I've gone a little beach crazy recently, so when I saw the adorable beach cuts on my new favorite cartridge (A Child's Year, which was given to me by Provo Craft - thank you!!), I just knew that I had to do this layout - and use my very favorite Stampin' Up! papers to go along with it. I plan to add some pics to the mats soon. The family pics we took in Florida on the beach should work perfectly.
But really, I cannot say enough great things about this cartridge. It's beautiful, and I'm seriously tempted to make an entire album from just this cartridge - how fun would that be?!?!?
By the way, most of the silhouette kids in this layout were cut at 4 1/2", but the sitting child was 3 1/2 to keep her proportionate to the others. The umbrella was cut at 5 1/2", and the starfish are 1" and 1 1/2". I jumped around a bit with the font size, but the letters range from 1 1/4" to 2". And when you get your hands on this cartridge, here's a little tip for you. In the booklet, the letters of the font are not arranged in alphabetical order, so that can be a bit confusing at first. But if you flip toward the back of the booklet to where it shows what the entire keypad looks like with the Font feature on, you'll notice that the letters are actually placed in a Qwerty keyboard arrangement. So it's best to refer to that picture when you're trying to type out a word.
Have a wonderful weekend, and a Happy 4th of July!!

If you don't yet know, I have had the incredible honor of being asked by Provo Craft to preview their soon to be released cartridge, "A Child's Year". I received the cartridge this morning, and have just finished my first project - a card - just in time for tomorrow's holiday!
This cartridge is amazing, and a definite Must Have!!! It even has a card feature button, which is how I cut out this card with the adorable stars in the border. There's also a versatile font, which I used on the inside. Wonderful, wonderful cart that I'm going to have trouble sharing for a little while - so go get your own, LOL!!!

Hooray for Summer!!! We're only a few days into this glorious season, but I'm already way behind in getting a tan. Guess I need some more pool days so I don't frighten anymore neighbors. ;)
This Summer Fun Wordbook was created in Design Studio, and I will be running at least 1, but probably 2 classes on this project. It's actually a very straight-forward design, so don't be intimidated, even if you've not had the best of luck with wordbooks in the past. The first class will be July 9th here at my home in Rocklin. You'll need to bring your Cricut as well as your laptop with Design Studio installed and running. Don't worry about needing any particular cartridges, as we can easily share. I'm keeping class size very small, as each person will get their own 6 foot long table so you'll have plenty of space. If you're in the greater Sacramento area, and wish to sign up, you may contact me through the Cricut messageboard or leave a comment here with your email address so that I can get back to you. Class fee is $25, which includes materials.
Now somebody pass me the suntan lotion and a pina colada, please!!

This layout was done entirely with the Storybook cartridge. It uses Stampin' Up! papers and cardstock. I won't be teaching this in a class, but am offering it as a kit (in very limited numbers) for $15. This includes all papers, cardstock, and buttons, as well as my detailed directions with Cricut Cut Chart and full color photograph. Shipping is available. You can contact me through the Cricut messageboard, or leave a comment here with your email address so I can email you back.

It's Beach Time!! Here are 5 layouts that I have recently completed. Most are for pics from our Disney Cruise in '07. The submarine layout, though, will likely get used for pics of the Nemo ride at DisneyWorld.
Layout 1: Life Is a Beach cartridge. Pics were taken on Castaway Cay Island before we were rushed back to the ship because of an approaching hurricane.
Layout 2: Life Is a Beach cartridge. Paper is from Debbie Mumm Travel stack, and it was so cute that I couldn't wait to make a layout - even without the pics in hand. Isn't it amazing how the little submarine from the cart matches the one on the paper?
Layout 3: Ocean of Words, Cuttin' Up cartridges. I bought the Ocean of Words cart just for the dolphins - before Life's a Beach came out. But there are plenty of cute ocean shapes on it. Pics were taken on Paradise Island in the Bahamas where we got to swim with the dolphins. Definitely one of THE BEST experiences of my life!!!
Layout 4: Graphically Speaking cartridge. There are a lot of themes on this very versatile cartridge! Pics were from Castaway Cay Island.
Layout 5: Don Juan cartridge and Sand Dollar punch. Very simple layout with pics from Paradise Island. I actually layered 2 different fonts from Don Juan for a fun look.
Don't forget to click on the pictures to see each layout larger. Thanks for looking, and have a beachy summer!!!

Ahhh, you've been so patient while I ran off to Florida to soak in the sunshine. And now I'm back to the wonderful world of Cricut, and have been getting in touch with my inner rocker chick.
Yes, I've posted this sweet, yet hard-core Explosion Box before, but this is the first reveal of the inside, which is where we know the real magic lies. There are 3 juicy layers, each filled with surprise goodies - a gift card holder, photo mats, and all kinds of wicked cute cuts from Indie Art. This cartridge is not just for teenage boys or tattoo'd freaky people like myself. There are so many fun and girly choices on IA, though it's geared to those of us with attitude issues.
So what on earth do you DO with such a box??? Keep it and hoard it, of course! Or if you're the caring/giving/selfless type, you can use it as a gift. We'll even make a little coordinating card to go with it. It makes a perfect birthday present for a girlfriend, sister or mom - especially if you tuck a JoAnn's card or Starbucks card inside. Yeah, baby!!
This class will be held at my home in Rocklin on Wednesday, June 17th at 6pm. I know, I know, not much notice. Whatever - we rocker chicks are not slaves to deadines! If this class fills up, I may add another one later this summer. Kits are also available to ship. Class fee is $25 (ditto for the kit, + shipping), which includes all papers, cardstock, ribbon, bling, and very easy to follow directions with Cricut Cut Chart and color photographs. If you'd like to sign up for the class or want a kit, just leave a comment with your email address so I can get in contact with you.
Rock on, people!!

Just a few family pics from our beach trip to Anna Maria Island, FL. Jared has a pretty decent camera, so he took these pics himself with the help of a tripod. These still need some touch-ups when we get home, but I just couldn't wait to post them. And there's a whole bunch more on my Facebook page, so feel free to check them out there if you're on Facebook like most of the free world seems to be. Anyway, the pics include the extended family on my hubby's side, which means his brother's fam. And the last picture is my sweet Emily walking thoughtfully along the beach after the shoot. My little girl LOVES the beach now, and I have a feeling it will be a lifelong thing for her.
Btw, I promise to turn this back into a Cricut blog again when I get home in a few days, LOL! I miss my bug!!