Long Time No Blog

Well, it's been an incredibly long time since I blogged last. Since March, I bought a new home and that has consumed all of my time. Now that everything seems to be in order, it's back to my papercrafting hobby. And with the New Year's Eve celebration at splitcoast, I've dove right back in.

Stay tuned for my entries!

A Long, Difficult Week

Lucy, my beautiful baby, died yesterday. Last week, she fell ill after a shot to treat an auto-immune condition. She has had some ear problems and was scratching her skin until it would bleed on her feet. We thought that she was having a reaction to the shot, and the vet treated it with prednisone. Throughout the weekend, she had ups & downs. Lucy had a great day on Saturday - including a trip to McDonalds for a hamburger. We thought that we made it out of the woods. However, she started to decline again on Sunday. At her scheduled re-examination on Monday morning, an x-ray showed a large mass in her belly. The vet was hopeful that a shot of lasiks would help, but she really declined by late afternoon. We took her back to the vets because we didn't want her to suffer. She was so peaceful and sweet - it was so hard to let her go. I'm comforted knowing that she's in heaven with our other dogs - her mommy, Pepper; her brother, Raisin; and her daddy, Mayo. This was the last of our four pooches, so it's been extremely sad.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of my LuLuBee.

In the meantime...

I finally got back to papercrafting yesterday by going to a Stamp Camp at my SU demonstrator's house. It was nice to finally have some time to make cards. My schedule is opening up again, so I'm looking forward to crafting more in the upcoming days.

I thought I'd share some what's I've been using my creativity on - statistics posters. My students compete in the PA Stats Poster contest - this is our third year. We've had state and national winners for the previous two years, so we're hoping for a three-peat! The kiddos worked so hard, and I'm so proud at how well they've brainstorming. I hope you enjoy the posters! We'll know the results in about a month or two.


Are the most popular names in our country the most popular in our school?



What is thought to be the luckiest? the unluckiest?

All about desserts

All about breakfast

Is there a pattern with breaking bones?

The Stroop effect (i.e. blue, green, yellow)

Left brained = Left sided; Right brained = Right sided?

Are commercials louder than TV programs?

Do brand name pain relievers dissolve faster than generic?

Does location impact voting tendencies?

These posters range from 2nd grade up to 11th. We're all glad to be finished!

I Hate Being Sick!!

Snow day on Friday, but I was too sick to enjoy it! Then I spent all day Saturday (8am - 10pm) at a college campus for a competition - kids did really well, though. Leaving me really sick all day Sunday. Today, I was back at school & still sick. Did I mention that I'm sick of being sick!! I've been on the phone helping parents of gifted kiddos in western PA for 3 hours tonight. I guess I'll try stamping again tomorrow. I need to make a b-day card for dad & get some ink on my new stamps!!

My Bees-ness

What a grueling day! My elementary students are preparing posters for a statistics contest, and my middle schoolers are preparing for a science competition being held on Saturday. I'm so drained!! From engaging the little ones' creative sides to managing adolescents' nervousness, I feel like I teach a bunch of vampires. Thank goodness, I adore them. (In case this sounds confusing, I teach/advise gifted & talented students in grades 2nd - 12th. I've had the same students for five years now, so it's like our own crazy family.)

So the card. I love it. How did I ever come up with this after such a crazy day! I looked at the Wednesday sketch challenge on SCS and didn't want to work on it right away. I picked up this stamp and DP recently and worked for awhile to come up with my final project. I used my Cricut to cut out the scalloped circles and circle. I hand cut the flowers from the DP (Paper Studio Emily's Flowers) and glued them to the front. The bee is done with Prismacolor watercolor pencils. The whole card just makes me smile - I hope it does the same for you!

Ingredients:

Stamps - Autumn Leaves bumble bee, Inque Boutique Thank You Mini

Paper - SU Real Red, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Very Vanilla; DP Emily's Flowers & Emily's Ric Rac Stripe

Ink - SU Basic Black, Real Red, Certainly Celery

Accessories - Cricut Mini Monogram cartridge, Prismacolor watercolor pencils

Bella Birthday

Tomorrow is one of my co-worker's birthdays. We'll have muffins and juice to celbrate tomorrow morning, so I thought I'd bring a Bella to the party. What a great Bella sketch challenge this week (#16). I love this DP I picked up at Hobby Lobby over the weekend (-sorry for the endless rant of all of my Hobby Lobby buys. Ribbon is from there, too! :). Pink Random Dots and Pink and Brown Random Stripes is from the Paper Studio. It makes me think of ice cream.

WSC35 - Reality Check

Who doesn't dream of a tropical getaway when they're up to their eyeballs in work and it's snowing outside? This card was the perfect escape. I found the stamps (Clearly Wordsworth Vacation set) on clearance sale at Hobby Lobby on Saturday. They were a steal at $5!! I can't wait to use the other images.

Ingredients:

Stamps - Clearly Wordsworth Vacation

Paper - SU Certainly Celery, DCWV Blue, Brown, DP

Ink - SU Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Basic Black

Accessories - Prima flowers, antique copper brads, Prismacolor watercolor pencils

Now back to reality...

Hong Kong Phooey

Da da da da...



Here's the treat I'm making for my students competing at the regional PJAS (Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science) competition this Saturday. I think they'll get a 'kick' out of the sentiment and the Kisses cookies inside will be graciously welcomed! The cookies are housed in the one sheet box as seen here.

I absolutely love this stamp. I picked it up at Hobby Lobby on Saturday for 50% off- woohoo! Karate Girl is from Stampabilities. Now that I home (and almost 2 hours away from Hobby Lobby), I wish I bought the Karate Boy stamp as well. Will I ever learn? I guess I just give myself reasons to return!

Don't You Love Shopping?!

Archivers and Hobby Lobby - I went, I bought, I came home happy!!

Oh the goodies...
Easter stamps from Stampendous
A fun karate stamp - watch for a project soon
Flower stamps and other miscellaneous stamps
Prima flowers
Loads of DP
Gemstone embellishments
Some extra acrylic blocks (50% off at Hobby Lobby :)
Ribbon
And more.

I can't wait to use it all!

To top it all off, I found some cute St. Patrick's Day kitchen towels at TJ Maxx Home Goods and ate some delish pancakes at IHOP. Life is good!

Thanks for being so sweet

Here are two thank you's I made for students who brought me in Valentine treats. I got this cute cupcake stamp at Pat Catan's for $1!! Besides the cupcake and cherry, it also comes with a candle and sentiment (Another Yummy Birthday) stamp. I knew it would work so nicely for Valentine thank you's.

Ingredients:

Stamps - Inque Boutique Yummy Birthday

Paper - Brown, White, SU Groovy Guava, Ruby Red

Ink - SU Groovy Guava, Ruby Red

Accessories - Ribbon (Michaels), Word Window punch, Slit punch, Gelly Roll glitter pen

Off to Archivers!!

Just a quick post before I leave. My mom and I are taking a short road trip to Akron, OH to the Archiver's. Yippee!! It's a Make It & Take It Weekend, so we'll have some fun playing as well as spending money. I'm hoping to stop at Hobby Lobby in Youngstown on the way back home because I've heard a bunch of others mention it in their blogs. I love days off of work!

Ciao for now!

Bugs & Kisses

Couldn't resist making another Valentine when I came across another SCS member's Bugs & Kisses card. What great inspiration for this week's sketch challenge. I included the sentiment on the inside of this card for my aunt. She sent me a great card today about shoes. I'll have to post a photo - it's hilarious!

I love the black, white, and red. I think I could use black in almost every card. I love how it adds crispness and makes everything pop. Ribbon is from Michaels.

Lip Therapy

Here are the chapstick holders that I made for my middle school students for Valentines' Day. My elementary kiddos are getting gum holders. I wanted to use the pig from MFT Punny Farm, so I could add the sentiment Hogs & Kisses. However, I didn't have much time. I used Me & My Big Ideas DP - isn't it cute. The ribbon went perfectly - I'm sure I'll hear complaints tomorrow about the knots :)

Here are the dimensions for the chapstick holder:
Outside:
5.75" by 3.5" (Score at 2.5" and 3.25" on longer side)
Inside:
5.5" by 3.25" (Score at 2.375" and 3.125" on longer side)
Cut horizontal slits in center scored section at 5/8", 1 1/8", 2 1/8", 2 5/8" - Slits need to extend slightly beyond score lines

Valentine Tweets

It's 5:30am, and I just got a call saying my school has a 2hr delay. There's so much snow outside. At least, I get to go in 2 hours later on this delay. I'm wondering if they'll end up cancelling. The forecast doesn't look too promising. I'd rather go; otherwise, my Easter break loses another day :(

Anyways, I joined the Target mailbox revolution. I love Target. You can find anything there. It's always clean and organized (unlike some other supercenters - you know who I'm referring to). Finding these cute mailboxes is just another good buy!

I love the DP on the mailbox. I used my Snag 'Em Chick stamp that I recently got from Martha's Choice for a buck! I also bought the Shore Thing penguins and popscicles. I have an idea swimming in my head for those guys.

Well, I think I go back to sleep for a little while before I need to get ready to leave. Ciao!

Happy Birthday, my stylish friend!

Tomorrow is my best friend's birthday. This card took me forever, and I'm still not satisfied. I like the colors, the flowers & buttons, and the sentiment (the inside reads, "Happy Birthday, my stylish friend!"). The Shopabellas were really tricky! I recolored them three times - they are smaller than my other Bellas and I cut one off. I wanted to stick to just a few colors, but I couldn't make just a few work.

I know she'll love it, so I figured time to move on to wrapping her gift. I bought this gorgeous Martha Stewart gift wrap at Michaels on clearance then spent a ton on coordinating ribbon. I'll upload a picture when I have it wrapped.

Stix It To 'Em

Some of my students competed in a math competition yesterday. It's a draining morning - 2 hours of solving complicated math word problems. I wanted to take them a good luck treat that they'd be able to snack on during their break. After scouting Target & Walmart for healthy, individually wrapped snacks, I came across the Pringles Stix. Yummy. I bought the pizza flavored and came up with this little holder.

Here's a template with dimensions. Please let me know if it doesn't work - this is my first attempt with templates (hopefully, it gets easier!!)

For my holders, I used some cardstock from JoAnn's, MFT Punny Farm cow stamp, DCWV DP, and b&w polka dot ribbon. I added a sentiment that I printed off the computer. The kids got a kick out of them.

Gum, Anyone?

What an exciting challenge! MFT opened up a challenge for the opportunity to be a guest designer for March. The challenge's theme is "I Want Candy" suggesting a creation of a 3D project involving candy.

I was bummed out a few days ago when I forgot to use the sentiment "I Chews Ewe" on my students' Valentines gum holders, so here was my chance! I love how it turned out!!

I created the 'wrapper' out of Cameo Coral. Then I placed a Chocolate Chip layer on the top (I stamped 'Baa' all over it, but it's difficult to see) and tied a ribbon (Michaels) to one end. To the ribbon, I attached the sentiment that I printed off the computer (font - Joyful Juliana) and cut out using my word window punch. I cut the circle and scalloped circle using my Cricut and embellished the sheep with Liquid Applique. I hole punched the gum and added ribbon as a pull.

Happy Valenswine Day!

I had so much fine with this week's sketch challenge. I finished the card in no time, and I think it's adorable. I love MFT Punny Farm! I originally purchased the set for the sheep, but I've already had so many ideas for the other images. Be on the lookout! I can't wait to see their new releases.

Here's my card:


I love the combination of pinks, black, and white even if it does remind me of the late 80s/early 90s.

The pigs' heads are raised as well as their noses (dimensions and glue dots). I used Prismacolor watercolor pencils and printed the sentiment from my computer. Ribbon is from Michael's.

Ingredients:
Stamps: MFT Punny Farm
Paper: DCWV, DP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: White eyelets, Ribbon, Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils, Horizontal Slot punch, Slit punch

I Chews Ewe!

Here's a photo of the Trident Gum Holders I'm going to give to my students for Valentines' treats. I wanted to use the sentiment "I Chews Ewe," but I didn't remember until I had half of them done. No biggie - Wool You Be Mine? is equally adorable!

I used liquid applique on the sheep to make them puffy. I kept playing around with adding ribbon. I wasn't happy with anything I tried, and I figured the kids wouldn't care anyway. With new health standards, figuring out treat options has been tricky. The sugar-free gum will have them tickled pink!

Ingredients:
Stamps - MFT Punny Farm
Paper - SU Groovy Guava, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla
Ink - Basic Black, Groovy Guava, Ruby Red
Accessories - Word Window Punch, Cricut (Georges & Basic Shapes), Liquid Applique, Prismacolor Black Watercolor Pencil

There's a great tutorial on creating Trident gum holders on Angie's blog -
http://chicnscratch.typepad.com/chic_n_scratch/2007/11/trident-gum-hol.html

Case-ing Renee

Well I participated in my first FS Challenge. Renee has such a wonderful collection, so I had no problem coming up with ideas. It was tricky picking just one, but I did.


Here's the card I case'd:
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/680853?cat=500&ppuser=63705)

I changed the color combo, stamps, shape of tags, and used wire instead of linen cotton thread. I love the images from MFT Punny Farm. I need to get started on my students' Valentines - I'm going to use the sheep image and the 'Wool You Be Mine?' sentiment.

Where has the time gone?

So. Here I am. Finally finding some time to care for my blog. I was so excited when I started this journey. Then life has pulled me in other directions. Luckily, all has calmed down for now (except for my battle with a pesky cold) and I've been papercrafting once again.


Now for sharing. I have a few things, and I anticipate some more in the next few days.


First is my card for SCS Card Sketch Challenge from two weeks ago. I used SU Stew Pot Pals - I love this set, but I find it difficult to use. I started the card two weeks ago, but just finished it yesterday. I think I lost some of my inspiration along the way, but I'm still pleased with it.




Now on to another card that I actually finished two weeks ago, but finally got around to photographing and uploading it yesterday. It uses Changito from Stampendous. I purchased the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Changito set this summer to make welcome back cards for my students, and I fell in love with him in the process. Expect more cards featuring him in upcoming posts.




Ingredients:
Stamps: Stampendous Perfectly Clear Changito the Monkey
Paper: SU Really Rust, Old Olive, More Mustard
Ink: SU Basic Black & Old Olive
Accessories: Buttons, Green Raffia, Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils, Cricut Mini Monograms cartridge

VSN Challenge

Sometimes I think I need hit over the head before something registers. I've been on SCS a few times this week, and I kept seeing 'Girls Night Out.' I had no clue. The stamping shorthand (VSN - Virtual Stamp Night for those of you shorthand illiterate like me) is like a whole other language to me. Luckily, I figured it out this morning. Unfortunately, I had plans for the majority of the day. I got home at 8:55, logged in, and started on 'The Eyes Have It" challenge. I picked out my paper, my stamps, and my eyelets - and the phone rings. It's my BF, so there went meeting the deadline. We could talk for hours. Amazingly, I submitted my work 20 minutes after the 10pm deadline.



So here's my card. I used the Snow Angels set. I've always loved it, and the cold weather definitely inspired me. I colored the image with my prismacolors and watercolored them. I added some glitter to the snow and eyelets down the side of the DP (<- Yep, I'm going to try to use the shorthand too!).

I didn't attempt the next VSN challenge since I was already behind, so I'm looking forward to the last. Who knows, maybe I'll have another post in a little while!

A Tisket, A Tasket

Here's a photo of my card for SCS Sketch Challenge 159. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I think I'm hooked on Bellas! I received my Bella order last week, and I'm ready to order more. I might have to find a second job to support my habit!

For this card, I used SU Blushing Blossom paper, CK Confetti and Daisies, and Paper Company white and brown. I cut the stitched circle and shadow circle with my Cricut (Mini Monograms cartridge) and also the posie (flower1 from George and Basic Shapes cartridge) - this compliments the paper so well. I used my Stampin Pastels on Gardenbella's dress and basket and watercolor pencils on the rest of her. Final touches included a teeny button on the flower and the sentiment, "If friends were flowers, I'd pick you" on the inside of the card.

When I started the card I was going to steer away from the colors since my card from yesterday used the pink/brown combo. I'm glad I ignored that - my next project can always use different colors.

Here she is

As promised, here's my Imeldabella card! In fact, it's my first bella card. The inside reads, You can handle anything with the right pair of shoes. This card is perfect for me to send out because I'm known for my love (okay - obsession) with shoes. The photo isn't as clear as I'd like it to be, so I'll work on that. I took the photo under the light of a lamp. I've read a few posts about taking photos in natural light, so I think I'll try that next time.

Supplies include:

Papers - SU Very Vanilla, Colorbok Jazzy, and PaperCompany Brown

Stamps - Imeldabella

Inks - SU Basic Black

Embellishments - Brown satin ribbon, Buttons

Last week, I made a personal organizer (date book/address book) and placed teachabella on the front cover. I'll have to upload that soon.

Off the Ground and Wasting Time

Well, I got the blog off the ground and running. I'm wasting tons of time with cutesy add-ons - don't ask how long I spent creating the playlist!

I'm going to log off shortly to make a thinking of you card. I'm planning on using Imeldabella with the saying 'You can deal with anything if you have the right shoes.' I need a card to send to a student's parent who's had it rough over the last few weeks. It should bring a good laugh - she knows about my shoe obsession. Watch for photos!

Speaking of shoe obsession, here's a photo of the witch's shoes I made my students this Halloween. I placed 'witches' toes' (cheese curls) inside the shoes - the kids loved them!

Getting Started

So I've taken the plunge and started my own blog. I've been visiting others' blogs over the past few weeks, and I love seeing their creations and ideas. I figure if I set this space up for my own creations I will be motivated to create more regularly. Keep your fingers crossed!