A "Graphically" sneak peak!

I've been working on class samples for the September "Explore the Bug Zone" class. We will be checking out "Graphically Speaking". I knew there was some really good stuff on this cartridge but the more I played with it the more I was blown away. I have 3 layouts, a mini book and a fun glass etching project to share. Not everything is done as of tonight so you'll have to wait a day or two. But just to tease you I thought I share a sneak peak of the mini book.

All the embellishment came right off the cartridge. Wait till you see the finished project. Be sure to check back in a day or so. I'm thinking you'll want to join me in this fun class at the Scrapbook Zone.

Estes Park Colorado

The home of Rocky Mountain National Park. Truly my favorite place to visit. I haven't been in like 18 years but little has changed. Samantha was floored by the beauty of this park.

Our first stop was the alluvial fan that was a result of the Lawn Lake Damn that burst in 1982. The last time I was here my sister Debbie and I hiked to the lake. Sam and I were not up to that and we only had 1 day to visit the park. So instead we roamed around the rocks and boulders that were piled up at the entrance to the valley.


Oh photo op. When we got out of the car we thought it was cool. Yeah, wrong! With in minutes we were wishing we had ditched the sweatshirts and jeans.


So Sam took off her socks and shoes to climb on top of this massive boulder in the middle of the river. Took her a few minutes and her toes got a little chilly.


But she made it. Now she's on top of the world!


Our next stop up the Old Fall River Road was Chasm Falls. And they were not kidding when they said use caution. I was really steep.


The trail was worth it. The falls were awesome.

Looking down stream offered another breathtaking view.

Sam had such a good time climbing around the boulders, she did some more. Scooted right on down there and click I got the picture. Little did she know she'd pay for this climbing later. The next day her calves were screaming. Foolish kid.

The top of the Old Fall River Road takes you to the Alpine Visitor Center. You can see forever. Even when it's hailing. Little did we know we'd get stuck in a little snow squall up there. You never know what the weather will bring you in the mountains.

Had to capture this sign. This was the highest elevation we would encounter on our journey.

And around the bend.....a very large herd of Elk! Yeah. They were still in the velvet and looking so majestic. My Dad and Rob would have been drooling.

Got back in the car and around the next curve ... Bamm! More Elk and right on the road. You can see the velvet covering on his antlers. Absolutely amazing.

We enjoyed our Rocky Mountain adventure and the ride back to Stub Creek. We would have gladly skipped the swarms of bugs we drove through but it was out of our control. We could barely see out the windshield by time we got back. Thank God Grandpa likes to wash cars, he did it for us the next morning.

I'm Back!! Colorado Rocked!

What a wonderful trip we had. I traveled with my Niece Samantha to the Stub Creek Ranger Station in North-east Colorado. We were 1 hr south of Laramie Wyoming. Beautiful place.


Here is my Dad, Virgil. They took us sight seeing the first day and we checked out the Poudre River Falls.


We visited Cameron Pass, elevation 10,276 feet. Sam had never been up that high before. She was in AWE of the view.


We checked out the Moose Visitor Center and took a little hike. The first couple days are rough, not use to the elevation. You get out of breath fast.


And then we saw the real thing!


Isn't he amazing. We found him at 2:30 in the afternoon having a little snack. He had a buddy with him. They didn't seem to be too bothered until the crowd of on lookers grew large. We even ticked off a local cause someone stopped in the middle of the road to enjoy the view of a Moose. They really need to slow down and smell the moose.

GIRLS Road Trip!

I am off to spend 10 days traveling with my Niece to Colorado. When we get there we will have no cell phone service or internet. Me, I'll handle it just fine. Sam she's gonna struggle but she'll make do. She'll have too. I just have to remind her of our travel motto: "It's all part of the Adventure."

Wish me luck. My sisters think I'm going to need it.

New Cartridge Anyone?

I just had to have this one. And we got a couple copies in at the store. So guess what I used my 40% off coupon on? Yet the new Stamping Cartridge for my Cricut. Love it! It's just a solution cartridge which means not as many features but still one with some great images and phrases. The best, it was only $30 with my coupon.

So today I created this cute layout.



And my favorite image on this cartridge is?



Yep this cute little OWL! Isn't he just adorable? I made this guy about 5 inches tall and then ran him thru my Cuddlebug with the Flourish folder for a little texture. He's got some orange Bazzill bling as his shadow and some of the biggest "Gogglie" eyes I've ever seen. For some reason my boss bought eyes for the store in three sizes. She was going to send these back to Notions but now I think we'll sell them all.

So many options so little time to create.

Meet Katie my "Zone" partner in crime

Well I thought you'd like to meet Katie. She is my Cricut buddy at the "Scrapbook Zone" and my partner in crime. Between the two of us we teach all the Cricut classes at our store and love creating fun, exciting new projects with the Cricut.


So today at work we created this really cute 2 page spread as our "Pages 2 Go" kit that will go on sale on Monday.




I used 2 different cartridges to create this "Wildlife" layout. Animal Kingdom for the bear and title and Zoobaloo for the tree, grass and clouds. I love the layering features on this (Zoobaloo) cartridge. Now gluing the grass together was not such fun but the end result was worth it. If I only had to make one layout it wouldn't be bad, but I have to make 6. Yikes. Guess what I'll be doing all morning at work tomorrow? Yep you guessed it, gluing grass, trees, clouds and leaves into trees. But it's the small details that make the layout pop. Your photos can slide right in behind the grass. We pop dotted the title and the bear on his shadow for added depth.

I'm already planning next weeks kit, can't wait to share it with you.

Life at the Beach part 2

I had to fix this layout. It just seemed like it was missing something major. So after cutting some more seaweed and coral it now looks like this. Oh and I added a great picture of Brendan, Derek and Mark to make it complete.


Katie created some great items with this cartridge. The first is a 1 page layout using this wonderful title.


And here is the entire layout. She tore the paper to create the sand and used a pen to add detail to her page elements. The little crab is so cute.


To make this card she used the Cricut markers to first outline and then cut the card. She used regular markers to fill in the shapes and make the tree come to life.


This birthday gecko card was created with a card option and then coloring the geckos black and pop dotting them to add dimension. We added a piece of green cardstock behind the cut space and stamped our sentiment on white and matting it with black. Katie was a little nervous when she colored the geckos black but once the card came together she was very surprised at how nicely it turned out. Add a little bling and bam! Great manly birthday card.


And now for my bonus layout. I wanted to do the fit to page option again and the markers so here it is:


I love it! Add a few pictures of Spencer and you get a super cute layout. I really love this font. I think it may be one I turn to often. I hope you can join us for class. Feel free to ask for design help. I'll gladly send you info.