A Piece of Life's Pie

Baby Shower Fun

Posted on August 19, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

As I have mentioned before, I was asked to help with a baby shower for someone. She had told me that the theme was “clothesline” and that the colors needed to be blue and green. What I needed to do was make a banner and several center pieces. This is what I came up with!

The execution was fairly simple and I learned a new trick while shopping out the flowers. I live in an area that has a Trader Joe’s and since I shop religiously at our local one every week on the same day at the same time since my first child was born, I have grown to know most of the staff including the woman who orders all their flowers. I asked her if it was possible to make an order for specific flowers that they do carry and they hold them for me. Well guess what they do! If anyone knows anything about hydrangeas, they are a costly flower if you try to purchase them at a florist. At Trader Joe’s they are half the cost!

I ended up making about a 4.5 foot banner, 7 center pieces, and a marker for the gift table. Doing the whole project with all the supplies cost me $62 and about 5 hours of my time in total and that included me delivering. They loved it and it looked amazing added to what they had already done to the backyard.

Thanks for sharing a piece of “baby, baby and more baby” pie with me.

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Recipe:

Cricut Cartridge: Every Day Pop-Up Cards, Learning (banner cut at 5 inches for onsies and 3 inches for letter).. Used flip feature for onsie for clothes lines for the opposite side (cut at 2.5 inches)

Cuttlebug: Swiss Dots, Buttons

Baker’s Twine (Twinery)

Paper: Recollections

Tulle

Lollypop Sticks (large) for the clothesline

Mini Clothes Pins – Stampin’ Up and Jo-Anns

Tin buckets and pails (Michael’s) Please note I had to line with Cling Wrap to insure NO leaks, even though I got the “Leak Proof” buckets. The Cling Wrap workd well!

Buttons – Michael’s Dollar Bin

ATG

Pop Dots

Crop-A-Dile

3 Comments

Posted in Cricut Cartridge: Country Life, Cricut Cartridge: Everyday Pop-Up Cards, Cricut Cartrige: Learning Curve, Cuttlebug Folders, Pie's Parties and tagged Baby Shower banner ideas using a Cricut, baby shower center piece ideas, baby shower ideas using cricut, baby shower onsie idea, Baby shower theme clothesline ideas, Boy baby shower ideas, Flower arrangments using Trader Joe's flowers, tips and tricks to budget friendly baby showers or parties, Trader Joe's Flowers, Using Trader Joe's Flowers instead of going to a florist. Bookmark the permalink.

Fantabulous Cricut Blog Challenge #124- Olympics (Sports Theme)

Posted on August 13, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

I have been off the crafty bloggin’ radar lately, but I have been far from off the craftin’ radar! I have been logging quite a few hours in the ol’ craft studio working on various projects from my little one’s birthday party, a baby shower I made center pieces and a banner for and today’s fun project for Fantabulous Cricut Challenge.

I am competing in a triathlon relay course at the end of September with two of the hub’s co-workers. My responsiblity in the race is to swim 1 mile in the ocean. Thankfully, I have done this triathlon in full about 11 years ago, so I am familiar with the swim course. That does not take away a bit of the pre-race jitters and worries of things that could go awry while in the water… Jaws and leg cramps! 🙂

I made this count down sign to remind me of my pending race and also to “Keep Calm and Swim On”. I have been seeing these type of sayings all over Facebook and Pinterest and thought this would be a fun sport related project that meets cute trendy! If you are wondering what the black square is, it is chalkboard vinyl I got through Expressionsvinyl.com. LOVE THEM! Super reasonable in price and fun to work with.

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Now head over to FCCB and get inspired to create something “fanntabulously” sporty!

Thanks for sharing a piece of “keeping calm and crafting and swimming” pie with me!

Recipe:

Cricut cartridges: Learning Curve and Life’s a Beach

Cricut Craft Room (first time ever using it and LOVED IT)

Chip board 8.5 x 11

Paper: Recollections

chalkboard Vinyl – Expressions Vinyl

Twine: Twinery: Ocean Blue and Stampin’ Up for the Red

Stickles! Diamonds!

10 Comments

Posted in Cricut Cartridge: Life's a Beach, Cricut Cartrige: Learning Curve, FCCB(Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog) Design Team Projects, Gift Ideas and tagged chalkboard vinyl, count down sign, crafts for modivation, crafts for personal motivation, crafts for swimmers, DIY motivational count downs, fun craft pojects with spots theme, how to make a count down sign, ideas for "Keep Calm and . . .", Keep Calm and . . ., making count down signs using Cricut, using chalkboard vinyl. Bookmark the permalink.

Thank You a Latte!

Posted on August 1, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

Over at DL. Art I decided to join my FIRST linky party thanks to my daily visit to Missy’s Blog (Quick Chick Design) and finding out that this even exists. It is called Thankful Thursday Challenge.

I made these gift card holders last week with the pre-k summer camp’s teachers my oldest is attending this summer. This was the first time in her four years of life, I ever did a drop-off with my kids. It was WAY harder on me and my youngest than my oldest on the first day of saying goodbye for a few hours. She was like, “See you later and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Here teachers are amazing and I love them dearly and I wanted to just show them how my I appreciate them on the last day coming up in a few weeks!

You have a few days stills to join this challenge, and would a least go and check out the creations that have been submitted. There is a ton of talent and inspiration over there!

Thanks for sharing a piece of “a whole a latte thanks” pie with me!

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Receipe:

Note- to create the back of the card to hold the gift card, I used the “flip feature for the layers and then only used adhesive along the edges of the bottom layer so the card could slide in. Also fits in an A2 sized envelope!

Cricut Cartridge: Love You A Latte (cut at 8 inches, hide steam using Design Studio) Damask Decor (butterfly cut at 2 inches layer 1)

Paper: Stampin’ Up and KCompany Design paper

Ribbon: Stampin’ Up

Ink: Close to My Heart Chocolate

Sentiment: K. Andrew Design – Coffee & Tea for You and Me and My Pink Stamper – Everyday Life

6 Comments

Posted in Cricut Cartridge: Damask Decor Cricut Cartridge, Cricut Cartridge: Love You a Latte Cricut Cartridge, Gift Ideas, My Pink Stamper - Every Day Life, Pie's Challenges and tagged coffee gift card, fun paper crafting challenges, gift card holder ideas, K. Andrew Design Stamps, My Pink Stamper, thank you card with coffee theme, thank you notes, thank you paper projects, vintage coffee paper projects. Bookmark the permalink.

Craftin’ with the Kiddos!

Posted on August 1, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

This card was super fun to make because I got to get my kids involved! I painted one of their sweet little hands and guided them each to make a print in the pattern that formed a heart. I then used a stamp sentiment in the middle. They helped me put together the card and pick out the paper and ribbon. We made 4 of these for different occasions and people.

Thanks for sharing a piece of “craftn’ kiddos” pie with me!

Recipe:

Card was a 8.5×11 cut in half and folded over.

The handprints were made by using craft paint (the size of the hands to fit the card are of a 3 and 4-year-old little girls who do have VERY small hands that are not of average size for their ages… I have very petite little girls.)

Paper: Brazzill Pink Flower Embossed paper

Ribbon: Celebrate It

Stamp ink: Close to My Heart – Cotton Candy

Sentiment: K. Andrew Designs – Coffee, Tea, You and Me

1 Comment

Posted in Fun Kiddo Projects, Pie's DIY, Pie's DIY Projects, Pie's Do It Yourself Projects and tagged crafts with kids, fun cards to make with kids, hand print cards, K. Andrew Design Stamps, kid hand print cards, kids making cards, making hearts with hand prints, thank you cards kids can make. Bookmark the permalink.

Cheers!

Posted on July 31, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

I wanted to make a thank you gift for dear friends for being amazing host and hostess during our recent visit and personal tour of Pixar while we were in Northern California for a quick trip! Yes! The one and only Pixar that has quite a stash of Oscars hanging around! Our friends are part of the Pixar family (employee) and tours are on an invitation only basis from an inside source.

The tour was amazing and the kids just loved every moment especially hitting the complimentary employee breakfast cereal rooms. We got to have lunch among the amazing and creative minds of the Pixar family in the Pixar Cafe and had a chance to see how it buzzes with creativity during a work week! I never felt so lucky as we drove through the security gates with special Pixar badges stating “A stranger from the outside”. An experience that we will always remember!

My girls got to finally meet their “boyfriends”! They just love Toy Story!

Pixar Award Display! AMAZING!

How does one express a heartfelt thank you for such a lovely day to such great hosts? Make them something to carry on their host and hostess with the mostess with a fun and creative flare thanks to another Bay Area creative giant. . . good ol’ Pinterest inspiration!

This is how I did it:

I found wine glasses at Costco for $1 a glass in a “party pack” of 12. These glasses feel wonderful in your hand and they are perfect for both white and red wines.
Next I picked up some chalkboard spray paint and then taped the bottom of the stems with painters tape and then wrapped the goblets with paper towels securing with more painter’s tape.
I set them on a cookie tray covered in a few layers of newspaper upside down and sprayed the foot of the glasses with a few coats each. I let them dry over night and TA-DA! You have a perfect surface for chalking up the guest list or cute sentiment for the party theme!

I added a bottle of bubbly Moscato wine that is in a pretty bottle (can be found at Trader Joe’s for under $10).

Thanks for coming and sharing a piece of “life is a party” pie with me!

My Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #122: Smore’ Anyone?

Posted on July 30, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

Happy Monday everyone! Today I have one of my favorite hats on, and that is being a design team member on the awesome Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog featuring this card for FCCB’s Monday Challenge #122.

I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive I could pull off this concept, but after swimming 1,200 freestyle meter workout and designing a card in my head, this is what I came up with (I am currently training for a mile ocean swim for a triathlon that I am competing in as a relay member and designing cards and other projects in between flip turns helps make the work out go by fast… since you can’t wear your Ipod in the water).

This card is going to be a birthday card for the hubs that we will be celebrating in a week. We love camping and he built a custom teardrop camper for us to honeymoon in 7.5 years ago. He did not use plans, he just took the profile dimensions that he found from a 1948 Popular Mechanics issue. It took him about 3 months to build and most of this project was powered by ebay.

I used the teardrop as my inspiration and covered a cut from Going Places Cricut cartridge with aluminum foil (a bit more tricky that I thought it was going to be – aluminum foil is very temperamental). I think he is going to love this card!

Head on over to FCCB and check out this week’s challenge and get inspired to creat a fun summer time project!

Thanks for sharing a piece of “gotta love smore’s” pie with me!

Recipe:

Cricut Cartrige: (all cuts at 2.5 inches) Going Places, Potpourri Basket, 3 Brids on Parade

Card: (fits in an A2 enevelope) 12 inches long by 4.25 inches wide scored at 4 and 8 to make the tri fold. I used Martha Stweart’s Score Board for this.

Paper: Recollections and for the windows and fire Die Cut With a View Glitter Stacker

Reynold’s Wrap

Buttons (natural tones)

Hot Glue to attach buttons

Stamp Ink for distressting and sentements: My Pink Stamper – Serindipdy Skies and Close to My Heart – Chocolate

Sentiment: My Pink Stamper – Birthday Doodles Kit

Stickles – Star Dust

Glossy Accents – white and black

ATG, 3M clear fast dry adhesive, Pop Dots.

15 Comments

Posted in Cricut Cartridge: 3 Birds on Parade, Cricut Cartridge: Going Places Cricut Cartridge, Cricut Cartridge: Potpourri Basket Cricut Cartrdige, FCCB(Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog) Design Team Projects, My Pink Stamper: Birthday Doodles, Pie's Cricut, Pie's Tips and Tricks and tagged aluminum foil in projects, camping cards, camping crafts, cards for men, crafts with teardrop trailer inspirations, fantabulous cricut challenge blog design team, home built teardrop trailers., how to make a tri fold card, teardrop trailers, tri fold cards. Bookmark the permalink.

My First Guest Designer Spot with Getting Cricky!

Posted on July 27, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

My blog buddy, over at Leelee Card Design, is on the design team for K. Andrew Design at Getting Cricky. I recently got some of her stamps and did a project with them and before I knew it, I was invited to be a guest designer for Getting Cricky that is showcased today!

Here are the two projects I did with included recipes. They were super fun and I really did enjoy creating with her stamp sets. Head on over and check out her stamp line!

Thanks for sharing a piece of “getting cricky” pie with me.

Red Hatter Note Cards fit in A2 envelopes:

Cricut Cartridge: Forever Young (cut at 2 inches) and Stroybook (cut at 2 inches)

Cuttlebug: Swiss Dots and Blossoms

Paper: Recollections

Ribbon: Crinkle Ribbon – My Craft Spot

Ink: Close to My Heart – Holiday Red

Sentiments: K. Andrew Designs Fashionable Friends

A Latte Note Cards fit in A2 envelopes:

Cricut Cartridge: Love You A Latte (cut at 8 inches, hide steam using Design Studio) Damask Decor (butterfly cut at 2 inches layer 1)

Paper: Stampin’ Up and KCompany Design paper

Ribbon: Stampin’ Up

Ink: Close to My Heart Chocolate

Sentiment: K. Andrew Design – Coffee & Tea for You and Me

7 Comments

Posted in Cricut Cartridge: Damask Decor Cricut Cartridge, Cricut Cartridge: Forever Young Cricut Cartridge, Cricut Cartridge: Love You a Latte Cricut Cartridge, Cricut Cartridge: Storybook Cricut Cartridge, Guest Designer, Pie's Cricut and tagged coffee lover's gift ideas, Getting Cricky, Guest Designer for Getting Cricky, guest designer for K. Andrew Designs, guest designers for paper crafting, K. Andrew Design Stamps, note card ideas using cricut, Red Hat gift exchange ideas, Red Hat Note Card ideas. Bookmark the permalink.

My Craftin’ Spot

Posted on July 20, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

I was a bit apprehensive to post my craft studio because I was unsure if people would even be interested in it, but as I find myself on Pinterest or other’s blogs, I find I am very curious on what their creative space looks like and I actually enjoying doing it–so what the heck I decided to share my creative space; the place I find my sanity :-).

I did it on a budget and my hubs made my work tables and my peg board. I also scored an old tool cabinet from him that we hung.

I found an incline bookcase on Craigslist and use that to store my paper, Cuttlebug, Cinch It and a few other things.

My sewing table has a cut groove (like the ones at Jo-Anns) that the hubs imbedded into the table top along side a metal yard stick. I also have a ribbon holder that pulls. It can roll out to accommodate big project and when I am working with larger material.

The clear table is a wonderful work space where the hubs hung a light above and with the windows I have wonderful natural light.

The hubs passed down some old tool boxes that he had that I use for my workstation storage and for my sewing box.

The hubs took some shelving that we found at Home Depot and customized it with 1/2 inch rods so I could hang additional ribbon in it. I also set up a break down table for and additional work space.

If you could not tell I love the industrial feel to things and most of my custom pieces (peg board, Cricut and Imagine stand, sewing table and work space) are made out of materials from manufacturing plants that actually have been used to run product lines on. When the product’s life ended, the hubs and a few other engineers helped take down the lines and had dibs on the pieces. I find it really cool that I am working on recycled manufacturing equipment! Kind of adds to the whole creative vibe!

Thanks for sharing a piece of “where I go to find a my personal sanity” pie with me.

6 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged carfting rooms, craft room ideas, craft room storage, craft rooms, crafting spaces, crafting studio ideas. Bookmark the permalink.

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #120 – Sunny Days

Posted on July 16, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

It is that time again… OK it is only my second time proudly designing a project for FCCB as a design team member! This project was so fun for me, since I wanted to do a baby card and the theme of the shower is “Clothesline”!
Nothing shouts sunny days to me than a line of freshly washed laundry being sun kissed dry by the sun!

Now, head on over and check out all the sunny inspriation and join this week’s challenge!

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Thanks for sharing a piece of “sunny days” pie with me!

Recipe:

Cricut Cartridges: Simply Charmed (sun cut at 2 inches) and Everyday Pop-Up Cards (onsie cut at 1 1/2 inches)

Paper: Recollections for base
Papertreyink 2008 Bitty Dots: Lemon Tart, Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist

Cuttlebug: D’Vine Swirls

Baker’s Twine – Stampin’ Up Burlap

Embelishments: Stampin’ Up clothespins

Stamps: My Pink Stamper:Itty Bitty-licious

Ink: Close To My Heart: Chocolate

Stickles: Star Dust

6 Comments

Posted in Cricut Cartridge: Everyday Pop-Up Cards, Cricut Cartridge: Simply Charmed Cricut Cartridge, Cuttlebug Folders, FCCB(Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog) Design Team Projects, My Pink Stamper - Itty-Bitty-licious, Pie's Challenges, Pie's Craftiness and tagged baby card, baby card made for a boy or girll, baby shower cards, baby shower ideas, clothesline baby card ideas, cricut challenge ideas. Bookmark the permalink.

Cookin’ Up a New Look!

Posted on July 10, 2012 by apieceoflifespie

If you have not already noticed, you are not at the wrong web address . . . Yes, I am getting a total makeover! It is almost done and I will even have my very own button! Thanks to the creative genius of Shabby Vanity!

Madeline, the most amazing and wonderful blog designer, was a joy to work with. Her communication is superb and she really got my vision right out of the gate! Since I was not with the normal Blogspot.com, like most crafters, she had a bit more of a challenge and she found the solutions and made it all happen! LOVE HER! If you feel you would like to spruce up your blog or get a full makeover, you MUST go check her out!

3 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged blog makeovers, crafty blog ideas, fun blog ideas, graphic design for blogs, Shabby Vanity, web design for personal blogs. Bookmark the permalink.