30,000 Visitor Blog Candy!!

Hi Blogland. Who'da thunk that when we started our little Blog some 18 Months or so ago now (seems longer some how!!) that we would have had 30 visitors!, let alone 30,000!!So, to celebrate this mile stone I am giving away some Blog Candy!!
Firstly, I appreciate that not everyone has been bitten by the Cricut bug (why not?). So it's an either/or Blog Candy! So you have Two chances of winning!
I am giving away a rare Cricut Cartridge called "Straight from the Nest". This is a brand new cartridge and has not been used and therefore has not be copied to a Gypsy Machine! The other Candy is for those who may not have a Cricut and have been bitten by the Cuttle"bug". It is a selection of Cuttlebug Embossing Folders Called Cindy Loo... All comments left between now and the 28th February 2011 will be entered into a random draw to win one of the prizes.
On the 01st of March 2011 I will make the draw and let you all know who won.. As it is an either/or draw, when leaving a comment state Cricut, Cuttlebug or both at the start of your comment so that I can put you in the right draw! I guess there's little point in someone winning a Cricut Cartridge they can't use! The draw is open to everyone and the prizes will be posted to you wherever you are in the world.
So good luck everyone and thanks for visiting us!
That all said and done, shall we get on with some crafting!!?I made this project for no other reason than to play with one of the new Martha Stewart Deep Edger Punches and a couple of the new Marianne Designs dies.As you know, photography is not my best attribute and I have tried to get the best pictures I can, but it's only in the flesh that you can really appreciate the true elegance that the punch and dies have created, albeit with a little help from me!!
So, here's a step by step how it was made. Grab a cuppa, it's ganna be a long one!To start with I punched a border into some A3 Cream coloured card stock using the Martha Stewart Scroll Heart Trim (M42-70034).I then scored at 4" intervals and folded the punched border into a box shape.This was done twice, one for the top and one for the bottom.Next, I cut 4 strips from the same card stock, 11" in length and 1/2" wide.I scored down the middle of each strip and folded them in half length ways.And then applied them into the four corners of each "heart box".
At this point I was tempted to add some Acetate to the "windows" but looking back I'm glad that I didn't as the finished project looks great just as it is and I don't think the Acetate would have done it any favours!.As I was planning to hang something within the box I needed a lid and a base so I cut 2 pieces of card 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"and scored 1/4" in from each edgeand folded in the sides to form a shallow box.One for the topand one for the bottom!So, that's base done, now on to the cage in the middle.
You may recall I made something similar to this project at about this time last year? Back then I used the Cricut, but this time a decided to use a Bird Cage die (LR0146) from Marianne Designs.
These dies work in most leading manufactures machines, such as the Sizzix Big Shot, Spellbinders Grand Calibur and of course the Cuttlebug. If you are using them in the CB, then here's the combination "sandwich" you will need to cut and emboss the dies.Start off with an A and B plate,your card stock and die,then add your C plate and pass through your machine.To emboss you will still use your A and B plates. Turn the the die over keeping the card stock in place.Add your No Shims Mat and this time add another B plate and pass through your machine.Once you take the card stock out of the die it will be cut and embossed.You will need four of the images to make up the cage.To make the cage dimensional I added a tab to one of the sides using Glossy Accents and attached the next side of the cageuntil they were all connected.I then folded all the sidesand connected the last two pieces together,finishing off the cage by gluing the tops togetherone by one.Now for the heart to hang inside the cage. I used the Marianne Designs Creatables Heart (LR0159) cutting it out twice in Gold Mirror card.The process to cut and emboss this die is exactly the same as when the cages were cut out,but when cutting the second heart turn your card stock over so you cut in reverse,so that when the Gold side is facing up backed to the first heart the images match up, OK the back heart will be debossed as opposed to embossed but at least the images will match and I doubt that anyone would notice or care that one side is embossed and one side is debossed.Before gluing the two pieces together I added a length of threadand then hung it in the centre of the cage.And then placed it inside the tower...Phew, are you still with me? I said it was going to be a long one!I then cut out a couple of the heart shapes in Cream card stock,this time hanging them from the top of the tower.Last but by no means least I printed my sentiment onto the same Cream card stock, cutting it out with a Spellbinders Tag before applying it to the top of the project.And that's it!Here are a couple of close ups to try and show the true dimension of this project!

Well done if you made it this far, and don't forget to leave your comment to be in with a chance to win some great Blog candy.
See you soon.
@ndy