A Year of Card Techniques - (September) Mixed Media

If you are here for the Smarty Pants Blog Hop, please go HERE (not available until 9pm PST!), or you can check out all of my hops for today (there's only two!). We'd I'd love to have you!

 

Welcome to...

 

 

It's month nine of our year-long adventure into different card-making techniques, folds and paper crafting products. We hope you got the chance to hop with us each month.

It's not to late to hop and comment to be entered into our prize drawing. If you missed any of the previous months,  you can click on the month to be taken directly to the start of that month's hop.
January HERE   February HERE   March HERE   April HERE   May HERE   June HERE   July HERE August HERE

This month, we are mixing it up a bit with the mixed media techniques and you won't want to miss the amazing and fun cards we've got for you today. We really love feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in today's hop. Each comment on the 12 hops throughout the year will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Blitsy.com or Stampin' Up gift certificate (Winner's Choice).

Now on with the projects.

I started with THIS:

Made a mini album, with a whole bunch of different stuff... took pictures... gave it to my "secret pal"... and when I went to put in pics and write about it, the rest of the pics were gone! I can't ask my "secret pal," because then it wouldn't be so "secret" right? Ugh!

And so... I'm going to post a past project... since I use a whole bunch of different media all the time anyway. And OH CRAP! It's not a card... but then again my original project wasn't either. Oh well. It's still great techniques you can use for cards...

If you know me... you know I don't take many pictures of myself or scrap them either. I'd rather not. But... I did enjoy this piece and fun playing with the major components of it. I distressed the crap out of every picture. NOTE: They are printed on textured cardstock!!!!

This lace? I made it myself! Velum... punched with Martha Stewart, stitched through with my machine, then dyed with Walnut stain and crinkled... then formed in the shape of a heart. Say it with me now... "Awwwww...!"

These are "ghost letters" with paint on the back. LOVE IT!!!!!

Thrown together, distressed a bunch and put in a book... totally my style! If you'd like to see the original post, please feel free to go HERE (It's back from 2012!)

 

Hope you enjoyed my little blast from the past...

 

Up next is Denise! Today's lineup in case you get "mixed up" (so you can be sure to visit everyone!):

Theresa
Kim

Claudia

Debbie

Sharon

Lisa

Denise

 

Summer's Soon to Be... And Life's Lessons Part I

Of course. As it happens every year. The time has flown by. It seems we just started the school year last August (yes... we do start THAT early, here...). And it's already almost the last week of 2014's school year. Wow.

I feel "all over the place". Thoughts aren't together. Easily distracted. So much has happened. So much going on. No time for anything.

My peaches have come and gone... it really was a quick season.

I'm working in a high school this year. It's bittersweet. I get to know so many kids that I may never see again. They say they'll come back to visit, but we shall see. I'll miss 'em. I certainly hope they succeed in life, no matter what they choose to do, knowing I tried to help them. It's sad...

Squirrel!!!!! It reminds me of when all of my older kids graduated. They grow up way too fast for words. With them now at the ages of 25, 22, 21 and 20 and all having jobs and lives of their own, I breathe happily, knowing they are (for the most part) adults on their way to success. But... I still miss having them around. I see their huge mistakes and I cringe inside. Often, I do tell them about it. They may not like what I have to say, but one day... hopefully they'll put the pieces together and figure it all out.

My mom disagrees with this strategy. She feels I shouldn't say anything. And just let them learn. She pointed out to me just the other day that she didn't say a word when I was having problems in my first marriage (I was being abused physically and mentally...) and lots of signs were there. I firmly believe I would have left that situation a lot sooner and been happier because of it. She may not have said anything to me (not even when I left... the first time), but others did.

They may not have said what you are thinking they probably said. Not one person told me to leave.

Many suggested counseling (which we'd already been through...).

All told me to stay. That it would be bad for the kids if I left him. Marriage is forever... they told me.

I was miserable. I was beaten regularly. My head was put through a wall. I was told that I was fat and ugly. I was told nobody would ever want me. I was told I was nobody without him...

I've come a long way. I am somebody. (I'll finish that tale another day...)

In the meantime, summer break begins for us next week. And I have a nine-year-old and some older kids. I will continue to share my experiences with them, so they may learn from my mistakes, as well. They may or may not get it. They may continue to go down a rocky path or climb the smoother scenic one. Who knows. No matter what, I'll continue to parent. And that's ok.

Our plans for summer this year are quite crazy. We only have 2 months. It's not okay. But there's nothing we can do about it.

So... the hubster has the first week off. I'll let him schedule most of that, as he takes issue if I make plans (tee hee!). Then... swim meets here and there, Marissa will swim with the dolphins.

We'll go to Sea World several times, I'm sure (thank goodness for passes!). I believe the Queen Mary is on our to-do list (twice... once with the hubster and once with my mom), as we've never "been there, done that". And I've lived in So Cal most of my life! Swim lessons (at least 2 sessions) and art lessons are on the list for Marissa, as well as joining the Summer Reading Program at our local library.

As for personal goals for me? Um... start writing again... re-vamp the blog... re-organize the craftroom... make things... read... garden... and maybe... paint a room (I think the hallway bath is my target.) We shall see... There's really not much time to do it all in, and I really truly do feel a tad overwhelmed at just seeing it all in print. (and just between you and me... I'd really really REALLY like to re-organize all my file cabinet. it drives me cuckoo...)

More life lessons to come... a review of Malificent (we just saw it today! Squeee!)... and much much more. I really do intend to write more this summer. Priorities will be restored! So... be sure to come back often this summer. We'll share each other's adventures. Please feel free to do just that!

MINIONS!!! Another Pinterest Success

First off... Whew! Summer's been busy, busy, busy... and I reall do promise that I'll get to that Sea World post sometime (hopefully soon...). But for now...

Let's commence to something a little creative!

How many of you are on Pinterest? Well, if you're not already... you really should be! There are so many great ideas and links to other blogs out there. I just love it. But... it is a Time-Sucker. Yes. You will be on it for many many minutes that turn into hours, then days... You will lose sleep. But... you will have learned something, as well. And if you're like me, you'll get TONS of exercise, too! (I really pin that stuff, and feel like I read so much, that I really did do it!)

Moving on to the Minions! Wow. I don't usually do my nails... If you know me, I almost NEVER paint the nails on my hands. And if I do... I almost NEVER do anything special or crazy or very creative with them. But since Despicable Me 2 came out, I just really do love those little guys (Minions). They're so cute. Loved them in the first movie (haven't seen the 2nd, yet...), and was reacquainted with my love for them when the whole franchise just boomed out commercially again. Because... that's what our society does. We turn something wonderful and special into a mass-production commercialized industry. But... since they're so cute, I won't go on and on about that commercial-ly topic again.

Oh yeah... back on topic... MINIONS... and so... on Pinterest I found someone that gave a tutorial on Minion nails. How cute they were. I've waited over a month, but had my older daughter paint them today. I just love them so much.

And yes... some of the pictures are sucky... but I took the shots with one hand, and I'm really not ambidexterous, so get over it. Plus, it was taken with my phone, and I was trying REALLY hard not to mess up my newly-painted digits. (The 2-handed shots were obviously taken by someone else and are WAY better...)

Anyway... here they are and here are my chubby hands and deformed (from writing with a pen/pencil) fingers... Don't judge. Hope you are one day adventurous, too! And try something new!!!

and if you're interested, here's the Pinterest post and here's the direct link to Jamegackie, a Nail Blog by Jackie Post (it's really quite awesome!). And thank you, Jackie!!!! Mwah!

Hoping you enjoy Minions, as much as I do!

ACTION!: Paper Hoarders DT Challenge

This week's Design Team Challenge over at the Paper Hoarders is ACTION! Meaning... it's gotta move. And I "do" move. So, I'll catch briefly catch you up to see what I've been working on...

Whew! It's been busy. School started here a couple of weeks ago (as seen in a previous post...), and I've been workin' it. Besides my normal everyday volunteer work (in the Kinder classes, 1st and now 2nd grades), I've been working-working as an assistant in the RSP program at another school.

And I'm having a blast!

On the first day of school, I walked into a fairly large classroom, with {gasp!!!} blank bulletin boards. My new teacher let me know that I could give her my ideas, and she'd let me know. [oh yeah!!! crafter's dream!!!!] She told me what type of boards we would need (1st, 2nd and 3rd grade ELA themes [for their current stories], Comprehension, Reading, Fluency Goals, and Math). So I set to work researching on the internet. (I'd never done those type of things before, but you know me... a challenge is a challenge, and I kinda L-O-V-E those!

eHow was a great tool... there I found a couple of ideas incorporating comprehension and some with vocabulary goals. So... I thought of combining it all, and making more up as I went, and instead of individual boards... um... making an OCEAN! Here's my crediting linkage. (Much thanks to Erin Schreiner, the author! I took her "Swimming through Comprehension" board and RAN with it!)

 I love interactivity. I arouses the mind and makes kids have fun learning. So... on eHow, I saw vocab words written down and each student as a fish swimming past these [goals]. OK. Only... we'd have each student as a fish and swim UP towards their goals in percentages (I still have to write the percentages... oopsie!)

And here's a little closer up... the percentage (of their goals) will be written on the seaweed to to the left of the chart. The different colored fishies here represent the different grades (so the students can find themselves easier). Please note... no one has moved up yet, because we're just starting the program and no one has been tested towards their goals this year.

Then we'll move onto the comprehension/theme side of things, entitled: What Does it all Mean? (how appropriate, right?)

And here, I separated the themes into the various grades...

With the titles of each of their themes... then I created a tissue paper "bubble", stapled laminated paper to it, so I could attach a current passage/story summary on each.

Then I added a passage/story summary...

The surrounding fish are laminated (so the Expo marker can be changed...) and written with either a vocabulary word or question related to the passage/story.

If you notice, they are stapled at the top and creased, so they fold up...

To reveal the definition (if a vocab word) or the answer!

As the stories change, so can our bulletin boards, without having to completely re-do them!

The same concept is done with the Math board... only these guys have googly-eyes, as their questions didn't take up so much room!

I'll incorporate more fish with questions and answers as we get beyond the previous year's review...

And then my favorite... the Island of Reading...

The cuts say "Journey", "Escape", "Dream", and "READ".

It's a work in progress, and I hope to get more fish shapes in there, but I'm on a time crunch and do have to work with the kids still, so there's really not much time for me to play with the boards, but... it's enough for Back-to-School night next week, so there we are.

I was trying to make a card earlier today, but it didn't turn out and still isn't turning out at this late hour (it's after midnight), so... this is action for today! Hopefully after hubby's vacation next week, I'll have time to figure out the dang moving card (the dimensions JUST were NOT working for me! and not letting it do what I thought it would do... ugh!).

But, in the meantime, please check out Ms. Tanya's blog, where all the other Design Team members have their work and links posted. Please be sure to give them some love, as you know... we all need it. And don't forget... you can join in the challenge, too! If you do, please be sure to leave me a link, so I can stop by and share some love, too!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my simple pleasures with me. I appreciate it. and YOU have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

And Other Christmas-sy, Winter-y Cheer!

I know everyone's been busy. That's not an "excuse", it's just real. I haven't been taking pics of everything, but have been taking pics of some... and here's just a bit that isn't DT stuff...

If you follow me, you know that I make photo spots for the kindergarten classes (um... I guess I've never posted these either?)... Let's start over.

I make photo spots for the kindergartners and their parties. I began last year with our little Leprechaun party. Ok... so apparently I did post it but don't know how to label or had a brain fart or whatever.  So, since I had some JW's in the class, and their mommas wouldn't let them take a pic because they told me, "We don't worship Leprechauns..." (I put that italicized schtuff in there... they didn't emphasize it...) GASP!!! "I don't either..." I said. And thus began my research into things that had NO religious symbolism WHATSOEVER!!!! The "Spring" party came... and I made a Spring Chicken... no eggs, no crosses, no pieces of egg(shells), no bunnies... Ha!

And now onto Winter (in other words... Christmas... Shh...)

Now... let's get this into perspective. It's not that I am dissing the JW's. Or any other religion or non-religion. I respect them. All of them. I firmly believe that we should learn and glean information from ALL religions so that we each understand one another and uphold that respect. I do not believe that we should be ignorant on any level. For those of you who are "older" like me... ahem... You might remember studying the various versions of Santa Clause in other countries. You know... what he was named, their Christmas or other holiday traditions, etc. I remember making dreidels and Menorahs and singing Dreidel songs. I remember singing an African song in the Winter Commemoration. And I am NONE of those religions.

I also believe that kids should be kids. And when the 5 and 6 year-olds are having a party, where all they do is eat, sing songs, make a craft or two, and take photos, it's just another day celebrating LIFE. The classes are a bunch of combined religions, and as a public school, we're not putting religion into it... or politics... we just want kids to be kids and enjoy the fun and fantasy of "fairy tales". Life is magic, too. And so here we all are.

Stepping off my soapbox... WAIT! It was a HIGH platform!!!


Ok, enough with that.

And so... instead of a Santa cut-out, or an Angel cut-out, I made a SNOWMAN. Yes, I did. He comes with glitter and all...

Here's my kid in it. She wanted to take a pic, because she is not in kinder anymore...

Isn't that background just AWESOME? I know!!! It was achieved with a can of spray paint and me moving closer and backing up and over and backing up and... just totally having a blast. I did it out on my driveway and you should've SEEN the cars slowing down... I'm sure I totally looked like a tagger, sweats and all!


Here's just the background...

Now I'm kinda thinkin' I might want an airbrush system... hmmm... another "toy" to play with!

So, I painted the snowman and hills a white, then sprayed them with adhesive and sprinkled glitter. While that dried I painted on the trees and sun. I had originally started to sponge it all, then I had a VanGogh moment and Starry Night appeared in my brain, so I brushed over the sponging and let the streaks show... Loved it! When the gluey business was dry, I sprayed a glaze over, to seal the glitter, because WHO wants glitter all over the place?

The hat is cardboard, coated with adhesive then covered in black construction paper and cut. ribbon added, and VOILA! He's all done. (Since then, I've stapled a little ribbon scarf to match the hat on the outside of the snowman. It's all good. It's a work in progress. And I'm not perfect. Did I really just say that?


And on to my 1st grader's "gifts" to everyone in her class... Reindeer Noses!!!

Aren't they just too cute? I got the idea from Craft Gossip's posting on them... But... I didn't "feel" like drawing each and every one and HECK! if I was gonna do all the work, so started looking for a digi stamp (free, of course!). And I found one, HERE! at Bits N Bobs! I went through a lot of them (stamp links and sites), and finally found the one that would be perfect for a 6yo to color. (and also one that was not "Christmas-sy" and a JW could eat without feeling guilty for not telling his parents!)

Those are malted milk balls (Whoppers). The original poster (Zoe Robson @ A Personal Touch) used red gumballs for the Rudolph noses. However... first off, Walmart didn't have any, and second off... I wasn't gonna spend over $7 a pound to go to the Candy Store. Ugh! I was going for inexpensive and simple. So... I picked up the Strawberry Shake malted milk balls (Whoppers, again!), as they appeared bright pink on the outside of the box. You know... Rudy probably burned it out a little... However... they are NOT very bright pink and are truly "fleshy" colored. So... I told my 6yo to just say that Rudolph had a busy night and his nose was a little tired. First-graders love a good story!!!


They were a total hit! She was so excited that everyone loved them. And were like, "Whoah!" "Awesome!" "Can I open them?" And I'm sure her teacher was pleased there wasn't "too" much candy in them...

Whew! That's just a bit of what's been going on here. Hope you enjoyed it. And please! PLEASE! pay homage to those that originally posted some ideas. I always give credit where credit is due, and if you stop by and say, "HI!", those wonderfully creative peeps will feel the appreciation they deserve. Thanks and have a wonderfully hectic Week BEFORE Christmas!