It's Labor Day-celebrating careers

Happy Labor Day Monday!  I hope some of you have gotten to enjoy a 3 day weekend!  Our BBTB2 challenge this week is to do a project highlighting Labor Day-either how you celebrate or featuring a career.   I made a card focusing on teachers.  With 3 kids in school, they are a big part of our life.  I used the Teddy Bear Parade cartridge to make my cute little teacher with his teddy bear Mac (the cuteness!) and argyle sweater.  I hope you will check out the projects over at BBTB2 and link one of your own!

Cricut:
Teddy Bear Parade-bear
Paper-CTMH solids, Doodlebug print
brown chalk ink for edging
Stamp-so old I'm not even sure, lol

Marching Band layouts

We have changed our format a bit at BBTB2, going to an every other week post.  However, I am planning to continue posting most Mondays and will share some of my other projects, as I make lots of things that don't necessarily fit the challenge themes or don't include a cricut cut.

This week, I have three layouts, although they don't all include my cricut.   Son#2 is one of the drum majors conducting his high school marching band this season, so I know I will be taking lots of pics of their show this year at competitions and at the football games.  I found a fantastic paper pack called Band Geeks from Photo Play.  It is perfect for all my band layout needs!  These three are all ready for my pics.  Have a great week and enjoy the upcoming Labor Day weekend!

Layout #1

Quarter Note cartridge

Layout #2

Layout #3

back to school

Happy Monday!  It's that back to school time and that's our challenge theme for the week at BBTB2! My high schoolers started last Wednesday and my college guy starts this week, although he's already moved back to the dorm last week, as he's going to be one of the RAs this year for the dorms.  I always take first day of school pictures (since kindergarten!), so I snapped a few Wednesday and made this layout for them using the Locker Talk cartridge for all my cricut cuts.  Hope you will join us for a project this week and you can link up over at BBTB2!

Cricut:
Locker Talk-all cuts
Paper-Little Yellow Bicycle prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink

Back to School

Hello Monday!  Well, it's going to be a big life change moving my oldest son into his college dorm for his freshman year this weekend!  While he is going to school close to home, I'm still really going to miss him.  This letting go part of parenting is harder than I thought.  It's back to school week for the other two as well, with my middle son starting his junior year of high school and my youngest starting his freshman year of high school.

As I am hosting the BBTB2 challenge this week, I selected Back to School as our challenge theme.  I always take first day of school pics, so I made my layout using the Artbooking and Locker Talk cartridges.  Gotta have your backpack to be ready to go, right?  I'm going to have to make another project to capture the college move in.  The rest of the design team over at BBTB2 has some great projects to see and you can link yours up too!

Cricut:
Artbooking-titles
Locker Talk-locker, backpack
Paper-Echo Park prints, green/blue solids, CTMH red
brown chalk ink

Back to School layout

Happy Monday!  I am hosting the BBTB2 challenge this week and I selected a back to school theme.  Because if you took pictures from the first day, you need to get them scrapped, right?  Or here is your opportunity to make some cute little lunchbox cards for kids or grandkids.  Or something for a teacher-lots of possibilities here!  It's the "last first day" for all 3 of my boys together, as my oldest is a senior in high school this year.  I have taken a picture of them on the first day of school every single year along the way-hard to believe he is a senior.

My layout uses the Family Album cartridge for all the cricut cuts.  The spiral notebook paper shape is with the back to school title in the handbook.  The journal box shape and the 3 photo holder are on the Bug Safari page, in case you try to find them.  I added some school themed stickers from the Echo Park paper pack for some extra pizazz.  Go and check out the design team projects over at BBTB2 and link up a project this week!

Cricut:
Family Album-back to school title, background for 3 pics, journal block shape, notebook paper
Paper-Echo Park prints/stickers, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink

Back to School layout

Happy Monday!  It's a back to school challenge at BBTB2 this week.  My kids have been back for a few weeks already-it seems like school starts in the middle of the summer!  I have taken a picture of each of them (along with a group shot) every year since the oldest started kindergarten, so I made a layout for my back to school pictures.  I used the Create A Friend cartridge for the title and the Recess Lite cartridge for the backpack, stack of books, and pencil.  The fun print papers are from Echo Park, along with the Hall Pass journal box.  The corner of this layout looks like my dining room, which is homework central-an exploding jumble of backpacks and textbooks and MacBooks!  Do join us with a school themed project and link it up over at BBTB2.  The designers have some cute projects for you to look at!

Cricut:
Recess-backpack, stack of books
Create A Friend-title
Paper-Echo Park prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink

Study Time layout (for BBTB2)

Happy Monday!  I actually feel ready for the week, as no one had to go anywhere and I didn't have to work this weekend.  It was absolute bliss to just hang out at home!

Our BBTB2 challenge this week is to use a clock on a project.  My Study Time layout is for some funny pics snapped during December finals week, when my oldest two were trying to get ready for math finals.  (The cat is even hanging out "studying" math with one of them in one of my pics that will go on here.  Although I don't think he would have passed the pre-calc final, lol.)  The green background mat with the letters if from the Graphically Speaking cartridge.  My clock and stack of books are from the Locker Talk cartridge.  The paper, letter stickers and stickers on the journal box are from the Echo Park Paper and Glue collection.  Go take some time at BBTB2 and see the cute projects the rest of the design team have made and link up a project!

Cricut:
Locker Talk-stack of books, clock
Graphically Speaking-background mat with letters
Paper-Echo Park Paper and Glue collection prints, sticker, blue paper, other CTMH
brown chalk ink

Ready Set Go First Day of School layout (for BBTB2)

It's a back to school challenge using a cricut apple at BBTB2 this week.  I used the Artbooking cartridge to make my back to school layout, plus some stickers and paper from the Echo Park Paper and Glue collection.  The picture frames (including the one with the ruler) are from Artbooking and so is the journal box, apple, and titles.  I take pictures of the kids every year with their backpacks before we leave for school on the first day, so I've got my layout ready to go!  Aren't the picture frames just super cool looking and fun?  For the notebook paper one, I actually just added the border cut to the top to make it look like a frame.

Cricut:
Artbooking-all cuts
Paper-Echo Park Paper and Glue collection prints/stickers, CTMH solids

The DT has lots of cute school projects featuring an apple and we'd love it if you link up a project!

Last Day of School layout (for Exploring Cricut)

It's my day for the daily project at Exploring Cricut!  I have a school themed layout for you today, using the Varsity Letters and Recess Lite cartridges, as we count down to the last days of school this year.  My high schooler is taking a final this morning, in fact!  On the last day of school, I always take pictures of the kids celebrating the end of the year, kind of a fun tradition.   So for my layout, the stack of books and backpack are cut with Recess Lite.  The font is the narrow font on Varsity Letters.  I used the Simple Stories Smarty Pants collection for the print papers.

Cricut:
Recess Lite-books and backpack
Varsity Letters-font
Paper-Simple Stories Smarty Pants prints, not sure on the base paper, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink

There is a fresh daily project for inspiration every single day at Exploring Cricut, so keep checking back and see what's up!  Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Star Student layout (for BBTB2)

Happy Monday!  I hope all the moms out there had a wonderful day yesterday!  I got to spend my day with most of my extended family, including my amazing mom!  And my kids made me breakfast served on a silver tray!  But on to crafting….it's a school themed challenge at BBTB2 this week-great for those end of year school events coming up here in May.  I can personally attest to the fact that if you have school age kids, between all the end of year concerts, award banquets, parties, and graduation it gets kind of crazy!!!

For my project, I made a layout for pictures from some of the end of year events we will be attending this month.  Since it will include pictures of all three kids, I went with a general title of Star Student.  The Star Student font is the sugar script font from the Type Candy cartridge.  The stack of books and the layered stars are from the CM This and That cartridge.  I went with bright primary colors to match the cute print papers are from the Echo Park Paper and Glue collection.  Gotta love that book print paper!  I'm going to print my pics 3x5 instead of 4x6 so it will show too.

Cricut:
Type Candy-Sugar Script font cut at 1 1/2 inches
CM This and That-books cut at 4 inches, stars cut at 3 inches
Paper-Echo Park Paper and Glue collection prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink
square punch (cut in half for the photo corners)

Can't wait to see what you'll come up with for the school themed challenge-I'm looking forward to seeing projects!  Check out the cool design team projects over at BBTB2 for some inspiration!

Study and Learn layout (for Exploring Cricut)

It's Back to School week at Exploring Cricut-although my kids have been back to school for a few weeks now already!  It started early this year!  I always take a picture of each of them with their backpack, plus one of all three boys on the first day of school, so I made a layout using the Recess Lite cartridge.

Our challenge included using a school theme with the virtually all the primary colors plus including a ribbon.  My background paper is from the Bo Bunny Learning Curve collection-isn't it just so fun?  The school themed print photo mats are from Kaisercraft's Class Act collection.  The photo mats are sized for 4x6 photos, but I'm printing them at 3x5, since I want some of the cute photo mat paper to show.  All the cuts are from the Recess Lite cart.

Cricut:
Recess Lite-all cuts
Paper-solids CTMH, bg Bo Bunny Learning Curve collection, photo mat Kaisercraft Class Act collection
brown chalk ink
ribbon-Stampin Up

We'd love to see your back to school projects, so link up with us at Exploring Cricut!  You can check for a new project everyday, either on Facebook or on the EC website, to see what the design team has cooked up to get you using all your cartridges.

Field Trip school bus layout for (BBTB2)

It's almost back to school time for those of us with kids-I cannot believe it's on top of us already!  Don't ask how much I had to spend on school supplies this weekend!!!!  On a happier note, our BBTB2 DT leader Susan has challenged us to use a school bus on a project this week.  This immediately made me think of the little kid song "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round"-see, aren't you hearing it now too?  We used to sing that a lot when my kiddos were in preschool :)  I used the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge for my bus and my favorite Mickey Font for my title.  I've actually never cut this bus before and I really like the way it came out!

Cricut:
Stretch Your Imagination-bus
Mickey Font-title
Paper-DCWV prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink

So get in the back to school spirit and join us with a school bus at BBTB2!

I've also linked up to the Craftin' Desert Divas back to school linky party.

#1 Student layout

Locker Talk is my favorite school themed cartridge, both for the images and all the great titles.  This layout has some pics leftover from the end of school last year, so I made a quick layout using Locker Talk for the titles #1 Student and Field Day, along with my Echo Park school mini theme kit.

Cricut:
Locker Talk-all cuts
Paper-Echo Park mini theme kit, plus solid card stock

Back to School layout

So, this layout is for our traditional first day of school photos with the backpacks!  The kids even posed one of their stuffed animals with a lunchbox, but decided the backpack was too much for him!  (The cat refused to pose with ANY school related items!)  I used some paper from my stash of Basic Grey's Life of the Party collection and started cutting school supplies!  (Although not quite as many as the amount of actual school supplies-you do not even want to know how many pocket brad folders it takes to be a 6th grader these days.  In case you have an inquiring mind, the answer is 24.   I think altogether we bought 36 pocket brad folders, as the other two grades seemed to be satisfied with a ROY G BIV collection of folders each.  Don't even get me started on spiral notebooks and glue sticks! )  I used the Recess Lite cartridge for the title and most of the cuts, except the locker and brown bag, which are from Locker Talk.  The locker seemed appropriate now that I have two middle schoolers!   There are tags from Recess behind the pictures on the left page, so I can write about their teachers and schedules.

Cricut:
Locker Talk-locker and brown bag
Recess-all other cuts
Paper-Basic Grey "Life of the Party" collection
I'm going to link this to a couple of challenges this week:  BBTB2 back to school challenge,  Exploring Cricut back to school challenge, and the  Fantabulous Cricut-back to school cricut crawl.

7th Grade Honor's Night layout

All the back to school shopping got me back working on a few layouts left over from the end of school in May that I never finished!  The only cricut on this one is the font, which is one of my favorites-Learning Curve.  The rest is all stickers from the Echo Park mini-theme kit School Days, plus some quick work with my square punch set from CM.  Before I got my cricut, that square punch set was my go to tool!

Cricut-
Learning Curve-font
Paper-Echo Park School Days kit, plus some solid CM card stock
CM Square punches

PLAY layout with Recess

We are on vacation for the week at the lake, doing some waterskiing, fishing, and theme park fun, but I've got a few things pre-scheduled to post.

I had a few pictures of several fun school events and field trips from the end of the year that I wanted to scrap (but not enough of each event for a whole page), so I put them all together in a two page spread and used the Recess cart for all the cuts and the journal box to make it feel kind of unified.  Paper and letter stickers are Echo Park.

Cricut:
Recess-all cuts
Paper-Echo Park It's a Boy's Life collection, plus solid CM cardstock for all my die cuts

Hope everyone is having a good week and staying cool!  The temperature moderated slightly after a bit of rain here, so we are looking at double instead of triple digit temps today, thank goodness!

Memories layout (school)

One of the kids most beloved teachers is taking a new job next year, so they took some special pictures sitting in her classroom and of the last days of school with friends, so I titled this layout "memories".  All the cuts are from Locker Talk and the paper is from Basic Grey's Shine On collection.  I had the most terrible time getting pictures of this layout-it's cloudy and the pics are kind of dark-sorry!

Cricut:
Locker Talk-all cuts
Paper/transparency-Basic Grey

I'm going to link this to the Die Cuttin Divas Anything Goes challenge this week, which has helped me finish up this layout!

Graduation layout

I dug out my never used Recess Lite cartridge that I bought last fall for the Exploring Cricut challenge to use a neglected cartridge, and made a layout for the elementary graduation pictures I took this week.  It had some cuts that were perfect!  Isn't the little schoolhouse cute?  I embossed it with a brick Sizzix folder.  I also added some cuts from Locker Talk.  (I think I've never used it because I like Locker Talk so much for school events.)

 
Cricut:
Locker Talk-Graduation banner and 5th grade badge
Recess Lite-all other cuts
Paper-The Paper Studio All Seasons 1prints, solid CM cardstock
Ribbon-Stampin Up real red

Science Fair layout

Lockertalk is going to get a workout this next few weeks with all the many school events!  I used the Science Fair sign, beaker, and microscope for this layout, which were kind of fun to cut out!  I love all the signs on this cart.   Ahh, those beakers and microscope:  brought back memories of high school chemistry-the thrill of mixing chemicals and not blowing yourself up is not to be forgotten :)   And the Echo Park This and That paper is very fun to work with!  All the ticket stubs and library card things were from the paper pack.

Cricut:
Locker Talk-all cuts
Paper-Echo Park This and That collection

Math Contest layout

School themed layouts anyone?  I pulled out Locker Talk to create a layout for pictures of Son#2 placing in a regional math contest.  It had the ribbons, a calculator, AND even a compass/protractor!!!!  Thank you, Locker Talk!  (I love it when I find EXACTLY what I had in mind.)  The paper is from the really great Echo Park A Boy's Life collection.

Cricut:
Plaintain Schoolbook-background circle, numbers (tall ball font)
Locker Talk-all other cuts
Paper/stickers-Echo Park