Birthday Cards

Today I had the pleasure of scrappin with my girls! My goal was to work on a scrap book of all of the classes I have taught over the last 5 years (I've been teaching for 6 but this year's photos haven't come in yet.) I am making a few pages for each year. The first layout features the class picture on the left page and comments, memories, and quotes from the kids on the right side. The following layouts will feature pictures and things from the students in that class. Unfortunately, since the layouts features minors, I am not able to post pictures. But just know that they are really cute. :)

Well, I was well on my way when I was suddenly inspired by the projects my cousins were working on. One of my cousins was embossing a really cute butterfly stamp. My other cousin was distressing her project. The lightbulb popped on in my head! I wanted to emboss AND distress the stamp! First I stamped the butterfly stamp on plain white paper. Then I embossed the stamp with holographic embossing powder. Next I took my distressing tool and purple distress ink and I inked all around the image. I cut out the image with a Spellbinder. I made the base of the card and the background piece. I used a big ticket punch on the corners of the background piece. I popped up the image with foam squares and attached it to the base. I stamped the greeting on a scrap
piece of the base paper and cut the edges to make a sideways flag. I attached it to the base too. Then I got out my secret weapons.... STICKLES! I Stickled all around the edge of the image. I also glammed up the middles of the butterflies and all of the flower buds. Then I Stickled around the edges of the greeting. I added a few gems to bring it all together.

These cards were pretty simple to make and yet oh so fun!

I hope everyone has an inspired day full of crafting!

Gift Card Holders

A while ago, my mother-in-law showed me a gift card holder that she made. Since then I've been playing with different designs. I finally found one that I like!

Last year at the Great Lakes Mega Meet, I won a drawing. The gift was a die set that made envelopes and tags. I must admit that I wasn't really excited about it at the time because I didn't see an immediate use for it. But like a lot of things, I just tucked it away in my craft room. A few months ago, my friend Ange and I were trying to figure out how to make the gift card holders with the things we already had in our rooms (we were really trying hard to not go out and buy a bunch of stuff). I remembered the die set! After examining it and Ange asking, "Why haven't we played with this before?" we realized that we had the solution to our ponderings!

Yesterday I finally got the chance to use it. I created these 3 gift card holders in no time at all.

Fleuffy Scarf!

My mother-in-law recently taught me how to make these fun fluffy scarves! I call them fleuffy because it sounds more fun than fluffy. I'm addicted! I've already made 3 different ones. Each time I make one, I try a different count pattern. This scarf is what I call a 4 count. I made it while sitting on my cough watching "The Christmas Story" on Christmas day. I have enough to make a few more scarves, and I can't wait!

Christmas is on It's Way!

Feels like forever since my last post. I've been crafting like a maniac! My friends and I have decided to take things to the next level. Today we attempted to sell some of our items at the local Farmer's Market. Things went pretty well. I'll be posting some of my latest creations later tonight.

Yee Haw, Maties!

Okay... So this card started out as a joke and actually turned out cute - well a lot cuter than I had expected. A while ago, my mother-in-law took a class that was supposed to teach Cricut techniques. The instructor had the class make this hideous squirrel card. No matter what my mother-in-law did, there was NO saving that card. When we all got together, she showed us the card and we laughed and laughed about how awful it was. While we were carrying on, my friend's hubby came to see what we were up to. He saw the card and legitimately liked it! Soon he was the recipient of the awful card. It's been a joke since then. So for Douggie's birthday I made him this card! The Yee Haw Maties was inspired by a friend who posted a hilarious story about kids playing a game at recess. It too has become a running joke between my friend and I! So I guess you could say this card has been brought to you inside jokes and a whole lot of laughs!

Hope you enjoy it and get a laugh out of it like we did!

Desk Top Helper

I saw something similar to this on the Internet and modified it to my liking. I wish I could remember where I originally saw it but it's been too long. I have made smaller versions of this before and gave them away as presents. However, I soon realized that a bigger one would be better so I finally made this one for myself. I found some PVC couplings at my local hardware store. I cut paper to fit around them. I used double sided tape to get the paper to stick. Then I hot glued the pieces together. I hot glued the pieces on the seams on each piece so I could hide them. I glued them in sets of 2 and then made them into this. I added the ribbon and a brad for the finishing touches!

You can arrange them any way you like. This set up has 4 large and 8 small holders. You can use it to store any of your favorite glues, glitter glues, markers, etc. I have storage containers that I keep everything in but I like to keep this on my desk so I can keep all of my stuff within reach when I'm working on a project.

This is the second thing I've finished today! I'm on a roll!

Quick Fix!

I have been trying to get to this and today was finally the day! My mother-in-law gave me these containers some time ago. I am using them to store my paper flowers. I wanted to jazz them up and also make a quick way to distinguish which color is in which container. So I used the hot glue gun to add some ribbon around the container. Then I added a flower from each container to the outside for quick color reference. Wham! Bam! Quick and painless- just the way I like it!

Stay tuned for more projects from this weekend! Its been a busy one!

Good Morning!

Today was another beautiful start to the day! I filled my tumbler with coffee, bundled up, and the dog and I set out for another very brisk morning walk! The weather sure has changed up here and it was quite chilly today. (I even put on a hat and gloves.) We walked for nearly an hour, and it was incredible! Rain is definitely on the horizon so I did not want to wait. The next couple of days are supposed to be quite soggy. My poor dog didn't really get out much last week either due to the weather and me working incredibly long days. I mean, after working 12 hours straight, who cares about getting out for a walk? All I wanted to do was sit down and enjoy some peace and quiet. So today I decided to start the day off right! After walking, my allergy meds had finally kicked in and I could breathe again. The coffee had kicked in and I was very much so awake! And my mind was cleared and ready for the day! I think I should start every day sipping coffee as I walk the dog. Too bad winter is coming soon. I wish I could take the dog to the gym and walk him on a treadmill with me as I sip coffee. Wouldn't that be awesome! Don't see it happening though. :)

On today's agenda is cleaning out my craft room. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are supposed to come stay with me next weekend for a girl's weekend filled with crafting! If I can stay motivated, hopefully the room will be cleaned today and then maybe tomorrow I can do some crafting!

Stop back by and see if I get anything fun done this weekend! Hope you have a wonderfully crafty day!

Fall Gate Cards

Here is the next set of cards that were inspired by my brisk morning walk the other day!

On the Heartfelt Creations site, they have several gate cards. I looked at their cards for inspiration and then made them my own! I guess you could say I'm a "scrap lifter".

To make the cards I cut the base in a rectangle. I cut it 10 x 6 1/8. I scored it at 2.5 and 7.5 to make the folds for the front flaps. I cut the top and each of the front flaps with the Layered Elegant Swirl Die from Heartfelt Creations. I used the same die set to cut the patterned paper to go inside the base. I didn't cut it correctly so I had to improvise on the front flaps. I actually cut the swirls off of the paper and glued them into place. I cut the patterned paper straight and glued it to the bottom of each flap. My mistake left a gap between the bottom piece and the swirls. I used some good old ribbon to cover it up! Good as new and no one knew I messed up!

I then stamped and colored the pumpkins and leaves. They too are ....you guessed it.... Heartfelt stamps. They belong to my friend Ange. I colored them with my Spectrum Noir markers. I used CR10, OR1, and DG4 for the pumpkins and OR1, DR3, and GB4 for the leaves. After I colored and cut them out, I popped them up with pop dots. I covered the leaves with Glossy to make them look realistic. I used some orange Stickles on the pumpkins to make them sparkle!

I got tired of trying to cut out the leaves so on the last 2 cards, I used Raffia to make hay stalks and to put some hay on the ground. I tied ribbon around the stalks and glued them into place!

These cards took a long time to make because I kept on messing up. However, I think they turned out great! The ladies at work loved them today when I showed the cards to them.

Hope you feel inspired! I'm off to grade papers and hopefully get a few more cards started tonight! Happy Scrappin!

Christmas Lights

Here is the last of the 12 cards I created this weekend! Yes, I said 12 cards. I started on Friday after work and finished last night. There was a lot of craftin going on in my world this weekend!

I bought this super cute House Mouse stamp a few months ago! I love Christmas and House Mouse! It was simply a "must have" as my friend Ange and I would say.

I cut the base at 6.25 x 9 and folded it in half. I cut the Happy Holidays paper at 6 x 4.25. I used a big ticket punch on the corners. Then I attached it to the base.

I cut a 1.5 x 6 inch strip of green out of the scraps I had from cutting the bases. Then I cut a 1.5 x 6 inch strip of the present paper. I used an EK Success punch to punch the top and bottom sides of the present paper. I attached the presents on top of the green. Then I attached them both to the base.

I stamped the mice and colored them with my Spectrum Noir markers. This is the most shading and blending I
have done so far! My skills are definitely improving! I'm not amazing but I'm getting better. Coloring these guys while watching football was sooo relaxing! I colored the mice with TN4, TN6, BG2, BG4, FS2, FS3, and CR2. I colored the lights with JG3, CG4, CR11, TB5, and CT4.

I cut around the mice by hand - removing as much of the excess paper as I could. Then I used a Spellbinder to cut the polka dot paper.

To make them pop out, I used pop dots under the polka dot paper and under the mice. I used Glossy on the little lights to make them look more realistic. I went around the edge of the polka dot shape with Holly Stickles to give it some sparkle!

Once assembled, I felt like the card still needed a bit more 'bling' so I added the jewels to the corners. Now it was finished!

The mice took a bit to color but these cards were quick to assemble. I plan on using the same House Mouse stamp for more cards so check back with me to see how else I become inspired!

This is the original card that I made.

I liked my original card but something was missing. I decided it needed something to make it stand out more. This is the updated card. Can you see the difference?

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a craft filled day!

Fall Inspiration!

Okay.... Here is my latest and greatest! The other day I posted about my inspiring walk. Although the ideas were swirling in my head I was not able to get my creativity out because I had a looonnnggg day of conferences. I got a few things accomplished between conferences but not nearly enough. Luckily Friday was the next day, and I took advantage of the weekend starting!

The card base is 6 1/4 x 9 - folded in half. I cut the green polka dot paper at 6 x 4 1/4. I punched the edges of the paper with a large ticket punch and adhered it to the base.

The sun flowers are a Heartfelt Creations stamp. I colored them with my Spectrum Noir markers - GB5, CT2, and CT4. My friend Ange gave me that combo of colors. After I colored and cut out the flowers, I curled them with my curling tool. Then I glued them on top of each other and used a combination of glue and pot dots to make them look 3D.

The leaves are also a Heartfelt Creations stamp that I recently purchased. I loved it but I wasn't sure how I was going to use it until my wonderful walk!

I stamped the leaf stamp 2 times for each card. I colored the leaves with DR3, OR1, and GB4. I cut around one of the stamps - the leaves and the swirls. I cut just the leaves out of the second stamp set. I used my curling tool to curl the leaves. I glued the whole stamped image to the base of the card and then I attached just the very bottom of the stem with a dab of glue. I covered the tops of the curled leaves with Glossy to give them a wet look.

I added the sentiments in the corners and outlined them with black. They came from a card kit that we used at a class last year at the Great Lakes Mega Meet.

These cards were the first of the inspiration I found that morning!

Happy scrappin! Hope you feel inspired!

Heartfelt Inspired Cards

These are a bit old but still beautiful! I did not have the Spellbinders to cut them the same way so I used what I had and made them my own. While embossing one of them with my heat gun, I accidentally slightly burned the paper. So I decided to antique it all together. Then it hit the stamp pad and made the black mark on the front. The card was kind of a disaster because everything kept on going wrong. However, it turned out to be my favorite one!

Inspired!!!!!

Today is parent teacher conference day. That means I do not have to report to school nearly as early as normal. We have to stay waaayyyy later than normal but that's okay.

Upon waking up, I decided this would be the perfect time to take my dog for a morning walk. After all, it will be too late for a walk when I get home tonight. I poured my coffee in a tumbler so I could drink it "on the go." I put the dog's collar and leash on him and we set out. It was an amazing morning. It isn't "technically" fall yet but boy did it feel like it! The sun was slightly up but not high in the sky. The air was crisp, slightly damp, and filled with the possibility for rain. The slight breeze made it perfect for a morning walk. With coffee in hand, away we went.

I don't normally get to take morning walks because I am usually at school before the sun wakes up. This was a real treat for me. As we walked, I was inspired by the nature that surrounded me. I took in the colors, the feel, and the smell of the fresh morning. At times it was a bit overwhelming. (Then again, maybe that was just the coffee.)

After walking about 2 miles, my tumbler was empty, the coffee was flowing through me like a tornado carving it's path, and my mind was bursting ideas! I could not wait to get home!!!!

Once at home, I pack a few things so I could put my inspiration to paper! You see.... I have a few gaps in my conference schedule. I'm not allowed to leave so I plan on using that "down time" to put my creativity and inspiration to work!

It's amazing what an unrushed morning walk and coffee does for me! Stop by later and see my creations that were inspired by this beautiful morning!

Milestones Mini Album

This is one of my favorite mini albums so far. It was specially created for a friend whose daughter recently had a baby girl. The baby's nursey is decorated in giraffe prints, zebra prints, and pink of course! She asked that the book focus on the milestones that a baby has in it's first six months. I was a bit nervous about the animal prints since they are not patterns that I normally gravitate towards. When I got to the store to get supplies, my creative juices started flowing! I decided to make it a shabby chic and kinda of vintage. It was a fun challenge that really stretched my imagination.

Here is how I created it:

I cut the card stock and background paper on my Cricut using the Elegant Edges cartridge. I attached the background papges with Mod Podge glue. I allowed them to dry overnight. Once the pages were dry, the fun began. I used a variety of spellbinders, images from my cricut, stamps from Heartfelt Creations, stickers, Stickles, and anything else that was sparkly, girly, and fun! Here are the pages from the book:

Baby Boy Mini Album

This summer I had a random burst of inspiration and out of it bloomed a fabulous idea! I was searching online for ideas and I came across the idea of mini albums. After seaching my craft room, I realized I already had all the tools that I needed. So....I got inspired and got to work. My first album was a baby boy book for my cousin that is due in early November. I used my Cricut to cut the chipboard and background paper for all of the pages. Then I used my Big Bite to put holes in each page so I could bind them with binder rings. I used a lot of spellbinders to make the frames. I also used a variety of ribbon and stickers to make this album complete! I was very pleased with the way it turned out.

These are a few of the pictures from the album.

Birth Announcement Page ~ The frames are made with glittery

paper that I embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. I attached a cute

tag so the baby's birth information could be recorded.

The edges of this page were distressed with Tim Holtz Distress ink.

I also ripped the edges of the frames and used my curling tool to

make the edges look more aged. It was a complete creative

risk for me but I love the way it turned out!

 The frames on this page were embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and then

sanded with sandpaper to give it a unique distressed look.

This page features some of my favorite baby animals. Even

though it is a part of a baby boy book, I could not resist

using Waterfall Stickles around the frames!

This is my sweet nighty night page! I used a lot of

Glossy to make the images stand out!

Baby Girl Mini Album

This is just one of my many recent adventures! My friend Ange and I have been exploring the world of mini albums. These are some of the pages from a baby girl mini album that I made this summer. I used a variety of ribbons, Spellbinders, stickers, Heartfelt Creations stamps, paper flowers, Stickles, Perfect Pearls, and anything else I could find. Creating this album was so fun! I absolutely loved designing this super girly album!

This is the cover of the book! I cut apart a piece

of the stroller paper and attached it to the base.

I used three colors of Stickles to make it super Sparkely!

I used many paper flowers to decorate this page.

I also stamped and colored the butterfly. It is

a Heartfelt Creations stamp.

This page is simple but fun! I used a favorite

punch and some ribbon to make a fun border. I also

used some stickers and pop dots to make little tags.

Every baby book needs a sleepy time page.

I found some really cute stickers and they

were my inspiration for this page. This page

would not be complete without Stickles

around the edges of the frames!

Mini Album Mayhem!!!

Ange and I just received orders for 4 more mini albums! It's no "mini" job! We're getting under way shortly and hopefully by mid week we'll be done! At least it's not the one day craziness we had last time. I can usually put one together in a few days but 4 was beyond just one person! So glad I have such an awesome teammate and inspiration! It may be a bit of a late night but at least it will be a fun one!!!! Stay tuned for pictures to come soon!

Fall Time Fun

I love fall! It's my favorite time of the year. As I was sitting at dinner tonight with my partner in scrapbooking crime, ideas began to formulate in my mind. This card was inspired by our dinner conversation tonight!

Here's how I made it:

1. Cut the base - 6 1/4 x 9. Fold in half.

2. I colored the sunset background. - I used a plain white piece of paper and several orange and yellow Spectrum Noir markers. I colored from one side of the paper to the other in lines. The lines aren't straight on purpose. I wanted it to look real.

3. I cut and attached the green paper. I just free handed it. After it was attached to the sunset paper, I punched the corners of the paper with a large ticket punch.

4. I took the Heartfelt tree stamp and stamped it with Versa Mark and embossed it with a copper embossing powder.

5. I stamped and embossed the wagon on a piece of tan paper using the above steps. Once it sat for a few minutes, I cut it out.

6. I colored in the tree using a brown Spectrum Noir marker.

7. I took the grass clump stamp that came with the Heartfelt tree and wagon stamps and I stamped it on the green paper. I used a Tim Holtz Crush Olive distressed ink pad. I stamped it once and then moved it slightly and stamped it again. This is how I got it to look kind of dimensional like real grass.

8. I attached the wagon with pop dots to give it some dimension.

9. I used raffia to make the little bails of hay. I also put some around the edges of the wagon to make it look like it was coming out of the top of the wagon. I also added the raffia to the ground.

10. I felt like it needed some else so I added the gems in the corners.

There you have it! It was pretty fast to make and lots of fun! I love craftin and hopefully you've found some inspiration today! Thanks for coming by!

Snowmen!!!!!!

I finally got to spend a few minutes crafting! I love these ever so cute snowmen! Hopefully I'll get to make some more snowmen cards this week so make sure to check back.

Christmas is on Its Way!!!!

I'm not at all ready for snow, but I absolutely LOVE snowmen! My friend Ange recently purchased this stamp, and I knew I HAD to stamp it! I colored these snowmen with my Spectrum Noir markers using a variety of colors. I haven't been coloring for that long but I've already noticed that my shading and blending are improving. I can't wait to turn these snowmen into Christmas Cards! Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

It's a Miracle!!!!

Well Ange and I pretty much performed a miracle tonight! A friend ordered a mini album just a few days ago. Usually it takes me at least 2 whole days (like complete 24 hour days of just working on the book) to make an album. Each album is completely hand made from scratch. I even cut the chipboard on my Cricut. Well....yesterday the friend asked Ange if she could have the album by Friday (9-7) because the baby shower is Saturday. When Ange asked me if there was any way, I literally laughed! I thought she was joking. "You MUST be out of your mind!" I thought to myself. I'm back to school, our sound company is in the busiest part of the season, and life is just plain crazy right now. Although I'd said there was NO way, as I sat at my desk this morning trying to prepare materials for my second graders, my mind began to think about the mini album. Was there any way we could pull it off? I texted Ange and we came up with a plan.... We were going for the unthinkable! I rushed right home from work and started cutting paper and gluing the book together. Ange joined me a few hours later. We put in a little over 10 hours together, and the book is about 95% complete! Ange is going to put the finishing touches on it tomorrow! What a crazy night! We pulled it off. Now there's just one more miracle to work....getting up and to work in just a few short hours. :)

Stay tuned for pictures!!!!

Snowman Christmas Card

I suddenly became inspired so.... I quickly headed to my scrap room! I made this card in no time at all.

Here's how:

1. Weeks ago, I colored a bunch of background pages. I colored the sunset ones the same day as this one. Again, I used my Spectrum Noir markers. I colored this one in kind of a stripe pattern so it would look like a winter sky.
2. I cut my card base (6 1/4 by 9) and folded the paper.
3. I cut the background paper to fit the base. Then I punched the corners using my large ticket punch.
4. I stamped snowflakes all over The background. I used my Versa Magic stamp pad and holographic embossing powder. I used my heat gun to heat the embossing powder. Then I attached the piece to the base of the card.
5. I stamped the snowman, embossed it with platinum embossing powder, and heated it with my heat gun.
6. I colored the snowman with my Spectrum Noir markers. I used BT1, BT2, IG1, DR1, JG1, GB10, and OR1.
7. I cut out the snowman. I put foam on the back to pop it up. Then I put chunky glitter at the bottom of the image.
8. I made the Let it Snow tag by stamping it, embossing it with platinum embossing powder, and heating the powder with my heat gun.
9. I cut out the tag using a Spellbinder and my Big Kick machine. (You can use any machine though.)
10. I put foam on the back of the tag, attached it, and put Stickles around the edge for some added sparkle!
11. I finished the card by adding gems to the corners!

There you have it! It's a pretty simple card! I love snowman, and you'll probably be seeing a lot of them as we head toward the holiday season!

Scenic Sunset Card

I made a couple different versions of this card. One was a graduation gift, one as an encouragement card, and one for my hubby's birthday! It is always a fun project!

Here is how I made it:

First, I made the sunset looking background. I colored an 8.5 x 11 piece of white card stock using my Spectrum Noir markers. I colored the whole paper so I could use it to make the various pieces of the card.

Second, I folded a piece of white card stock to be my card base (I used another 8.5 x 11).

Third, I cut a piece of black card stock to be the first mat piece. I cut it just slightly smaller than the card base and attached it to the base.

Forth, I cut the sunset paper just slightly smaller than the black paper I cut for the background mat. I did not attach it to the base yet. I used my paper cutter to cut a square out of the middle of the paper. I lined up the edge of the paper and made a cut 3/4 of an inch into it. I slowly extended my cut lines until all of the cuts touched and the square popped out of the middle of the piece.

Next, I attached the frame (that's what it looked like once the square was out of the middle) to the black mat paper.

Then, I matted the square onto a piece of black card stock. I made a border that was about 1/4 of an inch around the sunset paper. I wanted the matting to stand out.

Seventh, I stamped the flowers onto the sunset paper. You can use any kind of scenic stamp though.

Eighth, I added the ribbon and fake bow.

Then, I used foam to pop up the piece with the flowers, and I attached it to the card.

Finally, I added a few gems for some bling.

The idea for this card came from the Crafter's Companion site. I changed it slightly to meet my needs, and so I could use what I already had at home. I love coloring scenery with my Spectrum Noir markers! Hopefully I'll have some more projects up soon!

Welcome!

Welcome to my newest adventure! It's my goal to post pictures and explanations of my projects. I hope that they will inspire you! Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions about any of my projects. I love to share! Hope you have a crafty, funfilled day!