Day 7 - Another Mini!

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Here is another one of the mini-Valentines I made.  This time I used the Kraft base of the mini-set of cards I purchased at Archivers.  I used the same colors as I did on the puppy card and the same layout.  It will help when I need to make many, many minis!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!  Hopefully there will be more tonight!
Lee Anne

Day 7 - Mini Valentine

I have a couple of mini-Valentines that I made today.  And I need to make many, many, many more mini-Valentines.  I always seem to think of new ideas at the last minute.  Then I cram to make 25 or so cards for my colleagues at school.

Here's the first one:

I found packages of mini-cards at Archivers recently.  The edges were already shaped and everything.  Love them.  They are the perfect fit for my Limitless Layers dies and Tremendous Treats: Valentines.

I colored in the cute puppy with my Bic Mark-It Markers.  I know that one day I will need to invest in Copics.  But I'm not ready yet!  The little heart on the puppy is a sparkly sticker that I picked up on the same trip to Archivers.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!
Lee Anne

Day 7- more heart

I've made it back with one more card before my son's big game.  I received this sparkly charm on a birthday gift way back in December and knew I wanted to use it on a card.  It's been sitting at my desk since then, and I finally am using it today. 

I cut out a window in a Kraft mat with a die from Label Basics and ran the mat through my Big Shot with the Woodgrain Impression Plate.  The sentiment is from Tremendous Treats: Valentine.  After inking up the edges to the Kraft mat, I adhered it to my card base of Pure Poppy.  The charm is able to freely move around on the card.  I didn't want to secure it down. 

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place today!  More later!

Lee Anne

PTI Anniversary - Day 7

Nichole challenged us today to create something with hearts - in honor of Valentines and of Melissa Bickford new stamp series - "Heart to Heart." 

I have a lot of ideas in my head, and I'm hoping between a basketball game, laundry and cleaning I will be able to get more accomplished than this clean and simple card.  The prize package is awesome and I don't own one of the products that are listed in the give-away.  And I would really love to win this one.  Really.

A few weeks ago I stocked up on some heart buttons, so you may be seeing a lot of them. They are very cute - and there are several different types in one little package!

Here's my first card - of many, I, hope:

Simple Circles border die, Tiny Treats: Valentine (PTI)

See?  Clean and simple, right?  Hoping to be back later!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Day 1 - Erin

This one is for Erin. 

She always has a way of thinking outside the box and her inspiration today was no different.  I love the little scene she has behind the die-cut window in this card:

So, I wanted to do the same thing.  I tried using some Autumn Rose but it just didn't go with what I was thinking.  So, here's my final product to highlight Erin's unique inspiration:

I used Background Basics Retro, Little Bitty Bird and a sentiment from Everyday Button Bits for the card. I stamped the background in Spring Moss ink onto the same color of cardstock.  Having a Stamp-a-ma-jig sure does help with that!! After stamping the leaves on the Spring Rain cardstock, I colored them in and added a little sparkle with my Sakura Stardust pen.  The birds were diecut from Blueberry Sky felt and stamped with Enchanted Evening.

That wraps it up for me tonight.  I wish I could have highlighted all the members of the Design Team, but it's bedtime!

Thanks for hanging in there with me and my many posts today!

Lee Anne

Day 1 - Heather

Heather is up next!  I love how Heather uses Kraft on anything and can make a casual, vintage, or elegant project from Kraft paper.  I also love how she uses different colors on the Kraft paper and how she uses white on Kraft.  The colors seem to pop off the paper for Heather. 

Here's her project she highlighted today:

See what I mean?  Beautiful colors on Kraft paper.  A very beautiful layout!

Here's what I came up with to highlight the inspiration that Heather brings to me:

I used the same color combination as Heather did - Kraft, Ripe Avocado, Fine Linen and white.  The stamps are Turning a New Leaf and Healing Sentiments.  I used the small sunflower die for the flowers and some wooden buttons for the centers. 

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!  It's been a busy happy place today!

Lee Anne

Day 1 - Maile

Yes, it's me again.  This time I'm using inspiration from Maile Belles.  Now - here is a Clean and Simple cardmaker that can knock your socks off!  Her ideas for making something simple are very complex!  I love how she takes simple techniques and creates something so beautiful.  It leaves me wondering why I didn't think of the things she thinks of.  If I only had a brain.

Here is Maile's card she shared today:

I didn't want to totally copy her, so I used a die-cut to create the rainbow effect on my card and then used the same sentiment Maile used, but stamped it on the fillable frame die.  Here's mine:

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Lee Anne

Lisa Johnson

This is my second post for PTI's contest today.  You can read all about  it here.  This card is paying tribute to Lisa Johnson.  I love Lisa's designs because they are detailed enough to not be considered Clean and Simple, but are actually simple enough to use as inspiration for my own designs.

You can see Lisa's blog here.

Here is Lisa's card she chose as one of her favorites this year:

In her blog post she commented about not really loving Scarlet Jewel.  I totally agree with her on this.  The only reason I have any of the cardstock is because a friend of mine gave me a few sheets when she ordered hers.  So, using this color was really hard for me and thanks to Lisa, I kind of like it and now have to add it to my shopping list.

Yes, thanks, Lisa!

Here's my take on Lisa's inspiration:

I love how Lisa did the background on her card and wanted to use that idea too - along with the background stamping on the Mat Stack 4 die. 

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place - again tonight!

Lee Anne

PTI Anniversary Day 1

Today is Day One of the Anniversary Celebration at Papertrey Ink.  They are celebrating 5 years in business and about 3 years of getting all of my extra money every month.  I only regret that I didn't discover them sooner than 2009.  You can see all the festivities, contests and new product introductions at Nichole's blog. 

The contest today is to use one of the Design Team's favorite creations as inspiration.  To pick a favorite team member is kind of like asking a mother to pick a favorite child.  Each team member has their own personal style and contributions to PTI, and I can't pick a favorite. Some days I look to certain members for their color combinations; other days to another member for a clean and simple design.  Some days I want to concentrate on a technique I've seen them use, so I focus on that DT's blog.  Other days I want to use a certain stamp set in a creative way, so I turn to another blog.  There are too many reasons to list to love the girls that make up the team.  I turn to each one of them throughout the year for different things.  They never let me down.

Today, I chose to use Jess Witty's designs as my inspiration.  If you check out her blog here, you'll see why.  Here's the card I chose to use as my inspiration:

There are a lot of things going on in this clean card.  She used a die as a tool to emboss the background.  She used a great color combination and some simple sentiments.

Here's my card I made from the inspiration Jess gave:

I used the same technique Jess did to emboss the background with a die.  Because I didn't have the same stamp set that Jess used for her focal point, I used a Tag-Its stamp and heat embossed it on Pure Poppy.  I added two sentiments from Tiny Treats Valentine and Thing Big Favorites. The heart button has a bit of Pure Poppy twine tied through it. 

I have a funny story to share with you.  I was with my sister this weekend putting together a scrapbook to give to my aunt.  I needed a piece of Pure Poppy cardstock to mount a picture on, and I didn't see any in my stack.  I began to panic, "Where's my Pure Poppy?  Where's my Pure Poppy?"  I was so relieved when I found it and pulled out a piece.  My sister looks at me and says, "What?  It's just red!"

Silly, silly Sister.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Painting!

I have painters in and out of the house lately and things are scattered. I miss my stamps and dies and paper! Be back in a couple of days!

Day 4-Three Ways

Day 4

This was an exciting day in the Clean and Simple class.  I have a lot of stamps and finding different ways to use them - or even just thinking of different ways to use them makes me feel justified in purchasing them!  I wanted to use a background stamp like our teachers used, but didn't want to completely copy them by using the text style background.  So, I pulled out a set that I love, but hardly use - Gingham.

One example used the stamp as a background, and it was heat embossed.  I tried that technique here:

I stamped the background on white cardstock and heat embossed it with clear embossing.  Then, I used a blending tool to go over the embossing and give the background its color. 

The second card uses the same gingham stamp, but I used it to give pattern to the die-cut flower. 

The grass die and sun die are two dies from My Favorite Things.  I've had them for awhile, but this is the first I have used them.  I ran the center of the sun through the Xyron and pressed it in prisma glitter to give it some sparkle. 

My third card uses the same gingham stamp, but I used it as a background stamp on a smaller die-cut, similar to the way Julie used the stamp on the back of embossed flowers.

I stamped the gingham on Kraft in Fresh Snow ink and let it dry.  I heat embossed the frame with white embossing powder and added the stems, flower and sentiment.  I used the same white ink to color in the flower. I doubled up some green and rustic twine to tie and bow, and  I was lucky to find that heart shaped button in my stash that it would be the perfect finish for this card!

Jennifer has a challenging lesson for Day 5.  I'm thinking about skipping class, but I may end up giving it a shot!  We'll see.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Day 3-Tone on Tone

Day 3
I know.  I'm a bit behind, aren't I?  The class wrapped up yesterday and I'm just now posting for Day 3.  Jennifer hosted this challenge and had a great video.  She talked about the ease of using die cuts to create a tone on tone project.  Here's my contribution to this challenge:

Think Big Favorites, Leafy Vine border (Papertrey Ink)

As I've said before, I like to add as much detail as I can to the Clean and Simple design while still staying true to that philosophy.  I added the pearls to the smaller leaves to give a little sparkle to the card. 

Here's a detail shot:

My niece is here visiting this weekend.  She is quite the artist and crafter.  She sat next to me looking at the class PDFs and making notes in her sketchbook as I was making this.  I think just a little more nudging and I might have a partner in crime!

I'll be working on Day 4 now!  Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Day 2 - One Layer

Day 2

Today I'm bringing you cards inspired by last week's segment in the Clean and Simple card class.  Julie talked to us about visual triangles and creating layers without actually adding layers to the card.  After her video, I added a new tool to my shopping list and purchased the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  I had seen this mentioned on several blogs before, but frankly, it scared me.  It seemed to difficult to use and had too many steps to follow.  After seeing the ease that Julie used the tool, I knew I needed it.

So, I got it.  And used it on this card:

Everything's Owlright (Wilson Designs)

I masked the Polaroid stamp and owl, then used a blending tool to create the sky.  Then I stamped the Polaroid image and owl.  After coloring him in, I added the sentiment.

While stepping back to look at the card, a string fell on it.  When I brushed it away, I discovered that it was part of some ink.  So the bottom of the card was ruined.  I trimmed it off and added the circle border from the set on the inside of the card.  Every mess up is a chance for embellishment, right?

The second card for this day uses the visual triangle that Julie talked about.  Here it is:

After stamping the butterflies I added little dots of my Sakura Stardust pen to the circles on the butterfly.  I wanted to give it just a little extra detail.

I'm loving the class so far, even though I'm behind.  There are a lot of wonderful teachers and great techniques being highlighted.  Tomorrow I'll be back with Day 3 - where Jennifer taught us about nifty ways to use die cuts.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Clean and Simple Class

Day 1

Yes, I'm a week behind, and I'm going to be OK with that.  There were exactly 1,000,001 things I needed to do before attempting to sit down and create something for last Monday's beginning of the class in which I enrolled. 

I love sketches, so this was the perfect way to kick off the class.  Kristina gave us three to work with, and I challenged myself even more to make three cards using the same type of paper.

Here's what I came up with:

I like the Clean and Simple look and philosophy, but sometimes I like to take it one more step and add a little something extra to the card - IF I have time.  So on the first card, I added some stitching.  On the second, I added a layered button, and on the third card I heat embossed the sentiment and then ran the panel through with an impression plate. 

Here are a few close ups:

So, now I'll move on to Day 2 and 3 and see what I can come up with!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Tooth Fairy

My son has been eagerly anticipating his first loose tooth.  It seems that most everyone in his class has lost a tooth - some even 9 teeth.  We have checked every night for almost a year and not one little wiggle - until last week.  He felt a tooth wiggle; I felt a tooth wiggle.  We both thought we were wiggling the same tooth until a few nights ago when we realized he had TWO loose teeth! 

This morning at 5:45 a.m. he entered my room, turned on the light which blinded me and exclaimed, "Mommy, you HAVE to see this!"  It was his little tooth.  He wiggled it until it fell out.

So, I felt the need to make him something for this tooth.  Thanks to a good friend, she mentioned that Martha had an easy project for just this occasion.  You can see Martha's project here.

Here's mine:

I copied Martha's design but used some of my husband's jeans as the pillow.  This makes it all the more special for my little boy.  The tooth is cut from Vintage Cream felt from PTI.  It's a little pocket to slip the tooth in and allows room for the Tooth Fairy to slip in some money.

What's the going rate for a tooth these days?

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place today.  Hopefully, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program of cards and layouts tomorrow. 

Coordinating bookmark

Here is the second project I submitted to Paper Crafts.  It's a coordinating bookmark for the card I posted yesterday.  I used the same Vintage Notepad stamp from Market Street Stamps, but this time I used Lawn Fawn's Smitty's Alphabet to build the sentiment.  The apple was die cut from cardstock instead of felt this time.  This bookmark measures 7-3/4 x 2-5/8inches.  I used the same ruler ribbon.  I just love it!

I'm short on words today!  I'll be back tomorrow to share my last school project I submitted. Then, I'm hoping to share some cards from the current online class that I'm taking - Clean and Simple cards.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Back to School?

Yes, I know.  It's January, not August.  And believe me, no one is happier about that than I am.  I will take this 45 degree weather over the 114 degrees we had last summer.  It's almost glorious outside.  My students are still wearing shorts and flip flops to school and that makes me giddy.  I'd have the flip flops on too if it weren't for a horrible need for a pedicure. Maybe next week.

Paper Crafts recently had a call for their summer issue, and Back to School items were requested.  I made a few things to submit, and I get to show them to you over the next couple of days. 

Here's one card:

Vintage Notepad background(Market Street Stamps), Signature Greetings (PTI)

I used a great background stamp on this one - the Vintage Notepad from Market Street Stamps.  It's one large stamp that fits on my stamp press. I love it and have used it a lot.  The sentiment is from PTI - meant for a birthday.  I try to dig through some birthday stamps to see how I can use them in a different way.  This one is perfect for teachers during Back to School time.

I'll be back tomorrow with the coordinating bookmark I made for this card. 

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!