Finishing Up

We are finishing up the school year down here in Florida. Only 1 1/2 days left until the girls are home again for the summer - the best!!

I had a kindergarten teacher summon me last week asking for some ideas for an end of the year treat for her little ones. We were going for simple and quick! She mentioned having sidewalk chalk in her closet so we decided to go with a theme of "Fun in the Sun" and activities the children could use on their summer break.

She was kind enough to go that night and purchase some of the supplies we needed, including Miracle Bubbles and CD envelopes in bright colors.

As I packaged everything up I decided to make some colorful pinwheels to use as a clip-on for the bag decoration. (No sticks on these pinwheels so the kids are less likely to poke their eyes out.)

Here's what my bags looked like....although you can't see the goodies inside - they were too cute!

I used the CD envelopes as the template for the pinwheel and followed the basic instructions for cutting and connecting the "flags" of the pinwheel together with a brad.

Here is the back of the treat bag showing the clothespin clip which attaches the pinwheel using a medium-sized glue dot:

These were really simple and quick - just like we wanted!! Happy Summer!

Printables Make it Fun

I have a few projects in the works for some of my teacher friends and classmates at school. I knew what I wanted to make, but I wasn't sure about the tagging....but then, I found some really awesome printables for FREE and they were just what I was looking for...

First up is a teacher's gift for my daughter's 3rd grade teacher:

This is a really simple gift using an eco-friendly drink cup and some yummy lemonade single to-go packets. I also used a little bit of scrapbook paper and a stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

I found the idea here and knew I had to make one. Lisa's idea and printable made it so easy to put together really quickly. I found my cup at Walmart and the to-go singles can be found just about anywhere. In fact, these were on sale, so I decided to get two boxes, one for now and one for later. I wrapped the second box up in a glassine bag and decorated it with a sewn on topper. 

Next is a simple end of the year gift for my daughter's 3rd grade classmates. It did involve a little pre-planning to purchase the cello bags from here. They are a 1x8 size and fit regular-sized gumballs perfectly. (Mine are Carousel brand.)

To top off the gumballs bags, I used my scalloped die with this printable. Amanda has some AMAZING printables and I've just recently found her blog....where have I been? It was the perfect topper for my treats.

 20 down and 16 more to go....this is definitely an easy, and enjoyable treat to put together.

As always, if you have any questions just give me a shout! I wish you all a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend! Have fun!

We're Going Nuts

We're going nuts over here celebrating our teachers this week! I have a few small things planned, including this:

I've had this idea in my notebook for a while now, I think the original idea was posted in "Papercrafts" magazine some time back....here's my interpretation:

Begin with some basic supplies, including cello bags, scrapbook paper, pencil, adhesive and peanuts.

Next, I cut my solid colored paper to fit the outside of my cello bag and then I used a square-shaped die to cut a "window" out of the front of the cardstock.

To apply some adhesive, I ran it through my Xyron. 

I applied the cardstock to the cello bag and began decorating it with die cut letters and alphabet stickers. I also used a die cut scallop strip and some fun glossy stickers.

I filled it with peanuts (after sampling a few) and stapled it shut using my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (love that tool). And, just for fun, I added a colorful paperclip and a snippet of ribbon.

These will be fun to pass out and hopefully will provide the teachers with a yummy, unpredictable treat. Who doesn't like peanuts?

ETA: I'm linking over at Skip to My Lou today - first time!

Creating with Cosmo Cricket

I've mentioned Lulu on my blog before, but I'm mentioning her here again because she is offering up an awesome challenge in conjunction with her new design team gig at Cosmo Cricket. Be sure to check the challenge out by clicking here. Well, I decided to play along by creating this card:

I went to my stash and grabbed my favorite sheets of "Girl Friday" patterned papers. I absolutely love all the designs in this line and have hoarded many of these pages for quite some time. I put it to use with some solid cardstock from Stampin' Up and Papertrey Ink along with a Spellbinders die, Papertrey's Banner Builder dies, Martha Stewart's butterfly punch and some Twinery twine.

Here is a picture of the card sketch I followed:

This was a fun challenge and I thought this card would make a cute mailbox stuffer to brighten someone's day. I hope you like it!!

Enjoying

some card making time lately...and I had a few to catch up on so that's always good when you can get two things accomplished at once!! I'm all about multi-tasking!!

Here's what I put together:

This card was made using a stamp set from Close to My Heart that I purchased while attending the Orlando scrapbook convention a few weeks ago. I had an idea in my head when I started the card, however I'm not sure this is exactly what I envisioned. Can you tell the circles are buttons? I'm not sure they "scream" buttons the way I had hoped they would. This stamp set is called, "Buttoned Together."

Next is a card I made using some Crate Paper die cuts. This is actually a thank you card, but the "Hello" sentiment from Papertrey Ink fit perfectly so I used it instead. I love that ledger paper background stamp from Jenni Bowlin.

And last is a simple card I put together for a group of ladies at my Mom's church. I attended a really nice class on canning and preserving food and they did such a wonderful job with the presentation and the food afterwards I wanted to make sure they knew how much I appreciated their efforts. I found this Mason jar stamp a long time ago at a garage sale (for $1.00) and was excited to put it to good use. I wanted to take a really simple approach (no distressing on this one) because I know what my Mom's taste is like and I thought the other ladies would have the same point of view. After I finished it I thought that maybe next time I might try masking the jar and stamping a pretty background of some kind. Isn't it funny what you think about when you finish something? If there were only more hours in the day...

The little tag says, "thanks so much."

That's it....I'll see you guys later!!

Easter Happenings

It took me a long time to "get into" Easter this year. I don't know why, maybe because both of my girls decided they didn't want to hunt eggs this year, or maybe because lately I've either been working or volunteering at school and our weekends have been busy....not much free time = not much time for holiday crafting and decorating around the house.  We all know the drill, but I did manage to sneek some time in for a few things: 

This is the "one and only" Easter card I made for a special friend. I had the idea floating around in my head for a while and one night when I couldn't sleep I got up and quietly put this together in my craft room while everyone slept.  I made an egg-shaped template and die cut a bunch of scalloped strips using my Big Shot. I layered and adhered the strips on the egg template until it was covered and then simply flipped it over to the back and cut along the outside. Other cardstock includes Stampin' Up's Very Vanilla and patterned paper from a scrap stash that I bought at a garage sale for $1.00. The sentiment stamp is from Kitchen Sink stamps (another garage sale purchase).

Next is a little treat that I found on the internet somewhere....it was something so different I had to make a few of them to pass out:

It is called "Bunny Hop Pop" and when I saw it, it was one of those times when I thought, "How did they think of that?" It just goes to show that there are so many talented and creative people in this big old world of ours. Anyways, it is made using an orange soda and simply covering the outside with decorative paper, adding a green top to the lid using hot glue and finishing it off with a ribbon and tag. I will definitely be making more of those for next year.

I also made 20 more of these little critters for my 3rd grade class:

Although we kept it gender generic by not adding the beauty mark and bow they turned out super cute! I was so excited to get them boxed up and delivered I forgot to snap a finishing picture.

I think I may check out some submission calls and get myself geared up for a few days off and maybe some creative time squeezed into my busy schedule. I also have a Mother's Day craft that I want to share as soon as I get some cute pictures. Another idea I'm borrowing and it's a cute one too!

Just a few...

...cards that I've made recently. No reason for these particular cards, just felt like being creative.

First up is a birthday card I'm sure I'll put to good use one day:

This card was made using some of my favorites by Stampin' Up including Melon Mambo and Real Red cardstock. I also added some jewels and a strip of patterned paper from my scrap stash.

Next up is a wedding card I made during to donate to our school's card stash. I was using a stash of scraps and loved how the colors went together.

I also added a mixture of Spellbinders dies along with a sentiment stamp from Papertrey and my scalloped edge punch. This one was really out of my norm as far as colors go, but I was pleased with how it turned out.

Convention Shopping

My family headed to Orlando this past weekend to hang out and for me to attend the Scrapbook Expo convention being held at the Gaylord Palms Resort. I arrived on Friday (early) and shopped until the late afternoon. Although I heard mixed reviews about the Expo I had a good time, even with going by myself. There were lots of ladies to talk with and I even made a few new (fast) friends.  The show floor was crowded, the demo lines were long and the checkout areas very slow, so you really had to bring your patience to the arena.

I thought I would share a few of my favorite finds. I really didn't buy that much, I mainly went for the experience and just to spend the day in the crafting environment.

Here are a few of my goodies:

This pennant die was the first thing I saw that I knew, instantly, that I wanted to purchase. It is made by Lifestyle Crafts which I think is designed very similar to the QuicKutz dies because they look identical. I haven't used it yet, but intend to get it cranking this weekend.

Next up are some stamps from Jenni Bowlin. These were sold in a booth from Scrap Yard.

The last stamp is a "receipt" stamp which I thought would make a great background stamp. I used it on this card yesterday:

I also hit a booth called the "Dollar Depot" at the end of the day. I browsed around and found these great assortment of stickers by Creative Imaginations. Their booth was sooooo crowded, I think I stood in line for about 30 minutes just to check out, but we always love having cute stickers around to attach to tags and such.

I think I'll be using those Easter stickers tomorrow to make a few crafty things for the holiday.

Take care and I'll see you later!!

We are headed...

to this gorgeous place for a few days!!

The girls have an extra day off from school, so we thought we would head out of town and have some fun.

I found out that the Scrapbook Expo is being held in Orlando this weekend also (beginning Friday), so we thought we would make it a family affair. My hubby will keep the girls busy while I am checking out the convention.

I can't wait to see what's new and what's going on down in Mickey Mouse land. I'll keep you updated!!

Where do I begin? A bunch o' stuff...

You know, once in a while I get a little down...I start thinking about this blog and I wonder, "Does anyone really care if I post or not?" I think we all have "visions" when we start a blog, and sometimes the visions become a reality and sometimes they do not. I don't know where I'm going with all of this, I usually don't get this "philosphical" on my blog, and I don't mean to sound like a downer....just letting you know what my thoughts have been. Anyways, I understand and totally get that to become a famous blogger it requires a lot of time, a lot of skill (great photos are a huge bonus) and a lot of dedication. Some days I have it and some days I don't. Some days I want to focus on the fun stuff and some days I want to focus on the required stuff....chores, paying bills, grocery shopping, homework -- you get it. So, that is basically my "excuse" for where I have been and what I've been up to. But, in a positive light, a few weeks ago I got the sweetest e-mail from someone I admire and have admired for a long time....I've never met her, but I think she's super talented, super sweet and I deeply appreciate the fact that she reached out to me during a time when I was thinking, "does it matter?" If you've never been to Laura Craigie's blog, you MUST check it out....she's been on a roll lately and has many accomplishments attached to her sweet name. I would love to be half as talented...

Here's some of what I've been busy with lately:

This is a card I made for a friend using some scraps, SU cardstock, the Teeny Tags stamp set, scallop border punch, Fiskars edge punch, the Outlines alphabet stamp set from Papertrey Ink and a Martha Stewart butterfly punch. Can you tell that punches are my favorite tools to use?

Next up a little card I made for my sister:

This was a quick card I made using a Hero Arts bicycle stamp. (My sister gave my daughter a bike and I wanted to send a thank-you card.) The patterned paper was from my stash, but I think it's from Hobby Lobby's brand. I also used the Apron Lace border punch and the Teeny Tags stamp set.

I've also been working on a few Easter treat samples. I'm not sure what I'm going to go with yet so I just make one or two of something and then I decide.

This is a fun egg-shaped tote that is just small enough to make with one piece of 8x11 paper but big enough to fill with some fun treats. (I actually made these last year.)

This was an easy craft using a piece of cardstock and a piece of vinyl. I punched the holes using my Crop-a-Dile and then cinched it together using purple organza ribbon. I also made another version using clear vinyl on both sides and stitched it together using pink thread and my sewing machine. (Sorry the photo isn't the best quality.)

I think both of these would work much better using flat M&M's (the plain version) but for Easter, the plain version is made in an egg shape. Who would have thunk such a thing? (is thunk a word???)

And, one of my favorite Easter treats is a non-sweet treat....I shared these last year but thought I would re-post a picture:

Easter "carrots" made using Cheetos (or you could use Goldfish crackers) and piping bags from Wilton. These were a huge hit in my 2nd grade class.

And, just in case you're interested, here are a few things I've done in the last few days (things that I've actually managed to take pictures of):

I've long admired a turquoise and red necklace worn by another blogger (that I visit daily) and I've never been able to find one like it....so, yesterday I gathered the supplies and made one all by myself!! I was shocked that it took less than 15 minutes and turned out just the right length and exactly how I envisioned it.  Yahoo!!

Next up, I thought I would share a fabulous bread that we've been making lately. I got the recipe from another blog (what we would do without blogs?) and it's fantastic! In my quest to get my family on a healthier eating path this Oatmeal Bread will be making an appearance quite often at my dinner table.

That's it for now...I promise to be a better blogger, but thanks in advance for your patience and understanding! Bloggers and blog readers are the best!!

Papertrey - Color Challenge

Today's challenge on the Papertrey blog was to pick a color combo from a favorite designer and create your own project using those combinations. I loved the colors chosen by Lisa Johnson, and I had the same cardstock and ribbon to match.

The colors I chose were Pure Poppy, Kraft, Spring Rain and Vintage Cream.

I also went to my Bitty Boxes paper pad and used a Spring Rain paper from that selection.

Stamp sets I used include the Make a Wish sentiment set along with Heather's Library Ledger set which I used to create a background design.

The focal point for my card is a "Wish" bingo card from a Jenni Bowlin pack I've had in my stash for quite a while. I loved how the colors popped on the main background. I hope you liked it!!