And the Winner for the Valentine's Day Hop is...

Good Morning! Thanks to all who participated in the hop and for those of you who participated in my blog candy drawing! I would also like to thanks Kathryn for hosting the hop and putting all this together.
Now, I used Random.org to choose a winner. There were 66 entries and Random.org generated a winner number 22! That would be Stephanie! Stephanie said...
Very pretty, especially the "Love" part. Stephanie, look for an email from me regarding claiming your prize. And if you did not win, and would like another chance, please stop back again January 28, for an opportunity to win!

Stylish Blogger Award Nominations

I was nominated for a Stylish Blogger Award by Kim over at Creative Bling! Thanks Kim!

As part of this award, I have been asked to follow the following guidelines:

1.Thank and link back to the person who awarded you. Thanks again Kim!!

2.Share 8 things about yourself.

3.Pay forward to 8 bloggers you've discovered.

4.Contact the 8 bloggers to tell them about the award.

8 Things about myself, in case you don't know these already:
I am so thankful for my faith and family!
I love my Cricut and use it almost daily!
I am obsessed with putting scallops on everything.
I would like to be published in a scrap booking magazine this year.
I would like to win a Moxie Fab World challenge.
I am so thankful for the on line community of paper artist and all the inspiration and comments they give me!
I have a fashion design degree and love to sew and make patterns too!
I love spending my summers on Lake Michigan and wish I could afford to spend more than a week there every year!

Now, I know that some of us are very busy, and this may feel a bit like a chain letter. But some of us, are flattered and honored to be nominated! So, if you don't want to forward on the award don't worry. Just know that I liked your blog and work enough to nominate you! Also, I like to choose new blogs each time I participate in one of these, but I also have a very short term memory and can't always remember who I have nominated and for which award! So, if I have or have not re-nominated someone please except my apology! It's my creative mind, moving too quickly for my long term memory!

So my nominees are:
1) Michelle's Adventures I love her SVG's! They are great for scrappers and card makers!
2) Craft Place by Janice A! Jan is actually in my scrap booking guild and I love her work! I was so excited when she started a blog because we can't always make the same meetings and I want to see what she is working on. You will too!
3) Cricutlover. I love this blog and use the Google translate to read it. I love that I can visit blogs a world away and get inspiration!
4) Debbies Scrappin Corner. I love looking at Debbies layouts!
5) Designs by Robin Love, Love her layouts and think she has an eye for the the perfect page!
6) Grace's Scrap Attic I love Grace's 3 D projects too!
7) Hey There Rosie Girl! What beautiful simplicity! Timeless!
8) Hip and Humble Paperworks. I love her three dimension projects and that she uses lot of different tools.
Be sure to check out yesterday post below, you still have one day to comment and enter my drawing!

Valentines Blog Hop: A Banner Page CLOSED

Today I am participating in the Valentine's Day Blog Hop sponsored by Kathryn at Wamfamily Creations Blog. This is a big blog hop 23 participants. We found each other on the Cricut Message board, so if you are a Cricut user you will want to check this hop out!
My project for the hop is a layout inspired by my own blog header. I am not a digi scrapper and often visit the free blog background sites for my blog design. This one is designed by Shabby blogs.com. I love the banner, the colors and the sewing trim details. Banners are so big now and last week I saw one made with little scalloped half circles. You know the banner does not have to be made of triangles! So that got me thinking and my page ideas was born. The heart is by Close to My Heart: Soul Mates. I used my SCAL2 to convert the stamped heart to the scalloped cut then I stamped the hearts on. See the post below to see how quick and easy this is for SCAL2 users. I left a lot of white space in the scallops so I could use my stickles and repeat the dots in the BoBunny paper: Heart Attack. The mat for the photo has a bit of embossing using Sizzix SU Flourish. "Love" is from my Cricut Love Struck 2010 cartridge and the journaling marquee from Storybook.
So, get out your stamps, punches and cartridges and have fun making a banner made with a non-triangle shape! I am just loving these hearts!
I am offering a chance at blog candy today, a $15.00 gift certificate for one of my Etsy stores, plus free shipping to US and Canada. For blog visitors outside the US and Canada I will cover cost to US and you can make up the difference if you wish to enter. To enter, just leave me a comment with a way to contact you in a safe format. Be sure to type out at and dot. I will pick a winner Monday morning, January 10th using Random.org. Find my shops here: Scrapguild.etsy.com and Scrapincover.etsy.com
Here are the stops along the hop:
1) Wamfamily Creations With Kathryn http://wamfamily.blogspot.com
2) Craftyscentiments Crafty Scentiments http://www.craftyscentiments.com
3) Lechristina3 All Things Crafty http://allthingscrafty3.blogspot.com
4) TinaB Tina Time http://ollieanddextersmommy.blogspot.com
5) Buggin Out Paper Crafting Chic http://papercraftingchic.com
6) SamaraGugler Hybrid Artist-Samara Gugler http://samaragugler.blogspot.com
7) NicoletteSimpson Beyond Scrapin http://.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com
8) Lissa So Many Crafts, So Little Time http://somanycrafts.wordpress.com
9) CraftyCreations The Crafty Creation Spot http://thecraftycreationspot.blogspot.com
10) JenniferHawkins2 Confessions of a Scrapaholic http://scrapaholicjen.blogspot.com
11) LisaKnight Cricuting with Lisa http://www.cricutingwithlisa.blogspot.com
12) Scrapincovers Cricut Crafty Clare http://cricutcraftyclare.blogspot.com YOU ARE HERE!
14) CroppinMomma Croppin Momma Designs http://croppinmommadesigns.blogspot.com
15) ScrapHappyDeb Deb's Electic Thoughts http://debseclecticthoughts.blogspot.com
16) ScrappyJess Scrappy Jess http://scrappyjess.blogspot.com
17) Iluvscrpn Ink and Paper Creations http://lezlyes.blogspot.com
18) Txscrappermom Tx Scrapper Mom http://txscrappermom.blogspot.com
19) Scrappin Nanapuddin Scrappin Nanapuddin http://scrappin-nanapuddin.blogspot.com
20) Octoberbeauty Macy Bella Designs http://macybella.blogspot.com
21) JavaJen Java Jen Creations http://javajencreations.blogspot.com 22) Oni's Wife Crafty Baskets http://craftybaskets.blogspot.com
23) Scrappin'Place Scrappin' Place

Have you heard of CricutSearch.com?

I love the CricutSearch.com site! It is so much more powerful than the search tool in either my Gypsy or my Cricut Design Studio Software! Here is an example of how powerful it is.
I did a search for "love" in my DS, result: One instance in MS All Occasion Cart.
If you click on the cartridge in DS it takes you to the cartridge, but NOT the image in the search.
I did a search for "love" in my Gypsy, result: Total number unknown and I got instances of any word with "love" in it. For example, clover and glove. Don't want these! No images are shown at the immediate query result, just words, so I have to scroll through their results and click on the words for the images I wish to see. I found it time consuming to go through the images to determine which carts I own.
I did a search for "love" at CricutSearch.com, result: 116 instances. And I can see the handbook page for each result. That means I can see the word and and black out image that matches my result! And, I can scroll and chose only the images for cartridges I own.
Some other things I love about CricutSearch.com is that I get the word I am searching for in other language and it is a wonderful way to pre-shop your cartridges. For example, "love" came up in Spanish and French! If you have an upcoming project, for example an 25th anniversary album, you can do a search or searches on all of the images and titles you wish to use in your project. Since you can see the images in the CricutSeach.com site, it is a wonderful way to determine what want before you buy! So, if you have not checked out the CricutSearch.com site, you will should!

Creating Scallops in SCAL2 with the Rhinestone Feature

I was just working on a project for the upcoming Valentines Day Blog Hop and had a realization that I could use my SCAL2 Rhinestone feature to put scallops on everything! I am so excited I had to share this! In the past, I only knew how to do this in Inkscape and every time I wanted to scallop a shape, I would have to visit Cutting Time blog and get a refresher on the how to's. The Inkscape tutorials from Penny Duncan and Carolyn were to complicated to stick in my brain! Sometimes, I have to understand why I am taking steps in order for me to remember the steps. Since, I don't understand the Inkscape process, I could not remember the how to's. So, while thinking on it today I wondered, can't I just create a rhinestone pattern and union that with my object in SCAL2? Yes, I can!
Caution, do not read this tutorial if you have work to do, because you will be putting scallops on everything today!


So here are the instructions:
1) Create the shape you wish to scallop
2) Select the shape and copy it

3) Paste your shape onto the mat (you will need something to union your rhinestones with)
4) Select the original object and
5) Select the Object Menu, Rhinestone
6) Chose the Rhinestone size and spacing, I used a size of 9.00mm and .5mm spacing. You may have to adjust this to fit your preferences.

7) Break apart the image if needed to adjust the rhinestone placement. Copy individual tiny circles and paste in as needed. Be sure to overlap your circles just a tiny bit.

8) Select all of the circle that make up your scallops and union them

9) Move them over the original object and select all

10) Union the shapes and you have a scalloped object!

And the Winner is...

Thanks to everyone who participated in the News Years Day Blog Hop and to Yolanda for setting it all up! It was a lot of fun!

I used Random.org to pick my winner. The number was 41, so that comment was by Kathy Billings. She said, "Love your planner, wish I had an Archivers near me." Kathy, watch for an email from me on how to claim your prize! And not to enable you but Archivers has an online store now! Look for the Online store link on the left.
And if you are not a winner, please visit my blog again for more prize opportunities on January 8, 2011 and January 28th! I will be doing a Valentine's Day Blog hop and hosting a challenge for the Crop Out Diabetes fundraiser.

Happy New Year Blog Hop: Drawing Closed

Happy New Year! Welcome to the Happy New Year Blog Hop! To celebrate 2011 I am participating in a blog hop with Yolanda at Crafty Sentiments! You can see all the participants below and start the hop from Yolanda's blog. She is giving away a Paper Lace Cricut Cartridge!

Blog hop participants:
1. Crafty Scentiments http://craftyscentiments.blogspot.com/
2. scrapincovers http://www.cricutcraftyclare.blogspot.com/ You are HERE!
3. TinaB http://ollieanddextersmommy.blogspot.com/
4. cricutkris http://www.tatteredprimitives.com/
5. SoonerMT http://www.paperrenee.com/
6. gonecampn http://www.scrapcavecreations.com/
7. buggin_out http://www.papercraftingchic.com/
8. MissyMel http://papertreats.blogspot.com/
9. Lissa http://somanycrafts.wordpress.com/
10.Kreimers http://fantabulouslypink.blogspot.com/
11.txscrappermom http://txscrappermom.blogspot.com/ 12.Scrappin' Palace http://scrappinpalace.blogspot.com/ 13.DeannaMulder http://deannaspapercrafts.blogspot.com/
14.WamFamily http://www.wamfamily.blogspot.com/ 15.Ms_Dee http://www.dees-specialthings.blogspot.com/
16.YvonneBalmer http://ink-spirations.blogspot.com/
17.TiffysMom http://angiespaperpassion.blogspot.com/
18.Heart2hand http://heart2handshighlights.blogspot.com/

I can't wait to check out their projects! Now for my project...a planner cover I made with my Cindy Loo Cartridge. I got this one for Christmas and love it. I couldn't think of a way to work this cute little dear into any of my pages, so why not feature it on my planner? I used some Cosmo Cricut paper I have had in my stash forever. Love all the little picot detail around this circle!
I get my planner every year from Archivers. It's called my Eye Book and has a page protector for every month. I scrapped pages three years ago for this planner and just move my month pages in January of the new year. I scrap a new cover for each year. Here is a picture of the planner as it comes from the store.

I am also offering some blog candy along the hop: a gift certificate for one of my Etsy stores in the amount of $15.00 with free shipping to US, and Canada only. If you live outside US or Canada, I will cover a portion of shipping equal to US and Canada and if you win, you can cover the rest. You can find my Etsy stores here: www.scrapincovers.etsy.com or www.scrapguild.etsy.com To qualify for the blog candy drawing, please leave me a comment on this post with a way to contact you. Be sure to type out "at" and "dot" for safety! I will draw a winner tomorrow, January 2, 2011.
Now for your next stop on the hop: Tina's blog