Challenge #5: Christmas Cheer

Thanksgiving is past, so now I can finally throw myself whole-heartedly into the Christmas season! For the next few weeks the challenges will all be Christmas or winter cartridges, starting with the first one, Christmas Cheer!

Sweet Treats Projects

I love this cartridge! It's so cute, and I love all the layers to both the images and the phrases. The scalloped circle and circle are both from Mini Monograms, cut at 13 inches. I cut them both whole because I wasn't sure how I was going to use them, but I love that if you only need half of an image you can use the Gypsy or Design Studio and place the image off the mat to save paper. The title is from Sweet Treats, with all layers (shadow, base and three different word layers) cut at 3 inches. The cupcake is also from Sweet Treats, with all layers (shadow, base, two layers of the wrapper and the frosting swirl) cut at 4 inches. The number 6 candle is from Sweet Treats too, with all layers (base, number and two layers of flame) cut at 2 inches. I used Scribbles puff paint on the frosting swirl to give it some dimension. Another fun detail is that I attached the cupcake at the top with a brad so it can swing from side to side, and I hid my journaling underneath. The printed paper is from Imaginisce's Sweet Cheri line.



This card is for a co-worker's birthday in December. The card is kind of a strange size, 3.75 inches by 8.5 inches. It was from a package of premade blank cards and envelopes from Joann's. The party hat is from Sweet Treats, with all the layers cut at 6 inches. The "happy birthday" phrase is from Create a Critter, cut at 1.75 inches. The striped paper is from We R Memory Keepers, and the white faux stitching around the circles was drawn with a white Uniball Signo pen.

Challenge #4: Sweet Treats

This week's challenge cartridge is Sweet Treats. I've used this one a bit, but I've barely scratched the surface of what it can do! I love all the cute cupcakes, and it also has some really sweet flowers. I'm hoping to complete a layout of my daughter's last birthday, as well as a couple cards for work birthdays next month.

We R Memory Keepers Seweasy Stitch Piercer

I know this has nothing to do with Cricut, but a scrapbooker cannot live on Cricut alone - at least I can't! And anyone who knows me, knows how much I love to sew on my projects. I’ve even bought a sewing machine just to use for scrapbooking! But sometimes it seems like a pain to drag it out, it’s definitely too much to take to a crop, and sometimes I want to get a different look with thicker thread. I’ve used plastic canvas as a guide for punching holes when hand sewing, but punching all those holes by hand is a pain! I was so excited when I found out about the We R Memory Keepers Seweasy stich piercer. I finally got one last weekend and gave it a try. The price isn’t bad at all - at Archivers I got the mat, stitch piercer handle and two extra stitch piercing attachments for less than $25.


The mat may not be a necessity for everyone, but they do recommend you use a self-healing mat. I didn't have one, and liked that this was 12 inches long but not too wide to stash away, besides having a handy grid printed on it. Plus, hello, it's pink!

The handle also comes with a great needle - it has a huge eye so it’s easy to thread through embroidery floss, and the end is blunt so you don’t poke the heck out of your fingers with it. (Or am I the only one who does that and then bleeds on my projects?) An added bonus, the handle has a storage compartment so you can stash your needles in it.

Another thing I think you must have is something straight with a bit of height to it, so you can run the piercer alongside it and keep your line straight. I used this bendy ruler. It‘s about ¼ inch high and works perfectly when straightened out. Mine is from the quilting department at Joann’s, but I know BoBunny makes a cute pink one now just for scrapbookers.


Once I figured out the ruler trick, I was off. It took a few tries to get used to rolling with even pressure, which is more critical on the attachments that have side by side holes. At first I was a little worried that the holes weren’t pierced very thoroughly, but they were easy to sew through. I did a little sampling of the different stitches you can do with each of the attachments I got - the single straight stitch (which comes with the handle), the zigzag and the blanket. I’m sure there are endless possibilities, but these are the stitches featured on the back of each of the packages.


Another option, if you’re in a hurry or just feeling lazy, you can pierce the holes and then connect them with a pen or marker as I’ve done here. A very quick way to get the look of sewing without the hassle!

So far I’m very pleased with the Seweasy and would definitely recommend it! In fact, if my blog hits 25 followers I'll draw a random winner to receive the Seweasy stitch piercer handle plus the zigzag and blanket attachments, and a bendy ruler! So share the blog with all of your Cricuty friends!

Going Places Projects

I actually got to do two projects this week with the challenge cartridge! The first is a layout of my daughter and her cousin at the zoo last year. The arrow is from Going Places and was cut at 3 inches. The sign is also from Going Places, with the width set to 5 inches on my Gypsy (so I’m not sure on the height). The sign actually cuts out solid with the border part almost separate, so I just separated it off with a craft knife so I could put the other papers behind. The photo corners are from the Jasmine cartridge, cut at 5 and 7 inches. The font is from the Robotz cartridge, cut at 1 and 2 inches. The printed papers are from the DCWV Green stack, except the whitewashed wood paper on the sign. That and the cardstock are just from my stash. The rivets are Darice, and heat set with the iRock. Everything was inked with Cat’s Eye Chestnut Roan chalk ink.
This card was for my wonderful hubby. The people are from Going Places, cut at 3 inches. The “me & you” is from Graphically Speaking - I cut the “me you” part at 2 inches, and the & at 1 inch. The heart is also from Graphically Speaking and was cut at 2 inches and inked with Cat’s Eye black pigment ink. The card base is from a DCWV card stack, the white cardstock is from Hobby Lobby, and the black cardstock is from Colorbok. The polka dot paper is American Crafts.

Challenge #3: Going Places

This week's cartridge is Going Places. It's been cold and yucky here all day, so maybe I'll scrap some vacation layouts and dream of warmer and sunnier times!

Stretch Your Imagination Project

I really need to get a new battery for my camera so I can take better pictures! I made this little gift card holder for my daughter's amazing teacher, who has gone above and beyond for her this year. We put a Cold Stone gift card inside.

The crayon box was cut from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More at 5 inches. I use that box all the time for gift cards because they fit perfectly! The little birdie is from Stretch Your Imagination, all layers cut at 3 inches. The tag is also from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More, both layers cut at 2 inches. The lettering is a Sizzlits alphabet called Playground. Papers are from Bazzil, Wild Asparagus and Crate Paper, and the lace is from the notions department at Joann's.

I bought a new tool today, so I'm hoping to try it out in the next couple days so I can review it. I'll also post a new challenge cartridge today or tomorrow.

Challenge #2: Stretch Your Imagination

Since I picked a relatively new cartridge to start with, I thought I'd go back and pick an older one that more people probably have. This is one of those that I just had to have, and I don't think I've used it a single time!

And just a note: Anyone who wants to play along, please do! Even if it's an older challenge, share your creations!

B is for Boy card

Well, I bought this one for the sock monkey, and that was the only cut that really inspired me so I went with it! And please excuse the crappy cell phone picture - I didn't realize the camera battery was dead till I went to use it. In person it's not orangey, it's red!

Challenge #1: B is for Boy

I think I got this cartridge mainly because I fell in love with the adorable sock monkey...because I don't even have a boy! If you have this one, play along and share what you come up with! I'll post my project tomorrow.