Sarah's First Christmas

Last year I shared a preview with you of a project I had been working on.


Well, it took me forever to get it in the mail and for my niece to actually receive it. And then I forgot about it. For some reason it came to mind the other day and I thought I would share it with you.

First of all, let me give you a little advice. When you make something for someone and have to mail it, go ahead and send it certified or whatever where it can be tracked. I sent Shannon 2 packages at the exact same time by USPS using the flat rate boxes. Then I sent her a facebook message to let her know they were coming and to please let me know when they arrived. Six days later, I got a nice little message that a package had arrived and blah, blah, blah. Well, I could tell that it wasn't THE package.

THIRTY-THREE days later (yes, I'm going out of my mind by now but had plenty of Race for the Cure related things going on), Shannon's neighbor decided to return from vacation and brought her 2nd package over. Yes, it was delivered to the WRONG house and just sat there for a month! UGH!

OK, it may be out of my system now. Maybe not though.

Anyway, I had been doing so many ABC albums that I wanted to do something different for Shannon's daughter, Sarah. I thought a Christmas album would be cute. After much debate, I decided to go with the 12 Days of Christmas as the theme. From there I had to come up with 12 items that I could make with my cricut and would fit. Thankfully, I had plenty of suggestions from friends. Another friend (thanks, Gayla) suggested that I send her all of the items. I sent the stocking before Christmas so that she would at least have it and told Shannon more would be following. I just had no idea how long that would be.

I managed to get the album made and most of the items obtained. However, by procrastinating in getting it mailed, Sarah outgrew some of the items. Bad aunt!!!! I also included extra papers from the album for Shannon to use for mats, etc. So Shannon was really confused when she got the first box with odds and ends of multiple items including scrap paper. Sweet thing never asked if I had gone stark raving mad, but I'm sure she thought it. I mean really, SIX rubber ducks?

OK, ok, here it is:

Well, when I view the slideshow on the blog, it is only showing part of the layouts. If you click on the slideshow, it should take you to my photobucket page where you can look at each layout. Sorry.

The paper was an 8x8 stack I found at Hobby Lobby. It had lots of glitter. I used 3 CTMH cardstock colors for the solids and rotated them. I tried to keep the format fairly consistent throughout the book by putting the number ornaments in the same place on most of the pages. I also used Stickles, google eyes and ribbon to girly it up.

For the cover page, I used Design Studio to cut 1st Christmas into the pink ornament. I ran the pink paper through my Xyron where the adhesive would go on the back and then, leaving the backing on, I ran it through for the adhesive to go on the front. I took the backing off the FRONT and covered the ornament with CTMH Prisma glitter. Once it was well covered and the access glitter shaken off and poured back into the bottle, I took the backing off of the back and placed it on a darker ornament which had already gone through the Xyron to adhere the back to the page.

I also included a copy of One Baby Jesus: A New Twelve Days of Christmas book. I hope that Shannon was able to find pictures to fit the pages of her album. I can't believe she's already had her 2nd Christmas.

I hope you and your family are enjoying a nice weekend. I'm spending mine scrapbooking with the Jammers. Yes! Actually scrapbooking!

Jill

Nursery Rhymes

Hello! Is anyone out there? Not hearing from many and just wondering if I'm sitting here talking to myself these days. Hope I don't run you off with this long post.

I am so excited! I completed my album on Saturday. Now, I just need to plan a trip to Dallas to deliver it. :o) Darci, you better get some pictures ready.

A few years ago, I made ABC albums for Layla and Avalee as well as a few other little ones. Layla and Avalee are daughters of very special people in my life and they are cousins. Well, in February, we were blessed with a baby sister for Layla, Baby Alyse. They are all beautiful little girls, and I love them and their parents very much.


This is a photo of the three girls (left to right: Avalee, Alyse and Layla) in our living room last month when they all came for the weekend. Their uncle's girlfriend gave them these darling matching dresses. I had to use three different photos to get this one. Thank goodness for digital! And thank goodness I took so many.

Anyway, my first thought was to make another ABC album for Alyse. Then I bought the Nursery Rhymes cartridge and fell in love. However, between our trip to Arizona, finding paper and trying to get an album done for the bride and groom (I'll share part of that soon), I was delayed getting started on Alyse's album.

Here's the paper I finally selected. I found it at Michaels and used a coupon. I used CTMH cardstock for the solids. I'm using a bright pink album with a place on the cover for a photo to be inserted, also from Michaels.


I had in my head exactly what I wanted it to look like and I DID IT! So many times I have a certain way I want something to turn out and, no matter what I do, it just won't happen. Well, this one turned out perfect!!!!!!! Here's the title page.


I wanted to include the words to the nursery rhymes, the base design and the phrase and leave room for photos to be matted and added. All of this in an 8x8 album?


I used The Real Mother Goose as the basis for getting the words correct for the rhymes. However, some of them just weren't what I remembered, so I went to the internet on those. I'm still not sure about Pat-a-Cake as I do it different, but I like the one I used. I'll change later if Darci wants.

Since I wanted the nursery rhymes to wrap around the pages, I used Microsoft Word and text boxes. I have converted these to pdf files for you and zipped them. I tried to put them all into one document, but the pages were doing weird things and some of them would come out in portrait while others would be landscape. As a matter of fact, one of the rhymes is in two pdf files because I couldn't get both pages to come out in the same direction.

I set up a template file for the Cricut designs. Since I was making an 8x8 album, I set it up on a 24x12 mat with the two pages centered on the mat. Other than welding on the Title and End pages, I did not alter the images. However, using Design Studio and the template made it easier to determine the sizes to use. Hopefully, I have included the sizes on the Notes tab in each file which might help if you are working in a different size album and need to resize.


As I wanted the previews to be available and to make it easier to concentrate on one rhyme at a time, I made a separate cut file for each rhyme. As usual, most of the tabs in the files are for preview. Most of the files have one Cut Page and that page is set up where it will cut on any of the machines. The exceptions are Hickory Dickory which has separate 12x6 Cut Page and 12x6 Paper Placement tabs for the smaller machines and Ring Around which has a 12x6 2nd Cut Page (small machines need to cut both cut pages on that one). Does any of that make sense? Click on the graphic below for a larger view.


Unfortunately, those using the smaller machines will not be able to cut the Cut Shadow pages on the Title Page or the End Page the way I have them set up. My only thought is to cut the shadows in separate pieces and glue them together.


This is the last page of the album. I will give Darci another circle the size of the inside circle as well as one 1/4 inch smaller that she can use for templates if she wants to cut a photo into a circle to place over the LOVE YOU.

I did not use all of the rhymes on the cartridge. I selected 14 for the body of the album and then included 8 more of the designs only in the Title and End pages. There are 17 cut files including the template file. With so many files involved, I zipped them into one zip file to share with you.

Cricut Cut Files

PDF Nursery Rhyme Files

I have a feeling that I'll be doing several more of these albums. Would love to see your creations.

Oh, I also used the font on Nursery Rhymes for the Title and End pages.

Enjoying a nice day at home,
Jill

More Cards w/ Argyle

I hope you haven't given up on me yet.

You might remember when I posted my Mother's Day card that I said the base could be used for any occasion. Well, I've managed to use it a few more times.

Another cousin's daughter had a precious baby boy a few months ago and I needed a card for her baby shower. Then my son's best friend got married and I needed a card to send with their wedding present.


I love the little monkey on Sweethearts and thought he HAD to be used. It's a Boy came from Wild Card, but I wasn't totally happy with it. To give it a little boost, I added a signboard from Storybook.


Congratulations came from New Arrival.


In the photo above, you can see the layers used to make the monkey. I just love layered cards.


Again, I added vellum to the inside and cut an envelope. Remember that this envelope can only be cut on the Expression.


Then it was Josh's turn. Sweethearts came in handy once again with the wedding bells. I used an embossed vellum to cut the top layer of the bells and chalked the clappers. The card had to be turned landscape so that everything would fit properly. I like the change.


Best Wishes was cut from Cuttin' Up. I should have been pickier about where the pop dots went, but I thought the vellum would cover it up better. I was at a crop when I made this card and didn't have the vellum with me.


My friend Kay also used this base to make a baby girl card. I don't have pictures and only created a basic cut file, but I will share the file with you. We used the onsie from New Arrival and the scalloped circle from Mini Monograms for trim on the onsie. I believe she also turned hers landscape.

Monkey Card
Wedding Bells Card
Onsie Card

I hope these give you some ideas and I'll try to do a better job at posting more often.

Jill

Odds and Ends

I finally took the time to scan the Monkey'n Around page title. The scan is so much better than the picture!


Did you check out what Carol did with my baby bottle gift card holder? Absolutely darling! I may have to rethink the shower gift for my cousin's daughter. lol

I've been working on several projects this weekend but haven't stopped to cut them yet. I hope to get some samples cut this week so that I can share them with you.

Have a great week,
Jill

Busy, Busy, Busy.

With my lack of posts lately, you would think that I have not been creating. Well, think again. It's just been with help from others. lol Remember that you can click on the photos to see them larger.

My friend Claire is getting married in a few months, and I wanted to do something in honor of her engagement. It took me a while, but I finally got it together. And I must thank Diane for her awesome talent. I used Diane's Aperture Card file to make Claire some note cards. I made a set of 12 with her current monogram and a set with her soon-to-be monogram.


I then used Diane's directions to make boxes to hold the cards and envelopes. Claire loved them, and I have since made additional cards for her.


Next project was another of Diane's creations--the two monkeys. I added a shadow layer and plan to go back and try another one using the pens to draw the details before cutting it. This was for another friend, Ashley, who has twins in NICU and has referred to the boys as two monkeys in her journal posts. They are doing well and will hopefully be home soon. Yea!

Next up was a project for my friend Sherrye. One of her sons is getting married next month. I'll wait and share that project after the wedding but wanted to share an offshoot from it. Maybe I've been spending too much time "with" Diane because I'm beginning to think like her. (Of course, that could be a really good thing!) One page of this project cut 100 baby heads. My first thought as I'm pulling the paper from the mat is that the leftover would make a great page for a baby layout.

Babies 12x12 File

The remainder of my project sharing will have to wait. I'm scrapping with the Ferncliff Divas this weekend and having a great time. I hope to have lots to share when I get home.

Have a great weekend!

Jill

Thanks, Capadia!

Diane has come to our rescue once again. She found a work around for the Hide Contour problem that I have been having. See her post here for explanation.

She was kind enough to fix the Class of 2009 Mesh, and I was able to fix the Baby Bottle Gift Card files. I have replaced all of the file links with the new ones here and in the previous posts.

Class of 2009 Mesh
Baby Bottle Gift Card
Baby Bottle Gift Card w/ George
Baby Bottle Gift Card w/ Plantin

Thanks, Diane!

Jill

Up Up and Away

Last gift card holder. This one doesn't conform to the guidelines for the swap, but it is one that has actually already been given away. Because of the size, it can only be cut on the Expression. I used George and Basic Shapes along with New Arrival, but you could revise for Plantin Schoolbook (explained later).

Our friend Katie is adopting, and I needed something for her shower. I didn't want to go real babyish since he will be 20 months old. I decided the airplane on New Arrival would be really cute if only it would work. It turned out perfect! I did it in our company colors and used his birth date for the tail number. Not only that, he's coming from China, so he'll be coming home on an airplane.

Cut one Plane in your main color. Don't worry when it cuts off the top wing. We don't need that one. Cut two of the Plane Solid in whatever color you want to show through the windows. This will also cut off the top wing.

Check your Parts page before cutting to make sure everything is still hidden that needs to be hidden. You need the bottom wing, tail wing and propeller in one image. The other image should have the top wing welded to two rounded rectangles. Check out Narelle's blog if you need help with the Hide Contour feature. And cut the Parts in your accent color.

You may want to cut the full plane out to help you align the wing in the correct place (May want... tab).

Go ahead and attach your gift card to the middle section of the card (glue dots work great), add your message on the bottom section and fold. Glue your two solid planes together making sure that you do not glue where the card goes in. Watch where the bottom of the card will go because it is a tight fit and you don't want to close it up. Glue the detailed plane on top, add wings and propeller, insert card and add tail number if desired. I was running late and used my label maker for the tail number.

My card looks different in the photo as I have redesigned it since then. Also, I used George to make the card because I prefer the rounded corners. However, you could replace those two George pieces with a rectangle from Plantin Schoolbook if you don't have George.

Yes, Katie LOVED it! And we can't wait to meet Luke!

Airplane Gift Card

Happy flying,
Jill

Welcome Baby

I actually started this one before the rattle but got stuck and had to come back to it. Once again, it can be cut on any of the machines. It's come down to 3 files; it was just easier. One is for George and Basic Shapes, the other for Plantin Schoolbook and the third has all of the pages for both. They also use New Arrival.

Cut the bottle in your main color. It will cut the nipple and ring from the bottle itself. Cut two bases in the color you want to show through the slits of the bottle. The base will also cut off the nipple and ring. All you need is the bottle.

Click on the card page and look carefully. How many nipples do you see? If you see two, use the Hide Contour feature to hide the left one. For some reason, the hide is not staying when I save the file. To be on the safe side, make sure the right ring and its slits are still hidden too. If you need help with this feature, visit Narelle at Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Studio.

Cut the card in the color you want for the nipple.

Click on the Neck page, make sure the nipple is hidden and cut the ring.

OK, assembly time! Glue the two bases together ONLY along the edges and NOT at the top. Make sure the bottom part of the card will fit between the two bases. Glue the bottle onto the base (including at the top). Layer the ring onto the card. Attach your gift card to the middle section of the card (glue dots work great for this), write your message on the lower section, fold and insert between the two bases. Embellish as desired. All done!

(Note 2/15/09--Hide Contour problem has been resolved and files should be problem free.)

Baby Bottle Gift Card
Baby Bottle w/ George
Baby Bottle w/ Plantin

Jill

Shake Rattle and Roll

Ok, let's back up about 18 years. This holder is for a new baby. Again, it was designed to be cut on any of the bugs with your choice of base in either George and Basic Shapes or Plantin Schoolbook. The other cartridge needed is New Arrival.

There are actually two versions of this one. If you click on the picture for a larger view, you should be able to tell that the inside of the circle at the bottom of the rattle and the left loop of the bow are cut out in this sample. Thinking some people might not want those cut, I covered that space up best I was able on the other version.

Again, you only need to cut your base and the Cut Page. The layer for the rattle embellishments is designed for two versions--a squiggly line or the flowers--and a small bow. I didn't need the bow and wanted this one for a girl, so I hid the parts that I did not need to cut. If you are not familiar with the Hide Contour feature, you might want to go visit Narelle's blog, Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Studio. (She has some other great tips too.)

Before giving this card, I would bling it up with some glitz in the center of the flowers and probably some Stickles glitter on parts of the bow.

Rattle gift card holder Version 1 - No holes (at least VERY small)

Rattle gift card holder Version 2 - With holes

Enjoy,

Jill

ABCs of Baby

My friend Kay got me started making ABC books for a few gifts that I needed for some special little ones. I made three in one weekend along with three of us organizing another for six of us to make for a mutual friend. That was a whirlwind weekend!

Although I included capital letters in the file, we used some of the glitter chipboard letters that Michaels carries. I'm sorry I don't remember the brand. Otherwise, all letters were cut on the Cricut along with some of the embellishments.

For this project, I ran my letter and embellishment papers through my 5" xyron before cutting. I placed my paper on the mat with the xyron side up (upside down to what you would think) and flipped my letters on the software mat (so that they cut backwards). That way everything already had adhesive and the paper stuck to the mat for cutting. This was much faster and easier than cutting and then running all of those letters through the xyron. AND I didn't have those adhesive buggers all over my books!

My books did not use the same words for all of the letters. It just depended on the child/family as to what I used. You can google "abc album ideas" to get some great lists. I put the sizes on one tab of each letter type I used to help you customize your project. The books we did were 8 x 8 and 9 x 9. And you'll want to add the child's name as the title page only says "ABCs of" right now.

The mothers who have received these gifts have been absolutely thrilled! I'd like to make a Christmas book, but that will probably be a project for next year. There are so many things you can do with an ABC album.

Here's the cut file.

I used Cuttin' Up for the font. All of the other cartridges used were for embellishments. You can change embellishments to match the cartridges that you have. Have fun and please let me know what you come up with.