Java Jen Creations

Filled Heart Pocket Card

2012-02-06T01:25:00.000-06:00

Well, it's almost Valentine's Day so I came up with a different kind of card this year! I thought it would be fun to make a 3-D pocket on the front of a card with little hearts popping out of it! I used the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart - you know, the cartridge with so much awesomeness on it!!! :-) The papers and embellishments are from the Club Ruby Designers February kit. If you are not familiar with Club Ruby and would like to be, click HERE!

This is the finished card! The recipe is as follows:

Start with a 4.25" x 11" piece of Kraft card stock. Score and fold in half to make a 4.25" x 5.5" card.

Cut a mat for the front of the card sized at 3 7/8" x 5 1/8". I rounded the corners of the mat and the card base.

Using the Art Philosophy cartridge, cut the Font layer shift on page 26 at 4.65" and assemble as shown.

Mount the heart to the front of the card.

Wrinkle up a small piece of tissue paper - I used pink - and stuff it randomly in the pocket.

I used my Gypsy and Megan Elizabeth's Paper Layerz paper to cut out several different hearts. To find out more about Paper Layerz paper, click the link in my sidebar.

This is my Gypsy screen showing where my hearts will be cutting.

Here is the paper after cutting. I love this paper because I don't have to put little pieces of different colors on my mat! I just put one sheet on and position my images where I want them and I'm all set!

Glue the hearts randomly so they appear to pop out of the heart.

Another close up.

All finished!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a creative day!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2012-01-02T01:01:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to drop by and wish everyone a Happy New Year!! I am so incredibly blessed and so looking forward to wonderful things in 2012! Our grandsons bring so much joy and completeness to our lives so I thought I would start the new year out by posting a few pictures of their amazing cuteness!! :-)

Langston posing for his cake smash pics for his 1st birthday! His momma is a photographer! :-)

Sweet little Seth after Christmas Eve service at church! Look at that tongue! :-)

Langston is all tuckered out after a day full of Christmas activities!

Seth is so happy here! We just love his precious little laugh!

This might be my all time favorite pic of the boys so far!! Ooooo, I just love them to pieces!!

Thanks for indulging me, everyone!! ;-)

This coming week, I hope to start posting some of the projects and gifts that I made for Christmas so stay tuned!!

HAVE A BLESSED AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Some of my latest projects

2011-12-16T01:27:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in so long! I really have been crafting but just haven't gotten around to posting any pics because I've been soooo busy! Here are just a few things I have been working on - I'll post more details about how I made everything a little later. Just wanted to get some pics up!

My December calendar page made with products in the December Club Ruby Kit. For details about Club Ruby click HERE !

Mini book made with Heidi Swapp's back-to-back binding technique featured on My Craft Channel. To see her video, click HERE ! I used the Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons Cricut cartridge.

A Thanksgiving card also using the Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons cartridge.

A 5 Generations layout using the Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons cartridge and the Fancy Frames cartridge.

A Christmas card using the Winter Frolic Cricut cartridge and some paper from the Club Ruby December kit.

Some little "fry" holders from the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge to hold some Starbucks Via.

Thanks for stopping by today and remember to make some precious memories this Christmas season!

New projects up on Club Ruby Designers!

2011-11-01T20:58:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! Just wanted to post and let you all know that there are lots of new projects up on Club Ruby Designers today using the new November Club Ruby kit! Click HERE to go there! I have several projects over there and here are a few sneak peeks to peak your interest! :-)

For all the pics and the full tutorials on how you can make these projects, head over there and prepare to be inspired! Oh! I almost forgot to let you know that there is a special offer this month: you can get last year's November kit with this month's kit for just $7.00 more! That is 2 awesome kits for $39.99! Just wanted to let you know! :-)

Family Quizzes Mini Album

2011-10-13T19:01:00.001-05:00

Hi everybody! Hope you're all having a great day! It's sunny and warm here in Branson, MO, as I sit and type this! We have been traveling together as a family because my husband's job takes him all over the place! I've been able to take some craft stuff with me - (but not nearly enough!) :-) Since I have limited supplies with me, I have to be even more resourceful in making projects! I brought several Club Ruby kits with me to make things easier. When papers and embellishments are coordinated like they are in these awesome kits, projects come together like a breeze!

I am a guest designer over at Sheila's blog: She's a Sassy Lady today so this project is featured there too! So many great tutorials over there so check it out if you haven't already! I'm also using this project as my entry in the Cricut Circle Blogaversary challenge. This is the sketch we had to work from so I modified it for my mini album cover.

Today's project was inspired by Heidi Swapp's video over on My Craft Channel . This site is brand new and full of great project videos and special shopping deals! You all must know by now how much I enjoy making mini books so after watching Heidi's VIDEO <--------- link here, I just knew this would be my next mini! I chose to make one patterned after the third one she demonstrated.

Here is my finished book:

Start with a 12"x7.5" piece of card stock, (or chipboard if you prefer). Score at 4" and 4.25" from the left and 2.25" and 2.5" from the right.

All of the papers and embellishments are from the April 2011 Club Ruby Designers kit which has elements from the My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy line. If you are not familiar with Club Ruby click HERE to check it out! They have awesome monthly kits and tons of inspiration!

Now to start making the inside pages just choose your papers and keep in mind how they will be folded so that any patterns will be seen properly when folded. For my book, the pages need to be no wider than 5" and no longer than 14.5" - (since they get folded over). I varied the length of my pages like Heidi did in hers because I think it really adds interest! Here is a pic of the pages adhered inside the cover. I used the back to back book binding technique that Heidi demonstrated on her video. So simple and easy!

Now comes the fun part - EMBELLISHING! I used some of my scraps from this kit to decorate the cover. The card stock stickers and other alpha stickers are also from this kit. Told ya' these kits are awesome!! :-)

The cover before embellishing.

.......and after! The ribbon slides over to keep it closed.

The edges on some of the pages were cut from the Elegant Edges cricut cartridge. How fitting! :-) I used the border feature and unlinked the height and width and made them 5" wide and stretched the height to what I wanted. I love this feature on my Gypsy! I cut 2 of each border so that I could also use another cool feature and flip that second cut so that when I glued them together on the border of the pages, they would match up perfectly!

I did the same with the labels that I made for a few pages to write the titles in. I unlinked the height and width so that I could stretch them to be the size I needed. (Sorry this pic isn't rotated! It was on my computer but not on blogger!)

The cuts from Elegant Edges:

The quizzes that I use in my book are from a special issue of Simple Scrapbooks. I really miss that magazine but I use my back issues frequently!

Following are lots of pics of the completed pages. The ones that don't have quizzes on them will, most likely, have pictures on them.

Inside the front cover

Cover open - pages all closed

ALL DONE! I can't wait to write all of our answers in! This will be a great coffee table book!

Thanks for stopping by today and here are the links from above all in one place:

Heidi Swapp's mini book video

CLUB RUBY DESIGNERS

Sheila's Blog: She's a Sassy Lady

My Craft Channel

Sneak Peek of new projects on Club Ruby designers tomorrow!

2011-09-30T18:05:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! Hard to believe that tomorrow is October already but that means that there will be lots of new projects on Club Ruby Designers showcasing the new October kit from Club Ruby! Here is a sneak peek of some of my projects that will be there in the morning. Be sure to stop over there in the morning to see all of the amazing creations and to buy your own kit to have some fun too!

Check out the Above Rubies Studio Store!

2011-09-23T19:17:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to use this post to show my readers all of the wonderful products that are available in the Above Rubies Studio Store! Within this post is a link to the NEW Cricut A to Z DVD and you can purchase it through this link! Let me tell you that I have almost every DVD and they are fantastic! They are so full of information and great projects that you can follow along and make! Here is the link:

You'll want to keep checking back to the Above Rubies Studio Store so that you see all of the new products that Megan will be coming out with! Lots of exciting things!

Fun Accordion Album

2011-09-08T10:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, everyone!! Today is, once again, my day as a designer over at She's a Sassy Lady ! Her blog is full of great tutorials and inspiration so if you've never been there, do check it out! You'll be glad you did!!
Today I made a fun Accordion album! I hope to do a video of this project in the future but for now I took plenty of pictures. I'm hoping that I can explain myself well enough so you can recreate this project for yourselves! Here is the finished project, all tied up:

I started with a few basic supplies:

Here are the basic cuts that you need for this album:

2 - 4.5"x4.5" thin chipboard or posterboard squares

3 - 8"x8" kraft paper squares

2- 6"x6" printed paper squares

Lay each chipboard square in the middle of a printed paper square. Make sure you pay attention to which side of the printed paper you want to show if you're using double-sided paper. Fold in the edges and glue with a strong adhesive.

Take the 3 kraft paper squares score them at 4", then rotate and score again at 4". Do one last score line from corner to corner to make the creases for folding this album up. This picture doesn't show the score lines real well but hopefully you can tell how to do this from the pic showing it folded.

Using Tags, Bags, Boxes and More, cut 6 of the pocket on page 113 using the blackout feature. I cut this pocket at 7.94"H and this was the perfect size for holding the journaling tags that came in this kit! By the way, I wanted to mention how much I like this collection kit from October Afternoon! It is called The Thrift Shop and it is full of great printed papers, card stock stickers and journaling tags! It made it really easy to embellish this little album!

Now to attach the kraft panels to the cover. Adhere one panel to the back of one of the covers.

Adhere another kraft panel by attaching it to the other solid square of the previous one. (This is where a video would really come in handy so I could show you exactly how to do this!)

Here is how it looks with 2 panels attached to the cover:

Here is how it should look after attaching your cover to the last kraft panel and adhering that to the other 2 kraft panels. Hopefully, you can see from this pic that to fold it up, you fold the two end panels up and the middle section down to allow it to close properly.

Here it is fully open and decorated with a few close-ups of the detail:

To add the ribbon closure just adhere a strip on the back side that is long enough to wrap around to the front, then put another pocket on over the ribbon.

All done and tied up! I love how this turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today and please let me know if you have any questions about how this album goes together! I tried to be as clear as I could! Maybe I'll get that video done soon! :-)

Giveaways still going on at Above Rubies Studio!!!

2011-08-30T00:15:00.001-05:00

Just letting everyone know that there are still awesome giveaways going on at Above Rubies Studio !! If you have never been to this site, you MUST go!! :-) Just trust me! Click HERE to see what I'm talking about and have a chance to win some fantastic prizes!!

Cookie Sheet Mini album / Home Decor piece

2011-08-11T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!! It's my turn again to be a guest designer at She's a Sassy Lady !! I decided to use an actual cookie sheet to showcase these great pictures of our niece and my mother-in-law baking cookies! This project was a little challenging since I haven't been home to my craft room since June 30th! We are traveling with my husband where he works so I made this project in our hotel room using the limited amount of craft supplies that I brought with me! These Club Ruby kits are perfect to take with me because they contain so many wonderful elements! I was able to use my Mom's Cricut when we made a quick trip to Ohio! Yay!! I had my cuts all designed on my Gypsy so that made it really easy!! I also used Paper Layerz for some of the cuts! This paper is awesome!! To check out this paper click HERE!

Here it is all done and folded up! Now I'll go into more detail as to how each element was created.

I started with a 10.5"x15.5" cookie sheet.

I just love this paper from the Club Ruby Designers June kit! This perfect ribbon is from Hobby Lobby!

This is a sheet of Paper Layerz paper by Megan Elizabeth! This paper is just awesome! Check out the link HERE or above! This pic is before cutting.

Here is my Gypsy screen showing exactly where my cuts will be.

This is that same sheet of paper after cutting. You can see how much room I have left on this sheet!

My Gypsy screen for the next cut.

After cutting.

Close-ups of the cuts.

I cut a slit in this fold-out for the ribbon to hold it closed.

All buttoned up!

The top fold-out unfolded once.

Unfolded twice.

Unfolded three times.

Close-up of these die-cuts. I just love them!

All the way open.

I used the tag in the June kit to journal the 3 pics in this fold-out. I used the sticker numbers to number the pics and the tag.

Close-up of the cupcake. This cut was from Everyday Paperdolls.

Title made with the sticker letters in the June Kit.

Rest of the title: Chum is how my mother-in-law is affectionately referred to as by all the little grandkids! :-)

Here is how it looks all opened up. When I get home, I plan on adding stickles and other embellishments to spruce it up a bit!

Hope you enjoyed looking at this project today! Stop back soon!

Just a fun coffee-themed scrapbook page

2011-07-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

Since I'm known as Java Jen, I decided to create a coffee-themed scrapbook page. Here is what I've come up with. I used Lyrical Letters for the coffee cup background and the title letters. That is such a versatile cartridge with so many extras on it!

My Pink Stamper Design Team call Submission

2011-07-20T19:22:00.001-05:00

My Pink Stamper is having another design team call so I made this scrapbook page that can be used for a birthday, an eventful year or really just about any occasion that you want to celebrate! We had to use the colors brown, green, turquoise and orange and one other color of our choice in our project for this submission. I threw some purple in here since it was already on the printed paper! :-) I thought that these prints from K and Co.'s Confetti stack brought these colors together nicely!

RECIPE:

BANNER: from the MOTHER'S DAY cartridge cut at @ 2.18"H

LETTERS ON THE BANNER: from the ALL MIXED UP cartridge cut at 2.18"H

TITLE LETTERS: from the ALL MIXED UP cartridge cut at 1.47"H

PAPER: K & Co. Confetti stack (just love this stack!!)

KRAFT PAPER

TWINE

Thanks for stopping by today and make sure that you visit My Pink Stamper for so much great inspiration, including tutorials and stamps and sooooooo much more!!

Reunion Crafts

2011-07-07T11:13:00.001-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again and I have the pleasure of doing some crafts with the kids at our family reunion! I absolutely LOVE it!! I thought it would be fun to create a little lanyard album for them to remember the fun times we had together! We started with a piece of cardstock cut to 11.25"x3.25". I pre-scored them, starting at the left, at each 2.25" mark, (2.25", 4.5", 6.75" and 9").

After scoring, I then did an accordion fold.

I used my Creative Memories tag punch to make tags to go on the front of the album saying "OFFICIAL MEMBER of the BARGER FAMILY".

I brought all kinds of goodies from my stash for the kids to use like stickers, gems, gel pens etc.! They had so much fun decorating them! Here are some pics of the finished products!

Needless to say, the sticker gems were a hit! :-)

To see another version of this album, check out my gallery on Club Ruby Designers . It's called a summer lanyard album.

Thanks for stopping by today!

How to make a Photo Flip-Flap album

2011-06-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today this project is featured over at SHE'S A SASSY LADY ! It's always a pleasure to share over there! If you haven't visited Sheila's blog, you must! So much great stuff going on there all the time! :-)

I get weekly emails from a site called PHOTOJOJO that are filled with photography ideas, photography equipment deals and sometimes even photo display ideas. The other day in this email, they had a tutorial for a photo flip-flap album and I absolutely loved it and had to try it for myself! I tweaked it a little bit and streamlined the instructions a bit to, hopefully, make it a little easier to understand. Here we go!!

STEP 1: Cut a plain piece of cardstock to a 9"x10" size. Lay the cardstock on your score board so that it is 10" across. Score at 1" and every inch all the way across so that there are 9 score lines, 1" apart. Once you accordion fold your score lines, it should look like the picture above.

STEP 2: Take 12 pictures - You can either use 3x5 pics and not mat them, or do like I did and use 2x3 pics and mat them on 3x5 cards as pictured above.

STEP 3: Using a strong adhesive on only one end of each matted picture, attach them to the accordion spine as pictured above, being sure to alternate the rows and doing one vertical row at a time.

Here are 2 views showing what your album will look like when all the rows of pictures are attached.

This is how your album looks when it is all folded up and before the covers are attached.

STEP 4: Now it is time to add the covers. Cut 2 pieces of printed cardstock to a size of 5.25"x9" each. Attach them to the outside portion of the accordion spine as shown in the pics above.

This is how your album will look with the covers attached and standing up.

Another view of the open album with the covers on.

STEP 5: Embellishments - To decorate my covers I used Nifty Fifties for the title and cut the font and shadow at 1.5"H. I used Nate's ABC's for the ball and the cap and both are cut at 2.29"H.

I added some journaling and stitching to my matted pictures and called it done! :-)

Almost forgot to add my new signature stamp!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Sample card for Today's Gypsy Made Simple challenge

2011-05-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!! Happy Saturday!!
Today I am posting my take on Sheila's tri-fold card tutorial that she is sharing today over at She's a Sassy Lady . She was so great and designed a tri-fold card for those who don't have the new Expression2. (There is a pre-loaded cartridge on the new E2 that has a tri-fold card feature on it.) You can receive her Gypsy file for this card by visiting her blog and making any size donation to help the Alabama tornado victims. If you have never downloaded a file for your Gypsy, it is simply a file with all of the cuts already on the mats for you. If you don't have the cartridges that she used in the original file, she also made one as a template so you can choose your own images from cartridges that you own! This is just so cool!! Be sure to head over to her blog and view her awesome videos that will show you how she made this file and to make a card of your own and link it to her post!

Now, on to my card!

This is the base cut out in kraft paper.

Here is the mouse in the present! So cute!

Here are both images assembled and ready to add to the base.

Front of card

Middle layer of card

This is back layer. The stamp is from an upcoming Club Ruby kit.

My trademark stamp on the back.

The finished card partially open.

The finished card, all the way closed! So cute!

You must go to She's a Sassy Lady today to get all the details to make your own version of this fun card! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Gypsy Made Simple challenge

2011-05-14T23:08:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I just have a quick post to share my entry for the challenge that Sheila over at She's a Sassy Lady , posts on Saturdays. Today she challenged us to create a tag using the end cap feature on Plantin Schoolbook or Mickey Font. I have had this coffee bean paper for some time and have been wanting to use it so I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity! By the way, I used Mickey Font because I like the whimsical look of the font! If you would like to create a tag of your own, I encourage you to check out Sheila's post today because she has 2 very informative videos to make it very easy for you!

Of course, I used my white pen to add some much needed stitching! :-)

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to make something beautiful today!

Cricut Imagine Scrapbook layout

2011-05-12T11:56:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!! Hope you're all having a fantastic day! We are finally getting some rain here so maybe our grass will green up!
Today I have a project featured over at She's a Sassy Lady ! If you have never been to her blog, you must check it out! There is a new, awesome project and tutorial everyday!!

I created this layout using my Cricut Imagine, the Imagine More cartridge for the colors of my layers and the Baby Steps cartridge for the images. A really wonderful feature about the Imagine is that I only need to put white paper on my mat and then choose the colors through my machine! So easy!

This is a pic of the first cut showing the color I chose for this first layer and its position on the mat. The pic below is the first completed cut.

The next few pics show the Imagine screens and the corresponding completed cuts.

I took a picture of my Cutter Bee Tweezer bee tweezers because that is my go-to tool for adhering my die cut layers. These tweezers give me great control in handling all the little layers and pieces!

This pic shows the completed die cut with all of the layers.

And finally, here is the completed page but, can you believe it?? I forgot to take a picture of the page with the picture of my new grandbaby!! I asked my son to take a picture of it and email it to me so when he does, I will add it to this post! You see, I created this page before I left for Ohio to be there for our 2nd grandson's birth so that all I had to do was add the photo and the stats of his birth! What a precious little one he is, too!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and remember to keep creating!

Even though I don't have a picture of the layout with my new grandson's picture on it, I can still post a picture of him!! He is just simply adorable and beautiful and, of course, I'm not biased at all!! :-)

About Me - Wall Decor Project

2011-04-21T18:21:00.000-05:00

My daughter got me this 7 Gypsies tray for my birthday back in February and I finally got around to making a wall decor piece with it! I had to make an "About Me" project as one of the requirements to apply for the Club Ruby Designers design team - which, by the way, I made!!! (If you haven't checked out Club Ruby Designers, you can do so here! It's a fantastic club to be a part of! So full of ideas, networking and inspiration! Here is my project:

Following are some close-ups of the details: Cricut cartridges used are Florals Embellished, Cricut Everyday, Baby Steps, Quarter Note and Stand & Salute.

Thanks for looking and have a blessed day!

Monthly Scrapbook Calendar Pages

2011-04-14T11:41:00.000-05:00

Hi there!! Today I have this project featured over at She's a Sassy Lady ! You can read the "book" that I wrote about this project by visiting her site! :-) Suffice it to say that I believe that our everyday moments are just as important as the big events so they should be celebrated too! I simply hang each month's calendar page on my fridge and write all of our comings and goings on it. At the end of the month, I put it in our family scrapbook and put all the pictures from that month in the album behind it. I've been using this "system" for years now and it really helps me stay on top of our pictures since we take so many! Even if I don't get the pictures in my album right away, I have them sorted by the month so I can easily scrap them when I have the time! All of these pages are, obviously, 12x12 and I have used a Creative Memories calendar grid. I have used various cricut cartridges for the die cuts and have those detailed under each picture. I hope this inspires you to celebrate and remember all of the everyday moments in your lives!

This is my current page that is on my fridge right now.

APRIL - Designer's Calendar

FLOWER, "spring has", "sprung" - Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons

Stickles

AUGUST - Designer's Calendar

"Happy Trails" - Going Places

CLOCK, SUN - Designer's Calendar

SEPTEMBER - Designer's Calendar

"Back to School", "Labor Day", "school starts" - Designer's Calendar

APPLE, "7" - Makin' the Grade

background paper - DCWV

pumpkin shapes - preloaded Imagine shapes also printed on the Imagine

Sticker letters - Creative Memories

All elements from the November Club Ruby kit. Check out Club Ruby Designers ! This is a great monthly club that is full of wonderful inspiration!

DECEMBER - Designer's Calendar

ANGEL, TREES - Winter Frolic

Stickles

JANUARY - Designer's Calendar

background paper - Mr. Frosty Imagine cartridge

snowflakes - Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons and printed from Mr. Frosty cartridge

Stickles

FEBRUARY - Thickers

background paper and all die cuts - Imagine Yummy cartridge

Stickles

MARCH - Creative Memories sticker letters

all other stickers - DCWV Spring sticker pack

background paper - from a Club Ruby kit

As you can see, some of my calendar pages are quite simple. That's because I just want to make sure that I get my page up on my fridge and not have it become a huge project that takes too long to complete. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

My Little Leprechaun

2011-03-18T00:30:00.000-05:00

This is not a craft-related post but I just had to share a few pics of my sweet little Leprechaun, (aka my sweet little grandson!) Isn't he just the cutest little Leprechaun you ever did see??!!

Christmas gift projects

2011-03-09T12:03:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know that Christmas is over but I've been out-of-state for over a week so I thought I would post these two projects that I made for gifts at Christmas.

I made Holiday recipe albums for my Mother, sister-in-law, daughter and daughter-in-law using a K and Co. Christmas stack and my Your Story. They were quick and simple to make!

The next project is simply a little open box that I made by scoring a 12x12 piece of double-sided cardstock to create a place to slip in gift cards!

I also included a jar mix of my Sour Cream Coffee Cake with a recipe tag.

Thanks for stopping by today and just FYI, I'll debut as a guest designer on She's a Sassy Lady tomorrow, March 10th!! I'm so excited!!

First Birthday Mini Album

2011-02-09T11:13:00.000-06:00

My husband's nephew's daughter recently turned 1 so I am sending this mini for them to put some 1st Birthday pics in! This album is also featured over at Cricut Mini Albums . I used the file folder album from Fabulous Finds and cut it at 6.18"H. That seems to be my "go-to" cartridge when I want to make a "from-scratch" mini! I also used the Sweet Treats, Robotz, Storybook and Birthday Cake cartridges in this project. The printed cardstock is from the K and Company stack called Confetti. (Love this stack!) If anyone has any specific questions about cuts or sizes or whatever, feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you.

Think Spring Blog Hop

2011-02-05T02:48:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the THINK SPRING BLOG HOP!! You should have arrived here from the amazingly talented Crafty Baskets ! If you just happened upon my blog, be sure to go back to the beginning at Creations With Kathryn . She is our wonderful host for this hop! On to my project: I decided to make a Spring mini album to showcase a few pictures that I took at the Zilker Botanical Gardens in Austin, TX. What is more telling of Spring than flowers?! I used the Card/Tag feature on the Paisley Cricut cartridge and used paper from the DCWV Spring cardstack. (I think this stack was from last year or maybe even the year before! :-) I'm just finally using it! ) The paper flowers throughout are from the 3 Birds Pretty Petals collection. Read to the end of this post to find the link for the next blog to hop to and for my blog candy!

This is a pic of an open page.

Now for my blog candy!! Just leave me a comment on this post with a way to contact you - you don't have to be a follower unless you want to - and I will pick a winner by random.org on Monday! I'm giving away a little boxed set of homemade Valentine cards and some Valentine candy!

Thanks for stopping by today and here is your link to the next awesome blog in our hop: Stephanie's Scrapping/Stamping Card Making site !

Library Pocket Mini album

2011-01-20T17:58:00.000-06:00

This is my latest creation for the Cricut Mini Albums website. I had a kit for this kind of album but I wrote down the dimensions and recreated my own using my Cricut!! In this album, I recorded all of the birthdays in our family so I can refer to it when I'm ready to make and send my cards! I used Designer's Calendar for the months and the icons hanging off of the twine on each card. The icons were printed and cut on my Imagine using the Kate's Kitchen Imagine cartridge with the Designer's Calendar cartridge. I used the cricut markers on the months first, then cut them out. I really like the look this gives. The papers used were from the K and Co. stack "Cut 'n Paste". I used some stamps from My Pink Stamper Winter Punnies and Cornish Heritage Farms On the Desk set. The library cards and pockets are made with Tags, Bags, Boxes and More and my Gypsy. I resized the pockets so they would better resemble a library pocket. I can add to the cards each month as new family members are added!

Thanks for stopping by today and as always, if you have any questions or you just like what you see, feel free to leave me a comment!

January Calendar page

2011-01-11T18:33:00.000-06:00

I make pages for each month and post them on my fridge - then at the end of the month take them down and put them in my scrapbook along with the pictures that I took that month! It's a great way to chronicle the year and the pictures of everyday events and happenings have a place to be seen!

This is my January page that I made using my Imagine and Mr. Frosty cartridge. I also used Designer Calendar and Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons for the title and snowflakes! I actually printed the whole sheet of snowflake paper on my Imagine! I love this print and it's great that I can print a whole sheet if I want to with my Imagine!!

AND THE WINNER OF MY BLOG CANDY IS..............

2011-01-10T12:10:00.000-06:00

Comment #49 - Anna!!! I have your email address and will be sending you an email so I can get your address to send you your "prize"!! Congratulations and thank you to everyone for stopping by my blog and for your sweet comments! I will be participating in another blog hop on February 5th so be looking for that announcement! Have a blessed day!!

Be My Valentine Blog Hop

2011-01-08T02:20:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the "Be My Valentine" blog hop!! This is the first blog hop that I have had the opportunity to participate in and I've had so much fun! If you arrived here from Macy Bella Designs then you're on the right track. If not or if you have missed a few blogs along the way, be sure to go to the beginning at Creations With Kathryn so you can see all of the great Valentine projects today!! There are even some blogs that have blog candy - (like ME!) After you check out my project, your next stop will be Crafty Baskets .
Now, on to my project!! I made a box to put a set of Valentine's cards in. I used a 12x12 piece of double-sided cardstock from K and Co. The cards are made with Kraft paper and are a 4x4 size. I used the Cricut Sentimentals cartridge for the postage stamp cut on the front of each card and used my Gypsy to cut them so I could unlink the H and W so it would be 3.75" square. The valentine cuts for the front of the cards are from the Love Struck seasonal cartridge. Some stickles and sticker gems added some much needed bling!

MY BLOG CANDY!!!

A Feb/Mar '08 issue of Paper Trends Magazine (brand new with lots of Valentine ideas)

An Elsie Recipe Idea Box with 100 idea cards

All you need to do to have a chance to win is to leave me a comment on this post! I would love it if you would follow me too but only if you want to - not required for a chance to win! In your comment, please leave a way for me to get in touch with you. I will draw a winner on Monday, Jan. 10th!

Thanks for hopping by today!

Winter Mini Album for Cricut Mini Albums

2011-01-02T21:43:00.001-06:00

Winter here in Texas is not at all like winters in Ohio where we moved from! No snow here but I have plenty of wintry pics to choose from to put in this mini! I started with a 5x7 book that I made with my bind-it-all. I really like using the clear covers and black pages! All of the printed papers and die-cuts were printed and cut using my Cricut Imagine and the Mr. Frosty Imagine cartridge and my Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons cartridge. (Love this cartridge!!) To order this cartridge, click HERE! Obviously, you could recreate these cuts and papers using your regular cricut and your own papers. Now, what would a wintry album be without some glittery accents?? I used Waterfall, Star Dust and Eucalyptus Stickles to add some bling! I also used some winter rub-ons and my white gelly roll pen. Happy New Year and Happy Winter!

Remember, if you would like to order the Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons cartridge or any other CM products, you can visit my website HERE to place an order! Thanks for stopping by today!

My Pink Stamper Challenge

2011-01-01T16:24:00.001-06:00

My Pink Stamper has posted a challenge today to any and all who would like a shot at being on her design team! My project needed to use a favorite Cricut cartridge and the colors: pink, green and brown and another color of my choice. I used my Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons cartridge and my Imagine with the Mr. Frosty pattern cartridge and Snapshot Everyday cartridges. I am going to frame this project so I can always look at my sweet little, brand-new grandson!!

The mat behind this adorable picture was printed and cut on my Imagine from the standard shapes on the Imagine and the Mr. Frosty cartridge. I really like this snowflake pattern!

This is a close-up of the tree and layers from page 60 of my Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons Cricut cartridge and was cut at 3.5"H. I used Star Dust Stickles to make the "snow" on the tree look like it was glistening! Notice the "wood" paper for the tree trunk - this is a texture pattern on the Snapshot Everyday Imagine cartridge. I also used this paper for the phrase shadow.

These words and their shadow were also cut from Cheerful Seasons and were printed and cut on my Imagine with colors and textures from the Snapshot Everyday Imagine cartridge.

These stamps from My Pink Stamper Winter Punnies are perfect for this project! Some Star Dust stickles put the finishing touch on this little tree, which is just the inside cut-out of the outside frame on the other tree. (Sorry! Did I just confuse anyone!? :) )

If anyone is interested in purchasing the Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons cartridge or any other Creative Memories products, feel free to visit MY WEBSITE here!

Thanks for checking out my project and remember to go to My Pink Stamper for lots and lots of wonderful inspiration and tutorials and many awesome products! I have all of her DVDs and two of her stamp sets and they are absolutely top-notch!! I highly recommend them to one and all!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Baby's First Christmas Album

2010-12-13T01:20:00.000-06:00

Since my first grandchild, a boy, was born on December 2nd, he definitely needs a first Christmas album! I used an 8x8 Piggy Tales Hide & Seek flap book for this special project! The paper and journaling boxes are from the Creative Memories Candy Cane collection. I used several cricut cartridges: Lyrical Letters, Jolly Holidays, 3 Birds on Parade, Going Places, Winter Frolic and Wall Decor & More. I also used these Imagine cartridges: Snapshot Textures, Imagine More Cards and Imagine More. I will obviously add pics when we take them at Christmas but I had to include one special pic of my little angel sitting by our tree looking so angelic!! I just love my little bundle of joy!!

I'm a Grandma!!!!!

2010-12-04T23:02:00.001-06:00

My sweet little grandson was born on Thursday, December 2nd at 5:12pm and weighed in at 6#13oz and was 19" long!! He is my little snuggle bunny and I love him so, so, so, so much!! Just had to share!!

My happy place! :-)

Thanksgiving Mini Album

2010-11-28T15:46:00.001-06:00

Here is another mini that I made for Cricut Mini Albums . It was so easy to put this together using the papers, rub-ons, brads and embellishments from the November Club Ruby kit! There were so many beautiful things to choose from!! I used a blank chipboard book from Maya Road. The cartridges that I used were: 3 Birds on Parade, Fabulous Finds and George and Basic Shapes. The tags on the binding were some Stampin' up premade tags that I had in my stash! The little thanksgiving bird was made with my Imagine using the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge. I have so much to be thankful for so this mini will help me remember those things that are the most precious to me! I will add pictures to it later but for now, I put in some thanksgiving scriptures and quotes for inspiration! Thanks for looking and don't forget to always be thankful for the bounty that we have!

Favorite Holiday Recipe mini album

2010-11-17T00:11:00.000-06:00

This mini album has to be a record for me for the most cricut cuts in one project - 28!! That doesn't even include the layer cuts and duplicates!! I found so many images that just had to be included in this mini!! Even with all these die cuts, it's not too much because it allows the real stars, (the recipes) to shine!! This album is also featured over at Cricut Mini Albums! I used a 5x7 album that I put together with the bind-it-all. I used some 7 Gypsies cardstock stickers to embellish this album as well as the cricut cuts. I have a stamp set that I used for the words on the tabs. I am hoping to make this album into a kit that I will have for sale on my blog, so be watching for that announcement!!

Here are the cricut cartridges that I used:

From My Kitchen
Gypsy Wanderings
Birthday Cakes
Thanksgiving seasonal
Simply Charmed
Winter Woodland
Winter Frolic
When It's Cold Outside

I think I am going to attach a pocket to some pages in the back so that when I acquire some new recipes this season, I can slip them in! Remember to check back for when I make this into a kit! Better yet, let me know with a comment if you're interested in this album being a kit so I'll have an idea how many to plan for! Thanks for stopping by today!!

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch mini album

2010-11-03T22:52:00.001-05:00

I made another mini for Cricut Mini Albums. This time I made a mini to showcase a trip to the pumpkin patch with our son a few years ago. (He's 13 now so we don't go there anymore!) sniff, sniff! Most of the elements that I used for this mini were from the Club Ruby Designers October kit. I tried some new color combinations and I'm really happy about how they look together! The large pumpkins on the cover and inside are from Gypsy Wanderings and are cut at 5.47"H. The little pumpkins and leaves throughout, are from Designer's Calendar and are cut at 1.47"H. I used a 6x6 bookboard that came in the kit for the cover and used 6x6 Kraft paper for the pages. This was a simple little album to pull together and I'm sure my pumpkin patch pictures will look great in it! Thanks for looking and remember to do something creative today!!

Things I Love About Fall - mini album

2010-10-25T01:22:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!! This is the mini that I made as my first project on the design team of Cricut Mini Albums !! I made a 4x4 book with my bind-it-all. I love using black pages and clear covers! The cricut cuts I used are: leaves on both sides of front cover and pumpkin on both sides of back cover from Gypsy Wanderings - fence from Everyday Paper Dolls - football corner from Sports Mania - garden sign from Walk in My Garden. I also used some little Creative Memories punches and stickers and some Hobby Lobby cardstock stickers. I also had fun using my gel pens to do some dotting and stitching - one of my latest "obsessions"!! Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to do something creative!!

My first Cricut Imagine "project"!

2010-10-07T23:29:00.002-05:00

Ok, it's not any big deal, but here it is!! I was anxious to try out my new toy so I picked a quick little thing to do. I chose this little onesie because my first grandchild, (a boy), is due this December! Thanks for looking!

Isn't it cute??!! I used pop dots to pop up the layers.

This is what my white paper looked like after I print and cut. Very cool!!

Tuesday Treats Tutorial

2010-09-30T00:47:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!! It's finally my turn to share my project on the Tuesday Treats blog! We are featuring the Life is a beach cartridge over there this month so I designed a die-cut page using the starfish border on page 64. In this video you will see how to weld 4 of these border shapes and some other single shapes to form a beautiful die-cut page. Since this is only my second video ever, I hope that anyone who views it will give me grace for my imperfections! :-) My cursor size was set at 3.24"H for everything throughout this project. The "surf's up" icon is on page 74. Please feel free to leave me a comment if you have any questions or to let me know if this video helped you in any way! I will try to have the gypsy file for this project posted here in the next day or two. Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Woodland Critters

2010-09-17T01:24:00.000-05:00

I've been using my Create a Critter cartridge this week to make some woodland critters for my daughter's baby shower decorations. I love how they turned out!! They were all cut at 3.24"H. I couldn't help myself - I had to do stitching on them so they would look complete! :-)

This is the only critter from another cartridge - Disney, Happily Ever After

I'll post some pics of the completed decorations as soon as I can!

Thanks for stopping by!!

How to use CricutSearch.com

2010-09-15T13:21:00.000-05:00

September 11, 2001 - We will never forget!!

2010-09-11T14:17:00.002-05:00

I remember exactly where I was on this fateful day - pretty sure that everyone does! I made this card to remember all those who have served and are serving our country in such noble ways! We must never forget the sacrifices made so that we can "Let freedom ring" !

All the cricut cuts for this card are from Stand and Salute, page 30. The bell and shadow are cut at 3.12"H. "let freedom ring" and shadow are cut at 2.30"H. This card is 5x6.5. Thanks for looking and remember to never forget!

Matchbook mini book made with Aug. Club Ruby Kit!

2010-09-09T21:08:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I want to share my latest creation that I made using the August Kit from Club Ruby! For those of you who may not know, Club Ruby is a fantastic community of crafters who share ideas and projects with each other! To see exactly what I'm talking about, check it out HERE! Now, back to this project. To make the cover: Cut one 5"x12" piece of double-sided scrapbook paper, (I used Kraft paper); score and fold at 1.25" and 7" from narrow end. To create accordion: Cut two 4.75"x 11" of cardstock ; score and fold one of the strips at 1" and 6" from narrow end. Adhere 1" section of one cardstock strip to the back of the other one that is scored and folded at .50" and 6.50" creating one long accordion. Fold .50" section at end of accordion back onto itself and tuck inside 1" section of cover. Set two eyelets through flap of cover and end of accordion to secure. Thread 1/4" ribbon through eyelets and tie in a bow. Embellish cover and pages as desired. Here are a few pics. I'm thinking of making a video tutorial on this project because these instructions can be a little confusing so we'll see!

This is the front, closed.

The back

Inside front cover

pulling up the accordion

The back side of the accordion

Close-ups of some pages. All of the papers and embellishments are from the August Club Ruby kit. The only paper that is not is the Kraft paper used for the cover. I cut around some of the designs on the patterned paper to create unique borders. Of course, I had to use my white gel pen for some stitching!

A close-up of the closure where the pages and cover get tucked into.

Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to leave me a comment if you have a question about this project!

Tags for Tag Swap

2010-08-29T00:41:00.001-05:00

I was part of a tag swap with Kathy Files, aka The Paper Phenomenon! We had to do a summer theme and use an unconventional shape for our tag. I used the Summer Vacation seasonal cartridge for all the cuts. Love that cartridge! The camera was cut at 4.53" H. I used pop dots to separate the layers and add dimension. I have lots of stamps that are a travel theme so I just picked several different ones to support my theme. Hope you like it - and that the swap recipients like them!

The back, where a favorite summer memory can be journaled.

All 5, ready to be mailed out! These were a lot of fun to make!

If you haven't checked out Kathy Files' blog, The Paper Phenomenon, you need to! It's great and so inspiring! Her projects are amazing!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

My Crafting Space

2010-08-18T00:32:00.000-05:00

I've moved my crafting area from our bedroom to a corner of our dining area. Everything is organized so it is so convenient to create here!

This is where I keep my plain, colored cardstock. The file folders on the left of the cart are where I keep my scraps. They are sorted by color. This is the best system that I have ever used to keep track of and use up my scraps!

This is my Cricut, Gypsy and cuttlebug station!

Some of my many paper stacks! I had a paper rack that I stored these on in my bedroom, but there was no room for this out here so this was my next best option! I have most of my stamping stuff stored in this area as well! I love my new crafting space!!

New Cricut Carts from CREATIVE MEMORIES!!!!

2010-08-03T00:09:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Provo Craft and Creative Memories have teamed up and they have 2 new Cricut Cartridges called Cheerful Seasons and Reminisce Accents!! They are made to coordinate with the Cheerful and Reminisce Power Palettes! They can be purchased on my CM website www.mycmsite.com/jennieb (just click the title of this post to be taken to my website.) When you purchase from my website, items can be shipped directly to your home! I'm so excited about these cartridges! When I get mine, I'll be sure to post some projects here for all to see!!

Princess minibook

2010-07-30T00:50:00.001-05:00

For our niece's 8th birthday, I made her a princess minibook! It was so much fun! I used a chipboard book that I got at Michael's for $1! I used 4 cricut cartridges: Once Upon a Princess, Sweet Treats, Paisley and Going Places. I will list the cartridge and then the cuts from that cartridge.
ONCE UPON A PRINCESS:
   - crown letters on front cover - 1.24"H
   - pull up tag behind some of the pictures - 2.88"H
   - butterfly - 1.82"H
   - crown - 1"H
SWEET TREATS:
   - flower and center - 1.24"H
   - cupcake and layers - 1.24"H
   - number 8 on back cover - 4.30"H
PAISLEY:
   - shoes and layers - 1.24"H
   - necklace - 1.71"H
GOING PLACES:
   - Smile - 1.24"H
The papers that I used for covering the chipboard pages is from a big "The Best of K and Co." paper pad. Of course, I used some stickles to add some bling and glitz as well as some sticker gems! Little girl albums are so much fun to make!

These next two pics are of my Gypsy screen and my 12x12 mat that contained all the die cuts that I used throughout this album. I love when I can get all my icons on one mat!

Thanks for looking!

Owl Baby Shower Invites

2010-07-23T09:38:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! This project is the one that Kim featured over at Olive Juice Studio this week!! It was so much fun to be able to share these invites with so many!! Be sure to visit her site and become a follower because she has so many awesome projects and tidbits that you won't want to miss a thing!! Her site is www.olivejuicestudio.com . Now on to the project!

I am making baby shower invitations for our daughter's shower that will be in late September. She loves owls so we found this adorable one on Create a Critter! I'm also showing you how to create multiples of images so that you can assemble lots of cards at once. We started out thinking that we would only need about 30 of these invites but once we started preparing our guest list......ummmm........looks like we're gonna need about 100! Oh well, good thing I have my Gypsy to make this easy!! Here we go!

Here is a pic of the completed invites. We chose two different color schemes so they wouldn't all be the same! (My daughter's idea!)

These were some of the other color combos that we tried.

We ultimately decided on these colors!

The inside of the invite - The "It's a Boy" and the info stamp are from a Martha Stewart set. The "registered at" stamp is from MFT stamps. I cut the onesie from the New Arrival cartridge to use for additional information. I used the cricut markers first and then cut it so it would be outlined.I then stamped "NOTE" on it for additional information. I love how it looks!

This is the label on the front of the card that says "Whooooo's having a Baby Shower?" Notice that I was able to make sure that I was cutting on an 8.5x11 size paper since that is the size of white cardstock that I had. This label is on Fabulous Finds.

Once again, I had white cardstock in 8.5x11 so I positioned the onesies to fit within that size. The Gypsy makes it so easy!

The pocket on the inside of the invite is just a piece of paper cut to size. Since I'm making 100 of these, using my Gypsy makes it way easier to do this instead of cutting them all individually! This pic is for the larger pocket, (I have 2 different card sizes), and the pic below is for the smaller pocket. I really can't imagine doing projects like this without my Gypsy!

When creating a file that I'm going to use to cut out multiples of layers, I always have one page that contains all the layers so that if I need to make just one, I don't need to cut out a bunch of each layer. That is usually the first page of my file.

These next few pics are showing how multiples of the layers can be positioned on your paper to minimize waste.

Look at all these little feet and noses! I was able to cut out 40 sets from one 12x12 piece of paper!

Well, that's it! As always, if you have any specific questions, please feel free to leave me a comment and I'll get back to you! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

I am a guest designer at Olive Juice Studio this week!!

2010-07-18T21:00:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!!
Just a quick note to let you know that I will be featured at Olive Juice Studio this week, starting on Tues. July 20th! I am so excited and humbled to share a little corner of my world with all of you!!! If you have not been over to the Olive Juice Studio site yet, YOU MUST GO!! Was that suttle enough??!! :-) Kim has oodles of cool projects from various contributors and there are even recipes! How cool is that?? You can go directly to her site by clicking the Olive Juice Studio button on the right. Oh, by the way, while you're there be sure to follow her too so that you won't miss any of her wonderful posts! Thanks for stopping by!
Java Jen

Special Card for my Special Daughter-in-Law

2010-07-17T12:29:00.000-05:00

I wanted to make a special card to send to my daughter-in-law because I had some pictures that I wanted her to have so I came up with this cute cupcake card. (She is such a sweetie so cupcakes are very appropriate!) The card is a 5x7 and I cut the cupcake from pg. 49 of Once Upon A Princess. I did the layer but not the shift layer because I didn't want the face on this one. It is cut at 4.41"H. Pinks and browns are some of my favorite color combinations! The label on the front is from Fabulous Finds and is cut at 1.35"H. The stamp on the label is one I found in the $1 bin at Michael's and the brads were in a set from Hobby Lobby. Inside, I made a little pocket to tuck the pictures in. The tag on the inside is from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More - sorry, I didn't take the time to look up the page number because I already had this tag cut previously. The stamps on the tag are a $1 set from Joann's. My custom stamp on the back is one I sent for after seeing the link on Okie's blog. I love getting my blog address out there for all to see! If anyone wants the website where I got my stamp, I'd be happy to get that for you - just leave me a comment or check it out on Okie's blog. Wow! That's a lot of writing for a little card! :-) Thanks for stopping by today!!

Big Disney Sale at Creative Memories!

2010-07-16T02:21:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know that Creative Memories has some great Disney items and they are on sale right now! To see the products, just go to My CM site and check them out! (There are lots of other great products to see as well so take a minute or two and browse my website for lots of inspiration!) I'll be back in a day or two with more craftiness so stay tuned!

Java Jen

Family States album

2010-07-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

Here is the other reunion project that I made into kits for the kids this year. It was so well-liked that the "big" kids, aka adults, wanted to make one of their own! I made enough pieces for 35 kits! This turned into a full-time job for about 2 weeks but it was so worth it! I thought this would be a great way for the kids to see where all of our family lives! Definitely a keepsake!

The covers and pages are from Fabulous Finds! I really like that cartridge!

All of the states and state names are from the 50 states cartridge! Perfect!

We even had another country - France! I got this cutout from the My World cartridge.

The finished kits with all the covers, pages, states and state names - all ready to assemble! This would be very easy to adapt to your own family by cutting the states that are represented by your family! Thanks for looking!

Family Reunion Projects

2010-06-18T00:16:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!! Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I have been crafting like crazy getting everything ready for our family reunion! I do kids activities and I came up with some pretty great projects- (if I do say so myself!) I can't wait for the kids to see them!! The first project that I made is a reunion passport. They will keep this little book with them throughout the week and get it stamped each time they "do" one of the events listed in their book. There are things like "chapel", "meals", "olympics", etc. By the end of the week, they will have their books all stamped up to show all that they have done!! Yay for the cricut cartridge Fabulous Finds!! That is where I got the cover and the pages for this awesome little album! I used kraft paper for the cover and ivory cardstock for inserts. I used several different stamp sets to add interest to album and I will post pictures of them too. Ok, the album cover and inserts are from, of course, the Fabulous Finds cricut cartridge, page 125, and I, for one, think that it lives up to its name! The cover is cut at 4.26"H and the inserts are also cut at 4.26"H. (The width is automatic as long as you have them linked on your Gypsy.) I will list the names of the stamp sets under their respective pictures.

Of course, I had to make one for myself! :-)

I used a magnet closure for mine, but since I made 30 of these babies, I used small velcro dots on the rest of them. Either closure works just fine!

I love this stamp set from Close To My Heart called "Just the Ticket"

The globe and decorative edge stamps are from a Tattered Angels set called "Time Traveler". This set is huge and has some beautiful stamps for vintage-type projects! Love it!

The "remember" stamp is from a Stampendous set called "Take Note".

I made some autograph pages in them so that the kids can get family members that they don't get to see very often to write them a little message! Should be a fun activity!

The stamps for the back page are from another Close To My Heart set called "Vintage Post Card". Very fitting for this occasion!

The whole cover is decorated with some stamps from the set I mentioned earlier from Tattered Angels called "Time Traveler". I love all the stamps in this set! It's like it was made for this project!

This is how the cover looked before I put the pages inside and folded it up. This gives you a better view of the positioning of the stamps. My arms were actually sore after stamping and scoring 30 of these! :-)

This is the "Time Traveler" stamp set. I got mine from Archiver's and used a 30% off coupon. It is on a 12x12 sheet so it's really big!

On the left is the CTMH set called "Vintage Post Card". On the right is the Stampendous set called "Take Note". (As you can see, I use my stamps and they sometimes stain!)

The last stamp set is the other CTMH set called "Just the Ticket". I have used this set so much! It's just so fun!

I hope you enjoyed looking at this project and maybe it will inspire you to create something similar for the little ones in your life! Savor every moment you have with them! They grow up way too quickly!! I will try to have my other reunion project posted in the next few days but I'm not sure exactly when because we'll be traveling to our reunion in Ohio! Thanks for coming to visit me!

Til next time,

Java Jen

The Texas Bluebonnets

2010-05-31T11:37:00.000-05:00

This is a non-crafting post but I just wanted to share some pics that I took of our beautiful Texas bluebonnets! Since we just recently moved to Texas, this is our first season of viewing these beautiful flowers! We were so pleasantly surprised at their beauty! I found out that I can even cut out a bluebonnet with the 50 States Cricut cartridge because it is the Texas state flower!!! Hope you enjoy these pics and have a wonderful and blessed Memorial Day, remembering all those who have served and are serving so we can enjoy our freedom!!

Me & You layout

2010-05-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! This is the layout that I did this week for the Weddings with the Cricut blog, ( www.weddingswiththecricut.blogspot.com ) . The background paper is from a big K & Co. paper pad called the Best of K & Co. Too. The metallic paper is from Walmart. The other papers are from my scrap stash! All of the cuts are from the Graphically Speaking cricut cartridge. "Me & You" is on page 29 and is cut at 3.63"H. "Together" is also on page 29 and is cut using the jumbled feature at 1.95"H. "Memories" is on page 31 and is cut at 1.95"H, also using the jumbled feature key. "Journey" is on page 48, is also 1.95"H and also cut with the jumbled feature. I added some flowers and some bling to perk things up a bit! All in all, this was a very simple layout that would work for a wedding, engagement or anniversary pic! It would also look great in a scrapbook page frame as a home decor piece!

Thanks for looking and have a blessed day!

Exploring "Just Because Cards" cartridge

2010-05-19T00:52:00.001-05:00

Today I decided to try some cards from "Just Because Cards" and I have to say that I love this cartridge! So much fun! I made the first card for my 4-year-old nephew who simply makes me smile! The "thank EWE" card is for my Mom who is just plain wonderful! The envelope for the duck card is on pg. 68 and was cut at 5.63"H. The duck card and the layers are on pg. 54 and are all cut at 5.63"H. I used the stencil shift feature key and cut the labels for the outside of the envelope. The larger one is 1.95"H and the smaller is 1.21"H. The envelope for the sheep card is on pg. 67 and was cut at 5.63"H. The sheep card and layers are on pg. 35 and were also cut at 5.63"H. I added some Stickles and faux stitching with a marker to add some interest. I'll be adding to this post as I make more cards from this wonderful cartridge!! Thanks for looking!

Here is another card from this great cartridge - this one is on page 25. The card, envelope, rooster and all of the layers were cut at 5.25"H. I made this card for my aunt who likes roosters!

Robotz mini album/b-day card

2010-05-16T21:46:00.000-05:00

I made this mini album/b-day card for our nephew's birthday. I left it blank inside so he could put pictures of some of his favorite things! I was told that he loves it and takes it with him everywhere! The robot is Robot 20 on page 47 of the Robotz Cricut Cartridge. The robot and all layers were cut at 4.68"H, of course with the Real Dial Size OFF. :-) I used a 6x6 card base. The inside "pages" are actually 4.5"x5.5" cards. I just used my Crop-a-dile to punch holes through all the cards. I put a binder ring through the holes. I even found some robot ribbon at Hobby Lobby! I love these little robots!!

Mother's day cards

2010-05-11T20:46:00.000-05:00

I tried my hand at a tri-shutter card and found out how easy they are!! I love how they are different from an ordinary card! They are a great way to show off your patterned paper! I made these for my Mom, my Mother-in-law and my Sister-in-law! Hope they like them!!

Oh, by the way, the cupcake and layers was from Sweet Treats, pg. 28 and was cut at 3.32"H. The butterfly and layers is from Straight From the Nest, pg. 32 and was cut at 3.32"H. The ladybug and layer is from Walk in my Garden pg. 119 and was cut at 3.32"H. (Just in case anyone was wondering!) :-)

Weddings with the Cricut blog relaunch on Monday, 5/10!!

2010-05-09T13:10:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Weddings with the Cricut is relaunching tomorrow! Look for new posts everyday for some great DIY wedding inspiration! My Pink Stamper, aka, Robyn, has generously given us her DVD vol. 2 to give away this week. Just follow the instructions on the blog to enter to win. There are lots of ways to get extra entries! Check it out! Have a wonderful day, especially all of you mothers out there!!

Java Jen

Cricut Cake Training in LA - April 27-29

2010-05-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to be a Cricut Demonstrator!! I am demonstrating the Cricut Cake right now and will be demoing other Provocraft products as needed! It's so easy to demonstrate products that I love and use! The training in LA was so much fun - being with a bunch of fellow Cricut friends and all!! We enjoyed exchanging tips and ideas with each other and making lots of friends! Here are a few pics from LA and a pic of me as I was ready to go to my first demo on May 1st in Bee Caves, TX!!

Just a few of us in the "army"!! :-)

This was the group I hung out with! We didn't know each other before coming to LA, but when it was time to leave, we felt like we had known each other for a long time!

Debra, me, Angi, Wendy and Carol

Your Story by Provocraft! I may just have to get one of these!

Another view of the Cake machine and what it can do! It was so fun to play with!

Came across some adorable card ideas! You can never have too many ideas, (at least in my opinion!)

Aren't these just so cute!! Makes me want to bake and craft!!

Love this Robotz page!

Some of us playing with and learning the Cricut Cake, "after hours"!!

My new friend, Angi, used Cricut Vinyl to make this bug head to put on her purse!

What a blessing to make new friends!

Ready to go to my first Cricut Cake Demo - May 1st!

Cricuteers Anonymous Design team call submission

2010-04-24T23:20:00.000-05:00

I came across a wonderful site that has weekly challenges that are so much fun! It is www.justbugginchallenges.blogspot.com !! You have to check it out! Hopefully, it will inspire you as it did me! This is my submission for the design team call. Even if I am not chosen, it is so much fun to have a challenge! This challenge was a picnic-inspired theme project. I chose to make a picnic invitation. I used the Fabulous Finds cricut cartridge. If you have not checked out that cart, I strongly urge you to because there is so much in there!! I cut the paper clip with windows and the insert on page 105 at 4.05" H with my Gypsy. The card size is 4.25"x6.75". The kraft strip is 2.5"x6". The punched circles are 1.25" and 1". The button brad is from Hobby Lobby. The stamps used on the front of the card are from the Stampin' Up set called "Mark the Date". For the inside of the card where the "who, what, where" etc. goes, I cut the window frame with insert on page 104 - also from Fabulous finds, at 3.53" H. Thanks for looking and make sure that you make some time to keep creating!!

Personalized scripture tags

2010-04-24T11:44:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I wanted to share these little personalized scripture tags that I made for 3 of my little nieces and 1 nephew! I used the library pocket on page 113 of TBBM and made tags from page 92 to fit. I just picked various papers from my scrap stash to decorate and embellish! The recipients loved them, so mission accomplished! Thanks for looking and feel free to leave a comment, especially if you have any specific questions! I forgot to let you know that I used my gypsy to weld the names using the Lyrical Letters cartridge! Love that cartridge's fonts!

Easter cards using Cornish Heritage stamps

2010-04-21T23:39:00.001-05:00

I love the stamps at Cornish Heritage Farms so when I saw these, I just knew they would be perfect for my Easter cards! They are rubber stamps that have a cling mount so they are easy to place just where you want them! I used some papers from my scraps stash and I'm very happy with how they turned out! Hope you do too! Have a blessed day!

My Pink Stamper Color Challenge

2010-04-11T21:30:00.000-05:00

I am such a fan of My Pink Stamper so when she posted this color challenge, I just had to participate! It took me until tonight to get my entry done because I haven't been feeling well due to some gallbladder issues!! At any rate, here it is!! I really love the new Robotz cartridge!! I wanted to make a girl robot so I chose this one for a get well card. I cut the robot from page 41 at 3.42" with my Gypsy. All the layers were cut at 3.42" also. I used pop dots to mount the robot. The sentiment was also cut from Robotz at .79" welded and cut with my Gypsy. For the sentiment, I used the cricut markers first, then cut it out so that it would be outlined. Hope you enjoy! I'm going to have a lot of fun with this cartridge!!

I'm not supposed to tell but.............

2010-03-31T23:22:00.000-05:00

Shhhhh..........(this is me whispering)...........head over to the Above Rubies Blog at www.aboverubiesstudio.com to see some super exciting things that are ahead!! They are not only super exciting, but super secret, so if asked, I didn't tell you!! :-)

Java Jen

A year of birthday cards!

2010-03-21T19:01:00.004-05:00

I have embarked on the daunting task of making a birthday card for everyone in my family this year! By the end of this year, that means about 80 cards!! Surprisingly, this task is possible due to some simple card formulas and the fact that I don't have to do them all at once! I will add to this post as I create more cards - here are the ones that I've done so far! Hope you enjoy and it helps you realize that making something from your heart always means so much!!

I saw a tutorial for this exploding card - so easy to make and so cool looking!!

Here are more cards!! There are some cricut cuts on some. If you have any questions about specifics, just leave me a comment and I'll try to answer all that I can!

An anniversary card for our daughter and her husband!

Bridal Shower Name Tags

2010-03-21T17:50:00.000-05:00

I had a request from a friend for 100 name tags for a bridal shower so I went to my trusty Cricut once again! I used the Hannah Montana cartridge and cut the diamond and the layers at 2.47"H. The bride's name tag had to, of course, be bigger and have more bling so it was cut at 3.63"H. "the Bride" is cut at 1.42"H. Stickles and gems make the bride's tag look really sweet!! Having a Gypsy and Cricut helped me finish this job in no time!

House card

2010-03-15T22:06:00.000-05:00

I made this card for Congratulations Thursday on Weddings with the Cricut last week! This would be a great card to give with a wedding or shower gift! I used the Wild Card Cricut cartridge and cut the house card on page 75. The card and all of the layers were cut at 4.58" with the Real Dial size OFF. It is so simple to make but it so cute! Of course, you can change up the colors to suit your taste! When I make this card again, I think I will make it a little bigger - at least 5". Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Check out Jen Youngs blog - a new designer for Above Rubies Studio

2010-03-04T00:40:00.003-06:00

She has some beautiful work and is giving away some blog candy! Check it out here: www.youngsscrapping.blogspot.com !

Sweet Treats cupcake cards

2010-02-25T11:54:00.000-06:00

The cupcakes on this cartridge are so cute! They make the perfect accent on birthday cards! I used a 5x7 card and cut the cupcakes and the tag at 1.5". I cut all the layers too and used pop dots for some dimension. The stamp on the tag is a "My Pink Stamper" stamp from her Simply Sweet Occasions set! Love it! Of course, I stickled it up because cupcakes have to be decorated! Thanks for looking!

My First Project for Weddings with the Cricut

2010-02-22T00:35:00.000-06:00

This project was posted on Decor Tuesday, Feb. 9th. I thought this would be great to frame in a 12x12 scrapbook page frame with a family wedding picture. It could also be a layout in a scrapbook. The background is just a 12x12 piece of Bazzill cardstock. I used Lyrical Letters for the overlay. I fit it to the page using my Gypsy but you could just use the fit-to-page button on your Cricut if you wanted to. The word "FAMILY" was from Winter Woodland and was cut at 2.5". Very easy to make but also very elegant. I inked the edges of the overlay for some added color. I will have another layout posted on Weddings with the Cricut on layout Wednesday. Be sure to check it out as well as all of the other awesome projects that are posted there daily! Lots of inspiration for DIY weddings! Thanks for looking!

Valentine's day cards

2010-02-10T18:46:00.000-06:00

Here are a few cards that I have made for family members for Valentine's Day! I love using my new 5x7 candy hearts cuttlebug embossing folder! It is so cute! The tags on some of the cards are made with a Stampin up punch. I used various stamps from my stash! :-)

A Waterfall Mini Album

2010-02-04T00:23:00.000-06:00

This is my first try at a waterfall mini album! It wasn't as hard as I thought - just gotta get all the measurements right! :-) I made this for my son and new daughter-in-law to have a special little place for a condensed version of their love story! If anyone wants specifics on directions etc., just leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thanks for looking!

I'm a designer for Weddings with the Cricut!

2010-01-31T16:58:00.000-06:00

I just found out that I get to be a designer for Weddings with the Cricut! I'm really excited to be a part of this team! I'll post a link on my blog so everyone can check out this site! It promises to be full of all things Wedding!! A new post every weekday! Be sure to check it out and spread the word to anyone who wants to DIY for a wedding! The site is www.weddingswiththecricut.blogspot.com .

Java Jen

My Pink Stamper Challenge #2

2010-01-30T14:51:00.000-06:00

I made this "Springy" card for my Mom who is recovering from open-heart surgery! The envelope is stamped with a Close to my Heart stamp set, "Treasures" and says "You are my Sunshine". The flower on the front of the card is from Sweet Treats and everything is cut at 3". The letters, m-o-m , are cut at 1.5" from Printing Press and I used the clips feature. A simple card, but cute! Thanks for looking!

More Pics of Mom's Mother's day mini album

2010-01-19T22:08:00.000-06:00

In a previous post, I had one picture of this mini album that I made for my Mother last May. While I was at her house last month, I took more pics of the inside pages. Hope you enjoy looking! Mini albums are so much fun to make!

Long time, no post!!

2010-01-14T12:54:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Sorry that I haven't posted in awhile, but things have been busy and crazy since the beginning of December! I'm sure that everyone can say that! However, our son got married on December 12th and my Mother had open-heart surgery on Dec. 15th so my daughter and I have been taking care of her. That means that I have not been back to our home in Texas since Dec. 7th! Mom is getting stronger everyday so our daughter is going to stay another couple of weeks until she can be more independent. I have worked on a few projects since I have been here at Mom's and thought I would share one of them.

I made place cards for my 6 yr. old niece's birthday tea party using my Gypsy and Don Juan. Her colors were pink and brown and I love how they turned out! The little tea cup (coffee cup) is from Gypsy Wanderings (I think). If I'm not correct, I'll post a correction! :-) I also made the girls' names bigger to go on the favor bags the each girl is getting. I love, love, love welding with my Gypsy!!

Until next time, keep creating,

Java Jen

2009-11-28T22:09:00.002-06:00

How to make a "pop-up" style album

2009-11-26T18:08:00.000-06:00

How to make a "pop-up" style album

Tag album for a wedding gift

2009-11-21T18:46:00.001-06:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Exploding boxes that I made

2009-11-17T21:28:00.001-06:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Recipe Album Gift and Card

2009-11-12T18:38:00.002-06:00

I made this recipe album for our soon-to-be daughter-in-law's shower. It is a flip album from 7 Gypsies. The scrapbook kit was one I found at Archiver's called Recipe Time. The charms were a Karen Foster Design item. I cut recipe cards from the From My Kitchen cartridge and stamped some of them with the "What's for Dinner?" stamp set from Stampin' Up.