September Sneak with Mandie

Hey everyone! It's the very last day of August but I want to give you a little taste of what we will be doing on the Cutters Creek blog for September....


We will be creating fun projects from one of our favorite paper companies, Echo Park Paper!!! I made the card above with my Once Upon a Princess Cricut cartridge and the GORGEOUS Summer Days Papers.

We will be concluding the month with a Blog Hop and some really great prizes... you won't want to miss it!

Flower Soft Can Make Your Project Bloom

Today I bring you my latest project using Flower Soft.  I must admit I had no clue what I was going to do until I started pulling out some paper, ink,  a stamp, etc.  I was lucky that things started to fall in to place for me.  And at this time I only have a handful of  flower soft options so that also guided me to what I was going to do.  I am definitely going to be buying some pastel shades next. I have my fall mix, winter shades, and today I used my Heather Mix.  I have to say that it is my favorite.   Another medium I used on my card was Ranger (TH) Distress Ink Pads, Spun Sugar.   I love the colors and used the ink pads on most of my projects that I automatically buy the ink refills when I purchase a new color ink pad.  This way I am assured I have more of my favorite shades in case the color retires.  Since the stamp I used was on the small side I wanted it to pop so I got out my Spellbinder’s Nestabilities and cut out two sizes of the Classic Scalloped Square, Small using my Cuttlebug to place behind the stamp.

There are small amounts of Stickles Glitter Glue on the flower in Little Emma’s hair & in the center of the potted flowers (Spun Sugar & Turquoise). In addition to adding the flower soft to the flowers in the flower pot (Little Emma is holding) I also colored the ribbon on the card with Spun Sugar Distress Ink Pad to match. It looks so pretty and you wouldn’t even guess that I ran the seam binding over the ink pad.  Sometimes you just have to be frugal and save your money on some things so you can buy important items like  Flower Soft, Spellbinder’s Nestabilites,  a Cuttlebug  and TH Distress Ink Pads.  The rest of the elements used on my project came from my personal supplies.

Here’s my card!  Let me know what you think.

Meet Little Emma

See the flower soft.  A little goes a long way

(my camera’s flash does not go off when I do close-ups hence different color from top photo)

Thank you for taking the time to read all the details about my project.   I hope you have a wonderful day.
Fran

Flower Soft, Echo Park Paper, and Copic Christmas Card with Lori

I see by the calendar that I am a day late posting this - oops!  Good thing no one else was scheduled for today...

Anyway, I have a fun little project for you today.  I always like to look for new uses for existing products, and today I did something a little different with my Flower Soft.  Here's a Christmas card I made:

I decided to use the Raspberry Fizz ultra-fine Flower Soft on the girl's umbrella and scarf.  You know that material that has dimensional fuzzy stuff on it?  That's what I was going for here, and I rather like the way it turned out.  I also used Polar White for my snowflakes - don't they look nice and fluffy?

Now, just a couple of other things to note: My card is 5x7, and I covered the front using a paper from the 6x6 Country Drive paper pad from Echo Park Paper.  I just covered the seam with my ribbon.  My doily mat is from the Elegant Edges Cricut cartridge.  (Remember, Kim may not have a cartridge listed in the store, but she can probably get you the one you want!)

I colored my image (sorry, not available at Cutters Creek) using Copic Markers.  I swear, the more I play with them, the more fun they are and the better I get at using them!  Here's the list of colors I used:

• Skin - E000, E00, E11, E13, R20, R29(lips)
• Hair - E37, E59
• Scarf & Umbrella - YG07, YG09
• Jacket - RV29
• Jeans - B32, B34
• Boots - C2, C6
• Bird & Holly - RV29, R29, Y17, YG63, YG67

Thanks for stopping by today and checking us out!  Hope to see you again soon.

Summer Memories by Laura C

Yep, summer is nearly history.....but I've got a great idea for
remembering the fun! The above is the finished result of a
project that started here:

Yes, a silly sign I got in the clearance aisle for $2 at Target!
Do you just pass this stuff by? Who would have thought
that was where this project started?.....lol!!

It really started with the yummy Graphic 45 12x12 paper
On The Boardwalk collection, and I traced the shape of
the sign onto the blue swirl paper and adhered that to the
front of the sign with Scor Tape. I sanded down the edges
to get a good fit, and give it a beachy feel.

Next I took this printed paper from the collection, and
distressed it.....you can see the "before and after" here:

I sanded the edges AND the actual paper, then used Vintage Photo
Distress Ink....it makes it look wispy and sand-washed.

Then for the Flower Soft fun! I got out my Bazzill Splat Mat,
used the Flower Soft wires, glue,and Flower Soft Ultra Fine
Sage color. I dipped the wires in the glue, then rolled them
in the Flower Soft. You can see the result here:

I let them dry really well (about an hour) and then I shaped them
into the beach grass you can see in the close up here:

The sandy beach is kraft cardstock torn and inked with the
Vintage Photo Distress Ink, and I also used a sandy type
embossing powder from my stash.

The beach sign is cut from the Graphic 45 papers,
distressed, and then inked up with Vintage Photo ink.
I applied Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint and
after it dried, used more ink to hi-light the cracks.
If you look closely at the sign post in the above
pic, I used a small piece of white cardstock, scored
it lightly, then inked it with the Vintage Photo. It
looks just like a piece of weathered beach wood,
don't you think? Two small brads fasten the sign.

Finishing touches....a pic of my guys at the beach, a few
of the actual shells we collected, some pretty bling from
Want2Scrap, a bit of gauzy ribbon and twine, and it's
a finished project:

A beautiful memento of our beach vacation.....it's a gift
for my MIL, because they go with us every year!
Shhhh, don't tell.....it's a secret!!

Hope you enjoyed this project!! Remember to think
outside the box when you see those goodies on
clearance in the store, they could be your latest
and greatest project, especially when they are
topped off with goodies from Cutter's Creek!!

Available at Cutter's Creek:
Graphic 45 12x12 paper (On The Boardwalk)
Scor Tape
Distress Ink (Vintage Photo)
Distress Crackle Paint (Rock Candy)
Flower Soft (Ultra Fine Sage)
Flower Soft Wires
Flower Soft Glue
Bazzill Splat Mat
Want2Scrap Rhinestones

Cricut Goes Back to School

Well Summer is over and it’s time to go back to school. My daughter had an assignment over the Summer to read a book and turn in a book report on the first day of school. Part of the book report was to make a scrapbook page featuring characters and events from the story. That sounded like too much to fit on a single page, so we decided to make a mini scrapbook instead and give each character their own little page. Nothing makes a project like this easier than the cricut.

Here is the cover of the book. Nothing fancy, just simple and to the point.

The title was cut using the Pooh Font cartridge. Next, we move on to Stuart’s page. We cut the little mouse from Create a Critter.



Next we move on to Snowbell the cat. For this we used Four Legged Friends.



For Margolo the bird we used one of the birds from 50 states.



We also wanted to include some events from the book, so we cut Stuart’s car from Everyday Paperdolls.



The city skyline was cut from Going Places.



It was so much fun to work with my daughter and use the cricut for her school project. It also gave me a chance to dig out some cartridges I haven’t used in a while and kind of rediscover them.

Also, please remember that just because you don't see a cartridge listed on the Cutters Creek site doesn't mean Kim can't get it ordered for you. All you have to do is ask.

Tutorial Tuesday with Mandie

Welcome to another edition of Tutorial Tuesday here on the Cutters Creek Design Team blog! Today I decided to play with a few of my favorite products: Echo Park Paper, Ecstasy Crafts Kits and Flower Soft!


I assembled this adorable little penguin image from the Christmas Penguins and Hedgehogs Set from Ecstasy Crafts. I love the adorable characters on this sheet! It only took me a couple of minutes to layer this little penguin with the Joy! Foam Pads. Then I grabbed my Flower Soft Glue (after a short hunt all over my desk for it) and my Polar White Flower Soft and added it to the white parts of his hat to make it extra fuzzy!


For the card I used the Echo Park Paper Winter Wonderland set. Cutters Creek is currently sold out of that line BUT the new Holly Jolly kit will be in stock soon and it's another GORGEOUS kit! I just used the "Merry Christmas" words from one of the border sheets and added a little of the peppermint paper and of course inked my edges in black to make it pop and in just a few minutes I have another Christmas card finished and ready to send in just a few short months!

Thanks for reading today and if you have a minute to pop over to my blog you can check out my next giveaway!

Flower Soft Peel Off Stickers with Kim B

I find that not all card makers are scrapbooks and not all scrapbookers are card makers, however there is a group of us scrapbookers who love using our supplies and extra scraps and turn them into cards and other paper crafts. I am one of those people. Scrapping is my "thing" and I will never make stunning cards like the cardmakers on my Design Team. Although once in a while, I will knock one out of the park................lol! At first glance, you may think what does this project have to do with Flower Soft Peel Off Stickers. Well, this is one of those cross over projects, that yes, I mostly use my peel off stickers to make cards, but I will also use them in my scrapbooking. (After all, you do get a ton of them on one sheet for a couple of dollars!) And what is a peel off? It is a delicate border sticker! One of the things that I love about peel off stickers is, if you don't get it on straight, you can pick it up and put it back down until it is just so. I sure do hate when I put down stickers and they are not straight. So here is a close up of where I used my peel off stickers:

I just love how that delicate gold peel off sticker sets off my photo and gives a bit of elegance to my double scrapbook page layout. What do you think? Do any of you out there use your peel off stickers in your scrapbooking? I would love to hear from you! 

If you are interested in the peel off stickers that Cutters Creek carries, you can find the ones from Flower Soft ones HERE. Also, we carry peel off stickers from Ecstasy Crafts in the form of sayings and shapes. You can find those HERE & HERE. And one more tip, you can use your copic markers to color your peel off stickers to match your projects!

Chris' Rose Sympathy Card

Unfortunately I needed to do a sympathy card this week; fortunately I had the Ecstasy Crafts Reddy Cards kit: 3D Diecut Condolence Roses with Crosses. All I needed to do was decide what my card base would be and put it together with a sentiment.


After choosing some burgundy Bazzill cardstock and cutting it to a 4.25 x 11 to fold into an A2 size, I then cut a piece of Charcoal American Crafts POW! Glitter Paper to mat my card. (Let me tell you, I love their glitter paper and this style cuts like butter.) I glued the mat to the cardstock and the ecstasy base to the glitter mat and then began building the flower. Each layer is clearly numbered and it is a matter of sticking pop-ups behind the pieces and aligning with the previous layer. Super easy. Fortunately, I had all the needed supplies at home; unfortunately I did not have the fantastic new Clear Pops from ASI Kool Tak. I bet when those arrive these layers will look even more fabulous than they do now.



The card is so amazing (and quick and easy) that I, who am not one usually for kits, have decided this will become a staple in my stash.

Flower Soft Goes Global

Yes, another lovely example of the Flower Soft Globe card! I took it just a step further by adding some "bling" around the globe....some pretty twinkle jewels and irock gems!

An awesome special gift (you can even frame these or put them on an easel as a special decoration), and so simple to make using the Flower Soft Toppers, Globes and cards, a few foam dots, peel offs (the silver accents on the card!) and of course the Flower Soft itself!

Make sure to check in all next week for more fabby Flower Soft creations from the design team.....I'll have a special altered art project using Flower Soft as well!

Until then, check out all the fun Flower Soft goodies at Cutters Creek!!

Available at Cutters Creek:
Flower Soft (Polar White)
Display Globes
Oval Aperture Cards & Envelopes
Twinkle Jewels
Irock Hot Rocks (rhinestuds)
Peel Off
Flower Soft Toppers

Celebrate the Season by Deanna M

So I strayed away from our Flower Soft theme this post but I have been wanting to make a card with this wonderful POW! Glitter Paper so I opted to do a Christmas card. It is never too early to get started on those cards.

I started with a 5" X 10" piece of white card stock scored and folded to make a 5" X 5" square card. I used my Scor Pal to score lines in my card front at 1/2" and 1/4". Next I cut another piece of white card stock 3 3/4" X 3 3/4" and liberally sprayed it with some of my Dazziling Diamonds Glimmer Mist and let it dry. I then embossed this square with my Snowflake Embossing Folder and my Cuttlebug and adhered it to my card. I then used two colors of the Pacific and Silver POW Glitter Paper. This paper cuts beautifully with my Cricut. I cut my snowflake using the Winter Lace Mini Cricut Cartridge at 3 1/2". I added the snowflake to my card front with some foam tape and stamped my sentiment. I wish the photo showed off the sparkle of this paper better. If you haven't tried this glitter paper I urge you to give it a try.

CHA Fun!

Hey everyone! We will have a great Flower Soft tutorial for you next Tuesday! I just wanted to invite you all to read about the adventures that a few of your Design Team members had at CHA over on my blog: Mandie's Scrappin'


When you are done reading don't forget to leave a comment on my blog to enter to WIN a great pair of Westcott Brand scissors!

Too Cute To Spook

Hi!  My name is Fran and I am the newest member of Cutters Creek Design Team.  I am so happy to be part of this wonderful team.  And I hope my creations bring you lots of inspiration just like the fun they give me creating them for you.

Before I share my project with you I would love to show you what it looked like before it was done.

Most of the supplies I used are in this photo except for the Cricut.  I used the Cricut to cut a couple of SVGs files using my SCAL Software.
NOTE:  The current SCAL3 Software does not support the Cricut.  Go here to view the list of machines it does support.

In keeping with the main theme of using Flower Soft.   I decided to make a greeting card using Halloween as my theme.  Oh you know Halloween will be knocking at your door before you know it.  I pulled out my Flower Soft called Autumn (beautiful mix of Fall colors).  And I added just a touch to my image and just that small accent of Flower Soft really gives your projects lots of pizzazz.  I used Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue to attach the Flower Soft.

Click on photos to view larger.

Here’s a close-up photo of the flower soft on my card.

Here is a photo of the inside of my card.

I used Core’dinations cardstock for the Tree.  And I used American Crafts Specialty Cardstock/Foil for the bottom layer of the pumpkin.  I wanted to look like a candle was inside of it.  What do you think? (Both the Tree & pumpkin were cut with my Cricut using SCAL2 Software.)

Here is the Front of my Card.

The sweet image and background are Digital Stamps (La La Land & Make It Crafty).  I used Prisma Colored Pencils for all my coloring except for the skin tones.  I used Copic Markers for the skin.  I love glitter & on most of my cards you will see some Stickles.  I love that glitter glue. The three I used: Lime Green, Orange Peel, & Crystal.  The background on the background digital image was colored with Black Soot Distress Ink.  I used Copic markers on the fence and grass.

Additional elements used to create my card came from my private stash.

I hope you enjoyed viewing the details of my card.  And I especially hope that I inspired you in some way.  If you have any questions on what you have read or viewed please leave them in the comments portion and I will reply there.  Thank you and have a wonderful week ahead!

Fran

Cards with Echo Park Paper - and a Giveaway from Lori

If you're new here and visiting from Saving My, welcome! I'd love it if you'd take a look around at some of our other projects while you're here.  But be sure to read to the bottom of this post for giveaway details.


I have been extremely lucky, and got my hands on both the 12x12 and 6x6 Country Drive from Echo Park Paper.  I immediately had a project in mind, and used some product to make three thank you cards for some very special people!  These and some other Echo Park items are due to be in stock on August 19th, but you can place your pre-order any time.

All three 6x6 cards were made with papers from the 6x6 pad, some embellishments from the 12x12 collection and a few items from my stash.  I love being able to buy both, as the smaller size prints are perfect for cards, and I like to use the Stickers and Journaling Cards on both layouts and cards. Here are the details on each card:

This first card is a recessed window card.  Rather than the typical square window, I sized it to fit one of the rectangular journaling cards in the 12x12 collection.  The sentiment and mini flowers are Sticker Elements, also from the 12x12 collection.  I popped the sentiment up on some dimensional adhesive.  Cardstock and mini brads are from my stash.

To cover the back of the recessed window (inside of card), I just used the portion I cut out of the center for the front of the card.  I also wrapped the edge of the recessed window with some narrow ribbon from my stash, adhered using Scor Tape.

This is a fun easel card, one of my favorite kinds to make.  I used my Cricut for the circle, and a Sizzix die for the scalloped circle, but you could use a Cricut or Spellbinders Nestabilities for both shapes.  I sponged the edges lightly with some coordinating ink.  I turned my Sticker Element into a pennant using a beaded pin, and placed some dimensional adhesive under the center to make it appear to be waving.  I also used the dimensional adhesive to pop up the birds. 

To hold up the card, I created a border strip using cardstock and Sticker Elements, popping up a sticker strip with dimensional adhesive.  My sentiment is another Sticker Element matted on cardstock.

Finally, I created a shaker box card.  I used a round one I had on hand, but the oval Flower Soft globes make great shakers as well!  The design in the box is another Sticker Element, and I added some heart confetti I had in my stash.  To easily hide the edges of the shaker, I cut a circle opening the right size, then cut the scalloped circle around it.

The sentiment is again a matted Sticker Element, and I used some tiny circles from the alphabet sticker sheet as faux brads.

The following items used in this project are available at Cutters Creek:

• Echo Park Country Drive 12x12 Collection
• Echo Park Country Drive 6x6 Paper Pad
• Scor Tape
• ATG Gun and adhesive
• Foam pads or tape (just search for foam pads or foam roll)

I also have a giveaway for you today!  While at CHA, the nice folks over at Northridge Publishing let us have complimentary copies of some of their beautiful publications.  Kim at Cutters Creek will be carrying several titles, so to celebrate I am giving away BOTH the August issue of Scrapbook Trends (Kim has September available for preorder) AND a copy of Cricut Cards (which Kim also has available for preorder).  In order to win, you need to leave a comment both here and on today's post over at my blog. All comments posted by Midnight Central Time this Friday August 12, will be eligible to win.  US and Canada entries only please, due to the cost of postage!  Of course, we would love it if you would also follow or subscribe to both blogs as well!

Hang in There-Tuesday Tutorial by Deanna

The tutorial I have for you today uses the Ultra Fine Flower Soft as flocking. I love the dimension and texture it gives to my Cricut cuts.  I started with the monkey from the Create-a-Critter cartridge and cut him at 3". I used my Imagine to color each layer (love that!). The base layer was cut with black. The next I colored to match as close to the flower soft I chose to use.

Next I ran my layers I wanted to flock upside down in my Xyron so the adhesive was on the front of my image.

I used Sand Ultra Fine Flower Soft for the main layer of my image, and Toffee Ultra Fine Flower Soft for the outer outline layer to flock the monkey. I liberally covered my image with the flower soft and patted it down to be sure I had a good covering and then tapped off the excess.

I did the same with the other layer. Here is what they look like now that each layer is flocked.

Once I adhered my layers together with some Flower Soft Adhesive. I put my card together. My card is a standard 4 1/4" X 5 1/2" card. My base is white card stock. I then added a blue mat cut to 4" X 5 1/4" and cut my patterned paper from my scrap bin to 3 3/4" X 5". I used my ATG Gun to adhered the layers together.

The vine was cut at 3" as well and colored using my Imagine. For the mat for my sentiment I used the Elegant Edges cartridge (which Kim can special order for you just ask). I colored the shadow layer with a blue color and left the top layer uncolored as I wanted it white. The mat was cut at 2". My sentiment is from the Wild Card cartridge and was colored with the same blue as my shadow layer and was cut at 4".

I just love the velvety texture I get by using the Ultra Fine Flower Soft as flocking. The Ultra Fine Flower Soft can be used to add texture and dimension to any of your projects. I hope you give it a try.

Chris’ Altered Box

An altered box is so easy to make when you have quality paper like Graphic 45. For this box I used Curtain Call and a couple of sheets from A Proper Gentleman. Inside I just measured and cut strips and glued them down with my Scor Tape. On the inside top lid I added a flower made from 3 circles of the same paper (2.5, 2, and 1.5 inches) and punched a hole in the centers. I distressed the edges with my Zutter Distrezz-It-All, sprinkled the circles with water, crumpled them and pushed a brad through it when dry. I then rubbed some Tattered Rose and some Antique Bronze Distress Stickles over the petals and set aside to dry.


The brads around the lid are actually half of a silver ribbon that I cut in half length-wise and colored with Copic Y28 Lionet Gold. This too was attached with Scor Tape (gotta love that stuff!). I then painted the lid of the box with Antique Linen Crackle Paint. (I did not use Gesso first because I wanted it to peel and show some of the gold print underneath--.) When it was dry I rubbed a bit of Black Soot Distress Ink into the cracks. Cutting out some more Graphic 45 paper I mounted them on slightly larger rectangles (from the Gentleman Collection), dampened the edges with my fingers and torn and folded/twisted the paper to make distressed frames.


To make the corner flower I cut up a used dryer sheet, sprayed it with Glimmer Mist in Sun Sisters and Santa Baby and a homemade brownish one using Distressed Walnut ink and some bronze mica powders. These were joined with a button and edged with Tattered Rose and Antique Bronze Distressed stickles. The two goldish-colored roses were made using SCAL and PDC’s cut file.


The sentiment I created on my computer and cut and embossed with the Cuttlebug Embossing Plus Fanciful Labels and Black Soot Ink. To age all the pictures and the label I smeared them with Rock Candy Crackle Paint and let them dry. Everything was adhered with Scor Tape. I then added Tim Holtz’s Ideology Film Strip Ribbon. This was tricky to curl where I wanted, but with a bit of patience and some Glossy Accents I got it to stick.


My husband is lovin’ it and has his jewelry stashed inside. What do you think?

Congrats by Melissa

So I made a really simple congrats card for a bride and groom.  The total card size is 3 1/2x 4 1/2.  So it's great to slip in with a gift.  

I started coloring this adorable image from InStyle Stamps; the Wedding Couple.  I colored in all grays to make it classic looking.  Once done, I used my Labels Three to cut out the area around their faces.  

I sanded my base paper which came from the Cosmo Cricket Core'dinations pack.  I than used my Big Shot again on leaves from the Foliage set.  I used some paper flowers from my stash and used some Gold Liquid Pearls for added effect.

What do you think?

thanks for looking!!

Image: Wedding Couple -InStyle Stamps 

Paper: Bazzill Simply Smooth, Core'dinations
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics,
Embellishments: Liquid Pearls
Other: ATG, Glue Pen, Spellbinders: Foliage and Labels Three, Big Shot
Stash: Kaisercraft paper flowers: cream

Groom Hair: T1, T3, T4, T6
Skin: T0, T1
Dress: C1, C2

Veil: C00, C1
Flowers: R83, R85, E04, YG91, YG93, YG95

It's A Flower Soft Christmas with Kim B

For my project, I used two of my most favorite products, Flower Soft & Ecstasy Crafts.  My card base is a 6x6 piece of white cardstock and then I cut a piece of brown cardstock and layered that on top of my card base and then added four cardstock squares to add some interest.  I made that cute koala bear from one of the Ecstasy Crafts decoupage kits and added some gorgeous Polar White to his pom pom and hat detail.  I know it does not convey well in the photo, however Polar White Flower Soft has glitter in it and gives you a beautiful sparkle to where ever you add it, not to mention that fluffy white look.  I used Flower Soft Peel Offs around the edges of the card base and corners in the red squares and then used the Ecstasy Crafts peel offs for my sentiment.  This card is clean and simple and not only the look but also making it.  Both Ecstasy Crafts and Flower Soft products are inexpensive and just make anyone from beginner crafter to the most experience crafter look like a Rock Star!  I hope you love my project!  Please leave me a comment if you like what you see or have any questions.  All these products can be found at Cutters Creek.

Products Used:

Cardstock (from my stash)

Ecstasy Crafts Item #11052345

Polar White Flower Soft

Ecstasy Craft Peel Offs Item #353G

Flower Soft Peel Offs Item #06501333GOL