Last Minute Gift

I whipped up this card this morning as a last minute gift. My daughter is headed to a sleepover birthday party this morning and, somehow, forgot to get a gift, so I obliged her by creating this card that doubles as a money holder.

The best part is the inside:


Isn't that adorable???? (If I do say so myself.....)

Another One Bites the Dust.....

Yes! I'm one page closer to that spending money!!!

Before I show the layout itself, I really need to give some background:

My daughter, Kari, is 12 and has been playing the guitar for a few years now. Recently, as I was looking through some photos, trying to figure out what to scrapbook I spotted a photo of her playing her guitar in a concert. It reminded me so much of a photo that my mom had, that I had to go borrow the photo and scrapbook the two, side by side.

I kept the page itself fairly simple, because I wanted the focus to be the two pictures. The guitar stamp on the bottom left is from a "Hannah Montana" set that I bought on sale at WalMart when Kari was going through her HM phase. (Alas, I must confess that this is the FIRST time I have actually used them.)

My favorite thing about the layout (other than the photos themselves) is the design in the middle. I created that with the EK Success "zipper" punch. I punched the edge of the red sheet and the edge of the blue sheet, then butted them up side by side to make it look like they were zipped together. (The punch was one of the LAST purchases that I allowed myself to make before beginning my challenge to use my stash, rather than buy new stuff. I can hardly wait to get some other of the new punches! Mental note to self............ MUST KEEP SCRAPPING!)

I LOVE a good challenge!!

As a scrapbooker, I love to find a good challenge. I am members of several different forums and boards and I'm always on the lookout for another group that sparks my creative juices. Recently I found my way to the "All About Me Challenge". They have a remarkable designer team and I have found myself jumping right into their challenges.

The last challenge posted on the blog asked us to look at our world from a different angle. When I read this, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted a photo of- all of the students rushing through the hallways at school, BUT, I didn't want their faces; I wanted a shot of their feet in motion.

You should have heard the comments: "Why is Mrs. Baker in the floor?", "Why are you taking a picture of our feet?", and even, "Did you drop your camera?" Regardless of how silly I looked, I kept right on snapping and I think that I got a really good pic!

Next was the title: Ask any teacher what middle school lis like two weeks before state mandated testing and you will likely get an answer similar to the title of my layout.




My journaling reads:

Teaching at a middle school, things are always kind of wild, but the last 2 full weeks before testing, the whole place is a ZOO! Teachers trying to squeeze in one more unit, students who are exhausted, and administrators urging everyone to be productive. Everyone seems to move at a faster pace, and the bell at 3:15 brings a sigh of relief that the walls almost echo.

Whoo Hoo! Three more pages done!

Before I post the pics of these layouts, let me explain a couple of things:


1. I have blurred the faces of any of the students in the pics other than my own child. I didn't know if they would want their face posted online or not. I figure you can still see the basic page anyway.

2. These are very SIMPLE pages, but they are done. I'm doing a little project at school where I'm going to be assisting some brand new scrapbooking adults create a special album for someone. My plan of attack is to take 3 or 4 sketches with me and show them how they can use the sketch and create different looks, simply by rotating it. These are 2 of my "Sample" pages. I used the same basic sketch, but I rotated one of the pages and turned it into a 2 page spread.

This page has some pics that I just came across from my daughter's 5th grade dance. These kids are now in my 8th grade class! I'm going to have to take this page to school to show it to some of them.

This 2 page spread has pics from my daughter's Christmas play this year. That's her on the end with the "black eye". She was playing Grandma, who had gotten run over by Santa's reindeer. The play was SO FUNNY!

Well, let's see what the grand total is: 4 scrapbook pages and 3 cards. That means I need to get just 5 more pages done and I can go shopping to spend that first $20, if I would like. Then again, I may just hold out until I hit the $40 mark....LOL!

3 More Done..........and Some Answers....

WHEW! I've been working in between other things trying to get some sample cards done for an upcoming card workshop that I'll be doing with the local Extension people. I'm still using my supplies, so I'm allowing myself to count these in my "Master" count too.

I won't post the pics on here too, because I know that some of you go to my stamping blog too. If you don't have the link to it, here it is: My Stamp on the World

I LOVE the cards that I have designed so be sure to go check them out and leave me a comment or two.

NOW.......I've gotten some questions about my GOAL and RULES, so I'm going to try to answer them.

1. What counts?- It's really up to you. If you do a lot of mini albums or altering projects, then count those. If you do strictly scrapbook pages, then count those. The whole goal is to USE, USE, USE those supplies.

2. What about basics?- I allow myself to purchase adhesives, necessary tools, and basic cardstock without penalty. After all, those are necessary to continue creating, right? For example, my paper piercer has disappeared. I use it a lot to make holes for my brads and things, but somehow it has just walked away. I am definitely going to have to replace it....and soon....

I've heard from several of you that you are joining in on my "Supply Use Program" and I am thrilled! The more of us that support each other, the more likely that we will actually make some progress!

And So...........I Start!

In case you haven't figured it out yet, weekends are my prime scrap time. Since I teach school all week I "play" with a layout as much as I can until I finally get time to actually start sticking things down to the page. This particular layout has actually been started twice!

Those two lovely people are my parents. It's really hard to get a photo of the two of them together, primarily because, even at their age, they don't slow down very much!

The journaling reads:

The two of you really inspire me.

I know that your almost 50 years

of married life

haven't been easy.

Low income,

Working 2 jobs,

Accidents and medical emergencies,

and raising 3 kids.

But through it all, you've managed to survive...

Together...

It gives me hope that my own family can endure

no matter what life throws at us.

I believe we can stand

the Test of Time.

I'm really glad that I have this photo, really glad that I documented my thoughts, and also glad that I have finished one page toward my scrapbooking goal!

Twelve for Twenty

I've had some time today to allow my seed of a plan to germinate and had time to talk to my 2 closest advisors, my teenage children. Between the three of us, we managed to come up with some basic "RULES" that I will be following:

1. I must complete 12 pages (12X12) in order to earn the right to spend $20 on scrapbooking materials.

2. Basics like adhesives are not included in the $20; I can purchase those as they are needed.

3. A card counts as being equal to a 12X12 scrapbook page. (I always use layers and card fronts and backs, so I pretty much use 1 page of paper on a card anyway.)

4. Larger projects such as mini albums, etc. can count as more than one page, but I have to consult with my 2 teenage "mathematicians" in order to get a good estimate of just how many pages each project counts as....LOL!

(I should add here that I went to Big Lots today with my mom and I was a very good girl.....NOT ONE scrapbook purchase, though they did have some cute stuff. I just kept thinking to myself....12 pages girl, 12 pages!

WELCOME!!

If you are a dedicated scrapper and crafter, like I am, then you, no doubt, have stacks and stacks of paper, jars full of buttons, and a closet full of embellishments, all of which you PROMISE you will use some day. If you're like me, you probably also have noticed that your "STASH" is growing and the production count of scrapbook pages is DOWN. That is why I have created this blog.

It is my hope that this blog will help provide me with some public accountability. Maybe if I have to admit publically that I'm purchasing more and using less that will help push me to create and use my stash a bit more.

My plan is to set myself a goal: Scrapbook or craft "x" number of items or pages before I allow myself to purchase more. I haven't quite decided what that particular number is, but I'm happy to take suggestions. I'll post the finished projects here so that people can give me that pat on the back for using my old stuff and I, hopefully, will be encouraged to stick with it.

I LOVE Scrapbooking and crafting. (Just ask my sweet hubby and kids where I disappear to....It's always MY room.) It provides me therapy and an escape from the drudgeries of everyday life, BUT lately I'm feeling guilty about the money that is just lieing around on shelves and in boxes in my room. If I can start using some of it, I think my BLISS in my hobby will be restored.

Before I leave, I would like to issue an invitation to all of you out there who, like me, find themselves with a nice inventory of papers and scrapbooking supplies, but little productivity. Feel free to join in with me. Just post your goal here on this thread. Maybe we can encourage each other.