Faith, Hope and Love

Today's card is another one I created while I was on the Amber Ink team last month.  Before I began running with the torch, I had already downloaded several images to play with.  I used the sentiments to create this simple card:

I edited the sentiments to make sure they were the same size and then colored the "Love" red.  I wanted it to pop a bit.  After printing and cutting them, I ran another white panel through my Big Shot with a Cuttlebug folder.  I adhered the sentiment panel with pop-dots to give it a little dimension. 

I just ordered the last of my son's pre-K pictures to finish that scrapbook.  They should be here on Friday - just in time for the weekend!  I finished his Kinder year before his pre-K year.  Doesn't seem right does it?  I'm hoping to get the last of those layouts completed and then I'll be caught up.

I'll share some here as soon as I can.  Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Thank you, Amber Ink!

I have had a blast working with the girls at Amber Ink for this month.  If you head over to their blog here, you will see that it is time for me to pass to torch to the next torchbearer, a wonderful girl named:

Suzanne!

She is ready to grab the torch and run with it.  You will be amazed at her ability to use patterned paper, combine different patterns perfectly and use different color combos that you have never thought about.

She is a gem inside and out.  Go and visit her blog

(Click to be amazed!)

and welcome her to the group.  You may want to bookmark her blog or add it to your Reader, because believe me, you don't want to miss a thing she posts!

Again, thanks to Amber Ink!  Your products are amazing and I appreciate the time you gave to me to design projects for you!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Wishing You Sunshine - Amber Ink!

Today is my last day as Torch Bearer for Amber Ink, and I have one more project to share with you.  This one is for a sketch challenge over at Stamp, Scrap and Doodle.  You can see the details and play along with this week's challenge if you click here.  The prize is a $15.00 gift certificate to Amber Ink.  With that kind of money, you can get A LOT of images, so it is worth the time to head on over and play along!

Here's the sketch for this week:

I wanted to use some more of Amber Ink's iPaper, so I printed out a sheet of their Boots and 'Brellas paper, used it to create a mat and a die cut umbrella.  Here's my card:

It's been a fun month being on Amber Ink's team.  I really learned a lot about digital images and am no longer skeptical about using them in my projects.  They offer a lot of versatility in color, sizes and orientation - and don't take up a lot of room.  If you haven't tried out digital images yet, head over to Amber Ink and get a few images and iPaper to get you started.

Here are all of my projects together:

I'll be back tomorrow to pass the torch on to a fabulous cardmaker.  Just wait and see what she does with Amber Ink's products!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Christmas in July with Amber Ink

It's been a busy week at Amber Ink this week!  Were you able to hop along for the big birthday bash? Winners are announced over on the Amber Ink blog.  You can click here to see if you won.  Good luck!

This week, Amber Ink is sponsoring the challenge at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long.  With temperatures soaring over 100 degrees lately, it was nice to think of a cooler time of year for just a bit.  The challenge this week is to create a card with our favorite color(s).  My favorite color is green, so this was pretty easy to pull off with a Christmas theme. 

Here's my card using Amber Ink's images from 'Tis the Season:

To get started, I printed the Holiday Cheer Green iPaper, then put it back in the printer and printed the tree image over the green.  Then I printed the tree image on white paper and then Kraft.  After cutting out the image from the green and white papers, I adhered the white paper down on the Kraft mat and applied some glue and glitter to make it sparkle.  Then I used some dimensionals to adhere the tree and give it some lift.  The star on top is also from the 'Tis the Season set.

After stamping the sentiment, adding the ribbon and some ink on the edges, I was finished.

Here's a close-up so you can get a better view of that new, awesome iPaper from Amber Ink:

If you want to play along with this week's challenge at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long and maybe win some awesome goodies from Amber Ink, click here.

I'll be back tomorrow for my last project as a torch bearer!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Happy Birthday, Amber Ink!

Are you here for the party?  It's a big one isn't it? Amber Ink is one-year old and I am lucky enough to be celebrating with them.  Here's what they have to say:

Twelve short months ago

we made our big debut,
So now we'd like to commemorate
our 1st birthday with you!

This flash mob of torchbearers
always light our way.
Won't you please jog along
on our special day?

Leave your comments here and there
over the next 48
On Friday we'll announce the loot
Don't wait...let's CELEBRATE!

So, come on - visit each blog listed below, leave a comment and then go back to Amber Ink on Friday to see if you are a prize winner!  Easy peasy!  

Here's my birthday card for Amber Ink:

The train images are new from Amber Ink - even the hearts and the stars are in the set.  I loved using Photoshop to color the images and flip them around the way I wanted.  I cut out each piece and popped them up on the white panel.  The gingham paper is from Amber Ink as well.

I hope you enjoy the hop over the next couple of days.  Sit back, relax and be prepared to be inspired.  Here's a list of the hoppers:

Welcome Summer

I live in Texas.  It's hot.  In recent history, our hottest summer where I live was in 2009.  Temperatures skyrocketed to over 100 degrees 68 times that summer.  We were miserable.  Back then, we knew we would talk of it as the hottest summer ever.

Fast forward just 2 years.  Our temperatures reached over 90 degrees on April 1!  We knew then that it would be a record-setting summer.  Now, the middle of July, we have reached over 100 degrees 31 times already.  On this same date back in 2009, the hottest summer ever, we had "only" reached that point 28 times.  We are ahead of schedule. 

So, this week's challenge at Wee Memories was to create a Summertime themed project.  This wasn't hard for me to do since I've been living in summertime since April 1.  You can get all the information here.   

Here's what I came up with:

See that gingham paper?  Everyone wants/needs gingham paper, right?  It's from Amber Ink.  You can get it here.  They have several colors, and are super-easy to work with. 

I wanted to go for a bright, colorful card, and I wanted to use the cherry set from Fruit Fusion.  It had gone uninked for too long.  The banner die is from Spellbinders.  After embossing it in my Big Shot, I left it in the die and sponged some ink over the parts that were showing.  This gives the banner a little edge to it, which I love.

Cherries are my favorite summer fruit.  I get them as often as possible, as long as they aren't $5.00 a pound.  

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!  See you tomorrow!

More Amber Ink

I know I promised you another Make It Monday card using the colors from this week's Card Camp, but I couldn't wait.  I wanted to post a new project from Amber Ink, using this Pink Blossom iPaper and this cute sentiment. 

 

Have I told you how awesome Amber Ink's paper is once you actually have it in your sweet, little hands?  Wow!  I am still amazed about how well it prints and looks on projects.  I love the Pink Blossom paper, along with the Green Blossom paper I showed a couple of weeks ago.  It is very happy paper and I loved using it!

I die cut several flowers from one copy of the paper, printed another piece (because it's right there on my hard drive and I don't have to worry about wasting a precious piece!) to create the bottom panel.  Can you see the stitching?  I stitched around the entire mat with yellow thread.

The sentiment is very fun with that little heart in the middle of the "O."  Little details like that make Amber Ink products FUN to work with!

Go. Check. Them. Out.  (here)

OK - so TOMORROW - I will have that other card I told you about!  Promises, promises.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Less is More and Amber Ink

HI!  Long time, no blog!  

I'm back from my trip to California, which was wonderful.  Fourteen hours at Disneyland and I lived to tell about it.  Turns out my 6-year old is a HUGE fan of roller coasters - the bigger the better.  I had to suck it up and get on all of them with him; roller coasters and I never really got along very well.  Turns out, I did better than I thought I would, mainly because my son would giggle the entire time.  Hearing that beautiful sound made it worth it!

We also went to Legoland, the San Diego Zoo and Natural History Museum (dinosaurs, you know!)  There was also plenty of time spent at the beach.  It was a great trip.

Waiting for me when I got home was my third assignment for Amber Ink, which is sponsoring July's challenges at Less Is More challenge blog.  This week the challenge is:

SHADES of BLUE

I was so excited to find some awesome iPaper on Amber Ink's website.  You can find the paper I used in the card here. 

Here's my card:

After printing the paper, I die-cut the mat, and cut a strip to adhere to the inside.  The bottom of the card is punched with an EK Success punch and opens to the strip on the inside.  The sentiment is also from Amber Ink, printed and punched.  Even though it is a clean and simple card, I wanted to add a little bling to it, so I lined the circle edge with blue rhinestones. 

Here's a close-up so you can see the iPaper more closely.  I don't even have a top-notch printer, and the paper looks awesome!  

You can play along with the challenge at Less is More by clicking here.  The winner of the challenge receives a $25.00 gift certificate to Amber Ink.  With the great prices and great selection, you will be set up for some great cards and layouts!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!  Now that I'm home, I'll be back soon with more cards and layouts soon!

Amber Ink Project 2

So, I was digging around the Amber Ink store the other day and found some beautiful paper.  Not having ever used digi-paper before, I must admit that I was a bit skeptical.  I don't have a color-laser printer at home, so how good can the paper really look if it's not printed on a top-notch printer?

Well, let me tell you.  One push of the print button and I was H-O-O-K-E-D.  It can look awesome!  If you have been afraid to plunge into the digi-paper, fear no more.  Amber Ink has some great choices, fun colors and a good price tag.

Here's what I made with this paper and this sentiment:

For the sentiment I just loaded it into my photo-editing program, changed the colors and printed.  To add a little texture and dimension, I stitched around the edges and popped up the sentiment.  

Just for fun, I also bought this same paper in the pink version.  So pretty.  Off to go use it now. 

Go on over to Amber Ink  and pick you up some new paper.  You'll be glad you did.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Sweet Sketch Wednesday Meets Amber Ink

Today is my first official day as Torchbearer for Amber Ink - supplier of awesome digi-stamps, digi-papers and clear stamps (if you are patient for the mailman!)  Did you follow my advice yesterday and poke around their blog and store?  Totally cool, huh?  You buy, download and print.  How much easier could it be?

This week, Amber Ink  is sponsoring the sketch contest over at Sweet Sketch Wednesday.  You could win a  $15.00 gift certificate to Amber Ink!!  Here's the great sketch we have been given:

 

You know how much I love sketches.  They give me just the jump start I need, and I can make my project as simple or embellished as I want - depending on how much time I have, of course.  

So, here's my project for this week's sketch:

I used the sweet little super hero boy you can find in Amber Ink's store here,  along with the sentiment you can find here.  All I had to do after downloading the images, is open them in my photo-editing program, choose colors and print.  The little hero up there reminds me of another little boy I know. 

To add a little texture to the card, I embossed some star stamps on the red panel and applied a strip of blue felt stars to the white strip.  The sentiment was popped up for dimension.  

I hope you can join in on all the fun at Sweet Sketch Wednesday this week, and why don't you go ahead and discover how easy digi-stamps can be. Amber Ink  has some great ones - and so affordable!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

I'm Kinda Excited!

 

Did you see it?  My name?  It's up there ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^!!!!

Thanks to my friend, Renee, for passing the blue torch of Amber Ink to me yesterday.   Now, I get to spend the next month making cards and layouts with their awesome products!  They have digi-paper, digi-stamps and clear stamps!  You can see the announcement on the Amber Ink Blog here. 

I'll let you in on a little secret.   

I've already made 3 projects with their stuff.

Shhh!!  

I'll show you my first project tomorrow.  

Until then, you may want to visit the other members of the team this month.  You won't be disappointed:

Penni at Lazy Cat Cards

Nina at Ninarsku 

Cammie at Cuttin' Up 

Lynette at My Life in Haysville

And while you are out there in blog-land, looking around, stop by Amber Ink and see what all the fuss is about.  Believe me - you'll be glad you did!

See you tomorrow with my first project!