I'm BACK!

Wow, really?  I have a blog?  I think I forgot about that.  After taking a year off from posting and paper crafting I have decided it's time to get back at it.  Thank you to those of you who have checked up on me and for those of you who are still out there following me.  I have a few projects to show off so I will be scheduling some posts over the next couple of days and by then I hope to have more new things to show you too.  I am very excited to rejoin you all.

Teacher Gifts

It's the end of the year and time to start thinking of ways to thank those who have taken care of our kids over the past 9 months and helped them to learn and grow.  My girls took lavender plants to their teachers for Teacher's Appreciation Day.

This was a good way to use up some scraps of material I had sitting around.  It was fast and easy to wrap the material around the plant base and then just do a little stitch with some bakers twine from The Twinery, and tied it off.  It dressed up the plastic pots and then I used the mini clothes pins to attach the cards.

Inside the cards I wrote:

Thank You for Planting the seeds of knowledge,

Cultivating my love of learning

And helping me to Grow and Blossom this year.

It was a quick and easy project which was good since this year I had 9 teachers between the 3 kids.

Supplies:
Bakers Twine from The Twinery
Memento Ink
Copic Markers
Herbal Expressions stamp set from Stampin' Up!
Card Stock
Scrap Material

InStyle InSpiration Challenge

Hey all!  I know I have been a very bad blogger.  Life has gotten away from me lately and I haven’t had much time.  I apologize. 

Now, are your ready for some love?  Valentine’s day is really just around the corner.  Today on the InStyle Stamps Blog we were to make a gift holder and a card for someone special.

I used the Date Night image available in the InStyle Stamps Store now.  I’m so glad that I have a couple of these little red mailboxes stashed away.  They are cute for Valentine’s Day or maybe for a house warming gift too. 

The End of Christmas 2009

Due to our huge snow storm the weekend before Christmas the kids never got to have their Christmas parties and programs at school.  Since it was our first year of pre-school I think I was way more disappointed then they were, but they did have a small New Year's party on their first day back yesterday.  Naturally, even though I had 2 extra weeks to work on them, the teacher gifts were not completed until yesterday while the girls were at school.  We gave them  to their teachers when I went to pick them up.  The teachers were thrilled, and for as quickly as I made these 2 sets I am happy with the results too.  

Inside of set #1 a post it pad and a mini calendar.

Set #2

"Christmas Fudge" I also included

Cake Balls I made for the party.  I went with the New Years theme instead of making the Snowmen I had ready for the party the first time. 

Details

Paper: Razzelbery Lemonade, Rspberry Tart, Christmas Slab V, Bliss Blue, White

Accessories: Asst Ribbon from Offray Ribbon Outlet, Martha Stuart Snowflake Punch.

Christmas Pressies

I decided to do these little gift sets for the teachers at Gymnastics and PreSchool for Christmas.  The coaster book has a white post it note pad and a mini calendar inside.  There is a padfolio, pen, and magnetic jumbo clip, all coordinated as well.  What's great about this project is that I am finally using up some of the items in my ITD (Intended To Do) Drawers.  You know, the little things you pic up to alter, and then never do. Yeah, I have about 4 BIG drawers dedicated to those items.  Wouldn't it be nice if I could whittle it down a bit....just to fill it up again later.  Yeah, I have a problem, but don't we all?  

 

Details


Paper: Ginger Blossom, Groovy Guava, Bliss Blue

Accessories:  RSVP Pens, Chipboard Coasters, Clips, Ribbon, Bind It All and Coils, Jr Legal Pads


One More Gift
Today was also the 50th Birthday of one of the Gymnastics Coaches.  The twins helped me make these candles for her.

I saw this tutorial on Ten Second Studio and ordered the tin from Taco Tuesday.  The twins helped me run the tin through the Cuttlebug with the d'Vine Swirl folder (the twins said it looked like waves and they want to go to the beach on vacation, so that's why they picked that folder) and then I trimmed it and they sanded off the color on the raised parts, then attached to the candle with thumb tacks.  Before wrapping them, I went over the candles with my heat gun.  It helped to even out some surface blemishes, and really helped to make them shiny and smell good.  This is a great 10 minute project, maybe even faster if you don't have 2 assistants. :) 

Happy Birthday Team Ft Meade

Today Team Ft Meade met in Glen Burnie to celebrate Michelle's, Tracy's and Amanda's Birthdays. As always, the company was great and the stamped items were inspiring. My girls seemed to enjoy themselves too. As we were getting in the car the twins asked if we could stay and go shopping. I said no it was time to go home. Then Mackenzie said that she really liked mommy's friends and wanted to see them again. "Next time mommy we will stay with your friends and go shopping and you can leave." I guess I was the downer. ;)

When there is a birthday in the group, the birthday girl always gets a beautiful hat to wear. I was tasked with making one for Tracy, whom is the QUEEN RIBBON WHORE. You need to be careful when out shopping with her, she will knock you over to get to a good deal on ribbon. This is the hat I made for her.

Isn't it beautimous???? It is a bucket hat underneath and the ribbon is layered over the top. Then, by happy accident I made a little ribbon flower to go on the top.


I couldn't get a good shot of her wearing the hat. This is the manager of CiCi's leading the restaurant in Happy Birthday.

These are the coasters I made for Amanda and Tracy. I used Pocket Silhouettes and Ginger Blossom designer paper. The coasters are like mini picture frames and the images just slide in the back, you can tell a couple of them got a bit slanted as I was taking the pictures. I swear they are stamped straight, I just didn't get the time to make sure they were straight in the frames.
I also used the Ginger Blossom paper to create the gift bags. It all coordinated so nicely, if I do say so myself.

For Michelle I decorated a small vase or a votive holder with Love and Happiness Rub Ons and included a box of blueberry scented candles.
I love these little baskets I found. I actually bought about a half dozen to use as gift bags and for summer entertaining.

Happy Birthday ladies. I think I may need to hide next year as I am sure Tracy is going to get me back for the hat.

For more pictures of the day visit the Stamp Maryland Blog