It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas at Exploring Cricut

Beginning ?  It's been looking like Christmas since Halloween.  But, now the REAL thing is approaching.  This is a challenge Monday and the challenge is any card, layout, or paper project with a Christmas theme.

For this card I wanted to emphasize the real reason for the season.

The card is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 (A2).  I did a simple mountain-valley fold along the paper base.  The smallest figure is the shepherd boy at 1 1/2 inches and each figure was made 1/2 inch bigger from there.

Please share one of your creations with us at Exploring Cricut in this week's challenge and continue to visit each day for ideas and inspiration.

I hope your holiday preparations are easy and fun and that your holidays will be full of joy and blessings.

Happy creating.
Rae Ann

Meow-y Christmas Card at Exploring Cricut

Hello!  Today I have the card I made for the family that gave me my cat.  He was originally called 'Butterscotch' which matches his colors but I renamed him 'DeeJay' because he is quite a talker and it made me think of some of the quick-talking DJ's of the 60's and 70's

 

 

I used the Meow cartridge for the little cat, milk and bowl and fishbone.  I used the Just Because cartridge to cut out the shape that the photo sits in.  I actually cut a 2 1/2 inch hole in the tree paper, and a 2 inch hole in the white; then, I mounted the picture behind them.  The little Christmas lights came from the Create a Critter cartridge; they decorate the reindeer's head.  The touch of glitter on one side of them really brightened up the card.

 

I think this is the best picture I've ever been able to take of DeeJay.  He usually turns away when he sees the camers.  My friends always ask about him so I know they'll like this card.

 

Please continue to visit Exploring Cricut each day for inspiration from our design team and join us next Monday for another challenge.

 

I hope all of you are safe and well as this weather changes into winter mode.

Have fun creating.

Rae Ann



Christmas Cards with Exploring Cricut

Well, with Thanksgiving over is everyone in the Christmas mood.  Here at Exploring Cricut we are.  The challenge this week is to make a Christmas card using any cartridge, any colors.
My card is made from A Quilted Christmas and Phrases (I  think it's called a pedestal card).  It's the standard A2, 4 1/4 x  5 1/2 inches.  I used some leftover Christmas paper from last year and touched-up Santa with gold glitter on his coat and a product called Snow Write on the clothing edges (it goes on solid white but dries to a pretty glitter).
The "stopper" to help the card stand is a row of poinsetta's from the Phrases cartridge which I glued onto a strip of cardstock to make it rise up a little..

 

I hope our challenge is putting you in the spirit to make some cards.  Please show us your creations at Exploring Cricut.  Visit the blog today and everyday for ideas from our design team.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy creating.

Rae Ann

Another Christmas card for Exploring Cricut

After playing with the A Quilted Christmas cartridge I splurged on the new Winter Wonderland cartridge with designs by Anna Griffin.  I ended up making several of this card.  I love it !!

Each design is planned to work with 4 colors.  This has 2 shades of red, the green and the yellow.  I added leaf veins with a distress marker and accented with gold stickles.  I'll be making more of these.

Thanks for stopping by.  Don't forget to visit Exploring Cricut each day to see what the design team is doing with the fun and versatile cricut. I really love playing with all the possibilities.

Happy creating.
Rae Ann

Headstart on Christmas for Exploring Cricut

Hello, again.  Last week I was sharing cartridges with a friend and my cartridge "A Quilted Christmas" came to my attention.  I decided to try some of the cards.  I don't usually like to use a card option because I'm bored if every detail is already planned for me, but I enjoyed these.  I have a Personal Cricut so the maximum cut size is 5 1/2 inches.  That worked out well for standard A2 cards.  Four pictures follow.

I did these the way the cartridge cuts them.  The gold paper I used under the cuts is very sparkly so I didn't think it needed anything else on the outside.

With each of these I did a little touch-up to make it more 'mine'.  On the reindeer I added diamond stickles to the design on the banner;  It changed the color of the underlayer and added some contrast.  I also added a stick-on star, also coated with diamond stickles.

 

The little shepherd is also pictured below.  I added a touch of  stickles to the rim of his hat and added the computer printed sentiment.

 

The star looked really plain to me until I outlined each triangle with stickles.  It's not really visible in the photo but in person it is quite majestic looking.

 

The 'merry Chrismas' card beow is made with the poinsetta edge from 'A Quilted Christmas'.  The sentiment was cut from the Phrases cartridge.

 

After all the cut-out cards I wanted to do a  'real' Santa; he's from the same cartridge.  The letters are from Suburbia (I love that font!)

Each card has a computer printed sentiment inside.  I found a book online, "Say It With Style 2" edited by Tnaya Fox.  It is FILLED with sentiments for using in cards, all occasions, and I found some lovely ones to use for Christmas.

 

I hope this inspires you to get a head start for the season.  I hope to sell some at an upcoming sale in our apartment complex.  Have fun.  Keep creating.  And, keep looking in at Exploring Cricut.

 

Have a great week.

Rae Ann



"Christmas is July Blog Hop at Exploring Cricut

Welcome to our Christmas in July blog hop.  Our hop starts at Exploring Cricut so if you want to join in from the beginning, click here.  You should have arrived here from Georgiana's blog.

My card was created with the 'A Quilted Christmas' cartridge.

This cartridge can do phenomenal cut-outs at larger sizes.  For smaller cuts, like this 3 inch cut, the simpler version works well.  A hunt through Christmas paper scraps provided the colorful framing.

Please, join this challenge with your own Christmas in July project and enter it at Exploring Cricut.  Until then, enjoy the blog hop and the wonderfu projects created by each member of our design team.  You might find some blog candy along the way as well.

Your next stop is Emily.  Here is the list of the stops in case you get lost.

Sharon http://meemeescreations.blogspot.com

Donna  http://wwwkindredkreations.blogspot.com

Georgiana  http://carsonscricutcreations.blogspot.com

Rae Ann   http://joyinart.blogspot.com --- You are here

Emily  http://emilyqueenofallthingscrafty.blogspot.com --- Next stop!

Annette  http://mymindsdustbunnies.blogspot.com

Michelle N  http://justanutterpapercrafter.blogspot.com

Kathy  http://kathy213-kathyscorner.blogspot.com

Michelle S  http://cricutcrazyscrapper.blogspot.com

Liz  http://unikbyyes.blogspot.com

Diane  http://happyscrapperdiane.blogspot.com

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Keep cool.  Enjoy creating.

 

Rae Ann

 

A Shaped Card for Christmas

Two challenges this week call for shaped cards so I put on my thnking cap and this is what I came up with.  I'm very happy with it.

This cute little bird has lots of stability because I used the shadow cutout, made from a manila folder, for both the front and back.  Then I added the snow to stand in on the front.  The green scarf was embossed with the dotted swiss pattern, although the photo doesn't show it.  The bird, of course, is from the 3 Birds on Parade cricut cartridge; the snow is found on the last page of the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge.

I am entering this in the following challenges that both asked for shaped cards:
Fantabulous Cricut Challenges
My Craft Spot
I am also entering it in Exploring Cricut for the theme 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year'.

Please stop by these sites to see their DT projects and challenge entries.

Happy holidays, everyone.
Rae Ann

An Unusual Christmas Card for DL.ART's Linky Party & Go Fish Challenge

My chiropractor loves Hawaii so I made this card especially for him.

I used an accessory key in Cricut's Paper Doll Dress-up cartridge to make the palm tree.  I cut it once in each color and pieced it: sand, trunk, and foliage.  Around the trunk are colored lights from the 'Deck the Halls' page in the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge.  I cut it at 2 inches to get the lights small enough.  Of course, the little hula bear is from the Teddy Bear Parade cartridge.  She's on a home-made wobble so she can really hula.  Luckily, the internet provided the correct spelling for 'Merry Christmas' in Hawaiian.  I'm tickled with it.

Please go to DL.ART and Go Fish Challenge Blog to see more entries.

Happy holidays and happy creating.
Rae Ann

A Christmas card for the Come & Get It Challenge

The Come and Get It Challenge theme is a card with more than one fold.  I had never made a twisted easel card so I made several to get the hang of it.  I found a tutorial on YouTube that explained how to do it with an A2 size card, which is what I usually make and I like the result.  Here's a close-up of the card front.  An open card picture follows, below.

 

 

 

Because the background is pretty lively I decided to do a silhouette style image.  I used the little girl and presents images from Cricut's A Quilted Christmas cartridge and a  $1 Greeting Stamp I found at AC Moore.  The holly that the easel rests on is a K&S embellishment.

 

 

 

 

 

To see other entries of cards with more than one fold at Come at Get It Challenge, click here.

 

I realized that this would be appropriate for the Little Scrap Pieces theme, too, so I am entering it in the 'use black' challenge. Click here to go to the Little Scrap Pieces challenge.

 

Happy Creating,

 

Rae Ann

Holiday Wishes for Fantabulous Cricut

 

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This card is entered in the Holiday Wishes theme at Fantabulous Cricut.
I used the Quilted Christmas cartridge to create this little  elf.  Even though it's only 3 inches, the cricut did a great job in cutting out the designs on the clothes.  The greeting is a $1 stamp I found at AC Moore.  This was my first twisted easel card.  It rests on a snowflake-shaped rhinestone.
To see more of the entries for this theme, click here.

I decided to use this as a second entry to the Come and Get It Challenge, more than one fold in a card.  Click here to see all the entries.

Happy Creating!
Rae Ann

Speaking of Christmas

Cardztv has a challenge called "Speaking of Christmas" and I just made a card that will fit in nicely.

I used the letters from the Art Deco cartridge which I just got and couldn't wait to try..  The flower and holly came from A Quilted Christmas.

Go see other entries at Cardztv.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

Rae Ann

I Feel the Love - Crafts with Cutters #112

I made this card just to play with my new Cricut Teddy Bear Parade Cartridge.  When I saw this 'Feel the Love' theme I knew it found its home.  It's on a home-made wobble to add some fun.

Check out the card outreach to this Children's Hospital at My Paper Crafting, Crafts with Cutters Challenge.

Happy Creating.
Rae Ann

Created With Love Challenge #16 / DL. Art

The Created With Love Challenge theme is a Christmas card with no red or green.  I used the Cricut catridges "A Quilted Christmas" and "Picturesque" to create this snow globe.  There are stickles on the embossed dots which really adds to the snow globe look but they don't show up in the photo.

To see other entries at the Created With Love Challenge, click here.

I also entered this card in the DL. Art Challenge - Any holiday to the end of the year.
To see those entries, click here.

Have a great day!
Rae Ann

So Artful Challenges - 'Tis the Season & Our Creative Corner (Basic Sketch)

The minute I saw this great Santa I had an idea of what I wanted to do.

I used my new Sizzix embosser with Swiss dots on the white strip.  I cut the scalloped backing from Cricut's Graphically Speaking cartridge, and the corners are from the Picturesque cartridge.

This card was submitted to http://jeanette-soartfulchallenges.blogspot.com/
                                   and http://ourcreativecorner6.blogspot.com/

Happy holidays.  Rae Ann

My Craft Spot Challenge #34 - Handmade Flower Power (Also, the Pile It On Challenge)

I'm intrigued with what can be done with paper to make such beautiful flowers.  I wanted to try poinsettias and I'm pleased with the result.

The flowers were made from the 5 petal flower on Cricut cartridge, George and Basic Shapes.  The bowl came from the Pagoda catridge; the leaves are all from the Picturesque cartridge.  I hope you like it.
Rae Ann

To visit the Pile It On Challenge, click here

To visit the My Craft Spot Challenge, click here: