Prehistoric "Critter" Cards

Hi, there! I'm so excited to be guest posting over at Everyday Cricut today! Be sure to take a trip over there for a second entry for today's giveaway (more details below).

Today I'm sharing two "dino-mite" cards with you!

My first card is a colorful Baby Shower invitation for a little boy. I only need to make around 15, so I was able to jazz it up a bit without worrying about how long it will take me. The card measures 4" x 4". This has become a new favorite card size of mine. I love working with the square shape, and with it being a smaller size, the elements I add visually 'fill up' more space than on a larger card. Also, 4" x 4" cards allow for elements to 'hang off' the card (like the sentiment on this project) while still fitting in a regular A2-sized envelope. You can also check out this card I made for my nephew's first birthday to see how the 4" x 4" size let the balloons literally 'fly off' the card.

On this Baby Shower invitation, I used the Elegant Edges cartridge for the circle background pattern and the Create a Critter cartridge for the dinosaur. I tend to use mostly solid color card stock in my projects, but fell in LOVE with the patterned paper for the dino's body (found at my local scrapbook store). The little dots of the patterned paper really add some pizzazz to this otherwise 'solid' card.

The "Baby Shower" sentiment is from My Creative Time's More Gift Card Sentiments stamp set. The original stamp says, "For your Baby Shower", so I only inked up the "Baby Shower" part to omit the "For your". After stamping that, I notched the right edge, layered it onto the orange card stock and notched the edge of that to match. I used MCT's Teeny Tag Greetings for the "You're Invited" tag and hung it from the main sentiment with linen thread. I stuck a pop dot behind the tag to secure it in place.

My second card is also cut at 4" x 4" and features palm trees and the cutie-patootie T-Rex from the Create A Critter cartridge. Since this is a "one-of-a-kind" card, I added much more detail!

After cutting the palm trees, I added some flair to the trunks by inking them with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain and used my black fine tip marker to add the markings on the bark. I then took my white gel pen and added some extra doodles to the green palm fronds. These added touches are so small, but really make a big impact!

How cute is that little T-Rex, right? I've named him Timmy (after my Dad, who this card is for). After I cut little Timmy out, I added tiny finger and toe nails with my white gel pen. He was super cute already, but something was missing. What did he need? A shiny pair of adorable teeth! Perhaps this T-Rex is a vegetarian as those teeth do NOT look very sharp! *giggle*

Since Timmy's body layers are popped up on his scales, I was able to fit colored rhinestones in between his layers for some added sparkle. If you've visited my blog in the past, you know that I have a bit of an obsession with pop dots. I LOVE the dimension they give to my projects. Well, I practically attacked this project with pop dots and let me tell you, the card didn't stand a CHANCE! *giggle* Timmy is actually popped up SIX times! Yes, this card is definitely worthy of hand-delivery!

The sentiment I used is from My Creative Time's Wow! So Many Candles. I stamped, colored and cut out grass for the bases of the palm trees. That stamp is from MCT's newest release, Happy Hunting. Speaking of which... I have a GIVEAWAY!!!

To have a chance at winning your very own Happy Hunting stamp set (courtesy of Emma at My Creative Time), just leave a comment on this post. Want a BONUS entry? Mosey on over to Everyday Cricut and leave a comment there, too! Doing both gives you TWO chances to win!!! Don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you if you win!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica