Another SCAL creation...

I created this layout a while ago, but I was submitting it for a contest and couldn't post it. I'm posting it now to show one of my favorite things I've done with SCAL so far -- I created this cut of the Space Needle! I searched for a while and couldn't find any dingbats or anything of the Space Needle, so I found a good picture online, copied it into my graphic design software, and created this shape. I also cut "top" with a font called Pristina. Man, the possibilities with this software really are endless!

Oh, and I also must thank Diane (Capadia from the Cricut MB) for this great scallop file for Cricut Design Studio. It works like a charm, so if you have CDS and you like the look of the Threading Water punch, this is a great file!

This is for an 8x8 album I do with layouts just of me and my hubby. I love it, because it not only celebrates all the fun things we do together and the love we have for each other, but I also get to use all the "grown up" supplies I have! This one uses some of my favorite papers from Scenic Route, and a sketch from Page Maps.

My mommy is the best!

I was having a terrible day on Wednesday. You know how when you're pregnant you get all out of whack and things just seem to snowball into a disaster even though it really isn't? (I mean, I had terrible things happening like Sammy not picking up his red shorts after I asked him 4 times, then I went to make sandwiches for lunch and the bread was moldy -- who can deal with that?!) Anyway, my mom must have been listening to the Spirit, because she just seemed to know I needed her. She brought us lunch and hung out with us for quite a while, and it was just what I needed to make me sane again. And it made me realize that I really do have the most wonderful mommy on Earth, and that she can still make everything all better even though I'm almost 30! So of course I had to make her a card to let her know, and I thought Laura's sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You this week would be perfect! This is the same sketch as I used for the baby card below, but I turned it 90 degrees so I could use this picture.

The PP is from Crate Paper, and I've also used a Prima flower. "Mom" is from the Cuttlebug "Harmony" font. TFL!

TAGGED!

I've been tagged by the lovely and talented Qween Davia
, so here goes!

The rules of the game: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers.

Ten years ago....
I had just finished my freshman year at BYU and was living with some of the greatest girls ever (including my BFF Julianne) in one of the crummiest apartments ever. I was taking Social Dance (even though Juls and I were sometimes late because we hated to miss "Wedding Story"), spending a lot of time writing letters to various missionaries, and occasionally hanging out with a fun guy named Dan Hill. I had no idea then, but he and I would be getting married about 4 years later!

Five things on today's "to do list"

1. Take the boys to the library - DONE!
2. Pick up my BIL and SIL from the airport when they get home from Australia - DONE!
3. Put a loaf of bread in the breadmaker - DONE!
4. Take a nap - not going to happen to day, I'm afraid.
5. Do a LO for Father's Day this year.

Snacks I enjoy
Mmmmm, I love goldfish crackers. And for the last few months some of the only things I've been able to eat consistently (due to 24-7 pregnancy sickness) are Pringles and cottage cheese. I've probably eaten over 50 cans of Pringles and 20 gallons of cottage cheese since I got pregnant.

Things I would do if I was a millionaire
I would get our mortgage and other debts paid off, then save the rest for living expenses so Dan could "retire" and follow his dream of becoming a professional writer! He is so talented, but works so much he just doesn't have time to pursue it the way he wants to.

Places I have lived
That's a long list -- I moved 25 times before I even graduated high school! But here's the general list:
Utah (I count Alpine as my hometown, but I've lived all over the Wasatch front.)
Texas
Colorado
California
Denmark

So now I'm going to tag Sonia, Ang, Becky, DeeDee, and Amy. I'm hoping I haven't tagged you guys before -- forgive me if I have! Can't wait to see your answers!

Super blog candy giveaway at Caz's!

Caz is an amazing stamper, and she's giving away some beautiful stamped images on her blog right now! Be sure to check it out at Stampin Caz, and take a look at her beautiful creations!

2 Sketches 4 You this week!

Another lovely sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You! I am in the midst of working on a mini-album using these adorable papers from Cosmo Cricket, so I decided to use a few of the scraps to make a baby card. (Can you tell I'm having fun getting ready for a baby girl?!) This uses a tag from Tags, Bags, Boxes, & Stores and the word "love" from Opposites Attract, and ribbon and flowers from Fancy Pants and Prima. I also used the Fiskars Threading Water punch for the borders. Here's the sketch of the week!

I'm such a sucker...

... for cheap stamps! I love all the dollar acrylic stamps at just about every scrapbook store these days, and I am adding them to my collection faster than I can use them! So I decided to make a bunch of cards with some of my newer acquisitions (that way I can justify buying more, right?!).

These two cards use "Snag 'Em" stamps from Imaginisce. I went to Archiver's looking for one (the cute little penguin chick, but I haven't used her yet) and came home with about 5 sets -- oops!



A couple of weeks ago I got to go to the Fancy Pants warehouse sale and was able to get the Bella Brush and Pollen Dust stamp sets for $10 each. $10! Since these are usually $40, I just couldn't pass them up, even though I already have about a bazillion sets of flower and flourish stamps. The blue card uses stamps from Bella Brush, and the pink is from Pollen Dust. The "Happy Birthday" on the pink card is a Studio G $1 stamp from Michaels. The blue card also has velvet ribbon from Fancy Pants.




I went a little amuck with the embossing on these cards. That is definitely still a technique I'm working on!

An elephant never forgets...

Our challenge over at Bitten by the Bug this week was to use the Elephant from Zooballoo. This is one of my favorite little shapes, but I've only ever used it for very kid-oriented designs, so I challenged myself to come up with something grown up (but still fun!). Here's what I did -- I found this notebook in the $1 bin at Michaels a long time ago -- the cover was cream with the green stripe and a green T in the bottom right corner. I used stamps from the Fancy Pants Pollen Dust set (got these for $10, I couldn't believe it!), the cute little elephant, and the flourish-y shape and title are from Alphalicious. I put that shape/title together in Design Studio -- easy peasy!
I made this with the thought to give it away as I gift, but it's so cute I think I might just hang on to it! :)

Bright happy cards!

I just love the card sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You this week, and I thought it would be perfect for a bright, happy card to celebrate our friends buying their first home! This paper comes from Making Memories -- it is part of a pack with several coordinating papers, which I love! It makes paper crafting so much easier when stuff is made to go together. :)



I created this housewarming card using the Cricut Zooballoo cartridge, and I stretched the house in Design Studio so that it worked with the sketch -- so cute! The flower and felt heart are from Fancy Pants.

But having coordinating papers doesn't mean you automatically love everything! I started out to make the housewarming card but I didn't like the stripey paper for that one at all. So after I finished the housewarming card I used these pieces to make some fun birthday cards!



I used the Cricut Celebrations cartridge for this one, along with some Studio G stamps for the sentiment and stickles for the hat. Fun stuff!

Great new blog!

You know I love a good sketch, and I am so excited about this new blog: 2 Sketches 4 You. Kazan and Laura are two immensely talented designers, and they're teaming up to release weekly sketches with challenges and prizes. You can bet this will be a frequent stop for me when I'm in need of a little inspiration. Check it out!

My birdie obsession continues...

Okay, I think my love for little birdies may be going overboard! Just about every card I've made lately has some little birdie element. They're just so dad-gum cute, don't you think? So much fun!

This one used scraps from my "Lucky" layout from last week. This cute birdie is from the Cricut Joys of the Season cartridge -- it's a Christmas cartridge, but I think it's extremely versatile -- cut at 2". I used it for my Mother's Day cards, as well. The flourish the birdie is sitting on is also from JOTS, cut at 2" on shadow. "Thank You" is cut with Alphalicious, I think also at 2".



This simple card is a favorite layout of mine -- it comes together so quickly; it's great when you need to make a big batch of cards. The color scheme here was inspired by some lotion packaging I saw at Old Navy. I'm not sure how I feel about the black inking on the embossing, but I do love this little birdie embossing folder for the Cuttlebug. The stamp and scallop circle are from Stampin Up.



Here's another one with the same embossing folder, but the photo so does not do it justice because it really doesn't pick up the embossing on the white cardstock, but the card is so pretty and delicate. This one uses another stamp from the same SU set, and the scallop circle punch. I also used the Fiskars Threading Water Punch for the scallops on the bottom -- I love it!



I picked up this adorable Imaginisce penguin stamp for less than a dollar and decided he would be perfect for making some fun, fresh Father's Day cards for my grandpas this year. (I usually end up doing something "masculine" with lots of blues and browns, but my grandpas are all pretty fun guys and I think they'll enjoy this even more!) I used watercolor pencils for the green and orange, and blue craft glitter for the popsicle and swirls.



This one is for my aunt and cousin who are traveling to England even as I type. This little birdie is a Quickutz die that followed me home from the craft store on Friday. "bon voyage" is from the Cricut Beyond Birthdays cartridge, and the journaling block is something I designed myself and cut with SCAL. I love this shape, which is so popular right now, but I didn't have one on any of my cartridges and I couldn't find one as a dingbat. I LOVE that SCAL gives me the flexibility to do it myself! Recognize the paper? It's scraps from the penguin father's day cards! Just goes to show how versatile a couple of pieces of paper can be!