lunchtime!

when my kids were in preschool, i'd send them cute little notes in their lunch boxes. they were usually nothing more than a few words on a post-it, but they loved them and looked forward to the little lunch-box surprise each day.

since my kids began elementary school, i've let that tradition fade. i don't know why.

the other day my littlest found a joke book at the library. we read one joke after the next -- each one ending in a sea of giggles.

this got me thinking...

and i sat down at my computer and whipped up these sweet little things --
my daughter loves jokes even more than my son, so i'm sure they'll be a huge hit when she finds one in her lunch tomorrow. :)

in case you'd like a copy, download a sheet of 6 lunch jokes here. all you need to do it download the set of lunch jokes and save them to your computer and print. if you like, you can add a stamp, hand-drawn smiley or a sticker of your choice. i added a heart stamp on each of the ones you see above.

and if you're looking for more lunch-box note printables, help yourself to these, too. you can download them here. print on white cardstock and trim. :)

check out the ones stacy julian just gave away on her blog -- so cute!

and look at this. even lunchables is getting in on the lunch-note action.

lunch notes are everywhere!

enjoy. and happy tuesday!

four on friday.

1) our shingles are being painted today. i don't know why this makes me so happy, but it does. i'll post pictures once it's complete.

2) i scrapbooked. my desk was too messy to warrant getting out any new supplies, though i did get a really fabulous box of goodies from little yellow bicycle yesterday. in my laziness, i did a digital page, which really took more mental energy than paper-scrapbooking would have. it's not my first 100% digital page, but it's my first in a long while. this could be the start of something...

(supplies: dot and brown paper, journaling snippets: crystal wilkerson; stitching: katie pertiet; frame: paislee press; stamped letters: ikari; font: splendid 66)

3) yesterday, over breakfast, anna was telling us all about how jaguars. did you know:

• jaguars are a feline, but they sometimes eat wild dogs?
• they'll hunt animals up to 160 pounds!

4) did you see that beth is blog-hosting over at write. click. scrapbook. this week? i love beth. and i love her blog. last week beth posted about her daughter's first ever muffin-tin lunch. genius! here's our own version of beth's muffin-tin lunch:

(pears, annie's bunny crackers, cheese, & plain yogurt + homemade granola parfaits)

happy friday!

unfinished projects and a little giveaway.

guilty.

i have more than a few projects that i started over break, but have yet to finish. here's the evidence:

in other random news:

... my daughter came home with a field trip form and a notice that we need to send in a check for $24. don't get me wrong, it's a COOL field trip, but doesn't that seem a little pricey?

... i made dinner last night in under 30 min. we had this, and this, and a spinach salad with this dressing. 30 minutes, people! that's a record for me!

... in addition to all the many, many unfinished projects listed above, i'm cleaning out my office, getting rid of some scrapbooking items i've yet to use and making room for some new stuff. leave me a comment by 8 pm pst telling me something you still need to finish (misery loves company, after all), and i'll draw a name to receive some fun mail. :)

... and in case you haven't popped over to write.click.scrapbook. yet this week, you're in for a real treat! jody's our hostess-with-the-mostest and you won't want to miss a single post!

happy tuesday!

four on friday.

i'm pretty certain no one does four on friday, but since i'm "new" to the blogging world, i'm going to do it anyway and claim ignorance.



1) this tea. it's my (almost) nightly ritual. no caffeine and so soothing. goes especially well with #2.



2) this show. i know it's nearly over. so very sad about that. goes especially well with #1.



3) these shoes. i don't need another pair of sneakers. but whoa, these are cute! and purple! they make me want to run. and in case you want to be a runner like i want to (someday) be a runner, check out this "couch to 5k plan." and yes, i'm sitting on the couch as i type this. :)

4) and a notice. i'm blog-hosting over at write.click.scrapbook. next week starting on monday. stop by. i promise to post about something useful.

happy friday!

and the winner is...

KathyT! :)
congrats to you, dear! email your address and full name to me at mrsclaus09 at gmail dot com to receive your copy of 101+ creative ways to use your scrapbook supplies. it will come directly from creating keepsakes magazine.

sorry to keep you all waiting over the weekend. thanks for checking back!

woo hoo! and happy monday!

finished.

1. my cute knitted washcloth from this book.
2/3. this darling table runner.
4. and then i started this super-cute raw-edged circle quilt.

happy monday.

the party continues.

just not here. i'm still blog-hosting over at write. click. scrapbook. today's post is all about inexpensive party favors and gift ideas, so head on over.

www.writeclickscrapbook.com

happiest friday!

notepads.

growing up, my dad owned his own print shop. i remember visiting the warehouse, the smell of the presses -- the toner and paper. before we'd leave, my dad would let me pick out a few notepads made from mis-runs or the end-cuts from print jobs. we had stacks of them around the house. i think notepads are what began my love affair with paper.

the other day i was searching for my grocery list notepad. the kind you buy at the store -- a couple bucks each, and always a little kitchy. it annoyed me that i needed to go to the grocery store to buy another grocery notepad. then it hit me. i could make my own, just like dad used to.

the boys were at a basketball game and my daughter was mulling around in the kitchen, looking for something to do. i quickly enlisted her help, and in under an hour with a few supplies we found around the house, we each had our very own custom notepads!

some of you may be thinking. well duh! i do this all the time! making notepads is sooooooooooo easy! :)

but some of you may be thinking, NO WAY! make your own notepads?! this i've gotta see!

if you're in the latter group, this tutorial is for you. :)

what we're making:



cute, huh?

here's what you'll need:

• this download (or your own design, whichever you choose)
• chipboard sheet, 4.25x5.5 (you can use the backing of an old notepad, too)
• craft glue (this kind of elmers will work. so will this aleene's.)
• a small paint brush
• a trimmer
• binder clips like these ones (or any old chip-clips would work, too)

step 1: download the notepad file, or create your own. we're making a 4.25x5.5 notepad, so 4 designs could fit on one sheet of regular printer paper.

step 2: print 10 copies of the notepad file. trim it in fourths so that each sheet is 4.25x5.5 inches. this will give you 40 sheets.

step 3: stack your notepad sheets with your chipboard at the back. tap the stack on two sides (top and left-hand side) in case your sheets aren't cut exactly to size (which mine often aren't!).

step 4: clamp the paper together on both the left and right side toward the top, shown here.

step 5: paint a thin layer of glue along the top. be sure to use enough to cover the top of the chipboard backing. let dry for 30 minutes, then add one more layer of glue.

while the glue is drying, add another binder clip along the very top, or sandwich the notepad between two books (being careful not to get glue on your books!)

step 6: tear off the top sheet if it has glue or markings from the binder clips on it.

step 7: tie with a sweet ribbon and pencil... voila!

are you going to try it? my daughter wants to make one for her teacher. cute!

enjoy! and happy thursday.

in sight.

(i'm skipping four on friday today but will stick to the plan next friday. some days you just have to change things up! ;))

the final days of school are happening NOW, and summer is actually in sight. i'm delighted! slower days with mornings spent in jammies, hanging out after swim lessons, vbs camp and family vacations.

usually, by this time, i'm prepared for summer. this year, however, i'm taking things one day at a time.

i've got some fun blog posts planned. posts about keeping kids' brains working over summer (and links to some fun ways to motivate them, too!), as well as some boredom busters for those days when summer's end can't come soon enough (how is it even possible? yet, it happens every year!).

all that to come within the week. today, however, i'm going to a party. ;) a hooray-let's-celebrate-because-our-kiddos-are-nearly-finished-with-kindergarten party. what should i wear?

happy friday!

happy september.

though the official calendar says otherwise, to me september marks the beginning of fall, and of course, the start of school. this year we started early -- yesterday, actually. which got me thinking about making lunches, and even more fun -- lunch notes. i've shared these in the past (check out this link to see the others), but thought i'd share a few more for those of you who are checking in. :) just download, print and trim. don't forget to sign them with a heart or something to personalize them.

[click here to be directed to another page to download lunch notes]

and of course, another fun thing about turning the calendar -- the new gallery over at write. click. scrapbook. check it out.

happy september. happy wednesday!

four on friday.

1) ah! friday, at last! i'm gearing up for throwing a little birthday party for my husband this weekend. nothing major, just some wonderful friends and lots of food! i'll be serving this, and these, and this, plus a whole lot more. i'll share some photos next week.

2) i love bags. i'm currently knitting this little baby in lime green, though i'd really love to get my hands on this. have you met orla kiely yet? my friend wendy has a crush on her, too. so does celeste. looks like my bag-love is in good company.

3) i mentioned earlier that i've been busy planning and getting ready for mike's party. so what on earth was i thinking last night when i started making dog treats for my sweet pup? isn't she cute? she loves the treats, by the way. so does my son, but that's another story...

4) does anyone know what tomorrow is?

of course, the party's been goin' on all week over at creating keepsakes, but you won't want to miss tomorrow! i'll be prepping for a birthday party, but i'll check in over at club ck throughout the day. i hope pop on over, too!

here's what's going on:

• a layout sketch every hour from 9 AM to 6 PM (that's mst)
• page titles and free fonts!
• a photo-contest
• page-layout contests with randomly selected winners
• and some great prizes from here and here. (two of my favorites!)

happy friday!

a really great place to start.

who knew starting a blog could be so difficult? i've written a handful of opening posts, only to hit delete. so, i'm opening with photos from a great long weekend away.

happy sunday.

fun friday.

a friend shared this link a week or so ago. fun stuff!

shape collage


try it! it's free AND fun!

happy friday!

flowers.

aren't these darling?

i made them.
all by myself.
with a LOT of step-by-step help from nina's tutorial. :)
check it out.
like her stuff? me, too!
and you know what?
she's guest-blogging over at write. click. scrapbook. today.
go check it out!

happy tuesday!