Card Portfolio - Kathleen

While perusing YouTube, I found this video by Angie Juda on making some cute monogram note cards:







She had an accompanying video on how to make a card portfolio (in which to keep the cards):







So I thought I'd try my hand on making some for my friend, Kathleen. :)

As it turns out, Kathleen's favorite color is green and since I was so inspired by Angie's Certainly Celery choices, I went with that. :)

 

Here's a shot of it opened:

And a shot displaying the four (4) notecards (two small, two larger):

And, finally, a close-up of the monogram of one of the note cards:

Overall, I had fun making these. I had to use the Nestabilities to make the circles and scalloped circles. If I wanted to mass-produce these for gifts, I'd much prefer to either use my Pazzles or have punches that would make this MUCH faster (you can only make one shape at a time with the Nestabilities). Ah well, I think they came out okay for my first attempt. :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!



Recipe:



Stamps: Fresh Alphabet, Butterfly Dreams, Borders & Corners: Circles (all Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up!)

Paper:  Whisper White, Certainly Celery (both Stampin' Up!)

Other:  Nestabilities; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder; ATG; Dimensionals; Ribbon (from my stash); hole punch

Thanks for the Lift

Well, I got to inking one of my newest stamp sets from Papertrey Ink. This one is called "Up, Up & Away" and it's a lot of fun. I do sort of wish the balloons were larger and perhaps there was a "Defying Gravity" sentiment attached... but perhaps someday, eh?  ;)



Here's the card:

I'm not sure if I did the sun entirely correctly. Wasn't sure if the "sharp" point of each sunray was at the sun or pointing out. Oh well. :)

Here's a close-up of the hovering cloud and sun:

And finally, a close-up of the balloons, all colored with Copics (not always fun for me!)  :P

Thanks for looking and/or commenting! :)



Recipe:



Stamps: Up, Up, & Away (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Real Red, Bordering Blue, Summer Sun, So Saffron, Yoyo Yellow (all Stampin' Up!)

Paper:  Cocnut Swirl (Bazzill); Bordering Blue (Stampin' Up!)

Other:  Copics; Hot Air Balloon and Clouds dies (Papertrey Ink); Dimensionals; ATG; Corner Rounder Punch

Thank You - Cherry On Top

Just a simple card I created using my Ric Rac die (from Papertrey Ink) and one of my favorite stamp sets (Everyday Button Bits). I finally broke out my Polka Dot Basics I set and inked it up.

Here's a close-up of the cherries and ric rac:

And a close-up of the front sentiment:

Finally, an inside look at the inside sentiment. :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting! :)



Recipe:



Stamps: Everyday Button Bits, Inside & Out: Thank You, Polka Dot Basics I (all Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Real Red, Glorious Green (both Stampin' Up!)

Paper:  Whisper White, Real Red (both Stampin' Up!); True Black (Papertrey Ink)

Other:  Rustic Twine, Ric Rac Die, Pure Poppy Buttons (all Papertrey Ink); Ticket Corner Punch (Stampin' Up!); Scallop Oval Punch; Zots; ATG

Happily Ever Challenged #7 - Summer Crafting, Some Aren't

Hello friends and happy Memorial Day weekend! :)



Well, it's that time of month again (kinda). Time for another HEC. This one is seasonably appropriate (in my humble opinion).



Here in California, we're used to having late May be warm. I mean... I should be wearing shorts right about now. I'm still wearing jeans and I have my jacket on when I go to work in the morning. This is crazy! *grumble*



So, I thought perhaps if my Happily Ever Buddies (that's you) could help me out, I'd appreciate it. I'd like to see some projects that warm me up. Here are the deets (details). ;)



You may create ANY project (card, box, blanket (for those cool JUNE days?!), journal, etc.) with one condition: You need to use "warm" colors. Here are your possible color choices:

So you can use any variations of the above (dark red, golden yellow, burnt orange, for example). But you must only choose from those colors. (ie. you can have just reds or reds and oranges, or all three colors). You're also allowed to use black and white for your sentiment (if any). :)  You may use buttons, ribbons, string, etc... but again, only from those colors.



Here are the usual guidelines:



1. You will post it on your blog or gallery.
2. You will then need to copy the URL of the BLOG POST (not your blog, but the actual post where you're featuring the project).

3. Add the URL and your NAME to the INLINKS below. :)

4. In your blog post, please direct others to this post so that they may participate!

5. The deadline is Wednesday, June 30 at around 3:00 PM PST.

6. I will choose a random number/winner then and post it.

7. The winner will have until Monday, July 5 to email me at happilyevercrafter at gmail dot com. If I don't receive an email by then, I'll re-draw a number and so on.

8. Only one entry per person, please. :)



As always, the winner will take home a *drumroll*

TEN DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATE TO PAPERTREY INK!  :) WOOT!!

So get into your craft area and get HOT with creativity! :)

Happily Ever Challenged #6 - WINNER DECLARED!!

Wow, I was so very much impressed, and grateful for the enthusiasm for this month's HEC. I have to admit... I was a bit nervous to see that after a week, I only had a few participants. I thought perhaps there was no interest and I'd consider stopping it. I'm thankful for everybody who participated!



Each entrant was so unique and I'm glad that you enjoyed this unique challenge. As stated in the original challenge, the winner will have until Monday, May 31... you know what? No... it's Memorial Day weekend here in the States. Let's give the entrant until Tuesday, June 1 to notify me at



happilyevercrafter at gmail dot com



They'll have until 3:00 PM PST on Tuesday, June 1, to notify me. I'll need their email address to where I should send the PTI gift certificate.



Oh. You want to know who the winner is, don't you? Okay... let's have our traditional drumroll and fanfare!



*insert traditional drumroll and fanfare here*



The winner is....

Yay! The crowd goes wild! (or at least Georgie and I do!) Congratulations, Georgie for your awesome win. :) Please notify me by the date and time above and I'll make arrangements to send you off your $10 PTI Gift Certificate!

Baby Card - Giraffe

Hello all. :)



Well, I must be on a baby card kick because I was browsing through my collection of stamps and came upon a cute little stuffed giraffe stamp that I had purchased (and forgot about!) from Michaels. I recently watched a video from Gina at StampTV (love her tutorials!) and thought I'd stretch my neck out and try her technique (*dodges the flying tomatoes for the neck and giraffe pun*)



Here's the video:







And here's my card. I'll admit at first attempt, I didn't cut up to the correct point on the little guy's neck and the circle wasn't "complete". Tossed out that one and tried again with a bit more success. :)

I'm pretty pleased with the results. Here's a close-up of the focal image:

I'm not that crazy about my cutting job... especially around his head (ears, horn, etc.) Those are quite intricate and were rather difficult to cut. :)



Here's a close-up of my buttonwork. A bit different than what I usually do:

I love this technique and will definitely do it again! :) Very fun and I like the results.



Thanks very much for looking and/or commenting!



Recipe:



Stamps: Giraffe (from my stash, purchased at Michaels)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Paper:  Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Apricot Appeal, Apricot Appeal Designer Series Paper (all Stampin' Up!)

Other:  Copics; Nestabilities; Lemon Tart Button, Dark Chocolate Topnotch Twill, Rustic Twine (all Papertrey Ink); Corner rounder punch; Zots; ATG; Dimensionals

Baby Card - Sweet Pea

Well, an employee at my local Best Buy just let me know that he and his wife are expecting their first child in November. I know... why is that special to me? Well, the Best Buy has been there for about 10 years and actually this employee was the first employee who helped me when I entered. So, for the last 10 years, this young man has sold me many of my toys, but he's also shared with me about his proposing to his girlfriend, their engagement, and their wedding. It's kind of neat. He's a really great guy and I wish him and his wife the best.  :)



I decided to ink up Baby Button Bits (from Papertrey Ink) once again... it's a really fun set! :)

The card base is Green Gable paper and the mat is Orchid Opulence (both from Stampin' Up!). I used the Cuttlebug and my trusty Swiss Dots embossing folder to give it a nice "baby blanket" type texture. :)



Here's a close-up of the adorable sweet pea image. I used a Nestabilities oval to cut and also emboss:

And a close-up of the sentiment:

Thanks for looking and/or commenting! :)



Recipe:



Stamps: Baby Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Gable Green (Stampin' Up!)

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

Other:  New Leaf Buttons, Rustic Twine (both Papertrey Ink); Certainly Celery Grosgrain ribbon, Word Window Punch (both Stampin' Up!); Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Folder (both Provo Craft); ATG; Dimensionals

A Guide for Guys Project #3 - Birthday

Well, finally got around to creating a birthday card as part of my guide to creating cards for the men in your life.

Nothing fancy, but then again... it's for a guy, right? :) Perish the thought! ;) I did want to try a different color than green with my kraft base, so went with Ballet Blue (from Stampin' Up!) (sorry if it looks a bit lavender here... still figuring out the best way to photograph my cards. :) )

Here's a close-up of the buttons. Now, before you think: "Gasp! Buttons on a guy's card? Well, yeah... we men actually USE buttons from time to time. I mean how else do we keep our trousers up? Suspenders?! The key is to make the buttons NOT the focus on the card... and the smaller the better. I would have LOVED to use wooden buttons, but I have none...so there you have it. The blue in this picture is more true to life...

And yes, you do notice the stitching there, don't you? Well, that was a last-minute thought and I figured that it's a nice separator from the Distressed Stripes (Papertrey Ink) and the focal area. :) Nothing frilly... just a nice zig zag stitch.



And now a close-up of the great distressed sailboat from PTI's Masculine Motifs:

And another final shot of the angled card:

Thanks for looking and/or commenting. I'm hoping that you are getting something out of this series. Of course, everybody has their own take on how to "do" a "guy" card. This is just mine. :)



Recipe:



Stamps: Distressed Stripes, Masculine Motifs (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Ballet Blue, Not Quite Navy (both Stampin' Up!)

Paper:  Kraft (Papertrey Ink); Ballet Blue (Stampin' Up!)

Other:  Hawaiian Shores buttons, Rustic Twine (both Papertrey Ink); Zots, ATG, Sew Mini

Thank You - Sweet Peas

Well, I finally got around to inking up my Year of Flowers: Sweet Pea (from Papertrey Ink). You would think I'd have done it sooner... seeing as it's my birth flower!

Since I have a shortage of thank-you's, I figure I should make it a card to show my appreciation.

I used Copics to color it (I'm sure that's obvious LOL!)  :)

Here's a close-up of the image. I think I could have done a better job with the Copics... but I think, overall, I'm getting better. Practice, practice, practice!  :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting! :)

Recipe:



Stamps: Year of Flowers: Sweet Pea, Mega Mixed Messages (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Paper:  Coconut Swirl (Bazzill); Gable Green, Glorious Green, and Lavender Lace (all Stampin' Up!)

Other:  Copic markers; Fillable Frames #1 die (Papertrey Ink); Signo white pen; Dark purple rhinestones (Queen & Co.); Ticket corner punch (Stampin' Up!); Corner rounder; ATG; Dimensionals

Monkey Nuggets!

No, it's not what you think...

A little background about my class. I teach 4th grade and my class mascot, for the last few years, has been the Monkeys! (and sometimes they live up to their names!) ;) Our class color is purple.

So, as we approach the end of the school year, I want to send my volunteers a small gift of appreciation.

Enter... Papertrey Ink's Limitless Labels.



Warning: I'm about to sound like a commercial for this stamp set!

It's so wonderful! I'll admit... when I first became a PTI fan and learned about nuggets and labels I thought, "Meh... big deal. Labels on chocolates." But let me tell you... these are SO easy (once you mass produce the labels!)...

What you'll need:

1. The Limitless Labels stamp set from Papertrey Ink. (Obviously! ;) )

2. Labels that are 1" x 2 5/8" (I got mine at Office Depot - package of 25 sheets, 30 labels per sheet = 750 labels).

3. Various ink colors, etc.

4. Hershey's Nuggets (found mine at Wal-mart, but have seen them also at Target). They go for about $3.00 for a bag (which contain, on average three dozen nuggets).

5. Optional: A hinged tin box (with window). You can get these also at Papertrey Ink for $2.00 each. I already had one (from a previous gift) so I wanted to try it out. I also have coming some from this company (Specialty Bottle) and here's the specific link. You can also use small bags, etc. to package your nuggets. :)



Of course, since it's Papertrey Ink, there are MANY versatile ways of making the labels.

What I did was stamp a sheet of 30 labels one way. Another sheet of 30 labels would be a different way... then I would alternate wrapping each candy with each label.

Here's a sheet of labels I did. (This takes the most time, in my opinion):

And here's a close-up of one of the labels:

You then just peel off the label and simply wrap it around one of the Nuggets like so:

(Obviously this is a different style label I made :) )

I then placed 12 in the tin, alternating labeled chocolates:

Then I wrap it around with some cute Monkey ribbon I found at Michaels... included a thank-you tag with the volunteer's name...and I'm done!

Also, here's a close-up of the cute monkey ribbon!

It's not a perfect purple, but beggars aren't choosers.  :)

Overall, I'm happy with the results. I only have about 12 or 13 more of these to make! But, as I said...they really aren't terribly hard and I think the volunteers will be pleased with them.

Thanks for looking and/or commenting! :)

Recipe:



Stamps: Limitless Labels (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Elegant Eggplant and Lavender Lace (both Stampin' Up!)

Paper:  Lavender Lace (Stampin' Up!)

Other:  Zots; Key Tag Punch (Stampin' Up!); 1" x 2 5/8" mailing labels (Office Depot); Ribbon (Checks, Dashes, Dots - Michaels); Hole punch; Hershey's Nuggets, Hinged Tin Box

Thank You - Daffodils

Taking a break from creating guy cards... :)



Our PTA throws together a very delicious, large luncheon for the school staff. I wanted to create a thank you card to let them know that it's very much appreciated! :)



Overall, I was happy with my Copic coloring but not altogether happy with the composition. I wanted to use felt and tried to use it differently.



Well, we can't always share our beautiful masterpieces, right?  ;)



Here's the card:

And here's a close-up of the daffodils, colored with Copic markers:

Thank you for looking and/or commenting! :)



Recipe:



Stamps: Year of Flowers - Daffodils; Faux Ribbon  (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Paper:  Cocunut Creme (Bazzil), Bordering Blue, Pixie Pink (all Stampin' Up!)

Other:  ATG; Zots; Dimensionals; Raspberry Fizz Felt, New Leaf Buttons, Rustic Twine, Large Scallop Die (all Papertrey Ink); Key Tag Punch (Stampin' Up!); Cuttlebug (Provo)

A Guide for Guys Project #2 - Get Well

Hello all,



Well, I promised this last night but time got away from me.



Here's my second part of a series for making masculine cards. Disclaimer: These are ONLY suggestions. Just because I happen to be a guy doesn't mean I know all there is about cardmaking for my own kind. ;) I just do what I feel is right and I hope you do the same. :) No "rules" to crafting, remember?



Here's the card with an explanation why I did what I did following:

REAL basic card... but I've wanted to try the technique of having the image "coming out of the boundaries" for a while now and am relatively pleased how this turned out. :)



A close-up:

I know you can see a hint of the foam dimensional but I promise you can't notice it if looking dead-on. :)



Okay... just some explanation:



Masculine get well cards have always been a challenge for me because we guys don't readily admit that we're not feeling well... instead, we just whine like babies. ;)



I went with leaves because they're pretty safe when it comes to masculine cards. The colors I chose were earth tones for the same reason. You'll notice I added nothing to the simple ribbon band. I knew I wanted to add a ribbon band to "tie it together", but no bow, no knot, etc. I figured with the leaves "sticking out" that was enough embellishment. In the next card I share in the series, there IS a knot...so they are possible. I would advise against bows, however.



The sentiment is small and simple and incorporates printing as well as some cursive. Printing is good... TOO frilly of font = not so good. Just my opinion.  :)



I want to thank you all for your kind comments regarding this series. I hope the tips help you in some way. :)



Recipe:

Stamps: Turning a New Leaf, Mega Mixed Messages (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Handsome Hunter, Chocolate Chip (both Stampin' Up!)

Paper:  Whisper White, Kraft, Handsome Hunter (all Stampin' Up!)

Other:  ATG; Zots; Dimensionals; Dark Chocolate Top Notch Twill Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

A Guide for Guys Projects #1 - For the Graduate - Christopher

When I learned that my second cousin, Christopher, was graduating from high school, I was happy for him and happy for myself, because I got to use my new For the Graduate set from Papertrey Ink.



Then... on the PTI forums, one of my fellow forumites, Nerina, asked me my advice on making "guy" cards... so I thought I'd maybe start a series on "guy cards"... giving my advice as I went along. :) My first attempt at making a "series" that is both educational and entertaining! (Okay... one out of two isn't bad).  :)



Okay...so let's start, shall we?



Here's the "guy" graduation card:

In choosing the colors, I took in a couple of factors: 1) It's for a guy... so I went to the blue family (especially since Christopher's school colors are navy and grey). 2) It's for a pre-college-aged guy... so I went for a darker blue (rather than a lighter blue that would be good for possibly a little boy).



I went for an argyle pattern because "guy" is the middle sound of "argyle". No, I kid. I went with argyle because the very shape of argyle...with its sharp diamonds and mathematic/geometric pattern just calls out "guy" doesn't it?



I made the pattern "irregular" because 18-year-olds are often too "cool" to have nice, clean patterns, right? Check out their clothes next time you see one and you'll know what I mean.



I wanted something to tie it together and didn't want to use a navy ribbon (too much navy for my taste), so I went with some rustic twine. No bow of course... just a simple knot... one that a guy would tie if he were tying twine.  ;)



Here's a close-up of the focal image:

Went with two shades of blue here. Dimensionals make the images pop off each other.



And a close-up of the twine and sentiment:

Not much to say here. When choosing a sentiment for a guy, there really aren't many limits... although with the font, less frilly is better... in this sentiment, I choose one that has a nice cursive start, but ends with printing. :)



I hope this helps you a bit when creating guy cards. They're not always easy, but I'll let you in on a little secret: we guys like getting cards almost as much as the ladies do. :)  Go for it... it'll get a smile out of us. I promise! :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!



Recipe:

Stamps: A Little Argyle, For the Graduate (all Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Brocade Blue (both Stampin' Up!)

Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)

Other:  ATG; Zots; Dimensionals; Rustic Twine (Papertrey Ink)

Happily Ever Challenged #6 - Eat Your Heart Out!

Hello everybody and happy May Day!



Wow, can you believe we're already in May? Not far from the halfway point of 2010! Eep! Where does the time go?!



This month's HEC is a bit different. I want to try something a bit more flexible and yet with some guidelines. (How's that for an oxymoron?!)  ;)



I call this a "Menu Challenge." Just like you choose an appetizer, then main course, then dessert, so shall it be with this Menu Challenge.



Here's what you do... you're going to create a project for any occasion. :) It can be for Mother's Day. It can be for Father's Day. It can just be a "Happy Summer!" day (or "Happy Winter!" for my followers south of the Equator! Brrrr!) Anything's game. It can be a card. It can be some wall art. It can be a box. It can be anything you choose. Must be paper, though. :)



Everything below will based on the LAST digit of the year you were born. So, for example, I was born in 1967. I'll be using "7" as my maitr'd! (not sure about spelling there!) :P For each part of the "meal" I'll refer to "7". Make sense?



Okay... tie the napkin around your neck... grab your fork and knife and let's dig in!



First, you need to choose an appetizer. But in this case, you're going to choose a color for the BASE of your project (card, box, whatever). Yes, you can add a mat that's a different color, but the base needs to be chosen from the menu below:



Appetizers - Base Color



1 = Black

2 = Brown

3 = Blue

4 = Green

5 = Yellow

6 = Orange

7 = Red

8 = Purple

9 = Grey

0 = White



So, for my example, my base will be RED.  :)



Main Course - For this part of your meal, you're going to use a PRIMARY TECHNIQUE on your card. Now, I realize that you may not know the technique assigned to you, but you have two options here: You can learn it! (always fun!) or you can choose another technique (I won't be too strict here).  :) I'd like to suggest that you choose a technique that perhaps you're NOT that comfortable with...just to stretch yourself. :) But I'll never know, will I?  ;) Some techniques are self-explanatory, and some you may need to do some searching for tutorials (such as YouTube, Google, etc.) to learn them. Kind of fun, really! :) Okay, without futher ado...



Main Course - Techniques



1 or 2 = Paper piecing (video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBZqaotihp4 )

3 or 4 = Heat Embossing (video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igCA0WmM5gA )

5 or 6 = Dry Embossing (Cuttlebug or Texturizing is fine here) Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z02uof-yibg )

7 or 8 = Sewing (faux stitching... ie. "drawing stitches" is fine here :) )

9 or 0 = Poppin' Pastels (BEAUTIFUL technique..here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPUNze_KNng )



And finally the dessert! Yum! No, I'm not going to ask you to dip your card into some tapioca. :) But I will ask that your PRIMARY EMBELLISHMENT or FEATURE will be chosen from our lovely dessert menu below. There's always room for Jell-O and there's sometimes room for buttons. (Hint: buttons last on your card longer than Jell-O, however!) You'll choose your primary embellishment, but it's okay if you want to add others. However, the larger, or more used embellishment should be from the list below! :)



Dessert - Primary Embellishment



1 = Buttons

2 = Floss, String, Thread

3 = Glitter

4 = Rhinestones, Bling

5 = Ribbon

6 = Coloring (eg. Copics, Markers)

7 = Beads

8 = Ric rac

9 = Flocking

0 = Felt



Okay, well, you're full and your tummy is ready to burst! But you forgot one thing! Tipping your waiter. :) (That'd be me!... I accept chocolate brownies most of the time!). But instead of sending me some brownies (I can't believe I typed that)... you're going to use the tipping table below to choose what type of MAIN IMAGE you'll use on your project. Again, you may not have any stamps or images that your number decides for you. That's quite okay! Choose another one. :) I won't mind. And yes, you can use other images, but the MAIN image should be in the family chosen:



Tipping Your Waiter - Main Image Selection



1 = Flower

2 = Leaves

3 = Animal

4 = Nautical (boat, anchor, sail, etc.)

5 = Kitchen (tea pot, pitcher, mugs, etc.)

6 = Vehicle (plane, car, boat)

7 = Shape (heart, circle, square, star)

8 = Tree

9 = Swirls (Damask, flourishes, etc.)

0 = Pattern (argyle, polka dot, stripes, plaid, etc.)



There you go! :)



I hope you have fun with this challenge and again... it's a challenge. If you can't/won't do what your birth year chose, then that's fine. :) Just have fun with this. :) And now for what you can win...



*drum roll*



A TEN DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATE TO PAPERTREY INK (www.papertreyink.com) !!!



Here are the other details:



1. You will post it on your blog or gallery.

2. You will then need to copy the URL of the BLOG POST (not your blog, but the actual post where you're featuring the project).

3. Add the URL and your NAME to the INLINKS below. :)

4. In your blog post, please direct others to this post so that they may participate!

5. The deadline is Friday, May 28 at around 3:00 PM PST.

6. I will choose a random number/winner then and post it.

7. The winner will have until Monday, May 31 to email me at happilyevercrafter at gmail dot com. If I don't receive an email by then, I'll re-draw a number and so on.

8. Only one entry per person, please. :)



Well, I can't wait to see with what you come up!

 

Bon apetit!  :)