A few cards in May

 
One of the guys at school is having twins so I made a card for the office group's gift. I printed the sentiment on my computer. The papers and the footprint ribbon are from Hobby Lobby and I think the papers were in a baby stack from DCWV. The stars are from a sticker set by Doodlebug Design.

One of the student teachers is having a baby but her student-teaching is done before she has the baby. So, I made this card for her early. Baby girl, elephant, and flowers stickers are from a sticker set by Doodlebug Design. The gingham paper is from the same DCWV stack I used for the boy papers above.

Another student teacher, who was student-teaching in 4th grade, was done this week and I gave him this one. The foil paper was difficult to photography so you get 2 views.  The inside sentiment was a sticker that said "Fulfill your Destiny", which was a sticker set by Creative Imaginations. He thought it was a fun card. 

A second student teacher will be done soon so I gave out everyone's cards the same day. Our school mascot is a rocket so I found this paper in a Boys will be Boys stack (from Hobby Lobby). I found the two yellows and the blue paper in my scraps pile. Gold stars were pop-dotted on the card and they were left over from last year's graduation cards. The "Reach for the Stars" quote is made by Inkadinkdo and I'm pretty sure it is from Hobby Lobby too. I used a Unity Stamp on the inside with the sentiment "follow your passion, let that be your destination", which really fit this student teacher as she was very passionate about teaching and had lots of ideas.

This rocket paper is a scrap from the pile as are most of the other papers too. The "Reach for the Stars" sticker was part of a graduation sticker set from last year. The inside sentiment was the same Inkadinkdo stamp as the above and I used a small Congrats stamp below the quote. This was for the third student teacher in the building. The 2 girls were student-teaching in the 3rd grade and they usually ate lunch when I did. I wish them the best of luck in their teaching careers. 

Scrapbook Mystery series

I finished this book last week. Joanna Campbell Slan's Kiki mysteries are fast paced and you-don't-want-to-put-them-down books. This one is the latest in the series, just recently published. The school where Kiki's daughter attends is having a special May Day dance/celebration when shooting occurs, causing panic with everyone. A major benefactor to the school is killed. 

Now, what does this have to do with scrapbooking?? Kiki scrapbooks, works in a scrapbook shop, actually a part owner (very minor owner), and makes elegant scrapbooks for clients. Kiki did a scrapbook for the school'scelebration. This mystery book is a lively one and contains scrapbook tips and ideas. You can also find the author on Facebook and her own blogs. She wrote a few book about journaling and storytelling for scrapbookers before becoming a mystery writer. Amazon.com has many of her books.

Album of Amanda's Bridal Shower at Table 7

Table 7 had a bridal shower at Archiver's for Amanda last month. I got photos from the others and made an  8x8" album for her.  I used lots of pinks, bling, and some images I had. The album is cute but I wanted to share just a few layouts with you. The first two pages are a double layout, using stamps from Art Impressions' Girlfriends. I love the girlfriends as Table 7 can identify with the girlfriends sets. On this layout, I used the crop queen, coloring it with colored pencils. We are so used to rushing to Table 7 after work on Fridays so we can chat, vent, eat, and, oh, crop! We do look a bit like the Crop Queen but she brings less stuff than we do. LOL. I used the Enjoy life from Stampin' Up, that I bought at an Expo, where a Stampin' Up lady was selling some of her stamp sets. Archiver's had a stamp "I Love Archiver's" for a while but I'm not sure they still do or not. I had the image so I popped it on the page. The second page has the girlfriends "Picture Perfect" set. I used my Copic Markers on this image and I liked how it came out. I'm getting better with the shading but still can't use the blending pen. I stamped the saying from the same set. It says "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all." That is true with Table 7. I did use the Girlfriend Blend set on another layout but no photo of that. Hopefully, I'll get the image on a card soon.

Amanda got a pineapple cutter and, of course, a pineapple. I was at Hobby Lobby later the next week and found the cute pineapple stamp in the clearance aisle. I used my Zig markers on the stamp to get the two colors on the image before stamping it. Fortunately, I found 2 stamps so I can give it to Amanda and still have one myself. :) I loved the paper (can't remember who makes it) and I had some ribbon that matched it perfectly. The ribbon has gold threads in it and jazzed up the layout nicely.

This last layout has hearts and cake stamps from a set Sister got at Michael's for 90 cents! The bridal set was regularly $9.99 so she found a real deal! Teresa made the beautiful towel cake. It has 6 washcloths, 6 hand towels and 5 bath towels in it. She had one more bath towel next to the cake as it didn't fit in the cake.  She topped it with a pair of wine glasses with a bridal veil and tux on them. Very cute!! She made 2 diaper cakes a few weeks ago that had Disney characters on them.

Cards I completed on National Scrapbook Day

I purchased the Windmill from Stamper's Best to use on my travel pages from my trip to

 the Netherlands. That was a great trip! I had extra which have been sitting on my table for awhile.

 I used papers from DCWV Heirloom stack.

I was working an a bridal shower album and had pinks and greens left over. The teddy bears are a Martha Stewart punch and the sayings "If I've learned anything in my 29 years, it's lie about your age" and "Happy Birthday" are from Art Impressions Girlfriends "Out to Lunch" set. I love the Girlfriends. I have slowly been getting the sets when I have a coupon at Archiver's. I have colored the girlfriends using Copic markers or colored pencils. I usually color while I watch TV with the hubby. He doesn't like me hiding in my scrapbook room all the time.

I had some chipboard pieces and some journal blocks on my scrapbook table but I'm not sure

 where I got them. I used Queen and Co. twine on the card.

The art is from a make and take from Archiver's a while back.

 I had a scrap of ribbon and a flower that just seemed to go with this art so 

I was finally able to make a card with it.

I loved this bear from Whipper Snapper Designs. I used my Copic markers on the image. I think he looks good but when I color the rest of the images, I'm using a bit lighter colors on him. 

I ordered some new colors from Oozak, where I get my Copic markers, 

but I haven't decided which ones to use yet.. 

I used a bit of Queen and Co. twine for the balloon string. 

The paper is from DCWV Celebration stack.

I made this card for a teacher who is retiring at school. They had a luncheon for him the day before

 Cinco de Mayo so I made a quick card for him. 

This paper was from We R Memory Keepers Fiesta stack.

 I thought I was giving a teacher some paper from the stack but wound up giving her the whole stack. 

It was a steal at TJ Maxx at $7.99. The only one too. 

I made a bunch of this cards earlier in the week. The teddy bear stamp is from a set I purchased while I was in Russia. I'm sure they are in the USA but I hadn't seen them before. The only English on the package says Mr. Painter. I got 2 different sets of teddy bears but both were Mr. Painter's. I found them in a small shop that sold several different craft items. Most of the scrapbook items were from US. The items all fit in one glass counter-high display case with a bit on the wall behind the case. They displayed the scrapbook paper in plastic sleeves with a book ring on the collection and you pulled what you wanted out of the sleeve. I Knew that I would not be able to bring paper back in my suitcase so I just bought the 2 stamp set and a smaller stamp from Milton & Co. from UK. It is a little bear pushing a wheelbarrow filled with flowers.

National Scrapbook Day , May 5,2012

National Scrapbook Day May 5, 2012 I cropped at Archiver's on Friday night. There were only 4 of us cropping at the store last night although they were expecting all spots would be filled on Sat.). We pushed 2 tables together so we could still chat as we worked on our projects on a half a table each. I shopped at Michael's and Archiver’s this morning, enjoying a Chipotle burrito lunch with hubby for Cinco de Mayo. In the afternoon, I cleaned up my scrapbook room and organized some new paper. I have ribbon to organize too and the craft table to find. I have several 8x8" pages (that I did Friday night) to put in an album for a gift, from the bridal shower we had at Achiver's 2 Fridays ago. Unhappily, the punch I received in the mail today was the wrong one and I had to chat with customer service about that problem. I'm completing last week's layout for my Project Life 365. I have this week's pictures uploaded and ordered for pick-up tomorrow so I can complete the week's layout on Sunday afternoon. Also tomorrow, I need to box a bunch of cards to send to OWH, a wreath to make for school with rockets and red, white and blue flowers, and find a new way to organize my stamp collection. Yep, it's been a good weekend. And yes, I still made dinner tonight and did a bunch of laundry. :) I did forget to watch the Kentucky Derby, though.

Project Life 365 in 2012

I started taking a photo a day at the beginning of the year. I found it online as Project 365, Project Life 2012, and a couple other names. I combined the titles into my own title. It has been fun to take photos of random events, out of the ordinary thoughts, and fun facts. I have had a hard time getting a photo some days with my new job and the darkness of winter. But other days, I get lots of photos. But spring is here and I hope to get out more often now.

The project has been thought provoking because it makes me wonder more about the shots I take. Additionally, I take photos more carefully too. It has encouraged me to get out of my rut driving from home to school and back again. As I drive around town, I see something that would be a great photo but I can't stop to take a picture right then. That's frustrating. But I'll keep that picture idea in my head and later in the week, I'll take to find a way to get the picture. I found myself observing the world around with a different outlook, wondering how the observation could develop into a picture. The project makes me notice things more like the trees that were cut down near the cemetery. The trees were huge and very old and suddenly they were gone. The city had to cut them down before the trees fell down in the next storm due to the disease and bugs within the trees.

Many of my Project's photos are of objects and things as my kids are away at college and I work in a school where I can't take students' photos. I have been photographing cookies and other food. I have found that I need better lighting for my indoor photos. I don't like the glow of the new energy light bulbs or the flash of my point and shoot camera as the flash is too harsh and yet, the flashless option is too yellow.

I also need to find a better way to crop and edit my photos. I thought I was at one time to edit and correct my photos on my computer. But my laptop sends my photos to Paint and I can't edit there as I did on my old computer. I need to ask my geeks in the family to help me find better ways to edit and crop my photos before I upload the photos to Shutterfly or Walgreens, which both of these have editing features.

I look forward to Spring finally arriving here. The spring flowers, the robins hopping around, kids with kites at the park, enjoying the first picnic at the park. Below are a few of my Project Life 365 2012 pictures.

Sunday Breakfast with hubby and hot chocolate

Sunset on the first 50 degree day in February.

Bluejacket Hockey game we went to as Early Valentine's Day date

One of the old trees cut down in front of the cemetery I pass every day to and from work.

Ace dog

McDonald's Shamrock Shake - Yum!!!

"What to Scrapbook?"

I ran into a friend the other day. We hadn't seen each for a while due to new jobs, kids are married or at college, and life in general. She chatted about her new grandchildren and what her kids were up to. I gave updates about my kids and their moves. Then I mentioned that I still scrapbook on Friday nights. She asked what I scrapbook now that the kids were gone from home. I was surprised by the question. Am I to only scrapbook kids, and their sports, dances, and other fun? Another friend quizzed me, asking if I was "caught up" with my scrapbooks. She quilts and her fabric stash is a bit bigger than my paper stash and she is still quilting.

While I don't scrapbook my kids' activities as I once did, I still scrapbook. I scrapbook my trips, our holidays, our fun like the night at the hockey game or the weekend at the State Park. I am sure I'll be scrapbooking for my kids again as they marry and finally have their own kids. But for now, I still scrapbook. I still make cards for my friends and family. I still add to my stash of paper, stamps, ink pads, ribbons, and tools. I still love to be in my scrapbook and cut, glue, glitter, sticker for an hour or 3. My hubby still startles me every time he walks in the scrapbook room because I'm so intent on my creating that I don't hear him come in the room. I love to get my Cricut ans cut shapes and letters for my layouts or projects at school.

I love to scrapbook and can't imagine my life without creating layouts, cards, and other crafty things.

I loved this image from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HOvCZpW293WqXCUwuqVNvG_KBgZ8W2ELWuVe-6Zrkrgq859VQIFDKChWESfmfYUmmfTMypf7nkzHAds4HCvHqg3tN-wCVs3N_RLEKY08cWRSOb6vPB1z-NchS86k2Z4R5Zb3OzCtSlU/s1600/digital+stamp+craft+basket.jpg as it sums my love of scrapbooking.


Happy Scrapping!

Treat Thursdays

I really like to bake. Cookies, cupcakes, breads, cakes. But if I bake it, I eat it all! Oh, my hubby will have a few cookies but not many. On Wednesdays, I bake something good and take it on Thursdays to school for the staff to enjoy. On Treat Thursdays, they have enjoyed my favorite coffeecake - Tennessee Blueberry Coffeecake, a new recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes ( I even made a batch using Splenda, which folks thought were as good as the real sugar recipe), and lots of different cookies. A few staff have missed out on the treats and have lamented that fact. I have learned to bag a few treats in little snack bags for some of the people who get the school in the afternoon. Everyone looks forward so much to Treat Thursdays that I have people asking on Mon or Tues. what the treat will be on Thurs. Sometimes, the treat will be holiday theme such as the green eggs and ham cookies for Dr. Seuss's Birthday/Read Across America or the Pecan Praline Cookies for Mardi Gras day. Sometimes the treat is whatever is in my pantry that I bake something with. I baked sugar cookies from a Costco mix but added a bit more vanilla and some dried orange peel. The staff was impressed with the easy cookies. Some of the recipes are family favorites from my old Betty Crocker Cooky Book and cookbooks on my shelves while other recipes are found online.

The green eggs and ham cookies.

Thick fudgy brownies.

Pecan Praline Cookies