Valentine's Window Card

Okay, well have you ever had a concept in your mind for a project, thinking, "Oh sure...this will take one hour...perhaps 90 minutes...TOPS!"



Uh-huh.



So did I.



And then I started this project.



I got a Martha Stewart circle cutter in the hopes of making my window cards easier. I didn't have much luck with it! (Not to say that others haven't had luck... I've heard some good success stories)



So, I tried my Nestabilities... and wasn't happy with the fact the circles weren't centered.



(At this point, I've lost count how much Stampin' Up! Bravo Burgundy paper through which I've gone!)



I remember I actually OWN a Pazzles machine and through a lot of blood, sweat and tears (mostly tears), I figured out how to cut a perfect, CENTERED circle! WOOT! :)



The results are what follows...

A close-up...

An even CLOSER look... LOL

A side view to show the dimension... :)

Thanks for looking! :)



Recipe:

Stamps: Swirl Heart Open (Rubber Stampede), Darling Dots (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Regal Rose, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Other: ATG, Scalloped Circle Punch, Regular Circle Punch, Pazzles Inspiration machine, Dimensionals

Happily Ever Challenged #1 Winner announced!

I apologize for my tardiness of this post! Time flew today and I completely forgot about this contest. :(



Anyway, I drew a few numbers (the first couple of attempts were comments that didn't have the link to their projects) and the first qualifying number was...



*drum roll*



TWELVE!



So Lori wins the $10 PTI gift certificate!! :)



Here's her entry:



http://smilingwhilestamping.blogspot.com/2009/12/happily-ever-challenged.html



Please consider checking out her entry... it's a great project!



I want to thank EVERYBODY who participated and made this a fun challenge. I think I may do this again next month (which is only a day away...YIKES!).  :)  I'll try to allow more time.



Lori, if you contact me, I'll make arrangements to get your PTI goodie to you ASAP! :)



Thanks again, all!

Praying For You - A Card

Yep, more sewing... :)



This actually started as a friend asking me to show her how I sew on cards (she can hardly believe we can sew paper!)... and the rest is history.

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps: Borders & Corners: Squares (Papertrey Ink), Thoughts & Prayers (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Old Olive and Whisper White (Stampin' Up!), New Leaf Paper (Papertrey Ink)

Other: ATG, Scalloped Square Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Sew Mini, Dimensionals

My first attempt at airbrushing...

Well, I purchased a small air compressor from Harbor Freight hardware and wanted to try out some airbrushing with my Copic Sketch markers.



At the time, I only had about six (6) of them, so I had limited choices... (yes, as you can see, including not having GREEN! LOL)

nyway, I used a stencil and liked how this turned out... so made a card out of it.



But yes, I have a LOT more practice needed!



Thanks for looking!

A close-up of the airbrushing...

Recipe:

Stamps: Mega Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Orchid Opulence (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Orchid Opulence, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Other:  Air compressor, Copic markers, Terracotta Tile Saddle stitch ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Dimensional, Key Tag Punch (EK Success), Zots, ATG

Happily Ever Challenged #1

Well, it's been a while since I've posted on here (I got the upgrading-from-XP-to-Windows-7 blues!) and I'm happy to say that I think much is back to normal (not sure if that's a good thing??!)



Anyway, I thought I'd start something fun.  :)



Here is the official first Happily Ever Challenged (HEC) #1!



Since Boxing Day is Saturday, December 26, I thought this would be an appropriate time to issue all of you a challenge! :)



Your task is to create a box (any type of box really) from card stock (or other type of stiff paper) and showcase it on your blog. :) You've seen me do it recently, so if I can do it, pretty much ANYBODY can do it! *grin*  :)



What's in it for you, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked. Besides the satisfaction of knowing that you've created a box that can be handy for storing little gifts and the like, you can actually earn a $10 gift certificate to Papertrey Ink!! :)  Woot!



Here is a pretty good resource on box tutorials:



http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/results/d04e309bdb72ae7773f40e699589d6d4/



And I'm sure you can find other tutorials on YouTube, etc.  :)



Here are the rules/guidelines:



1. You must create the box out of card stock and/or other stiff paper. No cardboard allowed. :)

2. Decoration isn't mandatory, but sure adds to the presentation, don't you think?! :)

3. Post images and description (including where you got the tutorial for others to see) on your blog.

4. In the same post (where you put the images of the box), put a link back to this post (in case others want to participate) :)

5. In a comment to this post, leave a link to your project.



On Thursday, December 31 (New Year's Eve) at about 8:00 AM PST (give or take a few minutes!) I will draw a random number (using a nifty Internet randomizer!) and will post the winner in another post.



That person will have until midnight, January 2 to contact me; I'll just need that person's email address to send the electronic Papertrey Ink gift certificate.  :)



Any questions? Just ask in the comments! :)



Happy boxing!  ;)



Edited to add: While I love ALL comments folks, please know that the quidelines above need to be met in order to qualify for the gift certificate. In other words, if the number randomizer chooses your comment, but you didn't follow the guidelines, I will randomly choose another number until a comment meets those qualifications above. :) It's to be fair to everybody. Thanks for understanding! :)

Ted learns how to box!

Or at least make boxes. ;)



I've been on a box-making kick and it's been a lot of fun building up my "box" arsenal (translated: binder with a section dedicated to projects).



I first discovered how to make this really cute Ghirardelli box... (here's the tutorial)



http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/ghirardellibox/



I thought it would be great to make these for some of my fellow teachers and other school staff members. Oh, and these would make GREAT party favors:

Close-ups:

and

A side view:

With the yummies inside (it holds three Ghirardelli squares):

 I also found how to make a mini pizza box:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/pizzabox/

And this is a GREAT little box that can hold many things. :)

I learned that a friend (Kathleen) likes milk chocolate, so I plan on filling it with Hershey kisses. :)

I used a small circle punch to make a little notch to open it more easily:

 Here's a shot of the box partly open...

And all the way open...

 Here's another version... I'm happy with the color combination...

Thanks for looking!  :)

(Too many different supplies to list!)  ;)

With Sympathy

Our school's primary PE teacher's mother recently lost her battle with cancer and I wanted to do something for her, so I created this card one morning when I woke up, before getting ready for work.

 A close-up of the heat embossing:

A close-up of the buttons:

A close-up of the focal image. Here I used the "poppin' pastels" method (video done by Dawn) will follow:

Thanks for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree (Stampin' Up!), With Sympathy (from my stash) 

Ink: Really Rust,  (Stampin' Up!) Versamark (for embossing)

Paper: Sage Shadow, Really Rust, Whisper White, Really Rust DSP, Handsome Hunter (all Stampin' Up!)

Other: Pastel Chalks, (Stampin' Up!), Buttons (from my stash), Rustic twine (Papertrey Ink), Ticket Punch (EK Success), ATG, Embossing powder, Heat tool

Sending You A Folded Hug

This is just a fun card I created for a friend for Valentine's Day (yes, I saw all the pink and declared it's a Val. Day card!)  :P

A close-up of the embossing...

A close-up of the focal images...

A close-up of the smaller sentiment on the card's front...

Thanks for looking! :)

Recipe:

Stamps: Guidelines, Big & Bold Wishes (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Pixie Pink, Real Red,  (Stampin' Up!) Versamark (for embossing)

Paper: Gridlines (Papertrey Ink), Pixie Pink, Real Red (all Stampin' Up!)

Other: Red Glitter embossing powder, Heat tool, 1 1/4" circle punch (EK Success), 1 1/2" circle punch (EK Success), 1 3/4" circle punch (EK Success), 2" scallop circle punch (EK Success), Dimensionals, ATG

Christmas gift for a friend

I decided to create a stationery set (first time for me!) for my buddy's girlfriend for Christmas. :)



While I'm happy how the cards turned out, I'm displeased with how the photos turned out! :( I tried my new light box and that was a joke ($16 wasted!) so I decided to just do my best. :)



Thanks for looking!



Here they are:

May be hard to see, but the ribbon and ladybug are Mellow Moss (Stampin' Up!)

The greens here are Certainly Celery (again, Stampin' Up!)

The greens here are Old Olive (SU!) and the orange is Only Orange (SU!)

Blue is Baja Breeze (I think?!) from Stampin' Up!

Can't remember the colors I used here. LOL!

I think the yellow is Barely Banana (SU!)































And a recap:

The polka dot paper (which I LOVE!) is from Papertrey Ink and I think it's called Polka Dot Parade. Love the colors!



The stamps I used are "Darling Dots" (a hostess set from SU!)



I hope Susie likes this. :) I think I'll tie them all with a large ribbon and wrap them in a box. :)

Snail Mail For You

One of my first Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamp sets... "Vintage Picnic Basket"... love it!

A close-up of the focal point (basket):

Here's a closer look at the sentiment...

And only because I'm new to sewing on cards and I'm proud of my stitching... *grin*

Thanks for looking! :)

Recipe:

Stamps: Vintage Picnic (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip DSP (all Stampin' Up!)

Other: Sew Mini sewing machine, ATG, Dimensionals, Button (from stash), Rustic Twine (PTI), Prisma watercolor pencil (to color basket)

Thinking of You - Operation: Write Home

Recently, I came across a website:



Operation: Write Home



It's an awesome site where cardmakers can give back to our U.S. troops overseas. Basically, we make handmade cards and send them to a few select women. They then box them and send them to the troops. It's a wonderful cause and I encourage you to check out their site and consider helping out in any way possible. :) (Be sure to read their guidelines, please!)



I made this card for them and will send it off when I create a few more. :)

A close-up of the flower:

 

A close-up of the sentiment:

Thanks for looking! :)



Edit to add: Due to a couple of questions, I should state that the flower already came printed like that. :) I'm not THAT good to stamp something that neatly! ;) Thanks for the compliments! :)

Recipe:

Stamps: Vintage Picnic Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Elegant Eggplant (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Garden Green, Whisper White, Garden Green DSP (all Stampin' Up!)

Other: Elegant Eggplant ribbon (Stampin' Up!), ticket corner punch, key tag punch, button from my stash, string from my stash, flower from my stash, ATG

Little Drummer Boy

*Warning: Sentimental sappy announcement coming!*



Ever since I was a little boy, I've LOVED "The Little Drummer Boy" song... always thinking how wonderful (albeit FICTIONAL) of a story on how important it is to give gifts to our LORD regardless of what they may be... even if it's playing a small drum weakly. :)



So, when I saw this stamp (I think at Joann's or Michaels?), I had to grab it! :)



Kim gave us a color challenge at FCTSC to use light blue and white.  :)

And here's a close-up:

The inside sentiment:

Thanks so much for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps: Bitty Backgrounds (Stampin' Up!), Drummer Boy and Inside Sentiment (from my stash)



Ink:  Brocade Blue and Bashful Blue (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Whisper White, Brocade Blue and Bashful Blue (Stampin' Up)

Other: Sew Mini, Nestabilities, Signo White Pen, Dimensionals, ATG