Monday, August 31, 2009

Backpack Backpack...yeah!

Hi friends,
Have you ever watched Dora the Explorer? My boys used to watch it all the time when they were little ones & they loved it. I think I subconsciously had that song etched in my mind & was mumbling (mumble+sing) while making it! Tee Hee! Believe it or not, I've never made one even though I've seen it loads of times on SCS. Anyway, I thought I would go ahead & give it a try. Here's my little backpack:
(Sorry, I took these pics at night so the colors are not the greatest.) Truth be told, it's cute, but...I'm not in love. It's really small & it was quite a bit of work. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because it was my first time making one. If you have any tricks or pointers on how to make it better I'd LOVE to hear it! I don't want to toss it in the round file (trash can) yet :) I don't mean to complain or sound critical, b/c I LUUUV SCS & their tutorials rock. I'm a Fan Club member after all! (Oh, I hope they don't kick me out of the club for complaining :{

Anyway, here's what I tucked in it:

I filled it with what a teacher will find handy at the beginning of the year---> A Burt's Bees lip balm, cough drops, and less than 1/2 a pad of stickies for the small front pocket (I also stuffed a travel size tube of Tylenol). I stuffed it all the way to the top! You can find the tutorial on SCS here. BTW, Step 21 is repeated twice just so you know. I didn't notice right away & it threw me off for a minute.

Tomorrow I have a new project to share with you. Here's a hint: It's beginning to look a lot like.... a Big sale (wink ;)

Thanks so much for peekin' in today! Hope your Monday is a goodie---Gotta go!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Cinema Saturday Challenge- Forrest Gump!

Hi friends,
I am this week's guest designer for Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge Blog. This week's movie is...

The challenge requirement this week is to have something brown in your card - brown ribbon, brown paper, brown embellishments, brown ink.... anything... it can be a lot - it can be very little - but just something/anything brown .... that is inspired by the movie: Forrest Gump.

So here's what I have to temp you with:

A Box of Chocolates Card!



Card??? Uh, huh! Check this outThe top lifts to reveal the card part underneath. I would put a piece of acetate on the underside of the opening, but so you wouldn't get glare, I didn't add it. The inspiration for this project is that famous tag line from the movie "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." and of course Forrest's box of chocolates. This was ridiculously easy to create and super quick- really!!! I used a shadow box card variation my blog pal Vicki (Sweet Dreamers) linked on her blog. There's a video tutorial to show you how to make it.

I'd like to thank the ladies at Cinema Saturday for letting me play along this week. It was great fun!
Thanks so much for peekin' today! I'm off to Sees for my quick fix of the good stuff---gotta go!


the 411:
Paper: Chocolate Chip CS- SU! Sweet Confections- Pinecone Press
Other: White gel pen
, ribbon, foam tape

Friday, August 28, 2009

Dreamers' Challenge # 5- Eyelets Galore & then some

Hi friends,
Before I begin with the deets to my card, I totally forgot to share some super fabulous news. Remember my Teacher Table Trio? Well it's going to be published! (That's why I had to temporarily remove it from my blog.) More info to come later :) But it will be back in a month, after September's publication. Crazy, right? I'm getting published, am part of a design team, have you as my blog friends--- life is good- like Sees chocolate good!!!!!!


On to my card:

Today I have a Twofer card. That means it's two challenges met on 1 card. Ok, so the first challenge was for the Sweet Dreamers. This week the challenge was to use eyelets. So you can see them on the upper right, lower left corners. This challenge- (check). Then, for the Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge, the challenge was to use red stitches (in honor of the flick Field of Dreams.) I added little ones to the grassy field so they'd look like little flowers from afar.

Here's a closer peek:


One last note, since my project was chosen for the Audrey Award last week for Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge I get to be guest designer for next week's film! Tomorrow is the big reveal for that :) So I hope you can hop back to see that card/project.

Thanks so much for peekin' today! I'm off to try to recoup some lack of sleep time-- gotta go!


The 411
Stamps: Everyday Button Bits, Scattered Showers Additions- Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Rain -PTI, Certainly Celery- SU!, Chestnut
Paper: Lemon Tart, Bitty Dot Basics- PTI, White CS
Other: eyelets, floss, red gel pen, Piercing kit- SU, dimensionals- SU!, Buttons- PTI

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Design Team News!!!

Hi Friends,
Thanks so much for your kind comments - seriously, you make my day :) and...to my fellow DT members for so warmly welcoming me to the Your Memories Here Design Team! Congratulations Brenda, Linda, Samantha, Leah, Lisa, and Sandy. I want to also thank Kristina
so much for inviting me to join- I'm so over the moon!!! Such great friends & new adventures I don't want to pinch myself- I want to keep dreaming! (Tee! Hee!)
We will be creating with the products Kristina carries in her store including Cricut, Cuttlebug, Dew drops, Prima and more OH MY! -Yeah, like only my favorite things, right! Woo Hoo! The DT blog is ymhdesigns.blogspot.com so I invite you to check it out!

After the first day with my new Kiddos and the concert (which was AMAZING!) I'm pooped :( First day went quite well, but it's "honeymoon" time (the teachers out there know what I mean :) so I'm sure the "real" them will emerge soon! I'll have something to share tomorrow- pinky promise! I'm off to bed---Gotta go!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

My First Tilda

Hi friends,
Thanks so much for your sweet comments from yesterday's posts :) so kind of you :)
Today I have this super cute Tilda. I'm so smitten with Magnolia Stamps- especially this one. What a sweet little face, don't ya think? My friend gets creeped out by the no mouth thing- but it doesn't bother me.
I masked Tilda to add the bench she's sitting on. I added some Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint to the bench to give it that aged wood look. I found it easier to paint on wood than on paper for some reason! I recently joined a Magnolia swap so I got 12 Tildas to play with & now there are more Tildas I *need* :)

Thanks so much for peekin' today! Tomorrow is my first day with my brand new kiddos, and guess where I'll be the night before? Library? Noooo.... Teacher Supply Store? Noooo... Last minute preparation in my classroom? Nope... all good guesses. I'm going to be at a Rock concert! Hee! Hee! That wasn't the best planning we've done, but hey you only live once! Don't worry, I'll make sure to be bright eyed & bushy tailed for my kiddos. Oh & a good shower will be in order!!! (Shhhhh... We'll keep this our little secret ;) ---Gotta go!


The 411
Stamps: Tilda Sitting with Hat, New Bench- Magnolia Stamps, Three little words- SU!
Paper: White, Tempting Turquoise- SU!, Stripes Floral Stack- DCWV
Ink: Tempting Turquoise- SU!, Memento Black
Tools: Ticket Corner Punch, Curly Label Punch- SU!
Other: Copics, Pearls, Ribbon, Brad-K&Co

Monday, August 24, 2009

The Audrey Award goes to...

ME!!! Woo hoo! This project I created for the Cinema Saturday Challenge was chosen as this week's winning entry. That's so cool :) So here it is:

Pretty, huh. She's mine. All mine... at least for this week! Check out Cinema Saturday & play along. It's fun! This week, the inspiration flick is Field of Dreams and the challenge is to use red stitching. Hmmm, wonder what I'm going to make?
Thanks for peekin' & thanks Sankari & Brooke for this award!

An Award... for me!!!

Hi friends,
I just wanted to share the great news that my blog sis Vicki has so sweetly nominated me for this award:


To accept the award I have to do a few things:

1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on my blog.
3. Link the person who nominated me for this award.
4. Name
seven things about me that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate seven
Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the seven blogs that I nominate.
7. Leave comments on all seven blogs letting them know I nominated them.

Thanks so much Vicki :) It's a first! (tear, tear). I'm not breaking out into the Sally Field "You like me! You really like me Speech!" so instead I'll share my 7's deets:

7 things you may find interesting about me

1. I can speak 3 languages. English, Spanish, & French. English is the last language I learned.

2. In High School, I was a competitive swimmer & swam in the same league as Olympic Gold Medalist Janet Evans.

3. I belong to a theater group. I luuuuv the theater.

4. One summer, I got to swim & train dolphins.

5. I share a birthday with Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen, Tim Allen, & Ally Sheedy.

6. I'm most afraid of flying (in airplanes) and petrified of earthquakes.

7. My students believe I'm 21 yrs old! We'll see how long I can keep that going!!!

So now, the envelope please... Here are the 7 bloggers I nominate for this award:
(this was REEEEEALY hard!)

1. Cassie- Crafty Cassie's Corner

2. Paige- She Who Must Stamp A Lot

3. Patty- Creations by Patty

4. Robyn- The Pink Stamper

5. Michelle- Freedom in Creating

6. Jackie- Addicted to Stamping

7. Mercedes- Share, Inspire, Create

Thanks so much Vicki! Please be sure to visit her at her fabulous place- Bountiful Blessings. Thank you everyone who hops by & visits my blog- near & far.

Two Awards... One lucky Girl!

Two posts today. I have received 2 awards this week- lucky me!


Sunday, August 23, 2009

Sweet Dreamers’ Challenge # 4- Word Has It...

Hi friends,
Today I have a card to share with you for The Sweet Dreamer's Challenge. This week, our challenge was to make a card using a sentiment as the focal point. We can stamp background images but no coloring allowed . Now, normally I would jump for joy at this kind of challenge- but I was in a total coloring mood this week :{ Eeeeek! Well, I sat down & started playing with my new toy: the Tulip Pendant die & this is what I created:

I'm so in luuuuv with these pendants! Spellbinders just doesn't cease to amaze me with their products! I inked the little tulips & popped them up on foam tape. It's a bright & cheery card, which I need right now. I'm bummed because I'll be teaching a combo class ( 2nd and 3rd graders) this year. Yuck! I don't like teaching combos. It's double the work without the pay :(
Thanks for peekin' at my challenge card--- I'm off to a 13 hour crop! Yahoooo--- Gotta Go!


The 411
Paper: Lemon Tart- PTI, Certainly Celery- SU!, Floral Prints---DCWV, Bitty Dots- PTI, White CS
Ink: Pure Poppy- PTI, Certainly Celery -SU!
Tools: Tulip Pendants- Spellbinders, Photo corner Punch- EK Success
Other: ribbon, foam tape, pearls

Friday, August 21, 2009

Mini Cake in a Box Tutorial

Hi friends,
Thanks so much for your comments on my little mini cake in a box project! I'm so tickled you like it :) Today I have the tutorial for ya:

Here's what we'll be cookin' up:

I will show you the speedy quick way I did it (just for you Paige :) and the one that takes longer (but you get some good options with that one.)

So let's get on with the deets...

It's a simple 3 step process:
Step 1: Create the Box
Step 2: Create the Cake
Step 3: Pop it in the box & close it

Version 1: "I have the Sizzix Shaker Box Die"
You'll need:
Sizzix Shake
r Box Die
Strong adhesive like Scor-Tape or Sticky Strip. You can also use wet glue.
Scoring tool

Scissors
Cardstock/Pattern Paper of your choice

Step 1: Create the Box:
Die cut the box. You'll h
ave a square left over, but keep it. We're going to use it.
While it's flat, you may want to decorate your box however you'd like.

Add adhesive to the box as shown & assemble. (I'm using Sticky Strip so you can see it, but I do prefer Scor-Tape.) Now is the time to add the acetate square 2 3/4" (squared)
Assemble it & set it aside. (See, we're almost done! ;)


Step 2: Create the Cake:
Punch out two 2" circles & a strip 1" x 6 1/2" from cardstock/ Pattern Paper.
Score the strip along the 1" side at 1/4" on two sides. (TIP: I score at 3/4" flip it & score at 3/4" so I don't have to struggle trying to work with 1/4")

Add strong adhesive to the 1/4" tabs. Score & fold so that it looks like a bar of staples.

Remove liner. Cut little slits all the way along up to the score line. (Non-stick snips work great for this part.)

Do that to both sides.
Remember to remove liner before cutting otherwise you'll be removing bitty pieces of liner---->Good luck with that!)

Optional (You can also do the opposite- cut your slits first & add one long line of adhesive. IMO, the little tabs seem to find their way better when you add adhesive before cutting- but both ways work.)

Start wrapping the little tabs to the circle all the way around. Take your time the first time. Once you've done these a couple of times this part will be quick (really Paige ;)

When complete it should look like this: Trim any excess.

Then all I do is place the other circle on top & carefully tap it in place.

Let them eat cake!--- 'cause it's DONE! Here I added a strip of 6 1/2" x 1/2" strip of paper around it to finish it. You can also wrap 1/2" width ribbon around it.
Now the fun part... decorate as you wish! Remember not to add too many embellies or your lid won't close flat!



More Options:
For a square cake
Punch two 1 3/4" squares & a
strip 1" x 7 1/4".

The rest is the same process as the other cake, but easier because you're dealing with straight sides & not curves. (So you may want to try the first cake as a square.) When you get to the corners, I just pinched the side & continued. Trim any excess. Pop your other square on top.

It will look like this when complete:
In the box:

So there you go 2 cake options :) But really, you can make any shape as long as it fits in the box.


Cake Liner (Optional): Cut a 3" square piece of vellum (cake liner). You can use a border punch or decorative scissors to create a pretty border. Do that to all sides until complete. If you don't want a decorative border, cut the vellum to 2 1/2" squared.

Adhere the left over square underneath the vellum. This will give a sturdy little place for your cake to sit on.

Now just adhere the cake to the liner
Pop your cake in! That's it-- stick a fork in it blah, blah, blah...

Here it is all happy!

Don't forget to add a 2 3/4" acetate square to the underside of the opening before you assemble it! I added a removable glue dot to the lid so it stays closed, but can be opened easily. I created another way to close it, but I'll share that with a different project ;)

Version 2: " I don't have this die Wah! Wah!"

If you don't have this die, don't cry. I've created a template for you. It's not exactly as the Sizzix, but it's pretty darn
close. Now, this will take much longer to do, but I'll show you why it may be a good thing.

Start with a sheet of CS 4 7/8" x 10 3/4"

On the 5" side, score 3/8", 1", 3 7/8", and 4 1/2"

On the 11" side, score 3", 3 5/8", 6 5/8", 7 1/4", and 10 1/4"

Cut out where I've marked with red Xs.

When complete it should look like this. Trim tabs as shown:

Now for the part that makes this a good alternative to the die:

You can make the cut out ANYTHING you'd like! If you want about the same square size as the Sizzix one, I used the 4th Square of the Large Square Nestabilities. You can also use punches or dies you may have. (Remember you'll need to leave at least 3/8" space on all sides.)
I used this balloon punch, but forgot that when I flipped the lid closed, it flipped the image---so my balloon was upside down! Duh! Just remember that when you do yours!

Remember, now that you know how to make this shaker box, you can fill it with all kinds of goodies & even change it up a bit in a fun way (which I'll be sharing with you---> later, Bwaaa! Haaa! Haaaaa!

Thanks so much for sharing some cake with me :) & would love to hear what you think of "my recipe!" I'm off to well... you know---> school junk---gotta go!
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