How could I possibly resist a washi tape challenge???
Love the Moxie Fab World and their fun challenges, including the current washi tape challenge. I made this card as a thank you for some wonderful support a friend extened toward me.
Washi and a stache - it was a fun card to make! :)
I've slept in for 2 DAYS STRAIGHT!!!! Hello summer break - I'm a happy girl (well, at least for a couple weeks until the summer jobs kick in). I've been busy tackling some projects around the house I've been meaning to get to since about {forever ago} which also feels great.
Before school got out, however, I was in a frantic state trying to acknowledge all those awesome folks who make my job a million times easier. Besides my fabulous 8th grade TA's (see their card here) I wanted to give a huge shout out to a few other amazing people too. I did a variation of the TA card for my awesome custodians:
I also made several thank you's for the awesome teachers and awesome volunteer Mom's who helped me run our character building program this year:
I just printed our logo onto cardstock (designed by our student's with the help of a volunteer graphic designer), added some washi and bling, piece-o-cake!
Finally, I made some personalized stationary card sets for our fabulous office staff:
Again, I kept it REALLY EASY {thank you washi tape} so it didn't take me too long, but yes, I've appreciated the extra sleep these past couple days :)
For all my friends still teaching - I do feel your pain. I've felt it all year long when you got that extra few days at Thanksgiving or that extra Spring Break week or those snow days. It's all a wash in the end right? A break from the norm at any time of the year is appreciated. I wish you a speedy race to the end and students who take mercy on you in your fragile-almost-summer state.
This week has certainly been a big one for me! So much going on that I find myself with my head spinning at the moment...
I know that my younger self would have complained about it all and pouted that there was no free time, but as I sit here today and look at what transpired, I am grateful for a week where I can barely keep my head on straight.
It means I have a great job and great students. I am supported by amazing people at my work, who, when I am having a hard time keeping up with things, jump in to help me. I get to be a part of a program at my school that will hopefully make *some* differnece in how kids treat eachother (we are a Rachels Challenge school). I get to work on the sidelines of it and support our student leaders who did a fantastic job running a big school lunch assembly where over 100 kids came to participate (with wonderful dedicated Moms who made sure they all had delicious treats). How lucky are we?? This week also reminds me that I am one lucky duck to have a great new job opportunity teaching other teachers in a college night class. And, at the end of a day where I worked probably 14-hours strait, my hubby will have a martini waiting for me when I walk in the door.
Lots to be thankful for this week indeed! :)
Hello friends! I have a quick card to share today - a necessity for this time of year. I was in need of a bunch of thank you cards that I could make fairly quickly. I came up with this little design:
I like the simplicity and the punch of red. There's something about a bird on a bare branch that always makes me smile. It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but I added just a touch of glitter to the tops of the branches to add that wintery look.
I like the results! Hopefully the recepients will as well.
I hope all of you out there in blog land are doing well and enjoying the season!
Hello blog friends!
Wow! What a whopper of a year this has been! I have loads to share with you...
The Beast is nearly conquered and it has taught me a lot:
1. Radiohead is wicked awesome to write to
2. Squirrels are an effective distraction to thesis writing. Just be sure not to leave peanuts on the outdoor table with your laptop still open as they do not understand that it’s rude to walk on a computer.
My squirrel visitor
3. I still haven’t gotten over my math phobia although I’m good at pretending I know what I’m doing.
4. Cocktails have an astonishing way of making the words flow, although increases my dyslexia.
5. The excuse of writing a thesis can get you out of all sorts of things you would normally be obligated to do such as attending boring functions and chaperoning the 8th grade school dance.
6. When left to my own devices to get food, I will just resort to eating cheese.
Mudflap girl from the Grilled Cheese Truck, which I have been stalking
7. I apparently have a very complex obsession with superlatives.
8. The Beast makes an effective door stopper (email from one of my committee members: I have to tell you that I actually could not open my door this morning due to The Beast. I got it open a crack, had to put down my bag and squeeze in sideways because The Beast did not allow for further opening of the door. Impressive!)
9. Always listen to your advisor, especially when she tells you to say no to something.
10. You know who your friends are through this process - anyone that can put up with me right now is a saint!
Now, since The Beast was so big, I thought it was worthy of its own soundtrack:
It's mostly music that helps reduce Beast-induced panic attacks ;)
The good news is, from where I sit today, I can actually see the light! I defended The Beast on Wednesday, and it went great. Several people that mean a whole bunch to me were able to attend - that was very cool. Following my presentation, I had a big meeting with my committee, and it couldn't have gone better. I even got a star from one of my committee members, who was very sweet and said that everyone deserves to get a star on their thesis, LOL
I have been so lucky to have the most marvelous people on my committee (2 biology faculty and 2 science education faculty) that care a lot about the study I did (I looked at the learning that takes place in the first biology class that biology students take). I am humbled that these professors are open to taking a close look at how the instruction that happens in the class impacts the learning of students.
The good news is, I should be done with all of my edits this weekend and will have my thesis ready to send off to the library. What a relief! To say I am completely *giddy* is an understatement! :)
I wanted to share with you the gift I gave to my committee. I wracked my brain for months on what to give them - I wanted it to be something really special. One day, quite by accident, I found this amazing silversmith in the UK on Etsy, Clockwork Lemur. He made the most beautiful interpretation, in the form of a silver necklace, of Darwin's original sketch of the Tree of Life.
I was smitten when I first saw it. This ended up being a perfect gift given the nature of my study. I actually ordered the necklaces back in March and I absolutely couldn't wait to give them to my committee on Wednesday. I decided to make a special card to match:
It was a nice creative outlet - I can't remember the last time I had a chance to dig into my stamps and be creative. I found a picture of Darwin's sketch on the internet, printed it and distressed it. I used some fun stamps by A Muse Studio (and I'll admit I chopped off the beak of the hummingbird so it would look more, well, finch-like)
So with that I'd like to give a huge shout out to everyone who has been a part of my support system. I want to say thank you to all of my fabulous friends who were so generous and stepped in for me as guest bloggers these past several weeks: Novell, Krystie, Dawn, Tracy, Nora, Sherry,Rachel, Donna, Elena, Mom and the Chiquitas, Cheiron, Jenn, Glenda, Martha, and Michelle. There was simply no way I would have been able to do any posts without these awesome ladies! If you have a chance to visit their blogs and spread some love, that would be wonderful!
I grateful to be at this point in my journey and feel so very fortunate for all of the amazing people in my life that have lifted me up throughout. Needless to say, I can't wait to turn off my brain for a little while and relax! Any recommendations? :)
I managed to sneak away a little time last weekend to play with some of my new A•Muse|Studio stamps. I am so drawn to stamps of little birds and was *thrilled* so get a stamp of little music notes! Total cuteness.
I just love the harlequin image that's stamped in the background. This makes such a sweet little thank you, don't you think?
Alrightie then, the goal for me today is to get a bit of my thesis done, then maybe I can play with more stamps this evening - I'm totally enjoying these new stamps (for more info on them, click here)! What are you up to this weekend?
Today I bring you a very happy post! My good friend, Glenda, is celebrating her 100th blog challenge! I'm delighted to be a part of a fun blog-hop featuring cards for her 100th challenge.
Red just happens to be Glenda's favorite (excuse me, "favourite") color and for her 100th challenge she's encouraging you to make a card with something red on it. My Mom, nieces (the "Chiquita's", ages 6 and 11), and I have a few cards to inspire you!
Mini Chiquita's card is up first where she used red as the main color and added come fabulous red lady bugs (the perfect touch, don't you think?) I also thought she was very clever to draw grass! (card recipe: Stamp by Stampin' Up's "Nicest Things" set, paper by A Muse, colored pencils, Memento ink, Spica pens, and EK lady bug stickers)
Big Chiquita cleverly used red as an important accent in her card. I love her innovative layouts and use of ribbon. Wouldn't you love this dog to deliver some love to you? (card recipe: Stamp by A Muse, paper by A Muse, Memento ink, Copics E37, E57, & YR24, Spica pens, and sheer ribbon)
I love this card that Mom did, and especially the great sentiment she paired with it! (card recipe: stamps by A Muse, paper by A Muse, Memento ink, Copic R29, YG17, YG23, W2, & W4, A Muse sheer ribbon)
*bestest ever*!!! LOL
Finally, I have my cards to share with you. I really wanted to make the red pop in the cards, so I kept my other colors very neutral. It's a nice subtle effect I like a lot.
I had a lot of fun with this card and was in desperate need of some gender-neutral thank you cards. This next one, however, is my favorite of the two:
And there you have it! Cards featuring red to celebrate Glenda and to say thanks to her for coloring our world week in and week out! (recipe for both cards: stamps by A Muse & Savvy, paper by A Muse and Hero Arts, inks by Memento and Brilliance, and twine)
You too can participate in Glenda's 100th challenge and be entered into a chance to win a special prize! All you need to do is make a card that uses RED and visit Glenda's blog (click here) to share and submit your entry. If you don't have your own blog and are uploading to an online gallery, use the keyword GRAC100.
As a special treat for you, several of Glenda's fabulous friends have put on their crafty hats to help inspire you for this challenge. Just click on their names to visit their blogs for some great ideas using red!
Allison Fillo
Alison Miles
Beate Johns
Belinda Chang Langner
Carly Robertson
Cheiron Brandon
Chris Sather
Dawn Stein
Donna Hitz
Elena Shacochis
Geeta Suggs
Jenn Shurkus
Jennie Moczan
Joan Jeffery
June Gibbons
Kamila Younkman
Krystie Lee Hersch
Meghan Fahey
Michelle Clark
Michelle Mathey
Michelle Woerner
Nance Lempinen-Leedy
Sherry Czarnecki
Silke Ledlow
Teresa Kline
I'm enjoying having a teeny bit of free time lately... it's amazing what a little free time can do for me and how much more "grounded" I feel. The best thing about it is I've had some opportunity to make cards for fun - it's been a long time since I've done that. Of course, these pockets of free time will go away by the end of the month when the Spring semester starts up, so I'll enjoy it while I can!
I had an important thank you to send out to a friend who remembered something that I loved. Don't you just love a friend like that? I realized that I used gray on the project, and what a co-ink-i-dink (no idea how to spell that! LOL), it happens to match a very fun challenge, "Gray is the new black", over on Moxie Fab World. I absolutely LOVE gray - and love using it as a neutral.
I also used this as an opportunity to play with some shaker pouches I picked up from my Mom's LSS! (Loving them!) Although gray isn't the main focal point here, it plays off of the gray in the whale and is used in an unconventional way as the water. I almost always see water portrayed at blue, but those chilly overcast days and especially stormy days make the sea look gray, so I think it works here. What do you think?
I found myself in a predicament recently - I had three important cards to give, but no cards in my stash! Eek! I literally only had a few minutes to whip something together, I quickly picked some stamps and stuck with one color scheme and layout - no coloring! It only took me about 3-minutes per card.
The first is for the Assistant Principal at the school I teach. We had a surprise baby shower for her and I was scrambling for a card. I generally keep a couple baby cards on hand, but had given them away to other peeps who needed to give baby cards.
Baby cards are really tough for me as I'm just not a "baby" person, LOL, but I do love this image of the baby in a nest. It was this card that I prompted my green color theme. The mama-to-be and her husband want to be surprised by the baby's gender. Her due date is in only 1-week and I hope, for her sake, they know sooner than later :)
Card #2 went to an amazing woman who is nothing short of a hero to me, Kathy DiRanna. I've had the pleasure of working with Kathy through a K12 Alliance grant I've been able to be a part of for a couple years now. She is a true inspiration and one of the kindest people I've met. While at a conference last month, Kathy, in her usual lovely and generous spirit, treated all of us K12 Alliance folks to dinner at a super yummy Chinese restaurant. Of course, we all had fun with our fortune cookies after dinner.
The inside had another special sentiment from A Muse's Fortune Cookie Words clear set. I have a feeling this card cracked her up :)
The third card is for two great friends of mine who always do special things to bring people together - I so value how much they try to make people feel welcomed and a part of their "family".
So there you have it, three super quickie cards for three special occasions. Simple is working for me lately!
Where has my summer gone? WOW! I've hardly had a chance to breathe, but I am grateful for the fabulous opportunities I've had this summer. I've been crazy busy working teacher institutes (where I get the pleasure of being involved in helping elementary teachers augment their knowledge of science) and now I'm in the midst of a fabulous program that gives pre-service teachers the opportunity to teach hands-on science. I'm a bit exhausted, but will start the school year (in only a few weeks! eek!) inspired :)
I was bound and determined to take a step back today and relax, since I truly haven't had a chance to this summer. It turns out that being crafty has always been a part of my therapy arsenal! So I challenged myself to combine two challenges in one today. It's no secret I'm an A Muse fan, and I really wanted to participate in their Lounge Challenge this month (Challenge #19: Stick to the pattern). The challenge was to either use an A Muse patterned paper in your card, or make your pattern with A Muse stamps - I went for the latter! My second challenge was the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger: She Sells Seashells, based on the photo below. It's an interesting photo with A LOT going on! LOL
So I dug out some of my fabulous sea-themed A Muse stamps and produced the following:
With respect to the Moxie Fab challenge, I was most inspired by the shells and the anchor earrings (which seemed a bit traditional-nautical to me). So I went for the shell, but picked the more nautical color scheme and edge to put the card together. This will be a long-over-due thank you for a fabulous professor that loaned me a some materials for one of those teacher institutes. Can you guess what he loaned me? ;)
I hope you all try and play along with these fun challenges and can find a little time for relaxing and inspiration!
Card Recipe:
Stamps: shell and many thanks fl A Muse.
Paper: latte, navy, and white by A Muse
ink: Memento desert sand and versa magic night sky
Other: twine
For A Muse products click here
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