Convention Surprise!

I was a part of a big surprise at convention this year: a Flash Mob!  It was so much fun to dance and surprise the CEOs and Jeanette with our happy dance!



I also had a great time this same day in the morning running a 5k through the California Adventures park at Disneyland! It feels to good to get up and move!  Unfortunately I got lost while running and I think I really ended up running a 7k lol.  Oh well, it was all in good fun :)

Staying at the Disneyland Hotel wasn't bad either :)

Chicken Frame

Love to display pictures?  This frame is perfect, especially if you like to swap out current pictures in your decor!

I used the cricut to cut some banners and the the scallop punch to punch some pages out of an old book.  Then I stamped our name on with the Chocolate stamp set.  To make the frame even more versatile, I attached the banner with velcro pieces so I can swap out the decorations whenever I want.  The flowers at the bottom are also attached with velcro.  To make the flowers I punched out a bunch or circles with a 1" circle punch and the scallop punch and then folded them to make flowers and added a jewel in the center.

Supplies Used:
Chocolate Stamp Set
Chicken wire frame
close pins
velcro
circle punch
scallop punch
kraft cardstock
hemp bakers twine

Christmas Gifts

Looking for a great gift to give?  Look no further!

Order online 24/7 @ melissamay.ctmh.com.  You can even send your gift directly to your recipient!                                                              

The page numbers are for the catalog.  HG is for the Holiday Catalog.

The DIY Décor Lover:                                                                      

            Designed Décor Frame Kit                                         $35.95             p.73

                        Everything you need to design your                                      

                        own chicken wire frame                                             

The Jewelry Lover:                                                                

            Fabric Necklace Kit                                        $14.95             p.77

                        Everything you need to make a                                             

                        beautiful trendy necklace.                                          

The Digital Scrapbooker:                                                                   

            Studio J 5-pack                                               $39.95             p.143

                        5 complete 2-page layouts that                                              

                        are printed and mailed to your                                               

                        home.  JPEGs included!                                            

The "I-Don't-Have-Time-To-Scrapbook"-er:                                                             

            My Crush Books                                             $12.95             p.64/66

                        My Crush Assortments                                   $4.95   p.65/67

                        Beautiful books that only require                                          

                        your photos!  Add the Assortments                                      

                        packs to add some more fun and                                           

                        dimension.                                          

            Hip PicsAlbum Kit                                        $12.95             p.21(HG)

                        Everything you need to make a                                             

                        quick photo album- just slide in                                             

                        your photos and embellish!                                        

The Card Maker:                                                                    

            Laughing Lola Cardmaking Kit                                              $24.95             p.68

                        Paper, cards/envelopes, stamps,                                             

                        and embellishments all included                                            

                        in this fun kit.                                     

The Cricut Lover:                                                                   

            Artbooking Collection                                                $99      p.59

                        My personal favorite- this cartridge                                       

                        makes scrapbook pages so EASY                                          

                        with just the push of a button! Includes

                        3 stamp sets and 3 chipboard shapes sets                                              

The Classic Scrapbooker:                                                                   

            Workshop OnThe Go Kits                                         $29.95             p.23/29/35

                        Paper, stamps, embellishments,                                               41/47/53

                        and a guide to make scrapbook                                             

                        pages- different types to fit any                                            

                        personality!                                        

            My LegacyFaux Leather Album                                            $24.95             p.135

The Tween/Teen:                                                                    

            My CrushBooks                                             $12.95             p.64/66

                        My Crush Assortments                                   $4.95   p.65/67

                        Beautiful books that only require                                          

                        your photos!  Add the Assortments                                      

                        packs to add some more fun and                                           

                        dimension.                                          

            Hip PicsAlbum Kit                                        $12.95             p.21(HG)

                        Everything you need to make a                                             

                        quick photo album- just slide in                                             

                        your photos and embellish!                                        

            DIY Wearables                                                           p.75-77

                        Base and Bling Headband                              $4.95  

                        Jewels                          $5.95  

                        Adhesive                                 $4.95  

                        Textiles                                    $8.95  

                                                total=   $24.80            

The Messy Crafter:                                                                

            Medium Organizer                                          $16.95             p.137

                        My best seller!  This is the perfect                                         

                        size to hold stamp pads, markers,                                          

                        cards, embellishments, and so much                                      

                        more! Perfect for Project Life fans to 

                        hold the cards.                                    

            ExclusiveInks Organizer                                            $69.95             p.137

                        This is the mother of all ink pad                                            

                        organizers!  It holds 60 pads and                                           

                        76 markers and is on a convenient                                         

                        swivel base.                                        

The Handmade Lover:                                                                       

            Sign up for one of my workshops!    

Good luck!                                                  

Boo! Card

 

Happy Haunting!  This card is pieced together using the Cricut cartridges Artiste and Artbooking.  There weren't any cutesy ghosts so I made up my own.  Look later to see this card in one of my workshops!  The card is 5x7 and here is what I used:

Artbooking Cartridge

Artiste Cartridge

Sarita paper

Buttercup cardstock

Goldrush cardstock

Black cardstock

White cardstock

Slate cardstock

Blush ink pad

Olive marker

Autumn Terracotta marker

brown marker

K- so you kinda need the instructions for this bad boy.

All were cut with real dial size on

Ghost- flower p. 74 (artiste) 4"

Pumpkin- overlay p. 73 (artbooking) 2 3/4", pumpkin 4"

Night background- owl p. 76 (artiste) 5"

Moon, eyes, & nose- circle p. 48 (artiste) 2", 1/2", 1/4"

Boo- boo p.71 (artbooking) 3/4"

Friend Card

I love last minute cards.  Ones you create in  minutes using just what you have on hand.  They make me feel extra creative!

That's what this card is... something I created with leftovers for my friend's birthday.  I had the squares cut out leftover from a workshop and the wooden flower was the last wooden shape I had from a package.  Same with the pearl swirls and the fabric button.  The hearts were also leftovers from a workshop.

Here's what I used: (the card is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2)

Chantilly paper
Chantilly fabric buttons
Wooden embellishments pack
Pearl flourishes
Card pack
Cricut Art Philosophy
liquid glass

The squares are cut 1x1 and it's the same paper just one side has green the other has pretty flowers.  The hearts are 3/4" I think cut with Art Philosophy.  I love the Art Philosophy cartridge for quick cutting of shapes.  The shapes are listed on the keypad so all you have to do is load, pick, and cut.  No searching through handbooks :)

School Layout Workshop

School is here!  Did you get those first day of school pictures?  Don't leave them on your computer!  

This School Layout was made with the new Artbooking Cricut cartridge.  It is a phenomenal cartridge!  Come make this layout and check out just how easy it is to make scrapbook pages!  The workshop will be Friday September 13th 6:30pm.  The cost is $8 for a 2 page layout.  

Or combine this with the Pro-Player Cards workshop for a deal!  Do both workshops (same time and date) for only $15 total!  Both feature the Pro-Player paper.

RSVP by September 4th

 

 

Pro-Player Cards Workshop

 The new Pro-Player paper pack isn't just for video games!  

These cards feature the Pro-Player paper pack and are offered as a workshop, Friday September 13th 6:30pm.  The cost is $8.  Or combine this workshop with the School Layout workshop (offered same day and time) for a deal- $15 for both!  And the School Layout also features the Pro-Player paper.

RSVP by September 4th

Cricut Tips

I love my Cricut!  As a crafter there are 2 things I've never been very good at: 1) stamping  and 2) fussy cutting.  It has never stopped me from doing either, because what's the fun in it if there isn't a challenge?  Thankfully my Cricut keeps me from messing up too many images while being challenged ;)

You can love your Cricut too!  Here are some tips:

1)  You need to buy this:  Glue Pen

     This puppy will save you $$$$ by allowing you to reuse your cricut mats.  When the mat has lost it's sticky, scrape off all the little bits of paper.  Then very liberally apply the glue pen glue all over the mat.  Let it dry and wah-la you've got a new mat to use.  And this glue pen will give you tons of applications so don't worry.

2)  Know how the Cricut will cut

 

 This is the handbook you get with your cartridge. If you turn your handbook to the right:

 

This is how it will cut- the top of the handbook like how you load the paper into the machine.  

Also, the inch measurement you put on your dial will be how tall the image is (so in the case of the flipped handbook the size will be from left to right)

3) All letters are the same keys on different cartridges

So for my Close To My Heart cartridges: Art Philosophy has shapes listed on the keypad, Artiste has letters on the keypad, and Artbooking has letters.  When I want to cut out letters on the Art Philosophy cartridge, I just stick the Artiste (or Artbooking) keypad on (NOT the cartridge) and type in the letters.  You just have to make sure on the side buttons you have already selected "font".  So much easier than searching through the handbook!!!

4) Learn how to use Cricut Craft Room

Learning the Cricut Craft Room is a blessing!  It will save you paper and you can transform your images into different images with it.

Here is a link for a tutorial: (video is below too)
 Cricut tutorial

For the Artbooking cartridge, the images on a key are linked together for whatever size is listed in the handbook.  If you want to cut an image a different size you will need to select "real dial size".  But if an image is layered it won't work.  So unless you want to go through a lot of paper trying to find at what dial size your layered image will fit, you can just go to Cricut Craft Room and perfectly size it.  

Cricut Craft Room is FREE.  You will just need to connect your cricut to a computer in order to cut.

  5)  You can extend the life of your mat and paper by cutting in "portrait" mode

If you are always cutting just how it loads that means that the right side of your mat will wear out faster.  Loading it portrait mode will cut from the left side of your mat going across the top instead of down.  This is also good if you have a section of your paper that you want to cut that is going the wrong direction for you to be able to cut any more loading it normally.

Hope these tips help you!  There are a ton of cricut tutorials online that I'm sure teach you even more, but these tips are the ones that have really helped me a lot and I use them all the time.