CraftyEngineer

Back to School (kid gifts)!

Okay, well I couldn't just make something for the teachers and nothing for the kids, right? Well, what do you make for 2nd graders when you don't know the class yet. I mean I have a class list and I know most of the kids in there but still, what if there is some last minute switching around, etc.

So, I wanted to make something:

1. useful
2. generic
3. cute but not baby-ish... they are "2ND" graders (can you hear my son saying "I'm in  2nd grade now M.O.M." in a tilt-your-head-duh-kinda-way? highly annoying by the way!)

Hmm, up for the challenge? Sure, why not. I know. How about trusty old bookmarks? Okay, so I didn't say "fun" was one of the criteria but bookmarks can be fun. Right?

These bookmarks are laminated so as to last until at least the end of this week ;).

All stamps by A Muse Artstamps. *Did I mention that I love, *LOVE* the back to school release! :)

What do you think?

Happy Tuesday! And happy first day of school to everyone else that I know that got that one extra day of summer!

Back to School (teacher gifts)!

Today is the first day of 2nd grade! WOW, 2nd grade. Why is it that elementary school for my oldest is flying by and preschool for my youngest (which hasn't started yet!) goes so slowly? How can time be different for me for each kid? I don't get it.

My friend, Veronica, always tells me that I work best under pressure or a deadline. I try to not believe her. Ever. But she must be right. I've had ALL summer to craft and make gifts and get ahead, etc. etc. but did I do that? Um, no. So, YESTERDAY... the day before school starts among all the laundry, grocery shopping, etc. I decided to make the teachers a little something.

I'm a huge fan of my friend, Lexi Daly. She's on the A Muse team but she also makes the cutest invitations and party stuff. Check out her blog. You'll be blown away. So creative. Anyway, Lexi came to Austin a couple of weeks ago and we had lunch. She comes to Austin once a year and I think we have a tradition now of meeting up. So fun. Anyway, Lexi, of course had the cutest back-to-school teacher idea on her blog the other day. I've always wanted to do some kind of teacher survival kit thing for a gift. I even have a great poem for each thing that you put in the kit. The problem with that is all the stuff together would cost $30 just to get 1 of each item (because you have to buy the whole package!) and it's not cute enough for that price! Lexi's version though is so doable. LOVE IT. I completely CASED her idea with a couple of minor changes. THANKS LEXI!

So mine has the following things in it: 4 little note cards and envelopes, purell, advil, nuggets, mints.

I like to my son's past teachers and the principal (since I work with her so closely on the website) a little something so I ended up making 4 for them and 2 for preschool (NEXT WEEK - look Veronica, I'm ahead there!).

Did I mention that the A Muse Back To School release is my favorite? Perfect for all of this school stuff. Love the lined paper! ;)

Thanks for stopping by. Happy First Day of School!

Check it out!

One of my past teacher gifts has been mentioned on Tip Junkie! WOHOO! I was thrilled that they asked me! At least, something crafty is happening somewhere!

Things around here are a bit nutso, but such is life this time of year, I suppose. Wanna recap?

• 3 weeks ago, took my studio apart. Literally. In fact, it's still not together.
• 2 weeks ago, went to Mexico - Maya Riviera - wonderful, fun, relaxing; My 3 year-old decided that being in a foreign country would be a good time to potty train. SWIM DIAPERS were the key! Why, oh why didn't anyway tell me that? I would have tried that a long time ago. In any case, he hasn't looked back and it was so *simple* <knock on wood>. No more diapers means more $ for stamps ;)
• 1 week ago, I bought 2 large kitchen counter island things from IKEA for my studio. Put them together over the weekend. They are in place but nothing is put away yet. I am worrying on it in 5-10 min intervals and getting rid of stuff just as fast as I can (have to - there is no where to put anything!) Look for lots of stuff for sale soon! ;)
• Monday, as in 4 days ago.... my 3 year old broke his collarbone. Um, yeah. You've probably heard me say this before but I'm extremely lucky that I have "quiet" boys but apparently quiet boys fall of the couch too. Yes, he fell off the couch while playing with his brother. Ouch. 6-8 weeks. Wears a sling 24/7 to keep his arm from moving to reduce the pain. He doesn't complain at all. And seems very content in following the "rules". His preschool starts in 2 weeks. Let's see how that goes.
• Yesterday, was the day that the elementary school teachers call and let you know who your child's teacher is. We are extremely happy with the one we got! And more importantly are thrilled that some friends are in his class! School starts Monday. AAAAAGGGGHHHHHH. I am not ready. Me. Not ready.
• With school starting, I've been up to my gils in website updates, newsletters, and pta stuff. All this stuff is making the time fly by and I just want to hang on to summer a bit longer... please :)

Okay, that's it in a nutshell. I *really* hope to start crafting again. I'm thinking that my room will never get done at this point so I should just start creating but I think I should clear the floor enough to walk in the room, eh? I'll try to take pictures sometime soon! Maybe after school starts? Who knows!

I hope all is well at your end and that you have a great day!

Sucker!

Me. That is. I've been trying to be so good for the past few months... trying to only buy stuff that I'll use or *need*! And then WHAM! this Scottie Dog barked at me at my LSS last month. It's a Quick Kutz die and it's a "limited edition". Know that means, right? It means better. buy. it. right. now. or. it'll. be. gone. forever. DOH. or I should say SUCKER! GAH. I am a dog lover. I am. I have 2 dogs. Never had a Scottie but still had to get it. WHAT???

Alright so I decided to use it for some birthday thank yous that I needed to make. Isn't this doggie cute? See what I mean? I saw a sample at my LSS similar to this with a plaid background and thought if I paired it with the A Muse gingham paper, I think it worked out pretty well. The thank you sentiment is by Memory Box.

I think this is one of my first die cut cards. I'm not sure if I like die cut cards. But it was fun to make. I'll have to try some more sometime.

In other news, we're back from vacation in Mexico and school starts in a week and half. Sadness. I'm not ready.  It's been a great summer with my boys. They are at a great age now and much less "work". More time for fun. I need to get crackin' on some back to school stuff here soon. A few weeks ago, I tore my studio apart and haven't put it back together yet. Need to do that in a flash so I can get to creating again! Anyway, thanks for stopping by. 

 

amuse-bouche - It's a girl!

Rocker, that is! OH, how long we've waited for a girl rocker! Pretty cool, eh?

Lots of new stuff on this card: the images, the papaya notes, and the papaya and red dots ribbon!

I really like "her". I think she's perfect for girlfriend cards with this sentiment or the classic "you rock" one. I think she'll be stamped pretty often!

In my limited supplies, I didn't bring many Copic markers with me. I *almost* left them at home and brought my pencil set but I couldn't do it. I brought a few Spicas with me including the gold Spica. I thought that gave her a great sparkly gold lamay rocker shirt! And her red boots and guitar are sparkly, too!

See the sparkles?

I hope you've checked out the rest of the team and have enjoyed the amuse-bouche this time around. I certainly have loved this release and will be certain to use it a lot more!

Happy Wednesday!

amuse-bouche - YAY cheerleaders!

Do you remember this cheer? Brings back so many high school memories for me...

Remember, I'm playing my own version of a limited supply challenge! I brought a pair of paper snips with me but no paper cutter (I usually bring a little one!)

I'm no good at cutting a straight line with scissors on a big piece of paper!

Isn't this cheerleader cute! Her pompoms have lemon spica on them for added sparkle!

Thanks for stopping by!

amuse-bouche - everyday fun!

Hello! Or should I say Hola!??

I'm in Mexico right now! And having a great time. I, however, did not finish my amuse-bouche before I left so in a quick dash, I packed one ziploc bag full of stamping stuff. As you may remember, I travel with my stuff often. Stamping is just relaxing to me so I love to take it with me. I wasn't planning on bringing any this time but ... well, I *had* to! I love this release so much, I had to play along. It's an interesting exercise in having "limited supplies" though! After this is all over, I'll show you a picture of what I brought! (can't show you just yet ;))

In any case, I got to stamp a bit today...

More from Mandy's World!

Isn't she the cutest? I swear these girls are so much fun!

And I *love* ice cream :)

Alright... check out the other girls on the team for more stuff and the A Muse blog! And be sure to check your LSS for the stamps!

amuse-bouche - Teacher Appreciation

I've already said how I love this release. One of the things I love most about it is all of the images I will be able to use for upcoming teacher gifts, like this saying... "The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book". That's a saying from this awesome (AWESOME!) clear set. Other new stamps are the wood frame and the apple (love that it's a nice solid image!). Did you see the new red polka dot ribbon, too? Oh and the papaya note card is new too!

Fun, fun, fun! Have you seen any of the other creations from the team? Lots of great ideas out there!

Thanks for stopping by!

amuse-bouche: Introducing Mandy's World

Mandy's world! Aren't they the cutest? I picked the Hawaiian girl because we LOVE Hawaii. I went there a couple of times before I got married, we honeymooned there, my SIL had her wedding there, and even my son's name is Hawaiian!

Have a great day!