Verve Project Parade - Caught Being Kind

Today is my turn to post in the Verve Stamps "Kid At Heart" Project Parade. If you haven't tuned in yet to the parade so far, be sure to visit the Verve Stamps blog. There are some really darling project ideas!

I've created a little project inspired by my son's elementary school. I love his school's Caught Being Kind program, where teachers can award children who go above and beyond normal good manners and kindness, and the children who are caught have their names read on the next morning's announcements.

I know you'll be shocked {wink}, but my 8- and 5-year-olds (one boy, one girl) sometimes have "issues" getting along. Sound familiar? I'm thinking Caught Being Kind would be a great program to try at home as well. The idea is pretty much the same as the school's. Mom and Dad issue the awards, but instead of having their name read during announcements, the child will get a Caught Being Kind ticket at dinnertime and the family will make a big fuss over both the child and the act of kindness. To make the whole ticket thing a little more exciting, I created a special book to store the tickets. I love that they'll be able to keep track of how many they've earned, but even more, that they'll be able to read back through them as a reminder of what they did to get each ticket. Right now, I'm thinking we'll let them cash in their tickets for special rewards, like a movie date or a special breakfast out with Mom or Dad.

The cover and inside pages are cut using Stampin' Up's Top Note die. The title is done with JustRite Stamper products. I embellished with two brown-embossed hearts from Hundred Hearts. The inside pages are Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, and Baja Breeze, accented with scraps of Sassafrass Lass dp and stamped with the background pattern from Hundred Hearts.

I didn't want to set myself up for having to make a whole new page for every ticket, so I designed the inside pages to hold removable tickets. As they redeem their tickets, we can take them out and keep re-using the pages of the book.

The book I'm showing today is for the 8-year-old boy. I'll make something more girly for the 5-year-old next. (Had to get the harder one done first!)

Want to play along and be "A Kid At Heart?" To play, just link your project to THIS POST and you'll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Verve Stamps. Please be sure that your entries are linked there no later than 8PM (Mountain) on February 5th. The winner will be announced on the Verve blog on February 6th. Have fun and good luck!



Stamps: Hundred Hearts (Verve Stamps); JustRite Stampers
Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up); dp (Sassafrass Lass)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU); Old Paper and Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Tim Holtz/Ranger)
Accessories: 7Gypsies book ring; SU ribbon, ticket punch, slit punch, jumbo eyelet, Top Note die, paper piercer, 1/4" circle punch, crystal effects, dimensionals; BossKut die; Spellbinders die; brown embossing powder; Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts burlap string