Iron Man - Invites

Hello everyone! Happy National Scrapbook Day. I had to take time to day to post something for such an event. Though I will not be scrapbooking today.
I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend, I am! Tonight we are celebrating my Hubby's Birthday with just us family. Next weekend is my son's Birthday and I finished these invites a couple of days ago. I just had to share them with you all. My son choose Iron Man as his theme this year. He will be turning 7 years old already. I can't believe it! I love to entertain so this is just the start of a crazy whirl wind of a week we have planed.
These invites I created with just a paper piecing technique and some basic applications of Tim Holtz Alcohol inks. They look pretty simple because they are modeled after the comic book character. I took the picture of the Iron Man mask that we ordered from the party supply store. I printed it out at the size of 4.25 wide and 5.5 high. This allowed me to use the standard size card envelopes. I took the picture of the mask and printed it 3 times. Cut out all the different pieces to the mask (that would all be cut out separately and then layered) this gave me a templates for the base of the card the top of the head, the jaw, the face and the eyes. I used 11 pieces of paper total for each of the invites. You cant see several of them in this pic but if you check out the picture of it opened you will see a few more of the layers. It is completely finished on the back with a black cardstock.
I used regular adhesive tape runner and pop dots. With some key scoring and folding it created a slight 3-D look on the top of the face. I used the Pilot gold ink pen to create the thicker gold lines. Highlighted or rather low lighted the face in key places to make shadows for more of a dimensional look. I did this with the Tim Holtz Alcohol inks. I found a font on the computer that matched the Iron Man movie title font and created the text in a word document. Printed that out on cardstock and added it inside the layers of paper. You pull the jaw down and the information slides out like a hidden message. It is so cool and really easy I cant believe how easy it was to create this interactive effect.
After creating 28 of these I feel like I can do just about anything. I thought because of the simple look to the character it would be easy.... ummm... easy yes but really tedious. Each of the eleven pieces had to be hand cut and then five of them had to be hand shaded.
The envelopes I just added a graphics I found online, of the Arc Reactor and the movie title, on the front and used the same font to put "Your Invited" also on the front of the envelope. My son was so cute running around handing them out. He cracks me up. I hope you enjoy this. I go nuts during the kids' birthdays so you will probably see another post about this event.

I have a question for you all... Do any of you as paper crafters make your own invitations and/or party favors?

Have a great weekend.

More Birthday Party Invitations I have created:

Boy Birthday Invitations:
- Minecraft Birtyday Party Invitations
- Harry Potter Hogwarts Birthday Party Invitations
-Lego Bionicle Mask of Light

- Lego Starwars Light Sabers

- Iron Man Mask Brithday Party  Invites

Girl's Birthday Invitations:

- Fashion-ista Pink and Black Designer Purse

- Angelina Ballerina Birthday Party Invitations

CCAF Graduation

This Layout or project has been published in Scrapbook News & Review. If you wish to see it please click on the "Out for Publication" image below. Thank you! ~ Grace ~
I have to admit that this past week I have been feeling quite uninspired. I wish this was not the case. I usually just push though this and in a week or so it all comes back to me. So this week I worked on a wonderful sketch from Liz over at The Scrappiest Blog. For some reason I can always work with her sketches.
This is a layout of my Hubby's Community College of the Air Force graduations ceremony. He completed all the courses they offered gaining a degree from this wonderful program. He is no only a few classes away from completing his Bachelors Degree through the University of Colorado. I was in my last term of pregnancy with my youngest child during this point. His Parents and my Mother also attended the event. We all enjoyed it together, all of us so proud of his accomplishment.
There is not much to explain with this layout since it is more on the sweet and simple side of scrapping. So I will just leave you with this photo. Thanks so much for looking and I hope you all take a moment to head over to Liz's Sketch blog. She holds a monthly contest and has some great sketches!

Always in our Hearts, Forever in our memories

Well I have returned home. I am quite overwhelmed now with catching up and settling in after being gone for two weeks. As many of you know I have been away due to the death of my Grandfather. A man that has meant so much to me in my life. He has been my Father figure, my Grandfather, my councilor, my friend and my Hero. I loved him so much and still do.
My Grandfather Leland LeRoy Bechard born May 10th 1926, lost his battle with emphysema on Wed, April 8th. Just one month shy of his 83rd Birthday. My Grandmother and Uncle were with him. I received the call as I was departing from my driveway heading to the airport to see him. I was one of the lucky few though, since I was able to spend some time with him this past December before his health got really bad. Seeing the way he has had to live for the last 5 years of his life is enough to make anyone stop smoking. I will not go there though today I will leave that soap box for another time. I want to recount all the good times He and I have shared and his wonderful life.
My Grandfather's parting words to any of us who visited were always "Come back when you can't stay so long." Sarcastic... I know, but if you knew him, teasing and sarcastic comments were his way of showing you how much he loved you. The beautiful testaments to his life that were given at the funeral recalled many of these moments. The memories of how everything he touched with his loving hands were fixed and mended, be it a fiscal item or an emotional one.
From my earliest memory of him, I always remember him crafting or fixing something. He was always willing to teach you anything he knew at any age. I have helped him build many things, fix shingles on roof tops, helped him make picture frames, and change an alternator in my best friend Dana's car. He was a true crafts man and knew how to work the wood into anything. He made toys big and small for many of us grandkids all of them full of love.
My Grandfather served his country in the Navy. He signed up right after Pearl Harbor and was stationed in the Philippines. Though his time in service was short I believe he inspired many of us to do the same. My Uncle was a Marine, I have three cousins and a cousin-in-law who have served in the Army and I have married into USAF. After his return he married the love of his live my Grandmother Marcella. They had eight children, who have had 33 grand children who have had 32 Great Grandchildren and then also 3 Great Great Grandchildren.
Each one of us showed in our own special way how much we loved him. The boys built the beautiful natural wood casket. My Grandfather insisted that we would just bury him in a pine box and stick him in the ground. Honoring his wishes the Bechard men and boys began to build him his "Pine Box" though my Grandfather should have known better. We being Bechards, put our whole heart into our work and creativity. This beautiful box represents the lessons of handy work he gave us and the love we have fore him. The Girls worked on the lining of the box and took great care to pick out a quilt and to fold and arrange the design around the head of this coffin.
The lid to the casket was pronominal. It had a beautiful cross design on the top and was edged in multiple moldings. It was carefully cut to allow for an open casket and the funeral. The attention to detail was second to none. Even the time it took to search out the right pieces of wood with the best grain and color. Every inch of this was drenched with the love we all had for him. We were discussing at one point how much a custom made casket like this would cost and my cousin said "You cant put a price tag on all the love put into this one."
While they were adding the finishing touches my Mother and I were working on our own project for him. We decided to make a shadow box for the funeral and ultimately for my Grandmother. Some of the best photos we had on hand were used. Photos that were important times in his life. My cousin Luke took time one night to make the frame for this out of the scraps of the coffin. After the funeral there were a few more things added per my Grandmothers request. There was a childhood photo of him and the coin the Veterans of MO gave her at the funeral. A few more of Grandpa'isms were also added and His wedding ring. This project was created with coordinating products from Cosmo Cricket's Everafter line. This saved us some time and created a wonderful backdrop to all these handsome photos of my Grandfather.
Though many things were crafted in his memory. We also had relatives put his life in written words, they spoke about his life and told us stories. They reminded us of the wonderful memories we have of him. We also were blessed with a song played on the harp by my Uncle Armand's oldest daughter.
Over all as my Grandmother put it... this was the most beautiful funeral she had ever attended.
I want to thank everyone who made this trip possible for me; My Mother, my hubby, my Uncle Armand and Uncle Paul and their families, my Cousin Luke, my Aunt Joann, my Grandmother, my Mother-in-law, and my Sister-in-laws. Thank you all so much! I enjoyed seeing all of my family. It has been years since we were together like this.

Time off for unwanted reasons

Hello every one. I am just popping up a little post to let you all know what is going on in my life. This was pre-typed before I left and scheduled to be posted today. Right now I am in a little farm town in Missouri visiting with my family. Unfortunately this was not a vacation. I have headed back home to spend two weeks with my Grandparents and possibly the last few days of my Grandfather's life. He has not been well now for many many years and though he is a trooper and is stubborn enough to survive this long his emphysema had got the better of him. He is a strong, generous and kind soul and someone who was a major influence in my life. I will have a major part of my life missing when he is gone. I just have to remind myself he is in a better place and had a full and wonderful life. I am thanking you all in advance for your thoughts and prayers.

I should be returning home late on April 20th and I hope I will be up to getting back into the swing of things and start playing catch up within a day or so. I will be taking a bit of my scrapbooking stuff with me and I hope to get a few things done when I have some down time or ...lol.. when I just can't sleep. I am unsure of the schedule I will have once I arrive there and how much time I will have. I plan on taking beautiful nature walks with my mom and of course taking lots of photos. It will be time away from my babies for the most part... a first for me. Time to think and reflect. A time to be away from the city, daily routines and from the computer. A time to thank God for his gifts and his blessings to us and a time to mourn.

I will post when I return and update you all on my trip and what I learned, felt, experienced, saw, photographed and most of all ... pay tribute to a man who has influenced many, has served his country and has devoted his life to his family. May God bless you all in these next two weeks. May he bring peace to all of us who need it.

Sincerely,

The more I practice

Welcome to the Scrappiest Mondays. Liz and the gals over at The Scrappiest Blog have some great layouts for you from her sketch. I urge you to go check out that blog we have had on opening for a DT position so get over there and see what is about! We have a blast with her sketches every week! Deadline is April 13th.
I love the circle pages but I just have a hard time grasping my mind around them... as in... yes no square background paper... hmm... I just could not do it. So I added the background paper. These are some of my favorite pics of my son this last year during his T-Ball. Though I have hundreds...hehe. Yes I am a shutter bug. So at long last I broke out my sports goodies I have been hording and batted away at this layout for the last few days. I have been pretty busy and honestly down right uninspired. However, I got this done and I am happy with it. On to the Details.

Journaling Reads:
"Tristan Chase 2008, This is Tristan's second year! The Underdogs was the name of his team this year. He had so much fun."

Everything on this page is Cosmo Cricket accept the shrink plastic flowers and the letters that spell T-Ball.

Background:
The pin stripe yellow red and green paper is a double sided cardstock. The opposite side is the red with cream circles. So here is what I die. I cut a circle 11 1/2" around leaving 1/4" at the thinnest point on every side. I scalloped edged that circle with my decorative fiskars scissors. I then cut one more circle out of that one at 10" wide. Out of the 10" Circle I cut another one at 8 1/2". Once all of them were cut out I extremely distressed all the remaining edges inside and out of all t he circles accept the one I scalloped. So just to reiterate. The square 12x12 background paper, the red scalloped circle, the striped distressed circle and the interior red scalloped circle are all one piece of paper. I also cut a 12" circle out of a dark blue cardstock. I scalloped the edge of that also. I layered them up as you see and took the stripe and red circles and off centered them and anchored them to the bottom right.
Embellishments:
Both the glove and the ball were cut out of some of the provided embellishments from Cosmo Cricket. The star burst flower was made from a strip of CC paper folded in 1/4" accordion style and then the tips were trimmed to get the points. The plastic flowers were made from shrink plastic from Stampin' Up. I cut these with the cricut and used my stitch rub on (thanks Liz) around the edge. I then stamped the glove and mitt on each petal with a Stampin' Up stamp and stazon ink. I baked the flowers till they were shrunk and done then once they were cooled I added the center ribbon (Cosmo Cricket) and colored the balls in from the back with my white pain pen. The same ribbon I used with a sticker for the vertical lines that anchor the embellishments and the page from left to right. I added two little circular baseball related rub-ons and that is it.
Title:
The letters for the word T-Ball also are the shrink plastic. These were cut out of the white and then colored blue with a sharpie. The rest of it was a strip of the Cosmo Cricket paper pack, I cut in half and underlined the words "more" and "luckier" with the ball sticker strips from the same pack. Quick and easy. Sometimes the best way to work through a creative block is to work with a kit. I think this did the trick for me.

I would love to hear what you are working on this week. Please leave me a note and let me know. What is on your table??