25 favors: The final chapter

 

So here I sit, staring at this 9" x12" piece of paper that Mrs. M. had handed to me. 

"Anything that you come up with, we will love. " 

Her words kept ringing through my head but no creative energy was flowing in my veins.

Zero.

It is a simple assignment. Just make 25 book covers for 25 1st Graders. I look down at what my kids had brought home as their memory book the year before. Three alphabet cutouts were all that decorated the covers. Hurmm... 

"I could cut out some things that reflect the subjects in this year's curriculum.", I thought to myself. I opened up Design Studio and using the Keyword feature, searched for "penguin", and "polar bear". The Arctic and the Antarctica are pretty big subjects in the 1st Grader's class this year. Design Studio showed that the images can be found on the Animal Kingdom cartridge. Easy Peasy! I'll just cut out some of those animals and I'm done!

"Mommy, are these the tents you are bringing?"

"Don't forget to bring hot dogs."

"Is Daddy coming to see our Camp Out program?"

Argh. The twins are studying about the desert and they have not been able to stop talking about their big Desert Camp Out in the Classroom event.

I sent the kids to the Study to finish off their homework so I can work on mine. Except that mine were not coming out the way I imagined. No matter what  I do, the penguins and the polar bears just looked odd on the layout.

"Mommy, can we bring our flash lights, too?"

"...and you need to help us make the cowboy hats and vests. "

The twins went on. My head started to spin. I decided to go outside and get the mail.

Scott the mailman had shoved my latest ebay purchase into the mailbox. I really liked the ferris wheel cut on the Summer Vacation cartridge and was pleased that I won it for $19 plus free shipping. I ripped opened the plastic baggie and there, staring back at me were the "Campground" label and the tent right next to it.

I AM A DUMB DUMB!

The kids have been telling me about cacti and rattlesnakes, tents and cowboys, camping and CAMPING!

I AM A DUMB DUMB!

I have been searching for ideas when it was already here all this time. My pathological fear of not meeting expectations had prevented me from seeing what a 7 year old think, is the most important event in First Grade. The girls have been looking so forward to seeing their classroom transform into a camp ground with camping tents and all.

Not the Arctic or Antarctica! It wouldn't be long before they forget that they learned those subjects in First Grade. The thing that they'll remember the most is the Camp Out!

Once the idea hit me, I was unstoppable. 25 paper dolls (Paper Doll Dress Up) were done up in no time. Tents, campfires, and "Campground" labels (Summer Vacation) were next.

 
Finally, I welded up the names (Robotz) and titles in Design Studio and I was ready to stick everything down. A little gluing and a lot of outlining and I'm done!

So there they are. All 25 First Grade Memory Book Covers. I'm all crafted out but I can hardly  wait until Thursday when I will hand these to Mrs. M. I wonder if she would notice that I even matched the hair color on the paper doll to that of the real kid. :-)

25 favors (part 2): I have a plan

  

A friend once asked me, "Where do you find Inspiration?".  I mumbled something, and skirted the question. I didn't know the answer and frankly, I've never thought about it. When I'm in my Craft Room, I take out a cartridge, and just cut. The idea of just doing something for the sake of nothing is really quite satisfying enough. I'm not cutting because I have to. I just want to. It's something that I can do just because. Not like laundry or dinner or cleaning. Not like changing a diaper or vacuuming the floor. Not something that I have to do because I'm a Mom or a Wife.

Perhaps that's why I am having so much trouble with this Memory Book assignment. It's funny how everything changes when a hobby becomes a duty. I'm not doing this for no reason. Somebody needed help and even though I accepted the job merrily, I didn't think I was going to be so stumped. For two days, I searched for Inspiration but I came up empty. I didn't like any of the layouts I was making on Design Studio. I was totally over thinking it. A voice inside my head was screaming, "It's for the FIRST GRADERS for crying out loud! The books will probably be thrown around and cast aside as soon as the kids bring them home.".  And just when I was about to cut out some random penguins, Inspiration found me. More accurately, the Mailman brought Inspiration to me. All $19 worth of it. 

I have a plan now and I think Mrs. M. is going to like it.

(to be continued...)

25 favors

 

Three weeks ago, I received an email from my kids' 1st Grade Teacher. I have previously mentioned that I help out in the classroom. Once a week, I will go into the class and read with the children and also help out  the teacher with minor class duties. I also make cutouts for the class. The kids make story boards or construct math equations with them. Since school started last Sept, I have made over 10,000 cutouts, each measuring approximately 1" x 1". 

Now, making cutouts for the class is easy. All Mrs. M. needed to do was to tell me what shapes she needed and I'll find the image and cut them out on different colored paper. The directions were clear and simple.

Then she sent that email. She needed help with the kids' 1st grade Memory Books and thought I could help her with the 25 front covers. I was flattered that she would think of me for this project and I have to admit that I was pretty excited too. To use my Cricut and help make something for the class? Sure! The trouble is, I have no idea what a 1st grade Memory Book cover should look like. Mrs. M's reply when I met her was "Oh, anything that you come up with, we will love." or something like that. Okay, that didn't help me much but I'm fine working on a blank canvas. Or so I thought. I left school that day with a blank sheet of 9"x12" paper.

Three weeks have since passed and I have nothing. I'm officially in panic mode. I promised that the covers will be given to her this coming Thursday but I am coming up empty. Sounds like a simple enough project but I don't want it to be just like any other book cover. I don't want to stick three Alphabet cutouts and call it a day. I want it to mean something. Mrs. M. had proudly told me that a 4th Grader recently showed her the book he got when he was in her 1st Grade class and she was a little sad to see how torn it had become and so she is going to have all 25 covers laminated this year. I could tell that the yearly class memory book is a project that is dear to her.

Today is Saturday. Thursday is 5 days away. I better get started...