Long Division, Telling Time and a Calico Cat

This distressed Graphic 45 ABC  Primer patterned paper  brings back the basics  taught in school in the "good old days"...Reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmeti.

This little boy may know his numbers... 1 through 10,  but could long division be far behind? 

The half page is covered with red gingham, and embellished with a vintage looking chip board piece, that warns the next lesson is "telling time".

I love the calico cat sitting next to the student on the red stool

The back of the book is embellished with two alphabet  pages...maybe from an old "ABC book"

The only things missing  from this mini album are some grade school photos

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

The Olde Curiosity Shop

I love  exploring  antique, thrift, "junque" stores...how every you describe them, nothing is better than  finding cool junk!  Those one time  discards become your wonderful treasure.

 The Graphic 45  "Olde Curiosity Shoppe" patterned paper reminds me of the wandering through the perfect antique store. How to use such a imaginative paper line, chip board die-cuts and of course  "Wild Honey" Distress Ink...?  

Create a antique store mini album!

The cover of the album is the "front window" of the Olde Curiosity Shop...with a glimpse of the fascinating bits and pieces waiting to be discovered.

Layered on the "window" is a pewter Bee...

Opening  the cover to  the first pages  shows some of the  fantastic oddities. Best of all...a flying pig!

 Stepping further into the shop we find butterflies and bees...and a mysterious lady with a copper key.

Turning the page we notice  a rare butterfly collection...

What clever oddities will we spy next? A peacock feather and a "flying" shoe!

We have poked in ever nook and cranny of the shop and now have come to the end...

There is always something fascinating to happen upon in the Olde Curiosity Shoppe

World Traveler Mini Album

At one time I was a semi world traveler...London, Paris, Edinburgh, New York, San Francisco... now I just travel between home and work.  But I can create a World Traveler mini album complements of Teresa Collins and her great "World Traveler" patterned paper...

The front cover of the mini album was created with Teresa Collins patterned paper that looks like the inside of a passport..all those great custom stamps that check you into a country...my passport was never this full.

 The tabs give the mini album that "Journal" look...

Pictures can be added to the "film strip" areas...does anybody  use film anymore?

Plenty of room for journaling...

Love the brad embellishment...

Do you see the tag pocket?

There it is.

All part of the journey

A trip to remember. Maybe not a world travel, but a great weekend or a nice day trip.

The best part about this mini album is it's  in my Etsy store.


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Holiday Spirit

It's almost Halloween...ghost and goblins and things that go bump in the night, candy over load, trick or treaters and the really scary part there are 54 days between Halloween and Christmas...and they threw Thanksgiving in the middle! Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year!

And speaking of Christmas...I designed this Christmas album using Kaiser Craft's Beyond the pages Georgina wooden album...

Great patterned paper and yards of festive ribbon...

Lace and distress ink...

Rhinestones...

and Stickles.

 Kinda gets you in to the holiday spirit doesn't it?

Yes this fun album is for sale at my Etsy store.

Grand Opening!

It's time to make if official...

For the last 2 months I have been working on creating a Etsy store ( I know... you were wondering where I had been.)

I have the shop stocked with cards, mini albums, fairy wings, shadow box and other fancy stuff.

One of the items is a Santa Claus album...

 you did know that it's 131 days until Christmas didn't you?

Click on the Etsy shop button to see some more treasures.