Cricut Circle Weekly Challenge #52: Things We Love Challenge!

I rarely participate in the Cricut Circle Weekly Challenges, but I have had this home décor project in my head for some time, and the challenge rules helped me put my idea into focus.  Clay has a very nice apartment in San Antonio while he’s in law school, but nothing whatsoever hangs on the walls.  I had the idea to use the Cricut Word Collage cartridge to create some art work for his walls, but never quite pulled it together.  When I read this challenge, “Voila!”  The project just appeared in my head.  Thankfully, it also turned out beautifully.

The Challenge: Scrap what you love! Include a tag and use the negative space of a Cricut cut

Now, my love here is twofold:  1) I love Clay, and 2) we love traveling, so the use of the Word Collage “Welcome” sign was perfect.  We both studied German in high school, and he was stationed in Germany during his years in the Army.  Once I had the collage picked out, it was a matter of how to make it all come together.

I used the negative space of the Word Collage, rather than the letters themselves, as the base of the project.  Since I did not know what all of the languages, I researched each word that I was not familiar with and jotted down all of the languages used in the collage to say “Welcome.”  The following languages, in order of appearance, are:  Spanish, English, German, Norwegian, Japanese, Portuguese, Dutch or Afrikaan (from when the Dutch settled in that part of Africa and influenced the language), French, Swedish, Hawaiian, and Italian.

I have always loved the Cricut Destinations cartridge, but have never had occasion to use it.  This was the perfect project for it.  I tried to match a destination to each of the languages, but there three languages whose countries were not represented on the Destinations cartridge:  Portuguese, Norwegian and Swedish.  In order to have 12 destinations to complete the look, I decided to use San Antonio for the USA, since Clay is in San Antonio for law school and Houston because that’s where I live.  I also used both Amsterdam and Tanzania to cover the two countries which use the Dutch/Afrikaan translation of “welcome.”  That left me with one more needed, so I chose Sydney because they also speak English, and it’s the one place on earth I have always wanted to see.

In order to meet the tag requirement of the project, I also used the Cricut Fabulous Finds cartridge to cut out 12 luggage tags.  I tucked the tag portion behind each of the images, so that all you see is the loop that would fit over the handle of a suitcase.

I had wanted to match the place with the language, but that just wasn’t doable, so I laid them out in a manner that seemed to balance one another.

I know Clay will love it, and it will look great in his apartment.

Now, I have to come up with a project using the letters from the image for the house! 

Hope you enjoy the project. 

Have a wonderfully crafty day!

Shari

Cricut Circle February Monthly Challenge: Share the Love Challenge

While Clay’s been away at law school, we are often apart for weeks at a time.  On the weekends he gets to come home, I send him a handmade card that arrives on Wednesdays; if he cannot make it home, a card also arrives on Saturdays.  I’ve made small boxes for every semester that he’s been there which hold the cards, but he had mentioned that some of the cards were too large for the boxes.  This month’s challenge was perfect for motivating me to create a larger box for his card collection.

The Challenge: Create a handmade gift for a loved one using your Cricut machine(s)

I began with an unfinished 12” x 9” hinged box, which I stained with Americana Gel Stains in walnut.  I then used some vintage looking paper to cover the lid and line the inside of the box to protect the cards from acid, lignen, etc., to keep them from deteriorating too quickly. 

The woman’s hand holding the envelope was a perfect selection from the Cricut Sentimentals cartridge for this project.  I wanted a softer appearance for the hand, so instead of using the flower on the original design, I added a bit of flare with some vintage lace from my mother’s collection.  A little ribbon and some pearls completed the look of a vintage blouse.  I also included the phrase, “pour vous,” because I just talked to Clay about my learning French; how ironic.   The box did not have a clasp to keep it closed, so I used a transparent ribbon and added a vintage rose button (also from my mother’s collection). 

I love how the box turned out.  It is probably a bit more feminine looking than I intended, but my answer to that: a female made it and the items in it!  No matter, I know he’ll love it. 

Enjoy and have a wonderfully crafty day!

Shari

Cricut Circle Weekly Challenge #51: Valentine’s Cards

It’s been awhile since I last posted.  The holidays proved to be very busy, and I did not have time for the challenges.  However, that doesn’t mean the Cricut has been idle; I’ll be posting some of my projects, including my first attempt at some vinyl wall art, in the coming weeks. 

For now, let’s get to the challenge!

The Challenge: Create a Valentine’s Day Card. Include sequins or gems and ribbon.

I absolutely love the little hippo, and I’ve been dying to use it ever since I first laid eyes on it, but never had quite the right card.   If I had a Cupid of my own, this is what she’d look like! 

To create the card, you will need the following cartridges: Wild Card, Birthday Bash and Beyond Birthdays.

I thought that she looked like she was singing, so the sentiment had to be:

I hope that your Cupid was as good to you as mine was to me.  A very post-Happy Valentine’s day to one and all!