{Messy Monday} Washi tape teacher's gift

K's teacher from last year resigned ....and we love her so we wanted to make her a little gift.



With the kids (actually, and for me) I like creative boundaries.

I often bring a colouring book with just pencil crayons (colouring pencils) or just markers or just crayons, so they have to get a bit creative instead of having every artsy thing under the sun available.

Anyway, for these sorts of things I let them choose 3 colours. So these are the ones she chose and then I guided her so she did some diagonally and some straight.



All you need are:

• mini notecards
• mini envelopes
• washi tape
• scissors

We decorated both the cards and the envelopes.

Done.

Easy-peasy

And best, some time for Kendra and me to play with some crafty stuff.

When was the last time you got creative?

{Create} Easy washi tape pegs ...with kids

Here's where I explained in detail about the washi tape pegs before. Can you believe that post has 6272 unique views?!

these are where I used fabric tape

I gave each of the kids 3 to do... Connor negotiated for an additional 3 which I gave in to... because he said the first 3 are for me, D and K :)

my stash

some of the Christmas washi tape - those rolls are mostly half gone - I've been going MAD with washi tape and white paper :)

What was the last thing you created?

{Create} My "crafting style" and some washi tape gift tags

I started this creative journey in 2011 and really focussed in on my word in 2012.

I'm really glad I had the year of focus because I experimented with lots of different types of creative projects. Click on this link and this one to see all the projects.

However, I'm fast coming to the realisation that the medium that most floats my boat is paper.

I've always loved stationery and paper projects, and pretty stationery is practically my love language :) Which explains my love for washi tape and bakers twine because it just adds to all the paper prettiness!



So in my mission to simplify even more, I'm going to be de-stashing soon. There shouldn't be too much but I have tons of beads and such on one shelf and I'd really like that shelf back.

I also think I'll sell some of my punches. I have 10 but I use 5 regularly - tag, 2 and 1 inch circle punches, corner rounder and the happy birthday punch. I might even sell the happy birthday punch. And some scrapbook paper - fortunately I really don't have very much - so I may just give the paper to the kids.

Anyway, let me know if you're interested.

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This is how the creative process happens with me - some of you may relate.

I'd had some free project life cards printed from the internet (the ones I sent to you, Laura and Cat) and once I'd cut out the actual cards, there was a nice thick card border left.

As a mini-greenie, I never throw things away I can reuse so I got out my tag punch and punched all around the border.

By the way, this was quite inspired because I ended up with 96 tags. 96!

I had to stick some of them back-to-back because there were some words visible but I was still able to make about 8 - 9 sets of tags.

supplies - and yes, water and iphone are supplies

oh, and I also use my hole punch

I had one little helper for most of my time - she's right-handed but here wanted to cut "like Connor". You can see in the next pic she's back to right-handed cutting. 

here's what they looked like

I decorated my little bags like this to jazz them up - I'm LOVING these little bags.

A very satisfying little Saturday afternoon project - took me all of 30 - 45 minutes. And it was time spent with my kids because Connor joined in after about 10 minutes.

I gave each of them some of the smaller pieces of card to cut and paste into their books. I also gave them some of these rolls of decorative tape and they were happy kids. You have to involve them if you want to get anything done :)

I think I only have two sets left - they've already mostly been given out :)

So what do you think? Easy-peasy!

Do you repurpose cardboard offcuts?
What's your favourite crafting medium? (if that's the correct term)

{Create} Washi tape Project Life cards

Thanks for all the great comments on yesterday's are you done post! I'm replying in the comments so there's a thread!

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On last week's project life post, I mentioned washi-ing up the plain grid cards.

This is what I meant :) (feel free to pin)

my new chevron washi tape :)

a stash I made - I'm good for a few months now

supplies - oh, and scissors!

 

I think this is my favourite washi tape ever - it's a lovely blue and I use it for everything. I'm ready with my next roll when this one runs out... which is soon

gift from lovely friend

Have I mentioned I don't actually use these cards for Project Life? Tee-hee.

I use them for my lists, of course. Also good for checklists for Nanny S to pack bags correctly *ahem*

the list has been added to since then....

Isn't this SUPER easy?

I love the grid cards - they're the PERFECT width for my handwriting. And of course I love washi tape.

Can you think of other uses for these cards? Do you love them too?

{Create} washi tape notecards

So these were the cards I made in about 20 - 30 minutes on that public holiday last month. 

To be 100% honest, I set up a template in Word with the words Happy birthday and Just a note ages ago (last year actually!) and also printed it then.

You have to experiment a bit to get the alignment correct but I did two cards per A4 (printer paper size) piece of  white project board, which then folds into A6 size cards (standard envelope size).

I printed them off, cut them, scored them and folded and all they were waiting for a whole year and a bit is some jazzing up.

Initially I intended to make more of the banner type washi tape/ bakers twine cards but people, I realised once again I am not a fan of fussy :)

Some of you are thinking, "come on! that's not fussy." It is to me because I am Super Impatient and No Fuss.

So I did one to say that I've done one card and that will be the last unless I'm ever really bored (this will never happen) :)

For those of you with more patience, please totally do it - it looks really pretty and send me pics. I'll live vicariously through you :)

And here are the rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My plan if I ever get there is to use a particular colour scheme and make packs of 4 or 6 in different variations and give them as little gifts to friends.

Don't hold your breath - it may only be next year this time!

As you know, my kids have been using washi tape as plasters so it was time to take control back and use it for its intended purpose :)

What do you think? What have you done with washi tape lately?

PS today Kendra has some washi tape around her index finger and Connor told me last night to put some on his toe because it's sore.

The house of grumpy kids



Oy!

My kids were rather naughty last night.

And by rather I actually mean very naughty.

Jumping out of bed a million times and I seemed to forget that we then start taking away their bears.

Someone bit someone, that person cried and then the biter got a smack, also started crying and then they both fell asleep.

At 9.45.

I think they needed a good cry?

However, remember the phrase sleep begets sleep from the newborn days?

Yes, proved once again in our house because they woke at 5.45 this morning, very, very grumpy.

"No, Connor, you can't have a biscuit before breakfast" (they know the rules)

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

"Kendra, I don't know where Thursday is"

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

Yes, grumpy!

By the time I left this morning, they were in slightly better moods.

The little one even allowed me to take a pic of her in a skirt (she LOVES skirts and dresses and we have a total of 4, so it's a BIG deal when she can wear one) and told me, "tomorrow I want to wear my red skirt so I can show S because S hasn't seen me in that skirt"

(it's true - because it's been winter :))

On the bright side, we baked pumpkin muffins last night and on the not so bright side, the pin went to a error 404 but she still had the recipe on her site but I know it's been jinxed because it didn't come out as I remembered (so utterly delicious it could gladly be your last meal). These were acceptable but not pin-worthy!

So tell me, what do you do when your kids jump out of bed a million times? And how do you deal with grumpy kids/ people? (I laugh at them)

PS do you see the washi tape on their faces? Those are our plasters for fake injuries :) All I can say is... it's good quality stuff because they sleep with it and it doesn't even come off. Kendra wore that plaster the whole day!

{Create} at our virtual craft day

Well now, we haven't had one of these for awhile.



So without any further ado, what did I get up to this month?

I put these 3 pics in a turquoise frame

I'm hosting the photo challenge with Mandy so I've been playing with my camera a lot this month (*ahem* our theme for this LAST Saturday is dirty/ messy - I'm daring you to let your kids make a mess and post the pics :))

I also did a little something something with washi tape on Monday. I had about 30 minutes and instead of thinking "I only have 30 minutes" I just got my stuff and got going. It was a push but I made it work for me. Hmmm.

Here is a sneak peek because I want to show you everything I made in one proper post.

So what did you create this month?

Leave your link in the comments (I can only display one linky at a time and I don't want to have to do the new linky in 2 days for the photo challenge)

PS if you like, make your link clickable so people can click. You'll type the following in the comment box and fill in your details

Washi tape craft