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!

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).

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!

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)!

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!

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?)

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!!!!

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!

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! 

A new beginning...again!!!

I wonder how many times you can decide that your next task or adventure is really your new beginning...hmmm. Well let's just say we all get one more chance and tonight I am getting mine started! 

I just joined the FREE Ultimate Blog Challenge & got 7 Ways to Get Your Blog in Motionhttp://bit.ly/blogchall #blogboost

For the month of January it is my goal to participate in the blog challenge over at http://ultimateblogchallenge.com

In order to participate you must post something on your blog everyday in the month of January. You must also post a link to facebook and twitter which I have to say I am excited about but also very nervous because I tried to challenge myself to do this on my own in the month of December and looking back I missed several days. OOpps guess it is best to not look back but only forward! You also comment on two other blogs that are participating in the challenge. I am really hoping to get more followers to my blog. 

To help me keep track of my posts I have set up a separate FiloFax (yes I am one of those nerds that loves the paper planners thanks to my big sister who pushed me into trying it). I have even started jotting down ideas for posts that I haven't even begin to write. I am sometimes a procrastinator but more on that later! 

Looking forward to this new challenge and adventure!!!! 

I would love for you to become a follower on my blog!!!