Altered First Grade Clip Board

One of the items on my daughter's first grade supply list was a clip board. When I read this, my gears started turning and I decided I would try to make an altered one for her to take to school. I bought all the school supplies on the list about a month ago, but did I bother to work on the clipboard? Oh, no! That would be too efficient. Instead, I wait until the morning before first grade orientation!!! Smart, no...but it did work out alright, so I guess I kinda lucked out. I was a bit nervous cause I've never made and altered clip board before and I've never modge podged anything onto acrylic, but it worked like a charm. I actually modge podged everything to the back (because the clipboard is clear) to avoid a bumpy clipboard since she will be using this at school. It's not as stylish and hip as many of the altered clipboards I have seen, but I think it is just fine for a first grader. Natalie LOVED it and even thanked me for making it for her. Anyway, here it is:

Letter stickers and water background paper is from EK Success. Ariel border strip is from My Paper Garden. Stickers are from Sandylion and the ribbon is from Offray. Natalie drew the picture of Ariel...so cute! The photo of Natalie and Ariel was taken at Disneyland and was the last part of the clipboard to dry, so when I took a picture of it, you can still see the glue...fortunately, it will dry clear...eventually

BBQ Thank You Card

First of all... a huge thank you for all the kind comments about my party pics. I love planning them and would really love to figure a way to make money doing parties...but I really have no idea how to go about it...Feel free to offer any suggestions in the matter...my mother-in-law wants me to start a business too, but I can't get my head around it all.

Anyway, my husband just took our oldest two kids (out of 3) camping and I am staying home to organize and de-clutter in an attempt to get ready for the upcoming school year. Just thought I would pop in and post a quick card I made last Friday for some friends who invited us over for a BBQ. I used a really old-school Stampin' Up! stamp set and my new D'vine Swirl embossing folder from Cuttlebug (which I use in my Sizzix Big Kick). I love it...so swirly and cute. Well...I'm off to do damage control in the playroom...wish me luck. If I don't post for a few days, you may want to call for help!

Stop and Go Cookies

These cookies were so much easier than I thought they would be...It's a good thing too, because after decorating all the sugar cookies I was frazzled!

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened coca powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Turn oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Using a mixer, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar until combined. Add egg and vanilla. Add as much of the flour mixture as you can. If necessary, use hands to combine the remaining flour mixture to the dough. For each cookie, take 1 tablespoon of the dough and form into a rectangle on an ungreased cookie sheet. Push a wooden stick half way into the short side of the cookie. Press red, yellow and green m&m's onto each cookie. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool for at least 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack.

The rest of the party pics

The poll results are currently leaning towards posting party stuff here, so I will go ahead and post a few pics from last Saturday. I usually post party photos on my family blog, but I'd rather share them where more people can see what I've been up to. Hope you enjoy as much as I do!

I go a little crazy at birthday time...see for yourself:

The Munchies:

Veggies and dip

PB & J samiches for the kids

Make your own sub sandwich for the "big" kids!

A truck-load of salty chips.

The Loot:
Each kid got a bunch of car/truck related things packaged up in the car shaped boxes I found at Oriental Trading. The fire fighter's badge and tattoo are from our local fire station (free!), the gummy cars, stencil, train whistle, tire flashlight key chain and mini truck are all from Oriental Trading.

These suckers are also from Oriental Trading...How cute are they?

I made a drivers license for each kid. They were a huge hit! Don't turn me in for making fake IDs!

When it was time to eat, everyone found where they were sitting at the table by locating their very own set of keys found from this website.

Party Fun
As the guest were arriving, my husband gave the kids rides on our riding mower.
Then we gathered all the kids around my brother-in-law's BIG truck for a great photo op.

The party table. I bought the plates and coordinating napkins when I saw them on clearance a couple years ago for $1 per package. I found those cute traffic signs at the Learning Palace.

Party entrance.

For games we played Red Light, Green Light and Duck Duck Goose. Then I got out the parachute and the kids enjoyed playing parachute games.

Thanks for looking!

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Crafty Cake!

I think I have just about recovered from my latest burst of creative energy. Last weekend we celebrated my son's second birthday with a cars, trucks and trains birthday. I found the cutest idea for a cake and decided to give it a try...
I don't know what I was thinking...this cake took 4 cake mixes and 2 days of prep to make. Decorating all the cookies (over 50 of them) was a 3 step process: outline with colorflow, let dry overnight, fill in with a thinned-down colorflow, let dry, then add all the details and let dry. After it was all done I realized it was all worth it, but in those 2 days, I was a wreck!

What's old is new again

I haven't spent too much time making cards or scrapbooking. Rather I have been working my tail off in the garden, pulling weeds. In my relaxing time, I have been spending far too much time at 2 peas on the message boards there. I did manage to "beautify" this old storage bin thing that was left in the garage when we moved here. It was blue and I spray painted it pink...

Why am I all of a sudden pulling weeds, camping out on 2 peas and spray painting bins? Because that's what I do when I am procrastinating getting ready for Hayden's upcoming birthday party. Don't get me wrong, I am totally looking forward to the party, I just hate all the cleaning before hand...so I do other non-related things to pass the time until the very last minute when I run around like a mad women trying to whip this place back into shape!

Before:

After:

Anniversary Card

I made this card for a friend's anniversary. The gold paper is made from from tissue paper. I crumpled up the tissue, then unfolded it and ironed it on to the glossy side of freezer paper...Instant textured paper.

Hayden's First Hair Cut...finally!

I have been trying to figure out how much "personal" stuff to include on my paper capers blog. At first I wanted to keep it strictly crafty stuff, but I had so much fun with this one I wanted to share. For those who read my family blog...sorry for the duplicate post, but I couldn't resist...

Hayden has needed a hair cut for a couple months now...but before we cut his golden locks off, we had a little fun...

"The Hayden"

"The Donald"

"The Kramer"

"The Godzilla"

"The Squiggy"

"The Pebbles"

"The Ed Grimley"/"Jack Jack"/ "Mary"

Hayden didn't want to sit still, so after I cut his first lock of hair, I held him while Dan buzzed the rest of his hair off.

"The New Hayden"

Hayden looks so cute with his shorter hair...just in time for his second birthday! Doesn't he look like Zander? I think the reason I waited so long to cut his hair was because I knew it would move him from my "baby" to my little boy in the blink of an eye. I remember how dramatic it was when Zander got his first hair cut. It seems like he hit the fast forward button and aged about 6 months. I was also a little nervous about how to cut his hair. He has two cowlicks in front and a few longer areas of growth in the back...the hair clippers solved that problem...now it's all one length.

Hayden's 2nd Birthday Invitations

So this is what his invites look like...

Hayden LOVES trucks, trains and tractors, so the "By Land" set from Stampin Up was perfect. I have only completed one so far...and his birthday is 2 weeks away...Yikes! I better get going.

R U Addicted 2?

A friend posted this link to my other blog (yes, I am addicted) and I thought it was pretty amusing so I thought "why not post it here too?" I think he was insinuating I may be slightly addicted when I posted 53 photos of my recent trip to the beach...I didn't realize I posted that many photos until he brought it up...(so that's why I didn't get my laundry done on Wednesday!!!)

I have been blogging for a year now and I love it. I keep up with my family blog a little better than my craft blog, mostly because I am so busy these days I don't have time to be crafty. I do browse other blogs a lot. There are so many talented and interesting people who share my love for stamping and scrapbooking. Anyway, take the quiz and share your results.

Birthday wishes

So, yesterday was my birthday. My friend Donna, who used to be a great Stampin' Up hostess with the mostess (and then she became one of my downline) before she moved out of state, sends me the sweetest e-card. Stampers/scrapbookers are such thoughtful people, doncha think? So, a huge thanks to you Donna!

I also got a nice e-card from my parents and a phone call later in the day from my mom.

Then I got the cutest little birthday card from my daughter's best friend with a drawing of a hula dancer...not to be out done, my daughter then whips up the next card, complete with hula dancer...coconut bra included! So really, I had no choice but to make them this thank you card:

Later that night my friends and I went out to a great Moroccan restaurant for dinner. Yummers!