July UMC Card Class

With sooo much help from my Cricut we made three complex cards this month. Because I had planned to have two extra projects this month I wanted to pre-cut and prepare as much as possible so that we would have time to complete the cards and have time for the extras. As it turned out we needed to postpone the extra events but, as always, we enjoyed putting the cards together.
                                                 

CARD ONE

I posted earlier about this card but did not want to show it until the class had seen it. This card is important for two reasons. First, I had promised an off the edge card a few months ago and felt I needed to follow through on that. Second, and most gratifying to me, was that I was able to produce the design in Cricut Design Space and mass produce the cards by uploading a photo of the completed prototype and then weld the image so it would cut the outline. YEAH CRICUT !!!

CARD TWO

This card is a design I lifted from Pinterest. Fortunately I had a small butterfly die and was able to reproduce the card pretty much as shown but used a different selection of embossing folders. After manually die cutting the butterflies from the strip I realized I could, again, have saved time by having Cricut make the original cut and then just resize the strips. Lesson learned.

CARD THREE

This card was also copied from a Pinterest post and is my personal favorite. I cut the card layers with the help of my Cricut so it was the easiest of the three cards to complete. It is my favorite because I loved the colors and the weight of the finished card.

Once again, I hope you enjoy seeing our cards.

Cricut Cutting Mat Cleaning

I have been using the Cricut Cutting Machine for several years and have Googled many methods for cleaning the mats. Some have been very elaborate and time consuming and some required the use of toxic sprays. So I wanted to share a method that I found a couple years ago and love because of it's simplicity and effectiveness. I cannot take credit for it but also cannot give credit where it is due as I no-longer remember where I found it. There are only two ingredients and both are useful for other household chores. I use LA's Totally Awesome cleaner, which I think I bought at the Dollar Store and a yellow Happy Face scrubby. I just cleaned two mats in les than five minutes and the mats are clean and the sticky is restored. I hope this is helpful for those new to mat cleaning and those who have not yet found an effective mat cleaning method.
If you also have a favorite method please share in the comments.

So Many New Cards

The past couple of weeks have been very busy for me as we have had an above ground pool installed, my sister removed the tables from our crafting space to use for a yard sale, and I had meetings almost every day for one week. Despite that I made several cards.

This one is the most recent addition to my "Use All of My Stash" collection. The pattern layer is from a DCWV Mat Stack called The Old World. The large embellishment is a die that I have had for a long  time but could not think of a way to use. It is from Spellbinders called Comtemporary Diamonds. Thank You is a two word die also from Spellbinders. Instead of using a ready made card I cut the card base from heavy card stock and really love the solidity it gives to the card.

This next card is from a digital stamp I bought for a Kit and Klowder alcohol ink marker coloring lesson. I'm really proud of the progress I have been making with my coloring since I got my jewelers binoculars.

Next is a set of cards I made with an embossing folder I was given by one of my card class members. It is so elegant and requires very little work to make a "send" worthy card. ( sorry the picture is sideways. I couldn't get it to turn) 

This next to the last offering for today are card fronts made by using a Gelli Plate and several Memento Ink colors. The detail is hard to see because the colors, even though I thought they were dark, were fairly light. I plan to try again with Tim Holtz inks which were used in the demonstration I watched that inspired me to try this technique. I also was not able to achieve a smooth finish and realized, right at the end, that my brayer does not have a smooth finish. I guess I'll have to get a new one that is smooth. Oh woe is me I'll have to shop for more craft supplies. LOL

And last is the watercolored waterfall I tried after watching the Art Impressions Watercolor Wednesday offering for this week. I'm pleased with how it turned out with the exception of the sky which I overdid. As usual. I am very pleased with the water pool at the bottom of the fall though. Patted myself on the back for that !

I hope you enjoyed seeing my cards as I enjoyed making them and hope they inspire others to persevere despite imperfection.

Surprise Card

I'm so excited that I couldn't wait to post about the card I made for the July 2018 UMC Card Class. A few months ago I promised to make a certain card but couldn't come up with what, I thought, was an appropriate design. Since then I have been looking in every craft store and on line for a stamp and die set that was just right and that I could justify spending the money on. Well, yesterday, the magic happened and today I made the prototype for the card. I can't show it on this post because some of the group members follow this blog and I want everyone to be surprised. But I couldn't hold back from posting about it because I am so excited about how it turned out. And this despite tearing the paper when I removed the tape that was holding the dies in place. So please be sure to check back on July 16th to see the reveal!

Cards from June UMC Class

These are the cards from our June 2018 class.

All three cards are made from suggestions and products from Hot Off The Press/Paper Wishes.(product list is at the bottom of the post}

 I love these styles and the group members did also.

 I always spend a lot of time preparing for this class and try to learn from previous mistakes and mis-steps. But, as usual, I can always find new learning experiences. After spending hours cutting out the leaves for the brown card it turned out that I cut them from the wrong color paper. Fortunately, there were extra card packs and we were able to use paper from those to cut new ones. This group is so forgiving and always makes the best of every situation. In addition, they frequently make modifications to the designs and their creativity is amazing. I am so fortunate to have such a kind and artistic group. I have learned so much from them.

Product List:
HOTP Wildflowers Dies
HOTP Botanical Leaves Dies
HOPT Botanical Leaves Stamp Set
Distress Oxides Inks: Worn Lipstick
                                   Spiced Marmalade
                                   Fossilized Amber

Card Box Photos

At last ! I took the pictures of the boxes and a representative card from each. There are eight embossing folders and 24 sentiment inserts in the Anna Griffin set that was used. The card box labels were made using printable gold vinyl. The font used on the labels was an Anna Griffin font in Cricut. I also created the box template in Cricut. The pictures are disappointing as the gold label on the card boxes reflects too much light so it is hard to read. The cards are also a little difficult to see as the embossing of the sentiment is a little low so does not have much shadow. I'm planning on getting a better light box for my photography soon. But I wanted to get the post done as I have been promising it for a while. If I can get better pictures I will post them again.

No Card Box Photos Yet

I was hoping to post photos of the Anna Griffin style card set on Friday, but got working on cards for the monthly UMC card group and forgot to take the pictures. Also, the Craft Room is undergoing a transformation as we are trying to find the best arrangement for all of our stuff and still have room for live classes. And then there is the nearly constant rain which saps me of motivation and energy. I find myself envying the energy and creativity of many of the crafters that I follow. Especially Melody Lane who hosts and posts in multiple facebook groups every day. She has been my inspiration since I started using Cricut for scrapbooking and cardmaking. And speaking of card making, I can't wait to post the UMC card class photos after next Saturday's class. I have the first two prototypes completed and am so excited about card two that I can't stop looking at it. It is generic, but could easily be a man's card. I hope the group loves it as much as I do.