So much to be happy about!

Sooo....it's been a bit since I posted here, and I promise that I am going to do better...I've been busy getting my happy on!  I hope you all have been too.

My spring ended with a very successful graduation week, in which our seniors were awesome and honored in a whole lot of ways.  One of our students was recognized with a National Sportsmanship Award and will be featured in the movie, Greater, which is the life story of Brandon Burlsworth, after whom the award is named.

Shortly after this, my daughter and I trekked (along with her project partner Anaya and teacher Michael Nielson) to the University of Maryland for the National History Day Competition week. What an amazing journey!

Here we are in front of the Supreme Court.  We also got to see the Senate filibuster on Gun Control from the Senate Gallery that day!  Quite an experience.  Words of wisdom?  Get your kids involved in NHD.  The website is www.nationalhistoryday.org.  So proud of these girls!  I have been named--today--regional director for the Colorado Four Corners/Tribal Region of NHD Colorado.  I am so excited to bring this to all of the students in this area!

Back home for a few days, then off to basketball camp #2 for the summer.  Here is my point guard bringing the ball up the court.  I love this kid so much.  He works so hard at the things he loves, and he works harder at the things he doesn't, so he can do the things he loves.

I have recently been named to the Board of Directors for the Colorado Association of Secondary School Principals, an advocacy group that supports the work of teaching and learning for all students in the state of Colorado.  I am already a member of the Legislative Outreach Committee of the Colorado Association of School Executives, and I am anxious to see how these tie in together.

I also recently finished a fellowship for the School Retool Model.  This model uses the elements of Design Thinking to transform schools.  It is the BEST professional development I have ever done!  I am fully charged for the coming year, and my amazing, awesome, professional, fantastic staff are ready to jump with me!  I can't wait!!!  You will find more information at www.schoolretool.org.

And did I mention, we bought a boat?  Well, yes!  We bought a boat!  And we are up early for a fishing trip tomorrow--which is how I get my summer happy on!

Tell me how you've been getting your happy on!  Can't wait to hear!

Jen

Because I have so much extra time on my hands...

I have decided to take on a side business of baking custom cupcakes.  I have always loved baking and cake decorating, and I have talked about this for a long time.  My retirement job will be to open a bakery called "Three Sweet Bees,"  which is a tribute to two dear friends.  

This fall, I have had three big baking projects completed:

This is my husband's birthday cake!  It is a carrot cake made from carrots I picked from our garden that morning, with cream cheese buttercream and chopped pecans.  He loves carrot cake!  We devoured this pretty quickly!

These beauties are Pumpkin Spice Latte cupcakes that I made for a school bake sale.  The straws are fondant that I made by rolling it around the outside of an actual straw.  I love how these turned out.  I found the wrappers on Pinterest somewhere and used them, since the bake sale was for a non-profit.  I would not use these same wrappers if I was selling these for a business, as the logo is trademark and copyright protected.

And this beauty...my daughter's 14th birthday cake from the House of Gryffindor...or however you spell it.  I am not a Harry Potter fan.  I've read only one of the books, so I have basically no knowledge.  But my daughter wanted a Harry themed party.  The cake features the Gryffindor scarf, Harry's glasses and lightning bolt scar, and a Golden Snitch, all made of fondant.  The Sorting hat topper is made from Rice Crispies Treats and covered in fondant.  The cake is butterbeer flavored, with Butterbeer buttercream.  She loved her cake, and I loved making it.

As a result of these three projects, I now have my first custom order.  "Whatever you feel like making."  Not sure what I will make.  I was thinking something "fall-y," but I don't know.  Have a great day, everyone!

Hello, again!

Well, y'all...I'm back...with a twist!  I have been inspired to share the things that make this world such a wonderful place for me!  Life is full of magic, and I am just so blessed to be able to do what I do, where I do it, and with whom I do it, that you all need to know about it!  Every time I post, I will be sharing about something that makes me happy.

Today, it is my job!  I am the principal of a small middle school/high school for grades 7-12 in Colorado.  My staff is the most amazing collection of human beings I have ever had the pleasure to know.  They are energetic and love every student.  I have the hugest smile on my face every day!

Today, they collaborated to build our master schedule.  They are such problem solvers!  I introduced them to the "Hack Mindset" that is part of a fellowship I have been doing called "School Retool."  They rocked it!

I talked with them about how every child begins with a dream:  ballerina, rocket scientist, president, NBA player...and somehow, for many of them, that dream gets lost in the "Myth of 'Can't'".  We talked about Steph Curry (73 wins?!?!  What?!?!).  I charged them to refer to themselves as Dreambuilders--because they are.   They.  Are.  Amazing.

Our new slogan for next year:  Go For It.  Be Steph Curry.

I hope you got your happy on today!  Be blessed!

Whimsical Wednesdays DT Post--Going Green

Hey, everyone...you are all having a great day!

This week's Whimsical Wednesday challenge is all about "Going Green."  The challenge was to use green somewhere in our project.

Our sponsor this week is "A Day for Daisies," which is offering a $12.00 gift certificate to the challenge winner.

They were generous enough to let us use their images for our projects today.  I decided on this adorable little bee!  Isn't he cute?

Here is my project:

I inked the background of white cardstock with blue Color Box cat eye chalk.  I added a strip of flowered border paper with a green background from a DCWV stack.  Then I stamped a border of the sentiment, "Thanks for your Kindness" from the Whimsical Designs Everyday Sentiments set.

I added the three bees from the image above...each is colored a little differently with Stampin' Up Markers and highlighted with a Martha Stewart glitter paint marker.  I cut them out by hand and adhered them to the card with Elmer's Pop Up Glue Dots.  I love those things!

I stamped the same border on the inside of the card.  Here is a closer look at the sentiment:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today...head on over to Whimsical Designs and link up your "going green" project for a chance to win this prize from A Day for Daisies.

Have a great day, y'all.

Jen

Three, Two, One...Whimsical Wednesday Challenge!

Don't y'all just love Wednesdays?  I do!  Being part of this team has made me get back in my craft space on a regular basis, and it has also forced me to leave my comfort zone!  So, if you are stuck in a rut...join a Design Team!  The inspiration out there is top notch!  Now, on with the show...

This week's sponsor is:

The good folks there are offering a $10.00 gift certificate for this week's challenge winner.  How nice, right?  

This week's challenge is dedicated to the idea of "3-2-1."  For our projects, we need to use three of something, two of something else, and one of something.  Sound fun?  Well, it is!

Here is what I came up with:

I don't know about y'all, but my craft room is always a terrible mess.  I am trying to get more organized.  I have been thinking for a while about using food cans to make marker storage that will work.  So, my project is made from repurposed Tomato Sauce cans.  I used 3 different patterned papers to cover them.  I adhered the papers with my ATG.  Then I added 2 different ribbons--each of them was used on wedding invitations made for friends. (Weird that I remember that, huh?  But I always do.  I always remember the weirdest details, like what socks I was wearing on the day my friend and I biked 20 miles into town when we were in high school.)  

Then I used one teeny, tiny Whimsical Designs cupcake stamp from the "With Love" set, which is available for purchase here.

I attached the cupcakes to the ribbon using twine.  I punched them with my SU 3/4" circle punch.  I  would love to say that I purposefully "shabbified" the ink, but the truth is that I stamped it on glossy paper then got impatient, so the ink smeared.  But that's okay, all part of the experience.  

Thanks for stopping by--Leave a comment, pretty please!  I love to read them all!

Jen

A Card for a Friend

Hi, all...

Today I am going to share a card I made for a friend who is going through a rough patch.  She is an amazing, uplifting woman who is such a light and so dedicated to God that it is really hard to see her down.  I hope this card cheers her up!  The cute digi is from Sherri Baldy designs.  If you follow her blog, she does freebies just about every Friday, so go check her out.

The sentiment is stamped with a thought from the Whimsical Designs "Everyday Sentiments" set, which you can purchase here.  I cut the cute little heart from Doodle Charms.  I ran the background paper through my Textured Impressions with the Cuttlebug Paisley folder, then added some green gingham paper and some ribbon.  The digi and the heart are adhered with Elmer's Pop Up glue dots.  I repeated my "clear nail polish" trick for the glossy effect on her glasses.

I hope you enjoy her!

Jen

Whimsical Designs....Textiles!

Welcome to another great Whimsical Wednesday Challenge!  This week our wonderful sponsor is the Freckled Fawn.

  

The winner of this challenge will receive a $20 gift certificate to this fun store that features crafting accessories and embellishments.   

This week's challenge is to use textiles somewhere on our project.  I decided to make a desk decor item for my sister-in-law, whose birthday is this week.  The project was inspired by  a digi stamp that I have had for quite a while.  It was long before I ever really thought that I would use digital stamps, so I have no idea whose work it is, which makes me sad because I like to give credit where it is due.

Here is my project:

I love this little gal walking in her garden.  I started with a piece of 4 1/4"x 8 1/2" chipboard.  I covered this in denim from a pair of my boy's jeans that he has outgrown.  I purchased a puzzle for a dollar at Wal-Mart and had my daughter paint the pieces with blue acrylic paint.  I  used my hot glue gun to adhere them in several layers around the board.  I coated them with Mod Podge to give them some gloss.  Then I adhered my cute stamp...I colored her with MS dye ink markers, some SU markers, and some gel pens.  I used chalk on her skin. I also added some stickles to the flower centers.  Then I started adding embellishments.  I cut the pocket out of an old patch and used my white gelly roll pen to add stitching.  I made some bows out of strips of denim from the same pair of jeans and adhered those.  I found some pearl buttons in my stash and added those.  Finally, I added some pearls and some roses (made out of old lace that I had in my stash).

The little denim pocket holds a hand cut tag that says "May all your wishes come true" from the Whimsical Designs "Everyday Sentiments" set.  I colored the stamp with a SU marker before stamping it on the paper.  I like the flexibility of using brush markers to color stamps.

The tag is tied with baker's twine that I made with white twine and the same SU marker.   

I finished the project by adding a stand to the back.  Here is a closer look at the cute digi I used:

Be sure to head over to Whimsical Designs and join us in this week's challenge.  Even if you are new to using textiles (like me) give it a try and let your creativity take flight!