Please- For Amy

A couple summers ago I asked for your prayers, well wishes, good vibes, for our dog Cad.  I truly believe that all that goodness helped him to get where he is today (along with a wicked awesome team of vets!).  Today, I'm asking for that again.  This time for our kitty, Amy.  She may have bladder cancer.  It's likely inoperable.  She seems to be doing well and our hope is that we can manage it with some non-steriod type medicine.  Please keep her in your thoughts today.  She's only been our family member for about 5 years, but she is 18 and she is so sweet (despite the look in this photo!).

Thanks- I'll be back with more news when I know more...

Prima Pocket Album (Part 2)

Remember this album I showed you a few weeks back?  I told you I would show you how I would use the pockets and how to keep the goods from falling out of the slashed pockets...

The pockets all got a 3.5"x 6" piece of cream cardstock.  The cardstock can be used for journal writing, or extra pictures, or both!

The pocket tags got some extra embellishment with some ruffled ribbon and circle punched pretties.  Since most of the goods used are rustic, I thought stapling the ribbon & circles would be way cooler than just adhesive. :)

The slash pockets are held together with washi tape. Eeeek!  I just LOVE the stuff!  Usually I punch a hole in both pockets, weave some twine, and tie a bow.  When I saw this tape though, I knew it was perfect!

 

The flowers on the slash pockets are from Bo Bunny paper.  The Hen's Den sold out of this paper (there are still deals to be had in the On Sale section!) when it went on sale, but I gave you a suggestion of something I was swooning over. :)

I hope you were inspired today!  Wanna craft your own fab creation?  Check out the links below.  Please share with us what you make from goods you got at The Hen's Den!!!

The goodies used in Part 2:
Tag Decorations- Prima Marketing- Engraver- Arcade
                          May Arts- Sheer Ruffle- Brown
Washi Tape-My Minds Eye- Collectable- Unforgettable Washi Tape
Pocket Decorations- Bo Bunny- Serenity- (Sold out, but you could use this for an AMAZING effect!)

And if you don't want to go back to the old post for the Part 1 list of goods:
Cover Paper- Prima Marketing- Engraver- Black Leaf
Inside Papers- Prima Marketing- Engraver-Cartouche
                     Prima Marketing- Engraver- Cesello
                     Prima Marketing- Engraver- Calligraphy
                     Prima Marketing- Engraver- Atlas
Flowers- Prima Marketing- Engraver- Vines
Lightbulb Frame- Prima Marketing- Engraver- New Print Mini Frame
Button- Prima Marketing- Engraver- Wood Buttons
Ribbon- May Arts- Crochet- Green

PS- I had to re-institute using the word verification.  Sorry, I was getting just too much spam.  Once it dies down, I'll take it back down.

Earth Day Festival

Hiya Peeps!  I've been busy crafting some goods for the Framingham Earth Day Festival this Saturday.  The newest creation is Posey Clips.  Rolled rose paperclips that are so stinkin' cute they are addictive to create!  I made some and put them in giant plastic Easter eggs to hand out to family after Easter dinner & I was so excited at how folks smiled and thought these were such a fun idea. :)

I really did go nuts. :)  This is a small sampling of the insane number of these Posey Clips I made. LOL!  Hope you can come out to join in the fun this weekend.  If you make it out, be sure to stop by and say hi!!

Boston Strong

I work at the starting line of The Boston Marathon.  My school has a history of hosting the wheelchair racers.  Two weeks ago this morning our entire school stood outside with local & state officials to unveil a statue that was placed in our school's front lawn in tribute to the Hoyt father/son race team.

The town Common is across the street from our school.  The kids in town run and play before the race on this common.  Runners stretch and make a pit stop at the port-a-potties that are brought in (and steal our parking spaces sometimes the week before school vacation).

The runners are released in waves, wheelchair racers, elite racers, "the common man" racers.  I have been at the starting line to cheer racers.  It's at least 15-20 minutes before all of "the common man" racers (who have been running the entire time) even cross the starting line.

One week ago I was blissfully enjoying a snorkel cruise from St. John's USVI to 4 islands around BVI.  I was a little cranky about having to get up and get going by 6:30am on my vacation.  I was nervous about my swimming ability and embarrassing myself in front of the other tourists.  We met a couple from near my hometown and chatted about other vacations.  One of the tour guides was from Wellfleet and we talked about the race.  There was another couple who had gone to Harvard's School of Business.  We chatted about seeing the results of the race.  The tour finished a little before 3pm.  We got out of Customs and headed to the car to see if we had any messages from family (no cell coverage on our trip).  I glanced down and saw I had a text from an aunt back in ME.  Our "baby" cousin at Tufts had told her there were explosions at the finish line.  Our hope was a gas leak, but in our stomach we knew that it was probably something much darker.

We hopped in the car and tried to get info from people.  Coverage is spotty in places on STJ- so many hills.  We raced to the local grocery store because it always has on CNN and it was the closet place we could think to get news.  As we got to the parking lot I was able to pull up some pictures on my phone.  DH looked at the pics and told me that the time on the clock is the typical finish time for average runners, well past the elite.  I had friends running.  "Baby" cousin had a group from Tufts running.

I have never felt so helpless.  Felt so guilty for being in paradise when friends who were running or at the finish line were scared, helpless themselves.  I felt guilty for even thinking about myself at all.  After agonizing hours, DH and I were able to locate everyone we were worried about.  We were blessed.  No one we know directly was physically harmed.  My heart hurts for those not so lucky.

Today I go back to school.  Back to the Starting Line where the possibilities, excitement, and energy is endless, now somehow tainted.  I am excited to see my students & nervous to talk with them.  We teachers, parents, caring adults, have had to have too many conversations these last 12 years like the ones I will have today.  The reassurances that they are safe.  Conversations where I watch 5 year-old babies age in front of me, not because they are learning about the awesomeness of the world, but because they are learning that monsters are real. 

At 2:50pm today my thoughts will be with everyone who suffered & continues to suffer from last week's bombings.  My "Linus blanket" I will carry with me today and in the future is how the first responders (way to go Jim Plourde, fellow Colonie High alum!), the runners from out of town, and ordinary citizens rallied around each other.  How folks did what was needed to be done to help strangers and how the city shutdown to end this terror.  Although I was shaken by the events of last week, I have a renewed faith in the goodness of people.  I'm a New Yorker by birth, but I am Boston Strong!
  

A Primo Prima Album (part 1)

Hiya Peeps!  It was such a lovely day yesterday (71 degrees) that I thought I would snap pics outside for a change.  Don't get too excited for us New England folks yet.  It's supposed to be simply ugly on Friday.  They mentioned the "s word" even.  Nothing that should amount to anything, thank goodness!

Today I'm sharing Part 1 of a project! :)  Charlie sent me a set of goodies from the Prima Engraver line and as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to make a pocket album with it!!!!

The album is made from two pocket folders that have been folded into quarters and then bound together using a binding machine.  If you want to know more about how to create the album base, leave me a message in the comments and I'll be sure to get back to you. :)

The paper was all 12"X12" cut to 4"x11.5" for the slash pockets (and covers too) and 4"x7.5" for the full pockets.  The great part is that the leftover from the 4"x7.5" is used on the front of the bottom part of the full pocket. :)

I am leaving you with a mystery until Part 2.  How will I keep things from falling out of the slash pockets?  What things will be put in the pockets?  What more embellishing can be had?  These questions and more will be answered, so be sure to tune in to find out!  In the meantime, here is another scrappy tip...

Since I bought the folders in generic bulk from one of the big box office places, the pockets were slashed and the insides had the company name, so the .5" part that was cut to make the 4"X11.5" paper used in the slash pockets was big enough to use to cover the company label.  Every bit of scrap was used.  LOVE when that happens- it makes for less cleaning. Whoo-hoo!

Cover Paper- Prima Marketing- Engraver- Black Leaf
Inside Papers- Prima Marketing- Engraver-Cartouche
                     Prima Marketing- Engraver- Cesello
                     Prima Marketing- Engraver- Calligraphy
                     Prima Marketing- Engraver- Atlas
Flowers- Prima Marketing- Engraver- Vines
Lightbulb Frame- Prima Marketing- Engraver- New Print Mini Frame
Button- Prima Marketing- Engraver- Wood Buttons
Ribbon- May Arts- Crochet- Green