Done does not mean DONE

As I've learned over the past few weeks, done does not really mean DONE. I've been working on my final revisions for my dissertation before it is published. On one hand, I know I could fix the things they marked, submit it, and be finished. (I saw a PhD comic once that said, "If you write it, they will sign it.") But, that thing's going to sit on my bookshelf a long time. I don't want to look back years from now and regret throwing a bunch of junk down. And I'm paying a small fortune to have that little bugger copyrighted, printed, bound, and published to the required websites. So, I'm still working - about finished - but still working. I have begun a huge (well, huge to me) renovation project that will result in a cleaner house (no more piles of research sitting in stacks close to my computer) and a (hopefully) clean scrapbook room. This will be my first summer off in many years. Trying to think back, I believe I've only NOT worked (at something) for one summer in my 9 years of marriage. I have visions of catching up on a lot of scrapbooking this summer! It will begin on Thursday - my first day off - with a girls' trip to the American Girl store for lunch at the Bistro. Eliza got a gift card for her birthday (in April - does that make me a bad parent?) and she hasn't spent it yet. My mother hasn't been to the store yet (we drug Daddy along last time) so she will join us on Thursday. We are going to have fun! I also have four cards I never posted. You'll be seeing those this week.

Wahoo!

After three years of long school hours and no vacations, I finally graduated today! Praise the Lord! Here is a picture of me after the ceremony with the girls. EG was not happy - she was hungry and tired, especially after a 3 hour graduation ceremony!

I was terrified. I worried all week because I knew that I would be the first one of the doctoral cohort to graduate. This morning I figured out that I was first. I mean first, FIRST. In the entire university. Out of 1200 graduates. I was the first one to walk across the stage. I just prayed that I wouldn't trip, fall, or faint! I made it. It was a great day!

Big Shot Demo Card

My aunt (Hi!) bought a Big Shot from me. She came last weekend and I was able to give her her order. He had some questions about how to work her new tool, so we had a Big Shot lesson. This was a card we made to show her how to use the embossing folders and to give her one idea she could replicate easily. Unfortunately, I can't get the silly thing to picture upright. Just tilt your head and enjoy!

Supplies to make this card:
Big Shot die cutting machine (# 113439, $99.95)
Certainly celery cardstock (#105125, $5.50)
So saffron cardstock (#105118, $5.50)
Whisper white cardstock (#100730, $7.50)
Certainly celery stampin' pad (#105217, $5.95)
So saffron stampin' pad (#105213, $5.95)
Stampin' sponges (#101610, $3.50)
Elegant Boquet embossing folder (#115964, $7.95)
Pretties kit (#109114, $29.95)
Eyelet border punch (#113692, $15.95)
Mini glue dots (#103683, $4.95)
Well Scripted stamp set (W - #117072, $19;95; C - #118601, $14.95)

First Day card and the LESSON LEARNED

Wow, was that ever a blooper! If you are reading this, you missed the huge blooper that appeared about an hour ago! Woops! Honestly? I uploaded the picture and put a few "placeholders" to help manage my alignment. Then I scheduled the post for tonight and uploaded. I intended to write the blurb at work today - perhaps during lunch? - or definitely when I got home from work.

However, I got a call today at work that superseded my little blog. I eventually want to get into higher ed. That is the ultimate goal and why I went ahead and got the doctorate. It's a hard field to break into, though. I got the opportunity to adjunct at a local college for their teacher certification program last year. It was a wonderful experience, but I didn't get to go back this spring. A couple of weeks ago, I got a call for the department chair asking me to do a review for one of the certification tests they will be taking soon. I was to teach seven class sessions. Today, I got a phone call at lunch asking me if it would be possible to start tonight as the other teacher had to cancel out at the last minute. Well, yes! Could I really say no? The way it turned out, I get to add on this session rather than exchanging it for one of the other sessions (read: more money, more fun!). So I went straight from work to the college where I taught my class. I just got home. Big woops! Forgive me. :)

I mentioned in the blog hop that this card has a story. I love books. I own - literally - thousands of them. I have a SERIOUS problem with cutting them up. I just can't do it. I knew I needed book print for my "DSP" on the card, but I didn't know how to get it. [Background: This was my last project of the three to complete for the blog hop and it was 2 a.m. in the morning on the day the post was to go active. It was also a work day.] So I was scrambling around trying to find a book I would sacrifice. I finally found that I own an educational law textbook in both a fifth edition and a sixth edition. This would be perfect, right? I could cut up the fifth edition and not "lose" anything! Thank goodness for my retentiveness to want the latest edition! So I took the book downstairs and opened it up to the middle where there was a nice crowded page. And I sat there. I ran my fingers over the print. And I sat some more. I just couldn't do it.

I finally rationalized that there had to be some part of the book I could sacrifice. The index was my first thought, but that would look rather silly as a DSP, right? But...there was a preface, right? And the preface in the sixth edition would be the "preferred" one since it was most recent, right? I could cut up the preface. Quickly - before I could change my mind - I ripped out (ok, not so quickly - I didn't want to leave ragged edges in the binding of the spine) a page of the preface. Whew. The hardest part was over. I had done it (this is where the soundtrack to Rocky plays through your mind).

So I cut my paper and proceeded with my card. Only after I had photographed it (and it was 3 a.m. now with my alarm set to ring in 1 hour and 45 minutes) did I realize what I had put on my card that I plan to give to my eight year old daughter on her first day of third grade. Geez Louise.

LESSON LEARNED: If you "make" your own DSP out of recycled magazines or books, be sure to read the content before creating your masterpiece. (And be aware that the Supreme Court has ruled very specifically about sexual abuse and harassment in public schools and that current laws reflect those rulings within employment practices.) Have a wonderful day.

Blog Hop Thanks and the bookmark

I want to thank everyone who visited my blog over the weekend. If you subscribed to my blog or became a follower, thank you so much! You are awesome and I hope I can satisfy your daily blog surfing. I hope I have inspired your use of this stamp set. I'd love to see what you create.

Today I'm going to give you a few tips about the bookmark. The bookmark is pretty simple and straight-forward. I really followed the recipe in IBC just changing the colors. I did not like a button on it, so I left that off. I did add the row of apples stamp in bashful blue as a tone-on-tone accent at the bottom.

Supplies used for the bookmark:
Bashful blue cardstock (#105120, $5.50)
Real red cardstock (#102482, $5.50)
Whisper white cardstock (#100730, $7.50)
Basic black cardstock (#102851, $7.50)
Scallop edge punch (#112091, $15.95)
1/16" Circle punch (#101227, $8.95)
Horizontal slot punch (#105089, $5.95)
1" Double stitched ribbon, real red (#115607, $8.95)
Black Stazon ink pad
Green galore ink pad
Real red ink pad
Bashful blue ink pad
Blender pens

I chose these inks because they matched my project. The great thing about Stampin' Up! is that you can color coordinate your paper and inks on all projects! Many of the colors have matching accessories - brads, eyelets, and (my favorite!) ribbons! To color in my images, I squeezed the ink pads (when they were shut) and then flipped open the lid. Don't slide the lid underneath. By squeezing the ink pad, you deposited a little bit of ink on the upper inside of the lid. Use your blender pen to collect a little ink. Try it out before touching your image - you may need more or less to achieve the color and gradation you want. Then, color your image as you desire. This allows you to create shades of a color and add a gradation to increase the perception of depth. Have fun with your coloring. Be sure to post a link back in a comment for me to see what you created!

If you have a demonstrator, I'm sure she (or he!) can help you with this technique. If you don't have a demonstrator who is meeting your crafting needs, I would be honored to help you create. Thanks for looking!