Gettin' By

Bring on summer!

Another school year is in the books! Yesterday, Riely wrapped up first grade year and Hayden said goodbye to his grade school years with the completion of fifth grade. It marks the final year that I'll have both kiddos in the same school ever again (a fact both Riely and I shed tears over - sob!) I was able to snap a quick photo of each of them with their teachers before the school bell rang for the final time:

We couldn't let summer begin without a big THANK YOU to these fabulous teachers for making this such a successful and productive year. So we gathered up a bunch of colorful summer necessities to help them kick off their vacation and enjoy some well-deserved time off from school:

Each teacher's gift basket included a beach towel, sunscreen, flip flops, sunglasses, gardening tools and gloves, flower seeds, and the most important warm weather essential - margarita mix & glasses! (I totally would have included the tequila, too, had the school policy allowed it! Lord knows they deserve it!) The kids also wrote notes that we added in, along with a Target gift card and some other summery items.

Most of the goodies were found in the Dollar Spot at Target and the baskets were from the home storage section. They were so fun to put together and only cost about $22 each (not including the gift card.) Not to mention, they definitely helped us all get in the mood for summer vacation!

And with that, we can officially kick off summer! Bring it on, baby!

Five on Friday.

This edition of Five on Friday is brought to you by the color RED!

1.  Crown Vintage Kimberly Pump ($79.95).  I just purchased these adorable red mary janes for my upcoming trip to CHA at the end of the month. While I know I'll be on my feet all day and require comfy shoes, I can't totally give up my heels. These are the best of both worlds!

 

2.  Athleta Long Sleeve Twist Top ($69.99). This athletic top was one of my Christmas gifts and the crimson color is a nice, bright addition to my mostly-black running wardrobe.  Not only do I love it for winter running (the wicking fabric is fab and the extra-long torso stays tucked in and keeps my muffin top warm!) but I've also paired it with jeans for a casual weekend look (that I wear, of course, while eating muffins.)

3.  Jane Iredale PureGloss in Cherry Sparkle ($20).  As much as I'd love to be one of those girls that can pull off a perfectly red pout, I've never found a red lipstick that looks decent on me.  I've tried (believe me) but I always end up looking a little girl that found her mama's lipstick and decided to play dress-up...it's messy, uneven, and always ends up on my teeth. But this lip gloss is a bit more forgiving. It's a deeper shade of red without being too opaque and it stays for a remarkably long time. Even if you're eating muffins.

4.  Big House Wines Big House Red ($14.98).  You didn't think I'd forget to include red wine, did you? And since New Year's resolutions are in full force and we're only drinking on the weekends around here, I need a way to keep my wine fresh for longer. This Big House Red box wine fits the bill perfectly, keeping my libations fresh for up to 6 weeks in the vacuum-sealed packaging.  It's a nice blend of flavors from dark berries to cherries to vanilla and it pairs nicely with just about anything.  Yes, even muffins.

5. Glad to Adhere it Tape Set ($8.99) I can think of lots of crafty purposes for these cute masking tapes in red & white!  They'd be fabulous for wrapping up valentine goodies, as a decorative border on scrapbook pages, or a cute way to seal the envelopes on cards.  They'd also come in handy if you need to tape your mouth shut to prevent yourself from eating anymore muffins. Ahem.

Enjoy your Friday now! {And don't forgive the birthday giveaway below is still open!} 

 

Give a Hoot.

Last week as we were shopping for school supplies, Riely was a bit disappointed to find that her list specifically required her to get plain, solid-colored folders in red, yellow, blue and green.  Because Target has a great selection of much cuter folders with puppies, penguins, Paul Frank monkeys, and (wait for it...) JUSTIN BIEBER!! EEEEEEEEEK!

So to ease the pain of not being able to purchase a folder not-so-subtly emblazed with the baby-faced crooner (um, we already have a bag, poster, t-shirt and cd, despite my attempts to convince her that Scott Avett is much cuter than Justin) I promised her we'd decorate the plain folders and make them look super cute. And way better than any stupid Bieber folder. (And then I proceeded to receive poorly-worded death threats via Twitter.)

But onto the crafting! Riely had picked out these cute pencils and erasers, so we used them as our inspiration:

I drew up the simple shapes of the owl and flower in Illustrator and used my Silhouette to cut them out of various cardstock colors. We ended up with these little guys:

Along with a printed nametag, we used them to adorn the folders (covering them with a strip of packing tape to protect them!)

And we also topped off her pencil box:

If you'd like to make your own little hooters (heh, heh!  I said HOOTERS!) you can download the shapes for cutting on the Silhouette right here.  We used these colors of Bazzill cardstock to make ours: Lime Crush (green), Berry Sensation (pink), Sunshine (yellow), Butterfly (orange), North Sea (blue), White OP, and Raven (black).

Enjoy your Tuesday! (Hoot Hoot!)

 

 

 

The Softer Side.

Despite the fact that I received my January Jenni Bowlin kit in the midst of the Christmas holiday happenings, I so enjoyed creating with it. In addition to my three pages that went live at the beginning of the month, I made two more pages for the mid-month gallery. Thought I would share them with you today. They are a bit of a departure from my regular style in that the colors are really soft and subdued. But the overall design is very simple (both came together in less than an hour!)

Dream  |  Bazzill Bling cardstock + patterned paper (Sassafras Pocahontas, Sassafras Mellow, Basic Grey) + Pink Paislee frame + Basic Grey stickers + Typenoksidi font

The background cardstock of this page has a very soft sheen that you can't capture on camera - just a bit sparkly and glimmery.  I adore the dreamy look it has!  I printed the quote first, leaving space for the letter stickers of "dream."  The four squares of patterned paper were distressed a bit and then stitched down.  (The yellow wood grain is actually the packaging from the Studio Calico veneer frames.)  I love how the large scalloped frame ties the four squares together and provides a little home for my photos.

I resolve  |  Bazzill kraft & white cardstock + Basic Grey (lace paper + canvas tags, letter stickers) + Fiskars punch + Type-Ra font

The first step to this page was to print the quote across the bottom edge of the kraft cardstock.  Then I adhered the lace paper over white cardstock and punched the top and bottom and edge with a scallop. My goals for 2011 were printed on cardstock and cut into strips that I placed randomly over the BG tags.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING EXCITING...To help me with one of my New Year's goals of getting organized and reducing clutter, I'm giving away the January Jenni Bowlin Merchantile project kit. You can use it to to create a hanging like Jenni did:

Or a card like Harumi created:

Or a fabulous mini album like Dina made:

Leave me a comment today and I'll draw a random winner on Friday!  Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

Partying Preschool-Style.

Last night was the holiday party at Riely's school and it's always an eagerly anticipated event. After a quick dinner, we headed down to the little schoolhouse to partake in the evening's spirited events (and in some sugary snacks, naturally!)

And oh-what-festive-fun there was to be had. After rousing versions of Jingle Bells, Five Little Snowmen, and Rudolph, we made glitter snowflake ornaments:

And the adorably cute candy cane mouse:

We also got to decorate (and eat!) a yummy reindeer cupcake:

And of course there were games of Spin The Dreidel:

and a bean bag toss:

And just before the fun ended, we gave the wonderful teachers their presents and in return got some big hugs:

Here's a little glimpse of our teacher gifts this year.  A tutorial and supply list are posted over at the KI Memories blog today, so please stop by!

Hope your Thursday is festively fabulous!

 

For the birds.

Yesterday, this was our advent prompt:

So we grabbed some pinecones, a big jar of peanut butter, some birdseed and went to work!

First, we spread peanut butter over the pinecones:

Then we rolled them in birdseed (and some bread crumbs, too!):

Then we attached a string for hanging, and we had a tasty treat for our feathered friends.

We hung them in a tree visible from our window, and hope the birds (or squirrels!) will enjoy this holiday treat.

Hope you are enjoying your Tuesday!

Holiday Preparations

I love the week leading up to Thanksgiving.  The kids are off school and we prepare for hosting the big feast with a lot of cooking, cleaning, and projects (interspersed with some lazy downtime, too!) This year, Hayden is off on a bird hunting trip with Grandpa, so the girly and I have been occupying our time with Photobooth pictures:

and paper doll fashion shows:

We treated ourselves to a manicure on Sunday (sparkly lavender for R, a deep teal blue for mama):

and we constructed a garland for our "Twig Tree" using circles of Making Memories & Jillibean Soup double-sided patterned paper, Jillbean corrugated flowers, and Jenni Bowlin chip buttons sewn together in a chain:

We've also been busy in the kitchen, whipping up cranberry-pomegranate sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and these candied pecans:

While we bake, this guy dutifully keeps the kitchen floor clean from crumbs and spills (though he was not a fan of cranberries):

Daddy has been busy with the woodworking tools in the garage, constructing a custom sign that I've been wanting to adorn the space over our French doors. I'd seen a similar one in Ballard Designs, but I wanted it to be personalized for our family.  I sketched out a design and the handy hubby did the rest. His woodworking skills + my Silhouette letters make a pretty good combo, no?

And in the few moments in between all this, I'm getting in some scrapping with the December Jenni Bowlin kit.  It's loveliness, I tell you!  Here's a tiny sneak:

Today we plan some more baking....we'll pick up the turkey....and collect our young hunter when he returns from Kansas this afternoon. Better get busy!  Enjoy your Tuesday!

Product Review: Bic Mark-It Markers

One of my favorite parts about the fall and back-to-school is, of course, shopping for school supplies.  There's nothing quite like a new box of perfectly sharp crayons (and oh, the waxy smell!) But why should kids get to have all the fun?  The new Color Collection of 36 permanent markers from Bic Mark-It is the perfect back-to-school supply for us scrapbookers!

I tested out the new markers in the ultra-fine tip (but they are also available in a fine tip) and seeing the wide range of colors made me positively giddy!  They range from pastels to deep jewel tones, with everything in between.  Here's a sample of some of my favorites:

The ultra-fine tip is perfect for journaling and I love the way it glides over textured cardstock - very fluid and smooth.  It's similar to the fine-tip of a Sharpie pen, except that the Bic ink is acid-free - definitely a bonus for scrapbooking!

Another thing I love about these pens is that the ink dries quickly and doesn't smear, even on slick surfaces. I tested them out by coloring some white American Crafts letter stickers with the Adobe Orange pen. (See the title "team" on the layout below.)  It works similar to the AC Slick Writers, drying fast and permanent on surfaces like glass, metal, and plastic.

Teamwork | supplies: patterned paper (Studio Calico) + template (Crafter's Workshop) + mist (Studio Calico) + stickers (American Crafts) + punch (Martha Stewart) + font (Typenoksidi) + pens (Bic Mark-It) + machine stitching, staples

I love the wood-grain effect the fine point marker gave the letter stickers, and the color just happens to coordinate perfectly with Studio Calico's new Elementary line.  Sah-weet! I also used the Stone Grey marker to complete my title with the word "work."

Now for the best part!  Bic Mark-It has generously donated THREE sets of these permanent markers to give away to my readers!  Just leave me a comment below to be entered in the drawing.  Comments will close at 6 pm (MST) on Thursday and I will draw and post the winners later that evening. Happy crafting, my friends!

[Comments are now closed.]

 

 

 

UPDATE WITH WINNERS!

The three randomly selected winners of the Bic Mark-It sets are:

LauraP said...

These are sweet! I have a daughter who would love to inherit my older markers if I won these.....

Gioconda said...

Oooh! I love these. Especially the gray one.

jill said...

these look like some fun!

If you are one the winners, please email me and I will forward your info to Bic, who will be sending out your prize packs! 

The Making of a Mini.

I have a little scrapbooking confession:  Mini albums confound me. I love the idea of minis - of capturing a single event or theme in one little format - and I'm always inspired when I see other's mini creations.  But, for the life of me, I could not figure out how to complete one myself.  I'd start them with gusto, only to have my inspiration and patience wear out long before the album was ever finished.  I think that's why I stick to layouts: one page and you're done!  But still, something about the mini keeps tempting me.  So, determined to create an album of our summer vacation photos, I set out to make a mini in my scrapping style: simple, easy, and fit for a short attention span!

Along with the many photos I had from our Texas vacation, I had also gathered lots of little pieces of memorabilia from the trip that I wanted to include as some journaling.  Here's what I came up with:

album (Maya Road) + patterned paper ( Girl's Paperie, Studio Calico) + corrugated letters (Making Memories) + letter stickers (Sassafras Lass) + die cuts (Girl's Paperie) + ribbon (Heidi Grace) + twine, heart charm

I started with a 4-ring chipboard album that's approximately 5 x 7.  I decorated the cover with paper and die cuts and added some ribbon, twine and an antique heart charm.  I also lined the interior sides of the cover with a coordinating paper and die cuts:

paper (Studio Calico) + chipboard (Maya Road) + rub ons (Jenni Bowlin) + die cuts (Girl's Paperie)

The album came with several chipboard pages, but I opted to use only three of them:


I covered the front side of them with patterned paper and then use various bits of memorabilia from out trip to create mini collages on each page:


patterned paper (Sassafras Lass) + die cuts (Girl's Paperie)

On the back side of each chipboard page, I adhered my journaling, which was printed onto kraft cardstock. After printing my journaling on the kraft, I used a lined stamp with watermark ink to add some interest to these pages:


Then I pulled out my photos from the trip (I had about 50 photos, all printed at 4 x 6 size.)  I organized them in the order I wanted them to appear in the album and then adhered them back-to-back.  Using the chipboard pages as a guide, I punched four holes in each photo so it would fit into the album:


Then I assembled the interior pages, using the chipboard inserts as dividers in the album and filling the space in between with all my photos:


My album is pretty full, though you could probably get about 10-12 more photos in there.  I love that this mini includes the photos, the journaling recap, and little pieces from our travels all in one small place. Not counting the photo printing (I sent mine to winkflash for prints), it took less than a day to create.  And more importantly, it's gotten me over the mindset that I can't do minis - bonus!

Watch for more of my adventures with mini albums in early October when my self paced-project, a cute Halloween mini album featuring Jenni Bowlin Studio products will debut at Big Picture Classes. I'll show you a simple, step-by-step process for creating an album that will help you conquer your fear of minis.  (And yes, plenty of candy corn will be involved!)

Happy Wednesday!

Bring On Summer!

Today marks the official last day of school for Hayden (Riely was done last week) so thought I'd share our little teacher gifts, in case you might need ideas!

Hayden picked out a new water bottle for Mrs. Little, which we filled with her favorite candy (Jelly Bellys!) and attached a Target gift card.  I used this Jillibean twill to spruce it up:
 

We also included a set of simple notecards that I made, personalized just for her:

The white cards and envelopes are from Creative Imaginations.  After printing the text in the lower right corner, I used this Studio Calico Notepaper stamp on the kraft. I cut the apples and leaves from cardstock (you can download a template here) and then wrapped them all up with a strip of cardstock topped with the Jillibean twill tape.

So after today we'll be filling our days with swim practice, pool time, various camps, road trips, BBQs, zoo visits, bike rides, running, and oh yeah, hopefully some rest and relaxation too!  What are YOU doing with your summer??