Chaperone Thank You Notes

Over Labor Day weekend, a group of 110 Sycamore Middle School Students went to Washington DC with 8 chaperones.  I have been working on thank you notes and stalking parent Facebook pages for photos and updates all day.  How can I thank the chaperones enough for all of these things:

• Making sure our children get where they need to: on the plane, the bus, in his/her room, back on the bus in the morning and for all the stops they make on the trip, back on the plane, the bus and back to the school parking lot.  For finding them bathrooms, drinking fountains and more while there.  
• Making sure he or she eats and sleeps.  Well the sleeping is unconfirmed, but they make sure they are in their rooms for lights out.
• Taking them on a trip their parents may be unable to or unwilling to make.
• The life lessons about service to others!  The students see the chaperones giving up their holiday weekend, getting up at 2:30 in the morning to make the buses and who knows what giving acts they see on the trip for themselves and other students:  a shared snack or meal, a jacket, holding an item, or taking a photo. The service to others they see when they visit the historic sites of our past presidents, soldiers, representatives and leaders.  
• The costs of war.  Our students visited the tomb of the unknown soldier at a time in history when many fear another war may be coming.  Hopefully, they are reminded of those who have served, are serving and may serve.  And I hope that they work to prevent war in their own lives.
• A sense of patriotism.  I remember watching the John Adams mini series and being amazed at the our founding Father's dedication to our country.  With all the division in our political system, it is a wonderful thing for these students to see Washington DC and all the sites, memorials and our country's seat of government.
• A hunger to visit again.  This is such a brief visit that the students may wish to return and see things in more detail or that they missed.
• For stretching them.  My son was a bit nervous about the plane or getting separated from his group.  I love that he is learning to do things he wants to that may be a bit of a stretch for his comfort level.  He is facing his fears!
• A chance to bond with friends and make new ones.  
• For saving me from hearing Mom 900 times this weekend.  Did you know your child will ask you an average of 300 questions every day?  Well I  know they are asking their chaperones many of my questions.  

Thanks you Sycamore Middle School, Washington DC chaperones for all that you have done for my son and all the students who attended the trip!  #WayToSpartan!

So, I went ahead and made them all a thank you note that will be from both me and my son.  I used my Cricut Explore Air to print and cut the flags, the thanks for everything banner and the Grateful for You sign.  I love being able to make multiple cards for just this kind of project with my Cricut!  I am entering this in The Rubber Buggy Challenge Blog #1.    I am always on the hunt for a great challenge blog and I love that they have page and card sketches.  Thanks for the inspiration!  Paper is DCWV.

Doodling with Your Cricut Pens

While I have a few Copic markers, I have never really gotten into coloring my stamped images or coloring pages for any great amount of time.  It's just seems too time consuming for my crafting goals, and too inaccurate.  But, I have discovered the joy of using the Cricut markers to enhance a page and the joy of doing a bit of doodling with the Cricut Markers.  Here are two examples of my Cricut marker and doodling projects.  

The first project at the top of the post is for my Anna Griffin planner.  Anna's planner page for March came with the foil gold butterflies but I wanted to add the radial details.  So, I used a sun image from the Cricut Close to My Heart Art Booking cartridge.  I created circles 1/2" bigger and centered them all around the central sun in the CMTH image and converted them all to pen images.  I then put my Anna Griffin butterfly paper on my Cricut mat and let my Design Space and markers do there magic.  Can you see the gold lines, made with the Cricut pen in the photo above?   I am circle obsessed!  I cut the chevrons by hand and added a few Anna Griffin butter fly dies from her card kits and the dark blue butterfly is cut with an AG die.  The flowers are also Anna Griffin and made with the print and cut feature to be the perfect size for my page.  I often, use the Design space to layout my page before I cut or draw anything!  

For the second project (pictured above), I wanted a lace look in tone on tone, and used Anna's Lace Cards and Embellishment cards cart for the blue lace.  Once it was drawn I added some hand doodling inside the lace to look a bit like engraving details and fussy cut the lace piece out, and colored some of the details with a silver Cricut pen to get the look of silver findings and add dimension.  I love how the details of Anna Griffin's lace pop now!

Supplies

Cricut Close to My Heart Artbooking Cartridge

Cricut Heritage Cartridge

Cricut Anna Griffin Lace Cards and Embellishments Cartridge

Cricut Anna's Roses

Cricut Anna's Print then Cut Volumn 1

Cricut Anna's Planner

Cricut Fine Tip Geode pen

Cricut Medium Tip Silver pen

Anna Griffin Card kit borders

Anna Griffin 12 x 12 patterned paper

Bead Landing jewels

Thanks You Heartfelt Creations and Cut It Up Challenge Blog!

Just a post, to thank Heartfelt Creations for sponsoring the Cut It Up Challenge and providing my prize.  I used my gift card to get the die Fleur Border and Pocket Die and I made my first card above with it.  The small flowers are also Heartfelt Creations, one of the first stamp and die sets I bought from them and still a favorite!

Also, I just want to make a comment about the packaging this die set came in, I LOVE it!  It is thin and sturdy and I want to buy more for my other thin dies!  Heartfelt Creations can you make these sleeves available for your other dies sets I have had in my stash for a while?  Thanks!

Supplies

Heartfelt Creations Fleur Border and Pocket Die

Heartfelt Creations Posy Patch Flowers Pre Cut Set
Heartfelt Creations Posy Patch Dies

Gold Gala Glitz
Blue Gala Glitz
White Card stock
Black Card Stock
Violet Card Stock
Yellow Ink
Purple Ink

Another Princess Card Idea with Cinderella

It turns out that I was not the only relative who needed a princess birthday card, so I made another.  This one features Cinderella.  Here is the Cricut Design Space link.  I am entering this in the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #305 Birthdays.  

Supplies:
Cricut Disney Princess Happily Ever After (Snow White)
Cricut Paper Lace (Happy Birthday lace medallion)
Cricut Baby Boutique (Fancy Frame)
Cricut Circle Shape (pink oval inside frame)
Pop Dots
Pink RibbonWhite Card Stock
Computer Printer
Cricut Scoring Stylus

Princess Party Wands with Cricut and Straws

I have a little niece, who I enjoy making crafts for and today I am sharing some wands I made for her princess birthday party.  I started with straws from the dollar spot at Target, and added some blue glitter paper cut in flower shapes with six petals.  I used Tim Holtz's snowflake rosette die to cut the snowflakes and used a pink center instead of white.  

I added buttons to the larger snowflake, and Dew Drops from the Robin's Nest to the smaller snowflakes.  A bit of ribbon to finish and I glued them to the straws with my glue gun.  The larger flowers is made with the Starfruit shape from Preserves.  It is actually a five point flower, but I spliced it in half and duplicated the three petals side.  I then welded the two sides together to get a six petal shape.  The smaller flower is from Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art.

Supplies 
Cricut Preserves Cartridge
Cricut Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art
Blue Glitter Card Stock
White Card Stock
Tim Holtz Snowflake Die
Paper Straws
Buttons
Ribbons
Hot Glue Gun
Dew Drops

Princess Birthday Card with Cricut

My niece just had a princess themed birthday party with all things Disney and I needed a special card, so I pulled out my Cricut and here is my card.  I added some pink Stickles to highlight the Happy Birthday and some Mini dew drops from The Robin's Nest to repeat the colors in Snow White's Dress.  I am entering this in the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #305 Birthdays.  

Supplies:
Cricut Disney Princess Happily Ever After (Snow White)
Cricut Paper Lace (Happy Birthday lace medallion)
Cricut Baby Boutique (Fancy Frame)
Cricut Circle Shape (pink oval inside frame)
Mini Dew Drops from The Robin's Nest
Pink Stickles
Pop Dots
White Card Stock
Computer Printer
Cricut Scoring Stylus

Link to CRS file here.  

Christmas in July Page with Anna Griffin

I am just getting around to scrapping the last of this years holiday card photos.  The page came together quickly with Anna Griffin and Kaisercraft.  The green die cut layers and the red and gold center layer are Anna Griffin Nifty Nested Layers.  The red and white layer is Kaisercraft North Pole Snowball.  I embellished both die cuts with some Stickles, a silver Sharpie pen, and Bead Landing jewels.  The holly die cuts and silver bow are all left overs from one of Anna Griffin's Christmas card kits.  

Pull It Together

I love how this page appears to have so much texture and depth.  All the time adding the stickles, jewels, and doodling make the doilies appear more lace like.  Don't be afraid to mix doilies from more than one designer and pull them together with the same embellishments on each doily and the same colors.  What are you scrapping with Anna Griffin's Nifty Nested Layers?