Back to School

It seems like summer just got started and it's almost time to go back to school! My DD goes back in just one month!!! Sheez! Already time to make cards for the teachers. :)

This is another Impression Obsession image that I've had for awhile, but never colored. Actually, until I started coloring it, I didn't even know that there was a swing in the foreground. I thought it was a collage-type image. This image took a lot less time to color than you would think. I started by laying down a Copic base in a medium red on the school house, then used Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol for the entire image. I love my Copics, but it is a lot more relaxing to color with pencils. They are easier for me to control. ;) The layout is from this week's Mojo Monday sketch. The little leaf embellies in the corner were die cut from dp a couple of times, and the layers glued together for stability, I inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, then I dipped them in UTEE in my melting pot. They are attached to the card with 3D glue.

I made the inside panel by punching the top edge of the cs, then I used an MFT Blueprints 13 die to cut the perforated line and added scraps from the front of the card to the bottom. My DD is giving this to her favorite teacher, whom she has had for her challenge/gifted class for the past 3 years, so she chose the sentiment, and I have to concur--her teacher is fabulous! :-)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday 353
Simon Says Stamp Monday: Start From Scratch (Leaf embellies)
613 Avenue Create #79: Create Your Own Challenge (image, die cut, solid color paper, sequins, punch)
Freshly Brewed Designs: July Challenge #1-In the Sky
Corrosive Challenge #203: Forever Young
Sugar Pea Designs SPD06: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

Thanks for visiting my blog!

To have Ink Up delivered to your inbox,

subscribe in the box at the top right of the page.

TMS #160: So Proud!

Happy Tuesday, Friends! It's that time again...back to school! Are your kids back yet? Does that make you happy or sad? It's funny how differently people react to their kids going back to school every year. I miss having my DD around, but at the same time, I like having time to myself. Hmmm...does that make me "sappy"? :) My DD has been ready for school to get going again since...oh, about the third week of summer! She was missing all her friends.

Being Tuesday, it's also time for another Tuesday Morning Sketch challenge, and this week you get to choose from one of these four past sketches. All of them are great, so you might have to do a little eeny, meeny, miney, mo to decide. Or, maybe you'll make one of each! ;) Our fab sponsor this week is The Stamping Boutique. They have the cutest digital stamps, which they provided to the team for our cards this week. I was really glad the stamps were back-to-school themed, because I was able to make a card for my DD.

I made this card to put into my DD's backpack before the first day of school. She's in the third grade now, and moved up to the intermediate school, so it was a big day for her. She was thrilled with this card, and said she kept it propped up on her desk all day long. :D The image is actually a composite of three different Stamping Boutique back to school stamps. Isn't that Audrey a cutie? I colored her with Copics, giving her a little wet spot on her paper bag, just for fun, then added some Glossy Accents to her glasses and shoes, as well as the labels on the spines of her books. I used a white gel pen to add random dots to her dress, scarf, and cheeks. Then, I fussy cut the images and popped them up with foam dots.The "So Proud" sentiment is hand lettered, the hearts are Verve stamps, to which I added red Stickles and a couple of red rhinestones. I did a little stitching on that layer, too.

The buttons are from my stash. I used purple waxed linen thread to coordinate with the purple backpack. In this photo, you can see some of the dimension from the popped up layers.

I finally got some burlap to use on my cards. I love the texture it adds. For this card, I cut a burlap square, folded a corner over and stapled it to the cs, then added a flower on top of it. I like the burlap look, but my craft table, as well as my shirt, was a mess afterward with all the shedding!

Here's a look at the inside.

I hope you'll be able to join us this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches! We always have such fun, and wouldn't a prize from The Stamping Boutique be awesome! And, be sure to stop by the other DT members' blogs for more inspiration, too!

Thanks for stopping by today!

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Simply Create Too #20: Back to School 
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #230: Back to School

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Back to School Audrey, Back to School Book Bag, Audrey's Books (The Stamping Boutique); Sweet Treats (Verve); Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Oxford (Basic Grey); Story Teller (Crate Paper); So Sophie (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Copics; Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Labels Lg, Classic Scalloped Rectangle Lg, Floral Ovals (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Dot Border Punch (Martha Stewart); Arithmetic embossing folder (Sizzix); glitter marker (Martha Stewart); white gel pen; pinking scissors; burlap; flowers & leaves; Glossy Accents; Stickles; waxed linen thread; buttons; brads; foam dots; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25"x 5.5")

Thanks for visiting my blog!

To have Ink Up delivered to your inbox,

subscribe in the box at the top right of the page.

Chair Backpack

Hi Friends! Hope you're having a good week, so far. I have a little sewing project to share with you today. My DD has to have her running shoes for P.E. 2-3 days a week, so rather than having to remember if it's an "A" week, with P.E. on Monday and Friday, or a "B" week, with P.E. on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, I decided to let her leave a pair of shoes at school all the time. Only problem was that there was no where for her to keep them--space is limited in her classroom. So, I made her a backpack for her chair that she could keep her shoes and socks in all the time.

I found this tutorial by Amy at www.ourscoop.blogspot.com, and followed it almost exactly, with only a few adjustments. My DD's shoes and a couple pair of socks fit in it perfectly, and because it hugs the back of the chair so well, her regular backpack will still hang on top of this just fine.

I made this out of fabric that was leftover from some Roman shades we had made in our previous house. It's upholstery fabric, so it is very sturdy and stiff--perfect for a backpack. I used interfacing on the exterior fabric, but not on the lining.

The bag is hanging on one of my kitchen chairs here, so you can see what it looks like from the back.

I put Velcro strips on the flap to hold it closed, but if I made it again, I'd probably just make the flap much longer and add weights to it so the Velcro wouldn't be necessary. There is plenty of room inside. Even as my DD grows and her shoes get larger, they should still fit in there for quite a while.

The main three modifications I made to the tutorial were that I sewed the sides and bottom strips together before attaching them to the front and back of the bag--both on the exterior fabric and the lining; I did not cut the bag flap before attaching the ruffles; and I also sewed the edge of the ruffles into the bag flap seam. When I attached the ruffles, I first attached the top ruffle, right sides together, so that it would fold down and cover the unfinished edge of the fabric. Then, I attached the bottom ruffle underneath the top ruffle, with right sides up on the ruffle and the bag flap. After that ruffle was attached, I pressed the top ruffle down over the bottom ruffle and topstitched across the edge of the top ruffle to hold it in place. You just have to make sure you have the ruffles positioned exactly where you want them so they will cover the edge of the bag flap. 

I did consider how bad the bag might smell after a few months of having sweaty shoes in it, so I made a couple of simple sachets out of medium weight cotton fabric and filled them with Arm & Hammer Extra Strength Carpet Odor Eliminator. She will just drop one into each shoe when she puts them away and, hopefully, the problem should be solved. It's easy enough to make a couple more sachets every few months. :) This morning, when we took the bag to school and attached it to her desk chair, it (and her shoes) already smelled nice. The scent isn't overpowering or too flowery, either.

I was pleased with how this project turned out, but it was a lot more time consuming than I expected. I sure hope this bag makes it through the entire year, and it'd be real nice if it survived a few years!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderfully crafty day!

I'd like to enter this in the following challenge:

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 230: Back to School

Thanks for visiting my blog!

To have Ink Up delivered to your inbox,

subscribe in the box at the top right of the page.