Books are...

I recently joined in on a bookmark swap thanks to Patti who got me creating a project again. I had visions of what I wanted to do, but never really a plan. Finally I sat down and just made them. Here is the result:


Some had the pink ribbon, others had the saffron, just because of how much I had. It was nice to use up beautiful ribbon that I'd been saving for a special project.

I gave this one to a friend when I returned a book she loaned me:

After reading Three Cups of Tea and then this book, Stones into Schools I am so intrigued by Greg Mortenson. It is amazing what one person can do. It also makes me look at the students in my class in a new light. They don't realize all that they have in their classroom, and how some children WISH they could go to school.

Smiles,

MS Awareness Week

UNKNOWN

This week it is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week. Not many people understand MS, and I certainly didn't when I was diagnosed 5 years ago. But I am one of millions who is living with Multiple Sclerosis.

I was diagnosed with MS after suffering an episode of optic neuritis - a partial loss of vision in one eye. It had nothing to do with my eye, that was perfectly healthy. The vision loss was coming from the optic nerve in my brain which THOUGHT there was something wrong with my eye. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis. Five days of steroid IV treatment later and my vision had improved, though it wasn't until my eye checkup this past summer that I was told that I had regained 100% of my vision in the affected eye.

The thing about MS is all the unknowns. I don't know if it is a symptom when I can't remember a word, or if I trip, or when I'm just exhausted. Most people don't know that I have it when they look at me because I look like everyone else, and I'm lucky enough to not need a cane or be in a wheelchair. Through it all I do my best to do as my first doctor told me: "Keep your life free from illness and stress," but let's face it I teach 6 and 7 year olds. That's a breeding ground for both!

I live with MS everyday. It is a part of me. But I do what I can to find a cure, like participating in WalkMS to raise money for research and programs helping those affected by MS, offered by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

For the second year I have formed a team for WalkMS in my city. I don't have as many walkers as I would like, and fundraising is tough in these times, but right now my team is on top...I like winning, especially when it is for a cause near and dear to my heart! If you want to check it out, head HERE.

So that is what MS= for me. Does it = anything for you?

Smiles,

Bathroom nightmares (and dreams)

This post has nothing to do with stamps or stitches, just my life. Which has not been simplified in the least, despite my one little word.

At the beginning of this story, I present to you my bathroom: old, small, but fully functionally with the necessities.

Yesterday I was home looking forward to some time to blog a bit and just enjoy life. No class this week + finished report cards = happy me! I heard an irritating drip in the kitchen sink, so I investigated. Water was dripping, not from the faucet but from the trim above my cabinets, so basically my CEILING! I called my dad (DH was at work), called the plumber, and panicked. Apparently the water had been leaking under the sink in the apartment upstairs, and that is directly above my kitchen cabinets and sink. Hence my leak.

Everyone is now wondering, "what does this have to do with your bathroom?" Well in order to do a good job and properly fix the problem (old copper pipes that are slowly rotting and cracking) we should replace all the copper pipe that is running horizontally...above my bathroom. As I sit here typing the AMAZING plumber has removed the pipe and is putting in pvc. YAY!

My bathroom now:

A lovely site to feast my eyes on as I rinse shampoo...once we tack plastic up that is.

But looking on the positive side, the pipes won't leak on my head.

I know out of this we will end up with a better bathroom than I've had for 5 1/2 years. But its hard to see it now. I just want a sink with a cabinet below, a fan to vent out the steam, and a shower that is easy to clean.

Anything else I should dream of?

Dreaming,

Candy winner

After working hard on report cards this weekend, I just realized that I never picked my blog candy.....

So the randomly chosen winner is Donna S who said:

Love the sentiment and wonderful card! Thanks for sharing and the chance to win candy!

Be on the lookout for an e-mail Donna, congrats!

Nautical Thank You

Wow, I'm overwhelmed by ALL the comments I got on my OWH bloghop post. It was lots of fun hopping and checking out all the creations, especially since I had no homework for my masters class last week. Tomorrow is the last day of this class, followed by a week of next week, so that means TWO WHOLE WEEKENDS without homework. Woohoo! Of course I need to work on 17 report cards....



I just sent off 30 of my 50 thank you notes. This was the last design that I included 10 of:

This weeked I also finished my friend's wedding invitations. She wanted a nautical theme (though the wedding is being held at a vineyard, nowhere near water!?!) and I made these gold embossed anchors before I knew how many invites. I had 14 extra so I used them here and embossed the sentiment to match. Both the card and anchor are matted on navy, though it looks black in my horrid picture. I needed to balance out the gold at the bottom so I did gold eyelets up top. I don't use eyelets enough these days I think, so they may make more appearances in future projects.

Now it is time to veg and watch some American Idol. I thought I would hate it this year without Simon, but I'm loving the panel of judges this year nevermind the very talented singers!

Smiles,

OWH Bunny Hop

Welcome to another stop on Operation Write Home's Bunny Hop blog hop. There are TONS of stops on the hop, but click the blog hop logo above if you would like to start at the beginning. I discovered OWH two years ago on a Memorial Day blog hop (back when they were Cards for Heroes) and have enjoyed making cards for heroes ever since. My brother was one of them in Afghanistan in 2002 and I don't even remember sending him mail. (I was a senior in college, had just met my now husband, but STILL it is NO excuse!) This is my way of making sure today's heroes and families can keep in touch with each other during this difficult time.


I made a spring card with some beautiful flowered paper. I can't wait for this snow to melt so the flowers can bloom! While looking for a sentiment, this one seemed just right to send to a love one at home. I haven't been making cards enough lately to send a sizeable package so I tend to do birthday and generic thinking of you cards. When the box is full it gets sent! But if you are making holiday specific cards don't forget the deadlines: March 18th for Easter, and March 31st for Mother's Day.

One thing we were asked to do for this post was share a link to something we find helpful on the OWH website. I hadn't checked out the site since it was made over months ago (shame on me again) and enjoyed looking around in preparation for the hop. I love mail, I love cards, I worked at a card store for 13 years and worked in the mailroom all 4 years of college. It makes sense that one place I always check is The Mailroom! Its a great stop to see if shippers have specific needs, get addresses, and check deadlines. Last night I watched a YouTube video "The OWH Mailroom" which is great for visual learners, like myself. It is entertaining, teaches the proper 'tuck' technique, and has some good reminders of all the work shippers do and how we can help. Check it out, it is a great video!

Blog Candy.....I've been cleaning my stamping area since July. Okay, I started cleaning and kind of gave up. When I want to work on something I fill a basket with supplies, carry it upstairs, create, and then dump the supplies. Not a good system. But either way I have a lot of unloved supplies and am going to put together a package with ribbon, paper, possibly some hardward. Who knows what will make its way into the goodie bag! Just leave a comment to be entered, and I will announce a winner here next Saturday March 12th!

Your next stop on this Bunny hop is The Stamp Addict.


Happy Hopping,

Never Ending Love

I haven't been making many cards lately, and when I do they are simple. But I was inspired by Julie over at Paper Pleasing Ideas with her never ending card, and had an 'a-ha' moment to make one for my husband's valentine. He's had a rough year and sometimes when he's down on himself, the only thing I can do is say 'I love you' to help brighten his day. So I wanted to remind him that our love is never ending, just like the card.

This is the front:
It opens to reveal this:

And again opens to show this verse from 1st Corinthians (which I heard while watching Walk to Remember before making the card):

And opening it one last time reveals the last panel, which I left mostly blank to write him a message:

Julie also made a good video (here) to give you an idea of how the card works. It went together much easier than I expected so I'm sure I will make another one. Only for special occassions though!

We had a pretty sad Valentine's day (he stayed home sick, I arrived home sick) so the cards were the highlight of the evening. Other than that, we took turns with the couch and the heating pad, watched a bit of tv and went to bed early. I think we had Cheerios for dinner, but I don't even remember!

Today is WINDY so I'm going to sit on the couch and continue working on my friend's wedding invites. At least I'm on vacation this week so I will have time to make something just for FUN!

Smiles,

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last night I stayed in to work on my valentines for my kiddos at school. Nothing like waiting until the last minute....

We're creating a 'kind comments' project tomorrow--actually the whole school is doing it. For the past two week the students have been working on writing a kind comment for each of their classmates. We have hearts cut out of 18x24 paper and the students will decorate one then display and glue all of the comments they received. I've been reading some comments and they are too sweet, straight out of the minds of 6 and 7 year olds. I also left my comments until the last minute and wanted to write them on something special. Then I remembered my word--SIMPLIFY. So the tags I started making to write comments on (cut out with the sizzix) became my valentine/lolipop holder for the class. Then I cut out the pink top notes in the back to write my comments on. Still special, but not at all time consuming to create! In the time consuming department I made a never ending card for my husband for tomorrow....pictures to come later.

Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with love and something sweet! I'm off to finally write the comments...

Smiles,

Kind Thanks

On my last snow day I plugged away at a few more of my thank you cards, working to meet my promise of 50. Luckily we haven't had much snow to speak of in a week and a half so I haven't had time to do more.



I made 10 each of the design on the left (10 for the job, 2 for me) and a few extra without sentiments similar to the one on the right. That way I'll have a card the next time I need one, whatever the occasion.


I lucked out and don't have much homework for my masters class this week, so I get a bit of a break from doing work all day on Saturdays. Today I'm going to start working on my friend's wedding invitations--a nautical theme. I'll probably get to work on at least 10 thank yous to match as well, fingers crossed! After I check out some blogs of course...



Smiles,

Simple Thank Yous

Today is another snowy day here in NH and I'm enjoying the chance to catch up on visiting a few blogs today. Luckily my husband didn't have to go to work either so I will have help with snow removal when we venture out in a few hours. I'm just not too sure where the snow will go...

Until this past weekend I hadn't made a card in a LONG time. Actually since August I hadn't made a card. It could be the messy (and cold) craft space, or my masters class, lack of inspiration (doubtful with all the lovely blogs) or just sheer procrastination. My guess is that i was given a job to do. So procrastination it is.

This summer I was in Pennsylvania with my father and upon seeing two cards I made (thank yous from my stash) a family member asked if she could commission me to make some cards. Just thank you cards, 50 of them. I must have been tired from the 8 hour drive and agreed. Actually my dad's cousin could probably talk my cat into doing the dishes. Or it was the cash she forced into my hand that I promised myself I could spend on stamp supplies after finishing the job. Either way, the cash disappeared when my husband had the chance to go to a Red Sox/Yankee game in the fall and I was given a very loose deadline: "When you have time, even if you don't finish them until the family reunion in June, that's fine."

So here we are in a new year where my goal is to simplify. Agreeing to make cards for money is now the last thing I will ever agree to do again. Getting the job done and off my mind is job number one. This weekend I at least put a dent in the job by making the first 10 cards, 5 each of a similar style.

I have another design in mind and I'm headed to the basement to gather supplies and make 10 more cards. At this rate I will at least be done before the snow melts. It probably won't melt until June based on the size of the piles...

Smiles,

Caryl

Memory Book

For Christmas my mom got me this cool 5 year memory book. You just write one line a day each day and when a new year hits, go back to the beginning and repeat. Its like a super simplified version of Project 365, minus pictures. I guess its really not like it at all then!

Of course, on snow days like today when I enjoy my day off by lounging in pjs and only go out to shovel, there isn't much to write...

I still haven't been motivated to head to the basement and create anything with paper in awhile. Perhaps because it is a cold, dungeon-like place. Or because it is a disorganized mess. And now that my mom has a beautiful sewing room (check it out!) I am just too overwhelmed to work on my crafty space. My masters classes start back up in a week so I won't even have time anyway!

Smiles,

One Little Word

I had been hearing about Ali Edwards and One Little Word for awhile, but never stopped to actually read up on it. Today I'm snowed in, my husband is home and asleep on the couch and I needed something to do while avoiding work that needs to be done. So I investigated, and I love it.

I've always heard about Ali Edwards and One Little Word, but never investigated. But today I was perusing Mish Mash and I'm snowed in so I snooped around. I love this idea! And as you can see, my word for 2011 is simplify.

I got this word from a recycled Yankee Swap where people brought stuff they didn't want. I actually had last pick and took a bag of junk because the word was in it. Since then it has been sitting on my shelf as I stare at it and now I know why. We'll see what it means for me as the year continues. For now, it means I have too much stuff in my basement and need to continue organizing, cleaning and donating!

Mission Organization

For Christmas my mom got me this beautiful Peterborough basket filled with wrapping goodies. And an organized insert.

But this was the rest of my wrapping odds and ends......

I love to wrap, I just don't always put things back in their place. Kind of like stamping and sewing and all that, huh? After a rough day back to school today I felt the need to straighten out the chaos (since I wasn't capable in my classroom) and decided to tackle a do-able project. I brought this all upstairs and watched some tv while I got it organized and threw out the bits and pieces beyond their wrapping glory.

Yay, nice and neat now! I love my bow bin (on the right) and the basket is now filled with tags, tape (I had 6 rolls!), scissors and pens. The big bin is a bit less organized, but its filled with more tissue paper than I knew I had, some flat wrap and fabric ribbons. My roll wrap, gift bags and boxes already had a good organization system set up, so they are set in the basement where these will now join them.

I repurpose a lot....besides a roll of paper now and then, I don't know the last time I bought any of this. It did help working at Hallmark for years, because everytime they redid the wrap section we got to save many things from the dumpster. I saved a lot as you can see. Too bad I don't have anything to wrap until April or so....

Maybe soon this organizational inspiration will strike while I stare at my neglected stamps. *sigh*

Smiles,

Singer 301

I have spent my vacation tinkering with a not-so-new toy, a Singer 301 sewing machine.

My aunt (check out her awesome blog HERE) gave me this beautiful machine last year, Christmas 2009. It was a find from the thrift shop she works at, and from what my mother tells me it is exactly like the sewing machine my grandmother had. I love that I control the speed of the needle with a leg pedal, rather than a foot pedal.

It has sat in my dining room for all of 2009, and I kept thinking about how I should use it. My mother told me she would come over and oil it, and now that I've done that myself and seen how embarassingly easy it is, I wish I got sewing with it sooner! The best part of the machine is the fact that it disappears into a beautiful cabinet, which coordinates nicely with my dining room table, china cabinet and desks in the same room.

Once I got it up and running I made myself two Frenchy bags (an Amy Butler pattern), one of which can be seen in the process in the second picture. Of course I forgot to take pictures of mine, but here are 3 I made for my in-laws for Christmas, with a closer shot of one. My aunt made these same purses HERE.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year...here's to a wonderful 2011!!!

Smiles,

I'm baaaaack.....

Wow, I'm a bad blogger, not a post in months. You know it's bad when your brother asks if you've abandoned the blog. Since I'm snowed in today with this crazy blizzard of 2010 it's time to get back into blogging. I'm also done classes for almost a month so that means more free time after school and on weekends to keep up with things!


I haven't abandoned crafts, just the blog. In Aguust or September I crocheted a baby blanket for my new baby cousin Ally.



I of course had to make a tag with wash instructions!

And I also included my favorite baby gift, a tag blanket. They whip up quick after trimming some fleece fabric and pinning the ribbons.

Since I'm snowed in, on vacation, and not motivated to do things I should be doing, today is going to be a crafty day! So I will be sure to share something else soon. I'm big on sewing right now and can't wait to share a project I made for Christmas presents. But first I want to make one for myself! And before that I'm off to visit blogs...haven't done that since at least August, sorry!

Smiles,

How I spent my summer vacation....

1. Not blogging :-( because I just don't seem to have time!
2. Painting walls
3. Painting trim
4. A week in Cape Cod! (too bad DH was sick for 5 days)
5. Getting burnt in Cape Cod...not as fun
6. Painting the porch
7. 3 days in Maine with my parents
8. Gym
9. Gym
10. Gym (did I mention I'm down 32 pounds!!!)
11. I resigned from Unscripted Sketches, see #1
12. Painting some more....do you see a pattern?
13. Cross stitching a bit (hope to share a picture soon)
14. Crocheting granny squares for a baby blanket. The shower is in two weeks so I better have a picture even sooner!
15. A bit more painting

So as you can see I've been MIA from the blog for many reasons. The biggest was the computer just didn't want me to blog. Many crashes, no viruses and finally I had to give in and buy a new one. I love it, but my checking account doesn't! As for the painting, we own a 2 family and rent out the upstairs apartment. After a stressful spring getting our deadbeat tenant evicted, I had to make it look good again. As I type the new tenants are moving in which is great in an economy with FOR RENT signs on every corner.

For now, school starts Monday, and the week after I start taking classes myself. I'm going back for my Masters of Ed with a literacy concentration and hoping to juggle that along with anything else. Even though I resigned as DT I'll still be playing along with Unscripted Sketches when I can. That was the toughest decision to make, but life took me in another direction and I couldn't devote the time needed. So my posts won't be regular and I'm hoping they will be a bit of all the crafts that I love, not just cards. When I'm not posting, be sure to check out my aunt's fabulous new blog. I'm so glad I got the crafty genes from my mom's family!


Smiles,

Belated Unscripted

Here's my project for Unscripted Sketches this week...only a FEW days late! My computer is not always working so well and crashed completely over the weekend. Even now I'm running on borrowed time......

I found out last week that my cousin is having a GIRL! So finally I can make cute pink and purple and frilly baby items!!!

Hopefully the computer will cooperate and I'll be back soon....but cross your fingers just incase!

Smiles,

Designer Spotlight

Good morning! Welcome to Unscripted Sketches Christmas in July. Today is another Designer Spotlight day and it's shining right on me! The holidays are so hectic both at school (I teach first grade) and with trying to fit everything in with my family and traveling to see the inlaws, so I try to plan ahead a bit. It just doesn't always work! This year I'll also be going to Grad school so I really need to plan ahead.

One thing I make sure to do, is thank those people who are always helping me out during the year, like coworkers, classroom volunteers, family and friends. A sweet treat can be so much more special with a bit of special packaging, which is what I'm showing off today.

I found this sweet mini paint can at Michaels for a couple bucks and was able to dress it up simply, but elegantly with some SU Christmas dsp and ribbon. I added a tag (with to/from on the back) and put the santa hat on to make it a bit more festive. I couldn't leave the top bare either:

I'm not sure what will go in this, but that's the great part of planning ahead. I almost baked cookies just for the sake of photos but it's been HOT here for two weeks, and if I bake them I will eat them. I've been good about exercising and losing weight so I don't want to do that! These can be filled with candy, cookies or even tiny gifts. We'll see when the time comes.

I didn't want to just show off packaging that I spent money to buy before decorating. Luckily I save EVERYTHING just incase. You really can use just about anything.

This jar has been with me for many years. I think it came with a Christmas cross stitch kit from a former coworker who taught me to crochet and knew my love of crafts. So the hat came with it too! I just added a tag and I can either fill it with something yummy or add ingredients for a friend to make their own something yummy...festive pot holder and all!

At school we do a Secret Santa every year (for those who want to participate) and I have not yet met a recipient that didn't list CHOCOLATE as something they like. This funky little test tube will look great filled with some M&Ms (red and green of course). I kept it from a watch my father-in-law brought back for me from a trip in the Carribean. I knew I could use it eventually!

And while I'm sure I could spend a week going through the basement and finding things I've kept "just incase" I wanted to make a few simple tags for last minute things. This may go on a plate of cookies, a candle, or a bag of candy. The perfect size (2 1/4 x 3) to go on something small:

They are all together with my Christmas decorations now so I should be all set come December 1st. Now just what should I fill them with? Leave me a comment with an idea or what you traditionally give as little thank you gifts.

Smiles,