Craft With May – Page 82 – no rules, just happy crafting

Countdown to summer: basket for teacher thank-you gift

Last year, I did a video (see YouTube here) about making a card and thanking teachers using my ScanNCut. Today, I’m going to bust out that beloved apple once again and decorate a basket!

This project would be great for a number of things – so if you’re looking for a fun giftable stay tuned! Oh yes, and before we go any further my usual disclosure that I am a paid consultant for Brother, my ScanNCut machine was provided to me, but all ideas and opinions here on my blog are my own.

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The first thing to do is get out the ScanNCut, load the apple design pieces, and weld them together. Need more detail? see my video linked above where I go into detail.

Then cut out of as many materials as you’d like! I ended up mounting some book paper onto cardstock then inking it up to get a really nice apple.

Then I got out my basket, tied a bunch of ribbons on it as I waited for my hot glue to warm up.

Hmmm… some buttons? Why yes let’s do that!

This project was really fun because I challenged myself to use whatever I had on hand, and I really love that I could create a similar project with a number of shapes in my ScanNCut machine. From flowers to Christmas trees- this could so easily be a seasonal gift!

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Here’s the finished basket – don’t you love it?! I almost don’t want to give it away. Of course we’ve had tremendous luck with fantastic teachers this year so giving it away won’t be all that hard.

As you can see I just hot glued buttons in here and there, and now that it is done I will let the girls fill it with treats! Both girls had the same teacher for both Kindergarten and then that teacher moved grades and both girls had her as a teacher for 3rd grade so something extra special is due and I think this is just the thing.

As I count down to summer break I’ve got several more projects, and more ways that my ScanNCut is helping me out as I’m still not holding scissors – but that’s not stopping me from crafting up a lovely summer!

Countdown to Summer: Summer vacation calendar

When it comes to summer preparations, I like to set up a calendar. Nothing fancy- I just put paper up on the wall and fill stuff in so the girls can see what we’re up to. This year I decided to make it by month, 8 1/2 x 11 sized, and add some stamps and fun too. We can add notes and plans, and the calendar pages can be slipped into my scrapbook if I’d like when we are done.

Before we dig into this any more – let me disclose (as always!) that all opinions and ideas are my own, but that I am a paid consultant for Brother and they did provide me with my ScanNCut. I say that every time – always want to be upfront! Ok so back to the creating…

Here’s a YouTube video on how I created the cut-outs in this page. The scanning feature of the ScanNCut makes it so easy to see where things will go.

Want more precise lines? You could absolutely do something like this with a computer and print it out! Want a 7-day week instead? Go ahead! I just like a 5-day grid.

As you can see I mixed some stamping, embellishments, and washi tapes to decorate.

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This turned out so cute and now I can let the kids add in our specific plans and notes about days.

I love using the negative as I did here (vs the shapes that got cut out) and layering up a fun calendar like this! So simple – and yet the results turned out better than I had hoped! I will be sure to share the July and August versions with you as well.

For now, I’m back to using my ScanNCut to countdown to summer vacation… stay tuned! I’ve got a few more posts coming soon…a YouTube video

Memory Keeping on the road: Scrapbook to go

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Three years ago I began a scrapbook for our camping adventures. My idea was simple: journal on pocket page inserts while camping then add photos at home and done. It’s worked out INCREDIBLY well! We have notes on everything from what we cooked to what campsites we liked and random happenings.

Last weekend we went camping (Petaluma KOA – highly recommend it!) and I tried bringing along a few things. In my kit I had:

Close to My Heart camping stamps (seen in use here)
Close to My Heart 4×6 and 3×4 journaling cards (used here)
Close to My Heart copper foil tape (AMAZING, also seen here)
assorted ink pads, pens, stamp block, and a few stickers
6×8 pocket page album (Simple Stories used here)

Not a ton, just enough to decorate some journaling cards and play a bit at the picnic table! The key is to keep your supply list short and really limit how much you bring. Set a limit such as a small bag or tote, and only what fits gets to come!

I really had fun with just black, grey, and green inks as well as with this great Close to My Heart stamp set. Simple, cute, perfect for our adventures!

I really like top and bottom (to left or right) accenting cards the best because it allows a bit of embellishing but space for whatever tale I might be telling!

One thing I did this time – partially stamp! See below-

Once stamped, I ran some copper foil tape (a new favorite thing!!) along the bottom. Boom! A new stamp and this will become a title card when I get home and add letter stamps or stickers!

I just love how these pages end up coming together with a mix of 3×4 and 4×6 stamps, and a big thanks to Close to My Heart to sending me some new supplies to try out.

Before I go, I have a few tips for creating on the go besides selecting just a few things to travel with:

Document the details from what you eat to funny moments
No detail too small – from the giggle worthy moment to the favorite soda to the quotable moment – jot it down!
Only bring a few things! You can always add in details and embellishments back at home
Take just a few minutes here and there. instead of simply waiting in line or checking social media – jot down the note!
Not a pocket page person? Save them and add them to traditional scrapbook layouts at a later time.

I hope you’ve enjoyed todays notes on memory keeping on the go. Having these records that have some scrapbook elements to them has been huge for us – so many “oh I forgot that!” moments as the book gets pulled out each and every trip. Have questions? Requests? Let me know!

Growing all the things: pretty new CTMH stamps!

Hey everyone, checking in and today I’ve got a stamp set that really speaks to me. As those of you who read my blog regularly know, I’m moving real slow and am mostly one-handed these days! This isn’t a “better soon” type injury which is hard, but I’ve been focusing on things like beautifying my front yard (slowly, and literally one blade of grass at a time!) to keep things happy and productive.

Close to my Heart has this new stamp set called Lovely Garden and it just spoke to me! I stamped the images with black archival ink, and one huge bonus is that I was able to stamp without any masking or fuss – a must for me right now. Once I had everything down onto watercolor paper I grabbed a few watercolors and a water brush, and got to work (play).

I messed around with adding more and less water, blending out color, and just having fun!

I added random colors and just enjoyed the process of growing a pretty image.

Then I mounted it to pink cardstock and stitched a few times. Of course I can’t leave my card alone – so I grabbed some of these beautiful self-adhesive CTMH sequins and added them, as well as a few of my buttons and pearls to the one corner.

Finally, I added a bit of stickles and mounted onto a white card.

I just love the results, and it felt great to sit and play with colors and such lovely stamps. This particular set really spoke to me as not only a great stamp for card making, but a lovely set for art journaling or scrapbooking as well. Thank you to CTMH for sending it my way – I know I’ll be playing with it more soon. For info on this (or any of their products) you can check out their site here.

It took a few days to put this blog post together – I’m SLOW moving here – but I’m glad I did because it’s been a lot of fun, and I know it has been a while since I’ve checked in. Have a wonderful weekend!

Scrapbook Day 2016

Taking time out of regular life to enjoy yourself should always be a priority. I’ve heard haters over the years about how it is selfish to do so – or how just playing vs meaningful story telling isn’t valuable. I will never understand that mentality!

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Scrapbooking has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember! From vacations to funny moments- I cherish the pages Ive made as much as I enjoyed the creative process of making them.

Today to celebrate international scrapbook day originally? I was going to do nothing. Not up to full pages. But wait. My friends at Clique Kits asked me to contribute a video (link) and I thought… maybe I can do a little something! You know I don’t believe in rules and creative restrictions. This applies to scrapbooking.. Make it what you want! Just the birthdays? Vacations? Happy times only? No journaling? Just photos? Few photos? Daily? Once a year?

Do whatever makes you happy.

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Over the years I’ve just marched to the beat of my own drum. Tried to not follow trends or feel I “had” to anything. I stand by that. I’m currently working out what might work for me right now, maybe more pocket pages. But it can change as my needs and abilities do – scrapbooking is ever flexible and wonderful. Here are links you may enjoy:

One of my all time favorite layouts using a number of 3×4 cards

Project Hawaii (project life inspired) series

My creative journey with many posts and layouts spanning back to my childhood!

BONUS!!! 25% off any of my online classes! Use THIS LINK and the discount will be applied at checkout – no code needed. Note that prices shown on website are full price, discount will be reflected in checkout process. This offer is cannot be combined with any other discounts, and is valid through 5/9/2016

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The tools I use and styles may change- but I will always cherish time spent playing with pretty things and capturing favorite memories! If you want to check out Clique’s full hop and find out about their prizes, etc. start here at their blog.