I Love my Cricut!! Look what he has helped me to make!!

I made this piece of "functional art" to enter it into the challenge on the Circle Blog. This is what the challenge said   " Create a piece of wall art (canvas, art board, sign, vinyl directly on wall, framed art, shadow box, etc.). Use at least three colors."



This is what I started with!! It is magnetic board with hooks that was meant for a child's room.

And here is what I re-purposed it to!! I used my Cricut for adding all the fun shapes to cover the hearts and flowers on the top of the frame as well as on the little box. I love how this turned out!! It is hanging by our back door. It serves as a key hanger as well as a magnet board to put things I don't want to forget to take when I go to town eg: receipts for returns,  perscriptions to be filled etc. I also keep a pen there to write quick notes or reminders on the hidden post-its in the little book. Here it is!!!

 Here are some close-ups of the details.

I love this fish from  and the hibiscus flowers from.

Do you see the paper curl exposing a different pattern underneath?  Fun sea turtle and seahorse!!

These are the magnets.

The hidden post-it notes.

I used these materials and tools to alter this board: Cricut Expession, Gypsy, Tie the Knot, Splish Splash, Dreams Come True, Paper Dolls Dress-Up, Luau, Graphic 45 Tropical Travelogue, Tim Holtz distressing tool, Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks (on metal hooks), Tim Holtz metal tag, TH Distress Ink, Pebbles Chalks, Sookwang Tape, Mod Podge, Alene's Quick Dry, Zig glue pen, TH metal corners, hat pin and Swarovski Cystal beads, Your Story paper trimmer, hair elastic, TH Tiny fastener, chipboard, bone folder, ATG adhesive, cricut sissors, Tattered Angels chipboard pieces, hot glue gun and sticks, clear embossing powder, Utee, heat gun, Exacto knife, TH tag and crystal charm., TH jump rings, eyelets, Imaginesce Crop-a-Dial, Glimmer Mist, Hot-fix metal bling, and the I-Rock.

Cricut Spooks Alice and Tim!!

Hello Everyone! I have been wanting to create some wall art using a canvas and my Cricut for ages and finally found the time. Inspired by The Cricut Circle Blog and a Sister Cricut Circle member who loves Halloween, Miss Becky. I'm lovin' how this project turned out and I hope you will too!!






I started with a 12 x 12 pre-framed canvas which I painted Shimmer black. The paint was applied in one directional strokes. After the paint was dry I painted areas of the canvas with Tim Holtz's crackle paint, Shabby Shutters. After the Crackle paint started to crack, I hit it with my heat gun to speed the drying process. I then inked the Crackle paint area with Tim Holtz's Distress Inks. This was to be the base for my Cricut cuts.

After choosing two images from my Cricut Cart collection , a pumpkin and a gravestone I decided to switch things up a bit. I love using my Gypsy to alter the original Cricut cuts!

For the 5" pumpkin I used hide contour on my Gypsy to hide the window and some of the ribs on the pumpkin image from Nursery Tales. In their place I put Trick or Treat from the cart. I cut this layer in orange. I fussy cut out the stock, vines, leaves and stairs. The next layer I used black cardstock and hand cut out the leaf and stairs. I cut the third layer in grey cardstock, I inked the leaf with Shabby Shutters Distress ink and used Crackle paint on the stairs which I inked later to show the cracks . For the final pumpkin layer I chose black cardstock and handcut out only the leaf.

Being inspired by one of Cricut Circle blog challenges of late I knew I wanted a window in the gravestone. The gravestone is cut at ". I decided on a spider-web window. Using my Gypsy I placed a " spider web in the top-center of the gravestone. I cut this image twice, one in light grey cardstock and the other in dark cardstock. I removed the spider-web from the light grey gravestone and cracke-painted the gravestone using Pumice Stone Crackle paint. After the paint was dry I inked the paint using Distress inks. I took out the spider-web from the dark grey cardstock and glimmer misted the web. For the image in the window I used Graphis 45's spooky Alice in Wonderland. I hand cut the tea party image out to fit the window behind the spider-web and glues it in place.I used black card-stock for the base of the gravestone, and off-set the light grey windowed piece on top.

For the phrase I chose another part of the spooky Graphic 45 paper. I cut apart the title and knocking Alice to reposition her to better fit on my canvas. I inked the edges of these cuts using Tim Holtz's Black Soot Distress ink.

I used Mod Podge to adhere the pieces to the canvas. Then came the really scary part for me, I wanted to seal my work to protect it but I did not want to ruin all my hard work!! Well I took the plunge and put Matte Mod Podge over the whole canvas. I used a large artist's brush and was careful to only stroke over each area once as I did not want the water-based Mod-podge to move the water-based ink. The Mod Podge took on a green hue in some areas as I was applying it. I was very anxious during the drying process but it turned out great!!
Thanks for looking and have a Spooktacular October!!