Teacher Appreciation Card

Good afternoon! I have a moment in my crazy busy week, and thought I would share what I created for my son's wonderful teacher. She has a lot on her plate with a class full of first graders, and I wanted her to remember what a big role she plays in Patryk's life. 

Isn't that pretty? I used my Ultimate Tool to score and trim the accordion card, and decorated it with Crate Paper's Fourteen line. My Fiskars hexagon punch jazzed up the blue cardstock panels that are hidden on the back when the card is opened up, kind of like patchwork, and it is covered in Studio Calico wood shapes and MME enamal dots.

Now, onto the inside of the card. The stamp and sentiment, inked on the edges with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, are from the S.W.A.L.K. EZ Mount stamp set Best Teacher from Crafter's Companion, colored with my Spectrum Noir pens (that I didn't think to note for all of you wondering how I colored her up!) I had my son write a message on a sheet of white paper and inked the edges of that as well.

Because the image sticks out beyond the edge of the fold, I needed to do something to the back of it. I added a strip of paper and black Liquid Pearls. Perfect finishing touch!

I hope she loves her card, and realizes how much she means to Patryk! What did you do for your child's teachers?

xoxo

Khristen

Boys Rule Scrapbooking Kit Sketch Challenge #2

Two layouts in one weekend? Wowza! But I can't take all of the credit. Most of it is due to the fact I used sketches! Yet again, I chose to play along at the Boys Rule Scrapbook Kit blog, this time using the second sketch. Here's the sketch:

And my take on it featuring adorable little Patryk back in February of 2009 wearing his sister's scarf:

 That's what I love about sketches. They give you a starting point for your layout, and you can either copy it all as-is, or put your own personal spin on it. I chose to make a strip of two photos instead of making a photo strip, matting them together on a rectangular strip of paper. the larger 4X6 image is accented with hexagons instead of tags, and I added a fun Studio Calico arrow clip. Papers: Fancy Pants Happy Go Lucky, Elle's Stuido You & Me, and Glitz Color Me Happy, all inked with Memento Nautical Blue ink. My Mind's Eye Boy Crazy enamel dots, Silver Liquid Pearls, Glitz Color Me Happy washi (the fun arrow-looking strip where the title is placed), Fiskars hexagon punch, and My Mind's Eye Lime Twist alpha.

I'm hoping that today holds more scrappy time, but we'll have to wait and see. It all depends on how quickly we can get out of the grocery store!

xoxo
Khristen

Boys Rule Scrapbooking Sketch Challenge 1

It's been a crazy week here, ending with a nice relaxing holiday, despite all of the sugary treats consumed by my kids! Baseball, softball, and lacrosse schedules are in full swing, so there is a LOT of driving around. This doesn't leave much time for layouts to be completed in between work and home responsibilities, although I know it is short lived. When I do have time to work on a layout, it becomes essential the process is as painless as possible. I also find I am lacking in the creativity department when it comes to design, probably due to the overload our hectic schedule imposes upon my brain!

That's where sketches come in handy. I love the challenges at the Boys Rule Scrapbook Kits blog, and decided to play along this weekend. I worked on this layout on Friday, their first sketch challenge (there are two each month). Sketches take the guesswork out of paper, photo, and element placement, while allowing you to make some alterations to suit your own personal style. In this case, I didn't alter much. I loved the sketch that put the spotlight on one image!  Here's the sketch:

And here's my layout:

 Papers: Studio Calico Darling Dear (Monroe, Sinatra). October Afternoon Rocket Age Sprinkler in Night Sky for spatters, and sprayed on My Mind's Eye chipboard stars. American Crafts foam Thickers in Limeade. My CM trimmer cut the scalloped border nicely.

Head over to Boys Rule Scrapbook Kits' blog to enter your own layout into this sketch challenge, and watch for post #2 using their second sketch!

xoxo

Khristen