hello!

I am officially on Spring Break - and it's a bit rainy outside - so that makes for a perfect day to get some crafting done!  I have a long list of cards and layouts I want to accomplish on my break, and here is the first one finished:

I wanted to use a new die I picked up from Archivers last week.  I haven't jumped on the hexagon bandwagon yet, so this is a first for me.  I diecut the shapes from a piece of cardstock for a negative effect.  I placed some gingham paper from A*Muse in the background and popped up the panel to add dimension.  The stamp is from My Favorite Things "Say What?" set. 

CAS-ual Fridays has a challenge this week to use color blocking.  You can get all the details and submit your card by clicking here. 

And Cath, over at Moxie Fab World is celebrating lots of trends this month with the release of Card Creations 11.  This one is for her challenge to use negative die-cuts.  You can see all the details if you click here!

Off to check some more things off my crafty list!  Be back soon!  Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Lots of Love

This is my second post today!

I had a lot of inspiration for this card.  First, the challenge over at CAS-ual Fridays is to create our own stamped background - the Wallpaper challenge. This week the sponsor is Ellen Hutson.

 I also found the colors that Lizzie Jones posted in this month's PTI Newsletter just beautiful, and her sample card for the color-play makes me want to get Fancy Folk Art stamp set even more than I already did.

And finally, the challenge this week for Make It Monday is to glitter up some trim!

So, with all of that, I created this card:

Sending You stamp set, Angled Labels and Leafy Vine Border dies (PTI)

I wanted to create a different type of fold today.  I stamped the flowers and leaves in Terracotta Tile, Summer Sunrise and Ripe Avocado.  The centers were stamped with Harvest Gold ink.  For the Soft Stone color, I outlined all the stamping with a C1 Copic marker.  It doesn't show up very well in the photos.  I inked all the edges with some Tea Dye duo and then popped up the sentiment panel.  On the right side, I made a panel for the Leafy Vine diecut.  After cutting it out, I spread some Diamond Stickles on it and let it dry.  This was my second attempt at glittering that border.  The first time, I ran it through my Xyron and sprinkled Prisma Glitter on it.  It lost the Ripe Avocado color, even with heat setting it.  I think the stickles worked a lot better.  The inside of the card is decorated a bit as well.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

You Make Life Brighter!

I have a card today that fits two challenges - this week's Make It Monday from PTI and Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge. 

Make It Monday is all about glitter borders, and you can see Dawn's video and play along at the link above.

Paper Smooches challenged us this week with this photo:

I used the inspiration and my favorite Paper Smooches set, Giddy Bugs, to create this:

I stamped the fireflies on Harvest Gold cardstock, gingham patterned paper, and vellum.  Then I paperpieced the two bugs on the Blueberry Sky mat, rolling up the vellum wings a little. After diecutting the grass, I ran it through my Xyron and then poured glitter on it.  The clouds from Up, Up and Away were stamped with Fresh Snow ink.  I popped up the heart and used my Sakura pen to add a little sparkle to the bugs' faces and tails. 

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Giddy Bugs (Paper Smooches), Up, Up and Away (PTI)

Cardstock: Blueberry Sky, Harvest Gold, New Leaf (PTI)

Patterned Paper:  Gingham (A*Muse)

Dies:  Grass (MFT), Tiny Tags (PTI)

Ink:  Summer Sunrise, Blueberry Sky, Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow (PTI)

Other: Glitter, Sakura pen

Let It Go!

Click here for challenge details!

I have a couple of more cards for this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays.  The challenge is to use silver on our projects, and is sponsored by:

Click here!

As I was browsing Pinterest the other day, I ran across this little gem:

Credit

I knew it would make a great card for any number of my friends, so I created this:

Closed card

Open card

I stamped part of the sentiment with Lawn Fawn's Smitty's Alphabet stamps, and tucked in the colorful part of the sentiment with die cut letters. (PTI's Block Alphabet)  The balloon tail is the silver part of the card to fit CAS-ual Friday's theme this week, along with the silver beads to mimic the reflection on the balloon.  If you look closely, you can see that I inked the edges of the cloud to create the "silver lining," because we all know that every cloud has one.

As I was going back through Pinterest re-searching for the original picture I had found, I ran across this second little gem:

I searched for this link, but couldn't find it!

So, before I put away my ballon die and silver embossing powder, I created this:

Again, the balloon string is the silver here that fits CAS-ual Friday's challenge.

I need to make at least 25 more of these cards.  Just to leave around my friends' classrooms!

Click on the link above to participate in this week's challenge!  It's a fun one!

 

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!

Hi-Ho Silver

Click here for challenge details!

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to use silver on our projects, and is sponsored by:

Click here!

Unfortunately, I have the need for a sympathy card, so I pulled out one of my favorite butterfly stamps to create this:

Butterfly Dreams, Sending You (PTI)

I stamped the butterflies and the sentiment in Versamark and then heat embossed them with silver embossing.  I wanted to add a little more detail to the card, so I pulled out one of my favorite edger punches from my much-neglected drawer and used it on the Enchanted Evening panel and Soft Stone base.  I like the swirl pattern in the largest butterflies and how the embossing powder highlighted that detail. 

I have another idea for this week's challenge and I hope to get it completed before the deadline!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

 

Hello, Friend!

Click here for details!

I was off today, so I was able to actually participate in another Make It Monday!  Very excited about that.  This week, Ashley coached us on how to make those trendy pinwheels.  In her first card, she used felt, which I had never thought of before, so I had to try it out.

Here's what I came up with:

I used a Terracotta Tile base, Kraft mat, Enchanted Evening tag, and the Terracotta Tile felt.  The sentiment is from one of the Flower Fusions.  I also used the pinked square in Limetless Layers Squares to create the pinwheel - which was a lot easier than I ever thought it would be.

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

Here for You

Click here for details!

I have one more card that I made today, and it will fit two of Nichole's challenges this week.  I was inspired by Heather's sympathy card using Through the Trees, but just hadn't had time to put something together.  

Today's post by Nichole, gave me a chance to work on it and use watercoloring at the same time.  

I stamped the tree leaves in Versamark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  After it cooled, I mixed up some Simply Chartreuse ink from a reinker with some water and used a large circular paint brush to add color to the leaves.  After stamping the text at the bottom, I did the same thing to add color.  I added the sentiment, some twine, buttons and inked around the edges, and I was done!

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!  Now I have to go and wrap a shoebox and convince my son he needs to add something to it for it to be a Valentines Box!  Maybe he'd like to watercolor too!

Watercoloring

It's Day 8 of PTI's Anniversary Celebration.  I haven't participated in nearly as many challenges as I wanted to, but my heart has been there.  The clock is not my friend, however.  Today, I had to keep my son home from school.  He had a fever last night and early this morning.  I was happy that Nichole's challenge today involved creating something.  I needed a little something to do.  I'd hate to have to clean the house and do the laundry.

Her challenge was to use some type of watercoloring on a project, and here's what I came up with:

I used several of my reinkers and watered them down.  Then I took a brush and covered the front of a piece of Rustic Cream cardstock.  The sentiment from Up, Up and Away was perfect for this card.  I finished it off with some Rustic Twine and a button.

You can see everyone's projects and the inspiration from the team if you click here. 

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

PTI Design Team Inspiration

Five cards.
Two hours.
That's a bit ridiculous for me, considering it takes me two hours to make one card sometimes.  But, it's easy to do when I have the PTI team to inspire me.

Today is the first day of the Anniversary Celebration at Papertrey Ink, and I'm so happy that all the members of the design team have signed on for another year.  They all bring so many different styles to the team!  Today's challenge was to peruse the DT's favorite projects from the past year and find inspiration for our own projects.  Some, I downright copied; others I used loosely.

First up, Christina:

Christina's card

 

My card!

I've had this cover plate for a couple of weeks and haven't used it yet.  Now, that I have, and thanks to Christina, I'm in love! 

Christina's card

Mine!

The inside!

I didn't want to completely copy Christina, so I used her card design as inspiration.  I don't use On the Couch nearly enough.

Onto Betsy.  Honestly, she gets me every time with her release projects and Make It Monday videos!

Betsy's card

Mine!

You can't really see it in the picture, but I did use the canvas impression plate on the kraft panel.  I wanted it to look like sand.  I only have the flip flop dies - no stamp set.  I probably need to do something about that.

Here's Maile!

Maile!

Mine!

I was losing daylight with this picture, but I think it turned out.  I used the woodgrain impression plate on the card base and added the ribbon to ground it.


And finally, Jess.  She's a fellow Texan, so she'll always hold a special place in my crafting heart.  I loved this card of Jessica's when she made it, and never have followed through in recreating it...until now!

Jess

Mine!

I used Aqua Mist as a background and a sentiment from Scattered Showers.

There are a few things I would change about some of the cards I created, but in two hours, I think I did pretty well.  I'm happy I was able to get so many completed from the great inspiration the DT brings!  You can see all the DT's favorites here! 

Thanks for visiting My Happy Place!

P.S.
I got one more made tonight, which was my goal!

Debbie Olson inspired me with this awesome project:

Debbie's

And here's my take on it:

Raspberry Fizz is not used nearly enough in this house!

OK, I'm done now...really.