School Memories Book

A lot of funny things happen at school. Kids say funny things, silly stuff happens during class. Also, I find that many inspirational things happen. I decided that I need a place to keep these things sacred, a place to write about the things that happen and a place to include photos and keepsakes. Last Wednesday I was feeling particularly crafty and I made this book.

Actually, I made two of these. This one is more finished so I will show it to you. Making a book like this makes me want a Bind-It-All....the book is 8 1/2 by 8 1/2 and I basically combined lots of scrapbooking papers, stickers and stamps. Most of them are from a vintage school paper pack from Daisy D's called Classroom. I know it isn't totally finished, it will always be a work in progress whenever I find something cool, I can add it.

The cover has even changed since I took these pictures, I added a school picture and a sub title on the front. The other book I created (that I haven't photographed yet) uses more recycled things like catalog fronts, school papers, etc. Anyway, I included used manila envelopes to store keepsakes and I used real writing paper on some pages for journaling. I have already used the book to write down funny quotes from kids that I have been keeping a list of on my desk on a piece of scratch paper.

One funny story was from a couple of weeks ago. I announced to a class that they needed to work faster, some students were working very slow and they needed to push on the gas pedal. A girl looked up and said, "Mrs. Mitchell, we don't have gas." My response, "Yes, some of you do....I smelled it...." Hehe...

I love this book because it doesn't have to be perfect. I was able to put it together pretty quickly and it is literally made from scraps of paper. I can make some pages more fancy by adding things, or I can keep them simple. The focus will be on journaling and I can add pictures if I want, but they aren't required to tell most of the stories that I want to tell with this book.

In case you are wondering about the plain white pages in the book, those are watercolor paper and I want to get some vintage school stamps and stamp on those with StazOn and then color them to look like pages from an old children's book with captions that are quotes from something my kids say...Like when a boy fell out of his chair a few weeks ago and said, "That hurt the top of my buttcrack." The really cute thing about it was that he said: 'that huwt the top of my 'butt qu-wack'" because he couldn't say his 'r's' quite right....so cute!!!

While I am at it, I thought I would share this book with you that I have been working on for several months. I actually took these pictures last summer. I got really into book altering for a while. This is a children's board book that I covered in the same papers and stickers. I didn't really leave spots for journaling and pictures though....it is more of a fancy collage, but I love it.

I am fabulous.

Lisa over at Ink and Inspirations selected my blog to get this great award!!! She is so sweet for picking me. Check out her work, it is fabulous and sooo inspiring!! She always leaves the sweetest comments on my work! She is great!

I have picked two fellow bloggers to receive this award. Check out their work!! I love it!!

Cathy @ Petal's of Cathy's Life
Michelle @ I Heart Crafting

Valentine's Wreath

My mom asked me to bring her something for her door right after she had taken down her Christmas wreath. She said, "It can be really simple, I don't care if it is a heart cut out of construction paper."

Yesterday we were cleaning out the basement and I spotted this wreath that I had picked up at a garage sale last spring and I knew it was perfect for my mom's door. (I wish I would've made two!!) I love how it turned out.

I started by wrapping pink ribbon around it and then I found this laser cut felt in my stash, I have never used it. I had sewn the hanging down hearts when my sister-in-law was having her baby, I was going to make her a mobile....but I didn't like how it was turning out so I still have some of the stuff I made.

Everything else on the wreath came from my button jars and flower containers in my scrapbooking stash. The letters are from Close to My Heart and I covered them with some turquoise glitter. (I love turquoise and red together!) I basically just hot glued everything on to this wreath. The vintage sheet music was punched with a scallop punch....and if you have any questions about other stuff you can just message me.

I love making wreaths like this. I have one on my door at school covered in school supplies and the kids love it! My mom really liked this, she is so proud of me :-)

Color Inspiration Challenge #38

I am sooooo excited about the Color Inspiration Challenge this week! I couldn't stop making cards last night. I got some really cute new stickers from K&Company and they were perfect for this week's colors. I stayed up late making these cards and even made one more this morning!

Eeeek!! I don't have time for all the details for every card, but if you have a question email me. I made the round cards using my coluzzle and all of the stamps and colors are Close to My Heart.

SWEET Workshop Valentine Stuff

Hey everyone!! I am getting ready for a workshop tonight. I have about 5 gals coming over to make Valentine-themed stuff. I am really excited about the lip balm holder that I showed awhile back.

In addition to the lip balm holder, we will be making a treat folder too. This little treat box will fit over a box of candy hearts. I bought both the sour and the regular heart candies. The girls can pick out which one they want to go inside their treat holder. This was really easy to make. I ate the candy out of one of the treat holders and tore it open so that I could figure out where to score it. I laid the empty carton on top of my cardstock, made a little tick mark at the top and bottom and then scored.

I made a whole bunch of these little guys so that I could hide a note inside for the penny game that I play at my home gatherings. Anyway, it is secured with ribbon and a simple little scallop punch design on the front. Check out the super cute little safety pin that holds the 'love' tag in place!! I love it!!

While I am at it, here is a really simple box I made using Close to My Heart patterned paper. Inside the box there are four 3 1/2 cards.



AND OOH LA LA!! This is some lotion I got for Christmas from Victoria Secret!! I love it, so sweeeet!

Color Inspiration Challenge # 37

I have a quick post with this week's color inspiration challenge. I made 3 simple cards. One of them is for my dad for Valentine's Day. The patterned paper is from Paper Studio and the Chipboard is Basic Grey. The ribbon, heart stamp and chocolate textured cardstock is Close to My Heart. I wanted to make some cards that were more masculine. I dusted the heart with light blue chalk, but its hard to tell in the pictures. Enjoy!!

Week One "Project 52"

Here is my Project 52 Album. Everything on the cover is from the Close to My Heart Silhouette Level 1 paper pack. I embossed the numbers and cut them out before I adhered them to the sticker. I covered the entire 'medallion' with liquid glass to keep the letters from getting ripped off. I didn't want the cover to be too busy because I have bad luck with really 'scrappy' stuff falling apart.


This 52-Week calendar is from Close to My Heart. It is perfect for this project. I am sure I won't fill up every SINGLE day, sometimes I may just write--really busy!!---or make a color copy of my planner and paste it on for that week.



The first inside page uses the same paper pack and a picture I took in December.


Well, this isn't hard to keep up with so far. I am not doing anything too strenuous each week of the year, just jotting down a few things and each day and making a one page layout. I decided to put "INSPIRE" on the very first page so that I would remember my WORD for the year every time I flip through the book.


I figure that I won't be able to complete some pages until the next month because I won't have any of my pictures developed. I tend to get about 3-4 months developed at a time. This may make it a little bit tricky to keep on top of things, but not every 'layout' has to have pictures. Some of my layouts will be collages with poems or lists or journal writing. I am leaving room on the 'week' side for small 'inchie' pictures and creations. I don't want this to be too bulky.


You can check out the other Project 52 layouts on the Flickr sight.

Project 52

I mentioned that I am working on a December Daily Album and I really loved keeping track of my month by writing in a word document and taking photos. I just got a big package in the mail from Snapfish with all of my photos and photo collages. I am so excited to start working on it at a crop the end of this month. I spent over $60 on pictures and I only got half of the month's worth developed!! Thats a lot of photos!!!

I really want to start this year off with a scrapbooking goal. I read in Creating Keepsakes magazine about Project 365: Kit of the Month. This is such a great idea!!

Fellow blogger Lisa mentioned a similar Project 52 on Balzer Designs. I love this because it isn't limited to scrapbook pages, it could be anything that allows me to record my thoughts, emotions, and events each week for the rest of the year. It is very loose with no deadlines and no strict format! This is perfect for me! I joined a Flickr group to showcase my work and stay focused and motivated.

One Little Word for 2009, Resolutions and Creativity

CREATIVITY.
I had hoped to spend this break working on artwork, writing and expanding my creative experiences. The mojo and the inspiration just hasn't been there. Believe me, I have tried to clean my studio, organize my supplies, journal, anything to spark a flame....but sometimes the creativity and the passion isn't on the surface.

The things I that I have attempted to put together are embarrassingly under par. Looking at blogs, doing simple drill and practice art activities, examining artwork and design, shopping for new supplies...nothing has worked.

So, I have been on the couch, watching movies like Music and Lyrics, and Survivorman, trying not to think about it.

I am sure this will pass.....Once I am back to my normal routine. I like being out of school and I really need this time off to recoup...but sometimes I wish I could pick when I take my breaks and vacations. I hate it when I am really motivated and there aren't enough hours in the day to complete everything that I want to do.

And now that I have the time, the days are passing me by and nothing is getting done, nothing is even making it onto a to-do list.....in fact, there isn't even a to-do list...and I hate that. I like crossing things off. I like being productive. If there is no to-do list....no immediate goals, then long-term goals are certainly not going to be scrawled on a steno with the nub of a pencil or scribbled into the margin.

Embracing my routine, stepping back from the day-to-day to noticing the sunset....I guess that is where romance exists for me. And without some sort of structure to my days (I haven't had any coffee the entire time I have been off) I have trouble appreciating the beauty of a red mug surrounded by ink pads and buttons. The red mug doesn't get noticed because it doesn't exist.

Making time for art and love, it has to be a priority, and I make sure that those things are on my agenda every day. Perhaps that is why I am having such a mental block now...no agenda.

RESOLUTIONS.
Okay, now lets get down to business. I have the normal resolutions, save more money, live healthier, show more love and appreciation to my friends and family, scrapbook more photos, send more card (remember more birthdays), be more organized, lose fewer earrings.

INSPIRE.
I have also selected one little word for the year. A word on which to base my decisions and my focus my attention. I put a lot of thought into this. One of my favorite scrapbookers, Ali Edwards motivated me to select a word for the year. "A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow." ~Ai Edwards

To help me select one little word, I thought of an experience with one of my students.


We were working on a project and she kept saying "I hate this, mine is ugly, can I please be done?" She was frustrated and so was I. Finally I just said to her, "Vanessa, I am here to inspire you. I am sorry if you do not like this assignment. I can't guarantee that you will love everything that we do in art. But what you do with what you are given is up to you." She responded, "You do inspire me Mrs. Mitchell."
I do not know if she said that just because she was embarrassed by her attitude or if she really meant it, but reflecting on this made me want to use this experience to jump start my year.

I want to start off the year with a desire to inspire.

My word for 2009 is INSPIRE. It is my goal this year to live a life that will inspire others. I want to inspire my students, friends and family members to follow their creative ambitions and do things that make them happy. I hope that I can do this through my blog and my scrap books.

If you want to start out your year with motivation from one little word, you can look here for a list of words that other people have chosen.


Okay so I can't say that my time off has been completely unproductive, I did make the page and cards above and I participated in some color inspiration challenges. I even started a December Daily Album to remember the entire month (photos coming soon). It has been a very busy month with weddings, funerals, New Year's and Christmas. I haven't even gotten to participate in my favorite challenge: Cinema Saturday!!!

Anyway, hopefully you will be inspired by my blog. I am very optimistic that it is going to be a great year.

Color Inspiration Challenge #36

Hello Everyone!! I have been working on a few projects and several scrapbook pages over the break. This page is a baby picture of my niece.

I LOVE to make cards, but I have to force myself to actually put together a scrapbook page so these challenges are the perfect inspiration for me.

Since I do not have any of the SU colors, the pinks in this page are CTMH colors: blush and baby pink. The green doesn't seem to show up as well in this picture as it does on the actual page. The chipboard shapes and letters are from Basic Grey, I got them in the clearance section at Michaels! I got to use a super cute doily in the corner. This is one of my last sheets of 12X12 white cardstock! I am going to have to order more soon.