Future Crafter?

You decide.

Teacher Gifts with Top Note Die Bag Topper

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week at daycare, but since we were gone for half the week, we didn't really have a chance to add anything to Evie's teachers' goody bags. We got them a little something over the weekend and I decided to make a little bag topper for the gifts with the Top Note die (the cello bags already came with).



I scored and folded each die cut in half, then stamped with a background stamp in a neutral color. Then I stamped in brighter colors with two different flowers stamps using generational stamping. Finally, the sentiment I just stamped using a dark brown. Turned out pretty well for a quick stamping project.

10 Minute Craft Dash #17 - Mother's Day 2013 Card

I decided to give the 10 Minute Craft Dash on the Pretty Pink Posh blog a try since I was a big fan of the colors this time around.


My card, for Mother's Day this Sunday:



My time:


Ten minutes was definitely tough (and a bit stressful) and wouldn't have been possible without planning and getting supplies ready. I sketched out the card design beforehand and wrote down all the measurements so that I would know what pieces needed to be cut out. I also laid out all the stamps and ink that I planned to use so I could just grab and use them right away. I'm usually more of a perfectionist, but ten minutes doesn't give you any time to fuss. Maybe all my cards would go faster if I did as much pre-planning for them as I did for this card.

Silence Means Trouble

When it comes to kids, silence means trouble. We experienced that earlier this week when we discovered that Evie had taken a black permanent marker to several areas of Greg's aunt Kris's office. Oh, the horrors.

On Tuesday morning, I went to go get ready for the day. About ten minutes later, Greg joined me in the bathroom to get ready for the day as well. When we finished getting ready, we went to the den where Greg's mom was and Evie wasn't there. Maybe she's with Greg dad? We walk to the bedroom where Greg's dad was and Evie wasn't there either. It's been oddly quiet this whole time and we walk next to the office, the door to which was closed. Maybe we'll find that she's fallen asleep for a nap in there? When we opened the door, what we found was just the opposite. Evie was standing in the middle of the office, fist full of markers and pens, including an uncapped highlighter and uncapped black Sharpie. I felt a little bit like Eddie Murphy in the "I missed" bathroom scene from Daddy Day Care, about the 35 second mark of this video (although I will admit that poop is worse):


There was marker on just about everything within her arm's reach - closet door, bedroom door, portable crib, exercise equipment, framed art, easel, desk, chair, carpet, and her own hands, legs, clothes, and mouth. It. Was. Horrifying. Particularly because it was someone else's house and stuff. And it was a Sharpie. A Sharpie.

I took a few pictures of the aftermath, though not of everything since we were in damage control/clean up mode.

Closet door (this was after Greg had already cleaned off half of the markings):

Bedroom door (we didn't even see this at first until we walked into the room to inspect further):

Evie's hands/legs/clothes (could've been worse . . .):


Fortunately, between the cleaning supplies Kris had at her house and some denatured alcohol that we went out and got at Home Depot, plus some light sanding for one thing, it all came out. Hopefully we didn't stress Kris out too much (sorry, Kris!). I think this is one of those stories that will get told down the road when Evie is older. :D

Tigger Love Layout

Finished a layout over the weekend of Evie in her Tigger outfit:





I have a couple other layouts I'm working on (of Evie, of course), as well as a book of Evie's baby cards that I'm so close to finishing, which I'm pretty impressed with myself for doing some bookbinding.