Saying Thank You

A while back Brooke Hellewell of Inchmark Journal showed a simple + fun little birthday card she made for her nephew. I loved it. This idea for a teacher appreciation card grew from that one. It's quite a long accordian fold card and I love how it turned out. Here's a little tutorial: 1. Modify the five PSD files to suit your needs and print. I simplified the word layers then used the words as masks so I could cover them with lined school paper from Splendid Fiins Too Cool For School Paper Pack 1. I defined the edges more by using the stroke/outline feature under Edit in the task bar.

2. cut using solid lines as guides.

3. Fold each sheet in half to dotted line and then fold along dotted line as seen here.

4. I used paper scraps to keep everything clean while applying glue. It worked very nicely. 5. glue as shown so that the glued tab is on the underside of the previous page. 6. This is what it will look like unfolded with two pages glued together.

7. repeat the gluing process until all of the pages are glued together to look like this. Clear as mud? Feel Free to ask any questions! Now on to the fun part!

8. Decorate the front and back of your card as you see fit. I used the elements included in the Mouse Paper Scissors + Mouse Paper Scissors - Mom classes for my embellishments. I also used the file folder cut template from MPS-Mom class to make a mask. Just drop in your chosen paper [I used papers from Splendid Fiins Too Cool For School Paper Pack 1] and print or print as is and use as a cut template. I wanted mine extra sturdy so I printed a mirror image and sandwiched them together.

9. Repeat step 8 for back cover. I included a library card pocket to house a gift card. This was sandwiched between the two layers of the back cover. I failed to get photos of this process. I apologize. Have your child write on the card before adding the inside contents. It would be much easier that way :). To attach the guts to the cover you will want to mark where there is overlap [you can see this well in photo 8] then cover the back side of page 1/page 8 with glue avoiding the overlap areas then stick them together + use a brayer or something to really stick it down with minimal bubbles.

10. This is what it looks like all stuffed.

Here's what I included:

1. pencil
2. googly eyes
3. chocolates
4. heart stickers
5. paperclips
6. candy buttons
7. sixlets [though they typically come with 8 per pkg... lucky me!]
8. dollar coins [our teachers like to go to Cafe Rio and this just about covered lunch.]

Truthfully, this was a bit of work, but so worth it. Really. So cute! In the box you will find a zipped file that includes PSD files for the inside pages, the file folder mask + mirror image, and the library card mask. Help yourself! Please let me know if you use it. I'd love some feedback.

ps. It says:

one - two - three - four - who's the teacher we adore

five - six - seven - eight - Mrs. Layton's our teacher is really great!

Floating Lanterns

In my dreams our back yard is finished and we have floating lanterns nestled in the pecan tree. We have dinner parties and after dinner parties. We kick back in a hammock and enjoy twinkle lights. Of course, it's been so beautiful here lately that one can't help but dream of such things. Today I tried out tiny paper lanterns. There's a template in the box if you want one. Not that making paper lanterns is hard or anything, but I was using digi-paper [Splendid Fiins Very Krafty Mixed Bag + Too Cool For School Paper packs] the template made it easy to mix and match. The template includes three different styles [two of each]: Basic + basic with scalloped edges + top heavy with one end scalloped. If you're using digi paper you can use the full background sheet layer or you can disappear that layer and use the six small layers to mix and match. Hopefully that makes sense. Also, all of the layers are white so if you're printing the cut/fold lines onto your own patterned paper you don't need to do anything. Just print. The template is 8.5 x 11. Enjoy!

Heads Up!

Next week at JS we're having a week long challenge party. It's the 3rd annual 7 Days in May. Join us in the general forum May 23-29 for a week full of challenges. Test your scrapping skills. Bring a friend to join in on the fun. Feel free to snag this flyer and let your friends know where you will be hanging out May 23-29th. (Right click on the image and choose Save As). You won't want to miss it! And on another [really exciting] note: Announcing a special promotion where you can purchase a Silhouette SD, a package of white flocked heat transfer material, a package of teal heat transfer material, and a package of dark pink heat transfer material all for $219! That's a savings of $125, just for you, my friends! This special promotion will run from May 17-25th. I keep dreaming of a Silhouette. Get more info here.

Mondays In May

At Jessica Sprague. Every Monday in May you will have the opportunity to purchase an item from a designer and receive an item of equal or lesser value from that same designer for FREE! No coupon codes needed. Just fill your cart up with goodies and watch the magic happen! Keep in mind that you will not be able to use coupons or gift certificates during this special, so hold on to them until Tuesday. You can, however, use a coupon or gift certificate if you are just purchasing a class as classes are not included in this special. You can also use a coupon or gift certificate if you are purchasing only one item per designer. This special will end at midnight eastern time. So, for example, if you want to purchase the new "Tabbed Alpha Set" from In the Making Designs (which I know you're gonna want to), you can choose another one of the In the Making Designs products that is $3.99 or less, add it to your cart, and that price will be deducted from your total! Woo hoo! **I took this wording directly from the site because they said it much better than I would have :).

Super Saturday

First up is this really cool poster. After admiring and searching for the perfect color a few years ago I finally decided to just make my own. Exactly like I wanted it. Today I decided that this paper would made an awesome backgroujnd. I love how it turned out. The paper is In The Making Designs Retro Mango Paper Pack. If you'd like to customize your own poster [8.5 x 11] you can download my template here in the box. This page was made using a template from In The Making Designs It's A Start Template Pack 5. I still laugh everytime I remember *I* with his sunchair parked underneath that tree. He was right. It was a great spot to have a good day. He totally made mine. Get more details and product links here.

Embracing my inner pink and loving the simplicity of this page. Made with In The Making Design Indulgence Elements + Paper Packs. I just can't get enough of those glasses.

I love how this one turned out. Every once in a while that will happen for me. I used the In The Making Design Retro Mango Paper Pack + Tabbed Alpha [coming Monday!] the template and paint smears I did myself.

So that's my lineup of this months JS projects. I hope this doesn't become a trend. I'm feeling like a complete flake...

Playing Ketsup

a small attempt at being clever and a big reminder that ketsup is really a goofy word. I'm just saying. So, this month really ran away with me. It's been nice in some ways, but now comes the day of accountability. I've not shared my projects. Here you go in a big whirlwind of JS products: one: I can't! I don't have any two feet! Girlie cracks me up. two: Polka Party! I wish I really did have one. Really. I'll share a little joke instead: The other day I left my accordian in the backseat of my car while I ran into the store. When I came back I realized that I forgot to lock the doors because now there were three accordians in the backseat :). I've always wanted to have a polka party... three: A while back Liv made these really great brushes for labeling photos. Today, while looking for a project to do and at the same time lamenting the fact that I can't get my kids to do anything [is there a way to underline + italicize + superhighlight that word?] I thought maybe a bit of personal responsibility might be in order. Voila... A kids weekly calendar. We'll have a family planning session later on tonight.

2.for.Tuesday

one: A feelings/ASL book template made by Nisa Fiin [Splendid Fiins at JS]. I really have no words for how awesome this project is. I knew immediately that my kids would love it. The girl was such a ham while taking the photos too. I wasn't sure if we'd get photos of her or if we'd need to use the incredibly cute ones included in the template. I'm so glad we got her to play it up. It's so much fun to watch her watching herself.

To make the book I printed the photos and mod podged them to a board book the kids got at Wendy's. I put mod podge over the photos to seal them from dirty fingers as well. I did use an exacto knife and sanding block to get the edges lined up nicely and I inked them to make it pretty where it was sanded. That's pretty much it. Oh, the little camera thingy on the back cover is from Cosmo Cricket Boyfriend Elements. I think it's awesome!

Please note: I resized the template to 5x5 in order to fit the book I had. The template comes print ready for a bookmaker like PaperKiwi or Blurb or whatever. Also, it comes with another page template with space to put lots more photos of each feeling. This preview is of the ones I did because of the space I had in the boardbook. two: Click Cards. I made these using Liv.E Click Elements available Monday at JS. I've been working on my own cards etc. for a Project Life [365] album we've been working on. It's still in it's very basic stages but I think I'm getting close to being on top of it the way I'd like it. See, my problem is that I like 8.5 x 11 albums so I didn't want to buy the kit. I make things way too hard on myself!