4th of July Cards & a Visit to Tallahassee

Well, my 4th of July cards are in the mail and people should be receiving them today, hopefully. I evidently didn't buy a 4th of July stamp from Judith to go with my tree that I have been using, so I had to go a different route. I used my newest stamp set from Close To My Heart. I really like the stars. In fact, I like them so much I did a page with Jack's cute face.

Jack is really doing well learning to sit up. He knows how to catch himself with his hands and even picks up toys while he is sitting.He also has gotten his first teeth, the two bottom ones, and is working hard at getting the two top ones. It should be any day now.

Look close and you can see my teeth!

Grandma is having a great time with Jack. He is such a happy baby. He laughs and plays all the time. He also makes a great scrapbooking topic!  Grandma & Grandpa will be back next month to babysit so mommy and daddy can celebrate their wedding anniversary. We can't wait!

Two Workshops In One Day-WOW!

Saturday, Lynn and I went to two workshops in one day-that's a first for us. In the morning we went to Karen's to continue the technique's classes she is teaching. Today, all the cards were with different methods of using glitter. This one we stamped with white ink first, colored it with colored pencils, then outlined it with a white gel pen and applied glitter with glue to the centers of the flowers.

This one is really cute. The circle is removed from the pink circle and packing tape is put over the hole. Glitter is sprinkled on the tape and then the elephant is mounted behind the glitter. I haven't decided what to stamp on the white oval yet.

On this one we used an embossing folder to do the flowers. We stamped one and used heat and stick to set the glitter. Then we cut it out and pop-dotted it. I love the saying she had for us to use.
In the afternoon we went to Violettes to make a baby album with our favorite instructor, Florence.
Lynn did a girl album for her newest grandchild and first girl, Addison, and I did a boy album for Jack.

This page is for journaling. There are 6 clear inserts for pictures. I think it is really cute.

Monthly Photo Frame pages

Well, it is that time again. Jack is now 5 months old and cutting his first tooth. It should be in any day now. Francois is 7 months. Both boys love to eat their baby food so that was the inspiration for these pages.

I did my page on Jack's first swim in our pool. He really loves the water. Both his parents are super good swimmers and used to be on swim teams so I guess he comes by it naturally.

I made a card today for my friend, Sharron, who was just appointed to an Assistant Principal position. She was our reading coach and her office has been in a room in my media center for 6 years. It is kind of like sending a daughter off to college-you want them to go but you also want them to stay. I wish her well, but will really miss her.

I used my new stamp set from Stampin' Up.

I also made Father's Day cards for James and Adam. I got these stamps at the Scrapbook Expo last year in Atlanta and have been waiting almost a year to use them. I also used some of this stuff that looks like sand. It is so cool and comes in lots of different colors. I bought it in Sarasota during the Pirate Treasure Hunt this year. The color I used is called Tahiti Beach and it is by Mud Puddles. It dries hard and doesn't flake off.  It gives a lot of texture to your card or scrapbook page.

I am working on my 4th of July cards now. I should have them finished in a day or two and then I will post them.
Here are a few more pictures of Jack and Francois, and of course, Sasha. They are the best scrapbooking material a grandma could have!

Jack at the restaurant.

Jack and Grandpa.

Jack just hanging out at Grandma's.

Francois

Sasha-she is growing up so fast.

Sasha and Francois

Twins

Well, Darla and the twins, Emma and Lily, came by school Friday. I can't believe how much they have grown. James and I saw them 3 months ago at their 1st birthday party and they were still babies. Now they are walking, I mean running, all over the place and have so much hair. I can finally tell them apart. Lily is the one with all the curls-like her mom, and Emma looks so much like her daddy, Dale.

They wouldn't sit still so these are the best pictures I could get. The dresses were a Christmas gift from Grandma & Grandpa Spicer. They do look so cute in red! In July, when Darla's niece comes from Iowa, they are all going to come over and go swimming one day. I told two other teachers from school, Tiffany and Rebecca, that they would have to come over too with their little girls. Tiffany's little girl is about 3 months older than the twins and Rebecca's little girl is under a year, so it would be a wild day for sure.

I don't know how Darla and Dale have the energy for these two little cuties.

Pages, Pages, Pages

I did two pages for my scrapbook of Jack. One is a Grandma page, and one is a Grandpa page.

I had a lot of scraps left so instead of putting them in the scrap box, I decided to make some cards. I think they turned out pretty good.

I also did my monthly picture frame page and did one for Frances and Brooke too.  Mine is the many faces of Jack. He is just so cute. I can't wait for summer so I can see him more often.

I did a bath page for Adam & Brooke. Jack just loves his bath and his duckies his grandma bought him.

 For Frances & Christophe I did one with both Sasha and Francois. I used a transparency over the picture. I really like the effect. It looks better than the picture. I think I was standing wrong and shaded the picture.

It is hard to believe that Francois is already 6 months old and Jack is 4 months. I hope to see Darla and the twins soon so I can get some up-to-date pictures of them. They are 15 months already.
Only 12 more days of school. YEAH!!!!!!!!!

School Is Almost Out

Boy, I can't wait. It has been an extremely long year, especially since I had to do the technology as well as the media job. I feel like I have learned a lot, but in the scheme of things, it is a drop in the bucket compared to what I really need to know.
I went to Karen's last week for the second installment of our technique's notebook. Last month we made the notebook and did two techniques. This month we did 4 techniques. This is the notebook we made and how it looks inside with the samples and directions.

These are the four cards we did. Some I didn't put words on yet. I will do that when I use them.

Behind, Again

I am definitely behind with this blog. Lots of things have happened and I have just been too lazy and too busy to update.
Well, I sent Frances her 5th month page for her frame. Francois is so cute. She says he has no interest in learning to sit up but I am sure he will soon. He will be 6 months old in a few days. His big sister sure loves him.

 I did a page for Brooke's frame too. They went to the Spring FSU football game where the Garnet team plays the Gold team and took Jack. They said he was really good. Can't wait to go up this fall for another game and take him with us. He wore the Seminole outfit I got him. Go Noles!!!

 We went to Tallahassee, actually I went for three days during Spring Break and then the next weekend we went up for Jack's baptism. He was so good. He didn't cry in church and was really a doll. Alex was his Godfather.

Jack is such a happy baby and really good. He only cries when he is hungry or really tired. He laughs so much and talks, talks, talks, all the time. Too bad we can't understand him.


I really am in love with him and so is James.

What a goofy face!
Well, our pool liner split, so we had to get a new one. There went my airfare to Paris! This liner is really pretty. Hope it lasts longer than the last one.

I have been trying to catch up with some "early Jack" pages for my scrapbook. When I went up in January to help Brooke for a week, we had to take Jack for his check up so here is a page I did for that.

I also did a "Coming Home" page. Brooke's mom had the stork sign put in the yard.

And of course we have to have a "nudie" page with Jack in the bathtub. He just loves the water. Brooke pours water on his head and squirts him in the face and he just laughs. Check out the duckie brads! I got those at a brad & eyelet booth at the Scrapbook Expo. That place is positively sinful. They have way too many temptations. Lynn and I could spend a paycheck there and probably have.

Speaking of the Scrapbook Expo, I got online this morning and ordered our tickets for the Expo in Atlanta in July. Lynn, Sally, Susan (Sally's sister) and I are going. We are taking all kinds of workshops and, of course, we left room for shopping at the Expo booths. I am so excited. Lynn and I went last year and had a great time. We have all the tickets bought and the hotel reserved. Now we just have to wait until July.
Saturday I went to my Heritage class. Every 3 months Lynn and I take a class from Florence at Scraptopia. She is a fabulous designer and such a nice person. We love taking her classes. We do two double-page layouts every time. Now I just need to organize my family pictures and get them on the pages.

Next Saturday it is off to Karen's again. She is doing a technique workshop every month. Last month we made an album to keep the examples in and we did two different techniques. This month we will do 4 new techniques.