All About Us Clipboard Crossword

My Valentine likes to do the newspaper crosswords afterwork at night and I notice he always grabs a magazine or whatever else is handy to lean on. So I got the idea to make him a clipboard to hold his crosswords. Then it came to me that I should try to make a crossword puzzle just for him. Lo and behold, you can find anything on the Internet! I logged onto http://www.custompuzzles.com/ and it is easy as pie to make a crossword puzzle with your own clues and answers.

They even have prompts to help you make clues if you are stuck for ideas. I also chose a free-form puzzle, but you can choose a more symmetrical one if you don't mind them adding in some random clues to even out your puzzle.

Once you create your puzzle on this site, you can choose to print it out with a photo background or plain. I chose one of their candy heart backgrounds, but then trimmed around the puzzle so it would fit on the clipboard. To make a nice smooth surface to hold his newspaper crossword puzzles, the entire project is covered with Mod Podge. I was so excited to find this product in my local craft store, as I had no idea how to explain what I wanted to do in Japanese should the need have arrived.

First trim your papers to fit the clipboard. Then prep the clipboard with acrylic paint. Spread the Mod Podge on the back of the paper and smooth it down so there are no bubbles. Wait about 20 minutes before adding your next layer. I finished with candy heart stickers from Hallmark and added a final top coat of Mod Podge.

The site provides an answer sheet on a separate page, so I decorated the back of the clipboard with some coordinating papers and the answers.

Next, I found a pen with a loop on the side that I was able to thread a ribbon through, tied the ribbon to the clipboard and added a few candy heart stickers to the pen. I resisted the urge to add ribbons and fibers to the top of the clipboard as I know my hubby would not really like that. But the final product, I'm sure he is going to get good use out of. And this puzzle will be one he will have no trouble solving. Happy Valentine's Day Handsome - it's All About Us!

Fuji

The winter is the most wonderful time of year to view Mt. Fuji. For most of the year, the mountain is so high that it sits surrounded by clouds. But the crisp winter air offers up the most clear blue skies and so the fabulous Fuji is visible from most everywhere in central Japan.

My hubby and I drove up the mountain as far as we could on New Year's Day, until the snow prohibited our ascent. I love the way my photos turned out so of course, the next step is to scrap them.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite on this page. The Bo Bunny Winter Whisper papers are gorgeous and I love the shine of the Virtual Metal accent from Magic Scraps. It has been a very long time since I have seen snow so I couldn't wait to use the snowflakes from Jolee's Boutique and Imaganisce on a layout.

But if forced to pick a favorite, I would have to say it is the Heidi Swap ghost alphabet. Here, I traced them onto the Virtual Metal, then trimmed out the metal to back the letters with. I very lightly sanded the letters, sprayed them with Glimmer Mist and topped them with Stickles before using glue dots to adhere the Virtual Metal to the back.

Of course you know there is so much more you can do with the ghost letters - you can use rub ons, paint them, tie ribbons around them, or just leave them plain. They are so versatile. Give these fun alphabets a try and be sure to show me what you come up with!

Here's my supply list:

Bo Bunny Winter Whisper papers in Swirl and Frost

Bazzill brown cardstock

Magic Scraps virtual metal

Queen & Co felt fushion

Jolee's Boutque snowflakes

Imaginisce snowflowers

Stickles silver

Heidi Swap ghost alphabet in Reason lower

Darice rhinestones

Jewel glitter - mulit

Glimmer Mist - sea glass

Stickopotomus letters and numbers

Doodble Bug Fancy That swirls

Happy Birthday Abe Lincoln

This February 12, Springfield, Illinois is celebrating the birthday of our 16th President in a big way. Though born to humble beginnings in Kentucky, Springfield is where Abraham Lincoln lived and worked as a lawyer. We are all familiar with the legacy of honesty and integrity that Mr. Lincoln imparted. But he also taught us that we should keep believing in ourselves, keep working to overcome our defeats and rework ourselves to fit our new dreams. It is no wonder that Springfield would want to honor this great man on his 200th birthday. They are hoping to receive handmade greetings for Mr. Lincoln from all around the world. For anyone who would like to send birthday greetings to be displayed during the Springfield bicentennial, here is the address:

Abraham Lincoln
Old State Capitol

1 Old State Capitol Plaza

Springfield, Illinois 62701

In honor of this occasion, I made a folding screen card and am rather proud of myself for figuring out the design without the benefit of a template or directions. If you would like to make a folding screen card like this, I can break it down for you.

1. The main part of the card consists of 6 panels that are 3 1/4 wide each. Choose a sturdy peice of cardstock and cut it to 19 1/2" x 9". Score every 3 1/4 inches and accordion fold.

2. Cut out a 10" x 5" square from the center. This should fall directly in the middle of the four center panels.

3. Cut slits in the center of each panel, top and bottom, for the inside card to fit into. Each slit should be 1/2" deep.

4. The inside of the card is made from a 13" x 6" peice of cardstock. Score and fold into 4 panels - each panel is 3 1/4 inches wide.

5. Decorate your card and assemble. It's as easy as that and the whole thing will easily fit into a legal size envelope! Have fun with it and show me what you come up with.

Elf Yourself

I finally completed the scrapbook page with my Elf Yourself picture from JibJab.com. Thanks Office Max for hosting this fun trend again this year. It was easy - just upload photos of your friends and family onto the elf bodies. Once completed, you can choose between a variety of dances. It is such a hoot!

I uploaded the photos of my son and his wife. Brandon's direct quote was "We sure look gay!" I know he means gay as in happy!

Once the elves are dancing, do a screen print and you can have the picture to scrap. This LO was influenced by an online friend whom I can't remember. So whomever you are - if you are reading this, thanks for the inspiration. I hope you don't mind that I changed it up and made my own LO out of it. I love how my trees all mimic the shapes of the elf hats. The journaling block was made digitally. I didn't even realize I could type my journaling in that shape. We learn something new all the time!