Everybody Wants to "Bee" Loved...

Friday was the last day of school, and to go out with a bang the school always has a wonderful talent show. My little Jack who is 8, sang and played his heart out to the beautiful song by Ingrid Michaelson, "Everybody." His daddy and I are so proud of him. Being a musical talent himself, his daddy was quick to download his performance on you tube! (If you could stop by and check it out, Jack would love you for it.)

The chorus of the song is..."Everybody, everybody wants to love; everybody, everybody wants to be loved..." In honor of such a beautiful message and inspiring performance from Jack, I decided to create this card with the same sentiment. Made with lots of beautiful paper from My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart Collection, it fulfills the perfect background for the stamped "bee" image from Tim Holtz. Why a bee you ask? Because starting today, Paper Issues has unveiled the newest theme: Honey Bee! I hope you will share some of your beautiful creations with us, because not only will you inspire others...there is a fabulous giveaway at stake! Be sure to check it out at Paper Issues for all the details.
As for the card, I think I will either give it to my mother for her upcoming birthday or to my in-laws for their 50th Anniversary. Inside, I plan on putting one of those handy little recorder gadgets with Jack singing this beautiful song. Won't that be sweet?

As always, thank you dearly for stopping by and your sweet, supportive comments.
Have a great evening!
Amy

Teacher Appreciation Trophies!

A few weeks ago I shared with you a tutorial on some Easter Trophies I made for our annual egg hunt. Because of the major interest in these on Pinterest, I thought I would make a different version of them for Teachers Appreciation Week!

On the hunt for "trophy cups" I stumbled upon these at Target a few weeks ago. I originally was going to cover them all in silver glitter, but let my boys decide instead. Jack chose the aqua glitter for his 2nd Grade Teacher, and Sam chose red & silver for his Pre-K Teachers. Using Martha Stewart's glitter glue and her super fine glitter, it was very easy to cover the cup portion of the trophy. I created the accordian rosettes out of October Afternoon Road Map Paper and an ABC file folder from Cavallini. The ribbon hanging down is my favorite part. I wanted to add color, and this was just the place to do it. I have tons of ribbon in my stash. Don't you love the yellow ruler ribbon? I think it is the perfect fit. The fun label at the base of the trophy is a free printable from Megan at BalancingHome.com. Her website is filled with wonderful ideas and she has such amazing graphic prints in her shop too, so definitely check her out!

To finish, I added some cream tissue-paper garland from Melissa Frances to the top rim of the cup. Not only does it look cute, it acts as a barrier for the polished red apple nestled at the top! Yes, I used real apples on the top of the trophies, and yes they were a hit!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fantabulous weekend!
Amy

NEVER Give Up On Your DREAMS...& New Theme over @ Paper Issues!

Do you remember me declaring my obsession with Ormolu? Awhile back I shared a card with you, titled "Ormolu Inspired." At the time I had only admired Ormolu from a distance. Well guess what? I couldn't wait any longer, and went on an Ormolu shopping spree as an early birthday present to me! :) In fact, as I write this post it will officially be my birthday! I have been so busy lately, my creating time has been on the back burner. Well, that was until I received my Ormolu goodies earlier this week. I have been a busy bee creating several calendars using lots of the Ormolu 2-day hooray collection.

The calendar that I am sharing with you this evening, is hot off the press! This is a big boy, measuring appx 18"X18". There is a rather large sentiment that says "NEVER Give Up On Your DREAMS." What a wonderful goal to keep don't you think? It would be perfect for the graduating senior, or for anyone who wants that extra reminder to try and achieve their goals each and every day!

As for materials, I created the background using lots of different patterned papers from KaiserCraft, The Paper Studio, Prima, Cosmo Cricket, Simple Stories, K & Company, Crate Paper, & Jenni Bowlin. I even created the fun chevron squares from Ormolu's Line & Letter Chevron Tags. The days of the week are some of Ormolu's fabric swatches. I love the added texture these add to the piece! Most of the numbers are vintage trinkets with the exception of a few. Check out #11...I must say I LOVE the Studio Calico wooden people...too cute for words! :)

Now onto another important subject at hand: Paper Issues has the newest theme up on the blog: Let's Go Abroad! Whether using some of Studio Calico's newest collection "Abroad" or whatever "Abroad" means to you, we would love to see your creations! Maybe documenting your travels or something as simple as using some of your favorite "map" paper. (I used some map paper in my calendar. Do you see it?) You can link up your "Abroad" projects through May 12, so get busy!

Now I'm off to get a few zzzzz's before my big day begins. Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me....

Thanks for stopping by!

Amy