All Paper Arts

I finally got to go to a crop. It seemed like it had been forever since I had been to one. I was even productive. I got 7 or 8 pages done. Three of them were double page layouts. Not bad considering I didn’t get there until two hours after it started. Let me tell you next time I am packing earlier. It just seems to get so hard to know what to take with me and what to leave at home. My husband would probably like to say that is I sign I have too much stuff. I think it was more because I wasn’t sure what I was going to work on.

So if you missed out on the scrapbook sale Hobby Lobby had last week I have good news. They have clear rubber stamps and mounting blocks, paper, and acid free stickers half off. They also have a Stampabilities Heat Tool for 50% off. I am going to try to resist going this week. Especially after my paper excursion last week!

This is it! This is the thing I have been wanting! I couldn’t remember what it was called our where I found it to show you. Then Lori my dear friend Lori sent me an IM and asked,” Is this the thing you’ve been talking about?” Yes! This is it! Isn’t it cool? Can you imagine all the endless possibilities I could do with this? It is only $59.99! Of course I can’t justify it but hey isn’t Mother’s Day coming soon? Haven’t I been extra special? Purpose for all my paper. My own scrapbook, book, and calendar and tons of other gifts making mini machine. Oh the wonderful things I could do!

bind-it-all, zutter innovative products, make your own calendar, mini book

I dare you to say that title three times! Here is a fast easy project. This is especially great for kids. Kids who like to dig up or explore the wonderful living creatures outside that is. Instead of a full size canning jar I used one of the small sizes. Guess what I used to punch the wholes in the side of the lid and the whole for breathing? That’s right my crop-o-dile! I love that thing! Of course I already have a million of ideas going on in my head that I want to do for the next one. Like paint the lid or add ribbon around the jar. I used jewelry wire and beads to make the handle. The label was just on a piece of scrapbook paper and I covered it with packing tape. I figured if it actually gets used for its purpose that packing tape would be a more affordable adhesive.

Yesterday, I went to the local Hobby Lobby looking for some paper to coordinate with my friend’s nursery. I am making the invitations for her family/friends shower and thought it would be cute to coordinate her invites with her nursery. I am also going to make decorations to coordinate with the invitation. On Saturday she had brought me some swatches of the fabrics to scan that will be for the bedding. So here are the swatches.

Now here are four papers I found!
Can you believe that? What luck. Of course I probably should have bought much more then I got but I didn’t want to go overboard until I knew how many invites I am making. Seriously though what luck!
Here are a four more coordinating papers I found. I didn’t even print the swatch scan off I just went there with it in my memory. While I was there I bought a 6X6 red canvas scrapbook album and some coordinating stickers. I am going to make her a scrapbook to go with her nursery. She scrapbooks herself but really can you have too many scrapbooks? Besides this one will have all the pages already done all she will have to do is add the pictures. Years down the road when they no longer have the bedroom decorated the same they will still always have this little book that matches it so well. What do you think? I can’t wait to share some of what I make with y’all.

Most of the big Holidays have passed us all. With May comes Mother’s Day and when you think about it isn’t this an important day as well? I mean Mother’s Day does cross reference almost every woman in the U.S. and in some ways every man, too. So have you thought about that someone special in your life? As a mother I can tell you I don’t look as this day as a day for presents or never ending thank yous. I look at this day as a day for me to be able to sit back and relax and reflect my life as a mom. I also think about my own mother and what she has done for me over my lifetime.
Speaking of mothers this is the card my mom designed for our card party. She found the vintage style flower paper at Joann’s along with the Happy Mother’s Day stamp. The stamp was only $1. I don’t know of any mother who wouldn’t be happy knowing someone took the time to make a card for them with their own hands.

Wow! Monday is here already. I can’t believe it. What a whirl wind week last week was. This one looks to be no less hectic. Here is the card I made for Sunday’s Card Party. The stamp set is called You’re Neat from Stampin’ Up. I found these cards at a locol dollar store. Eight of them in 4 different colors for $1. The patterned paper is from Me and My Big Ideas one side is floral and the other side is a coordinating dot. The paper happened to be some of the paper I bought 6 for 96 cents last week at Joann’s. I hope you enjoy the card. I think it is very sweet and neat!
click here to see a larger image

I love cigar boxes! They are fabulous for using as storage. They are so much fun to use for a variety of things really. Only thing is I have a lot of cigar boxes with slide on lids. The box part of those boxes I use to keep all of the cards I make organized. I am left however with all these wood tops. What to do with them??? Think, think, think… Here is the idea I came up with last night. I had Friday Clubs with the 3rd graders today and we implemented my idea. We made Tic-Tac-Toe game boards. We put a check board on one side for the Tic-Tac-Toe sqaures. Their games pieces are circles cut from two different patterned papers. We included the clothes pin for holding paper to use as a score board and to hold the envelope with the playing circles. This is the one my 5 year old daughter made. She is my assistant in class. Only thing I would different if I could would be to laminate the playing pieces. Maybe even laminate the pieces and the squares before adhering them and then add velcro so the pieces could stick to the board. That would work great for a travel game. Of course I guess we all know that if this was mine I would do even more different because I would have to go embellishment crazy.
Luckily this isn’t mine so it is simple.

[tag] altered art, games for kids[/tags]

Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

April 16, 2007, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the Virginia Tech community and the world beyond.

To remember and honor the victims of those tragic events, the university has established the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund to aid in the healing process and generate financial support.

The fund will be used to cover expenses including but not limited to:

• Grief counseling
• Memorials
• Communication expenses
• Comfort expenses
• Incidental needs

If you plan to give, please click the link below:

I went to Joanns yesterday and I found these. Almost all of their individual papers are 6 for 96 cents? That includes the 12X12 paper that is usually 50 cents. I couldn’t resist buying some of these Around the Block papers. The cool thing is they are twosided. There is a print on the front and then a coordinating solid on the back. They are also nice and thick. For around 16 cents per page I could only see the good in buying some. I only wish I had bought more. It looked like someone had the same idea because there were empty shelves where I am sure there was more double-sided papers. Why oh why didn’t I go earlier this week???

My friend Lori sent me and IM yesterday to tell me that Joann’s has all of their Joann Essential Scrap booking stuff for 60% off. My mom called later to see if I wanted to go visit my grandmother and to go to Joann’s so she could get supplies for this Sundays Card Party. How handy is that? I’ll let you know what great finds we see.

Monday, I went to Costco and they had a huge pack of paper for $12.99. I was a teeny upset because I couldn’t justify buying it since half of the pack is the Magnolia paper I bought a month or so ago on sale. The other half is Wild Asparagus! I know I know I should have got it. So where the Magnolia is basically bright colors the Wild Asparagus is more muted.

Hobby Lobby has Jesse James buttons for $1.47 this week. That is a nice price. They make great embellishments for all you paper arts projects !!!

This really has nothing to do with paper arts. However, it is an art. These are stained glass mobiles my darling Mom and Dad made for my 1st grade daughters class. The school Silent Auction is May 5th and each class had to make an auction item. The class decided the colors and I went and bought the materials. I think they will be a hit. The theme for this year is yard art.

My third grade daughters class recently read the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. I remember the day they finished it my daughter couldn’t wait to tell me all about this book. She let me know it was a true story that was sad yet inspiring. The class was so inspired by the story that their teacher asked one of the parents who does origami to come teach the class how to make the cranes.

After they spent a while making the origami cranes in all different colors and sizes they hung them from the ceiling.

Unfortunately these pictures do not do the classroom justice. When you see the cranes from the doorway outside in the hall it is a marvelous site. I wonder if the children realized that while they were making the cranes they were learning one of the lessons of the book? Patience.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, how to fold a paper crane, origami

All paper arts has been nominated for best hobby blog. If you feel the same consider placing a vote. If you have already placed a vote Thank You! While you are at it check out some of the other 451press blogs. Many have been nominated as well. Just scroll down to the bottom of this page and you will see all the great catergories!

I had been looking forward to this Friday night since Monday afternoon. There was going to be a crop tonight. I was going to actually be able to make it this time. Alas, my CM (Creative Memories) consultant’s children are really sick. She had to cancel which is exactly what I would do too. No matter what my kiddo’s health comes first.

On the upside I did get my craft area cleaned up some. I knew I was going to need to pack up my XXXL tote and there was no way it was going to be an easy task as messy as my craft area was. It still isn’t what it needs to be which is why I will not show you pictures of the entire area. Well at least not anytime soon. However, I will show you pictures of bits and pieces of my craft area.

These are some boxes I found at Costco a couple of months ago. They were $14 altogether. I am still kicking myself for not buying more sets. Especially since when I went back they were completely out. The cool things about these are they have snaps so you can store them flat if you aren’t using them. They are covered in linen and are pretty strong. I have ribbon, embellishments, stamp sets, and some of my bulkier tools in these. The big one on the bottom is still empty. I haven’t decided what to use it for yet. I also haven’t really decided if I am going to keep them together or seperate them. And which ever I choose where to put them.

Here is a little armoire that was being used for socks and small blankets in the girl’s closet. Now it is used for my sizzix and sizzlit cutting place and all my sizzix dies, more stamp sets, ink pads, and labelers.

Here is a card I have been wanting to make for awhile. I had been waiting to hear that one of my many friends expecting was going to have a girl but it looks like all them are having boys. That’s okay this is so cute I think I will use it on a scrapbook page for one of my girls. Wouldn’t these be great for Baby Shower invites or Baby Girl Announcements? I found the pattern on a website for one of my all time favorite magazine. Take Ten Magazine is an awesome rubber stamping magazine. I only wish I could afford the subscription. This is not a cheap magazine but it is deffiantly worth indulging and buying an issue or so every now and then. I hope that soon I will be able to afford to get the subscription but by then I will probably fall in love with the other publications from Stampington & Company and then I will really be in trouble.

Take Ten Magazine, card making, card making magazines, rubber stamping, Stampington & Company