner has been donated by Dickey's Barbeque... yummy!


So... it's still not too late to attend... seats are available and you can register HERE. The cost is only $35 per person and police spouses attend for only $25 (just a small way to say THX to them for their sacrifices!). Lunch & Dinner are provided and you automatically get 10 door prize tickets! You can also earn or buy more tickets throughout the day to increase your chances of winning!

More details are on the website... so hop on over and check it out at www.cropallday.com!

The Pioneer Woman

Okay... this is a little off the subject of scrapbooking... but I have to share! My favoriteist (is that a word?) blog to read doesn't even have anything to do with scrapbooking... it's the CONFESSIONS OF A PIONEER WOMAN. Have you ever read it? It is better than any best selling novel... because it goes on and on and on. I don't have alot of time to read books anymore... love to read, but just don't have the time. But I will hop over to this blog a couple of times a week and read her posts... they are hilarious and full of pictures. She is a great photographer and also has a wonderful cooking section where she shares recipes and stuff. Take a look at this POST... it is short and yet summarizes her sense of humor in just a few words and a couple of photos.

Enjoy!

New Scrapbook Store in the DFW metroplex!

Wow! Just got word that there is a new LSS (local scrapbook store) opening here in the DFW area! North Richland Hills to be exact! The owner's name is Cherie and if her website and blog are any indication of what her store will look like... I can't wait! Cause it is cute, cute, cute! Jump on over to check it out!

National Scrapbook Day 2009

All I can say is, "Wow!"





National Scrapbook Day Retreat 2009 was the best ever! We had a blast at the Hilton Garden Inn in Frisco, Texas! We were greeted with the welcome sign in the lobby of the hotel upon arrival. And the Ladybug Bellhops were eager to help you bring ALL your stuff into the crop room AND they even delivered several suitcases up to the sleeping rooms too!



I am already receiving emails from the ladies that went telling me that it was the best retreat so far! And people are signing up for our August AND October retreat already! I fully expect those retreats to sell out like this past weekend did. Our max capacity (and still leave lots of space for all our stuff!) is 36 seats, so if you are planning on attending one of the fall retreats, you should go to the WEBSITE and register right away. You can always put a deposit down and make payments if that works better for you.



Lizzy and I made these cute fans (from Cricut ACCENT ESSENTIALS) that welcomed everyone to the retreat and our nametags matched them.





And of course, the Ladybug Welcome banner (made with Cricut Celebrations & Mickey Font!)



We kept the Friday night dinner light because everyone arrives at different times, but the pizza and bread sticks were yummy!










The breakfast buffet the next morning was delicious! Cooked to order eggs or omelets... waffles... fresh fruit and much more!





We had the entire dining area reserved for our group, so all of our meals were up and away from our crop tables. That way everyone got a chance to stand up and stretch and you didn't have to eat where you crop!





Lunch was even included on Saturday this time because it was National Scrapbook Day. It turned out to be a good thing since it rained all weekend long and nobody wanted to venture out in messy weather!






James... the banquet director at the Hilton made us the best chicken salad for lunch and the chef, Andre's homemade potato chips were really yummy... especially served warm! If you are looking to schedule an event in the Frisco area... I highly recommend the Hilton Garden Inn! Tell them that Ladybug sent ya!


The theme for the weekend was "Garden Party" since we were staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. Everyone was challenged to 'create' a garden hat to wear on Saturday. Those who did it received an extra door prize ticket and we all voted on the best garden hat and she got TEN extra door prize tickets!



Lizzy and I even put ladybugs on our hats! We are, after all Mother & Daughter Ladybugs!





What a terrible picture of me! LOL! Okay... I cheated... I decorated a visor, not a hat! But I'm just a visor-kinda gal! And of course, the camera caught Lizzy with her mouth open! Hehee... she just LOVES to talk!



I love the miniature garden tools that Dona Lee put on her hat!






The Three Cricuteers!




Bonnie flew all the way from Tracy, California to join us! This was her second Ladybug retreat!





Deeann even transformed her new ball cap into a garden hat!




This was Beth's (above) & Michelle's (below) first time at a Ladybug & Co retreat! Michelle flew in from Maryland and we were so happy to meet them both and want them to come back! I wish I had taken pictures of Michelle's labels for the spines of strapbound scrapbooks! They are awesome! She prints them on cloth and sews them onto the spine... Michelle! Please send me pics and I will post them here for people to see and order from you! I am sending you some of mine as soon as I can!




And here was our Garden Hat Winner! Rita did a spectacular job making tissue paper flowers to adorn her garden hat! It was just great and isn't she the cutest?! This was her first Ladybug retreat too! Her good friend Dixie organized their little group to all meetup here in Frisco, they are all from different cities here in Texas.





We had fun with make-n-takes!




Connie, with Tickle Me Pink Designs had the cutest layout as a make-n-take! For some reason, my pictures did not all turn out, so I can't show it to you... but trust me! It was a cutie!



She taught everyone how to embellish chipboard using Tattered Angels paint sprays.





Next came Saturday night's dinner...




This was a special recipe of James'... chicken with a dill demi glace sauce! It was accompanied



It was all so yummy!










Don't forget the dessert!




We even offered a little National Scrapbook Day Happy Hour! Of course, the featured drink was our favorite "Tropical Ladybugs" (coconut rum & pineapple juice). Lizzy made the cutest little ladybug picks for the drinks from the cricut DOODLECHARMS cartridge! Oh!... the things you can make with your cricut!





One for Heather and one for a friend...




Okay... so some of us got a little silly after dinner! All of us have been looking forward to this retreat for quite some time... and as we were all getting ready for it this past week, the headlines around the world was "SWINE FLU"! Made ya take notice... it's a very serious threat. First death in the US takes place in Texas (uh oh)... then Wednesday night, the entire Fort Worth Independent School District closes all it's campuses for 10 days! Made more that a few of us a little nervous... especially the ladies who were flying into Texas from other states! So, I sent an email out to everyone attending on Thursday, to let them know what precautions I was taking for our safety throughout the weekend. I provided those little hand sanitizers and we even had surgical masks (proven to be ineffective however) for those who really felt the need to wear them. While we (36 ladies) were together all weekend long... our exposure to the general public was kept to a minimum (if you don't count the football team from New York who were also staying in the hotel! LOL!). And not to make light of a serious situation, as scrapbookers you just have to smile and take a picture:





Jennifer & Delana...




That's Beth hiding behind Delana with a mask over Delana's belly for the baby's protection! Lol!




Brandy and I were practicing 'Swine Flu' safety too!




We even talked about decorating the masks... Theresa's sense of humor really came out with her mask above.




We gave away 11 door prizes! Some were baskets filled with scrappin' goodies and we also gave away a Lyrical Letters Cricut cartridge and some Ladybug polo shirts.



Everyone earned door prize tickets and got to put their tickets in the door prize bowl of their choice! That way nobody won something they couldn't use or want! Connie, from Tickle Me Pink helped me draw the names of the winners.



Kim and Heather both got Ladybug shirts! They looked great on them too!




A good time was had by all! Sorry this post was so long, but I didn't even upload ALL the pictures I have! I will post the group picture once I get it. I appreciate everyone who came... I just love you all and hope to see you again next year (or sooner)!

Mod Podge - Photo Carousel

My sscrubby (that means a 'supportive scrapbook hubby') was promoted to a new position at the hospital that he works at... and with that position came a nice, brand new, corner-with-windows office and new furniture too! So, I wanted to make something that he would like to have on the corner of his desk... a carousel of family photos from our daughter's wedding.

It spins around and the top will open so you can store stuff inside.

It was a piece of unfinished wood that I bought at Hobby Lobby.

It was actually a very simple project. I painted the wood all black and cut a scrolled heart from the WEDDING Cricut cartridge for the top and used my favorite Martha Stewart border punch for the bottom. I used a glossy mod podge to apply the paper accents and to seal the whole thing. Put the glass and pictures in and added the strand of rhinestones at the bottom of the paper border for a touch of bling.

National Scrapbook Day Retreat!

I am getting sooo excited about this retreat! I will get to see many familiar faces (I love you gals!) and have several newbies who have signed up (can't wait to meet ya'll!)! And the best thing about it is our new location! The HILTON GARDEN INN in Frisco, Texas. As I walked into the lobby, I was greeted with the sign in the picture above.... it truly is a 'sign'!

I have booked all three of the large meeting rooms (which opens up into one huge 2100 sq' room) Frisco I, II & III for us to crop in allll weekend longggggg!

Here is how the tables will be set up for our cropping...

Everyone is welcome to bring their own cricuts, electricity will be set up for every table. The tables are 6' long and while the chairs are not computer desk chairs, they are very comfortable, very padded and brand new conference chairs. There will be a limited supply of Memory Mats, Ott lights and side tables available for check out... those will be on a 'first come, first serve' basis.

I really am excited about this retreat! It begins on Friday... includes all your meals and ends Sunday evening.

Breakfast is provided in the hotel courtyard at your convenience both Saturday morning and Sunday morning.

Yummy!

I will post the menus for the rest of the meals next week, once we have finalized them.

What about the sleeping rooms, you ask? OMG! This hotel has only been open for 3 months as of this post... when you come out of the elevator you are instantly greeted with that nice smell of new carpet... nice and clean. I have booked the rooms with two queen beds, featuring white duvets. Each room has a large work desk is featured with Herman Miller ergonomic desk chair, complimentary high-speed internet access, microwave and refrigerator, coffee, coffee makers, irons and ironing boards.

And you just won't believe the beds! They call them the "Garden Sleep System", but it reminds me of the 'Sleep Number' beds. You can adjust the beds to be really soft or extra firm... your choice. Notice the mattress cover... it is made of 100% New Zealand virgin wool (I'm thinking that there's alot of naked sheep in New Zealand! LOL!) My only worry is that everyone will sleep in too long and miss quality crop time! Hehehee!

There are mini fridges and microwaves in every room.

Flat screen TVs... (yes... I know Vanna has no fear of losing her job to me! Lol!)

Comfy chairs to relax in... (Hi Marianne!)

Did I say that I was excited about this retreat?! Hehehee

Oh... and not only is the parking FREE!... it is very close to the crop room and the Ladybug Bellhops will be on duty that weekend!

So, if you want more information on this retreat... go to www.cropallday.com... but hurry because there aren't many seats left!

Autographed Frames

Have you ever gone to a concert or event and wanted to get someone you admire's autograph? Sometimes it is on a t-shirt or a napkin... or maybe inside a book or magazine. Last year, I had the pleasure of sponsoring the tool center at a couple of Creating Keepsakes Conventions. I knew that Lisa Bearnson was attending the one in Houston, so I painted this inexpensive unfinished frame and asked her to sign it. I also had someone take our picture together, with the plans of putting that picture in the autographed frame. Something so simple... so inexpensive... yet it is one my most treasured souvenirs. I keep this frame and a few others on a shelf above my desk as inspiration and a reminder to chase my dreams.




Another one that I love was also taken in Houston... with Lain Ehmann, a contributing editor for Simple Scrapbooks.... she has the cutest, funniest, most energetic blogs around. Check her out HERE!



Don't be afraid to 'think outside the box'! I love unfinished wood... it just screams 'paint me' and
'cover me with embellishments!' LOL! And make sure to surround yourself with inspiration pieces while you are scrapbooking, stamping or just plan creating. It will really help... I promise!

Creative Critter Notebooks & Renumbering Handbooks

Take a look at the CREATIVE CRITTERS BLOG! You will see the details on the notebooks that are provided to the Creative Critter Club members at classes and maybe get some ideas on how to set one up for yourself!

Many cricuteers already know how to 'renumber' the handbooks to coorelate to the keypad overlay... but if you don't, you can see some examples of that too, on the BLOG.

Obsessed With Scrapbooking!

Wow! I love to scrapbook! You could even say that I was obsessed with it! LOL! Just like my new BFF Joy! She is the author of http://www.obsessedwithscrapbooking.blogspot.com/ ... it's a great blog... she does a wonderful job of keeping up with the sales and trends and whatnots. I have been a subscriber for quite awhile and she came to my cricut class last week! We had so much fun that we all went out to lunch together and then managed a quick stop at Hobby Lobby afterwards!

Then Joy joined us again to crop all day on Saturday... she is the first scrapper I have come across who can challenge me in CRICUT TRIVIAL PURSUIT!! lol! Now, she has written the nicest review of my cricut classes on her blog... go read it and then subscribe to her blog so that you get the email notices about what's on sale where and when! She's the best!

Scotch ATG 714

My friend, Marianne, affectionately named the Scotch ATG 714... "Big Bertha". We all love Big Bertha within my circle of scrapping pals, including my mom. But for some reason, my mom has a hard time remembering which direction the tape is suppose to go! LOL! I think it is just her way to make me feel needed! Hehee

Well, she is going out of town for two weeks and was worried about changing the tape in her gun... so I simply took a sharpie and drew arrows and made notes. There actually are arrows there, but they are the same color as the gun... so hard to see.

It's the simple things in life that make it easier.

So... there you go. Even my mom can change the tape in her Big Bertha now! LOL!

File Folder Mini Book

Would you believe that this adorable mini album was made from a $2 - 12x12 File Folder?

It is a little complicated to explain how to fold it, but once demonstrated... it is very very easy to do!

There are four tags that slide out of the pockets formed when folding the file folder together.

This is the back of the mini album... that is my daughter and youngest son... aren't they cute?

I could send directions on how to make this mini album to anyone who leaves a comment with an email address... seriously... its easy to do and makes a great gift for someone.

Cricut Card Crazy!!

Hop on over to my Creative Critter blog and see all the cards that I have been creating with the cricut lately!! I've been busy!

I've been using WILD CARD, HOME DECOR, INDIE ART and more... details for each card and cut size are located on the Creative Critter blog

Let me know what you think! Is it too green? LOL!

Shadow Box Frame

I just love these shadow box frames from Hobby Lobby!






This one was so simple... my base was a 12x12 photo (Costco for $2.99) of my youngest son with a strip of paper from K&Co on the right side. The chipboard words "Sweet" and "Cherish" are also from K&Co, but the corner swirl is a diecut from Home Accents cricut cartridge (cut at 3"). I also cut the white base frame from Home Accents and layered his name from the BASE CAMP cartridge.


Here's how it looks on my wall... right above another shadow box of us seeing the play "Camelot".






I love how the black and white photo just jumps out at you!

March Scrapbook Retreat

I have to admit that I was very disappointed that we didn't have enough croppers signed up to attend the Rockin'R this past weekend. So, we went to plan B (having a plan B is always good... doncha think?) and attended the ScrapShack in Frisco, Texas. It turned out great!! Eight friends attended... two from Houston, two from Austin, one from Ft Worth and the rest from Frisco. We rearranged the tables a bit to give everyone more space and EVERYONE got a cricut next to their seat on a separate folding table!

Everyone's goodie bags turned out so cute! I had so much fun making them... they included a flower chipboard album, rub-ons, unfinished birdhouse, flower coaster, luggage tag, nametag (made with the Plantin Schoolbook cricut cartridge!) and of course chocolate candy!

Cropping late into the night... Sonia & Shirley (the two on the right) were our all-nighters, cropping until 4:15am one night! LOL!

Nelda was a 'cricut-virgin' when she arrived. But, having the cricut right there at her table at her disposal for the whole weekend gave her the chance to really explore it! Before the weekend was over she was cricuting her little heart out and even ventured into paper piecing Disney pieces and made the cutest little Tiggers bouncing around on her pages! Way to go Nelda!

Along with scrapbooking, I love to cook and I got to do both this past weekend. There was tons of food all weekend long, starting with dinner at my favorite mexican restaurant, Mattitos, on Friday night. The 'Waffle Man' made a surprise visit on Saturday morning to fix yummy fresh fruit waffles for everyone and grilled the best tasting moist chicken for our Chicken & Ravioli dinner on Saturday night.

Cutest pajamas goes to Marianne!!! Her doggy pjs remind her of her adorable little pug, Max... awww.

We gave away lots of doorprizes... everyone won something... but the big doorprize of the weekend was the new and much-talked-about Cricut WILD CARD cartridge from Provocraft! Deeann was our big winner! She was so excited because she loves to do projects and cards and trust me this cartridge will keep her plenty busy!! I have started playing with the Wild Card cartridge and have decided to make one of every card on the cartridge... go to my CREATIVE CRITTERS blog to see them!

Sonia is a cricuteer... but this weekend she got to play with the bigger Cricut Expression the whole time... AND she even gave the Jukebox a spin too! Comes in handy when you have several cuts from different cartridges on the same page! No turning the machine off and on... paper going in and out... you just push a button and away you go!

Brandy is not only a Ladybug customer & friend... she's also our family photographer! She took my oldest son's graduation pictures, my daughter's birthday pics and prom pics, our annual family photos and most importantly and most recently... she was the photographer at my daughter's wedding! Below is a picture she took of her own beautiful daughter... SEE! She's a great photographer! And her daughter is just adorable! Think about it too... as a scrapbooker, you want your photographer to think like a scrapbooker too... and she does because she is! LOL!

I believe a good time was had by all (especially me!) and everyone is planning on registering for the next Ladybug Crop All Day Retreat because it is on National Scrapbook Day... May 1-3, 2009! You can get more details at http://www.cropallday.com/ and there's still plenty of room... so come join us! You will love what I have planned for this event!

Butterfly Task

My daughter and I worked on the Butterfly project together. She is a natural born artist and she painted me the most beautiful butterflies when she was still in high school. So, when I read the task... I just had to have her recreate them for it! What do you think?




















The pictures just do not do the colors justice... they are so vivid and bright. My daughter designed and drew them and I mounted them onto foam board and cut them out... team effort.

Hope you like them!