Gypsy Clutch

So I've been working on improving my sewing skills lately. I sewed a few things this summer for my classroom and now I'm improving my gypsy clutch. This is my third one to sew so far and probably the best. This is a birthday gift for a very close friend of mine who purchased her Gypsy this summer. I made my own pattern. It is very basic. I used the quilted fabric for the outside and a pretty red, black, and ivory print for the inside. I did use fusible batting between the layers for added protection.

Inside:

Thanks for looking! If you have any questions, please let me know.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you are spending this day with your family contemplating all the things you are thankful for! God has blessed my life greatly this past year and I have so much to be thankful for! Thanks to you who visit my blog and encourage me with your comments! May you have a very blessed day!!!

P.S. Thanksgiving holiday break means vacation from school which equals crafting time!! :)

Amazing Deals....One Week Only

Check out Stampin' Up!'s latest promotion HERE. Select products are discounted up to 50%!! Plus, you get free shipping on your order of $150 or more. This is a great time to get some Christmas shopping done!! If you have any questions, just let me know!! Happy Shopping!!!

Begin Shopping HERE

Become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator today for HALF the price!!

Thought about becoming a demonstrator, but still unsure?? Well, from now until the end of the month, you can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for half the price!!

**Click HERE for more information**

If you are interested, just send me a message and I'll help you get started!!!

Owl Punch Card

Ok, so at first I did not buy this punch when it was available. I thought "I'll never use it," and "it looks like a lot of work!" Well, it is a lot of work, but the results are adorable. I have seen others use it on projects and I finally broke down and bought it. My mom is an owl collector and it's her birthday, so I knew that I had to use it on her birthday card. My advice is to use a liquid glue to assemble the owl, but only use a little at a time. Thanks for looking!!


Supplies:
**All products are Stampin' Up! If you would like to order any, contact me or click on the link to my SU! store at the top right of the page**

• Chocolate Chip cs, Melon Mambo cs, Daffodil Delight cs, Whisper White cs
• Square Lattice Embossing Folder
• Two Step Owl Punch
• Melon Mambo ribbon *retired
• Little Leaves sizzlit die
• Tombo multipurpose liquid glue
• stampin' dimensionals
• XL scallop circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Pinking Hearts border punch
• Birthdays Count stamp set *retired
  
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Wipe Containers

I have been making wipe containers for all the baby showers I've been to recently. These are really easy and fun to make. You just cover the top lid with a bit of batting before covering with fabric. I will say that using a hot glue gun is the easiest way to cover these. I have tried other glues and I like the hot glue the best. I added buttons and a bit of bling to these before giving them away. Thanks for looking!!!

**Tip** strechy fabric is not advised! The denim I bought was strechy and it was very difficult to get it smooth and even and the fabric did not cut very nicely. I used corduroy on the chocolate and regular cotton for the zebra and both did beautiful.


Supplies:

• 1 travel wipe container
• 1/4 of a yard of fabric
• piece of batting to cover the top lid
  
• 1 roll of 3/8" ribbon to corrdinate
• buttons, die cut fabric, etc. to embellish
• hot glue gun and glue sticks

Baby Showers, Baby Showers, and More Baby Showers

I guess 8 months ago was the time to get pregnant here in Texas because I have been to 4 baby showers in the last month. Of course I did not go out and buy a card or many gifts......I made them. I posted THIS baby shower card that I made for the first one a couple of weeks ago. I have been making altered variations of it since. The Fox and Friends set is perfect for baby showers.

Here is one that I made for a shower in which the baby's room theme was Monkeys:


I used Chocolate Chip craft ink to stamp the monkey and then applied clear embossing powder directly on top of it. I heat set it and applied more layers until I was happy with the coverage and the sheen. The Craft Ink works really well as an embossing base.

I made this diaper cake as a gift. It is a smaller version and it was much easier to make.


This card I did for another shower and stayed with the same design and stamp sets.


Thanks for looking. If you have any questions, please let me know!!!




Monkey Card Supplies:
**All products are Stampin' Up! If you would like to order any, contact me or click on the link to my SU! store at the top right of the page**

• Chocolate Chip cs, Bashful Blue cs, Whisper White cs
• Scallop trim border punch, XL scallop circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch
• Chocolate Chip classic ink, Bashful Blue classic ink, Chocolate Chip craft ink
• clear embossing powder
• Chocolate Chip Satin ribbon
• Curvy Verses stamp set (item # 114948)
• Fox and Friends stamp set (clear item #117020 wood item #118565)
  

Monkey Diaper Cake Supplies:

• 1 pkg of Huggies Diapers size 1
• 1 box of travel baby items
• 1 10" cake round
• rubber bands
• 1 1/2" ribbon
• 5/8" ribbon
• Chocolate Chip* and Bashful Blue* cardstock

* Stampin' Up! products

Owl Card Supplies:
**all supplies are Stampin' Up! If you would like to order any, contact me or click on the link to my SU! store at the top right of the page**

• Chocolate Chip cs, Pumpkin Pie cs, Whisper White cs
• Scallop trim border punch, XL scallop circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch
• Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
• Pumpkin Pie classic ink, Chocolate Chip classic ink
• Curvy Verses stamp set (item # 114948)
• Fox and Friends stamp set (clear item #117020 wood item #118565)
  

Check out Stampin' Up!'s latest promotion! It will run from October 19--December 16. There are some great bundle sets at 20% off the regular price!! It's a great opportunity to purchase all the supplies you will need to create your Christmas cards and/or holiday gifts!!! Click HERE for all the great details! Let me know if you need anything! Thanks for stopping by!!!

Diva Diaper Cake

A friend of mine recently had a baby shower and I decided to make a diaper cake for her cake table. This is only my second diaper cake to ever make, but I really liked the way this one turned out. I bought lots of things to go on the diaper cake, but after I put it together, I decided that I didn't like the way that any of the lotions and other baby items looked. So I decided not to use any of it. There is a bottle of baby shampoo in the center of the top 3 tiers. My husband thinks that I should start making these and selling them. They really are a lot of fun! If you have any questions, just let me know. Thanks for looking!

Baby Card

Wow, there are so many baby showers lately! I just realized that I don't have a specific baby shower stamp set. I have several that say something along the lines of "congrats on your new baby" but that's more for something after the baby is born. Guess I'll be adding that stamp set to my next order! Here is a card that I made for a shower I went to last week. Thanks for looking!



Card Recipe:
Stamps: Fox and Friends (Clear-118565/Wood-117020); Well Scripted *retired*
Paper: Crumb Cake (120953), Wild Wasabi (108641), Daffodil Delight (119683), Whisper White (100730)
Ink: Early Espresso (119670), Daffodil Delight (119667)
Accessories: Clear Blocks, 1/8" taffeta ribbon daffodil delight (119254), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), 2 3/8" Scallop Circle XL Punch (118874), 1 3/4" Circle XL Punch (119850), snail adhesive

Isn't this just the cutest thing ever?!?!

This tote matches Stampin' Up!'s Greenhouse Gala stamp set and paper. If you would love to have one, just join my team! From now through October 18 if you join Stampin' Up! you can receive one of these totes free!! They are while supplies last, so join today!

For more info, click HERE!!!

Shabby Chic Attempt

Wow! This school year has kept me REALLY busy! It's been a long time since I have posted. I haven't had much time for crafting lately, but I did get a chance to make this card for my monthly Stampin' Up! group that I attend at my upline's house.


This is my attempt at Shabby Chic! I know this has been a trend in scrapbooking and cardmaking, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I used the Smooch Spritz for the first time on a card and I really like this color. The Log Cabin has a bit of a gold shimmer to it and shimmer makes everything better right? I did not add a sentiment so that it could go in my stash and I could use it whenever I needed for whatever I needed. Let me know what you think!

Thanks for looking! :)

Card Recipe:
Paper: Rich Razzleberry (115316), Wild Wasabi (108641), Crumb Cake (120953)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry (115658), Early Espresso *for sponging on edges & medallion (119670)
Stamps: Artistic Etchings (120573)
Accessories: Smooch Spritz--Log Cabin (119921), Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink *white on tower*--Illuminate Top Coat (121084), Big Shot--Top Note Die (113463), Rich Razzleberry 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (119957)

Holiday Mini is Here!

The Stampin' Up! holiday mini catalog is now up and ready for orders. Click HERE to browse the new goodies. SU! has added fabric, yes fabric, to their collection as well as many new products! I can't wait to put in my order. If you would like to place an order, click HERE!! Happy stamping!

Classroom Management Tools

Today I'm sharing some things that I have created to help me manage my classroom. If you are an elementary teacher, you may have seen something called the Yacker Tracker. You may have also seen it's pricey price tag too!! I decided that I did not want to spend $50 on a noise meter! Yes, it comes with a remote and lights up, but to me, I couldn't spend that much money for that!! The solution..........Create you OWN!!! (that's what crafters do anyway right???)


This is my version. I created this using the Going Places cricut cartridge (the traffic light), George and Basic Shapes (the colored lights), poster board, cardstock, and Velcro.

I cut the yellow traffic light first and then sized the colored circles to fit. The black outline is free handed. You can cut poster board with your cricut as long as it is not the premium, thick stuff. I laminated everything for durability and then added Velcro squares to the backs of the colored circles.

Now when students are not allowed to talk, I put up just the red light. When they are allowed to use whisper voices, I put up just the yellow light. When students can use inside voices, I put up just the green light. This is on my white board in the front of the room so it's always visible!!

The next thing that I created I used various cricut cartridges for. I created my own center chart.


I place each students name onto a card and place it behind the center square. I also created matching signs that hang from to ceiling to indicate where each center is located around the room. The images and words match exactly on the hanging signs. I placed these in a pocket chart that I bought at Target for a whole $1 a piece.

Birthday Cupcakes

Last year I used a cheesy birthday chart for displaying student birthdays in my classroom. This year I decided that I wanted to create something better! I was inspired by a fellow crafter at http://scrappychicteacher.blogspot.com/ to create monthly cupcakes for student birthdays.


I used the Doodlecharms cricut cartridge to creat the cupcakes. I used some Stampin' Up! retired and not retired papers for the icing. I ran them through the cuttlebug with the swirls embossing folder to add dimension to the icing. I used the Designer's Calendar cartridge for the month labels (these were perfect b/c they were already welded together and I could size them to fit onto the base of my cupcake perfectly!)


I used the candle from the Wild Card cartridge and cut it out on the colored paper and then again on the yellow. I cut off the bottom of the candle on the yellow paper and then layered it onto the colored candle. (I know the Gypsy has the hide/contour feature, but this candle image is one cut, not separate, so that's how I solved that problem).

They look so cute on the wall!! If you have any questions, please let me know!! Thanks for looking!!!

Classroom Decorations

I have seen many people make paper flower bouquets. I decided to try my own version and use it as a classroom decoration. I made 6 of these and they add a nice touch to the classroom.


I used the cricut cartridge George and Basic Shapes. It has a slotted feature and I cut the flowers using that feature. I cut two flowers for each flower in the bouquet. (I think I cut 8 flowers/bouquet) I sandwiched a skewer between two flowers and tied them with the yellow ribbon. I placed a bit of the green crinkle basket filler into the bottom of the bucket, and then glued the round Styrofoam piece into the bucket. After it cooled, I started to place the skewers into the bucket making an arrangement. I added green crinkle basket filler on top to mimic grass. I then tied the multi-color wide ribbon around the bucket to hide the styrofoam piece. (The buckets were a bit see through). I cut 1 larger slotted flower and tied the ribbon through it. These really were easy to make. I made these before I had the gypsy, so if you have that, it would be even easier to lay all your cuts onto your mat and just change the paper to cut.

Supplies:
1 sand bucket (I purchased mine from the dollar store)
1 piece of round Styrofoam
1 pkg of bamboo skewers
cardstock
ribbon thin and large
crinkle basket filler
hot glue gun

If you have any questions, please let me know!! Thanks for looking!!!

Door Decoration

This year I wanted to say that First Grade Rocks somewhere. I decided to make that my door decoration!


I used Everyday Paper Dolls cricut cartridge for the guitar, Plantin Schoolbook for the letters, and A Child's Year for the stars. I wrote each child's name on a star.

This is one of the greatest tools that I have ever seen. If you are a teacher, you know that students will always come to school with a note about their after school transportation. If you don't have a designated spot for those notes, you may forget! I have a place for all those notes!!!


This is a yard stick that has been painted with acrylic paint. I took 5 clothes pins apart and also painted them. I found some acrylic paint that had glitter in it at Wal-Mart. It turned out so pretty. I hot glued the clothes pins to the yardstick and then hot glued the yardstick to the concrete wall. Now when students bring those notes, I can place them right by the door so that we won't forget!! **I didn't come up with this idea on my own! I borrowed it from another teacher whose student's parent made one for her!!! This is a great teacher gift!!!

If you have any questions please let me know!! Thanks for looking!!!

Bulletin Boards

Well, teacher back-to-school week is over and come Monday, it's official "Back to School!" I am so exhausted from getting ready the last few weeks!! I decided to move into the classroom next door because it had windows. I didn't realize how much work it would really be!! It was worth it though and I am ready for the students on Monday!!

Our school has a meet the teacher night the Thursday before school starts. It's great because the students and their families can come to the school, meet their teacher, drop off there supplies, and release some of the first day anxiety that they may have! As a teacher, I enjoy it because sometimes it's the only time I may meet some of my students parents face to face! Our first grade team decided that we were going to do a Luau theme for Round-Up (that's what we call meet the teacher night). Here is the bulletin board that I completed using the Life is a Beach cricut cartridge. It was the last thing for me to do, so it's not as nice as I would have liked!


I used core'dinations paper for the letters. I then used my Tim Holtz wood embossing folder and then sanded the letters with my Stampin' Up! sanding block (item #103301) to show the core color. I loved how the letters looked! I also used other core'dinations papers for the crabs, fish, and sea shells.

Our school mascot is the Wildcat and our school colors are red, black, and white. I was so excited when Cricut came out with the Varsity cartridge! It is a bit confusing at first to use, but I eventually figured it out.


I cut the base with regular white cardstock and then inked the edges with Riding Hood Red classic stampin' ink (item # 111836) to give it a bit more contrast against the black fabric.

Bulletin Board Tip: fabric is the best background for your bulletin boards. It does not fade and can be used all year. I put black fabric up on my bulletin board just like this one last year and I left it up all year! It gives great contrast and provides a fade resistant back. The fabric also has a true black paper where the bulletin board paper is more muted and less dramatic.

If you have any questions, let me know!! Check back next week for more creative ideas! Thanks for looking

FYI

If you love Stampin' Up!'s chocolate chip ribbon, you only have a few weeks left to order some. As you may already know, in the new 2010-2011 catalog, there is NO chocolate chip ribbon. (I know, I was very disappointed too!). Until August 31, you can order the chocolate chip 5/8" satin ribbon item number 117287.
The satin ribbon is gorgeous and will make an nice addition to anyone's project. If you want to grab a few rolls before your time is up, click HERE!! Thanks for stopping by!!

Medallion Card

Well, I needed to get some swaps together before my stamp night tomorrow. This is what I came up with. I pulled out my SU! chalks (that I haven't used in forever!!) and got after it.

After I inked up the image with Versamark, I stamped it onto the whisper white cs and then chalked it using sponge daubers. Then I stamped my greeting and sprayed the entire white piece with champagne shimmer spray. It's made from rubbing alcohol and the shimmer paint that SU! sells (see below for item numbers). Here is a picture of the shimmer. (it's not the best picture, but if you click on it it will enlarge and you will be able to see the detail better)


If you have any questions, please let me know! Thanks for looking!

Supplies: (all products are Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Bermuda Bay (retired), Basic Gray (121044), Pretty in Pink (100459), Whisper White (100730)
Stamps: Medallion background stamp (115223), Warm Words (retired)
Ink: Versamark (102283), Regal Rose (105211)
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels (120962), mini glue dots (103683), Snail adhesive (104332), Champagne Shimmer Spray (made from Champagne shimmer paint) (116806), Sponge Daubers (102892), Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon (retired)