All Things Crafty and Delicious

Candy Cane Milk

2011-12-27T14:43:00.001-08:00

Now that Christmas is officially over, candy canes are going to go on sale! Here's what we like to do with all those leftovers...
The ratio of candy canes to milk is entirely up to you, but we typically do a 1:1 ratio...that is one candy cane to 1 cup of milk.

My kids love to help me break the candy canes and throw them into the pot. Basically, all you do is warm up the milk (keep it on low so it doesn't scald) and melt the candy canes in the milk. It just tastes like peppermint hot chocolate...but without the chocolate! I know it doesn't sound all that appetizing, but even my husband and I think it's delicious!

My kids think it's fun that it turns pink, too! Have fun with your economical drinks!

Christmas Neighbor Goodie Bags

2011-12-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

Every year for Christmas, I get together with my sister-in-law to make goodies to give away to our friends/neighbors. This year I was a bit behind in my planning and preparation for that day and I was getting just a little stressed out, but once again, my sisters Mindy and Michelle came to my rescue! (as always). Mindy gave me a really fun gift basket with all kinds of chocolates and molds inside as well as pretzels and lollipop sticks. Cute and delicious goodies...check! Michelle had previously shown me some little cellophane bag toppers she made that were printed as photos (they are at the bottom of this post). Cute way to present goodies...check!
And here it is! I created a picture in inkscape with a free Christmas background I found online and added some text and colored box shapes. Then of course I sent it to Michelle who promptly fixed it and changed my png to a jpg for me. She really made it turn out beautiful and it was such a fast way to get 20 cello bags done!

These are the ones Michelle made...so cute!

Grinch Pills:
Rudolph Spares:

Reindeer Poop with Whoppers and dollar store scoop:

Handled Box - free svg

2011-11-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hi All! I don't know if you're going to be more surprised than I am, but I've actually finished another box file! I know, I know! (Cat in the Hat for those with kids who watch PBS :) This little guy is a nice one to put together because you only need to tacky tape two very small spots.

I originally made this to be all one piece, but found that the dimensions made this box extraordinarily small. Sooooo, I revamped and put it into two pieces so that we could all fit something inside that was bigger than a couple of tootsie rolls. Say what? You wanted to put a couple of your Halloween tootsie rolls into a box to share with your friends? Don't be a cheapskate! And please don't ever tell me I put more work into something than I should have! I'd prefer to find out that my extra work was worth it. ;) Especially since it is so hard to come by these days!

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy another box cut file!

Free svg
Handled Box - .svg

Donk-Donk-Donk-ey Kong!

2011-10-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

One of these days, I am going to get caught up in posting my projects...this cake is from May. I have a few boys that love Nintendo and Donkey Kong is one of their favorite characters, so I made this cake for my 5 year old. Notice in the background that I also needed to make some SpongeBob cake pops. He couldn't decide between the two.
This cake was SO easy! Slap on some yellow frosting, spread ganache over the top (YUM!), use a leaf tip to make the bottom border and put some leaves under Donkey Kong, add enough bananas to stick candles in, and use a flat tip to write the name in orange and then a round tip to go around the outside. Done!

I've also got other projects that I can't take pics of because I don't have batteries anymore for the camera! Aaargh. And Halloween's right around the corner. I've actually got a cut file or two waiting to be cut (can you believe it...it's been forever since I've made any boxes!). Hope you can use another cut file!

Halloween Owls

2011-10-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Move over paper! Yarn has been taking center stage in my life with crafting in order to get ready for our sweet little baby and Halloween costumes. I recently made these owl hats from this pattern. I have loved these little hats since I first saw some on etsy and wanted one for my little girl. Of course I didn't want to pay $20-30 for one, especially since I already had the yarn handy.

Have you ever noticed that the patterns and pictures of the hats NEVER show the hat on an actual newborn? I guess not everybody can have a little baby all the time... Thought it would be a nice change to show one on a real baby so you can see the full effect.

This was the first one I made. Not as good, but good enough! I originally used a J Hook that the pattern called for on a newborn and found that the hat almost fit my head! I either have a really loose hand when it comes to crochet or she crochets a very tight weave. For the newborn hat I used a size F Hook. Worked out perfectly and it fits my 1-week old girl's head like a glove.

I've got some more items I've been knitting lately I'll have to put up soon as well. You gotta love when you find some really good (free!) patterns and I'd love to share them with you so you can enjoy yourself some sit-down yarn time.

Best Motivation for Boys...Ever!

2011-10-07T12:09:00.001-07:00

We've hit gold! Well not literally...but it's as good as. If you have boys who like to play Nintendo all day every day, I think you'll agree. Lately we've decided that we've had enough of our boys begging for Nintendo all the time and not wanting to do anything else, so we've strategized and come up with this...These are our Nintendo dollars. The boys are only able to play on Saturdays and only for the amount of minutes (dollars) they earn during the week. This way, we're able to keep them motivated all week long, but only let them play one day and be able to easily control the amount they play. After all, they can't get upset about turning it off if they know beforehand how much they can play and know that the amount is completely controlled by them! And it works!
We have been able to use this system to motivate them to keep their room clean, get ready for bed quickly, be nice to their brothers, and do their chores...all without the complaints we used to get non-stop! I am in love with this system!

Our 3-year old is perhaps the most easily motivated by this. He gets so excited about the pictures on the dollars (all his favorite characters) and loves to put them in the sleeve their dad made for them on the fridge. So, so awesome! Try it out!

Here's a word file I created if you want to give this a go.

Nintendo Dollars word - .doc

I simply printed out two pages per set that I wanted. Then hubby did initial cut and used a lightbox to get the dollars in place to glue together so it would be double sided. Cut the final time around dollars and had laminated at local paper store. Done! BTW, this is helpful to teach them about real money too and they have fun trading the dollars in when they get five ones, two fives, etc. So it's motivation and a learning experience!

Lingerie Cards by Pinky (Free SVG)

2011-04-05T20:10:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to share this new cut file with you! Pinky at Much Ado About Nothing created the pdf and was so nice to share it freely with everyone. She's got a lot of cute stuff on her site. I fell in love with her hat card too! Pinky said she would be happy to let me share the svg I made with her pdf...so if you like it, please share the love and visit her site and thank her for her generosity!
I ended up making about 36 of these for a bridal shower for a good friend. The people who came to the shower thought they were hysterical. One of the girls who came said she looked at the back of the card and said, "oh, panties, how cute!" Her husband asked if she knew what was on the front of the card. Apparently she just thought it was a cute design. Her husband had to tell her what it was! Who would know better than the husband, I guess!

Free SVG
Bridal Shower Card by Pinky - .svg

Thanks for looking!

Bridal Shower Pig

2011-04-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

A few of my friends and I threw a bridal shower for a very deserving, super awesome friend. It was a lingerie themed shower and I thought it would be a good idea to send around a little jar for people to donate money to the happy couple for their honeymoon. I found a piggy bank at Wal-Mart (phew...I wasn't quite sure who would have one!), but it said "my first piggy bank" on the side, so I had to cover it with vinyl. I tried to make the little piggy look sexy and feminine with a few pearls and some red tulle.

The Naughty Spot

2011-04-05T19:58:00.001-07:00

You may have seen these before, but I hadn't until a friend of mine put in a request for one. I thought it was such a cute and fun idea and was nice because it doesn't take up any space. Can you tell that space is an issue for us? I hope she likes it!

Computer Armoire - refinished and beautiful!

2011-04-05T19:47:00.001-07:00

I think I may have mentioned it a time or two (or five), but my husband is an amazing woodworker. I've wanted a computer armoire for about five years, but we could never afford it and Jaren never liked what I picked out that we might be able to afford. (Usually it was covered particle board, albeit in a nice looking shell) Well finally, I decided I was going to get one. I kept looking on KSL...day after day after day. We found this baby. Of course at the time, it was a medium brown color, had missing pieces of wood, only one shelf on the inside, and multiple stains, scratches, and such things going on.

Jaren refinished and added some beautiful touches to make it just what I wanted, and more!
Do you see how the cupboards actually open and then go inside the armoire? Awe-some! Now the kids don't hang on it and we don't have them sticking out in the open taking up more space that we don't have (the doors, not the kids - those are still taking up space...:). He made a pull-out shelf for the keyboard and added another shelf up top for our printer.
I love how it turned out. He's a genius and a sweetheart for doing all that work for something I wanted.

Baby Einstein Cake

2011-04-05T19:39:00.001-07:00

My one-year-old's always get their own little birthday cake to dig into. For little Clawson, I decided it was time to do a Baby Einstein cake since it seemed to be the only show he had any interest in.

For everyone else, I make some cupcakes. I decided on a simple design with the baby einstein logo and words...substituted with baby clawson, of course! I mean, he was the star of the show!

Blues Clues Cake

2011-04-05T19:36:00.001-07:00

This cake was for my now three year old. He LURVES Blues Clues. He sings the song, makes the hand motions, and answers Steve when he asks questions. I made three paws on the top to put the candles in. Little Chase-y was so excited about having a Blues Clues cake. It was worth the late night!

Homemade Pins

2011-03-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

For the Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts this year, we wanted to celebrate the boys as individuals. Originally, I was asked to get ribbons for each of the boys to present to them at Pack night. As much as I like ribbons (actually, I don't like them at all), I decided it might be fun to do something the boys would want to keep and related to scouts. I got the idea for homemade pins from our graphic designer at work (thanks J.B.!).

This was actually a very simple project. All you need is some pins (can find in the bead section at Robert's or any other craft store), some paper, mod podge (not shown), and some Glossy clear dimensional embellishment (it's like epoxy - sort of).

First print out the design you want onto cardstock and cut it out.
Next, apply the glossy coating to the top of the cut outs. It will be bubbly, like those epoxy stickers. (It was sooo hard to show in the pictures how it turned out. You really can't see the epoxy at all!) Let dry over night.
Apply mod podge to the back of the paper and let dry. Then, use your epoxy stuff and use it to "glue" the pins onto the back of the paper. Once again, let dry overnight if possible.
Like I said, not easy to show how it turned out. Above is a very bad picture, but I think you get the gist.
Here's how it looks on my little guy. I wanted them to be small like the other pins the cub scouts get when they earn rank or sports and academic pins. Now, each of the cub scouts has his own pin to put on his uniform and look mighty nice.

Does J.J. always makes goofy faces in pictures? Well, he is my son after all.

Here is the template I used to help you get started if you want to do a cut scout pin. But really, the sky's the limit here! You could make awesome pins for a little kid's birthday or for any celebration, or just for fun!

Cub Scout Pins - Word doc

Alligator Valentines (snap)! (Free SVG)

2011-02-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! (in 30 minutes or so...) Yes, it's almost midnight on Sunday and I'm just finishing up with Valentine's for the kiddos. I really can't claim much of anything that I did this time around, but I can share the love! I first got the idea for alligator valentine's from my sweet MIL who makes up big old themes when she gives gifts (and believe me, she goes ALL out!). Well, when she gave the kids some Valentine's, I fell in love with her theme and decided to go with it. I decided I was going to make boxes that looked like alligators, but was daunted by the task of coming up with an idea entirely by myself with only two days to speak of. So, I searched the net...and this is what I found!

Adorable! Cindy at Skip to My Lou
had a pdf of these little cuties and a great tutorial on them...go check her out! I fell in love with her site. So many fun ideas!

Well, I couldn't print the pdf and cut by hand these cute little guys (I mean, come on, use scissors?), so I (with the permission of one very kind Cindy at Skip to my Lou) created a .svg that I could cut with my handy dandy cricut. And guess what?! Cindy shares freebies too and said yee-ha to my request to share this file with you! Okay, she really didn't say yee-ha. I don't think she's from Texas.

I also got together my son's Valentine's to give to his class because I slept on the couch all day instead of doing it with him. I just made a cute little purse and stuck some candies and mazes in baggies. He'll be putting names on labels tomorrow morning. :)

If you're a slacker like me, here's a file! Or use it next year...if you don't want to be part of the last-minute loser club.

Free SVG

Alligator Valentine - .svg

Download and head on over to Skip to my Lou to see how to put it together (and to browse for hours on end...)

Winter Snowflake Cupcakes

2011-01-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

Michelle made these delicious and oh so cute cupcakes to share on here. This is what she says about making them:

"I used the free font ww flakes and printed out the flakes the sizes I wanted. I put wax paper over the paper and used royal icing and piped the flakes. When they were set I used edible glitter and used a paintbrush to brush on the glitter. I used 1M swirl for the blue icing and that is all. "

Great idea, Michelle!

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

2010-12-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

Need some last minute gifts for friends, neighbors, family? Try a few of these on...

I love this plate above. My sister Michelle designed it. It's such a beautiful holiday decoration with a wonderful saying to bring the Spirit of Christmas to your home. Although I've categorized this in with the gifts, I'm keeping mine! The plate was only $2.50 at Tai Pan Trading. The font is Civitype.

This is another Michelle design. Such a fun, cute idea for families with little children. I'll be keeping one of these as well! The font is Disney and the cut file for the Santa head, well, is Michelle's. Maybe she'll share? But of course you can put in any Christmas doodlebat.

I really like this gift above for couples, teachers, neighbors, etc. Really, any woman would be happy to get one of these! Including myself...you guessed it. I'll be keeping one of these as well. I can't help it - I'm a selfish being! This is a Mindy idea. The tag on these are going to say, "You're gettin' muffin for Christmas!" Inside are some spatulas and I'll be putting in muffin mixes as well. So cute! Thanks Mindy! Here is the cut file for the trees.

Christmas tree cut file - .svg

I wish I had taken a picture of the advent calendar. I haven't finished mine yet, but Mindy and Michelle made such cute ones. I'm going to try to find the paper I want so it fits with my decor. I'll show you when it's all done!

Good luck with your last minute gifting!

Pie Crust

2010-12-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

I got a request for these pie recipes that go with the apple pie recipe I gave a long time ago and the cut file for the small individual pie boxes. I've loved this crust recipe for a LONG time. Recently my mom did pies for a young women's activity and she researched and tried a lot of different recipes and found that the ones just like this (with only slight variations) were the best and most loved. So without any more ado, here is the recipe for a great standard pie crust for a whole double crust pie or chicken pot pie.

Pie Crust

2 c flour
2/3 c plus 1 Tbsp cold shortening (can sub the 1 Tbsp with butter)
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp ice water (approx)

Cut shortening into flour until like coarse cornmeal. Add water gradually. Mix lightly with a fork.

One hint here: don't be afraid of water. Be afraid of mixing too much. Some of the best pie crusts I've made have been just a little wetter than I thought they should be. I barely mix with a fork and make sure that as I put in the water, I am sprinkling it all over and I try not to get any one spot too wet.

Split dough in half. Put half of dough on floured wax paper. Sprinkle flour on top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap. With hands on top of the plastic wrap, form dough into a ball. Roll out dough from center to ends all around the circle, making sure not to roll too much. Keep the plastic wrap stuck to the pie crust and fold the dough in half. Fold dough in half again, removing the wax paper as you go, but keeping the plastic wrap adhered. Put the dough into the pie pan, using the plastic wrap to center and pull the dough to the right areas so the whole pan is covered.

(These steps will help you with a number of things. First, cleanup is a snap. Second when you roll out, the ball shape will help you create a better circle without as much waste and breaking of the ends. Third, it makes putting the dough into the pie pan easy peasy.)

Pour your pie filling into the crust. Top with a little butter for apple pie. Repeat dough steps for other half of the dough. Fold the top dough under the bottom dough and crimp to seal. Cut slits in middle of pie. I like to then brush with milk and sprinkle sugar on the top. I bake apple pie at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

If you're making the little pies, here is the recipe I really liked for that:

Mini individual apple pies

Enjoy!!

The Little Christmas Giveaway Winner Is...

2010-12-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

Sopranoannie

Congrats!!!

Ann...will you email me via melinda.ford1@gmail.com so I can send you the files? I couldn't find it on your profile!

Thanks everybody! I hope you get to enjoy the files, whether or not you won!

Merry Christmas and Little Give Away

2010-12-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

For the holidays, I'd like to do a couple things...first - offer you a new box cut file for your Ritz and sugar cookies! If you make this file as big as a 12 x 12 paper will allow, you will be able to fit exactly four of each kind of cookie inside, just right.

Wrap it up with a 1 1/2" - 2" ribbon and put a tag on it. Oh...another merry christmas to you...I've provided the tag I made in word with a cut file to go with it so you can edit, print, then cut. Hooray! Easy as that! The fonts used are Freebooter script (free) and DB Seasons Greetings (could be free...see below! - otherwise, found at scrapnfonts.com).

For my last little surprise, I'd like to give away a couple of great fonts I bought two of at scrapnfonts.com. So, leave a comment by Friday night at midnight and I'll random number in Excel to see who will win the following fonts:

DB Seasons Greetings (used for the tree on the labels)

LD Cursive Flourish

I know it's not a big thing...but, hey! It's free!!! (and I can afford to do it!) So leave a comment and see if you win!

Files:

Christmas Octagon Box - .svg

Label - .svg

Word Labels - .doc

Word labels cut file - .scut

Sweet Christmas Treats

2010-12-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

Hi there! We've been busy over here creating some goodies to give out to neighbors - I'm sure we're not the only ones either! Stress city is almost over - I can't believe how much work making goodies is. Thank goodness for awesome helpers! Thanks Jen, Sarah, and Amy - you're babes! (quite literally too, they're gorgeous!)

The first new recipe we tried was sugar cookies with chocolate and crushed peppermint. My favorite part about this is the new sugar cookie recipe I found while searching for this cookie (that I was introduced to by a good friend in school. (Thanks Kristi!)

You can find the awesome new sugar cookie recipe here: Delicious Sugar Cookies

Tips: Cream butter and sugar while the butter is cold. I used a thin vase to cut out 1 1/2 - 2 inch circles for this recipe. (You'll see why this is important tomorrow!) The chocolate used in this recipe is just chocolate chips, so it's not tempered and needs to be kept in the freezer/fridge. If I did it again, I might just use the sugar cookies on their own with festive sugar crystals on the top. This recipe does NOT need frosting. It is delicious without!

If you want the chocolate peppermint version, here it is: Chocolate frosting and filling recipes

For this next dessert, there is no real recipe needed. If you've never had them, you must try them. This is one of my all time new favorite Christmas goodies. (Introduced to me by my used-to-be neighbor Jill Morris - who is not there to make them for me this year, so I'm doing it myself - miss you girl!)

Recipe (sort of): Make peanut butter Ritz sandwiches by smearing some peanut butter in between two Ritz crackers. Dip them in chocolate candy coating. Chocolate almond bark worked well. Make sure you don't use chocolate chips - they won't set at room temp. Drizzle with almond bark (white). Let set. Done!

I'm very excited about these next ones too. Caramel chocolate covered pretzels are the ones I really wanted to get the hang of this year. This is an AWESOME recipe!

Caramel Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Hints/Tips: Do not cook caramel to soft ball stage. It will be too hard...it will stick to wax paper without any kind of successful chance of being removed (unless you like a mouthful of paper)...but it will make delicious caramels! So, when she says boil for five minutes, she means five minutes! When you dip them, do not place directly on the wax paper. Prop up on the cookie sheet so that you will have less to mold (which can get sticky). Don't mold the caramel at room temperature...you'll get sticky. Have I mentioned it's sticky? Make sure it's been in the fridge for a while first.

Also, make sure you use chocolate almond bark or Wilton's candy coating, etc. Don't underestimate the power of tempered chocolate! You will be SO happy with these pretzels! I know I am!!!

P.S. Stay tuned for tomorrow or Tuesday, as you will need something to put the cookies in! :)

Have your cake pie and eat it cut file too (Free SVG)

2010-11-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

We've all seen the individual cake slices and boxes that are so cute together. But cake doesn't go with Thanksgiving...does it? I didn't think so. What does go with Thanksgiving? Well, I'm pretty sure the title gave it away, but you woulda guessed it anyway. PIES! I was introduced to the cutest little individual pie cutters from Williams Sonoma from Judy at work (thanks Jude!). And, of course, they needed their own little boxes to go with them.

Here's a little tutorial on how to make the pies. After you make your own pie crust (the box for this has a recipe for crust that is actually better in this setting than any other fantastic pie crust recipe you have - believe me, I've tried both! The one on the box is the right consistency and dryness so that it doesn't stick to the mold when you cut it out), press the mold onto the rolled out crust like so...

Then simply put a bottom and a top into the mold and put in the apple pie filling you canned when I posted that recipe. What?! You didn't can 32 quarts of apple pie filling to use for things like this? Shame on you. Brush edges with egg wash, and close mold to seal crust together.
Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Then, bake for about 20 minutes in 400 degree oven.
Enter box.
Lay down some wax paper so you don't ruin the paper box and stick that baby in!

Decorate with some cute ribbon, and, if you're better than me, make a cute tag to go with it to say thanks this Thanksgiving!
As always, here is an svg for you to use in your quest for pie giving.

Free SVG
Octagonal Box with Ribbon and Window - .svg
Octagonal Box with Ribbon - .svg

Legomen Galore

2010-11-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

Who loves legos?! Besides my husband, I mean...

My now 7 year old boy, that's who! We borrowed this fabulous legoman silicone mold from my bro and sis in law who went to Legoland and bought it there.

I made a lego guy for each set he got for his birthday from us. A lego Clone Trooper...

A knight...

And a policeman.

I think he liked it. :)

In order to frost so many curves, I used a flat/basketweave tip to pipe over the lego guys like they were mummies. Then I froze the cakes again once I frosted them all over. When they were frozen, I took one out at a time and used a tapered cake spatula (that I dunked in hot water and dried lightly on a paper towel) to smooth the mummified dudes. It took a couple of times freezing and working with the frosting, but in the end, it was much easier than trying to get into all the cracks with a spatula and getting frustrated and upset (which I would have done, I assure you).

What tips do you have to share?

Fall Leaf Cupcakes

2010-11-12T06:46:00.001-08:00

Thought you all might like a fun idea for a treat to give away...you could use the cupcake box in fall colors and come up with a really cute gift!

My sister, Michelle, made these cute little cupcakes. Chocolate with buttercream icing and fondant leaves (made with leaf cookie cutters or sugar paste cutters). In order to get the swirly pattern on the leaves, you just add a few different colors to your fondant and don't mix in all the way.

So cute! Thanks, Michelle!

Haunted Files (Free SVG)

2010-10-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

Would you like to make a Halloween decoration using only items you have? i.e. not spend a dime? Me too! And I did!! I liked the idea of having a haunted house on my console table, but didn't want to pay an arm and a leg OR get a little tiny cheap-o birdhouse to paint. So, I went to the drawing board...or cardboard to be more precise. I made a template and enlisted my husband to cut out the house with a box cutter. Could I have done it myself? Absolutely...but it's more fun as a family event. Here's what we came up with.

It's not done yet...I've still got a little more decorating to do, but it's close enough to share! I also started working on a file for a paper one that you can cut on your cricut.

Plus, there's a bunch of cut files for halloweenie stuff that I have on the house. We're using it now as a house that our kids Grandma haunts at night and brings them fun Halloween candies and toys. It's been really fun and helps my kids get excited for Halloween.

Want to make it too? Here's how:

Take the file that is for the Large Haunted House. I made this for paper, but it will be easy to change it to a file that can be used for the cardboard version. Below is what the file looks like. It is to proportion, so just size it as large as you want. I believe mine was 14" high for the total height after it is put together...but of course any size will do.

After it is cut out, just remove the portions that are dotted to show where to cut. You will only need to add some extra on the house on one side to connect the house together. You will trace the large house part twice, lining up the bottoms and sides to become one piece. Keep the excess piece that you see on the left side of the house for one of the traces in order to connect the house together. You can see by the picture below how you are going to connect the house. I used packing tape on the inside to hold it together, then used hot glue on the other side of the box to really hold it in place.

After the house portion was put together, I cut the roof out. In order for the roof to stay well on top of the house, I needed to cut out a portion of the innards of the cardboard as below. The line is down the middle of the roof that is to be bent and makes the highline of the roof. I used the box cutter and cut a little ways out on both sides and then gutted it.

Then, I sprayed the house with the rest of my white spray paint, waited for it to dry, then put another coat of white on. After it dried again, I used black spray paint and lightly sprayed the edges and bottom of the house and sprayed the hole top of the roof. I hot glued the roof on the house, cut out lots of vinyl for decoration, distressed the roof with white ink and stamps and hot glued the overhang on. All done and ready to display!

Here are the files for you to have:

Free SVG

Large Haunted House - .svg

Overhang - .svg

Spiderweb - .svg

Hole in the Wall - .svg

Hand in the Ground - .svg

Spooky Tree - .svg

Font used was Evanescence (FREE!)

I will also (hopefully very soon) be posting a cut file for the paper one that is easier to use than the file given so far. (It will all be one section for the house) However, if you want to show me what you make with this file (that allows for a larger house), please share in the comments and I'll post a link to your blog!

Thanks for looking and Happy Haunting!

Witchy shoes from Mindy (Free SVG)

2010-10-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

My sister has been working on a new cut file and agreed to share it with everyone! Take a peek at how it turned out! Isn't she amazing?! I'm trying to get her and another very talented sister to share their stuff on this blog too, so you can benefit from their genius! Leave her a comment and beg her for me, will ya?!

Here's what Mindy says about the file:

The SCUT 2 files are in two layers. This will allow you to cut the first layer and then score the second layer. Just open your layer pallet in SCAL2 and choose to hide the blue layer to cut, then switch out your blade and turn it upside down. Score on 5 or 6 with depth Med-High depending on your paper thickness. To score in the correct spot. Make sure you insert the mat with either the top or bottom flush with the machine. Otherwise the score marks will be a little bit off when you reinsert the mat.

Have fun with your Halloween witchy-ness!

Here's the file -

Free SVG
Witch Shoe - .scut2

Here's some more files she gave me to share for this cut so that those who need svgs will have them...plus an insert for the shoe that adds to the cuteness!

Free SVG
Witch Shoe Insert - .scut2
Witch Shoe - .svg
Witch Shoe Scorelines - .svg
Witch Shoe Insert - .svg
Witch Shoe Insert Scorelines - .svg

Star Wars Card with Yoda (Free SVG)

2010-10-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

J.J. went to a birthday party today...and the theme was Star Wars. So glad we're not the only household with a Star Wars obsession. I made a Yoda card for him to give.

And if you so desire, you can create it too with this cut file:

Free SVG

Yoda - .svg

Canning Gifts

2010-09-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Just a short post to show how I'm giving away some jam we made to friends and neighbors. It took almost no effort on my part to get it done (which is just what I needed after all that canning!). A simple font on a label, a stamped tag with a handwritten note. It doesn't get easier than that! I mean shoot, I didn't even take the time to clean off the table... :) Happy Harvest everyone!!!

Mini Cupcake Box (Free SVG)

2010-09-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

This post is a direct result of Tracy in Ecuador requesting a file...thank you, Tracy! Ever since I bought my mini mupcake pan from DI (1.00) I've wanted to make a cut file for this. I mean, hey, we all want to do a lot of things, right? I find, though, that I typically get more done if it's for somebody else...so here it is!

I decided to make brownies for the women I visit because I thought the brownies with nuts would be fun for fall. You'll notice the box here is a little tall for the brownies, but I did that on purpose. I wanted it to be tall enough that I could make a swirling tower of frosting on cupcakes should I want to put those in next time.

Here are the files for the mini cupcake box along with the dimensions you'll want to size them at in order to get them to fit together right.

Free SVG

Mini Cupcake Box Top .svg - keep proportions, size width at 9.327"

Mini Cupcake Box Bottom .svg - keep proportions, size width at 11.4"

Mini Cupcake Box Insert .svg - keep proportions, size width at 8.0935"

I didn't have any brownie mixes, so I took a chance on a homemade recipe that was highly acclaimed on Recipezaar. I actually thought it had a really good taste. If you want it, here it is: Brownies

Chinese and/or Frog Wedding Cake and Ganache Recipe

2010-09-16T09:43:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

I really have been doing stuff...so busy doing stuff that I don't have time to post it!!

About a week and a half ago, I made this cake (with my sister's help of course!) for my sister in law who had a chinese wedding. She has also collected frogs since she was who knows how old and I was supposed to have a cake that incorporated these two things. Not the easiest thing, that! It was fun though.

I actually planned to do the ganache dripping down the sides of the cake, but the ganache recipe I used wasn't necessarily the best for that. So, after trying it on the big cake (stupid, stupid, stupid!!), we had to take what did drip over the sides and scrape it off (Thanks, Mindy!). Then, reput more butter cream on, then decorate in the ganache. The ganache was very good for piping with.
Disclaimer...I am not very good with flowers. (Mom/Rebecca I should have had one of you do it!)
Can I just tell you a few things I learned this time around with cakes? First, people care more about how it tastes than how it looks...take time to make it taste awesome! Here are a few recipes you can use that were a hit!

Black Forest with Ganache:
Just devil's food cake mix made per the directions on the box
Cherry filling bought from a cake decorating store (there's one in Spanish Fork, UT that's fantastic)
Buttercream frosting (or other frosting of your choice if you have a great one you love)
Ganache topping

Ganache -

2 cups Chocolate Chips - I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate 60% cacao chocolate chips
8 oz Cream
1Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar

Pour chocolate chips in metal bowl. In saucepan, heat cream, butter, and sugar to almost boiling (I accidentally boiled the first batch...still tasted good, but wasn't as smooth as I wanted it). Remove from heat and immediately pour over chocolate chips. Wait 2 minutes and whisk until smooth. You can pour over cake when still warm or wait for it to cool to room temperature, put in pastry bag, and pipe a beautiful design.

This combination was absolutely amazing! I got loads of compliments on the way it tasted and there was not a chocolate piece of cake to spare...those were the first to go!

Another little tip:

Use cake recipes that hold their shape well and have some meat to them, especially if you're going to do a shape!

The bottom layer was a white almond sour cream cake with chocolate bavarian cream filling, buttercream frosting, and ganache. I also really liked this combo although it didn't get as many rave reviews. However, it had awesome moisture retention and was a heavier cake (more like pound) that would be awesome to use in a shaped or cut cake because it would hold so well. You can find the recipe here: WASC Cake Recipe

Here's just a little table that got decorated to kind of get the frog theme in with the Chinese theme. Just a fun little vignette.

New Decor Ball Idea!

2010-07-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

You're all saying, "that's not new...people have been making these for ages!" Well, you're right. In fact, I got the idea from a cute blog called House of Hepworth. She mentioned using beans and twine, and probably a few other things. After I made a few, I thought it needed a little something different. I used split peas and satin brown (Rusteolum brand). But I still needed something that stood out a bit.

I bought some fabric for a different project (that you will see soon enough), and had some left over. I decided to try to mod podge it on a ball. I actually thought it turned out pretty fun! It adds a lot to the basket.

Now I just have to make a bunch more to fill it up!

I wanted to post a new cut file for a box...but it's not ready yet. I'll keep working on it - stay tuned!

Vinyl Home Tile (Free SVG)

2010-07-09T20:27:00.001-07:00

I've had a tile for ages that's just been sitting on our computer table, all bored and plain. I decided this week that enough was enough and got to designing. I saw a wooden board someone made on the net that was all Autumn words and had this kind of a layout and some of the same fonts I used. It was my inspiration! Wish I could remember where I saw it so I could point you over there...I saved it as a pic on my computer a long time ago...so please share if you know the link!

I thought it was a fun alternative to the one phrase tiles. I also like that every font I used on this file was FREE! I've included the cut file...open it up and click on the words...it'll tell you in one of the windows what font it is if you don't have it already! Then download for free on the net! One of my favorites is Aquarelle...a free version of Passions Conflict. Such a beautiful font (Family, Prayer words).

You can find the file here:

Free SVG

Home Tile - .scut

Silhouettes

2010-07-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

Ever try your hand at silhouettes? All you need is the right picture, inkscape (free program on the net), and a little bit of time. This is a pic of my fabulous sister-in-law, Jill. Seeing as how she's so beautiful, I don't think she'll mind me using her as an example... :)

This picture had a lot of good things going for it. The first is that the focus is on the person. A lot of photos show the background as well as the foreground...which makes it hard for inkscape to decipher what to use in the picture when you trace the bitmap. It also had a lot of good contrast. Plus, it was just a pretty picture.
It's really a very simple process. You import the picture into inkscape, then go to path, trace bitmap. Once the screen comes up, choose brightness cutoff, then update. This will show you what it will look like. If you like it, click OK. It will create that image over the image you already had on the drawing page. Usually, the image has way too many nodes (the squares) that would be very difficult and time consuming for your cricut to cut out. You will have to simplify the picture. You can do this in two ways. An easy way to decrease the number of nodes is to press control L, or path, simplify. I don't typically like using this route though when the image is a face. The program doesn't do a great job at keeping the right features from being simplified too much. I like to press the node button and delete nodes a little at a time until I get the desired effect.
This is another silhouette I made that I will eventually use. I'm thinking about creating one of each of my kids; however, I don't have a good enough camera to take the pictures that will create a good silhouette. You'll find that's the hardest part...getting a good picture!

If you want the Joseph Smith silhouette, you can find it here:

Joseph Smith - .svg

Baby Shower Gifts

2010-07-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

My newest sister-in-law, Tiffany, came down on Father's Day weekend and we had a baby shower for her. Six out of the seven kids in my family were there and we had a great time. I thought I'd show you all just how stinkin talented my sisters are and how much I pale in comparison (not that I wanted you to know that...it just kinda comes out).

My younger sister Miriam made this super cute diaper cake. I love how it turned out and the colors and ribbons she used!

My sister Mindy (the same one who makes the incredible cakes) made this rag quilt with matching diaper bag. Isn't it so cute!? You really need to see the bag up close to fully appreciate it. Not only were the colors amazing, but it had pockets and closure and everything. Uh-mazing!
And then of course, there's my sister Michelle. She's always been a great seamstress, but I think she outdid herself this time. I mean, seriously? Monkeys, trees, dots, etc. I love this! I'm stealing it, Tiffany...do you hear me?
She also made this really cute naughty stool. Is that an oxy moron? At any rate, I loved this too. She made the little stick figures. I think she drew them by hand and then put them into the computer to cut them out with her cricut.
And then there's me. My other sister and I went in on a couple of baskets. This is one of them...a bath basket. Totally useful, but not very creative. :( Though I did spray paint the two baskets white so they matched. Kudos, Melinda.

Car Vinyl...funny stick figures

2010-06-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

***REVISED***

A number of people have asked where I got these...I'm sorry to say, I made the Leia and the body of the storm trooper and the head of the trooper I altered from a free clip art. I'm only sorry because I have promised my husband that I wouldn't put the files on here so he could have the only set of these guys. (What can I say, he's a collector at heart and revels in having the one and only!) So again, I'm SORRY!!

***End of Revision***

Sometimes I'm surprised at the things my husband takes an interest in. This time, it was stick people for our car. He's been seeing other people's vinyl and thought it would be fun to have something a little more tailored to our family. ALL of my boys (husband included) love Star Wars. That being said, this is what my husband wanted...

A little something unique...plus it fits. We've got our own little army now.

Rocking Chair Transformation

2010-06-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share another project I finished a few days ago. Isn't this rocker beautiful? I love the faux hair on the sides that make it look shabby and cool...not. This is the nasty rocker we've had for about six years that is impossible to clean.

Do you see that ottoman? To quote our beloved Jackie from CyberChase, ew, ew, and double ew! At one point I had tried, sorry, tried (it needed emphasis) to clean it with a carpet cleaner with the brush attachment...but it basically just moved the dirt around.
And of course it was totally falling apart in numerous places...so I redid it!

Drumroll please....

Tada! You know how much this cost me to get my rocker lookin like new again? $5.00. Yup, a measly $5.00. I bought the fabric at Home Fabrics for a buck a yard and some heavy duty batting for the ottoman (which had foam inside that had totally disintegrated into a powder) for 2.50 after my 40% off at JoAnn's. Who says you can't have it all?
Ahhhh, looking at it makes me happy - cuz I'm not seeing dirt covered dirt on fabric. And now I'm not worried about whether people are scared to sit on it!
Note: I am NOT a seamstress. Far from actually. So if you're worried about starting your own project like this and not sure about how it will turn out, rest assured...if I can do it, you can!

Artist Birthday with Friends

2010-06-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the final portion of the artist birthday party. We had the kids decorate their own bags as a puppet that looked like them (which I forgot to take pictures of). Then we went outside and taught the kids how to play hopscotch with their new chalk and bean bags.

After that, they decorated, or painted a picture, on some sugar cookies with frosting and candies.
I may have helped him "a little" with this...
Then it was time for cupcakes!
Next, Ryan opened presents. One of the things we had on the invite was this... "Prize to the most creative present under $2.

He got some super creative ones! He got lightsabers made out of pool noodles and pvc pipe with electricians tape (the kids play with those for hours and they don't hurt like the ones you buy for 7-20 dollars in the store).
He also got a crayon roll with a coloring book (perfect for the little guy who loves to color on the go!).
And he also got a large (humongous really) piece of paper with chocolates inside it that he abnd his brothers loved coloring together.
Another one he got (also forgot to take a picture) was a bucket filled with fun summer toys. One of the things in it was some water balloons that the kids had a great time with after the official birthday party ended. (And then begged me to make some more!)

He had such a fun time at his party. Hope this helps someone else looking for ideas!

Crayon Birthday Cake

2010-06-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

Man, I've been so busy with projects, I haven't had time to put them on here!! I need to finish up what I did with my son's birthday, and then I'll start showing my other schtuff.

Here's the crayon birthday cake I made for my little budding artist. This was a fun and simple cake to do. Gotta love those!

Artist invitation

2010-05-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest for my little almost four year old's birthday. He colors for hours every day and can't get enough of it! I found the idea for an artist party from Kim's blog...Frost Me Blog (link on the right). It was perfect for him. So, to get it started, I created a birthday card and thought I'd share it. I'm giving the .scut file and the .svg for anyone who wants it!

What little kid doesn't enjoy a little gift as part of the invite? Next time you throw a party for your child, see if you can't throw in a little something something to get them excited!

Here's the file:

Artist palette - .svg

Artist palette card - .scut

2010-04-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

17 days until GRADUATION! Suh-weet!!! Can't wait to get my craft on again!!

Elmo Cake Pops

2010-03-07T20:56:00.001-08:00

My son just celebrated his 2nd birthday today. So I called on the queen of party planning (thank you Kim!) and she found me some great ideas for a little Elmo party. I ended up making cake pops! You can find the instructions here.

I wasn't sure if I liked them better with or without the mouths, so I did some of both.

I also thought it would be fun to have some just regular, in case I wanted to give them away to other people (cuz how much cake do we really need to eat?).

These were so fun and easy to make! I used sixlets for the eyes and nose and just some black frosting for the mouth and inside part of the eyes. If you haven't seen Kim's blog, you need to! Especially if you're one of those people who love to entertain. SUCH great ideas!

Design Challenge Box - Finally!

2010-02-08T19:24:00.001-08:00

Well, here are the boxes I made for the "What kind of box is this?" challenge. I specifically designed it to hold homemade donuts! They fit perfectly in a box that is as big as a 12 x 12 will make it. I made the donuts first, so I didn't have enough time to make the box up as cute as I wanted to. (The donuts took a while!) You can find the recipe on Erincooks.com. They were incredibly good when they were warm, and still very good the next day.

I also wanted to do some more with this box for Valentine's Day. I thought it would be fun to do my Valentine's this year for my kids in my own boxes (especially since they don't really like the box of chocolates that come in a heart). Last year, I didn't have time to make cards for my family, so I just had candies for them instead. After my oldest gave me a Valentine card he had made for me, he asked me where his card was. I felt AWFUL! I won't make that mistake again. So, here are the boxes and cards I made up. Eventually I'll make it to the store to get the candy I want to put inside.

The sweet little animals I used are from scrapnfonts.com in a doodlebat font called DB Animal Occasion. The font is called 2 Peas Airplanes.

Want some more ideas? Go visit these talented ladies' blogs and see what they did with the box!!

http://stampin-n-more.blogspot.com/2010/02/weddings-always-make-me-cry.html

http://paperpastime.com/

http://dawnday.blogspot.com/2010/02/valentine-gift-box-all-things-crafty.html

http://busybbuzz.blogspot.com/2010/02/valentine-boxes.html

Thanks for participating!!

If you make any of the boxes on my site that you want to share with others, please email me and I'll put a link on the post. We'd all LOVE to see what you did!

Delay!

2010-02-08T13:35:00.001-08:00

I'm so sorry! I really wanted to have the boxes done by yesterday...but I'm dealing with some very sick little children and self. We've got ear infection, fever, sore throats, coughs, runny noses, etc. I've had them ALMOST done for days! I'll be posting it either tonight or tomorrow night...SORRY!!

Design Challenge! (Free SVG)

2010-01-31T18:48:00.001-08:00

First off, just let me say, "Woohoo!!" I'm so excited so many people thought they'd want to do this! And I confess, I had another reason for wanting to do this. You see, I had a very specific use for this in mind when I made it, and I'd love to see what you all can do with this. I'm hoping for some other great uses than what I had in mind. With that said, here is the plain version of the cut.

Note that this has not been put together all the way (the flaps are still hanging out) and the acetate is not on yet either.

So...if you want to participate, cut out this box, decorate it up, put goodies in it, or whatever else you can think of, and leave a comment on this post. Then, next Sunday, I'll post my version and link to your blog (or if you don't have one, let me know and we'll exchange via email or get another way to show off your stuff). I'm really hoping for some great different ways to use this...I've got brain block and can only relate this box to what I originally thought of!

K, ladies! Let's get scrappin!

File:

Free SVG

What kind of box is this - .svg

Design Challenge Anyone?

2010-01-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

Hi all. I have a new box cut I wanted to use for Valentine's Day and wanted to know if anyone out there wanted to have a design challenge with the box cut? We could have some fun decorating and link up. Leave a comment if you'd want to do this! If nobody does, I'll just see what I can do to get mine decorated and ready so I can post it before Valentine's is here and it's too late for you to get to use another idea!

Baby Shower Invitation

2010-01-27T07:45:00.000-08:00

I have a good friend who is having TWINS...aaaah, right?! Plus she has a four year old and a two year old. I'm helping out with a baby shower and this is what I came up with for the invite. Just thought I'd share in case someone needs an idea down the road!

I used the fonts CK Chemistry and Albemarle Swash (free) for the text and DB Sweet Baby for the strollers and DB Pretty Borders for the polka dots and scallop with flowers. Those can be found at Scrapnfonts.com for $3 each.

A New Hobby

2010-01-25T11:02:00.001-08:00

Because I really needed another one. But every mom needs to know how to knit, or crochet, or both, right? Besides, I knew this Christmas I wouldn't be at home and would basically be stationary during my last month of pregnancy. Besides besides, I didn't have my cricut! And my mom knows how to crochet. Put it all together and you get some new little boy hats!

My model was NOT cooperating. I guess that's what you get when you pay em in pretzel sticks. He was running away from me; therefore, you get a picture of whereever we ended up that I could take a picture...like my horrendously messy family room. Hmm, I may have to rethink pretzel sticks as payment.

I think I'm happy with how it turned out though (the hat, not the picture, or my housekeeping skills). I will say, however, that I really miss Chase's cute long hair that got cut a few weeks ago. That was a sad, sad day.

If you crochet and want to know how to make this hat, sadly I do not have enough skill to create my own projects, so I bought this pattern. You can too at this Etsy site:

http://www.ashton11.etsy.com/

beginner crochet pattern, no. 85, Classic European Newsboy Hat

And I have another little boy one to show you later too! (For the new boy, of course!)

P.S. Thanks everybody for the sweet comments about my little guy! Thanks for your patience in my sporadic/nonexistent posts!!

Baby Love and Chore Chart

2010-01-10T12:19:00.001-08:00

I know it's been a while since I posted something...but I had good reason! I was busy with this little guy! Meet Clawson, the newest member of our family!

Isn't he such a sweet little man?!

On another note...I know New Year's is past now, but I thought I'd show you what I put together for our New Year's Resolution as a family. My sweet SIL asked for one of these so that her family could help her with her cleaning, and I had to make me one too! Cuz don't we all get sick of doing ALL the cleaning by ourselves when others are more than capable? Plus, I just CAN'T do it by myself anymore. So here it is!

The purple and silver one I made for my SIL. The one below is the one I made for my family...with room to grow! (And, yes, I know that my wall REALLY needs to be painted!)

I used black jack for the names and Birmingham for the Chores header. The board was 8 x 24 for my SIL and 8 x 36 for me. I made the squares 3 x 3 inches and hard laminated them. Hopefully this works!

Christmas Candy and Boxes (Free SVG)

2009-12-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law Jenny and "her people" came over this week and we made chocolates to give away to people. I love that we do this every year! We had so much fun and J.J. and Ryan loved having them over. It was fun seeing them play together.

Jenny made the Rice Krispies Treats that we dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. She also made delicious fudge that we cut shapes out of (recipe on back of marshmallow creme jar). If you want the recipe for the other chocolates (you won't regret trying them out - they're SO delicious!), here they are:

Copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Mint Chocolate Candy

Peanut Clusters

And of course...here's the file for the boxes we made. It's basically like a larger pastry box. Very simple design (cuz that's what I had time for!) If you size it as large as it will go on a 12 x 12 paper, you will get a box that fits eight mini baking cups just perfectly!

Free SVG

Rectangle Pastry Box - .svg

Nativity

2009-12-08T07:44:00.001-08:00

Thanks everyone who has put up a link so far...for those who haven't, you have until the 20th if you're still working on projects!

Lately I've felt a huge crunch as finals approach (along with all the projects, presentations, and papers due at the end of a semester), so I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on new things. However, there is this one file that I created after I saw a picture of a cute nativity. I basically just manipulated shapes in inkscape to create this and I thought it would make a gorgeous nativity in wood or metal (like the picture I saw). Hope someone can use it...wish I could!!

File:
Nativity Scene - .svg

Decorating for Christmas...ALREADY!

2009-11-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I've got little kid decorations for Christmas, but I don't really have much in the way of adult decorations. I've wanted the cone trees for years, but I didn't want to pay $30 for one (and of course I wanted two). I also wanted some glittery balls I found at Roberts last year, but it was $12 for one color. Yikes! When Christmas was over, I bought them for $3 for one color. Much better.

I originally had them in this hurricane holder...but I felt I needed to change it up. When I saw Just A Girl had bought some styrofoam cones and decorated them with yarn, I thought,

"I can DO THIS!"

So, I bought the styrofoam cones (I used a 50% off on one, cuz I'm super cheap like that) and I got to work.

I painted the cone the color of my first box of glittery balls. I even had some help from the kiddos!

Then I hot glued the balls on starting from the bottom in rows.

Then I cut out a piece of felt the color of my balls, using a 4" diameter circle that I cut from my cricut. :) I use that machine for EVERYTHING.

And here's the result. I love them and I'm now super excited to finish that little area. I think pine cones are in order...and who knows what else...maybe a vinyl sign?

Don't forget...

2009-11-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

I hope you've all remembered this! I'm excited to see what kinds of ideas you come up with. I've got a few on my list...one is a homemade box (of course) for neighbors, friends, teachers, etc. and the other one is for the little goochie goos on your list (that's mom talk for little munchkins). I also have a decorating idea (woo-hoo it's way cheap!) and a few box files that I'm altering to put up on here. I just have one problem...my laptop (which I use for all of my cricuting) no longer has a cord that works! I've ordered one, but I don't have it yet...so I may have to CRAM these in at the last minute! At least the ones I have for the Idea Exchange.

REMEMBER...the Christmas Idea Exchange is going to start on Saturday, the 28th of November! So, get crafting and creative and let's see what you come up with!!!

Getting organized

2009-11-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

For those of you who do food storage, I think you'll know what I mean when I say it's hard to find spaces to put it in. When we first moved into our home, we had NOWHERE to put anything...not even a regular pantry. So Jaren made us a pantry and some shelves above the washer and dryer. And this little section became our clutter area. (But of course I cleaned out most of the junk before I took this picture) When my husband had some left over alder and melamine from a job he did, we decided we needed more cabinets to store the many jars we canned this year.

Here's the result:

Isn't this little family sign cute? We did this at a family reunion...but I bet with your handy dandy cricut, you could do your own much easier than we did ours! We actually traced the letters onto paper and cut it out before mod podging it onto the painted wood!

This year we canned salsa, strawberry and peach jam, peaches, pears, and apple pie filling. Do you wonder where we kept it all? Me too! It seems like every time we make more room it all gets filled up!

Our cereal stash...we got each of these boxes for 1.00 or less!

And there it is! One more area cleaned up...now for my craft area...

Blog Award

2009-11-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

Hi all! I was lucky enough to receive this award from both Susan at http://spartansusscraper.blogspot.com/ and Denise at http://paperpastime.blogspot.com/.

The rules are this: I need to pass this award on to five people, post on their blog to let them know I left this award, and then I need to answer this list of questions in ONE word:

1. Where is your cell phone? home (I'm at school)

2. Your hair? graying (aaaaaah!)

3. Your mother? classy

4. Your father? goofy

5. Your favorite food? chocolate

6. Your dream last night? ? (never remember)

7. Your favorite drink? chocolate milk

8. Your dream/goal? new house!

9. What room are you in? classroom (investments)

10. Your hobby? crafting

11. Your fear? failing

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? done being prego

13. Where were you last night? couch

14. Something that you aren't? confrontational

15. Muffins? apple (from Costco)

16. Wish list item? wheat grinder attachment for KitchenAid

17. Where did you grow up? San Diego

18. Last thing you did? e-mail

19. What are you wearing? maternity business casual outfit

20. Your TV? scratched

21. Your Pets? none

22. Friends? the best

23. Your life? hectic

24. Your mood? disappointed (just got back my midterm)

25. Missing Someone? EVERYONE (I don't play anymore)

26. vehicle? SUV

27. Something your not wearing? my food (there's a first for everything, right?!)

28. Your favorite store? Roberts

29. Your favorite color? changes

30. When was the last time you laughed? few minutes ago

31. Last time you cried? every other day

32. Your best friend? 3

33. One place that I go to over and over? Just A Girl

34. Facebook? seldom

35. Favorite place to eat? Red Robin

K, so I cheated...I used more than one word and even added parentheses. I guess I should have used longwinded to describe myself!

Here are the five people I've chosen:

Just a Girl

SugarEd

The Frosted Cake'N'Cookie

Mel Stampz

Ellies Stamp Garden

Freebie Cut File - Week #24

2009-10-25T08:36:00.001-07:00

My weeks are going by fast aren't they? I'm trying to get caught up with all the box files I had people cut out for me! I hope you guys are as excited as I am about boxes, cuz that's where we've been and that's where we're gonna keep going for at least a little while longer! This file was requested by Gail...and I'm glad she did!

This first one was designed by Dawn at http://dawnday.blogspot.com. She also did the chocolate box you saw before. When I first saw this as a pdf, I thought it would be so cute to have patterned paper for his little "outfit". It turned out darling! And thanks to Dawn too for the tip on fixing the svg so it cut out right!

This second one was designed by Celeste at http://scrappingbutterflymom.blogspot.com . She's the same lady who designed the cute book box earlier. I love seeing how different people interpret these boxes! I thought she did a great job with changing up the face...giving him a mouth, a cute red nose, and changing up the eyes!

So fun ladies!!! Thanks again!

Here's the file:

Santa Claus box - .svg

P.S. There was someone who left a comment about not being able to open my files in scal. I can't find it now cuz I have no idea which post she left it under...but here's the answer! You have to open scal first. Then you can either go to file, open or file, import svg depending on what you downloaded. Then just browse until you find where you downloaded it on your computer. If this doesn't help, please leave a comment again (I promise I won't lose it this time!).

Freebie Cut File - Week #23

2009-10-23T07:23:00.001-07:00

Calie designed this box for us using the Tall Rectangle Box file I gave her. Isn't it darling? The acetate is a really fun way to use this box...and I love her little bands at the top and bottom AND the sentiment! Thanks Calie for such a cute, fun idea for the fall holidays!!!

Here's her blog if you want to head over, check out her stuff, and say hi! http://caliescreativecorner.blogspot.com

Here's the file:

Tall Rectangle Box - .svg

Freebie Cut File - Week #22

2009-10-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tracy for this decorated version of a cupcake box file! I love that she used such cute fall colors! And the rub on on the acetate! (Why didn't I ever think of that?) She even used the baby bug to cut this out and so had to piece together the bottom. So cute, Tracy!!! Thanks again!

I thought this box would be a good one to do ages ago...and I forgot I had it done and ready to cut until I started looking through my files! I hate being so disorganized! I know it's a pretty common file, but most people want to charge you for it...and I thought it would double nicely as a plain box that could be stacked (those are getting popular now too it seems!). I left out the window so you could do either.

Happy crafting!

Here's the file:

Cupcake Box - .svg

Beef Stew

2009-10-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

I don't have a picture of this one...but I promised my friend Kirsten that I would give this recipe to her, and then promptly forgot! It's a good thing she's so forgiving, right Kirsten?

Since I needed to right it down anyway, I figured I may as well post this since I have NEVER had a beef stew that compared to this. The flavor is fabulous and the meat turns out perfect every time. I love that it's not too tomatoey either. Cuz I hate big chunks of tomatoes in anything but Mexican food. So this recipe is just my style. Plus, as a bonus, you do it in a crockpot! And if there's one thing I love, it's not having to worry about dinner at dinnertime!

So here it is. Hope some of you get to enjoy this. I'll post a picture the next time I make this! Which might be soon now that I'm thinking about and salivating over it!

Crock Pot Beef Stew
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced (I dice it in my mini chopper)
2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 to 1 1/2 c peeled and diced rutabaga (I just use a little celery - cuz who has rutabaga?)
1 c fresh green beans, in bite size pieces (canned, if you please for me)
1 lb beef stew meat chunks
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 c beef stock
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp Worcestshire sauce
pepper to taste
3 Tbsp flour
2 tsp tomato paste

Put everything but the flour and the tomato paste in a slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5, until the beef is tender and the potatoes are just fork tender. Stir the stew once or twice as it cooks, if possible. About 30 minutes before serving, transfer a ladleful of the broth to a small mixing bowl. Add the flour and tomato paste and whisk until smooth. Stir the mixture into the stew and cook for the remaining half hour. Makes 6-8 servings.

PROPOSITION!!!!

2009-10-08T07:04:00.001-07:00

Hey all! As the title suggests, I have a proposition for you. You see, I have been working on boxes in svg form (during my extra boring classes), and I have a few done. Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of time at home to cut them out and decorate them and stuff. SO...does anyone want to try some box cuts and then email me pics so I can put them on here (credited to you, of course!) and then make the cut files available to everyone? I really want to keep posting new files pretty frequently, and this is a way I could still keep updating without it taking TOO much of my already limited time.

What do you say? Any takers? Right now, I have a book box, the Santa Claus box I was asked for, a cafe box, and maybe even a few others...I have to check. Please leave a comment with your email address and I'll get in touch with you and send you the file!

Halloween Jars

2009-10-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

These are just some little candy jars I made for the holidays. I wanted to wait until I actually had candy in them to post them...but I can't seem to get to the store lately (thanks dh for going for me!). I'm thinking mini Reese's peanut butter cups, salt water taffy, and maybe candy corn. Or maybe just all chocolate...mmmmmmm!

Last Creative Cuts and More Project plus files!

2009-09-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Wow is this gonna be a long post. I decided for one of my projects I wanted to do a card portfolio for Christmas. I think I underestimated the amount of work it was going to take...but it's done! And once again...I love the paper they use at Creative Cuts and More. They're all basically in the Stardream series...shimmery fun!

This is the Card Portfolio in Gold Stardream with Hinge #04 in Antique Gold Stardream. I also used a Label #1 I got from another internet site...but I have no idea where it came from! Sorry. I used ALS Script for the Noel vinyl lettering.

This card is the A2 Circle Window Card #03 in Jupiter Stardream. I embossed with my cuttlebug and made a file for this Christmas tree that I found as a clip art on the internet. I thought it was whimsical and fun for this card!

Here's the file for it:

Fun Christmas Tree - .svg

This is the A2 Pop Up Insert Card Horizontal 2 Bars in Antique Gold Stardream. The writing on the front is Birmingham for the believe and CK Bella for in the magic of Christmas.

Here are the other files:

Top Note Die Cut - .scut

Reindeer and Sled - .svg

This is the A2 Twist Card in Malachite Stardream. I just used stamps and ribbon. All the stamps have been embossed. I also used a buckle from the set I got for the Fry Box in one of the previous posts...I just painted it white with acrylic paint!

This is the Tag Pocket Card in Jupiter Stardream with Gold Stardream tag and Citrine Stardream layer. I didn't like the color of the Citrine with this card, so I used it as a tag instead! It's the candy cane one in the first picture. I also used my children's glitter glue for the little dots on the bottom and top of the red part of the card. Shhh...don't tell!

These cute little tags are the Tag #04 set. I got it in Caramel Curious Metallics and in Bronze Stardream with Gold Stardream layer. These were so easy with some die cuts I already had and rubons I forgot I had!

This was a really fun project...and now I'm that much closer to getting Christmas done! I really want to make a fun box to put homemade chocolates in for neighbors and friends...and the Santa box Gail suggested! Too fun! Stay tuned all...and don't forget to go see what Creative Cuts and More has for you. So many cute cuts!

Cut File Freebie - Week #18

2009-09-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

This is much like the Mother's Day goodie bag I put on here a few months ago. I got the decorating idea from Regina Easter...I love that girl's stuff! Anywho, it's really easy to make! Perfect for the person who only has a little bit of goodies to give and wants something fast!

Have fun making!

Pumpkin Goodie Bag - .scut

Pumpkin Outline - .scut

Reindeer Poop - another Creative Cuts and More creation!

2009-09-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is the milk carton from Creative Cuts and More. The color is Pinecone Bazzill Textured. I know it's rather plain, cut it sure made an easy gift. With the die cut already scored, it was just a matter of printing off the cute little poem, putting together the box, and gluing on some pom pom balls, googly eyes, and ribbon. I also cut a little half circle at the bottom of the back side and put another brown pom pom on so that you can easily pour out Whoppers. I did, of course, make a .svg for the reindeer antlers. But that was cake to cut out and glue on.

I had the darndest time finding a picture of one on the internet (my neighbor gave me one of these made out of a Whopper box, but I couldn't remember exactly what it looked like). I hope this comes in handy for someone who has heard of this but had no idea what it looked like. I don't think there's another pic on the internet! And if there is, I'm not intelligent enough with search engines to find it!

Here are the files for this project:

Antlers - .svg

Reindeer Poop Poem - .doc

Creative Cuts and More Blog Hop!

2009-09-13T20:22:00.001-07:00

Hello blog followers and visitors from the Die Cut Diva Blog Hop! Welcome!!! You’ve probably just come from Angie’s blog…If not, you can start at the beginning by going to http://www.diecutdiva.com/. You really don’t want to miss out on all the great projects and the blog candy they've got! And, as if you needed more motivation, they have a 15% coupon code for all who visit that site! I ADORE coupons!

I have two projects for you today. For those of you who have been here before, you probably know that I have a fetish for boxes. OK it’s more of an addiction.

For this project, I used the French Fry Box in Caramel Curious Metallics, Leaves #03 – mini in Bronze Curious Metallics, and the Buckle #01 Set in Cappuccino Curious Metallics, and I have to say, I am all over these cuts and colors. This is probably my favorite box cut out of all five of the ones I chose for my projects this month. It’s gorgeous! I don’t know if you can see it in the pic, but the paper shimmers and just looks really rich and elegant. (And I love elegant!) The paper is nice and thick too. I can’t say enough about it. I love how it stands – perfectly. I’m happy just looking at it!

This other project uses their Basket with Handle in Tangerine Blast Bazzill Smooth. It’s such a fun and versatile basket. There’s another great project using this cut for Easter that you can see on the website. And don’t forget to get that great Red Tacky Tape! It’s a must for these boxes!

Now head on over to Carla's to see what amazing things she has in store you!!! Thanks for stopping by!

Freebie Cut File - Week #17

2009-09-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Round box!

I was looking on the internet a few weeks ago for different kinds of boxes, and as I was looking, I thought, "Why are there no templates for something that looks like a hat box?" I wondered why nobody has made these? And then I decided to start designing one and realized why it was that no one was doing it. It was stinking harder than a square or rectangle box! I think it took me three times cutting it before I got it right. What a waste!

You'll probably be confused by the .svg I'm putting on here. It's basically just a weird little straight rectangle with smaller squares poking out of it. Let me explain...please hear me out...it really does make sense. OK, here we go. I hope I don't lose anybody!

The svg is actually just the ring that connects to a circle. When you want to make a box, you go to SCAL, and put in a circle shape that is the size that you want it to be wide. For example, I made a 3 inch circle. Import the round box svg.
If you remember, the circumference of a circle is 2 * pie * r, or pie * D. Since I made a 3 inch circle, I multiply 3 * pie. I get 9.42. I need some extra (which I accounted for on the svg) on the end in order to attach the ends together after adhered to the circle. So, I add about 1/2 inch. For the one shown, the svg is sized at 10 inches.

The bottom circle is done the same way. I just made the circle size a little bit smaller than the top, multiplied by pie, added about half an inch. Then you need to add a rectangle the same length as the svg and weld it to the bottom of the svg.
Once cut, score along the bottom of the small squares all the way across the ring svg. Add adhesive to all the little squares and attach to the bottom of the circle. Then adhere more tape to one of the ends to attach the ends of the ring together. This will give you either the top or bottom of the box. Repeat and decorate!

Come to think of it...this would make another fun box for cookies!

Here are the files:
Round Box Ring - .svg

Round Box File - .scut (for those of you who are too lazy to figure out your own sizes! This one ends up being 3 inches wide by 3 inches tall.)

1st Creative Cuts and More Project!

2009-09-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, this month I'm gonna be all about Creative Cuts and More. I'm a guest designer for them for the month of September and I got to do 5 projects with their die cuts! They are so cute!!! And I love the way they get put together. AND, the paper they use is AWESOME!

This is the first project I made with their cupcake box. The bottom is Breathtaking Textured Bazzill, and the top is Flamingo Textured Bazzill. I've been wanting to make one of these for forever. I decided I would go a different route from the birthday theme, cuz it seems like that's all I ever see with this kind of die cut. Go check out their site, cuz they have lots and lots of cute cuts for sale. Oh, the possibilities!!! They also have a blog called Die Cut Divas that showcase a lot of their products.

Cut File Freebie - Week #16

2009-08-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well, this is actually a pic of the box I designed that Denise Hill from Paper Pastime made. I didn't have time to make another one, and this one is actually cuter than the one I made anyhow so it worked out great! Thanks Denise for letting me steal your pic to put on here!!! :)

I could show you a picture of a mangled box that I made. Why is it mangled, you ask? Well, it probably has nothing to do with the fact that the place I have to do my "crafts" is on the floor of our "not really extra" bedroom that's mostly weight bench and free weights, cardboard boxes, all of our papers, and the rest is my stuff scattered everywhere. And, it definitely isn't the fact that Chase's favorite place in our house is that room when someone accidentally leaves the door open. Or that nobody cares if they step on my stuff. That's not it. Definitely not. So I have no clue why my box that I made specifically for a cut file freebie got ripped in two places and is barely hanging together.

It's a one piece box. It looks like a pie or pastry box that you get from the bakery. It has a window on top that is a top note die shape. So far nobody seems to have problems with how to fold it, so I'll assume it's pretty easy to figure out!

Here's the file:
Pastry box - .svg

Pastry box with window - .svg

Want more ideas? Check these out too!

Easter Boxes by Tina

Mini Card Sets by Jamie

Freebie Cut File - Week #15

2009-08-22T12:16:00.001-07:00

You're probably wondering why I'm showing you a picture of these horrendously ugly cookies, because I'm sure most of you wouldn't give those as a gift to your dog. Yes, I know they're bad. But I can't always spends gobs of time decorating cookies to give away. And besides, I had an idea for making them cuter that would be more ideal as a little treat to say hi to someone.

So the cut file for this week is a cd envelope in svg form. I was really hoping that it would make a cute little cookie holder for a large cookie for those occasions where I just need to give away one. I have to admit though, I was so BUGGED when I put this together. It totally didn't turn out the way that I wanted it to! I need to revamp this envelope file so that it holds the cookie better. Grrrr. That's for another week unfortunately. At any rate, you still have a little envelope for cd's, extremely flat cookies, or even just cards. I left the middle out so that you could cut whatever shape you wanted...or leave as is. If you make something better with it (which shouldn't be too hard, I think), please leave me a link so I can feel better about my creation...

Here's the file:

cd envelope - .svg

On another sad note, I start school again a week from Monday. Somebody call the waaaambulance! It really makes me want to cry. I've had too much fun this summer and I'm dreading the monotony and craziness of school. So, my posts won't be as frequent. But...I've been working on some stuff for the holidays...and I'm a guest designer for the month of September for Creative Cuts and More ! They have so many cute die cuts!! So, I'll have a few more things up my sleeve for you at least!

Cut File Freebie - Week #14

2009-08-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a little tutorial on putting Frankenstein together (and the small mat cookie tower that is in two pieces really) for those of you who need it:

These are the pieces that should cut out when you cut the top and bottom for the franky tower. Note that the top (in dark grey) has three pieces, the bottom (in green) has four pieces, and I cut out an additional two circles in black at about .65 inches and two circles in white at about .9 inches (not shown - whoops).
First, put the two large pieces for the actual box together by lining up the flap and the circle cut out, making sure that the tab for connecting the two on the side matches up (look at the very left hand side of the picture). Put adhesive all the way across the top of the bottom piece as shown.
Attach the two so that the box is now in one piece.
Score lines (starting from the right) at 2.75 inches. Do this four times (2.75 inches from the last score line). Score from the bottom about 1.75 inches up.
Score from the top about 1.75 inches down from the top of the flap and then again from the bottom of the flap.
Follow the rest of the directions under this post for finishing folding the tops and putting on the acetate, etc.

I hope ya'll aren't sick of the cookie towers yet, because I've been telling people that I was going to make a version for the baby bug. So, I did. It posed a bit of a problem for me. I couldn't make it the 6" size or you would have made a box that was about an inch or so tall with mostly the top triangle and the closure for the bottom. You'd be giving away like two cookies! I also couldn't make the width total 6", or you would be making 1" cookies to give away! So, I had to opt for piecing. I have a top and a bottom for you baby buggers out there. I didn't make a smaller version for this tower because I figured it would be easy to cut it down to whatever size you wanted it. You'll notice that I just moved the cookie tower up for the bottom. Just put the mat size to 6 x 12 for each of the files and you're golden!

For everybody else (and the baby buggers too), I also created a file for a frankenstein tower. It's a little bigger than the small version of the tower. This is also a two piecer and I thought it would be fun to show you what you could do with this new take...two different pieces of paper, designed in a fun way...this cut is so versatile!!! I had no idea when I first designed the tower that it would work for so many different things. (Patting myself on the back) So I really hope you have a need this Halloween for a fun treat bag. I thought it was a decent way to help those with only 6" mats and provide something for all the rest of us as well! Enjoy!

Here are the files for:

Small Mat Cookie Tower Bottom - scut

Small Mat Cookie Tower Top - scut

Frankenstein Cookie Tower Bottom - scut

Frankenstein Cookie Tower Top - scut

Frankenstein Face - svg

Cookie Tower - svg (This is for someone on the scal forum who specifically asked for it as .svg...I haven't cut it yet and the middle shape is not in there, but someone else cut it and said it worked great!)

P.S. I got the idea for this Franky from my dear SIL, Jill, who sent me such a cute card (below) a year or two ago and I loved so much that I kept it! He's so cute! Thanks Jill! Of course, the Frankenstein face svg can also be used to make this little card! Hooray!

Cookie Tower Carrier

2009-08-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Denise Hill made these darling small cookie towers...and designed an awesome carrier to hold four! I SO love it! She graciously allowed me to put it on here. She also gave me the file for the carriers and she is willing to share with everyone. (Hooray!)

Here's a link to her website where you can get her file and view her other super cute projects:

Paper Pastime

Cut File Freebie - Week #13

2009-08-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Once again, not the best pictures, but I wanted to show it next to a regular size cookie tower so you could see the difference. I quickly cut it out and took a picture just before going out of town so it's not all put together with cookies and done up nice. Oh well. Hope it shows a decent representation. :)

For a while, I've been meaning to make a smaller version of the cookie tower because I don't always have enough cookies to give away a dozen to numerous people after my husband and children get to the cookies! So, I've just made the cookie tower smaller for about a half dozen cookies for those times...and for people without a bunch of kids to help them eat a dozen cookies.

So here is the .scut file:
Small Cookie Tower - .scut

Small Cookie Tower - .svg

I know this one did not take a whole lot of effort on my part since I'm just making a file I already have smaller, but I thought it would be useful (and I'm on vacation). So, easy it is today! Have a great weekend!!

Cut File Freebie - Week #12

2009-08-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

I made some vinyl letters that I needed to use up as part of my goal to cut down my vast supply of crafting items. So I decided to make this cute little chicken for the vinyl words. Hope somebody else can use this too!!

The link is here:

Little Chicken - svg

chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate cake

2009-08-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

This was a very good cake! It has chocolate chips inside that melt for a little bit of liquid chocolate goodness in every bite! Mmmmmmm. Very moist cake and the glaze on top is just right...not too much, not too little. I think it also looks pretty too which is great if you want to bring it to a social function. But the most beautiful part about it is how easy it is!!!
I got this recipe from recipezaar...Here is the link.

Cuttlebug Christmas Card

2009-07-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

I love the monochromatic look. I made this by just cutting out little squares of leftover white paper and running them through the cuttlebug with different embossing folders. Then I used my silver cats eye ink to lightly ink over the top of the embossed part. The beads all along the outside I've actually used in wedding cakes and found as I was going through my stash. The blue ribbon was also left over. I've really been trying to just go through my stuff and make do with what I have...since I have too much!!

I also loved this label I found on the internet. I couldn't find it again though when I went lookin for it. I thought it was Paulo's (prob21), so I looked first at his site and couldn't find it. Then I went to craftedge and started sorting through those posts. Again, couldn't find it! If you have any idea where it came from, would you let me know so I can put it in here? It was called label 3, and (obviously) came with label 1 and label 2. Thanks all!!

Retro Phone

2009-07-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

This phone cut I got from crafts and love blog. It's so adorable! And if you can't tell, I just recently bought a bag of beads, so I'm kinda going overboard on em! The cut file for this cute retro phone is here.

Oops...belated

2009-07-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

This is just a quickie, and so not perfect, little card. I really wanted to use the little dude I got from my blog win (big grin), so I thought I'd make a little guy card. I thought his expression was just perfect for someone who knows he's in trouble. :) Not that I know anything about that!

So the top note die svg is the one that is "featured" today. I love this little shape! You can make all kinds of things with it...boxes, purses, cards, etc. You can get the file here. The scalloped circle is the one I used earlier this week.

Oval card with modern flower

2009-07-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

I found this flower cut file quite a long time ago. I got it at a french website...so I basically had no idea what I was looking at until I got to the page. I thought it was a cute little cut. It's called fleur folle. I do know that fleur means flower, but I don't know what folle is.

The little rectangle with knobs was one my BIL made for me last year. I already have it in another post, but here it is again! Thanks Jordy!!!

The oval shapes are just something I quickly put together in scal to cut for a different look. I feel like too often I just do a standard size card so I can put it in an envelope...but this one will fit too!

TFL!!!

A lil somethin different!

2009-07-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've been noticing lately that I have been collecting and stashing numerous scrap items. This includes everything from paper to ribbon to svg's. I get so busy working on new files that I forget what wonderful ones I have received from other blogs. So, I've decided that this week I'm going to showcase (for want of a better word) some of the files I have gotten and give you the link so you can download too! I'll post a new creation every day this week and hope (!) to include my own on Saturday as usual.

This gorgeous tree came from Brittany's blog. Don't you love it? I absolutely fell in love with it the moment I saw it and decided I needed to create something with it right away! The link is here.

I also got this fabulous border cut (just like Martha's don't you think?) from the craftedge forum. It was made by lindamac (sorry no blog to refer you to). It cut great! The link on craftedge is here.

The last cut I have here is the scalloped circle with dots. I thought it fit in really nicely with this card and now can see that I could, and should, use it for many more! Thanks to Crazy Bird for helping me figure out where I got this file from!!! She was absolutely right! It's the craftedge forum again, but the file was made by Sherry Amour (I always sing the song when I go to her blog!) The svg is here.

Blog Awards!

2009-07-27T15:09:00.001-07:00

I feel so lucky! C90 and Prob21 both gave me this blog award, and, as I looked at the blogs they chose, I realized just how much we all frequent the same blogs! So, I may double up on the same people they gave awards to, but thought it'd be ok since you're supposed to put down 15 blogs! Needless to say, both of their blogs would be (are) on my list!

1. Mominct

2. Vintage 87

3. Mel Stampz

4. Free Svg's

5. Malisa in OK

6. Crafty Life

7. Scrappin Margie

8. Rebecca Richards (flowers)

9. Brittany

10. Busy with the Cricky

11. Regina Easter

12. C90

13. Prob21

14. Paper Scissors Inc

15. Frugal Crafter
I feel like such a bum on this one! I got it at least a month or two ago and just plum forgot about it! Getting that last award reminded me of this one. Once again, I feel really lucky to have it! Thanks Margie! You can visit her site here. She does loads of cute scrapbooking layouts. For this one, I'm supposed to pick 5 blogs!

1. Okie Ladybug

2. Kasey's Kreations

3. Bella and Aidee's Mom

4. Teri Beri

5. Capadia

Cut File Freebie - Week #11

2009-07-25T05:55:00.001-07:00

Wow that second pic is blur-ry! This is a little cut file I made after seeing this type of box on a few different websites. I thought it was really cute and I wanted to make a fun invitation for a chocolate girls night out I had last week. I cut it at 7.5. It fit a little hershey's bar (you know, the fun size) and an invitation that I curled up and put around the chocolate. I hung it from doorknobs of friends and neighbors.

The file is here:

Candy Wrapper Box - .svg

More Halloween Signs

2009-07-21T12:23:00.001-07:00

Ok, just one more. I had this vinyl cut out for forever and was just waiting for my dh to cut me some more of his scrap wood. I love this skull! I got it from scrapnfonts.com...again. It's in a doodlebat font called DB Fright Night that usually costs $3...BUT they're having a huge doodlebat sale right now! Oh man do I love those!! So, right now it's only $1! (And, no, they are not paying me to advertise!) The scroll also came from that doodlebat set and the font is called Fiddums Family (free on the net). I haven't decided if I want to put all three of the Halloween signs I made on a single post one on top of the other, or if I want to put each one on a different stake and stagger them along our walkway. Hmmmmm.

Cut File Freebie - #11 + My Win!

2009-07-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I still can't believe I won this! I got it from the BBTB blog hop, specifically Susan's blog! Thanks Susan!!! And check out the card...hello, gorgeous!!! Are those nestabilities for the birds, does anyone know? I'm in love with this card...I might frame it!

OK, now that I've had my fun, it's time to get down to business. I've always wanted to make a sucker bouquet! I've seen them on the Cricut MB and thought it would be a fun gift for the old timers I know. Well, we finally got invited to a birthday for a good age. :) So here it is!

I thought about using a canister like everyone else does, but I wanted some fun patterns on it and the letters look kind of weird if you do them in the crazy patterned paper. So, after a little searching on the internet, I ran across a picture of a cool flower bouquet in a little box. I liked it so much that I decided to make my own box for the bouquet. It was very easy! This is an .scut file, so it's not resizable, but it should fit anywhere between 30 - 40 lollipops. I had to stuff in the lollipops into two rows on top of each other in the middle to get 40 to fit...but fit they did!

Some have had trouble with the squares not being welded. Here is a picture of what it should look like. Hope this helps!

And here is the file

Sucker Bouquet Box - .scut

Cut File Freebie - Week #10

2009-07-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary last Tuesday. It's gone so fast! I decided this year I would try to add a little spice (literally...cuz what marriage doesn't need a little of that once in a while?) since he likes cinnamon candies. I needed a new box cut (of course) to put it in and ended up making a playing card box. I had the idea to make a card that looked like the 8 of hearts, but then just didn't have the time. So I used a card I made about two years ago right after I got my SYI cart. Very simple, but it did the trick!

I sized the svg for the playing card box at 7" wide. I believe this will hold regular size cards. I didn't try it yet, but that size should work. I'm sure there's loads of other things you could use it on too! The fonts I used on this project were 2 peas audition (hot), 2 peas beach balls (4), and 2 peas airplane (u).

Playing Card Box - svg

DB Geo Deco Solid...For Free!!!

2009-07-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well, you know how on some of my cut files I use this dingbat font? Guess who has it for free? Yup, scrapnfont.com is hosting a layout contest using this font, so they are giving it away right now!! Isn't that awesome? Now you can use this on my cookie tower, antique car card, etc. I'm sure I've done more with it, but I forget specifically which projects. Head on over and get it free while it's there!!!

http://www.scrapnfonts.com/searchdetail.php?psku=11869

Car/Truck Vinyl

2009-07-08T09:14:00.001-07:00

My husband had previously bought some vinyl lettering for his work truck a number of years ago (before we had the cricut). Unfortunately, our truck was the recipient of some vandalism about two years ago and he had to get the truck repainted...there went the vinyl. It cost him like $50 to get it on the two sides of the truck.

Well, we decided it was time to put the lettering back on. So, we headed over to Roberts with our 50% off coupons and got the color vinyl we needed. So we spent $5 on vinyl and only used just over half of it for the lettering on two sides and the back...more than he got last time for $50. Then he decided he wanted to display ads with discounts occasionally on the truck too, so he went to a sign store and bought a large sheet of magnet, which was (I thought) a little too expensive. He got 2 ft by 1 ft for $20. So we made two magnets to go on his truck too. We both like how it turned out and saved quite a bit by doing it ourselves! Hooray!!!

Cut File Freebie - Week #9

2009-07-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I know I'm late, again. But seeing as how yesterday was the fourth of July, I'm gonna give myself a break (like anybody else was actually looking yesterday anyway!).

I made this specifically for giving away a candy bar. I made it in svg form though, just in case there's something else I (or anybody else) could use it for. I sized it at 6.5 for length once I imported into SCAL. Then, of course, once I had them cut and terrifically tacky taped together, I made the simplest cards imaginable to go with them to give to the women I visit monthly. Good luck making your own! Hope you enjoy!!!

Candy Bar Box - .svg

Making It New

2009-07-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

Remember this? Well, maybe you don't. But you've probably seen one just like it in somebody else's home. I helped two of my SIL's make some FHE boards and loved the font that Jill chose. I loved it so much, that I decided my old FHE board needed an update!

Here's the new version...I got inspired to use these colors by my friend's blog (Rebecca at Artistic Blooms - link on right). She posted a pic of a beautiful wreath in green and brown that I fell in love with. I still need to paint my wall a light tan color. I'm very happy with the redo! And now I don't feel like I've got the same thing in my home as all of my friends!!

Freebie Cut File - Week #8

2009-06-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Hey all! This week's cut file is inspired by the edge punches by Martha. I've really wanted at least one or two of them since they first came out...but there's no way I feel I can justify spending $15 on one punch. Aaahh, the life of a cheapskate!

So, since I'm still too cheap, I decided I would try to make my own. It's not quite as elegant as hers, but I thought it was kind of fun and pretty versatile. I made it as a .svg so I could resize it as needed and put two together and weld them if need be as well. You could also make it into an entire card by just adding another rectangle to make the card the size you need. Well, there it is, $15 saved!

And for those who are curious, the pear came from the free font Harold's Pips. It's a really cute little font with other things like cherries, an anchor, a cute butterfly, umbrella, etc.

The cut file for today:

Edge Punch - svg

P.S. Thanks for the sweet comments left last time! I keep thinking that it's too bad I don't live next door to some of the people I've met through the internet...it would be so fun to be better acquainted with you! (Not to mention the fun I could have with someone else who liked this kind of stuff and lived close!) Have a great weekend!!!

I've been away...

2009-06-24T09:34:00.001-07:00

I'm so sorry to everyone who has been following my blog and (sigh) expecting a new cut file... I've been away at a family reunion (last Monday to Saturday) and towards the end, my five year old caught a really bad flu bug. Then my one year old got it (but not horribly, which was surprising). Then of course, I wasn't feeling well, due to my pregnancy (YES, I am PREGO!!!) and the fact that I caught the awful flu too! Then of course my middle son and my husband got it.

This one was horrible!!! Anyone else in Utah that got it? I was up vomiting for most of the night, then the next day I was down all day...as well as the next day. I am feeling better now and I'm looking forward to working on something new!

So...again, I'm so sorry I missed a week. Maybe I'll make it up to you one of these weeks and give two cut files...hmmmm.

Freebie Cut File - Week #7

2009-06-13T16:23:00.001-07:00

This little gift is for my FIL. I plan on making him a few book marks, having my oldest write him a story, and putting his favorite nuts inside for Father's Day.

If you haven't guessed yet, (and I surely hope you have) I have a new box cut for you! The saying was inspired by Dawn's Stamping Thoughts (link on side of page). I made it into a word file for you, or a jpeg, in case you don't have the same fonts.

Sorry about the hideous writing on the inside...I should know better than to ever write sentiments on cards. I have the worst handwriting, EVER!

I really think this box cut is self-explanatory once you get it cut; please let me know if it is otherwise!

***If you already read this and are downloading...please forget what I said about it being backwards...I fixed it so nobody would have to worry about it! :)

Box - scut

The 3 R's - word file

The 3 R's - jpeg

Wedding Day Tile Vinyl

2009-06-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

A friend in my ward asked if I could do some vinyl for a tile she wanted to give to her brother and new-to-be SIL. She gave me their wedding invitation, the tile, and the words she wanted said, and this is what I came up with.

I decided to go with a flourish b/c the invitation looked like they preferred modern. The flourish is from DB Dainty Swirl (a doodlbat font I got from scrapnfonts.com), the cursive is Adine-Kimberg Script, and the date is in Andalus. I hope she, and they, like it.

Freebie Cut File - Week #6

2009-06-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

Wow...what a week. So you know how my one year old wasn't feeling so good? Yeah, lam-o mommy didn't realize just how bad it was and didn't find out until Tuesday that he had trenchmouth. So he's been in a lot more pain for a lot longer than he needed to be and he is now on two antibiotics and two pain killers. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much done this week...on anything. I do have a cut file, but I haven't made anything with it yet. Sigh. Sorry, but if I wasn't gonna do something this week, it was crafts. Holding my baby took precedence (and believe me, did he ever want to be held). Hopefully, since he's been doing better lately, I can get my thoughts into action and give a pic about what I was picturing with this cut.

Here's the cut files:

Boot Card and layer - scut

Boot - svg

Lightening McQueen Birthday Cake

2009-06-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

So this might just be the ugliest cake I've ever made. I can't believe I'm showing you, except that I think anybody could make this cake AND it's made much better by the table setting that my mom so generously put together for my son's birthday dinner. I was feeling pretty sick and, by the time it was time to make this, didn't even want to bake the cake let alone decorate it. This is actually kind of sad, because I typically love doing the decorating...but this time, I just wanted it done. I don't think Ryan noticed that it wasn't great...since it had a car on it! Maybe I'll do better next time! :) I hope.

Freebie Cut File - Week #5

2009-05-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all! It is still officially Saturday...albeit late Saturday...but it's still Saturday! I almost didn't think I was gonna make it this week! I got back from vacation and I've been feeling not so good, and neither has my one year old. Needless to say, it's been a hard couple days with my very little ones. Blah...does it ever get better? Wait, don't answer that.

So this little card is for the military wives and daughters out there (and for anyone that ever needs to say thank you to a man!). Here is the actual scut file I used to cut out the card, svg, and star shapes. I'm also including the svg for the Iwo Jima silhouette (hope you could tell that's what it was!) in case you want to be able to manipulate it more!

All cuts for the star card - scut

Iwo Jima - svg

Blog Award

2009-05-26T11:13:00.001-07:00

Well, I have to say I was extremely surprised to get any kind of blogging award! I only started this blog less than four weeks ago. (It pays to leave comments!!!) But a fellow cricuteer blessed me with this just the other day. Her name is Kasey. She also makes cut files and offers them for free on her website.

Well, I'm supposed to nominate five other people. I guess I should state what the award is for...

The first one is for people who follow and leave comments on your blog. The second one doesn't really have requirements, but it's called the "Gift of Love" and I'm going to give them at the same time!

The people I am nominating are as follows:

Jill Robison...cuz she's always so supportive and kind and I LOVE her!!!

Susan at Busy with the Cricky...cuz as talented and amazing as she is, she takes the time to look at and leave comments on my stuff!

The Frugal Crafter...another amazing crafter that I cannot believe even looked at my blog, let alone liked something enough to comment!

Scrappin Margie...I've looked on her blog and noticed that she has quite a few of the same themed cut files I have (and hers are really cute), but she still takes the time to tell me that she likes mine too!

Celeste Lombas...She's so kind to leave nice comments and even took the time to give me a link to see what she did with a cut file (which turned out great!!!). Thanks Celeste!

Thanks to all of you who support my blog and take the time to comment (although unfortunately this feeds my addiction!). I love my blogging friends!

(PS - Margie and Celeste...I can't find an email address for you...hope you get this!)

Freebie Cut File - Week #4

2009-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to week #4! This little baby was designed for those who have a Father/Husband who is a shop kind of guy. I thought it would be fun to put a gift card from Home Depot inside the toolbox, surrounded by some of his favorite little candies! I'm including a file for the tool box, the saw card, and the circle I did in vinyl for the card. I think the card is self explanatory, so I won't give instructions for that!
For the tool box. You're going to first cut the file in the bottom color you're going to use, so that the handles match the bottom. You are also going to use the square buckle file I included on a previous post for the closure. I didn't include it in this cut file, because i figured people would need to size it to fit the ribbon they use! I made it longer than wide and sized it so that the holes for the ribbon would be just shorter than the ribbon (to make sure it wouldn't come undone if the candy inside was heavy!).

I folded it at 1.25 inches from every side and then again at 2.5 inches. You have two options...for the back fold, you can either tacky tape it so that is looks like the bottom of a box (and you will have to hinge the top and bottom together), or you can NOT tap it and use the flap to attach to the upper portion of the box and that will be your hinge. You can see pics to get a feel for what I mean.

You will cut the upper portion of the file after you delete the handles. Then just follow the same instructions! The handles will be adhered together on the half circle part. Then you tape the little parts to the top of the toolbox. Attach the buckle with brads, attach some ribbon, and you're done!

Here's a female version of the box. I used the hinges on this one, as was my original plan. But I don't always have hinges, so I thought I'd make the manly toolbox without to see if it would work out, which it did!

Hope you enjoy the new cut file!!

Toolbox - SCUT

Saw Card - SCUT

Saw Blade - SVG

Circle Sayings - SCUT

Bella and Edward Cut File

2009-05-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

On the scal forum, lil5firecracker5 submitted a picture of bella and edward together and offered a svg file that was basically a bitmap of the picture that really needed to be cleaned up and asked for some help (because they had already worked on three others that turned out great!). So, I decided to take up the challenge!!! Here is the outcome!

If you want the link to where they posted the files and pictures, here it is

http://forums.surecutsalot.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5293

Here is the link to the svg I manipulated from their svg

Bella and Edward - svg

BTW, would you be so kind as to leave comments if you download? They are much appreciated and it allows me to get a better feel for if this is the type of file that is liked! Thanks!!!

Family Home Evening Jar

2009-05-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

This is a jar that I got for Christmas. It was filled with pieces of paper that gave topics, songs, and scriptures to go with a theme for each week of the year for Family Home Evening (a night where the family gets together and has a gospel lesson and activity). I loved it! But I kept getting asked what it was (it was on my console table in my front room), so I busted out my vinyl, some ribbon, and a tag to get the questions to stop! Nobody has to ask anymore, and it's a cute way to decorate a table!

I had to put some white tissue paper inside because the papers are green and didn't match the look I was going for. :) For those of you who do this type of FHE activity...you might think of this as an inexpensive gift idea for Christmas or another special day!

Cut File Freebie - Week #3

2009-05-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

Well, week # 3 is here already!!! I thought that since Father's Day is just around the bend, I would dedicate these next few weeks to man cards and boxes! I almost had a box ready for you today...but I have to work out one bug first!!! So you'll see the box cut I have next week!!!

This little card was done almost all in vinyl. I was going to add more to it, but my husband saw it and said, "Oh, that's a cool card!" (which he never does), so I thought maybe it was good as it was for a guy! You could probably make this a Father's Day card too for the man that loves old cars and redoes them or something. You might say something like, "For a classic kind of Dad" or "For my Dad" on the front, and on the inside it could say "the man who gets more valuable every year!" Any other ideas for sayings?! Hope you enjoy!!

Antique Car - svg

Sayings - scut

The sayings file is just a bunch that I put on there to use on my scrap vinyl. I use them on various different posts I put on here...just thought you might want to take the guess work out of the fonts and sizes I've been using!

Oh and I almost forgot...the shape cut I put the car on is from DB Geo Deco Solid from scrapnfonts.com again. I LOVE that font. For three dollars, you get a whole bunch of different cute shapes! Actually, a whole alphabet full!!!

Swirl Wedding Cake

2009-05-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Again, another cake I helped Mindy with. The actual frosting of the cake was way easy! Pushing the frosting back and forth with different pressure as you go is really the easiest way to go for a wedding cake. Another pretty outcome, Mindy!

Red Ribbon Cake

2009-05-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

I don't think I did much, if anything, on these cakes (it's hard to remember, it was a while ago)...but I wanted to post Mindy's cake here anyway because I think it turned out beautiful!