Teresa's First Blogaversary Blog Hop

Welcome to Teresa's First Blogaversary Blog Hop!

If you are looking for the All About Penguins Hop, please go HERE.

A little over a year ago, Teresa began her new blog to celebrate the fact that she wanted a change in her life.  And for that change to be permanent came lots of prayer and leaning on God to give the right answers.  The answers He needed to give, not the answers Teresa desired.  Well, here she is 1 year later and Teresa is a stay at home wife loving life and doing all she needs to do to create a warm, loving atmosphere for her family!

Teresa invited us to celebrate with her.  Here is a list of blogs in this hop.  If you found me first, please hop on over to Teresa so you don't miss anything!!

Here is a complete list of blogs in today's hop:

Teresa~ http://freshandrenewed.blogspot.com/

An’Jenic~ http://anjenicgibson.blogspot.com/

Lori ~ http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/****HERE

Anita - http://scrappyhappymommy.blogspot.ca***HERE

Sandy- http://scrapbookblessings.blogspot.com

Miranda - http://www.nanasscrapspot.com/

Sarah - http://itswhatkeepsmesane.blogspot.com/

Michele ~ http://michelescraftroom.blogspot.com/

Melissa ~ http://iamapapermaniac.blogspot.com

We are so glad you are here celebrating and hopping with us today.  Teresa asked us all to create something that represents a change in our life.  A big change happening in our family this year is our son Tyler will be graduating from high school and heading off to college.  Unlike his brother who went to college 45 minutes away, Tyler is likely going 3 1/2 hours away.  I am not looking forward to that part, but I am excited for the next chapter in his life to begin.

I have been scouring Pinterest for ideas for Graduation Party Decorations and I combined two subway art projects into one.

I started out with my Gypsy and several fonts to create this project.  On Layer 2, I put a rectangle sized to 8 1/2 x 11 so I knew how big to size the letters.

I used:

 Base Camp (Graduation sized to 1.35 inches)

Opposites Attract (Turn the Tassel sized to 1.24 inches)

Making the Grade (diploma sized to .92 inches)

Nate's ABCs (Success sized to .88 inches)

George (Cap and Gown sized to 1 inch)

Sophisticated (new chapter sized to 1 inch)

Varsity Letter (You Did It sized to 1.08 inches)

Gypsy Font (Class of sized to .88 inches)

Hannah Montana (2013 sized to 1.94 inches)

Nate's ABCs (Hats off sized to .88 inches - rotated 90 degrees)

I put blue vinyl on my mat and changed my settings on the cricut to 3-3-3 (speed, pressure and blade depth) for a kiss cut.

I have a flat canvas sized 9 x 12.  It is hard to see, but the vinyl is cut.  Now to get it onto the canvas. 

First, I use my cricut dental tool to weed off the extra vinyl.

Once I pulled off the extra vinyl, I went back to pull out the inside cuts.

I used transfer tape to pull the vinyl off of the paper backing.  I used my cricut scraper tool to burnish (rub) my vinyl. 

Oops - I was burnishing a little too hard and broke my cricut scraper tool!!  **Note - I have used the heck out of this tool for the past 6 years!!  Good thing I have a Pampered Chef scraper!!

I carefully pulled up the transfer tape.

I placed the transfer tape to my canvas and burnished the vinyl onto the canvas.

I carefully peeled the transfer tape off the canvas.

I had extra white space at the top, so I went back to the Gypsy....

I used the graduation cap from Martha Stewart Seasonal Art Cake cartridge and sized 7 of them to .80 inches.

This time I carefully pulled up the vinyl off the transfer tape so I could place the exactly where I wanted them.

I put a few caps on some of my letters.

Here is my canvas all ready to go for Graduation (sniff, sniff)!!!

Thank you so much for stopping by!!  Your next stop in the hop is the Amazing ANITA.

Smash ~ All About Me

I just finished my second 2-page smashout.  I wanted a page all about me at the beginning of my smash book.

I started with a couple of my favorite photos and my 2 favorite colors:  purple and lime green!

I journaled with the help of my computer as my right hand is still in a cast.

I love taking pictures and creating scrapbooks!

I love Disney and my family :) not always in that order!!

I found this quote on facebook.

I used the following Cricut Carts:

Sophisticated for the font

MS Seasonal Art Cake for the banner

Cricut Everyday for the Scrapbook Queen and Cricut symbol

Graphically Speaking for got kids?

Art Philosophy for the doily, tag and parenthesies

Family is Forever

Today is my day to Guest Design for Pam at TheBugBytes.

I took a similar photo of my three sons when Tanner was 2 weeks old.  In that photo, he would not keep his hand open flat so instead we got him to grab his brother's pinkie finger (totally precious).  This Christmas, 6 years later, Tanner suggested we take another "hand" picture ~ so we did!

I wanted to preserve this photo along with a message to my boys about what I wish for them.

I started out by placing a 4x4 square on my Gypsy mat to represent the photo.

I placed this Icon shape from Creative Memories Art Philosophy at 9.31 inches on a new layer.  I cut it out of Tim Holtz double sided paper.  I trimmed it in half then cut off a 2 inch section and flipped the bottom half over.

I cut out Family is Forever from Sophisticated sized to 1.43 inches.  I used black cardstock.

I used Tim Holtz paper to mat my photo and create a journaling tag.  I destressed the edges of hte paper and inked around the photo mat and journaling card.

I used 3 Girl Jam crinkle ribbon across the center of the layout.  I added some metal rings, arrow and brads to the page.

This is a layout that I will frame and display for a while before I add it to my album.  Thanks Pam for having me over today!!

I Am Lucky

Today is my turn to Design at SweetSassyDiva's. 

If you are looking for my Spring Clean Craft Room post, go HERE.

Our theme is Luck of the Irish.  One of my students found a project on Pinterest and asked me to help her create it with the Gypsy.  I used her idea as a springboard for my own.

I started with this shamrock from Designer's Calendar sized at 11 inches and cut it out of green cardstock.

Next, I found Lucky from Sophisticated and sized it to 2.08 inches.  I cut out the shadow layer in gold cardstock and the top layer in green cardstock.  I cut out two sets.

There is a 1" square in the center of the shamrock that needs to be covered up, so I cut a heart from George sized to 1.82 inches.  I cut it out of gold cardstock.  I also cut out the words "I am" from Base Camp sized to .73 inches.  I cut them out of black cardstock.

I used the negative piece to cover up my photo collage.  

These photos represent why I feel lucky this year ~ my family and the vacations we took this past year.

I took the inner cut and the extra "Lucky" to create a second layout.

Here is the gold heart I cut to cover the square of the photo collage.  I taped it to the negative piece of black cardstock  in order to line up the words "I am".

I adhered the letters down and peeled the black cardstock away.

My letters are straight and evenly spaced!

I used foam squares to pop dot the word "Lucky" to my layout.

 I needed a page to go along with Tanner's St. Pat's Day layout from last year, so I used shamrock and the extra word "Lucky".

Here is my 2012 layout for how Lucky I feel!  Thanks for having me over today!!

All Because Two People Fell In Love LO

Hi! Today is my day to Guest Design over at She's A Sassy Lady!!

I am so happy that my mojo came back!!!  January was a rough month for me.  We made the decision not to go on our annual family vacation with my two brothers and their families.  My brother has a work conflict.  We have been going for 13 years and this year was going to be our last one.  Not meant to be.  

Then my Uncle passed away.  He lives alone and was home by himself when he passed.  His good friends went looking for him a few days later.  Uncle Howie was the black sheep of our family ~ different from us.  He lived by himself on the river.  He had a simple life and as we went through his things it seemed to me that he had a great life.  I never really felt that way when he was alive because I kept comparing him to his siblings.

My mom (his oldest sister) died 23 years ago next month.  I was 20.  It was awful and I was angry for a long time.  She would have been an awesome grandma, but it was not meant to be.....  I grieved for over 5 years before it seemed to get better.  That scab was ripped open a bit when we went through Uncle Howie's photos and momentos.  I put together a board for his memorial which was held Saturday at his favorite watering hole ~ perfect place if you ask me!  

As I went through the photos, I came across one of a young couple and thought the man was my Uncle Mark (mom's other brother).  It was my grandpa and grandma.  They were sitting at a picnic table with a music box (their version of an ipod with speakers) and it looks like my grandma is playfully biting my grandpa's ear.  Not at all how she acted when I was around!!!  This got me thinking that if they had never met at the cafe where she worked as a waitress, I would not be here!!!  And just like that my mojo came back and the scab started to heal once again!

I started with the photo and some paper.

I saw a card on Pinterest that had the word LOVE on a mini banner and liked that idea.  I made a 2 Layer banner from Birthday Bash sized at 1.77 inches.  I got the font for "all because" from Art Philosophy and sized the letters to .85 inches.  I got the font for "two people fell in" from Nursery Rhyme and sized it to 1.15 inches.  I got the font for "Love" from Calligraphy Collection and sized it to 1.35 inches.

I cut out the scalloped flag in burgundy patterned cardstock, the top flag layer and "all because" in gold metallic paper, and the rest in black cardstock.

I used this shape from Lacy Labels at 10.38 inches.  I cut this out with sheet music paper that I found at Michaels.  This shape can also be found on many other cartridges.

I cut out a lacy mat for my photo that I found on Sophie (my grandma's name) at 4 inches.  The lace border is from Sophisticated.  I welded two together and sized them to .88 inches.  The swirls are from Heritage sized at .88.

Here is one of the mats with the cuts on it.

In order to make my title look straight and evenly spaced, I use the negative piece from my cuts as a template.

I adhere the letters and then slowly peel back the template ~ perfect every time!

Here is a close up of the burgundy patterned cardstock.  I punched out three circles, crinkled and inked them up and created a flower.  

I stuck a pearl to the center and used some black glittered chipboard flowers to accent it.

Here is my Love Banner all put together.

I curved the "all because" around the burgundy circle I added to the background.

Here is my completed layout of my Grandparents when they were young and first in love.  I am grateful they were!!  I am also grateful they jump started my mojo!!