Either I have been very busy making cards or I have not posted my creations recently.  Or both.  I am back to trying to make (or at least design) a card every weekend.  I'm sure this post looks long on your scroll bar, but know going in that it is mostly pictures.

I made this one back in November for a couple to celebrate 25 years of missionary service with Youthfront, their 30th wedding anniversary and their 50th birthdays!  I love how the design (which is from the Wild Card cartridge) is so versatile.  I held on to the negatives of this cut because I think they will make a pretty cool card as well.


Our next door neighbor got engaged so I made this card for her.  I got to use a bunch of my shiny scraps for this one.  The cut is an SVG file from the SVGcuts website.  It was a free cut at the time, but I don't think it is currently available for free.


I gave my neighbor the engagement card along with these Rolo Pretzel treats and put them in this treat bag I made from a 12x12 piece of cardstock.  Loved this tutorial on how to make it!


Here is a card I made from scraps (of which I have a TON!)  I like how it turned out and plan to make more of these from scraps.









For my mom's 60th birthday, I asked family and her friends if they would like to spend some time with her.  For those who responded, I made a little coupon book (of tags from the Picturesque cartridge) so I could have something to physically give her on her birthday.  I wrote their name and what they wanted to do (take her to lunch, visit her garden, etc.) on each card.  She has started writing the date and what they did on the back of each tag when the coupon is redeemed.  (This gift went over VERY WELL!  Try giving it to someone and see what I mean!)


Here is a card I made for a wedding with paper I had yet to use from Ten Thousand Villages.  The cut is from the Cricut Cake cartridge.  I liked the cut so much I used the negative of it for another card that I think turned out even better.


Simple, yet elegant.  I actually keep this one on display on my crafting desk.


For my friend's baby shower, I wanted to make a blue bird with a white baby, but got my cuts confused when I entered them so here is the result.  Still cute.  I made another one for her with a purple bird and peach baby which turned out like this:


I didn't leave myself tons of time between making the card and the shower, but if I did, I may have added a sentiment on the front.


This is actually a card by Gartner Studios that I got at Target.  I just I jazzed it up using the same collage method as seen above with scraps of blue.  I wish I could tell you where all my paper comes from but I don't keep track, I just integrate it with my other patterned paper (which are divided by color) when I get it.


This last one is a sympathy card I made using cuts from the Serenade cartridge.  I'm not used to a Cricut Solutions cartridge and really miss the booklet!  Fortunately, the Cricut Craft Room is very helpful in such situations.  Do you have any experience/ thoughts/ opinions on Cricut Solutions cartridges?

Here's a great organizing tip for you as you do your spring cleaning or decluttering or the "preparing to move purge" as is our case.  Some people (myself included) keep a box of things they plan to sell in a garage sale to happen in the future.  Say your neighborhood garage sale is in the summer but you are cleaning out your home now. All that stuff needs to be boxed up, right?  Right.  But make it easy on yourself later by getting pricing labels and pricing everything as it goes into the box.

It will be much easier to price a few items at a time, as you purge them, rather than a whole garage of items the night before the sale.  I liked this site's pricing guide.  I'm not an avid garage sale fanatic (but am willing to learn if anyone wants a student in the art!) so I have a hard time determining the value of my used stuff. 




Then box up your stuff and put it in the attic/basement until the time of the sale.  I would also suggest writing the contents of the box on the side and NOT the top so you can stack boxes and still see what is in them.  Shout out to my bar-tending brother who scored tons of beer boxes for us!




If you are looking for ways to have an organized garage sale, check out DaNita's blog.  I enjoy her organizing ideas and this post is amazing!  So organized!

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I saw this recipe for Cloud Dough and wanted to give it a whirl for the girl.  Of course, I had to take the flour from my mom because we don't have any around here.  (With the gluten-free guy around, I just never use it.) I actually made this ahwile back but kept it in a zip-lock bag until I could get a good bucket to put it in.  Enter Grandpa, with a hospital wash basin.  :o)

I put it on a towel and let her go to town.  She was entertained for about 45 minutes. She stuck her hands right in and then did her favorite thing, "I smell it."  She LOVES the sense of smell.  I loved all her commentary.  "This is Cloud Dough."

The first time Annique played with pipe cleaners was November 1, 2011.  The only reason I know that was because I took pictures, which are dated in the computer.

She was 18 months old at the time.  The initial activity of playing with pipe cleaners through the holes of a colander didn't go over too well, but she loved the colander itself.



























I thought this might be fun for Annique to try again, now that she's almost three (not sure why waited so long, though).  I stocked the strainer with a few pipe cleaners and let her play around with them.


Again, the "threading" of pipe cleaners in the colander didn't hold her attention very long (5 minutes or less).  She still loved the colander itself.


However, this time around she became more intrigued with the pipe cleaners themselves.  She knows what they are and calls them pipe cleaners.  She even knows which colors I have out.  She'll have a few in her hand and will come ask me, "Where is the blue pipe cleaner?" knowing she is missing that color.

I've tried showing her how they are flexible and positionable, but instead of exploring those properties for herself, she asks mommy to bend it.  I'm happy to play with her and show her how they work, but is there a way I can encourage her to try it herself instead of always having "Mommy do it!"?  Should I just be patient and wait for her to want to manipulate them herself?  My standard answer is, "Mommy will be happy to do it after Annique tries."  Her standard response is to whine or cry with the occasional attempt to try it herself.  Ah, parenting!  I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions in the comments.

More Pinterest surfing means more recipes I've tried.  Here are a few more we put to the test.

Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes with Creamy Dill Sauce

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 These potatoes were pretty good.  I used toothpicks to hold the bacon on.  I made the dip too, but we'd probably just use ranch dressing next time.  I didn't have fresh dill though, so I'm sure that made a difference.

One-Dish Italian Chicken with Vegetables

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Pancake Muffins

Delicious Slow Cooker Chicken

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Rocky Road Cookies

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This recipe even has a video tutorial.  I tried it because A) just look at it and B) it is gluten-free.  They were AMAZING!  And just like most amazing cookies, horrible for you.  :o)  I went to a dessert reception knowing a friend would be there who could not have wheat.  I brought some along spicifically for her.  She LOVED them and wanted the recipe. (She was also grateful someone thought to provide a gluten-free dessert!)

Lest you think I let my daughter go around barefoot wearing shorts in winter, I'll confess I'm pretty late with this post.  It definitely took place when things were greener back in August.  :o)

I love to go outside when it is nice.  For me, "nice" is a very small temperature range but I try to be flexible and take Annique outside when it is a bit above or below "nice." This day, I thought she would have some fun painting the concrete with cornstarch paint.

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Then she wanted to paint the crack in the concrete.




 That looks interesting!  I should splash it.



Look at that, blue hands!


The masterpiece:

The artist:


She really loved this activity.  I'll do it again (when it is warmer) with more colors.  I would love to hear what she has to say about painting on concrete.  She can communicate so much better now than six months ago.