Thankful Thursday Design Team Post--A Little Note

Here in Oregon, summer really begins about the Fourth of July and proceeds through the middle of September, if we're lucky.  This year, although we've been dry, (thank goodness--I was beginning to mildew!) we haven't been very warm.  We haven't broken 90 degrees yet this year, and that is rare.  Why all this concern about summer and weather?  Well, I'm a teacher and I head back to work in the next couple of weeks.  To "celebrate" the end of summer and the beginning of fall, my family decided to host an "End of Summer" party.  Here is a sample of the notecard invitations I made:

Sorry for the horrible picture!  My email is down...gasp***!  The only way I could get a photo was to take it on my iPhone and then upload it to Facebook, and then download it to my computer.  A long, pixel destroying process!  Sorry!

I bought a set of note cards at Target several months ago and I love them!  They are approximately 4x5" and have matching envelopes.  I use them for everything!  I used an orange-yellow note card as the background and then used two coordinating pattern papers to create the larger scalloped border and then the thin rectangle.  I was going to have a video on how to create a scalloped border with the Gypsy, but dang email!  Is that something you would be interested in knowing how to do????  Let me know in the comments if you would like me to post it!

I then used Life's a Beach and cut out the little flip flops in a solid orange cardstock.  I used my Crop-a-Dile and punched three tiny holes to thread my fibers through.  So, picture the toe hole (toward the top) and two side holes.  First, I took my fibers and folded them in half and threaded the folded part from the top down into the top hole.  As soon as a tiny bit was showing I pulled a little bit through and left it.  I then used the open ends to thread through each side hole.  I didn't knot it or anything, rather I used my ATG gun to run adhesive over the fibers while I applied it to the note card.  These were pretty easy to make, although threading 60 flip flops took some time.  I think they are cute enough to be worth it!

On the back of the note card I added a little poem and the details for the party.  Here's the poem I used.  (I did not make this up, rather I combined two poems I found online!)  

The end of summer is almost here

so let's get together for some cheer.

We'll have food and fun for all,

so come on and celebrate again before fall.

Thanks for looking and I love comments!

We have an awesome prize this month, it's a Post-it prize pack!! Don't forget to head over to Crazy About Cricut at http://crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com  and enter your family's project!

All American Blog Hop! (With Blog Candy!!!!!)

Hi Everybody!

If you just came from the very creative Paula's blog @ http://www.owlbescrappin.com then you are in the right spot!   If you just stumbled into this Blog Hop, then by all means join us!  This is a great hop featuring All American Crafts. Please head over to see Jenny at http://www.crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com to start from the very beginning.  Be sure to read to the very end to have 2 chances at blog candy!

Thank you for joining us for the All American Blog hop!  We are sharing projects that celebrate anything American!  So anything like BBQ's, family picnics, 4th of July, or more.  I created a 4th of July layout using pictures from 2009.  (Yes, I'm still behind in my scrapping!) 

Sorry for the bad picture!  It's raining outside and unless I wanted the flash reflection, this is the best I could get today!  I made a two page 12x12 layout for the Fourth of July.  I based it all on textured cream cardstock and used a deep red to mat all the photos.

Here are photos of each page separately.

Left page...

Right page...

I then used EK Success Fresh Cuts FC014 Free & Brave.  This is a page of cardstock accents that you hand cut out (yuck!)  and then can use.  I love that they are pre-done, but sometimes I feel like spicing them up.  That's what I did today.  Although the cardstock accents are 2-d, they have buttons, brads and fibers printed on them.  Today I added whatever accent they had printed myself, creating 3-d embellishments.  This is a combination of three accents that I set together to make the title.  I popped the title up with foam tape and adhered buttons with fibers to everywhere that they were printed.  Using glue dots helped make the buttons stick!

Another accents featured cute white stars.  Luckily I had these brads in my stash and they looked great, so I added them to the hat!

Another accent were these cute photo corners (all 2-d) with printed fiber knots on each one.  I tied my own little red fiber knows and stuck them over the printed ones.  This is the only photo I didn't mat, but with the photo corners, it stands out on its own.

This heart accent was cute, but with a little spicing up, it is adorable!  I added the white button over the printed white button and then hand sewed the red fibers where it was printed.  This was a pain because I couldn't find my needle so I had to hand sew the heart and all the little ties in the buttons.  What one will do for creativity, right?

This is one of my favorite accents.  It was a 2-d flag with buttons printed where the stars should be.  I layered blue buttons with khaki fiber knots over the top. I actually threaded three buttons per fiber and made a string of them so it would be flatter.  (I tied a knot, then threaded one button, then a second and then a third and then tied the last knot.  This made little rows of three buttons!)

Blog candy chance #1 Scrapping at the McCalley House:

There are several ways to get an entry!

1.  Comment on today's post = 1 entry

2.  Become a follower (or already are one) = 1 entry

3.  Mention my blog on your blog (give me the address of yours to see!) = 1 entry!

**Just be sure to leave your contact information for me!**

I will use the Random Number Generator on Sunday, July 11th to find a winner!  Winners must be within the US and respond to my email within 5 days to claim the prize.

Blog candy chance #2 From CrazyaboutCricut 

There are a couple of GREAT prizes to win today!  You can win a Scrap 'n Tote!!  You can also enter to win this AWESOME prize pack from Post-it! There is also the BBQ set of stamps from Peachy Keen!

To enter to win the prizes:

1. You must leave a comment on all of the blogs in the hop.

2. Please be a follower of Crazy About Cricut.

That's it!  Winners will be announced July 7th!  

Thank you, now please head over to see Sandra's amazing project at Sandra @ http://www.sweetpeascards.blogspot.com/

Here is the lineup in case you get lost or need to stop along the way:

Jenny @ http://www.crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com

Cheryl @ http://www.cardsbycg.blogspot.com

Sharon @ http://www.simplysweetbysharon.blogspot.com

Tanya @ http://www.scrappinkymomma.blogspot.com

Bobbi @ http://www.rockgirlcustomdesigns.blogspot.com

Angie@ http://www.sitrestdownplay.blogspot.com

Paula @ http://www.owlbescrappin.com

Jen  @ http://www.mccalleyhouse.blogspot.com/

Sandra @ http://www.sweetpeascards.blogspot.com/

Lola @ http://www.purplepeepstechniques.blogspot.com/

Heather @

http://www.paper-junkie.blogspot.com/

Leah@ http://www.leahscarddesigns.com

First day of Kindergarten, part 2

First Day of Kindergarten at our Local Elementary School

2008

Using another set of Kindergarten background papers, I was able to quickly complete this layout.  The pages were reversible, so I used on of each side so it wouldn't be sooooo busy!  

On the left hand page I double matted my central (and favorite!) photo of my daughter in white and blue.  I then used a coordinating red to mat the Quick Quotes quote and the Errol Hassel sticker.  (This is the school my daughter attended for Kindergarten.)

I punched a hole in the top of the vellum Quick Quote and the red mat and then I strung green and yellow fibers through the top.  By using the hole punch, I was able to anchor my vellum Quick Quote to the mat without adhesive showing!  The yellow and green fibers added a "bookmark" feel to it and make it really playful.  (I love the sweet sentiment in this poem and knew it would be perfect for this page!)

The right hand page was lots of fun too!  I matted the photos in coordinating colors of blue, green and red.    I used up a silver metal frame with an A+ on it and a small metal tag featuring an apple.  I adhered both with pop dots.  I added matching green and yellow fibers to the metal tag.  I was careful about the placement of the photos so the collage paper of the background showed through nicely.  The "Kindergarten" in the lower right and the "playtime" on the left are both part of the background paper and not added separately.