FROSTED DESIGNS GUEST DESIGN PROJECTS

I got wonderful news back in January when the talented crafters at Frosted Designs invited me to be a Guest Designer for their blog this Spring.  One of the reasons I like Frosted Designs so much is because their design team not only produces amazing scrapbooking projects, but also creates paper craft items that can be used for a variety of occasions.  I am a teacher by trade, and recently in my class, we finished studying about Western Expansion.  Sometimes the strangest things inspire me, and with all the discussions we were having about the Wild West and the Gold Rush, I decided to create projects with a "western theme" using paper and stickers from the October Afternoon "Sasparilla" line.  In addition, upon looking at my calendar, I realized that Teacher Appreciation Week is on the horizon; May 4-8, 2015 to be exact.  So I decided to create projects to be used as possible Teacher Appreciation Gifts.  Because I'm a busy working Mom, I wanted to create gifts that would be easy to create for any level of crafter.  For my first project, I created a "Wanted" scrapbook 8x10 picture frame featuring my students in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington DC last year.  For the second project, I designed a gift card "pocket" similar to what a sheriff would wear in the Wild West.  I created the pattern myself, added a gift tag pocket, a few embellishments to make the pocket look authentic, and then added a Starbucks gift card.  The final project is a mason jar filled with trail mix.  Of all the projects, this one was the easiest to create.  A mixture of M&M's, raisins, peanuts, a small square of a red handkerchief, a western tag, and some jute had this project created in no time.  (And as a teacher, I will say this would be my favorite of the gifts; nothing like a little chocolate and protein to get you through the day!)  Overall, I had a lot of fun creating these projects for Frosted Designs.  And if you have any questions on how I created any of these projects, feel free to leave me a message.  Enjoy!