Easy Peasy, Nice And Cheesey!

I sat down the other day and created some layouts with some stuff that had been laying around for a while. I thought I would take the opportunity to get some layouts done to add photos to later. I'm glad I did, because I haven't had time to even sit down since!











Nothing fancy, as you can see. But I did get them out quickly and it will help me add pages to my album. I have found that if I do it this way I stay more caught up. If I wait until I have the pictures, well then....


My motto today is: Cleanliness is next to Godliness. That means my house is a disaster zone and I need to get moving!


What's your inspiration?

Gandma and Grandpa Cuckoo

It has been sooooo long since I added anything to my blog. Sorry about that. Life just gets in the way.

However, I've been wanting to share this:

This clock holds a special place in the collective heart of our family. My hubby inherited this clock from Great Grandparents that he dubbed, "Grandma and Grandpa Cuckoo." He was still young when they passed, so his mom hung it in her house. Shortly after we were married, she showed up one day with this clock. She told her son that he was FINALLY responsible enough to have it. Ha! We proudly displayed the clock in a prominent location.

Forward a few years... My mother-in-law gave me a picture of her as a teen standing in front of said cuckoo clock, reading the newspaper. The caption stenciled above the clock was, "Time brings old memories and new joys." I loved it and thought that one day I would do the same.

Forward a few more years... I bought the Cricut and thought to myself, "What a great time to do the caption!" I purchased some dark brown vinyl and went to town. The result is what you see in the picture. We just love it. It has so much meaning for us. The kids read the caption to me on a regular basis and tell me the time hourly. How fun to carry on the tradition!

Here is a close up of the saying:

Until we meet again...

Meet Frankie

Here is an idea I adapted from one of the scrapbook magazines. I think it was Scrapbooks, Etc. I found a clear "Chinese Takeout" box at Michael's and lined it with olive green paper. All the embellishments are from my stash, so he was a pretty cheap gift.

Meet Frankie: Isn't he cute? He's going to be a present to the Trips' teacher. I'll fill with Halloween colored M&M's. I used a really strong adhesive, hoping she will get more than one year's use out of it.

I've been trying to come up with ideas for all of the plastic containers that so many products come in these days. One idea I had was to create a pencil holder for the school secretary. She NEVER has one handy. I also purchased some nuts at Target recently. They came in a VERY cool clear plastic container with a screw-on lid. That one became a treat for the school nurse. Never hurts to have these people on your side! (:

I am the queen of "scraps." I'll purchase a 12x12 sheet and only use a tiny portion. The rest goes into a "scrap box." I decided to put those scraps to good use this year... I cut 3"x3" squares and have been writing the kids' spelling and sight words on them. Punch with the ever-so-handy Crop-o-dile, and load onto a metal ring. Ready made practice words that is literally small enough to take anywhere. We go over them a couple times each week, just to make sure they retain them.

Now for a sneak peak....

This is a class I'm teaching at The Scrapbook Tree in Vincennes, IN. Just a quick little peak at it, though! We'll focus on Teresa Collins papers and recipe card holders.

My inspiration for this week: I don't have to do it all. I only have to do it well.

What's your inspiration?

Spelling Words and a New Header

Nothing too catchy here today... We're busy at our house studying a huge list of review spelling words. They have to know them all (I'm pretty sure they already do) because only 10 will be chosen. Ahh, school work. It's a good thing my kids actually LIKE shool!

How do you like my new header? I designed it in Photoshop Elements. It took me forever because I just don't do much in that program. It's not as easy for me as Publisher and others. However, you are only limited in Photoshop by your own creativity. Perhaps I can find a class on it at Ivy Tech??? You know, since I have SO much time on my hands.

Have you found your inspiration today? I am motivated today to feed my family a healthy dinner and provide them with clean, FOLDED laundry... Yep, that means housework! Unfortunately, that also means no time for crafting. Darn those prioritites!

A Blog And A Book

Well, here it is, my very first blog...

I'm featuring the Father's Day Book that I created for my DH. Entitled "A Truly Rich Man", I think it pleased him. He didn't say much (he's not one for parley) but his face became flushed with pleasure. What more could I ask for? A look truly is worth a thousand words.

The cover says: "A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." The key is inked in a beigey-yellow, then in an olive green for the edging. I used a pencil eraser dipped in red ink for the dots.

The inside cover is simply "To our Dad..."

Facing page is: "You have a lifetime to work but children are only young once."

This page is Daddy and Cross. "It is a wise father that knows his own son." This quote is so fitting because Cross is SO MUCH like his father: stature, attitude, wit, features, EARS! and so much more.

Daddy's Little Girl, Ainsley. "You will always be your child's favorite toy."

I really love this page. The picture is perfect. "Your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever." Who is guiding whom???

A stamped image, decorated with Stickles.

"A father carries pictures where his money used to be." That's River standing in front, waiting patiently for HIS turn to pick out a doughnut.

Back cover. A couple die-cuts, a stamped image.

What do you think? I tought a class on this at a LSS (Local Scrapbook Store). It was a success. We used a Cricut to cut the pages and then picked out a paper line. I inked EVERYTHING in this book - including ribbons. I used lots of Pop Dots for dimension. I had fun just putting things down randomly and not worrying about perfect dimensions or squaring things up.

Next week I'll post the new recipe book I'm working on. What's your current inspiration?

Until we meet again...