Would you believe it Wednesday?

Hello blogisphere and crafty friends!  I know!  I keep turning up on Wednesdays!  I love a challenge!
 Today I'm sharing more school decor projects.
The Cricut is for more than just scrapbooking and card making, this wondrous little machine has allowed me to spruce up my girls school.
 Here's the birthday bulletin board:
This board is changed bi-monthly, each child's name
 is put up on the boardwhen it's their birthday.  This was for our summer birthdays.
I used  Life is a Beach for this one.  Cuttin' Up! was used for the Happy Birthday!

Next are signs for our schools annual family picnic.  Cuttin' Up!, Doodlecharms, Everyday Paper Dolls, Indie Art, Plantin Schoolbook, Opposites Attract, Accent Essentials, Locker Talk, Graphically Speaking, New Arrival, and more!!

(There are so many feature keys used on these items today, I can't even begin to tell you them all! )

Click the "Join" button above to

become a follower of my blog!

Never know what fun,

funky ideas you might get from me! LOL!

Remember to visit http://www.shop.ericascraftroom.com/

for some amazing deals on Cricut cartridges,

stamps, and so much more!

Join Erica's blog to learn about upcoming

Blog Hops and new exciting stuff!

Here's her addy: http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/

Have a great day and keep crafting!

Lisa

Card Creating Tuesday!

Don't ya love a handmade card?  There's just something about someone taking the time to make a special little something just for you!  I love to make them probably more than getting them!  Except the ones my kids make they are always my favorite!

Here's are two cards I made to share with you this Tuesday.  First one is a Thank You card for a wonderful friend who is just that, WONDERFUL!

I used Cindy Loo for both the tree and the words.  Cindy Loo is such a great cartridge!  Lots of fun things are on it!  I've been breaking out my Cuttlebug lately.  I seem to forget what a versatile tool it really is.  Embossing makes such a statement!

Next, is a card I made for my Mom's birthday which was yesterday.

I used Sweet Treats for this one.

The center of the flower is a button from my stash and again I embossed with my Cuttlebug!

Sneaking one more in here!

This was a card I made for a friend who made me a yummy chicken pot pie!

I used Doodlecharms for the pie and Cuttin' Up! for the Thanks!

The stamps were from Stampin' Up Just Chicken In

Hope you enjoyed today's cards! 

Thanks so much again for stopping by!

I'm posting some new stuff tomorrow as well!

This time School Decor for

Would You Believe It Wednesday?!

Click the "Join" button above to

become a follower of my blog!

Never know what fun,

funky ideas you might get from me! LOL!

Remember to visit http://www.shop.ericascraftroom.com/

for some amazing deals on Cricut cartridges,

stamps, and so much more!

Join Erica's blog to learn about upcoming

Blog Hops and new exciting stuff!

Here's her addy: http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/

Have a great day and keep crafting!

Lisa

Feeling sad, but knowing better.....

I am sitting here, thinking about the past year.  Oh, the mistakes I have made!  Too many to list.  The losses I have suffered.  My Dad, of course, being the biggest one of all.  He is thought about and loved everyday in my home.  My girls and I talk about him, so I know that they will remember him always.  The loss of my friends and even some of my family.

That one stings.

I guess I have been hoping for some sort of epiphany where they are concerned.  I haven't had one.  I am so angry and really just so disappointed.  I'm starting to hope that those feelings are subsiding.  It's something I have to live with.  I don't want it to define me, but I want those people to know that you will never truly know the pain you've caused, and the sheer disappointment that goes along with it.  I do not understand, for the life of me, how you can be so cold.

Even after all this time, still nothing.  Shame on you.  I was a great friend.  I was there in your darkest hours, I held your secrets, things that no one should be asked to keep.  But I did it for you, because you were my friend.  I wanted to be there for you when your world was falling apart.  I never thought you would turn your back on me when I was losing everything in my world.  You used me for my skills when you needed something, you constantly came to me when there was something you needed.  I never said no, I found a way to help, because I was your friend.  I never questioned your intentions because friends don't do that, I just wanted to be there for you.

Now, almost 5 months have gone by and here I sit.  Still sad, and obviously angry.  I could be nasty, and tell everyone the crap behind the scenes, but I won't.  I have apologized to those I've wronged, I will not beg, I will not be that proverbial bastard at the family reunion anymore.  I can't make you see that I'm sorry for my part in what transpired, you either forgive me or not, if you don't then I will move on and let you be, I just ask that you do that same for me.  I can't take this hurt anymore.

I know better now, I see who matters, I know who cares, my circle of "people" may be smaller than it was 5 months ago, but my eyes are wide open and my heart wants to heal.  I don't wish anyone ill, I want peace and that is my wish for you, peace...

Another Would You Believe It Wednesday?!

I know most of my fellow design team members love Card Creating Tuesday, and so do I, but Wednesday is a challenge! This week, I am again sharing some of the creations I made at my daughters' school. As you can imagine, with the economy in the toilet, school districts have cut budgets beyond recognition. All the little "extras" are gone. Teachers sometimes spends $1000's of their own money to make sure kids have a stimulating, enticing learning environment. I wanted to do my part! Here's just a few things I've made. More to follow in the coming weeks!

First up is the Van Sciver for Vision Eyeglass Donation box!  Everyday Paper Dolls provided the eyeglasses, Don Juan the words!  The scalloped border was from Plantin Schoolbook.  Yes, I made the nose!  Just folded up some paper, and voila a schnoz-o-la!

Our school has an after school program and they asked me to make them a sign to show off their art work!  Printing Press is such a fun font!  It does kinda remind me of a ransom note, but I still like it! 

Lunch Rules!  Okay, sometimes we all need to follow the rules!  This sign is over 7 feet tall!  Plantin Schoolbook and Locker Talk, PERFECT for schools! 

These next two pictures are our Writer's Wall.  The quote "Today is a great day to learn something new" is in vinyl and is permanently on the wall.  Each month a new class displays their latest work!  This was from our Resource Class who learned all about the Iditarod.  An actual dog from the race came to visit the kids!  It was amazing!  To help create this wall I used, 50 States, Everyday Paper Dolls, Zooballoo for the mountains, Graphically Speaking for Fearless, & My Community for the dogs. 

We also follow the Character Counts Program.  There are 6 pillars of Character that the children strive to live by and each month 4-6 kids from each grade are recognized and their picture goes up on the bulletin board. 

Last but not least, is the Glass Case Projects,  Here we display writing and artwork to share.  It changes each month and on this month it was the book Where the Wild Things Are!  Home Decor for the crown! 

Thanks so much again for stopping by!

Click the "Join" button above to become a follower of my blog!

Never know what fun, funky ideas you might get from me!  LOL!

Hope you enjoyed my little creations!

Remember to visit http://www.shop.ericascraftroom.com/

for some amazing deals on Cricut cartridges and stamps, and so much more!

Join Erica's blog to learn about upcoming Blog Hops and new, exciting stuff!

Here's her addy:  http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/

Have a great day and keep crafting!

Lisa

Communication~A Lost Art

Most of my posts are crafty in nature, but today I'm feeling the need to be opinionated.  I thought that I would share.
Remember when we were kids, and we'd play outside all day, just come home for a bathroom break and a snack?  We'd yell, and holler throughout the neighborhood all day long.  Kick the can, War, Tag, Whiffle Ball, whatever.  We even had a neighbor with a huge dirt pile in his backyard that let us dig for worms.  We didn't go fishing, we just dug for worms.  Weird, but we were kids!  We got dirty, really dirty.  We'd rather go to a public pool with our friends than my in ground pool, where my parents might be.  Can you imagine the embarrassment?  After dinner, when playtime was done, the Mom's in the neighborhood each ran a bell signaling the end of day, bath & bed time.  Life was good, it was easy, we were kids.  We had no worries, no cares, other than just to be kids. 
I dropped my kids off at school and saw a lady pushing her baby in a stroller, cute right?  Not really she was on her cell phone blabbing away, not even noticing that her kid had almost completely undressed from the shoes to the waist.  Then after my oldest got done field hockey practice, we drove home.  There were no kids playing outside.  No noise.  I can only guess, kids just don't play anymore.
When did we stop paying attention?  When did we stop talking?  When did the communication die?
I'm the first to admit it, I LOVE CALLER ID!  I can chose not to pick up the phone when I see someones name I really ain't in the mood to talk to at that moment.  Call waiting caller ID, GENIUS!  But you see my friends, this is where I draw the line.
The incessant texting, and emailing and sheer lack of talking bothers me.  I'm a talker ya see, I LOVE TO TALK!  I want to talk to a person not a machine.  I want human interaction, not a freakin' beep!  My cell phone doesn't ring, it quacks!  Really?!  Are we that emotionally separated from each other that we've resorted to quacking?
I still make, see MAKE my kids HAND WRITEN THANK YOU NOTES!  I said it!  Call Child Protective Services, I am mean.  They are grateful, polite kids, why you ask?  Because that how I raised 'em, that's how I was raised.  I say please and thank you.  I ask if there is anything I can bring when I'm invited somewhere, and when they say no, I bring something anyway! 
People say kids today are rude, self centered and entitled.  Yes, some are, absolutely, I even know some, but I blame their parents.  You reap what you sow people.  Apple not far from the tree, get the analogies here?  It's time we take back the communication and get back to business!  Demand your kids TALK to you, not text, teach them the art of a thank you note, go to the post office and show them what a stamp looks like, turn off the  TVs and play outside. 
We're only here for a short time, are you really going to lie on your deathbed and wish that you would have sent a text of the You Tube laughing babies to all your "friends" on Facebook?  Oh yeah, when they get the text their phone will quack.  Think about it...

Halloween Fun!

The days are shorter, the chill is in the air and Halloween is just around the corner! My girls are excited about Halloween this year! Jordan is going to be some sort of zombie college student and Hannah is an adorable Candy Corn Witch. I was feeling pretty crafty today, and after picking up some pumpkins ($.49 per pound, not too bad considering all the rain we had! Would have thought they'd be pretty pricey!), I made some decorations for my four front windows. Whadda think?!

Would You Believe it Wednesday?!

Well, I'm at it again!  I am a proud Design Team member for Erica at www.mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com!  Each day of the week Erica asks us to sign up and create something to share with all of you.  On Wednesdays, we can only use the "feature" keys on the cartridges, not the main design.  Not as easy as you might think!  Lots of time, the feature keys are cards, or words, or "pieces" for the main image.  But I am happy to share with you my creations from the feature keys!

First, I want to share my "word collage" from Preserves. There is a new cartridge which is called "Word Collage". which is fabulous, but no feature keys! So I used Preserves cartridge Word Key and this is what I came up with! I used plain black cardstock, and DCWV Kitchen background and DCWV Summer Color texture paper for the word "fruit".  I used my Gypsy to weld the words together and to rotate a few!

Next up, is the Pagoda cartridge.  This is a really fun cartridge with lots of interesting things on it.  Of course the pandas are cute and so are the bonsai trees, but I really like the traditional Kanji writing key.  Since we are in the fall season, what better way to share it!  I used black cardstock and a simple background paper on a black mat, followed by a rust background.  The word "Autumn" is from Gypsy Wanderings. 

Hope you've enjoyed what I created!  Come back anytime, but before you go, if you head on over to Erica's store, you'll find great deals on Cricut cartridges and stamps, and paper and so much more!  Some cartridges are as low as $10!!!!!!  Here's the link:

http://www.shop.ericascraftroom.com/

Happy shopping and as always, Happy Crafting!

Lisa