class valentines: the grand finale

i'd say g's 5th grade valentines were a success.  i was told i have the midas touch.  :)

these were the two i was deciding between for my keeper.  i picked the rhinoceros beetle.

g's teacher ended up choosing the bee.  i'm glad it went to a good home.

i scored the little jars on half price at hobby lobby for $1 each.

the little bugs were from g's toy box.

can you believe g wouldn't sign the tags because i had written "be my valentine" on them?  silly boy.

i used e6000 to glue the lid to the rim and then the bug on top.

the spray paint is krylon 18 kt. gold plate.

the kisses are hershey's, of course.

if his tag signing phobia is any indication, i'm pretty sure g won't be wanting class valentines next year.

i'm not sure i can give up this valentine tradition though.

i guess i will just have to make them and give them to sweet valentines of my own.  i'm not afraid of little love bugs.

valentine mantel 2015

i think i am finally getting the hang of this mantel thing.  i've gotten the valentine decor up in a timely manner and have taken it up a notch since last year.  you can read more about the details on jenni's blog.  have a "lovely" day.  :)

cocoa daisy: in stitches!

photos: i finally scrapbooked the photos i took on g's 4th grade field trip to the hermitage, home of president andrew jackson.  these are some of my favorite photos from 2014.  the grounds and flowers were gorgeous, it was a lovely day, and my son looked especially charming in his straw hat.

the story:  the traditional fourth grade field trip at g's school is to visit the hermitage and act as jr. docents.  each child is given a location on the grounds and a small script to memorize.  they all took this task very seriously and it was really precious to watch them present their information to the visitors that walked by.  i say precious because there really was something sweet about their vintage costumes and earnest expressions as they recited their lines. 

when composing my journaling, i wrote my more emotional thoughts on the layout and then used label stickers to add the who, what, where, and when to the accompanying project life page.

design: i kept the design very simple.  the two photos are stacked to create the feel of a larger image on the page.  the design area is aligned down the center with one large main area and then a small addition at the bottom that acts as a bookend to hold the journaling.  as i've mentioned before, i do better with loose, organic designs, so this layout is very structured, but nothing is aligned perfectly.

technique:  i made a very simple, elegant mat for my main design area by blocking it off first with washi tape and using a blending tool to very lightly apply grey ink to the edges.  i then pulled off the washi tape and stitched around the whole area to create a simple frame.

product:  these projects were all created with the january cocoa daisy pajama time scrapbooking kit and goodnight moon add-on.  an amy tan stitching kit comes with the add-on.  this is just one of the things i love about kit clubs.  i probably would never have bought one of these kits, because i figured i could sketch these little designs myself and already had floss and needles to finish them.  the kit is great though.  it's nice to have amy's pre-done templates to give you creative ideas and the tools (needles, piercer, stencils, and mat) are delightfully self-contained.

i kept this spread very simple as the photos were all so nice and i didn't want to detract from them.

i only had one empty pocket that i filled with a journaling card i made with kraft cardstock and another image from the stitching templates.

i am so glad i started doing project life and decided to keep my layouts in the same albums.  for me, it's the perfect marriage of my moment scrapbooking (layouts) with the event scrapbooking (pocket pages) that i was missing out on.

one thing i love about the cocoa daisy kit club in particular is their packaging.  everything comes in paper bags and glassine envelopes sealed with stickers with the best graphics.  you can see a bit of one of the glassine bags peeking out the top of the layout above and just now i am wondering why i didn't stitch the heart on a piece of paper bag instead of the kraft cardstock.  that would have been cool.

some of the kits even come in little muslin bags.  i used one of those to keep my new stitching kit in.  i personalized it by stitching that heart template on it (just use a sharpie to mark off the template on the fabric instead of the piercer) and adding a little stamped image from my January box of goodies.

christmas crafting: teacher gifts

i normally don't get teacher gifts done till valentine's day, but thanks to g's germs last week that gave us extra time at home, i was actually able to make a few this year.

the star of the show was this little jingle bell bracelet.  i first saw them at books a million for $3.99.  what?!  i promptly went to joann's and bought the supplies to make them myself for $20.00.  ha!  isn't that how it always goes?  but!  i've already made eight and have enough to make about that many more (with stretchy string left for years).  they are really fun, quick, and easy to make.  the beads and jingle bells i found on the cheap craft beach aisle and the stretchy string was on the expensive bead aisle.

i added in some candies and made cute tags with bits from my december jbs mercantile kits.  i also stitched up the little plaid bags from a pair of old pj's that i had thrown into the goodwill pile and then pulled it back out to make my scarf.  

here is that first set.  these went to the high school librarians.

then i made this set for g's teachers.  they got the added bonus of expo markers (and boy scout popcorn) as g said they were needing new ones.

i quickie stamped the santa claus (on sale for $1.99!) and had g sign his name as i had run out of time to do anything fancier.

these baggies were made from the sleeves of a shirt scavenged from the goodwill pile.  they went together so quickly!  the ones with the cuffs only had to be stitched on one end even.  now i will definitely be going through the goodwill pile for more useful fabric before i actually take it to goodwill.  ;)

me on monday: scarf season

me on monday.  i don't even know where to start.  (hello childhood santa that hasn't seen the light of day since g was three or so) i am flitting about in so many different directions.  not at school.  that is where i'm not.  the boy child has an ear infection (of all things) and an excessive amount of snot.  i finally did get dressed (in the same outfit i've been "getting dressed in when not in my pjs" for the last three days) to run to the dollar general for more lights for the insatiable tree that has taken up residence in our living room.  the third such run in three days.  the tree is finally well lit.  the ornaments will probably take another three days as i'm having to rehang each one after he hangs it.  hey.  he knows his mom is ocd at times.  then i get distracted with the teacher gift ideas i'm working on.  the tortilla soup i cooked for our lunch.  maybe peanut butter cookies later.  housework, perhaps?  oh, wait.  maybe lights up outside?  that would be revolutionary . . .

and, of course, making my sick son take photos of me in my new scarf to embarrass myself with all over the interweb.  i've never been a scarf person.  i grew up in florida, after all.  but my wool coat was annoying me around the neckline, so i started borrowing g's scarf and dude.  there is something to be said for scarves.  i made myself this one yesterday out of discarded pj's from the goodwill pile.  one pair had a blowout in the butt and the other pair was from circa 1990 and had a waistline entirely too high for my current comfort levels.

i originally planned on it being one layer of alternating squares with the rough edges showing.  i know; that looked rather, well, unfinished.  so i ended up piecing together the leftover bits to make a back layer.  i sewed these two pieces together inside out, leaving a little hole in the end to pull the right side through (then stitching shut the little hole).  after thoroughly ironing it, i decided to sew around the entire perimeter to keep it all in good shape.  fun times  i can't wait to wear it to school tomorrow.  i have informed g that he cannot be sick for another day as i have way too many mid-terms to read and my students would have panic attacks if i'm not there to help them . . .

joining with fair sian fair and "me on monday."  how has your monday been?

deck the halls 2014: christmas mantel

the stars (unexpectedly) aligned yesterday and i was able to get my christmas mantel up!  then the sun shone today and i was actually able to get some decent pictures of it.  oh!  don't you love it!  it makes me so happy!  the santa/reindeer print is one that i got at "a vintage affair at haven farm" on saturday.  i actually got three christmas prints and a couple silhouette prints as well.  luckily, they are all available online HERE.  if you are interested in the christmas ones, you should act fast.  they are in limited supply currently and once they're gone, they probably won't be restocked till the 2015 holiday season.

now, let's talk about that map, shall we?  i honestly cannot believe how lucky i am.  i had been wanting a map of some sort to frame and hang above the mantel, but had not had extra cash for the purchase yet.  i happened to be at my morning elementary one day earlier this fall and visiting in a room i don't normally go in and saw this very map on the floor leaning against the wall. upon seeing it, i exclaimed, "oh! that is gorgeous!  i'd LOVE to have a map like that to hang over my mantel!"  the teacher i was chatting with said, "really.  you can have it.  we've been trying to get rid of it.  we thought we had a taker last week, but she bailed on us.  pull your car up to the (classroom) door and we'll load it for you."  and it even (barely) fit in the backseat of my corolla!  oh happy HAPPY day!

here are some nicer photos of the garlands i made last year.   the knit garland is just knotted strips of striped knit shirts that i bought at goodwill.  i went on sunday and only bought half price/99 cent shirts, so the total cost was just $4.00.

the pine cones were collected at our cubmaster's house, sprayed with paint leftover from a valentine's day project, and then glittered from my stash.

reindeer string art that i also made last year.  i need to get on the stick and make a new christmas décor project this year!

close up of the stitching, vintage flowers (from jenni), and glittered leaves (from joann's).

and vintage bells from my mom.  have yourself a merry little christmas!  let your heart be light!

christmas projects: repost

well.  i haven't gotten a single christmas craft done yet this year, nor have i unpacked a single decoration.  i haven't even purchased any presents.  my one and only claim to christmas fame thus far in 2014 is the purchasing of the candy canes.  this is fairly typical for me, however, so i'm not too worried.  dear chelle is coming over to craft with me tomorrow and i'm sure that will put my in a christmas frame of mind.

i wanted to reshare my christmas projects from last year in case your a holiday busy bee in search of something to work on.  i made the reindeer string art, glittered pine cones, striped knit garland, and decorated cedar boughs.  you can see more pictures and a few words on what i did HERE.  merry christmas crafting!

jbs mercantile: changes

if you are one who follows the scrapbooking industry, you may have read the news that jbs mercantile will be discontinuing their monthly papercrafting kit club.  i am very happy for jenni and her decision to pursue her new passions.  this is so very good for her and i'm so glad to live nearby and still get to help her and spend time with her.  she is truly one of the amazing ones. 

the thing i am sad about is to not have regular contact with the team of amazing women i have worked with these last few years.  it has been wonderful to surround myself with not only brilliant talent and inspiration, but such integrity and kindness.  at least i can say thank goodness for facebook and instagram.

december is our last month with the current selection of kits.  i decided to make a little christmas ornament as a momento of my years with the jbs mercantile kit club.  this little guy is very sweet and makes me happy.  he is a fitting reminder of treasured memories.

happy birthday banner

what is it with this week zipping by at lighting speed?  how can tomorrow be the last day of october already?  i'm not ready!  i never did get a halloween mantel put out, but i did manage to make this happy birthday banner for my little pumpkin who turned eleven a week or so ago.  ELEVEN?!  how can that possibly be possible?

i hate to blog and run, but my to do list is still calling.  if you're interested in making a banner of your very own, you can check out the supply list on the jbs inspiration blog.  thanks for stopping by!