Historical Figures Scrapbook

In third grade, the students must learn nine historical figures.

Paul Revere

Frederick Douglass

Mary McLeod Bethune

Franklin Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Thurgood Marshall

Susan B. Anthony

Cesar Chavez

Lyndon B. Johnson

One of my wonderful team members (Illy) shared the idea of making a historical figures scrapbook. So of course, I had to do this project in my classroom. 

I gave my student a rubric/guidelines for what information needed to be included for each figure. 

Birth date and place

What they were known for

Obstacles or struggles they faced

What was going on in the world and what did they do

A Quote

They also needed to include 2 pictures a timeline (including three events + birth and death)

So after explaining the project, I decided to kick it off right by bringing in several of my scrapbooks so they could see how different each page can be. This got them really excited!! 

I showed the students how to research each person. We completed all the research in class and they completed the scrapbook pages at home. Illy and I are going to have two sessions after school so we can work with the kids using our own supplies. I am excited to bring two of my cricuts to school so I can show my kids how they work:)

I decided to picked one figure to make an example page for my class. I chose Cesar Chavez. Really it was just an excuse to be crafty, scrapbook, and use my cricut. 

Valentine's Day 2012

For Holidays,  I have my home/family projects and my work/school projects!!


Most holidays, I make my husband something "thoughtful". This Valentine's Day was no different. I made him an ABCs book of our story.

"ABCs of You and Me"
I cut out 28 "pages". One for each letter and a front and back cover. I cut out each letter and a word/ phrase that describes our relationship. Then I wrote a handwritten message on each.

All the "pages"

The cover

A page before the written message

I had to get the dictionary out to come up with words for some letters but I got a word/phrase for each one!

A couple finished pages

Completed ABCs book of You & Me



 For my students, I made them "love punch", Valentines, and cake pops! 


"Love Punch" for my students!

Items you need: bottle water, valentine 12 x 12 paper, red ribbon, straws (I used red and white), Hawaiian Punch drop ins, file folder labels and some tape.

AJ helped me by putting the paper around the water bottles while I tied the straws on the bottles. So this was a quick and easy way to add some fun to our Valentine's Day celebration.

Valentines for my students!

I made my students Valentine's Day cards. I made "love aliens" for the boys and "love bugs" for the girls. I cut the characters out on the cricut. I used Boys will be Boys and Stamping cartridge to make the "love aliens". I used Create a Critter cartridge and the left over hearts from the alien's heart chain. The message on the back of the cards I typed and printed off from my computer and just glued them on the back.

Cake Pops!

I love to cook and bake but decorating baked goods is not really my area. I don't have the patience to decorate cakes and other stuff but I can do basic stuff. I made my kiddos chocolate cake pops and used red and pink melts to decorate them. Bridge came to my rescue and helped with the pink drizzling!

Jack's 1st Birthday~ Cookie Monster

When Jack turned six months old (yes we celebrate half birthdays) I began the process of "planning the party". Three most important things for a party~ date, location, and the theme. The first two were easy~ the weekend following his birthday and our house. The third was a little harder. After some discussion, daddy's idea won and the creating of the cookie monster party began.

Happy Six Months Sweet Boy!

Theme: Cookie Monster

Colors: blue, red, and yellow

I started with the invitations. I knew it would take some time making 40 of them. I started with a test one. This was only my third set of invitations I had made. Once I figured out the sizes and what I wanted it to look like I was good to go. Of course, Jack had to be eating a cookie! 

Then the creating took off.

You can't have a cookie monster party without cookies!! So we had a cookie bar. There were four different kinds of cookies for the guest to sample. Kristen (My Wonderful Cousin and Jack's godmother) helped me make all the cookies for the party. 

I made a label and a recipe card for each cookie. The favors for our guest was to fill their cookie monster bag with cookies and take the recipes for the cookies they liked.

"Monster Bites" and Cake Table

I had a cake lady named Donna make both cakes. Cake decorating is NOT my thing!

I made a big sign for outside our house and I was able to find online Chocolate Chip Cookie  mylar balloons.

I also made a sign for inside. I had AJ make a bean bag toss for the kids. I decorated it and then sewed together chocolate chip cookie beans for tossing. I made the bean bags out of fabric and felt then filled them with rice. Jack still plays with them today! 

Bridge always has to bring her creativity too! She made Jack a cookie monster gift bag and painted cookie monsters on her toes!

It's cake time!!

The Birthday Boy had a Blast!!!

Scrapbook Pages

Since scrapbooking is really were all the crafting started, I should share some of my pages. At each retreat I always have one or two pages that are my favorite.  So here are the favorites from the last two retreats. I used a variety of cricut cartirdges on these pages.

“Our Seed is Growing”

While I was pregnant with Jack, AJ took my picture each week in front of my tree. Since AJ took 22 pictures of me while I was pregnant, I decided to only use six of them.  The tree is very special because my students from the year before made it for me! So I felt it was appropriate to include it in my theme for the page.

“Buckaroo”

 As a shower gift, I was given AJ’s cowboy hat and boots from when he was little so of course our sweet boy had to have his picture taken in them.  Since our boy is so big, at four months the hat and boots barely fit! So we decided to take his pictures at the Beach House before they didn’t fit all.

“Rise Up”

Jack’s Daddy is a huge Falcons fan so Jack had to have a Falcons jersey. For Jack’s six month pictures we had football pictures taken.



“Santa Baby”

For Jack’s first Christmas, we took his pictures with a Santa hat and a string of lights!! It made such a good page.  

Getting Into Vinyl

I had vinyl for nearly two years before I even touched it. I decided I needed a partner in crime for my first time using vinyl so I called Bridge! So our first project with vinyl was decorating our machines. It took much longer for us to decide what to cut out then learn how to cut it out.

I am big into themes so I wanted a theme for each machine. I decided to do my Imagine first (more area to work with). I decided on a rock princess theme for my imagine.  I used the Rock Princess cartridge and the font from Car Decals. A couple days later I decided on a beach theme for my Expressions. I used Simply Charmed, Create a Critter, and the font from Life's a Beach.

 I am a "do it now" girl and Bridge is a "slow and steady wins the race" girl. It took her almost three weeks to just pick her theme. She decided on the Halloween theme for her Create machine. She used the Mini Monster cartridge.

The vinyl is easy to work with and use. I don't use transfer paper unless it a big image that you need to keep centered and not let it overlap.

Mickey Mouse Centerpieces

My good friend, Stephanie, had a lot going on and asked if I could help her out and create centerpieces for her son's Mickey Mouse party. I was happy to help and also take a break from my current projects- Elmo's World/ Sesame Street for Jack's 2nd birthday party in March 2012. Stephanie said "Surprise Me!" With pleasure.

I just needed red buckets, a little white vinyl, foam, wooden sticks, black paper shreds, Mickey and Friends cartridge, my machince and a little time to create!

And now she has four centerpieces for Kyler's 2nd birthday party in a week!

Explaining My Story

Ok before we get into the crafts, I need to explain my story and introduce you to some key people in my life that are also important in my crafting.

I started scrapbooking in college about ten years ago. I would call this “old school scrapping”- lots of stickers, pop-up designs, and sticker letters. Seeing I didn’t want to have this hobby alone and I dragged (well she came willing) my BFF and partner in crime (Bridge) in to enjoy my hobby too. We continued this type of scrapbooking until 3 ½ years ago when a great friend (Carly) convinced me to go on a weekend scrapbooking retreat. Then it all changed for me!!! I had always been “crafty” but not to the level or obsession I am now. I was introduced to the Cricut Expressions!

To say the least, I fell in LOVE! I came home from the retreat and convinced my husband (AJ) that I HAD to have one. So being the wonderful man that he is the next day he went to Walmart and purchased me a Cricut Expressions and supplies. (The first thing I ever cut out on my own machine was a Mickey Mouse which I still have.)  Next, I needed to get Bridge to get on board for going to the next retreat (which I did) and get her hooked on the cricut (that took a little longer but I did it).

I had always had an office/sewing/scrapbooking room at my house but I knew I had started a new obsession when I started packing up my sewing supplies to make room for the cricut and supplies. Over time, because of my wonderful husband, I got an imagine machine and an Expressions 2 limited edition and a whole bunch of cartridges. Bridge over time got the Cricut Create, Expressions 2, and the Cricut Mini. I think we are covered on machines.

My three machines

Bridge's Three Machines

July 2011, Bridge and her family moved into my neighborhood. This was so exciting on many levels. One Bridge is Jack’s nanny, it’s easier to share supplies, and just getting to walk to her house whenever to see each other.  Until this past October, my stuff had been spread out in “my office” over a six foot table, a large trunk, and a four foot craft table. Twice a year for our retreats, I pack my stuff up and take it all with me for the weekend. After our October 2011 retreat, we decided to leave our supplies at her house and set up our stuff in her huge formal living room.  Her husband, Gary, had no idea what he was getting into. It started out with two tables. Now it’s three tables all the time and a fourth table comes out for guest crafters (Bridge’s oldest two daughters, friend Stephanie, and anyone who wants to join) and two huge shelves across the room for cartridges and supplies. I do have to Thank!!! Gary for putting the two awesome shelves up. I have not “shut-down” my home office but I do less crafting there. I do take homework home and work on it there!

My Table :)



Bridge's Table

Jack’s playroom is connected to our workplace so it’s a great set up. He can run around and play but when he is feeling “crafty” he comes and sits in a chair between Bridge and I usually eating a snack or playing with Little People but he is still involved.

Now it’s time to share the crafts!