Coffee anyone?

Merry Christmas all my crafty friends!

 I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I also hope you were able to be with family and loved ones.

For Christmas I made my sweet friend place mats.  They were the EASIEST things I have ever sewn by far!!!  I also used my Cricut to cut out an applique!  I LOVE it!  It cut so easily and better than some paper!! :)  I love making home made gifts and I thought it suited her just right.  She is a coffee LOVER!

I used batting..I think I will use a cotton batting next time for a not so puffy look.

The bottom is dark brown

Here is the coffee cup I used from Christmas cheer.  

Confession time....I have had this fabric for OVER a year!  I bought it in Maine LAST Christmas with the sole intent of making these for her for her birthday in February!  Due to some unforeseen events, that all had to wait. :(

To cut fabric out on your cricut you will need:

heat bond (I get the no sew kind)

very STICKY mat

Iron your heat bond onto your fabric (the side you will place down on your finished product) 

I used my Gypsy to hide the swirly feature (wasn't brave enough to make intricate cuts ;)) I only used the  "coffee" in the cup.  Also, you have to FLIP your image on the gypsy because you place the fabric on the sticky side of the mat (heat bond side up).  Set your Cricut to cut on High pressure and low speed.  I got some pretty great advice from Jen over at Musings of a Crafty Mom.    You can find more instructions, hints, tips, tricks, and examples on her site.  I found the patterns for the place mats (and MANY other patterns) over at Craft and Fabric links.

To those of you have been hesitant to cut fabric on your Cricut.....JUST DO IT!!  I am so happy I did.  :)

Happy Crafting!

Christmas Crafting Fun ~ Day 14

Hello Crafty friends and welcome to Michelle's Crafty Creations.

Today's theme  AND weekly challenge is to make Holiday cards, tags and gifts, or other easy last minute ideas!!  Come on now....who doesn't wait to the last minute like me??  I hear about people finished with their shopping...whaaa???  I have barely started! LOL  Congrats to those already finished.  Perhaps the projects showcased at Cooking With Cricut will inspire you to dress your packages up or great ideas for gift tags!

I made sour cream containers.  I found the tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers.  They are SUPER easy and with some cute paper and embellies you can make them so adorable!!  I couldn't find my paper crimper (gosh....really could have used that too) but I did use my MS score board instead to crease the edges of the package to make it more secure!

The only way I could take a good picture was to put them on my mini tree outside! LOL

To Make this I used:

Cart ~ Christmas Cheer for the wreath and snowman face.  The wreath was the shadow and for the snowman face I used all the layers and hid the face with my Gypsy.

Paper ~ Mambi Christmas stacks

Misc. ~ McGill pine branch punch, bling from my stash, stickles, tombow glue and red sticky tape, white and black enamel for the snowman, pink chalk for the snowman cheeks and slight coloring of the face, MS glitter pen and gelly roll pens for coloring, Holly brad for snowman hat, jingle bell brad for wreath, ribbon from stash.

Check out all that is available for your chance to win for week 2!!

Freshly Picked Cricut cartridge

$15 Gift Certificate to Quick Quotes

Quick Cut Embossing Folder and Dies

Snowflake embossing folder, Snowflake and Candy Cane Die

(These will work in other machines too)

$20 Download from Papercraftingworld.com

* Pazzles Craft Room 1 Yr Subscription

* The Twinery Ultimate Sampler Pack

* Cutters Creek $25 Gift Certificate

*  Stamp, Stamp pad, and Block set

* Indicates a prize that will be awarded at the conclusion of the 25 days event.

To win these awesome goodies you MUST:

1. Be a follower of Cooking With Cricut

2. Leave at least one comment on at least one of the posts during the 25 days

I am entering this into FCCB #90 Rolling in Ribbon Challenge

Happy Crafting!

25 Days of Christmas ~ Day 5

Welcome to day 4 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Fun hosted by Cooking With Cricut. 


Todays theme is Candy Canes, Peppermints, Etc.  Of course what kind of Christmas would it be without candy canes.  Not only do my children enjoy them, but we use it as an example of the true meaning of Christmas.  Have you ever heard the story of the candycane?  We used the book Legend of the Candy Cane one time during Advent.  


Here is the shortened version of it:

Legend of the Candy Cane

According to legend there was a candy maker who wanted to invent a candy that was a witness to Christ. 

First of all, he used a hard candy because Christ is the rock of ages. This hard candy was shaped so that it would resemble a “J” for Jesus or, turned upside down, a shepherd’s staff. He made it white to represent the purity of Christ.

Finally a red stripe was added to represent the blood Christ shed for the sins of the world, and three thinner red stripes for the stripes He received on our behalf when the Roman soldiers whipped Him. Sometimes a green stripe is added as a reminder that Jesus is a gift from God.

The flavor of the cane is peppermint, which is similar to hyssop. Hyssop is in the mint family and was used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice. Jesus is the pure Lamb of God, come to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

So, every time you see a candy cane, remember the message of the candy maker: Jesus is the Christ!



I make no apologies for my love of Jesus.  I try to tell other people about His love whenever I can.  I hope you enjoyed that "legend" and perhaps look differently at candy canes!


Ok NOW onto my project.  I had a LOT of fun making this.  I have to admit as well, those candy cane layers were giving me a fit...I think I need to re-stick my mat!! hahaha  Of course you all know that I LOVE to make shape cards and use my gypsy......

Front of card

Love this paper!!

To make this card:

Cart~ Christmas Cheer: I used the layered and shadow features for the candy canes, and a tag all     welded together on my gypsy.  It took a little bit of finagling, but it came out just how I envisioned it in my head.

Paper: Me and My Big Idea Mambi Christmas for patterned, Colorbok for solid and base.

Misc: 3D sticker from my stash, Sentiment from an acrylic set I bought from a craft store, candy cane ribbon from my stash (if I wasn't a ribbon or paper hoarder I might remember this info!), Ranger Distress Ink Fire Brick red for inking and stamp, red gelly roll pen for glitter effect on candy cane and white enamel puff paint for the candy cane.

Don't forget to head over to Cooking With Cricut for your free file today!!  Hurry, because it only lasts today before a NEW one is offered!!  While you're there, don't forget to be a follower and leave a comment for your chance to win some really great goodies. 

 Prizes YOU could win for days 1-8:

Spring Holiday Cards Cricut cartridge

$15 Gift Certificate to Quick Quotes

DCWV ~ One paper stack EACH week!

Quick Cuts Embossing Folder and Dies

Snowflake Embossing Folder,  Snowflake Die and Candy Cane Die

$20 Download from Paper Crafting World

The Twinery ~ Ultimate Sampler pack AND 10% off your purchase Coupon CODE: CRICUT10

Dec 1-15

*Pazzles Craft Room ~ 1 year subscription 

*Cutters Creek~ $25 gift certificate PLUS 10% off purchases of $75 or more.  This includes a GREAT SALE of 15-50% off MOST of the store and FREE shipping.

Use Coupon CODE: HOLIDAY2011 

*Stamp, stamp pad, and block set

*Indicates a prize that will be awarded at the conclusion of the 25 Days event.

To be eligible for these prizes you MUST be a follower of Cooking With Cricut and leave a comment on at least ONE post during the week.  

Now join in the fun and get your free file!! 

Hugs,

Michelle