treat bag toppers

Once upon a time our little family lived in Cleveland for 4 years. We knew our stay there would be temporary. This chapter in our family's story was a significant one. Out of that experience there came many things. Most importantly, 2 of our 3 children were born there. Another thing? We made some of the dearest friends in our life. Now we're all spread out ... and yet, still totally connected.

Hence the upcoming girlfriends retreat that my friend Karolyn and I are co-hosting next week. SO excited. Of course we have lots of projects planned (what is it about us women who don't know how to just slow down??) and fun excursions and yummy food and lots of just hanging out. Today I put the finishing touches on a quick little something that will be part of everyone's welcome.

And so on that note ... I'm sharing a quick idea on presenting treats. (Presentation is everything.) This is something I find myself doing over and over and over. For neighbor gifts, for birthday party favors, for baby showers, for anything. Bag toppers.



1. Buy or make your treats. I picked up Cerreta's (French Mint, of course!) at the local grocery store.



2. Use small zipper bags or any kind of bag (it doesn't have to seal at the top).

3. Make your toppers.



To make the toppers, you can do this in your regular word processing program. Just remember that your text is going to be toward the bottom because all the space above will be folded over to become the back of the topper. Then you fold it over (I like to use my Fiskars scoring blade first to make the folds perfect) and staple. How easy is that?



In case you are able to use this for something, here are the files. Hey, maybe it'll even inspire you to host your own girlfriends retreat ... even if it's with your local friends and only lasts for an evening. Two notes: First of all, I created this in Pages and it won't save as a Word file because of the strokes. Also, the total size of each square was 4" wide x 5" tall when I cut them, but that's not necessarily going to work for your bag size.

bag.toppers.pages
bag.toppers.pdf

school project

Okay. The school project. I know many of you are anxious for me to get back on track with that. If you're not up-to-speed on what this is, I strongly encourage you to visit that post here. This will review the concept and I also share what materials are needed and how to organize the project. Each month we are focusing on a different aspect of school life for these first graders (totally applicable to any grade). For August, it was all about the first day of school. September was about Centers & favorites. October was about the library & reading. November it will be about recess & play. We'll also do cafeteria/lunch time. And so on and so forth.

I'm going to re-share a few documents and some are new. Basically what I have so far is August, September, and October. Here are the completed pages in Porter's book.









Now ... a bunch of downloads. You only need to click on the ones in the format that you prefer. If you want to just print it like it is ... PDF is perfect. If you want to make your own changes to my file ... choose Word or choose Pages (for Mac).

[ PDF files ]

title.page.pdf
august.page.1.pdf
august.page.2.pdf
august.labels.pdf
august.page.1.pdf
august.page.2.pdf
august.labels.pdf
september.page.1.pdf
september.page.2.pdf
september.labels.pdf
october.page.1.pdf
october.page.1.pdf
october.labels.pdf

[ Word files ]

title.page.doc
august.page.1.doc
august.page.2.doc
august.labels.doc
september.page.1.doc
september.page.2.doc
september.labels.doc
october.page.1.doc
october.page.2.doc
october.labels.doc

[ Pages files ]

title.page.pages
august.page.1.pages
august.page.2.pages
august.labels.pages
september.page.1.pages
september.page.2.pages
september.labels.pages
october.page.1.pages
october.page.2.pages
october.labels.pages

communication

I want address a concern that some of you have about me being on Twitter and Facebook and how this affects my blogging. More than happy to clarify.

Simply put, this website is HOME BASE for my brand. Anything and everything you ever want to know about my brand, my current ideas & offerings & products, can be found HERE. I will always post important information and share my best ideas here. Keeping up with my blog will not be affected by my other communication activity.

As many of you already know, the advantage to following me on Facebook or Twitter is purely for convenience. For example, if you follow me on Twitter, you will be notified immediately when I update my blog or announce something or whatever. That's what I meant by being "the first to know". You won't have to try to remember to come here to my web site from time to time. I'll remind you. An added benefit (that some people care about and some people don't) ... is that I'll have quick & little anecdotal comments and tips (140 characters or less) on Twitter.

I have very quickly learned to a lot of you LOVE Twitter and a lot of you LOVE Facebook and some of you love both ... and some of you are doing everything to avoid both. : )

That's the brilliance of all this technology. You choose how you want to go after or receive your information. I am simply making myself a little more available.

facebook

Q: Speaking of being so busy ... what am I thinking? *wink*

A: I'm thinking of YOU and so ... Alright. I did it. You can find me on Facebook now too. Click here or just search for my page, which is Becky Higgins LLC.



I just set this up, so take a second to join my page now and you'll know when I get pictures & ideas up.

twitter

Some may say "What took you so long?"

Some may say "What's Twitter?"

I say ... I've finally joined the party.



Click here to follow me on Twitter. Or search for me under my user name, BeckyHigginsLLC. Unfortunately another Becky Higgins (What!? There's another??) beat me to the punch. She looks lovely, but she's not me.

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll be the first to know the name of my new product, the first to know when it goes on sale, the first to see a new sketch or recipe or decorating idea or organizational tip. You get it. If you're not tweeting yet, come on and jump on the bandwagon with me.

About all those questions you've been asking ... yes, I'm still going to get to more of those. I've been SO (so, so, so) busy lately. Tweeting doesn't take as long as blogging does, so it seems that I'll be able to keep up with that a little easier. Another reason you'll want to follow me on Twitter (do you like that little shameless plug?).

trick-or-eat

With Halloween just a week away, I wanted to share a little bit of cyber fun that a couple friends have whipped up.



On Monday, October 26, Brooke McLay from Tongue-N-Cheeky.com has joined forces with nine of the webs best food & lifestyle bloggers for a delightfully frightful Halloween blog collaboration, Trick-Or-Eat. Nine haunted houses have been trimmed and tricked out, awaiting holiday revelers. Which favorite blogger is hiding behind each haunted home? Whatever have the hosts & hostesses prepared for your visit? Join in the fun as trick-or-treating takes on a grown-up twist by stopping by any of the participating blogs, including Heather Bailey, Tartelette, or by visiting Trick-Or-Eat.com

Q&A: Friday

Q: After reading 212 questions, are you wondering what in the world you were thinking when you created this post? : )

A: If you've been visiting my blog for a while, you know that I invite your questions from time to time. I know you have questions. I'm happy to answer them. Obviously I can't get to all of them, but I'm doing my best to get to lots of random topics. I think you guys are pretty super and I'm happy to share. That's what my blog is for.

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Q: Do you have any Halloween decorating ideas?

A: Autumn is my favorite season but this year I'm not as seasonally decorative as I'd like to be. We have so many other projects going on. But ... I did put a cluster of pumpkins (collected over a few years) in the center of our kitchen table. That's our reminder of the season ... even though we're still pushing 90 degrees right now. : (



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Q: How do you organize your laundry? (I know that's random, but there has to be a better system than I'm using!)

A: Our laundry baskets are in our master bedroom closet. It's very simple. Plastic baskets are from Target. We like sturdy. Not bags. One for whites, one for colors, one for towels. The reason we wash towels separately is that we don't use liquid fabric softener with our towels like we do with our clothes. Why? Because it can cause the towels to be less absorbent. How do we keep those towels soft? Fabric softener dryer sheets. I don't do laundry on a certain day or schedule it or anything. I know that works for some people. I do it on an as-needed basis. Incidentally, right now I have piles and piles of clean laundry that I need to put away.



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Q: I am desperate for the file for the Adult life story pages. I need them for an activity for this Friday 10/23 and the link is not working anymore.

A: Here you go! Good luck with your activity. And I'm attaching the teen version again too, since some of you were asking for that.

ADULT.life.story.pdf

TEEN.life.story.pdf

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Q: What CK issue will be your last that I can expect to see your work?

A: The December 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes will have my last article in it. I believe that issue is now available, or will be very soon.

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Q: Can I just guess that you are going to be asked the status of the 365 kit about a billion times? lol But seriously, my question is "do you know what's next for you in the scrapbooking industry?" You have such great ideas, I hope we can continue to see them!

A: Yes, you can guess that. While I didn't get a billion of those questions, it was absolutely the most popular question. No, I am not "bringing back" Project 365.

I have been working on a product that is better and more flexible. This kit is perfect for those who want to (and are able to) keep up with taking a picture a day. AND ... it will be a kit that also works for those of you (and those you know) that would prefer a slower pace. It's better. It reaches a broader audience. It's going to be the perfect gift for someone you know. And it's so stinking fun. More on this very soon, as we're trying to make it available before the holidays.

So that's what's next for me in this industry. I'm not looking to work full-time. I'm just really passionate about creating solutions for people that want to scrapbook without all the time & money that scrapbooking sometimes entails. So that's where I am. Just have a couple things up my sleeve.

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Q: Are you going to do another Christmas card kit?

A: This is something else that I will address in more detail soon, but I wanted to at least let you know that I've been working on a solution for your holiday cards that I think will make a lot of you really, really happy. ; )

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Stay tuned. There is obviously so much more to come around here.

Q&A: Thursday

I had such good intentions of posting yesterday but the day ended up being busier than I anticipated. (Hmmm ... Seems like every day is like that, isn't it?) Anyway, some of you somehow knew it was my birthday. Thank you so much for the happy wishes. The highlight of my day was just hanging out with my little family and being thoroughly entertained with a little someone who was completely thrilled with himself:



On to more of your questions ...

Q: Burning question: Are you and Lisa B sisters? Do you have family in the business?

A: For some reason, I've heard this question many times over the years. Lisa Bearnson and I are dear friends. She was the one who gave me my first real job in the scrapbooking industry so many years ago. Love her to pieces. But no, we're not related.

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Q: Are you going to leave your recipes on your blog? I love them! I don't want to lose them!

A: The recipes are there to stay. Enjoy. : )

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Q: Where do babies come from? Okay, seriously, my question is - Do you look so put together and cute every day? Where is your favorite place to shop for clothes/accessories? I want to "Becky" my wardrobe!

A: When a man and a woman love each other very much ... I love your sense of humor. And I love how this question seriously made me chuckle. This clearly comes from someone who does NOT see me every day. If a ponytail, t-shirt, and comfortable shorts constitutes looking "put together and cute" then I have scored big time. I'm just laughing because I'm the girl who needed a friend to go shopping with me yesterday to find a little ensemble for something. I'm the girl who, several years ago, had my closet raided by a few friends who gave me a "what not to wear" makeover. I'm not kidding. I'm flattered by the question, but not sure that you should be taking advice from me on fashion.

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Q: Will you be adding more Word documents for the school albums?

A: Yes. I have fallen behind on a few things but will get to that soon.

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Q:I know you love Costco, and I'm going to join soon. One reason I want to join is to print 12x12 scrapbook pages. Do you ever do this?

A: Yes. I haven't scrapbooked in quite a while (besides keeping up with my Project 365), but I've dabbled in making a few 100% digital pages and printing them (12x12) at Costco. Very happy with the results. And totally plan on doing more like that when I hopefully get back into my groove with the kids' books here soon.

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Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: Not sure if I could nail-down my all-time favorite, but I'll tell you that my current favorite is Sound of Music. I sing the songs with my kids daily.

Q&A: Tuesday

It's been fun to see what's on your mind. I'll take a handful of your questions at a time and try to answer some all week long. Here we go!


Q: Do you have any suggestions for people who don't get their photo taken because they are always taking the photos. I have tried getting my husband to take some but he doesn't get those in the moment shots (which I love more).

A: You could always hand the camera over to your kids. Sure, they won't get the most amazing composition and you are guaranteed to get a handful of blurry shots. But they will love that Mom's letting them use the camera and they will take a LOT of pictures. And you will be in front of the camera for once! Of course you could hire a photographer too. But my favorite idea is to trade real-life photography with a friend. I've actually been thinking about doing this for a long time. You would have a friend come to your house for a couple of hours when there's a lot of activity and she clicks away while you and your family just do what you do. She captures you in the essence of your roles and duties at home. And then of course you would do the same for her. Think of the documentation that results from such an activity.

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Q: How do you keep track of everything going on in your life? Do you use a big paper calendar? On-line calendar, notepads, etc?

A: We use iCal. It comes on every Mac computer. It has become the key to our scheduling coordination success. Seriously. I love it. And it syncs with our other computers, iPhone, iPod Touch, etc. So I could add something to iCal right now and David would see it on the calendar at work almost immediately. I especially love the color coding for categories. So our family stuff is red, birthdays are blue, church stuff is purple, work stuff is green and so forth. I am experiencing one of the very busiest times of my life and organized calendaring has never been so important. I'd show you a screenshot of our iCal as it looks right now, but that's a bit personal. So here's a screenshot I found online. You can learn more about iCal here.



I also keep a small notebook by my computer and sometimes it even follows me to bed. This is my place for random notes, ideas, sketches, lists, etc. For all areas of my life. I have learned that whenever ideas pop into my head, writing them down is the BEST thing to do with the ideas. What this does is frees my mind for better ability to think creatively because I'm not always trying to remember stuff. If I write it down, I don't have to work hard to remember something. If I have to work hard to remember stuff, I am not able to clearly think about stuff. Get it?

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Q: I wonder if you've considered, now that you are not affiliated with any company or entity, writing a book on organizing? People read your blog for so many different kinds of ideas, not just scrapbook-related. I'd sure buy a book with chapters on organizing for a party, organizing for crafting, organizing nightly dinners (recipes), organizing your home/chores, etc. I'll bet I'm not the only one who feels this way.

A: You're sweet. I'm not that organized. I have a long way to go before I would feel like I could write a whole book on organizing, although I do love the subject. So I will continue to share my organizational thoughts & ideas here on my blog. Free of charge.

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Q: I always use your sketch books for my layouts. Your sketches were the only thing that kept me buying Creating Keepsakes mag. Are you going to be doing anymore sketch books ???

A: It makes me happy to hear how my sketches have helped scrapbookers. Thank you for sharing that. I think I have exhausted my mental supply of sketch ideas. But that's not to say that you've seen my very last sketch. Next time I come up with one for a layout I'm working on, I'll be sure to share it with you here.

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Q: Has cancer affected anyone close to you?

A: My brother, my dad, my grandmother, several extended relatives. Close friends. So, yes. It has.

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Q: Do you scrapbook everyday? I work full time and have four boys and am really struggling to find time. I've been scheduling scrap nights once a month with friends but I miss my scrap time! How do you do it?

A: Heck no. I'm struggling to find time just like you. In fact, I haven't scrapbooked in months. Months. But I'm itching to do some catching-up in our kids' books and am hoping to do that in the next month or so.

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Now, if you'll excuse me, I have about 5 or 6 things to check off my to-do list before I do what's next up on iCal. Meeting some girlfriends for a quick lunch. So excited to see a friend I haven't seen in a while. Be back tomorrow.

what's on your mind?

Have I really been away from my blog this long? I guess it's just been that busy around here. Busy is good. Life is very, very full.

Okay. This post is all about what's on your mind. Ask me what you're wondering about. About whatever. Leave a comment with your burning question (Hint: I'm more likely to respond if you keep it brief).

Next week I will address as many of your questions as I can.

ode to plastic costumes

The cooler temperatures are putting me in a GREAT mood. I love this time of year. Just wanted to share a blast from the past.



Those 5 boys are my brothers and the plastic princess in the middle -- that would be me. I can totally remember the feeling of trying to breathe with that quality mask strapped to my face. You guys remember that?

Ahh. Good times.

Happy Fall everyone.

plushie pals

I can be a sucker for soft and plush and simple things for the little ones. No bells & whistles. No fake cries. No pieces to fall off or chew off. My friend Karlee had boxes of these sitting in her house when I stopped by the other day. She was getting ready to take them to her next craft show. The cutest little monsters I've ever seen. So I just wanted to share.



She has sewn everything on really securely so as to make this toy even safer for the littlest people.



Go here to find the Plushie Pals in Karlee's estsy shop. Great gift idea. And they're 10 bucks!