Exploring new craft mediums

If you've read my last post, you know I've been busy (neglecting my family), um, excuse me - crafting! :) I wanted to share with you some of the other projects I've made with my new Cricut Explore.

We moved last March after 4 months of renovating. The basement where the kids' playroom and my craft space was usable but the last to get organized. Around Thanksgiving, orders started arriving for custom cards and other gifts so I had to whip my space into shape fast! While it's still not perfect (I need to hire an electrician to add more lights and outlets) but it's usable for every craft I'm currently into.

I love that I can create while the kids play and I can still referee if need be. In fact, these two projects both happened while I had double my normal amount of kids around! :)

I made the pillow cases to fit some of our couch pillows I've gotten tired of looking at and then used HTV (heat transfer vinyl) to quickly embellish. My hubby had no luck hunting this year so the camo pillow was a joke - I wanted to help him visualize what he's supposed to see through his scope ... he took it well, after throwing the pillow at me! :)

Thanks for looking!

January Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the January Edition of the Joyful Stars Blog Hop! If you've arrived from Lori's blog then you're on the right track. If you're starting here, follow the link at the bottom of the post to hop over to the next post. Keep going till you come back to where you started. If you get lost, see Joyce's blog for a complete list of participants.

For Christmas, I finally wore my husband down and bought myself a new Cricut Explore "from him". :) Since it's arrival in my house, my kids have been neglected, dinners have been "leftovers" and the laundry is stacked in various piles around the house (I've lost track of what's clean or dirty, but whatever!)

I have been crafting up a storm! The ease of cutting and searching my images to find *just the right thing* is just divine! Even though I've had an Expression for what seems like eons, the finesse of the Explore is the creme de la creme of home crafting!

I'm learning to use the software to plan out my scrapbook pages, letting the machine do it's thing and relax in front of the tv catching up on my favorite shows while I assemble my cuts - it's everything I've ever wanted!!!

Of course, as I went searching for something to share with you tonight, I couldn't find just the right piece - I wanted something out of the new Seasonal Expressions to share with you and it seems like the perfect time to share with you the Charlotte Workshop Your Way PML layouts.  Have you seen this new line of papercrafting!?!? It's awesome! This one kit includes instructions for 3 layouts, 6-9 cards (depending on the kit) and a PML layout!! It's the one perfect kit for every crafter! My sister consultants and I traveled to Philadelphia last month for some training from the Home Office on this new item and It. Was. Awesome!! I loved hearing first hand how the kit evolved from the WOTG and why they were adding this new line to better meet the needs of customers (and consultants too).

The Charolotte WYW kit is so adorable! I'm not a girly-girl but I love the mix of neutrals with the pop of Sorbet ... I can easily mix photos of both of my kids on one layout with this paper pack and the doodles are so on trend my heart is fluttering! :)

Anyway, by now you're even wondering if I'm going to show you anything ...  your wait is over! ;)

A predesigned PML layout really too easy to brag about on a blog hop so I spiced it up with a few of my own "designed" PML cards. I used my new Explore (naturally) to easily cut a few images from the new Artistry cartridge and voila!

This part was fun - one of the selling points of our new house was the wild life! My hubby loved that he could hunt from his front porch (not that I let him, for the record, that's my spot!). 

This PML served as the title of the page: it doesn't matter where my family is as long as we're together, we're home. 

 Now you're off to Yvonne's blog to see what she's created to share with you. See you next month!