visit these blogs for give-aways!

My day usually starts with a cup of coffee and a quick peek at this cricut blog.  Everyday cricut has lots of wonderful projects.  The two ladies that run the blog also have their own personal blogs and in celebration of Hello Thursday and the release of new cartridges, the two are having a give-away.  Check out Joy's obsessed with scrapbooking blog and Melanie's Courtney Lane Designs blog!

sunny day!

I did a little gardening today and relaxed on my deck.  I felt the need to check out some blogs so I hauled out my computer (love wireless!) and took a look at fiskateers and from there visited other blogs.  I found this fun one and she is has some blog candy, a boy what a treat...take a look at her blog, Creating from the Heart and comment for a chance to win a Big Shot and a few dies.  Wow! And the best part, she has some wonderful projects to peruse!

Gift to a coworker

I made a word shape book and it has been "in the works" for quite some time.  I actually used the free Design Studio trial version and found the BABY download to try this out.  I cut the shapes and papers several months ago in anticipation of the baby shower.  I then set the project aside and before I knew it the shower had arrived and passed and I still hadn't finished the book.  It was great glee that I used some of the new baby pictures send in the email and the thank you card created by the new mom to embellish and finish the book!  I am only posting parts of the book because some of the inside pages have baby's personal information.  When the new mom returned to work I gave her the book and she had a little more spring in her step (it was hard leaving baby for the first time!) and I was hearten to have helped ease the transition.

Talent at work

I have a friend, Cec, who works in the school library with me and she is always amazed at the creative items I make for the students (shaped flash cards) and gifts for co-workers.  The truth is I am amazed with her creative ability with writing.  In honor of a retirement, Cec wrote this poem and made some lovely "bracelets" I am modeling in the picture with the poem, to give to the retiree, Barb.  Barb was spotted countless times in the hallway wearing masking tape bracelets as she hung up the student's work and she was so practiced and expert at it that nobody could do it faster, or with more style!   Here are the creative words written by Cec .
Barb's "Bracelets"
How does she do that,
From afar we did watch.
She's up on a ladder,
From "bracelet" many a swatch.
Rolled up in a flash
In very precise sizes.
And to a piece of art,
Onto the wall those many prizes.
How does she do that,
So effortlessly grand
Once can only wonder
As in amazement we stand.
So here's to that person,
To that Masking Tape Queen.
To Barb! To Barb!
With envy we turn green!!!

Friday Finds

I came home after a long exhausting day at school, kids are always rambunctious when it rains all day, wanting to relax and take a nap but instead found a lovely package waiting for me!  My lovely sister-in-law sent me a fantastic gift!  I felt so special discovering the wonderful card (she is sooo talented!) and an awesome bag.  The bag is perfect for when my gypsy has to do some traveling, and it will this summer when Mary (SIL) and I road-trip to CHA.  I am so blessed with family that thinks of me when on shopping excursions!  So I call marvelous Mary to thank her for the "RAK" (I won because I am such an wonderful SIL!) and we chatted until my cell phone battery wet dead.  We had to share our fiskateer experiences of the last few days...it was then I looked out the window to see the rain had turned to snow.  Yes, snow, on May 7.  Huh.  I don't remember snow every falling this late in the year!  So my Friday went from Frazzled, to Fabulous to Freaky in just a few hours.  I hope Saturday is more serene!

Rainbow fabric

Another challenge from MPS (#11) was to make something using rainbow colors.  Well, again the laminated fabric jumped out at me.  For school I was just cutting rectangles for book marks but with my cricut I cut out the word READ.  I can't wait to show off my fabulous bookmark tomorrow at work!

Thinking outside the box

I have been squeezing in a couple more MPS challenges for NSD.  I had some scrap fabric I had laminated to be cut into bookmarks for the kids at school.  I looked at it again today and decided to try cutting it on my cricut.  All the embellishments on this page are from fabric that has been laminated!

Shapes Challenge

I have been reading the Tale of Despereaux  by Kate DiCamillo to second grade student in the media center and I made some flash cards with Fiction call numbers for the students to practice putting in ABC order.  I also made them for the pink stamper challenge!

Teacher Appreciation Challenge

I made a small purse using Tag, Bags, Boxes cart on 12x12 paper cut fit to size.  It's my entrance to the My Pink Stamper challenge #5.  I plan to fill the purse with sugary goodness!

Creating with Emily

So my second born visits me in the craft room this evening with a poster she made for German class.  It's due tomorrow morning, extra early, can I help her add some embellishments?  Well, lucky for Em. I was reading through some of the My Pink Stamper challenges and one of them is to scrap with a kid...hummm, I wonder if my daughter could still be considered a kid - she always will be to me!  So we made some scientists and nurses using the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge and my cricut.  Everything was cut at size 3 inches.  Not too bad for last minute embellishments!