Thinking of You!

This card is for the Nature Challenge on the Hero Arts Blog.  It closes in two days, so I'm getting this one in almost at the last minute. 

A lot of paper piecing went into this one!   I stamped the bird from an older set, Birds and Branches, on different patterned papers and adhered him with dimensionals.  The flowers are from the Hero Arts Friends set, and the sentiment is from Hero Arts Message Bubbles. 

 Here's a close-up of the bird:

I'm also entering this into Simon Says Stamp Monday's Challenge this week - create a project with an  animal!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place! 

 

Nature Challenge

This card is for two challenges - the Nature Challenge on the Hero Arts Blog and the No Rules Challenge on Simon Says Stamp. 

Hero Arts: Butterflies (Cling), Playful Animals, Everyday Sayings

I started by heat embossing the images and sentiment onto cream cardstock with gold embossing powder. After it was cooled, I used my ink blender tool to color in the leaves and the background.  The panel is popped up on the card base to give the card some dimension.  

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

 

Just a couple

I was able to find some time tonight to finish up one card that I had started several nights ago, and messed up, then restarted, and messed up, and now I've finally finished the third attempt.  I don't know what was so difficult about this...

Hero Arts Cupcakes and  PTI Think Big Favorites #12

I'm still on a mission to use my printed paper, and I found that striped paper in my scraps.  I stamped the cupcakes in coordinating colors, overlapping as I stamped.  I put some glitter on each heart and topped it with Glossy Accents.

My second card tonight uses some new supplies I just received.

This is all PTI and all from the Comic Book theme just released this month.  I needed a quick card for tomorrow, so using all the new supplies made it easy.  I'm looking forward to working more with that cover plate; I know it's meant for more than just a comic book themed card.

Here's the inside:

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Love You!

I think I've been neglecting some of my supplies, and I recently purged a lot and re-organized my crafting area.  I sent a large box of stuff to my niece, and donated some cardstock and patterned paper to some teachers at my son's school.  They were all very thankful!  

As I was cleaning out, I ran across so many stamp sets from Hero Arts that I absolutely love, and have not used in quite some time.  So, I wanted to focus on those for a while.  There's a big stack sitting out right now!

This morning I made a card that will fit two challenges:

Click here for details.

Click here for details.

My Type (Hero Arts)   Smitty's ABCs (Lawn Fawn)

I stamped the typewriter and sentiment onto the white panel, then cut out around the typewriter "paper."  After rolling it up a bit, I adhered a piece of heart-patterned paper behind it.

After popping up a few heart die-cuts and mounting it on a red base, I was finished!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Casual Fridays-Make Your Mark

This week's challenge at the Casual Fridays blog is to use our markers.  I love this challenge because I love my markers!  I'm not a Copic crafter - really don't have a lot of time (or patience!) for that.  The Bic Mark It Markers are just right for me! 

A lot of color choices, easy to use and combine, and they don't leave the marker "lines" like some do.  They are a perfect alternative to the Copic challenged population - like myself!

Here's a card I came up with last night:

Flower Box and Everyday Sayings stamps (Hero Arts)

After I stamped the Flower Box on Kraft paper, I colored it and cut it out.  I popped it up on another piece of Kraft.  The edges were inked to add a little contrast.  To add a little more dimension, I added some brown pearls and another flower that I stamped, colored, and cut out. 

I'm leaving my markers out.  I had a lot of ideas floating around in my head, and now I want to see if I can get more use out of them!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

So Happy For You!

This card is for a friend of mine that is having a baby - in just over a month.  Her shower is Friday, and I'm sorry I have to miss it, but I'm sending a little something to her, along with this card.

She is waiting to find out what gender the baby is, so all she is receiving are neutral items.  She and her husband have decorated the baby room with yellow paint and a circus theme. She's so talented that she painted circus murals on the walls - including elephants.  So, that is the inspiration for this card:

Hero Arts Happy Animals, PTI Turning a New Leaf stamps and die, Simple Circles die

I used the Fiskars punch...again.  I love it!  I thought that patterned paper would resemble grass and plants.  The circles are cut from PTI's Simple Circles die.

Hero Arts All Occasion Messages, PTI Sunshine Impression Plate, Border die

Here's the inside:

PTI Signature Greetings, Angled Labels die, Fiskars Grass Punch

I'm entering this into the Hero Arts contest for the month and to Wee Memories challenge for this week, which is to use no less than 4 colors!  I think this one fits!  Click on those links and play along!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Notebook Cover

My sister teaches third grade and was recently at her campus retreat.  One of the tasks at the retreat was to scrapbook a cover to slip into their clear binders.  What did she do while all the other teachers scrapbooked their covers with the provided supplies?  She texted me and told me I was going to make hers.  She's 5.5 years older than I am and has bossed me around for over 30 years.  Besides, in her words, I "needed something to do."

So, I did it.  Just like any little (younger, much younger) sister would. 

The list of stamps and supplies for this project is lengthy, but I will tell you that I was very, very (did I say VERY?) excited to see that Lawn Fawn stamps were being sold at my local Archivers.  The sets weren't even out on display yet.  They were in buckets ready to be processed.  The sweet ladies at Archivers told me to go ahead and look through them to see what I wanted.  I got two sets (to start off).  One set was the FABULOUS Smitty's ABCs.  Wow!  I love how they line up with each other and how there are mulitple letters so that you can just stamp ONE time.  LOVE THAT!!  (Honestly, I didn't notice that until I started to use them on this project - then I was even more excited about this set.)  I'm submitting this project to this week's Lawnscaping Challenge which is to use distressing. 

 I used ink to distress each of the panels below with PTI's Tea Dye Duo. I'm also submitting it to Wee Memories challenge this week which is to use more than 4 colors!   Click on those links above to play along with the challenge. Both have fabulous prizes this week!

Here's the cover my sister made me make:

Patterned Paper:  Bo Bunny Learning Curve Collection

Smitty's ABCs are right in the middle.  I love the font, and again, they are so easy to line up.  I used a lot of Hero Arts and Papertrey Ink on this.  Supplies are listed below each picture.

Here are some close-ups:

Lawn Fawn Smitty's ABCs, PTI Sending You, Beautiful Blooms & TANL dies

HA Playful Animals, PTI Merry Little Christmas and CanvasIP

HA Playful Animals, PTI Merry Little Christmas and Sunshine IP, Fiskars punch

HA Froggy, PTI Cloud die and Polka Dot IP, Stampabilities Wave Border

HA Playful Animals, PTI Vineyard IP, Simple Circles and TANL die

Oh, this was fun to make and I loved combining so many of my supplies.  Made me feel justified in buying them all.  Thanks for visiting My Happy Place today and looking at so many pictures!

Casual Friday #1

There's a new challenge blog!  Did you hear?  I'm thrilled about the theme of the blog too - it's all about CAS (clean and simple) and it's called "CAS-ual Fridays!"  It doesn't hurt that two of my PTI forum friends are on the design team, either.  I've admired their work and styles for a long time!  (Waving at Laurie and Dana!!)

This week is the first challenge from the blog and it's all about adding text to your project:

GREAT challenge and a great way to kick off this blog.  You can see the details and all the entries for this week here.  I loved the typewriter in the image, and wanted to use my stamp from Hero Arts that I HAD to have back in December.  It does not get enough love, that is for sure.

Here's my card:

Is it still CAS if I cut out the image and put buttons on the typewriter?  I hope so.  I curled the paper coming out of the typewriter a little so it would pop off the base a little.  I love Kraft with red and black.  I don't use it enough either.

I'm excited about this new blog and can't wait for the next challenge!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

More Back to School

Here's my 3rd Back-to-School card for the August theme on the Hero Arts Blog. A lot of cutting occurred to make this one complete!  It was a lot of fun, but not one that would be easy to mass-produce like the other two I've posted.

I was excited to find some self-adhesive borders on my trip to Hobby Lobby the other day.  A big variety, from bubbles to letters to waves, was tucked inside.  Above is a strip of the grass that was also inside.  Very excited about this purchase!

Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Hero Arts Stamps:  Playful Animals, Cute Letters
Border: K&Company Actopus to Zelephant
Cardstock: Summer Sunrise, Spring Rain, True Black, Stampers Select (all PTI) & gray from my stash
Ink: True Black, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate, Tea Dye Duo (all PTI)
Buttons: True Black (PTI)
Other: Black twine, Prisma Glitter, Googley Eyes (from my son's stash-Shhhh!!)

More Back to School

Here's another card I made for Back-to-School.  It's this month's theme over on the Hero Arts Blog. This one could be easily recreated many times to make several in one sitting.  I can also see this as a mini-card! Quick and easy.

I have a lot of patterned paper that truly brings me joy as I just sit and look at it.  The thought of cutting into some of my collection makes me a bit nervous.  I'm slowly getting over it as I see so many others using patterned paper in beautiful way.  So, I thought I'd give it a try here.

Thanks for looking!  Have you seen the contest for this month at Hero Arts?  Here's some information!

Supplies:
Hero Arts Stamps: Cute Letters, Mixed Design Borders
Cardstock: Kraft, PTI - Ripe Avocado and Vintage Cream
Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety
Ribbon: Ripe Avocado PTI

Back to School

I go back to school next Thursday.  I know, I know...I've been off since the beginning of June, but teachers truly need this time to recharge.  It's takes a lot of energy to answer the same questions 100 times a day - and with enthusiasm!  :)

So, I'm trying to mentally prepare myself, and what better way than to make cards?  I'm hoping to get plenty made so that I can sneak them in some colleagues' boxes when we return!

Here's one to start:

Do you see that measuring tape ribbon?  That's an old, old measuring tape my grandmother used for sewing.  It's actually material and not the plastic stuff they use now.  I found it in a box of her old sewing supplies, and I'm so glad I did!

Have you seen the contest for this month at Hero Arts?  Here's some information!

Supplies:
Hero Arts Stamps: Cute Letters, Small Variety Alphabet, Fill Your Heart
Cardstock: green, Kraft
Patterned Paper: Karen Foster - Notebook Paper
Ribbon: Mema's old measuring tape :)
Embellie: EK Success
Punch: EK Success
Zing Embossing Powder

Celebrate With Style

I'm going to take a (brief) break from my obsession with all things Papertrey Ink and talk about my first love.

I love Hero Arts.  They were the first stamps I ever used, the first blog I ever followed, the first challenge I ever entered, the first challenge I ever won.  Besides all of that...they have great stamps and a very fun and supportive Flickr group.

The blog hostesses have different themes each month for challenges.  Here's this month's:

Here's the card I entered today.

 Hopefully, since school is out, I'll  really be able to participate more with them this summer.  I had such fun creating cards and layouts with my Hero Arts stamps last summer.  I'm hoping to do something with the Color Layering technique for the month.  I did that on this card awhile ago and it was a lot of fun.

Supplies:

Hero Arts Stamps: Galaxy of Stars, Mixed Design Borders, Happiness Messages

Paper: Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy, Stampers Select White (PTI)

Ink: Pure Poppy, Versamark

Other: Zing embossing powders in silver and white, silver twine, silver nail heads

Sending Huge Hugs!

This is my second post today! Scroll down to see my first if you want.

I love this sketch at Card Patterns blog this week!  Here it is!

I wanted to make a fun card so I used some cute monster stamps and paper.  The colors are so bright and cheerful!

Supplies:
-Monster Fun stamp set (Hero Arts)
-New Leaf, Pure Poppy, Stampers Select cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
-Monster Party patterned paper (Reminesce)
-Bitty Dot Basics in Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
-True Black, Pure Poppy, New Leaf inks (Papertrey Ink)
-Aquacolor pencils
-Googly eye

Thinking of You!

This week Hero Arts is sponsoring the weekly contest at Card Patterns blog.  Here is the sketch they gave us to use!

This was a fun sketch because you can make it as simple or detailed as you want.  I may be entering a few cards this week just because of the versatile sketch!

Here's my first one:

Supplies used:
-Everyday Sayings (Hero Arts)
-Vintage Cream and Spring Moss cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
-Garden Variety mini-deck (Cosmo Cricket)
-Epoxy Dome Stickers (Papertrey Ink)
-New Leaf satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink)
-Labels Eight Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

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

Always so Thoughtful!

I made this cards shortly after I fell in love with PTI's Enchanted Evening color last summer. I'm still so infatuated with it.  It's the perfect dark blue.

Papertrey Ink Supplies:

Enchanted Evening and Stampers Select White Cardstock

Summer Sunrise and Enchanted Evening ink

Summer Sunrise Grosgrain Ribbon

Enchanted Evening Topnotch Twill

Hero Arts Supplies:

Striped Circle Cling - CG101

Happiness Messages - CL148

Other Supplies:

nailhead gems

Martha Stewart butterfly punch

random flowers

Spring Has Sprung!

Over on the Hero Arts Club Blog they are sponsoring a monthly contest.  This month's theme is Spring and Easter!

Here's one entry that I have managed to create for the contest.  You can follow the comments here on the Flickr Group.

Hero Arts Supplies:

-Stamp Garden (CL379)

-Happy Day Animals (CL153)

-Cute Letters (CL183)

Papertrey Ink Supplies:

-Stampers Select White Cardstock

-Bitty Dot Basics paper in Spring Moss

-Spring Rain Cardstock

-Smokey Shadow ink

-Spring Moss ink

-Spring Rain ink

Other Supplies:

-random gemstones

-random blue ribbon

-Aquacolor pencils

-Dove Blender pen

-Spellbinders