The Calendar

When Provocraft came out with their ‘Designer’s Calendar’ cartridge for the Cricut, I instantly knew what I was going to be making a few people for Christmas! Assuming I could get it delivered in time! However, I didn’t anticipate the problem of not having enough supplies available! Unfortunately for me, all the local craft stores were out of the packs of vellum I needed, so I was unable to complete the entire calendar for Christmas. I have since completed the calendar, and would love to share it with y’all!

Each month was drawn, using my Cricut, and Sharpie mini-markers (thanks to my nifty holder I got at CustomCrops.com) on either vellum paper or thin plastic, with the exception of May, which I actually cut using my Cricut. I then either colored in the drawings/lettering, or made some cuts to add dimension to the calendar. Each piece of vellum or plastic was then placed on top of a patterned piece of paper.

This calendar offers some versatility, as the dates are not written on the calendar pages themselves, but either on the glass cover (frame) or a plastic cover sheet. Additionally, the patterned papers are not adhered, so they can be changed out from year to year or throughout the month, for a different look!

January - displayed inside a 12x12 frame

February, March, April and May

February was drawn in red, and colored in with an opaque white paint pen.

March, April and May each have some 'cut' items included on the page.  For March, the four-leaf clovers were cut out; April, I cut the little girl, her umbrella and the rain cloud; and May, the word 'May' was cut out.

June, July, August and September.

For the month of July, I wanted to add some pazzazz, so cut out the fireworks, and used some red glitter glue to give them some sparkle.

I kept it simple for August, but I added some color by using Sharpie markers to color in the images/wording.

October...I really like the way this turned out!  I had to use my Cricut markers to draw the images, but they were colored in using paint pens.

And to end the year, December...I wanted to make this page special too, as this is a special time of year for most everyone.  I colored this page in using the paint pens once again, but I used a Snow Writer, to get a dimensional effect to the snow on the top of the gingerbread house.

Oh, and I had almost forgotten to let y'all know about the other exciting part of this calendar!  When I originally made it/them, I had intended for them to be put in a frame with a metal sheet behind the month, so that you can use it as a magnetic calendar!

I have to say, I LOVE this cartridge!  I did have to use a number of my other cartridges to get all the images, but I just LOVE what the Desinger's Calendar can do!

And just a little plug...if anyone is interested, I do have an extra calendar available, if someone want to purchase one. 

R.A.K.

I've FINALLY returned home after a trip to visit the in-laws, and once again have all my 'creature comforts' available to me!  It doesn't work out very well, when the only computer/internet access point in the house, is in the room that your 18-month old daughter sleeps!  I couldn't get online while she was sleeping, and I couldn't sneak into play while she was up!  I suppose there are worse problems, but I like to have access to my internet!

Now, with that said, I can get down to some craft business!  Prior to leaving on my trip, I had sent out a RAK. For those who don't know what a 'RAK' is, it's a Random Act of Kindness.  A friend of mine was seeming to have a bit of a rough patch, and I wanted to cheer her up, so I had sent her a custom coaster album.  As she has to school-age boy's, I made this album with that in mind...

Front Cover

Pages 2-3

Pages 4-5

Pages 6-7

Pages 8-9

Pages 10-11

Back Cover

I'm definitely having fun with these little albums!  But I suppose I should be working on projects for my daughter! =)  But hey, like they say, 'why do today what you can put off til tomorrow?!'

Favor Tin Mini Album

I’ve recently been inspired by a number of different ‘Altoids-tin mini albums’…for those who may not have seen one of these albums before, their little mini scrapbooks (basically), that fit inside an Altoids tin. The outside of the tin is also decorated for whatever theme is desired. So, not having any Altoid tins available, I decided to see what I did have, and would work for this project… favor tins!

I had some left over favor tins from a previous project I was working on. The tins are each 2-inches in diameter and approximately 3/4-inch tall…so not that big! But when you want to stash a ‘brag book’ in your purse, you don’t want anything that is going to be overly big anyways!

My first ‘favor tin mini album’ was made for my Aunt…with 5 grandkids, ranging in age from ~10 months to almost 7 years, she’s got A LOT to brag about! I decided to use brighter colors for the outside decoration and the front page (the page seen through the clear top), as grandkids ALWAYS bring smiles! I used Word to print the text around the outside edge of the circle (in this case I typed ‘Oma & Opa’s Clan’ and each of their grandkids names – guess I’ll need to hope that there’s no additions in the immediate future!). Upon popping the top of this tin, you can pull out the album inside. The album is put together accordion style, so that each page is connected. This book has 9 circles that are connected (this was accomplished by using my Cricut Expression diecut machine, and the Design Studio Software), providing 18 circles (17 if you decorate the front/top page) for pictures, journaling or embellishments.

Each of the 9 circles (excluding the top page) was decorated with a patterned paper that was a little smaller than 2 inches in diameter, again, I used my Cricut to cut these pieces. I then cut pictures in sizes ranging from 1 inch to 2 inches (note: if you cut a picture at 2 inches, I recommend just slicing a little off of each side, so that when you fold the book up, the pictures don’t impact the ‘hinges’…this was a mistake on my part at first. I just sliced off a thing piece of each side…maybe a millimeter?). Once you’ve glued on all your pictures or embellishments, just fold together and drop in your tin.

Now, to decorate the outside of your tin…I took the VERY simple route here, I just glued some ribbon to the outside. I didn’t want anything to bulky or with too much dimension, as I wanted to hold up to the possible abuse of being in a purse.

Just the beginning?!

I suppose it's now official, I'm a blogger! Hmmmmm. Guess we'll have to see how this goes!

I decided to start this blog at the suggestion of a friend...I'm really into crafting! I enjoy doing paper crafts, making jewelry, crocheting, and a little bit of sewing. As a venue to post/share my creations, a friend has urged me to create a blog, so here I am.

Please bear with me as I figure this out and get thing's going! I'll be looking forward to getting everyone's comments, suggestions and recommendations on future posts!

Thanks for stopping by!