Wine Bottle Wrappers: Gypsy Cut File included

Hello Everyone!! Wow!  I've been so busy with the CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRICUT blog that I have neglected my original Ladybug Blog!  I am excited about 2010, because I will be hosting the Ladybug Retreats on a monthly basis again!  You can see the schedule at http://www.cropallday.com/

I thought I would share my WINE BOTTLE WRAPPERS that I made using TAGS, BAGS, BOXES & MORE (TBBM) cricut cartridge and the WILD CARD cricut cartridge with my Gypsy.  You can purchase the TBBM cartridge on Hallmark Scrapbook HERE for only $27.99 and the WILD CARD cartridge HERE for only $34.99! Now THAT is such a deal and let me tell you... if you don't have these two cartridges yet, they are a MUST HAVE for your cricut collection.  And HERE is all the Gypsy stuff for those who are making out those Christmas lists!  Just send this link to family & friends when they ask you what you want for Christmas this year!!



I am giving bottles of wine from a local winery to our dinner guests on Thanksgiving Day and instead of gluing a crafty label onto my bottle (and hiding the winery label) I made these wrappers that tie on with a beautiful bow in the back (like an apron).



First, let me show you how I designed this project using my Gypsy:




Click HERE if you do not see the video above.

I used Core'dinations cardstock for layers 2-4 and double sided patterned cardstock for the wrapper itself.





I liked the look of different frames, but this one was my favorite.  The frames, Happy Thanksgiving & oval shadow are all from the WILD CARD cartridge.



The wrapper itself is from the TAGS, BAGS, BOXES & MORE cartridge



They will all look beautiful sitting on my Thanksgiving Dinner table as favors for our guests.



And because they are tied on instead of glued on, they can be re-used for future gifts of wine or saved as souvenirs for a scrapbook.



Here is a real short little video on how the wrappers are actually tied onto the bottles:



Click HERE if you cannot see the video above.

Hope you liked my project today!  I love using some of the older cartridges for cool projects like this and this can be adapted for any holiday or gift just by changing the colors and sentiment!  It would make a great gift for an anniversary or Christmas too!

You can download the cut file for your gypsy HERE.

Thank YOU for visiting!  My 'partners in crime', Joy & Melanie will be hosting a LIVE USTREAM event this Sunday night (12-20-09) from 8pm-9pm cst.  You don't want to miss this one because we have more goodies to give away... so make sure you come back for a link to the Ustream Channel on Sunday!!

Scrappingly Yours,

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS - Video Blog Hop!

Hello everyone and welcome to my little creative corner of the world!  I am so excited to be participating in the Cuttlebug Challenge's FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS video blog hop!  There are five of us participating in the video blog hop today... so make sure to stop by each blog and leave a comment because TWO cricut cartridges will be given away today... the beautiful WINTER WOODLAND and the new awesome DINOSAUR TRACKS!  Here's the list:

1) HappyHappyJoyJoy over at CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRICUT
2) Betty Bee over at CUTTING ABOVE
3) Cassie over at FOR THE ART OF IT
4) Me!  And you are already here!
5) Last stop... Maggie at the CUTTLEBUG CHALLENGE

Now for my Festival of Lights project...

This was a very detailed project that I have broken down into 2 parts.  The first part was the actual design which I did using my Gypsy & the FROM MY KITCHEN cricut cartridge.  I will feature a video with step-by-step instructions on the CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRICUT blog tomorrow.  But, today, you get the second part (which is the easiest!) which teaches you how to make these cute little sour cream containers and adding the final touches.  You can actually skip the first part if you just use punched tags with sticker numbers... that makes this project even easier!  Lastly, I tied the containers onto a pre-lit Christmas tree purchased from Hobby Lobby.

Now... let me tell you that this is not a new technique by any means.  I found tons of tutorials on how to make these cute little containers on the internet ages ago.  But, I haven't seen anyone use them as an advent calendar yet!

If you haven't seen how these cute little guys are made, then you definitely need to check out my video!

Click HERE if you cannot see the video above.

Oh... and I forgot to mention that my tree star was cut from DON JUAN (Joy & Melanie's favorite cart!) at 7.5"... I printed my sentiment on my computer using the GRINCHED font and also cut the star out of a cereal box to give it more substance.

Well, that's my FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS project... I hope you like it as much as I liked making it!  Don't forget to finish the video blog hop back over at the CUTTLEBUG CHALLENGE blog and you are suppose to tell them what each of our favorite Cuttlebug Challenge tutorial is... mine is: June's Cupcake Holder!  I LOVED how she used the rolling pin!!  Seriously, you should check that post out too!  Click HERE to see it.  But, please leave me a comment before leaving... I LOVE comments, too!

Scrappingly Yours,
Tammy

CUTTLEBUG CHALLENGE Design Team!

Everyone knows that I LOVE my cricut!  But, did ya know that I also love my Cuttlebug too!  Well, I get to combine those loves by participating on the wonderful Cuttlebug Challenge blog as a design team member!  I am so excited and very humbled at the same time... those ladies are so creative!  If you haven't seen the blog, you have to click HERE to check it out!

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)!