It's About Time!!

For months now, actually, I think it has been a year... I have wanted to create a blog dedicated to my projects made with Cosmo Cricket. After all, I wanted to be ready to roll when that next design team call came out! My good friend, Lisa Falduto, offered great advice to me some time ago. She said, "make a list of your dream teams - pick the three manufacturers you would most like to design for, and keep that list visible!" Isn't that great advice? I encourage any one who has dreams of being on a certain DT to make a visible list - and post it in your creative space.

What I have noticed in the past year, is how this pro-active way of thinking affects my buying dollar. I seek out the latest products from my three favorite companies. My LSS knows which companies I love, and they contact me when new stuff comes in. I watch for sneak peeks, and usually have a couple of project ideas in my head before the product even reaches the store shelves. My "Dream Team" list keeps me focused, and concentrates my purchases on product that I will actually use, because I love it so!

Well, lo and behold, the time has come. The official search for new design team members went out on the Cosmo blog...and I am rising to the occasion! Cosmo Cricket is right at the top of my Dream Team list. Why, you might ask? Well, here are some reasons...

1. As a frequent blog reader - I feel like Julie, Lindsay, and gang, are like family. They are fun, generous and all around super people - why wouldn't I want to design for them? They share their lives with us, and make the readers feel a part.
2. Cosmo CONTINUOUSLY produces collections that energize my inner mojo. In fact, my head is oozing with Cosmo ideas - I only wished I had more time to create them all!
3. Cosmo Cricket lines include EVERYTHING one needs to create a fabulous project - papers, alphabets, chipboard shapes, die-cuts, journaling cards, ribbons, rub-ons and more - are ALL available in one collection. I love complete, coordinated kits - scrapbooking could not get any easier than it does with Cosmo!
4. Choose your color palette - from subdued to bright, happy to elegant - whatever the mood of my photos, Cosmo has a line to compliment the subject at hand.
5. The cricket is my son's favorite insect, and I have come to know more about crickets than I ever dreamed. I love cricket song, and if I am fortunate, I scrap to its sound as one gets into our basement. (Better than a mouse, don't ya think, Lindsay?) I think scrapping with Cosmo Cricket to cricket "music" goes hand in hand. (LOL)

These are just some of the reasons I would love to design for Cosmo Cricket. But I am not fooling myself - the competition is going to be tough! I put my hat in the ring before and was disappointed. Flavia said, "If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again."

This blog is just one way of picking myself, and the pieces of my dream, back up and giving it my best shot. Projects you will see here will include projects I shared in my last DT attempt. I guess you could say I am just adding more pieces. How do you like my Cosmo collage blog banner? I created it using "pieces" of various Cosmo projects - I only regret that I have not yet opened my Early Bird collection!

To get this blog rolling, I have started off with a layout titled "Little Miss Sunshine". This layout had more hits and comments than perhaps any other layout I have ever created. Creating Keepsakes even featured it on their web page some time ago for its clever use of journaling cards.


Three Cosmo Cricket journaling cards are used in this layout. First, the title card. Secondly, two cards were used to create a window, complete with a valance using a Fiskars border punch.

My hopes in starting "Cosmo Cricket Creations" is that you will be inspired in using Cosmo products. Perhaps you will glean just one small idea from something I have done, or you might challenge yourself to think outside the box when it comes to using journaling cards or other Cosmo elements. For those of you who have been reading my original blog - many of these projects will be repeats. Consider this a Cosmo library if you will - a dedicated site to all things Cosmo.

If you love Cosmo Cricket - then I encourage you to subscribe to the feed for this new blog, as I have many Cosmo projects to share! Please share how you found this blog. When I reach my first 100 visitors - it will be time to celebrate with a RAK!