So much to do

I live by lists and when I saw this adorable list booklet on Pine's blog I had to make one. (OK, I confess, I've made 6 in two days and there's more to come!) It looks like she received one from Michelle Wooderson, whose blog I really enjoy. My first one (left) I gave to my friend Becky. She doesn't really understand the paper crafting "thing" but she loves getting presents!

I am going to put these together for end of year teacher gifts, so I made these with little pockets on the inside cover where I can stash Starbucks gift cards for an extra treat!

To get started:
Buy 5"x8" notepads at your local office supply store, and ask them to cut them in half widthwise, which makes 2-1/2"x8" pads. It cost me $1.09 to have the stack of notebooks cut at Office Max, but there's no way a paper cutter would get through an entire pad.

Then you'll need to do a little measuring to get the folder just right; be sure to use a slip of corresponding paper to cover the header of the tablet, otherwise yours will say "eMax" like mine does below...



Just add lots of patterned paper, embellishments and glitter to the cover for fabulous and fun gifts!

Below are five I made last night; one for my sister (center) which I used "My Friend Ronnie" stamps. It says, "I shopped, and then I didn't. I like shopping better." I really enjoy Ronnie stamps. They are so perfect.

Two are for Macie and Sarah who are having their "Sisters Weekend" beginning tonight. I thought they could use pads to prepare for tomorrow's entrepreneurial adventure (they are hosting a garage sale...yikes!). Then I made two for Savannah and her friend Caroline who are planning an end of the year sleepover (double yikes!). Aren't they adorable? So easy to customize for anyone. Everyone I know will have one of these little darlings in their purse before the summer is over!

Prayer Journals

Recently I made prayer journals for dear friends who were Baptized. (Yes, it was Patti's husband and children!) It was such a special day for Patti's family. It was a beautiful baptism that reminded me of our church in Washington where my husband, girls and I were baptized and also where my husband and I were married. So bittersweet.

So back to the projects. I'm using a new photographer (a 10 year-old photographer named Macie), so some of the details are not visible. I used regular composition notebooks that I bought last year at back-to-school time (the ones with black and white covers). I covered the fronts, backs and inside covers. Then I decorated them up!

My challenge was to make a masculine design for Chris without being too hokey. I used blue and chocolate brown, hard lines, and only initials, instead of his name. The scripture that personifies Chris is Joshua 24:15 "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

For Jacob, I had been thinking for a couple of days that his scripture should be from Proverbs. I'm not even sure why. Then, I ran across Proverbs 3:5-6 which is a great reminder to put our trust in the Lord and leave it there. Good message for a tween! This was the first time I used staples in my design and it did give a more industrial look to the design.

Sarah, like my Macie, hates pink and loves blue. So alas, I had to continue working in blue. I love the scripture about how God loves us so much more than the sparrows. I wanted Sarah to always remember that God loves her so much. I used Luke 12:6-7. The birds are a stamp from Inkadinkadoo that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I embossed them in copper, which is very striking. There are such wonderful bird silhouettes available now.

These composition books are super easy and super fun. I really enjoy making projects that are utilitarian. I hope God answers lots of their prayers!

My Boss's Birthday

I put together a quick man-card for my boss's birthday that is coming up (I work *very* part-time in the Career Office at school). I don't have any guy stamps, but I do have Office Accoutrements from SU!, so I used the memo area and I stamped "Happy Birthday to You." I added some large square brads that I think give this a real masculine look.

The patterned paper is from Anna Griffin.

Happy birthday, Greg!

"Run, Forest. Run!"

This is my favorite movie quote (from "Forrest Gump"). I've been running with my 11 year-old who is training for Cross Country. So far, I've stuck to it longer than she has, but my knees are killing me. I had no idea I was this out of shape, but I am. We have to work up to two miles. I don't know how long that will take, I think we are at .4 miles right now. Ouch, a long way to go!

More cards late tonight.

BLOOM

I made a couple of cards quickly a few nights ago. I had just 1/2 hour in my stamping room that night and I just couldn't contain my ideas. One of those is this quick BLOOM card. I used patterned paper that I bought at Target (I love their line!) and the fabulous flower from SU!. I used heat and stick and then glittered the entire flower. I love the way it pops. Then just a quick "BLOOM" and voila!

I think I am going to make more BLOOM cards, although I have never re-made a card, I think I could do a whole set of stationary, or just a handful of cards available to send on the run...speaking of running...

Yippee!

That was my mom's expression on these flowers that she and my dad sent in celebration of completing my second year of law school. It was a crummy semester, and I wasn't sure it was EVER going to end. But alas, I wrote my fifth and final exam last Thursday and have spend the weekend recuperating.



So Friday, I made my husband, Mark, traipse through our downtown junk stores looking for an old lazy susan for my embellishments. I didn't find a lazy susan, but I found this fabulous wooden spice rack. It was all gunky from years in a kitchen and still had old, dried spices in the bottles. (Yuck!) My daughters helped me clean out the jars and I ran them through the dishwasher. Then I spray painted the shelf (after I washed it and sanded it just a bit to rough up the surface). Since I did a really cursory spray painting job (because I only had a little paint left), I decided it needed to be decorated too. I glued ribbon across the shelves and then glued chipboard flowers from K&Co to the top. I am so excited about how it turned out. The bottles are sparkly clean and most of my embellishments and some of my other supplies fit on it perfectly. I love it!

So today's word is "Yippee!"

Ruth's Birthday

My friend Ruth is another mom who is surviving law school with me. We often laugh about how OLD we are compared to our other classmates (who were born in the 80's-when we were teenagers, spraying our hair with Aquanet). They have never heard of Debbie Gibson, and they think Madonna is "so classic!"

Ruth and I spent the first year of law school asking each other, "Why are we doing this?" Our second year, we've been asking each other, "Is it too late to quit?" It is too late to quit now, we just have one more year left. Woohoo!

I didn't keep track of my supplies and since we are right in the middle of exams, I'll have to update that later.

I thank God every day for such a wonderful friend who "gets" me. She is a beautiful Christian woman and dedicated mother. Her passion is to work in Immigration Law where she can help people. Happy birthday, Ruth!

One of THOSE Days

I made this card for Patti's husband, today's hero!

We had some transmission work done on my car and today it broke down on my way to school. I couldn't get the car back home, so I parked it and walked home. I was trying to figure out how to call a cab, but then I quickly called Patti's husband who was home today and asked him to take me to school. I felt kind of dumb, but I missed so many classes getting ready for last week's event, and with only three weeks until final exams, I couldn't miss a class today.

One thing that is challenging about law school is that for almost all classes, your entire grade is based on the final exam! Exams are about three hours long, almost always essay, and really taxing. The only thing I can imagine is worse than writing a law school exam is being a professor and having to read 50 answers...can you imagine?

So Chris rescued me; I made it to my classes; and it was up to my husband, Mark, to deal with the car.

This was a very, very quick card. I mounted the five circles using Creative Memories' double circle punch. I love that it makes the circles just the right size to fit into my small Xyron. I also used these really cute stamps from Stampendous that I bought from Eclectic Paperie.

I hope that my car gets on the road tomorrow, which would make Mark Wednesday's hero...

Authenticity

Last year was a really challenging year for me. It was the end of my first year of law school, and my husband, girls and I had been through so many changes. I learned some challenging news about my childhood, and both my nephew and my mom were diagnosed and treated for cancer. Whew, it was tough. But all God needs is faith the size of a mustard seed...some days I had no more, but I kept pressing forward.

As the holidays passed and the new year began, I decided that my New Year's Resolution was to live a life of authenticity. I decided to live openly and just as I am (quirks and cynicism, imperfections and inconsistencies, blemishes and all). That’s very difficult for a perfectionist like me, but there is such freedom in presenting yourself “as is” with no warranty, neither expressed nor implied!

Although I didn’t articulate it until now, my word for the year is “authenticity” – living life without pretense.

I doubt I am alone in this pursuit of authenticity and I would hazard a guess that I am right on schedule, as I turned 36 last December. I think that there’s a reason the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years before they entered the Promised Land. I think it takes 40 years of wandering in our own power before we relent and let God lead.

I’m almost to the Promised Land, and day-by-day I give a little more of the reigns to God. Praise Him for only requiring the faith of a mustard seed!

AJ's Card

My friend Andrea (AJ) and I are both graduate assistants at the law school, and we are in the process of putting on a huge gala fund raising event on April 11. AJ is a 3L (third year) law student and this is her big HURRAH, and I am her assistant.

I am so excited for her and proud of her. She has worked so hard for this event and also in getting through law school. She is in her mid-20's and is beautiful both on the inside and out. She aspires to be a prosecutor (state's attorney) and really has a passion for prosecuting criminals. She is also a very loving and supportive wife to Craig, who seems to adore her too.


So I made this card for AJ in celebration of getting through this event. The image is Nay from Rubber Romance (who reminds me of AJ) and the text is from Stampin Up. I used a lot of glitter, including on her eyeshadow, and I also added big square sparkles for a lot of BLING!

I have been enjoying the images of women. They really highlight the many kinds of women we are on different days. I especially love those that bring out the Diva in all of us. I can't think of a more perfect day than lounging around eating chocolates! (Right now, I'd be satisfied to lounge around without the chocolate, wouldn't you?)