H2H Challenges: Seasonal Expressions 1 Cover Challenge

The first March Heart 2 Heart challenge is using the Seasonal Expressions 1 cover as your inspiration.

The Chelsea Gardens collection on the cover is my favorite from this Idea Book, and I have enjoyed creating many projects with it, but today I am featuring something a little different.

These pots of succulents never need watering!  Guests as my open house last month each made their own mini pot to take home.

The succulents were cut from the CTMH/Cricut Flower Market cartridge with Sweet Leaf, Fern, and Juniper card stock. 

Once cut, I sponged the edges either with the same ink or a contrasting ink. (I really ended up loving Pomegranate sponged onto a Fern succulent!)

Everything is stuck together with Liquid Glass.  (Just remember that this stuff will hold anything but dries shiny and wet-looking.)

I bought the moss in the craft section of my local big box store, and the terracotta pots came from the garden center.

Thanks for letting me share a fun home decor project with you that you can literally make, place where you like, and practically forget about having to care for it!  Be sure to see all of the inspiration from the H2H designers, and join us this month!

Graduation Party

As you probably know, our daughter graduated from high school recently.  One of her friends' mom has the great idea to throw a joint graduation party for the kids rather than 10 separate ones.  When one of the moms suggested a superhero theme, we were hooked!  I made photo centerpieces and card boxes for each of our superhero graduates.  I used my CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent cartridge and some current and retired CTMH papers to make their individual superhero "shields."  Here are the boys' boxes.

We rented a room with a kitchen at our local state park, Vogel, and had fun decorating with the superhero theme.

One of the moms used her Cricut to make superhero initials to put on a cape for each kids.

Here's my awesome graduate with her amazing cape!

We had a fabulous time celebrating this milestone in their lives!

H2H Challenges: ABCs

Last week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge was to use numbers in your project, so this week we're wanting to see your letters!  I needed a gift for our niece so I decided to personalize a little tin for her new bedroom makeover.

 Can you believe that this is the Georgia paper pack?  It doesn't look anything babyish at all, which is a good thing since she is now 15.  I cut her initials from the Artfully Sent CTMH/Cricut Cartridge.

 All the other elements were cut with the CTMH/Cricut Artistry cartridge.

 I used silver shimmer trim and sequins to embellish the tin.

 The slate ribbon was the last scrap of that pretty retired pattern.

 The tin include this little 3.5x3.5 card (also cut with Artistry) and a little birthday cash inside.

I think she liked it!

CTMH Cyberweek Sale!

CTMH is offering a fabulous Cyberweek Sale on 39 different crafty items, just in time to get your holiday craft projects ready for the gift-giving season.  The CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent collection is included too!  This sale will run while supplies last, Monday 11/30 (11 AM EST) through Friday 12/4 (6 PM EST).  You can order directly on my website or contact me directly.  Also, the planner bundle will be available 12/1.

Z3111 Base & Bling Snowflake Charm—Faux Gold 

Z3112 Base & Bling Jingle Bell—Faux Gold

 Z3135 Base & Bling Snowflake Charm—Faux Silver 

Z3136 Base & Bling Jingle Bell—Faux Silver 

Z3138 Base & Bling Red Bead Charm—Faux Gold 

Z3139 Base & Bling Red Bead Charm—Faux Silver

 Z3180 Picture My Life™ Going Places Scrapbooking Program 

Z3147 Cut Above™ Dapper Giraffe Card Kit

Z2028 Designer Creations Short Stack Album 

Z2036 Designer Creations Slate Paper Bags 

Z2037 Designer Creations Lagoon Paper Bags 

Z2038 Designer Creations Ruby Paper Bags 

Z2039 Designer Creations Honey Paper Bags 

Z2049 Designer Creations Cupcake Box 

Z2050 Designer Creations Takeout Box 

Z2053 Designer Creations Buttoned Bag 

Z1838 5" x 7" Hinged Display Tray 

Z1750 Designed Décor Display Tray 

Z2006 Designed Décor Red Magnetic Chalkboard 

Z2015 Designed Décor Black Shadow Box 

Z2016 Designed Décor Colonial White Shadow Box

 Z1833 My Creations™ Kraft Container 

Z1871 My Creations™ Kraft 3-Ring Album

 Z1953 My Creations™ Journaling Cards Box 

Z1956 My Creations™ Hip Pics Album 

Z3043 My Creations™ Black Mini Book 

Z3044 My Creations™ Kraft Mini Book 

Z3069 My Creations™ Mini Mix Album 

Z3137 My Creations™ Pint-Sized Container 

Z3168 Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection 

Z1476 4 ¼" x 5 ½" White Daisy Envelopes 

Z1477 5" x 7" White Daisy Envelopes 

Z1478 6" x 6" White Daisy Envelopes 

Z1756 3" x 3" Colonial White Envelopes 

Z1757 4 ¼" x 5 ½" Colonial White Envelopes 

Z1758 5" x 7" Colonial White Envelopes 

Z1759 6" x 6" Colonial White Envelopes 

Z1851 Scallop Border Punch 

Z1997 Triangle Border Punch

H2H Challenges: Twisted Cricut

This week's Heart 2 Heart challenge is to use your Cricut in a "twisted" or different/unique way.

When my friend Joy sent me a tutorial link for 3-D paper Easter eggs, I knew what my Cricut project would be for this challenge!  I have my own quick tutorial for the two different types of eggs you can see in the bowl (and close ups of them too).

1.  Start with five die-cut eggs.  (Mine use the Ariana paper pack and the CTMH/Cricut Art Philosphy cartridge.)  Fold four in half vertically.  Place two folded eggs on either side of the one egg that you didn't fold.  (I alternated my patterns for a very pretty final effect.)  The two eggs below the flat egg fold down and the two eggs above the flat egg fold up.  (Don't worry if you don't get that part right because you can fold them again after you staple them.)

2.  Stack the eggs on top of each other.

3.  Staple the center fold all the way through all five eggs.  Fold the pieces again to fan them out.

 Here are the other two eggs, also from the Ariana paper pack.

For this one, I used two eggs that have a flower cutout.  (This is one of the egg options on the CTMH/Cricut Art Philosphy cartridge.)

 For my final egg, I decided to get fancy and create a honeycomb effect.  You can find a link to the honeycomb tutorial HERE if you'd like to learn how to do this for yourself.  (I think that I used 20 identical die cut eggs and lots of patience, so this one isn't for the faint of heart!)

Be sure to visit the H2H blog to check out all the creative Cricut projects our design team made for you this week.  You have until the end of the month to play along with all of our April challenges, and there's also a special giveaway going on this month too.  Go check it all out!

H2H Challenge: Buttons!

Button, button, who's got the button? We're using buttons this week at Heart 2 Heart challenges. Won't you join us? It's simple to play: create a project using CTMH products and buttons, then post it online, and then link your post to our challenge. You have until the end of the month to play, and there are two fabulous prizes to be given away!

Since I've given away the other two button bracelets I've made, I decided to make one this Mother's Day weekend for me. I loved finding the beautiful flower-shaped buttons in the different packs of CTMH buttons! I decided on the White Daisy & Twilight flower-shaped buttons interspersed with Olive buttons, all strung on Olive embroidery floss.

If you'd like to learn to make your own button bracelet, watch my tutorial HERE, which includes photos and videos of bracelet featured in the tutorial. My first bracelet, made with the Unforgettable paper pack is HERE.

Thanks for stopping by! I've got another button project that I'll be featuring on May 15 for the CTMH Product Spotlight Blog Hop, so head back this way again! Join us at H2H with your own button project before this month runs out. Happy crafting!

CTMH supplies used: Z1358 Basic Buttons; Z1371 Blue Buttons; Z1372 Green Buttons; Z1094 Green Embroidery Floss

FREE Printable Paper

The FREE printable paper that you can find HERE would make great backgrounds, but you also might find something that you actually need, like graph paper or a yahtzee or cricket score card!