Elena's Banner

Happy New Year to everyone.
I'm back after a wonderful Christmas and New Year, that had been a long time in the planning. Unbeknown to Mum & Dad, who spent 3 weeks with us from just after the New Year, I had planned a surprise visit by my sister and her family. There were times over the secret months that Helen and I nearly buckled and exposed the whole story, so many times we had to confer to make sure we had covered our tracks and not let slip.
The logistics of our family means that a get together is not easy. The venue was with us in Rep. Ireland, Mum & Dad were visiting from Spain, and Helen had to travel with her husband and daughter (Jamie & Elena) from Cornwall, England. We even had to concoct a cover story, skillfully done by my husband Anthony, allowing him to go out alone early evening to a 'karate session' (without drawing suspicion) to meet Helen's flight at the airport.
By Dads own admission after the event, he was drawn in hook line and sinker, perhaps helped with the promise of a chinese takeaway being brought back home.
So Anthony headed out (karate bag in hand, secretly placed in the car he wasn't driving) to the airport and also the Chinese (the only detail that wasn't a lie). The nerves of the day had got to me at the stage and I could do nothing except sit incredibly nervously hoping no-one would talk to me while I waited for progress texts.
The moment arrived and on cue my niece acted as delivery person and boldly strolled in (to a house she had never visited before I might add) announcing 'anyone for takeaway'. I have never seen anyone so stunned let alone my own parents stuck for words.  Well done Elena!

***JOB DONE*** what commenced was a weekend full of fun.

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As an extra to this story, about 6 weeks ago Mum had the idea, that during our Monday night craft videos we take on the project to make a pretty banner for Elena, with the aim to send it to her for her birthday. At least stage I knew of the visit, so i had my own agenda to really try and finish it for then so Elena could take it back with her.
What added to my nerves on the day Helen, Jamie and Elena were due to arrive, was the fact that we hadn't quite finished the banner. Fair play to both Mum & Dad who went along with my erratic behaviour on the day, insisting that the house be hoovered and tidied (just as Dad had sat down to talk computers with Anthony) and insisting also that the banner must be finished and therefore almost banishing mum to my craft room. Actually it's making me giggle now how it must have looked.

To cut a long story short now, both Mum & I were quite chuffed with ourselves at how the project actually turned out. We didn't work to any plan or pattern, and made it all up as we went along. All we knew we wanted was for it to be pretty, and read 'Sweet Dreams'.
I thank Dad for taking the photos of the completed banner because they really show the detail that we added to each component.
Using a range of  embossing powder (kaleidoscope/clear ), and inking techniques along with sparkly stickles (and Mum very generous stickling application hehe) we embellished the Cricut die cut images from the Cindy Loo, and Lori's Garden cartridges.

Now without further ado, here is a chance to have a closer look at each of the letters we created. Hope you enjoy looking at it as much as we enjoyed creating and giving it as a gift.

 Back panel embossed with kaleidoscope powder. The butterfly and leaves are printed and cut from Loris Garden, and embellished with stickles, buttons and ribbon.

 Kept simple, but the buttons and ribbons are very effective.

Who could not love this little squirrel from Cindy Loo, printed again with Lori's Garden paper.

 Mum to took complete charge of this one and again she couldn't resist using her favourite Cricut Imagine cartridge.

Mum had made the flower at home and it travelled with her from Spain, and looks lovely teamed with complimentary ribbon.

By this stage the theme for the banner had developed into a fantasy woodland feel. Mum really wanted bambi from Cindy Loo, and we couldn't resist the toadstools from Lori's Garden.

Simple but very effective and great work from the Imagine and Mum cutting and assembling the intricate bow. However there were giggles as a number of little pink gems for the bow 'pinged' around the craft room.

The bird cut from Lori's Garden is made up with about 6 layers, all printed on photographic paper, therefore giving it an attractive sheen. The glossiness of the paper mans the print quality is exceptional and crisp.

The cheeky frog will hold memories for Elena hopefully, as her Mum & Dad take her out for a milkshake and bacon sandwich at their favourite cafe called 'The Fat Frog'.
Cute

Here we sneaked in a little mouse from the Cricut Imagine cartridge, Nursery Tails.
I had had little copper charms for years in my stash and this was the ideal project to use it on.It reads cherish, dangling from the bow.

The butterflies are a single element from the Lori's Garden cartridge. Although not designed to be layered, by cutting more than one, they can be moulded and stacked using silicone glue to add much needed dimension.




Thank you very much for making it this far with me. This is a marathon entry for me - phew.

I will post some more detailed photos of each of the letters, and also a photo of the banner in situ in Elena's bedroom.

Thanks for looking x

Imagine a Pretty Skunk Card

It's been a funny old week, i got my third replacement Imagine last Friday, and I have to admit to being quite frightened to use it, even though it has behaved perfectly since coming out of the box and receiving its updates - once bitten twice shy and all that....But last night I bit the bullet, and had a good play and put it through its paces. I had forgotten how pretty the colours are on the Nursery Tales cartridge, and this pretty skunk just caught my eye yesterday.

• Two background shapes cut from Elegant Edges cricut cartridge (butrfly2 oblongs cut at 5.5 and 5.8 inches) and printed from Nursery Tales Imagine cartridge (2 comlimentary colours)
• The front panel is embossed with part of the snowflakes swirl border cuttlebug folder.
• 2 panels attached with 3D foam to enhance butterfly aperture
• 2 more panels cut with the same shape and colours but resized to 2.3 and 2.5 inches for the topper
• Image of the skunk was taken from its layered image on Nursey Tales Imagine cartridge and then printed and cut on printable acetate at 3 inches (with the real size outcome at just over 2 inches)
• The skunk was adhered to the layered tags with glossy accents and a bow added to finish.

I am really pleased with this next card. I hadn't set out to make it, but the postman had just delivered  the new fancy cut and emboss cuttlebug tags, and I had to try thrm!! I picked up the nearest spare scrap of card (all of our desks are littered with such pieces aren't they) to see how it works, as you do, it had only been in the house for 5 minutes !! I was pleased with the outcome, especially after highlighting it with some bundled sage Tim Holtz ink (because that was also just next to me). Having gotten that out of my system I left it on the desk again, and went off to be constructive and be a mummy.

Later in the day, when the 2 boys were happy and amusing themselves, I set about making the first card (the blue card at the beginning), I had been planning it my head all afternoon. The skunk I cut, turned out a bit smaller than I had wanted so I put that aside into the growing pile of cricut cuts that are lovely, but not right for a card or the bin. But it fell on the tag and I thought mmmm... The rest as you can, see sort of happened, with other small scraps that were laying around from having made my storage drawers last week.

So here is the recipe;

• Elegant Edges cricut Cartridge (can you tell its my favourite) Swirl1, book creative feature, using Basic Grey dotted paper cut at 5.3", with a second layer cut at 5.5" with a green paper from Basic Grey Capella collection. Attach to base card.
• Cut a border from Elegant Edges, swirl1, border creative feature, using green basic grey paper, cut at size 1", ink edges with Tim Holtz bundled sage.
• Create an accent piece of paper (this case Basic Grey Capella floral paper) at 4" by 1" and tear top edge. Ink around edges again with bundles sage ink.
• Find a 6" length of co-ordinating ribbon (here DCWV adhesive ribbon). Stick to the dotted paper about 2" up and about 3/4 onto the paper, tucking the remaining to the back of the paper (on left side) to hide loose ends.
• Arrange border and accent paper to suit then place main topper tag with 3D foam
• Embellish with co-ordinating gems to finish.

Fingers crossed that this is the Imagine machine that I can keep, third time lucky.