Welcome FALL!!!

And welcome to World Cardmaking Day... A day late, lol. I was SOOOOO bummed yesterday as I checked out all the cool challenges going on while sitting at the Lodi Pee Wee football game... My daughter cheers EVERY Saturday and the day is filled with the kids, cleaning, and football. At least until November! :)  SOOOO, as SOON as we got home and shoved the kids in their beds I HAD to bang out a card... or two. :)

This one was made with one of my Unity Stamp Company Stamp of the Week stamps (You Drive me Nuts)

I stamped the image using Close to My Heart's Slate gray ink and then colored it in with copics in all sorts of E shades... SOOOO many shades lol, but I was trying to get the whole cast shadow technique down. :) 

Finished off with some CTMH papers that were in my stash since forever and a ribbon, and viola... Happy Fall! :) 

I THINK I'm going to use this card as our first Operation Write Home project at school next Friday. I have about 19 girls signed up to learn how to make cards at school, and I'm trying to make quick and easy projects with them so that they can make one to take home and one to send to Operation Write Home for the troops. Because my school is HUGE on service projects, I thought this organization would be a nice way to give back to the troops while fostering my students' creativity. 

Thanks for taking the time to take a look-see, and happy stamping! :)

PS, I'm submitting this one to the Unity Stamp Co's blog for their World Cardmaking Day Fall Theme Challenge, which they GRACIOUSLY extended til Oct 20th! :)

Ready for school!!!

Hello blogland! And welcome to almost back to school time! :) My current college freshmen are moving into dorms this week and I'm in the process of buying school supplies and getting my daughter back into a healthy sleeping routine! :) WOOOT!!!! I'm kinda looking forward to going back to work this year...I enjoyed the time at home with the kiddies, don't get me wrong, but teaching a bunch of high school students is WAY easier than taking care of five bratty kids all summer, just sayin! :)

In preparation for going back to school, I did work on some more student based cards this past week. I have all of five cards ready for my 40 graduating seniors but the year is still young yet... :)

This one was made featuring one of my favorite stamps from Kenny K...

I made this card with a special student in mind... the red highlights are totally inspired by her current doo... :) The notebook paper is also a stamp I snagged at Scrap-A-Doodle Doo recently and inked up with some distress ink (Weathered Wood)... the paper kinda goes with that school theme...

I colored the image with copics and am STILL scared of the dark when it comes to darkening up my skin tones... I was told at the recent Copic Intermediate Certification class that my skin looks like y girls are vampires... WELLL.... this one may be a bit Bella-esque, but I'm working on it... :)

Thanks for looking and as always, happy scrapping! :)

Challenges:

Kenny K's (Anything Goes)

Catered Crop (Distress)

Pile it On (P.... Patterned Paper, iPOD)

Where is the summer going?

I agonized over the summer each year worrying about finances, projects around the house, keeping the kids occupied, etc... But by the time reality sets in and I get a second to breathe, its August and almost time to go back to work!
And I never ever get through all the crafty projects I plan on completing when I daydream about the summer months.
I can't even count how many things are just waiting for creative genius... I should probably purge papers and such because its physically impossible to use all the stuff I have stashed...
Anywhoo, I may not have done everything I wanted to do, but I DID finish a Graphic 45 baby inspired altered book for my nephew's son early this summer that I totally love...


The front cover incorporated scrabble tiles and some Tim Holtz goodies...


The back cover was a paper baby tribute...
And the inside was a combination of papers, found items, and lots of love...

The idea for the hollowed out book came from a blog post on G45's site a while ago and i had been dying to finally use these papers!!!
Thanks for looking and i do hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!!

Still thinking about London...

I have scrapped absolutely NO pages from the London trip yet... Today's scrapping actually was from last year's trip to the beach so maybe I'll get to April's trip next summer...

But I HAVE been thinking about the trip and decided to make a London inspired card for a certain friend on her way to NYU using my favorite Kraftin Kimmie stamp Eloise...

I'll be submitting this one to Kraftin Kimmie for the favorite stamp challenge this week... Thanks for checking her out! :)

Something Bella for High School

Hi there blog land! Yesterday was such a crazy hectic day because Elijah had surgery to put in ear tubes and have his adnoid removed. He was so cranky after the anesthesia that all I could dream about was putting him to sleep and getting crafty. I mean along with a glass of wine, what better way is there to unwind? ;)

So I cracked out the Bellas that were once my obsession and have recently been collecting mire dust than I care to admit. This card is the first of next year's palancas... I may have mentioned that a tradition at my school is for all the teachers to give the graduating seniors a note of encouragement around the end of the year. So of COURSE I had to go and start making individualized cards for each student... But in order to prevent it from becoming too much of a burden I have had to start the cards as early as possible...

This one is for a special student who was a pleasant surprise as a junior... One who loves to listen to her music but uses it to help concentrate and ROCK her assignments in class... I have high hopes for this miss next year...

I am submitting this one to Card Makin Mamas who challenged us to whip out our rubber stamps and Do You Stack Up who challenged us to use red as a predominant color. Thanks for looking!!

Paris is Always a Good Idea

I FINALLY began scrapping our trip to London and Paris last night only to realize my darling 8 year old daughter has taken almost ALL the good pictures. She made a mini purse chipboard album titled "Keep Calm and Carry On" that came out GREAT and the best part was that she did it all by herself! :) BUT the downside is that she picked all my favorite photos and left me without the ones I had planned on using in my mind...

That being said, I DID make doubles of these pictures featuring Melanie and Ariana, Melanie, and Me and Ariana in front of the Eiffel Tower the day of Ariana's 18th birthday. I guess it's safe to say that Ariana is by far one of the most special students I have met in a long time... I think the last student who became family was Sasha... and she is basically my Dominican sister and the ONLY outside person in the world we would trust our home and children with who is not blood related. True story...

SOOO Ariana and Melanie bonded when I took a group of girls to Salem, MA last year. Ariana has a five year old brother (and a 15 year old one too) so she was super amazing with Melanie and they kinda just became close from then on... I had to warn Melanie not to hover over Ariana during our London and Paris trip, and for the most part she was ok with it... but Ariana was still the first person Melanie looked for at each major monument and, well, I can't blame her because I too was looking for Ariana over and over again, especially when we got to Paris on April 10th right on time to celebrate her 18th birthday!

At this point, Ariana and her whole family are truly my family as well. And the though they probably aren't aware (although her brother might have realized when I kept hugging him...), they can't get rid of me now... At Ariana's graduation dinner, my hubby and Melly kinda all melded together with Ariana's family dynamic; it was then that I realized the conclusion of our "professional" relationship became the start of our friendship, and although I already miss Ari as a student, I am looking very forward to seeing my friend soon!

This layout was created using the Little Miss papers, stickers, charm and rubons from Bo Bunny... Yes, I said STICKERS! :) I actually ended up scrapping this entire page more because of the Scrap Fit stickers challenge... I HATE using stickers. They are like my arch nemesis and my good friend Sherri uses them SOOOO well in all her work... Just the other day I commented on how she is able to incorporate stickers into her work seamlessly... This was definitely a challenge for me but the title sticker and the "Paris is always a good idea" sticker weren't SOOO intrusive as to make it difficult to include.... this time! :)

Here's a closeup of the clustered corner featuring pieces from my stash including Prima blooms and two mini tags created using Distress Inks (Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, and Victorian Velvet), the Bo Bunny Sticker, and umbrella charm.

Ready for Summer yet?

My students are officially done... And so am I! We still have about a week's worth of meetings and facuty planning going on, but I have officially checked out and begun to focus on my crafting (it's been TOOOOO long!!). And with the summer, comes fun in the sun with the kiddies and friends! :)

I scooped up this cutie Magnolia in Flip Flops stamp at Scrap-a-Doode Doo during one of my recent visits and HAD to add some Mud Puddles to create the sand effect... I think I'll include her in my upcoming fancy folds class featuring the side step and center step folds... What do YOU think? :)

She was colored in using copics (Hair: E50, E53, E31, E33, E23, E25; Skin: E000, E00, E11, E13 for the tan and R20; Shoes: E27; Flower: R22, YR02; Grass skirt and leaves: G21, Y06; Shirt YR21, YR25).

I'm entering this cutie into the Simply Magnolia challenge (Fancy Folds and Friendship) as well as Simon Says Stamp's Anything Goes challenge. Thanks for looking and I hope to be back LOTS now that school is out! :)

The Graduation Season is Upon us..

And last weekend the BA Class of 2012 bid their final farewells and took their first steps into adulthood. I can't say it wasn't a tear filled event, nor can I say I was totally unhappy it was their time to leave our hallowed halls... The Class of 2012 has such a special place in my heart for so many reasons...

I have taught many of them since they were Sophomores and because of that, I have had the joy of being a part of their lives for longer than usual. Which brings its own set of ups and downs, but also made me infinitely more attached to them than to any class before. I have been a teary mess since, say, April, because as I saw these ladies blossoming into young women before my eyes, I would flash back to when they were scared little sophomores and I'd realize just how far they have come...

I also had the chance to take ten of these girls with me to London and Paris this past April, so the bonding there grew even more... to the point that I honestly feel their loss in the hallways. I have been accused of having favorites this year. And with the exception of two or three girls in the class, I have to say that it is an accurate assessment... except that for so many different reasons they are ALL my favorites! I have, of course, one or two I'd personally adopt into my family, but there are so many special individuals in this class and I cannot WAIT to see how far they go in their own personal lives.

So with a somewhat heavy heart, I am sending my own personal farewell to a class that has taught me as much as I have taught them... A class who has fought me tooth and nail at times but a class who has enriched my personal and professional life as well. This class, I will never forget... Congrats girls!

Punchy AND Twisted!

Hey blogland!!! I mentioned in my last post just how addictive the Martha Stewart punches are once I was able to figure out how to use them correctly and as soon as I was done with my last layout I was brainstorming ideas for a card using them as well...

This twisted easel was made using the traditional easel base with the top flap folded in half at a diagonal instead of straight back, then I added the punched patterned papers at the 6X6 size to the base, cut some matted papers with the punches as well, then added the image.

This GORGEOUS Elisabeth Bell image is a Whiff of Joy stamp that I colored in using copics (Skin: E000, E00, E11; Hair: E50, E53, E31, E33, E25; Green trim--BG93; Paper pieced dress: YG21, R20). I had the hardest time finding markers to approximate the colors in the papers so I paper pieced her dress and added shading with the copics as best I could...

This one was made using the sketch over at Elisabeth Bell's Challenge World and the challenge over at Card Makin Mama's is to get Punchy!! :) (Pretty appropo, no?)

Thanks for looking and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Feelin' Punchy...

Hey there!! Me again... :)

I posted a quick tutorial on the Scrap-A-Doodle Doo blog today about using Martha Stewart's punches, and thought I'd share the results here as well! :)

This "simple" layout was definitely a trying piece only because I have never really used the punch around the pages punches for their specified use before, so it definitely helped to read the instructions... Who knew there were specified page sizes?! :)

I  cut up some Webster's Pages papers that have been in my stash way too long and even some Creative Memories papers (geez, they must be like five years old by now!) and I got punchy... Counting the cardstock base, the two photo mats beneath the horizontal picture and the two title box punched mats, I have a total of five (5) punched pages on this one layout (done with emphasis for the Truly, Madly, Crafty Challenge this month!!)

For sure I would recommend using Cardstock over the thinner papers anytime, as I did not have such predictable results with the thinner stock. Otherwise, the paper size thing is important as is punching the corners first... Who knew?

Now I'm hooked and I have a card in progress using this punch as well, so I should be back later on this week with another look at the punch shown above. That being said, I'm kinda getting addicted and there are TONS of styles currently available to play with... which one should I get next? I do need a new butterfly punch since Melanie and her BFF broke it last summer...

Anywhooooo, hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day and can spend some time getting crafty!!

Momma's Gift

Hello blogland and I hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day weekend! I know this is the weekend for honoring fallen troops, and I am totally indebted to their sacrifices... but this weekend I somehow find myself missing my own lost loved ones who did not necessarily fall in war... In particular I'm missing my Mima who has been gone now almost ten years (ridiculous how time passes) and my father-in-law Gilbert who passed over a year ago...

Well... though my heart has been full of thoughts of loved ones, I do have a project to share that I made for my mommy this month... We have grown closer and then further apart and then close again the past few months, and she is probably my number one scrappy fan cause she displays all my artwork proudly.

This Kaiser Kraft Desk Organizer was probably the most crafty fun I've had in a while... I painted the base Golden and then went to town (somewhat) with my left over Graphic 45 Springtime papers. A little ribbon, some prima flowers and lots of Mod Podge later, and viola...

 

The sides of the organizer were painted and embellished with paper clippings from the collection.

The back of the desk organizer was simply a piece of paper from the Graphic 45 collection; it fit PERFECTLY...

All in all, my mom loved the piece and honestly the project probably took all of two hours, with paint dry time included! For a quickie pretty gift, this one was tops!

Those Parisian Nights...

As I mentioned in my last post, our trip to London and Paris was absolutely life changing for my students. Don't get me wrong... it was definitely a moment to remember for me too! :) But for my students, most inner-city girls from Newark who have only dreamt of seeing the Eiffel Tower in eprson, well, it was monumental. One girl was actually in tears the night we were up close and personal with the tower... Another was in tears at the Harry Potter exhibit (which I can't WAIT to scrap!!).

This card was made for Chloe (aka Feisty), who got choked up when she stood under the tower while it was all lit up during our first night in Paris. And who KNEW that it would get all glittery too? It was gorgeous...

I don't think this photo does justice to the stickles on the tower, but I absolutely love love love my Graphic 45... And this card was perfect for Ms. Chloe on so many levels...

I am submitting this card to Cute Card Thursday (for the little bit of sparkle on the tower). Sweet dreams... :)

Springtime in Paris

Hello there bloggers!

In April I had the chance to take ten of my seniors, my daughter, and some parents and family members to London and Paris for nine days. My students had a life changing experience and although it was a gruelling trip, every moment was worth it. But it has taken me THIS long to recover from the rigor and be able to begin crafting with the trip in mind. I'm currently working on mini canvases for my students and will post those when I've finished them (thanks to Stephanie for the idea!!).

But in the meantime, I started making thank you cards for the parent that came along... Although I know she didn't enjoy Paris as much as she loved London, we did have a chance to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, so this Tim Holtz stamp was perfect for her. And it allowed me to crack out the UTEE that I've been dying to play with for quite a while now! :)

I had lots of fun making this one because it was made with lots of love for a special mom who inspires me to be a better mom myself... And that always makes papercrafting that much more exciting...  :)

I'll be submitting this one to Charisma Cardz for their Pink and Girly challenge. They are also having a DT call over at Charisma... I'm considering applying because my darling Karmyn is always gushing about how much she loves her spot there, but I'm not sure yet...

I'm also submitting this one to Card Making Mamas for their flowers challenge and Simon Says Stamp's Anything Goes challenge. Thanks for looking and happy scrapping!!!

Rush, rush...

Hellooooooooooo there! :) Just a quick post to share a REALLY quick project I finished in about a half hour today as a Congrats gift for Melanie's dance school secretary... I had made a pretty cool mirror for the school back in October and of course I didn't photograph it... it was all royal blue, black and white (Dance company colors) and had some cricut cuts from the Twinkle Toes cart... Well, the past is in the past. :)

THIS one is simple, featuring Cosmo Crickett Circa 1934 paper and stickers, a black lace flower I made on a gluber with a K and Co brad I've been hoarding since forever and a Prima flower... Done. :)

I'm entering the mirror at Anything Goes, Tuesday Throwdown (the lace flower) and Clear it Out...

I even slapped together a card using up paper from my stash, the matching brad from the mirror and a Ketto stamp my good friend Karmyn stamped for me aeons ago...  



The card is also being submitted to Clear it Out (brad)

I can't stress how quickly these projects came together... it feels good to squeeze some crafty time in between running to get the kids... which I have to do now, so thanks for looking and have a great day! :)

“A mother would have been always present. A mother would have been a constant friend; her influence would have been beyond all other.” (Northanger Abbey)

With Mother's Day quickly approaching, it's crunch time for crafty presents and cards... this Mother's Day I am making my mom, my grandma, and my aunt cards, and making mom a special desk organizer that I'll post pics of later... I am still in embellishing mode for that one! :)

This card is for my grandmother (aka Nana) who is hopefully getting out of the hospital tomorrow... she's been in with a stomach infection for over a week and at eighty years old it's getting harder for her to heal quickly. But praise God, it's looking like she'll be released tomorrow evening, in time for us to celebrate another Mother's Day with her next weekend!

This one features Kraftin Kimmie's Queen Guinevere stamp colored with copics and accented with distress inks. Copics used: Skin - E000, E00, E11, R20; Hair - E50, E53, E31, E33, E25; Clothes- RV10, RV13, RV14, R20; Crown - YR21, YR24.

I am submiting this one to Kraftin Kimmie's Challenge Blog (Mother's Day), Card Makin Mamas (Cake Inspiration), Card Patterns (Sketch 164), Catered Crop ("B"... for Bling on the flowers and crown), and The Crafty Pad (Girly girl and Pink).

Thanks for looking, and happy scrapping! :)