Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Triple Time Stamp

I created a cute little card for Valentine's Day and I went with more masculine colors.This card was created using all Stampin Up products but for the life of me I cannot remember what the name of the brown paper is, but the other paper is Very Vanilla.


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Personalized Fly Leaf

So there is a world that I did not know existed until my sister introduced it to me several months ago. It is the world of Day Planners. I think they were pretty popular before we had all of this technology. Most people seem to be pretty excited about the brand FiloFax. There are groups on Facebook dedicated to the FiloFax and YouTube videos showing how they decorate their pages and also how they organize their planners.
As a scrapbooker and card maker the idea of decorating pages was exciting to me but as a computer teacher I struggled with the idea of going back to paper and not utilizing the technology at my finger tips...and then my phone failed. If your phone has ever failed you understand how your whole schedule gets turned upside down. So I am embracing my planner (although I do not own the actual brand FiloFax because I cannot justify spending $100+ on a planner).
My sister, mom and I now get together at least two to three times a month just so we can decorate our planners and brainstorm about ways we can improve our daily schedules. We are meeting this Sunday so I decided to try my hand at creating custom Fly Leafs for each of them. Now to be completely honest I am not 100% sure what a Fly Leaf is for but I know that the videos and blogs I have looked at have referenced their Fly Leaf.
I made one for my sister using a Translucent Vellum with White Embossing powder and for my mom she has black embossing powder. The stamp set I used was Whimsical Upper and Lower Case from Close to My Heart and I used Clear Embossing Ink.
Personalized Fly Leaf

Sneak Peak of this weeks daily schedule


Another view of this weeks schedule
I love Washi Tape!!!

Picture of my January Calendar

Thanks for stopping by and I would love for you to leave me a comment and join my blog!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Sometimes you just need a quick card

Today I have created a quick card out of scraps that I have (because you know us scrapbookers, we cannot throw away anything). Since Valentine's Day is getting closer I created this cute little card:

Materials used:
To be honest I have had these scraps for so long I couldn't tell you who manufacturers the paper.

What is nice about making your own cards is that even though it may not have taken hours to create with each card you put a little bit of yourself in it. It is my wish that the world would get back into the long lost art of card writing and letter writing. I know for me it really puts a smile on my face to receive a card! 

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment and don't forget to join my blog!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Accordion File Purse

My brother asked me to make him an accordion file system because he is doing the cash system this year and wants pockets to hold his cash. I have never made an accordion anything before so I first needed to see if I could do it. I searched and searched the web for a tutorial on how to create an accordion file system and what he is looking for is just not out there...yet!

So I had a squirrel moment in my search and came across this cute little Accordion File Purse that I thought would be good practice! I found the tutorial at Stampin Inspirations. I am a very visual person so her pictures helped a lot!

This is my version of her 4 x 6 Accordion File Purse:

Inside of purse:

Materials used:
3 12x12 solid card stock by The Paper Studio
2 12 x 12 pattern paper by Authentique "Genuine Collection"
Night of Navy Ink Pad by Stampin' Up
Express Yourself Stamp Set by Stampin' UP
Velcro

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you leave me a comment about what you think of my project! Also, become a follower to the blog to see future creations...you never know what I will come up with next!!!


Saturday, January 11, 2014

And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone that has joined my blog! It warms my heart to know that you choose to follow the activities I write about.

In order to get more people to my blog I posted this small contest on a couple of different Facebook groups that I belong to and also to my own personal page!

My oldest son is the only one awake so he is the one who drew the name out of the hat!

And the winner is:


Congratulations, Cathy! And thank you again to everyone that has joined my blog!

Post-It Note Holder w/small gel pen Tutorial

Today we are going to make a cute Post-It Note Holder that will also hold a small gel pen that you can find at staples. These are all over the web and are super easy to make and they make great gifts! These are perfect for Teacher Appreciation Week, Secretary Day, Bosses Day or just as a thank you gift. I made a bunch of these a few years ago while I was doing my student teaching and gave them to the class as their Valentine's gift. It worked out perfect for the class because we were doing a lot with post-it notes that semester and the kids and teacher went crazy over them!

Let's Get Started:

You will need:
12 x 12 Double Sided Paper - 1 sheet
I used Polka Dot Parade DSP by Stampin' Up
You can use a solid card stock or a pattern card stock
Post-It Note pad
Small gel Pen - I buy these from Staples and you can get colored or black
Scoring Tool - you can use a scoring board or a cutter to help get the score lines
Cutter
Adhesive 

Here is a picture of my supplies:

Step 1:
Cut paper at 7 3/8 x 3 1/4
(You can actually make 4 holders out of 1 piece of card stock...BONUS!)



Step 2:
Decide which side of the card stock you want to be the outside cover
You can actually make 2 from one side and 2 from the other side to give you a variety


Step 3:
Score at:
3 1/8, 3 1/2 and 3 7/8

Fold on score lines
You will need to fold the middle score line in the opposite direction 
to cut two small slits (cut to the score line).
This will be the pen holder

Folded

This picture shows what it will look like with the pen holder cut.

You are on your way to 4 cute little post-it note holders!
Keep going...

Picture at a different angle
You will need to use your adhesive to place the post-it notes.
Make sure that the smaller side is facing up and that they pen holder is to your left.

Decorate how ever you would like.
I used the left over scraps and cut two squares for each holder and then
place a button in the middle.

I used twine in the middle of the button to give it a little extra something!


You have now finished 4 post-in note holders!

I hope you will try to make this project and if you do I would love to see your creation!

Please leave me a comment on what you think about this project and don't forget to become a follower so you do not miss out on upcoming craft creations!






Friday, January 10, 2014

How do you get followers on your blog?

So today I am taking a break from creating cards. We went back to school today (after 20 days off due to Christmas break and snow days) and I feel like I was playing catch up all day. I teach computers and it seemed as though most students completely forgot how to work a computer after such a long break.

With that being said my attention tonight is on my blog. How do I get people who visit my blog to decide to become a follower of my blog? What is it about a blog that makes you decide to become a follower? I have recently been putting more effort into my blog and the traffic has really picked up since I joined the Ultimate Blog Challenge and have also joined several other card making challenges, however, my followers are still at a low number. So how do I change this?

I have to wonder if my blog is too "busy" with random thoughts, card making and other crafts. Is it better to focus on one thing or is it okay the way it is? What is it about a blog that makes you decide to become a follower? If you do a give away, does that bring more followers?  As a crafter, do I need to explore the world of YouTube and start linking videos back to my blog?

I would love your thoughts and suggestions as I want this to be successful.

Thank you for stopping by today and especially thank you to those that choose to leave a comment. And as always I would love for you to follow my blog!

Have a great week (we are out for three days...which is crazy after our 20 day vacation we just came back from today).

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Sweet Sketch Wednesday2 Challenge entry

SweetSketchWednesday2

I found the cutest challenge today and thought I would enter.

They provided the following sketch:
How stinkin' cute is that sketch?
The Designer is Sally Dube
I will totally be using this sketch for other cards...so stinkin' cute!

Okay, so I took the sketch and decided that since it is almost Valentine's Day I would go with the LOVE theme! Here is my creation...drum roll please...or not!
Materials used:
All card stock and DSP by Stampin' Up
Heart Buttons by...no clue (do people really keep track of that?)
Stitching by We R Memory Keepers
Chipboard by The Paper studio

Another angle:
I used Tempting Turquoise Ink and Best of Love Stamp set by Stampin' Up on the inside

Now I do have to admit that I tried something I have never tried before on this card and for some it is probably old news but for me it is brand new...I stitched!! If you look close on my triangle you will see my stitching (okay...don't look too close as it was my first time)

I even took a picture while I was in the process of stitching...lol!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will leave me a comment and also join my blog!


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

MOJO #327 Contest

MOJO327 Contest

MoJo Monday is having another contest! They have provided the following sketch:

Here is my entry:

Materials used:
All paper comes from Stampin' Up
Chipboard letters and arrow are from The Paper Studio
Tempting Turquoise ink from Stampin' Up

I hope you like my card! Please leave me a comment (those just make my day)!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Love Card

With Valentine's Day approaching I thought I would get a head start on making some cards. Now truth be told this card will not go to any of my guys but I thought the colors were sweet so I may just have to send it to my sister.
Materials used are all from Stampin' Up!

Thanks for stopping by and as always I would love for you to leave me a comment. I would also love for you to become a follower of my blog!

Hope you are staying warm!


Monday, January 6, 2014

My Day Planner

So I have gotten on the kick of the day planner. Actually a lot of people use the product called FiloFax but for me I just cannot justify spending $180 on a planner. I actually have two planners that I work with, one is my day to day planner and then I have another one that I use for my blog.

This is a picture of my craft desk today. At the bottom of the page is a Smash Book that I laid out to work on because I went to Walgreens and printed 239 pictures that will be going into that book. On top of the book I have started an inventory list of all of my scrapbook/craft supplies such as my Stamps, Embossing Folders, Cricut cartridge, etc. Then there is my book (and yes I decorate each page because it is like a mini scrapbook of my life). I used the Ultimate Blog Challenge calendar and cut it up and glued down each date of task on my weekly calendar.
My weekly schedule has my UBC tasks plus I write down my titles for the blog I wrote that day and I also write down any blogs that I need to check on because I entered a card.
I would love to hear how others keep their blogs organized.

Thanks for stopping by and as always I would love for you to leave me a comment!
 (It is -17 degrees here today...what is your temp?)

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Simply Create Too Challenge #52 Anything Goes

So I stopped by Simply Create Too and they are celebrating their 2nd birthday...and who doesn't love a birthday celebration? Their current challenge is "Anything Goes" and they are also giving away this cute little Digi Stamp to everyone because it is their birthday.
How stinkin' cute is this little guy with his little tie?

So I decided that since they were sweet enough to give away this cute little guy that I would try my hand at using Digi Stamps...and let me just ask, where have you been all this time? I love these things. You can size them to what ever size you need unlike your basic stamps that are the size that they are and there is nothing you can do about it. Options....I am all about options! Whoooo!!
So here is my little card with my little guy:
Materials used:
5 x 7 card base by The Paper Studio
Pattern Paper by The Paper Studio
White Card stock by The Paper Studio
Digi Stamp by Diane @ SimplyCreateToo.blogspot.com
Celebrate Stamp from Best of Birthday Stamp Set by Stampin' Up
Water Color Pencils and Blender Pen by Stampin' Up

I had to use water color pencils because I have not been brave enough to invest in the copic markers but now that I have played with Digi Stamps I will be taking the plunge into the world of Copic Markers!

Challenge Entered:

Thanks for stopping by and as always I would love for you to leave me a comment!


Saturday, January 4, 2014

DD#85 Challenge

The Dynamic Duo Challenge site has another challenge today!

Below is the color duo they came up with:

Below is my card:

Materials used:
DSP Pattern Stack 2012-2014 by Stampin' Up
Bold Color Card stock by Stampin' Up
A Round Array stamp set by Stampin' Up
Scallop punch, circle punches by Stampin' UP
Garden Green Ink pad by Stampin' Up
White Ribbon by The Paper Studio
Polka Dot Embossing Folder by Stampin' Up


http://thedynamicduoschallenge.blogspot.ca/2014/01/dd85-summer-starfruit-and-garden-green.html

Thanks for stopping by and I would love for you to leave me a comment and follow my blog!

Remember to take a moment today and Smile...it improves your face value!!!!

Friday, January 3, 2014

Determination of a child

I sit here today and reflect, it was exactly 365 days ago that our oldest son came to us and suggested a bet. He wanted to challenge himself to walk away from soda pop for one year. He was 14 at the time and our youngest was 9 and quickly decided that he wanted to be apart of this adventure also. So we shook on it knowing how hard this was going to be, thinking that this will not last and that they would be drinking a soda the first time they got around a friend or that they would just lose interest.

The bet: No Soda (of any kind) for 365 days
The Wager: $1 a day for everyday they go without a soda
The Option: They could have a soda at anytime however, the bet would then start on that day so if on day 350 they chose to drink a soda they would forfeit $350 but they could still earn $15 if they made it to the end of the one year mark.

Why the crazy date? Well Mom messed up and didn't know that Sonic's Cherry Limeade drinks have Sprite in them and on January 2, 2013 I stopped and picked them each up one and they drank it also not knowing it contained soda. So to make the 365 days...their date was set for January 3, 2014!

The determination of these two boys has amazed my husband and I. They both found themselves in many situations were soda pop was the only thing to drink. Our oldest encountered this type of thing first when his 8th grade class brought in soda and nothing else to drink. He had loaned out his last dollar a few days before that and the friend had not paid him back yet so he could not go get something to drink from a vending machine, and the party was during school hours so the teacher really didn't want him to keep going out into the hall for drinks because the water fountain was really far away from his class.

Our now 10 year old encountered the same situation at his Holiday party. Here is 23 5th graders sitting around eating pizza and drinking soda and then there was my child who had nothing to drink. They have a water fountain in their room so he just kept getting up and getting drinks. What kid wants water with their pizza?

Now as a kid there is no way I would have been able to do this. I wouldn't have wanted to look different, I wouldn't have wanted to walk away from the fun social conversations that might have been going on just to go drink water.

I have to wonder how these two young men found it in themselves to not quit. At such a young age were they really motivated by the money? I am thinking not since they really don't bring it up a lot. They have an inner-determination that not many young people have and I think that they wanted to see what success felt like. Their sense of accomplishment must be a motivation for them.

I am proud of both of the boys and also in awe of their determination and will!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Winter


Since we were getting snow last night and today I thought I would make a little WInter themed card to get myself in the mood for another round of the white stuff!
Here is my creation:

Materials Used:
Midnight Muse cardstock and Ink by Stampin Up
Whisper White cardstock by Stampin Up
Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pens by Stampin Up
Rhinestones by Kaiser Scrapbook
PK-328 Snowman Stamp Set by Peachy Keen Stamps

I hope you enjoy my card and maybe it made you smile!!!

Hope your second day of 2014 is going great and that you haven't gotten any paper cuts!

Don't forget to leave a comment (those make me so happy) and it would be great if you joined my blog!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

MOJO326 Challenge Entry

Happy 2014!
I have been busy researching different challenge blogs and trying to get myself organized so that in 2014 it is easier for me to keep track of when a challenge is posted and when it is due and when I am suppose to check back to see if I won a prize or a badge. My personal goal this year is to get more followers to my blog, blog more (which should help with my first goal) and to also win a badge for my blog...okay I can't control that one so maybe instead of that one being a goal it is more of a dream!

I jumped over to www.mojomonday.blogspot.com and they have a really cute challenge this week.

I tried to create a circle card using my gypsy and welding option...let's just say...I need a LOT of practice still. SOOOO instead of getting frustrated and walking away I went with the Square card option. 

Drum roll pllleeeaase:

Materials used:
Card base: Black cardstock from Paper Studio
Pattern Paper: Hearts and Skulls by Serendipity
Vanilla Cardstock by The Paper Studio
Embossing folder: Polka Dots by Stampin Up
Washi Tape: Black and White Polka Dot (kinda addicted to this stuff)
Best of Love stamp set by Stampin Up
Basic Black ink by Stampin Up
Black Pearls by Want 2 Scrap


Thanks for stopping by and as always I would LOVE, LoVe, LovE it if you would choose to follow my blog and/or comment.

Wishing you a very happy 2014, may you never get a paper cut while crafting!