Just Popping In

I have had several subscribers unsubscribe and I knew that would happen with me being so busy right now. I did want to pop in quick this morning and give you a run down on what is going on in our busy lives.

I am taking a two week break from CSAYL. I just don't have time to work on the projects right now. Please stop by the CSAYL blog today and next Friday and see what the DT has been up to. I will be back after the 8th.

Yesterday was a trackmeet and Benjamin placed second in both of his events...the 800 and 1600 meter races. In the 800 he beat his personal best record by 2 seconds and was really excited by that.

Here is what our lives look like thru the 8th...

tonite: Fine Arts Program that both Benjamin and Aaron will be receiving awards. Benjamin for Quiz Bowl and Aaron for art.

5/1: Conference trackmeet
5/2: church and working on graduation reception
5/3: Senior Slideshow
5/4: Academic Wall of Fame...this is a HUGE honor and both of the boys received invitations to this. You don't know until you get there what honor/award you have been given.
5/5: Baccalaureate
5/6: Baking over 400 cookies!!!!!!
5/7: Trackmeet and baking cookies
5/8: Setting up for Graduation, graduation at 2 pm and reception following
5/9: Mother's Day and probably crashing Ü

I do have a project preposted for Tombow to go post next week. They haven't told me the exact date yet, but it is for Teacher Appreciation week and I love how it turned out. Be sure to stop back in then.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Pink Paislee notebook

Tombow and Pink Paislee are pairing up this week. Be sure to stop by the Tombow blog daily to see what projects the DT create using the Pink Paislee kit we received.

Altered Notebook

This is a fun little extra gift that is quick and easy to make that I will be adding to the graduation cards I make for the girls on my list. I used paper and diecuts from Pink Paislee's 365 Degrees line and Tombow's MONO Adhesive Dots. The notebooks are mini composition books that Alco stores carry. They measure 4 1/8" x 5 7/8". Perfect for sticking in your purse for list makers or to write down your dreams and goals.

CSAYL #47 To "Die" For

Hello! I am your hostess today and we are going to use die cuts on our Christmas cards for this challenge. This challenge was inspired by a fun die cut Christmas card kit I won from PaperCrafts. The kit is by the company CTMH (Close To My Heart). The kit comes with die cut cards and adhesive back die cut shapes. Super easy to put together and they are flat so no extra postage. Ü Feel free to use your die cutting machines or pre cut shapes to make your card. We can't wait to see what you come up with.

this 'n that

I know I've been neglecting my blog and I will try to do better once graduation is over. I have been working on DT assignments and those will be posted when due otherwise it may be a bit quiet until after the 9th of May.

I did want to do the mom brag thing though. Aaron (15) entered an Optimist Essay Contest and won 2nd! The prize was $75. 1st and 3rd place winners were juniors and I was very proud of my freshman. The essay topic they all had to write about was "The Internet: Today's Evolution or Tomorrow's Menace?"  He did an awesome job and I was told by the person who gave him his certificate and check to never let Aaron stop writing. He said he has a wonderful way with words that is a gift. I didnt' tell him that I have a file folder of stories Aaron has written that are so funny and good.

Here is a photo of Aaron receiving his award from Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis was my speech teacher in high school, so it was fun to introduce him to my son.

Benjamin news: He has chosen to attend college at Chadron. It feels so good to finally have this marked off our list. He received the Presidential Gold Scholarship (all tuition paid) and will be majoring in pre-med. After 4 yrs he will have to transfer somewhere else to finish up.

Things are starting to sink in. I made my list last nite of everything that has to be done in 3.5 weeks. There is a lot to do and it's hard working full time, but hopefully I've got it paced out so that it will all get done in time.

Tombow and Cosmo Cricket

I LOVE Cosmo Cricket and was so excited when I learned that Tombow would be partnering with them for the month of April. The two kits I received were Early Bird and The Boyfriend. I have two cards to share with you today using each kit. You will be seeing lots more cards and projects made with these two lines.

My first card uses paper and coordination chipboard from The Boyfriend line. The chipboard has adhesive on the back which makes it even more easier to use.

For my second card I used my favorite kit Early Bird. I love the colors and patterns in this line. This ADORABLE image is from MFT's (My Favorite Things) Pure Innocence line called Apple For You. These images are just so sweet!

I colored the images with Tombow's Markers with a blender pen. Numbers 098, 062, 990, N00, 761, 243, 856, &, 977.

I also used Tombow's MONO Adhesive Dots to put the cards together and MONO Aqua Liquid Glue for the button.

I love the large scallop dies that I've seen people use and don't have one, so punched circles and lined them up behind the dotted patterned paper piece.

See the ribbon on my card? It looked like this first:

The stitching was too white for my card so I just colored the stitching with Tombow's #990 marker. Cool huh? Ü

Graduation Announcements

I just thought I would show you what I've been busy working on (and am STILL working on). I am taking these to school today to work on during my lunch break and after school while we wait for Benjamin to get out of track. I am hoping by tomorrow they will be pretty much finished (and then we will think of someone else to send to LOL).

The seniors' colors this year are Crimson and Chrome. I LOVE that! So much classier than red and gray. Ü Plus NO purple!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!! This is the smartest class to graduate! (for real too)

I have already gone through 3 MONO Adhesive Dots cartridges!

Live Loud

Another package I received from Imaginisce was from their Live Loud line. This line is perfect for boys! I was needing lots of boy cards and whipped these up super easy.
I also used Tombow's MONO Adhesive Dots. Love this adhesive!

Aaron's Mushroom

This card is made using one of Aaron's drawings. I used scraps to put the card together and used Tombow's Mono-Adhesive.

Nugget Bunnies

This fun project is one I will be teaching to the Resource students I work with. They are excited when I teach them a craft. They have to have all their work caught up and this is a great reward for working so hard.

This is super easy to do. I cut the bunnies with my cricut, but you can draw your own bunny head or google bunny images and there are lots online to choose from.

I cut a piece of patterned paper (here I used scraps from my spring block project by Imaginisce) 1.25" by 3". Adhere adhesive (I used Tombow's Mono-Adhesive) on strip and wrap around a Hershey nugget. I drew the bunny face on with a black marker and colored the nose and ears with pink. Markers are by Tombow also.

Use Tombow's Liquid glue to adhere the head to one end of the candy and a pompom for the tail to the other and quickly watch these bunnies multiply. Ü This project is a great one to do with children and a great way to use up all those patterned paper scraps.

**side note: this post was preposted. The students had a blast making these. Those bunnies were multiplying all over the place! Ü I couldn't take a picture of them, because the students I work with are part of the "no child left behind" program and it's confidential.

CSAYL Gift #2

For our second gift challenge, we were to create one of 3 boxes that Maria designed. This was so much fun to make and I plan to fill mine with a gusseted cello bag filled with cookies. I also will be looking for some wide wired ribbon to tie it up in.

Supplies:

paper: Bazzill, Basic Grey, Paper Studio

other: Basic Grey buttons, crochet thread, Tombow's Mono-adhesive and Mono-Adhesive Power Bond

Be sure to check the CSAYL blog for more inspiration AND tutorial link on how to make these boxes.

BFB: An Absent So Great & give-away

 by Jane Kirkpatrick. This book is a sequel to A Flickering Light. These books are based on the life of Kirkpatrick's grandmother Jessie.

As the story opens, Jessie Ann Gaebele is eighteen, and is working as an assistant to photographers who have become ill from mercury poisoning. She has left home because of a strong attraction she had for her former married boss.

I love that this is based on a true story, even though Jane added some fictional characters to fill in the blanks of her grandmother's story. My favorite parts of the book are the actual photos take by Jessie and the stories behind each photo. It will make me look at photos (esp old ones) in a whole new light.

If you like history, you will want to read this book to see how an 18 year old female makes it in a "man's" world. You will also learn what becomes of her former boss who was several years older than her and the scandal of what a relationship was like at that time of history.

I haven't read the first book and now want to, to see what happened (even though it is illuded to) for Jessie to have left her home on her own to accomplish her dream of owning her own photography business.

**Would you like to read this book? I have one to give as blog candy. Just leave a message here and I will draw a name around 7 pm CST Wednesday, March 31.

CSAYL: So Many Embossibilities

Hello! Sorry I've been so quiet. Just a lot going on in our lives right now.

This week's challenge is to emboss...dry or heat. I found this image in my stash already embossed in black. I watercolored with markers (haven't done that in a LONG time and loved it) and don't have any idea who makes the image. I used up scraps from Basic Grey that were in my stash and added some buttons to finish it off.

Be sure to stop by the CSAYL blog to see all the "embossibilities" by the DT. Ü

Dirty Challenge

Each month the current and alumni Dirty Girls from SCS have a challenge. It's been a long time since I've been able to play. This month's theme was Bird's and/or Bees with a challenge of no using border punches. You can see what the other girl's created here.

I combined this challenge with Maria's Scrap Pile Challenge here. She also issued the challenge to use a stamp that had not been used yet and to follow a sketch she designed.

I used the bird cage from a Darcie stamp set that I had only inked the birds from. The bird is punched (from scraps) from my NE blogger friend Pam (thanks Pam!). She punched me a gazzillion of these! It's so much fun going thru the envies she sent of different colors. The bird fits perfectly in this cage.

I embossed the cage with colored ink and clear embossing powder. The vintage paper (inspired by all the vintage cards Pam has been showcasing on her blog) is by K & Company.

CSAYL-Inspiration

Good morning! I will be the hostess for CSAYL every third week of the month. For my first challenge I chose this photo from Pottery Barn. I
love their stuff! Don't have any, but still drool when I get their e-mail updates.

My challenge this week is to create a Christmas card with the following challenges inspired by this photo:

1. leave white space (very hard for me to do!
2. use colors shown in the photo
3. must have a bird on your project (cardinal, partridge, whatever)

I would love to have all of you play along. Be sure to leave a link on the CSAYL blog and please let me know if you played, by posting a comment here.

For my card I chose to first emboss my background panel. I love the colors in the picture above. I chose to use SU!'s Ruby Red, Old Olive, More Mustard, and white.

Lucky Me, a Notepad and SpRiNG Blocks

I am so excited to share my first projects with you. Each month Tombow will be partnering with another company for the Design Team to create with. This month it is Imaginisce. I received a package full of goodies from their line Lucy Bird (as well as 2 other kits!). Oh my, so much fun and such pretty spring colors! Thank you so much Imaginisce!

My first project uses scrap wood left over from when I used to teach woodcraft classes. I have a set of blocks that are painted and say "autumn" and have had this idea for some time to use paper and letters cut with my Cricut. This was the perfect chance to do that. (you can click on the image for a larger view)

For the "s", "i", and "g", I used Cricut's new Songbird cartridge. My friend Terry had just gotten this in the mail the day we decided to get together and craft. We had so much fun making these blocks. (She used more vintage designs which turned out darling.) I don't remember the cartridges used for the "p" and "n". If you are really wanting to know, I can find out, as they were all Terry's cartridges.

I used Tombow's Mono Aqua Liquid glue to adhere the block paper and letters. This stuff is awesome! I love how it lets you move the paper around a bit to get it just right before it dries.

My next project was creating a notepad using scraps from the Imaginisce papers. I also used silk flowers and a fun puffy sticker.

and last is this card for St. Patrick's Day:

                         

I am still learning how to use Tombow markers and their blending pens, but I think she turned out pretty cute anyway.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Be sure to wear green.

Why do you never iron a 4 leaf clover?

You don't want to press your luck! Ü

CSAYL 43 Out of the Box

For today's challenge we were to make a card that was NOT square. I won this Close To My Heart circle card kit from PaperCrafts awhile back, so it was perfect to get out and play. There are cards that you add sticker ornaments and doodads as well as scored envelopes to put together. I added ribbon to the ornament and dimensionals to pop up the reindeer sticker. These are so much fun to play with! You will definitely be seeing more of them.

Be sure to check the CSAYL blog for more inspiration from the DT.

14-Carrot Friend and Creative Call

I love how this tall card turned out. It fits into a business sized envelope. Images are from Inky Antics.

Tombow Creative call....want a chance to win Tombow adhesives or markers? Go here to read the details.

Balancing Chick

I am going to keep posting spring/Easter projects in hopes of chasing the 60% chance of snow on Tuesday away!

This afternoon we will be attending a scholarship recognition reception for the county scholarships. We have no idea which one (or hopefully oneS) Benjamin will be receiving.

Easter Blessings

It's finally starting to look (and feel) like spring around here. The snow is melting, the temps slowly rising and it's raining.

This card is made with another of Inky Antics fun Easter images. Basic Grey's "Lemonade" paper and some pretty little flowers in my stash are added to this Easter card.

Gift Challenge #1 - Card Purse

Today is the first of our gift challenges for CSAYL. I had planned to make as many cards as would fit into this box, but after I made the box and saw how thin it was and that I might only be able to get 3 or 4 cards in it, I decided it would be more fun to make one card and add two Hershey candy bars and make it more of a gift. This box was so easy to make and the step by step directions with pictures make it even better for visual people like me. PLUS there is a video tutorial all on SCS.

I used some Basic Grey Christmas paper that I still have from a couple of years ago and Close To My Heart stickers that I won from Papercrafts in a blog giveaway in January.

Play along and win a chance at being a guest designer with us. Details on the CSAYL blog.

Easter Chick

I apologize for these cards being so dark. I had taken the pictures and mailed the cards off to Inky Antics, before I had a chance to check them all to make sure they were okay.

All the papers are from Lemonade except the Turquoise and I don't remember where I got it.

Lemonade Easter

This bright paper from Basic Grey's Lemonade line is perfect for a cheery Easter card.

My exciting news

YAY! I can finally share. Joanna Wallace who works with Tombow asked if I would be on their Design Team! I am sooooo excited! I use Tombow products with ALL my papercrafts. Tombow will be partnering with a papercrafting company each month and we will get to create with their fun products. Imaginisce is the company whose product I will get to play with (along with Tombow) for the month of March. You can read about the other DT members on the Tombow blog.

To introduce ourselves she asked the DT to create a project that shows our style and a bit about ourselves. I have had this "family" project in my head for a long time! Ever since I made the Joy and Home project way back when.

I LOVE altering things and coasters are one of my favorite to play with. I used MONO Aqua liquid glue and permanent mono-adhesive. The liquid glue is dual tipped and I used the broad tip (that has an applicator on it that I love) to spread the glue on the coaster and then adhere the paper. This allows you to move the paper around a bit and get it just like you want before it dries which is a very nice feature.

I used the mono-adhesive for the alphabet. The letters were cut with Doodletype Cricut cartridge 3 times with cardstock and once with patterned paper to give a chipboard look. This is one of my favorite techniques to do.

This project shows a few of my favorite things: family, buttons, vintage rick

rack, brads, alphabet, ribbon, dew drops, coasters, using my Cricut, crocheted flowers (I made), pretty papers and jump rings. I also love to distress things with ink. Because of the brighter colors and white I used a caramel ink that still shows some distressing, but doesn't overdo it.

The "il" is kinda blah compared to the other coasters and I'm thinking I might need to redo it. I'll be sure to let you see it if I do.

The pretty papers are from My Mind's Eye "Be Loved" line. I love the pretty spring colors.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share my excitement with you all.

Have a wonderful day!

PS: the colors in this project go with this challenge that I entered as well.

Thinking Spring

As a new layer of snow covers the ground this morning, I am forcing spring thoughts into my head! Snow is pretty, but I am SOOOO ready for spring, for the trees to start budding and the flowers to begin poking their heads through the ground.

So I am going to start showing Easter/spring cards/projects and hopefully that will bring spring weather a bit quicker our way. Ü

This card was made with Inky Antics' Basket Chick and Medium Happy Easter.

I know I promised some news today, but it needs to wait a bit. I think I will still be sharing this week, so be sure to pop in each day. Ü

Sweet Wishes Just for You

The last two Millie Mouse cards I made for Inky Antics for

CHA. I love everyone of these images that Tammy DeYoung drew for them. I used Basic Grey's "Nook & Pantry" line of paper for both cards.

Tomorrow I have a fun project to share that I've been working on and some exciting news to share with you as well.

You're Special

Another really cute image by Inky Antics drawn by artist Tammy DeYoung. This cupcake paper by Basic Grey is perfect for this image.

CSAYL A Colorful Christmas

Today we were challenged to make a Christmas cards with shades of pink. I immediately thought of this paper by Scenic Route that I still have on hand. I used one of my croceted flowers and a snowflake brad (that I've had so long I don't have a clue where it came from) to make a very simple card.

Don't forget to check the CSAYL blog to see what the other DT members created.

Two more Movin

Here are the last two Movin cards I made for Inky Antics for CHA. I love this Basic Grey paper with these images.

The Skipping Stones auctions are now over. Thank you everyone who bid on the cards. I know it may have seemed like such a little thing, but every bit helps Haiti.

HOP(e) for Haiti

Welcome to Skipping Stones Design’s Blog Hop(e) for Haiti. If you just happened upon my blog today, you’ll want to go back to the beginning at Skipping Stones Design. You should have come from Peggy Russell’s blog.

As a company, Skipping Stones Designs wanted to do something to give back to the people who have been so devastated by the Haitian Earthquake. So they invited
some stampers to join them in this cause.

Each card you see on the blog hop today will be auctioned on E-bay with all proceeds going to the Red Cross in support of the Haitian Relief Effort (please check the Skipping Stones Design Website for the link to the auction). 100% of the proceeds of the Ebay auction and $2.00 from every stamp set purchased from February 16 - 22 will be donated to the Red Cross. We know that we can make a difference.

This is the card I made for the auction. It is made with Skipping Stone's Degins "Dandelion Dreams". Because I used embossed patterned paper, I embossed 5 of the images with a cranberry embossing powder to match the paper.

Thank you for stopping by and your next blog to hop to is Latisha's.


How about a prize? In addition to the fabulous eye candy, we have decided to hide a prize somewhere along the hop! There will be a few pre-release sets up for grabs hidden along the blog hop. The fun part is...we're not telling you who it is! So as you hop, make sure you leave comments on every post so you have a chance to win!!


If there is a break somewhere along the way, there will be a master list at:

Skipping Stones Design or at Sparkle and Bling

Order of participants:
Skipping Stones Design http://skippingstonesdesign.com/
Angela Thomas http://sparkleandbling.blogspot.com/
Kim Teasdale http://paperintheworks.blogspot.com/
Dawn Easton http://treasureoilerdesignz.blogspot.com/
Karen Giron http://kgiron.blogspot.com/
Erin Grotegut http://www.inkysmiles.blogspot.com/
Christi Milliken http://www.blessingsonpaper.com/
Sarah Masteller http://sarahspapertray.blogspot.com/
Sharon Perry http://ladybug820.blogspot.com/
Mary Giemza http://mycardz.wordpress.com/
Jen del Muro http://iheart2stamp.com/
Kandi Phillips http://kraftykandikrafts.blogspot.com/
Sankari Wegman http://sunnysankari.blogspot.com/
Laurie Schmidllin http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Amy Sheffer http://pickledpaperdesigns.blogspot.com/
Jackie Pedro http://thescallopededge.typepad.com/the_scalloped_edge/
Chels Van Wyk http://www.scraptasticvoyage.blogspot.com/
Deb Felts http://withastampandasong.blogspot.com/
Jennie Harper http://stampawaytheday.blogspot.com/
Jeanne Tomshack http://tomshack.blogspot.com/
Bev Rousch http://bevithia.blogspot.com/
Peggy Russell http://beautifulgreetings.blogspot.com/
Debbie Fisher http://debbiedee.blogspot.com/
Latisha Yoast http://crafteebee.blogspot.com/
Kathi Carlson http://kathiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Jami Bova http://sgtstamper.com/blog/
Michelle Giraud http://twisted-chick.blogspot.com/
Maren Benedict http://zanynotcrazy.blogspot.com/
Wendy Price http://paperinkandsmiles.blogspot.com/
Courtenay Baker http://courtbaker.blogspot.com/
Belinda Chang Langer http://cadnileb.blogspot.com/
Amanda Sewell http://inkspirations.blogspot.com/