christmas 2008 continues

And here we are again back to Christmas 2008 and all the fun it was. I have a much smaller pile now and am feeling very motivated to continue. Here are the latest two creations.

This layout was so much fun and yet so simple. Love it when that happens. I found the paper in a stack I had and it screamed for these pictures. I used my Fiskars apron border punch to mimic the gingerbread roof for the top of the page and for the top of the journal box. I used some chipboard letters I have had FOREVER! I added stickles and puff paint to the house on the background paper to give it a little pizzazz. The kids look so young!!

This next one I am loving so much right now. I do not want to put it in an album because I will miss it!! Sometimes it just happens. These are pictures I took after Alex got a haircut right before Christmas. You can see the major difference between the page up above and the one below. He ages so much in a few days with the haircut!! I used some Basic Grey papers that I had which worked with the colors in the pictures. Added in some chipboard stars that I covered with paper and inked the edges of. I used my stitching tool from We R Memory Keepers and used some embroidery floss for the sewed border around both pictures. Like I said, I am loving this layout right now.

Have a great one! I am off to make some cards. At least that is the game plan- we'll see how far I get.

valentine's day goodies

This year I have been working in Alex's classroom of amazing first graders and in one of the kindergarten classrooms for both the AM and PM classes (not to mention getting to hang in the art room once a week) and decided that I wanted to give Valentine's to all those kiddos. 

First came the decision as what to get them all. Since there is always a big demand for pencils in the first grade room, I went forth and found some cute ones at Target in their holiday area. Then somehow counted wrong and ended up with more boy pencils than girl pencils which did not work in a female dominated room. I then hit the dollar store and they saved the day for the girls!!

For the kindergartners, I decided on some fun colored super balls along with some foamie heart stickers. Thankfully I counted correctly when buying the super balls at Target (again in their holiday section) and managed to have a 'few' left over for my kiddos to have (or save them for next year!!)

Then came the decision of how to give these goodies to the kiddos. I decided on a pencil holder type card for the first graders. Below shows the inside of the card that I stamped. I also signed it for each of them.

I also stamped the front of the cards and added their names. I closed the card with some heart stickers I picked up at Michaels since I didn't like how they looked open. Yes I sharpened all the pencils since the students are not allowed to use the electric pencil sharpener in the classroom (sharpen pencils too much, push too hard etc etc) and that would not be fair to the teacher to have to sharpen all those pencils before the kids can use them.

This is a side view of one of the treats. I was pretty proud of myself!!

For the kindergartners, I decided to put their goodies into snack baggies and then add a tag. As I was surfing Pinterest (cuz everyone does) I found these so adorable tags. They seemed pretty easy so off I went. Below are all my love bugs set to be made into tags.

Here is the completed project! I stamped the sentiment onto the red paper and then attached them together with some floss I have. I added who it was to on top of the love bug. Perfect!!

And since I cannot forget the teachers... I made each of them a little bag to hold some Lindt goodness.

Hope your Love Day was a wonderful one!! xx

oh yes i did!!

Scrap that is. Get your mind out of the gutter... geez. :)

I have had the photos from the end of December 2008 (yes you read that right 2008!) pulled out from their box for a few months now (read that as about 6-8 months) and have been S L O W L Y working on them. I was going to pack them up and had actually put them back in their box when I stopped, slapped myself around a bit and pulled them back out. 

Let me explain the self beating and why it happened. I first must explain that I have not printed any pictures lately unless they were going into my Project Life album and the reason for that?? I have three photo boxes F U L L of pictures that I need to scrap. The dates on these boxes go from 2002 or 2003 until early 2012. That is a ton of pictures sitting there taunting me into putting them into albums. (this does NOT include the three other photo boxes of Walt Disney World vacation photos) oh the shame.

As I was putting this tiny pile of pictures away I was overcome with a massive amount of guilt. Seriously massive. Probably because I had to take down all three of the photo boxes full of pictures to actually get into the one box where these photos should be placed (chronologically speaking). Another part of it, may have been that for the past couple of nights, the kids have been taking their scrapbooks off the shelves and looking at them. Really looking at them and laughing at what they were like when they were smaller. Alex especially thinks it is funny of the things he used to do. Unfortunately, Alex only has about 5 albums and they are not completely done (enter in the three boxes of photos I have mentioned before) so he is feeling unloved. Major mommy sigh and enormous amount of mommy guilt.

So off the races I went. I am going to scrap. I am going to scrap for me. And not only for me, but for my kids. I am happy they have found enjoyment in what I have been working on for years. I don't want that to end. So here goes... I am scrapping!! These may not be magazine works of art using all the latest and greatest tools, embellishments and paper. But who cares?? As long as the memories are in the albums and not stuck in a box, that is what matters- to me and my kids.

This one is going into Alex's album as I had already done another page to put into Kira's album using other pictures taken the same day. My title is weak but that is what happens when you are using the scraps and are running out of letters. But let's remember- it is headed for an album and not a box. Happy mommy.

This one is so cute. Look at that happy face of childhood. Placing her written letter to Santa into the Santa mailbox at the post office. I can't believe she was so small and adorable. Now she is stunningly beautiful and I have the right to say that since I am her mom! Love my girl. The letter on the bottom of the page is what Santa wrote back to her. Love it!!

I hope to keep working on this pile and the three boxes. That should keep me busy for the next 100 years!!

pail of pencils

Since I have been volunteering in Alex's classroom this year, I have noticed that first graders are amazingly rough with their pencils. Erasers are worn into non existence within minutes, the points are gone even quicker than that with most being snapped off from too great of pressure from little hands and there is never enough time in the day for the teacher to sharpen all of the pencils these kids go through. I try to sharpen them when I am in the room once a week to keep on top of things. I guess it must be the OCD in me but I feel better doing it and knowing there are sharp pencils for those willing scholars.

Of course with all that sharpening, comes very small pencils. For Valentine's day I decided that the teacher needed a new pail of pencils. I picked up a few packages of Valentine pencils as well as some St. Patrick's Day pencils and a few others I had laying around here. Here is the pail from the front. I used letter stickers and then to ensure that the letters stay put for longer than a minute- I mod podged the heck out of it! 

This is one of the sides with a few flowers to help break up the silver of the pail.

I also felt the need to cover the back with three different patterns of washi tape. I like the spring feel of it. I also mod podged these. Not that they were falling off because they were not, but edges always call out to bored fingers!! I placed a few different ribbons on the top of the pail handle for decoration.

Here is the other side of the pail. I am very happy with how it all came together. I can't wait to bring it to her on Thursday!! And to save her a ton of time-- I already sharpened all those pencils!! :)

me happy

My package from Scrapbook.com arrived on Thursday evening. Just in time for me to start working on dinner and getting Kira ready for the Daddy Daughter Dance! So not fair. I had to wait some more before I could tear open that special box but I was rewarded with the lovely goodies shown below!!

I am so happy to have them here with me. But a bit sad as I had ordered an embossing folder that is sold out and they were not sure when or if it would even be coming back in. So they credited my PayPal account for it. Wondering why it took me to email them that something was missing before they did that. Shouldn't that have been an automatic once they packaged up my stuff and realized they could not send it to me?? Oh well, I shall survive and no more waiting!! :)

Winter Storm Nemo has hit us and continues to blow and snow on us. I am sure it will be stopping sometime. Until then we are snowed in and comfy. Poor hubby is out snowblowing the HUGE drifts. They are over the top of the snowblower!! Our neighbors plow guy got stuck when the snow fell behind him and he couldn't reverse out of their driveway! Another guy had to come and plow him out!! Of course that meant pushing snow onto our side of the driveway for hubby to have to move. Somehow that always happens to us. Next house we will not be sharing a driveway with our neighbors. 

Off to clean off the desk in the hopes of actually being able to scrap something today. We'll see!

not good at it

I will admit this here and now. 

I HATE WAITING!!

I am not good at. Never have been, never will be.

I had the wonderful honor of receiving a $100 gift certificate from Scrapbook.com for winning their 2012 Album contest. Every year they run this contest and you need to post at least twelve layouts on the site and do at least fifty (honor system of course) and then they randomly draw the winners. I was one of the four chosen!! So very exciting and a great way to start the year.

I took a couple of days to look through the entire Superstore on the site. And started making up a wishlist on the third day. I then took a couple more days to make sure that what was on my wishlist I did in fact want. In the meantime I was scouring the internet making sure that I didn't "need" anything new and exciting in my life since I had this free money.

Finally I started adding things to my cart. Crazy things. Every thing I saw. Things I would never use but thought were neat. Let me tell you, that total was WAY more than the allotted amount I was given!! :)

I started going through the cart and getting rid of the totally don't need items. Got below the amount I had to spend and went back into the store to keep looking. Added a few more things to the list. Thought about what I could create with what I was buying and would it be worth it. I need things that will last for more than one project. I like getting a good bang for my buck (even when it is a free buck!!)

FINALLY!!

I decided what was in my cart was what I wanted. I went $8 over (without the shipping) so I talked to hubby. He laughed and said that was pretty good. I went back to the cart. Removed one thing I was still not sure on and replaced it with something I really needed (a black reinker for my ink pad) I am happy to say that I was then only $3 over (without shipping) and then in fact placed my order.

I ended up only having to pay $11 total for my cartload of goodies. Here is where my problem rears its ugly head. I am now at UPS's mercy to get my package to my doorstep. Let me tell you, they are taking their sweet time getting it here. I mean seriously. Toss the box on a plane and get it to me.

No I did not pay for express shipping but this is scrapping supplies. How can they expect me to wait for these goodies??? I am chomping at the bit to start playing. And here I sit. I even finished up all the projects I had for Valentine's day while waiting.

Looks like I best get working on that Boy Scout card order since I checked the UPS website and my package is still two days out. Major bummer sigh.

You can bet your bottom dollar I will be stalking that brown truck on Thursday. And he better show up before 7pm!!

ps. I am now on Etsy... you can find me at terristeases!! Please tell your friends and family.