Hang in There

The end of the fall semester has been a mess. With all of the snow exams had been pushed back a couple of weeks. The schedule was crazy... never knowing if we were going to school or not. Suffice it to say that preparing my students for the math exam was a challenge.

I made this card for one of the students that has his own challenges besides taking the exam. His testing took all day and into the next. It took him 6 hours to answer the 80 question exam. He worked very hard and was exhausted by the end of the first day. I knew he was going to face more the next day and wanted to encourage him. I couldn't wait to get home that evening because I knew this stamp and this monkey were just made for this card.

I used the Create a Critter cart to cut the monkey. The stamp is from Stampin' Up. The paper is from DCWV and the border punch is EK Success. The student loved the card and I do hope it brightened his day. If only all my students had the motivation and determination this young man has. This is why I love making cards. They just have a way of expressing the emotion.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

A Fancy Fold

I decided that I would join in a couple of challenges this week. Over at Allsorts the challenge was to create a {Fancy Fold} and I immediately thought of Susan Cobb's book Journal of Paper Engineering by Hot of the Press. I browsed through the 72 pages and chose a card with flaps on page 19. The Pink Elephant is back this year with a color challenge: pink, orange and aqua. So I opted to combine these two challenges and make the following card.


I started by finding some gorgeous paper with all three colors in the Bloom and Grow pack from My Mind's Eye. Next I chose four sheets of cardstock and cut them down to 5" x 6". Using my cricut, I was able to cut the four square windows (2.75", 2", 1.5", and 1") easily.

For the front window I used the Paisley cartridge to cut out this embellishment; drawing the colors from the paper in the back all the way to the front. I also used stickles to add some dimension. The ribbon at the top is accented with a small button.

The second window has been embossed using the cuttlebug and the Paisley card. I continued to use the stickles.

The third window has been brushed with a rose colored ink. The flowers are cut from the paper used on the back page of the card. Small gems have been placed at the corners of the window.










Finally, as the card opens up a full view of the paper is seen accented with a small piece of aqua paper in order to write a sweet sentiment before giving the card away.

This has been a fun challenge. These are colors I would not have put together but I think it turned out well. Thanks for taking a look and please leave a message.

An Artful Album

What do you do with all the pieces of art that your child produces? I realistically know that I cannot keep everything yet I find it hard to part with Fisher's masterpieces. I have a couple of solutions. I keep pictures of almost everything and display them on a digital frame. I also keep a box of some of my favorites. For these, I have finally decided to create an album for his artwork. I started with a simple 12x12 album. (Excuse the messy desk. It was a last minute thought to snap a photo of the album before I worked with it.)

I started by gluing a ribbon over the gold stripe. I used green ribbon with yellow dots that I found in the $1 bin at Target and Zip Dry glue to adhere it to the album. The side border is cut using Plantin Schoolbook and welding (with the help of my Gypsy) two of the scalloped borders together. Next I used glue dots to place the ribbons and the colored circles on each scallop. I topped the circles with a dab of clear Stickles for a little 'bling'.

The letters are from a new cartridge I got for Chrsitmas. It is the Cricut Lite Zoo Day. I really like the font on this. I cut the letters at 2". Using my Gypsy, I was able to align the letters of similar colors together and lay the paper out exactly where it needed to be, thus making cutting them out easy. I edged each letter with a matching colored pencil to give the letters a little more depth.

The art supplies were cut from Locker Talk. I used the Crop-a-Dile to place the eyelet on the scissors. I also used Glossy Accents from Inkessentials to make the handles of the scissors shiny.

Finally, what art album would be complete without crayons. I really like the way these turned out. Again, I added some stickles and outlines with colored pencil.

Fisher is really excited about his album. Today I was able to complete the cover and make three layouts. (The snowfall that has covered the South has allowed me a few days home in order to work on this.)

Thanks for visiting and please leave a comment. I love to hear from others!

Bunch of Flowers

A friend of mine and fellow crafter fell last week and broke her leg. This is on top of the cancer that she is fighting. I wanted to make her a card to brighten her day. I ask that anyone who reads this please say a prayer for Connie.

I used the stamp set Spring Garden from Stampin' Up. The cardstock is The Paper Company and the pattern paper is from My Big Ideas. The sentiment is from My Pink Stamper's Everyday Occasions. The ribbon is from my stash. I added some stickles to the flowers and the butterfly that just made the card pop.

Thanks for looking and praying for my friend.

Christmas Ornaments

I have a problem with procrastination. I purchased these glass ornaments in September with full intentions of having them made way before Christmas. Well, it turns out I was making them the night before I was going to give them to the teachers I work with. Add to it that I haven't made this post until a week after Christmas. I guess better late than never.I used the Christmas cart for the angel, cross, and tree. I used the Its Cold Outside cart for the snowflakes and Very Merry Tags for the JOY. I cut each out using vinyl, adhered it to the glass, and applied etching cream. I am always worried as a clean the cream off that it hasn't worked because I can't see the image. It is not until I remove the vinyl that I can tell the difference. Hope you enjoy and have a Happy New Year!

Halloween Crafts

Today I worked on special treats for Fisher's teachers. They are three wonderful ladies and I enjoy making them little favors to let them know I appreciate what they do. I found these plastic orange containers at Walmart for 4 for $1. I decorated them using black vinyl from Vinyl Expressions. After decorating each side I filled it with candy corn, miniature Hershey bars, and carmels. I also created popcorn wrappers to go around a bag of microwaveable popcorn.

I found clear plastic bags used for storing homemade breads at the grocery store and they have been perfect for packaging these and other goodies I have made. I found the ribbon on sale at AC Moore which I used on the bag and on the popcorn wrapper tag.

These are the four sides to the container. I used the Make the Cut program and images from the gallery to design each side. I cut all of it with my Cricut.

These are a few images of the popcorn wrapper. Each wrapper starts as a 6"x 12" sheet of orange cardstock. I wrapped it around and glued it together. Fisher signed the back of each wrapper and then we decorated the front. I used a tag punch from Creative Memories for the black tag and stapled a piece of the ribbon to the top. Next I cut the yellow tag using a die with my Cuttlebug. The pumpkin is cut from one of my Cricut carts and I used a stamp from Peachy Keen stamps for the face.

Thanks for taking a look and have a Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday!!

Wow - it has been a long time since I last posted. I thought having finished graduate school I would have more free time. Actually, it turns out I go to bed at a more decent hour (hee hee). I haven't been completely away from crafting. I have gone to a couple of crops with my awesome cousin Kerri and I have already started Christmas cards. (Yeah, I know, I will still be making them the night before.)

For this post I have created a birthday card for a young girl whose costume party we are going to tonight. I used a new program called Make the Cut. I had never used a computer program with my Cricut before. I have always relied on my carts or my Gypsy. This program is really neat and easy to use. I visited the MTC gallery and downloaded the Happy Birthday cut created by user 648. My Cricut did the rest. I embellished with a little ribbon, pattern paper, a border punch, and some paper flowers. Voila - a funky birthday card.

Hope you enjoy and thanks for looking.