CraftyEngineer

Happy Halloween - Preschool Treats!

Happy Halloween! Let the eating season begin... Halloween to Easter! ;)

Just to catch up... I went to Seattle last weekend for A Muse instructor training. It was a blast! Got to see lots of the A Muse gals... always fun, inspiring and generally an all-around great time! I flew up a day earlier because of the way the flights worked out, etc. My dear friend, Edye flew up with me and we shopped all day Friday. All day. We hit a lot of stamp stores and paper stores and even made it down to Pikes Market for lunch. It was so much fun. On Sunday after training, I got to visit my niece Sara, who lives near Seattle and attends then University there. That was fun to catch up with her. More about the Instructor Training later... but I learned some cool tricks and I can't wait to try them in some classes!

Okay, back to Halloween... since I got back Monday evening, it's been a whirlwind of school activities, meetings, and getting geared up for Halloween. Yesterday my preschooler had a small party in his class sans mommies... he said it was fun! We made some treats for him to share with his classmates:

It's a little die cut box (made from my Accucut machine). Inside contains a little playdoh and a halloween shaped cookie cutter ($2.99 for 20 (I think) from Hobby Lobby). The pumpkin cutout is a Martha Stewart big punch (which punches well on A Muse cardstock but nothing else! - the Orange Polka Dot cardstock is from A Muse's Kitchen line)

I'll post teacher gifts soon.

Hope you have a SAFE and fun Halloween! Don't forget to set your clocks (YAY!). More time to stamp ;)

Back to School (kid gifts)!

Okay, well I couldn't just make something for the teachers and nothing for the kids, right? Well, what do you make for 2nd graders when you don't know the class yet. I mean I have a class list and I know most of the kids in there but still, what if there is some last minute switching around, etc.

So, I wanted to make something:

1. useful
2. generic
3. cute but not baby-ish... they are "2ND" graders (can you hear my son saying "I'm in  2nd grade now M.O.M." in a tilt-your-head-duh-kinda-way? highly annoying by the way!)

Hmm, up for the challenge? Sure, why not. I know. How about trusty old bookmarks? Okay, so I didn't say "fun" was one of the criteria but bookmarks can be fun. Right?

These bookmarks are laminated so as to last until at least the end of this week ;).

All stamps by A Muse Artstamps. *Did I mention that I love, *LOVE* the back to school release! :)

What do you think?

Happy Tuesday! And happy first day of school to everyone else that I know that got that one extra day of summer!

Back to School (teacher gifts)!

Today is the first day of 2nd grade! WOW, 2nd grade. Why is it that elementary school for my oldest is flying by and preschool for my youngest (which hasn't started yet!) goes so slowly? How can time be different for me for each kid? I don't get it.

My friend, Veronica, always tells me that I work best under pressure or a deadline. I try to not believe her. Ever. But she must be right. I've had ALL summer to craft and make gifts and get ahead, etc. etc. but did I do that? Um, no. So, YESTERDAY... the day before school starts among all the laundry, grocery shopping, etc. I decided to make the teachers a little something.

I'm a huge fan of my friend, Lexi Daly. She's on the A Muse team but she also makes the cutest invitations and party stuff. Check out her blog. You'll be blown away. So creative. Anyway, Lexi came to Austin a couple of weeks ago and we had lunch. She comes to Austin once a year and I think we have a tradition now of meeting up. So fun. Anyway, Lexi, of course had the cutest back-to-school teacher idea on her blog the other day. I've always wanted to do some kind of teacher survival kit thing for a gift. I even have a great poem for each thing that you put in the kit. The problem with that is all the stuff together would cost $30 just to get 1 of each item (because you have to buy the whole package!) and it's not cute enough for that price! Lexi's version though is so doable. LOVE IT. I completely CASED her idea with a couple of minor changes. THANKS LEXI!

So mine has the following things in it: 4 little note cards and envelopes, purell, advil, nuggets, mints.

I like to my son's past teachers and the principal (since I work with her so closely on the website) a little something so I ended up making 4 for them and 2 for preschool (NEXT WEEK - look Veronica, I'm ahead there!).

Did I mention that the A Muse Back To School release is my favorite? Perfect for all of this school stuff. Love the lined paper! ;)

Thanks for stopping by. Happy First Day of School!

amuse-bouche - Back to School! Preschool, too...

OMG! This release is so made for me! Okay, well not made for me but I *LOVE* it. Everything about it is awesome... the new images, notes, 8.5x11 paper, ribbon... oh my! If you've followed me for any length of time, you know that I'm all about making stuff for my son's schools... both for the kids and teachers! School starts here in less than a month :( but I'll be ready this time for Back-to-school gifts - especially with this release!

My first amuse-bouche (aka appetizer... aka sneak ;)) is for the preschooler in my house and his buddies. I've made this type of thing before but it goes over SO well. I've even had some parents contact me and say how this little gift saved them at the dr's office or on an airplane ride! WOHOO! Gotta love that!

It's a little coloring book. I keep those small crayon packs on hand for gift giving in a pinch. You can get generic ones (i.e. not Crayola) in the party aisle now at the grocery store or order the 4 pk from Crayola. The measurements are 3x3 (cover is 3x6, pages are 2.75x5.5 - 3 pages folded). Isn't this lined paper awesome? It's the new A Muse 8.5x11 lined paper (I cut it to about 2.5 and punched the side with a punch). The inside is just a series of the different images waiting to be colored!

Check out the A Muse News Blog for more amuse-bouche as well as the rest of the Creative Team! And be sure to see if you LSS has these in stock! You'll want them!

Happy Friday!

1st grade Teacher Gift

July. Really? Man, can't believe June has passed by already. How's your summer going? Ours is going really well despite several obstacles that we've had this month. I love having my boys home with me. They're at such a good age and their very independent (which to this lazy mom that's a great thing!).

Anyway, I never got around to posting this... School ended at the beginning of June and this was from then.

I did make my son's 1st grade teacher a scrapbook for the end of year. It is a 6x6 album with 25 pages in it. The back folds over on the front and has a magnetic closure. It's similar to the these that I made for the preschool teachers but different in that the kids themselves, wrote a note to the teacher along with the parents.

The inside pages, each had a photo of the child and 2 notes in a envelope pocket.

The last page has a class picture and a gift card. 

My son's teacher cried when she looked through it all. SUCCESS! :) Just kidding. (remember in Jerry Macquire, when Cuba Gooding said to the tv host at the end "you're not going to make me cry" and then he did!???) I'm glad she liked it!

A*Muse*A*Palooza is coming up next week. I'll be teaching classes in Austin and San Antonio (on my birthday!) - schedule is at the top of my blog and here are more details on the classes. Hope to see you somewhere soon!

More Teacher Gifts

5 more days...just 5 more school days 'till SUMMER BREAK! YAY!

So, a lot has happened around here lately... We spent the Memorial Day weekend in Sunny (but cold- always cold) California (Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, Monterrey, San Jose, etc. etc.) for our nephew's wedding. You may remember the wedding invitations that I made for them. Our oldest son was the ring bearer and that was a treat to see him all dressed up in a tux! He took his job very seriously (as he does with everything in life, it seems). He said to me right before he walked down the aisle "I'm not going to smile, Mommy". I didn't know why he said that until I took his picture coming down the aisle. Ah, very serious. This is serious work. LOL. Anyway, their wedding was beautiful. It was outside in the redwoods near Santa Cruz. The wedding itself was very nice and a bit warm and then moments later at the reception, it was cold (when the sun went behind the beautiful trees!).

On Sunday, we went to Monterrey with some of our extended family. I hadn't been to the Monterrey Aquarium in years... so much more fun with kids. 

About 10 days ago (who knows, really? :)), I sat down and made 200 3x3 cards for teacher gifts. That works out to 25 packages of 8 cards and envelopes. You've probably heard me mention that these were going to   be my teacher gifts this year - well I decided that they were and made a ton more. I've mentioned before how I like to give past teachers gifts as well, especially at the preschool... so for both boys, I needed 21 or so gifts (librarian, music, art, pe, teachers, asst. teachers, preschool staff, etc. etc.). Quick and easy. I made 4 birthday and 4 thank yous per box.

Did you see the Summer Release from A Muse? There were some surprises that you hadn't seen in any of the amuse-bouche. What's your favorite new stamp?

Tomorrow, I'll be in Dallas teaching 5 A Muse classes and most importantly getting to see many of my Splitcoast friends from all over. They are gathering in Dallas this weekend for another Texas Swap. If you're in the area, stop by Personal Scrapbook and say hello! (that damask is really a regal rose color not a red!)

Preschool Teacher Gifts - Scrapbooks

If you follow my blog at all, this will look very similar to you from past years! I tend to make the same type of gift each year for the teachers: A scrapbook of each kid's pictures along with notes from the parents. It includes the class picture, a gift card holder (and gift card), and the following poem. I *heart* this poem.

Forever In Your Heart

Although you are not their mother
You care for them each day.
You cuddle, sing and read to them
And watch them as they play.
You see each new accomplishment
You help them grow and learn.
You understand their language,
You listen with concern.
They come to you for comfort,
And you kiss away their tears.
They proudly show their work to you,
You give the loudest cheers!
No, you are not their mother,
But your role is just as strong.
You nurture them and keep them safe,
Though maybe not for long.
You know someday the time will come,
When you will have to part.
But you know each child you cared for,
is forever in your heart!

Author Unknown.

So, here are the scrapbooks. The pictures were taken right before heading out the door to the last day of preschool the other day so they're not great... but you get the idea, right? And as always, the photos of the kids, including mine are blocked out.  Boys were blue and yellow, Girls were pink. All A Muse stamps for the designs, lettering. Bind-it-all for the binding. Stampin' Up Die for the front cover. Library pockets for the sleeves. Stampin' Up Gift Holder (not shown). I used business cards for the notes from each parent. Not as decorated as I would have liked but time kept passing! Have a great day!

More school thank you gifts...

Hey, look, it's more jelly beans! :) I told you the jelly beans were a deal!

Our program the other day at school was such a great success because we had so many volunteers turn out. I attribute that the improved communications we have going on there.

Anyway, we wanted to thank all the volunteers for helping make our program so successful. I found these tins in the wedding/baby shower aisle at Target a few months back. The were on clearance 20 for $6. WOHOO!. I ended up making 30 of these in no time flat! Used my prima flower stash, too! And some gems I bought from Taylored Expressions a LONG time ago. See, I'm using up stuff! The thanks sentiment is from A Muse. Seriously fast and hopefully still cute!

Happy Saturday!

Principal and Staff School Gifts

For K-roundup the other day (the committee I was on), we had a program in the morning that included tours and a day in the life of a kindergartener and some other stuff. There were two very key people that we wanted to recognize that day - because without them, we wouldn't have been able to do all that we did: one was the school's principal and the other is the lady that runs the Kindergarten!

Back to the jelly beans! I found these glass bottles in my stash. My dear friend, Sharon gave me them a long time ago for glass etching, which I did do on some of the other bottles she gave me but these were left over. Perfect for this! I *love* using up my stash! Makes room for more, right? :) Just kidding... really. need. to. purge.

A Muse is celebrating their 8th year this month! I'm so blessed to be part of this group. So much fun. If you haven't heard, there's lots going on over on the A Muse blog... contests and prizes and inspiration! And to top that off, A Muse has an anniversary set for a limited time only available.

When I went to decorate (quickly, I might add!) these bottles up, there sat my anniversary set and I thought "I  LOVE A MUSE!" Thank goodness it was sitting there and once again, saved the day in my quick-got-get-these-done mode!   

The one that says "it's the little things that matter" went to the Principal. I love our Principal and she has a great sense of humor. I knew she'd get my "joke" ... Kindergarteners... little ... get it?

All stamps and ribbon by A Muse Artstamps.

The tag on the bottle was stamped (too quickly, I might add! - SHEESH) with the solid zinnia on one side. The flip side (it's actually a business card I ran through the printer first with the poem) has a Jelly Bean Poem (yes, another one!):

In a bottle of jelly beans you have many different jelly beans.  Each jelly bean has something special which makes it different from the others. A bottle of jelly beans wouldn't be attractive if they were identical.  You don't know exactly what a jelly bean is like unless you taste it and see. Jelly beans are just like people--you've got to get to know them. Each person brings something special and worthwhile to the group, but it is not always evident on the outside.

Thanks for being such a wonderful jelly bean!

Cute, eh? Gotta love the internet!

Have a wonderful Friday. I'm so very happy it's Friday!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Yeah, I know. I've said that phrase before. It's my favorite saying! A while back I posted something about this saying... I got a stamp with this saying on it from the Unity Stamp company... and then found out Gandhi's name was misspelled. I did email the owner of Unity and she said she'd take care of it. Hasn't happened yet but I did find the stamp from another company: Great Impressions Stamps! WOHOO!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" -Gandhi

I've been ever so blessed and lucky to work with 7 fabulous ladies for the past 4 months to create a program for new parents at my son's elementary. We all had similar experiences when we were first time moms at that school... completely confused, scared and quite overwhelmed... and all that was just at the registration process. We decided with the help of the PTA to create a more educational, fun, and welcoming program for new parents on registration day. That was today. It was awesome. These ladies are awesome. Not only did our committee soar today but we had so many very cool volunteers that came out to help us. That made all the difference in the world.

Oh, back to my favorite saying... there is something very empowering to me with those words. Everytime I think them or say them to myself, I feel a bit more empowered. What we did today, was purely selfless and truly the meaning helping others, I think. We changed the world. At least our small part of the world. I am honored to have worked with these ladies and I wanted to show them how I felt.

I made the ladies some magnets with this quote on it. This frame is made with a sizzix die I bought last Christmas and never used <roll eyes>. I bought it to make my mom some ornament frames with the boys pictures in it. Ok, so maybe this Christmas it'll happen!

I used the new Juliette Paper from A Muse and stamped the solid Damask under the quote! Easy!

I also gave them all some jelly beans. I have to tell you ... here's a great tip... go to Sam's and buy the big thing of Jelly Beans (multi flavors!). I bought one of those and have used it for several gifts (coming soon to a blog near you...) and I still have 1/4 of the jar left! OMG! What a great deal!

So, I know you remember that I gave out these test tubes filled with candy to all the teachers back in October for Halloween and then I took some more to Seattle for the A Muse Creative Team back in November. Well, I still, um, yes, still have some left so I packaged up these jelly beans for these 7 ladies and I found a great poem to put on there...

Women are a lot like Jelly Beans – each person brings their own ‘flavor’ the best mix is enjoyed when more flavors are together!

Isn't that cute? And fitting? On the back side I just stamped "You Rock" and handwrote "it's been fun working with you".

It's been a great day! I'll have more of the gifts that we gave out over the next couple of days!

Happy Wednesday!