First Challenge Card!

I am finally entering my first challenge! I absolutely love all of the sketches over at Mojo Monday and this week I created a card to enter in their weekly challenge. Here's the sketch: 

And here's what I came up with:

I was just dying to use bold, bright colors, and I thought a birthday card for a toddler would be perfect. Here's what I used to make the card:


- White, red, blue, green and yellow cardstock
- Cuttlebug
- Polka dot embossing folder
- Present die cut
- White buttons
- iRock with white gems
- Yellow chipboard tag and black chipboard '3'
- 'You're' stamp in black ink


If you're ever in need of some inspiration, Mojo Monday has card sketches from the past three years to get you started. Whenever I suffer from "crafter's block," as I call it, I always rely on Mojo Monday. Each week they post a new sketch for their challenge and there's one winner for every 50 entries, I believe. Give it a try if you haven't already! :)


I'm off to go enter the challenge now, have a great night!


Ashley

Blog Awards & Recent Purchases

It's almost Friday! :) And I'm super excited because I just found out I don't have to work tomorrow! I thought I was scheduled to work an eight hour shift tomorrow, but fortunately, I was wrong! Now that I have extra free time that I wasn't planning on, I thought I'd share with you a couple of blog awards I received and also some recent purchases. 


Both of these awards came from Karen at her blog, Crafted With Love By Karen. If you have the time, make sure to stop by. Her projects are so cute and creative! :) Thanks again Karen for your generosity, it is greatly appreciated!

Although I haven't been crafting much lately, I definitely have been doing a little shopping. There's nothing I love more than browsing the aisles at Michael's and Hobby Lobby to see what's on sale and on on clearance. I found some great buys this week:

40% off at Michael's

255 adhesive frames and photo corners on clearance at Michael's for only $1.99! They're super cute and came in a lot of fun colors. The left picture shows the front of the package and the right picture shows the back, I had no idea there were more on the other side when I first picked up the package, such a nice surprise! :)

I couldn't believe it what I was seeing when I first saw this Chipboard Chunk package on the clearance rack at Michael's. It was originally priced at $19.99... and I got it for $4.99! It has over 1000 chipboard pieces that range from alphabets to tags to fun seasonal shapes. Such a great find!

I also had Borders bookstore gift card that I had to use (it only had about $10 on it) and since the Borders in my town went out of business, I had to spend it online. While browsing their site, I found a pleasant surprise: they sell scrapbooking supplies! They had everything from stickers to embellishments to Cricut cartridges to Cuttlebug dies and embossing folders. With the gift card, I got both of these for a total of $7, and tested them out to share with you guys: 

If you click on any of the images, they'll open up so you can see them in a larger view. I couldn't have them extra large within the post because they would've been too big and "overflowed" onto the sides of my blog.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, have a great weekend!

Ashley

Circles Go On Forever

I've been wanting to make a black & white card for a while now but couldn't come up with an idea for one.   I finally found some inspiration with the quote "If you love someone, put their name in a circle instead of a heart because hearts can break but circles go on forever." I wanted the card to have an elegant, romantic-feel but not include any hearts. Here's what I came up with:

I created the card so that it can read many ways: always love true, forever love deepest, always love deepest, true love forever, and true love is deepest. 

It's hard to tell in the other pictures, but the black border is embossed using the D'vine Swirl folder. 

Here's what I used to make the card:

- Black & white cardstock

- Black & white patterned paper from The Classics by The Paper Studio

- Cuttlebug

- D'vine Swirl embossing folder

- Alphabet stamps

- Black and white ink

- Paper trimmer

- Elmer's glue pen

- iRock with white & black gems

- White flower embellishments

This is on the top inside of the card. The original picture had too many shadows so I cropped it to just show the quote.

Here's the bottom of the inside of the card.

Close-up of the flower embellishment. I actually colored the gem black with a permanent marker because all I had were white ones.

I feel like I'm always saying this, but, the next two weeks are going to be extremely crazy for me with the end of summer classes and my work schedule. I'm going to try and craft whenever I can squeeze it in, but I have a feeling I won't have too much spare time. Once my break between summer and fall classes starts I'll definitely be crafting as much as I can so I always have something to post.

I hope you all had a great weekend, thanks for stopping by and for the support! :)

Ashley

First Cuttlebug Card :)

Hope you all are having a great day! I didn't have to work or go to class today, so I've been enjoying my day off by catching up on some things around the house and of course, crafting. :) This is the first card I've made using my cuttlebug, I incorporated both die cuts and embossing. Because stamps are too expensive for me (I only work part-time and put at least half of my paycheck into my savings account) I can't afford to  start a stamp collection just yet, so the sayings on the front of my cards are usually pretty basic. I don't always like the way typed quotes look on the front of the card, so I plan on investing in some fun stickers and chipboard letters to make up for it. :) I'd also like to purchase a C plate for my Cuttlebug so that I can buy some Sizzlits alphabet die cuts. Enough of my rambling, here's the card: 

Here's what I used to make the card:
- Willow Flowers paper by The Paper Studio
- Light blue, brown, pink and white card stock
- Light purple origami paper
- iRock with white gemstones
- Cuttlebug
- Asterisks die cut
- D'vine swirl embossing folder
- Paper trimmer
- Elmer's glue pen
- "Cloud" decorative scissors 
- Get well soon word stamps in blue ink 


My work and class schedule is fairly light these next few days (finally) so I plan on getting a lot of card making done so that I have cards ready for posting the days I'm super busy during the next 2 weeks. It's the last two weeks of my summer classes and a heavy work schedule, and then finally I'll have a 17 day break before the fall semester starts. :) I just hope I have enough time during the school year for crafting!


Thanks for stopping by!


Ashley

100 Follower Giveaway!

Check out Michelle's awesome 100 follower giveaway at scrappinforkenzie. Be sure to look at her creations as well, they're amazing! :)

Pre-Cuttlebug Card & Recent Purchases

I apologize for my absence lately, things have been absolutely crazy lately with homework, papers, tests, chores, work, and trying to maintain a social life. I feel terrible that I'm neglecting all of your blogs as well as my own. :( On a brighter note I finally had time today to really put my Cuttlebug to use instead of just testing cuts and folders on scrap paper. However, there's still a few finishing touches that need to be put on the card, so today I'm going to share with you a card I made last week before purchasing my Cuttlebug along with some recent craft purchases I've made. 

I made this thank you card for my boyfriend's sister who gave me an unexpected, sweet graduation gift. I absolutely love the colors. :)

Here's what I used to make this card:

- Patterned paper (I forgot to write down the name of the paper, and then accidentally used the side with the label on the actual card itself, oops)

- Black cardstock

- Purple chipboard letters

- Gecko, Tahiti Blue and Pansy colored acrylic paint made by Ceramcoat

- Wood circle pieces

- Purple confetti for the corners of the card (they were supposed to be brads, but I didn't think the layout of the card through enough and there wasn't enough room on the black border for the entire brad to fit)

- Decorative scissors for the black border

- Lace corner punch made by Fiskars

- Elmer's glue pen

- Paper trimmer

This is the inside of the card before I wrote a message inside of it:

Last week I also took a portion of my graduation money and went on a mini shopping spree at Hobby Lobby and Michael's, I couldn't resist. :) Here's what I purchased, all on sale or clearance, of course. :)

This is an "aerial view" of what I purchased, I describe the products further and have closer pictures below:

I love buying things that can be used for any types of cards and will last me a while, and for 50% off I couldn't pass up this 180 paper pack. (I got it for $10 when it was originally $20). I love the bold colors and the patterns and know I will put it to good use on many of my cards. :)

This Petal Point Color Box was on clearance and was also the perfect size for my new word stamps. The stamps were also 50% off and have all the basic words I would ever need to use on the front of a card, and since my cards are usually small this was a great deal. 

In the top right-hand corner are the acrylic paints that I used to paint the wood circles on the thank you card. I also purchased pearl-like embellishments, blank tags that I have some creative plans for, and also lots of brads. They're hard to see in this picture, but I got a case of white, a case of pastels, a case of bold colors and a case of brighter colors. These were 50% off also. ;)

I finally bought an iRock! I've tested it out and it works great. On clearance on Hobby Lobby were white rhinestones, so I bought those to go with it. I plan on getting other colors very soon! Also in this picture is a container of decorative scissors that I got for $6 at Michael's and has some great patterns that I plan to use for borders. I also bought a lace corner punch made by Fiskars, which is what was used on the thank you card. 

And last but most definitely not least, I purchased some random 12 x 12 and 8.5 x 11 paper that I thought was cute and would provide some inspiration if I was ever stuck on creating a card. 

Thanks for bearing with me! My first Cuttlebug card will be posted tomorrow, and after that there's a lot in store for Made Especially For You. Thank you so much for all of your support, I'm off to view all of your amazing creations! :)

Ashley

Meet My New Cuttlebug! :)

I am so excited to say that I officially own a Cuttlebug! :) Although it was a spur of the moment decision, I definitely do not regret it! As excited as I am, I haven't actually had much time to use it, which is why this post is so late. I worked from 8:30 to 5:00 both yesterday and today, and then spent time with my boyfriend until 10 both nights, so I have had absolutely no time to craft. My amazingly sweet boyfriend was actually the one who went and got the Cuttlebug for me since I wouldn't have been able to get to Michael's until 5:30 and was paranoid they would be gone (my boyfriend said it was actually the last one; I am so appreciative he did that for me). 

It came with an A plate, two B plates and a floral embossing folder. I was a little upset it didn't come with the four embossing folders and die cut like the ones at Hobby Lobby do, but for the price it was definitely worth it. After work today I went out and purchased more folders and die cuts:

These were both on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $3.59 each, so I couldn't pass them up. The folder on the left is "Argyle" and the folder on the right is titled "Perfectly Paisley."

The folder on the left is called "D'vine Swirl" and the folder on the right is called "Spots & Dots."

As for die cuts, I purchased "Asterisks," "Birthday" and "Leaves," which is pictured below. 

My final purchase was these mini floral embossing folders that were also on clearance for $2.49. I spent about $40 total, which was the "budget" I gave myself. 

I've played around with scrap paper and tried out a few of the die cuts and folders, but haven't created any cards yet. It took me a while to get the hang of getting the plates to slide through, but I'm getting there. :) The folders are a lot harder to roll through because the stack is so much thicker, I'm always scared I'm going to break the machine. And for the die cuts, I knew that they scratched the B plates, but I had no idea they left entire impressions on them, too! I was so scared when it first happened and thought I did something wrong, but then I looked it up online and found out it happens all the time and is nothing to worry about as long as you rotate the plates. I can't even describe how relieved I was. 

I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend, I promise to get my first Cuttlebug card posted soon! It's going to be a busy next few days for me, so I'll try my best. Thanks for stopping by and for all of your sweet comments and support! :)

Ashley

CUTTLEBUG OWNERS PLEASE READ!

If you own a Cuttlebug or have owned one in the past, please please please share your knowledge with me.

I wasn't planning on purchasing a Cuttlebug just yet, but I received an e-mail from Michael's saying that it will be on sale this Friday only for 50% off, which means I would get it for $45 rather than $90. I am seriously considering purchasing one, and have read many reviews online, however I would like as many of your opinions as possible.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, whether they're reviews, pros/cons, tips, tricks, ANYTHING. From research I've learned that Cuttlebugs are great for embossing, but how well do their die cuts work? And if possible, I'm looking for an explanation on how exactly using die cuts with a Cuttlebug works (where they go in the machine, how they turn out, etc).

Thank you in advance for your help, it is greatly appreciated! :)

Ashley

Valentine's Day in July

Okay, so I know Valentine's Day isn't for another 7 months, but, as soon as I saw this paper in my random paper pack I knew I had to make a love / Valentine's Day themed card. So while all of you are celebrating Christmas in July, I'm celebrating Valentine's Day in July! (I'll admit that yours has a better ring to it. :)

This is the card that I made, both the pink paper and heart paper are from my random paper pack. I'm glad I got to use two random pieces instead of just one like I normally do. Here's what I used for this card:

- White cardstock (inside of the card)

- Red cardstock 

- Pink Linen paper by The Paper Studio

- Red, Pink & White Hearts by The Paper Studio

- White chipboard letters

- Mini heart wood shapes

- White brads

- White acrylic paint

- Red glitter

- Decorative scissors

- Elmer's glue pen

I have a bunch of spare wood shapes (circles, stars, hearts, etc) and want to start incorporating them onto my cards so that I use them up. For this card, I painted three wood hearts white and added some red glitter to make them more fun. They were perfect embellishments! I would've loved to have added some ribbon to the card, but unfortunately I didn't have any that matched. (Unfortunately, my ribbon collection is very, very minimal). Here are a couple other pictures of the card: 

Thanks for stopping by!

Ashley

Overdue Blog Awards!

Within the past two weeks I have received three blog awards and have yet to pass them on.. I feel terrible. Things have been crazy and I've been focusing on creating cards and finishing up my huge thank you note project that I just haven't had the time to pass on all the awards, so I'm going to do it all in one large post.


The first award I received was The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award, given to me by Angela at Binge Crafter.  

I originally posted about receiving my first award but did not pass it on within that post. I'm supposed to pass it on to seven other bloggers and say seven things about myself.

1.) I just started college and plan on majoring in Elementary Education with a Spanish endorsement so that I can teach elementary school, something I have wanted to do my entire life.

2.) I work at the local public library and could not ask for a better job, seeing that I love to read and I work with some truly amazing people.

3.) I love to learn and take pride in my academic achievements.

4.) I am really indecisive and have a hard time choosing favorites or picking what to do. 

5.) I'm scared of frogs.

6.) One thing I want to do before I die is go to Alaska and see the Northern Lights. 

7.) I love the rain.

Here are seven great bloggers not in any particular order that you should check out:

Arlene @ Water Dots, her cards are so adorable and she just made an awesome gift card set!

Channa @ Crafts & Pieces, her layouts and cards are so beautiful

Abbey @ 2nd Hand Stamps, all of her cards are so lovely

Becky @ Scrappin Becky B, an amazing photographer and crafter

Sheena @ Sheena's Scrap Corner, check out her super cute and adorable layouts

Karen @ Crafted With Love By Karen, her cards are so cute and detailed

Kristy @Craftin' On My Door, her layouts are absolutely gorgeous

The second award that I one was the Stinkin' Cute Blog Award, given to me by Amy at Red Headed Crafter.

Here are three fantastic bloggers that I am giving this award to:

Larelyn @ Handmade From The Heart, an amazing crafter who always has stunning creations

Cathy @ Cathy Can't Help Herself, her layouts are so gorgeous and elegant

Katie @ Crafting With Katie, check out her super adorable felt card

And the most recent award I've received is the Best Friend Blogger Award given to me by Pam at Crafty Cards 4 U 2.

Here are five creative bloggers that I am passing this award on to:

Tracey @ Garden of Grace, she is an amazing crafter and was so supportive as my first follower

Rexann @ I Be Circled, has wonderful creations and links to many great giveaways

Georgiana @ Carson's Creations, check out her super cute 'I Love Summer' card

Sonia @ Cards, Crafts and Kids Projects, she is so encouraging and makes beautiful creations

Deneen @ A Path of Paper, her cards are so unique and inspirational

Thank you so much to those who have given me these awards as well as to all of you who have supported and encouraged me as a new blogger and crafter. Made Especially For You now has 100 followers, woo hoo! :)

Ashley

Graduation Thank You Cards!

The graduation thank you cards I keep mentioning are finally here! I started off making 16 of them, but then realized I'll need to make a few more, so there are 16 in the pictures below but all together I will have made about 20 of them. 

Because I knew I was going to have to make a lot of these, I didn't want to create anything too elaborate. I went as simple as I could and came up with this basic design. The only materials I used were black, white and gold cardstock, decorative scissors, a 1 inch circle punch, alphabet stamps, and black ink. I basically created an "assembly line" while making these cards. While it was fun at first, it got boring and tiring after a while having to do the same thing over and over again. It was well worth it, though, because it's not every day you get a handmade thank you card from a teenager in the mail. :)

On a side note, I've decided to hold off on the Cricut purchase. Even though I'm taking some of my graduation money and putting it towards purchasing new and fun crafting materials, I figured it would be best to perfect my handmade cards and make sure I stick with card making before buying a Cricut, although I want one so badly! :)

Hope you all are having a great day, I'll be back later in the week with another of my paper challenge cards! 

Ashley  

Smile!

I made quick greeting card after purchasing my 1 inch circle punch (something I have wanted for a while, even though it's nothing extravagant). I immediately thought of this idea while thinking of ways I can use the punch in my cards. It was also a great way to use my variety of colored cardstock. 

I was going to put something on the inside, such as "It's contagious!" but the chipboard letters were too big and at the time I had run out of black ink for my stamps, so for now the card remains blank. I was also really happy with how the lighting turned out in these pictures, they were taken on the white comforter on my bed that is right next to the window. I have to agree with those that have told me natural lighting works best, thanks for the tip! :) 

This was just a quick post as I have a few minutes before getting back to preparing for my graduation party tomorrow, I will post my thank you cards on Sunday once I take pictures after knowing exactly how many more I need to make. 

I hope you all have a great weekend, thanks for stopping by, your support and feedback is always greatly appreciated!


Ashley

Gratitude Is the Fairest Blossom That Springs From the Soul

This card is actually part of my paper challenge that I started a little over a week ago, although it's only the second card to be made using my random paper pack. The paper I used is very basic, titled "Turquoise - Texture" and is the background of this card. 

Here are the rest of the materials that were used:

- Brown cardstock

- Transparent gold cardstock

- Elmer's glue pen

- 3/8 in. adhesive dots

- Glitter flower embellishments

- 1 inch circle punch

- Transparent shipping label

- Decorative scissors

I created the circle card with the turquoise paper (the inside is brown cardstock) and used the 1 inch circle punch to create the border of gold and brown circles. I actually purchased the flower embellishments from Hobby Lobby last week for only $1.07 (32 came in the package, gotta love clearance!) and the colors of the flowers is where the inspiration for this card came from. I used the Elmer's glue pen to apply the flowers around the border. As for the quote in the middle, I typed it on the computer in brown font and printed it on a transparent shipping label, which I then applied to the transparent paper and cut the border using decorative scissors, and then applied it to the card. 

Here are some other views and close-ups of the card:

The card is rather unique, this is the first circle card I have ever made and I just went along with my ideas as they came. I must admit I've been feeling sort of ashamed of my card making lately, after all the blog viewing I do I feel like my cards are nowhere near as beautiful as all of yours are, mostly due to the fact that I don't own a Cricut and everything I create is strictly by hand. I've been considering saving up to purchase a Cuttlebug but I'm still undecided because I know that once I buy it I'm just going to want more and more cartridges, which aren't very cheap. Any advice?

Ashley