Teacher Gifts - Snowmen

This year for miscellaneous gifts, I made these cute snowmen covers for the extra large Symphony and Hershey candy bars. I think they turned out cute and were fun to make! All the cuts on these were made from the paper doll cartridge. His nose is actually the pirates eyepiece...LOL. These went to people like school teachers, primary teachers, visiting teachers, mailman, piano teacher, neighbors etc. Just kinda fun way to say Merry Christmas!

In the past we've done:

1. Cocoa mugs with a hot chocolate package, candy cane, and marshmellows with the saying about snowman poop.

2. 2 liter Sprite pop that said, "May your Christmas be Merry and Sprite:

3. 2 liter Rootbeer that said, "We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Rootbeer"

4. Box of popcorn that said "We just popped by to wish you a Merry Christmas."

So I was looking for something different this year. I think these turned out fun and who doesn't like chocolate? Yum! Have a Merry Christmas!

Winter Tiles

Ok...here are a couple more....I decided to try my hand at actually creating a tile file from all the SVG's that I've been collecting. I think it turned out cute! I struggled trying to get some snowflakes and the penguin to weld to the "frame" and with the help of Kay on the message board, I figured out what needed to be done to do what I wanted. Unfortunately, I was running out of time so I just cut them as is. I like it. My husband likes the multi colored one. I can't decide.....which do you like?

Make the Cut

To all my friends that I originally started this blog for...to share some info about SCAL, if you haven't purchased SCAL, you may want to wait! Yes, you heard me! LOL. There is a new program that has just hit the market called Make the Cut. I have downloaded and played with this new software a little bit and so far I'm really impressed. There are some things that they too need to work out...no shadowing feature, no way to "keep proportions" locked so the shapes match, but overall, this program has REAL potential. Since I upgraded to SCAL 2 not long ago, I probably won't be purchasing this anytime soon, but if I ever need another license to cut with, I may jump over to this program. It eliminates most of the need for Inkscape which is wonderful because the learning curve on that program is so intense. This program is easier to use than Inkscape and SCAL and does the same things.....or at least it will in a short amount of time! Go check it out!

If you want to check it out, look up on the right hand top corner of my blog and there are some links to the Make-the-Cut website to purchase or just learn more about it.

There is also a free download so give it a try! The free download does cut a line across your image, but you can try it to see if you like it!

Have fun!


****Update*****They have fixed all the issues that I mentioned above and added so much, much more! It's awesome! Woohoo.....********

Glass Etching Pans

See what I made my mom for Christmas! I think they turned out great. I actually did a full set of pans all with different fonts and flowers. I hope she will like them. Just in case she peeks, I won't actually show this post until after Christmas. She wanted some so that when she went to different functions her pans didn't walk away....you know....we've all lost a couple after helping with funerals or whatever. This way, they should find their way back home! LOL. If you haven't tried glass etching, you should. I do have to say though that this project took way to long. I used some of my outdoor vinyl that I had gotten from the sign company and boy was that a mistake. It cut great, went on great, etched great, but it DIDN'T come off great! It took me about an hour to SCRAPE this vinyl off after using the etching cream. Needless to say, I won't make that mistake again. I just figured since I had a lot of it that I would use it for this but.....NOPE. NEVER again so just for your info. If you are using vinyl for etching, make sure it's repositionable and not outdoor 5 year vinyl! LOL....Having done glass etching before, I KNOW that it is a lot easier than this project turned out to be! Lesson learned.....!

Wise Men Tile

Ok...so I have redone this again. I cut it once in a thinner font and the "weight" wasn't right on the tile. Then I cut the original file that I found and wasn't crazy about that font either. So today, I decided to try one more time. I LIKE this one. So this is the file that I'm saving to make more when I get a chance. I'm about out of black vinyl so I'm going to have to find some of it. There wasn't as much black in my lucky stash as other colors, but thankfully, black will be the easiest color to find. :-) What do you think....is this one better?

Nativity Tile

Ok...so I'm having too much fun playing. Here is a nativity scene that I just had to try on a tile too! I think it looks great also. I did clean it up a bit for easier cutting.....I took out some of the little details that made weeding it easier. I'm LOVING this vinyl business! Fun fun...

Have fun!

Welcome Moose Tile

I am so excited. I came across this image that lindamac shared on the craftedge forumn. It was perfect as part of my brother's Christmas gift. I was so excited. I think it turned out wonderful and can't wait to give it to them. I'm going to make one for us too and my hubby has even said he'd try to drill holes in mine. I've heard that it's easy to break them so we'll see how that goes...... In the meantime, I really like this one and I think my brother and his wife will too!

If you would like this file, it can be found here:

http://forums.surecutsalot.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9305&start=0

Enjoy!

Gingerbread House

I found this adorable gingerbread house on the internet the other day. Thinking it would be a fun way to do gingerbread houses with the kids, I proceeded to cut one out. The kids decided that they "didn't" want to do them and since I had started this one, I thought I'd finish. Well, this adorable little house gave me fits! Actually, I should say my cricut gave me fits. It tore my thin paper and wouldn't cut through my thick paper. I was so frustrated. Then the little cuts on the candy canes wouldn't come out and I recut these several times. UGH. I finally figured out part of my problem was my blade so I replaced it and then had better luck but didn't have "great" luck until I used the multicut feature. Finally success to where these little pieces didn't tear. All in all a good learning experience, but dang....I bet I have about 5 hours into this little guy. Doing it again, I'm sure it wouldn't take nearly as long but.....live and learn I suppose. So....I decided I'd better post him to remember all the hard work that went into him. It did turn out really cute in the end and I "might" try it again....I'm not sure. It makes a pretty good size box for gifts but my tiles didn't take nearly as long and look even better soo.....I'm sure he'll find a good home somewhere. In the meantime, he's sitting on my table where I can appreciate him! LOL.....

If you'd like to try him yourself, you can find the files here!
http://www.aimitup.blogspot.com/

Good luck and I hope you have better luck than I did! :-) (Really it was more operator error than anything and I had just gotten some paper from a stationary place so it was good thick cardstock...which is why I couldn't get it to cut through....sooo....give it a try. It really does turn out cute!)

Christmas Tile

Here is another one...I haven't figured out "how" to post multiple images on one post but......I don't really like the font on this one so I'm going to try another one and do it in red for Christmas colors too so we'll see how that one turns out.

Christmas Tile....

Ok....so here is one of the projects that I just had to try with all my new found vinyl. I found this file free somewhere a while ago and just loved it. Doesn't it look amazing! I did this one in burgandy to match my living room, but I did another two in red to give as a gift. They turned out amazing and were super easy. The secret is to cut small chunks off your vinyl as you weed so that what you have weeded doesn't stick to what you are trying to keep. After messing up on the first one, the next 3 of these were a piece of cake. My husband said he really liked them and wanted to know if I'd make him some to give to his Home Teaching families. See...even husbands can eventually see "why" a stack of vinyl in their family room is a good thing!

Vinyl.....lots and lots of vinyl....

I am so excited. I've been wanting to try vinyl for a long time now, but the cost (9.99 for 4 feet) at my local scrapbook store scared me off. On the SCALHints forumn, one gal suggested that I contact a local sign company to see if they would sell me any scraps. When I called and told him I was looking for small scraps from 3 inches to probably around 12 inches, the man said he had a couple of boxes of scraps and to come in and take a peak. Well, his idea of scraps and mine were TOTALLY different. What he considered scraps is what I considered roll ends. I got 52 rolls most of them 15 inches wide in a variety of colors and some marked as long as 10 feet for a whopping total of $30.00. I was THRILLED! That's less than .60 a roll and some are as long as 10 feet but none less than 1 to 2 feet. Most are around 5 feet or so. I told my husband it was like Christmas morning and he just laughed trying to figure out why I was so excited about all this stuff and then promptly asked me if I intended to leave it in the middle of the floor! LOL....so anyway, do check with your local sign company. This one was awesome. I must admit though, that the first company I called said they would sell me vinyl but it would be 2 to 3 dollars a foot - even their scrap vinyl. I can buy it cheaper than that at my local scrapbook store. The guy I got this from says they always keep it to use, but they never do so he wanted to just get it out of there because for him most of it wasn't long enough (under 10 feet) for him to use. Woo hoo! Anyway, just wanted to share!

SVGCuts is at it again....gift cards...

Hi. I tried to post this a few days ago, but my internet service wasn't working AGAIN. So frustrating! Anyway, I was over at SVGCuts browsing their files and saw that they are having another giveaway! They are giving away four $25.00 gift cards. Go check them out. I even know which ones I'd pick if I won! LOL... Comet's Candy Land and their 3d flower kits. Love them. So run on over and take a peak!

http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=4099

SVGCuts Blog Candy

SVGCuts is offering a chance to win a YourStory! Now that is something that would be wonderful to have! I think they look really cool and wouldn't binding be so much fun with one of these! Woohoo. Go check out their blog for a chance to win! Afterall, someone gets to be a lucky winner. Maybe it will be one of us! Here's the link for the post.

http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=3865

Zoo Set

Here is the latest cut files from Teddy Bear Treasures. Aren't they cute!!! These are copyrighted images so if you want them, please go to the link below to purchase them! They will be available shortly. Enjoy! I LOVE the turtle and giraffe in this set! Cute cute cute. Hmmmm....maybe I should clean my work area BEFORE taking pictures. Looks kinda messy there.....creative chaos right! LOL.

http://www.teddybear-treasures.com/Collections.html

More Blog Candy

Here's the link for a chance to win more blog candy! Woohoo....jump on over and check it out! $50.00 gift certificate....that sounds more like Christmas than blog candy! LOL.

http://mycricutscrapbooking.com/2009/11/05/its-christmas-im-giving-away/#comment-2975

Good luck!

Lattice Paper

I love the look of this. I don't have any idea how to make it work on a layout, but I'm about to find out. This is one of the many reasons I love SCAL. At Roberts, detailed cut outs like this are at least 1.00 a sheet. Here it is cut out of a black 5 cent piece of cardstock! Gotta love that! It did take a little while to cut, but I just walked away and checked on it later. Go check out this blog, the designs on it are amazing but this one cut flawlessly. Perfection the first try! Gotta love that!

Here is the link to the download for this file. Look under lattice patterns. This one was lattice 6.

http://www.fam-bjork.se/monicas-hobbysida/en_craft_robo.html

Make sure you have a while to browse her site. Seriously, her patterns are some of the most beautiful and intricate cuts I've seen. I LOVE them. Some of them look too intricate but this one cut beautifully. Enjoy!

Chance to WIN free SCAL!

Hi every one. This is for those of you who want SCAL and don't have it yet or like me who need a new computer and would love to not have to purchase it again! SVGCuts is giving away a copy of SCAL! Woo hoo! I had to post for your benefit and mine because my computer crashed in February and then again just this last week. My cd player still doesn't work at all, but at least my keyboard is working again.... Sigh.....Guess I just need to get a new one. They are only good for so long but anyway, SVGCuts is doing a contest for a free copy. Who knows maybe we'll win. I actually won blog candy once, but sadly, they never sent it and after reminding them once, I didn't want to be a bother so I just left it alone. Maybe my luck will be better this time! LOL.

Anyway, go check it out at this link:
http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=3769

Good luck to all of us! :-)

Animal Skeletons

Aren't these cute! I've never been a "skeleton or skull" fan which is so popular with the kids today, but yesterday I was blog hopping and landed at Rowena's blog. She had these really cute skeleton animals that she used on her treat bags and she provided a link to where she found the images. So out of curiosity, I followed the link to these little skeletons. I've never seen them before nor would I buy my child a stuffed skeleton animal, but I thought these guys would be great on Halloween pages so I decided to create a few. I used SCAL 2 for the actual tracing on all but 1 of the animals. I used Inkscape on the spider and he actually turned out better because it traced the design of the heart too. But really simple to create and cut and they will look great on all my Halloween pages! The links for Rowena's blog and the link to the animals are listed below! Enjoy! SVG's Here. Please leave a comment if you like them! I'd love to know you stopped by!

http://craftsbyrowena.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloween-projects.html

http://skelanimals.com/meet-us

Birthday Cake

I decided to share a picture of my daughter's birthday cake. Her favorite colors are red, white and black and I don't like any of those colors for frosting! LOL. That's ok because she asked for a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. So...how do you incorporate red, white and black.....why the cricut of course! The balloons were made from some old wrapping paper I kept because it had the neatest designs. A little red marker and voila...red, white and black. I used stickles on the happy birthday but it made the paper curl so my handy dandy cuttlebug fixed that problem. One time through and it was "flat" again. Sometimes you just gotta love your toys! She thought it was great and asked if she could put the balloons on her door. Success.....

Spider Box

Today my 7 year old son is home sick and watching TV. He sees the show advertising the cricut and asks if we can make a project he saw on TV. Since I didn't know what he saw, I brought him over to the computer to show him what we could make and he picked this spider box. He LOVES it. It's the small things in life that make us the happiest sometimes. I took an old border that I didn't really like from some swaps that I used to participate in years ago and a couple of stickers and in 10 minutes we have a somewhat decorated spider box. It's really kinda cute and didn't take long at all to put together. Unfortunately, I misjudged where it was going to cut so his legs are a little torn as the cricut ran off the paper but fortunately my 7 year old didn't notice or care! Woosh! LOL. I don't remember who shared this spider box so I can't share the link with you but I think it turned out cute! I wish you could "see" the spider on the top of the box a little better but.....

Svgcuts!

Hi everyone....one of the most amazing sites is doing blog candy....an actual cuttlebug! Can you believe it! So I am posting about this site again. I mentioned it in one of my previous posts at some point just because I love their files. :-) They have wonderful sets of SVG files for sale, they offer regular freebies to try their files, and the designer even belongs to one of the groups I belong to and is always sharing her knowlege, and if that wasn't enough they have project ideas too. It's a great site so jump on over and check them out!!! Great files...so those of you that I've been sharing the SCAL info with recently, make sure you bookmark this site!!!

http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=3672

Christmas Poem

This was posted on one of the scrapbook groups I belong too. I just had to laugh as I imagine this is EXACTLY what Santa would say to me!!!!

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?
Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him, "Hi Santa," I said.
"You know....good little girls should be in their beds".
"I know I should Santa,and now I've been caught.
But I was just so excited to see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work."
He shook his head quickly, and left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough crap, I'll see you next year!"

~Author Unknown

Blog Candy

Above Rubies Studio (www.AboveRubiesStudio.com) is offering the cartridge A Child's Year as blog candy. How fun is that.

Also, they have compiled a FABULOUS cricut cutting guide telling you what settings to use for cutting all different kinds of paper. It's 22 pages long and has TONS of info. It's free if you would like to use it too. Go check it out and get your copy or jump on over to their blog for your chance to win! Good luck!

http://www.aboverubiesstudio.com/free-goodies/prizes-and-giveaways/win-it-day-2-a-childs-year-cricut-cartridge/451/

Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) Information and Links

In the last week, I have had lengthy conversations with 3 people wanting more information on SCAL. To make it easier for them to find out and research this option to see if it is right for them, (now that I can copy and paste links), I decided to make a post with the basic links they will need to get them started.

1. Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) - is a program designed to use with your computer to cut any font, dingbat, or anything that you design yourself out on your cricut. The main site for this is: http://www.craftedge.com/index.html It runs around $65 to $75. There are 10% off codes that are available every so often on the groups below.

On my computer I probably have litterally 300 cartridges or more worth of images I can cut. Yep, you heard me right. All for only the $65 dollar investment plus the $30 I paid when the new version of SCAL came out. For those just buying, you don't have to worry about the additional $30 because you can only buy version 2.0 now. :-)

2. To learn more about this program than you can imagine, I would recommend these forums and groups:

http://forums.surecutsalot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SureCutsAlotUsers/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scalhints/

3. Inkscape is a free program that allows you to create SVG files that will cut using SCAL. I use version .46. You can download it here. (Some people have had trouble with the newer version.)

http://www.inkscape.org/

4. I bought my SCAL from this website because I wanted an actual cd copy. Their service was great and I got free shipping and a decent price.

https://www.cutterscreek.com/store/

5. You have to download a free trial version of Design Studio (Provo Crafts poor attempt at SCAL...lol....). However, and this is important, you must make sure that you are only using version 2.32 or 1.3. This is the link I used, but I can't be sure that it is still the right version. If you currently use Cricut's Design Studio and upgrade to the latest version, they were suppose to put something in the newest version of Cricut Design Studio to block SCAL from use on your cricut, so please make sure you check this out on the forums above before you use this link.

http://www.cricut.com/cds/DesignStudioTrial1.aspx

6. To see some fun projects that were created with SCAL, follow some of these links from free SVG files (SVG files are those that can be cut with SCAL for use on your cricut.)

http://forums.surecutsalot.com/viewforum.php?f=13

http://dscrapbookingroom.blogspot.com/

http://pennyduncancreations.com/

http://dan99.blogspot.com/

http://susanbluerobot.blogspot.com/
this blog is card maker heaven. search for SCAL or SVG files-she has hundreds and they are all amazing

http://jensbrainthings.blogspot.com/
search for SVG files

I have about 30 blogs I've bookmarked that offer cute free files, but these will get you started and an idea at any rate.

7. I use a free program called "The Font Thing" to manage my fonts so that they all don't have to be installed on my machine to use them. If too many fonts are installed on your machine, it slows it down. I use Windows XP

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Font-Utils/The-Font-Thing.shtml

8. And one last thing, the only downside to svg files is that you can't "view" them like a picture which makes it really inconvenient. I installed an SVG viewer program called Renesis and it crashed my entire computer! A lot of people have used this without any trouble, but I lost everything and had to reinstall my computer from scratch so I would NOT recommend this program. I have since installed Adobe SVG viewer and haven't had any problems, but it isn't working either so.... my go around is this...when I save a file, I will open it in inkscape, make a bitmap copy (do not save after you make the bitmap copy) and this will show directly next to the file in my folder. Works great for me with no complications. So....

I know this is long, but I also know that having these links available instead of writing them down and trying to "remember" what I told you about each of these programs will be beneficial. For more information, you can read some of my blog entries, some talk about SCAL and why I bought it. Hope this helps!!!

Halloween Pumpkin Treat Bags

Aren't these the cutest things! One more reason I love SCAL. This free file found on the craft edge forum (search for pumpkin treat box svg) was just too cute. I had to give it a try. I decided to make these for the kids teachers (school and piano) and my visiting teachers. Aren't they fun. If I get a chance, I'm going to make some super cute cookie Frankenstein boxes. This is actually the first box that I've made and it was super fun. Inside it will hold 3 or 4 Halloween size candy bars. The font I used on the Boo was called Creeper and it's a free download if you are interested. (I wouldprovide the link but for some reason I can't paste into blogger....does anyone know why? I would love to be able to provide the direct link but until I can figure out how to paste it, it's too much of a pain to go back and forth 20 times to get the 10 yards of link posted....sorry....if you know why I can't paste into here, I would LOVE to know!)

Guess what!!! I found out "how" to do this. Woohoo! Now that will make life easier! Here's the link to the pumpkin treat box! Enjoy!

http://forums.surecutsalot.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=8046

ATG gun....

I had someone ask me the other day, what type of adhesive that I used. Well this is it! Check out the size of this hummer. It took a little getting used to, but I love it. Why would I want something this big....cost....plain and simple. As those of you who know me know, I love to scrapbook, but I also love to do it on a budget. I'm all for the best bang for my buck and I carefully evaluate each item before I make a purchase. This gun was a little pricey (25.00) but WELL worth it when you take as many pictures as I do and scrapbook 95% of them and besides, they asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day. LOL. The cheapest adhesive I had found was the kind they sold at Walmart in this little holder. You've all seen them. They held around 8 feet of adhesive and the refills cost $2.50 or so. Well, this baby holds a whopping 36 YARDS....yeah.....you heard me right. 36 YARDS, not feet, but yards and how much does this 36 yards of adhesive cost me.....about $1.15 (and that includes shipping to my front door saving me a trip to the craft store where I would find something else to purchase while I was there.....) You do the math....it doesn't take a rocket scientist or an engineer hubby to figure out that in the long run, this is a huge savings. Plus, when I ordered it, it was backordered by two weeks and they told me if I waited, they'd send me an additional 3 rolls of tape plus give me free shipping. Well, I had waited a long time to purchase this, what was another couple of weeks. Anyway, this is what I use. I put the pen in the picture to give you an idea of how big it really is. Once I got used to it(just a couple of days), I LOVE it.....size and all. It never gets lost on my workspace, I can see how much adhesive I still have, and the tape is actually a little thinner (I ordered 1/4 inch instead of the standard 3/8) which makes it great for smaller items, plus it is really strong adhesive. And one more added benefit for those who would be interested, you can buy tape for this in lots of sizes without any adapter at all; so for those that like thicker adhesive, this works for them as well. If you are interested, you can go to http://www.thetapedepot.com/ or check on ebay, they sell them there now also. All in all, would I do it again, you betcha in a heartbeat!

Ebay find.....cricut blades,trimmer, tool kit

Hi. Well some days you just HAVE to LOVE ebay! Look at what I got all for a grand total of $41.00 and that included shipping! There 7 packages of brand new cricut blades, 4 packages of cricut trimmer blades, the cricut tool kit, and the cricut trimmer! Woohoo! For those of you who might be reading my blog that aren't familiar with prices....at my local scrapbook store, each package of cricut blades (both kinds) cost 9.99. That means that even with their standard 40% off coupon, each package still costs me $6.00. Plus the cricut tools kit is 18.99 or 19.99 by itself! That means that if I divide 41 dollars by the total items (including the tool kit) each item only cost me $3.15! I'm doing the happy dance here and I've got my years supply of blades.....oh.....I guess that's suppose to be food????? LOL....

Barrell of Monkeys...

I have wanted a file of a cute little monkey for a long time now. I think they are so cute. Unfortunately, I hadn't found a SCAL file of a monkey that I really liked and I really don't like the one on the Animal Kingdom cartridge so.... Today, however, I was playing around moving some files to make them easier to find and I found this adorable font. Within a few minutes, I was able to clean up the image in Inkscape by removing some double lines and turn this cute little monkey into a cut file. I LOVE it! He can be used for Monkeying Around, Barrell full of monkeys, zoo, hanging out, etc. I don't know what page I'm going to use them on, but...since I am over a year behind on scrappin', I'm sure I'll find a way to use them! If you look real close, you'll see that there is only 2 cuts to this monkey. I could have cut his tummy, ears, face etc and then pieced them on the background, but I decided it would be faster to only have two cuts to glue together. :-) If you want to use this adorable font yourself, go to http://thescrappincop.blogspot.com/ This font has the CUTEST animals on it and by using SCAL, I got a whole "cartridge" worth of useable animals free! Gotta love it! Now if I could have used SCAL 2 to delete those lines myself and to have shadowed, I'd be in heaven, but alas I had to use SCAL 1 because the shadow feature in SCAL 2 isn't fixed yet and although SCAL 2 would create the basic shape for me, I can't fix those dreaded lines yet. Hopefully soon!

Big Flower Card

I went to a long lost site the other day. This is one of the first blogs that I found after purchasing my cricut. Her work always amazed me and her creations were beautiful! I even downloaded several of her patterns as I was going to purchase Cricut Design Studio which I later decided not to do because SCAL is such a better program. Anyway, she used Cricut Design Studio and so after a while, I found some amazing blogs of some people that used SCAL and so even though I kept her addy and went back every now and then, I found that I didn't visit there as often because I enjoyed the tips and tricks of those that used the software that I use with my cricut. Well a couple of days ago, I decided to pop on over and visit her blog because her work is truly wonderful. Here is the link to her blog if you want to go take a peak and grab the pattern- http://scrappedlives.nl/. And guess what! She's gotten SCAL also. LOL. On her blog was this pattern for a large flower card. I knew I just had to try it so I left her a comment and she sent me the scut file. Here is my version of the big flower card. I admit, mine didn't fold quite right on the back and I'm sure that I must not have folded my lines exactly right, but for a first try, I think it turned out fun. What do you think?

I've had a few people email me about how to fold this card so I'm adding the link to help others. http://www.paperwishes.com/products/4007342.

West Yellowstone

Here is another one of my favorite pages. The border on the bottom with the deer and the trees was one of the first things I ever created in SCAL and it was SO easy and so much fun. I just took different SVG files that people shared and combined them into a border combining them with a long rectangle...a tip someone on the message board had shared. Easy-peasy.... The lacey border was also one of my very first cuts on SCAL. I can't remember who shared the file, but I love it and thanks whoever you are for sharing the files that made this page.

West Yellowstone

Last year, we took our family on vacation to West Yellowstone. It was an amazing trip. My husband and I hadn't been since we were kids and it was better than we remembered. In one day alone, I bet we walked 10 to 12 miles and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The kids LOVED it and so did we. With over 550 pictures to scrapbook, it has taken me almost a year. With some of my favorite photos, I scrapped them individually to capture the essence of such a beautiful world. I don't know how some people can see such beautiful creations and not accept that a divine hand was at work but alas, we did and appreciated the beauty all around us. Since most of the papges are relatively simple do to the mass amounts, I decided to just share a couple of my favorites. All of the elements on this page were created in SCAL. If you get a chance to go to West Yellowstone, it is well worth the trip!

Teacher Gift

This was a gift that we gave to my son's teacher. I used Locker Talk and found this cute mug with the pencils on it at a discount store. His teacher loved it! I think it turned out fun too. :-)

Notes from the scrapbooklady's site...

Hello everyone,

In February, I bought SCAL and started scouring the internet looking for files. I have TONS of files that have been created by Lora at her site. She doing some blog candy that ANYONE would love! We all need adhesive and I've heard nothing but good about the glue glider pro. So if you would love a chance to win one, jump on over to her blog and make sure to have a little while so you can browse through her blog and see all the cute files she has shared. I love her newest precious ones and can't wait to play with some of them and get creative in a couple of weeks!

Here's her addy.....

http://scrpbooklady.blogspot.com/

Have fun!

Blog candy....

Hello everyone! I just found this website that is giving away the new everyday paper dolls cartridge! I knew that I just had to blog about it so that I'd have another chance to win! Woohoo. So here is the addy for you to take a peak and have a chance to win too!

http://jujubeesscrapbookcorner.blogspot.com

Here's to hoping! I've only won blog candy once and unfortunately, they never sent it (boo hoo) but....ya never know! One can always hope and dream! I'm crossing my fingers as this would be awesome!

Wedding Plate

Today I finally finished my last two wedding plates. It seemed that most people liked the ones with the name and date better than the temple with the date so I did the last two this way. I think they turned out nice. It's been so busy around here that I'm just greatful to have them done! I finally also got the last two delivered so now I have these two to deliver and I'm really done! Woo hoo! LOL.

Halloween files....

I've been so busy lately that I've fallen behind. It feels great to finally have these cuts done for Tami at Teddy Bear Treasures. Her patterns are originals copyrighted by her, but available for purchase. It's such a cute set. I LOVE the vampire and the Frankenstein one. I also love the fluffy cat and the monster. I wish my picture had turned out better as these files are so much cuter in person than they look in my picture. Anyway, if you like these files, jump on over to http://www.teddybear-treasures.com/ and take a peak at what she has to offer!

Dinosaur files....

Aren't these dinosaur files adorable. This is one of the latest copyrighted pattern sets from http://www.teddybear-treasures.com/. My son LOVED them and wanted me to cut them out for him....I did even though I need to be cutting on the Halloween set that she has.....that one will be fun to show you! She has the cutest cat and ghost files! When I get a minute and get those done, I'll post them, but in the meantime if you would like to see her files, check out her website at the link above.

Just a quick card...

This is a quick card I made using some left over scraps and one of the cuts that I cut from a copyrighted patter from http://www.teddybear-treasures.com/. Isn't it cute! I actually sent it to some friends of ours who were nice enough to allow us to come over for family home evening and ride their horses. My daughter was in heaven and I was so thankful that they allowed us to come over. At the beginning of the summer, we sat done and asked our kids "what" they wanted to do this summer. One of my daughter's requests was to go horseback riding. I knew out of all the requests, that this one was going to be the hardest to accomplish since we don't have any horses. So we decided we'd ask our friends to go up to the cabin and see if they wanted to bring the horses and we'd bring the boat. Unfortunately, they weren't able to go, but said we could come over anytime to ride. It was great. We even got my son to get on a horse after I bribed him with McDonald's. Once he finally got on, he loved it and we couldn't get him off. Mydaughter just beamed all night long. She was in heaven and the smile on her face said it all! Thank guys....we appreciate you letting us come and ride!