First Day of School

Many, many years ago when I was a young mother, there came a time in each of my children lives when I sent them off to kindergarten. At the time it was a semi traumatic experience.

They were 5 years old, so of course they at the age where they making me crazy...  naturally I was looking forward to sending them off for half the day, I wouldn't even have to pay a sitter. When their first day of school arrived I admit panicked...my baby is going off in to the big bad world with out me! What if they get scared , what if they get dropped off at the wrong bus stop, what if...? 

One by one over the years I walked my little dears in to the big scarey school, took them to their class room and each one of them took off with a skip and a jump to look for new friends and play with the “educational” toys. Never looking back or giving me a wave good-bye. They were much braver than I was.

Back to School, Home Work and Standardized Test

The kids in Arizona are going back to school...in my opinion it's way too early.

One of the happiest days of my life was the day I didn't have to get my kids ready for the first day of school. One by one they they had graduated.

I didn't have to do back to school shopping for new clothes and notebooks. No more  fill out all the endless form they brought home in their backpacks that first day. No longer did I have to worry about spelling test...history papers that were completed, but some how never got turned in to the teacher.

  

No more asking the question...”have you finished your homework?” An end to calling in absences, missed school buses and standardized test.

They were off on their way to being “grown-ups... and all the mini drama that goes along with being an adult.

Flash Cards, Work Sheets and Pinterest

Remember flash cards from your school days ? When I was going to school ours were made out of manila paper with bold black lettering or numbers.  This vintage looking  one has a great colorful image of  a young girl and boy under a umbrella ...

Very faint on the card you can see "postage" and a 1cent...maybe it's  a commemorative stamp  for vintage flash cards...then you will have a one cent stamp the next time the post office raises the rates

The half page is covered in ABC's and a subtraction work sheet...the dreaded
TAKE A WAYS. You remember,  9 take a way 6 equals what?

Turn the half page  over to reveal  the rest of  students  school work

Love the look of these old desks, very ornate with the cast iron scroll work.

I'm sure at the time the students in the class room were unimpressed with how fancy the desks were. 

They had no idea decades later their great grand kids would be shopping in antique stores trying to find one of these desks for a vintage home decor look...like the one they found on Pinterest

First day of school

I'm not sure what happened to Summer Vacation...it zipped by  too fast. The kids are going back to school tomorrow. Which gives me a great excuse to share my Graphic 45 ABC Primer  patterned paper mini album...how did you like that conversation transition?

This chipboard album does not have the usual  Stickle, rhinestones and glitter pen bling that I have added to  some of the other mini albums I have designed.  This  paper reminded me of vintage school books that my grandmother may have taught from back in the 40s.

So I created a distress look by sanding the edges and using a lot of Tim Holtz Wild Honey Distress Ink. 

I used two different sizes of chip board pages for the book...it gives it a great layered look. The edges of the larger pages layered ...the red gingham and ABC area.

When you open the first small page the rest of the cover is revealed

Who does "This Book Belongs to"...

The little girl writing on the chalk board or the girl in the red dress... that appears to be giving some one a spanking...WHERE WAS THE TEACHER WHILE ALL THIS WAS GOING ON?!?!?!?