Celebrate the Occasion- Back to School

Our theme this week at  Celebrate the Occasion is back to school! We would LOVE to see your projects too so make sure to visit the blog there and link up your project!  Also, remember on Fridays I have a weekly show and tell and would love to see your project here!

My daughter has Mrs. G.... this year.  So we thought we would cut her her own apple using Make the Grade.  I used red mulberry paper to give it some texture.  The chalkboard paper is so darn cute isn't it?!  That is Coredinations.  I just sanded it for the letters to show through.

This was one of those cards that I just couldn't finish right.  I wanted to make it inside a chalkboard "frame" but I wasn't loving that at all when I did it.  Then I tried buttons and loved those even less.  It became trial and error just for final touches and eventually I put my hands up and said DONE! I like how it came out so that is what matters!

Make sure to check out my 300 Follower give away!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges:
My Sheri Crafts- Back to School

Introducing Show and Tells

***Follower give away coming soon!
 
As you may know, I am a Kindergarten teacher.  One of the best parts of Kindergarten is seeing the excitement in kids when they show off something they have done.  It really is no different as adults. It is cool to see what other people have done.  We bloggers can't really hide the fact that we like to show what we have done either ;).

Weekly I am going to start doing an open show and tell.  Some weeks I will have "rules" but there will be a good share of whatever you want!  My only request is that you visit some of the others that have posted and leave them some blog love.  It is just the nice thing to do.

Each week I will pick someone that has shared and have them guest design for a future week!

The whole purpose of this is to give everyone's blog some additional exposure.  If you visit someone's blog and you like what you see start following them.  If you are inspired tell them! This whole thing is just about having fun.

When you link up link up to a specific project you want to share.  We want to see new projects.  I do ask that you link to this blog in your post.  I will delete links that don't.  The reason is that this is to get everyone traffic and if you don't send people here it is a dead end.  I never require people to be followers.  If you are linking up it would be great if you are but it is NOT required.

Here is my show and tell this week:

This is a little frame thing I made to sell in a local store.  The images are cut from Life is a Beach.  The cardstock is embossed with a spellbinders thing and sanded down (I used my favorite- Coredinations.)  I can't remember what my font was done with...

Your turn.  PLEASE share a project!  One person will get to guest design here soon!  Feel free to combine it with other challenges and hops!!!

Challenges:
Crafting for all Seasons- Beach
Incy Wincy Designs- Monochromatic- I struggle with this I hope this counts!
Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog- summertime
Prarie Fairy Fridays- inspiration photo- I used the colors.
Divas By Design- summer
Creative Craft Challenges

Peachy Keen Core'Dinations Challenge

If you have been following my blog for a bit you have probably realized my favorite card stock is Core!  I get sad when other card stock doesn't do what core does!  Now if only we could get local retailers to carry more of it!!!

This card is for their color challenge this month.  They are using pinterest photos for inspiration.  I am a new Pinterest users, and also an addict!  I would love to follow you, you are welcome to follow me even though there isn't much there yet :).  You can find me here.  You can find Core'Dinations here.  Where can I find you?!  Send me a link in the comments!

I didn't have a blue flower, so I took a white one and inked it blue to match!  I sanded the words that are preembossed on the cardstock, this made them stand out more. I tore and sanded the peach piece on the left.  This card was super easy to make but with Core it just looks nice!

The blue flower is a Prima flower like the ones in my upcoming 300 follower give away!

The papers are from the Stacy Julian collection.  You can check that out here.  Want to see my favorite project I have made from the Stacy Julian collection?  Let me take you back a few posts:

Spider card

Are you looking for my 300 follower give away?
The spider web embossing plate is part of the give away!

I cut the spider from Everyday Paper Dolls and the sentiment is from K Andrew's Amazing You set.  I used Core'Dinations paper and sanded it after embossing to reveal the web.

Here is another reveal into my craftroom.  Check back on Sunday for the complete picture!

How cute are the flower pots?!  They were on clearance at Michael's and they were too cute not to buy!

Challenge:
All Sorts Challenge- Free and Easy
Aud Sentiments- sentiment with at least two words
Lexi's Creations- A bug's life

Getting Cricky Simply Sunday Challenge: Face It

Are you ready for another challenge at Getting Cricky?  This week the challenge is "Face It."  However you want to make the faces is your choice but the project needs a face!

For my project I am using another stamp from K Andrew's Positive Thoughts set.  I am loving all of the things I can use this set for!  The face stamp is from Peachy Keen stamps.  The cupcake is from Celebrations and I used all scrap paper on the project!

This is a birthday card for my daughter who is now OFFICIALLY 8!  We have been having celebrations since the beginning of May but now her real birthday has arrived!


Thanks for visiting!  Remember a 300 follower giveaway is on the plans for August!  I know we can do it!  Take a look around my blog if you like what you see follow me!

Challenges:
My Pink Stamper- anything birthday

Getting Cricky Blog Hop Preview Day 4!

Are you ready for our UStream and blog hop?! The design team is very excited about what is in store for you!

If you plan on coming to our UStream post a comment to me today to tell me and you will get an extra chance at my FREE STAMPS this weekend!

Remember, to win the free stamps you have to post on all 5 days of my blog hop previews and on my blog hop post this weekend!

Here is today's project:

I am finding this set more and more versatile every time I pull it out!  This card is a thank you card for my daycare provider.  My kids don't go to daycare in the summer so we like to give her a small gift of appreciation at the end of the school year.

The sentiment is from K Anderew's Positive Thoughts

I used Core'Dinations cardstock and embossed it with my Big Kick.  Then I lightly sanded it down.

Don't forget, my 300 follower give away should be coming this Sunday!  Follow me today to stay posted on that!

Challenges:

The Paper Variety

Cupcake Inspirations

Whimsical Wednesday
More Than Favors 

Getting Cricky Blog Hop Preview Day 3!

Have you been over to Getting Cricky yet?!  I am going to keep sending you all week long!

Here is another card for you from the Positive Thoughts stamp set.  When I first got this stamp set I was thinking about ways I could use the stamps and I am pretty excited about everything you can do with them!


Today's stamp is "Challenges are just opportunities disguised."  This card is for my daughter's Title 1 teacher.  Reading is a struggle for my little one.  That is so hard when you teach other kids to read.  You wonder why you aren't able to help your kid but you can help others.  I watch her struggle and see her frustration and it is heart breaking.  HOWEVER, she has the opportunity to work with an INCREDIBLE teacher every day as a result of her reading challenges.  We are so thankful that this teacher has come into her life.  She finally has tested out of Title 1, in large part because this teacher believed in her and helped her.

This is the gift she gave her teacher to go with the card.  It is a name sign for her desk or classroom.  My kids want to give EVERYONE name signs right now!

Recipe:
Core'Dinations cardstock for the grass.  I sanded it and tore it.
The blue cardstock is Bazzill
The butterfly and flowers are K&Company
The stamp is K Andrew's from Positive Thoughts

Challenges:
Flutter by Wednesdays

Getting Cricky Simply Sunday Challenge: Pennants & Banners

Banners!  I love banners!  Then when I "had" to create one I froze up!  How does that happen?  Then once I started working I loved it.  I made this one universal to cover Memorial Day and the 4th.  I thought it would be cute to hang up on the back deck during our BBQs.  We love having people over in the summer for cookouts.

This is my first ever Design Team project. I am so excited to be designing for Getting Cricky.  If you don't already follow that sight you have got to check it out.  She has a ton of inspiration and challenges going on.  Not to mention blog candy is always being passed around there, she is one generous chicka! I really wanted to make something I could be happy with and I took a few shots at it and I am happy with the outcome.  I even found a vintage fence to hang it from for the photos!  (I wish that was true, but our fence just needs a fresh coat or 5 of paint after the winter!)

It is rare for me to do everything in a project from the same cartridge but for this one I did.  Every cut on here is from A Child's Year.  The cardstock is CoreDinations.  I used black magic for the stars and the letters.  I embossed them in my Big Kick and then sanded them to reveal the "hidden" color.

The red on the right shows you the "hidden" color.  This is before embossing and sanding on the left.

Both embossed but I have sanded the one on the right.  How cool is that?!

I am also entering this into a couple of challenges:
Cooking with Cricut- Memorial Day
Creative Cutter Room- Honoring our Vets
Memorial Day Challenge 4 at Scrapalicious USA
2 Sisters- Anything goes
Crazy About Cricut Thankful Thursday
Paper Cutz Challenge
Decorate to Celebrate

NSD Challenge 4- Mother's Day Brunch and Paper Flower Tutorial

Wow, I have been neglecting my blog!  I am hoping to have more time for my crafts now!  I miss them and all my blogger friends! :)  Robyn at My Pink Stamper has given some challenges to make this weekend even more fun.  Challenge 4 is to create a Mother's Day themed project...

Today I hosted a Mother's Day brunch for my mother and my Aunt.  We are very close with my Aunt and Uncle and it was important to me to recognize that special relationship.

I created napkin rings with Coredinations Whitewash collection.  (I only had one page of each color and nobody local had any more so I had to make 2 colors.)  I also created place cards using tinfoil and my new Big Kick!!!

Under the photos I put a brief tutorial on how I made the paper flower.  I am beginning to think everyone else in the world knows how to do them and I was alone in not know though!

How to create paper flowers.
1. Cut a 5" x 5" square of cardstock.
2. Cut that into a circle, mine wasn't a circle at all I am cutting challenged but my shape worked :)
3.  Cut around the circle in a spiral.  I made my edges raggedy and rounded to give the flower a more flowery look in the end.

 4.  Start rolling the flower.  I rolled mine as tight as I could.  I let it loosen up a bit after I had it all wrapped.

5. At the end of the spiral I had left a small circle in the center.  I glued the flower to that using a ton of tacky glue.  I held it in place for a bit and it stayed nicely.

I was actually pretty excited by how well these held up and they are going to work again in the future because they were quite durable!!!  I used a glue dot and attached them to ribbon to make napkin rings. 

For some other challenges I am linking up to:
For Fun Challenges and Patti Lynn Creations want to see flowers!
Tuesday Throwdown, More Than Favors and Paper Cutz Challenge are to see Mother's Day projects!

Very simple and quick birthday card for my husband

This week I am on "vacation" with the kids and hubby is back home :(.  It seemed fine when I first agreed to it but I am not sure how much longer I will stay on vacation, turns out I miss him.  We are pretty much just hanging our the place where we are staying and I have a nice big room.  So I brought a few crafting things and I have still been doing some simple simple stuff.  So, today I made this quick birthday card to send to my husband for his birthday this week.  He loves fishing so it was perfect.

I cut the pole 5 or 6 times before I actually found a card stock that would work without tearing at that size, and it was Core'dinations of course! ;)

Most of the other card stock on here is my other favorite, Bazzill.

The fish and pole are from Camp Out and the water is from Life is a Beach.  The sentiment and tag are from Base Camp.

I am entering it into the following challenges:

Birthday anything goes

Birthday Sundaes

Flaunt it Fridays

Let's Get Campy at Getting Cricky- fishing and camping go hand in hand for hubby :)

Easter Card

Happy Sunday!
****Before leaving my blog check out the blog hop I have going on right now.  I would LOVE to have you link up your project and try to win my blog candy! CLICK HERE!****

I am out of town on vacation and had to bring my Cricut.  I think I have a serious illness :)  I just made a cute little Easter card.  There were a few more things I would have done or done differently but without access to my full craft space I was limited.  Then there are not craft stores anywhere near me!  How will I survive an entire week?!

I used Core'Dinations for the cardstock that is torn.  It is from the Whitewash Collection... how cute is that?!  I took a ton of before and after photos and process photos.  Then I realized that this laptop I have with me doesn't have a place for me to insert my camera's memory card.  YIKES!  I had to take the finish photos with my cell phone which is less than ideal but hey at least I got them!

Supplies:
* Core'dinations and Bazzil cardstock
* Gypsy Wanderings for bunny and Give a Hoot for butterfly
* Queen and Company pearls (Which are made to match Core'dinations!)
* Prima pink flowers
* Glue Dots

I am entering this into the following challenges:
All Sorts Challenge (sketch)
Fantabulous Cricut (Pink, green, yellow)
My Sheri's crafts.. a bunny
CWC Cash in Your Stash (I am finally breaking out my packs of Bazzil cardstock I was saving for special projects)
Paper Variety... use flowers
Die Cut Divas... 2 diff cuts 2 diff cartridges
Flutter By Wednesdays ... butterfly and soft pastels

Blog Hop- Right here starting Monday night!!!

Tomorrow my first Blog Hop kicks off!!!

I am so excited!  Some awesome projects have been created to give you inspiration from very talented people.

The Hop is called "A New Season A New Skill."  For this Hop you need to try something you have never done.  Do something or use something you haven't done before.

I will show you my inspiration project tonight to get you thinking and tomorrow you will get to see the rest!

Send your friends over to check it out tomorrow night! There will also be blog candy!

I made my first diaper cake!!!  This was SO much EASIER than I had anticipated.  Later I will post a tutorial if people are interested.

I also put a small little banner I made on the bottom.

For the animals I used Zooballo and Animal Kingdom.

The cardstock is mostly Core'Dinations and Bazzil with random other things.