Now that I've got my craft groove back, I knew I just had to try creating my own scalable vector graphics using Google Drawings which I could then upload to Cricut Design Studio. For this particular project, I wanted to make a gift card holder in the shape of a coffee cup for my goddaughter's birthday. One of her wish list items was a gift card to Starbucks so I thought I'd create a removable lid to which I could attach the gift card.

To create the coffee cup design, I used two basic shapes: a round same side corner rectangle (in two different sizes) and a trapezoid (in two different sizes). Once I had the right proportions, all I had to do was download as a scalable vector graphic (.svg) file. Then I uploaded it to the Design Studio. The black outline of each shape was interpreted as a shadow layer so I just deleted them from the project. To make the pocket coffee cup, I duplicated the image, resized and rotated the shapes to create the backing and flaps, and then welded them altogether. 

I also decided to try designing a parody of the logo that included her name. I've seen so many of these fun designs on Pinterest that I wanted to challenge myself to create my own on Google Drawings. Unfortunately, word art features in G Suite, unlike in Microsoft Office, are very limited and there was no way to curve a word. This meant I had to create separate art for each letter and rotate them to varying degrees. Here is one I created with my profile pic in the centre, which I cropped using a circle. You can see how many different parts there are to it, each outlined in blue.

If I ever venture into cutting using vinyl, I could download the file as an SVG. For the small logo that I needed for the card, it makes more sense to download it as a PNG or JPG and upload it to the Design Studio as a print and cut image. (I have yet to calibrate my Cricut Explore Air 2 for cutting printed images so I took a shortcut and cut it by hand.) This way you only have to adhere a single circle and it still looks great. I'm so happy my goddaughter loved her card!

You know what I miss? Making my own cards using my Cricut. So when I was asked to make invitations for my nephew's first birthday, I couldn't resist. My sister-in-law chose the dalmatian cut from the Create a Critter cartridge, which was perfect because the hat has a number 1 on it. Aren't they just adorable? Head on over to my craft blog dianasdesigns.ca to find out how I made them: Cricut Create a Critter Dalmatian Invitations.

Sharing an old Thinking of You Butterfly Card I made a few years ago. A lot has happened over the past week and I've been thinking about those who have been directly affected. Makes me realize how life is short and all those other clichés. But really, life is too short. Especially when you dwell too much on the negative instead of focusing on the positive. For me, my craft space where I make my own greeting cards is my happy place. I think I need to spend more time there and try my hand at another one of these shape cards. The butterfly cut is from the Cricut Indie Art cartridge and the circle shape card is from the Cricut Wild Card cartridge. I embossed the circle using the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder and added a couple of little extras.

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Sharing an oldie but a goodie. These cupcake cards were a cinch to make using a Cricut cupcake cut, designer paper and the Stampin' Up! Spring Surprise bundle. The Round Array Stamp Set with the coordination Scallop Circle 7/8" Punch are among my favourite craft items. Looking forward to spending some time over the March break to reconnect with my craft room. Golly, I've missed her so.

'Tis the season to be crafty! I made these Christmas cards a couple of years ago but only now shared them on my craft blog. You can read more detail about these cards here: Cricut Paper Pups Christmas Card with Holly. They're the kind of cards that inspire me to dust off my Cricut and make some new designs. Now if I can only find some spare time...

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Whenever possible, I try to make my own handmade greeting cards and personalize them as well. This is a card I made last year. I played around with the different sizes of font from the Cricut Storybook cartridge and used the ladybug from the Cricut Doodlecharms cartridge. It didn't have any antennae so I added some from a different cut. I also layered the wings to give it dimension. Isn't she cute?

Over the past few years, I have shared some of my handmade cards here on my blog but have neglected to share many of them on my craft blog. Now that I have a fancy DSLR camera, I have been making it more of a priority to share photos of these cards over at Diana's Designs Blog. This week alone, I have posted three new cards and hope to post some over the next few days. I would love it if you could pop by and share your thoughts on any of your favourites. Any feedback would much appreciated.

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It would appear that I have been spending little time on keeping up with my blogging. There have been many things I would have loved to blog about but alas, my free time has been occupied with my latest passion - card making! And we have the Cricut to thank for that. So instead of keeping track of the latest developments with regards to my family life, I have been reading other people's blogs about scrapbooking, stamping, die cutting and anything crafty for that matter. It has become an obsession, actually. All I can think about is using my new machine and trying to come up with my own ideas for greeting cards, even though they are nowhere near as stunning as all of the designs I keep finding on my fellow bloggers' sites. I hope to one day join them in their ability to create original works of art and thank them all for sharing their hard work and amazing creativity. I am inspired on a daily basis thanks to all of you!