Brens Designs

Happy Holidays!!!

2011-12-16T08:08:00.003-05:00

Just stopping in to say that we hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season. At this point, I have been so busy with family and friends that I seem to never have time to do crafting. Maybe 2012 will allow me to get back into it. At least I am spending time making memories that eventually I may be able to scrap.

God Bless each and every one of you.

Anniversary Card

2011-10-16T14:15:00.000-04:00

My mom-in-law asked if I would make a card for her sister and brother-in-law for their 50th Anniversary. It felt so good to actually sit and come up with a card. I used Martha Stewart Elegant Cakes for the words, the Sweethearts Cart for the heart, and Indie Art for the birds. I decided on an Easel card and used lots of bling at her request.

Halloween Centerpiece

2011-10-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

Now that we live in a neighborhood that has kids in it, we should have a lot of trick-or-treaters. I love it when the little ones come to the door for goodies. I had this hat sitting around and decided to decorate it to sit in our front window as part of our Halloween Decor. I used the Happy Hauntings cartridge and had fun making it.

One Year Breast Cancer Anniversary month...

2011-10-09T10:10:00.000-04:00

OK, here I am one year after my breast cancer diagnosis. It has been a strange year for sure. Emotions have been up and down (mostly up) and the understanding of life after a double mastectomy has been a slow process at times. For me, the soreness and tenderness is still present and according to my doctors, may always be there. Well darn!!!

I do miss “the girls” at times, especially when it is in the 90’s and I don’t want to wear the heavy, silicone fake boobs because they sweat! YUCK!!! Do I regret not having reconstructive surgery… honestly, yes at times I do. But, most of the time I am perfectly happy with the way it is. After all, I can go bigger or smaller if I want…hehe! I also learned why the fake boobs are heavy… I was outdoors wearing the lightweight foam ones and I reached up to cut a dead branch from a tree in the front yard and the little suckers ended up being up around my neck instead of where they should be. My hubby looked at me in shock and I just couldn’t stop laughing. We had moved to our new house a week earlier and I think he looked around as fast as I did see if anyone was watching. I have not worn the foam ones since. LOL!!!

I have learned that people who love you do not like to talk about the fact that you have had cancer. It is always there, yet I think the word cancer still scares people so much that they are afraid if it is discussed, it makes it too real to them and the thought of my death and suffering gets in their heads even though I am cancer free at this time. Also, I think the reality of their mortality come to mind.

I’ve also learned that there are those who feel that because they removed the total cancer with surgery and that I didn’t have to go through chemo, that I really didn’t have cancer. For awhile I felt guilty that I didn’t have to endure the stuff others have had to go through with this dreaded disease… duh! I now feel totally blessed that mine was found at such an early stage. I was told by my cancer doctor that due to the type of cancer I had (negative receptor estrogen and very aggressive cancer), if it had not been found at the time it was, that by the next scheduled mammogram would have possibly been too late to save me. OK, that totally put it into perspective for me. Guilt gone!!!

Yup… A lot has happened in the last year… we have sold and bought a new home. I had forgotten how much work is involved with all that, but it is so nice to finally be settled in. I have a new scrap room that is smaller than my old one, but I love it. I have spent much more time with family and friends and am grateful for the opportunity to do so. I am finally finding some time to get in my scrap room and think I will begin making Christmas cards this week. I have missed a lot of information about the scrapping world this past year and have not spent much money on anything new. I don’t even know what the new carts that have come out look like as it doesn’t appear they are putting the books on the Cricut site now. I have seen the new Expression 2 and hopefully, next year it will be my new machine of choice. At this point, I will use my trusty expression, my pazzles and all of the stuff I have accumulated over the past four years. Maybe then I will actually have room to add new stuff.

Most importantly, after all that has happened, my faith is stronger than ever. God certainly has been with me and my blessings have been huge. I have so much to be thankful for and my internet scrapping buddies are right up there at the top of that list. Life is good – God is GREAT!!!

Please take time to be tested for breast cancer. If you do not have the insurance or funds to do this, this is the month to look for free mammograms offered everywhere. Do not be afraid and please, DO IT NOW!!!!

Finally Moving...

2011-06-24T08:48:00.000-04:00

I have missed my craft room so much! All of my stuff has been packed for what seems like forever and waiting for the move to our new house. Finally, next week we will be moving and in a couple of weeks I should have my room set up again. Once this is done, I will be posting again. Hugs to you all!!!

Entry for CC Blog Contest

2011-05-14T12:32:00.001-04:00

I had to have a picture of me taken in my craft room to enter the CCBlog's contest. Here is the one my hubby took...

Mother-In-Law's Mother's Day Card

2011-05-05T08:28:00.000-04:00

Good Morning all. I have had some issues healthwise so have not been doing much crafting for awhile. No big deal, just learning that being a tom boy is not always a great thing when you have muscles that have been messed with due to surgery. I lifted 85 bags of top soil due to filling in our ornamental ponds and have dearly paid for that move. DUH! I've always been pretty strong and just assumed I could do all that I have always done. I guess after sitting most of the winter and not doing any heavy work, I need to learn to gradually build my body back up. I had an ultra sound yesterday due to the surgeon wanting to make sure the pain is not due to infection or anything else going on. I will see him in a week and one-half and may end up with some therapy sessions to help get back in shape. The pain has been such that even taking a shower has hurt like the dickens. Live and Learn!!! Geez!!! O-well... Enough about me - I actually got some crafting done today...

I was with my hubby in Meijer yesterday and started to pick up a card for his mom. He looked at me like I was totally crazy and said "No, she loves the cards you make and you need to make one for her if you can." Well, I knew he was right and decided I best get busy. Aside from that - cards cost a small fortune and some are just not that pretty!!! Mine may not be the best, but they are made with heart! Anyway...

I used the new Cricut Craftroom to layout this card and it worked great other than it kept forgetting that the cartridges were in the machine and I had to keep removing and reinstalling the carts. Geez! That is really a minor thing and I'm sure they will get this fixed soon. I really think most people are really going to like the new program. So far, everything I have given feedback about has been fixed or added in short order. Wonderful!!!

The items used for the card are as follows:

Co'erdinations Glimmer paper
Bazill dotted swiss paper
George - for the card base and overlays on the base
Country Life for the Watering can (altered by cutting off the flowers that are on the cut)
Mother's Day Bouquet for the flowers (multi-cut different sizes, chalked and put together)
The senitment was done in Word

Graduation Card

2011-04-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

A friend's daughter graduated today and I wanted to make a card to send her. The Cindy Loo cartridge is one of my favorites and I love the owl on it. I really like how the card turned out and hope she does also. For the cart I used...

Cindy Loo Cartridge for the Owl
Elegant Cakes for the title
Locker Talk for the Grad Cap
Coerdinations and Stamping Up Paper
Gems
Pre-Punched Paper for the base
Popped the cap and title

Card for a Dear Friend

2011-04-07T08:21:00.001-04:00

I created this card for a friend who had to have major surgery. I used a clipart pattern that I thought was so cute and imported it into my Pazzles machine. I altered it to be how I wanted it to be and this is what I came up with.

Card for Aidan

2011-02-26T07:43:00.000-05:00

A request went out on the Cricut Circle board for cards to be sent to a 2 year old named Aidan who has been diagnosed with T Cell Leukemia. My heart breaks for his family as I cannot imagine the fear and anxiety they must have. They have a deep faith and I know they would appreciate prayers so - Please add Aidan and his family to your prayers.

Below is the card I came up with for Aidan.

I used:
Stampin Up Paper from Barb of http://snowmanlover.blogspot.com/
Cricut New Arrival Cartridge for the train (have had this cart for 2 years and finally used it)
Cricut Base Camp Cartridge for Aidan's name
Buttons and stickers for the wheels
Ribbon
and a lot of heart

Birthday Card for My Aunt

2011-02-13T17:42:00.000-05:00

This card took me 5 hours to make. I kept starting over - and over - and over and it never turned out the way I hoped it would. I finally ended up using items I have purchased and tried to use colors she loves. The title was cut using Elegant Cakes cartridge and the background was cut using the Just Because cartridge. Seems like today for some reason the harder I tried, the harder it became. Ever have one of those crafting days? Geez! I so hope she likes it.

Daisy Layout

2011-02-10T12:47:00.001-05:00

I wanted to enter the Cricut Circle Blog contest for the month of February and needed to create something using a banner. I'm not sure whether a layout is OK for the contest, but I decided to do a layout of our spoiled rotten Bichon, Daisy. I am so far behind this year in completing my layouts that these pics were from July. Daisy has such a cute little personality that she tends to own us.

The dog in the layout was computer drawn by me to look like Daisy. I then imported it into my Pazzles machine and altered to be how I wanted it. I used Provo Craft white paper for the dog and chalked it with light blue. I think it looks a lot like her. The Rosette was also created using my Pazzles and was cut using scrap paper. I used the Country Life cartridge to create the banner using Co-erdinations paper. The Letters are from the Elegant Cake cartridge welded into the banner. The large daisy in the backgound was cut from Elegant Cakes using the DCWV Pet Stack.

Thanks for visiting and please, stop in again. Happy Day!!!

Valentine Cards 2011

2011-02-03T10:14:00.001-05:00

I made a few Valentine cards and wanted to share with you all. I have so enjoyed crafting again and it was so much fun doing this card. The easel card ended up being 6 x 8 inches.

I also learned a bit more about some of the stuff that goes with Breast Cancer removal while making this card. I got a small paper cut in my left arm which is where they removed some of my lymph nodes. My under arm area ended up swelling a bit from that. I will now certainly remember to take the advice they gave me to be careful with my left arm and hand seriously when scrapping. Who would have thought something so minor would make a difference. Over time this may not even happen, but as I am still healing I will listen. I have a cute little bracelet (NOT) that I wear now that has a medical emblem on it and says No Pin Pricks or PB - Left Arm. How is that for some fancy jewelry!!!

O-well, when I think of how it could have ended up... I am totally Blessed and thank God every second of every day. These little bumps in the road certainly make us stronger and maybe even a bit wiser.

Anyway... Here is the Valentine Card I came up with.

Solid and Patterned Paper - The Paper Company

Hearts - American Crafts Christmas Foil Paper

Cartridges used -

Easel Card - George

Hearts - George

Bicycle - Heritage

The Zoo Crew..

2011-02-02T15:12:00.000-05:00

This layout was made using cuts that were computer drawn and then imported into my Pazzles machine. I made this layout with a lot of heart for a very special crafting sister. I so hope she likes it. There was also a lot of pop dots and chalking in this layout.

Lucy Rules...

2011-02-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

This layout was done using by me computer drawing the designs and using my Pazzles machine to cut and piece. It was made with heart for a dear friend and I hope she likes it. Lots of pop dots and chalking were done for each piece.

Looking for Food... Poor Thing

2011-02-02T09:28:00.000-05:00

Here in Michigan we have had a Blizzard Warning posted and this poor little fella is feeling the results. We have gotten about a foot of snow - but mostly the drifts are what seem to be causing problems for everyone. We have some 3 ft drifts around our yard but mostly where we don't have to walk so not too worried about them. I did have to shovel snow before daylight as our little dog needed out and she couldn't get through the snow. This little guy could sure show her how to do it... Poor little fella.

I have been scrapping a bit lately and will be adding pics of my cards and layouts sometime today. Hugs to you all and I hope everyone stays safe and warm.

Erica's Graduation

2010-12-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

I finally have gotten caught up to June with my layouts for 2010. Where did the time go!?! My granddaughter, Erica, has grown up so quickly and I hate it. Her brother, Jake, is doing the same thing. She just turned 18 and has finished her first semester at Western Michigan University and Jake is 15 and is a freshman at Gull Lake High School.

Erica Graduated in June from Gull Lake High School and I began doing the layouts of her graduation this morning. The large picture is actually one of her senior pics and was the invitation they sent out for her grad party. The who, what, when and where was on the back of the picture. I loved the picture and figured I use it as a lead in to her grad pages. Here are the first two I finished today.

The little graduate girl was designed, cut and pieced by me with my Pazzles machine. The Font used for the titles was Murray Hill Medium. It was a lot of fun making drawing this little gal on my computer and then cutting and piecing her. I think she is cute.

Here is page two of the 2 page layout.

A close up of the grad girl.

3 Generations of nuts!!!

2010-12-23T10:11:00.001-05:00

My daughter (Tammy) and granddaughter (Erica) came over and my hubby decided he wanted to take some pictures of us together. The entire time we could not stop laughing cause Erica kept cracking jokes. I look totally awful in these pictures. We had a great time just goofing off. The bear tag was designed by me with my Pazzles machine. I chalked the bears and popped dotted the snouts. As a Merry Christmas to my Pazzles friends I am giving away the cut file for the tag. Happy Holiday to everyone.

Here is a close up of the 3 Bears Tag

This is a picture of the WPC cut file

Please use for Personal Use Only. Thank you

WPC file

http://www.mediafire.com/?rkcntbrd3i895it

WPC14 file

http://www.mediafire.com/?5sgb3iobcftb8an

Lazy Days

2010-12-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

I finally am feeling good enough to actually do some layouts. I am so far behind this year and am still working on May pictures. This layout is of my Granddaugher, Erica, and her dog, Molly. I loved the relaxed look of the pictures so used my Cricut Just Because cartridge to cut the Lazy Days title. The paper is from one of my DCW stacks of which I cut the flower out of an extra sheet and popped it. It is a pretty simple layout - but I like it with these pictures.

Here is a two page layout of Erica and Molly playing around. For this one I used the Indie Art cartridge for the Smack title and Paper Pups for the dog bone and dog.

PET Scan was good!

2010-11-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

I went to the Cancer Center this morning and the PET can showed no cancer cells!!! The spot on my hip is benign! I'm so relieved as the fear this past week just kept creeping in. I see a radiologist tomorrow and if I have to have any it will be minor! Thank you for the prayers and yelling my THANKS TO GOD!

The emotions that happen during this process are so hard to put into words. I feel so blessed at this point and have been so fearful at times. I cannot imagine going through an experience like this without my faith. I am so excited today at the great news that I can hardly sit still. Maybe now I'll be a bit more focused and actually be able to scrap and get back to blog hopping a bit. Thank you all for your support!

At this point, I think I am going to become a volunteer at the Cancer Center. It would be good to help others and I feel like I have been so blessed that it is something I need to do. LIFE IS GOOD!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T19:28:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pop in and say Happy Thanksgiving to all who are taking the time to visit my blog! I hope you have a blessed and safe Holiday.

Vintage Card

2010-11-21T15:43:00.001-05:00

I have to go for my PET Scan tomorrow and am pretty nervous about that. I do not do small spaces well!!! In order to keep myself busy today while hubby was watching the Nascar race, I decided to try and do the Cricut Circle Challege and make a birthday card for my sweet aunt Jewel in Ohio who turns 80 Saturday. She is an avid quilter and sewer, and loves Dogwood trees, therefore the card was made with that in mind.

The challenge this week for the Cricut Circle Blog was to create a card using three vintage elements and a sketch submitted by Jane Eubank. I do not do well with Vintage cardmaking or layouts. I tend to create more clean, crisp, and simple lines. I love the looks of other's vintage items and think my talent is just not in this area. On the inside of the card is her name, 80 and Happy Birthday cut with Nifty Fifties font.

I used George (Shape for card), Nifty Fifties (Sewing Machine), Simply Charmed (Quilting Items) and Sentimentals (Scissors) for the cuts. The Rosette was done using my Pazzles Machine and the Dogwood flowers are Jolees. The papers were scraps that I have had and I am determined to use my scarps up if possible.

Happy Birthday Erica

2010-11-12T07:12:00.002-05:00

I worked a bit yesterday on a birthday card for my Granddauther's 18th birthday. I used Design Studio and created a shape card using Forever Young. I just don't know how she got to be 18 so quickly. The cut file is attached if you would like it. Once cut, I used flower petals to decorate the skirt. The idea for the petals on the skirt was from someone on the Cricut board and I can't remember who did it to give credit to here.

Here is a picture of the cut file...

Here is the cut file for Design Studio
http://www.mediafire.com/?k8kx5dx2d8tuzd9

Here is the cut file for the Gypsy
http://www.mediafire.com/?p25z2p9q6g8pb38

Cancer Center

2010-11-11T06:59:00.001-05:00

I've had a few emails and PM's about my progress so thought I would post it here. Yesterday I had my appointment at the cancer center. I certainly found out how blessed I have been. The type of breast cancer I had was Negative Estrogen Receptor and the size was 1 centimeter. This type of breast cancer is not as treatable as the Estrogen type. Just goes to show how God played into all of this. My surgeon decided to aspirate a fluid filled cyst and went below the cyst and pulled out some tissue to biopsy. The fact that the spot was so small and he got a piece of the cancerous tissue is amazing to me. I do feel very, very blessed.

I now have to see the radiologist to find out whether they feel I need radiation treatments or not. The full body scan I had before surgery shows that I have a spot on my left hip that I will be having a PET scan in a couple of weeks to assure us it is not cancer. My oncologist does not think it is but wants to be sure. ME TOO! I am also going to have genetic testing in order to inform my children/grandchildren of their risks of this stupid disease.

Anyway... I was really nervous about this visit and everyone was so kind that it went really well. At least now I'm on the pathway to the rest of the story and I pray the path just get better and better.

Gotta go make a card for my granddaughter's 18th birthday tomorrow. Hard to believe she is that old and it will be fun making this card. Hugs to you all!!!

Couple of Cards...

2010-11-08T05:48:00.003-05:00

I must admit my crafting is a bit slower right now than normal. I did get two cards finished that will be sent out to two gals fighting breast cancer. My prayers are with them and their families. They are pretty simple, but my heart was there anyway. Kelly and Patti my thoughts and prayers are with you both!

This one was done using the Home Accents cartridge for the word Faith.

This one was done using the Elegant Cake Cartridge for the Title.

WOW! Check out Enfy's Site...

2010-11-08T05:40:00.001-05:00

WIN THE ENTIRE RANGE OF 148 PROMARKERS

Wow! What a great prize this would be from Enfys' blog...

http://going-buggy.blogspot.com/2010/10/win-entire-range-of-148-promarkers.html

Rosettes

2010-11-07T10:26:00.002-05:00

I have seen the Rosettes made with the Tim Holtz die and really liked them. I did not like that they were so large and not resizable. I found a tutorial of how to make a similar Rosette and decided I could do this with my Pazzles machine. I used the scissors feature that is included in the Pazzles program to create different looks for the rosettes. The main thing I like is that they are resizable. I am including the link for the video tutorial and the WPC and WPC14 files here if you want them. The video will show you how to put the rosette together once cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHRTKXAFjDM&feature=related

Here is a picture where I was messing around wtih the file using scrap papers.

This is a picture of one of the rosettes using the straight edge.

This is a picture of one of the rosettes using the zig zag type edge scissor cut.

This is a picture of one of the rosettes using the scallop type edge scissor cut.

Here is a picture of the WPC file...

Here is the WPC File
http://www.mediafire.com/?6unjnlyed8eagig

Here is the WPC14 File
http://www.mediafire.com/?2x2bktqorqkk27c

Card for Colton...

2010-11-06T11:01:00.001-04:00

I really needed to get in my craft room this morning and create a card for a 10 year old young man named Colton who has a birthday on November 18. Colton has Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and his wish is to receive a card from every state... So I'm sending one from Michigan with tons of love, prayers, hope and faith.

You can read his story here http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/coltons. If you wish to send him a card, his address is

Colton B
72 E Brooklyn St

Chilton, WI 53014

If you would like the cut file for this card... Go here --- http://www.brensdesigns.com/2010/02/hello-mailbox-card.html

It's Official - I'm Cancer Free

2010-11-03T17:51:00.002-04:00

I just got the call from my surgeon... the path report was good. I am now cancer free! He said there were precancerous cells in both breasts as well as the cancer spot in the left so it was a great decision to have both removed. All 8 of the lymph nodes were clear. I have been thanking God for the past half-hour and am just sooooo happy!!! God is Great!!! See how powerful the prayers have been!

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRAYERS!

What a difference a short time makes...

2010-11-02T08:43:00.002-04:00

I've been sitting here this morning looking at all of the beautiful cards that I have received. I am still kinda numb mentally due to how fast everything happened due to this awful, dreaded Breast Cancer disease. I honestly don't know how well I would have dealt with this without my crafting friends. You all have helped both me and my hubby feel so blessed.

Today I go to the surgeon's office and hopefully, they can remove the three bags that I have hanging from my body. Those things seem to be so much in the way and make the exercises that are necessary more difficult. I think I will feel so much more free once they are gone and the rest will heal in time. I so miss crafting and hope that next week I'll start being able to do a bit.

Things I have learned about this disease is that people are so afraid to discuss the fact that I had my tata's removed. I have had friends ask me if it makes me feel less of a woman. WHAT!?!!!! No way. I told them that I think in the US we put way to much emphasis on breasts being a sexual item and that in many other countries they are considered a nurturing tool for feeding children. I think sometimes we get way too worried about aging and parts of our bodies and what makes us whole. For me - God, life, family and friends make me whole. The wrinkles and lack of breasts don't alter who I am at all inside - only outside.

I know I can have reconstruction surgery in time and at this point, I just want to heal and decide that later on. Maybe I can be another Dolly! hehe!!! I'm 5'2" - 125 lbs so probably wouldn't be able to stand up with the EEE size.

I'm not sure what God's plan for me is; but, I want to help others in some way. I know the answers will come as I continue through this journey.

Anyway... Mostly just thinking out loud this morning. Hope you all are having a wonderful day!!!

I'm Home...

2010-10-30T10:48:00.001-04:00

Your prayers worked!!!! I am home now and pretty loopy still; but, just wanted to get on here and tell you how much your prayers and thoughts meant to both me and Ron. Ron said he has never felt so surrounded by love as he has during this process. I totally understand what he is saying. I got my coffee today and ewwww.... hospital coffee is yucky. My daughter, Tammy, is on her way over with a French Vanilla Coffee and if I can stay awake, I totally plan to enjoy it.

The doctor said this morning there was absolutely nothing in the two nodes he removed and that the spot with the cancer was actually pretty small at this point. He said it would have grown rapidly due to the type of cancer - he told me and I honestly don't remember. duh! I don't really care as long as it is gone. I will now be a patient at the cancer center and they will decide whether I need a bit of Chemo to make sure it is totally gone. I am pretty sore, but nothing that can't be handled considering it is GONE!!!!

Love you all and thank you so much for the hugs! I have felt them all the way through this past week. Still keeping Monique in my prayers and pray her results are good also. Hope there are no spelling errors here - if so... ignore them.

Today is the day...

2010-10-29T08:38:00.004-04:00

I have had so many emotions going on in my head this morning it is unreal. I'm having a bit of separation anxiety due to the "girls" leaving home. I know this has to be; but, man it is a tough thing to accept sometimes. This week has went by so quickly that everything seems like a blur. I go to the hospital at 12:30 p.m., surgery is at 2:30 p.m. and should be done at 4:30 or so. My hubby and daughter will be there and Tammy will be sending an update to someone who will update the Cricut Boards. She does not blog so not sure she will be able to update here today. I will try and get this updated as soon as I can.

A friend sent me the following words yesterday and another has offered to make me some cuts from the Pink Journey cart and I'm going to put it in a frame as a reminder of the strength that you all have given me.

Cancer is so limited...

It cannot cripple love.

It cannot shatter hope.

It cannot corrode faith.

It cannot eat away peace.

It cannot destroy confidence.

It cannot kill friendship.

It cannot shut out memories.

It cannot silence courage.

It cannot reduce eternal life.

It cannot quench the Spirit.

The way I figure it, Cancer is not good for much of anything so I am best to just get rid of it. Before I start getting around here to get ready to go, I wanted to stop in and thank you all so much for the prayers and uplifting messages and converstations. They have meant a lot to me. Today the tears have came full force and have gone as quickly as they came. My faith and prayers are consistent and true. This will be over soon and I'll be back on here posting and creating as soon as I possibly can. I will be thinking of all of the wonderful hugs I have received from far and wide today and those thoughts and the love of my family and friends will get me through this.

Oh Yeah... What are they thinking making me go without coffee for so long... ewwwww! It ain't gonna be pretty! First thing I'm asking for when I'm done with surgery - is COFFEE!!!!

Keep Smiling!!! Love you all - HUGS

Test Results so Far...

2010-10-28T11:45:00.001-04:00

We just returned from the Surgeon. All of the scans and tests show that the cancer has not spread. I do have the most aggressive type of cancer and thank God we have caught it early. I kinda figured that last Friday when the surgeon personally called and set it up for this week. He is even coming in on his day off tomorrow to do the surgery.

He is going to remove both breasts tomorrow and two of the lymph nodes for the left one... if they are clear, I will be cancer free at that moment. If there is cancer, he will continue taking out the lymph nodes if needed, until they show as cancer free. Hopefully, it will not end up being in them all as it could effect my left arm usage if they all have to be removed. I will then be a patient at the West Michigan Cancer Center and will go from there. He said due to the aggressive type of cancer that they may opt for some minor chemo to make sure all cells remaining are dead. I just am so grateful for the positive results so far and pray they continue. Your prayers have helped so much as that is where the true power lies.

Today, please join me in praying especially hard for Monique to come through her surgery and that the results are good for her.

How do you say...

2010-10-27T06:05:00.002-04:00

Thank you to so many wonderful people who are sending up prayers?

I read the comments on Robyn and Tammy's blogs last night and spent so much time in tears of gratitude that I couldn't even post. I decided to post my thanks here as I would love someone who does not have an expression to win their contests and didn't want to be entered so didn't post there. The posts were all so positive and heartwarming.

As I read some of them to my hubby, he got choked up too. It still amazes him to think about all of the beautiful cards and prayers we received when he was going through the battle for his life last year. We have all of the cards in a beautiful box and still pull them out and read them sometimes.

We were at the hospital 5 hours yesterday and I went through a battery of tests. The worst one was the full body bone scan. I had to stay still for 25 minutes (crafters DON'T stay still) and wouldn't you know it, my nose started itching. I began talking to God and it ended up OK. I sure only wanted to do that test once!!!
I go to see my surgeon tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. and pray that the results were good.

Please take a minute and say a prayer for Monique Griffith. She is enduring yet another surgery this week in her fight of this disease. I pray this will result in her being a complete winner of this battle. I love her spirit and she WILL beat this and I will too. This disease messed wtih two very stubborn woman who do not like to lose! GO MONIQUE - YOU WILL BEAT THIS!!! LOVE YOU GIRL!

Pink Expression Giveaways...

2010-10-26T05:27:00.004-04:00

You really need to hop on over to Robyn's My Pink Stamper (http://www.mypinkstamper.com/) and Tammy's Creative Critters Cricut Club http://www.cricutcritters.com/ blogs and enter to win a Pink Expression. What a truly wonderful thing for them to do. Love their blogs and wish some of their talent would rub off on me.

Also, I read on Robyn's site that Monique Griffith has to endure yet another surgery tomorrow. Please add her to your prayers. Her and her family have had to go through so much due to this disease called Breast Cancer. I pray they find a cure for this soon!!!

Today I have to have a full body scan to see whether or not the cancer in my breast has spread or not. Just know as I am laying there, trying to stay still, that I will be thinking of all of the wonderful friends I have met on the Cricut Board and my special friends on the Purple Palace Board. You all mean a lot to me and your prayers and messages have so helped to keep me strong during this fight.

I love my Cricut, and thinking about it yesterday and how much joy it has brought, I also realized if it had not been for buying my little bug in 2007, I would not be so fortunate to have met so many wonderful and talented people. This was the best spur of the moment purchase I have ever bought. Thanks to you all!

Happy Blessed Sunday

2010-10-24T10:15:00.004-04:00

Well... Thought I should probably do an update here for those that have asked how I'm doing. I do have breast cancer and will be having a double mastectomy Friday. This little bump in the road will be smoothed out soon. My faith is so much bigger than this cancer and by next week this time, I will be so much better. Please keep my hubby and me in your prayers to keep us strong throughout this process.

Hugs and Love to my crafting friends who have been so much support for both my hubby and myself this past couple of years.

Life is Good - God is Great!!!!

Happy Fall Ya All

2010-10-18T11:48:00.001-04:00

This is the card I made for the Cricut Circle Friday Challenge. The requirements were to use the following colors: gray, orange, tan and burgundy and to also add lots of texture.

Supplies used:
Miscellaneous Scrap Paper
Cricut Printing Press Cartridge (Word Happy)
Cricut Straight From The Nest (Corner Fall word - Cut twice and stacked)
Cricut Cursive (Ya All words)
Cricut A Child's Year (Leaves)
Miscellaneous Fall Jolee Stickers
White Gel Pen

It was fun making this card. Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

Staying busy waiting...

2010-10-14T16:37:00.000-04:00

I have an appointment with my surgeon on Tuesday morning so we should know more then as to what will happen next. Hopefully, all will be taken care of really soon. I made this Cricut Circle Calling card this morning to keep myself busy. It is really plain compared to those beautiful ones that others have made; but, I like it just fine. Thank you all for the prayers and kind posts. Hugs!!!

WooHoo!!! O-well... Maybe not so WooHoo!!!

2010-10-13T14:21:00.004-04:00

I am posting this here because I feel so blessed right now. I just received the results of my MRI and all is well. I have fibrocystic disease and therefore, the lump is fluid filled. Yippeeeee!!! I got tears of joy when I got the call. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

Uupdated: 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. - Bummer!!!
Well... Darn. Keep those prayers coming if you would. I found out that I have to have a double biopsy - it seems the doctor got an addendum to the first MRI results and there is a spot on each side that is suspicious. Darn!!! I'm trying to stay positive and hope this all ends up being fixed soon. Just gotta wait for an appointment with my surgeon now. Hugs!!!

Gatefold Card

2010-10-13T08:26:00.000-04:00

I have created a Gatefold Card for the Cricut Circle Friday challenge in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. It was an emotional card for me to do at this point as I am still waiting for results of an MRI that I had last Friday regarding a lump on my breast. Hopefully, after two mammograms, an Ultra Sound and this MRI they will figure out how to get rid of this. The support and friendship of the members of the Cricut Circle and my special Purple Palace friends has been amazing. I so appreciate all of the prayers and thoughts that have came to me. I have felt surrounded by warmth from them and my family and friends during this fearful time. The wait SUCKS! I find my emotions go from positive to negative in a heartbeat. Hopefully, the results will be known today and I can get on with whatever needs to be done to fix this.

Anyway... on a more positive note... If anyone would like the cut file for the Gatefold card, please go here: http://www.brensdesigns.com/2010/05/mothers-day-card-with-cut-file.html

I used George to cut the card, Home Accents and Home Decor cartridges. The Butterflies were in a kit I purchased and I used a pencil to curl the wings and a bit of glitter to add some bling and kept the flourish on the words due to the requirements of the challenge.

Shadowbox Framed Layout

2010-10-11T18:30:00.003-04:00

I have been working on a framed layout for the Cricut Circle Challenge and the following is what I came up with. The layout has a lot of popped cuts on it and I put it in a shadow box frame. I used a 10 cartridges to do this layout. They are:

Sentimentals for the fancy scissors
Country Life for the Sewing Machine
French Manor for the Hutch
Locker Talk for the Camera
Home Decor for the Create Memories words
Home Accent for the Imagine and Family words
Wall Decor & More for scissors
Cursive and Cindy Loo for the One Cut at a Time words
Fabulous Finds for the Cabinet Hinges

I was trying to make the cabinet look like the Scrapbox Cabinet and had drawers in the top and it just didn't look right so I ended up with shelves. The gray part is supposed to look like a fold down table with a layout on it. It was a lot of fun working with so many cartridges and it looks really cute hanging in my scrap room. It actually looks lots better in person.

Ciao Card

2010-10-07T08:30:00.001-04:00

I needed to do a card for the Cricut Circle Challenge using the French Manor cartridge and came up with the card below. I believe Ciao means both Goodbye and Hello in Italian and European countries have adopted it also. I used the word to say goodbye to the old body and hello to the new body after losing weight. The pics are not the best - but, here is a picture of the front and inside of the card.

The Bling-a-lings Layout

2010-09-05T09:34:00.008-04:00

They had a challenge for Labor Day weekend on the Cricut Circle group. What am I doing this weekend? SCRAPPING!!! My hubby went to Northern Michigan with some buddies for a couple of days so I decided to spend some time in my scrap room and try to get caught up on a couple of layouts. I am still working on May of this year so this layout is of my granddaughter, Erica, and her friends getting ready to go to the Senior Prom. Their dresses had such beautiful colors that I decided not to use pattern paper for this one. The solid color paper is textured, just does not show well in the pictures. I used Design Studio and Cricut's Tie-The-Knot cartridge for the dress and shoes and Songbird cartridge for the title. I then added some flowers and lots of bling to the layout. Wish it showed up better in the pics.

My Granddaugher is in the Hot Pink gown.

Even the backs of their gowns were beautiful.

These girls are such a beautiful and fun group of girls.

Not sure I like the white on the gown bottom... but, it is done now so it stands as is.

Scraproom

2010-09-02T12:12:00.001-04:00

I had my scraproom in the famlily room downstairs until yesterday. I decided I do not like being away from the main part of the house. I spent yesterday moving my stuff upstairs to the small bedroom. I had it in that room awhile ago and thought I would like it in the larger room... NOT! O-well... Anyway... here are pictures of my scraproom - at least as of this minute.

This is the main work area of the room.

This is how my paper is stored. I didn't have room for all of my paper to be brought upstairs. As I use the paper upstairs, I will bring the other up and replenish.

This is how I store most of my embellishments. They are hung on my Clip-it-up in categories.

This is how I store my Stickles, glitter and Flock. This is a cork board with velcro.

This is storage for misc items such as flowersoft, ribbon, glossy accents, etc.

This is where I store my Bows and Flowers.

This is where my Cuttlebug embossing folders and other items are stored. It is a shoe holder.

Under my table I have plastic storage bins with ribbon, chalk, ink, adhesives, etc. in the drawers.

This is how I store my Cricut Cartridges... They are in the top drawer which makes them very easy to get to. Right now there are 78 carts stored here in alpha order.

Well, there you have my scrap space.

Enjoying The Simple Life

2010-08-27T09:17:00.001-04:00

I wanted to use my Country Life cartridge and decided to scrap this pic of my DH and our Daisy. I LOVE this cartridge and thought the banner option was something differnt. I tried my hand at the faux stitching and found that I stitch just like I sew - not too straight. The papers are Co-erdinations Gemstone (blue) and misc DCWV stacks.

Bless This Nest

2010-08-27T09:12:00.000-04:00

I purchased this page kit from Scrapbook Eden because I love the bird and wanted to learn how to do eyes the way she does. Melinda is very talented and her chalking is amazing. She has a great tutorial on her site as to how to do this. She also has a Cricut site called Cooking with Cricut that you might like to visit. I had fun doing this layout and am excited at what I learned.

Finally Time to Scrap and Post... WooHoo!!!

2010-08-21T09:02:00.002-04:00

Wow! My third post today!!! WooHoo!!!!

We have been so busy this summer that I have not been able to do much scrapping and posting to my blog. Well... Finally, things are settling down a bit. We have put our house on the market (wish us luck) and in doing so I have been doing a ton of work to get it ready to sell. Funny how things that have needed done get finished when you decide to sell.

For those that have emailed about my dear hubby... He is doing great! He has a 20 lb weight limit for the rest of his life and will always walk with a cane - but, that is minor compared to what we were afraid would be the end result of all he went through. We have certainly been blessed. I never thought much about 20 lbs and in working on the house for selling, I have found that 20 lbs is not much at all. Geez!

Another thing that happened this summer, I am now a member of the Cricut Circle and LOVE it. I only joined for the Quarter and will be changing that soon to be yearly. Yippeeee!!! I received the French Manor cartridge for joining and love it. I also will get an exclusive cart every quarter that is only available to Circle members. Yup - My Cricut addiction is still as STRONG as ever. LOL!!!

Birthday Card with Cut/Gypsy files

2010-08-21T08:54:00.001-04:00

I need to make a birthday card for my niece's birthday party today. She love princesses and I thought this card would make her happy. I used Coerdinations Gemstone and DCWV Sweet stack for the card.

I added the Cut file to my blog in February and you can find it here: http://www.brensdesigns.com/2010/02/princess-dress-shape-card-with-cut-file.html

You will find the Gypsy file below the picture. I have not tried it in the Gypsy and hope it works right.

Gypsy file (Personal Use Only)

For this card - http://www.mediafire.com/?568ftn2fp28hcah

The Gypsy file for dress below

http://www.mediafire.com/?m4uc3mt6va61u5l

Enjoy!!

Floral Layout with DS and Gypsy Files

2010-08-21T08:48:00.003-04:00

I have been trying to use all of my cartridges that I have not used (have 78). I created this layout using George (Flowers), Heritage (Title) and Accent Essentials (Leaves). The papers were some miscellaneous sheets that I had and am not sure of the makers. I do love the colors!!!

Here is a picture of the layout and the cut file and gypsy file are below. Enjoy!

Here is a picture of the cut file. Just reverse the layout and add the Memories title for page 2

Here is the cut file (Personal Use Only Please)

http://www.mediafire.com/?a9fykf0pukkmof8

Here is the Gypsy file - I hope it works right

http://www.mediafire.com/?le3boydk6b566b5

Erica's Graduation Centerpiece

2010-06-16T12:33:00.008-04:00

I have been so busy with life that I have not been able to post in awhile. I am happy to tell you that I am now the owner of a Gypsy. Yippeeeeee!!! Now I just have to find time to learn how to use it.

For those that have asked... My hubby is doing great. He has a 20 lb weight limit for the rest of his life; but, that is small compared to what could have been. We have been so blessed and I thank God for every second I have with the grouch. hehe!!!

Our granddaughter, Erica, graduated from High School last week with honors and we are so proud of her. I have been working hard to make centerpieces for the tables at her grad party. I used various Cricut cartridges to make the flowers and butterflies. I used my pazzles to design and cut the words, cap and gown, golf bag and golf flag. It was fun making these... there are six in all. I added pictures of Erica throughout her school years to cover the plastic cups that I used. I used skewers from the houseware department at Meijer as they were only 200 for 1.99 and dowels cost a ton more. The skewers have a pointed end which also helped in placing the pieces in the foam. I used pipe cleaners for the butterflies and some of the words to make them move a bit. The GLHS is for Gull Lake High School that she graduated from and the WMU is for Western Michigan University where she is going in the fall.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!! Blessings to you all!!! Thanks for looking!

Mosaic Layout Cut File - Updated with PS, DJ & Gypsy

2010-05-22T10:40:00.017-04:00

Added the Mosaic cut for Plantin Schoolbook, Don Juan and one for the Gypsy to the cut file. I'm not sure whether the Gypsy file will work. I have never done this before. Hopefully, it is all good.

Hi there. I saw a layout that Beccy did on the Cricut Board. She cut each of her pictures into one inch squares and it turned out beautiful. I thought I could create something with Deisgn Studio and George to create a similar effect. Here is what I came up with. The cut file is below the pictures and I hope to also add one for Plantin Schoolbook and Don Juan if the interest is there. Thanks for looking...

Is someone knows how I can save in Gypsy format, please leave a comment and I will do this for those that have the Gypsy.

Here is the layout with my pictures placed under the matt. I just taped the pictures in place and done... easy as that!!!

Here is a picture using the matt turned a different way.

Here is a picture of the pieces that will be left on the matt. Creative minds will probably think of something to use the pieces for.

Here is a picture of the cut file using George.

Altered to include file with Planting Schoolbook and Don Juan as well as George. Here is the cut file (personal use only please)...

http://www.mediafire.com/?z5zjm2jmjmm
I have had a request to add this cut as a Gypsy File... Here ya go... hope it works.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mqmworoujkd

Fashionista

2010-05-20T07:56:00.011-04:00

This layout is of my granddaughter who is a total fashionista with a tomboy mentality. She is such a fun gal and I am so proud of her. She is graduating this year and will be attending college next year to become a Child Psychologist.

I saw a similar layout on the Cricut Board and thought it would be perfect for Erica's layout. I cannot remember who posted the layout. Mine was done using my Cricut and the George and Forever Young cartridges. I placed the cuts all on Design Studio and then cut them to create the layout.

Items used: Coer'dinations Gemstone for Cuts and Title, Not sure of the designed paper (I think DCWV), Chalked the edges, Brads with glitter and Ribbon

Below you will find the cut file if you are interested in doing the layout.

I cut the flowers out and stacked them. For the blue purse I cut away parts of the flowers so that both colors would show through.

Picture of Page 1 of the Cut file...

Picture of Cut file of Page 2 of the Layout...

Page 1 of the layout cut file...
http://www.mediafire.com/?nyz5dydgazm

Page 2 of the layout cut file...

http://www.mediafire.com/?wgdyjiydyta

Shopping

2010-05-18T09:20:00.019-04:00

Here is a layout I did of our granddaugher's shopping trip while in the Dominican Republic. They all had so much fun.

The background paper is from the DCWV stack All Dressed Up and the title was done using Coer'dinations Gemstone paper. The girl cuts were from the DCWV adhesive stack. The girl was a design I found in a Bratz Doll coloring book page I found on the internet. I used Paint Shop Pro to clean it and alter it. I then traced the image with my Pazzles.

Friends For Life...

2010-05-13T11:13:00.016-04:00

This is the second 2 page layout that I have finished regarding my Granddaughter's trip to the Dominican Republic for her Senior Trip. Geez! When I graduated... back in the "old days" our senior trip was to downtown Kalamazoo... which we lived five miles away from. My daughter's Senior trip was to Grand Rapids which is only 50 miles away. Wow! Sure nothing like the senior trips they do now! This was an experience the kids will remember forever (as well as the parents).

I used my pazzles and created the cuts from clipart found on a coloring book site online. If you are interested in one of the best coloring books sites out there, check this one out... http://www.coloring-book.info/coloring/. They have just about every character I have ever seen as coloring pages. I cleaned the pages up using Paint Shop Pro and then traced them with my pazzles software.

I am not sure what the name of the paper is that I used for the background. It is some that I have had around forever and did not have the maker's name on it. I had a ton of fun making these cuts. I used Co-erdination paper for the Title and DCWV Adhesive solid stack for all of the cuts. The Title was done using the A & S Rister font.

Mother's Day Card with Cut File

2010-05-08T08:53:00.016-04:00

I created a cut file with Design Studio for a Gate Fold Card in order to make my hubby's mother a card. The cut file is done using George, Plantin Schoolbook or Don Juan. The card fits in an A2 envelope.

Here is the card I made this morning. The paper is from the Linen Closet DCWV stacks. I also used Sentimentals to cut the Butterfly and Story book to cut the scallops and Mom. I used Plantin Schoolbook for the card base.

Here is a picture of the cut file. It includes cuts for George, Plantin Schoolbook and Don Juan.

Here is the cut file.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/nwzwmj4ty5i/gatefold_G_PS_DJ_brens_designs.cut

WPC file
http://www.mediafire.com/?xzym15f2mmy
WPC 14 file
http://www.mediafire.com/?vdwwxjnajw2

Dominican Rep Layouts

2010-05-06T15:46:00.007-04:00

WooHoo!!!! Hubby is finally pretty good so I have gotten the scrapping mojo back. In March my granddaughter got to go to the Dominican Republic as part of her Senior Trip. My daughter also went with her and brought back a ton of pics. I am having a ball designing cuts for these layouts.

The characters were created by tracing clipart and cut with my Pazzles. I think they turned out so cute. I used DCWV Summer stack for the paper and the font used is A & S Rister.

This one is the beginning of the layouts I am going to do of their trip. This is a pic of Erica and her friends from school.

Erica and her friends got to go Snorkeling while there. It looks like they had a ton of fun.

Hubby is home...

2010-04-24T14:28:00.002-04:00

Well... Hubby came home from the hospital on Tuesday. We have had visiting nurses in and doctor appointments.

This past week has sure went by fast!!! I'm so sorry I have not updated my posts. Ron is doing pretty good... another week and he will be doing a ton better. Everything takes time and I'm not real patient... hehe! I want him good to go NOW! It has been such a long haul for him and I pray this is the last of the surgeries he has to endure. He is a real sport and stays positive. Thank you all for the wonderful comments. We both truly appreciate them a ton!!! Hugs to everyone and God bless you all!

Woo Hoo... Hubby's Surgery Over...

2010-04-17T13:11:00.003-04:00

My hubby had surgery yesterday morning and, so far, all is good and he is doing pretty well. They had to go in and reconnect his stomach muscles and close his stomach from a previous surgery in October. I so appreciate the prayers that he has received during his lengthy illness. Thank you so much. We are so hoping this will result in our lives returning to whatever normal will be for us. Thank you so much for the warmth and well wishes! God is good and is with him now during his recovery. I just came from the hospital and he looks wonderful - just pretty sore right now. I told him that in a couple of weeks this too will become just a memory. We have had a long 15 months and I feel he is truly on his way to being better now. Love ya all!!!

Easel Card with Cut File

2010-04-07T19:33:00.013-04:00

I decided to create a cut file for the Easel Card I created for my hubby and in the process made three different sizes. I created in Design Studio for both George and Plantin Schoolbook. There are little slots that will assist you in figuring out where to score your easel card. There are three sizes of each card… 4 x 8, 5 x 8 and 11 x 4.25 and all were made to fit in an A2 envelope (4 3/8 x 5.75).

Here is a picture of the card I made for my hubby that you can use as an example. I used Sweethearts for the cuts and Design Studio to create the card and cut files.

Here is a picture of the cut file for the card and where to score. I’m using the 4 x 8” cuts in the examples below.

Once the card is cut, scored and folded it will look like this…

After the card is cut – cut the pieces that will be glued to the card. They will be glued as the picture below shows.

This is how the card will look with the cut files glued in place...

Here is how the card will look if you have George and do the extra cuts included in the cut file.

Here is the cut file using both George and Plantin Schoolbook

http://www.mediafire.com/?1yy0wezqdoy
I also created a PDF file that you can download as instructions
http://www.mediafire.com/?m5mwtzdm1wj

Happy Easter to ALL

2010-04-04T08:29:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to stop in and post a Happy Easter to ALL!!! I hope you all have a blessed and peaceful, fun-filled Easter. God Bless you ALL!!!

A wonderful surprise...

2010-04-03T08:12:00.007-04:00

Audrey of Cute and Some has honored me with the Crafting Queen award. Her kindness has brought me to tears with the kind words she posted on her blog about me. I am not so sure I deserve this award; but, will display it with honor. Thank you so very, very much for this award and your kind words!!!

To visit Audrey's wonderful blog go here... http://cuteandsome.blogspot.com/

I think I am supposed to pass this award on to someone who I feel has contributed to the world of crafting. I have thought about who I would honor with this award and the decision was difficult as there are so many folks that deserve it.

I have decided to pass the award along to OkieLadyBug. She has so kindly created a ton of design studio cut files and given for free to those that need them. She has also helped people on the board when they have questions and always has humor and laughter to hand out. I have used her cut files often and have been grateful for her generosity. Thanks Okie for sharing your talent. You can visit Okie's blog here... http://okieladybugsscrapnmore.blogspot.com/

Anniversary Card for Hubby

2010-04-02T08:18:00.007-04:00

Many of you know that my hubby has been ill this past year. We almost lost him in January of 2009 and I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate this anniversary with him. God has been so good to us. He has to have another surgery again on April 16th and I ask you to include him in your prayers if you would.

Here is a picture of the Anniversary card I made for him. It was my first easel card and I like the way it turned out. I used George and Design Studio to create the base cuts, the Sweetheart cartridge for the cuts and my Pazzles to create the title using the CCSpills font. The border was created using the Stampin' Up Scallop punch. You can get this punch through Snowman Lover's site at http://snowmanlover.blogspot.com/.

Knock Knock Visitors

2010-03-26T07:43:00.007-04:00

My father and mother-in-law and brother and sister-in-law stopped over to visit and I took pictures due to it being dad's 83 birthday on March 17th. We had a good time and I decided to scrap the pitchers this morning. I drew the bears as vector drawings using Paint Shop Pro and imported into my Pazzles Machine to cut. I then used my Cricut to cut the Knock Knock (Sentimentals cartridge) and Family (Home Accents) titles. The paper is DCWV paper that I picked up at JoAnn's.

Father & Son Sharing

2010-03-24T09:18:00.008-04:00

Our neighbor set up a tree blind in their backyard to teach his son how to use a crossbow gun for hunting. It was fun watching the father and son bonding. I decided to head outside to take some pics with my camera my hubby bought me - Canon EOS Rebel XS. The 300 zoom is wonderful. I scrapped the following pages this morning. I used fonts to create the cuts with my Pazzles machine. I used Cricut Base Camp for the title. Thanks for looking.

A couple of cards...

2010-03-21T18:29:00.007-04:00

Here are a couple of cards I made yesterday. Three were for Cricut Fairies and one was for a dear friend.

This card was done for a 7 year old girl. I used the Disney Happily Ever After and Dreams Come True to make this card.

This one was done as an 80th birthday card. This one was for a man and I figured the bear would work well. The bear was drawn as a vector drawing and imported and cut using my Pazzles.

This one was done for someone going through surgery. I designed the bear as a vector drawing and imported into my pazzles machine.

This one was done for a special friend and I so hope she likes it.

Snowplace Like Home

2010-03-21T18:21:00.006-04:00

We had a Noreaster hit us on February 27th. I thought the snow was so pretty that I just had to take pictures and scrap them. I used the font SnowCaps for the title and the font Flakey for the snowflakes using my Pazzles Machine. The paper came from JoAnn's as single sheets and I do not know who made it.

Erica & Blake Layout

2010-03-21T18:05:00.007-04:00

This is a layout I did of our granddaughter, Erica, and her fella, Blake. I used the Cricut Songbird for the Title and the Sweetheart cartridge for the kids at the table. The white doilies came from Walmart and I adorned with heart gems. Erica will be attending Western Michigan University in the fall to be a Child Psychologist and Blake is attending Western now for Business. I love scrapping my grandchildren and had fun doing this one.

Winter Beauty Layout

2010-03-09T20:13:00.006-05:00

My sweet husband bought me a great digital SLR camera for Christmas Year before last and I finally have decided I need to learn to use the zoom lenz that he got with it. It is so much easier to pick up the point and shoot camera and I really need to start using the new one. I love birds and I took a bunch of pictures that I thought looked great against the snowy background. I especially love picture of the cardinal looking like he is taking a snow bath. I used 50 States to do all of the birds. The Woodpecker one is actually altered a bit as I could not find a woodpecker on any of the carts I have. There are a ton of Cardinals (didn't know that many states have Cardinal as their State bird) and I used them all. I used a black marker to make some of the details on the cuts. I used the Songbird cartridge for the title. It did not turn out as well as I was hoping for... but, I like it enough.

Yet more cards...

2010-03-09T20:05:00.007-05:00

I have been working on Cartridge Challenges on the Cricut Member Board. This week's challenge is to use only Stretch Your Imagination and any other cartridge for the font. I came up with these two cards that I put together in Design Studio using SYI and for the first one I used Wild Card for With Sympathy title and the second one I used Lyrical Letters for Get Well.

More Cards

2010-03-01T13:05:00.011-05:00

I made some cards this morning for the Cricut Card Fairies. I am learning a lot from the folks in that group. I have also learned that I am not real great at doing Masculine cards. Gonna have to work on that a bit more to get it right. Here are some of the cards I made today.

The first one is a birthday card and I drew the humming bird on my computer and used my Pazzles to cut it and Microsoft Word for the title.

This one was a masculine card for a man who is dealing with a lot of stress due to his father being ill. As you can see - I really need to figure out a better way to do masculine cards.

And this one is for his father who is ill.

The one below is for someone who will be going through surgery soon. I used Lyrical Letters for the cuts on this one.

This one is to a soldier and I used a graphic that I computer drew and painted using Paint Shop Pro and Beyond Birthdays Cricut Cartridge. I am so thankful for all our soldiers do and hope it was reflected in this card.

Here is a closer view of the graphic.

Thanks for looking :)

Sunshine Award... WooHoo!!!

2010-02-27T15:20:00.006-05:00

I received this wonderful Award from Audrey at http://cuteandsome.blogspot.com/ and was so thrilled. Her blog is amazing, as is her talent. Please stop by and visit her blog to see some beautiful creations. I am supposed to pass this award along to six other people who have blogs. As there are so many beautiful blogs that I visit, I am extending this award to those who wish to post it on their blog.

A huge thank you to Audrey for her kindness.

Wow! I received another Sunshine award this morning from Kelley at http://confessionsofacrazycrafter.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much Kelley... If you have not visited Kelley's blog, stop by. She has some awesome cards and amazing talent.

Another card...

2010-02-27T10:26:00.006-05:00

I created this card for a woman who is dealing with Breast Cancer surgery. It was done through the Cricut Card Fairies. In creating all the cards I am making, I am trying hard to use scraps and cartridges that I never use. For this card I used George to create and cut all the shapes and the Hugs title was done using the Candice Font with my Pazzles. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the lower edge of the card.

Princess Dress Shape Card with Cut file.

2010-02-27T08:32:00.008-05:00

I created the following cards using Design Studio and the Dreams Come True and Happily Ever After cartridges. The first one only uses Dreams Come True and the second card uses both. These cards were made by me as a part of the Cricut Card Fairy group. The cut files for both cards are below the pictures of the cards.

Princess Dress using the Dreams Come True Cartridge Cut file.

http://www.mediafire.com/?idjdh4mdwyd

Princess Dress using Dreams Come True and Happily Ever After Cartridge Cut File

http://www.mediafire.com/?z2mdyjy14jl

Hello Mailbox Card

2010-02-23T09:38:00.007-05:00

I'm having a lot of fun doing Cynthia's challenge to use Doodlecharms cuts. I decided to use the mailbox and weld the words hello or howdy to the mailbox to make cuts for cards. I have included the cut file with all four font cartridge cuts included. I used Ashlyn's Alphabet, Old West, George and Plantin Schoolbook. Below are samples of the cuts you will find. I also included a cut to create a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card and the front of card that can be cut in patterned paper if you choose.

Below is a picture of a card using the Ashlyn's Alpahbet part of the cut file.

Below is a picture of a card using the cut file with the Old West Cartridge.

Example of Cut files using Plantin Schoolbook and George...

Here is the cut file...
http://www.mediafire.com/?z3njyqyzkzt

Have a Sunshine Day card...

2010-02-21T15:57:00.008-05:00

Today on the Cricut Board there was a challenge from Cynthia to create something only using cuts from Doodlecharms. As I have never used my Doodlecharms cartridge, I thought it would be fun to do this challenge. We could use any other cartridge for the font so I used Base Camp. I welded the words to the Sun using the Shadow feature. I then cut the sun and letters in regular size and pieced together. I thought it would make a cute and happy card. The pattern paper is also cut from Doodlecharms.

If you would like the cut file, the link is below the picture.

Cut file is here...

http://www.mediafire.com/?i1qmi0wyytm

Two new cards

2010-02-20T10:52:00.004-05:00

I created two new cards today as a Cricut Fairy to send to a boy 9 and a little girl 7. It was fun making these. The boy likes sports so I designed the bear and basketball in Paint Shop Pro and imported into my pazzles. The paper for the basketball is basketball textured paper from JoAnn's. It almost feels like a rubbery paper. The little girl's card was created using Mickey & Friends and my cricut.

Barnyard Bunch

2010-02-19T12:30:00.006-05:00

This layout was created by me using Paint Shop Pro to draw all pieces as vector designs. I then imported into my Pazzles machine to cut and piece the pieces. It was a fun layout to do. I enjoy the aspect of designing more than anything and am thrilled that I can now use a cutting machine to cut my own creations.

Puppy Card...

2010-02-19T12:17:00.004-05:00

I created the following card using my Pazzles machine. I first drew the puppy sitter in Paint Shop Pro and saved the file. I then used Pazzles to trace the image and cut it. It was fun to make this card.

Making Cards...

2010-02-18T10:40:00.012-05:00

I have been busy making cards to send to special folks through the Cricut Card Fairies and below are some I have made. If you are interested in joining the Cricut Card Faires - check out this link...
http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tt.aspx?forumid=102

The first card design was scraplifted from my good friend Karen's design. I used Design studio and my Cricut to cut all the shapes.

This card was done by me using a vector file I created and then imported into my pazzles machine.

This card was also done by drawing the file as a vector file and then importing into my Pazzles machine.

Mug Cup Card with Cut Files

2010-02-14T09:50:00.015-05:00

First off... HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! My sweet hubby got me a huge box of chocolates that he said I could eat while pondering in my scrap room. He said whenever he walks by my room it looks like I am in deep thought. He said he figured I was trying to figure out what it is I'm trying to accomplish. LOL!!! He does know me well.

I made a couple of cards to send to Capadia's neighbor's children who experienced a fire in their home. I added a packet of Hot Chocolate in each card. If you would like to send a card, please visit Capadia's site and go down toward the end of the page to find the info...
http://capadiadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/02/heritage-tea-set-card.html

I created this card in the following formats: WPC, WPC14.
Here is a picture of the cut file.. Here are the cut files...
WPC
http://www.mediafire.com/?z3dy41jz3v3
WPC14
http://www.mediafire.com/?mjd3jy5hoze

Squirrel Proof - NOT!!!

2010-01-31T10:55:00.008-05:00

I went and bought a new Squirrel Proof bird feeder as the old one had been damaged by the squirrels trying to get to the food. They even ate through the plastic of the old one. As you can see, the new one didn't deter them much either. The little thief figured out how to get the seed out.

I used paper from the Penny Lane stack and DCWV textured cardstock for the layout. My goal is to continue using cartridges I seldom use and for this one I used...

Campout for Squirrel on the word Not
Animal Kingdom for the Squirrl at the top
Base Camp for the title
Used some fur I had for the Squirrel tail

This is my last January 2010 layout!!! Woohoo!!! Keeping up so far this year!

Brenda Workin'

2010-01-31T07:57:00.008-05:00

I absolutely hate having my picture taken and made the mistake of getting my hubby a new camera for Christmas. He took these pictures while I was cleaning some snow off the driveway. I really need to remember that he has a camera now!!! I hope he never figures out that the cameral has a zoom on it! LOL!! I was not going to scrap these and he asked me why I didn't scrap his pictures - so here is the layout I made for them.

I used Let It Snow paper (unsure of who made), snowflakes I had laying around, and my Pazzles to create the snow shovel and title. I used the Fantast/X coloring tool (thanks OkieLadyBug for the recommendation, I love them) and Pebblies Ink to ink the letters and shovel. I then used Diamond Dust on the shovel for snow effect. The font used is CCSpills and I love it.

If you are interested in the information Okie gave about the coloring tool, she has a great video on her blog about it - here is the link to it.... http://okieladybugsscrapnmore.blogspot.com/2009/12/coloring-with-cat-eye-inks.html

Snowblowing...

2010-01-30T08:33:00.007-05:00

Our neighbor, Jim, has snowblowed for us since Ron was in the hospital over a year ago. He and his wife, Terry, have been a huge blessing to us. My hubby took the pictures of Jim snowblowing and I decided to scrap them.

I drew the snowblower in Paint Shop Pro and then used my Pazzles to create the cut file. I used the following cartridges for the layout:

Every Day Paperdolls - Body and Clothing
Paper Doll Dress-up - Beard and Glasses
Opposites Attract - Title

I then used Delta Decorative Snow and Diamond Dust for the snow on the snowblower and Scribbles on the hat.

Yum... Ron spoils our Daisy

2010-01-29T08:52:00.007-05:00

I have vowed I am going to keep up with my 2010 album this year and not get so far behind. At this point I am trying to finish January before February gets here.

Daisy loves it when Ron gets down on the floor and holds her bone for her. She is such a little queen and is soooooo spoiled. I used paper and ribbon that I have had for awhile and am not sure of the makers. I decided I need to begin using some of my older cartridges that I seldom (if ever) have used. For this layout I used Paper Pups and think it turned out cute.

Grandkids Goofin Around

2010-01-28T08:57:00.005-05:00

I was scanning my grandson Jake's Facebook page and found these pictures and decided I would "borrow" them to create a layout. I decided Graphically Speaking would be the perfect cartridge for the cuts. I used DCWV Rock Star paper for the background and Prism Red and Black for the cuts. I tied a ribbon around each picture to enhance them a bit.

I am so glad my grandkids get along so great. They are very close and have a ball when they hangout together. We love when they stop in to visit as they keep us laughing the entire time. Erica will be moving an hour and one-half away from us in the fall as she will be attending Baker College to get degrees in Pastry Chef and Food & Beverage Management and we are going to miss her stopping in! We are very, very proud of her.

Sylvia and her new baby Missy

2010-01-27T10:05:00.009-05:00

This is a layout of my Aunt and her new baby, Missy. Her daughter, Barb, got Missy for her as a companion and she is such a cutie. I drew the dog cuts as vector files using Paint Shop Pro and then used my Pazzles to make the cut files. I inked the dog cuts using Pebbles Ink. The title was also cut using my Pazzles.

Jake Skiing

2010-01-27T09:52:00.011-05:00

The first layout of my 2010 album. This is a layout of my grandson Jake skiing. I used Winter Woodland to do the cuts for this layout. I put Jake's name on the skis using my Pazzles machine. I also used Rub Ons for the snowflakes for the first time.

Jake absolutely loves to ski and would live at Bittersweet Ski Resort if he could. His mom sometimes wishes he did as it is an hours drive from them and he wants to go often!!! He plans to go to College in Colorado so he can ski as much as possible. Jake is 14 and a true charmer.

2010 Album started

2010-01-27T09:41:00.008-05:00

Below you will find my cover page for my 2010 album. I drew the blocks as a vector file using Paint Shop Pro and traced the layer images in Pazzles to create the blocks. The Red and Purple ones are popped with dots. The words were created using various Cricut cartridges - Home, Family and Love were cut using Home Accents and Friends and Life were cut using Ashlyn's Alphabet.

Hubby's Valentine card and files

2010-01-25T10:12:00.015-05:00

Below you will see the cards I made for my hubby. I have included the cut files in WPC, MTC, SCAL2 and SVG format for your Personal use. I drew the heart and bow using Paint Shop Pro as a Vector file... split out the layers and imported into the programs to create the cut files. I used Coer'dinations Gemstone to cut the words and bow. I then inked the bows to give dimension. Hard to see in the pictures. The first one was made for my hubby for Valentine's Day. The one with the blue bow was made as just a sending hugs card.

The first file is in MTC format for use with the Make the Cut Program...

This file is in WPC format for use with the Pazzles Program.

http://www.mediafire.com/?5qrn33djw0z

This file is exported in the WPC14 format for use with Pazzles.

http://www.mediafire.com/?miyjmmlnjoj

Here are pictures of how the cut files look.

Valentine's Cards

2010-01-25T10:08:00.007-05:00

Below are pictures of the Valentine cards I made for my grandchildren. I used the Sweetheart cartridge for the cuts. The cards were made using DCWV pre-made cards, Core'dinations Gemstone paper, Bazzil Swiss Dots paper and Kaiser Self-Adhesive Pearls. It was fun making these two cards.

Christmas Eve

2010-01-02T12:19:00.019-05:00

I did this layout today using the Christmas Noel cartridge. I used Mostly scrap paper that I had and wanted to use up to create the scene. The title was done with with Black Letter using DCWV The Glitter Stack. I used Stickles to decorate the trees and gel pens to add lights to some of the houses and colored the church windows. I used Scribbles to add snow to the trees.

Anniversary Card

2009-12-24T18:54:00.008-05:00

I used Donna's Cut file from Custom Crops to create an Anniversary card for my in-laws. Thank you Donna for the cut file and the inspiration. Here is the link to Donna's Tutorial...

http://www.customcrops.com/article_info.php?articles_id=134

Here are the pictures of how I used her cut file. The entire card was created using the Sweethearts cartridge.

Dog's Rule Layout

2009-12-20T12:19:00.014-05:00

This is one of my favorite layouts that I designed with my Pazzles machine. I think I will probably put this one on ebay and see how it goes. There are a ton of popdots in this layout and they don't seem to show up much in the pictures. The white dog was designed to look like our Bichon Daisy and the second dog was designed to look like my daughter's dog (Cocker Poo) Lucky. All cuts were vector drawn by me using Paint Shop Pro and imported to my Pazzles machine for cuting and piecing. It was a lot of fun to do this layout.

Blizzard Warning

2009-12-17T10:02:00.008-05:00

On December 10, we were under a Blizzard warning through December 11. We only ended up getting about 10 inches of snow; but, the winds were so hard that the temp was -9. Yuck! County's north of us got a lot more of the lake effect snow than we did. I'm done with winter now and can't wait til spring. Gotta a long way to go - bummer! I do love the seasons in Michigan and really don't mind the snow if the ice stays off the roads. That is me in the snowsuit getting ready to clean up the snow. Cute huh? LOL!

For the layout, I used:

Paper from Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby

Lyrical Letters for the Title

Winter Woodland for the extra cuts (Used glitter paper but it does not show well in the photo)

And some Snowflakes and Gems that I had laying around

I Love Birds...

2009-12-16T14:26:00.010-05:00

I love watching the birds at our feeders in the winter. As I was taking pictures of the birds at one feeder station, we ended up with a little theif at the second feeder station so I took pics of the little guy too. I just thought it would make a good layout. I used DCWV paper, the Winter Woodland Cartridge for the titles, Accent Essentials for the snowflakes and Stickles and pearls to embellish.

If Looks could kill....

2009-12-16T13:56:00.010-05:00

Our Daisy is a Bichon who will be three in February. She should have grown a second coat of fur that should be course and thick. She never grew the second coat so her fur is very fine and silky. Due to this she needs to wear a coat in the coldest time of year here in Michigan. She absolutely hates the coat!!! When I took the pictures below I thought Whew - If looks could kill... Then she tried her hardest to tear the coat up. It is was funny watching her. The layout title and the daisy dog was done using my Pazzles Machine.

This is one of those layouts you really don't want anyone to see as I think it is one of the worst I have done... but, too lazy to redo it so posting it. I figure everyone has those layouts you just want to hide. Anyway... here is Daisy in her winter gear...

Nativity Album

2009-12-11T07:00:00.017-05:00

I saw on the Cricut Message board blackbearblackbear's Nativity Album and decided to use the inspiration to make cards for two very close family members. I added Bible Verses instead of picture holders to make it more like a card. I used Paper Doll Dress Up for most of the cuts, my Pazzles for the titles and Accent essentials for the snowflakes. The paper was various Christmas papers and Gems & Stickles here and there.

Cut file for Barn...
http://www.mediafire.com/?itzdydqkvmn

Cut file for People/Animals
http://www.mediafire.com/?5dtztinj5zm

Got Kids

2009-12-10T14:11:00.009-05:00

I love this picture of my Son-in-law and my two grandchildren and decided to do a layout.

I used:
Cricut Graphically Speaking & Mini Monograms Cartridges for the cuts
Pebbles Ribbon
DCWV Stack Latte for cuts
Letter Press Sticko Style paper as background paper
Heidi Grace Epoxy Sticker - Hugs

Erica's Handiwork

2009-12-10T14:05:00.006-05:00

My daughter and granddaughter are taking cake decorating classes. I won the From My Kitchen cart from the Christmas with the Cricut Blog and decided to use it to create a layout using a picture of Erica's first decorated cake. I love this cart and had fun doing this layout.

I used:

Lyrical Letters for the Title - There are no shadows for the letters so I tried to improvise by cutting twice with different paper and layering a bit.

Cricut From My Kitchen Cartridge for the Cuts

DCWV Kitchen Stack

DCWV Latte Stack

Scribbles Iredescent Golden Pearl for the Frosting in the Bowl

Misc items I found in my scraproom to decorate

In the Spirit...

2009-12-09T15:54:00.008-05:00

It seems like forever since I have posted anything on my blog. I finally have had a bit of time to do some scrapping. I have so missed the crafting and am very happy to be getting back to it.

I put a few decorations out to get in the Spirit of Christmas and decided to take pictures and scrap them.

I used the Christmas Noel cart for the cuts.
The Title is from Winter Woodland
Paper is from the Pepperment Forest Stack from JoAnn's and DCWV Christmas Glitter Stack.