Sugar & Spice - Really?

This week's BBTB2 challenge cut is the Gecko/Lizard from the Life's A Beach cartridge.  The design team could use the cut in any way we wanted so I decided to make a layout.  I found these two fun photos of a a sweet little girl playing with the lizard she found at the beach.  I remembered that girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice; boys are snakes and snails and puppy dog tails.  I had a difficult time visualizing sugar and spice for this little cutie with the lizard on her nose!

I used five cartridges to create this layout:  Designer Calendar for the grid (with some hide contour action), Life's A Beach, Plantin Schoolbook for the photo mats, Graphically Speaking for the second half of the phrase, and Once Upon a Princess for the Sugar & Spice title.

I used Amy Chomas' pen holder and mini pens to create the top half of the title.  I used a pink glitter pen in the holder and selected cut.  By replacing the blade housing on my cricut with the mini pen holder housing, the cricut wrote the words instead of cutting them.  I love Amy's products. You can purchase your own products by clicking here.  I will tell you that I also use Amy's embossing set on one of the DVD projects!

I used a large prima flower over the sun, which photographed dark.  It is not as "mustardy" as the photo implies.  I also used my trusty white pen to add dashes on the layout.

The lizards/geckos were cut in three different papers.  I placed them in four different positions inside the grids on the page.

Tea & Sweet Shoppe Card AND BBTB2 Blog Hop

Hello and happy Monday.  Welcome to my Tea and Sweet Shoppe!  This week's challenge cut at BBTB2 is the Genie Lamp from the Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge.  I ALMOST went with a cute oasis scene on my card but then I decided to take the road less traveled and add my lamp to a line of assorted teapots.

I have to tell you that I do not think I have ever used this many cartridges on a single card.  I used Paper Doll Dress Up, Just Because Cards, Sweet Treats, Tie the Knot, George, A Child's Year, Dreams Come True, Once Upon A Princess, and Cindy Loo.  Each of the teapots is from a different cartridge, as are the cakes. 

I like the store window effect I created by welding two shapes from George in Design Studio and then adding layers.  And of course I had to add pearls and gems to my sweets and shelving.  I used copic markers and my Ranger white gel pen to embellish the teapots, cups, and sweets.

I kept trying to find a way to add large flowers and ribbon, but the additions distracted from my main store window effect so I did not use them.    Instead, I finished the card by adding a swiss dot cardstock mat inside the card and cutting a "sweet" phrase with the Cindy Loo font.

I believe I mentioned a BBTB2 BLOG HOP!!  Yes it is our blog hop week.  I have some sweet blog candy up for grabs - just leave a message below and you will be in the drawing for a CUSTOM CROPS GIFT VOUCHER!!!  That's right!  Free shopping!!

After you leave your comment below and become a follower if you'd like, you should hope on over to the blog of the VERY TALENTED THERESA!  I cannot wait to see what Theresa made this week; she is such an amazing artist- quickly - go!!

Happy hopping!

Princess PJ Party with Once Upon a Princess & BBTB2

Happy BBTB2 Monday!  This week at BBTB2 we were challenged to use the rainbow cut from the Once Upon A Princess Cricut cartridge.  I am going to tell the truth and say that I was not thrilled with this cut.... UNTIL I designed my layout.  Then I decided this cut is adorable and has sooo many great uses.

I used Design Studio and designed a layout using several cuts from Once Upon a Princess.  I had never actually cut the cute castle on OUAP (GASP!) so I had a lot of fun with the layout.  I was especially excited to find the PJ cut, which includes adorable bunny slippers.  What a fun find.

I used the challenge cut to make a journaling card and attached the card to the upper left corner of the layout.  That way I still include journaling on a very full page, but also I get to include a cute decorative cut.  Sometimes all it takes is a little creativity to include the elements that we need.

In addition to my usual doodles and dots, I added a lot of gems to this layout.  I blinged the crowns at the bottom of the Pricess matting, as well as to the Princess PJ sets. 

I also added a bit of bling to the top of the castle.  The final touch was to add tiny ribbon bows to the corners of the photos, to the Pricess's hair, and to the top tower of the castle. 

I tried to video myself assembing this project. This video has a new camera position, which may or may not be an improvement.  I have found I quite like doing the videos and I will keep working on my skills.