Papertrey April Blog Hop Challenge

This month Nichole challenged PTI customers to this:

"It only takes a little *something* to take a project from ho-hum to amazing!  Even something as small as tilting your images or sentiments at an angle can have a huge impact.  This month we are challenging you to create a project that features something tilted.  Position a frame at an angle, tilt your text, add a background strip diagonally, create a border that has an incline, slant a sentiment block, the sky is truly the limit!  We look forward to seeing your projects!"

After scrolling through my blog, I realized I have many projects that have angles and tilts on them  - sometimes even on purpose!

Here' s my project for today:

Fancy Folk Art stamp set, Thanks die

I stamped this background several weeks ago for another project that went unfinished.  I couldn't make it work, so I set this aside for the right time - which is now!  I cut the mat and panel for the sentiment, adhered it to the background and trimmed it to fit.  I was happy to find that the sentiment fits perfectly on the panel.  Adding a few rhinestones was my finishing touch!

I have a second card for the challenge.  This is what I was thinking about while I was monitoring my students during their state assessment tests yesterday.  I was trying to think happy thoughts!  ;)

Up, Up and Away stamp set and Cloud dies

I know I'm going to love this theme for the blog hop, and I cannot wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Thanks for visiting  My Happy Place!

PTI February Blog Hop and a Sketch Challenge

Today I have a layout that covers two challenges!  I always love it when I can multi-task, don't you?

It's the 25th of the month, which always means Blog Hop time at Papertrey Ink!

Nichole challenged us this month with this:

Pull out your letter stamps and alphabet dies and create something monogrammed!  It can be a gift for someone special or a treat to keep for yourself!  You could monogram a set of notecards, stationery, coasters, journals, home decor or anything else you can dream up!

You can see the details of the blog hop and participate over on Nichole's blog - here.

So, I dream of scrapbooking - during the day, during the night - most of the time, it's on my mind.  Even though I spend a lot of time making cards or doing 1,000,001 other things - scrapbooking was my first love, and the love to which I will always return.  

As usual, I'm behind in my scrapbooking - this time, almost a year.  I created a title page layout for my son's 1st grade scrapbook.  Here it is:

PTI Supplies: New Leaf cardstock, Block Alphabet, Seeing Stars, Simple Circles border dies

This is his Spring picture from around this time last year.  It's one of my favorite he's ever taken, so I wanted it highlighted on the title page.  I kept with the monogram theme with which Nichole challenged us by adding his initials in the stars as part of the title.  I even researched monograms and found that the common format for monograms for males is to use their initials in order of their names.

(Does anyone else think of Major Monogram from Phineas and Ferb when they hear the word "monogram?"  Ahh, the life of a mother with a boy!)

To continue with this scrapbook means I have to reverse time and start scrapping the summer of 2011.  I'll get there.  I need to just focus on doing some clean and simple layouts and not get too bogged down in design and embellishments.  After all, they are for me to enjoy, right?


For the layout, I used this sketch from the Core'dinations blog, which is new to me.  I discovered it when I was perusing one of my crafty friend's Pinterest pages.  Thanks, Kristin!

Click here for details!

Since it's a title page, I have no journaling, so I just left that area blank. 


Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

PTI January Blog Hop

Today is the 25th, which means it is Blog Hope time at PTI.  You can enter at Nicole's blog here and see all the beautiful entries.

This month's theme is:

Here's my card:

I die cut the heart from Framed Out #11 from True Black cardstock, then ran it through with the Canvas Impression Plate.  After tying the ribbon around the top, it was ready to go.So, I concentrated on the inside:

I lined up the red heart so that it would be centered in the larger die cut from the front and stamped my sentiment. 

Here's a peek from the side!

A few more of these, and I'll be ready for Valentine's Day!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Papertrey Ink's July Blog Hop!

This is my second post for the day.  I know.  Crazy.  Please scroll down to see the first one!

This month's inspiration for Papertrey Ink's Blog Hop is this amazing photo: 

Nichole said:  "Look closely and there are so many directions to go in!  You can choose to focus on the colors, the motifs or the overall design!"

I think I focused on the colors and the design for my project.  I love Papertrey Ink's colors of Ocean Tides, Aqua Mist and Orange Zest.  So, I used those colors, along with a technique Nichole challenged us to use in the Stamp-a-faire Challenge #10.  It is to add a stamped focal point over a stamped background, all in the same layer!

Here's my card for the Blog Hop and the Stamp-a-faire challenge:

You can play along with both challenges by heading over to Nichole's blog here. 

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place today!

Papertrey May Blog Hop Challenge

Spring has sprung - and as a Middle School teacher - no one knows that better than I do.  Nichole's challenge is not about the angst of the tween in Spring, however, it's all about flowers.  You can see the details and all the submissions if you click here.  Here's what she had to say:

May is the month when many flowers finally go into full bloom after a long winter's sleep.  For the blog hop this month we want to see your favorite take on flowers.  You can stamp backgrounds, create custom floral embellishments, showcase unique flower center additions (buttons, rhinestones, beads, etc...), flowers die-cut from different materials (like fabric, felt, vellum, etc...) or anything else you can dream up!  We are looking forward to seeing all of your amazing creations!

I'm not so sure my contribution will be "amazing," but I tried.  This is the last week of school., so the only amazing thing about me right now is the fact that I made it to the last week of school  To be even more accurate, after today, there are only 1.5 days left.  Yes, the .5 really is important.  So, "amazing" may not be possible at the moment, but here's what I came up with.  

Ahhh, Melissa Bickford, how I love you!  Thanks for designing some of my favorite sets and dies.  I can't wait for more.  My package with new stuff, including Floral Fusion 3 and 4, and Fruit Fusion, is on its way.  I will be very happy come Friday - the last day of school - and the day I should receive my PTI package.

I'm not sure which I am most excited about!

Enjoy the hop and thanks for visiting My Happy Place - which should be even happier after Friday!

PTI May Blog Hop

The May Blog Hop is tonight and Nichole asked us to use one of PTI's newest products - felt!  I just received my release night package yesterday, with the Vintage Cream felt and cloud dies packed inside.  A match made in Heaven!  You can see everyone's project if you click here.

Here's my card:

And here's the inside:

The idea to cut out the clouds from the main card came from Mailles. 
Thanks for looking!

Papertrey Ink Supplies:
Stamps:  Up, Up and Away and Inside and Out: Thank You
Paper: Spring Rain, Vintage Cream, Bitty Dots Basics
Ink:  Smokey Shadow
Tools: Cloud and Balloon Dies, Vintage Cream Felt

Basket of Joy!

Nichole said,   "This month we're calling all button lovers!"

I certainly fall into that category!  I'm loving all the Easter stuff that I've been seeing, but don't have any Easter stamps. So, I "made it work" by creating an Easter basket out of adhesive-backed cork and filling it with buttons to resemble eggs. The patterned paper was a scrap sheet that I wish I had more of! I stamped the butterfly on a strip of it, ran it upside down through my Xyron, like Nichole showed us how to do one day, and glittered it up with Hero Arts Prisma Glitter! I inked the edges with Spring Rain ink.  A wonderful coincidence is that PTI's medium scallop die is an almost perfect fit for one of the scallops from the Hero Arts set!  Love it when things I have work together!

Thanks for looking - have fun on the hop!

Papertrey Ink Supplies:
-Hibiscus Burst Cardstock
-Stampers Select Cardstock
-New Leak ink
-Hibiscus Burst ink
-Fresh Snow ink
-Spring Rain ink on the edges
-Medium scallop die
-Buttons from Hibiscus Burst, New Leaf, Summer Sunrise and Spring Rain

Hero Arts Supplies:
-CL379 - Stamp Garden
-CL288 - Scallop Borders
-Prisma Glitter

Other:
-pink and green gemstones
-random scraps of patterned paper
-a few random buttons
Quickutz adhesive backed cork

PTI February Blog Hop!

 

It's time for Papertrey Ink's February Blog Hop.  This month Nichole writes: "Since we just finished up our 3rd Anniversary Festivities, we thought we would do something extra special for this month's Blog Hop!  Design Team Appreciation Day!  Your challenge is to go through the Design Team gallery or any of the Design Team Members' blogs and find a project that is especially inspirational to you!  Then recreate the project with your own spin, making it unique! "

I have two cards for this challenge.  The first is from Lisa Johnson who used her scraps to make the card you see on the left.  You can see her post here.  I've made half a dozen of these cards.  For one, I used the exact colors that Lisa used and then I changed it up a bit.  You can see one of the color changes on the right.  I also combined Hibiscus Burst, Spring Moss and Spring Rain on a set of cards I made for a friend's birthday.  I love Lisa's Flower Garden set.  Love.  It's one of the first PTI sets I bought.

 

 My second card also uses Flower Garden.  I loved Nichole's use of Butterfly Dreams and how she overlapped the butterflies and colored them in with her markers.  Here's her post for it and knew I wanted to try something like it.  My result is on the right.  I used Aquacolor pencils and a blender pen.

Thanks for looking!

PTI Blog Hop - October

The challenge this month was to show everyone plans for holiday projects. I plan to make tags for my family presents and here is one example. I used Polka Dot basics to make the tree.

All Supplies PTI:
Stampers Select White Cardstock
2008 Bitty Dot Basics Paper (pure poppy)
Polka Dot Basics Stamp Set
Pure Poppy Ink
New Leaf Ink
Dark Chocolate Ink
Summer Sunrise Ink
Pure Poppy Twill Ribbon

Other: Black pen