Wedding Album Using Cricut Mini Books Cartridge

I made this album for friends Billy (Michael) and Jasmine who got married this summer. This was my first mini album using the Cricut Mini Books cartridge. I've made paper bag mini albums in the past but this one was basically from scratch.

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Making the Album

I modified the cover so I could use chipboard between the inside and outside cover papers. I cut the chipboard into 3 pieces, with a small gutter between for folding (order: front cover/gutter/spine/gutter/back cover).

I bound the book using binder rings from the local office supply store. To hid some of the metal and give it some flair, I tied different types of ribbons around each. I cut their names out using vinyl and my Cricut with Cricut Craft Room so I could weld the letters together. Much of the decorations were done using my Sizzix Big Shot Pro machine and various dies. Many of my dies have coordinating stamps. For example, the heart on the cover was made using Stephanie Bernard's Hearts2diefor stamp set (love their products!) and the coordinating Sizzix Framelits Hearts #2.

Inside the album I tried to match up photo mats (to hold 4x6 photos) with journaling blocks. The photos and some journaling blocks will slide under the corner decorative elements (they are not glued down where the photo would go). The bottom ticket is from Tim Holtz and Stampers Anonymous, CMS100 Odds And Ends (sorry their website is not well organized; click the link with set 100 to find it), and cut using the matching Sizzix ticket strip die (note: I cut the tickets first then stamped). I love this calendar ticket!

The tag below was cut with a Tim Holtz Sizzix die. I just used a white pen to go around the edges for a faux stitched look. The dress, jacket, and hat (further below) are Jolee's Boutique stickers. The flower is from Petaloo. I painted it with some Viva Decor 3D Stamp Paint for sparkle.

The below image just shows what's below the mat and tag. The dress and jacket stickers are on the front side of an envelope (you'll see the other side next).

The key was cut with a Sizzix mini key die, painted with Viva Decor Inka Gold rub, then sanded and inked with Distress ink. The tag was cut using my Cricket and the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy cartridge, then stamped with the coordinating stamp.

The tags on the baker's twine are by Taylored Expressions (another favorite stamp/die maker). The top left heart was made the same as the one on the cover; I believe the bottom right heart was done on my Cricut using a Close to My Heart (CTMH) cartridge and matching stamp set (not sure if it is from Art Philosophy or Artiste). The CTMH Cricut cartridges are probably my favorites of all the Cricut cartridges. They are jam packed full of goodies. I also love how their high quality stamps perfectly coordinate with the cartridges.

The below image is the same as the above except the tags have been pulled out from behind the corner embellishments. I don't remember where I bought the post card stamp or the journaling lines stamp.

By the way, the pull-out mats are double sided (you can see one flipped over in the video at the bottom of this post). The note page below was created using the Sizzix Tim Holtz On the Edge Die, Torn Notebook (yet another favorite!). The flourish was cut using the Sizzix Elegant Flourishes Die.

I put a decoration (hand cut from the same paper as the pocket) across the back of the pocket so that the tag would not get hooked on it when put back in.

I cut the bridal couple image using the Cricut Stretch Your Imagination cartridge. The negative was so cool that I included it inside their card.

This is the last photograph; be sure to check out the video to see the couple last pages. The bracket tag was another CTMH stamp/cartridge combo. The Just Married title was cut using the Cricut Tie the Knot cartridge. I cut it in black and offset the top cuts to give them a shadow and make it more sturdy. You can see the clear mylar sheet over a chalkboard page (chalkboard paper by Die Cuts with a View, DCWV). I stamped the sentiment and cake in white with StazOn ink.

Below is a video "mini tour" of the album. It's a bit over the top; I was playing around with iMovie. Unfortunately I didn't think about recording a video until the last minute (just before packaging up the album for shipping) so I quickly shot it with my iPhone - holding the phone in one hand and tuning pages with the other (not an easy thing to do!). The optics on the phone lens (really, not the best) made my arm look huge.

Supplies

I highly recommend Scrapbook.com for craft supplies. For more difficult to find items, try Amazon.

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Party Pop n' Cuts Birthday Card

I made this card for my long-time friend Mirta. She's a really special person so I wanted to make her a really special card. I started with a 6x6 paper pack, Hootenanny by My Mind's Eye. I colored Tilda with my Copic markers to match the paper colors (the stamp is Tilda with Wedding Gifts, by Magnolia). I cut out the image and frame behind it with Spellbinders Labels Four dies. The sentiment was stamped in matching ink and embossed in clear to give it some texture. I used Stephanie Bernard's ornatelabel2stamp set and matching Sizzix Framelets Labels, Ornate #2 for the frame and to cut it out, respectively.

The large flower is from Petaloo, one of their Color Me Crazy mulberry paper flowers. I used Viva Decor Precious Metal Color to paint the flower in matching pinks and blues. I made the small flower with the Sizzix Thinlits Die Set, Flowering Quince.

The card base was cut with Pop n' Cuts Card, Square with Ornate Edge. The inside was cut with the Sizzix Pop n' Cuts magnetic insert Party 3D. I used the matching Sizzix Sizzlits Party Set #2 to cut the inside word "Party" in blue, as well as the streamer ribbon and stars. I colored the streamer and two of the stars with Tim Holtz Distress Stickles (Spun Sugar and Tumbled Glass, I believe). Two of the balloons were cut from card stock, stamped in darker matching ink, and cut using the balloons2cut stamp and die set. I wanted one balloon on matching patterned paper from the Hootenanny pack but realized that I didn't have a plain outline stamp for the balloons. I actually had to order the matching happyBday2you stamp set (luckily her shipping is only $1 per set).

I used a heart die set (although don't remember where I got it) to cut the heart from red card stock, then added Glossy Accents to make it shine. Finally, I used my Cricut and the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy Cartridge and the matching Cherish the Day stamp set to cut the date ticket.

I used recycled clear plastic packaging to hang the balloons and streamer. I just cut a couple of small slits in the top of the pop up platform to stick them through, making small feet to adhere them to the bottom of the card with Glue Dots. Matching twine makes pretty balloon strings.

I love how the card came out. From the side angle you can see how I added some foam tape between the balloons to give them extra dimension. If you look carefully you can also see the clear plastic on which they are mounted, including the feet.

Party Paws Panda Card for a Friend

I recently made this card for a good friend. The main image is from the Party Paws EZMount stamp collection available at Crafter's Companion. This specific set is called Bamboo. The image was stamped with Onyx Black VersaFine Ink on Beckett Expression Cover, Radiance (130#). Unfortunately this excellent quality heavy card stock is no longer being produced; the manufacturer recommends as its replacement Strathmore Premium Cover (this link is to Ultimate White; I'm not sure how it compares to Radiance). I haven't used it yet.

I love VersaFine ink - it really does a beautiful job with all types of stamps... and it's waterproof! I colored the image with Tim Holtz Distress Markers using a water brush.

The base card was cut from Bazzill Basics card stock using a Sizzix A6 scalloped card die. The 3D flower was cut using the Sizzix Sunflower set of dies by Susan Tierney-Cockburn. I cut the leaves from green card stock (Bazzill), painted them with Distress Markers for added shading, then shaped them with a die pick (rubbed the backs of the leaves with the cap, drew lines with the sharp/pointed end). I cut the petals from cream card stock, painted them with the same colors of Distress Markers as the stamped flower, then shaped them with a die pick (line down center) and handle of a small paintbrush (curled ends). I cut the center pieces from brown card stock and shaped them into little "cups" using the rounded end of an embossing tool (you may also use the end of a small paintbrush handle). Below is a closeup of the flower.

The ribbon is Hug Snug seam binding from Zipper Stop. I buy it in cream or white then dye it to match my cards. This was dyed with matching Tim Holtz Distress Stain. The butterfly was punched from vellum with a Martha Stewart butterfly punch then colored with Distress Markers to match the butterfly in the image.

Tim Holtz and I at Stampfest, Orlando, FL

My husband and I were in Orlando at the end of June for The Dice Tower Con (board gaming convention). We arrived early to go to Disney World and Universal. I also found out that Tim Holtz was going to be in the area for Stampfest. Unfortunately I had to rush to get over there - taking the bus to the hosting hotel. I arrived about an hour and a half before closing (which was about 5pm !?). Believe it or not, they charged me FULL PRICE even though I told them I could not make it the next day, i.e. that I was only there for an hour and a half. Ugh.

I made a beeline for the Stampers Anonymous booth - and there he was! Sadly, all I had was a camera phone (the HORROR!) - I apologize for the lack of quality in the photos. Below is a shot of Tim talking us through a technique for adding paint and alcohol inks to his black numbers.

I snagged the tag he was making so here's a close up of the project. Thanks Tim! He was even kind enough to sign it for me! The brighter, colorful number was painted with a coat of white before alcohol inks were applied.

I shot a lot of photos but I thought this one was cute - he was giving me a smirk. The tag he was working on was created with masks and different layers of ink.

I asked one of the attendees to take a photo of me with Tim. I wish he would have taken a few shots - this one was badly blurred and no amount of Photoshopping was going to fix it. Sigh.