Sweet Tea Scraps

FYI FYI!

2012-01-16T08:48:00.000-06:00

In case you don't already know.... or you're going off of my business cards.... We've moved the 'blog' portion to facebook! It's easier to update pictures and keep everybody posted of what is going on [like coupons and contest!]

www.facebook.com/sweetteascraps

Don't forget... premade items can be found on sweetteascraps.etsy.com

Thanks!!
~Teresa

Mini Collage

2011-04-01T11:57:00.000-05:00

We are trying to make our own collage of gecko photos, so I figured other people might want to make a collage as well, so I put together this template in Photoshop. Click the preview to download it.

Hope you like it!! Also, if you are into pets/reptiles, check out our sister blog: LGP Gecko

I've also been trying to get a few new items in my etsy store. Need to get a lot more in there because I'm getting a new car this weekend and need all the extra money I can to pay for it!

Changes

2011-03-19T05:56:00.000-05:00

Things have been changing a lot here.... We have re-purposed rooms (changing the spare room to the main bedroom, with the main bedroom turning into the animal/sewing/computer room). It has given us tons more space for the things we love and love to do. Our animal family has also grown. We still have the usual 2 hedgehogs, hamster, tank of fish, and the blue tongued skink. However, our crested gecko family is growing rapidly! We started with 4 about a year and a half ago, which have obviously grown and have several eggs incubating right now. We also got Nala (below) who we expect to be laying eggs soon.

Then we couldn't resist this little one: Phoenix. Absolutely beautiful colors!

We are hoping to be able to figure out if we have a male or female soon... since Phoenix is about 6 months. I decided to make a website for our geckos since we will be having an abundance of babies in the next few months:

LGP Gecko

Let me know what you think! I didn't want it to be bogged down with information or too many photos, but you get to meet all of our geckos on there.

In Other News....

It's been a while, so I was thinking ahead... and made an Easter Template. Keep the eggs the colors there or change them to a patterned paper, it's your choice.

Click the Preview to Download!!

Our website: sweetteascraps.com is still going strong. We did take a bit of a hiatus with sickness in the family and my own need to do homework for my night class. I found out that I will be moving from 5th grade to kindergarten next year, a bit of change, but I'm happy all the same.

Can't wait to go to the All Animal Expo this weekend!! Maybe I'll find another awesome looking gecko!

Website is Launched!

2011-02-03T17:15:00.000-06:00

Hello hello! I'm sure some of you already know that my website has launched!

**www.sweetteascraps.com**

Pretty simple to remember :0)

We ended up choosing NOT having a separate store on the website, but a snapshot of our etsy store is on it. Also, you are welcome to send custom orders through the website. It has almost 100 different patterns for custom orders available on it along with many examples of bags that have already been made.

On another note, I just finished up a large order for Zooniversity's four-eyed possum:

And no he doesn't really have four eyes, but check out their site especially if you live in the Dallas area!

zooniversity.org

I wanted to share a quick pic of the lovely snow storm that hit the Chicagoland area and, well, most of the US! Here's outside my front door, granted, I'm almost 6 feet tall.... there was a lot of snow! Yet I only got one snow day... we were one of the few schools open today in the area but oh well..... At least we won't have two school days to make up later on. PS I have an obsession with really big guys sweatpants, especially in weird colors.

In "honor" of the snow storm, I posted a sale on our facebook fan page, be sure to check it out! It ends SATURDAY the 5th!

I will be working to get a few more items on there tonight/tomorrow, but tomorrow is my birthday so I might take the weekend off :0)

I would LOVE feedback on the website if anyone has some to share. It's hard to have an unbiased position in judging it.

I hope everyone is staying warm! Have a great weekend!

Get ready... to get Snugglie!!

2011-01-10T21:36:00.000-06:00

The website will be launched this weekend with a fully functional store!!! We're excited :0) It's a big step for Snugglie Bags!

We've already got three bags sewn for the "grand opening", that's three out of those 25+ that we have cut.

We hope you join us for our website's grand opening... to get ready for it... become a fan on facebook! We will be posting an EVENT for when we reach 100 fans on Facebook, some lucky pet (and their person) will win a Snugglie Bag of their choosing! Blog fans are hearing this first!!!! More details to follow<3

Oatie's ready for the race to 100!

He's all decked out in his new White Sox liner and bag (and his custom wheel).

See you guys on facebook!

Being productive has its perks

2011-01-09T18:41:00.001-06:00

I don't consider severe back pain to be one of them. Yesterday, I decided since I was working retail over Xmas break (instead of writing a paper for grad class, preparing lessons, and sewing Snugglie Bags) I was going to make up for it by spending the day cutting as many Snugglie Bags, Hammocks, etc. that I could... And I did.... There's 26 Snugglie items just waiting to be sewn.

I also made Noodles and Oatie Liners and Bags for their cages.

But after hours of being hunched over a table cutting. I ended up with my back being so stiff that I can't stand straight. Sitting isn't much fun either, neither is laying. So I'm in quite a pickle. For those of you who remember from way back in my paper scrapbooking days, I had (hopefully don't HAVE) three herniated discs in my lower back. I had 7 epidurals (lesi injections) and it seemed to have fixed it. Right now, it's almost worse than it was. I thought I would wake up this morning and feel fine, not at all. I'm going to try to go to work tomorrow, but seeing as I have to walk all over the school to pick up my students several times a day.... I'm not sure if that's going to be possible. We'll seeee......

On another note, I wanted to show everyone our homemade hedgehog wheels. They are made out of 5 gal. buckets, pvc pipes and roller blades. Noodles' is the pink and Oatie's is green. Not only are they less expensive compared to the biggest ones at the pet store, but they are quiet and actually fit our pets! Pet stores normally sell the Comfort Wheel and Silent Spinner wheels, neither which are quite this big. The comfort wheel is not as sturdy and the silent spinner is not SILENT! The plastic pieces start knocking on each other, besides the fact that the wheel is curved..... So anyway, if you have large pets like hedgehogs or chinchillas, please make their wheels!

And of course, I have to share a pic of the baby Oatie! He's enjoying an apple.

And yes, I did clean his poopie feet after this shot. :0)

I also finished the website yesterday!!!! Click the link to take a peek.

Our website!

Our store is not functional on it yet, but you can check out the fleece patterns, our history, and all about the snugglie bags there. It will also be a much easier website. I will keep you posted when everything goes live!

Have a great week!

Website Coming Soon!!!

2011-01-08T13:01:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the absence.... I've been working on lots of different things over here!!

In the past day, I have over 25 bags/hammocks cut and ready to be sewn! It killed my back to be leaning over the table like that but it will all be worth it soon. There is even the material for our *first* tunnel in that stash :0)

Our new hedgie, Oatie, now has his own custom built wheel and bag/liner sets (Chicago Bears and White Sox Sets!). I'll have to post pics of it soon! He's a little piggy!!

The more exciting is that we will be launching our very own website soon!!! As in within the next week, possibly tomorrow, if time (and pain killers for sitting in this chair....) permits!

Until the site launches, there is a promotion found on our facebook fan page for the premade bags currently on ETSY. You'll have to become a find to find out what it is :0) I post coupons on there from time to time (% off, shipping upgrades, etc.).

Stay tuned for more news!!!!

Oatmeal anyone???

2011-01-02T02:00:00.000-06:00

Here's Oatmeal (Oatie for short!).... the latest addition to our family!
He's 8 weeks old, snowflake pinto. He's the friendliest hedgehog I have ever met! You could push his face and he wouldn't care (not that I would do that, though!). I don't know what it is, but I am horrible at making fleece liners. Oatie's Bears liner ended up being to small by an inch on all sides.

Here he is hanging out in his Bears Snugglie Bag.

Turned the Snugglie Bag inside out so he could just hang out with us.

I'm in love <3

We are making his bucket wheel tomorrow, though I'm fairly sure he won't care about it since he's so small right now. He's still getting over the "nervous poops". I will keep you updated on him. He's got A LOT of growing to do.

We just finished up another Snugglie Tent. Check it out below!

If you like the tent, you can head over to our ETSY store to purchase it OR feel free to email us and we can work on one for you! Email [remove all spaces]: sweetteascraps @ comcast. net

I hope everyone had a great New Years! I know 2011 is starting off pretty good for me!

Here, then gone...

2010-12-28T10:45:00.000-06:00

That's how the holidays are, that's how this "winter break" has been, I feel like it has barely begun and I'm already dreading going back to work and class! I still have a paper to write, too. Ha, one of these days.

Here's a freebie template for my digi fans; it's called Topped. Click the preview below to download!

I have also finished my first Snugglie Tent! It is definitely fitting for sugar gliders and rats. If you have a short cage for a hedgehog, you could hang it in there too! Here's a peek.

I also finished up that cage set for sugar gliders. Both items are available on Etsy! More to come :0)

Splatter!

2010-12-14T18:18:00.001-06:00

Here you are digi-scrappers!!! A freebie template as promised....

It's titled "Splatter" because I felt like the stars and flowers just splatted right on there. I thought it might be interested to have photo mats in decreasing size as well.

Click the image to download!! If you have the time please leave a comment so I know that my templates are going to good use!

****Snugglie Bag fans: Check out our Facebook link (in the right column--->) to find a 20% premade bag deal! This deal will end on Thursday!!****

Spoiler Alert!

2010-12-14T07:13:00.000-06:00

It's almost Winter Break!!!!
Woooo!

We teachers get excited. Two weeks of rest.... when really, all we will be doing is dreading coming back the whole time. Today I wanted to give the Snugglie Bag folks a preview of what is to come in the next few days.

1. A sugar glider cage set that includes: 2 Hammocks, 2 Small Bags w/ attachments, and a Bridge. I used a cute butterfly pattern for it. I haven't finished the bridge yet, need a tool from JoAnn's to make sure the large grommets are in safely... but no worries, I'm going there tonight to get it.

2 & 3. The beginnings of my first huts! The pink just needs hooks(and that darn JoAnn's tool!) and I will be making an absorbent pad for the inside to be easily washable. The stars has a ways to go.

Noodles was out on the prowl yesterday. I felt she needed to stretch those legs. She felt she needed to get crazy with a sheet from under the linen closet door. It's hedgehog slobber cute?? :-\ At least today you get to see her white side. It seems like I'm always getting the black side.

For my digi-scrappers..... Template to come tonight :0)

I hope everyone is getting ready for the holidays and BUNDLE UP!!! It's 9 degrees here right now and I for one will be wearing 2 coats. Can't be thankful enough for having heat included in the rent too!

Throwing a Quick one at you...

2010-12-06T19:45:00.000-06:00

As promised (and before I forget!), I wanted to post another freebie template. You will notice the similarity between this one and the one from the weekend....

Today's freebie template is called Boxy... Click the preview to download!

Finally Lined!

2010-12-05T15:42:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to sewing a cage liner for my spikey princess, Noodles! Her mats are wearing out after being washed so much so I decided to make a liner (one layer fleece, 2 layers Zorb diaper material). It came out alright (it fits her cage no exposed seams). She seems alright with it as well. But what she didn't like was me taking out her hut and putting her Snugglie Bag back in.... let me rephrase that: She doesn't like her White Sox bag! Everytime I put that particular bag in, she throws a fit, i.e. she throws her stuff all over her cage. She loves her froggie and skulls/hearts bags, but has out grown them. I was funny watching her rearrange her sleeping house over and over.... Check it out below!

Here's how it started (see her new liner:0)

Then she got angry at my choice of bags...

She flipped over her stuffed hedgie and moved her bag.

So she flips the bag out and runs into her wheel/food house. [Her house is two rubbermaid buckets attached by a Chube]

Here she is. My princess, Noodles. As far as I can tell, she's a snowflake pinto, with a lot of white, despite how the pictures show her. She eventually gave in and slept in her white sox bag.

Here's a video of her last attempt at ousting her Sox bags.... she slept underneath it for a while. But after a run in her wheel, she wanted a nice comfy place to sleep.

I hope you guys enjoyed meeting my little lady. Many people don't have experience or have never seen a hedgehog so yup. Stay tuned for another freebie template coming soon this week.....

Also if you are hedgehog fan, or know someone who is... check out my Etsy store where I offer Snugglie Bags for hedgehogs, sugar gliders, guinea pigs, rats, ferrets, kittens.....all kinds of small animals. Link located on the top right of the page! I am still taking custom orders for the holidays if you are looking for something special!

Holly Jolly!

2010-12-03T17:40:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again! You know... when we are running around like crazy people trying to find the perfect gift and get the best deals. It's a love-hate relationship...I think many of you will have to agree. I thought this year would be my first not working during the holiday season, seeing as I have a degree that has graciously given me a job that gives me the holidays off. Alas, I have succumbed to retail yet again and worked Black Friday and will be working once we are on winter break. I would really LOVE to get a MacBook Pro... perhaps I can save up enough to get one... I'm like a little kid. Ha.

Anyone, I have a great deal for you all today... it's a freebie! What's better than free? Beats me.

Here's my latest.. I'm calling it Bubbly Template. You call it whatever you want. Click the image below to download!

For my Snugglie Bag fans, please visit our Facebook page and become a fan!! With Etsy now allowing us to have coupon codes... it makes it even easier for me to post deals for our fans! I am still taking orders for the holidays.... which I know is a rarity for some, as I have run into some companies that stopped weeks ago!

Snugglie Bags are great for those Christmas present animals and for the animal lover!

I wish everyone a happy shopping weekend :0)

Boooooooo!

2010-10-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

And I don't mean like the scary boo... I mean boo to yet another sinus infection! I've been putting off going back to the doctor for sometime now, because really, who wants to go to the doctor when everything time it's "You have MRSA" "You have Staph" "We don't know what's wrong with" "Surgery" "You're culture was glowing with infection" "Let's try X medicine". WOOF. If I didn't have insurance, I could probably by a house with all of the money on medicines, dr. appts, and 2 surgeries in the past year. I'm so sick of it! I'm also sick of not being able to smell and have the path between my nose and throat feel like a desert.

As many of you know, I just started my first real teaching job. I teach 3 different grade levels, all crawling with germs and illness mind you. I am generally the first to get sick but for some odd reason I haven't had a cold or a flu...my head and cheeks hurt but you get used to it. The christmas colored boogers, not so much.

Anyhow! I wanted to throw out a template I made last week but apparently forgot about... It's called Mickey Ears, for obvious reasons!

Click the preview to download it!
Have a great weekend everyone!

I've Returned!

2010-10-11T18:07:00.000-05:00

I did not forget about you all!!

You can pretty much see I've been 'away' since the school year started.... turns out, it's not that easy to get your classroom exactly the way you want it. I have been constantly changing (and buying, ekkk) things to make it justttt rightttt.I'm just about there... only a few minor details left. Since my last post... I have almost 600 books in my classroom library... ridiculous I know! I was wondering where my paychecks went...

Anyhow... since today was Columbus Day (or George Clooney day as my third graders decided...) there was no school. Not only did I get to sleep past 5:30 am, but I got to sew!! I made 8 Snugglie Bags and 2 Hammocks. Not only that, but I made a template today! I even tried using my Bamboo tablet... failed at it though.

So here's today's freebie template: I called it Odd Sized, because all the photo boxes are different sized. I was on a different computer so I didn't know what number template I was on... oh well.

Click HERE to download this template.

I hope you all put this template to good use!

Have a great week!

**I'll try to get back soon, no promises!**

Hurray for the weekend!

2010-08-06T10:28:00.001-05:00

It's almost here... you can smell it! I'm not sure what I even did this week but I'm done with it. I worked school registration yesterday, taking people's money and helping those that don't have any get state money. It was a long day, though registration was only 11-7, someone didn't tell me she had to be there at 7 to do other things. I haven't had to wake up before 7 in a long time, but yesterday, I shot right up at 530. It's a big step haha. Only a few weeks until I'll have to do that 5 days a week.

I got to see my classroom yesterday... it smells horrible! Like old mold. Gross. The music teacher has an old piano and old rotting away instrument boxes and books in there and won't take them out. I will be stocking up on Febreeze soon!! It's not the smallest classroom I've ever been in, but without that music stuff I would again at least 70 sq. feet that could be used for a reading corner. AGH. I secretly brought all of my books and a lot of my posters and what not in through the side door so they would stop taking up room in the garage. I didn't realize how much space is just blank/empty, I'm definitely going to need to get more posters. I'm going to go to a home improvement store this weekend and see about getting a big piece of shower board to use as a white board in my room. I just have to figure out a way to make sure it doesn't fall and doesn't damage the chalkboard behind it. I'm thinking industrial strength magnets.... Any suggestions?

And I did add more books to my library.... check out the LibraryThing link on the side... it's outta control!
*Even as I am writing this, I have eBay open looking for the Dear America books!*

I also bought the first two Twilight books in Spanish! I'm excited to read them, I hope my Spanish isn't too rusty that I have to look up all the words.

Noodles (my hedgehog) has been sleeping when I'm home and awake when I'm at work or sleeping so no photos of her today. Instead here's a photo of Peabody and Penelope. Peabody I got from a local petshop and Penelope I got from a local cat shelter (odd, I know). Peas is about a year and a quarter, and Penelope is a year, but they are absolutely the best pair of hamsters I've ever had. Here's a photo of them singing.... errr, begging for a treat!

On to today's template! Here's template number 44.... Click the preview to download.

Welp, that's all for now. I've got a lot of work next week... (retail 4 nights and then heading to the school to help with inventory during the day most likely) so whatever time I have left will probably be reading teacher resource books or making Snugglie Bags, the bank account needs it.

Thanks for stopping by everyone and have a great weekend!

*If you'd like to share your creations with my templates, please email me at sweetteascraps AT comcast DOT net. (Trying to avoid spammers!)*

Enough with the books already!

2010-08-03T23:55:00.000-05:00

I've bought so many books, it's ridiculous. They're not even for me, they're for my classroom library.. and I don't get reimbursed for them. Total right now: 343 books. That includes a few teacher resource books as well, but it's a lot for a new teacher anyway. Check it out here: and be sure to change it from "My Library" to "All collections" so you can see everything.

Now I have to group them in a logical to a child way. I plan on using small plastic crates with labels on them and a colored sticked (circle) and putting the same sticker on the binding of all the books that go in that crate. This way when I have my class librarian checking books back in, they will know where the books go. I want the students to run the whole thing, less of a pain for me! I need to make return date cards, and an instruction sheet for it still.... but I have 3 weeks to do that.

This weekend there was a lot of driving and a lot of spending. It was my babe's birthday so we had a nice little dinner but spent the rest of the weekend going to book stores and flea markets. I also found a teacher store I never heard of called Lakeshore Learning who was one-upping the popular Blackboard store with a 20% sale on the entire store. I tried my very best to limit myself, which I did :o) We were at a Goodwill store at one point where I found this IKEA end table that matches the rest of our living/bedroom set. I decided I was going carry it around the store. Welp, I didn't realize that the shelf inside of it wasn't attached, it just sat there, so half way through the store it fell, and landed smack on my foot and then with a loud thud on the floor. People were running outta nowhere and asking if I was okay, all customers, not any of the people who worked there. A man tried taking the stand out of my hands but I told him no, it's not heavy, part of it just fell on my foot! Miles away from home the closest thing I had to ice was the end of a Slurpee from 7-11. My foot gets all sorts of stiff now, and it has an oddly small green/purple bruise errr lump.

But it's okay because we found an apartment that is everything we are looking for! We were super worried that no one would allow all of our pets. We have a cat, a tank-o-fish, 3 hamsters, a hedgehog, a skink, and 4 geckoes. It's a lot, I know, but they were okay with it and we only have to pay a deposit for the cat. They have storage lockers and garages available so we don't have to have our unit out in the cornfields anymore. They are ideally located in between both of our families near a cute suburban downtown near everything. And of course, the price is right! They even pay heat and water! The only thing is... we haven't seen in the inside yet. The floorplans are great, but I hope everything is not horribly dated or dirty. It looks nice from the outside and we scoped out the area and it seemed pretty decent. We might go see it this weekend or next weekend... we'll see! But I am VERY excited to move back in with my babe!

For those of you that have small animals (Sugar Gliders, Hedgehogs, Guinea Pigs, Rats, etc.), be sure to watch my Etsy store, as I just ordered some Zorb to start making cage liners. I stopped using litter myself and I'm using these cat mats made for the litter box and food areas, but they don't soak up the smell at all. My little princess lays it down with the best, so it can get a little smelly, despite cleaning her wheel everyday. I am going to make a liner for myself first, and if all goes well, there will be more!

**For SNUGGLIE BAGS on ETSY** This is for my blog readers only! If you buy any 4 or more Snugglie Bags, shipping is on me!! That's right, FREE SHIPPING! All you have to do is commit to buy and then wait for an invoice from me before you pay.

Alrighty, here's for my digi-scrapping readers: another freebie template! Today, I have template 43. It's nothing crazy and rather simple. The colored strips are linked together so you can easily attached a paper pattern to them. Click the preview below to download it!

I hope everyone is having a great week! Thanks for stopping by!

Blood. Sweat. And Bruises. And Splinters...

2010-07-30T20:26:00.002-05:00

Have you ever walked through the mall and looked in the a store's windows? You probably have a million times, but I bet you never think about what goes into those windows. The ridiculous displays that sometimes look like they were just thrown in there. The odd things hanging from the ceiling. The mannequins that look like they woke up and put one of everything on. And then... when you come back the next week to return whatever you bought on a whim, they are totally different. Well that's what I do. Only for one store though, but it feels like I do it for all over the stores, at least, we're the only ones that do it as often as we do. It drives me bonkers.

I just changed the four mannequins on Tuesday, and they had to be changed again on Thursday. Along with all of the posters and odd hanging pants and lamps that I put up last week. Let me tell you, those lights in those windows GET HOT. They never get turned off. This week the company (which shall remain nameless, though there is a bird in the title) decided we needed to have 6 hanging pieces of low grade plywood and put a sign on it and hang jeans from it. WTP!!! (What the Pajamas!) That's not even the half of it, but I'll leave it there for now.

I decided it was a good idea to have an Amp'd (energy drink) last night to make sure I was awake. Well, I sure was awake with the nasty headache it gave me. I got off work just after midnight, but didn't fall asleep for 2 hours despite how cruddy I felt. I woke up with the headache too, at 630 with the darn dog barking downstairs non-stop in single barks. She's 14, she doesn't know what she sees or hears, she does what she wants (sound like a old lady in your life?). I was supposed to make my famous pudding cookies for my fiancee today for his birthday, but that's not happening. He's got a raincheck. I'll have to post some pics and the recipe next week when I make them. They are the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've run into yet!

Those of you that are Snugglie Bag fans, I added 5 to my Etsy store this week. Here's a pic of one that had this fabric I was dying to use!

I'll probably have more up there mid-week, too. I need to get some more boy colors up there!

And onto everyone's favorite part, the freebie! This is number 42 for those of you that are counting! Click the preview below to download!

Your template will not have the white border seen in between the photos. It's only there so you can see that there are spots for 3 photos. Don't forget to check my older posts for more template freebies!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!! Thanks for stopping by!

Finished Cataloging!

2010-07-29T00:05:00.000-05:00

WHEW! That was a lot of books! Some of them were from when I was a kid... and that had that old book smell from being in a box for a while... you know the one. I just want to febreeze them (which I probably will everyday when they get in my classroom, especially since 5th graders don't quite get deodorant...)

Here they all are at my LibraryThing account... All 282, so far. I'm hoping for some donations from friends and will probably spend time at Goodwills and on eBay looking for more. I'll hit 325 before school starts easily. I spent most of the day on eBay I think, because honestly, I can't really think of what else I did besides take Puddles to get her plug tightened. Puddles is my car... my 99 Acura that has been making little oil puddles in my driveway. What were YOU thinking? :0)

I would love to read "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry with my kids. Since I'm only teaching Reading and Math, there's not much room to teach the Holocaust and I think it is a subject that doesn't get enough attention at the younger ages. Hopefully, I'll be able to win a set of the books on eBay that won't break the bank.

More on classroom library organization: I am NOT, I repeat NOT putting those darn envelopes and loan cards in all of those books. That's just ridiculous! Instead I'm doing this:
Each student will get a card similar to a library loan card. It will have their name on the top (I'll pre print them)
Each time a student wants to check out a book, they will write the name of the book on their card and take a due date card (just like the ole libraries used to do). They put their card in the loan box and wa-la! I don't have to make 282 cards and glue in 282 envelopes! Thank goodness!

Creativeness time... I have another freebie for you guys!!! I think my head is bursting at the seams with them. I made template 40 and 41 at the same time and the numbers got all screwy, but don't worry you are getting two different ones. Here's template 41:

Click Here to Download!

And of course that awesome font is from kevinandamanda.com

I think my next post will have a helping of "Noodles" :0)

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the template :0)

Darn you eBay!

2010-07-27T23:25:00.000-05:00

It's more of darn those snipers! (Last minute bidders) I was bidding on several things from one seller (punctuation posters, parts of speech, types of sentences, you get the point) but I had to go to work while they were ending and I literally missed two of them by combined 50 cents by a bidder in the final minutes. AGH! I won two but I wanted them all for combined shipping deal! Now I'll have to spend like 4 times as much to get the same thing at the teacher store... I wish there was a Goodwill for teacher stuff. I would live there.

Anywho, I have begun to catalogue all of the books in my classroom library! I sat and put in the ISBN numbers for a lot of books, only 174 so far have had working numbers. Some older and less popular books don't show up but oh well... I thought about paying to get a nice little barcode scanner and program to do it, but someONE (*cough* my better half) decided that I shouldn't spend my money on it because I'll just use it once. So I am using Librarything, it's free. Click here for a peek at my classroom library. I can't find all of my Goosebump, Boxcar Children, or Babysitter's Club boxes! I found only a few of each and I know we had a ton more!

I also made three more Snugglie Bags today! Boy colors today, here's a peak at those:

And what you've all been waiting for I'm sure....today's freebie template #40

Click the preview to download!

I hope everyone has a great hump day :0)

What a day

2010-07-26T20:06:00.001-05:00

What a day. I still can't kick the after effects of that migraine from Saturday night! My head is still bothering me! Oh well.... I feel like I've gotten nothing done but I cleaned my hedgehog's cage, sewed 3 Snugglie Bags, and made another template which you will probably see on Thursday or so. I'm keeping stocked up on templates I tell ya!!

I got wakened up last night by Noodles and her squeaking wheel and Moose Moose, who likes to put his treats in his wheel and run with them. AGH. Then I got woken up this morning by my mother calling to say she couldn't get a hold of my dad and she fell down a flight of stairs and is in the ER. Now granted, that sounds bad, but she had her knee replaced a month and a half ago, so it sounds even worse. She may have to have knee surgery again because they think she tore something when she feel. This woman, I tell ya.

On another note, here's today's freebie: Template #39. Click the preview to download.

Here's a look at the Snugglie Bags I made today, too. They will be on Etsy shortly.

I also made Snugglie Bag's Number One fan (*cough* my Noodles) a bag today:

Here she is sleeping in her current Snugglie Bag (what you see is her back), but little does she know they will be getting switched for cleaning tonight!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ode to the Weekend

2010-07-25T19:04:00.000-05:00

Whatever happened to the lazy weekends when you could do anything you wanted, and not worry about going to work on Monday? I guess getting old happens....You can have one week that's busy and fun, but by the time you get through all of the weekdays, you're just tired for the next weekend!

To top this weekend off, I had a lovely migraine. I don't just get "migraines", I all starts with tunnel vision, then goes into losing feeling in half of my body (especially in my hand and face), and tons of nausea and horrible pain. It gets scary.... and while tossing cookies normally helps, I just couldn't do it, mentally and physically, because I did not want to pop a blood clot in my nose and end up with surgery all over again. I slept it off, but had a headache and stomachache the whole day. It stunk. Sorry for the grossness.

But I saw Eclipse anyway! LOVED IT! Cannot wait until the next one! I want to reread the Saga... and read it in Spanish!!

I'm in the process of labeling all of my books (teachers resources and kids books) with my lovely "property of" stickers.I printed like 150 so far, but I think that may barely scratch the surface! I found all of the books I had as a kid in the garage that oddly are still being read by kids! (IE Goosebumps, Boxcar Children, Babysitters Club) I read A LOT as a kid, so I'm going to need a couple hundred more stickers...

I'll be going back and forth between books, making templates, and Snugglie Bags this week, with class over for the summer and only have 2 days of work (ARGH!) I'll have plenty of time. It's the inventory aspect that is not going to be fun, nor is putting a library card and envelope in every book. Any ideas to make this process efficient????

Well here's today's freebie template #38.... (FYI I posted SEVERAL last week, so be sure to check out old posts! I do not break links, downloads are always available!)

Click HERE to download today's freebie!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for another template!

Leave some love if you like my templates :0)

It's too darn hot...

2010-07-24T15:50:00.000-05:00

....to do much of anything! I want to bake and make cookies, and that's not happening with the AC on blast! Kevinandmanada have this awesome zucchini and bacon lasagna recipe that I want to try too! I guess if I really want it, I'll have to make it at like 2am... but I like my sleep! I'm hoping I will get to see Eclipse today! I've been waiting for it to get un-crowded, and I just finished the Eclipse novella- The short second life of Bree Tanner, so I'm itching to go!!!

I hope that maybe in the next two weekends we might be able to go to the Indiana or Warren dunes. I haven't been there since MAYBE high school, and I want to go to a beach that is not gross like Chicago's. I just remember much cleaner water and beaches, hopefully, it hasn't changed to much. :0/

I have given up on being creative, that is, with the names of my templates. Don't you worry. They are just going to be numbered from now on. So here's today's freebie template- Template 37

It is quite simple and goes against my usual push for multiple photos on a layout.

You can download it HERE.

SPLAT!

2010-07-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

Another day in the books and I still don't think I have much to show for it. I do, however, have an entire rubbermaid bucket full of ORGANIZED teaching materials. That took about 6 hours to do... straight, not fun, but it's done! WOOO! Same goes with my last class of the summer... done as of now! Now perhaps, I'll have more time for sewing and making templates!

To get started, here's another template that I'm calling SPLAT! There's a good deal of kits out there that have a "splat" element in them, or you could use buttons, flowers, the possibilities are endless!

Here's an example of the template using Misty O'Brien's Geocache Kit.

We went on camping/fishing trip 2 weeks ago, and the fishing just wasn't happening, all we got were tiny fish. As always, the fonts I use are thanks to kevinandamanda.com, an amazing website for fonts!

Click HERE to download today's freebie!

I have a line up of freebie templates over the next several days, at the very least, so be sure to check back daily!

Old!

2010-07-22T17:25:00.000-05:00

Last night, I almost had a darn heart attack. My little hedgehog was not waking up for her nightly run, no matter what I did to the hut she was sleeping in. I just got the hut last week from a popular crafter and thought it was great until I found my hedgehog barely responsive and almost in hibernation because of the draft she was getting in the huge opening in her hut. I ended up waking up my father, hysterical mind you, in the middle of the night to see if she was alive. And she was; I put her back in her Snugglie Bag with her Snuggle Disc and she immediately pepped up. I'm happy to say the least, I thought I lost my princess!

Anyway, before that all happened, I made another freebie template today! It is called Cirqus. For some reason it reminded of a circus, but not quite so that's why there's a Q. Random I know... Here it is:

Click the preview to download it! My TOU is not attached to this file, but same rules do apply (see older templates). It's on a different harddrive and I'm in the middle of organizing all of my stuff, mainly the past 4 years of teaching materials I have acquired through all of my college classes. IT'S A LOT!!!

I hope you enjoy the template! Leave some love (and encouragement)!

Is it summer yet??

2010-07-21T13:58:00.000-05:00

I think I missed the memo when summer began... because I feel like I haven't taken a break yet! This summer has just been busy, with work and class and surgery and family thinkgs to do. I cannot wait until class is done this Friday, and then I get a month off of class! But that means Back to School shopping begins and working in clothing retail, there is no break. BOO!

Oh well. Life goes on.

I have been working on updating my blog to make it easy to find what you are looking for. I have gotten rid of some sections that weren't necessary. I have a section on the top right for my Snugglie Bags and I created a page that has all of my templates and their download links available. I just need to make the link on the home page.

Enough with the jabber! I have a new template for the digi scrappers. I'm calling it "Focus" and there are two levels for it: Minima and Minimal.

Click HERE to download.

This first one is the Minimal Focus:

This second is called Minima Focus

The example comes from Julie It Is's Tomboy Kit.

I hope everyone's having a great summer, enough for the both of us!

Revamp!!

2010-07-11T22:59:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note that my blog will be under construction this week, possibly tomorrow (hopefully ONLY tomorrow!). It's going to have a fresh look to it, courtesy of Trixie Scraps's amazing Defining Me Kit. I also hope to make the Snugglie Bag area bigger and easier to look at. Overall, some better organization is needed.

And of course... in the process, I hope to make a new template for my digi fans!

The unfortunate part is that my last class of the summer starts tomorrow, but the laptop is coming with so all should be well. There will soon be a facebook fan page as well. I have one for Snugglie Bags, but I was thinking about making it overall SweetTeaScraps, but that might be an odd mix of people. Thoughts?

In hopefully a week (pending the school board's approval) I will be blogging about my new (and first!) classroom :0)

Welp, swing on over soon to see the new look~*
Have a good week everyone!

New Templates and New Snugglie Bags!

2010-06-15T15:27:00.004-05:00

I apologize for my lack of being here! I've just felt rather crummy since the surgery (no quick movements or bending over for me!) and have gotten nothing done! I finally used my new sewing machine today... it works so much better than my old one! It has some bugs, but I think we will be able to work it out together!

Here's a look at my freebie templates for you today! They are titled Horizon and Floral Trim Templates. Click HERE to download both freebies!

I've also made a few Snugglie Bags today! Here's a peek at those....

They are being put on ETSY as we speak!!

Hope everyone has a good week!

Update!

2010-06-11T08:40:00.002-05:00

**Surgery Update**

Surgery went well, my sinuses are feeling better than they have in quite some time!! I haven't had the gross side effects as I did with the surgery 7 months ago. However, my neck and throat hurt SO MUCH! The breathing tube and the way they positioned my head did this... Vicodin and a million ice packs have done nothing for me. Unfortunately, I am stuck sitting in a four hour class right now.

On another crummy note, my sewing machine decided it no longer wanted to work as of yesterday. Super frustrating, but I got a new one that I will not have to argue with constantly, which makes me EXTREMELY happy because now I can actually finish all of the Snugglie Bags that are sitting cut and ready to be sewn. I have the supplies to make hammocks but I want to get all of my bags ready to go first.

For my digi scrappers, I have two templates sitting waiting to be put up on my other computer so I will get on that when I get home, if I'm alive enough!

Stay Tuned!

Stripe Me!

2010-06-07T15:01:00.006-05:00

Well I hope nobody read that title wrong :) but I guess that's my intention.. to get your attention! I am back with a new freebie template! I have one for today and I'm thinking two for tomorrow....

Here's today's freebie titled "Stripe Me"

After the overwhelming response.. err rather download.. of similar templates (Concrete and Modern Templates from months past) I decided to make another template along those lines.

Click the Here to download it!

I hope you can find a use for it in your scrapping!

Coming Soon...

2010-06-04T17:06:00.006-05:00

Here's a pic of the Snugglie Bags to come! You can see a peek at the patterns and the coordinating color that will come with it. I have about a 15 that are cut, just waiting to be sewn. This is a girly batch I must say, don't worry there will be more masculine colored bags to come.

I figured I'd get all the cutting down now before my surgery. I'm having sinus surgery AGAIN. Had it at thanksgiving time but had infection after infection since! I've probably been on almost 10 different antibiotics in 7 months! GEZ! I won't be able to bend over that much after surgery, so I will spend that time sewing...
If any one has requests, feel free to email me at sweetteascraps at comcast dot net. Sorry I had to do it that way, I didn't want spammers to get me!

**ADDITION: Here's a look at two floral bags I made..... Will be up on etsy on Sunday or Monday.**

Snugglie!

2010-06-01T21:12:00.004-05:00

Hello again folks!!! My blog is going to be taking a bit of turn... or rather it will be double dipping...

After losing EVERYTHING to a cruddy laptop harddrive... I was a taken aback a bit... I took a step away from the scrapping world evaluating what exactly I was doing. I lost everything, yet it didn't mean to much when I wasn't making money from it anyway. Well, after acquiring the cutest little lady (my new hedgehog Noodles) I was very focused on her and her needs. Here she is:

Turns out there's a need for sleeping bags for hedgehogs and similar animals. So I've been sewing like a crazy person (or fighting with the sewing machine like a crazy person, either one). Here's Noodles enjoying hers... or rather falling asleep in hers.

You can check out my Snugglie Bags on my etsy page....

sweetteascraps.etsy.com

Don't worry, I will be making more freebie templates soon! I'm thinking one is overdue perhaps in a week!

Don't worry!

2010-04-14T19:29:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to make sure nobody is wondering where I went! Things have been hectic on my end... or maybe it's because I go to bed 2 hours early just so I can keep up with my fifth graders! Less than a month, and they won't be mine anymore :-(

I recently purchased a Bamboo tablet which I can't wait to use! I might even dabble in scribble graphics, we shall see.... My laptop died on me a few weeks ago too which wasn't very nice at all. ALL of my digi scrap things were on that computer and I sent it in and it's not back yet... I'm guessing because they will have to replace the hard drive again. It's the THIRD hard drive that vista has killed on my computers (YES PLURAL!). Thank god I'm running XP on this one, I can't wait until I buy a MAC! I got a 1 TB harddrive too, no more losing ALL of my digi stuff and my lesson plans, and projects. UGH!

I have been checking out different designers works (especially those on gotta pixel) and you will see some of their kits being used here soon!

Perhaps when I get this powerpoint and lesson plan for my ESL class, I'll whip out a template, no promises though!

Hurray! It's spring break!

2010-03-27T09:01:00.003-05:00

It's here finally! Perhaps I'll be able to sleep in a little or perhaps for at least an extra hour. That would be nice....

My grad class was boring as usual and I couldn't connect to the internet so I went ahead and made a template during it. Here is today's freebie template:

I named it "Scroll" simply because of the main shape in it. I used actual text boxes for the brackets (Used Segoe Script), but I am sure many of you have kits that have brackets in them to use. Click here to download today's freebie!

For my example... I used Valerie N Designs's Bloomers Kit.

I hope you enjoy today's download :0)

Another freebie :0)

2010-03-17T18:30:00.003-05:00

Here's another freebie template for you guys!

It's called Stardust, because of the sprinkle of stars. Click HERE to download it.

I used the French Tulip kit found at grandmastemplates.blogspot.com for the example:

I hope you all find some use for it :0)

Have a good rest of the week and hopefully, maybe sooner!!

FRAMED!

2010-03-16T18:41:00.005-05:00

No I was not framed... not that I know of. Too many hectic things going on.... I'm lucky I haven't lost my head. Sometimes I wish I could though with the amount of pain in my sinuses :( Sorry for the lack of posts lately! Miss me? Maybe?

Anyhow, I do have a freebie template for you that I am calling Framez, because the photos have frames but they aren't perfectly aligned, hence the Z. Without further ado....

Here's a look at the template: (Click HERE to download!)

Here's a look a St. Patty's Day version of it... using LDrag Designs' part of the Shamrock Blog Train....

Hope everyone has a great St. Patty's Day!

I promise to put up another template soon!

A case of the Mondays...

2010-03-08T20:21:00.003-06:00

Agh, I hate Mondays! They are just the pits. Today I just didn't feel like doing anything, but needless to say, that doesn't work when you have a room full of 5th graders. Oy.

Luckily for you, I still have two template freebies! Click the preview below to download both templates!

The first template is called Arrows.

And here's the other template... titled Burbujas (Spanish for Bubbles).

For the preview, I highlighted our new cat, Baxter, using B2N2 Scraps's Funkalicious Kit:

I hope everyone has a good day and enjoys the templates!

Oh No! Hiatus!

2010-03-07T17:37:00.005-06:00

Alright folks, I am going to have to apologize for leaving you with nothing this week! It's been hectic and worryful. Between myself and my mom, we've enough health problems to probably put several doctors' children through college. I had sinus surgery just before Thanksgiving, and ended up getting a staph infection shortly after. Multiple (EXPENSIVE, non-insurance covered) antibiotics and 3 months later, I still have a staph infection so I get to go to a disease specialist... lovely isn't it?
My mom has a bone that's grown in her frontal sinus and they thought it was just going to be a typical surgery but now they are thinking its going to be brain surgery because its going in that direction.... OY.

And this week at my school, it's standardized testing time! It's my first time giving the test, not taking them. OY.

So I sat down and made a few templates yesterday.... Here's two of them: Grid & Stacked.

Click HERE to download today's freebie templates!

Here's a look at the Grid template using Designs by Keira's ILY (I love you):

I hope you find use for these templates :0)

The Great Divide

2010-03-01T18:24:00.004-06:00

Because of a Polish soldier, I got to have today off from work. Very few people know about Casmir Pulaski, only that some school's give you the day off for it. He was from Poland, where he and his family fought against Russia. They got kicked out of Poland and he wrote to Benjamin Franklin about helping the US in fighting the British. He began the first Calvary in the US..... and there's your info for the day! And now for today's freebie template!

It's the great "Divide" Template.... couldn't decide if I wanted one photo or a line of them, so the template is divided between the two. Click the preview to download!

I used Ella-Hippy Hoppy's Lovey Dovey Kit for the example....

I have tons of ideas of templates and though it may take away from grading papers (like the stack of English tests next to me!) it's a nice break :)

Enjoy! And have a great week!

A little bit of variety

2010-02-27T14:24:00.007-06:00

**DOWNLOAD LINK FIXED**

Like I said in my last template, I'm taking a look back at ole' paper scrapping layouts and adapting those to templates. Today's freebie template is called Variety. It has a variety of elements to it.

Click on the preview to download it!

Here's the template using Imagine by Fran's Age Tendre. It's a cute kit a uses pale papers and dark elements.

I hope you guys like the paper scrap look.... It's fun to make!! I am happy to see so many visitors from around the country! Me gusta que hay muchas personas de otras partes del mundo que estan visitando aqui! Lo siento, my Spanish is a little rusty, but I tried!!!!

Gettin Shapely

2010-02-26T19:20:00.004-06:00

Today's freebie template is titled "Shapely"... giving shapely a whole new definition! And I am sure we might appreciate this better. I called it shapely because it is a variety of sizes of shapes.

Click the preview to download it!

I'm finally looking back into my old paper scrapping days and bringing those layouts into these templates...I just wasn't thinking I suppose. I hope to hash out a few more templates this weekend. Leave some love if you like the templates, I would love to display any layouts you may have done with the template!

Modern

2010-02-25T22:26:00.004-06:00

Today's freebie template is called Modern Template. I always think sleek lines and same shape diff sizes. Click the preview to download it:

For the example, I used Creations by Rachael's Hannah collection:

I hope everyone has a good weekend! I might be able to squeeze out another template but we shall see!!

Too much!

2010-02-24T21:07:00.005-06:00

Sometimes there's just too much going on...and you really do just need a break! Especially when you're thinking tomorrow is Friday but really it's only Wednesday and you're thinking.... is the week over yet?!!? Welp, you're not alone.

Luckily there's people out there who can take some of that work away for us... even if it's something simple, like scrapping :) So here's today's freebie template.... I figure another two would be a good choice but I will be posting the other one in about 12 hours!.... I like to mix up the "style" of the templates, so everyone gets a little something from time to time.

So here's the first one as promised yesterday: Sweet Shop. It's a cute little house that you can customize with whatever papers/kits you'd like. I was thinking candy house, like Hansel and Gretel, when I made it.

Click the preview to download it!

I used CShield's Sparkleberry Collection for the example:

And just a friendly reminder.... all of my previous freebie templates ARE available. Just check out the archives!! Have a great night (or day depending on where you are!) and be sure to come back tomorrow for the Cyclops Template!

Tide you over....

2010-02-23T19:35:00.004-06:00

Today is a three freebie kinda day.... I figured it might tide you guys over in case things get a bit hectic, or rather more so than they already are. Thank goodness I am only subbing the rest of the week and NOT doing retail at night too. It gets rough sometimes I tell ya!

Without further ado here's your three freebies:
This first one is the Paw Print Template. I feel it has two uses: one could obviously be for a pet OR if you child plays on a team that has an animal mascot.

Second template is Flower Power.... each petal (and the center) are ready for either a picture or maybe some patterned paper?

This last one is a bit remedial but I shall post it nonetheless.... it's called Diamonds are a Girl's Bestfriend.

Click HERE to download all three templates.

On a side note, you may have noticed all of the cute fonts I use.... they are from Fonts for Peas (kevinandamanda.com). They are AMAZING! :0)

I hope everyone has a good day! Hopefully I will, my mom's in the hospital for what? they don't know but they've run two days of tests already.... And my sinuses are kicking my behind. I had surgery just before Thanksgiving and it started out ok... but the whole thing got badly infected and I wasn't able to smell until a few weeks ago. I get HORRIBLE pain in my face/head that ruins my day and sleeping abilities (and I won't tell you the gross stuff).... so what do I do? Make templates! There's no fixing this :/

I am in the process of making a "Sweet Shop" template, freebie of course! I am not sure if it will be ready tomorrow, but I have another one for you if I am not :)

Clutter!

2010-02-22T23:06:00.005-06:00

We all have it.... or at least those of us that lead semi-normal lives... as I'd like to say. Sometimes it's hiding in a desk drawer, or it takes over the entire dining room. Either way, this templates for those of us with clutter! Here's a look at the template....

Here's the example using SDS's Back To School, available at Gotta Pixel. I used the back to school because today's my first official day classified as a 5th grade teacher! :o)

Download the template HERE.
I hope you've found use for today's template!

Concrete Theme....

2010-02-20T00:06:00.005-06:00

By which I mean I have a Brick and a Sidewalk Template as your freebies today! This is what I did while my students were at gym today... not bad I suppose! I have them bundled together in one file for downloading

The first is the Brick Template, because it reminded me of the side of a building....

And here's the Sidewalk Temp.... just click the preview to download both of the templates!

When are your freebies good enough to be sold in store? Not that I would at hide them all away because I believe in freebies, but I was just wondering.... And when/how do you join one of those teams so you can make like quick pages and templates of their stuff? Really, I know so verylittle about digital scrapbooking ... well at least how it works online. I've only been digi scrapping for a month and here I am getting crazy.... *sigh*

Have a good weekend everyone!

Presents!!!

2010-02-18T21:35:00.003-06:00

Everybody likes presents! Don't they? Well today's template freebie resembles a present... with my niece's birthday party around the corner, I figured I would prepare myself... Click the preview below to download...

And of course I've an example of it, again using Connie Prince's Party On, which is available at GottaPixel.
I hope you are all enjoying my templates! I hope I will still have time for them... I will be taking over for a maternity leave as a 5th grade teacher so my time will be limited to things that give something back (*$*). Leave a little encouragement if you download :)

Half way through the week....

2010-02-16T21:42:00.007-06:00

And ??? Well my week is about to begin, at least with my sub days.... and a giant project presentation on Thursday. So I figured I would sneak in a template before the rest of the week takes over my life.

Today's freebie template I titled "Surround Me".... you have the photos surrounding the center on this one. I included two files, one with the borders merged and one without. Click the preview to download the template!

I used RebeccaPSP Designs's "The Celebrant" Collection for the example.....
Hope you like the template!!! Have a great day!

If you've got lots of pictures...

2010-02-11T00:03:00.004-06:00

Then I have the templates for you! More often than not, I run into templates and QPs that highlight only one picture. Sure that's great, if you only have one picture that you want to showcase. But what about an event? or a giant collage of something? Welp today I have two answers for that, one that accommodates a few and one that doesn't joke around.

First up for today's freebie templates is the Quad Template with room for 4 pictures. Click the preview to download:

And for the example, I love this kit by Connie Prince. It's called Best Days of Your Life, it's available at GottaPixel.
Next template was a boatload of fun to do... that's sarcasm in case you missed it. It's a Checker Template for its obvious look. I provided 3 different PSD files: one with no squares merged, one with all black squares merged, and one with each column separately merged. This way you could make a patch work quilt effect or keep it simple! Click the preview to download:

For both examples I used TMF Scraps Aurora Tides Redux. This first is using the merged template....
This one is using the column merged template.
Welp, I hope you enjoyed your visit and find the templates useful :) I shall return on Sunday with more!! Suggestions are welcome!

Double Day!

2010-02-10T15:55:00.005-06:00

One can get very tired from arguing with the stupidity at banks.... I know I did today... >:(... to the point where I am going to switch banks very soon... AGH. My frustration has led me to offering two template freebies today.

This first one is called "Sunburst" for obvious reasons.... click the preview below to download!

And for the example, I used Connie Prince's "Your Sweetness is my Weakness" (available at gotta pixel!):
This next one is called "Down Under", sounds Australian doesn't it? Really, the photos are just 'down under' everything else! Click the preview to download!

And of course I have an example (sorry, I don't have kids or tons of photos to fill in, but I love to show the wonderful work of other great digi scrappers!). I used Jayedid's "Waiting for Spring" for this one.
I think tomorrow shall be another two freebie day... because everybody likes freebies!!! I know I do! Please leave some love/encouragement if you download my templates! I would love to hear from you!

SPRING... is no wheres near...

2010-02-09T11:19:00.004-06:00

Well last I checked there was four new inches of snow on the ground... and possibly 8 more coming... BOOO! I'll think warm thoughts of spring instead....

Today's freebie template is called Spring. Simple isn't it? No need to reinvent the wheel.

Click the preview to download!!

I included two copies of the template, one with like layers merged and one with no merging, depending on how involved you would like to get with your layout!

Here's an example of the template in action using SAHM's Waiting for Spring:

I hope you enjoy the template and are staying warm!!

Sunny!

2010-02-07T21:15:00.005-06:00

Well I don't know about you guys, but I wish it would be sunny already!!! No more winter would be fantastic. Thus sprang today's freebie template: Sunny Template. Click the preview to download:

I created the example using Kiri's Sinfully Blissful and images off of Google :0P
You will have to play with the layering a little bit as they are not perfect. I included two files of the template, one with merged sun rays and one without. Let me know what you think... hopefully I will have a few more this week!

Happy Birthday!

2010-02-02T18:54:00.004-06:00

My Birthday is tomorrow so I went ahead and made a template that coincides with that. I was thinking typical straight birthday cake layers, but that is BORING. Here's my topsy turvy birthday cake template. There are two PSD files included, one with the layers linked (as used in my example) and one with the layers unlinked. Click the preview to download today's template freebie!

I used PartyOn by Connie Prince/DigiDiva Designs for the example below.

Hopefully these templates are of use to use! Are there templates you dream about and would like to be made? Let me know! :) Have a great weekend! I'm not sure I will have time until Sunday or Monday for more templates!

A Lovely Template....

2010-02-02T14:43:00.006-06:00

Today's freebie is my Lovely Template. Of course you could use it for a variety of things, but with Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought it could be cute with pics of your kids or your own valentine. Just click the preview to download it!

Of course I made an example of the template. I used Dark Designs's Candied Hearts for hte elements and the BG paper is from Misty Mareda's Creole Have.

I am having trouble with those freebie search engines, they keep posting the pics of my examples and not of my templates! It's aggravating! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to change that? Because I feel like their falsely advertising what I am doing here!

On another note, my Birthday is in two short days, so I think it is only fitting to make a birthday cake template. Stay Tuned!!!

Happy Groundhog Day! ... almost

2010-02-01T16:24:00.005-06:00

After seeing all of the lovely work from the Stuff to Scrap Blog Train.... I really wanted to do something with GroundHog's Day. So I created this Bubbles Template as my basis...(And as a freebie for you!)

Here's the Template using pieces from the Hey! Mr. Groundhog collections of the Jensen Motley Crew and Maurine Stetter:

Click Here to Download!

Leave some love if you download it!

Snow!

2010-01-27T23:23:00.013-06:00

I hate snow.... very much! Mostly because I hate to drive in it. My car is front-heavy so it's always sliding. Or it could be that my tires are always low on air... something. And other people do not know how to drive when it snows! My goodness! You would think people would get used to it by now... ugh! It snowed today, like it did yesterday, but nothing significant. But the snow got me thinking... about snowmen! And thus came my next template..... which of course is a freebie!

Now when I made this template, I left some room for versatility. You could leave the snowman as is, or put photos in it. You could put a photo on the side mat or you could put a title...

Here's my template using Dinphy's: Look Mum, it snows!
And then I got to thinking again, well what if they don't want the snow man? Well I just plain ole removed him from the second template. You could add a title in there too. See, tons of versatility!
And here's a look again:

Click here to download today's templates!

Buggy template...

2010-01-27T15:28:00.005-06:00

Hello again digital scrapbooking world! I have another template freebie for you!

I've noticed that most templates focus on square or circle shapes and I decided why not make an actual shape? Well, that didn't exactly happen, but for some reason I was thinking ladybug (maybe because I wish spring was here already!) and created a template with a ladybug right in the middle... for those cute as a bug moments :) I thought it would be cute to have the pics as the spots of the ladybug.

Here's a look at the template:

With the template along with Imagic Reflections "Laugh" kit (and the black from Megan Donough's Backstage Pass), I made this simple layout. Click Here to download the template!

Well what do you think so far? If you download my templates, let me know what you thought of them!

I hope everyone has a great Hump Day!

My First Templates!!

2010-01-25T16:45:00.010-06:00

As promised, I am sharing my newly created templates. I've made three different ones (They appear in the order I created...I'm progressing already!). They are all free! I would LOVE to hear comments/complaints and the like. I am totally new to the digital world. They are only available as .PSD files right now... if you'd like them in another file type let me know!

Here's a peak of it using Un-Leash-Ed's Joyful Kit:

I personally feel the need to put more than one photo on a page, but that's just the collage in me. Without further ado, here's my second ever template:

I used Janice's Afternoon Delight with this template to create a page of my cat-who-thinks-he's-a-dog, Milo.

I had Valentine's Day in mind with this last template...

Here I used DesertScraps's A Little Love Collection:

Click Here to download all three of my templates!

If you download my templates, I would love to hear how they worked for you and even see how you used them... Perhaps even post them?

On another note, I got a job yesterday as a 5th grade teacher for a maternity leave! It starts in a month!

Long awaited return...

2010-01-24T19:31:00.002-06:00

I am back! This time with a new medium.... paper scrapping has proven to be rather expensive and takes up a lot of space. So after seeing some of the fabulous creations, I have decided to switch over to digital scrapbooking! I'm getting into the basics rather quick on PSE 7 but I decided to go ahead and jump right into make templates. I love them personally and I want to make templates that others would love to use too!

I have made one so far, but it won't be for several days until I put it up. I need to figure out all the logistically stuff (file loading, TOU, linking, and the like). Any help/suggestions would be fantastic!

On another note, I have an interview tomorrow morning for a 5th grade position... hopefully it goes well!

Stay tuned everyone...
And have a great week!

failure at bloggin!

2009-03-11T01:10:00.002-05:00

Welp, clearly, I am slacking at this whole bloggin thing...

I've seriously been so busy with EVERYTHING.
Since the last post, my back has been thoroughly destroyed. I have AT LEAST 3 herniated discs (i need a new MRI) and other diseases wrong with my back.

I've been very swamped with school work and teaching lessons and trying to remember Spanish.

Agh.

I haven't been able to get anything on here and it stinks. I think I'm losing my touch.

But nevertheless, I am making an Easter layout! There will be bunnies... and crate paper. That's all I'm saying for now.... I have it all drawn out.

I'll keep you posted!

the nitty gritty

2008-10-27T11:34:00.004-05:00

It has been quite some time... I must say.

Pretty much the last time I posted was when I started working full time and I hated it and my back was a victim of it so now I am not working with some back issues. Lots of school work, blah blah blah.

I really want to get back to making things...I have that house album that was mentioned a bit ago with a few pages done that is calling my name. I'm actually in the midst of selling a great deal of my scrapbooking supplies. I'm never going to use all of it and I really need the money for those 60 mile a day trips to school. So be on the watch for that in the next week or so....

There will be several Basic Grey Collections, a beginners lot, probably several prima lots, and who knows what else....

Hopefully I will post again soon ...possibly with pics of that house album! (It's being made with Crate Papers Katlin collection).

filler!

2008-07-25T08:34:00.002-05:00

It is has been quite a bit since I have posted! Truely, I haven't had anytime! I started working at Walmart in the electronics dept. on the 8th and have barely had a minute of time for myself! Apparently part time is 40 hours?

Anyway, since my last post I had been working on a house album for about two days before I didn't have anymore time. I got my wisdom teeth out on monday, and I am doing pretty good I think (went back to work on Wednesday) just some oozing. Gross I know.

going to vegas in 4 days! Wooo!!

Princess!

2008-07-09T10:15:00.008-05:00

Sorry that has been a bit since I last posted. I have been super busy.
The camping trip a few weeks ago was... something. It rained a lot. And when we went on our canoe trip on the Wisconsin river, we were pounded by hail, wind, sand, and rain. Enough said. It was still fun :)

I did in fact start that second house, have a couple of pages done, but thats about it! I might get some time at night this week if I am not tired. I start working at Walmart tomorrow (already did orientation) and I work 9 hrs (minus lunch) every day and I get random days in the middle of the week off which isn't very useful but oh well, I really need the money.

I went to David's Bridal to go try on dresses to get ready for Running of the Brides...and ended up going home with one :) Originally it was just going to be me, my cousin, and my best friend, but my mom and aunt ended up coming too. My aunt picked out my dress and well my mom paid for it! How about that? We figured out that white did not look right on me at all so they started grabbing ivory/champagne dresses and I think the third one of that color I tried on was the one (after about 20 others!). It's not the typical dress fabric (the heavy one) its much lighter and you can't tell but throughout the bustle there are sparkly beaded flowers. Straps are coming off for the reception. Here's a stock photo of it in white:

It makes me feel like a princess and that's all that matters! It was an amazing deal too... but I won't share that much. Going to the eye dr. in a bit hopefully to find out that the eye infection that I have had for over two years has subsided so I can wear contacts that don't cost an arm and a leg!

Brave the wilderness!

2008-06-25T11:17:00.003-05:00

Well it's not really wilderness, but I will be leaving on a camping trip tomorrow morning until Sunday in Wisconsin. The only animals we really see are cows. Yes cows, there's a cow pasture right in front of our campsite. They are awesome, they moo. No raccoons or anything like that even, I guess we're just too noisy for them. Hopefully it doesn't rain too much, Wisconsin has had enough flooding lately! I am dropping off Milo at my mom's because it is supposed to get pretty hot here and I don't want to leave him alone. This is him below:

I have a job interview at Sony in a few hours. Hopefully they'll pay enough to be worth driving 60 something miles a day for. Ohhh and I am going to David's Bridal next Friday the 3rd to figure out what styles and sizes work for me. I hear they make you seem like a whale with their sizing but oh well.

I have been working on this house shaped album, let me tell you, it's not easy! I shouldn't have tried to tackle a rounded house as my first attempt. I already have plans for a next house that I will start next week. Here's a mini peek at the mushroom house:

Well everyone have a good weekend!

Good morning!

2008-06-23T07:32:00.002-05:00

Hello! It's a little chilly this morning probably because it's not quite 8 in the morning. I have a job interview on Wednesday at the Sony store at the outlet mall, we'll see how it goes. But really I wanted to let you know what I am going to start today:

A House Album!!!

I am sure many of you have seen them, only rainedakota has really made them. Now she has her instructional cd coming out on Monday, soon they will be all over eBay. But I want to make one first before the rush of sellers pops up.
Plans are for a colorful house, fairytale/cartoonish, using the My Mind's Eye Magnolia collection.

I will most likely be out of town from Thursday till Sunday on an annual camping trip, but I am not sure yet. With all of the flooding and rains here in the midwest, I don't know if the trip up to Wisconsin will prove to be very good :o\

Well I'm off to start the house, I put up a preview as soon as I have something substantial! I've never done one before so I am not sure when that will be :)

look ma! No hands!

2008-06-19T23:23:00.002-05:00

You may be wondering about the title... long story short, my car likes to wander off the road if you don't have a death grip on the steering wheel. Well my brother got it all fixed, finally! And I don't have to worry about ending up in a ditch or the wheel falling off... :)

In other news, Periphery purse is complete! Here's a peek at the cover:

It will be up on Sunday night on the Bay. Finally, a purse that isn't so feminine it will knock you over. There is some new page styles in this purse, too.

I *hopefully* (fingers and toes crossed, will have a job VERY soon! I went to more populous area (I live in the country, surrounded by corn, seriously) and found a few places to apply and one said that you will most likely be hired. !!WOOO!! I hope I am not getting too excited here, but I REALLY need it.

What causes a cat to act like a dog? And is THERE A CURE?!
My cat every morning, like clock work, walks into my bedroom yelling like the building is on fire, or, like he has to go outside like a dog would. It drives me nuts! It's not like he doesn't have food or water or something, it's all there. I think he's having an identity crisis. He also plays fetch.....???

What is the point of a quiet lifestyle community if it is not enforced?
The guy below me has his music/tv/BASS loud every single evening and I've complained and nothing. For example, its nearly midnight, and hes had annoying bass music on since before 8pm. I can jump up and down on the ceiling until something falls off the wall and still nothing. Some people have no respect I tell ya!

My cutie is coming over tomorrow..YAY!!
Alright that's enough rabbling for one day!

Pixie Dust

2008-06-17T12:01:00.003-05:00

As promised, here's a look at my latest: Tinkerbell Purse!

I love how the cover came out! More previews available upon request... It will be up on the Bay on Sunday night most likely accompanied by a periphery purse which has been half done for weeks :) I am having another spring cleaning sale, have to do something since I have applied to 30 or more places and haven't even been called back.

I might start venturing into a different scrap area... paper piecing sets. Seems like a lot of people are doing their own scrapping so we shall see how it goes. Many people do not allow them to be resold, but I think I will if they are included in layout or a purse or something not just resold.

I'll have some preview pics of the other purse within the next 2 days!

Finally...

2008-06-12T09:40:00.002-05:00

My biology class that was taking up my entire day is OVER! Woo! Yea but that rash I've told you about is still there, so I am going to the doctor tomorrow.

But today!!! I am making a Tinker bell purse, it should be a lot of fun to make, and maybe I'll have a preview up later today, if not by Tuesday since I will be in Chicago again this weekend. It's the first non-paper line themed purse I have ever done so it should be interesting.

Maybe I'll have a job by then!! No joke I've applied to probably 2 dozen places. I applied to another 3 yesterday alone. I'd really like to work at a bridal shop, I think it would be a lot of fun, but there aren't really any near me... so I would probably be spending $13 on gas every time I went... eh... I would love to be able to work from home but I can't find a place that I really trust or there isn't some contingency on it.

Happy Father's day too!

TGIF!

2008-06-06T08:27:00.003-05:00

I miss the good ole TGIF back in the day... when it was step by step, full house, and boy meets world. Anyone? Does it even exist anymore?

Anyway... ( I just said a lot of 'any' words...)

This humidity is driving me up a wall. It was over 90 yesterday and the humidity was terrible! I was sweating like I should be in a gatorade commercial. And I am pretty sure it's going to rain again, like before I am done writing this post.

Rude awakening of the week: The cost of wedding photographers.
Why?: I have been looking into all things weddings, trying to get a good idea of what I want (and don't want, speaking of which please take my poll on the left-->) to make a budget and goal for saving. I figured I should start doing this before student teaching next fall. I like to plan ahead :) I was expecting maybe a thousand dollars, hoping less, but seriously... four thousand??? Those photographers must live awfully nicely.

This weekend should prove interesting...me and the bf just got hip waders (rubber boats to walk in water) and plan to go fishing this weekend and catch some tadpoles. Hopefully nobody falls in, rather, I hope the camera doesn't fall in. I'll test out the durability of a ziploc I guess.

first layout in a long time!

2008-06-04T19:21:00.005-05:00

After watching many other auctions do well lately, I decided to venturing back to my beginnings: layouts!

It's a fairy layout with tear bears. here's a pic:

My biology class ends in a week and I can't wait!! It's driving me bonkers! I have literally 2 assignments due everyday! I sat down today and did like 3 of them just do I could work on a poster today and tomorrow that have to be done before I can start on the powerpoint that goes with them next week.

(I still have that rash from the field trip....?!?!)

Has anyone done the "Running of the Brides"? I am thinking about doing it this year :)
Check it out:
http://www.filenesbasement.com/bridal.jsp

My bf hasn't OFFICIALLY proposed but we already know we're going to be together for ever:)

Which brings question: is buying a dress before you're engaged bad luck????
I need opinions!

Some people...no respect!

2008-06-02T18:17:00.003-05:00

Ever noticed when you really want to do something, there's always something else stopping you from doing so?
I don't know what "LAW" it actually is, but Murphy's is close...
"if something can go wrong, it will"

I just want to doing my scrapping but noooooooo the Biology Monster is attacking me. Literally, I have a rash from the marsh I went to the other day on my legs and I have several Biology assignments due this week. GRRRrrr!

Some people have no respect!! Specifically my UPS man.... I have been awaiting a package (of waders for my bf and I) and the delivery day was today. So I went to check the website today to see if it was on it's way here, and it said it was already delivered and some mystery man named David signed for it.... UMmmm WHO?!! In the past, delivery people always put those sticky notes on the door saying the package is at my apt. complex and he definitely didn't. I am glad I checked the website. I get to the office and the lady there said he just left it in front of the door when they weren't there. HOW RUDE! I live in a college town and you don't do that. Anything out is fair game! Luckily people have been home for the summer otherwise I would have been ANGRY!

And there are yet other people who charge you $14 for shipping and ship your item in an envelope you would use for a bill... SERIOUSLY, this happened to me. I finally got my swarovski crystal beads, just like that.

I am really not an angry person :)
I got my Gossip Girl books today. Yes I am reading them, just got into the show and figured why not do some reading? ;0)

Well back to attack the biology monster so i can snuggle with the scrapping fairy, haha!

So many birds, so little time....

2008-05-30T16:44:00.002-05:00

So I am back from my field trip... I didn't think we were going to stay long because it has been nonstop storming here but we were there for about 2 hours before we went back to school to ANALYZE SPECIMENS. FUN! .... not? My instructor was like a kid in a candy store at the smallest glimpse of a bird. I personally just never know I could fill a sheet of paper with all the birds that lived down the street but oooookkkayyyy....... just don't poop on my car again.
In conclusion, do NOT drink anything near a marsh. It's gross.

I am determined to make the next $800 layout! I wish! I haven't done a layout in months ago!

I am going to try my hand at paper piecing. I can draw pretty good, but I don't know if I can get my ideas out onto the paper in this different media. It is going to be a tear paper fairy/mushroom layout... like so many that are already out there. So hopefully I won't ruin a classic. I'm using Basic Grey's Lily Kate for this one, which is already a bit whimsical.

I will be gone for the rest of the weekend to Chicago. My bf and I are going to a Chicago Rush (indoor football) game and a flea market. Maybe a scrapbook store... I dunno... if we have enough time :) OHH I'LL MAKE SOME!

does anyone really like being sick?

2008-05-29T14:19:00.003-05:00

I think I speak for everyone when I say that I hate being sick. I wake up Tuesday with a migraine from the land of hockey sticks, ruined that day, yesterday my stomach wanted to hang out in the fish tank, and today its a combo of both. I think I'm having some serious sugar levels too.

Every time I turn around my doctors quit the practice without telling me. I usually find out when I called in to get an appointment, FIGURES! So I decided to change what practice I went to and you know that isn't effective until the first of the month. AGHHHH!!! I've only got a few more days....

Enough with me! Here's the goods:

I just finished another purse:

It was made using Basic Grey's Phoebe collection. It's girly yet funky :)

It's supposed to rain/thunderstorm tomorrow here in IL.... which I don't think is very good since I have a Biology field trip at a local marsh in the afternoon. I have a feeling I may be standing out in the rain in the middle of a marsh tomorrow....

A view of two...

2008-05-28T06:59:00.001-05:00

Checkin in....
I was all excited about the semester finally being over...when my summer classes started 3 days later. Yargh!

Anyway, I have finished two purses since and have two started right now.

Basic Grey Sultry Purse

Crate Paper Katlin purse

I am working on two Basic Grey purses right now: a periphery purse and a phoebe purse. Phoebe should be done by the end of the week, if my Swarovski crystals ever come in, while I wait for more Primas for the periphery purse.

I need to venture into different paper collections... anyone have a favorite they'd like to share?

What's coming up!!!

2008-05-03T21:10:00.002-05:00

Just checking in!

I am currently working on a Prom purse! I am using Basic Grey's newest collection: Sultry.
I just got a hold of Crate Paper's newest line: Katlin and you will can count on seeing a purse from this fun & girly line!

I promise to put up a preview of the prom purse this week!
Finals are next week so I will soon be done with school for a while, so you can count on many new things to come this summer!

Eye Candy

2008-04-15T14:42:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I have posted! Yikes! Well I have two more completed purses in that time... well one of them is a treasure chest! Here's a look at them!

And here's my pirate princess purse:

I am working on a prom purse right now hopefully it will be done in the next two weeks :)

TGIF!

2008-03-14T09:23:00.003-05:00

Another week in the books, another purse completed!
My bunny face idea did not work out :(
The ears had no support they were just, well, there.
But nevertheless, I have made a very Springy Purse!
Here's a pic:

I've got two great ideas for purses right now, one has to do with the Pirate Princess line by Rusty Pickle, that one I am not giving away and a "Things I love about you" purse w/ Daisy D's Girlfriends Line. So I have a feeling April will be a productive month. Anybody have suggestions for a purse?

Easter Purse!!!

2008-03-09T11:12:00.002-05:00

Woo Spring Break! Some spring break, it's snowing! Anyway...
This gives me plenty of time to finish my easter purse album!
I'll give you an idea what it looks like....
The face of a bunny
and Basic Grey's Gypsy/Romani paper in the inside.
It has spring written all over it!

I would say I am about 33% done with it, lol but I will definitely finish it this week!

Stay tuned for sneak peeks!

Welcome to my Blog!

2008-03-02T15:42:00.000-06:00

Finally, I decided it was about time to start a blog to let everyone know what I am working on and what's going on here! I'll try my best to update often, but taking 4 classes and doing student teaching leaves little time!

I just finished my very *first* purse album! It is made out of Basic Grey's Two Scoops line.

I am very happy to have finally finished it, it took me nearly a month with all the things I have had going on. With family members in and out of the hospital and the recent NIU tragedy (I am a student there), concentrating on anyone thing is a task and a half!

Very soon... I think I will start an easter purse....

Sweet Tea Scraps

FYI FYI!

Mini Collage

Changes

Website is Launched!

Get ready... to get Snugglie!!

Being productive has its perks

Website Coming Soon!!!

Oatmeal anyone???

Here, then gone...

Splatter!

Spoiler Alert!

Throwing a Quick one at you...

Finally Lined!

Holly Jolly!

Boooooooo!

I've Returned!

Hurray for the weekend!

Enough with the books already!

Blood. Sweat. And Bruises. And Splinters...

Finished Cataloging!

Darn you eBay!

What a day

Ode to the Weekend

It's too darn hot...

SPLAT!

Old!

Is it summer yet??

Revamp!!

New Templates and New Snugglie Bags!

Update!

Stripe Me!

Coming Soon...

Snugglie!

Don't worry!

Hurray! It's spring break!

Another freebie :0)

FRAMED!

A case of the Mondays...

Oh No! Hiatus!

The Great Divide

A little bit of variety

Gettin Shapely

Modern

Too much!

Tide you over....

Clutter!

Concrete Theme....

Presents!!!

Half way through the week....

If you've got lots of pictures...

Double Day!

SPRING... is no wheres near...

Sunny!

Happy Birthday!

A Lovely Template....

Happy Groundhog Day! ... almost

Snow!

Buggy template...

My First Templates!!

Long awaited return...

failure at bloggin!

the nitty gritty

filler!

Princess!

Brave the wilderness!

Good morning!

look ma! No hands!

*Pixie Dust*

Finally...

TGIF!

first layout in a long time!

Some people...no respect!

So many birds, so little time....

does anyone really like being sick?

A view of two...

What's coming up!!!

Eye Candy

TGIF!

Easter Purse!!!

Pixie Dust