Cricut Maker Addiction

WARNING!!  POST IS LONGER THAN NORMAL.

OMGoodness!  It has been forever since my last blog post and I am surprised that I found time to even post today. So what has been going on with me...well first of all life has consistently interfered with things I wanted to do and forced me to deal with it.  But some good has happened over the holidays.

I started a low-carb diet and lost almost 20 lbs in 8 weeks (yeah) but gained 6 over the holidays and just recently started to lose it again. I joined the YMCA and am part of their Silver Sneakers program which has led to meeting new folks that are closer to my age.

Most exciting is my new Cricut Maker!!! This machine has expanded my horizons and the possibilities are endless.  Not only can I create cards of all types, I can do home decor, apparel and it will even cut wood. This machine is the best thing and I am so addicted to vinyl and iron-on these days that I sleep, eat, and dream of vinyl.

I've also been introduced to etching and doing photo transfers to wood, ceramic and canvas. When it comes to crafting and DIY I am all over the place and loving every minute, although it has taken control of my life and time. There have been days where I forget to do simple things like check the mail and sometimes even remember to eat.

Let me share a few things I have created with you. Mind you this is only a sample of what I have designed.

Hopefully you can see the word "Gratitude" that I have decorated this little jar with. Those are Q-tips inside and for some reason I thought they would make it easier to see the design.

Next we have my customized pillow. A neat idea was to purchase some Christmas pillows once they went on sale at 80% off and then simply cover them with one that I designed myself. This way I have a beautiful pillow throughout the year and at the end of the year I remove the cover to display my safely protected Christmas pillows around my home.

Lastly, I want to share a black T-shirt I picked up at Joann's and designed it for my grandson's basketball team. Wasn't sure how to do this but I got it right and had such fun figuring it all out. 

Creating, cutting and adding your designs to all types of substrates just creates a world of imagination and possibility. There is that sense of pride as well when you get it right and you know it (smile).

To build on my newly found talent I decided that a  "Heat Press" was necessary if I planned to continue to grow and expand my creativity. 

Just another machine to learn but I look forward to it and I'll post more as I go along but if I forget please check out my Facebook page to see more of my creations.

Thank you for stopping by. 

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Little Witches

It's a BOO...TIFUL day and soon the goblins and little witches will be roaming the streets chanting their warnings for all to hear as they go house to house ringing doorbells and knocking on doors.

When you hear the words "Trick or Treat" remember to have the candies ready to give and don't be afraid of these creatures. They are adorable and just having fun being kids.

I have two cards to share with everyone and I hope you like them. They are part of my Little Witches series and I think the images are adorable.

On this card I created a hidden message using the bat shown on the front right. The hidden message can also hold a gift card behind the fence (can't see slots) and then slid back in place hidden from site.

The image is a really old Magnolia stamp and I have no clue the name of the stamp. The paper is an old DCWV paper pack that it was in my stash. Other items used include dies from Tim Holtz, Frantic Stamper, and Cherry Lynn Designs. Embellishments are Recollections flowers and Offray ribbon. I used Copic Markers to color my image.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

The Crafty Addicts - #53Anything Goes/Spook it Up (11/5) (111)
The Paper Shelter - #359 Halloween (11/29) (29)
Crafty Creations - #377 Anything Goes (11/12) (95)
Moving Along With Time - #83 Halloween (11/6) (21)
Crafting With An Attitude - #44 Anything Goes (11/28) (245)

My second card is another one from the Little Witches series.

For this card I used an image from Mo's Digital Pencil titled "Little Witch" and colored her using Copic markers.  The cardstock and paper is from Paper Studio and the flowers are by Prima.

I used a Die-namics die to cut out the cats, and the Tim Holtz Bat Fence die. This was a super easy card to create using only paper and a bit of coloring. 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Creative Moments - #155 Anything Goes (11/6) (47)
Crafty Gals Corner - #177 Halloween Colors (11/5) (48)
Craft Rocket Challenges - #53 Autumn/Halloween (11/27) (203)
Crafty Catz - #435 Anything Goes/Twist (10/31) (30)
Colour Crazy Craft - #43 Colouring Challenge (11/5) (19)

Thanks for Stopping By

Remember to Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Create Beauty

Sending Hugs From Texas

~Lesia

The Arrival of Autumn

First things first...

Congratulations to Joyce! 

You are the winner of my Craft Spinner Giveaway. Please contact memascrafts2@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Has anyone noticed that the leaves on the trees are slowly changing into an array of vibrant earth tones, swaying on the trees as if to sing a song.  

I do love this time of the year although my allergies do rise. Living in Texas I don't get to see much of the beauty of Autumn, but a trip to North Carolina (home) erases all the pollution and noise of the city and rewards me with clean crisp air, tree-lined roads that curve in and out.  

Autumn announces its arrival with cleaner air or at least it seems to be cleaner. I love the cool mornings without the humidity and the evenings are perfect for a cup of tea. This is the time of year when you let the outside air inside and if I were home (in N.C.) I would wash my linen and hang it out to dry rather than use a dryer. Nothing better than falling asleep on fresh cool sheets. 

Yep this is the time of year when I really start to miss home, but fortunately I can visit for a week or two. here and there.

To celebrate this season I do have a simple card to share and I promise this post will be a short one.

I used My Mind's Eye designer paper and Bazzil card-stock to create this card. The image is a really old digital image I purchased a long time ago so I am not sure where I got it.

I used Copic markers to color the image, and Recollections/Prima floral embellishments.  I used Spellbinder dies and Martha Stewart punches to create the waved edge, the stitched oval and the scalloped oval.  Lastly, I added ribbon, eyelets and a sentiment to finish this card at 5.5 x 5.5.

I'd like to enter these challenges:
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Fall Is In The Air (10/6) (62)
Crafty Gals Corner - #175 Anything Fall Goes (10/8) (101)
Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes (10/25) (30)
DLART - #235 Fall Colors (10/24) (4)
Cute Card Thursday - #550 Anything Goes (10/9) (25)
Crafting With Attitude - #44 Anything Goes (10/27) (10)
Craft Rocket Challenges - #53 Autumn/Halloween (10/25) (15)
As You Like It Challenge - Favorite Season and Why (10/9) (47)

Well that's all I have for tonight, short as promised.  Thanks for stopping by.

Sending Hugs From Texas

~Lesia

Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Craft Happy

Computer Woes (pinned to the top)

Wow!! What a week or should I say what a month August was for me. Everything was going on and just when I thought it was over my PC decided to bomb out on me. The damage was heart-wrenching and the cost of the repair even more so. Nonetheless, I stayed strong and fought hard not to conclude that I needed a new PC.

As repairs were being made I did two things. The first thing I decided to do as I waited for my PC to be repaired was to create something different that did not require my computer.

My second thought was to spend time purging my craft-room and doing a bit of organizing. Well in doing this I found these napkins I had purchased from Tuesday Morning last year and thought they would be cute as a card. So with this thought in mind, I proceeded to create a card.  Afterwards, there were enough pieces left that I figured a matching envelope would be perfect. 

After doing this I thought of other ways this technique would be useful. Such as serving as a really neat memento to have of a wedding or a baby shower??? 

Next time you attend a wedding grab a few of the napkins and transfer those memories onto a card, or a box or even a canvas. Here is how it turned out. What do you all think about this?

As you can see it was a pack of napkins and all I used was one napkin so I could have made at least 8 more cards or altered a box or something.

I think I will try doing this again with glitter and other embellishments. On this one, I did create another sunflower and popped it up to add dimension to the card.

The second thing I did was to organize and find things to purge and I have one item that someone might find of interest.

It is the Tim Holtz Craft Spinner. I am already three tiers tall and have not space to start another set so I am giving it away. All you have to do if you're interested is leave a comment and add your name to Mr Linky below.

This is the spinner but the blending tools are not included and I will pay to ship up to $5.





Anything over $5 I will invoice you for the additional cost provided you are still interested. This applies to anyone who is outside the U.S. as well.

Well, that's all I have for this post. Don't forget to comment and add your name.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Trick or Treat

Booooo! Hurry and grab the treats so there won't be any tricks.  Halloween is almost here and although I haven't participated in the past two years, this year I thought I would share the treats with the little ones and only little ones, so teenagers go to a Haunted House or a Costume Party....I am serious.

So do we know how Halloween came to be? Well, it originated with the Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death.

Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred so on the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain. It is from this belief that we associate the devil and evil with Halloween.

Immigrants from Scotland and Ireland bought the holiday to the United States. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints; therefore, the evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.

As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. Borrowing from Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition.

So this was my summary on the history of Halloween. Now moving on to more fun stuff I have a 3-D card to share with you thanks to my bestest crafting buddy 

Joyce Owens of My Enchanted Paper Creations.

This card is made from a group of die cuts and adhered to a round card base containing a foldable easel also cut from a die. I hope you like it.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Pookadoodles Crafting - #38 Anything Goes (9/28) (22)
Crafting With Friends - #73 Anything Goes (9/26) (139)
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - M is for Monster (10/5) (4)
Crafters Castle - #9 Anything Goes (9/30) (94)

Thanks for stopping by
Sending Hugs From Texas
~Lesia
Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Craft Happy

Season of Joy

Hello All! So far there are only 5 folks interested in my giveaway but there is still time to add your name for a chance of winning a Ranger Craft Spinner! Perfect for holding your blending brushes or your blending tools. Chances of winning is currently 1:5.

Anyway I started on my Christmas cards and thought today I would share one that would be suitable for anyone that enjoys the season even if they don't celebrate in the same fashion as we do.

This card was very easy to make because I colored the stamp before I stamped the image. To create a resist I embossed the tree and then used distress inks to create the background before adding the additional stamps and the snow.

I attached all the pieces to my card base and proceeded to finish the inside of the card shown below.

The photo doesn't show it but the left side was embossed with DOTs and the right side was created using leftover card-stock and designer paper from the front to create a consistency in look and feel. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Crafty Catz -Anything Goes/Christmas (9/26) (31)

Crafty Hazelnut Christmas- #404 Christmas (9/27) (7)

Allsorts Challenge -  Water or Color Blue (9/27) (7)

Thanks for stopping by

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Craft Happy