Cricut VS Silhouette

     This is an exciting giveaway Erica has for you this week. Why not head over to her blog and take a look at all the wonderful prizes she is giving away. Can we just say Thank you Erica. She is always having great prizes over there. You can find out all about the prizes Here
      Today I am going to do something I don't usually do but here goes anyways. It has come to my attention that a group on facebook has posted a survey of sorts to ask you your opinion on the Cricut vs Silhouette die cut machines. The problem is that the question was posed to Silhouette uses and not Cricut uses. In fact, many of those commenting don't even own a Cricut machine!
     I will tell you up front that I have been hunting around for a sale on the Cameo Silhouette and really haven't found any. Then I was researching this machine and found it is a completely different type of machine in the mechanics of how the machine works.
     The one thing I did like about it is that you can print an image from your computer by way of your printer and in their software place registration marks and then cut with your Cameo.Sounds good right?
     Well when I really rationalized it, I realized several things:
1.I need a computer plus access to my printer
2.I need to research my images on line if I don't find what I want in their software
3. I need to have my computer plugged into the Cameo
4. I have to make sure I have enough supplies (extra blades, mats etc) because there are no stores near me that carry these supplies let alone the machine.
5. My craft room is in one end of the house while the computer is in another.
6. I don't always have use of the computer in the evening when my husband is doing his business on our shared computer.
     Why did I spend so much time looking for that pot of gold when I have it right here already, lol. I have the following Cricuts: the baby bug, Expression, the E2,Cricut Cake,gypsy and the Imagine. I don't even want to tell you how many carts I have! The ones I use constantly are my Gypsy and I just love my Imagine. If I think I am losing my Mojo all I have to do is go to a booklet and the creativity begins to flow. I can design where ever I am and then just go home, plug in my gypsy and Voila my project is done. If I need extra PC supplies, they are easily available to me @ Michaels, Jo Ann's and ACMoore. I also can find great prices on line @ stores like Erica's from My Cricut Craft Room or Cricut.com 
     My feeling is that competition is always good however it is better to promote the qualities of your product without bashing another brand particularly if they are completely different machines. For me, I am not the most technically expert person so the simplicity and ease of use makes me a devoted Cricut fan .Plus I have my craft room to work in without disrupting the house to use the computer when I want to craft.
     Thanks for listening to my feelings on the subject. Please feel free to add your own 2 cents on the matter. I'd love to hear what your feelings are.

Monkey Baby Card

     Hello my crafty friends. Is everyone ready for the big upcoming events this week? Vacation here I come.
Well since it is Hump day that means it is time of WYEGW and I have a fun project to share. Just in case you are clueless, that means we are only allowed to use the feature keys located on the left side of your handbook. We cannot use the main images. This is a great way to explore all the potential your carts have to offer.
     For my project I used Paisley to create this adorable monkey card. My nephew and his wife are expecting a baby girl in July and the nursery has a jungle theme. Let me show you the card and then we will get to the details.

     Isn't she just adorable? The cardstock is DCWV Nana's Nursery. This monkey image is found on page 31 and I cut it @ 4.25". I also used the tag feature @ 4.25" and it gave me the perfect monkey to layer on the card.

     As you can see I cut the image 3 times. I did this so I could layer it and add some dimension. Before I removed them from the mat, I inked the edges with Gathered Twigs distress ink. I had won these Peachy keen princess face stamps a while ago and I found them the perfect size for this image.

     I cut a piece of matching card stock for the inside before I adhered my monkeys. I love how this monkey looks like it is dancing so I found this frame I had and decided it would add some interest so I glued this on before I did my monkey.

     This saying from K. Andrews Splash-tastic  Summer, was a gift from Erica and it seemed perfect for this card however it should say "stomping", lol. I gave this little miss an ankle bracelet of liquid pearls and a cute lace skirt. Since I have vowed to use as many of my scrap pieces this year, I used  a leftover bouquet of these little lavendar flowers to give her a flower arch.

     Since I didn't use the cut out from the card on the outside of my card, I used it instead on the inside. I know, I know, I'm just so clever, lol. As you can see, this is a tab card so you could include a gift card inside.
     You are able to purchase these products and so many more at Erica's Store. She has an amazing inventory and her prices are so reasonable.
     I hope you all have all your preparations done for the 4th but now it's time to see what my Design Sisters have to inspire you so head back over to Erica's Blog: http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/

Let's Play Street Hockey!

     Welcome back to another WYEGW!!! In case you are new to this concept let me explain. The design team creates a project using the feature keys on the left hand side of your handbook. We cannot use the main images. This is a fabulous way to explore the "hidden" images that you may have overlooked and to find images that can be incorporated in your projects. Today I decided to make a lay out. I usually am a card maker but I really want to challenge myself more and these pictures were too good to store away, lol.
     While my daughter Joelle and her husband Mark had a much needed weekend away to attend a wedding, I (AKA Mema) had the pleasure of watching their 3 little boys. The oldest had a baseball game one day and a semifinal for street hockey the next day. I forgot my camera for the ball game but made sure I had it on hand for the hockey game.

     You are reading that correctly, Ben got his 1st goal which helped them win this round. The chipboard piece "This is where the story begins" was a wonderful surprise from Erica with my last order and it just was perfect in every way: color, sentiment and shape. (Thank you Erica!!!!).  The title was cut from Alphalicious @ .75" using the short stack font as well as short stack shadow and my background paper is from DCWV The Guy Stack.

     There is a great image of hockey sticks in Everyday Paper Dolls on page 55 under the Accessories 2. I cut these @ 5" but hide the puck on my gypsy. They use a ball for street hockey not a puck, who knew, lol. I used a red Candi for the ball and it is over a pop dot. I used some distress emboss and clear embossing powder to give the hockey sticks some shine. Finally I added some liquid pearls to add some detail to the sticks. Did you know erica has a web store? Did you know she has great prices? Did you also know she carries the supplies I used on here? Well, if you would like you should check out her store here: http://www.shop.ericascraftroom.com/.
     Of course if you use Everyday paper Dolls you have to use a paper doll, don't you? I found this hockey/football helmet also on page 55 but the helmet is under Headwear>shift and the grill face plate is on Accessories 2>shift. I used Pink By Design stamps for the face (yup the princess set) and used my white glaze pen to add a sparkle to his eyes.

     I love how this came out. I also used the clear embossing powder on the helmet as well. The face plate is cut from silver card stock and they all were cut @ 5".

     This lay out would not be complete without a goal net since Ben was up close and personal with it, lol. I believe I also cut this @ 5" as well. I did cut this 2x, once out of burgundy color and the other of a metal gray card stock. After I matted all the pics, I used an extra layered mat to do some journalling. This helmet was a Pink By Design stamp from the set: Sports Fanatic. This set has the hockey sticks as well if you do not have EDPD.
     I hope you all have a wonderful rest of "Hump" day and be sure you head back over to Erica's Room http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/ and see what the rest of the team has for you.