CPS #219

Loved the simple but timeless sketch at CPS this week. I interpreted the sketch wide. Here’s my take with some new to me Sassafras Applejack papers.

A few LOs

Here’s a few LOs I’ve made based on sketches some of which were old and others where I’ve simply missed the deadline. I have a hard time taking photos of LOs and I’m really trying to get better at it. I recently discovered a function on Gimp that has made the editing process easier but as you can see for some of these the lighting is still off but I just wanted to get photos taken and uploaded before I missed any other deadlines. The first LO uses Sassafras papers and is of me and my sister in NYC.

This LO used Basic Grey Origins papers and stickers. The pictures are from the local Raptor Trust where they care for birds of prey that are sick, have been injured, or are abandoned. It is next to a large wildlife preserve that we like to go bird watching at so we sometimes stop by the trust as well.

This LO was made for the Scrapbook.com Cosmo Cricket sketch challenge. I used the Joy Ride collection and some pictures from Universal Studios Florida from a family vacation a few years ago.

This last LO was for this month’s My Mind’s Eye sketch challenge but the challenge closed on Thursday and while I made it made before didn’t take a pic in time, opps!

A Layout (shocking I know)

So I do occasionally scrapbook as well. Cards are so much easier and less intimidating to make but I really want to use all the fab goodies that I have to preserve some memories as well. I don’t always share what I scrapbook because sometimes I can’t (pictures of my students) or because the project wasn’t made for a challenge or because the photos of the LOs are never to my liking. I completed a mini album this month, another simply needs journaling and I made 4 LOs. I’m happy to have the memories recorded. I figured I’d share one I made with a Pagemap from January. I made the LO with Sassafras papers and some bling. I love that Sassafras papers are bold, but then some are perfect for pages with a border already in place. I also love the borders that come at the bottom of the papers. It like having a bonus embellie. The picture is me and a crafty friend from college selling our wares at a local craft show.

One Little Word

I heard about Ali Edward’s One Little Word project. I thought it was a great idea especially for this year. This year will be when I graduate from grad school and really enter the job market. I know that trying to get a job is tough right now and so I anticipate that this will be a challenging year. Also because I finished my first degree last year the pressure of my school loans has begun to hit so the importance of said job is clear. So these challenges and the everyday challenges of life that lay before me shaped my decision to chose the word PERSIST. I tend to procrastinate and avoid things that are unpleasant, but this year I intend to be tenacious and go after the things that I want. I created this wall hanging with some Sassafras Anthem. When I saw “more to do” on the paper I thought it fit perfect and I added the owl simply because they always make me happy. I encourage you to pick a word if you need something to get you going in this new year. Certainly beats resolutions that are inevitably broken in the first month.

I still have Christmas cards…

I’m still whipping up some Christmas cards because I will be meeting up for a Secret Santa on Jan 9th and I’ll be meeting up with my dad and his wife tomorrow. So here’s one more Christmas card. I used Sassafras Life at the Pole. I’ve been hoarding a few sheets of the paper and the stickers for a long time, but I really need to use it. What’s the point of buying latest trendy papers to put them away (in my case in plastic 2 gallon ziplocs sorted by manufacturer and line)? I based this card on the Etsy Inspired Challenge featuring the Muffa shop. The cute little snowman in the link was my inspiration. The snowman is Christmas in such a cutesy way like the little reindeer on this card and the colors also inspired my color choices. Hope you’re all having a wonderful New Year’s Day. A good portion of my day will be spent studying for my Praxis exam on Monday. I will be taking two Praxis exams this month 😦 but I’m pretty confident I’ll do well.

Happy New Year!

I needed to create just a few New Year’s cards. I only have one new years stamp and no papers or embellies esp for the holiday. Which works for me because I only create a few cards a year. But I thought that these little monsters from Sassafras’s Monstrosity line were super fun and perfect for a holiday is that about excitement. Also the Paper Playtime challenge to make anything for New Year’s was super motivating because of the awesome prize offered by Cravin Scrappin!

Sassafras Box featured on the Blog!

I altered this plastic chocolate box recently for a friend. Cleaned it out and covered it in some fab Sassafras from my stash. A collection that I resisted buying because I wasn’t sure what I could use it for but knew I loved it. I finally gave in and thought the fun whimsical nature would be perfect for the friend in mind. It was a cheap way to give a little welcome back to NJ present but the cherry on top is that it is being featured on the Sassafras blog today!

Thanks to Sassafras for featuring my project with “vintage” Sassafras papers and stickers!

Card Patterns Sketch 93

I was using Sassafras Anthem on a project and so it was still spread all over my desk when I saw the new Card Patterns sketch. I thought the collection would be perfect for the new sketch especially the zig zag bottom strips that I used on the side of the card. I also made this card for the Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week Thank You Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. I encourage you all to visit the Moxie Fab World and take part in any of the challenges. I took some time for me this weekend and made a few projects for different challenges which I plan to share throughout the week.

Scrap It With a Song #20

After 20 fabulous weeks I’m saying goodbye as a DT member at Scrap It with a Song. We have lots of great new talent joining the team and I figured that with student teaching coming I didn’t want to reapply for the team. But I had a great time and hope I can play along at least some of the time. For week 20 the song is Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder. I went a little untraditional with my take. I thought “lovely” “wonderful” and “precious” were great words to describe the cards that students made me during my last school placement. I thought the ABC Sassafras paper was great because it was school and the little monster worked because they were a trying group of kids but like that monster still very lovable.

We are being sponsored by Crafty Ribbons who will be giving the winner 20 jewel colored heavily glittered ribbon. Sound like a really fun prize so please share your creations for this week!

Scrap It With a Song #18

This week at Scrap It With a Song the song for inspiration is Get Here by Oleta Adams. I thought all the mention of travel would be a good reason to use it for a LO about a trip. Here’s is my craft club’s spring trip to Princeton (we got there by railway as in the journaling). I used Sassafras Anthem papers and stickers. I also used some pieces of the brochures we collected. This week we are being sponsored by The Paper Trail an online scrapbooking store who is offering a $20 gift certificate. We’ve had less than 20 participants these past few weeks. I would think great sponsors and the ability to create any type of paper craft would elicit a little more response. If you’ve never played along I urge you to give it a try. If nothing else who wouldn’t want a 1 in 20 chance of winning a $20 gift certificate. So whip up a quick card or beautiful LO inspired by our song this week and share!