Critters!!!

After working on these cards for about 2 weeks, I finally finished the pack! All 24 cards are completed.... Inside and out! I love these critters. They turned out even more cute than I imagined. The pictures don't show all of the details. The boots are covered in glossy so they look plastic. They are also topped with fuzz so they look more like a fuzzy winter boot. I popped up the scarves so they look more 3D. These are by far my favorite creations thus far. Well....at least until I make my next creation. Check back to see what that is. 

Fall is here!!!!!

What an amazing first day of Fall! I absolutely love this time of year! Yesterday my dad and I went to our annual Notre Dame football game. We always go to whichever Michigan team plays ND at home. This year it was State! ND won which made the day even better! 

Now I'm sitting outside in the pergola listening to the birds in the trees and the ducks swimming in the creek. In the chilly morning air, I can see the steam coming off my coffee. It's so wonderful! I feel so blessed. 

My imagination is running wild with ideas and creations to make. Hopefully I'll hit the craft room for a bit today. For now, it's time to drink my coffee and grade some papers! 

Tomorrow is the beginning of hopefully a great week! Check back to see what I create today!

Feeling Froggy?

I had BIG plans for today. I wanted to finish my set of 24 critter cards. I got up early and tried to set out on my mission. I realized I need to run to the craft stores to get a few things. The dog also needed flea medicine. So instead of heading straight to my craft room, I headed out the door to run errands on the other side of town. By the time I was done with my errands, all I wanted to do was nap. :) But I refused to give in! I was going to accomplish something today. I started to work in my craft room and my partner in crafting crime eventually joined me at my house. I messed around a lot but I did manage to get four of these frog critter cards done! 

I love their boots! I used a tiny bit of stuffing on the edges to make them look like they're lined with fur. I also used Glossy to add dimension. 

Although these cards take quite a bit of time to color and assemble, they are definitely my favorite! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

They're heerrreee!

Today my new critter stamps from Stamps by Judith and Heather arrived! It was like Christmas all over again! I made the Santa hats for the elephant cards and then finished them by adding some Stickles around the Spellbinders. Then I made the zebra cards. I have half of the critter cards made! I can't wait to spend the day in my craft room tomorrow! 

Bird, Bird, Bird is the word!

I just LOVE the critter stamps from Stamps by Judith and Heather! I'm working on a set of six critter cards. Each card will have a different background and a different critter. They will all have the same color themes though. For the first set, I decided to go more fun / bright than traditional. Here is the first card of the set. I just LOVE these stamps. 

I colored the bird with my Spectrum Noir markers. The shoes have Glossy on them to make them look like they're plastic. I added a bit of Stickles to jazz it up. This card was a lot if fun to make. The next critter card should be completed soon! 

Christmas is in the Air!!!!

Tonight I was finally unpacking my stuff from scrapping this weekend. As I unpacked, I suddenly became inspired!!! I made this reverse pop up card. The white piece is embossed and popped up. The vellum that has the penguins on it is attached to the base of the card. I've always wanted to play with this technique but this is the first time I've actually done it. Maybe tomorrow ill make some more. :) 

Christmas in September!

Ali Pop Creations is in Christmas spirit already!!!! Last weekend my company and myself started making cards. We're planning on selling them at upcoming craft shows! We're very excited about the possibilities ahead!

Here is my creation from this weekend. They were Pinterest inspired. (But of course I had to make them my own!) I'm planning on making more in this pattern but with different colors! Visit again soon to see what I come up with!

These two cards face the same way but have a slightly different pattern. 

Then I made some that had an opposite pattern. Here are the 2 patterns side-by-side.

And this is the inside of the card. 

Sneak Peak Revealed!

It's been so busy with school back in session that I completely forgot to reveal the sneak peak. Sorry! Here is what I made out of the pieces. 

I made monitoring flip charts. I saw this idea somewhere and made it my own. I have a beach theme in my classroom so these fit in perfectly. The cover of the chart says, "Mapping My Course" (like a treasure map).

The next page says, "Smooth Sailing." The green sailboat symbolizes the student is completely understanding a concept being taught (if we're working whole group) or that they are fine working (if working independently). 

The next page says, "Slow Going." If a student flips to this page it means they mostly understand a concept being taught (whole group) or that they can work on something independently but have a question about part of the assignment (if working independently). 

The last page simply says, "Stuck." That's self explanatory. :) 

I'm hoping to use these flip books to monitor student understanding and to monitor independent work time. I stuck with green, yellow, and red because the students know what those colors mean. We'll see how this goes. :) 

Back to School

Well, it's that time again! School starts in less than a week! I'm excited, nervous, and overwhelmed all at once! Tomorrow I plan to spend the day in my classroom. I've been spending bits and pieces of each day getting stuff ready. Tomorrow is the "big push" though. I'll try to post some of my creations for this year! 

Welcome back to all of the teachers, students and staff!!!! Here's to a great school year!

Sneak Peak

Well, it's back to school time again!!!! Just about a week until I have to report to school and about a week and a half until the kids come! I think I'm just as excited as the kids. Over the summer I've been collecting ideas and "plotting" for the upcoming school year. Here's a sneak peak of something I'm working on for my classroom. Can you guess what it is??? Stay tuned to see if your guess is right. And no cheating Ange! I know you know what it is. :) 

Stick People Wedding Book

This morning I was going through projects while I was avoiding having to get started on house work / remodeling. I realized that I never posted this mini album. 

When I found the stickers at the store, I knew I HAD to have them! I've always loved stick people and especially these stick people! They were the inspiration behind this book. 

This book was created at the same time as the red love books. I wanted something more fun yet sweet and romantic. The red books were very romantic so I wanted to balance them with a fun style to love! Since the red books could be used for anyone, I also wanted to create a book that focused specifically on a wedding. I tried to incorporate all the major events of a wedding from the bridal party to cake cutting to garter pull. It was a fun project that was truly inspired by the stick people stickers! I guess I really do find inspiration everywhere - even in stickers! 

Get Well Card

My mom has an awesome friend who has become an amazing part of our family. She is so caring and loving. No matter what is going on, she always volunteers to help. She is always happy to serve others in any and every capacity. She was behind the scenes at my wedding, my sister's wedding, and recently my uncle's funeral. Her heart for others is an inspiration to us all!

Well just last week, she underwent some medical procedures. I wanted to encourage her and let her know I was thinking about her. I came up with this unconventional idea! 

I used my Stamps by Judith and Heather critter stamp to create the image. Next I colored it with my Spectrum Noir markers. It turned out just as I had pictured it in my mind!

If you have seen my other works, you may be wondering what happened when I made this card. I was told its very "bold" by a friend. That's exactly what I wanted because the inside said, "I heard your procedures have you feeling a bit bird brained. Don't worry. You'll be back to your fabulous self soon! Hope you have a speedy recovery!" 

I mailed it already and hopefully it'll be delivered to her tomorrow! I'm sure she'll love it and hopefully it'll encourage her. It's not my typical kind of creation but I love it!

Retirement Book 2

For this book, my mom wanted much of the same as the other book. However, she wanted it to have a softer color pallet and more of an antique look. I used almost the same layouts as the other book. The paper made all of the difference. It's funny how you can have the exact same layout but the paper makes it look so different! I really enjoyed making both books and I am sure the staff will have fun writing notes and filling them with pictures! 

Retirement Book #1

This is the first of two retirement books my mom asked me to design for her. She described the recipient as being fun, bold, loving music, and full of life. 

My mom actually helped me to pick out some of the papers for this book. Then I went to work. She plans to take pictures of all of the staff and put them in the book. I included journaling tags on all of the pages so the staff could write notes. 

I enjoyed working on the book because it was a new challenge. As always, I wanted the book to capture the theme along with the personality of the recipient. I'm sure she'll like it as much as I do! 

Sneak Peak Revealed!

Here's what the sneak peak turned out to be.... It's a mini album designed for a very special bride and groom. 

I was asked to design a wedding / love album. My mom's friend gave me a copy of the couple's "save the date" card along with their wedding invitation. She wanted the album to incorporate their wedding colors (navy blue, bright pink, and champagne) and to be a celebration of their love. 

As soon as I began working on this album, I was filled with inspiration! I wanted it to be fun, beautiful, and elegant all at the same time. As soon as my papers were picked out, my mind starting running a million miles a minute! The book came together in no time! I hope the bride and groom love it as much as I do!

The last page is my favorite! The pictures don't do the page justice. The leaves and white flowers were cut from glittery paper. The copper flowers are pearlescent. I also Stickled the leaves after I curled them. This page was my favorite one! (Truth be told, they're all my favorite though.)

Sneak Peak for the Week!

Here's a sneak peak of what I'm working on this week. I've completed the cover and one layout so far! I was working on a layout when I had to leave to help my husband with some home remodeling. Drywall, mud, and tape..... Here I come!

Mexico Book

Another friend of my mom asked if I could make a book to showcase pictures from her trip to Mexico. I had not experimented with making vacation mini albums before, but I LOVED the idea! A quick trip to the craft store had me inspired and ready to get to work. This book came together quickly because I love summer and summer fun! It wasn't hard to be inspired when I was thinking about warm, sunny beaches and fun in the water! Here is the book I created for her. 

Here's a closer look at the waves. I put Stickles on them to make them stand out! Love Stickles!!!!!