Fun and Mental Changes

I DID NOT want to get this machine!  I DID NOT want to love it!  I DID NOT want to own another product produced by Provo Craft..... EVER! Years ago I fell IN LOVE with paper crafting!  Shortly after my quick fall down the rabbit hole, by sister bought me a Cricut Personal Cutting Machine.  It was the latest and greatest papercrafting tool on the market and ran on infomercials pretty much non-stop!  It came with 2 cartridges and a 12" x 6" mat that allowed you to cut any image on the cartridges up to the size of the mat.  IT WAS AWESOME..... however, ALL of the images were geared for teachers with very basic images that were child-like, and to buy new cartridges would set you back about $90..... WHOA!  But I loved it and KNEW the technology would advance, and so it did.  In fact, by the time the Cricut Expression was introduced followed by the hand-held design studio called Gypsy in 2009, cartridges were down to about $20-$...

So over at Paper Vineyard, the challenge was to create a birthday project and it COULDN'T be a card.  I've personally been creating WAY too many cards lately so I was happy to try my hand at something new..... only I didn't. :(  Instead, I was busy preparing for last week's Cricut Swarm.  Now, while I missed creating a project specifically for our Birthday Non-Card challenge, I figured the cupcake box that I made would fit the bill PERFECTLY for a birthday-themed project.  The box also has an insert for a cupcake to fit inside.  I made it with my Cricut (cuz of the whole Cricut Swarm bit) and while I ADORE this box, I sort of had a little melt down making it and I decided that this is the last Provo Craft product I will ever buy.... let me share why (read through to find out the cartridge I used for this project)! Most of you know that I DESPISE Provo Craft.  I hate that the Cricut is a one-of-kind product that I loved....

Yes, Yes... I'm terribly late... I know!  I was supposed to announce on April 1st that I'm having ANOTHER Favorite Things Birthday Give Away.  Well, here I am.... 7 days late, I'm here with the announcement.  BUT FIRST:  Let's check out some of the prize goodies!!! So pictured above is nail treatments from my ALL-TIME-FAVORITE nail treatment company... Nail Aid .  I LOVE their products, I LOVE their company and I LOVE their service.  And this year they GENEROUSLY donated another HAUL of their new products available at Walmart (check your local store for availability as I'm finding that not all of them carry it... which is NUTS!).  They are just so generous... THAT'S FIVE PRODUCTS!!!  Now I've never tried these products... being that they are new, but I personally use MANY of their products and I love them.  So be sure to check out their website by clicking the link above.  And just so you know which ones are my favorites, I...

I just ADORE the Copic Airbrush system that I got for my birthday this year!  "But it's not your birthday."  I KNOW!  I scored it back in February and have had a BLAST playing with it ever since... I'm so spoiled! So the card featured here is a make and take that is scheduled at Paper Vineyard (Chandler, AZ) on April 2nd.  Since a Cricut Swarm will be happening that day with the theme "Margaritaville", I decided to run with the lime imagery.  I used my Cricut and my Gypsy to create templates and then used the Copic Airbrush to create the lime pattern.  After that, I used that TOTALLY ADDICTIVE Glitter Ritz and the burnish technique to create the "ribbon" band and then finished this off with creating a SCRATCH & SNIFF LIME for the top of the card!  SOOOO FUN!!!  I can't wait to do these with everyone... I just hope I bring enough! *** You'll notice that the simple addition of the American Tag HomePro nailheads really...

Ok, so I could go into this whole long thing about all the stuff I'm gaga over, cuz you know how I'm gadget girl and all, but today's post is SUPPOSED to be about using (recycling?) things from your kitchen to create a project and to share a special recipe with everyone.  "BUT I WANNA TALK ABOUT GADGETS!!!!"  So we'll do the quick version of my favies and then get on with the real stuff! #1 - What you see in the pic (below) is VERY misleading.  At first you just think that the nail heads shown are brads maybe????  NO WAY!  These nail heads are from the American Tag HomePro.  Now I don't have one in my possession (yet), but I got to use the one they have over at Paper Vineyard during a demo and FELL IN LOVE!!!  This thing is UNBELIEVABLE!!!!  Don't believe me??? CLICK HERE , HERE and HERE !  Those are just SOME of the embellishments you can add to your projects with this thing (yes, it does metal corners!!!)!  Needless to sa...

For those of you who know me, you know that I got a new Copic Airbrush system about two weeks ago.  I really HAVE been playing a lot with it, so just about every project I've been turning out over the past two weeks has included me "practicing" with this airbrush!!!  This project that I submitted yesterday for the Burtonesque Dolls is no different.  Since the challenge this week is a red and black color challenge with no theme or sponsor requirements, I decided to pull out my Cricut to create a stencil... and the Indie Art solutions cartridge worked out just nicely!  I then went back through and line-drew the interior of the dragon with my Copic liner pen and finished this awesome dragon off with red Glitter Ritz for the eyes.  Breathe Fire baby!!!  I LOVE the Airbrush system... I can't imagine it without and ability for continuous use that I get from having the Windstorm air compressor.  So, I guess an honorable mention goes out to my wonder...

WOO HOO!!!  Another blog hop!  I love these blog hops... filled with prizes, fun projects to see and a TON to learn.  This one is NO exception!  By now you should be arriving from Holly's AWESOME creation.  If you are just joining us, you will want to start our hop from the beginning ( HERE ) so you don't miss any of the blog hop goodness.  The blog candy up for grabs on this blog is TWO of the Skull Flower suckers like the one's pictured in Nicole's arrangement.  Just leave a comment on this post between now and the 7th for your chance to win.  I will pick the winner the evening of the 7th when the hop is over and post it on my blog.  Good luck everyone. So my holiday themed birthday project is... you guessed it... Valentines.  And I made this for our birthday girl/co-blog organizer Nicole, The Canadian Nickel.  Happy Birthday Nicole!!!  And thank you to my friend Barb for inspiring this blog hop project.  I used lots of...

This is EXACTLY what it's all about! Yesterday I went out to my mailbox and discovered THIS GEM!!! Received from the winner of my Cricut cartridge give away, I instantly recognized images from my all-time-favorite cartridge... Disney's Hannah Montana!!! I ADORE that guitar image!!! Thank you Heather! Thank you for taking the time to make me this wonderful card, I'm so thrilled that you won those cartridges and that YOU'RE LOVING THEM!!! I know I speak for many when I say that we all hope that when we give stuff away on our blogs, we all hope that it's going to a good home and I know that is EXACTLY what happened here! This card TOTALLY made my day!

Want to win some serious loot??? My friend Nicole is an AWESOME crafty blogger and is SOOOO close to reaching 1000 followers (yah, she's livin the blogger dream!)... oh, and she's also giving away a BUTT LOAD of crafty goodness!!! Check out her blog HERE , become a follower and leave her some love! GO CANADIAN NICKEL!!! So here is the last pic of the prize haul, but I happen to know that the pot has been sweetened quite a bit INCLUDING a Cricut cartridge. So once you become a follower, be sure to check back often for updates on the goodies that could be comin your way. She loves stalkers anyway! LOL!

Ok gang, it's the new year... 2011... WOW!!! So if you've read my past posts about this particular event, New Years, then you know my feelings about making resolutions on the 1st of the year. That's not to say that I didn't set some goals for this year... I totally did! One of my FIRST GOALS, is to FINALLY get some closure with this Nifty Fifties cartridge glitch! So back in OCTOBER I contacted Provo Craft regarding the brand new Nifty Fifties cartridge I received. Within moments of opening the package and flipping through the handbook (you know you all do that too!!!!) I discovered pretty quickly that various cuts for multiple images on this cartridge are located in multiple locations. Example: The ice cream cone (and it's parts) can be found on page 57 AND page 66. There are NUMEROUS images on this cartridge that are like this, so I contacted PC immediately. I was told that they were going to work on the issue and get back to me and until then I wasn't to upl...

So this is for paintedbluestars! She just got herself a new Cricut and sent me an awesome email asking for cartridge recommendations. Wow.... that's kind of a brilliant thing to do and I suddenly wish I would have done the same thing back when I first started out, so, I thought I'd post my response to her. Thanks paintedbluestars for sparking a blog post! :) CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm so sorry for the delay with this response. I've been sick since before Christmas (can you believe my incredible timing?!?) and JUST NOW got to see a doctor! YIKES... Merry Christmas to me. Luckily for me though, I get to recuperate while watching the Twilight Zone marathon on Sci-Fi this weekend! YAY, just in time for New Years!!! Anywho.... which cartridges you should get is really based on what you are looking to do with your new found gem. If you are just a card maker, I would have totally different suggestions than if you are using your Cricut for scrapbooking layouts or crafting. But sin...

SECOND POST FOR TODAY!!! Ok folks... here she is!!! That didn't take as long as I thought! So, I used the Tags Bags Boxes and More Cricut cartridge for the box and then created the popcorn stripes decoration using George and Basic Shapes Cricut cartridge and finally the font for the name was done using the Don Juan Cricut cartridge (name is not included in the cut file). Cut File: Popcorn Box Cut File I plan on filling this with candy and sealed microwave popcorn. I will be altering and embellishing the plastic that wraps the microwave popcorn.... I might have to feature the final product here after the first of the year.... hmmmmmm!!! Note: Layer 1 is the box, layer 2 is the front strip decoration, layer 3 is the back decoration. Have fun with this one!!!!

Just poppin in to announce the winner of the THREE Disney Cricut cartridges!!! I'm so excited to be able to give these away.... I love playing "Santa", especially with such an awesome present!!! hahahahahhaha! And the winner is: Heather said... I just signed up to be a follower, congrats on hitting 400! I have emailed this site to all of my cricut-owning friends :-) Thanks for a great giveaway. have a wonderful day! Heather stamp-aholic(at)hotmail(dot)com Congratulations Heather!!! I am sending you a notification email now! Hopefully you'll pop back in and share what you've made with them. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped me reach the 400 follower mark. You guys have really made this blogging habit of mine so much fun! I hope EVERYONE'S Christmas holiday is AMAZING!!! Stay tuned... I will be posting my Christmas Candy Acetate Box a little later today.... full on with instructions and a video!!!

THE BIG CHRISTMAS GIVE AWAY HERE AT FUN AND MENTAL CHANGES ENDS TODAY!!! I'M CURRENTLY TWO AWAY FROM 400..... SOOOOO CLOSE! HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THREE BRAND NEW DISNEY CRICUT CARTRIDGES!!! CHECK IT OUT.... http://fundamentalchange.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-give-away.html

Isn't it funny how Oogie Boogie and Christmas just works... well, in that creepy sort of way anyway!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA! So over at The Burtonesque Dolls this week, the challenge is to create a Christmas project featuring the beloved Burton villain, the Oogie Boogie Man! Wow, this one was SOOOOOO fun!!! I just wish I would have had the extra time to photograph this with the gummy worms in it. That would have been the added touch to make this one even "Oogie Boogieier" *** My project is featuring an Oogie Boogie cut file I created along with the OH-SO-AWESOME Dollz Bonez Skull Flower digi stamp (click on pic to enlarge)! Using the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More Cricut cartridge made this project a snap... it's a quick one for anyone thinking of turning out a few for office pals! Adding the gummy worms will make it rock!!! LOL! Either your office pals will LOVE receiving this and you'll be the office superstar, or they will shun you and you will eat lunch alone because you...

8 DAYS LEFT to enter the Disney Cricut Cartridge Give-Away!!! Check out the post HERE for all the details! That is all! Happy Friday gang. I will be catching up on some blog awards this weekend and have some EXCITING news to share for next week!!! Stay tuned.....

Ok gang! This is my second post for the day, but I thought it was important to get this one started as soon as possible!!! For the upcoming Christmas season, I'm giving away THREE Disney Cricut cartridges. These cartridges were not donated to this blog, I purchased all of these cartridges to give away. My followers are THE BEST and I wanted to give away something really nice for the holiday season. This is only open to those who appear on this blog's follower list, so if you're not one of my beloved followers, please become one (and I'm almost to 400 woo hoo!!!). All you have to do to enter to win these super fun Disney cartridges is share this give away with others. You can post it on your blog, shout it out on Facebook and Twitter, post the announcement in a message community or do all of the above. Then, leave a comment on this post letting me know where you shared and an email address to contact you. This will be open until December 11th and I will post the winne...

Ok... I lovingly call this, "The Neighbor's Tree"! HA! I love this image. This card is an entry for the design team spot over at The Burtonesque Dolls (there's still time to enter gang) and it features Simply Betty's Tristan from the Punky Teens Christmas line. I actually had a few people watching me create this with cackles of laughter.... I knew I was gonna have to post this one. So I used my sewing machine to do a ROUGH sew-job (I've been doing that A LOT as of late) and added some photo corners just to break up the black and white. I used some puffy paint to make the snow dimensional and my Cricut to cut the snowflake. I then added some Sakura metallic pen accents and this one was ready to go! I'm also working on a shaker Christmas ornament featuring this little guy... stay tuned for that one!!! Please keep your fingers crossed for me... the design team will be announced a week from Tue sday!!! Alright folks.... pictured is the EVIL Martha Stewart c...

Hi Hoppers! Danielle, a.k.a. FitterTwit here.... so glad you made it!!! If you're mid-hop, you should be arriving here from Chelsea's blog . Was that a great project or what!?! If you're just joining us and need to start the hop from the beginning, you're gonna want to head over to our lovely Hop Hostess Patricia's blog to start the fun here on our VERY IMPORTANT Inking Pink Blog Hop! Here's to Breast Cancer Awareness!!! My project for this hop is a reminder card..."Remember your checkups!" What a wonderful way to say "I love you" to a dear friend or family member. Now you may not be able to see it in the pic above, but I altered The Greeting Farm's Ebony so that her tee shirt reads, "Say YES to Mammograms!" So, today I wanted to share HOW I added the words to her tee. First I printed the words as small as I could and still be able to read the message using my laser printer onto the paper that I would be using to color in my im...

Congratulations DEBRA!!! You are the winner of the October 31st Cricut cartridge! Please email me at fittertwit@yahoo.com with your mailing address. Thank you to everyone who participated in this drawing.... I hope to see everyone's projects in the Crazy Halloween Challenge . I'll be giving away a set of THREE Tickled Pink Stamps to one lucky winner! :)