Christmas in July

Friday Try-Day started off with three great cards they expected and then

 the ladies got a special surprise of a 

Christmas In July Card!!

This Splitcoast Stampers inspired card was so much fun to make, 

and they loved using the traditionally "halloween" Drippy Goo punch for the candles.

Here's how to make one for yourself!

Begin with an A2 background in red... 8.5 x 5.5 folded to 4.25 x 5.5

White 4 x 5.25 embossed with Snowflake design by Cuttlebug (Provo Craft)

Red cardstock cut to 2.75 x 3.75.  Add strip of punched Drippy Goo across top. 

Cut red/white piece into three - 1 x 2.75, 1.25 x 2.75 and the remainder is 1.5 x 2.75.

Use corner rounder (I used We R. Memory Keepers 1/4 Chompers) on candle edges.

Distress sides of candles with Vintage Photo Distress ink for depth.

Layer candles to desired positions and trim bottom edges evenly.  Glue together.

Place as single unit on card, 5.8" from the bottom of white card.

Punch out four holly leaves and six branch punch pieces.  Mold with ball stylus.  Adhere.

Use standard office hole punch for berries.  Mold to cup shape, invert and glue in place.

Add flames cut from flower petals.

Accent with red and silver Stickles.

Enjoy!  I'll be back with you again soon!

Happy crafting ~

Happy Spring!

Are you ready to chase "Old Man Winter" out?  How about sending some cheerful, springy tulip cards with gingham or polka dot bunnies to usher in the warmth?  "Cards By The Yard" are ones that are such fun to make in multiples, and I bring you these today that will be perfect for welcoming Spring!

 I am using standard A2 size bases, Art Philosophy cartridge by Close to My Heart for the frame and tag, and Martha Stewart punches for the flowers and butterflies.  The bunny is my design from last year's Decor Bunny Project shrunk down to 1 1/2 inches.

Enjoy the video on making them!

Happy crafting, and I'll see you again soon!

Roses and Lace

Nothing is as feminine as beautiful lace and gorgeous roses.  I am delighted to share both with you tonight.  This is a card I have made for a special friend, and it features a new die I have from Heartfelt Creations.

The roses are handmade from punches and Cricut cuts, with a delightful new twist.  Watch for a YouTube video coming soon!

I hope you will be joining me for my UStream class tonight.

Happy crafting,

Monochromatic Cards with Embroidery

Monochromatic cards are done with all one color papers and trims.

This time I have added a beautiful piece of embroidered embellishment

(made for me by a special friend on her embroidery machine)

which adds a delightful pop of surprise color.

Here is the cream colored version!

I hope you have enjoyed today's projects!

I'll be back again soon.

Happy crafting ~

"Letterpress" by Cuttlebug

This card (inspired by the most talented Becca Feeken at Amazing Paper Grace) features my take on

doing your own LETTERPRESS embossing.  I will be showing this, and several other techniques

on my UStream TV show tonight at 8:00 pm eastern time.  Just click on the icon in the upper right corner and it will take you to BettyBeeDesigns.  I hope you will be there!

This shows a bit closer view of the flags created with a Sizzix embossing folder, Heavenly Blue CTMH ink, and white cardstock. The roses are from Prima.  The ribbon is from my

March Ribbon Kit, and was custom colored with a Copic marker...very easy!

See you tonight, and

Happy crafting ~



Stars and Stripes Heavy Metal

It's Tutorial Tuesday at Digital Delights, and I am pleased to do another fun video for you!  Today's project is a metallic liner for an insulated drinking cup.

Here we have Luvin' In the USA Bongo, declaring that he is Proud to be an American, on a bed of shiny stripes and shimmery stars.  To find out how to create this fun project, click here!

Happy creating ~

Stars and Stripes Forever

Today at BettyBee's Buzz, the HoneyBees are tearing and ripping up cardboard boxes!  This is what I did with mine :)   I also recycled a Diet Coke can to create the blue field of stars, by coloring the aluminum with a Copic marker, then spritzing it with alcohol, and embossing with the Cuttlebug.  It is very easy to cut with scissors.  My star was hand cut.  The button is tied with gold metallic crochet cotton.  The two sentiment stamps were heat embossed in cobalt blue.  Finish off with three sparkly gems, and this card is worthy of a snappy salute! 

I do hope you will make two stops today... One at BettyBee's Buzz to check out the rest of the HoneyBee creations... and leave them some love!  And TWO to join Madison in her kick off for I Feel the Love at Funky Cards.  This spunky teenager, with a heart of gold, will be spearheading a great program to gather cards for a worthy recipient. 

Thanks for stopping by, and, as always... have a great day, and smile, share, and make someone happy!

Happy creating~

Three Tiered Cards

God Bless the USA! 

This week at BettyBee's Buzz we had a tutorial by HoneyBee Judy on how to make three tiered slider cards, and I was contemplating my design, when really big things happened in the news.  At that time I also saw three long ignored stamps sitting by my desk, and I knew this was exactly what I wanted to create. This was one of those times when the card just sort of created itself :)

 The paper is the All American Collection by AdornIt.  The stamps are by Joanne Sharpe and Westwater Enterprises (both quite old).  I also used Cricut Plantain Schoolbook for the star; a circle punch; the Cuttlebug Stars folder; Elmer's Gold Leaf pen; ribbon by Offray; silver star stickers; glue dots and ATG.

Here is the same three tiered design in a Mother's Day card:

Here we have it fully opened to it's three tiered glory!

This shows the center section a little closer.  These papers are from Crafty Secrets. 

And here it is, all closed up, and ready for presentation. 

The paper is Bella Boulevard (I think!)  The flowers are from Wild Orchid, ribbon is Offray, and "Mom" is cut from the "Mommy" on the Cricut Heritage cartridge.

I have to admit that at first this tutorial was a bit confusing sounding, but there is a link to a video, and that helped a LOT!  But, once you try it, it gives you one of those AH, HA! moments, and it is not hard at all!  I do hope you will give these three tiered wonders a try, and link them up at BettyBee's Buzz! 

Making memories IS a wonderful thing to do... I hope you make some special memories with someone who has influenced you this week.  Happy Mother's Day if I don't get to make another post before then.  (Hubby is having knee replacement surgery, so I might be tied up). 

Happy crafting ~

Christmas with the Jingle Belles

What a delight it has been to be designing with the fabulous girls from the Jingle Belles blog!  Lauren and Stef have a great idea, in keeping up with making Christmas cards all year long!  It made me sad to put away so much of my Christmas stuff after the season, and realized that I hadn't touched 80% of it.  Now I have the opportunity, {and motivation} to keep creating all year. 

I created two different kinds of cards for this week's challenge, which is to use die cuts on our cards.  The first was definitely a stretch for me.

 This is my first card for this week's challenge.  I must admit that it was a bit out of my comfort zone... this the "challenge" part... but I like it!  I was actually inspired by a commercially produced card that I saw a while back.  The papers are all from Echo Park's "Merry Christmas" collection.  The J and Y are cut from the Cricut StoryBook cartridge, manipulated with my Gypsy to make them fit the opening.  The festive ornament is from the coordinated sticker dies that come with the Echo Park paper pack, as is the sentiment.  The gems are from Studio 18. 

 Now, this one is more my usual style :)  The Magnolia image is a stamp, and she is colored with Copics  and accented with Stickles.  The tree is cut from Cricut's Joys of the Season cartridge, first in shadow, and then in layer, and decorated with Studio 18 gems.  The beautiful Holly paper is Paper Studio, "Season's Greetings" from Hobby Lobby.  The etherial blue glittered swirl background is My Mind's Eye "Countdown to Christmas".  The snowflake is a die cut from Cuttlebug, finished off with a glittered brad in the center, and the vellum and rub-on sentiment are from my stash.
                                                               
We have challenges and prizes at both blogs, and we sure would love to hear from you!  Please come by and leave us comments, and then pull out your goodies, pop in your favorite Christmas CD, and have a really good time getting a couple of cards ready for a much less stressful December in your world!  Plus, you could be a winner, winner, chicken dinner!  HA!
There is a quick turn-around on this one... you need to post your project at BettyBee's Buzz before 6:00 PM eastern time on Thursday, April 21st, and we will choose a winner that night.  The winner will be announced  on Friday, April 22nd during Buzz, Brag and Bee Happy!  Happy creating and good luck! 

Waiting for the Easter Bunny

It is March New Release day at Digital Delights, and it is my delight to introduce

Miss Daisy with Bunny Ears to you!

 Isn't she the sweetest face you've ever seen?  

Wendy has drawn a new line of precious little children, and Daisy is available with and without her sweet bunny ears and slippers.  The bench, basket (with eggs) and other Delightful Easter items are among the new releases available starting today!

My images are colored with Copics, and the papers are from DCWV Spring Stack.  The background cardstock is embossed with the Cuttlebug Polka Dot folder.  She has some Stickles on her collar and flowers for sparkle.

I removed the eggs from the basket, and replaced it with tissue paper that I colorecd with Copics, and then snipped with sharp scissors.... very easy, and so cute!  The sentiment was computer generated, and cut out with a Nestability Tag die. 

Have a great weekend!  I'll see you again very soon :)

Happy creating ~

Here's a Real Sweet Treat!

 Happy Valentine's Day !!!  Today I have a sweet treat basket tutorial, that you can make for lots of treat occasions, over at BettyBee's Buzz!  And it's so easy you can whip up a bunch of 'em before the kids get home from school today! 

 

 I had so much fun with this little basket.  It will make a great centerpiece for the table, because it is a really nice size... but it is SO easy to make in itsy bitsy little sizes, too!!  The base on this one is 4 inches square, but it would be just as easy to do with a 1 inch square bottom, and put jelly beans in for Easter... OH, SO CUTE!!  This stamp is from The Baking Stamp Ensemble from Just RiteStampers, and the paper from the DCWV Sweet Stack couldn't have been more perfect!


  I hope you will click over and see today's Monday Motivational, and will be back with us on Wednesday to see the Sweet Treats the rest of the HoneyBees will be sharing. 

Happy Valentine's Day... and have a great week!!  My Valentine is going in the hospital today for a cardiac cath, and possibly some other work... I appreciate your prayers and good thoughts on his behalf.  I'll let you know how he is on my next post. 

Hugs,

Upcoming Classes in Studio Bee

Did you ever wish you could have a teacher show you how to use all of the feature buttons on your Cricut, or would you love to have some great tips and tricks on using your Cuttlebug?  How about getting to work with the very best markers anywhere... Copics?  I would LOVE to teach you about these things!  Studio Bee is located at my home in Bradenton, Florida, and I have several classes coming up for Cricut, Cuttlebug, and Copics! Here are the dates, times, and class fees. (All fees are payable in advance, by check or PayPal, please!)

Sat. Feb. 12 10:00 - 1:00? Cuttlebug Class  Learn lots of  tips and techniques, and finish four cards!  $10.00 Materials provided  (Bring your Cuttlebug and Plates!) There will be a Door Prize!

Tue. Feb. 15 1:00 - 5:00 Copics Beginner Class $25.00 (Special offer on Markers for all students if ordered by Feb. 8th!)  Order Stamps from the most awesome Terri at Stamps Alive!  Call or write me for information :o) 

Sat. Feb. 19th 10:00 - 2:00 Copics Intermediate Class $25.00 (lunch included) (Special offer on Markers for all students if ordered by Feb. 11th!)  Tell Terri that you are MY student for special pricing!   Call or write me for information :o)

We will be covering the basics of Copic Alcohol markers, tips and tricks, then using them to color skin tones, shading, blending, shadows, hair, and lots more! 

Tue. March 1 1:00 - 5:00 
Cricut Project Class $10.00
Featuring Chipboard!
Materials provided, though you may bring your choice of cover paper

Tue. March 1 6:00 - 10:00
Cricut Project Class $10.00
Featuring Chipboard
Materials provided, though you may bring your choice of cover paper

Please send an email to BettyBeeDesigns at Hotmail.com regarding ANY class you might be interested in, and I will send you the complete class description, and payment information.

If you would like to earn your Cricut or Cuttlebug instruction class for FREE, host the class in your home, with at least four paying guests, and your registration is free!

Class information is always posted on my other website....  BettyBeeDesigns  
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Today is Motivational Monday at BettyBee's Buzz, and June has posted a great tutorial on how to use a variety of ribbons at the heart of it all!!  Check it out!

Happy Crafting ~

I {Heart} You!

Today is HoneyBee Showcase day at BettyBee's Buzz, and this is the card I am sharing.  It was inspired by the very talented Valita, from Australia!  She is a wizard with punches, and this uses just the heart and a one inch circle!  She has a great video for how to make this couple, and also how to make it into a full size dress!

Over at BettyBee's Buzz today you will see several great ideas on unusual ways to use hearts, as well as a terrific display of Valentine Couple cards created by the ladies at our Cricuteers in Paradise swarm over the weekend!  SUCH TALENT!! 



Cricuteers in Paradise at "Rosie's Casino"!



 Your challenge will be to use a heart in a clever way, and add it to our link, and you could be the winner of our February Blog Candy!! 

Happy creating, and I'll be back soon with some more fun pictures!

You Gotta Have Heart!!



 

WooHoo, it's Monday, and that means it's Monday Motivational over at BettyBee's Buzz!!   Our theme for this week is "Have a Heart" and I am so pleased to bring you a different sort of tutorial.... one that was inspired by Terri Moore, of Life with Terri.  She created a beautiful flower covered heart box, and offered the SVG file on her blog.  My version is featured above, and I will take you step-by-step through how I made it over at the Bee Hive!

I have used Make The Cut, a fantastic operating system that tells my Cricut what to cut; Core'dinations Jewels Cardstock; a pretty piece of rose patterned designer paper;  a Martha border punch; the Cuttlebug with the gorgeous Meadow Lark embossing folder; some bridal trim and pearls;  and Beacon 3-in-1 Glue.   




Here is the box all put together!  And now the REAL FUN begins!!

 Adding embellishments to your hearts' content!

And here we have a very pretty box, worthy of your very best treasures! (Like the beautiful earrings inside, made by my friend, Judy Ford!!)   There is a really lovely surprise about my project ...

Can you guess what it is???

The HoneyBees are hard at work, buzzing around creating wonderful new ways to showcase Hearts this week.... we hope you will also Have a Heart and play along with us over at BettyBee's Buzz! 

And, there is still another week for the LINKZ on the Silhouettes from last week, too!    They were so easy to do, and a giant hit with some folks!  I hope you've had a chance to try it! 

I'll be back really soon with some great pictures from the Cricuteers in Paradise swarm that we had over the weekend!  Many thanks to Rosemary for putting on the MOST AMAZING "Rosie's Casino", and to all who helped with preparation, food, activities, tutorials, cleaning, door prizes, jjjuuusssstttt EVERYTHING!!!  We all had a FANTASTIC TIME!!  (By the way, there is a rumor going around about me and some ChipN'Dale Dancers on FaceBook and YouTube....I think I must deny any knowledge or responsibility of any of this!!! ROFLMBO!!!)  It was probably my evil twin in town!!  Hahahaha!

Looking forward to hearing from you!! 

Thanks for stopping by today.