Yay! I've got the cricut again

I'm so obsessed with cricut's now - not far enough having saved enough money now to buy my own but luckily I have a good friend who was willing to let me look after hers whilst she is on holiday.  I really wanted to borrow it for cutting out the numbers and letters for the cards below - it's so time consuming to cut them out by hand.
One of my best friends asked me to make these months ago but I've run pretty close to the wire - they're for her Grandad's 90th birthday next week - one from her and one from her Mum.  The brief was simple - hers had to have 90 and Grandad on.  The other should have 90 on it too, preferably with Dad and maybe with some kind of musical theme.

So here they are

Background paper  Bella Boulevard - Sweet Celebration

Shapes cut from 'Sweet Treats' Cricut cartridge (5 inch) using coredinations cardstock.

Alphas by Pink Paislee

Card Candy

Letters and numbers cut from stash leftover paper using cricut 'Winter Woodland) 3 inch numbers and 2.5 inch letters.

Front background coredinations embossed with Cuttlebug 'happy birthday'

Manuscript paper - from stash - left over from my GCSE music (circa 1990)

The music is 'happy birthday - badly done by hand

Balloons by Jolees

Mothers Day & Mum's Birthday

Mum's birthday always falls close to Mothers Day - there was one year I remember it being on the same day!  As someone who finds it difficult to think of one present to buy her I really struggle to find two! 
I thought things were going well this year because she dropped some "hints" - well when I say hints - she sent loads of links to ebay items as she wanted to increase her "Old Country Roses" china collection.  The more I spoke to her though, the more fearful I became of buying the wrong thing - there's so much to bear in mind - whether its a first or second, whether its vintage or the new stuff.  In the end, I couldn't take the stress o have said I'll give her some cash to buy what she really wants.
I had to give her something to open on her birthday though so I made this......I was supposed to be making something else to go in that box but realised too late that an essential component was missing.  It's on order now so I'm hoping it will arrive in time for mothers day now.

Thanks to Debbie for the tutorial on this card and box in one

Mum made me laugh - she carefully pinned her ribbon brooch on to her jumper but soon realised she had placed it somewhere inappropriate.  I said I'd have to make her another for the other one.

Papers are coredinations jewel and crate paper blue sky collection.  Cutesy owl from Craftwork cards coloured in with my trusty promarkers.

I can't post her mothers day card yet as she sometimes checks my blog but Mum did ask me to make a card for her to send to my Granny.  So here it is.........

 

You'll see a lot of those card candy flowers over the next few days - they're on all the cards I've made today and another I have in mind.  They're so simple to make - 5 candies right way up with one upside down in the middle.  I've placed a 'jewel' in the middle of this one but I think it looks better with a pearl - you;ll see once I can post the other cards!

The butterfly was my bragain of the day - from home bargains - where else?.  It cam in a box of 6 - wired, probably for easter bonnets I'd guess.  All 6 for 69p!

Tweet Tweet

I'm not a birdy person at all - as anyone who's seen me go pale at the sight of a feather will let you know but I really love these little stylised birds from CraftWork Cards..

I made this card to go in the latest parcel sent out to Afghanistan and was very pleased to find that you can colour in the lovely pearlised paper with my promarkers.  You can also colour in their card candy if you have the patience of a saint. I chose to colour in the background and leave the birdie plain.  the card blank is a patterned one from a DCWV stack.

Sis has now confirmed she's got it so I can post it on here.  Even better she says that the minstrels I sent out survived the journey and haven't melt.  In her own words "they are, alas, no more!"

Assessing Deliverables

Had my project management hat on this weekend First I assessed the current situation;

My album has 15 leaves, I have 5 completed layouts.

Then the available resource;

Mum and Dad are going to Granny's on Friday so I have to have it ready and wrapped by Thursday evening. So 1 weekend and 1 full evening available.

I realised if I was going to try and get all that done this scrapbooking business might not be so much fun!

So I've decided to remove 5 leaves from the album. Leaving 5 layouts to do.

Here's 2 from yesterday / today. Am going to try and get at least one other done this evening.

Guess who bought some card candy today! Popped into the craft den looking for some papers suitable for retro seaside pics but had no luck. Still it was worth the visit. I'll deffo be back for some more colours now I've tried them.

First up - the betrothed page - not 100% happy with the wording as it's merging into the background but it will just have to do. The first picture is of Granny and Grandad when they were engaged. The second is when they went on holday before they were married and had to take Granny's Granny and brother as chaperones. Papers from my Costco collection.

Secondly; Family;

Was going to put a picture of Granny and her Mum at Mum's wedding on this page then decided it would be nicer to have the whole family group. Paper by Crate Paper: Sweet Branch Collection - Flutter. Card candy by Craftwork Cards from the Craft Den.

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