Owl Thank You Box Card

We're just back from sunny and warm Marco Island.  It was so nice to be outdoors again.  I took lots of pictures.  I always enjoy watching the Pelicans and can't resist taking lots of pictures of them.  Here is a photo of my favorite Pelican. He stood on the pier for quite awhile watching the fishermen clean the fish and hoping for any left over scraps.  He was the only Pelican with beautiful turquoise eyes. He was so adorable that I pleaded with the fishermen to throw some of their fish scraps directly to him.  I wanted to do something nice for him since he allowed me to get close enough to get some great photos.

Large Aloe plant growing along the walkway.

 While I was on Marco Island, I attended the Shell Show.  The Shell Show had some amazing art work and craft items all created using shells.  I stopped to talk to an artist who had carved a cameo in a large shell, using her own antique cameo necklace as the inspiration.  After viewing the exhibits I walked through the shop with handcrafted items made using shells.  I spotted a unique shell sculpture.  I picked up the sculpture and chatted with the artist and decided that this piece would be a really useful addition to my studio to hold all of the small items that usually end up rolling around my drafting table while I'm working on a project.  As I walked away, I noticed a group of ladies crowded around a large table full of baskets of shells.  The ladies' took a small zip-top bag marked $3 and proceeded to fill the bags with shells from the baskets. The shells were beautiful and I was able to fill a bag with about 100 small to medium size shells.  Picking through baskets of shells is a lot easier than hunting them on the beach ( which I also did ).

Shell Sculpture

Sample of the shells purchased at the shell show.

I'm really enjoying all of the capability of my Silhouette Cameo.  I found a Lori Whitlock A2 Box Card in the Silhouette on-line store.  The SVG files for the Owl Thank You Box Card can also be purchased directly from Lori Whitlock.  This card is cute and different.  I cut a second owl tab and added some tulips to the front of the box.

Owl Box Card

Side view of Owl Box Card.

Directions for Owl Box Card:

Turquoise and purple print card stock
Light purple, aqua, dark purple, green and ivory card stock
Small flowers
Wiggly eyes
Lori Whitlock A2 Owl Box Card SVG file


 Cut the card according to template directions.  Cut three squares and a long rectangle out of the purple print card stock.  Cut the box out of ivory card stock.  Cut three rectangles out of turquoise card stock.  Cut the Thank You sign out of aqua card stock and the owls out of light purple and their tummies out of dark purple. Cut three owls (duplicate the owl on the long tab).  Cut the leaves out of green card stock.  Assemble the box according to directions.  Glue one owl in the front of the box and glue two small flowers behind him.  The flowers were some that I had punched using the Martha Stewart Tulip paper punch and scraps of left over card stock.

Starry Night Card

Now that Christmas has come and gone and I no longer feel compelled to devote all of my free time to making gifts, I can finally tackle some of the projects on my "to do" list. One of those projects is encaustic art.

 I recently bought some wax and an encaustic iron from Amazon along with the Encaustic Studio book by Daniella Woolf.  As someone new to encaustic art, I found this book to be very useful.  Not only does Ms. Woolf explain the basics (tools and materials) but she also explains mixed media techniques like image transfers, collage, stenciling and masking and then concludes the book with a section of step by step projects. I like the fact that she explains each section of the book on DVD (included with the book) to illustrate the techniques that she is using.  So far it's been too cold to work on any encaustic projects. Working with encaustic materials requires good ventilation- an open window and a fan.

A few months ago, I bought a Versa tool at Michaels with a 50% off coupon.  Everyone from Scrapbookers to Mixed Media Artists is raving about this tool. It has an adjustable temperature dial and can be used on a variety of materials (everything from paper to wood).  I used the hot knife tip to cut stencils, the iron tip  to smooth plain bees wax over a stamped image and the round disk for image transfer. The tool really is versatile and works as stated by the manufacturer. There are a couple of things that I didn't like about the tool. The stand is flimsy and moves across the work surface when the tool is resting on it, making it unstable and causing the hot tool to fall. This is a safety issue because the Versa tool gets very hot and could potentially cause second degree burns if it touches the skin. I did not like the placement of the temperature control on the cord. It was awkward when trying to use the tool for precision work like cutting stencils because the control kept getting in the way. The iron shaped tip is good for small projects like melting a small amount of bees wax directly on paper but is tool small for a larger scale project. For larger projects you may want to invest in a craft or encaustic iron.

Paper template and cut stencil.

The stencil in the picture above was cut with the Versa tool hot knife out of plastic stencil blanks. The template for the stencil was cut at 6 inches (out of card stock) on the Cricut Expression using the Ornamental Iron cartridge and Gate 10c.  The template was taped right side up under a piece of glass (from an old discarded picture frame) and the stencil plastic was taped on top of the glass over the template (using blue painters' tape).  When cutting stencils I found the tool easier to work with when tracing the image if I approached it like tracing a drawing. Try to keep movements slow and fluid. If the tool sits in one place too long it will melt holes in the plastic and give rough edges. Cutting stencils produces a lot of fumes so work near an open window and use a fan to vent fumes to the outside.

Next I tried using the Versa tool for image transfers. I really like the final results but it took a long time to transfer the image.  I started with the manufacturer's suggested temperature setting for image transfer but found that the setting got too hot and had to lower the temperature. When doing an image transfer you need to start with a toner based print and print a mirror image of the picture or the picture transfer will not have the same orientation as the original. If you look closely at Starry Night you will see that the image is reversed ( I intentionally chose this effect ).  To transfer an image with the Versa tool tape a piece of card stock to a piece of glass and lay the toner based image face down on the card stock. Continually run the Versa tool over the image until the print has been transferred to the card stock. After the paper was heated, I could feel the ink releasing from the paper. For safety, I layered a Mod Podge heat resistant silicone mat under the glass (this held the glass  in place without shifting while I cut the stencil) and taped the stand for the Versa Tool securely to a ceramic tile.

 Craft Tips:

• Save the pieces of card stock that are left on the Cricut mat after removing the die cut.  These make great embellishments.

• Save the foam piece that remains after all of the foam dots have been removed. This can be used just like the dots and can be cut to fit odd shaped pieces or used as is to attach an image to a card. I used the left over piece to attach the blue mat to the front of the Starry Night card.

Versa tool with stand taped to a ceramic tile for safety.

Starry Night and transferred print. Note the image reversal.

Finished card. The swirls on the blue background are cut outs from the stencil template.

Directions for Starry Night Card:

Cream, white, blue dotted,  black and a scrap of olive green card stock
Starry Night toner based print, Starry Night print was from the Van Gogh Gallery on line.
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist- Dazzling Diamonds
Ranger Stickles- diamond dust
Martha Stewart Leaf Paper Punch
Tan sheer ribbon
Foam dots
3 Left over pieces from Gate 10c- these are the left over pieces on the mat once the die cut is removed.
Small self adhesive crystals
Glue gun
Petaloo Flora Doodles-dark blue small beaded Peonies
Piece of glass- mine was salvaged from an 8 1/2 x 11 inch picture frame that had been thrown away.
Versa Tool
Small Ceramic tile
Painter's tape
Mod Podge silicon mat to protect the work surface


1.  Fold the cream card stock in half horizontally.

2.  Print Starry Night on a piece of multipurpose paper using a laser printer. I used an HP printer and chose the 3x5 picture option.  Cut the excess white paper from the image, leaving a small border so the image can be taped to the card stock.  Take into account that your image will be reversed when transferred to the card stock.  To prevent this print a mirror image of the design.

3.  Place the Mod Podge silicon mat on your work surface to keep the glass from slipping during the transfer process.  Tape a piece of card stock slightly larger than the print on the glass.  Place the print face down, centering it on the card stock and tape the edges so the print doesn't shift during the transfer process.

4.  Attach the round disk tip to the Versa tool, heat the tool to the transfer setting.  Once the tool has heated to the set temperature, begin burnishing the image with a circular motion. This takes a while. Periodically lift the edges of the paper to see if the image has transferred.  Keep burnishing the area until all the surface ink has transferred to the card stock. Slowly peel the paper away from the transferred area and continue working. I worked from the bottom to the top, peeling the paper away as I went along.

5.  Let the print cool. Cut it to 3 1/4 x 4 inches, leaving only the transferred image.  Spray the image with Glimmer Mist Diamond Dust and let it dry.

6.  Cut a piece of black card stock 1/8 inch larger (on all sides) than the print. Glue the print to the black card stock.  Cut a piece of blue dotted card stock 1/4 inch larger (on all sides) than the black matted print. Use foam dots to attach the print to the blue card stock.  Cut another piece of black card stock 1/4 larger than the blue dotted card stock. Use foam dots to attach the blue matted print to the black card stock.

7.  Cut a piece of blue dotted card stock approximately 5 1/4 inches high by 7 1/4 inches long and glue to the card leaving approximately 1/2 inch on each side and 1/4 on the top and bottom.  Cut a piece of tan sheer ribbon 1/2 inch longer than the width of the card, tucking 1/4 inch under the sides of the card and glue in place, centering it over the blue dotted card stock. Tie a small bow from the ribbon and glue to the right side of the card over the ribbon.

8.  Center the matted print on the front of the card, using foam dots to attach the print to the card.  Glue 3 of the cut outs left over from the stencil to the upper left, and lower and upper right edges of the blue card stock.

9.  Punch 3 leaves (using the leaf paper punch) from the scrap of olive green card stock.  Glue the blue Peony to the lower left edge of the card and glue the leaves under the petals.

10.  Attach a medium crystal to each corner of the blue dotted mat and then attach small crystals randomly around the sky.  Lightly apply the Stickles diamond dust to the swirled cut outs and randomly around the sky (follow the motions of the painting).

Hello Kitty Thank You Card

It's been a while since I've used Hello Kitty in a project, she's so cute and sweet that she seems like the obvious choice for a thank you card.  After selecting the Hello Kitty holding the flower image, I embossed her outfit to give it some texture.

 During the holidays I bought DCWV's Chalkboard paper to use in Michelle's inspirational book but the paper didn't work.  I tried a variety of markers, pencils and pens but nothing worked. I tried using chalk but the words smeared.  I tried writing with pastels and then spraying the paper with a permanent fixative, but the words still smeared. I've used this method many times to permanently preserve my pastel paintings so I couldn't understand why it didn't work this time.  I had read that white gel pens can be used to write on chalkboard paper.  It works well and the result is permanent. I cut a small piece of black chalkboard paper and wrote Thanks, thank you and Merci several times and at different angles around the paper and then attached Hello Kitty to the chalkboard background with foam dots.

This card was designed as a thank you card but it could easily be turned into a Valentine's Day card by changing the words on the chalkboard, the color of the background paper and adding a few more hearts.

Directions for Hello Kitty Thank You Card:

Cricut Hello Kitty cartridge
Card stock- white, dark pink, light pink, black and a scrap of dark turquoise
DCWV Chalkboard paper- black
White Gel pen
Small aqua buttons-four
Recollections Paper Roses- medium turquoise
Small purple flower
Recollections Self Adhesive pearls
Orange print card stock
Hot glue gun
Foam Dots
Embellishments-swirl and small heart

Yellow marker

1.  Cut Hello Kitty (HK2) at 2 3/4 inches following the guidelines in the Cricut cartridge booklet. Cut the outfit out of dark pink card stock and then again out of light pink card stock.  Assemble Kitty and color her nose with the yellow marker.  Glue a medium size pearl to the center of the flower in Kitty's hair.  Glue a small purple flower over the flower in Kitty's hand.

2.  Cut a piece of black chalkboard paper 4 inches by 4 inches.  Use the gel pen to write thank you and Merci spaced around the paper.  Write Thank You in large letters across the bottom of the paper.  Attach foam dots to Kitty and center her on the chalkboard paper. Glue a small pink heart to the upper right of the chalkboard.

3.  Cut the orange print card stock 5 inches by 5 inches.  Attach foam dots to the back of the chalkboard paper and center it on the orange print card stock. leaving approximately 1/2 inch border around the chalkboard paper.  Use the hot glue gun to adhere a small aqua button in each corner of the orange print card stock.  Position the orange print card stock approximately 2 1/2 inches from the bottom of the card and glue in place.

4.  Glue the aqua swirl ( this was originally cut from the Cricut Home Decor cartridge) to the bottom (center) of the card. Glue the turquoise rose in the center of the swirl.  Add a small pearl at each end of the swirl.

5.  Cut 2 small triangles from the scrap of dark turquoise card stock and glue over the corners of the card (right  side).

Snowy Scene Card

Now that Christmas is over, it's time to send thank you cards for the lovely gifts that we received. I always like to let the person know how much the gift meant to us by sending a handmade card rather than a commercially printed thank you card. Recently I stumbled across Kittie Caracciolo's cards and was amazed by the scenes that she constructed using die cuts and stamps. She listed all of the materials used for each card. Not wanting to buy a several single dies to make a card when I had an entire bookshelf devoted to Cricut cartridges, I decided to see if I could construct a scene using the cartridges that I already owned.

I decided to create a snowy scene using deer.  I used the deer and the pine trees from the Give a Hoot cartridge, cut snowflakes with the Sizzlets snowflake dies and hand cut the snow. I chose a teal rather than the traditional green for the trees, used the Fiskars crimping tool to crimp them (I borrowed this technique from Ms. Caracciolo) and then painted the tree branches with modeling paste to resemble snow. I printed the thank you verse inside the card but left the front intentionally blank so a greeting wouldn't detract from the scene.

Snowy scene card.

Directions for Snowy Scene Card:

Silver ribbon
Small teal crystal for the bow
White, brown and teal card stock
Sizzix Sizzlet snowflakes or any other die cut snowflake
Cricut Give a Hoot cartridge
Ranger Diamond Stickles glitter glue
Golden Molding Paste
Small paint brush- preferably an old one or a inexpensive craft paint brush
Small self adhesive pearls
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink- Iced Spruce
Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
Fiskars Paper Crimper
White Gel pen and black Sharpie marker
Hot Glue gun


1.  Print the verse inside a half fold card using a greeting card program.

2.  Using the Cricut Give a Hoot cartridge, cut the pine trees out of teal card stock at 2 /34, 2 and 1 1/2 inches.  Remove the trees from the cutting mat and individually crimp each tree with the Fiskars crimping tool.  Cut 2 deer out of brown card stock ( 1 1/2 and 2 inches). Color the deer's hooves with the black marker and make white spots on the deer's rump with the white gel pen. Color the deer's tail with the gel pen.

3.  Dip the paint brush in the molding paste and randomly color the tree branches to give the effect of snow.  Set the trees aside to dry overnight.

4.  Apply Ranger Iced Spruce distress ink randomly over the front of the card.

5.  Cut 4 snowflakes from white card stock, using the Sizzix snowflake dies.  Apply molding to the entire snowflake and set aside to dry.

6.  Put a piece of white card stock in the Swiss Dots embossing folder and emboss.  Randomly cut snow from the embossed card stock.

7.  Apply the Diamond Stickles to the center and ends of the snowflakes, the tree branches (over the snow) and along the snowy ground that you just cut. Set aside to dry.

8.  Once the glitter glue is completely dry, assemble the scene.  Use a hot glue gun to glue the scene in place.  Apply the small pearls to the ends of the tree branches, and larger pearls to the center of the snowflakes.

9.  Cut a piece of silver ribbon the length of the card plus 1/2 inch and glue the ribbon to the left edge of the card, tucking the ends of the ribbon under the edges of the card and gluing in place. Tie a small bow from the silver ribbon, center on the ribbon border and glue in place.  Attach a small teal crystal to the center of the bow.

Owl Thank You Card

Owls are my favorite birds and I often use them in my projects. I couldn't resist using this cute little guy as the theme for my thank you card.  I chose a pink and green color scheme for the owl and then centered the rest of the card around those colors. Although this is a thank you card this design could be used for other occasions by simply changing the greeting on the tag.

Directions for Owl Thank you Card:

Cricut Noah's ABC's cartridge
White, cream, light sage green, light pink, olive green, black, kraft paper, tree patterned (La Bella Little Buds) card stock
Self adhesive pink pearls
Small googly eyes
Small self adhesive white pearls
Pink and white dotted ribbon
Darice Border embossing folders-vines and flowers
Spare Parts flowers
Martha Stewart rose leaf paper punch
Small corner rounder paper punch
Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing folder
Zots and foam dots


1.  Fold an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of card stock in half to make a half fold card.

2.  Place the Darice Border embossing folder along the upper edge of the card and emboss. Place the embossing folder along the lower edge of the card and emboss.

3.  Using the Noah's ABC's cartridge cut the owl at 2 3/4 inches out of black card stock. Press the shift and owl keys to cut the owl's body out of the pink card stock.  Press the layer and owl keys to cut the owl's face out of cream card stock and then the layer, shift and owl keys to cut the top of the owl's head and wings out of the sage green card stock. Assemble the owl.

4.  Cut a piece of kraft paper colored card stock approximately 1/2 inch larger, on all sides, than the owl. Emboss the card stock using the Spots and Dots embossing folder. Use the corner rounder punch to round the ends of the kraft paper. Attach foam dots to the back of the owl and center the owl on the kraft paper.

5.  Cut the tree patterned card stock approximately 3/4 inch (on all sides) larger than the embossed kraft paper. Attach foam dots to the back of the kraft paper, center on the patterned card stock and press into place.

6.  Cut a backing of sage green card stock approximately 1/4 inch larger, on all sides, than the tree patterned card stock. Apply Zots to the back of the patterned card stock and attach to the green mat that you just cut.

7.  Cut two small pieces of ribbon and glue on piece of ribbon diagonally over the top left and lower right hand corners of the mat. Tie a small bow and glue it to the ribbon in the lower right corner. Stick a pink pearl in each corner of the kraft paper. Stick four small pearls to the front of the owl. Glue googly eyes over the owl's eyes.

8.  Punch two leaves out of the olive green card stock using the rose leaf paper punch. Glue a pink flower to the center of the top embossed border. Glue the leaves under the edge of the flower.

9.  Print thank you on a sheet of cream card stock and cut out in an oval shape. Cut a small tag out of a scrap of the kraft paper and punch a hole in the top end of the tag. Glue the cream oval to the kraft paper tag. Thread a pieces of string or ribbon through the tag and attach the tag to the top of the card using a foam dot.

French Manor Thank You Card

I hope that everyone had a happy holiday and a Merry Christmas. I would like to wish everyone a happy New Year.

Finally, the last of the packages has been shipped off to Brittany. Thank you to both the US Postal Service and UPS for getting all of the packages to Connecticut in time for Christmas. This was truly amazing given volume of packages that they handle and the fact that I was still shipping through both carriers the week before Christmas.

Now that Christmas is over it's time to make Thank You cards for all of the nice gifts that we received. I was inspired by a picture that I had seen recently. The picture featured a stone house with a window that had flowers in a window box. The picture was rustic, charming and definitely French (from Provence). When I saw the window image on the Cricut French Manor cartridge I immediately thought of this picture. This is not the usual Cricut cut and embellish card. This is a very labor intensive card because it employs a lot of different techniques.  The entire card is covered with ivory tulle, the wall behind the window is embossed, distressed and painted, the window is covered with modeling paste then distressed and painted with walnut ink and finally the rose leaves are quilled. This card takes about two hours to make.

French Manor Card

Close-up of window. Vellum backing for window.

Craft Tips: After using all of the foam dots on a sheet, save the left over sheet. The foam around the dots can be cut into squares or small pieces and used like the dots to adhere embellishments.  Ceramic tiles have many uses in a craft room. They are inexpensive and can be purchased in a variety of sizes at Home Depot or Loewes. Look for smooth glazed tiles. The tiles can be used to rest glue guns, or to mix acrylic or water color paints. Nothing sticks to the surface of the tile and they can be cleaned easily with soap and water.


Directions for French Manor Thank You Card:

Recollections Trader Jane Paper Pad- Tan mosaic patterned paper
DCWV Black Currant Stack- Pink and burgundy dotted paper
Goose Bumpz Lattice/Trellis embossing folder
White, ivory, aqua and black card stock
Caramel colored sheer ribbon
Pink dotted ribbon
Ranger Walnut Distress Ink
Distressing Tool
Pearl Modeling Paste
Recollections Small Crystal Heart
Recollections Small Antique Brads- two
Vellum
Ivory Tulle ribbon-available in the wedding section at Michaels
Prima Small Roses- blue, purple, ivory, orange and pink
Quilling Tool
Dark green, light green and olive green 1/4 inch quilling strips
Awl
Foam Dots
Stickles-Platinum Stickles glitter glue
Sizzix or Cuttlebug embossing machine

1.  Using the Cricut French Manor cartridge cut the window out of ivory card stock at 4 1/2 inches. Cut the window wood work out of aqua card stock. Assemble the window. Cut a scrap of vellum to fit behind the window panes.

2.  Apply the pearl modeling paste to the window frame using a palette knife. Try to make the modeling paste look like stucco. Let it dry.

3.  Make four small quilled leaves using the quilling tool and a 6 inch strip of 1/4 wide dark green quilling paper. Remove the roll from the quilling tool and let it relax and unroll slightly, pinch the roll into a marquise shape and put a dot of glue of the loose end of the strip to secure it. Repeat the process making 5 olive leaves and 2 light green leaves.

4.  Once the window is dry to the touch, use a distressing tool with a sanding tip to distress the window frame and the blue wood work. Be careful not to take off too much modeling paste or card stock.

5.  Cut the tan mosaic paper approximately 5 1/8 inches high by 3 1/2 inches wide. Emboss the mosaic paper using the trellis embossing folder. Lightly distress the paper.

6.  Cut the pink dotted paper approximately 6 inches high by 4 inches wide. Glue the tan paper on top of the pink paper leaving about 1/4 inch borders. Cut the black card stock 1/4 inch larger on all sides than the pink paper. Apply foam dots to the back of the pink paper and attach to the black card stock.

7.  Spray a small amount of walnut distress ink onto a ceramic tile. Use a small flat paint brush to paint the distress ink over the embossed mosaic paper. Lightly apply the ink, you can always add more. Next, apply the distress ink to the window frame and the wood work. You want to have a weathered look. Add a small antiqued brad to the sides of the window frame. Apply foam dots to the back of the window (do not apply dots to the vellum or it will show through). Center the window on the mosaic paper and press in place.

8.  Glue the quilled leaves around the left edge and bottom of the window. Glue the roses over the leaves.

9.  Fold an 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of white card stock in half to make a half-fold card. Cut a piece of ivory tulle ribbon 1/2 inch longer than the card. Cover the front of the card with the tulle and tuck the ends under the front edges of the card and glue in place. Cut the caramel colored ribbon 1/2 inch longer than the card, center the ribbon on the card lengthwise and glue in place. Tie a small bow and glue over the ribbon. Cut the pink dotted ribbon 1/2 inch longer than the length of the card and glue along the right edge of the card, tucking under the ends of the ribbon.

10.  Attach a small pink crystal heart to the window transom and apply Stickles around the edges of the transom window.

Merci Beaucoup!

Lately I have resolved to be more organized and not wait until the last minute to make cards, decorations and gifts. So far I'm off to a good start- the Halloween decorations are almost finished and cards are being made before I actually need them.  I bought an accordion type file at Staples to store the finished cards. The cards are then filed by category: thank you, birthday, etc.

 I really like the Paper Pups cartridge and wanted to use it for a thank you card.  This card also allowed me to use the Spellbinders die and Prima flowers that I had been wanting to use for some time.

Directions for Merci Beaucoup Card:

Aqua and white dotted ribbon
Prima Flowers Ballerina Blooms Margot
Cricut Paper Pups Cartridge
White and grey card stock
DCWV All Dressed Up mat stack- aqua and green dotted card stock
DCWV Collage Stack-green marbled card stock
Spellbinders Nestabilities Fleur de lis rectangles-large rectangle
Sizzix Big Kick or other die cutting machine
Zots


1.  Use a greeting card program to print a thank you card on white card stock. Score the card and fold in half.

2.  Cut Birthday Dog at 1 1/2 inches out of grey card stock; using the Paper Pups cartridge. Press the Solid key and cut the dog out of white card stock. Assemble the dog, layering the grey outline over the solid white dog. Use a fine point black Sharpie or other felt tip pen to draw in the dog's eyes.

3.  Use the Spellbinders die and the Sizzix to cut the large rectangle out of the green marbled card stock from the Collage stack. Cut a mat approximately 1/4 inch larger (on all sides) than the large rectangle.

4.  Attach Zots to the back of the dog. Center the dog on the rectangle and press into place. Attach Zots to the back of the rectangle (in the center and each corner) and center the rectangle on the mat, leaving a 1/4 inch border all the way around.

5.  Glue a gold Ballerina Bloom to the upper left edge of the rectangle.

6.  Cut two pieces of ribbon the width of the card plus 1/4 inch. Place the ribbon approximately 1/4 inch from the top of the card and the left end of the ribbon close to the fold of the card and glue in place. Fold the right end of the ribbon over the edge of the card and glue to secure. Repeat with the other piece of ribbon, placing it 1/4 inch from the bottom of the card.

7.  Tie a small bow with the aqua print ribbon and glue the bow to the center of the top ribbon.

Kitty Thank you Card

I was standing in the check out line in the grocery store and noticed a display of greeting cards with a "hand made" touch. I picked up a cute card with a die cut bird and bird house on the front. I contemplated buying the card until I turned it over to look at the price. I was in sticker shock- $7.95 for a card with a few die cuts on it? There was no way that I could ever justify the price when I have a Cricut at home.

Although this is a thank you card, it could be used for other occasions by changing the greeting. I almost decided to use theme for a Valentine's Day card instead.


Directions for Kitty Thank you Card:

Recollections small white roses
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist-Cherry, Pearl
Martha Stewart Heart Border Punch, leaf paper punch
Pink ribbon with white hearts
Recollections adhesive backed small crystal hearts, pearls
White, black, light pink,cream and olive green card stock
DCWV Tres Chic mat stack- pink and black print card stock
Cricut Four Legged Friends cartridge
Bone folder
Zots
Small foam dots


1.  Print the greeting on a piece of white card stock using the half fold option.  Fold the card in half and crease it with a bone folder.

2.  Using the Cricut Four Legged Friends cartridge cut Cat 5 at 2 1/2 inches out of white card stock. Press the shift key and cut Cat 5-S out of cream card stock. Press the Layer key and cut the ear, nose and collar out of light pink card stock. Press the Layer and Shift keys and cut the eye lashes out of black card stock. Assemble the cat. Lightly spray Kitty with Pearl Glimmer Mist and let her dry. Attach a small pink crystal heart over Kitty's nose and attach 3 small pearls to her collar.

3.  Cut a square, 3 1/2 inches high by 3 1/2 inches wide, from black and pink print card stock. Cut a 4 inch square out of the light pink card stock. Cut a 4 1/4 inch square out of the black card stock.

4.  Glue the pink card stock on top of the black card stock, leaving a 1/4 inch border on all sides. Attach Zots to the back of the black and pink print card stock. Layer the print card stock on top of the light pink card stock leaving a 1/4 inch border on all sides. Press the print card stock in place.  Attach foam dots to the back of Kitty, center her on the print card stock and press in place.

5.  Cut a piece of  pink ribbon and tie a small bow. Cut two smaller pieces of ribbon and glue them to opposite corners layered card stock. Glue the bow over the ribbon on the upper right hand corner of the card stock.

6.  Lightly spray a white rose with Cherry Glimmer Mist. Let it dry. Punch two leaves out of the olive green card stock, using the Martha Stewart leaf paper punch.

7.  Punch a heart border out of the light pink card stock, using the Martha Stewart heart border punch. Save the left over pieces from the punched paper (hearts and paper scraps from heart image).

8.  Apply a small pink heart on each side of the word Merci. Use the left over scrap of pink card stock from the heart border punch and glue it over the top and bottom of the word Merci, to frame it. Glue the rose to the left of the frame and glue two leaves under the rose.

9.  Glue the heart border under the front edge of the card.  Glue the small hearts from the border punch to each corner of the black card stock.