CropStop Challenge #32-Back to School

Happy Thursday everyone!! You know what that means.....just one for day until TGIF! This week at CropStop the challenge is to make a card/project with a Back-to-School theme. My little boy starts school on August 24th so we've been really busy getting ready.....mostly shopping for back to school clothes and supplies. My main challenge is getting his sleeping schedule back on track! He's starting full-day kindergarten so getting up really early is going to be a huge challenge (especially since he's a night owl and doesn't like to fall asleep until midnight). I'm telling ya, that boy is like the energizer bunny!! If I could just bottle that energy and sell it, I would be a millionaire!!

Before I get to my project, don't forget I have a 10% off coupon code (CTRB-2) that you can use at CropStop during checkout. The beauty of this coupon code is that there is no minimum order...YEA!!

Okay, on to my Back-to-School project.....a sweet and simple card and paper backpack. I've got lots of pictures, so grab a cuppa tea or coffee, haha!

Up first, is my card. I kept it pretty simple because I wanted the school dps from TPC Studio Homeroom paper pack to shine through. That cute little boy is Luka with Truck. Hmmmmm, where's the truck, you ask? Well, I cut around his hand and arm and used a book sticker over the truck to make him into a school boy. Now, he reminds me of my little boy getting ready for school...pretty clever, huh?! :)

The cute little sentiment is from Heartfelt Creations Classic Message set. I LOVE the various sentiments and font style of this set! I stamped it with a VersaMark Pad and then used Stampendous Detail White Embossing Powder. The powder is extra fine so it works really well with detailed stamps. The ruler was cut from a dp in the same pack and the pearls are CTMH. I edged all my paper with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

Here's a close-up of Luka with Truck. He was colored using Copics and Chalk.

Skin: E000 & chalk
Hair: E29, E37, E33
Shirt: E55 & chalk
Coat: YG97, E25 & chalk
Pants: B91, B93, chalk
Shoes: E25 & chalk

Now, on to my stinkin' cute paper backpack! I bought the template from My Time Made Easy here. You can buy the cutting files for various machines, but instead of pulling out my Cricut, I just printed everything using the PDF file and cut it by hand. It wasn't hard...just a little time consuming!

I used my amazing Scor-Pal which made it super-duper easy to get everything scored quickly and accurately....LOVE that thing!! I also used my Scor-tape and Fabri-Tac glue to put it all together. If you have never tried Scor-tape, you don't know what your missing! This stuff is AWESOME! It comes on a roll and you can easily tear off pieces (no scissors required). Plus, is extra sticky so it holds like nothing else!

The dp paper on the backpack is also from the TPC Studio Homeroom paper pack. The large fabric brad is from The Paper Studio and the small metal brad is CTMH. Do you see the charms?? The heart came from my stash. But........I made a shrinky dink Luka, hee, hee! I took the close-up picture of Luka from my card above, and printed it on special shrinky dink plastic. I cooked it in the oven and it turned into a hard plastic charm....cool, heh?! The other great thing is you can print pictures on this special plastic. I've got all sorts of ideas for the holidays running through my head!

Here's a side view so you can see the dimension. It's big enough to put a little snack in there. I used a magnet for the top flap and velcro for the little pocket flap. It's just sooooooo darn adorable!! I wish I had the time to mass produce these for Isaiah's classmates!

Here's a back view so you can see the straps.....totally makes it realistic!

Well, you've finally reached the end of my post....long one, huh! I hope it inspires you to make something for back-to-school. Don't forget to check out the CropStop blog to see more inspiration from my fellow DT sisters! You've got until Wed., 11:00pm EST to link up your project for a chance to win a CropStop gift certificate. Need some supplies now?? Then head on over to the store and use my Coupon Code, CTRB-2, to get 10% off!!

Hugs,
Rosie