OWH Sketch Challenge

The Sketch

First of all let me say I am so sorry about the poor quality photo.  I am having camera issues.  I gave my trusty snap and shoot to my son to take with him to Germany.  I can not locate my cable for my Rebel, I am sure it was shipped, but I haven't come across it yet. I am SURE it was shipped!  Oh, my.  Anyway, so I went and dug out an older point and shoot that actually seems like a dinosaur.  Have you noticed that, you get something new and sleeker and trimmer and then go grab the old (5 yrs old) point and shoot and that sucker feels like it weighs a ton.  Anyway, I remember - now - why we got the newer little point and shoot.  I think 3 years of red outback dirt got clogged in the works, not to mention that my, then, 2 year old niece managed to rip part of the automatic lens cover off.  Sooooo, you get this slightly fuzzy, out of focus shot of my super cute card that I made for the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps challenge they posted on Sunday. Well after all that rambling, I hope you enjoy my little offering.

Have a good one,

T.

Scraps

 This is a pile of scraps..... what to do.  DON'T throw them away.  With one little pile you can do amazing things.  Like this

If you want to make one of these super cute and super easy beauties watch the YouTube video by Jennifer McQuire and she will teach you how.

I literally made this lovely package topper in just minutes.  We were headed out the door for the Marine House gift exchange and I needed something to make my package feel more special.  

I think it turned out really lovely.  And believe me when I tell you that this little package received quite a few compliments. 

Go - have fun.  And remember that those little scrap piles can become things of beauty.

Secret Santa Gift

My son's 3rd grade class is doing a Secret Santa.  All last week they have been leaving happy notes for their chosen person. All the kids picked names out of a hat and Evan picked Emily.  On Wednesday they will do their gift exchange at their Christmas party.  Evan wanted to make a homemade gift.  We decided to make an activity book.

We went on-line and made word searches using their weekly spelling.  We also went to Crayola.com and printed up dot-to-dots, coloring pages and a crossword puzzle.  We interspersed the activity pages with some blank pages so that Emily can draw (Evan loves to draw and knew that blank pages were a must).

Working as a team we came up with this

 Ev chose all the paper colors, and cut all the paper to size.

 The word searches use weekly spelling words. We just pulled them from his planner.

 Crayola.com was a great source for additional activity pages and

coloring pages. There are also plenty of blank pages for Emily to draw, write or paint on.

This is the card that Evan made all on his own.  He stamped the images himself and he used his Cuttle Kids to make the dog.

I love that he wanted to make a handmade gift to give.  We really enjoyed the creative process and made a great team.

Because I just dug through my stash and scraps we made this project for basically nothing. Even the wire binding was a cut off from a previous project.  Easy-peasy lemon squeezey!

Deck'd 2

Birthday Card

The other night while I was cutting 22 pieces each of the parts needed for the snow globe ornament (see previous post) my daughter came to me before her bed time and asked if I could make Miss Joy (her teacher) a birthday card for the class to sign.  What's a mom to do?

So, I took a deep breath. Pushed one project aside and sat an had a think for a minute.  I decided to pull out my Cricut and make a quick and simple card for Miss Joy.  I wanted it to be quick and simple, but it also needed to be special. Miss Joy is a beautiful person inside and out.  And she is young and fashionable. The kids adore her.  I adore her for her teaching style and her ability to encourage each child in the class to reach their full potential. She is a dream teacher.

In honor of Miss Joy's birthday I made her this card.

I used the Forever Young Cricut cartridge, a white card base, some left over ribbon from my stash, and a piece of 8x8 paper from Cosmo Cricket's Hello Sunshine paper pad. The black is from Close To My Heart and came from my scrap pile. The white is also from my scrap pile and is Daisy White. 

Class Project

On Monday I have been invited to my daughter's 5th grade class to make a Christmas ornament.

I thought they could make little 'snow globes.' I dug through my stash and pulled out all my scraps of paper.

Using my BigKick and some Spellbinders Nestabilities I precut all my part.  A large scallop circle for the base, a ring for a spacer, a clear window and a decorative scallop ring to make it look pretty. 

I also die cut the Christmas trees. 

These are the samples that I have made for the class. The clear window is made using clear packaging from paper packs, sticker sheets, anything that is clear and can fit through a die cutting machine.

The kids will be putting the ornaments together, stamping the sentiment, Peace on Earth, and cutting up the 'snow'.  I decided I would skip the glitter. 

So, on Monday morning I will be teaching 22 5th graders about paper crafting and sharing why I love this hobby so much. 

Wish me luck!

  

A Good Read

I wanted to share some good news.  My brother-in-law has co-authored a book, In the Shadow of Ares. I am so proud of him.  He has worked on this for many years.  The story is a mystery adventure Sci-fi mix that is absolutely absorbing.  I am not a big fan of Sci-fi, but the story is so good that I had a  hard time putting the book down.  The book is available for you Kindle at Amazon.  I have put a link below.

In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars) [Kindle Edition] Thomas L. James (Author), Carl C. Carlsson (Author)

With thanks,

T.