The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

 

It's been quiet around here today with the boys at school!  So did I scrap anything, make any cards, or work in my office?

No.  I went to the store...by myself...and took as long as I wanted!

Heart 2 Heart Challenge: We Moustache You To Join Us!

Good Monday Morning!  Before I get to this week's H2H Challenge, I want to thank all of you who have played along with us this month!  March Madness is really catching, isn't it??

I hope you've all had as much fun with the challenges as we have.


Now to get on with this week's theme.  Ah, the cute and clever moustache trend that is so prolific on the internet right now.  I do have to admit, I own this moustache keychain and my boys love playing with it, cracks them up!  But what to do for this challenge...

Luckily, I have a very impatient to grow up young adolescent that is sporting his own moustache these days...of course you have to look very, very hard to see it though!

So I snapped a few photos, along with his brother being silly, and made a nice layout for him.

Inks: Cocoa, Creme Brulee Dark Marker (to color buttons with!)

Papers: Buzz and Bumble paper pack

Accessories: Cocoa grosgrain ribbon, Cocoa, Clear, Colonial White buttons, Cocoa embroidery floss, 3x3 Flip Flap, Dimensional Elements Monograms

Tools: Artiste Cricut cartridge, Sanding block, Embossing Stylus

 

I took a close up and hid it under the Flip Flap.  He is so proud of that moustache of his!

 

 

So now that I have totally embarrassed him with this, let us see your Moustache Themed creations!  Head over to the Heart 2 Heart Blog and see all the other DT members' artwork for more inspiration.  Then link up your blog post and join in the fun this week!  And don't forget to be on the look out for those extra March Madness goodies you can win!

 

 

Mom Growing Pains

Last night, I experienced a first in my years as a mom...sending my child off on an overnight school trip.  All I could think was    I was hoping I wasn't the only one, but all the other parents seemed okay.  Even Engineer was cool and calm!  So I did the next best thing...I faked it. Not very convincingly though, I'm sure.

Just about now, Bio-Comp and his classmates are reaching the Magic Kingdom at Disneyland.  I know!  Why wasn't I asked to be a chaperone?  

Even though I was am nervous about him being away from home, he totally deserves to have this fun time with his friends.  He's worked really hard his first quarter in middle school.  He's joined lots of clubs, kept his grades up (got on the High Honor Roll even!), and participated on the Cross Country team!

After he was packed, I slipped this card into his suitcase.  I wanted him to know how proud we all are of him! 

 

Stamps: Superhero WOTG

Papers: Superhero Reflections Kit

Inks: Black, Honey

Accessories: Silver Shimmer Trim, Comic Badges

Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

 

Now I think I'll just spend the day in my room...waiting for the phone to beep with a text from Bio-Comp telling me how much fun he's having... ...without his mom!



 

 

Another Studio J Layout: The Splash Zone

Good evening! See...I did make it out of the boys' room after all. And you know what? It's already a mess again!

Sigh, what's a mom to do.

It's after dinner and once again I find myself with a few moments alone. The boys all went for much needed haircuts. Bio-Comp came home looking like he tried to sweep the school sandbox with his head, Knock-Out looks like he's been climbing trees all day, and Loquacious is just plain shaggy!


It made me miss the times when they stayed cleaner for longer...and reminded of this layout I did a while ago of the boys in the tub.

I promise...it's rated G! Of course, this was when we just had the two older boys. Actually, I don't even remember life like that at all anymore. Funny how years of sleep deprivation will play tricks on your mind, right?


Anyway, I wanted to share something else wonderful about Studio J. But first, the layout...and I'm sure I'll get an earful about how embarrassing this is to show to the world.

Studio J: Splash Zone Reflections Kit


Now what I wanted to talk about with this layout are the photos. These are just some silly little photos that have been sitting in our computer for 5 years,bored out of their mind. And if I took them, there must have been a reason I did. Oh, yes...because I thought they were cute and wanted to remember them that way. But I doubt I would have ever printed them and made a classic layout with them, they were just some fun shots of the boys.

Studio J really made this a quick and fun way to get these photos out of the computer and into my albums. Where I can publicly embarrass the boys a right proper way. I've been going through our pictures and finding little snapshots of our lives and preserving them this way...instead of storing them away...and I love seeing how things have changed through the years.

How many photos do you have hidden away in your computer waiting to see the light of day?

School Break Imminent

The end of the first quarter for school is today. Our three week break from classes lay before us and all I can say is, we made it through another one! The kids are surely having parties in class today and will come home pumped up for the rest of the night...thanks!

It also means it is time to say good-bye to Mrs. T, the Teacher's Aide in Bio-Comp's class. He informed me at the beginning of the week they were planning a surprise good-bye party for her today. He then asked in his sweetest I-want-you-to-do-something-but-don't-know-if-you'll-be-mad voice if I could make her a card. Well, of course I could! He should know by now I'd rather be creating a card than or

So I sorted through my school themed stamps and pulled out one I hadn't even used yet.

Yes, I know...and I'm working on that!


I used this sketch from Mojo Monday and quickly put together her card.



Stamps: CTMH Doodle Art
Inks: CTMH Clover Meadow, Versamark
Papers: CTMH School Zone My Reflections Kit (retired), Outdoor Denim, Clover Meadow, White Daisy, Black

The chalkboard is white embossing powder on black cardstock. Pretty simple, but Bio-Comp thought it was awesome. And I'm not going to argue with that!

On My Birthday Honor

Today is Bio-Comp's birthday. He turns 8 and besides his birthday, it also means he now gets to go to Scouts. We took him to the Scout shop earlier this week to get his uniform and all the other stuff he'd need and his face was lit up the entire time.

I made this card for him because I'm just a proud Mom that loves her boy, no other reason. Well, and that I used the sketch challenge layout again, and got to use my new markers again.


Stamps: CTMH Salute, Fleur Of Merit
Inks: CTMH Sunflower, Moonstruck, Brilliance Graphite Black
Papers: CTMH Moonstruck, Sunflower

I used my Red and Gold Spica Glitter pens to make the slide and belt buckle stand out, boys don't really want their cards to "sparkle". Or so I was told.

It's Been A Zoo!

Today, instead of staying home and getting things ready for club meetings this weekend, I went to the zoo with Bio-Comps class...and all the other 2nd graders at school. It wasn't too bad, Knock-Out and I just walked around with the small group Bio-Comp was assigned to. We saw all the animals, they fed the ducks, then went to the park for a sack lunch. Knock-Out was just about knocked out by the time we got home.

After getting settled at home again, I got to work on some upcoming workshop items. I might have them all finished up by tonight. In the meantime, here's another card I did with this month's Stamp of the Month. I know those of you up north probably don't think snow all day is a fun thing, but down here it's the stuff of my boys dreams. Just a couple of details about this card. I used my snowflake punch and a transparency for the snowflakes. I painted them with CTMH's Create-a-shade paint and added Sparkles.


Stamps: CTMH All Decked Out (November SOTM), Boutique Alphabet, Chocolate Alphabet Small
Inks: CTMH Desert Sand
Papers: CTMH Aspen Reflections Kit, Notebook Reflections Kit