Hi Everyone!  Sorry we haven't been able to check in until now.  We have not had internet where we are staying, but now we're at Starbucks just so we can post.  We are having an absolute BLAST here, and I can hardly wait to fill you in on everything.  But for now, I just wanted to let you know to be sure to tune in to Robyn's (My Pink Stamper) live UStream broadcast tonight at 8pm Pacific Time HERE.  Wendy and I will be there along with Robyn and her crew, plus Tammy Skinner and Jinger Adams.  How fun will that be????  It's a pink pajama party, and they're giving away some prizes too, so don't miss it!!  Here's a pic of Wendy and me hanging with Robyn & Tammy's group at LA Live after we all went to the Provo Craft Gala.  What an amazing night that was!

Well, it's been a busy few days. We are getting ready to go to CHA!!! We leave early Friday morning, and will be at the trade show on Saturday and Sunday. The plan is to take bunches of pictures of all the cool new stuff, and share them on the blog. Maybe even a video or two - who know? Any special requests? Wendy and I will also be attending the Provo Craft party on Saturday night, and I am crazy excited about getting to go to that again. After the party will be dinner with a few of our designer friends, so again we'll take bunches of pics for ya. Oh, and we're going to Disneyland, but that's not as exciting to me as CHA. Ha!


Tonight, I'm just posting a little layout I did a while back. I don't have all of the details on the cuts, but could probably track them down if you desparately want the cut info. But I believe most of the cuts were from Sentimentals, Heritage and A Child's Year. The paper is from Basic Grey's Nook & Pantry Line.


Don't forget to become a follower and leave a comment on today's post for a chance to win this week's blog candy - the Winter Frolic cartridge! Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!

Just a quick and fun little post for tonight/Wednesday. Since this week's blog candy is the Winter Frolic cart, I thought I'd show you a little sample of what it can do. I'm in love with this cartridge!!! Here's a little layout I made at a recent crop. Nothing too fancy, but the papers and cuts are cute, so how can ya go wrong?


Patterned papers are from Imaginisce. I believe all of the cardstock, ribbon and buttons are from Stampin' Up. I was a bad girl and didn't take detailed notes, but I'm pretty sure that the characters were cut at 3 1/2". The title is about 4". Of course, I had to ink everything, add my white dots and stitching, and use pop dots.


Don't forget to leave a comment on today's post for a chance to win the Winter Frolic cart this week, and come back each day for more chances.

Here it is. The moment I've been looking forward to for months. I finally get to introduce the first kit I have designed in several months, and this is one that I have been designing in my head and heart for a long time. My comeback project. This is a big deal to me. Not only because I'm so thrilled to be designing again, but because this is for a good cause - one that is now even more near and dear to my heart. This is my way of taking all of the gratitude I have for everyone who sent me cards, gifts, notes of encouragement, brought my family dinners, gave me hugs, cried with me, and showed me the love that I needed during the hardest time of my life - and this is how I'm choosing to pay it forward.


This kit is entirely a fundraiser. ALL proceeds will go to "Team Monique" for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, which is in Sacramento on May 7th. My goal is to sell at least 75 kits to help find a cure for breast cancer. And I would love it if you would help me spread the word to your Cricut friends so we can meet that goal together.  You can post this on facebook or send them the link to the blog if you're willing to help.  And I'll keep you posted on how close we're getting to that goal.

To order the kit, please email me at moniquegriffith@yahoo.com and include your state and preferred payment method (PayPal or check). Kits will ship out February 25th.


The kit will include all of the patterned papers, cardstock and brads that you need to complete the project. Plus you'll get detailed directions with Cricut Cut Chart and color photographs. The kit is $25, or you can get just the directions for $10. Shipping is available, and is $5 in CA, or $6-$9 in the rest of the US, depending on location. Combined shipping is available as we have the Rainy Day kit that was released yesterday, and 2 more that will be released soon.  If you're local to the NorCal area, you can even choose to attend the class on February 22nd, and the proceeds will still go to Race for the Cure.


To complete this project as shown, you will need the following supplies: Cricut Expression and mat, Rock Princess cartridge, black chalk ink, 3D pop-dots, silver gel pen (optional), plus basic tools and adhesive.


If you live in the Northern California, I would love for you to consider walking with our team on May 7th.  It's a 5K (3.1 miles), and let me just say that last year I walked it during chemo - so if I can do that, then most of us can certainly do it! I think the registration fee is around $30, and you'll get a t-shirt from the SGK Foundation. You do not need to fundraise any certain amount to participate. And we'll be having a team dinner to celebrate, so it's a great way to get to know each other and support a great cause. You can sign up HERE!  Or if you just want to donate to the team, go HERE.



Don't forget that today is another chance for this week's blog candy - the Winter Frolic cartridge! Just make sure you're a follower and leave a comment on today's post. And come back every day this week for more chances.




Last September, "Team Monique" participated in the San Francisco Race for the Cure. We raised $9400, and had the largest friends and family team with 48 members.


If you didn't already see the video slide show of my journey that my friend Stephanie put together, you can check it out HERE.

This week's blog candy is... a CARTRIDGE!!! Woohoo!! It's the Winter Frolic cartridge to help you scrap a few more winter pics before Spring arrives. To enter, just make sure you're a follower of this blog and leave a comment on today's post. Plus you can come back every day through Friday for more chances!


Check out this brand new layout kit by the one and only Bling Queen - Wendy Lawrence. Rainy Days sure wouldn't get me down if they were always this gorgeous, that's for sure! See below for details and ordering info...


This layout would be so fantastic for pictures of your little one in their rain gear, stomping in puddles, or even playing in the garden. And it's gender neutral too, which is always helpful! Included in the complete kit will be all of the patterned papers, cardstock, ribbon, etc that you need to create the layout. Plus you'll get our detailed yet easy to follow directions with Cricut Cut Chart and well-organized written instructions, with plenty of color photographs.


To complete this project as shown, you will need the following supplies: Cricut Expression and mat, Simply Charmed cartridge, brown chalk ink, white gel pen, 3D pop dots, Diamond Stickles, plus basic tools and adhesive. Cuttlebug with Distressed Stripes embossing folder is optional.


The complete kit is $25, or you can order the directions for $10. To order, just email me at moniquegriffith@yahoo.com, and include your state and payment preference (PayPal or check). This kit will be ready for shipping on February 25th.


Shipping is available as always.  Shipping in California is $5, and ranges from $6-$9 in the rest of the US, depending on location.  We're always happy to combine shipping when ordering multiple kits, and you'll never pay more than $10 shipping, even if ordering several.  Keep that in mind because we're going to have this Rainy Day kit and 3 others available for shipping in February!!


Don't forget to leave a comment on today's post to be entered for this week's blog candy!!


And be sure to come back tomorrow as I will be showing pictures of the brand new "Tuff Girl" layout kit that uses the Rock Princess cart. This is my come-back project, and it's ENTIRELY a fundraiser for Team Monique for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Want a sneak peek? Here ya go...

We've got a winner for last week's blog candy. The prize is 8 different colors of Signo Uniball gel pens, and 3 different VersaMagic Chalk inks. And the winner is...

lanejoy1 said...

"Your Mom is so sweet and talented. As I watched the video,I could see so much love between the two of you. You both are lucky to have each other. LOVED HER STORAGE AREA FOR HER 2 FAVORITE THINGS.lol"

lanejoy1, just email me at moniquegriffith at yahoo dot com, and include your mailing address so I can send you your prize.   Congrats!!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to see Wendy's gorgeous new "Rainy Day" layout and find out what this week's blog candy will be.  Woohoo!

Hi Everyone! I've got nothing planned for the blog today, so I thought I'd just share something funny to brighten your day. This is a video of my little girl, Emily, at exactly 6 months old. I never get tired of watching it, and hope it'll make you smile.



Emily is now 6 years old, and is still addicted to laughing. She's a great kid who loves art, loves to Cricut, loves to play on my Gypsy, loves to play the violin, loves school, and is just a well-rounded, sweet little punkin. And she still loves her doggies, Chewy and Stella...

Happy Friday, peeps! As promised, here's an interview with yours truly. Even if you caught the UStream, this is a different line of interrogation... uh, I mean questioning. It's more about designing, teaching, etc. Hope you enjoy. And don't forget to become a follower and leave a comment on this post for another chance to win this week's blog candy (8 Signo pens and 3 VersaMagic chalk inks). We'll be posting the winner by Sunday.



Here are a few of my favorite Cricut projects that I've designed over the last couple of years...

Down by the Sea Layout. Made with A Child's Year. I made this when Provo Craft asked me to preview this cartridge before it came out, and it's still one of my favorite carts!

Wild About You Book. Uses Animal Kingdom & Mickey Font. This was made for a class, and was my top-selling kit of all time. They're sold out, but directions are available.

Home for the Holidays Layout. Uses Everyday Paper Dolls and Winter Woodland. I made this during my week as Guest Designer for Everyday Cricut a little over a year ago. It was never a kit, so I don't have full directions for it, but you can get basic directions HERE.

Girly Gift. Tags, Bags, Boxes & More plus the Mother's Day cart. Was made for a class and sold out twice, but directions are still available. Paper is from Websters Pages.

Dream Book. Made with the Storybook cartridge. (No Design Studio involved.) Taught this as a class. Directions are still available.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed getting to know our designers a little better this week.  We might just have to do a video interview of Wendy, though, since she missed out on being tortured that way.  Be sure to keep coming back as we'll have more blog candy each week, and more videos, projects and tips & tricks coming up.

Hey, how did you enjoy meeting my Mom yesterday? Isn't she just a blast? And now I want to introduce you to the newest member of our Design Team... Becca Rees!! She just moved back here to California recently, after spending the last 6 years in Texas. Becca is a wonderful designer with an artist's eye for color, and has so many creative ideas. (And yes, she's the one who designed the Valentine Cards & Gift Box kit that has been selling like hotcakes!)  Don't forget to become a follower and leave a comment on today's post for another chance to win this week's blog candy - 8 Signo Uniball gel pens and 3 VersaMagic chalk inks. Alrighty, check out today's video and a small sampling of some of Becca's work below...



Above is the Valentine Cards & Gift Box Kit. Requires Expression, Sweethearts cartridge and basic tools and adhesive. $25 for the complete kit, or $10 for directions alone.


And below are a few of Becca's layouts from her stash. I told ya - great ideas!!







Tune in tomorrow. I might just force Wendy or Becca to interview me. If you have any questions for me, go visit our facebook fan page HERE and post them!

Yesterday, you got to meet Wendy. Today, I'll introduce you to Susan Rees (aka "Nana Susan"), another of our wonderful designers, who just so happens to be my Mom! Susan has designed several kits, and many have sold out almost instantly! She's a design maniac! So check out our video interview (turn your volume way up - it's a little quiet). Then make sure you're a blog follower, and be sure to leave a comment for another chance to win this week's blog candy. We're giving away 8 Signo Uniball gel pens and 3 VersaMagic chalk inks - a $33 value. Sweet!



Here are a few kits that Susan still has in stock. Aren't they too stinkin' cute??? See ordering info below each kit, or click on our Cricut Kits page for a complete list of available kits.


"Built to Play" kit (above). Requires Robotz cartridge, Expression machine, plus a few basic tools and adhesive. Complete kit is $25. Directions alone are $10.



"Fabulous & Feisty" kit. Requires Paisley cartridge, Expression machine, plus a few basic tools and adhesive. Complete kit is $25. Directions alone are $10.



"Once Upon a Time" kit. Requires Storybook cartridge, Expression machine, plus a few basic tools and adhesive. Complete kit is $25. Directions alone are $10.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to meet the newest member of our Design Team, Becca Rees!

Hello Everyone,  (Don't forget the blog candy-Just comment and you are entered)  See Monday's post to check it out.

Monique asked me a few questions that she wants me to share with you. First of all I have to say that I am not good at talking about myself. So here goes!

Describe yourself in 3 words or less:Crazy-Fun (1 word), multi-tasker, dedicated. 

How did you get into scrapbooking? Funny-My Mother-in-Law started going to a few classes and since I was new to Califoria at the time I started going with her.  "I kept telling her-You guys are crazy I will never do this"  And here we are 5 years later.

What's your favorite drink? Really...I thought everyone knew-Diet Coke

Favorite colors to scrap with? I love all colors.....

What are your favorite paper lines? Imaginisce,  Cosmo Cricket,  Echo Park,  Basic Grey.  I really love many lines.

How would you describe your scrappin' style? Fun/Cute

What are a few of your fave scrappin' tools? My ATG, stickles/bling, distressing ink, Signo Pens.

Who else do you design for? Iron Orchid Designs, My Pink Stamper & Everyday Cricut.

Tell us about your family:  I have been married to my best friend for 20 years.  We have 2 girls ages 19 & 10 and they are amazing.

Other hobbies and interests? Hanging out with my family

How did you meet Monique? I met Monique thru the Cricut Message board.  Our friend Deborah put together the first swarm here in Norcal with 22 people and Monique was also there.  Since we met we have been fast friends.

Favorite movie(s)? Most any movie with Sandra Bullock & Julia Roberts.

How long does it take you to design a project for a kit? About 12-15 hours. Then to prepare the kit and do directions make the total of about 35-40 hours.

Favorite part of the kit design process? Designing/Cutting

Most painful part of the kit design process? Directions

Who are your scrap heroes? Tim Holtz, Heidi Swapp, Teresa Collins..There are really so many amazing heroes.

Ok-Hope you are still awake!!  Now for a project.

I used the "Love Struck" Cartridge with this project.   I simply just hit "Fit to Page" and I believe it cut at 11.5 inches.  I cut this out in plain cardstock and designer paper attaching the 2 together so give make the mailbox sturdy.