Super Teacher

 Our theme at school this year has been "Super Heroes" and I decided to go with that theme for the entire Teacher Appreciation Week. It wasn't what I truly wanted to do, but I thought it would keep the entire year cohesive. So,..one of the days is to keep your super teacher fueled with their favorite snacks. My daughter's teacher mentioned that Diet Coke and Mike and Ike's are her favorites.  I got to work making a super easy card!

 The main panel is from the "Comic Strip" pattern paper collection from PTI and I also used the "Zappy Birthday" set as well for the other sentiments and images. The Teacher die is from PTI as well and it is is the same one I used on my previous post. I simply stacked it about 5 times on the lemon tag.  I added a few sequins, an apple die cut and a few books to the bottom.

 Most die hard Diet Coke lovers will probably like the idea of their can/bottle being robed in a cape at all times! LOL! I had a scrap of red felt and wrapped it around the bottle and it was a perfect fit! I made two holes with my crop-a-dile and threaded some blue baker's twine through to tie it.

 Pardon the glue that hadn't dried yet, when I took the pictures. I was in a hurry. It is dry now, though, and looks awesome! She mentioned that Wonder Woman is her favorite super hero and that she loves her invisible jet. I used the plane die cut that coordinates with the "Little Hot Rods" set from PTI. I thought it worked out pretty well. The two WW were die cut as well and then everything was glued on with fabric glue.I hope she gets a chuckle out of her super coke!

 When I was diecutting the apple, I remembered that the diecut that cuts the stack of books looks just like a city skyline. I think one of the PTI team members did that at one time...it has sunk into my subconscious from somewhere. I decided to make a cute little gift card holder. I used some metallic silver DMC floss to create wonder woman's "truth lasso". That was my favorite part of playing Wonder Woman as a kid...we would loop our jump ropes on our hip to be our truth lassos! LOL! I also used the comic strip paper on this project.

 Onto my last project of the post. I thought I would be able to recreate a skyscraper looking box, but in the end my family has voted more on it looking like a Tardis from Dr. Who! LOL! OH well....hopefully she'll kindof get it!? I made the box and then added lots of squares cut out of the comic strip pattern paper to mimic the windows of a building.

I made a little dome for the top (which is where my husband said it took a Tardis turn), but I was having so much fun! LOL! Oh well! Thanks for fluttering by and have a SUPER day!

Teacher's {lemony} Thank You!

 For those of you that don't know, Teacher Appreciation Week is next week. I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but I am in charge of putting it all together this year for our Elementary School. I have been crazy busy for the last month getting everything ready and putting gifts together, planning food and decorations, etc. I knew that if my daughter's teacher was going to get anything nice from me this year, it would need to get put together THIS week! Hopefully all of this planning will allow me to be on my A game for the rest of the teachers!  So...I went shopping Saturday and bought lots of fun goodies that her teacher should love. We had each of the teacher's fill out a spotlight so that the kids could get their teachers stuff they like. Each day there will be a fun thing for them to do, if they choose. I didn't make each day actually have a gift, but for me personally, I will send one each day.

I got some yummy new lotion at Bath and Body Works called "New Cotton and Lemonade" or something like that and knew right away I could put together a super fun lemony, lemonade teacher gift. I have used the saying "Thank you for "ade" ing Emma this year" or something cheesy like that when I have given lemonade in the past. I decided to throw the cheesy saying out and go for something sweet. Believe me, I have used TONS of cheesy sayings while putting this whole week together! I actually love me a cheesy saying, but decided to only write something like that on the inside of the card that you can see a few photos down.

 I found a really cute lemonade pitcher at Walmart and loved the flowers and colors. I don't have any lemon stamps that would work well for this look so I got to work stitching up a fun felt lemon. I really didn't want all of that hard work and hand stitching to go to waste and potentially get thrown away, so I decided to turn it into a magnet she can use afterward.  I used an inch or so of adhesive magnet tape attached with hot glue to the back of the lemon slice. Easy and oh-so-cute...but how to attach it?!? My brain whirled and problem solved to come up with this handy dandy idea.

 You can see the back of the magnet here and you can probably see something behind the doily as well. I simply hot glued two paper clips underneath the doily in the exact angle that I wanted the lemon to sit. Voila! It worked perfectly. It was just enough metal for the magnet to cling to. I love when I come up with simple, workable solutions to life's crafty problems!

 The lemon was stitched using DMC floss in white and yellow. The lemon is a diecut from the stitching line from PTI. I just love how it turned out with this project and I love that it can be used for something practical!

 Here is a closeup of the pitcher. It it has a super cute design on it and it was easy to recreate the look with stamps.

I made a quick card to tuck inside the pitcher with all of the other lemon goodies! I did write a cheesy quote inside! Ha Ha! I am going to be whipping up a few batches of lemon sugar scrub to go along with the gift and give to a few other special people as well! Thanks for fluttering by and stay tuned for lots of other fun teacher ideas!

Ahoy...it's another baby boy!

 I realized that the title of my post might seem as though I have something to announce. Rest assured, I don't! LOL! I just have some more nautical baby projects to share with you.  I'm helping with a baby shower tonight and the theme is "under the sea/nautical" so I thought I would make a gift to match the theme. I also made some of the decorations that I will share once I get them all set up at the shower. It's not at my home, so hopefully I can get some good shots without seeming like a freak! Ha Ha! I have made a lot of sewn projects here that you can see if you are interested.

 I found this awesome ribbon at Hobby Lobby with the gold printed anchors. I just love it and helped me pull in so much gold, especially the embossed gold sentiments that I love!

 I also added some decorative tape to the bottom as well. I like using this on baby projects for some reason. Someone asked me recently which brand it was: It is Creative Co-Op. Hope that helps! My mom gave it to me for Mother's Day last year and I have no idea where she picked it up.

 I also found the anchor embossing folder at Hobby Lobby and I just love it. I used it for the favors as well, which I will have to share later because while they are all cut, folded and ready to go, I can't fill them up yet since they will have swedish fish in them and I don't want them to get hard. I will share them after I get them completely done!

 I thought it would be fun to make a "ship in a bottle" type tag for the gift basket.  I was originally going to make a origami paper boat, but decided to just use the stamp for cohesiveness. I think it turned out quite cute. The wave image is from "The Cat's Pajamas" and I stamped it onto two different pattern papers and trimmed it out. The cloud image is from PTI's "Little  Hot Rod" set. I added some gold sequins and seed beads for some shaker action! Again, the sentiment was embossed in gold.

 My new favorite gift is to make one of these baby's first year flip books. I have shared a few over the last month or so. They are quite easy to make, just time consuming to get all of the darling die cut details just right! Once you get those all done, it is smooth sailing...no pun intended!

 You can see a few of the inside details here.

 I made another pair of felt booties and got them all packaged up in a clear box. I just love the boutique feel it gives them.

 I chose a nice aqua mist felt for the shoes! So fresh and fun!

 I added a strap to the booties with a tiny anchor button for detail! I really like how these turned out!

This is one of the decorations that I made for the shower that will double as a gift. I saw this idea on Pinterest and knew it would be super easy to recreate! Nailed it! LOL!

{Berry} Sweet Secretary's Day!

Strawberry Fields Forever! I kept singing that song while I was putting all of this together! LOL! I have been crafting up a strawberry storm these past few days and boy has it been fun! Before that, I was working on another baby shower gift which I will share later. So much crafting, and now time for sharing!  Today is Secretary Day and the only Secretaries in my life are the cute ladies at the school. I thought that making some cute berry baskets and berry goodies would be so "berry" sweet!  I told the PTA president that I would make something for them as well as serve some Strawberry Shortcake in the teacher's lounge to tie it all together.

I made eight baskets and eight coordinating berry items for each one. It is so nice to do everything assembly line!  The thing that took the longest was each of the baskets and maybe the banners for each of them.  I used the PTI banner builders die cuts and then sewed them all together. So fun!

I made some quick three by three cards with a cute stamped sentiment and some red baker's twine. I really liked how the pink broke up all the red and green and made it feel fresh and cute!

I had this cute fabric leftover from some Christmas projects and it ended up being perfect!  When I originally bought it, I didn't even really notice the cute berries on it. I love it when everything works out like that. It also tied in the pink from the card as well. These are just some simple tissue cozies that I LOVE to make. I have made so many of these over the years I have lost count. It is always fun when I see one of the recipients pull a tissue out of their purse on random occasions and I spy one of my creations! Yay for form and function, right? I had originally made these little tags to go on the outside of the baskets where the banners are, but when the banner idea popped into my head, these little guys needed to go somewhere else. I actually love how they look clipped onto the cozie and it hides that tissue packaging perfectly.

Every secretary needs some office supplies, right? And, they needed to be something that I could make with supplies I had on hand. I quickly die cut a few flowers and leaves, stitched them together and hot glued them to some oversized paper clips....ta-da....bookmark! I made some at Valentine's Day time as well.  On to the pincushions; I am personally in love with these little things. I made up a quick pattern and easily traced it onto some leftover fabric. Sewed it up, stuffed it and added the felt tops and a button for added detail! So easy and super cute! I don't know if secretaries use pin cushions, but I'd start if I could use one of these!

Each basket also had some Lindt chocolate balls, strawberry bon bons and some strawberry hand sanitizer! I had so much fun putting all of these together! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I apologize for the last few photos. My camera ran out of batteries so I had to use my phone.

Sail away, Baby Boy!

 If you will recall when I made this card, I mentioned that I would be making some handmade baby items to go along with it. Well...I finally got them done. Emma and I ended up by missing the shower, so my deadline was no longer pressing and I procrastinated.  In the end, I had a lot of fun putting everything together...I don't know why I procrastinate SO much!  I did, however, reduce the amount of work for myself. I bought fabric to make 3 different bow ties but only made one. The main part of the gift was a pair of shorts, a golf style shirt and a Carter's romper. Each of the outfits will look darling sporting a tiny bow tie and these adorable sailor booties!

 I made a quick label to go on top of the box I gussied up for the shoes. I just used the same papers and everything that I used for the card so it was quick and easy, but has a nice boutique feel! Just what I was going for!  The stamp set is "Bitty Baby Blessings" from PTI.

 The bow tie was easy to make and the funnest part is packaging it up. Again, I used the same paper as the card for continuity.  If anyone is interested in a bow tie tutorial, I can add one on my other blog.  I have taken a few different ideas and come up with some of my own As a mom of boys, I have learned what works best for us!  I'd love to share some of my tips and tricks!

 I normally would post all of these items on my Thimbles and Thread blog, but since most of these things were made using my stamping supplies, I opted to post them here, too. I might get around to posting something over there as well, Or...maybe I'll procrastinate! LOL!

Anyway, you can see these super cute sailor shoes I made. They were made using the die cuts from PTI which makes it super easy. I can't wait to make up more of these fun shoes. Since these are my first try, I kept them super simple and only added a button for detailing. Now that I have worked out a few of the kinks, I will try some of the other die cut options that I also bought. The felt is from MFT and the floss is DMC. Thanks for fluttering by!

Celebrating {YOU} today

{Have courage and be kind}...can you guess which movie I went and saw last night? That's right, Cinderella! I absolutely LOVED it! I took my daughter and we had such a good time together.  Today's card was inspired by it as well. I love, love, love the french country look and I used Ella's dress that she was wearing when she and her mom were outside their Chateau as the main inspiration!

 I also decided to participate in a
challenge that I stumbled across today while "pinning" teacher appreciation ideas.  Someone had "pinned" a card that led me to the challenge. You can read about it here . In traveling to find that challenge, I also found this challenge, which I think this card fits those parameters as well.  I haven't been a "challenge" kind of gal in quite a while and as I was reflecting on that, I realized that maybe that has a part to play with the cobwebs that seem to be clinging to my creativity. So...with that being said, I think I will be playing and having a little bit more fun!  Funny story for today...I took time out of my morning to make this card and thus, I was late getting my kids lunch, which led to me running around like a chicken with its head cut off getting my son ready to go to preschool, which led to him saying, "If you didn't make THAT card, I wouldn't be late!" which led to me being curt with my husband when he called as I was frantically dashing around trying to get his shoes, etc. which ALL led to him calling to tell me preschool was....CANCELLED today!  Seriously? LOL!

 Today's card features an oldie, but definitely a goodie as well as a new set from PTI.  I like how well they mix together for a fun card!  The older set is "Rosie Posie that I used for the leaf layer as well as the two red flowers and the new set is "You've been framed; Oval" mini stamp set....LOVE!  I really love the way the two symmetrical designs really make everything come together. I had originally planned on having the oval focal image simply be a "flower" for the stem, but really liked the ornate design it made when paired with its twin.  I think I am going to have to use this in the future. I used a piece of vellum that is adhered directly to the white base and stamped the background image that comes with the "Rosie Posie" set in white onto the vellum. It is hard to see in the photo, but if you look closely at the right corner on the bottom you can make it out. It is subtle, but adds just the right touch.

I love the way the doily is sandwiched between the two blue layers for just a hint of extra detail. I also added some baker's twine and a few white sequins to finish it off. It has a lot of layers but I still think it has a nice clean feel as well.  Thanks for fluttering by!

Always here for you

 I got some new stamping goodies in the mail last week but didn't have a chance to use them since I was working on my fun Easter projects. Well...I made a little time to get inky this morning and use one of the new sets I bought.  I can tell it will be a new favorite!  It is called Brushed Blooms from PTI and was just released last month.

 I also decided to play along with this week's Make It Monday challenge: ombre stamping! While this isn't a new technique, it is a trendy one.   I inked up each piece to create the floral scene using different colors to create the ombre effect.  I did run into a few snags as I needed to add the shadows to the fowers which decreased the ombre appearance. I thought about graduating the ink on those as well, but thought it might get too distracting, so they were just stamped in one color.

I also added some dew drops to the flowers and leaves as well as a few vellum butterflies for some added interest.  Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I have once again over committed myself so I will be busy as a bee this month making baby shower decorations and putting together Teacher Appreciation Week projects, so stay tuned!

Easter Blessings!

 What do you do when you're short on time? Work smarter, not harder! That's {Eggs}actly what I did when putting these 3 different Easter projects together!  Each project uses the same images, layout and paper, but used in 3 different ways.

 I bought these cute little buckets last month at Dollar Tree. I have learned that if you like something, buy it...it won't be there next time you go.  I knew they would be perfect to put together a few sweet treats for some ladies in the neighborhood that I visit teach.

 I paper pieced the egg shell using Pretty Patstels pattern paper from PTI and the chick image is an old set from SU! called "A Good Egg". The sentiments that I used are from PTI's "Tags for Spring".

 I whipped up three little box baskets from Gable Green cardstock. These will go to the three ladies I work closely with at church. I bought some tiny chocolate bunnies and some chocolate candies to put inside. I always like giving little treats like this to my friends and family.

 You can see the felt rick rack that I stitched down on the handle here. I also popped up the shell using some dimensionals for added detail. The shells were also outlined with Star Dust Stickles for shine!  Thanks for fluttering by and if I don't post again before Easter, have a Blessed and Beautiful day!

"He is not here; He is Risen"
I know that my Redeemer Lives!