Teacher Monogram Cards

I am very behind on Teacher Appreciation Gifts. I was so consumed by the time it took to plan the entire week that I didn’t get my gifts done until this week. Evan took 2 sets of these to school for his Speech Teacher and his Playgroup Teacher.  These gifts were double duty since it also helped me to use up some of my Orchid Opulence card stock.  I have to say that I didn’t use a lot of it until I got the Cottage Wall designer series paper. I paired it with Rich Razzleberry card stock and Polka dot ribbon.  The Lovely Letters monogram was stamped on Whisper White and punched out with the 1 3/8″ circle punch and mounted on an Orchid Opulence Scallop circle punch.

It’s another rainy day.  Evan’s T-ball game was moved inside but we are still not sure if Colin will have his baseball game since a Thunderstorm just rolled in.  We’ll have to see what 6:15 brings to us in terms of weather.  Tomorrow I have a Sketch for You to Try from Jen to share with you.

2010 Calendar

I had a chance to play in my craft area this weekend.  Most of it was spent getting ready for a craft fair I’m going to be in on October 24th.  None of my time was spent stamping, however, all of my projects include Stampin’ Up! stuff in one way or another.  This calendar is an idea I brought back home from the Stampin’ Up! Regional in Cincinnati.  It uses the Delightful Dates Calendar Kit (#116771 – $7.95) and the Decor Elements Blocks (#116829 – $9.95).  I threw in a couple squares of Soft Suede, Old Olive and Crushed Curry Patterns Designer Series paper, a Pumpkin Pie Corduroy button and Chocolate Chip striped Grosgrain ribbon and it was as easy as that.  I made 4 of these calendars in under an hour!  I used Tombow Multi Adhesive to secure my papers to the blocks.  I did use a foam brush to make sure that it was spread evenly, but it went quickly.  The strips of dsp are parts of the calendar I had to trim to make them fit the blocks.  Now wouldn’t you love one of these sitting on your desk?  I love how they turned out. 

I want to thank you for all of the support you showed in my last post.  It was so nice to sit back and relax for the most part this weekend and not have to worry about not posting to my blog.  I often get lost in wanting to post what you want to see with all of the details you’ve come to expect.  It’s nice to take a step back, re-organize and re-prioritize so that I can find myself in all of this. 

I don’t want to jinx myself, but I think Evan is finally getting better.  He went from having Influenza A, probable H1N1 to having bronchitis and starting on another round of antibiotics.  He stayed with me instead of going to Colin’s soccer tournament this weekend.  The first game we couldn’t find a parking spot where we could see the field so we were the shuttle bus to and from the game.  The second game we were able to park and watch.  It was a very cold and damp Columbus Day weekend here, so it was better for him to not be out in it.  Colin’s team did not end up advancing so we didn’t have to play on Sunday or Monday, but with the colds, the rain and the dreary cold weather I was secretly glad to not have to spend it out in the muddy field for 3 straight days. 

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend.  I’m busy sewing a few things and when I’m finished I’ll share those with you as well.  I’m working on 2 projects that involve sewing and the Stampin’ Up! Pennant Die for the Big Shot.  They are awfully adorable, but I may be biased.  If you know me I hate to sew, so this is a big project for me.

Husband Survival Pack

Yesterday was a day of meetings and phone calls. At the beginning of this school year I volunteered for 2 positions, one at each of my kids schools. For Evan I am the Classroom Coordinator and I make sure that parties are being planned, getting items the teacher needs from parents and planning the Talents of Our Town Fundraiser basket. It’s a position I held when Colin attended school there too. For Colin’s room I volunteered to be the 1st Grade PTO Representative and it is my job to work with the Building Representative and make sure the 1st Grade classrooms have their parties planned and to call volunteers when needed. The problem was that no one signed up to be the Building Representative, so on Tuesday that became my new responsibility. Yesterday I needed to line up a meeting for other Mothers who volunteered to help out too so that we can get the ball rolling on Harvest Day parties and Red Ribbon Week. It took more time than I thought and I never got back to my blog. Sorry about that.

However, today I have my finished Husband Survival Pack. I mentioned that I’ve been working on these for Christmas Gifts. The pack includes 6 cards (Anniversary, Birthday, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, I’m Sorry and Just Because). It also has a list that a husband can fill out with the important dates to remember. I’ve included the date of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day for 2010. The template is a My Timeless Template by Lauren Meader. The one I used was the Desk Top Organizer. I put 12 of these together in no time.  The base is Kraft Card stock and the title was stamped with the Just Perfect Alphabet.  I used Best Wishes and More for the Heart and dressed it up with some Chocolate Chip striped ribbon.  I think they are going to be great gifts. 

Well today I am working on sending out all of the Thank You cards for orders during the month of September.  I’ll post those when they are finished. 

All products are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased via my Demonstrator Website: http://igotstamps.stampinup.net

Thoroughly Modern Altered File Folders

Happy Fall! It’s always my favorite time of the year. Besides being the 1st day of fall it’s also my 8th wedding anniversary. Evan and I have to head out in a bit to pick up Roger’s gift. I have an idea of what I want to get it’s just a matter of finding it at the store. Yesterday I decided not to post so that anyone who didn’t have time to take the Tour de Freaks would have a chance to and it would stay at the top of my page.

This weekend while at the crop I decided to start on a few Christmas gifts using the Thoroughly Modern File Folders. I first saw them in the Stampin’ Success magazine sent to demonstrators and put a sticky note on the page to mark it. When Patty Bennett posted the tutorial on her blog I knew I just had to try it out, but I never had enough time until this past weekend.

I added a bow to the front of my folder, but I do not have it tied closed. When I had made Wish Lists about a year ago at my Open House everyone loved them but they commented that they didn’t want to have to re-tie a bow every time they wanted to jot down a note. Therefore this closes with a piece of Velcro and the bow is stationary.

Here is a peek at the inside of the folder. I have ideas for finishing it off, but again I have to find a moment to get it done. I plan to make a few cards to stick in the front pocket and decorate a pen to match. This is a very economical gift. When you purchase the file folders from Stampin’ Up! you get 12 for only $10.95. That works out to $0.91 per folder. As it is now the entire project cost about $1.50. Throw in a few cards and a pen and you have a gift that is under $5 but certainly doesn’t look like it.

Well I’m off to the store before it starts to rain more. I hope you have a fantastic Tuesday and I’ll be back tomorrow with another project to share.

All products are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased via my Demonstrator Website: http://igotstamps.stampinup.net

Thorougly Modern File Folders #115692

Circle Circus Stationery Set

Last night was the first class at my Mom and sister’s house since my Dad had his accident. Ten of my customers were able to make it and we had a blast making these Stationery sets. The box is a template from Lauren Meader and can be found at Papertrey Ink.  I printed the template right onto my Soft Suede card stock so all the ladies had to do was score, cut and assemble.  Everyone had fun and loved the Circle Circus stamp set.  I made sure to get all of the new InColors into this set and there were a lot of ooohhhs and aaaahhhs at the colors.

In the box I have 3 cards and 3 envelopes.  The cards were made with Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay and Razzleberry Lemonade.  I went with a monochromatic theme for each card.   The sentiment is from Defining Alphabet.  There are times that I need a quick note card and I thought this stamp fit the bill perfectly.  Here are the three cards.  I think they are pretty self explanatory.

Remember to enter my $40 Gift Card give away! You can find the post here.   Please make sure to leave your comment for the give away on that post and not on this one.  The winner will be drawn on Saturday.

Another thing to remember is that the Tour de Freaks Blog Tour is coming up.  This fantastic tour is brought to you by the talented Control Freak swappers group.  I know you won’t be disappointed by the eye candy you will find along this tour.

Next week I am going on vacation with my family.  I am trying to work ahead to get stuff to post while I am gone.  With the return of my allergies . . . why is the cottonwood blooming again? . . . I don’t know how much I’ll get done.  They hit me by complete surprise since the cottonwood bloomed weeks ago and it’s the tree I’m most highly allergic too.  I’ve never seen them bloom twice.  Anyway if I’m MIA for a few days next week you’ll know why.

All products are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased via my Demonstrator Website: http://igotstamps.stampinup.net

Stamps: Circle Circus, Defining Alphabet
Paper: Whisper White, Dusty Durango, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede
Ink: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede
Accessories: 1 3/4″ circle punch, template by Lauren Meader, Soft Suede, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay Polka-Dot ribbon

Baby Shower Gift

Earlier this week my Mom called and asked if I could put together a Baby Shower gift for her like the last two I made. The problem was that I was out of tins. When you live in a small town it is really hard to find them and I wasn’t going to drive 45 minutes just to buy one. I decided instead to use a Papertrey ink templatefrom Lauren Meader called From The Desk Of.  Everyone knows I’m a SU! only stamper, but when it comes to these templates I can’t pass them up. 

I printed 2 boxes onto Kraft card stock, assembled them and stuck them together back to back.  I decorated it with Valet Ribbon Originals, Sweet Slumber speciality paper, images from Wagon Full of Fun and Defining Alphabet and a chipboard letter cut with my Serif Essentials Alphabet.  Before I cut it out I covered it with paper from  the Bella Rose designer series paper package.  The edges of my paper are all sponged with Close to Cocoa ink.

This box holds a suprising amount of baby items. I actually bought more than would fit and I added a little stuffed animal sitting on top. The cellophane bag holds it all together.  On one side there are two burp cloths and a bottle of baby soap.  The other side has 5 onsies.  Two are laying down and you can see three standing up. 

I really love how this project turned out and my Mom loved it as well.  The shower is Sunday so hopefully the parents will like it as much as we do. 

Yesterday I went to visit my Dad and spent most of the day there.  He looks good!  He is able to sit up in a wheelchair, but he is not able to walk yet.  He has another month before he can start bearing weight on his right leg so that the hip repairs itself the right way.  I also took my Mom over to pick up their new car.  The replaced it with the same car, but a different color.  I took my Dad another stack of cards, and I have a stack here waiting to be photographed so hopefully I’ll get those posted this weekend.  Thank you to all who have sent cards!  My Dad and Mom really appreciate them.  I do too!

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Yesterday I sat down to make my Teacher Appreciation Gifts. I had just gotten Lovely Letters for free, and the main reason I wanted it was to make Monogrammed Gift Sets. I think it’s the perfect size and it’s fancy but not too fancy. I made each teacher 4 cards with stamped envelopes and boxed them all up in gift boxes.  This first one is for Colin’s Kindergarten teacher.  I did used retired Summer Picnic designer series paper and Certainly Celery Sale-a-Bration ribbon.  I thought the apples were a good theme to go with.  I was planning on making them all of the same, but I ran out of paper, so I made a few versions sticking with the same package of designer series paper.  I also used Frames with a Flourish and used the 1 3/8″ and scallop circle punch.

This one was sent to school for the Parent Educator who comes and does Play Group for Evan in our home. I’ve known her since Colin was just over a year old.  I love how bright and cheery it turned out.

Of course I couldn’t forget Colin’s music teacher. He picked out the patterns for this set as he had gotten home from school while I was working on them.

All of the outsides were decorated exactly the same. I used Lauren Meader’s Captured Card Case template. I purchased it from Papertrey Ink.

I realized I hadn’t taken a photo of all of the sets together so I snapped this one quickly before we headed outside to play and then on to baseball practice. It’s not the best photo, but at least you get to see all of the sets. The “B” monogrammed sets are for Colin’s gym teacher and classroom assistant.

Tomorrow we are having a house full of 6 year old kids, so I’m off to get started on party favors. There is nothing like waiting until the last minute. Lucky for me I work well under pressure.

Happy Friday!

Jenn