Flower Pot Card and Flower Birthday Wishes

I REALLY need to read challenges better.  :(



I created the following card for a challenge at Play Date Cafe and the challenge was "color splash". Little did I read that the chosen color was GREEN!  :(



And another card I made, for the "Embellish" blog challenge also was a flop. The challenge was "Use pink, green, brown, and a bird." Well, I did use those colors...forgot the bird.  :(



So, here I present my flops. *sigh*



The first one is the flower pot "color splash".

A close-up of the flowers:

And a close-up of the flower pot:

Here's the second card on which I thought I only had to use pink, green, and brown:

A close-up of the flowers (done with felt and paper :) ):

And a close-up of the sentiment (hard to see but the ribbon is brown):

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!







Flower Pot Card -

Stamps:None

Ink:None

Paper:Smokey Shadow, 2009 Bitty Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink); Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Other: 5-petal flower punch, Scallop edge punch (both EK Success); Oopsy Daisy flower punch (Fiskars); Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); ATG, Dimensionals.



Birthday Wishes Card -

Stamps:Daily Designs Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink); Chocolate Chip, Old Olive DSP (both Stampin' Up!)

Other: Ripe Avocado felt, Raspberry Fizz felt (both Papertrey Ink); Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Key Tag punch, 5-petal flower punch (both EK Success); Oopsy Daisy flower punch (Fiskars); Zots; ATG



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Happily Ever Challenged #9 - The Big Easy

Well, can you believe that it's already August? I can't. I don't want to. Know why? I don't want to believe it's August because that means that my summer vacation comes to an end and perhaps it's a self-imposed denial!  ;)



I'm kidding. I'm thankful to God that I have a job in this economy and that He trusts me with the care of His children for ten months out of the year. Quite an honor and quite a responsibility!



So, seeing as this is the month of preparing for back to school, I would imagine that many of you are also going to spend much of this month preparing your children to get back to school.



So, what do you say we all keep this challenge, easy? Sound good?  :)



Okay...here's the HEC for August:



You are to create ANY project (card, scrapbook layout, box, etc....) but you MUST keep it simple! What does that mean?



It means that you may ONLY use stamps or pens to write or create images on it.



That's right. No additional layers (it must only be ONE layer, no more) and no buttons, ribbon, glitter, flowers, ric rac, bling, etc. JUST stamps or images and writing created by markers, colored pencils, etc.



Maybe easy, maybe not... depending on your style.  ;)



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 Saturday, August 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 Thursday, September 2 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 lucky winner will have the opportunity to get a *applause*

TEN DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATE TO PAPERTREY INK DOT COM!!

And you'll have a chance to place a shiny blinkie that declares to the entire world that you're a HEC winner! ;)



I can't wait to see your EASY creations! ;) 



Edited (July 30) - Oops! Forgot to add the Inlinkz! Thanks for the reminder, Gayatri!  :)



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Happily Ever Challenged #8 - Winner Announced!

Wow, July seemed to have flown by! (Perhaps it's because it's my only, and LAST, full month of summer vacation! :( Ah well, with a new school year and a new batch of students means new challenges to sharpen my skills. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)



I am SO grateful for the turn-out this month with the HEC! I think it's because it was fairly simple (red, white, blue) and timely (being around the U.S. holiday of Independence Day). :) I'll need to remember that for future HECs, if I want this great turn-out!



Thanks to each and all of you who participated. It really means a lot to see such an interest in my challenges.



(Okay, Ted...enough rambling, already! Who won?! Who won?!)



Okay, okay....sheesh.  ;)



I went to my good buddy random.org and we both pulled up this number...

Woot! Nerina!!! My buddy from the PTI forums is the winner! :) She's having quite a month winning challenges, so it only figures her streak keeps going strong!  ;)  I'm happy for her!



Nerina, you will have until August 2 to email me at happilyevercrafter at gmail dot com with your email address to where you want your PTI gift certificate mailed, I'll get right on that!



Oh! I almost forgot!



There's a bonus starting this month!



I've created a handy dandy badge that the winner can proudly display on his/her blog if they so desire. :) (In fact, I'd appreciate it... as it would spread the word of my blog. :) )



Here's what the badge looks like:







Okay, I guess it's more a BLINKIE than a badge. :) I'm pretty proud, as I created it myself. Nothing special, but it dazzles you with its brilliance, doesn't it? *rolls eyes*



Nerina gets to have the maiden voyage blinkie on her own blog. Nerina, when you email me, I'll email you directions to putting it on your blog! :)



Happily Ever Yours,

 

Thoughts of You Boxed Set

Well, I had a lull between some challenges and thought I'd create yet another boxed set, should I muster up the courage to try to sell some of my creations at my school's holiday fair this fall. :)



I thought I'd try the color combination of rust and dark blue. I also wanted to try to create a different type of card and stumbled upon this video on YouTube (from StampTV):







Let me tell you, I LOVE this look and will be making more in the future. :)



Here are my creations:

And a close-up of one of the cards:

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: All Booked Up, Mailbox Greetings, Daily Designs (all Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Really Rust, Not Quite Navy (both Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Really Rust cardstock, Really Rust DSP, Whisper White (all Stampin' Up!)

Other: Mat Stack 3 Die, Enchanted Evening topnotch twill (both Papertrey Ink); ATG, Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Papertrey Blog Hop - July 2010

Wow! It's already time for another blog hop at Papertrey Ink:

And this month, here was our task:

So, I got two of my latest stamp sets (School Time and Library Card) from the July PTI release and went to work! :)

I'm not TERRIBLY disappointed with how this turned out, to be honest with you. I used my notebook edge punch (from EK Success) for the little notebook paper (compliments of School Time).

And for the library card (done on Kraft paper), it was kind of BLAH so I created a fake title of a book and some authors I happen to know.  ;)  It still looked blah, so I added a ribbon and small button. Now I'm not sure that was the wisest move!

And, you can't tell, but the Old Olive (Stampin' Up!) designer series paper is antiqued a bit with Vintage Touch (Papertrey Ink).

As I said, overall, I'm not THAT disgusted with the results. :)



Now, I'm off to see what my fellow PTIers are up to! To join us, go to Nichole Heady's blog and look for the thread she created for this blog hop. :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: School Time, Library Card, Mega Mixed Messages (all Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Not Quite Navy (all Stampin' Up!); Vintage Touch Duo (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive DSP (both Stampin' Up!); Kraft, Vintage Cream (both Papertrey Ink)

Other: Notebook Edge punch (EK Success); Corner rounder; Enchanted Evening topnotch twill, Ripe Avocado button, Rustic twine (all Papertrey Ink); ATG; Zots; Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Chocolate Chips and Challenges!

It's not often I can create a card that fulfills THREE (3) challenges, but I happened to do that! :) I'm pretty excited!



First, a run-down on the challenges:



1. CPS Card Sketches, asked us to create  a card from an interesting sketch that involved several mats. It was challenging, but I had a lot of fun and decided to keep it simple. Find all the details here.



2. The Play Date Cafe (PDC) issued us a challenge using some colors from one of the hostess's favorite Ireland hotels! :) I LOVED the colors...because I had a few stamp sets I've been dying to use together. Find out more about the challenge here.



3. Thirdly (but not lastly), MoxieFabWorld had a challenge for us to make a card that was "fun and cute". Okay... I'm a guy. I don't always do "fun and cute" cards, but I enjoy the opportunity to play when I get them! :) You can find the details here.



Okay...now onto my card. :)

I apologize for the dark background. The base of the card is black, so perhaps you may not see where it starts and the background ends!



Notice the two back panels? I love it... it's a chocolate chip cookie recipe stamp. I found it at a local stamp store and when I saw it, I knew I had to have it! (because I already had the other two stamps and saw a theme!). Also, when I make chocolate chip cookie jars for my school secretaries, and other family and friends, I'll want this as a subtle background. :)



Here's a shot of the focal image (closer):

How cute is that image! :) I've had this stamp for a while (I apologize for not remembering the set, although I believe it's from Inkadinkado) and I've always wanted to use it... and now I can! :) I added a few Stickles on the little guy's cookie as well as the tips of the morsels on the back white paper.



I've told myself for a long time that I need to get some of these scents you can spray on cards and when I do, it's going to be "chocolate" so I can make the cards smell yummy enough to eat. Knowing a few of my friends, they'll take a bite. Yeah, that's scary.  :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Chocolate chip morsels, "Friends are like..." stamp (from my stash); Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe stamp) (Hero Arts)

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa (both Stampin' Up!)

Paper: True Black (Papertrey Ink); Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel (all Stampin' Up!)

Other: Corner Rounder punch; Cinnamon Stickles (Ranger); ATG; Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Live Your Bliss - Unscripted Sketch challenge

I was on a roll today and created yet another card for yet another sketch challenge! :) Phew!



This challenge is at Unscripted Sketches and you can find all the details by clicking ------> here.



I have to admit that this sketch took me off guard and in fact, I threw out my first attempt when I saw I just wasn't happy with it.



I think it was the many mats that possibly threw me off initially, but I decided to just turn one of the mats into the focal sentiment... :)



Here's my finished product:

I wanted to give the two patterned papers the appearance of fabric or linen, thus the faux stitching with my white Signo pen. :)



What do you think of this flower?

Isn't it great?! I love the handmade die cut paper and I got this at a scrapbook convention last year by a woman who started her own company... CreatedbyU. They're various sizes and I just layered them. :) She also has butterflies as well as other shapes and colors.



If you're wondering why the corner of the sentiment panel is notched... I did that because I wasn't happy hiding the bling I added to my flowers. :) Improvisation is part of art! :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Mega Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Rich Razzleberry (Stampin' Up!); Vintage Touch Duo (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Rich Razzleberry cardstock and Designer Series Paper (all Stampin' Up!); Vintage Cream cardstock (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Scarlet Jewel topnotch twill (Papertrey Ink); Pearls (Queen & Co.); Diecut flowers (CreatedbyU); White pen (Signo); ATG; Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Valentines in July?!

Sure, why not? If we can have Christmas in July, why not invite Cupid to the party, eh? :)



Actually, as I was creating the following card for a challenge at 2Sketches4You, it slowly evolved into a Valentine's Day card... actually, I think it was the addition of the tiny hearts! :) 



You can find more information about the challenge by clicking ---------> here.



Here's my submission:

Notice how the scalloped "awning" of the card is DEBOSSED rather than EMBOSSED?

Well, there's a story there! (Isn't there always?)



It was my FIRST time using the wonderful Scalloped Edge die from Papertrey Ink (shhh, don't tell my PTI sisters!) and I wanted to keep it secure. So, I whipped out my handy temporary adhesive runner and ran a little bit of the adhesive on the paper I wanted to cut... it was perfect and held to the die! I was thrilled.



I then wanted to dress it up a little bit, so I decided to Swiss Dot emboss it... however, when I went to do that... the ADHESIVE side was on the embossed side and it was kind of fuzzy and yucky... so I turned it around. Voila! Instant debossed! :)



Here's a close-up of those cute hearts from Limitless Labels (Papertrey Ink as well):

And finally, a close-up of the sentiment (from Heart Prints, also PTI):

I have to tell you... I'm not crazy about the "HAPPY" font. I wish the "p"s were a bit  more defined. :)



Overall, however, I'm pleased with the result and hope you enjoyed looking at it! :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Limitless Labels, Heart Prints (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Lavender Lace (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Pale Plum, Whisper White (all Stampin' Up!)

Other: White Pen (Signo); Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Swiss Dot Embossing folder, Cuttlebug (both ProvoCraft); Medium Scalloped edge die (Papertrey Ink); Dimensionals; ATG; Corner rounder punch



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Thanks - Purple/Green/Lilac Butterfly Card

Well, I was very happy when I was able to create one card to fulfill the requirements of TWO challenges. :)



One challenge, located at Play Date Cafe, was to create a card using three colors: purple, lilac, green. Please find the details by clicking here.



Another challenge, located at CAS-tastic Wednesday Challenges, was to keep it SIMPLE (using at least THREE of the following: stamped image, inked edges, masking, paper piecing, lace, and/or embossing). Please find the details by clicking here.



These were fun and EASY challenges because: 1. I know how to keep things simple! ;) and b. I LOVE the color combination of purple, green, and lavender/lilac!  :)



I was in 7th heaven!



Now a disclaimer... the base of the card is TRULY Elegant Eggplant (a purple shade from Stampin' Up!), but for some reason it always photographs more like a burgundy!  :( Sorry!



Here's my creation:

Don't you just love that butterfly?! :) I was scrounging around (I'm a guy... we scrounge) when I remembered I have these great Cuttlebug embossing/die combos! Basically, it includes one die (the butterfly shape) and four embossing shapes (all butterflies) that fit IN the die-cut that you create! :) Love it!



Here's a close-up of said butterfly:

If you look closely in that picture, you can see I inked the edges of the Vintage Cream cardstock mat (from Papertrey Ink) with some of their Vintage Touch ink duo! :) I just love how that makes the cardstock aged and imperfect. :)



And finally, a close-up of the sentiment (compliments of Alli Miles and Papertrey Ink's Daily Designs and Daily Designs Sentiments)...

I really had a lot of fun with both of these challenges. :) Go check them out... I think you'll enjoy the variety you see!

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Daily Designs, Daily Designs Sentiments (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Lavender Lace, Gable Green (both Stampin' Up!); Vintage Touch Duo (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Gable Green, Lavender Lace (all Stampin' Up!); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Ribbon (from my stash); Butterfly Die and Embossing Combo, Cuttlebug (both ProvoCraft); 1 3/4" Circle punch (EK Success); ATG; Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Daffodils - Challenge for 2 Sketches 4 You

Over at 2 Sketches 4 You, Laura has come up with a really great sketch with a wonderful circular focal direction... details here.



I had wanted to try my hand at creating a partial Nestabilities image and came up with the following:

I think it turned out rather well... and I knew I wanted to go with pink and black because I rarely use that combination and I feel that the pink is even more striking against a black background. :)



Here's a close-up of my Copic-colored daffodil:

And finally, a close-up of the one sentiment... :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Year of Flowers: Daffodils (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento Ink)

Paper: True Black (Papertrey Ink); Coconut Swirl (Bazzill); Regal Rose DSP, Regal Rose Cardstock, Summer Sun Cardstock (all Stampin' Up!)

Other: Copics; Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Basic Black grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); ATG; Zots; Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Happy Birthday - Dahlia & Music

I've created a card for the following challenge at Caardvarks:



http://caardvarks.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-favorite-thingsjuly-at-caardvarks.html



The challenge was to create a birthday card to celebrate My Favorite Thing's fourth birthday! :)



Here's my submission to the challenge:

The background is a Cuttlebug embossing folder titled "Allegro". I'm not sure why I pulled that folder out, but for some reason it seemed like a suitable elegant addition to the dahlia. :) (The dahlia, by the way, is from the "Delightful Dahlia" set, by Papertrey Ink).



Here's a close-up of said dahlia:

And imagine my happy surprise when I found that I could fit a birthday sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages (also from Papertrey Ink) between the music lines (staves?) :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Delightful Dahlia, Mega Mixed Messages (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Vintage Tea Duo (Papertrey Ink); Lavender Lace (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink); Lavender Lace (Stampin' Up!); Coconut Swirl (Bazzill)

Other: Cuttlebug and Allegro embossing folder (Provocraft); Copics; ATG; Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,