Flower Box

My best friend celebrated her birthday last Thursday. But with all this stinkin' snow, we haven't been able to get together to celebrate. Here's the little one sheet box I made for her to hold half of her present - a bottle of OPI nail polish in Light My Sapphire.

I stamped a piece of white cardstock with PTI's Polka Dot Basics II in Chocolate Chip then added this fun ribbon flower I created from some wired ribbon from Offray. Isn't it the cutest?! It was so easy & I know she'll love it.

Stop in tomorrow - I'll be posting her card!

Student Gifts

Every year, I spend a lot of time thinking of what to give my students. I teach gifted kiddos, so they'd be through a simple word search book like no other. I've come up with some pretty cool gifts in the past, so the pressure is always on. Since I have the same kids year after year, it takes about six years until I can repeat a gift. Luckily, I can repeat next year and I already know what I'm making :)

This year, I wanted to create little flip books of my students' faces. Each face would be cut in thirds, so you could put someone's forehead on someone else's eyes & nose on someone else's chin. I shared this idea with my best friend who suggested calling them 'Facebooks' - what a great idea!!

Here are some photos. I didn't include any of the insides because I'm not comfortable posting their photos, even if they are messed up :)

Cover:

I printed a cover from cardstock that included some Facebook clipart and a play-on the sign up page message.

The inside back cover included a section for the kids to write down their 'profiles' - I knew that they'd have a fun time with this!!

I'm so excited to give these to them tomorrow!! It's so fun to see the 'mixed-up' faces :) - if you need any last minute gift ideas, you could totally make this for your friends, family, or coworkers.



I'll be back later with some Christmas cards!!

MyGrafico Monday - PIE Challenge

I know what you're thinking - PIE challenge? Well...here's what I was thinking when I came up with this week's challenge - this week is Thanksgiving and what will a lot of people be spending time on....cleaning the house, shopping for groceries, and making pie. Why couldn't I challenge everyone to make a PIE card as well....in other words, something on your card should represent the P, the I, and the E.

P could include paper, piercing, purple, etc.
I could include ivory, Icicle Stickles, ink, etc.
E could be embossing, eyelets, envelope, etc.


This week the design team used the Dotti set - which will go to one lucky participant.

And here's what I came up with for the challenge:

I took an empty Republic of Tea canister, covered it with dp, and created a wish jar. It can be filled with wishes for everyone and shared on Christmas Eve. I really like gifts that show your thoughtfulness not just your generosity, so this will be perfect. And for the PIE, well...here's what I did:

P - plaid, pattern paper
I - Icicle stickles, ink
E - Embossed Curves punch (by EK Success), embossing

Fun challenge, don't you think? You should give it a try - it might not taste as good as the real thing, but I bet it won't pack on any extra inches :) For more details on the challenge and to see what the other design team members came up with, head over to the MyGrafico Challenge Blog.



Details:
Stamp - Dotti (MyGrafico)
Ink - Copics
Paper - Real Red (SU!), green (scrap), dp - (DCWV)
Accessories - Stickles (Icicle & Yellow), Embossed Curves punch (EK Success), Swiss Dots embossing folder, circle & petite scallop circles die (Nestabilities), red ribbon (Offray), dimensionals

Caramel Apple Kits

A few years ago, I made witches' shoes for my students. I filled them with witches' toes (cheese puffs), and they were a huge hit...especially because of my thing for shoes! I didn't think I could top that, but I did last Valentine's Day with the iHeartpods. They're still talking about them.

Let me tell you - having the same students year after year can be wonderful. You see them grow up and accomplish so much. But it's a pain when it comes to gifts!! There's so much pressure.

While this little treat may not be super impressive, it did get some ooooh's and aaaahh's (thanks Glossy Accents!). I had lots of questions about how I got the "caramel on the apple" - here take a looksie:

I made these fun caramel apple tags to attach to a caramel apple kit - a cellophane bag with apple, tongue depressor, and individually wrapped caramels. I created the template and hand cut the apples and drippy caramel. Squirting Glossy Accents on 12 of these puppies sure did hurt my hand, so please excuse the air bubbles - at that point I just wanted to get them done :)

The kids liked them; and for those who insisted on eating the apple & caramels right away, they wanted to keep the tag. I guess that shows their approval. When they brought up the iHeartpods & Witches' Shoes, I knew that I didn't get there yet. And the fact that they didn't mention their owl treat bags from last year, I know I was off the mark a bit then too. Well, at least I can repeat projects every 6 years :)

Christmas Organizer - thanks Lisa Johnson!!

Don't you just love when you see a fabulous project that you can't wait to create one for yourself? Me, too!! And that was the case on Friday when I saw Lisa Johnson's (Poppy Paperie) Christmas list project. I had some mini composition books on hand (got them from Walmart last year), so I knew this would be my project for my monthly get-together on Saturday.

Here's my take on Lisa's idea:

Front cover:

Inside front cover - I made the envelope to hold receipts.....now will I stick them in there?????:

Back inside cover - this is perfect for those weekly Michael's and JoAnn's coupons!!:

One of the tabs I added using half of a circle punch. My tabs included gifts, shopping, and cards:

Side view:

I actually made two yesterday - even though the first one took me forever...I can't talk, listen, think, and craft at the same time! This one is going to my mom. She likes more traditional Christmas colors, so I know that I'll gently hear how the colors aren't really Christmasy - she'd prefer Real Red and Glorious Green rather than the Riding Hood Red and Olive Green that I used. Mine is black, cream, and Riding Hood Red using the damask stocking. I'll post a photo of it later :) For now, I need to finish reading The Lightning Thief - my students are beginning Greek Mythology Mania this week and I'd like to use this novel with them. It's a super cute book - think Harry Potter meets Greek Mythology....and the movie comes out in February (I think) in case you're like me and have to read the book before seeing the movie.


Details:
Stamps - Stocking Prints and Signature Christmas (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Tuxedo Black (Memento), Tea Dye Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
Paper - Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, dp - Jolly & Bright Mini Dots (Heidi Grace Designs for Fiskars)
Accessories - rub on letters (Creative Keepsakes), red grosgrain ribbon (Offray), button, black embroidery floss, dimensionals, mini composition book, pen

Rubber Romance - Calgon Take Me Away

I love bubble baths & lotions, don't you? Some of my favorites come from Philosophy - I love how the bottles provide the recipe for the actual item that the bubble bath scent is based on. I also love giving little bath sets as gifts. I mean who can't appreciate that.

Here's a little set that I created using the gorgeous Babs from Rubber Romance:

I just love this image! Babs is perfect for little spa gift sets. I dazzled her up a bit with some glitter and glossy accents. I hope you can see some of it in this close-up.

To create my set, I simply wrapped each bottle of BeautiControl products with some pattern paper (from the DCWV Doodlin' Around stack) and trimmed with a scalloped strip of purple cardstock. I just used my ATG gun and the thicker dp adhered well. I then created a sleeve to keep the bottle of lotion and body wash together. I cut a strip of kraft and ran it through my crimper, added some dp, and created a ring the size of the two bottles together. Remember to place the image atop the seam - yep, I forgot at first....sometimes, I get excited to see the finished product :)

Right now there's a sketch challenge going on at the Rubber Romance blog!

The challenge is going on through September 27th, so I hope you get a chance to play along. I'm hoping to have a card based on the sketch in the next few days...my mom came for dinner tonight so I didn't have much time for stamping.

Details:

Stamps - Babs in Bath (Rubber Romance)

Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics

Paper - white, kraft, purple; dp - DCWV (Doodlin' Around stack)

Accessories - paper crimper, Nestabilities circles & small scallop circle, Glossy Accents, glitter Gelly Roll pen, scallop edge punch

Start the Year Off Right

Today was such a productive day at school! The students don't start until Wednesday, so the days preceding are filled with trainings and meetings. I almost have my schedule finalized - other than the fact that I haven't fit lunch in, it looks great!

There are so many people in my school (as well as other schools) that do so much for me and my students throughout the year - secretaries, guidance counselor, computer lab teacher, custodians . I always try to give out treats throughout the year to show my appreciation, so I've been working on a little something to wish them well on their first day. I created Ghirardelli boxes (even though I stuffed them with Hershey's Extra Dark treats) using this tutorial.

I used the apple from the MyGrafico Yummy Fruits set- you may remember when I created the notecards & holder using this image. The site is still being updated, but it should be up and running soon! Yippee! I'm sooooo excited to see all the new images the artists have been working on!

Here's the final product:

I was able to fit 3 Hershey's Extra Dark chocolates in the box. I think it's the perfect treat!


Details:
Stamps - Yummy Fruits (MyGrafico), Polka Dot Basics II (PTI)
Ink - Copics, Versamark
Paper - Real Red, white, black, kraft, green (Archivers)
Accessories - black gingham ribbon, EK Success Embossed Curves edger punch, Nestabilities square & scallop square dies, dimensionals

Secret Chef - The Big Reveal

And here's the big reveal!!!! I created a Christmas organizer for Diane - I loved it and can't wait to make one for myself and some other friends & family members. I used the free Recipe Wrap Up Timeless Template from PTI - this was the first time I tried a Timeless Template and it definitely WON'T be the last...they're great!!

This is the outside of the organizer. I used my Cricut to cut out the letters - it's from the Christmas Cheer cartridge...I used four different colors of cardstock and a little cutting to create the title. The dots were stamped on using Versamark.


Here's a shot of the entire organizer opened up. I love gingerbread - it's so Christmas-y! In fact, my entire tree is in gingerbread (I'll have to post a photo in December!!). The gingham paper inspired me to pull out this gingerbread stamp set from Martha Stewart.


Here's some close ups of the six pockets. These two pockets hold 'To Do' lists and gift tags.


These pockets hold gift lists and a Christmas card list. I created these on MS Word and included checkboxes for cards sent & received as well as gifts purchased & wrapped. I tried uploading the documents to Google docs, but it terrorized my formatting. I'm happy to share the files - just let me know your email and I'll send them right out. Oh...you'll need the Digs My Hart font, which can be downloaded for free here.


The final two pockets hold more tags and shopping lists. Don't you love those gingerbread men!! I added some liquid applique for their icing, black Stickles for their eyes, and red bling stickers for their buttons.


Finally, here are close up photos of the tags. I included two different styles. I thought the ric rac was perfect to go along with the gingerbread theme.





I was so happy to hear from Diane saying how much she liked it. It was really sweet to hear how much she appreciated all the time I put into the project - it definitely took me longer than I anticipated, but the results were worth it!

Details:
Stamps - Clear Gingerbread Stamps (Martha Stewart); Polka Dot Basics II (PTI)
Ink - Versamark, Real Red, Glorious Green, Chocolate Chip
Paper - kraft, Real Red, Always Artichoke, red gingham dp
Accessories - buttons, twine, liquid applique, black Stickles, red bling stickers (Stampendous), white ric rack, red gingham ribbon, scallop edge punch, Cricut, Christmas Cheer cartridge, Recipe Wrap Up template (PTI)

Apple Note Tote

I'm so excited to share my note card set & holder with you today and to announce this week's MyGrafico Challenge - Fruity Fun!

This week the design team is working with fruit images from Kelly Medina's set Yummy Fruits.



I chose the apple to work with, and I thought I'd create something for my classroom. I know that the rest of summer will fly by, so I'd like to build up my thank-you supply before heading back to school!Not only did I create thank you's, but I made matching envelopes and a fun apple shaped note tote!!! I can't wait to put this on my desk. I love how it turned out & it was so simple!!!



Here's a photo of the card & envelope...


... and the apple note tote. See the next post for a tutorial on how to create it. The ability to resize the digital image made this soooooo easy!! And I printed it on colored cardstock which I think makes it really pop!


A front view of the Note Tote:


A close up of my thank you. I love the simplicity of it. I used my new Nestabilities die, Pinking Circles - isn't it fun!! The image is colored with my Copics - check my details for the colors :)


Here's the envelopes. I created my own patterned paper & printed it out. I tried coloring it, but I thought it was just too busy. I liked the black & white, but I might print some on colored paper next time. Printing on paper makes lining the envelope much easier (<-yes, this is a lesson learned!!). I added an apple to the front of the envelope as a final touch.

With this, I'm a bit more ready to head back :)...unfortunately, it will cut down my card-making :)


So, do you love this image? Wouldn't this be a great teacher gift? You could make this and you could win the image to use, as well as the ENTIRE SET!! Just create a fruity card/project/layout and share your link at the MyGrafico Challenge blog by Sunday night at 10PM (PST). Your project does not have to use MyGrafico stamps, but if you have some we'd love to see them :). Can't wait to see what you come up with!


Details:
Stamps - Yummy Fruits (MyGrafico), sentiment - Changito the Monkey (Stampendous Perfectly Clear Stamps)
Ink - black; Copics (leaf - YG03, YG06, G05; apple's skin - Y17, R27, R29)
Paper - kraft, Real Red, green (Archivers), Basic Black, white
Accessories - black gingham ribbon, red buttons, hemp, corner rounder punch, Nestabilites circles & pinking circles dies, sticky strip tape, Scor-Pal

Apple Note Tote tutorial

Here's how I made the Apple shaped Note Tote. I used the apple image from MyGrafico's Yummy Fruits set. Remember, you can win this set this week (deadline 7/19) - check it out here

Please don't get swayed by the number of steps - it was quite easy; I just wanted to be as detailed as possible to make it easy for you to try on your own :)


Printing the apples & leaves:

1. Open up Microsoft Word
2. Change page borders to .5" on all sides (File>Page Setup)
3. Insert apple image from file
4. Double click on image, opening the Format Picture box
5. Click on the size tab and change size to height - 8" and width - 7.58"
6. Print one copy (I print using the photo setting on my ink jet printer's properties and then allow it to dry overnight or for several hours, if I'm coloring it) - I printed mine directly on colored cardstock
7. Click on the picture & make sure your Draw toolbar is on the screen (View>Toolbars>Drawing) [I'm using MS Word 2003, my toolbar is at the bottom of the screen]
8. Click on Draw [in bottom left corner] then highlight Rotate & Flip. Click on Flip Horizontally.
9. Print another copy.
10. Cut out both images.
11. If you're printing on colored cardstock and you'd like to pop out the leaves, crop the picture to just see the leaf. Copy and paste a few then print them out. This allows you to print just what you need rather than use up a bunch of paper and ink :) I printed 4 leaves - one to glue on each side & one to pop up on each side.

Construction:

1. Cut 2 strips of cardstock at 3" x 11" and another piece of cardstock at 4.5" x 8.5"



2. Score the 4.5" x 8.5" piece along the long side at 3" and 5.5"



3. Score the 3" x 11" strip at 2.5", 3.5", 4.5", 5.5", 6.5", 7.5", 8.5"



4. Flip strip over and score between previous scores at 3", 4", 5", 6", 7", 8"



5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 with the other strip of 3" x 11" cardstock.

6. Accordian fold scores on 3" x 11" strips.



7. Fold in scores on 4.5" x 8.5" piece of cardstock as shown in photo below.



8. Place sticky strip tape on each end of the 3" x 11" strips (see photo)



9. Remove plastic from tape strip and attach to one section of the 4.5" x 8.5" piece of cardstock as shown in photo. Be sure to line up edges with score lines.



10. Attach other end of 3" x 11" strip to the other side of the 4.5" x 8.5" piece.



11. Repeat steps 9 & 10 with the other 3" x 11" strip on the other end of the 4.5" x 8.5" piece.



12. To keep folded edges from bowing outward, lay box on one of the flat sides. Run tape runner along the outside accordian section on the bottom.



13. Press next section on top of the tape. Press for a strong bond.



14. Repeat steps 12 & 13 to the three other corners.

15. Next, run tape runner along the inside accordian section on the bottom.

16. Press next section on top of the tape. Press for a strong bond.

17. Repeat steps 15 & 16 to the three other corners.

18. Run tape runner along flat side of box and attach cut out apple w/popped up leaf. Repeat on other side.

Voila!