Back to School (!)

This is how I have "back to school!" written on the calander - with a big exclamation mark outlined at the end.  My husband asked what was up with the exclamation mark the other day.  Clearly, he has no idea.  But today has finally come - the last day of summer vacation.  Most certainly worthy of celebration.  For me.  Maybe not so much for the teachers?  So I tried to soften the blow with some humorous back to school gifts for my kids' teachers.

The themes match the teachers' classroom themes for the year: bugs (butterflies - not quite as icky) and owls.

Here's what's written on the tags:

Pens: I hope you write on the hearts of your students.

Pencils: I hope you make memories that can't be erased.

(Would've loved to use erasers, but believe it or not Walmart ran out of plain pink erasers!)

Sticky notes: I hope you can be patient when things get sticky

Gum: I hope you "chews" to see the positive in every situation

Binder clips: But most of all, I hope you can keep it together!

Funny and thrifty.  Just my style.  And, of course, no package is complete if the wrapping doesn't match...

It's a dog's life

So, technically this layout was done for a Color Room challenge (#121) but it may never make it to their home page.  I am worried it is a little plain.  However, it is going to be good enough for now because 1.) Contrary to appearances, I've acutally been putting this thing together for two days; and 2.) If we're being completly honest, it's about a subject matter that I'm slightly less than passionate about right now since he slobbered on one of the papers that I'd intended to use.  So in the spirit of less being more, here's the layout...

Christmas in July

I recently went on a little scrapbook retreat weekend.  Feeling very excited and fairly well-prepared, I set out to have a super-productive weekend.  And I'm sure it would've been, had I not forgotten my pictures!  Fortunately, due to a slight lack of organizational skills, I had some random Christmas photos stashed away in my bag of paper.  The result? Two very differently-styled Christmas layouts completed in the middle of a scorching summer. The first couldn't be more simple...

The other is about as many embelishments as I ever put on a page...

However, both left me in the holiday spirit and dreaming of cooler weather.

TCR#118

This week's color room challenge:

TCR Challenge #115

Here's my latest Color Room challenge: ocean blue, dusty blue, grassy green and, oddly enough, peachy pink.  Definately an interesting mix once you add the peachy color, but here's the end result...

This view really doesn't highlight the fun created in the layout by adding layers, so here's an attempt (from a completely photography-skill-stunted camera person) to show a side view & give you a better take on the layers...

For Susan

You've already seen it, but you're the only one consistently checking the blog, so here's the latest piece of work.  I have to confess that I am rather pleased with it, but I started with an amazing Studio Calico product.

Quickie

Looking for a quick & easy can-do card?  This one you can whip out in literally 10 minutes or less.  Even the card base is a quick solution since it is a premade.  Love the Doodlebug card line & matching stickers!

Reconnecting

The holidays are a great time to reconnect with family, but often we get so busy with all the hoopla that we loose touch with our friends.  January is a great time to remedy that.  I, personally, can't get enough of coffee dates.  I think I could have what my husband deems "fru-fru" drinks daily.  With that in mind, here's a card idea to help you set one up...

Like the stamp on the front? It's a great set from Close To My Heart stamps.

And don't forget, it's often the little details and odds and ends that really make your cards stand out from the crowd.  I like to coordinate the insides of the card and sometimes even the envelopes.

As Promised

Well, my 4.5 loyal followers, as promised I am resuming blogging per a (completely sober, I promise) New Year's resolution.  Allow me to start the new year off with a post-holiday layout...