What have I gotten myself into...

This great big box of goodies arrived at my door today! It's filled with all the goodies to create the 31 scrapbooks with my students. Now I get to spend this weekend cutting and prepping all these paper packs--yikes!

I should have thought this through better. I have parents coming next week to help the kids out with putting the pages together, but I should have asked for volunteers to cut and prep! Oh well, I'm still super excited about this project. I almost have my pages finished as samples. I'll be sharing those soon.

Off to organize (and maybe play a little--I did add a few things of my own to bump the order up for more free goodies). Stay tuned.

P.S. Have you tried out Studio J yet?

Studio J is Here!

This fabulous program is now available to everyone! Remember those layouts I posted from my trial run with it? No? Maybe this will jar your memory:

The program is easy to use--just drag and click to make fabulous digital layouts. I received my first printed layouts and they are fabulous! All I had to do was pop them into page protectors.

I love it because it's digital scrapbooking, but it uses all of Close To My Heart's gorgeous papers, Stickease and embellishments.

Not ready to give up paper and ink? Use the program to plan your pages before you scrap them.

Give it a try. You can go in and play with the program for free. You only pay for the layouts you decide to have printed. For more FAQs or to play with Studio J, visit www.moments2treasure.myctmh.com

Happy Scrapping!!

Stay tuned...

I am starting the mother of all scrapbooking projects. I've never attempted a scrapbook class for 31. Now picture this--the 31, well they are 7th graders. I must be crazy, right?! We are working on a research project right now, researching an ancestor (grandparent or further back). It's a project I've done before thanks to the planning and organization of a wonderful mentor teacher my first year teaching. The project was her brainchild; I've just tweaked it a bit. This year, I'm blessed to be at a school where I have a budget for field trips and projects, so I thought, why not turn the project into a scrapbook? We can make it into an art project, and I'll teach about layout, balance, design. We start the scrapook part of it next week, so I'm trying to get my sample pages together this week and get everything ordered.


I'm both enthusiastic and a little apprehensive about an undertaking this big. My students, however, are beyond excited. They keep asking when we get to start on the scrapbook. We made a scrapbook a few months ago for a student who was leaving (one 8x8 page for each student) and they loved it. Even the boys got into it and were so proud of their pages. I think this will be meaningful and fun.


I'm starting with a page that I've shown on here before. This is my grandma who passed away almost 2 years ago. I'll be focusing my pages this time on her.

A Couple Miracle Cards

I was playing with the scraps from my Miracle kit and came up with these cards. I still haven't finished my layouts yet. I'm trying to find the perfect pictures.

Sorry, no new artwork from me...but a "Miracle" awaits

I'm working on some with the FABULOUS new Miracle kit from Close To My Heart! You can order this new kit starting today. Here's the details:

Contents:

5-Colonial White Cardstock

1-Bamboo Cardstock

1-FLoral B&T

1-Stripe B&T

2-B&T Duos Die Cuts

1-6X6 My Stickease

1 6X9 Irrisistables Chipboard Die Cuts

1 Mini-Medley Accents Collection

12" Waxy Flax

3-4"x6" Flip Flaps

2 Sponge Wedges

1Brochure with instructions

How you can get this kit:

From April 15-May 31--While Supplies Last!

*Purchase the kit for $19.95

*Place a minimum order of $40, purchase the kit for $10

*Place a minimum order of $60, purchase the kit for $5

*Host a Home Gathering, earn the kit FREE (minimum $300 gathering)

*Sign Up to be a consultant, receive a FREE kit

Veranda Cards part 1

After being inspired by Christine Adams' beautiful cards, I decided I had to try the Wishes Workshop with Veranda papers. Here are a couple of cardsI made. I think I'll have to use the Filigree Charms on a couple of the others.

Springtime

This is one of my favorite newer stamp sets, but today is the first time I've had a chance to play with it. I used Caboodle papers to paper piece the boots and umbrella. I think I may go back and mat the sentiment because I'm not sure it stands out enough, but overall I love it.

We've had chilly weather and snow and rain for the last week, so it's definitely a soggy spring here.

Happy Easter

A simple card for today, but one with a strong message for the day. I hope everyone has a blessed Easter.

Veranda papers and He Is Risen stamp set.

Christmas Calendar...a few months late

I started this calendar as a Christmas gift for my mom. Last night, I decided to finally finish it so that she could have it for Easter. Luckily, the bottom of the calendar pages were blank, so she can use it from this April through next March. Better late than never I guess.

The calendar and pages were a kit I bought at Archivers. It came with papers and embellishments for each month.

I don't know why June's picture is sideways. I tried to update and upload it four times before deciding it could just stay sideways. Frustrating.

Grandpa's Birthday Studio J Layout

My favorite part of Studio J? The speed. These were pictures we took on the trip we took last week. We got home on Saturday night, and I created the layout on Sunday. I could have created my layouts on the trip if I'd had Internet connection. Imagine being on vacation and scrapping your pictures in the evening in your hotel room. Amazing!

The kit I used was Rough and Tumble, a retired kit that is no longer available to purchase, but with Studio J, I can still create with it. The original kit was a little childish, but by picking and choosing which papers I wanted to use, it was perfect for the occasion.

Oscar Mayer Studio J Layout

Something else to love about Studio J--I've managed to post every day this week! This layout is actually backwards. The two pages should be switched so that it reads "I Wish I Were An Oscar Mayer Weiner." You'll just have to picture it this way. Also, the colors seem a little off from when it was originally on my screen. The colors did match the Weinermobile a little better.

This photo shoot was purely an lucky accident. My mom called as we were driving home, and told us we had to stop at Albertson's. When I pulled into the parking lot, there was the Weinermobile. THe boys were so excited, especially when they got to go in. The only disappointment was that there were no hot dogs. Brendan was adament that there should have been--lol.

Papers were Free Spirit with Autumn Terracotta embellishments.

Pumpkin Patch Studio J Layout

I used the Halloween papers (a Studio J exclusive) to create this fun layout from our trip to the pumpkin patch. I love that I could use the Stickease embellishments to fit the pumpkin theme.

Happy April Fool's Day. Hope all your pranks were fun ones :)