Artfully Sent – Exploring the “W” Key – Part 5

Well, here it is! The last installment of "Exploring the 'W' Key". The final feature on the "Artfully Sent" Cricut cartridge is "Pocket Card".

Like the two previous features, the Pocket Card allows you to cut two different cards - one that is 4" x 6" and one that is 3" x 4". These were designed specifically for Close To My Heart's "Picture My Life" Scrapbooking Program - a pocket scrapbooking program with specially designed Memory Protectors which have 4" x 6" and 3" x 4" pockets for photos, sentiments, journaling, and embellishments. Being a card-maker at heart, though, I chose to use these two pocket cards to make cards!

Both of the cards I created use two of my favorite things - Washi tape and the "Forever in My Heart" stamp set. Let's see the 4" x 6" card first:

I cut the 4" x 6" Pocket card from Lagoon cardstock. It simply has the arrow shape cut out of it. Next, I backed the card with a piece of white cardstock stamped with the striped "In The Background" stamp in Thistle ink. Using a 5" x 7" white cardstock base, I adhered a piece of Lagoon Hearts Washi Tape through the center, then my 4" x 6" Pocket Card on top of that. The rest is simply stamping and cutting out a couple of hearts from the "Forever in My Heart" stamp set, and a sentiment from the "This Moment" stamp set (no longer available).

Now for the 3" x 4":

My finished card is 4.25" x 5.5" Hollyhock cardstock with several strips of Ruby Chevron Washi Tape run through the center. I random-stamped the 3" x 4" Pocket Card, which I cut from Cranberry cardstock, with Cranberry ink and the small hearts image from the "Forever in My Heart" stamp set. I then backed it with white cardstock and embellished it with more stamped heart cut-outs and a sentiment.

Seriously, did you ever think you could get so many different cards from just one key on this "Artfully Sent" Cricut cartridge?! This thing is truly amazing. I am going to try and do a card workshop that focuses on another one of the keys - I hope to see you there!

Thanks for joining me in my "Exploration of the 'W' Key". Hope you'll come back real soon!

Artfully Sent – Exploring the “W” Key – Part 4

We’re heading into the home stretch! Only two more styles left to explore – that’s four more cards – all on this one key! This second-to-last style of card/function from the “Artfully Sent” Cricut™ Cartridge again contains two different cards. Today we’ll be looking at the Sleeve cards.

The Sleeve function has both a 4” x 6” and a 5” x 7” card – the former of which was designed to hold a 4” x 6” photograph. Both sizes will have the same pattern cut into the front of them – the 4” x 6” card, though, will fold into an actual sleeve, or pocket, whereas the 5” x 7” folds into a standard card.

Let’s look at the 4” x 6” card on the “W” key. I absolutely love the wood-grain pattern! After cutting the card from Chocolate cardstock, I folded on the score lines, glued the bottom and side pieces, and cut a piece of patterned paper to slip into the inside.

The back of this piece (not shown) has a bunch of journaling lines on it with the caption, “This Year’s Highlights”. After tying a piece of ribbon around the center, this would be the perfect addition to a scrapbook page! Or use it as a stand-alone card with a photo, invitation, or special message on the inside.

The 5” x 7” card was so simple. After cutting the card on the Cricut from Saddle cardstock, I simply backed the front of the card with Cashmere cardstock and embellished the front with stamped images from this past January’s Stamp of the Month set, “This Moment”.

How cute is that? There are SO MANY fun patterns throughout this cartridge – you will have such a blast discovering all of them.

Next week – the last function on the “W” key – the Pocket Card! Don’t miss it!

Artfully Sent – Exploring the “W” Key – Part 3

This next style of card/function from the “Artfully Sent” Cricut™ Cartridge actually contains two different cards. Today we’ll be looking at the Sentiment cards.

The Sentiment function has both a 5” x 7” and a 4.25” x 5.5” card within it. When you think of the sheer number of cards that this function alone allows you to cut from this cartridge, it’s mind-boggling! Let’s look at the first sentiment card – the 5” x 7” – on the “W” key. Many of the Sentiment cards on the cartridge cut a sentiment and an icon into the front of the card. This key happens to cut a sentiment only. You could simply back this with a piece of patterned paper or colored cardstock. But I wanted to go just a little bit further.

After cutting the card from black cardstock on my Cricut, I folded it and slipped a second piece of black cardstock, about 1/8” smaller on each side than the card front, into the middle of the card. I then took a pencil and lightly traced around the insides of the cut letters, so that my sentiment would be transferred onto my black cardstock insert. This allowed me to block out each word with a different patterned paper/color on the insert:

I continued covering the traced words with paper (for one I used shimmer trim!) until I had everything covered. I could then go back to my card and adhere the paper-covered insert to the inside front, thereby allowing the color blocks to show through the cut letters – and you see none of it on the inside of the card!

This is a fun and easy technique to really make your cards one-of-a-kind.

The vast majority of the second sentiment cards on this cartridge cut a border into the bottom front. For this key, it cuts a fun leaf pattern. This was a very easy card to make. Once the card was cut, I simply backed the cut with a strip of Topiary cardstock, wrapped a piece of Topiary Mini Chevron ribbon around the front, and stamped and mounted the tree image from the “Country Born” stamp set. Simple, yet beautiful! 

The next two function keys we will explore with the “W” key also each have two different cards within them. Next week, it’s the Sleeve function – it’s a fun one!

Artfully Sent – Exploring the “W” Key – Part 2

OK. I like Pop-up cards a lot – I really do. But this next style of card from the “Artfully Sent” Cricut™ Cartridge is really incredible – the Scene card. When you see the expanse and variety of this type of card on this cartridge, you will be blown away. For this post’s purposes, however, we will be looking only at the Scene card on the “W” key.

The Scene card will have two pieces – the first will be the card base, and the second will be the “accent piece”, if you will. The Scene card on the “W” key is a tri-fold (dark aqua color in the booklet), and the accent piece is the light blue (cloud insert). I cut my base in white, but then added several other colors/pieces of cardstock to complete my “scene” (I cut the card again in green in order to make the front of the card green & not white). I actually cut the pop-up piece from last week’s card from brown cardstock and pasted it over the base-cut deer/rabbit piece – they were almost an exact fit! When the insert is adhered to the inside of the card, and it is folded up, this is what the outside looks like:

I added a little sentiment from the “Cuddly Salutations” stamp set and paper-pieced the tree branch and bird. Now the inside…

Instead of adhering the cloud accent piece to the inside of the card, I adhered it to the back of the front flap. This served two purposes – to make the card front more stable (it was pretty floppy with just the thin border to “hold it up”), and to give me more of the inside of the card for a sentiment/signature. I used a sentiment from the “You Mean The World To Me” stamp set, and the fun circles from the “Doodled Designs” stamp set.

I had a lot of fun with this card…but even more fun with the next card in the series – the Sentiment card! Tune in next week to see just how easy it is to make those designs your own!

Artfully Sent - Series Exploring the "W" Key

First, let me introduce you to the Cricut™ "Artfully Sent" Collection from Close To My Heart:

You get the Cricut Cartridge, with up to 700 images, three D-size stamp sets, and a full pack (24 sheets) of White Daisy 12" x 12" cardstock. Just as the "Artbooking" cartridge was designed for scrapbookers, the "Artfully Sent" cartridge is a dream-come-true for card-makers. There are five different types of cards that you can create: Pop-up, Scene, Sentiment, Sleeve, and Pocket (to compliment the "Picture My Life" scrapbooking system). I'm pretty sure that I will not get to all of these cards in my lifetime!

In the following series of blog posts that I will be doing, I will be showing you the five different card types by creating the cards using just one key - the "W" (and, yes, there is a full font included as well!). You will be blown away.

I will start with the first card on the page - the Pop-up card. Here is the "W" key page in the booklet:

For the Pop-up cards, you will use the entire top row - "Pop-up" and "Icon". The suggested cutting size is located in the lower-left corner of the image - for this card it's 5". The finished card will be 7" x 5". The fantastic thing about this cartridge is that you only have to set your dial size once - each coordinating piece will then be cut to the correct size for the card - unless you hit "Real Dial Size" on your machine.

The first panel is simply the card base (shown in dark orange). The second panel will have the "pop-up" box cut into it, and, in this case, a pretty branch and bird. This panel gets glued to the card base, save the "pop-up" box. The third panel is a sentiment for the inside of the card, and the fourth panel is the icon that will "pop-up" when you attach it to the "box" inside.

Since the front of this card is completely blank, I used the branch and bird shapes that were cut out of the inside panel to embellish the front, along with some washi tape, a sentiment, and "Puffies". Here is the front of my card:

And here is the inside:

Isn't this just the cutest thing?! I always loved pop-ups when I was a kid, so I am really loving being able to make cards that do the same thing - so fun & interactive! I used the "Pathfinding" Paper Packet from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book.

OK - that was just card number one! Wait until next week when we will look at the Scene card - you're going to love it!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

OK, I know that I’m a few hours early with this BIG announcement, but I just couldn’t wait any longer! Tomorrow is AUGUST - I can’t believe the summer is half over! Things have been REALLY different in our household this year, as I have gone back to work full-time for the first time since having my children – which is why I have faltered in keeping my blog up to date! I apologize!

So without further ado (drumroll, please)…Introducing the NEW Close To My Heart Idea Book – “Annual Inspirations”!

This is completely different from our previous Idea Books in that it will be good for the entire year! From now, August 2014, through July 2015, you can order and enjoy the products in “Annual Inspirations”. IN ADDITION, there will also be two supplemental Idea Books, released one at a time – one in December and one in April. They will each be good for four months, and will feature ONLY NEW, seasonally-inspired products. I tell you, I cannot wait to see the “Seasonal Expressions” books after seeing “Annual Inspirations”!

“Annual Inspirations” features:

• Nine new My Reflections™ Paper Packs with coordinating Complements, assortments & stamp sets – most with a coordinating Workshop on the Go or a Workshop on the Go Card-Making Kit
• Another NEW Cricut® Cartridge – “Artfully Sent” – which is solely based on card-making. With it, you can create 250 complete cards and 150 other small projects!
• Five brand new COLORS
• New Hostess Rewards Stamp Sets and Stamps of the Month
• The “Cut Above™” Line – features treat bag and card kits that have all of the pieces pre-cut for you and are ready to stamp & assemble.
• “Designer Creations” line – fun, 3-D gift items.
• Five new “Picture My Life™” programs
• Three NEW “My Crush™” Books!
• Three new “Designed Décor” pieces
• Eight new additions to the “Base & Bling” line
• NEW embellishments, NEW ribbons, NEW Washi Tape – Oh My!
• New tools, new adhesives, new Markers, and a Score Board!

Seriously, this is the best Idea Book to come down the pike in a long time.

And this month’s Stamp of the Month – ADORABLE! It’s called “What a Hoot”, and here’s what you get:

And here are the two cards I made with it (so far…):

How cute! The first card uses one of the BRAND NEW paper packs - "Snowhaven", while the second makes use of our BRAND NEW markers.

I can't wait to show you more! If you would like your very own copy of Annual Inspirations, be sure to come to my next workshop or my Open House - details on both coming soon. In the meantime, CLICK HERE to view the new Idea Book online (starting August 1st)! Don't forget, you can always place an order directly on MY WEBSITE - 24-hours a day! See you soon!