Sauvie's Island July 2008

Sitting here on a freezing cold day (literally it's 34 degrees as a high today in Portland!) I thought I would scrapbook some warm, sunny pictures!  I found a layout design on the Cricut message boards, and loved the circles and graphic nature of it! Plus, what an easy way to get a layout done!  The design was a 1 pager, and I almost always do two page layouts, so I just added the left page with the two circles to compliment the design on the right.  (The right page is nearly what the sketch showed, minus the title!)

Here is the layout as the two page spread.  I used some old patterned paper (maker unknown!) and then  slate blue, navy blue and bright orange cardstock.  I used my gypsy to size the blue circles just a tad smaller than 6x6, so I could cut out 2 on each 12x6 piece of paper. (George Cartridge for the smaller circles.)  I then used the Sports Mania cartridge and cut out the large orange accent circle.  I liked the way it had little lines out of it for adding interest.  This circle is about 7.8" in diameter.  I based all the color choices upon the title "Fun in the Sun" which I had in my stash.  (Embossible Designs by We R Memory Keepers "Fun in the Sun").  I added a few orange paper flowers and then put small glass pebbles in their centers to carry the water theme farther.  I adhered the flowers and glass pebbles with glue dots! 



By the way, we have a new puppy in our house!  Here's a picture of Dexter at 9 weeks old.  He is a black Goldendoodle.  (Yippee, no shedding!)

Dexter--9 wks. old

Soccer Mini Album

I spent a few hours with a very close friend today chatting and scrapbooking.  Really, I spent hours chatting and organizing photos!  I am scrapbooking September 2008, and as many of you scrappers know, being only 2 years "behind" is pretty good!  After organizing my photos, I wanted a quick "fix" of scrapbooking, so I pulled out a mini album I had created at the CK convention several years ago that was still empty.  I think it was by "Piggy Tales" (http://www.piggytales.com/).  I love their lines of paper!  The album is a flip board book, with every double set of pages having one that flips open or out to show more photos.  I sat down with the completed album and glued in soccer pictures from the Sept. 2008 season.  I love how this album turned out and I got a lot of photos into it!  Yippee for a quick project!

Front cover:  green felt leaf with yellow flower brad, chipboard shapes covered in patterned paper and inked.  Black and white polka dot ribbon and a "Believe" sticker.

More chipboard shapes covered in paper, doodles hand drawn on square frame with black zig marker, green glitter stickers for "Attitude", chipboard photo anchor and "Dream" sticker.  The Dream page flips open to reveal the pages below!

Chipboard tags with green ric-rac and more stickers!  Quick and simple!  (By the way, love the photo of my daughter drinking from the water bottle!)



 Darn picture won't save as rotated, but by twisting your head, you can get the idea! :)



The left page has a pocket with room for a photo in the back and then small photo tags in the front.

The previous pages flipped open to reveal more photo spots!

Back cover.  Book is tied closed with green ric-rac!  I think this is a pretty cute project and was a great way to get more photos done!

Holidays Are Over...Crafting Time Is Back!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and now we're looking ahead at a wonderful New Year!  Over the holidays I had guests staying in my craft room, so my crafting is severely limited.  (Although I wouldn't trade the family time for crafting!)

I made an adorable "Give Thanks" Banner that I patterned after the Everyday Cricut idea.  BUT...I packed up Thanksgiving without a picture! :(

My first craft after reassembling my scrapbooking room was to make iPod storage spots.  Both of my kids got iPods for Christmas and I am worried they'll set them down somewhere and lose them.  So I made my daughter an adorable paper purse to put hers in and my son a football shaped mat.  The idea is that their iPods live on/in these spots when they are not in use!  Below are pictures:

I uses Sports Mania and cut out the football at about a 6x6 size.  I then cut out the white layer.  (WOW! I learned something new with this!)  Did you see all those tiny laces?  Each one was individual and had to be glued down as such.  BUT, when I pulled up the white paper, the little lines stayed intact while the long lines stayed on the mat.  I used the whole sheet of white paper as a guide and layed it over the brown football.  I then put adhesive in the "holes" and then layed the long white lines in the right place!  Perfectly aligned laces!  BUT, then I thought I would try something else.  I applied liquid adhesive to the back of the small laces that were still stuck within the large white sheet.  I was able to lay that down over the laces, align it and push the small white dots onto the football.  I didn't punch them out individually, rather, just stuck them down in the adhesive and then slowly pulled back the rest of the white paper!  This is definitely a trick I will be using in the future. 

I then cut out the UO (University of Oregon) in green and yellow craft foam and layered it.  After adhering it all together, I have a cute iPod mat!

I cut this purse using Tags, Bags, Boxes and More.  I sized it as large as I could on a 12x12 mat.  To do this, I let the handles be cut off, but made the purse as wide as possible.  I then cut the iPod from the Smiley Cartridge (I think!)  and used the adorable Peachy Keen face stamps on it.  I then cut out Rock On! and inked the edges.  I used brown ribbon for the handles and her iPod fits inside perfectly.  I ended up having to put a thick piece of cardboard inside on the bottom due to it tipping over so much, but now it works great!

Did you see this contest????

It's for an ENTIRE set of free ProMarkers!  Go to:  http://going-buggy.blogspot.com/  Enfy's blog!  She's giving away the entire set worth $330!

Halloween and New Gypsy Updates

With Halloween this weekend, I didn't have any time to scrapbook and I'm feeling the urge to be creative!  Wish I had more time!  I did take a few minutes and do the new Gypsy update so I could get the 6 free cartridges!  Boy I am excited about them and can't wait to make something with them.  I especially love Smiley Cards!  Hope to post a project soon!

Wanted! 1 Great Dad, Our Dare Devil, I Will Not Hit Boys! I Will Not Chase Girls!

Wanted!  1 Great Dad.  Captured!

I had these great photos of my husband pretending to dump our daughter in the river.  I had this wanted paper for eon's.  Perfect use!  I cut all the fonts with Sweet Treats.

Our Dare Devil

I love this patterned glitter paper!  It is just so my daughter!  I simply matted the single photo on a large mat and then made a film strip of the other 3 vertical photos.  I added different color combinations of paper flowers and used a large lavender brad in the center of each.  Simple white letter stickers completed the title.  A quick page...maybe 15 minutes!

I will not chase girls.  I will not hit boys!

I bought this paper (sentences above) at the CK Portland show many years ago!  I knew I would have the perfect photos for it some day!  Finally, photos of my kids goofing around and then it got out of control...and then the time outs!  Love these photos!

Thanks A Munch!

I made this cute apple card for my daughter's teacher to say thank you for working so hard!  I used the apple from My World and flipped and welded two of them together to make a card.  I cut the apples 3 times, once in red, once in green (for the leaves) and once in cream, for the inside.  My daughter suggested we add a worm or caterpillar to the apple and I suddenly thought, "Ah ha!  Thank you very munch!"  I used George and Basic Shapes to weld circles together for the body and then used a pair of quotation marks for the antenna.  After welding it all together I cut it! I added a silver heart paperclip and threaded a tag onto it that I cut from George as well.  I wrote "Thank You Very Munch" on the tag.  I then hand cut a small bite from the RED apple, leaving the cream showing.  I think it turned out cute!

Here's a quick soccer card my daughter wanted to make for her coach.  I used Sports Mania and cut the soccer girl and the soccer ball.  I welded two soccer balls like I did with the apple card.  We cut 2 soccer girls in two different colors so we could make a maroon jersey, to match my daughter's uniform!  My daughter assembled it and wrote inside with a white gel pen.  Easy enough for a 7 year old!

Bosses Day Cards

Since Bosses Day is on Saturday this year, I had the weekend to get ready!  I made this little card for Matt's boss.  Just like my earlier post said, this is my new "quickie" card that is really easy to make masculine.  First I took a piece of double sided patterned cardstock and cut it 6 inches x 9 inches.  I folded it in half, being sure the seam was flat.  I then folded down 1 inch of the front side, to make a little flap.  I made sure the seam was flat again.  I then took some grosgrain ribbon with matching dots and tied a knot in it.  I adhered this to the back of the flap, and then glued the flap down. I cut a piece of cream cardstock for the card that slides in and out.  I then had these cute 3-D circle letters that are wooden.  I bought them at the CK Portland show many years ago and didn't have the right project for them!  I do know!

Here is the exact same card format, with a totally different look!  Since I'm a teacher, my boss is a principal.  So, I felt compelled to use school themed items, yet not make it too cutesy.  Unfortunately this paper was not double sided, but I loved it, so adhered two of the same size rectangles together. It worked good, not great!  The paper was much harder to fold and I am still struggling with getting the flap to stay down!  (4 glue dots later...)  I used a shiny ribbon with ruler marks on it and the same round wooden letters to spell Boss.  I then used a school accent the "write" stuff, but wrote in black at the top, "You have...The Write Stuff!"  I used yellow lined paper for the card and I think this is perfect for my Principal!

I'm in love with my Cricut!

I know, who isn't, right?  But since getting the Cricut Expression, I am loving its versatility!  I actually might be getting more scrapbooking done, but I am also saving money! I make my own cards and now I'm branching out into Halloween decorations!  Below are a few things I've been working on over the last few weeks.

I am a first grade teacher and I teach the intensive reading group at school.  The intensive reading group is comprised of children the furthest behind in reading; because of this, behavior can sometimes become a problem.  They loved it when I called them "Smart Cookies" and I kept referring to this imaginary cookie jar.  Well, one day while teaching I thought of the idea of making a "Smart Cookies" Cookie Jar and then making paper cookies to fill it with.  When the cookies are all in the jar, then the reading group will earn a "cookie party!" 

I love how this turned out!  I didn't have any of the cartridges with a jar, so I used George to make a rounded corner rectangle and then I welded one parenthesis from Gypsy Wanderings (I think).  They come in a set, so I hid the other one and then rotated it to make it look like a lid!  I cut two cookie jars, one in patterned paper with the words Smart Cookies cut out and then one in maroon that is just the outline.  I used George again to make the stripes across the jar and the knob at the top for added decoration.  I pieced it altogether and then decided it would be too flimsy as is, so then I adhered it to a piece of cardboard from an empty cereal box.  Now it doesn't flop and curl and it's a lot sturdier!

Well, you can't have a "Smart Cookie" Cookie Jar without cookies, right?  I used George again and make 1.75 inch (or so) circles.  I used the triangle feature and overlayed the triangles and then rotated them in different directions so it looked like chocolate chips.  I cut these out in cream paper.  I then cut the same circle size out of brown paper and layered it behind.  I though layering a circle was easier than gluing 4 chocolate chips per cookie!  I then cut as many as I could on a 12x12 paper and I ended up with 49 cookies!   I then inked the edges with dark brown to make them look more realistic!  Once again, George was the best investment!

Bosses Day October 16th, 2010

AAAKKK!  Bosses Day falls on a Saturday this year and I totally missed it on Friday.  My Principal is fabulous and he loves a strong cup of coffee.  He even hosts "A Cup of Joe with Joe" parent meetings, so coffee is his thing!  I used Gypsy Wanderings and cut out large coffee mugs and then Sweet Treats font for the phrase "Thanks a Latte Mr. Galati!".  I inked all the edges with chestnut brown for some definition from the white poster board.  Normally I would have decorated his door with this, but he gets to work about the same time I do, so I put it all on 2 pieces of poster board so I can literally slap them up and be done in case he's a little early!

"Too Cute To Spook"

Made by my 7 year old daughter!

We found glittery foam at the Dollar Tree and she just had to think of something to use it for.  She was clicking through scrapbooking/card making blogs that I had left open on my computer and she found one she liked that featured a Penguin, fangs and the phrase "Too Cute to Spook."  She found the cat on Paperdolls Everyday.  We cut it at 4 inches and used the #5 on the blade and max pressure.  We cut it twice and it was still not a clean cut, but we were able to see where to punch the cat out!  She added a hand cut witches hat and a pink nose.  The googly eyes and hand drawn mouth and whiskers truly make it too cute!  She mounted it all on yellow paper and then adhered it to a piece of patterned paper with a Halloween design!

The easiest cards in the world!  (Cricut not even needed, but shhh!  Don't tell anyone!)

I cut double sided Halloween paper to 9 inches long by 4 inches wide.  I folded it in half, and then folded down a 1 inch flap.  I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the flap and adhered it and the flap down.  I used a very thin piece of adhesive to glue the edges of the folded "envelope" on each side.  I then cut a 3.5x4 inch square of patterned paper to slip inside the "envelope" and voila! a quick and adorable Halloween card!

This is what it looks like once the card is removed!

"Dare To Enter"

My son (9 years old) complained that all of our Halloween decorations were not scary enough, so I was digging through the Cricut stuff and found I don't have any Halloween carts.  (I quickly ordered one and am still waiting, but that's another story!)  I used George, once again, and welded two ovals together, overlapping them slightly at the bottom by rotating them.  I cut these out of purple paper and fun foam.  (Much easier to cut than the glittery foam!)  I then welded two circles together for the "whites" of the eyes and cut them in yellow.  Then I took a black marker and colored in the pupils and then used stickles over the top to make them sparkly.  I love how they look!  I cut the Dare to Enter out as well and hung the whole thing on our front door.  Not knock down scary, but I love it! 

Halloween Blog Hop Fun!

I had a blast doing some Halloween decorations today on the Cricut!  (Also had to order a new cartridge, of course!)  But, just found this great Halloween blog hop!  Check it out!

Cherry On Top Award!

Thank you so much Melissa for thinking of my blog!  You need to check Melissa's blog out at http://melissamade2.blogspot.com/

Now,  I need to name three things I love about myself:

1.  I persevere (I am pretty stubborn!)

2.  I am compassionate.

3.  I am loyal.

A picture I love:

Sacked out on the couch after 5 days of camping!

 And now for five blogs I love:

1. My Pink Stamper:  http://www.mypinkstamper.com/  Love her ideas with the Cricut!

2.  Cricut Me That:  http://cricutmethat.blogspot.com/

3.  Kricut Krazy:  http://www.kricutkrazy.com/

4.  My Sheri CRAFTS:  http://www.myshericrafts.blogspot.com/

5.  Scrapbook Blog:  http://www.scrapbookblog.org/

Enjoy!

Mini Albums!

One of the reasons I am so behind in scrapbooking is I love mini-albums!  I create several a year and they are some of my favorite work ever!  It is so satisfying to finish a whole album in a day or two! 

This purse acrylic album I made at a class at the Portland Creating Keepsakes Convention.  (CK) It was my first exposure to working with acrylic and I learned lots of great things like how to adhere to it (clear glue dots), what kind of paper to use (double sided so the mat is for both sides!) that if you use flowers they look great from both sides! (No stems means they are never upside down!)  We also learned to stamp on acrylic and how to use an acrylic dye.  (Not a fan of the dye!)  In the end, I had this adorable purse album that's sat around for a couple of years, empty. 

Then I saw the pictures of my daughter's first horse back ride and I knew I had the perfect combination!  My daughter still talks about the horse she rode, Sailor, as if it was yesterday!  (Two years later!)  I created this album for her to have in her room as an accent, but also to remind her of that great ride!

Front Cover:  Isn't she cute?

One of the pages inside! Another page inside.  I used punched hearts and circles to journal on because when seen from the other side, the shape still works!

There are 10 pages in all, but all very similar! 

Next, I bought a grab bag for $5.00 at the CK convention and inside it was 10 pages of paper (5 patterned, fall colors and 5 solid fall colors), buttons, brown ric rac, white foam letters and a 10 page 8x8 chipboard square album.  I decided to use only what was included in the grab bag and a set of quotation stickers.  (This was not a pre-completed project or did it have directions or anything!)  I decided to make a brag book for my desk at work, but of course since I was still at Scramp, I didn't have the right photos.  I decided to make all the mats 4x6 so I just need to trim the photos a little and they'll all fit!  Here it is:

I inked all the edges of everything with brown.

The leaves on the bottom page are part of the patterned paper.  I had extra, so I cut them out, inked the edges and added popdots to give some dimension and added them to the top page for continuity!  The one of the buttons across the top of the page actually hide a hole in the paper! :)

Since I don't have the photos yet, I cut out the photo anchors and kept the sticker backing to the part that would touch the photo.  I then used a brad to adhere the rest of it down.  After I put photos in, I'll just remove the sticker backing and stick it to the photo!

Scramp Layouts Continued!

After I finished the Yellowstone album I was on a roll!  Here are the rest of the layouts I finished while I was at Scramp!

"Gone Fishin'"  While we were in Yellowstone, Matt went sturgeon fishing one day and caught this huge sturgeon.  Since I only had this one cell phone photo, I couldn't enlarge it more without it getting blurry, so I matted it with large mats to give it more weight.  I then cut the title from Life's a Beach on the Cricut.  Finally, I flocked the fish in the title with gray flock to make it look more like the fish Matt caught!

"Toutle"  That Christmas my parents gave my brother and I title to the piece of land we have camped on our entire lives!  (In fact, that's where Scramp takes place!)  I used the Cricut to cut out the trees, but then I noticed I had this great row of trees left on the paper (the reverse of what had been cut!).  I trimmed across the trunk portion of the trees and placed them on the page as a pocket.  Then I added the original trees I had cut out with popdot's for a little dimension!  I was excited that I'd used a scrap and I love the way it turned out.  I then had this Sandylion (?) tent and fire that I was able to nestle into the layers of trees.

"Snow Love"  This was my first layout using the gypsy! (A handheld device, like a DS, that allows you to combine Cricut images for more flexibility.)  I love it!  I took the o's out of the words and added snowflakes in!