3-D Pop Up Image Based Valentine's Day Card - Dementia friendly card series with free Cricut Explore File!

This one is part of a new series of "dementia friendly" projects I'll be posting on my blog - these cards will be based mostly in images with very few words used.  Images are universal and while people may not be able to register written words anymore, images and shapes can still spark something in the mind.  I made this one for my Mom who has advanced dementia and doesn't register written words anymore. I'm hoping the 3-D images will also appeal to her and give her something to play with rather than a flat piece of paper.  She is the inspiration for this new series.

I used a pocket card from Artfully Sent and combined it with the cupid image from Artiste.  Our Heart embossing folder adds a bit of texture and I highlighted the heart cut out with my journaling pen and a bit of Metallic Marker.

I used more of the Gold Metallic Marker on the inside to highlight the 3-D pop up heart (Artfully Sent Cartridge) and more of the Gold Glitter paper for the center heart.  I used my Explore to write the Happy Valentine's Day sentiment (Artbooking Cartridge) and then filled it in with our Warm Gray 4 Shinhan Touch Twin Marker.  I didn't want a whole lot of extra pieces that could be picked off so writing the sentiments directly onto the card inside works great.

The card base is retire Ivy Lane with some very old Jingle accents (cupid and arrow). Using up a bit of stash as I have some serious over flow in that department.  

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoy my new "dementia friendly" series.  If you have any suggestions for what you've found sparks interest for friends or family that are affected by dementia I'd love to hear from you!  

You can purchase any of the items highlighted in this post by clicking on the links or by visiting my shopping site at:

www.Paige.CTMH.com 

As always, I truly appreciate your support of my business! Comments keep me blogging and purchases keep me a consultant!

If you have a Cricut Explore and would like to re-create this card, here is the file:

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/36507106

June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Ice Cream Dream

Welcome to the June SOTM Blog Hop featuring the adorable Ice Cream Dream stamp set!  If you've come here from Alyson's Blog you are on the right track. This hop is one big circle so if you keep going you'll eventually come back here. If you get lost along the way you can find the full list of participating CTMH Consultant Blogs by clicking HERE.

With Father's Day just around the corner I decided to create a card for one of my kiddos to give their Dad using the fun popsicle image and bright, summery colors.  I love the way this one turned out!

The yellow paper is the shiny side of a piece of Honey Paper Fundamentals in the Adventure Collection.  Because this is such a simple card I wanted to focus on adding texture so Paper Fundamentals and Liquid Glass on the popsicles were just the ticket!

This cut is from our Artiste cartridge which is also the cartridge I used for my Explore to write Coolest Pop Ever on the front of the card.

Love our Shinhan Touch Twin Markers!

Close up of the fun texture on our Paper Fundamentals.

To get your own adorable Ice Cream Dream SOTM for just $5 with a $50 purchase or any of the products used in this post, visit my online shopping site at:

www.Paige.CTMH.com

Here is the Explore Design Space File if you'd like to cut one of these cute cards for yourself!

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/28261791

Now hop on over to Tracey's blog and see what she has created for us!

Thanks for stopping by today! Stay crafty my friends!

Paige

Artfully Sent Blog Hop

Welcome to our Artfully Sent Blog Hop!

Today we have well over 40 CTMH consultants sharing projects made with our new Artfully Sent cartridge! If you have come here from Melissa's Blog you are on the right track!  This hop is a big circle so if you continue on eventually you'll come back here but if you get lost along the way, you can click here for a full list of all the participants.

I created a missing you card for my daughter. She hasn't been back home since we took her to college in mid-August so we are counting down the days until Thanksgiving Vacation!  I can't even express how much I miss having her at home but I know she is growing and loving college.

I used my Explore to write our names on the front of the card in silver marker.  I picked the fox theme as I just sent her a fox mask for her Halloween party and used the same Scaredy Cat papers.

On the inside of the card I added a bit of color layering to give more detail to the cuts - I added blocks of green for the leaves and pink glitter paper for the bird to match the heart on the front of the card.

I even used tiny scraps of Pixie Pink between the Champagne overlay of the deer and the solid black backer I created for the pop up section.

Here is the Cricut Explore file I created to make this 5x7" card with pop up liner - I changed the names to Me and You to make it more generic for sharing.  To edit these names just Detach the writing and replace. Some of the tiny pieces like the fox tail and the ears I didn't create squares for - simply tear a tiny piece of the color to cover those areas.  I hope you enjoy the free file!  I truly appreciate the patronage I receive of my CTMH business which allows me the ability to create and offer so many free files!

https://us.cricut.com/design#/canvas/project/21839190

I absolutely LOVE our new Artfully Sent cartridge for making cards!  Pop up cards are my favorite and this cartridge makes them so easy to create and to customize!  If you are ready to join in the fun you can order your cartridge today from my online shopping site:

www.Paige.CTMH.com

Now hop on over to Michelle's Blog and see what she has created to share with us!

Artfully Sent Bouquet of Roses Card - Free Explore File!

One of the things I love about the new CTMH Artfully Sent Cartridge is how easy it is to make great looking cards that are flat for mailing!  Now that I'm sending off a whole lot of happy mail each month, making cards that don't require a lot of extra dollars for postage makes ME a happy camper!  Every penny counts when you have a kid in college - LOL!

This simple card is big on color contrast.  Love our Glitter Paper for adding a dash of sparkle with the cute bow!

Here is the free Explore Design Space file so you can make this card too with your Artfully Sent CTMH cartridge.  If you don't have this awesome new cart yet, hop on over to my online shopping site and get it for yourself!  I truly appreciate your support of my CTMH business which allows me to freely share files on my blog!  Likes on my Facebook business page are always welcome too!

www.Paige.CTMH.com

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/project/21372924

Thanks for stopping by today!  Stay crafty my friends!

Paige

November Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - It's the Little Things

Welcome to our November Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! 

We will be featuring November's SOTM, It's the Little Things.  If you have come here from  Haley's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost, click HERE to find the complete blog hop list!

When I saw this group of stamps I thought how fun it would be to random stamp an entire sheet and then cut a gift ensemble from it!

I used analogous color families like blues and greens, yellows and oranges, and purples and pinks to layer inks while keeping them from looking muddy.

To give things a bit of sparkle I added dots from our Silver Metallic Marker on all the tiny orange flowers and the centers of the purple and pink flowers before cutting with my Cricut.

Our thin Thistle Diagonal Striped Ribbon was perfect to tie up the gift card holder and add the tag to the bag.  I did use a small velcro dot on the bag to keep it closed as well.

Here is the Explore Design Space file for this ensemble.  It uses one 12x12 random stamped or patterned paper and one 8.5x11" sheet of white cardstock.   

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/project/21658059

Here is the list of colors and stamping order I used:

Blue Flowers:  Glacier, Juniper and Topiary

Purple Flower:  Thistle and Gypsy

Pink Flower:  Pixie and Thistle

Yellow Flower:  Canary and Goldrush

Leaves:  First and 2nd Generation Pear

Orange Flower:  First and 2nd Generation Goldrush

To purchase the SOTM for just $5 with $50 purchase or any of the other items needed to make this project, visit my shopping site!

www.Paige.CTMH.com

Now hop on over to Jilena's Blog here and see what she has created!

 

Fox and Cat Halloween Masks with free Explore File

The other day I got a call from my darling daughter who is off at college asking about Halloween costumes.  Her dorm is putting together a fun party for the kids and she wanted a little something cute to wear.  I pulled up a couple of the cartridges from my new Cricut Subscription that my husband bought me for my birthday this year (thanks Mark!) and asked her which cuts she liked the best. Here is what she picked and what I created.

These came out so cute!  I used some metallic paper I had on hand for the reflective silver (just in case they are doing outdoor stuff for the party) and lots of dots of Glitz Glitter Gel to accent.  The orange fox paper is from our Scaredy Cat Paper Pack. The noses are both glitzed and then I added a layer of Liquid Glass on top to keep the glitter on.  The cat's eyelashes are outlined on the tops only with Liquid Glass too - tres chic! 

Since I had to figure out the sizing for these cuts for an adult face I figured I'd share the file here so people don't have to go through the sizing process like I did - LOL!  To make them into a wearable mask I also added 18 inches of grosgrain ribbon to each side and cut a second black base layer to sandwich the ribbon between two black layers making the masks pretty sturdy.  I did use liquid glue for all the layers to ensure a really good bond and a strip of Score Tape under the ribbon tab on each side.

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/project/21476366

Now I need to make one of these cuties for me!

Paige

Artfully Sent Explore Design Space Sizing Cheat Sheet - download a FREE copy!

www.Paige.CTMH.com

Artfully Sent was designed around the E2 machine and older so for people with those machines - use the sizing as indicated in the handbook.  Cards can be adjusted in size but some of the details in the cuts may lose their sharpness at smaller sizes.  If it looks pretty intricate, cut it at the sizes shown.

For those of us with the new Explore machine, the sizing has to be adjusted to create the size cards we want.  The Explore has such detailed cuts that really you can make your cards at any size so a 5x7" card can easily be changed to a 4.25x5.5".  I've spent several hours putting together a document with the guiding principles for adjusting the sizes of cuts to get any size card as well as specifics for using vertical and horizontal fold cards, envelopes and liners, Pocket Cards and the Sleeve cards.  I love getting feedback on my documents to make them as useful as possible so feel free to drop me a note. 

You can download this word document from my google drive here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Ury5dYyE3vNzcwUDBWWlE3YUU/view?usp=sharing

I always appreciate your support of my business which gives me the time to create fun and useful freebies!  

You can shop with me at:

www.Paige.CTMH.com

You can give a like on my business page at:

https://www.facebook.com/Stampologist

Thanks for stopping by today and stay crafty my friends!

Paige

Organizing Picture My Life cards using a Medium Organizer and this FREE Explore Tabbed Divider File

Today I was busy getting ready for my Picture My Life Buffet that is happening this Friday, 3 October from 7-9PM.  This is an open style class where people can drop in and make a few pocket style memory keeping pages using our Picture My Life kits at an a-la-carte price.  I have 10 of the PML kits so far and I wanted to make it easy for people to find the theme or color to match their pictures so this is what I created!

I've used a Medium Organizer #Z4139 and created a tabbed divider for both the 4x6" card sections and the 3x4" card sections using my Cricut Explore and Artbooking.   Each card has the name of the kit, the basic themes of the kit and the colors to make it easy to match by theme or color.  YAY!  

I love the way this came out and I'm sure the people who are coming to the class will appreciate having all the information at the ready!

Want to get a copy of the cut file?  I'm posting it for free but would love a follow in return!  You can follow me here on my blog or Like my page on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/Stampologist.

(Yes, I'm shamelessly trying to get more likes, but hey - Free File!)

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/project/20872203

If you do download this one, leave me a comment or show me a picture to let me know how you like my file!

Hugs,

Paige