"Hopping Through The Holidays" Blog Hop is HERE! Ends 12/4/11! Giveaway Too!

Hi everyone!  I am so excited to be a part of such a wonderful blog hop!  We have loads of holiday inspiration for you!  You should have arrived from Becki's blog.  If you started here, go to Belinda's blog to start at the beginning of the hop. 

I decorated two 8x10 shadow boxes for the holidays.  I went glitter crazy again!!!  LOL!  And, I am lovin' it!  The glitter shimmers in the light - so perfect for the holidays! 

Here is the first shadow box I made.  The holly and joy caption are SVGs by My Scrap Chick.  Also, I used twine from The Twinery.  The paper for both projects is by My Mind's Eye.

 





The second shadow box is glittery too!  I used SVGs by http://freesvgs.blogspot.com/ for this box.  I also used iridescent glitter from Martha Stewart Crafts (the little blue stars), sentiment by Fiskars, and gems by Creative Charms.

If you get lost during the hop, below is the hop line-up.  The next stop on the hop is the very talented Alyssa, also creator of My Thoughts Exactly stamps.  Her stamps are the cutest!!!  

1.  http://beeshiveofdrama.blogspot.com/ - Belinda

2.  http://4goofballs.blogspot.com/ - Julieta

3.  http://cherevansstudio.blogspot.com/ - Cher
4.  http://dare2beecreative.blogspot.com/ -Bee
5.  http://happycardfactory.blogspot.com/ - Becki
6.  http://inlovewithabug.blogspot.com/ -Melanie  **HERE**
7.  http://www.mythoughtsexactly.co/ - Alyssa  **NEXT STOP**
8.  http://queeniesscrapmad.blogspot.com/ - Tracy
9.  http://atuttletime.blogspot.com/ -Angie


Happy hopping and holiday crafting!!!

Mel

Poinsettia Love!

I just love this time of year!  It is a crafter's dream - making handmade Christmas cards!!!  I love poinsettias and thought it would be fun to add one to a Christmas card.  I used my Cricut and a poinsettia SVG file created by Penny Duncan for this card.  I left the rest of the card neutral so the poinsettia really stands out.

 

I covered the center of the poinsettia flower with gold glitter glue and gem stickers from Creative Charms.  Lastly, I completely covered it in glitter.  I just love how it sparkles and that it has a frosty look.  The sentiment I used is from a Fiskars stamp set.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Young Crafters Unite Challenge - Use Dies

Whimsical Wednesday Challenge - Use Layers

Fantabulous Cricut - Create a Holiday Card

Thanks for stopping by today!  Come back this Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for the Hopping Thru the Holidays Blog Hop!  It is a must check out blog hop - so much talent and inspiration will be shared and giveaways of course!  I am anxious to share my project and I will be hosting a giveaway too!  

 

Mel

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for Hosting Card!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope your day is filled with happiness, friends and family.  There is so much to be thankful for!  I am thankful for my wonderful hubby and my family!  Here are a couple pumpkin shaped cards I made for the hosts of our thanksgiving day dinners. 

I used my Cricut and a pumpkin cut that I believe I got at freesvgs.blogspot.com.  I turned the pumkin shape into a card using Sure Cuts A Lot.  The thanks and flourish stamps are from Stampin' Up!.  I used the flourish stamp to emboss a texture on the leaves.  You can see close-ups of the embossing below!

I am entering these cards into the following challenges:

Simply Sunday Challenge at Getting Cricky - Give Thanks

Fantabulous Cricut - Thank You Card

Whimsical Wednesdays - Add Texture

 

Mel

Christmas Card Fun!

I am working on some Christmas Cards for a small craft sale this weekend.  A couple of my high school friends have a crafting business and they asked if I would like to join in on a open house/sale they are having.  I am so excited that they asked!  I still have many cards to make, however, I wanted to show you a couple of them.  I am obsessed with glitter right now so a couple of the cards are covered completely in it.  Why not sparkle, right???  :)

I am taking a break from SVGs for these cards, mainly because most SVG files are not available for commercial use.  I am definitely missing my SVGs, but I am having fun using materials I don't use all that often - like my stamps and ribbon! 

 

The weekend is just around the corner!  Back to crafting!  Hugs!

 

Mel

I Love You Grandpa and Happy Veteran's Day!

I lost my grandfather this past Sunday.  He was given a few days to live after finding out he had Acute Leukemia at the age of 80 last week.  Myself and the entire immediate family were with him when he passed at his home.  He was an absolutely wonderful man and I admired him so much.  He served in the army during the Korean Conflict and raised his family on the family farm established in 1891 by his great-grandfather.  The farm is still in my family today.

I was so honored when my grandmother asked me to make the photo boards for the funeral.  I have some photos of the boards below.  My sister helped me put these together as we only had a day to make these.  They turned out beautiful and I believe they display my grandpa's memory so well.  I will miss him dearly - I love you grandpa and thanks for all of the wonderful memories! 

The word art was created by Elegant Word Art by Bethany and the horse and tractor cut-outs are SVG files from the Grandpa's Organic Farm SVG Collection by SVGCuts.

Thanks to all of the soldiers, past and present, that are serving our wonderful country.  Happy Veteran's Day!                                                                             

Halloween Dining!

It is a beautiful Sunday night in Minnesota.  The air is cool and smells of chimney smoke.  I just love the Fall and I am so so so excited that Halloween is tomorrow!!!!  Aren't you??????  I am not planning to do anything other than enjoy the Halloween charm of my home while watching a scary movie!  What are you planning to do? 

Since I haven't shared any craft projects in a little while, I thought I would share how I decorated my dining table for Halloween - I just love how spooky it is with the lights on low!!!  I layered 3 strips of 6" burlap to make the runner.  Do you recognize the witch's hat luminary I made???  The legs are hidden under the hat, is just looked better this way on my table.  We just finished remodeling the main level of our home so decorating for Halloween has never been more fun for me!  We literally just got our dining table and chairs in the last couple days!  I hope you enjoy the pics below! 

 

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! MUHAHAHAHA!!!!! :)

Mel

Halloween Gift Box Challenge!

I decided to enter the halloween gift box challenge over at Happy Life, Crafty Wife, for a couple reasons.  One, I absolutely love these boxes created by Lori Whitlock, and two, I felt inspired after seeing some really fabulous boxes made using these files.  So, here I am sharing the box I made when I should be getting some Z's!  :)

I love the spider web on the top of the box!  To compliment the spider web, I put a piece of paper just under the top (adhered using foam squares) so the web looks 3D.  Also, I added this adorable spider from the Halloween Town SVG set by The Digi Bistro.  He is hanging by some twine (from The Twinery) and sits on the top of the box quite nicely in the grooves of the spider web.  I made him all fuzzy using flocking powder and I used different sized pearls for his eyes. Also, I wanted to add texture to the box, so I layered 3 different ribbons around the trim of the top of the box.

I hope you have enjoyed my project!  Have a crafty week!

Winner from Whimsical Wednesday Hop!

A big thanks to Stephanie and the Whimsical Wednesday Design Team for an awesome hop last weekend.  I was blown away by the projects and the prizes were terrific!  Welcome to all of my new followers and thanks to you all for your wonderful comments about my witch's hat!  I am so happy that many of you were inspired by it and that some of you are going to try to make one!  :)

And the winner of the Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous stamp set is..............................

Karen of craftedwithlovebykaren.blogspot.com!  Congratulations Karen!  Please email me at mfink197@gmail.com to claim your prize.  Please include your address too.

That's it from me for now.  I am hoping to join in another challenge this week and I am going to be having a giveaway as a thank you for reaching 300 followers!

Whimsical Wednesday Blog Hop is HERE!!!

Welcome to my blog!  I am so glad you are here for the Whimsical Wednesday blog hop!  There is lots of spooky fun and prizes along the way!  You should have started at the Whimsical Wednesday Blog.  If you started here first, make sure to go to the beginning so you don't miss any of the fun and prizes!  Otherwise you should have arrived from Glora's blog.
I made a spooky home decor item for this hop and I hope you like it - I know I do!!!!  Below are the deets!

I used a paper-mache hat and covered it in spooky fabric, ribbon (including Prairie Bird Boutique crinkle ribbon!), and some sparkly twigs!  The hat illuminates too!  I have a flameless candle inside and you can see the light thru the holes I made in the hat. 



I added cut files from The Digi Bistro!  I design for this company and just love their SVGs!  The word spooky comes from the Halloween Town SVG set.  The bat, label with frame, and the witch's feet come from the Pick Your Poision SVG set.  To embellish the cuts, I used glow-in-the-dark glitter on the word Spooky and the shoe buckles.  Also, I used stickles to enhance the bats and label frame and I added mod podge to the shoes to make them shine!  I hope you have enjoyed my project!!!

Here is a list of our sponsors:

1. Trendy Twine: http://trendytwine.bigcartel.com/ Original Sample Pack
2. Trade Fish Designs: http://tradefishdesigns.com/  'Rest In Peace' Stamp Set
3. Prairie Bird Boutique: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrairieBirdBoutique one bundle of Shabby Crinkle   Ribbon - you get to choose the bundle.  Love this ribbon!!!

The GRAND PRIZE is from PSA Essentials. It is a stamp package, MSRP is $75.00, and it includes the Stamper Body, A Peal and Stick Stamp Set, one customized stamp, and an Orange/Black Inker.

In order to be eligible for the blog candy you must leave a comment on each blog and then go back to Whimsical Wednesday at the end of the hop and leave a comment.

I HAVE A GIVEAWAY TOO!!!  I am giving away the Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous cling stamp set shown below!  Please leave a comment on this post and I will pick a random winner on Monday!  I would love it if you follow my blog, but it is not required to win. 

The next stop on the hop is Cathryn!

Tag It! - The Digi Bistro This to That Challenge!

Hi everyone!  I have missed blogging over the last couple weeks.  I have had a lot of personal things to deal with and just haven't been able to craft or blog.  I will be back commenting on blogs soon (I miss all of your creations)!  Below is a fun spooky card I made for this week's The Digi Bistro This to That Tuesday Challenge.  The challenge is to use a tag on your card/project. 

Here are pictures of my card:

I used mini tags to create the banner on my card.  The tags are from The Digi Bistro Tag It! SVG collection.  I also used the haunted house and fence from the Halloween Town SVG collection and a bat from the Pick Your Poision SVG collection.  I just love The Digi Bistro SVGs!  Make sure to stop by The Digi Bistro store and check out all of the wonderful SVGs available for purchase. 

To make the haunted house into a shaped card, I combined two of the houses together along with a small rectangle using the Union function in SCAL (anyone interested in a tutorial?)  To give the haunted house some creepy texture, I used some fabric I had on hand.  You can't tell from the picture, but it has some glitter in it.  I like how the fabric softens the clean lines and makes it spookier.

I hope you join us for the challenge if you are able!  All you need is a tag on your card somewhere - anything you already have on hand will do!  Also, make sure to stop by The Digi Bistro blog to see what the other design team members' creations!

Just Because - Whimsical Wednesday Challenge #23

This week's challenge over at Whimsical Wednesday is to create a "Just Because" card or project to let someone know that you are thinking of them. You must include either a digital image and/or sentiment on your project. 

This week Bugaboo Stamps is sponsoring the challenge!!!  Bugaboo's digital stamps are so so so adorable and fun!  I used the super cute Oz Scarecrow digital stamp for my tag.  Instead of printing the stamp and coloring it in (which I honestly have no experience with!), I chose to trace the stamp in Sure Cuts A Lot, then break apart the pieces and cut them out on my Cricut.  This was the first time I have tried this and while I was able to figure it out in SCAL, it took a while to get all of the layers to fit properly.  I think the time spent was worth it though!  My friend will really appreciate this little cutie and of course, the candy corn that comes with it!!! 

Here are some pictures!

 

I wanted to make him look worn so I added some stitches and distress ink.  He looks so cute all worn out!  :) 

I hope you enter the challenge over at the Whimsical Wednesday blog!  Our sponsor for this week is Bugaboo Stamps. They have generously donated seven digital stamps to one random winner who enters our challenge this week. To lean more about Bugaboo please head on over to their Catch The Bug Challenge Blog.

Mel

                                                                                                            

The Count! This to That Digi Bistro Challenge #4 - Use a Tag

Today I have a fun project to share that I made for The Digi Bistro "This to That" Tuesday Challenge #4.  The challenge is to create a tag using any halloween cricut cut or SVGs that you already have - you do NOT need to use SVGs from The Digi Bistro.

I used 'The Count" from The Digi Bistro's newest Halloween set called "Pick Your Poison" which will be released on Friday, September 9th.  Also, I used a tag from the new Tag It! set.



I have fallen in love with the Count and hope you have too!  Cher makes such wonderful SVGs, doesn't she!!!!  You can check out The Digi Bistro store HERE, challenge blog HERE, and Facebook page HERE!

Mel

Inspirational Words - Whimsical Wednesday Challenge!

Click HERE for The Digi Bistro "This to That" Tuesday Challenge post!

This week's challenge at Whimsical Wednesday is to create a project inspired by one of the words shown in the picture below.  You must include the word in your project too.

I noticed the word LOVE right away.  Love inspires every one of us!  So, I made a gift from the heart for my hubby.

It is hard to tell from the pictures, but I did some stamp embossing on the box and the tag.  I used the same color ink as the paper so it just gave it an elegant texture.

I used a pocket tag and inside is a personalized note to my hubby.  This is where I included the word LOVE in my project.

I filled the box with chocolate mint candies.  Anything chocolate with mint always wins over my hubby's heart!  :)

I am entering this project into this week's Just Us Girls color challenge.  I love this color palette!

I hope my project inspired you to make something special for someone in your life!  Visit the Whimsical Wednesday blog to see all of the creations by the design team and enter the challenge if you are able to.  The prize for this week's challenge is sponsored by BugBites.  She has donated a set of her adorable new stamps "All Year Round."

Mel

The Digi Bistro "This to That" Tuesday Challenge #2 - Step Card

This week's challenge at Cher's Studio (The Digi Bistro blog) is to create a step card.  Each of the The Digi Bistro designers created a step card using a different Digi Bistro SVG set so you can see the versatility of all of the sets.  By the way, there were more design team members added, so please stop by Cher's Studio to welcome them and see their work!

I used the Flower Frenzy set to make this card.  I love all of the flowers in the set and I had fun making them in different colors and layering and crinkling them up to add dimension.

 

Here is a picture of the Flower Frenzy set which is available for purchase at The Digi Bistro store:

This is the first step card I have made and it was much easier than I expected.  There are loads of tutorials on the Internet.  I used the tutorial linked HERE.  All you need is a paper cutter, ruler, and a score board.  I don't have a score board so I just took out the blade on my cutter and used a bone folder in it's place - it worked perfectly!!!!

To enter the challenge, create your own step card using your Cricut and/or the SVGs you have already, go to Cher's Studio and link your project by 11:59 pm on 8/29/11.  There will be 3 prizes up for grabs - gift certificates to The Digi Bistro store!!! 

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed my project!

Mel

The Digi Bistro - "This to That" Challenge Project

I am a little late to the party in sharing my creation for the "This to That" color challenge at The Digi Bistro blog.  This week's color challenge was used to announce The Digi Bistro Design Team (there will be more designers to be announced soon) and to provide inspiration.  Next Tuesday will be the start of the very first challenge open to everyone. 

I am so so so excited to share my first project as a Design Team member of The Digi Bistro.  I had so much fun playing with these SVGs and hope you are able to check out the store to see all of the wonderful SVGs available to play with.

The super adorable bird with the swirly feathers is from the Birds of a Feather collection and the scalloped frame in the background is from the Stylish Edges collection.  This frame can be purchased separately as well.

Here is a close-up of the bird.  Isn't he the cutest!!!  He was so easy to cut - all of the layers fit perfectly, no trimming or adjustments in SCAL needed!  :)

Make sure to check out the adorable projects created by the super talented design team HERE. 

Mel

So Excited! Some Fun News to Share!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far.  I am so excited to announce that I am joining The Digi Bistro Design Team!  I AM SO EXCITED!!!  :)   If you aren't familiar with The Digi Bistro, it is a new and wonderful place to get extremely cute SVG files to use with Sure Cuts A Lot or Make-The-Cut software and your die-cutting machine.  You can check out The Digi Bistro's Store HERE and Facebook page HERE! 

The Digi Bistro Design Team: 

Laura

Corri 

Lauren 

Melanie (me)
Sandra
Cher (SVG Designer and Store Owner)

I am so impressed by this team's talent!  Seriously, I am a bit intimidated by the talent.  Let's hope I can keep up!  :)  Check out the wonderful DT's creations using The Digi Bistro's SVGs and the color combo below (see their individual blogs linked above for their creations).  I don't have a project yet - I hope to share one soon!

In the near future, there will be weekly challenges on Tuesday that you can particpate in.  The DT will be creating projects for inspiration each week.  I am a part-time designer, so I will only have a project to share once or twice a month.  I hope you will participate in the future challenges if you are able to.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Back to School - It's Whimsical Wednesday!!!

Hi Everyone!  Happy Wednesday!  This week's challenge at Whimsical Wednesday is to make a Back to School project - anything goes, but no cards this week! 

For my project, I made a 'sweet' candy bar holder for a teacher and/or student.  I haven't decided who is going to receive this sweet treat yet!  :) 

The front of the holder: 

 

The inside:

Materials:
- Candy Bar Holder SVG by SVGCuts
- Apple SVG by My Scrap Chick
- SNF Lollihop font by Lettering Delights
- Alpha stickers by Making Memories
- Gems, pearls and ribbon by Recollections
- School days print by Vickie's Digis
- Large Hershey's candy bar - You may have noticed that I bought the wrong size! 

Thanks for stopping by today!!!  I hope you join the challenge this week!  There are some great Stampin' Up! prizes up for grabs!!!

Halloween Decor Anyone?

I love, love, love Halloween so I am so excited that it is not too far off!!!  In the next couple months, look for some fun Halloween decor items from me.  I already have lots of the supplies, just need to get some time to work on the projects!  I haven't had as much time to craft lately.  Our house has been under construction for months and the remodel of our main level is almost complete.  I will share the before and after photos when complete.  I am getting so anxious for it to be done, so I can decorate!!!  Especially for Halloween!  :)

Here is the first shadow box I made for Halloween.  I just love creepy and spooky things so I had to do something with a creepy tree!!!

 

Materials:
- Tree SVG is part of the Free Spooky Scene SVG at Precious Memories Scrapbooking
- Bat Fence SVG by DtsArt (no longer available)
- Free Bat SVGs by Free SVGs Blog
- Stickles glitter glue
- Tree Ornaments & Spider Web to embellish

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!
Mel
                                                                                           

Giveaway Winners!!!

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!  My husband and I went to Wisconsin for a weekend motorcycle trip with some friends.  We road with other bikers to support Home for Life which is a wonderful charity that provides care to animals that are not adoptable due to illness, injuries, birth defects, etc. We enjoyed visiting the animals and you could tell they loved the attention they were getting!  If you are interested in supporting Home for Life and/or sponsoring an animal, you can visit their website HERE.

My giveaway has ended and I have some winners to announce!  Thanks to everyone that entered and a special thank you to those of you that mentioned my giveaway on your blog!  It was not required to win the main giveaway, and I really appreciate you spreading the word!  Also, to those of you that left your blog address in your comment, I stopped by to follow you too!  If I missed you, please let me know and I will come visit!  I love finding new bloggy friends and inspiration!!!

Without further ado........

The winner of the "All About Letters" bundle which includes the Lyrical Letters Cricut Cartridge is......

marg0006 said... Just became a follower and always enjoy challenges, giveaways, and how-to videos. My favorite giveaways are phrase stamps, embossing folders and carts. Thanks.

There was an extra prize available for those that posted about my giveaway on their blog.  The winner of the Creative Charms goodies is......................

CallyAnn... I love all your ideas. I like the tuturiols also. I am a new follower. I also posted your link and giveaway on my new blog. Check it out.
Thanks CallyAnn

Congratulations to the winners!  Please email me at mfink197@gmail.com with your mailing address within 1 week.  Thank you!!!

Guest Designer at Paper Dolls! I Love these Free 3D Rolled Flowers!!!

I am a Guest Designer for the last Paper Dolls challenge!  I am so excited to share my project for the challenge, but before I do, I want to thank Thienly and Tamara, aka The Paper Dolls, for the work they put into the Paper Dolls blog!  I enjoyed following the blog, entering the challenges and playing along in the link-ups.  My favorite part was seeing their fabulous projects each week - they are uber talented!  T&T, thanks for introducing me to so many fabulous SVG designers and for letting me be a part of your final challenge!  I wish you continued success on your personal blogs (Thienly - Mod Paperie and Tamara - Happy Life, Crafty Wife) and other creative outlets!

I was originally planning to do a bigger project and ended up having a crazy busy week, so I decided to make a card instead. 

Aren't these rolled flowers gorgeous!!!

 



THE CHALLENGE - Create a project using the FREE 3D rolled flower SVGs provided on the Paper Dolls blog (created by Cindy from Creative Pointe).  There are three different rolled "swirl" flowers - a large and small rose, and a carnation. 

Other Materials:
- Circle punch
- Stamps by i-cling
- Glimmer Mist
- Distress Ink
- Paper by Bazzill & Coredinations
- Lace by Stampin' Up!
- Felt flower brad by Making Memories
- Gems by Creative Charms

I really really hope you will join us for the last challenge!  Let's send off the Paper Dolls on a high note!  I can't wait to see what you create!

Mel