Happy Haunting

Boo! Hi friends,
I have a Halloween card for you today.
I luv, luv, luv the Charm Die-namics from MFT. I recently got the Halloween ones, so I had to play with them :)
Here's my card:

The Deets: I used 4 of the charms on my card (but not as charms---> I cut the little holes). They are: the moon, ghost, tombstone, and spider web. I will be hosting a little spooktacular soiree at my house this year & I'm VERY excited about it! It's gonna be fun, fun, fun!!! These little charmers will be playing a part in that so stay tuned for the party deets!     

Ooops! Sorry for that "Squirrel" Moment                                                               

I tend to have loads of squirrel moments... ahh well... back to the card deets...
I also used the MS spooky iron fence punch & the web border punch layered along the bottom edge. The papers are from the Spookville collection from WeRMemory Keepers.

I used this week's Sweet sketch:

 I'll be playing along in the following challenges:
Hooked on Crafts: Halloween
Lollipop Crafts: Something old, something new- OLD: paper& punches - NEW: Halloween dies
My Craft Spot: Halloween

... My blog pal, Lisa, is a semi-finalist for a DT spot at Heartfelt Creations ;), so if you can spare a moment, would you please pop on over there & vote for her? Check out her blog --->HERE for all the deets!

Thanks for peeking!
Gotta go!

Halloween Costume

Hi friends,
Once again, my favorite time of the year has arrived... Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks!!! Yaaay! Annnnd... Halloween is around the corner which means time for chocolate chow down :) and they're on sale! It's like Christmas in October!
So here's my first Halloween card of the season:

Have you seen those peeps who wear "This IS my Halloween Costume" T-shirts? What party-poopers! DRESS UP! Live a little- it's OK...really. ;) But there are a few things to keep in mind: Keep the skanky costumes at home---> nobody wants to see those out & about, KWIM??? Oh and one more thing for the guys: skin tight super hero costumes should be reserved for the kiddos. Unless you can actually fill it in with your own real muscles, then you have a pass ;) ... and be sure you pass by my house too! Just kidding ;)
Because of school, I dress up every year...plus there's usually a Starbucks gift card prize in there so I'm highly motivated to WIN! I've got lot's of PSL to fill up on before it's gone ;)

The card deets:
I used papers (lots of patterns) from the Haunted Collection from MME. The T-Shirt is from the Girly Graphic T-Shirt Die-namics & Stamp set from MFT. I used the Web EF behind it. I also used a MS web border punch along the side. Finished it up with a few black pearls.

I played along with this week's MFT sketch:

I'll also be joining in these Spooktacular challenges:
Opus Gluei: Challenge #140 A little sketchy
Blogger's Challenge: Boo to You
Craft us Crazy: Halloween/ AG

Thanks so much for peeking today.
Gotta Go!

Missing Your Voice, Bestie

Hi ya friends,
My bestie moved this summer to Northern California & I've missed her a lot. We didn't get to spend a whole lot of time together cuz we were both so busy, but we always found a bit o' time to treat each other to some bestie time & eat some yummy Thai food ---> away from the kiddos :) I know it's been a difficult adjustment for her so I made this card to hopefully cheer her up & let her know I'm thinking of her.

The Deets: The papers are from London Market by Pink Paislee. I also used the Ring Me Die-namics from MFT & some bling for the telephone cord. I picked up this set when it was released some time ago, but this is the first time I use it. It's a cool little set!  :) The dial pad is on one of those Wobbler do-hickeys so it's fun to see it...well...wobble :)  (Just like my belly will be at Thanksgiving! Hee hee)

I used this sweet sketch:

The Sweet Stop is having a DT call right now. I luuuuv their sketches so this would be a real treat to do.

I've got parent conferences tonight, & once that's done, I'll have a crafty weekend ahead of me! Wooooo!!! Hope you enjoy some lovely crafternoons too :)
Gotta Go!

Teacher's Lunchbox

Hi friends,
Today I have another idea for Teacher appreciation. I absolutely luuuv this one :)
Here it is:
A Teacher's Lunchbox

It is modeled after a kid's lunchbox. It's decorated with a globe, pencil (where you could add the teacher's name for personalization), and a 3D paper airplane.

Here's a peek from the side:

Now for what's inside :)

coke, chips ahoy, & kettle corn popcorn... yes, please :)

 or for a more health conscious choice: water, granola bar, & very berry hibiscus drink mix (yum!)

 Fill it with anything you'd like: treats for the tummy or treats for the classroom- like school supplies. We're always in need of those.

And if you think that schools provide supplies we need for the classroom... think again. In my department, for example, we got ZERO supplies this year. Not even a box of staples. I even had to purchase my own LCD projector & doc camera because they didn't have one for me this year (it was given to another teacher in a more "important" department.) And so that expense came out of my own pocket :(  and no, it isn't entirely tax-deductable and with my tax situation that doesn't really help. grrrrr

So if you want to make one of these lunchboxes:

feel free to send it to me! ;)

The lunchbox is another cuuuute svg file from svgcuts called Miss Baker's Classroom found---> HERE.

Thanks for peeking & for letting me vent a bit ;)
Gotta go!

You're the caramel apple of my eye

Hi friends,
I'm back today with a second idea for teacher gifts.
I'm a sucker for apple stuff- maybe it's that teacher thing, so of course, I haaaad to make something apple cutesy :)
Here it is:

 This is an apple-shaped box. I embossed the bottom wedges with the alphabet embossing folder & wished I would have done the top too- I really like how it looks (although it's hard to tell in this pic.)
Clearly the summer has done nothing for my photog skills...

 This sweet apple is even yummier on the inside:

I filled it with an entire bag of caramel apple Werther's candies :) This box is a very nice size for filling with goodies or school supplies. This is another svg file from svgcuts.com. This project comes from the Miss Baker's Classroom collection which can be found---> Here.

A little update: My craft room is finally in order, my oldest is off to a good start in college and my little one is making a good transition to middle school. This year we started a month earlier in my district so my summer vacation was ever so short. I'm teaching my fav class to teach- Spanish 1 (yaaay!) and my least fav class to teach- the AP prep class :(  boo. Ah well, both keep me busy in different ways: Spanish 1 with bouncy, flouncy, pouncy freshmen (they suck the life out of me- energy wise!) and 4 Honors takes a lot of preparation, but after 17 years I still luuuv what I do.

Well, that's it for today. I'll be back with more...
Gotta Go!

Thermos be a TEACHER in tha house!

Hi ya crafty friends,
Yes, it's me---> finally! It's been a buuuuusy past 3 months, and I have missed visiting my blog friends, but I'm finally able to share some crafty concoctions & will be able to visit my crafty blog pals again!

I know that Back to School time has come & gone, but rest assured that teachers welcome & appreciate your gifts anyday of the week... and twice on Friday! So I'm here to give you some more ideas for making your way to an A+ year :)

I haven't had a lot of time to work on crafts, so all of the projects I will share this week were pretty easy to make.

So the first project I'd like to share, I call... Teacher's Thermos.
Here it is:

 Soooo, do my embellies give you a clue about what's inside??? Hmmm... let's see... the tag reads, You're a "souper" teacher and there's a little spoon hanging from it...

No more suspense. Here's what's inside:

 A cup of soup & a pack of oyster crackers. This would be souper for that quick lunch teachers usually have time for.  That's an appetizer spoon, so not really for using, although you could....

How 'bout another idea! Here's another thermos I made with a different theme and for a High School teacher.
The tag reads, You "perk" up learning.

 Did you notice the arrow pointing to "Spanish?" Woo Woo! Perfect paper for HS, don't ya think?

Here's what's inside:

 It's got a coffee packet, a variety of sugar packets, creamers, and a stirrer (you could totally add a cookie to make it more complete.)
These would be perfect to send with your kiddo the day after Back to School Night. You could enclose a little note about how you appreciate the extra time they were at school preparing for a great night for parents and being there into the evening. That will get you some extra credit points, let me tell ya ;)

The thermos measure 7 1/4" tall. I created them with an svg file from the Camp Smore collection from svgcuts. This project could be easily adapted even if you don't have access to cutting svg files. Stay tuned...

You can buy this file at svgcuts---> Here.

I've got more ideas coming this week! Hope that you'll find something to inspire you!
Gotta Go!

Rack 'em

Hi ya friends,
I wanted to share a couple of projects that I hadn't had the chance to share yet. My son's graduation party went well. I made lots of the decorations myself, but because I was under a time crunch, I didn't have a chance to take pics before the party. Well, they all grew legs & walked away with party-goers & all I was able to hold on to was one of the projects I made. Hee :)
Here it is:

 It's a grad cap treat box :)
Here it is open:

 This was one of the cute projects from the Graduation Day SVG file from svgcuts.com. I made 5 of these & was only able to snag one LOL. Well, I'm glad everyone liked them enough to want to take one home :) Like this one, they were filled with candy or chocolates.

The next project I made for the boys to give to Dad for his birthday:

 This is the coolest pool table, let me tell ya! :) It is a really nice size too. On the top, there's a 3D pool cue & the balls are popped with foam tape. My youngest son really wanted to play with it :)
 Here's a peek at some of the side detail:

 Here's the box open:

This is also another svg file called The Green Room. I just love this one. It's got lots of guy projects & cards. I put his card, some beef jerky, & a gift card inside it :)

I've had loads of questions about what I used to cut these files, so here's the scoop:
I use my Cricut Expression to cut the files using the Sure Cuts A Lot 2 program. I had purchased the SCAL 2 program before Provo Craft sued the makers of SCAL. After the lawsuit, they were not allowed to sell SCAL that could be used with the Cricut. Now you can only purchase SCAL 3 which is NOT compatible with Cricut. Fortunately, I had already purchased the SCAL 2 before all the uglyness went down. It's a real shame because the SCAL program is (kick myself) super easy to use. So for now, this totally works for me. The more I use the svg files, the more I think that once my cricut goes, I'll be heading to the Cameo.

Some more news: I'll be taking the summer off from blogging. Lots of changes on the home front... again...but I knew it was coming. Once we're settled, I hope to be back to sharing my crazy concoctions. Wishing you a great summer and lovely crafternoons!
Until we craft again...