Col's Creative Corner: Cricut Circle Monthly Challenge

Hi friends and fellow crafters!
I have finally decided to enter a monthly challenge at the Circle Blog. Here are the rules:

AUGUST MONTHLY CHALLENGE: Create a Scene Challenge!

There are so many fun Cricut cuts available on our cartridges including trees, buildings, backgrounds, flowers and more! For this next challenge, we want to see you utilize these cuts by creating a scene on your project.

The random winner of this challenge will receive a $150 Credit to Cricut.com!

The Challenge: Create a project of your choice utilizing your Cricut Cut Images to create a scene! (You are not required to use it, but your latest Circle Exclusive cartridge, Pop-Up Neighborhood, has tons of great images for building a scene!) Your project must include at least 2 different Cricut Image Cuts.

Rules and Guidelines: Circle Blog Challenges are open to Cricut Circle Members only. You can create any type of project you would like (tag, altered project, mini album, etc.) but your project must be newly created for this challenge and include at least 2 Cricut Image Cuts. You must submit a project to be entered into the Challenge Prize Drawing.

How to Enter: Submit your entry using the InLinkz tool found at the bottom of this post. Please post your full name along with your entry. Entries are due by 9:00 pm MST on Tuesday, August 30th, 2011.

Prize: This month the winner will receive $150.00 in credit to Cricut.com.

Winner: The winner will be selected randomly from qualifying entries using www.random.org and will be announced on the Cricut Circle Blog on Thursday, September 1st, 2011.

I have to admit, this was truly a challenge for me. I love paper crafting, but scrapbook pages don't come easy to me. I really don't know what my hang up is with 12x12 pages, but as much as I love seeing other crafter's work, putting a layout together just eludes me. Now let's add having to create a whole scene, I feel a panic attack coming on just thinking about it and I have my pages finished! LOL!
I suppose I could have made a card, but I don't think it would have been too challenging for me. Not being one to take the easy road, I went with a full 2 page layout! I found some inspiration in my record collection. Yes, I still prefer albums, but I do have an Ipod, and this song is on it, so let's say the inspiration came from the Ipod, shall we? One of my all time favorite songs is by the late Gary Moore, and it's called Parisienne Walkways. There are two versions. My hubby, the musician, loves the instrumental version. I admit, it is beautiful. I prefer the version with the late Phil Lynnot's (from Thin Lizzy, yes I am THAT old!) haunting vocals. Parisienne Walkways. Here is a YouTube video, in case you are curious.

I used several cartridges on this. The Hat Shop, Bakery and Lamp Posts are from the Circle cartridge Pop Up Neighborhood. Everything used was in my stash. The papers I used on the buildings are from Die Cuts With A View Luxury Stack, an oldie but goodie stack! The background sky is from Me and My Big Ideas. The background paper is from DCWV Far East. I had wanted to give the appearance of a wall or more buildings as you walked, so this paper was perfect.

I added some extras to the buildings. I used an EK success scallop punch to put the awnings on the

Bakery and the Hat Shop windows. I also added hand cut curtains on the Hat Shop's upper floor windows. The window box, birdcage and the potted plants are from the lite cartridge, Bloom. I cut the images in white and colored them with copics. I added some stickles to the flowers for sparkle, although you can't really see them in this picture. I used a piece of Bo Bunny Abbey Road for the plants, but again, cut the shadow and pots with white cardstock and colored them with copics. I used Crystal 3-D lacquer on the pots for some added interest.

I cut the shopper from Forever Young and dressed her in Basic Grey Paper from my 6x6 stash box. Her poodle is cut from Summer in Paris. I only used the shadow for the pup, then flocked her tail, paws, and head. I added a gold collar and bow on her tail with stickles. I used a piece of junk chain that I had laying around for the puppy's leash. Very chic......

I did the same thing with the cakes in the Bakery's windows.I cut them in white and colored them with copics. I used a Glitter Snow Writer for the icing, it adds a nice texture to it, then topped the cakes off with 3-D Crystal Lacquer.
I cut the Eiffel Tower from the Summer In Paris seasonal cartridge, and added some Jolee's hot fix Crystals to it with my I-Rock tool.

The cute couple are from the Sweethearts Cartridge. They remind me of the lyrics, "Those summer days spent outside corner cafes" from the song. That sad printing on the Bakery Door is mine...It should translate to the Cake Shop. It's not so bad, I just took a poor photo of it! LOL!!!

I had a spot on the end of the 1st page that was open, and I thought it needed something there. I used Just Because Cards and cut the bike out. Yep, that's more of my chicken scratch.

I wanted a cobblestone look for the sidewalk, so I ran a piece of great cardstock through my Cuttlebug with a Tim Holtz embossing folder. I used Burlap distress ink on it to bring out the pattern.

I added printed lyrics from the song, and a block from Word Collage that I used a Chomas Pen to print with my E-2. I originally wanted to use my Imagine to print it, but for some strange reason, when I would load the paper on the print only setting, it just sent it out the back. I had these pens for about a year, and had never used them, so I finally tried them out. I like the results. I had really wanted to use my Calligraphy Collection Cartridge for the title, but it tore when I was cutting it, so this worked for me...