Fairy Cut winner announced

Congratulations to MANDIE




at www.mandiesscrappin.blogspot.com who was randomly selected February's winner of a free FAIRY CUT software license provided to my blog followers by the wonderful Cricut cutting program at Fairy Cut. 

Here is the e-mail I received today from Fairy Cut:

Hello Ellen,
I am proud to announce this month's Fairy Cut winner:
Winner: Manhattan Mandie
Mandas1610@sbcglobal.net


POST COMMENT: SPRING-FEVER-HOP-BLOOM-WHERE-YOU-ARE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011
POSTS INCLUDED IN THE RANDOM PROCESS:


MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2011
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011
I will send the license to Mandie today.   Have a nice day

Remember, for your chances to win the monthly prize of a free Fairy Cut license and access code (awarded by the manufacturer to followers of the CardMonkey blog) -- a $99 USD value -- comment once on each Friday during the month. (Please only once per allowable day; duplicate comments will be deleted.)

My first card exchange

Ready for the mailman

I've been thinking I've gone a little overboard (as is my nature, I guess) ... I've committed to many blog hops and challenges. 

And my response?  Join a card exchange, of course!

This card exchange required 10 copies of the same card, with a bunny/Easter theme.  While some may find this tedious, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed "mass producing" the same card over and over. 

Not that I'm going to be putting Hallmark out of business any time soon!!

Here is another view -- front forward -- of this card.  I started by stamping the adorable baby image; I colored each of the images using Copic markers.

Once done, I cut the image using the Cricut Cake Basics cartridge (I use this one a LOT!) in a shadow scalloped oval.  I Cricut-cut a base out of bright yellow cardstock, measuring 1/2" larger for the shadow effect.

Using my Crop-A-Dile, I punched two holes near the feet of the baby image and thread dotted organza ribbon through the holes.  Tied in a bow!

I cut two layers of the grass from the Easter 2010 seasonals cartridge and affixed them to the bottom of the stamped image.  I adorned with stickers, pearls, and a flower leftover from my pomander project posted last week. 

Don't forget! I still have blog candy to give away ...

1.  Follow this blog, and post on the Fairy Cut Friday's message, for a monthly chance to win a free software license/access code from the manufacturer!  You may comment once each Friday -- so that's up to 4 chances per month to win the Monthly Prize.

2.  For a chance to win five sheets of 3M Transparency film shown in my video How-To on Saturday, March 5, please post a comment and follow. 

Thanks! 

Have an excellent day!

Tip of the Week: Make Your Own Rub-On Sentiments!

This week's CardMonkey Tip of the Week features how to make your own rub-on sentiments for your cards and scrapbook layouts.  Watch the video and you'll see why you'll want to comment here on the blog for a chance to win BLOG CANDY ...

When you watch the video, you'll learn that I use overhead transparencies to make my own rub-on sentiments for cards.  If you are (or become) a follower, and leave a comment below, I'll put you in a drawing to receive five (5) sheets of overhead transparencies to try this technique on your own.  These sheets are costly -- at least *I* think they are -- so you'll want to win this just to try this technique for yourself!

Winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 9, so post comments before then, please.  Update:  The winner has been announced!  You are free to comment, but the blog candy has been awarded.  Thank you, and congratulations LISA at Lisa's Creative Niche.

Happy Scrappin'

Fairy Cut Fridays: Elegant and Easy Card

Time: We all want it, and it can't be bought. No matter how rich or famous, we all just have 7 days in the week, and 24 hours in the day. When we're pressed for time and want to give a handmade card, wouldn't you just like a fast and easy approach to make an elegant and timeless card?

When you have the right equipment -- a sharp blade on your Cricut, and an excellent software program to support your creativity -- such a card is within your grasp.

I made this all-occasion card in less than five minutes, using these tools:

• Cricut Expression
• Cuttlebug Embossing folder
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Punch a Bunch for leaves
• Copic marker - green
• UniversalScrapbook.com for bird image
• Fairy Cut software

The elegant bird on the tree branch in the oval cut-out was found as a .WPC file (operates on Fairy Cut) on http://www.universalscrapbook.com/.  Using my Fairy Cut, I welded a rectangle to the left side of the oval so that the paper cut as a card.

To serve as the backdrop, I embossed a piece of vellum. I punched four leaves for the branches using my Punch a Bunch leaf punch. To provide shadows on the leaves, I darkened one side of each leaf using a green Copic marker. Adhesive pearls finished the look of buds on the tree.

I encourage all cardmakers and scrapbookers to invest in a program that allows you to download and use your own images. In my opinion, none is easier to use (for us non-techno crafters) than the highly intuitive Fairy Cut software program.

I first heard of this program just a few months ago; it was developed in Canada and well-regarded in Europe among graphic designers for its user-friendly ease of operations and its versatility.

My long-time followers know that on Fridays, I post a project I made using Fairy Cut.

When you are or become a follower here and comment on CardMonkey's Fairy Cut postings (you may post one comment per Friday = four entries), you become eligible to win a monthly prize from www.FairyCut.com of a free Fairy Cut software license (a $99 USD value), thanks to my friends at Fairy Cut. Please read the "fine print" below -- and don't forget to post your comment!

The "fine print":  About Fairy Cut Software and the chance to win it:

Fairy Cut software is similar to -- and I think, better than -- Make The Cut or Sure Cuts A Lot. If you're thinking that you may want to invest in a program to use your Cricut to cut without having to rely on the images on a Cricut cartridge, try out the FC, MTC and SCAL .. they all have trial programs.

Now, on Fridays, if you comment on my Fairy Cut post here, on my blog, you have one chance to win a Fairy Cut free software license, generously donated by FAIRY CUT each month to one of my followers. You may comment up to four times (for 4 Fridays) per month -- once each Friday. Duplicate entries will be removed. Winner will be chosen at random by the Fairy Cut manufacturer, and notified directly with his/her free software license and access code.

Thank you to Fairy Cut for their generosity toward my blog followers; other than this gift provided monthly to one of my followers, I receive no ongoing remuneration from Fairy Cut in exchange for my endorsement.

Taking My Time, Announcing One by One: Paying Forward the "Stylish Blogger Award" Recipients

In February, I received the Stylish Blogger Award four times (!!), most recently, on the same day, from Carol @ http://www.3kidcropshop.blogspot.com/ and
Denise @ http://www.deesdesignsfrommyheart.blogspot.com/.  (Thank you, dear friends!)


The deal with this award is that not only is the recipient to accept it, but more importantly, pay it forward to bloggers recently discovered who serve as inspiration. 


For me, there are so many who have gotten me started papercrafting and blogging about it -- and trust me, I cherish each of you "old timers," the ones with more followers than I can ever possibly dream of having. 


But the ones who really thrill me and inspire me are the "newbies" whose blogs are fresh, a pleasure to read, whose cards or papercrafts are those I'd like to receive (and truthfully, copy!); who blog for the pleasure of reaching out to teach and grow.


So it's going to take time for me to reveal my discoveries.  And since there is no time limit imposed on these selections, I'm going to do it my way -- one by one. 


Today, allow me to announce my first pick.  Congratulations to Donna at www.comopark1886.blogspot.com.

Donna, here is your award. 


Your blog is refreshing and charming, highly readable and enjoyable.  I love your fresh card designs and ladies, please, do yourself a favor and check out Donna's heavenly Scrap Room, pictured on her blog.  You'll be envious from the get-go!


In accepting this award, Donna, please post on your blog 8 things about yourself that we don't know about you.  Post back a link to the blogsite that gave you the award, and then, pay it forward by selecting up to 8 bloggers whose work inspires you. 


Congratulations! 

Blog Hop WINNER from March 1

Taken Spring, 2010 ... a
crocus, the harbinger of
warmer weather to come.

Thank you, thank you, thank you ... to all of my long-time followers as well as new found friends who stopped by to visit the CardMonkey blog for the "Spring Fever Blog Hop", hosted by the fabulous Jillibean Crafts. 


I really caught the "fever" now and it has nothing to do with Spring!  It has everything to do with trying to improve my blog and ideas and crafts, to learn and teach, create and inspire. 


What a fabulous lot of comments, and I've read and cherished every one.  Thankfully, I did not have to pick a blog candy winner based on the comments, as they were all terrific. I let "Randy" at Random.Org draw the number and it landed on:

Christine
http://pickulblog.blogspot.com
Chris.Pickul@hotmail.com

Who wrote:

"Both of your projects are so nice. The pearls on the floral ball look wonderful. I would also like to be entered in the chance to win the Fairy cut license."

Now here is the wonderful, fateful thing that happened when I e-mailed Chris to let her know she won:  I discovered that Chris is a local scrapper ... she lives less than 30 miles from my home, in the same (Bucks) county as I reside ... we've never met, and hope to sometime soon. Gosh, it will be nice to have someone with whom to share glue and paper war stories!

The winner of the Fairy Cut software license will be announced this Friday (Fairy Cut Friday), after the name is drawn by William at http://www.fairycut.com/.  Thank you to this manufacturer who generously donates one license per month (!!) to a CardMonkey follower.  If you're not the winner of the license announced on Friday (the February license, extended to include blog hoppers on March 1), be sure to comment on every Fairy Cut Friday post you see for chances to win that month's prize.  That's right -- you can have up to four chances per month to win that month's prize. 

I couldn't resist posting
this picture of 12-wk old
Charlotte Grace (aka
"Cutie Patootie")

Okay, tomorrow I will try to have an actual paper creation to post. I babysat the dear grandbaby Charlotte today while her Mommy, my daughter Emily, had her gallbladder removed. (Isn't the medical world wonderful where that surgery is a same-day procedure now?!)  Instead of crafting while Charlotte napped, I brought with me a huge box of paper scraps that I trimmed and organized by color. I'm still not quite done that organization -- it was a very full box, believe me!  But I'm ready to roll on my next project or two and I've got some ideas swirling. (Uh-oh!) 

See you back on Thursday ... and stop back on Friday for a Fairy Cut project. 

OMG, Top Forty! (Kinda Rhymes!!)

Sincerely, thank you to all my fellow paper addicts for visiting yesterday during the Spring Fever Blog Hop ... and to Jillian Bean Crafts for inviting me to participate.

For the first time ever, I crossed into the "Cricut Top 40" in terms of page visits and happened to catch it when I was posted as #31!  OMG indeed!!!   Thank you, thank you!  I will endeavor to keep you interested, and visiting. ♥