Christmas in July

It's Christmas in July here in my little craft room.  Yes, get those gifts ready because Christmas will be here in no time!  I have already been working on my little gifts.  To tell you the truth...the people that will be getting them probably will see this here or on Facebook so they won't be much of a surprise will they?  I can't help but show you all though! I love taking pics of my projects.  I may just end up giving these goodies to the recipients BEFORE Christmas.  Shhh....

OK, on to my project.

I decided to join in on the Paper Dolls challenge this week which so happens to be Christmas in July.  They have these super cute freebie SVG files from Kadoodle Bug Designs.  Now I have seen their files before and I have never really knew what to use them for until now!  I normally use a different style of SVGs but I think this challenge has just opened up a whole new door in scrapbook/cardmaking/SVG land for me.

Lately I have been obsessed with bookmarks (*hint?*) but I don't even know why seeing that I am a new Kindle owner.  What am I going to use a bookmark for now?  I just graduated school so there goes that idea.  I have an e-reader so what's the point?  Then the other day I took my daughter to the library and BINGO!  It hit me.  My daughter could use bookmarks since I refuse to get her an e-reader.  Oh yes, this 10 year old has already asked many times for one.  Well, seeing that she is one of the few people I know that don't own an e-reader I made today's project with her in mind.  Not to say she will be getting this baby though!

Ready for pictures?  Here ya go!

Rudolph the Red Nose Penguin

Shhh, he's in disguise!

Poor guy can't reach his headband antlers to hang the ornament

Shiny red nose just like Rudolph

I used Kadoodle Bug Designs files that you can get HERE on the Paper Dolls blog.  I used the Candy Cane Stripe embossing folder from Provo Craft (I know I know...bad name but sorry...I really love my Cuddlebug and the folders!) to emboss the green behind the penguin, uh I mean reindeer.  I used my most awesome ever tool, the Crop-a-Dile, to set a green eyelet at the top of the bookmark through which I poked two colors of Trendy Twine to be used as the tassle.  As for paper, The patterned paper is from Heidi Grace Designs and is called Jolly & Bright/Gingerbread.  I picked it up at Joann's I believe.

Well, I think that about does it for this one.  Hope you enjoyed it!  Now I'm off to return my Red Box DVD before I am fined!    

It's beach time!

Well, guess who got their Silhouette this week?  Yup, this girl!  Wait, can a 30-something year old be considered a girl?!  "Yes", whispers  my readers.  Oh well, then thanks!

Back to Silhouette news.  Last night was the first night I got to really play with my new toy...*cough cough and a few others a bought cough cough*.  I got home from work and set out to make a card for two challenges.  Yes, two....kill two birds with one stone right?  Oh so cliche.  Before I show you the card, let me tell you how AMAZING the Sil is on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest (the need to clearly explain the scores of a scale was drilled into me in college!).  The Sil gets a 9!  The cutting ability far surpasses that of the Cricut but the cut width is it's downfall.  Maybe it's because I'm used to the full 12" of the Expression and not having to cut my paper down to size all the time.  Either way, the Sil is my new best friend and poor Mr. Cricky will be left on my desk to gather dust.

Now to my cool card.  It's beachy, it's colorful, it's fun.  It's perfect for this holiday weekend!  I am entering this card into two challenges.  One is for the Paper Dolls challenge which requires the use of a stamp.  Just a stamp and SVGs.  Super simple.  The other challenge is over at SVG Attic.  The requirement is to use the colors red, white, and blue and also use one of the way cute SVG files that Jessica has made.  It just so happens all but one of the SVGs in my card are made by Jessica at SVG Attic.  I seriously love her files!!

Pictures, you say?  OK OK, I'll stop blabbing now and show ya.  Be warned...you may get overloaded.

It's beach time!

Surfs up!

Stair step card

Dimension shot

Surfer chick

Surfer dude

Flipper

The end

It was a lot of fun making this card.  All the ideas that were floating around in my head!  I used SVG Attic's Just Beachy SVG collection for most of the elements and the Paper Dolls collection for the dolls (psst, that one is free...go grab that and a few other awesome SVG files!).  The dolphin came from SVG Cuts free files, DeWayne the Dolphin from 7/28/09.  

The card measures 5 1/2" by 11 and I scored the steps at 1.25", 2.5", 4.25", 6" and at 8.25".  I then folded the smallest step (1.25") down the folded the rest like an accordion.  This creates the stairs of the card.  I used kraft paper for the base DCWV Linen Closet stack for the sand and open stock paper from either Joann's or Michaels for the water and the front where the sentiment is.  For the doll's bathing suits I used paper from Me & My Big Ideas stack, Renee Argyle Green (part of their Renee Family collection I guess).  I picked this stack up at Marshall's for $6.99.  I love discount stores!  

Oh, I have to at least briefly mention my other toys!  I bought a Crop-a-Dile and used that to set the eyelets on the sentiment part.  I also bought Martha Stewart's scoring board which is what I used to score and make the creases for my card.  It made life so much easier!  Why didn't I buy this before?!  

Hope you enjoyed!  Now off to blog hop!