Happy Thanksgiving! (and more Martha)

I have quite a lot to be thankful for. I have a happy life, a great husband, a job (although it's been extremely slow...I'm self employed and that makes me feel good!), my health (mostly!) and some fantastic people in my life whom I love dearly. I am blessed and try to remember it every day. But I'd like to thank YOU and let you know how much I appreciate my faithful readers and followers, and wish everyone who visits my blog a very happy Thanksgiving! Here's hoping your Turkey day is everything you want it to be, whether it's family, football, or the Cricut!

And since we've broken the old unspoken barrier (that so many businesses ignore anymore!) of Thanksgiving to start talking about Christmas, I'd like to pass on on a few great cards with templates from Martha Stewart. As I've said before, I don't have any affiliation with her, believe me! But I have watched her show for years and think her craft supplies are high quality, and her projects are original and interesting and fun to do...and fun to adapt to the Cricut! The ones I mention below are perfectly suited to using with SCAL.

I subscribe to her newsletter and get lots of craft ideas almost daily. I got one post that had lots of great ideas, and many that we can convert for use with SCAL and the Cricut. Here is one for some cards made with rick-rack, of all things! This one is for a project close to my heart...pop up cards! I love these and may attempt them this year. And I have to post the one for the popup reindeer card that led me to discover SCAL. This one is almost a popup! And this final popup is called a mirror card, and would be great to make with SCAL. The template works for a few of the cards, including the zig zag cut tree that's sort of a pop up. You'll see when you get the template.

This one is a glittery bough that I just loved. And if you like glittering and being glittery, try this one for a bird in a tree. I hope I got the links right. Here's the main topic for these card examples and others, if you want to read more. I've just mentioned (most of) the ones I feel we can make on the Cricut.

In my last blog post, I forgot to mention one new item of Martha's that I actually purchased . I used my 40% coupon @ Ms to purchase Martha's version of an Enveloper/Scor-pal. ($19.99 - 40% = $13 or so) I have an Enveloper set (came with a box and card score set, too) but not the Scor-Pal, so for all I know Martha's version is nothing like it! :) I believe the Enveloper set was originally about $35 on HSN, although I didn't pay that much because I had a coupon... Erf. Still expensive. Useful tool, though. The Enveloper link leads to Splitcoast stampers tutorial site which has a whole section on how to use this tool...although their version is much nicer than the one I have!

I've pictured both my sets below. I already had a bone folder of hers that I used to replace the tool that came with the Enveloper, but another came with her version of it. I like the first one I bought better. It's higher quality.

You can see at the bottom of the picture the envelope templates I created for my Enveloper. I'm so new to cardmaking that I'm not sure of the sizes. I took some ugly paper and created the ones in the booklet that came with the Enveloper and wrote which ones they were on them. Then I can take my card and figure out which one will fit best or if I need to adjust it. I liked that MS's version has the sizes printed on the envelope template. And the scoring area's lines are nice and close together...the Enveloper set has pre-determined lines that are only good for their specific envelope and card sizes...MS's will be a bit more flexible and useful, I think.

Below you can see two items from her new line of craft accessories. I love the tiny beads and bought the flocking to make Santa beards with!

Another way that I'm fortunate this year is that I don't have to cook the turkey! My husband is deep-frying again. I love it! No kitchen clean up....which can be a big deal when he cooks! And so fast and easy. MS (ack, her again) had a recipe on her show that I want to try too....she flattens the bird by removing the backbone and cracking the breastbone, seasons it, and cooks it bone side down, 450 degrees for 70 mins...how's THAT for fast! And no basting! See her website for exact instructions! Thanks for looking and I hope you get to cut more than a turkey this Thursday! ;)