Hello from the other side

The other side of scrapbooking, that is.  I thought that I should stop in here and update anyone who is interested.  I haven't scrapbooked in over a year and have since sold all of my gear.  I'm not completely done with crafting as I still make lots of things for my classroom.  If you are interested, my current blog is an education and classroom decor focused blog.  Feel free to stop by:

edgamedecor.blogspot.com

Still on the Island, back from Alma and my first DT reveal...

This month, I had my first ever DT reveal at Scraptacular Images. Since we got started a bit late in the month, Jessica gave us a half-kit to post mid-month. We got to play with some Basic Grey Sugar Rush and a Basic Grey laser cut doily. Here is the kit:

And here is what I did with it:

The scrapbook weekend in Alma with my scrappy friends was an absolute blast. We laughed, scrapped and played pranks on one of the girls with Jerome C. Gnome (she has a fear of gnomes and was stupid enough to tell us about it). On top of all the fun, I was pretty productive. Here are some of the layouts that I did while I was there. I have some others, but they are for my next DT Reveal, so you'll have to stop by SI on May 1 for the reveal.

This layout is one that I did for a challenge at LCOM. We had to use "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" as the title for a layout. I have lots of adorable pictures from some newborn photoshoots that I've done for some friends, but I always love the crying shots, so I immediately thought of these. The girls on the board are voting for the best one for a $20 gift certificate at the store - which I could really use with all of the BG 6X6 packs that I pre-ordered. So far I'm in the lead so keep your fingers crossed.

More good news is that I haven't yet been voted off of the Scrap-ivor island at LCOM. This week is a quote challenge where my tribe, Glua-Glua, had to come up with a quote for the Paper Pusher tribe to scrap and vice-versa. The quote we got is "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I'm done my layout, but we haven't revealed them to the other tribe yet, so I'll wait until next post to do that. You never know where they may have planted spies :) Last week we had to choose a scrapper from the other tribe and steal her style. We chose Stephanie Hart who is known for her bright colors, bold graphics and her love of Sassafrass Lass products. I didn't have any Sass, but I definitely went bright and bold.

Some recent scraps and a scrappy getaway

It's been a while since I have posted, so I'd thought I'd show you some of the layouts I've been working on lately. This layout of my son's birthday was part of a scrap-tag at Scraptacular Images:

I'm also taking part in Scrap-ivor at LCOM. I'm on tribe Glua-Glua (my name choice :)). We just finished week 1 which was a retro challenge. Here is my take. I really like the way the disco ball turned out. I found a disco ball image on the net, cut out the squares with an exacto blade and then used it as a stencil for my glue and glitter. Time consuming and messy, but totally worth it. We won the challenge and the other tribe had to got to tribal council - suckers!

This week's Scrap-ivor challenge is an image inspiration. Here was the image I chose (of 5 we could use):

And here is my take on it. It isn't being revealed until Friday, so shhhhh. My tribe has seen it, but not the other tribe yet.
In other exciting news, this weekend is the bi-annual Alma scrap retreat. I didn't make it to the last one, so I am sooo excited to go this time. Just a group of ladies, usually 8 or 9, getting together in a B&B in Fundy National Park to scrap, eat and laugh. It is a great weekend and is usually pretty productive. I'll have lots to show you when I get back!!!

My first DT challenge

It seems like I've been really busy scrapping these days, but I don't really have much to show for it - weird. I did a layout for the Scraptacular Tag at SI, a layout for my first DT challenge and I'm working on a LO for Scrap-ivor at LCOM. It is super fun so far, but it is only week one. It could get nasty once tribal councils start up. I'm a member of the Glua-Glua tribe. Came up with that name all by myself. I guess the 20 seasons of Survivor watching finally paid off!

For my first DT Challenge at Scraptacular Images, I posted the first of many Ad Inspiration challenges. I love using print ads for inspiration because they are always on top of design trends and new color combos. For the first challenge, I used the Potty Dance ad:

I liked how it allowed for so many photos and I liked the freehand style. I don't usually use such a literal take on an ad, but for this one I liked everything so I went with it. Here is what I came up with:

My favorite part of the ad was the font, so I tried to copy it using different size and style letters on the Printing Press cartridge for my Cricut and then doodling the shadowing. I really like how it turned out.

I've been wanting to do a LO about the musicals I've directed for a while, but I never really found a way of incorporating them until this.

On a non-scrapbooking note, my little boy turned 6 this week. We had a huge birthday party for him on the weekend and it was lots of fun. I can't believe that six years have already gone by. Wow! Happy birthday, Rhett-boy!

Pick me, pick me!!!

WOOT!! WOOT!! I just found out that I've been chosen for the DT at Scraptacular Images, the sweetest little LSS in Sussex, NB. They also have a forum and an online store with lots of great deals. Here are the layout submissions I used for my application. The first one had to be made specifically for this DT call and was to be based on this sketch:




So I used Rhett's kindergarten picture and did the first "school" page of many, I'm sure.

My other two submissions were just two of my recent favorites. This first one is actually the LO that got my eliminated from the SYTYCS contest. I love this picture of Sutter snoozing on the potty...I'm sure he won't feel the same way when he gets older. The title is a little tongue-in-cheek, I guess. I liked the hilarious and inappropriate photo mixed with the elegance of the layout and the lullabye. I don't know if you can see it in the photo or not, but the paper used for the birds actually has the sheet music for "Hush Little Baby" printed on it.

And this one is just cute. No real reason....

So, needless to say, I'm pretty excited. I can't wait to get started with the challenges and kits!! Bring it on SI!

Scrapbooking in French class????

So, my 9/10 advanced French students handed in some poster projects just before the break and I was shocked at how little they understood about design. I guess it has something to do with not seeing print media as often as I did growing up since computers are so important now. So today, instead of actually teaching French, we had a quick lesson on the basics of design (lines, balance, color, consistency, etc.). When I was done and we had looked at some examples, I gave them all a sheet of paper with 4 photos and some info about the author of the novel that we are about to begin. They had to use it to make a mini-poster (8 1/2 X 11). Anway, all I can say is wow! The difference between what they did before and what they produced today is staggering.

It is funny that, as teachers, we worry about teaching the curriculum, but we forget that there are skills along the way that never get taught. I don't know how many times I've assigned a poster project and gave some marks to creativity or attractiveness of the poster but never showed them how to actually DO a poster. And one little class can make a huge difference on many projects in all of their classes in the future. Just struck me as a pretty cool moment when they handed in their 2nd poster. And they were all so proud of their work as well even though I told them it wouldn't be marked.

Anyway, in other news, I have a LO to show you. It has been soooo long since I participated in a 1 hour sketch challenge. Tonight I did one on the Scraptacular Images forum and it was lots of fun. Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it....

Isn't Rhett's little friend the most adorable thing? He was over for a playdate and we had a little photoshoot so they could have a pic of each other for their rooms....and I may have wanted one for a LO....

Great while it lasted...

So, I didn't make it as far as I had hoped for the SYTYCS contest at LCOM. I got through to Week 6. My take on "All About Me" (week 5) was a bit of a funky layout about my tattoo. I didn't really like it at first, but it is growing on me...



The layout that got me eliminated was actually my favorite LO in a long time. So even if it got me booted, I'm really happy I did it. It was "Tinkie Style" based on Tanya Munn's style and using Pink and Black. Without the challenge, I likely wouldn't have done it, so I can't complain. It was a super fun contest! The girls who are still there (6, I think) are super talented.

I can't post my Week 6 "Tinkie Style" LO, because I am actually using it as part of my application to a new DT. Scraptacular Images is the cutest little LSS in Sussex, NB, where my parents live. I visited it for the first time just after Christmas and I haven't made a trip to Mom and Dad's without stopping in since then. It is small, but it has tons of great deals and cool stuff packed in to a small space. They also have an online store and a forum. Check them out: Store and Forum.

In other GREAT news, I'm going to be published again. Check me out in the next issue of Canadian Scrapbooker!!! They picked up one of my layouts based on a wood theme that they posted.

Hopefully, I'll have more good news about the DT application next time....