Blog Name and Focus Change

If you were someone who visited my blog before you may have noticed the name change.  My blog used to be titled  PAPER TWO WAYS.  Before I focused on blogging about books in addition to craft related things- mostly card making. 

I decided to change the name of my blog to what it is currently now and also my focus.  I am going to focus solely on card making, crafts, and Stampin' Up! related items.  I really want to build my  Stampin' Up! business and felt that one way I could do this was to have one focus here on my blog. If you were someone that ever checked in once in a while for a book review, I will continue to do so over on Goodreads.

I am also working on changing the look of my blog somewhat, so thank you for being patient with me as I work through that process. 

Thank you for your understanding and support, and I hope to inspire you to do something creative!

Easter Card

 

 



 

Hi everyone - I have a quick Easter card to share with you:

 

 

 

 

That stamp! The Sheltering Tree stamp from Stampin' Up! can be used for so many occasions.  And I love when a stamp set creates beautiful stamped scenes effortlessly. Below are the Stampin' Up! stamp sets I used to create this:

Sheltering Tree Photopolymer: 137163 @ $24.95
Greeting is from: Crazy About You Photopolymer: !37137 @ $24.95
These are both from our current Occasions Catalog which runs through June 2 and you can order with me at this link: http://cindybeggs.stampinup.net

The cross is from a Paper Smooches stamp set that I have.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Reflecting on Life and Blogging

So... I was in a bit of a book and crafting drought for a while.  Hence, no blogging.  I made goals to update my blog at least once per week and that was not happening. For some reason I had it in my head to only blog when I finished something (book or crafting project) and that shouldn't be the case. 

Anyway, I became a first time mom back in May of 2014, and things are easier now that we have routines in place.  I was also not in a healthy mental place with teaching and was searching for "something" in my career.  What that was, I don't know.  I am debating going back to school for my Library Media Specialist Credential or for creative writing, or heck, maybe both.  All I know is that I am slowly discovering that my passion for learning and books may not be me in the classroom teaching.  But, I am praying about and ruminating on several ideas, and hopefully soon some kind of light will be shed as to where I am supposed to be in my career.

So blogging.  I've missed it.  I need to get back into it.  For now, I am not going to think too much about what or when I should blog but just do it when I have something to share - books, crafts, or otherwise.  I hope you will enjoy whatever it is I choose to share. 

Happy reading and crafting!

Watercolor for Cardmakers - days 7 & 8

These two days were about Faux Hand Painting on your cards which is a technique I really like! I do need to practice though or choose different stamps as some of the detail in the stamped image got muddled and lost.  I also need to think differently about which stamps I purchase and use to use this technique.  I used Distress Inks which I am finding I really enjoy using for watercolor techniques.  Here are the two cards I created:

I added Wink of Stella for some shimmer.  Overall, I am happy with these two cards - and these two were given to my mom and mother-in-law.  Perfect timing for Mother's Day!  Thank you for stopping by!

Watercolor for Cardmakers Days 3 & 4 - another card

Here is another card I created with the watercolor stamping techniques.  I used Stampin' Up! markers to color the heart stamp and then stamped.  Once I stamped the hearts in the same color I went in with water and a brush and dabbed at the hearts to give it the watercolor effect.  This was fun and am more happy with the results of this card.  I really liked using the Stampin' Up! markers - they were forgiving and reacted well to the water.  The ink in the markers and the ink pads are very juicy - I will practice more watercoloring with these inks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Watercolor for Cardmakers Days 3 & 4

Okay, so days 3& 4 were about watercolor stamping.  Here is what I attempted:

I used gelatos to stamp the image - I thought the flowers came out a bit smudged - and they kind of just look like blobs to me.  I will have to continue to practice.  I am also finding that with the gelatos they leave bits of the waxy substance behind (kind of like a crayon).  So I am sure it's something I am doing, as I have not seen that as an issue within the videos.  Either way it was fun to play!

Watercolor for Card Makers - Day 1

Hi everyone! 

Well nothing like taking an online card class to get me blogging again.  It's been quite the length of time... I have been preoccupied being pregnant with my first! :) He is due June 4, I'm on maternity leave now, so I have some to play as I take this card class.  One last little thing for me before he arrives. 

So Day 1 was working on watercolor backgrounds.  Here is what I created:

I used Gelatos as my watercolor - I haven't used them much since I bought them, so I thought this class would be a good opportunity to play around with them as watercolors.  I debated buying an actual watercolor set, but thought I should practice with what I have and can decide after what more to invest in as I see all the teachers use theirs. 

Creating the background image was a little tricky as it more of a scenic background.  I don't love it, but thought it's not so bad for my first try. 

Any constructive criticism and advice is welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

Hershey Nugget Treat Holder and Card

Hi all!

Been playing around with some Stampin' Up! stuff and put together this matching combo today:

 

The treat holder holds four Hershey Nuggets and the card is a 3x3 card (that also has a matching envelope).  The treat holder was originally found in our Stampin' Success magazine, and I have seen several folks add different touches to it here and there and this was my take. 

 

Stampin' Up! Materials used:

 

Label Love Clear Stamp set: #130622 @ $17.95

Artisan Label Punch #130920 @ $15.95

Chalk Talk Clear Stamp set: #130634 @ $18.95

Chalk Talk Dies #129983 @$24.95

Scalloped Tag Topper punch #133324 @ $22.95

Coastal Cabana 80 lb. 8.5x11" cardstock # 131297 @ $6.95 for 24 sheets

Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack #132996 @ $6.95

Inks: Real Read #126949 and Baked Brown Sugar #131174 each @$5.95

 

Have a great weekend!



Medium Sized Gift Bag

Hi there!

I wanted to share a new paper craft that I learned this week and am absolutely in love with! Gift Bags! Check out the image below:

 

I learned how to make this gift bag from watching this video here .  But I first found out about making these great little gift bags from the lovely Andrea Thompson who is my Stampin' Up! upline gal.  She has some fabulous ideas! She gave me a gift in one of these make your own gift bags like the one above; I fell in love with it and had to figure out how to make them. 

 

It is quite simple; I timed myself and it took me about 20 minutes.  I figure I will shorten that time now that I have made one.  It takes two 12x12 pieces of paper (that have a pattern on both sides if you want to have the two pattern look) to make the size above.  The dimensions end up being 6" x 2 7/8" x 7".  I plan on playing around with different sized paper to see what I get.

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

About My Blogging Break...

Hello everyone!

As I am sure many of you can see it's been a while since updating my blog.  Life got a little crazy right around October when I found out I was pregnant! And well, I got a LITTLE distracted.  :) So I apologize for not putting up a post explaining my absence from my blog. 

I will continue to blog, but I am debating the focus of my blog and also debating a second blog.  I love to read and craft, and I am thinking about how I can weave crafting into my life more seriously.  I have been pondering if the two part focus on my current blog here is working. I have been giving it some thought, doing some blog and business research and have yet to decide which route I will pursue.  In the meantime, I do plan on updating my blog about once a week, whether a craft showcase or a book update.  In the past, I blogged mostly about books, but my reading life has slowed down considerably since I started putting an emphasis on crafting.  I found it challenging to keep up with posting about books when I wasn't reading much - it would take me a couple of weeks to get through a novel, and therefore I didn't have anything to post regarding books.

So, thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read about my "blogging break." I hope that in the future if you decide to come back and visit you will be inspired to do something crafty or read a great book! Thanks again!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 10.7.13

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? from Picture Books to YA is a meme started by Kellee over at www.unleashingreaders.com and Jen over at www.teachmentortexts.com to share and wrap up our reading for the past week.  They expanded the original meme started by Sheila over at www.bookjourney.wordpress.com to include picture books up through YA literature.

Another slooooow reading week for me.  But, I finished a fabulous book!

I finished:

and oh how I loved it! I think this is Jo Knowles best book yet.  Every character was well thought out and I kept cheering on Josh and his commitment to change and focus on improving his life.  Some may say that he ran away from his problems, but I think he did the right thing for himself in order to become the better individual he wanted to be.  He was a well thought out and well rounded character and I think many teen aged readers (male or female) can relate to Josh.  A+ (in my opinion).

I then started for book club:

You can go to Goodreads here to read the summary for this book.  It's getting a lot of buzz so hopefully it will live up to all of it.

I want to read next before I see the movie:

A few other books in my TBR pile:

A couple of novels that have been out for a while but have yet to read (although I've seen the Perks of Being of a Wallflower and LOVED it!) and I just received an ARC of Ishmael Beah's new one.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a great week of reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9.30.13

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? from Picture Books to YA is a meme started by Kellee over at www.unleashingreaders.com and Jen over at www.teachmentortexts.com to share and wrap up our reading for the past week.  They expanded the original meme started by Sheila over at www.bookjourney.wordpress.com

This week was a slow reading week for me. But I was able to read a couple of picture books that I received from the SCIBA Trade Show event this past Saturday.  I had the privilege and honor to listen to each author/illustrator speak about their process in creating the book - I always love to hear the story behind the story.

I read:

BUGS IN MY HAIR by David Shannon was a great read! And what a topic! I think this is a great story to read aloud to primary grades to explain how this pesky bug ends up where it does.  It teaches without being preachy in classic David Shannon style.  Not a disappointment.

Love, love, love LOCOMOTIVE by Brian Floca.  This book was intensely researched by Floca and he created beautiful illustrations to accompany his rhythmic words throughout.  I believe this rich text can be used as a read aloud for both young and older readers.  A must have for all libraries in my opinion.

I am still reading and enjoying:

And I was ecstatic to receive an ARC of this on Saturday:

So many great books - so little time! I hope you had a great reading week! Thank you for stopping by!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9.23.13

     

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? from Picture Books to YA is a meme started by Kellee over at www.unleashingreaders.com and Jen over at www.teachmentortexts.com to share and wrap up our reading for the past week.  They expanded the original meme started by Sheila over at www.bookjourney.wordpress.com

This week I accomplished reading a few picture books and a chapter book. 

The picture books I read were:

 

Circle Unbroken and Night Boat to Freedom are books I came across in our school library.  I believe both would be great to use in the classroom as mentor texts for writing and would be great read alouds as well. 

 

Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride is one of those books that I have known about but somehow missed reading until now.  This is a work of art in itself, but would also be great as a mentor text for depicting what is fact and what is fictionalized by the writer. I absolutely loved this book.

 

I also finished:

 

Jumping Off Swings is an important book - I think Jo Knowles dealt with the topic of sex and teen pregnancy in a very gripping and openly honest way.  The story is told from the point of view of four different characters; I thought this was very effective. Because of the multiple points of view (Ellie, Corrine, Josh and Caleb), this is a book that many teens can identify with - not just those having sex.  Corinne, the best friend, (who is not having sex but is absolutely curious about it) was the point of view I really appreciated. .  I thought she was a true to life character and set a good example of what a best friend does without it being preachy. 

 

So now I am reading:

 

which is a follow up to Jumping Off Swings and continues Josh's story.  (Josh is the one Ellie had sex with and becomes pregnant by in Jumping Off Swings.)  Josh decides to go and live with his Uncle Larry to "try to forget" everything that happened between him and Ellie and the pregnancy.

 

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a great week of reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9.16.13

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? from Picture Books to YA is a meme started by Kellee over at www.unleashingreaders.com and Jen over at www.teachmentortexts.com to share and wrap up our reading for the past week.  They expanded the original meme started by Sheila over at www.bookjourney.wordpress.com

Well, it was a slow reading week for me - Back to School  Night was this past Wednesday and I don't know about any of you, but that wipes out all my energy for the rest of week.  So every time I attempted to read I would nod off.  I plan to catch up this week.

I am almost finished with:

 

This is a very intriguing story and I meet with my bookclub this Wednesday to discuss it.  There are dynamic characters in this novel that I am eager to talk about.  I will let you know my final thoughts when I finish it.

 

And a few books that I have on deck:

  

                     

I have been looking forward to Patrick Ness' and Jo Knowles' new books!  But I have not read Jumping Off Swings yet (hangs head) so I will read this before Living with Jackie Chan .  I just love those titles and covers!

Thank you for stopping by - I hope you have a great reading week!              

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 9.9.13

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? from Picture Books to YA is a meme started by Kellee over at www.unleashingreaders.com and Jen over at www.teachmentortexts.com to share and wrap up our reading for the past week.  They expanded the original meme started by Sheila over at www.bookjourney.wordpress.com

Yikes! It has been almost a month since I last blogged - school started three weeks ago and I have been busy.   New grade, new school, new subject matter - it has all caught up to me.  But in the classroom we are now in a groove for the most part, and I have some reading time back! So here is what I read over the past couple of weeks:

Picture Books:

 

 

 

 

Every single one of these is an excellent book and I would highly recommend for all classroom libraries to have.  My personal favorite out of these is Faithful Elephants.  Jillian Heise and I had a quick conversation on Twitter about Faithful Elephants and mentioned a few titles that could be connected with it: The One and Only Ivan, Endangered, and An Elephant in the Garden.

 

Chapter books I finished over the past two weeks:

 

  

 

 

Rules of Summer is a quick read that is told in third person omniscient from the two main characters: Rory and Isabel.  Philbin does not create distinct alternating chapters for the two characters so at times it is not clear (more so at the beginning of the story) which POV is being used as their voice is not differentiated enough.  But, overall it is a good read for 8th and up.  It is one to recommend for readers who enjoy books by Susane Colasanti and the like.

 

Okay.  LOVED Counting by 7s.  This book is getting a lot of Twitter buzz and I think that buzz is well deserved.   Willow Chance is one of those characters you just want to wrap your arms around, sit down and have a conversation with, and want to make the world a better place for.  Go read this now.  :)

 

I am currently reading:

 

 

I am reading this for book club.  You can read the summary here at Goodreads.  The main character, 26-year-old Ginny, is a woman living with Asperger Syndrome and her parents have just died unexpectedly.  The story line is interesting and I am enjoying it so far. 

 

Thank you for stopping by!

 

 

 

It's Monday! What are You Reading? 8.12.13

Thanks to Jen over at www.teachmentortexts. and Kellee now at www.unleashingreaders.com for their take on this Monday meme first created by Sheila over at www.bookjourney.wordpress.com where we share what we've read over the past week.

I am back from my camping trip and ready to get back into routines and into the classroom!  We report back to our classrooms this Tuesday and have students next Monday.  I am looking forward to this year's journey as I have moved to a different school (within the same district) and am changing grade levels.  I am UBER excited! I will be teaching 7th graders this year and really looking forward to meeting them all.

It was a slow reading time for me the past couple of weeks - I thought I would have read more during our camping trip, but alas, discovered more hiking than anticipated.  All is well with that though. 

The past couple of weeks I only finished a couple of books:

       

I absolutely adored Golden by Jessi Kirby.  This is a great book to hand to those tween readers who are looking for something more mature than middle grade books.  Personal Effects is a good choice to hand to some boy readers; I liked it, but did not love it as others have. 

 

I started:

 

 

This is our book club pick for the month of August.  You can go here on Goodreads to read the summary. 

 

Not sure what I will read after this.  School will be in session so I may start something based on student inquiry.  Thank you for stopping by and hope you have a great week of reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 7.29.13

Thanks to Jen over at www.teachmentortexts. and Kellee now at www.unleashingreaders.com for their take on this Monday meme first created by Sheila over at www.bookjourney.wordpress.com where we share what we've read over the past week.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted for this Monday meme - I've been out of town the past couple of Mondays but have been able to finish a few chapter books. 

Here is what I've read:

 

I really enjoyed Eleanor and Park and liked it, A LOT, but I didn't LOVE it like others have seemed to.  I thought the writing was excellent and liked the third person omniscient point of views and thought that Rowell executed this well.  I enjoyed Park's parents tremendously and appreciated the nuclear family Rowell included in the story. 

 

Something Blue and Summerland are both adult novels by authors that I tried for the first time this summer and really enjoyed both of them. Summerland was excellent and could even be considered somewhat of a crossover read, in my opinion.  The story is told from various characters' points of view in third person omniscient, and a few of those characters being the teens in the story.  Here is the synopsis from Goodreads. 

 

I am currently reading:

 

 

 

And not sure what to read next (when I will be in the mountains enjoying the great outdoors and some fishing and hiking):

       

    

 

Thanks for stopping by!