New Baby Card

The adorable baby images on the Cricut Baby Steps cartridge were perfect for a card that I made for a co-worker who is having a baby.







Directions for New Baby Card:

Cricut Baby Steps cartridge
White, light pink, light blue, light yellow, dark brown, light brown and light tan card stock
Pink and white dotted ribbon
Foam Dots
Pink self stick pearls
Sizzix Hearts embossing folder
Martha Stewart pink flocking powder
Stickles Icicle glitter glue
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist- pearl mist
Greeting card program
Colored pencils or chalk


1. Select a new baby verse using the greeting card program. Print the card on white card stock using the half-fold option.

2. Load the Baby Steps cartridge into the Cricut and select the Moon Baby image. Cut Moon Baby at 2 1/2 inches out of dark brown card stock. Press the Shift and Moon Baby keys and cut the image out of light tan card stock. Press the Layer 1 and Moon Baby keys to cut the bow and outfit out of light pink card stock. Next press the Shift and Layer 1 keys to cut the cheeks and nose out of light brown card stock. Place the light blue card stock on to the Cricut mat and press the Layer 2 and Moon Baby keys to cut the moon and clouds. Press the Shift, Layer 2 and Moon Baby keys to cut the moon out of light yellow card stock. Assemble the image. I used pink chalk to highlight the baby's cheeks instead using the light brown die cut cheeks.

3. Use a light peach colored pencil to color the baby's face and hand. Add shading to the cloud with a pale aqua colored pencil. Attach a pink self-stick pearl to the center of the baby's bow. Apply a thin layer of glue to the baby's outfit and lightly sprinkle flocking powder to cover the surface. Shake off the excess flocking powder and set aside to dry. Highlight the edges of the cloud with the Stickles Icicle glitter glue. Set aside to dry.

4. Cut a piece of white card stock 4 3/4 inches long and 4 inches wide. Emboss the card stock using the Sizzix Hearts embossing folder.

5. Center the Moon Baby image on the embossed card stock. Use foam dots to adhere the image to the card stock.

6. Spray the image and the embossed card stock lightly with Pearl Glimmer Mist. Set aside to dry.

7. Cut two pieces of pink and white dotted ribbon 5 3/4 inches long. Glue the ribbon 1/2 inch from the top of the card. Glue the second piece of ribbon 1/2 inch from the bottom of the card. Tuck the ends under the front edge of the card and secure with glue. Use the pink and white dotted ribbon to tie a small bow. Attach the bow to the ribbon at the bottom of the card.

8. Place a pink self-stick pearl in each corner of the embossed card stock. Center the embossed card stock containing Moon Baby on the front of the card. Adhere the embossed card stock to the card using foam dots.

Completed Louis XIV Chest

The Sun King chest is finally finished! Since Brittany plans to take Le Roi Soleil to grad school with her I decided to tuck an inspirational quote in the top drawer. I printed "It is in difficult things that we show our virtue." -Louis XIV on cream colored card stock and trimmed the paper leaving a small border around the edges of the quote.





Top of the chest. The picture is framed in a narrow gold flake border. The red drape in the picture makes the border look wider at the top.



Decorative element on the side of the chest.




Directions for Louis XIV Chest:

Small pre-sanded wooden chest-available at craft stores
Fine grit sanding pad
Matte finish Mod Podge
Foam brush
DecoArt Americana Slate Grey acrylic paint
DecoArt Dazzling Metallics Venetian Gold
Art Minerals Gold Flakes-available at Michaels
Picture of Louis XIV
White card stock
Small stenciling brush or other stiff brush
Round paint brush-I used #2 round
White craft glue-I used Martha Stewart
DecoArt craft varnish
Jolee's Boutique Leaf Elements


1. Lightly sand the chest and the drawers to remove any rough spots. Wipe the sanded chest down with a slightly damp paper towel.

2. Use a foam brush to apply a light coat of craft varnish to the chest and the drawers. Set aside to dry.

3. Lightly sand the chest and the drawers and wipe with a damp paper towel.

4. Paint the chest and the drawers with slate grey paint. Let it dry and then apply a second coat. After the grey paint is dry apply venetian gold paint to the knobs on the drawers and the front edges of the chest.

5. After the paint is dry seal the chest and drawers with a light coat of craft varnish. Set aside to dry. Once the piece is completely dry, lightly sand it and wipe it with a damp cloth.

6. Print a 3 inch by 4inch picture of Louis XIV on card stock with a laser printer or photo copy the image. DO NOT use an ink jet printer because the ink will smear and the colors will run once the Mod Podge is applied. I scanned a picture of the Sun King from one of my books but pictures are also available on the internet. I trimmed the printed picture into an oval shape.

7. Apply a thin coat of Modge Podge to the back of the picture and center it on the top of the chest. Use a brayer or your fingertips to smooth out any air bubbles or wrinkles in the picture. Using a foam brush carefully apply a thin coat of Modge Podge over the top of the chest. Let it dry at least overnight (longer if the weather is humid). The chest must be completely dry. Lightly sand the top of the chest and wipe it with a damp cloth. Apply another light coat of Modge Podge. Repeat this process 2 more times.

8. Use the #2 round brush to apply a thin layer of white craft glue around the edges of the picture. Let the glue sit until it becomes slightly tacky (about 5 minutes). Apply small pieces of gold flake on top of the glue. Lightly press the gold flake to get it to adhere to the glue. The gold should stick to the glue but have a slightly raised appearance. You are trying to achieve the look similar to a carved frame. Once the glue is completely dry add another layer if necessary. I brushed glue on the flat areas and added more gold flake to get a raised appearance around the entire frame. Let the glue dry overnight.

9. Seal the top of the chest with a light coat of Modge Podge. Carefully apply the Modge Podge to the picture first, then dab it on top of the gold flake and then coat the rest of the top. Let it dry completely. Lightly sand the picture and the top of the chest. Be careful not to sand the gold flake. Wipe the top with a damp cloth.

10. Using the #2 round brush apply small amounts of Venetian gold paint to the gold flake frame. Let the paint dry. Seal the entire top with Modge Podge and let it dry. Then lightly sand the top (except for the gold flake frame) and wipe it with a damp cloth.

11. Paint the leaf elements with Venetian gold and let them dry. Position them to the right and left of the picture and glue in place. Position the leaf elements on each side of the chest and glue in place. Cover the entire chest with a light coat of Modge Podge and let it dry. Lightly sand the chest (except for the leaf elements) and wipe with a damp cloth.

Since the Jolee's Boutique Leaf Elements were no longer available at Michaels I made a mold and molded the elements from polymer clay. I baked the molded leaf elements, painted them and a glued them to the chest.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

The past couple of weeks have been devoted to my garden. Unfortunately the garden takes so much time that the craft projects often temporarily get pushed aside. Today I was able to work on both the garden and my craft projects since I didn't have any time constraints. The weather was beautiful so I decided to ease into my day by having a cup of coffee in the garden while listening to Mozart's Divertimenti. It was nice to drink my coffee leisurely outdoors surrounded by beautiful flowers rather than quickly sipping my coffee as I get into the car to drive to my next destination.




I found this little bunny while I was reorganizing the other day. I had painted it for Michelle's room while she was in kindergarten. At the time decorative and folk art painting were popular. A friend of mine had invited me to go shopping with her. One of our stops was a store that was devoted to folk art painting and supplies. I had dabbled in watercolors but had never used acrylic paints or painted on wood. At the time I was looking for a picture for Michelle's room that was different from the mass market pictures available at children's stores. I found this adorable little bunny in a book and decided to try to paint it. I was very pleased with the result. Unfortunately the book that this bunny came from is no longer in print.

To make this picture I started with a pre-sanded wooden plaque (available from a craft store). I sanded the plaque with a fine grit sanding pad to smooth out any rough places. I wiped the plaque down with a damp cloth. After the plaque was dry I lightly varnished it with DecoArt water based craft varnish (available at Jo-Ann). I lightly sanded the plaque again and wipe it down. Next I used a wash of walnut acrylic paint to color the plaque. The paint should be very watery. Apply the wash several times until you have achieved the desired look (a light walnut color). Seal the plaque again with the varnish and lightly sand and wipe down. I then transfered the bunny image to the plaque using graphite paper. The bunny was painted using a wash of light blue and tan. The dots are made by dipping the wooden end of the paint brush in undiluted paint. The stars are made by dipping the end of the paint brush in a wash of white paint and pulling the paint out from the center.

Decoupaged Louis XIV Chest

I have been reading The Sun King's Garden by Ian Thompson. Inspired by the Sun King I dropped everything on the first warm day and headed off to Lowes and Home Depot for plants. I spent the last two weeks planting and getting the garden in shape which left little time to work on my Sun King project.

I really like decoupage and wanted to do another project. I also wanted to do another historic project. Brittany really liked the Marie Antoinette chest and asked for a similar one with the Sun King. Since she thinks "the Sun King is awesome" I chose him as my decoupage project. The project is taking longer than I anticipated so I am posting it as a work in progress. I will post the work as it progresses and the directions when the piece is finally finished.



Small wooden chest-sanded and varnished




Drawers-painted slate gray and accented with gold





Chest painted and varnished.






Picture of Louis XIV decoupaged on top of the chest.





Decorative elements molded from polymer clay

Paper Hydrangea's

Paper flowers are so easy to make yet they can be rather expensive to buy. I recently found a package of 6 flowers for $5 at a local scrapbook store. Instead of buying the pre-made flowers I decided to buy some paper punches to make my own flowers. I bought the Martha Stewart hydrangea and rose leaf paper punches for a total cost of $20. I wanted the hydrangeas to mimic the colors of the hydrangeas in my garden so I chose purple and pink card stock. The flowers were easy to make and assemble.

I punched 18 hydrangeas out of pink card stock, 12 out of light purple, 6 out of blue violet and 10 out of dark purple card stock. Next I used pink chalk to highlight the centers of the pink flowers and purple to highlight the centers of the light and dark purple flowers. Starting at the center of the flower apply the chalk in a circular motion extending it toward each petal.


Using a stylus and a foam mat or the back of a mouse pad press the stylus into the center of the flower and move the stylus in a circular motion until the flower begins to have a cupped shape. Don't press too hard to avoid poking a hole in the center of the flower.



Next take a stylus or an awl and slightly curve the end of each petal backward.


Once the petals are curved add a small adhesive pearl to the center of each flower.




Punch the leaves out of parrot green Bazzill card stock. Place the leaf on the foam mat and press the stylus from the top of the leaf to the bottom to form a vein. Add smaller veins to the right and left of the center vein. Highlight the leaf with dark green chalk. Glue two or three leaves under the petals of each flower and set aside to dry.

After I had made all of the flowers I wanted to use them to make a card.






Directions for Hydrangea Card:

Parchment card stock
Paper hydrangeas
Recollections Adhesive Faux Pearls
Purple ribbon
Tattered Angels Pearl Glimmer Mist
Spellbinders Nestabilities Rectangles
K & Company Ariana card stock
Foam Dots

1. Fold a piece of parchment card stock in half lengthwise and crease.

2. Cut the second largest rectangle from the Spellbinders die set out of parchment card stock.

3. Place a foam dot on the back of each of the flowers and position the flowers on the parchment rectangle as shown in the picture.

4. Cut a piece of blue and white print card stock from the Ariana collection 4 7/8 inches wide by 7 1/2 inches long. Glue the card stock to the front of the folded parchment card stock, leaving a border around the edges of the card.

5. Center the parchment rectangle on the blue and white card stock and attach with foam dots.

6. Cut a piece of purple ribbon approximately 5 1/4 inches and tuck under the edges of the blue and white patterned card stock. Position the ribbon at the bottom edge of the card stock, just under the parchment rectangle. Glue in place. Using the purple ribbon tie a small bow and attach to the center of the purple ribbon.

7. Place the faux pearls in the upper right and lower left corners of the blue and white patterned card stock. The pearls on the left side of the card should be slightly above the ribbon. Press the pearls in place.

8. Lightly spray the flowers with the pearl Glimmer Mist and let them dry.

Mother's Day Card

Cricut's Kate's ABCs cartridge is quickly becoming my favorite cartridge because the images are so cute. I especially liked the image of the girl hugging the kitten and thought it would make a nice Mother's Day card. I wanted the girl with the kitten to be the focal point so I decided to use a ribbon rather than a lot of other embellishments.








Directions for Mother's Day Card:

Cricut Kate's ABCs cartridge
Spellbinders Shapeabilities Pendants-Lattice
Sizzix Damask Embossing Folder
White, light pink, medium pink, dark pink, yellow, light tan, brown and green card stock
Stickles glitter glue- Platinum
Pink and white gingham ribbon
Chalk or pastels
Foam Dots


1. Using the Cricut Kate's ABCs cartridge cut Girl 6 at 3 inches out of brown card stock. Press the Shift and Girl 6 keys and cut the grass out of green card stock. Next press the Layer 1 key and cut the hat and dress out of medium pink card stock. Press the Shift and Layer 1 keys and cut the dress and flower out of dark pink card stock. Press the Layer 2 key and cut the hat out of yellow card stock. Press the Shift and Layer 2 keys and cut the face, hands and feet out of light tan card stock. Assemble the image and highlight the girl's face and lips with a pink pastel or chalk. Highlight her arm with light pink chalk and the grass with green chalk. Apply the platinum stickles to the cat's neck to make a collar.

2. Cut the pendant out of light pink card stock using the Spellbinders die.

3. Use the Sizzix Damask embossing folder to emboss a piece of white card stock.

4. Cut a piece of light pink card stock 6 inches high by 4 7/8 inches wide.

5. Fold a piece of white card stock in half lengthwise. Center the pink card stock on the white card and glue it approximately 2 inches from the bottom of the card. Glue the white embossed card stock on top of the light pink leaving a 1/4 inch border on all sides. Attach foam dots to the back of the lattice pendant and position it approximately 1 inch from the edge of the embossed white card stock. Attach foam dots to the back of the girl with the kitten image and center it on the lattice pendant. Position the flowers near the grass blades and secure them in place with foam dots. You may have to cut the dots so that they fit the flowers. Position the butterfly just above the upper right edge of the pendant and secure in place with a foam dot.

6. Cut a piece of ribbon the width of the card plus 1/2 inch and glue to the card approximately 1 inch from the bottom of the card. Tie a small bow and glue to the ribbon.

Easter Bunny Card

Cricut recently released the Kate's ABC's cartridge. The images on this cartridge are so cute. I adore this little bunny and thought that he would make a cute Easter card.




Directions for Easter Bunny Card:

Cricut Kate's ABC's cartridge
Bright blue, bright green, bright pink, yellow, white and light brown card stock
Googly eyes
Green chalk or pastels
Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
Yellow multi-print ribbon
Foam dots
Small piece of bright blue ribbon


1. Using the Cricut Kate's ABC's cartridge select the bunny and cut the image at 3 inches out of light brown card stock. Press the Shift and the bunny keys and cut the grass out of bright green card stock. Press the Layer 1 key and cut the grass blade. Press the Shift and Layer 1 keys and cut the flowers and dragon fly out of bright pink card stock. Press the Layer 2 key and cut the flowers center out of yellow card stock. Assemble bunny, the dragon fly and the flowers. Glue a googly eye to the bunny's head. Tie a small bow with the blue ribbon and glue it to the bunny's neck. Highlight the grass and the grass blades with green chalk or green pastels.

2. Cut a piece of bright blue card stock approximately 5 1/2 inches long by 4 inches wide and emboss it using the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.

3. Attach foam dots to the back of the bunny, flower and dragon fly. Position the bunny 1 inch from the bottom of the embossed card stock and press in place. Place the dragon fly to the right of the bunny and the flower between the grass blades and press in place.

4. Cut a piece of yellow multi-print ribbon approximately 10 inches. Center the ribbon on the front of the card and fold the ends of the ribbon under the top and bottom edges of the card. Glue the ends of the ribbon in place. Tie a small bow and glue over the ribbon approximately 1 inch from the bottom of the card.

5. Center the embossed blue card stock slightly above the bow and glue in place.

6. Using Microsoft Word and the Cataneo BT font at 18 type Just hopping by to wish you Happy Easter! Print it on white card stock. Trim the card stock close the greeting. Cut a piece of bright pink card stock slightly larger than the card stock with the greeting. Glue the greeting to the pink card stock. Center the greeting on the embossed blue card stock and position it so that the pink card stock rests just above the second row of embossed dots. Glue in place.