Welcome New Followers, a Birthday Tag and a PARTY! Die Cut Dreams Challenge #80

View from my kitchen

Brrrr......baby it's cold outside! Hope everyone is staying warm and cozy today. It was a snowy one here in the Hudson Valley.
Very pretty but not nice if you had to drive in it! I took advantage and worked on a few things that I have been putting off for awhile. Great excuse to sit back and be creative. Did you hear we can also PARTY?? Enfy from Going Buggy is having a party and a challenge for some GREAT CANDY!! So my B-day card tag is going to visit her blog as well! Hey Enfy....you did say Butterflies are "bugs" for this one! Join in the fun!
 I want  to welcome my new followers and thank those from Flaunt it Fridays who visited and left such nice comments on my Hello Kitty card. They didn't even scrutinize me for not following directions ( duh....that was a cupcake Kath not a plane!) and for that I am grateful. Sorry ladies I'm real new at this!(Can't read either obviously!) I was thrilled to see all of the sweet comments !

I have sat on the sidelines for months loving all of the Vintage Tags I have been seeing out there, I just adore them. So I decided to be brave and try one today. Actually I made one a few days ago but it was a bit drab and I wanted to use it as a Birthday card. So..if at first you don't succeed, isn't that what they say? So I tried again and I am happy I did!  The tag was cut from Tags,Bags & More (7 X 3.24) I used Kraft paper for the base and gorgeous papers  from K & Company for the layers. I used water distressing on the edges of the  papers. This is the very first time I used this technique. I love the vintage look it gives the over all appearance of the papers and tag. I used a MS punch for the butterflies and heat embossed them 3 times with clear embossing powder.  The pink was sprinkled with MS glitter. The key and heart charms were out of my stash. I do not know the brand however they were bought at Michaels on the clearance isle of course! The stick pin is one of the very first I made. Again the sentiment was from a set of stamps I purchased at Michaels but it had been out of it's packaging for sometime..long before I began blogging so I have no idea of the manufacturer. That is one of my favorite sentiments!
The lace border is Wrights brand "Pearls on Beading". Pretty isn't it? I coated the entire card, front and back with Modge Podge to give it some substance. As you can see in the picture I was impatient and took the picture before it was thoroughly dried. Patience is not one of my strong points!
I used my Helmar Tape Runner on this project and I have to tell you that I was really impressed. It glides easily across the paper and I was able to manipulate it around the scallops without a problem. I had no issues with the adhesive balling up as I have with other runners. I really love it! I can't find it in the stores yet but you can find it online. Follow the link for a list of retailers. 
So there you have it. Sure hope the recipient likes it! Lots of TLC went into this one!
Stay warm dear friends!
I getting braver peeps. I've entered this tag in yet another challenge-Die Cut Dreams . Check 'em out!
Happy Crafting!
Kathie

Christmas Ornaments with the Cricut~and more fun!

Okay, I'm on a roll now! I've been busy making ornaments that I saw created by Emma from  My Creative Time during her 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop. I made a few changes and additions and I can't wait to share them with you but first I have to share even more great Blog Hop winnings with you! Woowho..yes I won even more!! I checked my blog last night only to find a comment from Jen from Simply Chic Designs by Jen telling me I won Happiest Moments Stamps by  Robyn -the one and only My Pink Stamper. Thank you so much Jen and Robyn. Can't wait to get my hands on those yummy stamps!!
Last year I made all of the grand kids personalized Christmas ornaments inspired by "Christmas with the Cricut"-now "Everyday Cricut" They were adorable and loved by all so this year, when I saw Emma's creation I knew I would have to try it again this year. I'm not great with videos so I'm doing my tutorial in pictures. So here we go! I changed projects in the middle so I will be starting in one color and ending with another (I have a very short attention span!)
Supplies Needed:

Supplies

Fine glitter-mine is Martha Stewart
round, but flattened glass or plastic ornament (got mine at Micheals and the come in glass or plastic)
Pledge Future Floor Wax
Modge Podge (High Gloss or Sparkle)
Picture

Step 2

Step 1: put enough Pledge Future in the ornament to at least fill the bottom of the ornament. If you put too much in-no problem. You are going to cover the top with some plastic wrap & shake gently assuring you cover all surfaces of your ornament-then drain the excess.

 Step 2: Chose your glitter and using a small funnel put into the ornament. Again-if you put in too much, not to worry. Cover the top and shake gently assuring you cover all surfaces of your ornament. When you are certain you have pour the excess out for re-use!

Grandchild of the Furry Variety!

Step 3: At this point I cut my picture using a 2" Spellbinder scalloped circle die by running it through my Cuttlebug. I also prepared my snowflake and numbers for the back of my ornament. Because I am doing so many I choose to mass produce. Now this is where I experimented. I cut my snowflake (Winter Lace) at 2.25 out of DCWV Christmas Glitter Pack but it is thick and I found it didn't lay well across the conture of the ornament. I am using Modge Podge Sparkle so I tried the snowflake on white card stock and like the result. The numbers for my year I did use with the DCWV Glitter paper.

Winter Lace-2.25

Plantin School House-Roly Poly-.75

Step 4: Cover the back of your picture with a coat of Modge Podge and carefully apply it to the ornament smoothing it down as it dries. (I cut very small slits around the picture to assist in keeping it flat). Give it at least 15 minutes to dry , then apply another coat over the picture. My very first try I used the Sparkle but I wasn't happy with the effect so I used the Sparkle over the snowflake and the Gloss over the photo. I'll show you the different effect later. Once dry apply the snowflake using the same method.

Step 5: Once the snowflake is dry I applied the numbers for the year placing them across the snowflake. Now I found they lay much better if I run them through my Xyron-create -a-sticker  vs using the Modge Podge as the adhesive. I think that may be because the glitter paper is so heavy and thick. Once applied I cover the snowflake and year with another coat of Modge Podge Sparkle. Allow to dry. Another coat can be applied if you chose.

Step 6: Tie a pretty bow around the neck of the ornament and thread additional ribbon through the top to form a loop to hang your beautiful creation on the tree!

With Modge Podge Sparkle

I used the Modge Podge  Sparkle on this ornament but I thought the sparkle was too distorting over the photo. If I have enough ornaments and TIME I will most likely re-do these.
I still have 9 more children to do and I am doing one a very special one for a family member for a very special event that is going to happen....but nobody knows (but me!) Any guesses out there? I'll share when it is done! Happy Crafting Peeps !