A little faux-stache fun...

Yesterday was my awesome hubby's birthday.  He's one of those maddening people that never wants a fuss or anything super special done for him (SO not me...), so it's always my quest to figure out something fun that will still make his birthday special.  One of our jokes is about how much he admires a man with a good mustache -- that, for instance, if there are two reporters and one is sporting a full, luxuriant 'stache and the other is bare-lipped, he is sure to trust the first.  So I decided to make that the theme of his birthday!

First, I designed the mustaches for the above card, then rounded up pictures of some of our family and friends and 'stached them right up.  I'm sure they won't mind...  Dan got a good chuckle out of it, and the kids were literally rolling on the floor.

Then for Dan's birthday dinner last night, I made some good ol' mustaches-on-a-stick for everyone to wear while we sang him Happy Birthday and he blew out the candles.  It was supposed to be a surprise, but Eliza did not understand the concept of keeping it hidden until the right time.  Who thought it would be a good idea to give one to a 2-year-old, anyway?

As a bonus gift for Dan, I did not buy the Cricut Lite Billionaire cartridge, which has the most adorable mustaches, even though I stood there in Walmart for about 5 minutes debating about it.  Instead, I used my gypsy -- I found some nice apostrophe shapes (I believe these are from Jasmine and Winter Wonderland), made two, then flipped one and welded them together.  Voila! 

Happy birthday, baby.  Love you! (And your awesome facial hair...)

Completely off-topic -- Shout out to Single Dad Laughing...

If you're looking for the blog hop, CLICK HERE or just scroll down!

Little known fact about me:  I am the oldest of ten kids.  We've had a lot of craziness in our family, as I'm sure you can imagine.  My brother Dan and I are only 16 months apart, and we had more than our share of sibling issues growing up, culminating with me literally trying to beat him up while under the influence of cold medicine (last time I ever took Nyquil) because he called me a baby for trying to tell on him.  And yes, we were technically adults at the time. But now we're REAL grown-ups, and we're pretty tight, mostly because he realized that I was right about everything... 

But I digress.  Dan just started a most entertaining blog, all about his adventures being a single dad.  He posts very funny and only slightly bitter observations about parenting and single life every day, but honestly I would follow it just for the cuteness provided by his adorable son Noah (who you might recognize from several of the scrap projects I've posted over the years). 

Today's post is his first video blog, about Facebook Pet Peeves.  It's about 13 minutes long, so make sure you have some free time -- I laughed the entire time.  Check him out!

Be Happy!

Looking for the ScrapbookPal.com Blog Hop?  Click HERE or just scroll down!

I'm a major Cosmo Cricket addict.  I stalk their blog like nobody's business, and the past few days I've been totally smitten with the fun pinwheel cards their DT has been posting.  This weekend they are partnering up with SRM Stickers and giving away some great goodies, so of course I had to get in on the sketch challenge!  I have not yet been fortunate enough to get my hot little hands on their new collection "Togetherness" (with which I am in total scraplove), so I thought I'd take this as a chance to use up some of my hoarded scraps from "Little Dutch Girl."  I liked the juxtaposition of the whimsical pinwheels and the slightly more grown-up paper -- I thought it made a great cheer-up card for my lovely grown-up sister who is having a hard time.  And I super-heart these tiny type letters -- perfect for a short sentiment.  TFL!

ScrapbookPal.com Blog Hop!

Thank you for joining us for our very first ScrapbookPal Blog Hop!  If this is your first stop, make sure you check out all the other designers' blogs and, of course, ScrapbookPal.com's blog for a chance to win a FREE Cricut cartridge of your choice from any they have in stock!  With all the new arrivals flooding in, I don't think I'd be able to choose!  ScrapbookPal.com is a terrific online store -- they have consistently low prices, excellent service, and shipping is always free on orders over $25.  What more could you ask for?

If this is your first visit to my blog, welcome!  My name is Tomi Ann, and I am a busy wife and mom, just trying to squeeze crafts in wherever I can.  I love to try new things and share the results (awesome or not) with my friends in blog-land.  My heart belongs to paper-crafting, however, so you'll usually see some element of paper-crafting in just about everything I do.

Using my Cricut and paper-crafting supplies to make jewelry is the perfect example!  I've been wanting to try a glass tile pendant for a long time*, so I decided to use my little gnome friend from Freshly Picked to make myself a fun and unusual necklace for Christmas time (see my project from earlier in the month to learn more about my nisse obsession). I've seen demonstrations on how to do this several times, but I used the great step by step instructions from The Hybrid Chick to help me along.

I used Freshly Picked to cut the little gnome at 1 1/4".  I gave him rosy cheeks with Berrylicious chalk ink, and I used Chestnut Roan ink for all the other distressing.  Chestnut Roan is a must-have color -- I always have at least 4 on hand, just in case -- and ScrapbookPal.com has the best prices on the chalk ink I've found anywhere.  "God Jul" means Merry Christmas in Danish, and I just wrote the letters on white cardstock, snipped them, and distressed them.  I used the houndstooth background to give him a little bit of a funky feeling, to make it a more grown-up accessory.  I also decided to decorate the back, because I'm sure it will flip over now and then. 

Now I can't wait til Christmas -- or do you think it's too early to just start wearing it now?

Thanks for joining me on this stop on the blog hop!  Now, for your chance to win the Cricut cartridge of your choice (awesome!), just leave a comment here so we know you stopped by, then check out all the other amazing projects on the hop and leave comments there as well.  Finish up by visiting the awesome ScrapbookPal Blog and becoming a follower there so you can check out all the great inspiration AND keep up with all the big news from ScrapbookPal.com.  You'll love it!

ScrapbookPal Blog
Jamie Cripps
Rowena Valentine
Crystal Butler
Amy Crockett
Tammy White
Leah Cornelius
Tomi Ann Hill < -------You are here.  Keep going!
Cheryl Walker
ScrapbookPal Blog

*Confession Session:  This isn't actually my first try at the glass tile pendant.  I tried to make one for my son's preschool teacher at the end of last school year and it was a massive craft fail.  So this one is just my first successful glass tile pendant...

Cute things come in little packages!

I bought a Martha Stewart punch a few years ago and I thought the little package it came in was way too cute to throw away.  I knew that with a few strategically placed bits of pretty, it would make an adorable little gift box, so I've been hanging on to it ever since.  For my second ScrapbookPal.com project this month, I really wanted to alter something and this was just the thing!

I admitted in my previous post that I got Freshly Picked just for the gnomes, but I decided to challenge myself to use a different cut this time... turns out there are tons of adorable garden-y images on this one once I got over my gnome-induced tunnel vision!  I especially love these little root-ball trees, so sweet and perfect for a gift.  I measured the punch packaging and cut a cardstock wrap in the same color to go around it.  I then decorated the wrap with coordinating scraps -- I put the tree on the front, and then I cut some of the layering flowers larger to decorate the sides.  I used my Sakura white Gellyroll pen to color in the middles of all the flowers so I didn't have to fiddle with the tiny white cut outs, which made things a lot simpler.  I also used my yummy Berrylicious chalk ink to add some definitely to the corners.  I popped some tulle inside the box, and now it's ready for any small gift or treat!  I love having things like this on hand so that I can make things special on short notice.

Happy crafting!  Keep your eye out -- on the 20th we're going to be having our first ever ScrapbookPal.com Blog Hop with a really awesome prize!

Porch Rocker Pillows

Two crafts that I have been trying to squeeze in for months:  Freezer paper stenciling and something out of burlap.  So when I got these two cool adirondack-style rockers for the front porch, it gave me the perfect opportunity!

I cut the stencils with my Cricut using Winter Woodland for the numbers and Home Decor for the bird and branch and used fabric paint to paint the cushions.  The stencils worked so slick; I think I may be hooked for life!  There are multitudes of online tutorials, but here is a helpful video specifically using the Cricut.  You can also do it with an exacto knife and marker, but the Cricut definitely made it easier.

 (Don't mind the empty plant pots -- that part I'm still trying to figure out...)

I love the texture of the burlap for these outdoor cushions.  It wouldn't be waterproof, but under my covered porch I'm not worried about the rain getting to it.  TFL!

I'm linking up to the Tea Rose Home linky party!

Just Popping By...

So here's a bit of Tomi Ann trivia for you -- I lived in Denmark for a year and a half as a missionary for my church.  As a result, I have a bit of fetish for what Americans would only recognize as garden gnomes.  In Denmark, they're called nisser (elves), and you see them mostly at Christmas time, but they pop up at other times of year as well, always ready to get into mischief if you don't give them their porridge.  So when I saw the cute little nisser on Freshly Picked, I knew I had to have that cartridge.  (Hey, I know there are more of you out there who have bought a cartridge for just one shape; don't try to deny it...)  Thanks to ScrapbookPal.com, I get to share this adorable little nisse card with you today!

I thought it would be cute to have the nisse hiding in the grass, because they are sneaky little creatures, so I adhered the grass/kraft paper strips to only the bottom and sides of the card, creating a perfect pocket to slide my nisse into.  (I covered the seam between the two with a little scotch tape so that my nisse's boots wouldn't get caught when you pull him out.)  When you pull him out, you get to see him in all his adorableness, plus then you have a friendly little nisse to put on your scrapbook shelf to keep you company... (okay, maybe I'm the only one who would do that.  I may or may not have made an extra just to put on my shelf...)

ScrapbookPal.com also sent along a white gellyroll pen, and I was quite please with how well it worked and how opaque the ink was (and seriously, such a good price compared to the pricey pen I was using before).  It was perfect for accenting my punched label and adding a little sentiment.  (The inside is blank for now -- when I figure out the perfect occasion to use this card, I'll add something on the inside.  It could be just about anything!)

They also sent cat's eye chalk inkpads in Toffee and Berrylicious, two new colors for me.  I could not live without cat's eye chalk ink -- I use it on pretty much every project to add just the right amount of softness or distressing.  The Toffee is the perfect color complement for kraft paper, such a nice subtle touch.  And I used a q-tip with the Berrylicious to add a perfect rosy glow to my nisse's cheeks, which really makes him come alive.

Thanks for indulging me in my love for nisser today.  And while there are many other totally adorable shapes and phrases on this cartridge, I don't think you've seen the last of my little nisse this month!

Materials:   Die cut -- Freshly Picked Cricut Cartridge from ScrapbookPal.com; White pen -- Sakura Gelly Roll; Distressing Ink -- Cats Eye chalk ink in Toffee and Berrylicious; Patterned Paper -- Imaginisce; Label punch and scallop border punch -- Stampin Up; Flower punch -- EK Success

P.S.  I almost forgot to mention -- I used this week's CPS sketch.  It was perfect!

Silhouette Giveaways Everywhere!

Now, you know I'm a Cricut girl, but I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at winning a Silhouette -- it's definitely a very nice machine!  And it seems like there is another blog giving one away every time I boot up my Google reader.  Here are a few for your drawing-entering pleasure!

A Soft Place to Land

UCreate

V&Co 

The Idea Room 
 
Skip to My Lou

Tidy Mom

Centsational Girl

Homemade by Jill

Infarrantly Creative
 
All of these blogs are just jam-packed with amazing ideas and tutorials, so if you're not familiar with them, now is the perfect time to be introduced to them!
Good luck!

P.S.  I may have missed some, but How Does She has a list of them all!