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Cricut Explore Air – Save a Bundle!

November 13, 2015 by Pam Larmore 5 Comments

I got a Cricut Explore last year for Christmas, and I LOVE it!  I have made signs, decorated mugs and cups, done glass etching, and created cards and scrapbook pages.  It’s so much fun creating with the Cricut Explore Air!

The Cricut Explore Air is the ultimate crafting machine. It cuts 60 different materials. You can design on your iPhone or iPad on the go, then cut when you are ready.
Want to be able to easily make pretty décor, personalized gifts, and fun cards for upcoming holidays? Then you need to treat yourself to a Cricut Explore Air™ — Cricut’s very popular electronic cutting machine. It’s the best DIY crafting tool to be developed since the sewing machine!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

The Cricut Explore Air is versatile, easy to use, and allows for very precise cuts. It’s also incredibly affordable, especially since Cricut generously discounted the cost by up to $200 on the machine and bundles — just in time for the holiday crafting season!

With the Cricut Explore Air™, you can cut over 60 different types of material, including paper, fabric, plastic and vinyl to name a few. The Explore Air also features Cut Smart™ technology, which allows you to cut a wide range of shapes and sizes with exceptional precision, from ¼” tall up to 11½” wide x 23½” tall.

This Cricut Explore machine is called the Air because it has built-in Bluetooth® capability. This means you can use Cricut’s free iPad app and design anything you want from your iPad, just like you would on your home computer, but with the convenience of being able to take your projects with you anywhere. Then, you can just wirelessly send your project from your iPad to your Explore Air to bring it to life.

While the Cricut Explore Air is impressive on its own, purchasing it with one of Cricut’s bundle offerings makes it even more valuable. Each bundle comes with different accessories that allow you to expand your creativity and make your crafting projects even more simple and fun to create. Plus, by purchasing your Explore Air with a bundle, you’re able to save a bundle in the process!

Go to Cricut.com and check out the savings Cricut is offering on their Cricut Explore Air™ and bundles today so you can get your very own in time to make this holiday season your most creative one yet!

Happy Crafting!

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Baby Scrapbook Ideas

September 4, 2015 by Pam Larmore 1 Comment

Here are some Baby Scrapbook Ideas to give you inspiration for preserving the precious memories of your sweet bundle of joy.  Baby Scrapbook Layouts are some of the most popular among scrapbookers. Everyone wants to savor the memories of the birth of their little one with baby scrapbook layouts.

Baby Scrapbook Ideas - Here are some title suggestions, tips on what to save, and some layout ideas to get you started on your baby book.…

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Pin the Cherry on the Cupcake Craft

August 30, 2015 by Marie Johnstone 2 Comments

Here is a fun Cupcake Craft to make for a girl’s birthday party.  It’s so cute that she might want to play long after her birthday is gone!

Pin the Cherry on the Cupcake is an updated version of the old classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey birthday party game. You may be able to buy this, although it was not available when I needed it for my young daughter’s birthday occasion. So this shows you how to make your own version using cardboard and inexpensive craft materials. It makes for a cute looking and fun game for little girls in particular to play – who doesn’t love cupcakes!

Make a pin the cherry on the cupcake craft for the party game

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How To Use Rubber Stamps

May 14, 2015 by Pam Larmore 3 Comments

Learn How to Use Rubber Stamps For Card Making

Craft rubber stamps for card making come in every shape and for every occasion you can imagine. The most common use of craft rubberstamps is for making handmade cards, but they are also used for other paper crafting projects and can be used for texturing polymer clay or stamping on nonporous surfaces like metal, glass, and plastic.

Rubber stamps can add a decorative touch or provide words or sentiments to a project. For every holiday, season, celebration, and occasion there are rubber stamps for making a fun craft.

I have been rubber stamping for over ten years. I have quite a collection of shaped rubber stamps and also sentiment rubber stamps that I love to use. I make cards, party favors, scrapbook pages, and other paper crafts.

Learn How to Use Rubber Stamps. Learning to rubber stamps can be confusing. Here are some tips to help you get started.

One of my favorite places to go to learn about Rubber stamping techniques is Lindsay the Frugal Crafter on YouTube.  Her videos are so informative. She gives wonderful tips!

What Types of Stamps Are There?

The first thing you need to understand about how to use rubber stamps is all of the different names for them.  Rubber stamps is a generic for any type of stamp that you use for crafting. Just like all tissues are called Kleenex, all types of stamps are called rubber stamps even though they may be wood mounted, clear acrylic, foam, or digital.

Wood mounted stamps are the original rubber stamps.  They are made from rubber and mounted onto a block of wood so that you can hold them.  There is usually a layer of foam between the rubber and the wood so that you can get a nice crisp image.

Polymer stamps stick to acrylic blocks without the use of adhesive.  This type of stamp is very popular, because you can see through them and see where you are stamping.  They are great for sentiments and two part stamps that require precise placement.

There are two types of foam stamps.  You can buy inexpensive foam stamps for crafting projects.  They are usually pretty thick, and the images are large simple shapes.  They are wonderful for using with craft paints.  The large chunky shapes are great for kids to work with.  You can stamp shapes on T-Shirts, Tote Bags, flower pots, wood, and much more.  The other type of foam stamps are smaller and are for card making a paper crafting.  They are more detailed and cling to clear acrylic blocks.  They can either be shapes or sentiments.

Digital stamps or digis are very popular with tech savvy crafters.  You purchase them online from the designer and download them to your computer just like you would a photo or other file.  With the growth of technology, websites and blogs now offer a huge variety of these stamps. You send payment by credit card or Paypal, and download the images you purchase are emailed to you or you download them. The advantage is that they are inexpensive, take up no storage space, and they can be resized to fit your project. The designers often have a design team to showcase projects using their digis to help inspire you.  Many websites offer free digis.

Coffee Card Using Digital Stamps

Tips for Purchasing Stamps

Rubber Stamps have been around for years, but with the boom in the scrapbooking and papercrafting industry in the 1990’s, stamps have become very popular for card making. There are stamping conventions in major cities and craft stores have a good selection. They can be purchased from tons of online stores, Amazon, and Ebay.

Amazon and Ebay have a huge selection of stamping supplies for card making, with very competitive prices. Ebay also sells used rubberstamps, which are wonderful for beginners or adding to your collection.

Craft stores is another outlet for purchasing craft rubber stamps. I do not recommend buying inexpensive products that are often offered in big box stores. The rubber is not deeply etched, and you end up with a lot of ink around your impression. Oftentimes, they don’t leave a good imprint.

Home party businesses like Stampin’ Up and Close To My Heart are a great way to purchase products and to learn about rubber stamping.  Consultants have lots of ideas and can help you select the correct supplies for your projects.

Country Girl with Chicken Handmade Card - Digi Stamp by Digi Garden

How Do I Color My Craft Rubber Stamps?

Ink Pads can be purchased wherever craft rubber stamps are sold. For good results, purchase good quality stamp pads. There are tons of different types of inks. To get started, choose a water base or dye ink. It is the most popular and generally comes in the most colors. If you are using a stamp that needs to be colored, like the angel in this card, use black ink.  I like Tuxedo from Momento for a good quality black ink.

There are many ways to color stamps. I used brush tip markers to color the image of this pretty garden angel. Water color pencils and blending pens is another way to color images. For soft colors, you can use chalks or ink and a water brush.

For beginners, I recommend a set of brush markers in a wide variety of colors. They are wonderful for coloring images, but you can also color directly to the stamp instead of using an ink pad. If the stamp is large or if you are coloring it more than one color, you will need to “huff” on it before stamping. Huffing is putting it to your mouth and breathing on it. It helps to rewet the ink, so that you get a nice image.  Many marker sets come with a brush tip on one end and a thin tip on the other end that you can use for coloring small areas or for writing.

Home party businesses like Stampin’ Up and Close To My Heart are an excellent way to learn about stamping supplies. Consultants hold workshops to teach you how to use supplies and can help you select the correct materials.

Stampin Up thank you card

Let’s Stamp!

First let me say…..I have been stamping for over 10 years, and I still don’t always get a good impression on the first try! Be patient. You may be a natural, or it may take you some time to get the hang of it.

  1. You will want to use smooth cardstock. If you’re worried about messing up, start with copy paper. When you begin to make cards, you will want to buy nice quality cardstock so you get professional results. Lay the cardstock on a FLAT surface. I put a spongy mouse pad under my cardstock. It gives me a nice firm surface but also a cushion for a crisp image. A phone book or magazine will work also.  For less detailed stamps, you can probably won’t need anything under your cardstock.
  2. It’s time to put ink to rubber! Most ink pads are raised, meaning they sit higher than the container that they are in. For small stamps, I find it easier to touch the stamp to the ink while the ink is sitting on your work area. If you are using a large stamp, it may be easier to wipe the ink pad across the stamp. It’s a matter of preference, and after experimenting you will decide what works best for you.
  3. With firm pressure, press the stamp to your paper. Try not to rock the stamp. It may leave a smudged impression or if there is extra ink around the outside of the image, it will come off on your paper. Large stamps take some practice and often don’t turn out the first time. Don’t get discouraged. If the stamp is 4″ or more, you may need to rub your thumb across the top of the stamp to get the middle to imprint.

Handmade Card Using Serene Silhouettes by Stampin' Up - P.S. I Love You Scrapbooking - www.psiloveyouscrapbooking.com

How To Clean Rubber Stamps

When learning how to use rubber stamps, it is important to learn how to properly clean them so they will last a long time and produce good results.

If you are using dye ink, rubber stamps are very easy to clean. You can purchase spray stamp cleaner and a cleaning pad or stamp scrubber. It has a velour type texture which helps get into the grooves of the stamp. You spray the cleaner on one side, rub your stamp across it until the ink comes off, then rub it on the other side to dry the stamp.

Some people use baby wipes to clean their stamps. This works well especially with light colors of ink or as a temporary cleaning until you can clean them properly. Do not use the type of baby wipes that have lotion in them though, and do not use Clorox wipes.

You can purchase a large cellulose sponge to keep on your work table. Rubbing a stamp across it makes for quick clean up.

Some manufacturers make roll on or spray stamp cleaners that work well too. Whichever you choose, you want to make sure you get the ink out of the crevices. Most craft rubber stamps will eventually become stained if they are used often. This is only cosmetic and does not effect the quality of the image.

I hope these tips help you get started.  I can’t wait to hear about your rubberstamped projects!  Sign up for my newsletter for lots of crafty information!

How Crafters Build a Snowman

March 5, 2015 by Pam Larmore 11 Comments

Happy Snow Day!  This is the gazallionth snow day in Maryland this winter.  I am ready for spring just like everyone else, and I hope this is the last Hoorah! for Old Man Winter.  I thought I’d show you how Crafters Build a Snowman.

Crafters Build a Snowman Using brads and fibers to decorate. www.psiloveyouscrapbooking.com

All week, they have been calling for “significant snow” in my area.  That’s meteorology speak for “it’s winter, and we think it’s going to do something but have no idea what.”  Since we are in the mid-atlantic area, we are often sandwiched between the cold air that gets lots of snow and the warmer above freezing air that turns the precip to rain.

This time, we were in the 4-8″ category after two days of rain and a 50 degree day.  Since my husband is at work today, my son and I take turns shoveling the walk.  It’s a short sidewalk, and if someone does it every hour, it doesn’t take long.  After sitting at the dining room table, rubberstamping, it was my turn to shovel.  I really don’t mind it when the wind isn’t blowing.

After shoveling, I decided to make a snowman…..errr…..snowgirl.  All of the other times that it has snowed this winter, it was either at night or the temps were in the teens or single digits with blizzard conditions.  Those are no conditions to build a snowman!  There really wasn’t much snow on the ground.  You could see the grass, but it was a good packing snow.  With the lack of snow, I knew my snowgirl would be small.

Crafters Build a snowman decorating it with brads and fibers - www.psiloveyouscrapbooking.com

I managed to put together two small snowballs.  I had a grape vine chair that was the perfect size for her.  Usually when you build a snowman, it is people sized, so you use coal or stones for the face.  However, this little gal is less than a foot tall.  I went rummaging through supplies in my craft room.  My first thought was rhinestones for eyes, but the only ones I had were too small or they were clear.  I pulled out my embellishment case that is loaded with buttons, eyelets, brads, charms, and miscellaneous doodads.  I had black brads that were perfect, but that’s B-O-R-I-N-G!!

Since I’m hoping that this is the last opportunity to build a snowman for awhile, I opted for orange flower brads for eyes and purple brads for a mouth and nose.  I pulled out my fiber scrap basket and found three great purple fibers.  Two are eyelash fibers and one has a bit of glitter in it.  PERFECT!  She really needs a hat, but I don’t have one small enough……….well actually I do, but it’s red and doesn’t match her scarf.

May daughter and I after we finished clearing off the cars.

May daughter and I after we finished clearing off the cars.

I put the chair in a large flower pot of rosemary.  It was perfect and Penelope (you have to name your snowman!) could greet me every day when I come home until she melts.  The snowfall really picked up and less than an hour later, when I went outside Penelope was covered in snow and couldn’t see.  I moved her onto my porch until it stops.  I think she’s lonely.  Next time I go out to shovel, I might build her boyfriend Pete.

I’m really ready to play in the dirt and plant pansies and potatoes, but for today I will enjoy crafting while it snows and be distracted by the birds fighting over the feeder with a blanket of white behind them.

This is what I've been working on today while watching the birds out the window.

This is what I’ve been working on today while watching the birds out the window.

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Tinkerbell Picture Cricut Project

January 12, 2015 by Pam Larmore 6 Comments

Do you know a little girl who loves Tinker Bell?  Here is a sweet Tinkerbell Picture Cricut Project that would be cute hanging in a little girl’s bedroom.  Instead of the title that I used you could add the girl’s name.  What a fun gift!

This handmade Tinkberbell Picture is perfect for a little girl's bedroom.

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Christmas Cricut Tags

December 12, 2014 by Pam Larmore 2 Comments

The Cricut is popular for scrapbook pages and for making cards, but have you ever made Cricut Tags for Christmas?  Many of the cartridges have tags with precut holes, but basic shapes can easily be turned into gift tags.

Cricut Christmas Tags - Have you used your Cricut for making tags? There are lots of possibilities and ways to decorate them. You can use Cricut tags on wine bottles, gift bags, and on your Christmas Tree.

 

Christmas Cricut Tags are useful to have on hand during the holiday season.  They can be used for marking gifts, hanging on gift bags, or added to a bottle of wine.  You can also hang them on the Christmas Tree for inexpensive decorations.  You can make Cricut Tags as simple or elaborate as you want.

Cricut tags are easy enough to make that kids can help you too.  Cut them out in solid colors and let kids decorate them with stickers and markers.

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Cricut Halloween Treat Bags

September 13, 2014 by Pam Larmore 20 Comments

These Halloween Treat Bags and Party Favors made with the Cricut aren’t very spooky, but they sure are cute!   My kids are older, so I don’t need to make Halloween Treat Bags for day care or school anymore, but it’s fun to make a few treats and give them to friends.
Cricut Halloween Treat Bags and Party FavorsWhen I was a kid, Halloween was a BIG DEAL!  There were parties, haunted houses, and costume parades. After Christmas, it was favorite day of the year.

The only Halloween Treat Bags that we had were the little paper ones from the drug store.  They had witches, ghosts, and jack-o-lanterns printed on them.  I loved getting them filled with candy and spider rings.

Halloween Treat Bags sure have come a long way!
create a critter 2 cricut cartridge jack o lantern

Halloween Mason Jars is another project that that I made.

How I Made These Halloween Treat Bags

For the first Halloween Treat Bag I used the Nut Cup on the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More Cricut Cartridge (page 130).  I used the Fit to Page feature on the Cricut Expressions, so that it would cut it as big as it would fit on a 12×12 piece of paper.  You can also use the Expressions 2 or Explore Machines.

The purple, orange, and black chevron patterned paper works great for Halloween.  It is from the Die Cuts With A View Stack called Spooky Time.  Any Halloween patterned paper would work though or even sold card stock.create a critter 2 cricut cartridge pumpkin

I cut the Jack-o-lantern at 3 1/2″ from the Create A Critter 2 Cricut Cartridge.   He’s not very spooky with his rosy cheeks though! The sides of the nut cup are slanted outwards, so I attached the Jack-o-lantern on the inside so it’s facing up. The nut cup is perfect for party favors.  When cut on the largest size, the nut cup is big enough for a handful of small candies like M&M’s or a bit of crushed paper and miniature candy bars.

The witch owl Halloween Treat Bag is also cut from the Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More Cricut Cartridge.  It is the gift bag on page 115 of the manual.  I used the Fit to Page Feature to make it as large as it would fit on the 12×12 paper.  The pretty orange patterned paper is from the Spooky Time Stack from Die Cuts With A View.  The purple dots are embossed and glossy for extra texture.

To hold the nut cup and treat bag together, I used Tacky Tape.  It is much stickier than regular adhesive.  You can also use Glue Lines.

I cut the owl at 3 1/2″ and attached him with glue dots. The owl is on the Create A Critter 2 Cricut Cartridge.  He reminds me of the owl in Harry Potter!  Create A Critter 2 has lots of critters for all occasions.  Kids would love any kind of treat bag made with these animals.

create a critter 2 cricut cartridge tags bags boxes and more

 

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Awesome Koala Party Favor Bags

August 25, 2014 by Pam Larmore 11 Comments

Party Favor Bags are so much fun to make, and they are super easy to decorate when you use the Cricut.  By using the Cricut, you can create Party Favor Bags in any color or theme that you can dream of.
Koala Bear Party Favor Treat Bag Using the Create A Critter 2 Cricut Cartridge - Great for Valentine's Day or a Birthday PartyThis sweet bag full of candy bars would be a wonderful favor for a Koala Birthday Party or for Valentine’s Day.  Imagine the look on the kids’ faces when they saw all that candy…..and imagine the looks on the Mom’s faces when they saw all that SUGAR!

Here is how I created this “SWEET” party favor.

Supplies for Making Party Favor Bags

1.  Sealable bag – I used a resealable bag from Clear Bags.  They have them in tons of different sizes.  They have a header and hang tab hole, which I covered.  You can also purchase similar bags on Ebay, and Stampin’ Up has treat bags as well.  The size I used was pretty big, but most Party Favor Bags are much smaller.  You can also use a Zip Loc bag from the grocery store.

Here is a quick tip.  If you put the bag opening on the bottom, you can get the candy without destroying the decorations.  That makes it reusable, so that you can pass along a treat to someone else.

2.  Paper for Making a Header – I used two coordinating patterned papers from Stampin’ Up, but you can use any brand or solid cardstock.

3.  Decorations – You need to decorate your Party Favor Bags!  This is the fun part.  The decorations can include ribbons, buttons, rhinestones, stickers, die cuts, rubberstamping, drawing, flowers, leaves, punches, or other thing you find at the craft store.  This is a fun project that kids can help with!

Koala Bear Party Favor Treat Bag Using the Create A Critter 2 Cricut Cartridge - Great for Valentine's Day or a Birthday Party

I have a packed craft room full of goodies for decorating.  I also have a Cricut which I used for the Koala Bear.  The Koala Bear is on the Create A Critter 2 Cricut Cartridge.  She is made from layers of black, gray, white, and pink cardstock.  I added Fruit Punch Stickles Glitter Glue to add a little bling.  When using Stickles or other brands of adhesive glitter, make that the last thing you do, so that you can set it aside and let it dry.

I punched a border using a Martha Stewart punch, and I added a piece of seam binding ribbon from Stampin’ Up.

Headers for Party Favor Bags can be any size.  It all depends on the size of your bags and the size of your treats.  Give it a try for your next party.  Kids will love them!

The Create A Critter 2 Cricut Cartridge has a variety of cute and fun animals for lots of occasions and seasons.   Here are some other projects using this cartridge.

Bird Birthday Card

Ladybug Card

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Diaper Fold Treat Pouch Using Life’s a Beach Cricut Cartridge Flip Flops

July 22, 2014 by Pam Larmore 4 Comments

I have something other than a card to share today! The Life Is A Beach Cricut Cartridge is my favorite this time of year.  Here is a Diaper Fold Treat Pouch for you to decorate.

Diaper Fold Treat Pouch decorated with Life is a Beach Cricut Cartridge flip flops - This paper treat holder is a great party favor. This one is decorated with Cricut flip flops with small flowers and rhinestones. Great summer Cricut Project! …

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Welcome Crafty People!

I'm Pam, and I love everything crafty. My philosophy is that every project can be improved by adding a little glitter. I love making cards, scrapbooking, Chirping with my Cricut, and Kids Crafts. Follow me to see where my next adventure leads. Now, go find something crafty to make!

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