My First Card Using The Cricut Expression!!!

 

Here it is!  I used my Cricut Expression Machine to make everything!!

I made this Thank You card for my AWESOME mother-in-law and father-in-law since they were the ones who purchased this for me for Christmas!  THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST!!!

So...I finally was able to get the Cricut Expression up (Ok ok, the hubby set it up for me! Thanks Brien!)  I first tried to use a regular piece of printer paper to do a trial and error run...NOT a great idea...it didn't want to come off of the sticky cutting mat and was hard to scrape off....Also, after installing the blade, we didn't think about turning the size nob down so that it would actually be low enough to cut something...so at least we figured that part out before cutting on good cardstock.

After a few bumps in the road I was able to figure out the sizes that were appropriate for my card...

The base of the actual card itself measures 5 3/4", and I made the envelope at 6".  I cut the floral background using a rectangle feature at 5 1/2".  I made the whole card using the Plantin Schoolbook Cartridge and found it was easy to use and has some cute features to work with.

I used a plain light lavender color for the card base,  a dark purple color cardstock for the flowers and the letters for "thanks", and a plain white cardstock for the scallop edge on top...I added a cute piece of green ribbon on the bottom and I used sheets from the Latte Stack (which has a ton of great designs I love it!) for the top of the card and for the envelope itself from DCWV .

 I purchased my cardstack, cardstocks, and ribbon at JoAnn Fabrics  

Jewelry Making!!!

Yesterday, my cousin Brielle and I had such a great time making earrings.  We took a trip to JoAnn Fabrics and they had an awesome sale on jewelry items!  It took us 3 hours to make 3 pairs of earrings each...but hey, we are beginners!!  I can imagine that once you get the hang of it, you could rip out a ton of earrings.  

The hardest part was the twisting the wire, but it was very therapeutic for me.  I have a neck, back and shoulder injury and I needed something to do while sitting in bed with a bunch of pillows behind me... jewelry making was perfect!  I just used my lapdesk and it worked perfectly.  

We had some lighting issues....Even with all of the lights on in my room, it was hard to see the beads, especially the tiny ones!  I'll have to get a different lamp next to my bed!  

Oh, and sharing only one pair of each of the tools you need slowed us down...it seemed like we always needed to use them at the same time so I will pick up my own pairs soon. 

I can't wait to buy some more beads and start making some more!  Thanks for showing me the ropes Brielle!!! 

(Sorry for the crappy pics, have to find a good camera!)

     






Here are the beads that I used:                               

      Jesse James Dress                Beaders Paradise Bit 

       It Up Blackberry                 Lavendar Mix Beads
          Jam Beads 

 

Sale at JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store

I was so excited to see that there is a SALE at JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store today!!  

Up to 40% off Papercrafting Supplies which includes Paper, Tools, Diecutting Machines and Stamps!  

Can't wait to start collecting paper for my Cricut Expression Machine!