Graduation

It's crazytown at our house this week! It's the last week of school and this year it means my son is graduating from preschool.  I'm juggling household stuff, putting together teacher gifts, making graduation gifts and making leis.  On top of that, I'm trying to confirm summer plans while my husband has to entertain someone from the mainland all week!  Deep breath, deep breath!

I put together goodie bags for the preschoolers graduating. I always start these kinds of projects and don't think I need to put a lot of effort into them because the kids just rip into them.  But in the end, I always spend a good amount of time for my own peace of mind.  If you look closely, you'll see this photo was taken on the trunk of my car.  I was rushing to pack up my car and realized I hadn't taken a photo in the house!

My 4-year-old son is REALLY into the alphabet now so I decided to make him an "abc" lei for graduation. He already has a bunch of alphabet magnets so I bought a Scrabble game and used the alphabet tiles for this lei. I had no idea Scrabble was so expensive. The Deluxe Scrabble was almost $40! I guess I'll be teaching him how to play this summer!

Have a great week!

Making Chalkboard

There's a lot of chalkboard craze out there so I gave creating the look a try.  I have to say it was fun and  a little addicting, too!  The stamps are from Hero Arts and papers from October Afternoon.

A Rainbow of Barrettes

I needed to make a few sets of barrettes and here's what I created. I used PTI's dies and just love them!  The dies punch out the holes for stitching which make it pretty easy to assemble.  I used various fabric backed with Heat Bond and a variety of felt. Embellishing each clip with buttons, brads and felt flowers was the most fun.

Here's a close-up of one of my favorites

Here's another close-up

I don't even have a daughter but I LOVE making these. I've made them for my nieces and will be making more for all of my son's friends. LOL!

It's Sister Stamps Release #13 Day!

Get your new Sister Stamps today!  To see the list of retail locations check out the official Sister Stamps blog here!  HAPPY STAMPING!

Sister Stamps Release #13 - Shin Shin

 Thanks for stopping by for day three of Sister Stamps Release #13. Today my project features Shin Shin the panda bear.  I've been seeing different types of pocket cards while walking the isles of card stores and it inspired me to make this pocket card with a window. I kept it clean and simple to allow Shin Shin to shine.

Here's what the card looks like when you pull it out.

The stamps I've featured over the past 3 days will be available from tomorrow. To find out where you can purchase them, see the official Sister Stamps blog here.

For more ideas and creativity, check out the Sister Stamps blog here and guest designer, Eva here.

Sister Stamps Release #13 - Haruyo

Welcome to day two of Sister Stamps Release #13!  Today, I'm introducing Haruyo with her pretty hat and beautiful wisteria flowers. To be honest, I had no idea where this card was going when I started.  No grand plans but as I went along it turned into a card/gift card holder. I recently got some new Graphic 45 "Secret Garden" paper so I decided to try it.  I also tried my stamps from Hot Off the Press called "Stamped Stitches" and I love how they work. This is the perfect way to add some faux stitching without the hassle of taking out a sewing machine.

I'll be back tomorrow with one more project so hope to see you here! Also, be sure to check out the Sister Stamps' blog here and Eva's blog here for some great projects!

Sister Stamps Release #13 - Meet Li-Li

Hello there!  It's day one of my projects for Sister Stamps Release #13 and this is Li-Li!  She is so sweet carrying panda and it reminds me of a friend I had as a kid.  My favorite stuffed panda kept me company and listened to many of my stories as well as my dreams and secrets. This image brings back so many memories.

The project I want to share with you was inspired by an idea I saw at a local packaging store. I love this variation of using a cellophane bag to create a fun favor.  I used the Sizzix Box #2 die to create the box and a 4" x 9" printed cellophane bag.  Below are the instructions.  Sorry the lighting on my photos aren't the best.  I decided to add photos at the last minute to hopefully make these instructions easier to understand.

Put your box in the cellophane bag and pleat it back and forth like an accordion.  Start closest to the box and work your way up.  This way, you get the pleats tighter to the box.

Tie a ribbon around the center.

Bring up the two sides of the fan and adhere it together with double stick tape. Tie your tag on to complete.

You can use any size box and cellophane bag. I discovered that boxes with flat tops work best because it allows the ribbon to stay tight for the fan effect.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the official Sister Stamps blog as well as this month's guest designer!

See you tomorrow for more Sister Stamps mania!