Thankful

I am so thankful for my family and friends and that I am blessed to live in a place where I am able to enjoy so many freedoms.  I pray that each of you has a multitude of things to be thankful for as well.

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll talk to you again soon.



(I actually pinned the recipe and then made the sugared cranberries, don't they look pretty!)

In the library

Here is an updated version of my DIY award ribbons.  Every year (almost) I run a contest in the library "The Great Pumpkin Character Contest".  Students decorate real or plastic pumpkins to look like storybook or sometimes movie characters.  I award gift certificates to the book fair and each grade has a first, second and third place winner.  I run these contests on a shoe string budget, so I make the awards and certificates myself.  This year I got a little fancier with the award ribbons. 

The last time I posted my ribbons I had several requests for a tutorial.  I never got around to getting it done.  So, this time I took pictures as I went with the idea of showing anyone interested how I put them together.

Here goes.....

You will need to decide what color combinations you are going to use for your awards, I used fall/Halloween colors for mine.  Then you will need to gather the following supplies,
*1 1/2" circle punch
*1 3/4" circle punch

*Crepe paper streamers in three colors for each level of award (3 different colors makes a little fluffier rosette), mine picks were:
     1st place, lavender, dark purple and black
     2nd place, orange, yellow and black
     3rd place, lime green, clover green and black
*Coordinating 1 1/2" Satin ribbon for each level or award (Purple, Orange, Green)
*Coordinating card stock for each color of award (Purple, Orange, Green)
*White card stock for printing award medallion and for blank circles
*Glue or glue gun (I used a glue gun since I was making multiples)
*Sewing machine
*Computer & printer
*Regular scissors
*Pinking shears

Punch 3, 1 3/4" circles from the colored card stock for every ribbon
Punch 1 blank white circle for every ribbon
Create your award medallion in your favorite software (I used Publisher)
Make sure the circle of your medallion is just a tad smaller the 1 1/2" so you can use your circle punch to punch them out.  Create one for each ribbon.

Cut your satin ribbon in approx. 6" lengths and your streams in lengths of about 3 feet.  Stack your streamer and pin at one end.  Stitch them down the center using the highest tension and the longest stitch.  That will cause them to gather automatically and you will not have to mess with trying to gather them by hand.

Fold your gathered streamers in half at the stitching and cut fringing down the length of your gathered streamer.

Using your blank white circle glue a length of your prepared streamer to the outer edge of the circle and cut off excess.

Using the first of your three colored circles glue to the front of the rosette then flip it over and glue the second colored circle to the back of your rosette.

Use the third colored circle and attach the satin ribbon to the bottom edge as shown. Make sure the satin face of the ribbon is facing toward you so when you flip it on to the rosette it is the right side up.

The flip it over and glue it to the back of your rosette.  Now you have a finished back that looks nice and neat.

Flip it back over and glue your award medallion into the center of the rosette. Trim the bottom of your satin ribbon with pinking shears to keep it from raveling and fluff up your rosette. Done!

I hope you found this helpful.  Thanks for stopping by and I'll talk to you again soon.

In the library

I have only just jumped into the 21st century with a "smart" phone.  I have found it pretty handy for quick pictures and getting a wider angle then any of my current DSLR lenses. The image clarity is pretty good too.

I finally finished the entrance to the library for book fair.  I think it turned out fairly well for using butcher paper and tempra paint.  The theme this time was Sir Readalot's castle and a kingdom of books.  Our students were very excited for the fair by the time I finished the decor, which was the goal.  The more excited they get about books and reading, the better!!

Thanks for stopping by, I'll talk to you again soon.

In the library

It seems that once October hit the only chances I got to be creative were at school and photo shoots.  My studio has been quiet for the last few weeks but, I have been busy creating.  The reading teachers at school asked if I would paint the door to the leveled library.  They gave me the general idea of what they wanted and then I painted it.  Our doors have a heavy duty varnish on them that allows us to paint on them with tempra paint and when we get tired of the image we can just wash it off.  Hopefully I won't be washing this off for a while.

This week I'll be sharing a few of the projects I've been working on around school.  Thanks for stopping by, I'll talk to you again soon.