Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to All from FCCB!!!

Thank you all for checking in!  We are currently on vacation and will not be doing our Daily Inspiration posts until January 2nd to allow our designers time off to spend with their family.  Please feel free to participate in our Challenge Me Monday post.  It will be open for two weeks.   Thank you all for your understanding!  We look forward to seeing you after the holiday!  At that time, we will be introducing some new Daily Inspiration hostesses for the months of January and February.  Can't wait to see you all then!

Merry Christmas and  Happy New Year
Sincerely,

The FCCB Design Team

Fantabulous Friday - Use A Tag

When I think of Using a Tag at this time of year, I immediately think of Very Merry Tags. This cartridge is a Seasonal Solutions cartridge which I have the misfortune of NOT owning. Donna, my daughter and blog partner, owns it but she lives near Chattanooga. I have had the privilege of using it though. It is very hard to find now. Follow this link to look at the tags on this cart. I'm sorry,I'm having trouble with Blogger and it would not save my picture.

Aren't these cute? You can make them as simple or as fancy as you would like them to be. This cartridge has a blackout feature so you can cut out the top layer and them use another color to accent it.

Thank you for visiting with us today. We at Fantabulous Cricut would like to wish all our followers and friends a Very Merry Christmas. May Joy fill your life during this season of celebration and in the coming new year.

Peggy

Time for the FCCB Thursday Tutorial -Three gift tag ideas

Hi everyone. It is time for the last Thursday tutorial of 2011. This week at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog the challenge is Trimming with a Tag. So I want to share some tutorials on how to make some awesome tags for all your gift giving.

This first set of tags is made by my friend Theresa at Binky Blossoms. I love the tags made in a variety of shapes using Winter Frolic with card stock and jute. However what really makes them special is Theresa's Packing Tape technique which you definitely need to check out. Find out how Theresa uses packing tape and glitter to decorate these adorable tags.

Binky Blossoms

Packing Tape Technique

The next techniques is one from Robyn at My Pink Stamper and can also be found on You Tube. This is a great tutorial for those of you who have the Cricut Imagine.

Pink Stamper

The last idea I found on Pinterest using paint chip tags. Aren't these cute? I love this idea and you could cut out the shapes with any die cutting machine or a punch.

Paint chip tags

Hope you have enjoyed these tag ideas and find them useful. Please join us this week to see what kind of tags you can create. I have enjoyed doing the Thursday Tutorial these past months and hope you have gained some ideas from what I have shared. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with lots of craftin.

Wednesday Winners #90

Good Morning Fantabulous Friends!  

Wow, I can't believe it!  Christmas is almost here (for those of us who celebrate).  This year is a difficult year for many money-wise so my family has decided not to celebrate with gifts.  It sure eased a lot of the holiday stress, but I must admit, giving and receiving gifts can be pretty fun. ;)  I've decided to make my hubby's family some 8x8 albums for my new nephew, who is two months old.  I think handmade gifts are the way to go!  I would LOVE to hear what you all are doing for the holidays and if you will be exchanging gifts.  I'm especially curious about handmade gifts that you may be giving to family and friends.  Please leave a comment here and tell us about it!

So of course, last week's challenge, "Rolling in Ribbon" was created for the holiday season.  We had some awesome entries and how 'bout those awesome projects by the DT?  If you missed out, you'll want to check them out HERE.

I want to say thanks to everyone who participated and thanks to our sponsor, My Craft Spot who not only provided the challenge "candy", but also provided some goodies for some of our DT members to use!  Not only do they have great ribbon, but their twine is amazing too!  I know this, cause I bought some. ;)  Be sure to check them out if you haven't already!  The link is below...

~This Weeks Winner~
Prize package from Kimberly - My Craft Spot

#35 Maria - Haffpintreasures

Congratulations Maria!!!
To claim your prize please contact Marlene at... hearts0314 @ msn .com (remove spaces)
You have two weeks to claim your prize
Remember to grab your "FCCB Winner" blinky to display on your blog, you can find the blinky code in the right hand side bar.

~Design Team Top 5~

#52 Marcia - One Scrap at a Time



#20 Tanya A. - Nonna's Craft Corner



#7 Sheila - She Loves Shoes


#40 A Busy Bee


#53 Kimberly - Paper Munch

Congratulations Ladies!!!

Remember to grab your "FCCB Top 5" blinky to display on your blog! You can find the blinky code on our right-hand sidebar.

Thank you to all those who participated in our challenge (aren't the projects just Fantabulous?)!

Come join us for this week's "Trimming with a Tag" challenge - Here.

Use a tag somewhere on your project.

(Be sure to use at least ONE Cricut cut on your project.)

XO ~ Amy Jo (Coordinator)

Quick Tip Tuesday - My Cut Search: Phrases

Hi everyone and welcome to another Quick Tip Tuesday! Today I have a tip for you from my friend Shawn of MyCutSearch: How to search for just words or phrases on your Cricut carts!

To do this, you need to use the Advanced MyCutSearch, which you can find in the Main Menu on the upper left hand side. If you click on that you will go to a new screen and you will uncheck the keywords and check the word-phrase box. Now type in the word you are looking for. You will only get cuts that have that word in it.

How is this helpful? Let's say you have a friend that just had a baby boy, and you want to put a cute phrase on the front of the card. If you are using MyCutSearch from the home page and type in boy, you will get every image of a boy AND every word boy . . . that is a lot, and most of them are things you don't want. But by using the Advanced MyCutSearch and unchecking the keywords and check the word-phrase box, and THEN typing in the word boy you will only get cuts with the word boy . . . It's a boy, Big Boy, 100% boy, That's my boy . . . well, you get the idea.

Here is a GREAT video that Sarah from My Pink Cricut did that shows not only this tip, but some other great ways you can use the Advanced MyCutSearch feature.

Thanks, Shawn and Sarah for sharing these AWESOME MyCutSearch tips with us today! And thank you for stopping by today! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Wednesday's Winners and Happy Holidays!! :)

Challenge Me Monday #91

In this season of giving, we are challenging you to create tags to adorn your projects. Your tag could be for a gift, as an embellishment on a card, as part of a layout – or anything else!

From all of us at Fantabulous Cricut, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May your season be overflowing with peace, hope and love!

(Please note that this challenge will last for two weeks in order to give our wonderful design team time to celebrate with their families and friends. You have until January 1, 2012 to link your tag project below.)

#91 – Trimming with a Tag
Use a tag somewhere on your project

 

Fantabulous Cricut is thrilled to be sponsored by Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock this week. 

Core’dinations is not your average cardstock. Every sheet of acid free, 80 lb. cardstock has a color core which "core'dinates" with the surface color... no white core! You can choose to keep the core color hidden or add your own creative touch by sanding, tearing, embossing and more!

We offer a variety of different cardstock products ranging from our Core Essentials that comes in a variety of 160 colors to our very own Core Impressions lines where we teamed up with industry leading patterned paper companies and embossed our cardstock with their designs.

Some of our  design team members have made their projects using Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock from the Black Magic and Vintage Collections.

Faith Abigail

Once Upon a Princess, Inspired Heart cartridges

Kate

Inspired Heart, Winter Frolic cartridges

Kate

Wrap It Up, Christmas Cheer cartridges

Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirl embossing folder

Marlene
Plantin SchoolBook, Accent Essentials cartridges

Marlene
Winter Frolic cartridge

Robin
Christmas Cheer, Sweet Treats cartridges
Cuttlebug Cindy Loo, D'Vine Swirl, Holly Ribbons embossing folders

Sarah

Winter Frolic cartridge

Sherrie

Elegant Edges, Winter Wonderland cartridges

~ Design Team Inspiration ~

~Guest Designer~
Melissa
 Fabulous Finds, Christmas Cheer, Joys of the Season cartridges

View Melissa's Spotlight Sunday post HERE

Jessica
Winter Frolic cartridge

Jewels
Wrap It Up, Jolly Holidays cartridges

Lisa
Tags, Bags, Boxes & More, Christmas Solutions cartridges

Peggy
Yummy Imagine, Damask Decor cartridges

Sabrina
Joys of the Season cartridge

~This Week's Sponsor~

One participant in our Trimming with a Tag challenge will receive a prize of TWO paper packs generously donated by Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock.

 

To link your project for this week's "Trimming with a Tag" challenge, click on the blue "add your link" button below!

This challenge ends at Midnight, January 1st (Mountain Time).

Spotlight Sunday

Hello Fantabulous Friends, and Happy Sunday!

Are you ready for Christmas? I cannot believe Christmas is only one week away. I am almost ready, I just have a few things left to do.

Today we are spotlighting Melissa from Doxie Mel Designs. Melissa was a Wednesday Winner with this fun treat box and turkey tag.



Before we peek at some of Melissa's projects from her blog, let's get to know her crafty side!

1. When did you start scrapbooking/paper crafting and why?
I started scrapbooking when my daughter was born. I really wanted to scrapbook my child's life instead of handing her a shoe box of pictures.

2. What is your favorite type of project to make (i.e., cards, layouts, mini-albums, etc....)?
I would have to say my favorite projects are mini-albums and seasonal decorations for my home.

3. What is your favorite product to use on your projects?
I enjoy shading the edges with ink.

4. What is your favorite Cricut cartridge?
My favorite Cricut cartridge is Create A Critter. I love those cute animals and the layering on this cartridge is fantastic.

5. What do you do in your spare time, when you are not paper crafting?
I enjoy gardening, visiting Disneyland on the weekends with my family, and walking my dachshund who would rather be sleeping.

Now let's take a look at some of Melissa's projects!






This is an adorable mini book that Melissa made. The first picture is the cover and the next two pictures are of the inside pages of the mini. Isn't it just so cute?!


This is another mini that Melissa made to capture her daughters' school memories. I love how it opens from both sides.


I just smiled when I saw this cute doggie card. And the sentiment fits so well!

Make sure to stop by Melissa's blog, Doxie Mel Designs, and see more of her wonderful creations!

Stay tuned as Melissa is our Guest Designer tomorrow for Challenge Me Monday.

This will be our last challenge for the year, as the FCCB will be taking a Christmas break. This is also my last post as the Spotlight Sunday Hostess. It's been so much fun getting to know so many wonderful paper crafters! Stay tuned for a new Design Team member to take over Spotlight Sunday.

Happy Crafting!

Sabrina
FCCB Spotlight Sunday Hostess

Scrappin' Saturday - Ribbon in Holiday Layouts

Happy Scrappin' Saturday, folks! Since this week's theme is Rolling in Ribbon, I thought we should roll out the ribbon for our scrapbook layouts. I looked through my son's albums and saw -- perhaps since he's a boy -- that my layouts rarely feature ribbon. Do yours? I scoured the web for some interesting ideas on how to incorporate ribbon into our holiday pages.

Even though these layouts don't include Cricut cuts, I think they have some fabulous ideas. Check out these three inspiring pages:

Jean Marmo for About.com's Scrapbooking Guide:

Jean used ribbon as her Christmas tree's garland in this holiday layout. I love how the buttons and ribbon give the page so much texture and interest! This look could easily be adapted to the many Christmas tree cuts found our favorite Cricut cartridges -- just adhere buttons where the ornament cuts should be and wind the ribbon around!

Debbie Mumm

Okay, my mom is a Debbie Mumm fan, so I just had to show this layout! Debbie used double-sided ribbon to "wrap" her page like a present. The overturned corners give the effect of "peeking" into the box. What a way to showcase that one special photo of the season! I love double-sided ribbon and will definitely be looking for some during after-Christmas clearance sales.

Susan Weinroth for Fiskars

Susan used various ribbon widths and prints for the background of her Hanukkah page. I love this idea for those times when you just can't find the perfect patterned paper for your vision. And even though her ribbon has polka dots and is scalloped, the layout is still so modern when paired with bold, solid elements.


Have you used ribbon in your scrapbook layouts? If so, please share in the comments section. I'd love to come take a peek!

Also, I hope you've enjoyed our last Scrappin' Saturday of 2011. May you and yours have a very blessed holiday and happy new year!

Have a happy, scrappy weekend,
Jessica

Fantabulous Friday - Rolling In Ribbon

Good Friday Morning, Fellow Crafters. Our theme this week is Rolling in Ribbon. Ribbon is one embellishment that can be used in so many ways. It adds so much to cards. I looked through our blog posts to see how many various ways we have used ribbon.

Here is a Christmas card I made recently. I attached ribbon to the dove's beak like it's flying behind him. I also attached holly made using Joys of the Season cartridge.

This card I made using the Art Nouveau Cartridge. I intertwined ribbon through the scalloped oval cut with Elegant Edges.

Another way I've used ribbon is to tie it around a box I created for a thick card.

And finally, I made a bow for the top of a paper box to be used for homemade goodies.

Thank you for visiting with us for our Friday post. Remember, use lots of ribbon. I hope you visited our Monday post. The Design Team had some wonderful creations with ribbon.

Peggy