Happy 80th Birthday Box Card

August is a month full of birthdays for our family.  My father-in-law turned 80 in June and my mother-in-law just had her 80th birthday on Friday.  My husband and both of our sons have their birthdays this week - it's always a hectic time!  I made a simple box card for my father-in-law's birthday (you can see it HERE) and I decided to make a "fancier" one for my mother-in-law.

The box cards that Mary at SVGCuts has been designing are very clever and fun to put together.  I decided to use the party card with the balloons from the Summer Box Card SVG Kit. (affiliate links)

Color and paper selections can give a card a totally different look.  This is the sample card from the Summer box card set.  I decided to change the colors and make it more sparkly and elegant for a milestone birthday celebration.

I uploaded all of the pieces for the card into the Cricut Design Space.  The first time you do this for a card or project from SVG Cuts you need to add each file separately.  Once you have uploaded all of the pieces you can create a Design Space file with the full set to save for future use.  You do need to use the PDF instructions that are provided in the download to make all of the pieces the correct size.  If you are not sure how to do this, there are detailed instructions in THIS POST from May.

I chose a variety of papers in blue, green, silver and white.  Most of the patterned papers were from K&Company collections that I had on my shelf (some are from several years ago). This is the outside of the card with all of the layers added before forming the box.

There are three interior pieces in addition to the balloon decorations for the back panel.  I used glitter cardstock and added tiny bows and bling to make the card sparkle.

Adhesive foam dots and pieces of string taped to the back of the balloons give even more dimension to the card.

The strings are tied and fastened inside the card.  Some more adhesive dots add yet another layer to the card back.

When I first put the balloon piece down, something didn't look quite right...

I moved the strings to the fronts of the overlapping balloons to make a more realistic looking bunch of balloons.  The strings were taped below the knot and trimmed.  (One note on the sizing - the interior panel for the back of the card is listed as 3.2 inches wide but I found that it should be 3 inches to fit with a thin border as shown here - it is mostly hidden by the balloons but it does show from the side and will look more consistent with the other panels if you make it 3 inches).

Here is the side view of the card once it was assembled.  SVGCuts has excellent assembly videos to help you with their projects.  Once you have put together a few box cards it is very easy to do.

This photo is a little dark to help you see the shiny white dots on the balloons, cake and envelope.  The glitter cardstock is from DCWV - it is called "Dazzle" and cuts beautifully in the Cricut and other machines.  There is no loose glitter to worry about since the manufacturing process for this glitter effect does not embed glitter - the glitter effect is much finer and incredibly sparkly!

I added a sentiment oval from Craftwork Cards to the banner and raised it with some adhesive dots.

A few extra clear gems are sprinkled here and there for a finishing touch.

Even the back of this card is pretty with the glittered flower cardstock.  I didn't add the optional white panel that is included in the file.

When people first see a box card they are amazed that something that folds flat can become so three dimensional.  I usually put them in the envelope with the flaps folded down like this, especially if the sentiment is on the flap.

If you prefer, you can fold up the flaps to help make the opening of the card even more of a surprise!

I added the "80" to one of the white balloons with numbers I cut from the same silver glitter cardstock with an old set of Sizzlits dies (I had already closed my computer when I realized that I didn't cut the numbers and these were the perfect size.  Sometimes a quick roll of a metal die through a manual die cut machine is the fastest solution).

The card was a hit and it even matched her outfit!  One of our young nephews said he couldn't believe that Grandma was 80 (even though he did believe that Grandpa was 80...).  I think he has a way with the ladies already!

SVGCuts frequently offers a new kit as a free gift with purchase for a limited time.  Until Wednesday, August 13, 2014, you can get this great Haunted Forest Kit for free when you spend $9.98 or more in the store.  Just add it to the cart along with your other items that total at least $9.98 and then type "FREEGIFT" in the coupon code box when you check out.  All files are available for download as soon as you check out.  Click HERE to go to their site and find some amazing files!

Summer is winding down fast - I keep seeing photos of kids going back to school.  They don't start until after Labor Day here.  I have taken more time off than usual this summer with a lot of family events taking priority.  I'll probably be back to a nearly daily posting schedule again this fall.  I hope you haven't been wondering what has happened to me - you'll see a lot more posts, projects and tutorials and a new subscriber freebie soon!

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The Gilroy Garlic Festival

Last weekend we were in California visiting our son and daughter-in-law.  We happened to be there for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.  Kelly is from Gilroy and we had heard a lot about the festival - particularly the wide assortment of food offerings that include garlic.

Gilroy is the "Garlic Capital of the World" and this was the 36th annual Garlic Festival.  It is held on the last full weekend in July each year and, in addition to the food, there are three stages with entertainment, arts & crafts booths, cooking demonstrations and competitions, and all sorts of activities for kids.  You can find the festival website HERE if you would like to know more about the festival.

Our nephew (the tall one second from the right) is working in San Francisco this summer and he came along to the festival with one of his classmates from Michigan.  It was a hot day so I grabbed this photo just as we arrived (while everyone was relatively cool and relaxed).  You can see the huge Christopher Ranch Garlic truck behind them.

The Official Gourmet Alley is in the center of the festival.  There are a lot of choices including several combo plates if you can't decide on just one item.

One of the highlights for me was the amazing garlic bread.  Volunteers work to assemble this delicious treat (it was so good that we gobbled it all up before I thought to take a photo).

There is a row of grills where huge frying pans are used to saute the garlic.  The cooks are called Pyro Chefs (see the red apron).  I can't imagine how hot it must be for them but they seemed to be having fun.

What would a festival be without a queen and her court?  The Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen Pageant is held to choose the Queen and includes personal interview, talent, an evening gown competition, and a garlic speech (of course!). The Queen and her court represent Gilroy at various events leading up to the Festival and, as I read on the website, "most importantly, they spend all three days at the festival having a garlicky good time with fellow lovers of the pungent bulb."

Every so often, the Gourmet Alley Pyro Chefs do a "flame-up" which is very impressive and just a tad frightening!

In addition to the official Gourmet Alley offerings, you can find many other food choices around the grounds.  This combination of signs gives you an idea of the "garlic on everything" atmosphere!

There are several places where people line up to take photos with iconic backgrounds such as this inflatable garlic mascot.

I spotted  live version of the garlic man walking around (with a guide to help with navigating through the crowds).  Another job that looks like a very hot way to spend the day!

 

There are several cooking competitions - the Great Garlic Cook-Off takes place in a large pavilion with grandstand seating.

When we got to the pavilion where the competitions were held they were announcing the winners.  The seats were filled but we could see some of what was happening on the jumbo screens.

I noticed quite a few people carrying their own shade.  Some with regular umbrellas and others with pretty parasols.

There may have been booths selling these as well.  It certainly helped to be out of the sun whenever possible.

Just getting a chance to sit down in the shade of the trees made a big difference.  The heat is dryer than we are used to at home - but when you are standing in the sun it is hot!

This rain tent also was popular.  When you stand inside you get sprayed with a fine mist of water and it cools you as it evaporates.

I can't figure out if this activity would cool you off or make you get even hotter.  Kids were able to walk on water in these inflatable "hamster balls."  You have to be just the right size (shorter than me!) to try this.

Gilroy has several "sister cities" around the world.

Some of them have their own celebrations of garlic!

There is a shop for garlic and memorabilia set up in a tent.

You could buy posters for the festival in this booth. There is an official poster each year and also an art competition to design a poster.  You can see the winners HERE.

I was tempted to buy some garlic to bring home but I didn't want to risk breakage or crushing in the suitcase which could lead to garlic scented clothing!

There were lots varieties of garlic headgear, including this sombrero type hat...

...and a beret.

My favorites were  the garlic crowns (but I don't think they gave much sun protection).

This t-shirt sums up the Festival quite well!

The Garlic Festival has raised over 10 million dollars for charity since it began in 1979.  Thousands of volunteers help each year to make it such a success.

These bobble heads (collected over the years by Kelly's mother) help to celebrate garlic after the weekend is over.  We had a great time at the Festival and lots more fun with family for the rest of the weekend.

The Garlic Festival reminded me of the Grange Fair that I grew up with.  My parents were very active in the Grange and it was an August tradition to help out at the Fair.  Do you have a Fair or Festival that you have attended for years?  Have you ever done a journal or scrapbook page about it?  I think I will try to find some of the Fair photos (and maybe even some of the ribbons I won) and make a few pages to preserve those memories.

Have a great weekend!

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Last day of July - last chances!

After lots of travels and some technical difficulties (internet and printer problems) we are finally home and I am ready to start creating and sharing again.  I will post some photos from our trip separately but I wanted to let you knew about a few offers that end tonight.  The links to Lettering Delights are affiliate links. I have used Lettering Delights products for years and I highly recommend them for both digital projects and cutting files.

When Lettering Delights first started offering cutting files they were in the SVG format only.  The newer "Cut It" sets come in multiple formats, including SVG so you will still be able to purchase SVGs from them.  Lettering Delights is retiring their original SVG sets and today is the last day to buy them at only $1 per set, making these images very inexpensive.  There are many sets to choose from - I stocked up last night! 

They have also added all of the Alphabets to the sale.  These are graphics files, not cutting files, but you can import them to Design Space and use the shapes (and eventually you should be able to use the image for Print Then Cut with the Explore).

If you spend $15 or more (between July 1 and 31, 2014) You will get the Get Happy Collection (a $31 value) free.  It will be added to your account automatically if your purchases for the month are over $15.

As always with Lettering Delights, there are some additional savings codes.  You can save 40% on purchases of $20 or more with the code "MerryKissmas" and save 25% on purchases of $10 or more with the code "GetItNow."

Close to My Heart will release their new products and idea book tomorrow, August 1st.  I can't wait to try their new card making cartridge, Artfully Sent (click HERE to see more about this cartridge coming sometime in August).  There are a number of stamp sets retiring and also some prices will be increasing.  You can see the retiring stamps and other items on my friend Joy's site HERE.  Joy also posted a list of the price increases on her blog, Obsessed With Scrapbooking, HERE.

I'll be back later today with some photos from our first visit to the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California - Garlic Capital of the World!

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Special deals about to expire...

Thank you so much for all of the kind thoughts and words of condolence on the passing of Steve's uncle.  We were able to celebrate his life with family last weekend and the services were filled with his favorite music and fond remembrances from friends and family.

There are a few sales and other offers that are about to expire.  Under normal circumstances I would have posted about these last week.  I wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on any of these offers that are of interest to you.  I am still away with family but will be back to my usual schedule soon.

Mary at SVGCuts has done it again with this fabulous set of Christmas Box cards.  This set is available as a free gift until July 23rd if you make a purchase of $9.98 or more at SVGCuts. Once you have $9.98 or more in your cart, add the Christmas Box Card SVG Kit to your cart, type FREEGIFT in the coupon field and check out.  Your files are available for instant download after paying. 

The box cards are great and there are many elements included for the cards that can also be used separately for other projects.  These files work very well with the Explore - if you are not sure how to use them you can check my blog post HERE for a detailed explanation.  I love to design my own files but it is also fun to have everything figured out for you.  I like SVGCuts so much that I became an affiliate for them - if you click HERE or on the box in the right side column to make you purchase I will earn a small commission - thanks for supporting my blog!

Cricut Sales and Deals
These links are affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you purchase something after clicking the link.  Your price stays the same. I appreciate it very much when you use my links to shop.  You can always click on the Cricut image in the side column to start shopping.  Thanks for your support of my blog!

There are five Disney cartridges for just $19.99 on the Cricut site HERE.  The cartridges included are both Princess cartridges (Dreams Come True and Happily Ever After), Mickey and Friends, Disney Classics and the Pooh Font cartridge (the marker and wood fonts on this cartridge are great!).

The Cricut Explore machine is available at a new lower price of $249.99 and there are also some great bundle deals starting at $269.99 - Click HERE to see all of the choices.

Cricut also has a 30% off sale on all supplies and also on everything in the Deals Department. 

Finally,  the free images to cut for a week were from the Zoo Day image set.  Some of the word art in these is very cute and the set includes images from "A is for alligator" to "Z is for zebra."  You still have a little time left to cut any of the images using either the Cricut Craftroom or Design Space.  These images are also included in the Cricut Image Subscription which gives you access to over 25,000 images and over 200 fonts on a monthly or yearly basis.

Remember, Cricut offers free standard shipping in the continental US for purchases of $35 or more - just use the code FREESHIP35 at checkout.

Just a little quiz - can anyone guess where I am this week?  The tile mosaic photos in this post will give you a clue...

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A Sad Update

 

This rose is blooming right next to our garage.  It is from a rosebush that a friend gave me for a "milestone" birthday several years ago.  It hasn't bloomed very much in the past few years but right now there are two beautiful roses on the bush.

It has been a difficult week here.  Last Friday we lost Steve's uncle after a lengthy battle with cancer.  He was much too young and didn't get the chance to fully enjoy his retirement years.  It is a reminder to us that life is uncertain and you should do the things you want to do now before it is too late.

Uncle Wendell taught us a lot about classical music and opera (one of his great passions), fine food and art.  He loved to travel and was a meticulous genealogist, working on a family history book for most of his adult life.  He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.  When he returned, he finished law school and went on to have a great career as a labor lawyer.  He was a wonderful source of advice when I was a young attorney in upstate New York.  I worked at a firm that was a rival to the firm where he started his career and he never failed to give me a hard time for joining the "wrong" firm.  We will all miss him very much and I am sad that his young grandchildren will not have the chance to grow up learning from him.

I have not had my mind on crafting or blogging this week and we will be busy with family this weekend.  I'll try to update and share some crafty news soon.

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation.