Happily Ever Challenged #12 - From the Kitchen Of (SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY!)

Hello all and welcome to a SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY edition of a HEC! :)



I really didn't think that I'd be doing THREE HECs, let alone a whopping twelve!! :)  It's very exciting to me and I want to thank all of you for participating! I've done these for one full year and, while that's not a huge deal for some of those other better-known blogs who have been doing challenges for EONS, I'm still pretty stoked.  ;) Thank you all for coming along this journey with me!



But enough sentimental stuff... let's get to the challenge, shall we!



You read the title... "From the Kitchen Of" and you wonder... "Hmm...what does Ted have in that diabolical mind of his?!" Well, I have coffee on the mind! (Who doesn't?  ;) )



But really...I've been wanting to do this challenge since I started HEC last year... but November seems as good a time as any for us to be thankful for what we have stored in our pantries. And yes... I want you to go look in your pantry for this challenge! (If you don't have a pantry, a cupboard or cabinet will do! Heck... go to a nearby grocery store!) Here's what you'll be doing for this HEC:



You're going to go to your kitchen and find something (ANYTHING that's food or kitchen consumable related) and use that as your inspiration. Preferably, I want it to have a label or some brand or something on it so you can use it as your inspiration.



Perhaps you're looking at your C&H sugar bag and want to do some pink and white with the sentiment "Caring & Hugs" (for C&H, get it?)... or maybe you're looking at the macho guy on the Bounty paper towels and want to some red plaid masculine card? Once you see what I did, you'll understand. (I hope!)



I looked in my pantry and found this... my trusty Folgers decaffeinated coffee!

I thought at first, "Whoa... green...yellow....brown... yeah, I'm not so sure about that combo." But then I realized this IS a challenge, after all, and went to Starbucks..... I mean town. I went to town!" ;)



I wanted to do a boxed set of cards (you'll understand why in a moment) and if I'm doing to use coffee as my inspiration... why not go all the way?!

and

and finally

And you know what? This color combination doesn't look half bad!  :)



There are inside sentiments: "You're tea-riffic", "Your kindness warms my heart", "Thanks a latte", "We're the perfect blend", and of course "how've you bean?"  :P



And they're a perfect boxed set of six (6) cards. Now, what to do with them?

Give them away, of course!  :)  To one of you lucky participants!  (U.S. addresses only, please)

Now, I know what you're saying. "Wait! Ted, that's all fine...but what about the usual $10 PTI gift certificate?!" Not to worry. I'm under no illusion that these cards I made are better than ANY Papertrey Ink Gift Certificate! :) So, the usual TEN DOLLAR PTI GIFT CERTIFICATE IS ALSO UP FOR GRABS! In fact, if you do win and choose NOT to take these, I would more than understand. There are SO many more better card artists out there than I am... I'm not that delusional.  ;)  But I wanted to offer them as a special thank-you for this anniversary edition.



So, get to your pantry, find an item... PHOTOGRAPH IT PLEASE...and include it in your blog along with your pantrylicious project!  ;)



Here are the normal guidelines which you've grown to love:



1. You will post a photo of your project 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 add a link to this post and direct others to this post so that they may participate!

5. The deadline is Friday, November 26, 2010 by around 3:00 PM PST.

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

7. The winner will have until Friday, December 3 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. :)



Oh! One more thing: If you do win, I'll need you to email me your postal address so I'll have a place to where I can send the boxed cards. If you don't feel comfortable sharing that, I understand! :) (Unfortunately, I'll only ship the boxed cards to U.S. addresses... no offense at all!)



Happy pantry/cupboard harvesting! :)



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Happily Ever Challenged #11 - Winner announced!

Wow! Did this month fly by or what!? Spooky that it's only two days until Halloween, isn't it?! It's almost like they should make October 31 a day of scariness.



Oh.



Wait.



Aaaaannnyyyway...



I want to thank each and every person who "knocked on my e-door!" It meant a lot to have you all participate! I had 22 people emailing me and, as you see, SEVENTEEN of the people played along with me! :) It's so awesome and I thank all of you!



But enough rambling about how tickled green I am. (No, I'm not now, nor ever, planning on being tickled-pink. I don't do pink. Ever.) Let's get on to the winner, shall we.



Without further ado... my good buddy Random.org helped me choose...





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Number fifteen! (Start the fanfare!!)



This means my good PTI friend Jen Carter wins a beautifully arranged bouquet of ten one-dollar PTI gift certificates! Or one $10 gift certificate... her choice.  ;) I'm a gentleman, after all!



Jen, you have until November 1 to email me at



happilyevercrafter at gmail dot com and let me know where you want your yummy prize sent.



And thanks again to all who took a chance and knocked at my door.



Tune in next month for my special ANNIVERSARY HEC! (Whaaaa----? It's already been a YEAR of HECness?!) Yes! And I have a special challenge in store. It's one that will definitely fill your tummy. (Was that too big of a clue?!)



Until next time, you HEConauts!  ;)



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Gobble, Gobble

Okay, you know that just ONE Alli Miles card isn't enough, don't you? ;) This next one is a bit more whimsical than the classy Holiday Sparkle... and a lot of fun to use!



This set is called Gobble, Gobble...and you'll soon see why:

How cute is that turkey?!  :) Very creative...and I love there are coordinating dies so we don't have to try to cut out around his curvaceous body.  ;)



Here's a close-up of the little guy:

Are you enjoying the patterned paper in the background? Well, believe it or not, I actually created it and am quite proud of myself! :) I used Distressed Stripes (from Papertrey Ink) and my grid paper and was pleased with how straight they came out. :)



Here's a close-up of the little dangling sentiment tag:

I loved being able to use the VERY thin stamp that comes in the set to border my stitch job. (I really need to break out the sewing machine more frequently... as I LOVE the look of sewing on a card!). Some baker's twine completed the rustic feel.



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Gobble, Gobble & Distressed Stripes (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie, Sahara Sand (all Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie (all Stampin' Up!); Harvest Gold (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Baker's Twine, Gobble, Gobble die (both Papertrey Ink); Key Tag Punch (Stampin' Up!); Sew Mini (Janome); ATG; Cuttlebug (Provo)



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Holiday Sparkle

Well, I was able to break into my latest Papertrey Ink's purchase and play with the lovely Alli Miles' Holiday Sparkle set! Of course, it's from Alli, so you KNOW it's going to be stupendous, so it's my hope I did her set some justice!



Here's the card I made. Please note that the base and ink are Stampin' Up!'s Night of Navy. Not sure why it turned out more like black in my brand new self-made light box, but perhaps I need to play around more with the settings of my camera? :( I apologize in advance!

Here's a close-up of the snowflake... with all of its rhinestone goodness:

And a close-up of the title stamp from the set:

Notice that great large scallop edge? It's a die from Papertrey Ink and it's my first time using it. LOVING IT! :) It really makes a statement (at least in my opinion).  :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Holiday Sparkle (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!); Fine Linen (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Blueberry Sky Twill, Blueberry Sky felt, Clear Rhinestones, Large Scallop border die, Limitless Layers Circle Collection die (all Papertrey Ink); ATG



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Can a tradition start in the second year? ;)

So, every year my best friend and his girlfriend, Susie, come over and we exchange some small gifts. Last year, I decided to include a homemade tag in each of their gifts.



I wonder... if I do that again this year (the 2nd year), does that constitute a "tradition"?  ;) If so, I'm golden! ;)

I created the first card with the intentions of it going to Rob... only because it was blue and therefore more masculine... Sure, it had some white embossing powder, but what the heck... it was still blue, right?!  ;)

Here's a close-up of the focal tag (from 2009 Holiday Tags (Papertrey Ink)) and you can see some of the white embossing. I used Whisper White Craft Ink (from Stampin' Up!) only because I wanted to make sure there was coverage.

The tag needed something more, so I decided to add those smaller snowflakes (all snowflakes are from Papertrey Ink's Peace, Be Still stamp set) in Taken with Teal (Stampin' Up!) to match the background paper (of the same name).



So then I went to work on Susie's tag. I wanted to do something a bit more feminine so I went with the lavenders and purples. I hadn't inked up my Tree Trimming Trio (Papertrey Ink), so I thought I'd emboss the tree and ornaments. I did the tree on Stampin' Up!'s Perfect Plum and the star and ornaments on Papertrey Ink's Harvest Gold.

Here's a close-up of the star and ornaments (done on PTI's Harvest Gold).

It was still a bit plain, so I took a chance and ran it through my Cuttlebug, using the Swiss Dots embossing folder. I like how it looks over the heat embossed tree! :)



Imagine my delight when I realized I had a 1/2" circle punch for the ornaments! No such luck with the tree. That's hand-cut, baby!  ;)



After doing both tags, I then thought that perhaps Susie would like the bow/ribbon tag more and Rob would enjoy the tree tag. After all, the recipients they choose may be a different gender than them, right?  ;)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: 

Snowflake Tag - Peace, Be Still, Spooky Sweets (for the To:/From: sentiment!), 2009 Holiday Tags (all from Papertrey Ink)
 

Tree Tag - Tree Trimming Trio, 2009 Holiday Tags (both from Papertrey Ink)

Ink: 


Snowflake Tag - Whisper White Craft ink, Taken with Teal, Bravo Burgundy (all from Stampin' Up!); Versamark 

Tree Tag - Chocolate Chip, Perfect Plum (both Stampin' Up!); Versamark

Paper: 


Snowflake Tag - Taken with Teal, Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White (all Stampin' Up!) 

Tree Tag - Perfect Plum (Stampin' Up!); Harvest Gold (Papertrey Ink)

Other:

Snowflake Tag - White embossing powder; Scarlet Jewel Topnotch Twill (Papertrey Ink); Large creative tags (Recollections); 2" Scallop circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch (both EK Success); Corner Chomper, Bow Easy; ATG; Dimensionals; Zots

Tree Tag - Clear and Gold embossing powders; 1/2" circle punch (EK Success); Large creative tags (Recollections); Plum Pudding Topnotch Twill (Papertrey Ink); ATG; Dimensionals; Swiss Dots and Cuttlebug machine (both Provo Craft)



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Terrifying Tins!

Hello all,



Well, I thought for sure I was finished with Halloween... I mean, after all, we're already at October 18 and as every paper crafter knows, we should be focusing on Christmas and soon New Year's! Eep!



But I wanted to do something special for my school secretaries, principal and custodian. (Teachers know that if you keep these people happy, your day is happier... guaranteed!)  :)



So, I finally broke out my Spooky Sweets (Papertrey Ink) I and got to work making some labels for Hershey Nuggets (SO easy using the 1 x 2 5/8" mailing labels!) I wanted to add a little somethin-somethin so I used the tiny spider from Spooky Sweets to place in the center circle of the focal labels from Limitless Labels (also Papertrey Ink). Isn't he adorable? Well, as far as arachnids go, I reckon! *heevy jeevies*



Here they are all snug in their tins:

How cool are those labels! I got them when Michaels was selling Martha Stewart Halloween craft items for 40% off a week or so ago. I wish there were more, as I would have bought another package. :) I'm sure you can't read the labels, but they're humorous and very fitting. :)



Here's a close-up of the tins (purchased at Specialty Bottling Company for about $1.50 each (includes shipping cost)):

and

I think my favorite label is "Devilish Delights - Exorcise Before Serving"! ROFL!  :)



I then wanted to add a bit more to the tins, so I broke out my brand-spankin' new Bow Easy and made some bows (not easy to do with the stiff Celebrate It Halloween ribbon I purchased from Michaels). I am learning that softer ribbon (eg. satin, etc.) is MUCH easier to make bows. Overall, however, I don't think they turned out terrible!

and a couple more close-ups:

I hope my office staff and custodian like them and don't get TERRIFYING cavities from 'em! MUAHAHAHA!  ;)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Limitless Labels and Spooky Sweets I (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Only Orange, Perfect Plum, Gable Green (all Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Paper:

Other: 1 x 2 5/8" labels (Office Depot); Nugget Hinged Tins (Specialty Bottling Company); Nuggets (Hershey); Halloween Ribbon (Celebrate It); Zots; Bow Easy



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Have Yourself a Mass-Produced Li'l Christmas! (Day Three)

Hello all and welcome to another chapter of my journey into mass-producing my Christmas cards. :)



Chapter Three: Tag, You're It!



Well, it's time to create some tags for my Christmas cards... and I've done that!



Being a male in the crafting hobby affords me several wonderful benefits. One, I'm surrounded by beautiful women. Not much competition. ;)



Two, I'm allowed to play the "guy card" when I want to take "creative license" on a project. Let me explain:



When making these tags, I wanted to attach a small piece of ribbon (Plum Pudding Topnotch Twill from Papertrey Ink) to the tag but I didn't want to punch a small hole and lace them through (remember, I want to do 20+ of these and not take hours to do so!). So, I looked around and glanced at a nearby desk and saw my handy-dandy stapler!

(I swear, if I had some duct tape nearby, I'd try that!  ;) )



Anyway, here are my finished tags... (I'm not sure how many I made but I was just glad to get 'em finished, I didn't bother counting --- another perk of being a guy crafter! ;) )

Well, there we go... several tags to attach to my cards. :) Didn't take as long as I thought it would.



Tune in next time for Chapter Four: A Score to Settle



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Holiday Spirit Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Plum Pudding Topnotch Twill (Papertrey Ink); Tag Punch (Marvy Uchida); Stapler



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Fangtastic Fun!

Well, BethieJ, in the PTI forum, has challenged many of us to use one of three sets this week: Tiny Treats: Halloween, Vintage Picnic, and Wreath for All Seasons (all from Papertrey Ink). I realized I hadn't made a Halloween card for my buddy, Rob this year and since I wanted it to be masculine and humorous at the same time, I pulled out the little Vampire from TT: Halloween, and vent to town! (Yes, that is "vent"...it was my attempt at a Dracula impersonation!) ;)



Earlier today, I went to Michaels to see about using yet another 50% Martha Stewart coupon and came across this great mat stack titled (appropriately enough) Vampire Mat Stack. In it, was some old wallpaper pattern with some red drops (which I took for blood because, well, you know... I'm a guy!) ;)



Here's the card:

Isn't he ferocious looking? Doesn't he just make your blood run cold? And what's with those eyes? I think he's gone a bit "batty". *crickets chirp* Wow, tough crowd. Ahem...where was I?



Oh... for the circle in which he is, I simply stamped the mat stack 4 image that came with the Tiny Treats set and punched out the circle. I thought the image along with the busy wallpaper would be too much. Here's a close-up of the focal image:

I wanted to "age" the die cut (also called Mat Stack 4 from Papertrey Ink) so I did something very high-tech. Ready for it? Are you sitting down?



I just placed the die cut face down on my Ruby Red (Stampin' Up!) ink pad and pressed down in various places with my index fingers. I sort of like the look... a bit of a "fabric" look if you ask me.



And ignore those "puncture" holes in the bottom right corner. They're just a figment of your imagination. >;)



I wanted to add a little somethin'-somethin' to the "blood" on the wall, so I yanked out my Xmas Red Stickles (Ranger) and dolled it up a bit...shown here:

I am pleased with how that turned out... like fresh vlood! MUAHAHAHAHA!



I think I'm going to really enjoy this whole Tiny Treats stamp collection going on... just don't tell Audrey from the PTI forums... because, we have a bit of an "Enabling Competition" and I don't want her to think she's winning.  ;)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Tiny Treats: Halloween

Ink: Ruby Red (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Paper: Ruby Red (Stampin' Up!); Smokey Shadow, Vintage Cream (both Papertrey Ink); Vampire Mat Stack (Martha Stewart)

Other: Mat Stack 4 Die (Papertrey Ink); Xmas Red Stickles (Ranger); Ticket Corner Punch and 1 3/4" Circle Punch (both Stampin' Up!); Dimensionals, ATG



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Have Yourself a Mass-Produced Li'l Christmas! (Day Two)

Well, today I thought I'd do a bit more towards my project. :)  What better way to share with you than...



Chapter Two: Flurry Up and Wait!



I took some time to stamp close to 100 snowflake elements from Daily Designs (from Papertrey Ink).



First, I cut some Vintage Cream cardstock (also from PTI) into 2-inch strips. I then stamped several of the great snowflake images from Daily Designs in three colors (all from Stampin' Up!): Pumpkin Pie, Not Quite Navy, and Perfect Plum.

I apologize for the dimness and the lack of focus. I took the pictures without a flash, hoping to capture the original color of the Vintage Cream.  :)



Here's a close-up of the strips:

Once I did about 18 strips, I used my trusty 1 3/4" EK Success punch and punched them all out! Phew!

And a close-up of the "flurry" of snowflakes:

Well, it took over an hour but at least it was another big part of the process done! :)



Tune in soon for Chapter Three: Tag, You're It!



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Daily Designs (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Not Quite Navy, Perfect Plum (all Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Other: 1 3/4" circle punch (EK Success)



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Have Yourself a Mass-Produced Li'l Christmas! (Day One)

Ever since I started this crazy hobby of cardmaking, I told myself that someday I'd try my hand at mass-producing my Christmas cards.



Well, that time has come...  :)



Today, I sat down and created a prototype (if you will) of a card I think I'll be able to create before the blessed holiday season.



So sit down near the fireplace, grab hold of your steaming cup of hot cocoa and settle down as Uncle Ted reads from the beloved "'Twas the Night Before the Mass Produced Christmas..."  Aahhhhh....  *beams*



Chapter One - Live Free, or Die Hard!



So, I looked at my finished card and realized that the most time-consuming task should be handled first. And of course, for my card, that was the die-cut. So, I whipped out my Cuttlebug, and the larger snowflake die from Papertrey Ink's "Peace, Be Still" dies and, along with some Not Quite Navy ink from Stampin' Up!, and the coordinating stamp set, also from Papertrey Ink (same name: Peace, Be Still)... I created some snowflakes...

So, my intentions were to create 25 of these little guys (You know... December 25...) but I thought, "Ted... " (I call myself Ted)... I thought, "Ted... you have this die out, you have your painter's tape (the only thing that can get the paper out of the die, short of a jaws of life tool!), why not make some more?" So, I did.



Well, as it turns out, I have a total of 31 dies. Which, is a miraculous sign! Because, how many days does December have? Yes! Thirty-one! So that's a good omen that I'm doing something right, right?



I said, "RIGHT?!"



Just nod and say, "Yes....right, Ted."



I have to admit...these little guys came out quite cute.  :)

See that little smudge of ink on my middle finger? No, I wasn't giving this project the "Bird"... I just wanted to point out the evidence that I did these by myself!  :)



Tune in the (hopefully not too distant) future when you'll be able to read "Chapter Two - Flurry Up and Slow Down!"



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Peace, Be Still (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Not Quite Navy (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Other: Peace, Be Still dies (Papertrey Ink), Cuttlebug (Provocraft)



 Happily Ever Yours,