I'm Still Here...

In case some of you got worried, I'm still here in blogland. I have had a challenging few weeks. I will spare you the details, but I will say that Jury Duty, a deviated septum and a kitchen remodel are all involved. Sounds odd, yet tiring, doesn't it? Well, it's kept me away from my computer for far too long. Tonight I want to get back to share with you a little teacher's gift I made for my daughter's Preschool teachers a few weeks ago. It's simple and sweet, just the right thing for a little "thank you"or even a "just because" gift.



Inside of this little bag are a covered mini notebook and a post-it note holder. I just love making these! They really are addicting, aren't they? And, if you are like me, you can never have enough post-it notes! I would recommend buying the brand name notes if you are giving these as gifts - their sticking power is much stronger and they will stay in place nicely inside the cover.


The holder I made using my Bind-it-All and two heavy weight coasters. I simply covered the coasters with paper, sanded the edges, bound it, and then decorated the front cover. The notebook was quite simple. Using the measurements of the notebook, I simply cut a piece of cardstock to exactly fit the book. I adhered it to the back cover and decorated the front to coordinate with the post-it note holder. Aren't they fun and cheery? I love the color combination of Papertrey Ink's Summer Sunrise and Hibiscus Pink. I will definitely try these two together soon.




Hope your week is going well. We are preparing to leave on vacation Friday night to visit my husband's family in Arkansas for a week. I will try to have some automatic updates to my blog while I am gone, provided I can get it all together. Take care!








Stamps: Tags for Spring, Wishing You (PTI)
Ink: Summer Sunrise, True Black, Hibiscus Pink (PTI), Celery (Fresh Ink)
Cardstock: Summer Sunrise, Hibiscus Pink (PTI)
Patterned Paper: Bitty Dots (PTI)
Tools: Bind-it-All (Zutter), Threading Water punch (Fiskars), Crop-a-Dile, Cuttlebug (ProvoCraft), classic and scalloped long rectangle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders), sanding block, classic oval Nestabilities die (Spellbinders)
Ribbon: Hibiscus Pink satin (PTI)
Other: black one inch coil wire, pink eyelet, cellophane bag, shreds

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all of you who may be celebrating it today. My daughter was so excited to see that the Easter Bunny had made a visit last night while she slept and filled her little pink basket to the brim! It's so much fun to see the excitement in her eyes, even if it was very early this morning!

So here's one more Easter card, this one for Purple Onion Designs. I love the Skinny Dip alphabet set. And the bunny punch from Marvy is so super cute. I bought it several years ago and never really used it much. You can really personalize your bunny and give him so many different looks! I'll share another project soon to show you what I'm talking about.

This card was made just like this one, using my oval Nestabilities. I'll definitely have to make more of these next year. Easter kinda snuck on my this time around. Enjoy your day - don't eat too many Peeps!









Stamps: Leaf set, Skinny Dip Alphabet (Purple Onion Designs)
Cardstock: SS White, Spring Rain, Lemon Tart (PTI), pink
Patterned Paper: 2008 Bitty Dot Basics (PTI)
Ink: Spring Rain, Dark Chocolate (PTI)
Tools: Classic Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), bunny punch (Marvy Uchida)
Other: Stampin' Pastels (SU!), black extra fine pen

Scrapbook Inspiration

For those of you who have followed my blog for awhile, you'll recall I've said a few times that I really haven't committed to scrapbooking. I've dabbled here and there, but I just can't seem to jump into it like I can with cards and other projects. I think I'm intimidated by the big 12 x 12 blank canvas staring back at me. So here's something that I hope will help me along just a bit:

When working on my projects last month for Purple Onion Designs, I knew I wanted to make another bound project, but something different from what I've done before. So I decided to make a little book of what I call "Journaling Spots." It's a collection of neutral colored scrapbook journaling shapes that I can tear out, write on, and quickly add to any page. It's a great way to use up your scraps, not to mention it would make a great gift for any scrapbooker.

And the other really neat thing? Each spot will have that great "torn notebook edge" that's so popular right now. And if you don't like that look, just cut it right off!

And one more thing. The title for the book was printed on my computer using two different fonts: CK Becky ("Journaling") and 2 Peas Stop Sign ("Spots"). After printing it out, I stamped right over it with the label stamp and cut out the shape. And if the pencil looks familiar, it's because I made one for this project. What can I say, I just love that little Number Two!

Let's hope this book is the inspiration I need to get my scrapbook mojo goin'! I'd love to hear from those of you who scrapbook - especially if you have some advice on how I can get past my scrapper block!






Stamps: Purple Onion Designs
Ink: True Black, Dark Chocolate (PTI), Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)
Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage Cream, SS White (PTI)
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye
Ribbon: black swiss dot (PTI)
Tools: Bind-it-All (Zutter)
Other: 1 inch black coil (Zutter), rectangle heavyweight coasters

Helloooooo Spring

I'm winding down another weekend and I got absolutely nothing done inside the house...because the sun was out! Yes, that's right sunny and warm - over 70 degrees today! It's been a long winter here in the Pacific Northwest and we were so happy to see some sunshine. This was the first nice weekend we've had since Spring officially sprung last month. So this card is perfect for a day like today:

This is another card for Purple Onion Designs. Don't you just love that leaf stamp in the background? And the label stamp I used here has to be one of my favorites from my POD collection. I want to use it on every card! And I decided to dig out some silk flowers. They really aren't my thing, but I thought I'd try something new. Still not sure how I like it.

I hope you all had a great weekend. Hopefully you saw some sunshine, too!







Stamps: Purple Onion Designs
Cardstock: Kraft, New Leaf, Vintage Cream, Linen Vellum (PTI)
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
Ink: New Leaf, Dark Chocolate, Melon Berry (PTI)
Ribbon: Melon Berry satin (PTI)
Tools: Lace border punch (Martha Stewart Crafts)
Other: twine, green button, silk flowers