Happily Ever Challenged #13 - 1/1/11

Hello all!



I know it's been a while since we've had a HEC and I know how much you've missed them!  ;)



Well, I wanted to do something special for this month's HEC. After all, the next time we'll have a similar date in this format will be February 2, 2022! And the next time we'll have a New Year's Day with this type of format will be January 1, 3001! So it's going to be a HEC that can be "ONE" over!  ;) (Sorry... it's the end of my vacation so I'm not as clever as I hope I'd be.)



So here's your challenge... it's really just a matter of ONEs.  :)



You're going to create a card (any size/format is allowable.) But, you'll be allowed to use:

• ONE (1) base card (of any color)


• ONE (1) matting paper (solid or pattern is fine)


• ONE (1) stamp image (you can choose either image or sentiment, not both)


• ONE (1) ink color (Versamark for embossing can be your ONE choice)


• ONE (1) embellishment (ribbon, button, brad, flower, etc.)

Now, you don't have to use ALL of the above, of course. But you may not use MORE than any one of the above.



So, this can be either VERY easy or VERY difficult, depending on your normal style. :) In any case, I just want you to have a lot of fun with it!



Here are the usual guidelines:



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, January 28, 2011 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, February 4 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. :)



And... as always, the winner will win a brand-spankin-new

TEN DOLLAR PAPERTREY INK GIFT CERTIFICATE!!

Here's my creation... I learned that it is CERTAINLY a challenge for me to use just one item from each list item above! :)

This card does have a special purpose and I'd like to share it with you. Over at the PTI forums, a group of us were blessed with the opportunity to spread some love and sunshine to a fellow crafter who received some bad news. You can read it by checking out her post here:



The Blog of Katie Renz



I do hope that you will check out her blog. Not only does she create beautiful pieces of art, she's a wonderful person and you can just READ her strength during this ordeal. If you're so inclined, please consider praying for her and her family. I believe with all my heart that God honors all of His prayer warriors, so let's become prayer warriors for Katie.



Back to our purpose. We are going to send Katie a daily card while she goes through this ordeal. There are about 62 of us and each of us will send a card on a specific date. For example, my day is the 17th of each month and my mom's is the 18th.



I don't write this to sing my own praises because it's I who feel truly grateful for the opportunity to serve God in this. His gift to me (as He always sends gifts to me).



Anyway, I hope you'll visit Katie's blog and leave her some comment love. And I hope you'll partake in this challenge! :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: "Day Hemmed"... (unknown, from my stash)

Ink:Almost Amethyst (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Almost Amethyst, Apricot Appeal DSP (both Stampin' Up!)

Other: Label 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Flower (unknown, from my stash); Scor-Pal; Dimensionals; ATG



 Happily Ever Yours,

2010's Top Ten er.... Twelve!

Well, it seems like there's a trend among paper crafters around now to showcase their favorite projects they created this year. It's my first time doing that, so I don't follow directions carefully. I came up with TWELVE!  ;)



I did this because Diana, at "Custom Blog Designs" had a freebie... you can read about that HERE. :)



Here are my choices (some months were easier than others!):

You can click the image to see it larger.



Here are the details for each choice (click the choice to read more):

• January's Choice


• February's Choice


• March's Choice


• April's Choice


• May's Choice


• June's Choice


• July's Choice


• August's Choice


• September's Choice


• October's Choice


• November's Choice


• December's Choice

This was fun to look back at all I did (and attempted!) in 2010! :)



Wishing each and every one of you a safe, happy, prosperous 2011!



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!



Happily Ever Yours,

 

Share The Wealth #1 Winner!

Hello all!



I bet you thought I'd forget about this, huh? No... my memory hasn't vanished completely YET? In fact, I was just telling my buddy last week that when I...



um....



What was I telling my buddy?



Oh never mind! You don't want to hear that story! You want to know who has been lucky (questionable) enough to win my first Share the Wealth project! :)



For details about this, please see this post.



I asked my buddy www.random.org to assist me and he came up with the following:

So, it looks like Diane is our lucky (questionable) victor! Diane, just email me at happilyevercrafter at gmail dot com and I'll get going on sending you that card! :)







Thanks to everybody who played along and I hope you enjoyed this. I hope to do more in the future (if you'd like me to). :) Again, not out of arrogance, but because it's not that hard to make TWICE the card and I might as well SHARE THE WEALTH! :)







Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Crafting Boot Camp (CBC) #3 - Heat Embossing

Hello all,



Well, I was inspired to create another tutorial for you all and I'm sure most of my viewers KNOW how to do this, but it's for people who perhaps are a bit too nervous to try it.



It's underwater electrical lightbulb testing.



I jest.



It's heat embossing! :) I say "nervous" because I was. In fact, I tried it once and when it didn't turn out the way I wanted, I swore to myself that I'd never try it again. Almost like when, a few days ago, I swore I would stop eating all this chocolate my students gave me.



Well, three pimples later (don't worry... my face is hidden in this video!), the chocolate is diminishing almost as fast as my waistline.  ;)



But my love for heat embossing is growing. In fact, if you're one of my readers who have NOT tried it... please consider doing it. It's really quite fun and it's even fun PRACTICING. :)



Here's the video/tutorial:






If you'd like to see the video on YouTube, please click here.



Important note I forgot to add in the video:



If you want to try this, please get a REAL crafting heat gun. Do NOT try this with a hair dryer. Most hair dryers will just end up blowing your embossing powder around. At least, that's what I've heard.



I don't have enough hair to own a hair dryer.



I hope you enjoy the video and if you want me to try my hand at more, let me know... I may do it.  :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Happy Birthday Friend - Masculine

Not too long ago, I ordered a stamp set from eBay called "Horses" (by Inkadinkado) and let me tell you... I love these images, especially for masculine cards.



I also wanted to use my woodgrain impression plate (from Papertrey Ink) and when I saw a fellow PTIer use her ink pad and brayer with it, I was sold! You can see Laurie's magic by clicking here. Prepare to be amazed. :) You'll have to do a search for her woodgrain card (you'll have fun searching through all her creations!).



Here's my card:

How regal does that horse look? I love it! :) Here's a close-up of the focal image:

You can see I opted to have cork as the second mat behind the faux wood I created. I thought the cork gave a more rustic look.



Finally, two close-ups (one of the sentiment and a closer look at the woodgrain impression):

This will NOT be the last time I use this technique. :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Horses (Inkadinkado); Framed, Birthday Basics (both Papertrey Ink)

Ink:  Creamy Caramel, Handsome Hunter (both Stampin' Up!); Vintage Touch Duo (Papertrey Ink); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Paper: Handsome Hunter, Kraft (both Stampin' Up!); Fine Linen (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Cork sheets, Label 1 and Regular Circle Nestabilities (both Spellbinders); Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Wood grain impression plate (Papertrey Ink); ATG; Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Be My Valentine & Introducing: Share the Wealth!

Hello all,



I hope all's well with you this beautiful (albeit RAINY) Christmas Day.  :)



Seeing as I've said goodbye to Christmas cards (at least I think I have... at least for NOW), I thought I'd make another Valentine's card. However, with this post comes a bit of a surprise (keep reading, faithful friends).



A couple of weeks back, while I was creating a card, I said to myself: "Ted," (I call myself Ted), "you know... when you cut an 8.5 x 11 in half to make your card base, why not just create TWO cards?"



"Well, that's all fine and good, Ted --- but what do I do with the second card?" (I showed him!)



"Easy! Just give it to somebody about whom you care. They can then use it if they'd like or toss it in tomorrow's trash."



"Good idea, Ted," I remarked.



"I know," I said smugly.



"I like chocolate."



"Whoa," I exclaimed to myself. "Who was that?!"



"No worries, bud... that's just another personality emerging."



"Ah." Well, he does like chocolate, so he can't be that bad, eh?  ;)



I got to thinking: Hmm... about whom do I care that would actually WANT one of my handmade cards? And then it dawned on me! You readers may possibly want one of my handmade cards. :)



That is when I came up with a "Share the Wealth" idea. Basically, every so often, I'll create two cards (especially if I like how one of them comes out!) and while I will keep one to my greedy self, I'll offer its twin to you! :)



Now, I realize this may sound arrogant. I mean... who am I to presume that anybody would want one of my creations?! Nobody, really. But I don't mean to sound conceited or stuck up. Honest! I just wanted to give gifts to you all every now and then. :)



So, without further ado... here's my first Share the Wealth (STW) card:

I promise... the pink isn't nearly as intense and the green is more on the "olive" side. Not sure what my camera was doing here, but there you have it. :)



Ever since Papertrey Ink (PTI) came out with "Wreath for all Seasons", I've been eager to create a Valentine wreath! However, I couldn't find a heart image tiny enough to not overshadow the wreath. Then, this month of December, PTI came out with "Love Lives Here" and there was a cute little heart image! So I used that.



What do you think of the edging around the Fine Linen mat?

Isn't that cool? I think it is. :) How did I do it, you wonder? I'm glad you asked. I used my brand-spankin-new Scor-Buddy (a smaller version of Scor-Pal). What's great about it is that the first inch of the board is in 1/8" increments! That's what I used. I just butt the paper against the edge, scored three lines (each 1/8" away from the last), rotated the mat, and repeated the process three more times. I like how it frames the image and it does it subtly.



Here's a close-up of the sentiment:

And, the inside reads:

You now have a chance to win the above card (if you so choose).  :) Here's all you have to do:



1, Leave a comment to this post explaining what your perfect Valentine evening/date/social function would be.

2. On Thursday, December 30, 2011 (at around 3 PM PST) I'll draw a random number.

3. The commenter who matches that number will contact me at happilyevercrafter at gmail dot com and let me know his/her address.

4. I'll send the card ASAP!  :)



If you want to leave a comment, but do NOT want your name entered, I promise my feelings won't be hurt too badly. (I'll just cry an hour or so... ) Just write in your comment you don't want to be eligible to win this STW.



If this is successful, I'll do it more frequently.



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps:Wreath for all Seasons, Heart Prints, Fillable Frames #11, Love Lives Here (all Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Pink Passion, Old Olive, Perfect Plum (all Stampin' Up!); Vintage Touch Duo (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Pink Passion (all Stampin' Up!); Fine Linen (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Rustic Twine (Papertrey Ink); Key Tag Punch (EK Success); Ribbon Punch; Scor-Buddy; ATG; Dimensionals



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

My Craft Cave

Hello all and Merry Christmas!



It had been a long while since I toured my craft area with you. In fact, if I recall... the last time I created a video was with my OLD craft room (in a screened in deck). Now, I have my own little "zone". It's part of my family room and you can tour it with me by watching this video:









If you'd like to go directly to YouTube and watch it larger/smaller/etc, then here's the direct link:



Click here to see the tour on YouTube.



I hope you enjoyed the little tour.



I pray that you and your loved ones have a safe, happy, healthy Christmas and that God watches over you in 2011, blessing you with good health and much joy!



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!


 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Fly Away With Me - Valentine's Day

Yes, you've read that right. I'm already starting Valentine's Day cards. Being a bachelor, I don't have many reasons to send V-day cards out... but I do send them out to a few close female friends. :) In any case, when I saw this latest image from Dustin Pike's December membership issue, I had to jump at using it. It's too adorable NOT to use it!  :)

I ask you... how cute is he! I love the expression on his face...almost as if he has no idea how to fly a hot air balloon, but he's not going to let us know that. ;) Here's a close-up of him:

I colored him with Photoshop Elements (as I usually do). In case the thought of coloring Dustin's images is intimidating to you, never fear! Dustin actually provides a COLORED version of his images to his members! This way, you simply print out the image and then cut it out and place on a card - your work is done for you. :) Of course, you can also get a black and white version if you'd like to color it (digitally, with Copics, etc.).



I wanted to make the card a bit more unique, so I tried my hand at Flower Soft...here's the cloud (close-up):

I've no idea how long that will last in an envelope! LOL! But I do like the "fluffy" appearance of the cloud. To make sure the die cut was well-covered with adhesive, I ran it through my Xyron machine.



Finally, here's a close-up of the sentiment (from PTI's Up, Up, and Away stamp set):

Anyway, that's my first V-day card of the year. Yes, I realize they are not traditional colors, but lately I've been on a not-traditional-colors kick!  :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Bear in Balloon (digital) - Dustin Pike; Up, Up, and Away (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Elegant Eggplant (Stampin' Up!)

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

Other: Cloud Die (Papertrey Ink); Flower Soft; Pearls (Queen & Co.); Corner Chomper; ATG; Xyron; Dimensionals; Cuttlebug



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Dustin Pike - December Membership and Goody Bags!

As if the last sale Dustin offered (the huge Black Friday sale!) wasn't enough, Dustin's dug up some of his early creations and is offering them at crazy prices.



These are 150 resolution so they're a bit smaller, but still... a great deal if you want to just get a sampling (at only $5.00 per "bag"!)



Here are the details:



http://dustinpike.blogspot.com/2010/12/december-underway-goody-bags.html



Also on that same post you can learn more about the December membership which features some Valentine's images. Check out this image:

Can't you just picture a Valentine's card that reads "Valentine, you CARRY ME AWAY!" :) How adorable is that little balloon pilot! :)



Check out Dustin's stuff. There is so much you can do with digital images and his prices are crazy! You'll be happy you did! :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Happily Ever Madeover!

Hello all,



Well, do you notice anything different? No, I didn't get a new haircut (though I'm in need of one!) and I still have my goatee (at least for a couple more weeks).



No, it's a blog makeover!  :)



I've been thinking of doing this for well over a year, but wasn't sure I wanted to invest the money or time in it. Well, I figured since I've been faithful in posting... and you all have been faithful in READING (for that, I'm so very grateful!), that it was time I give the ol' blog a new look.



I did a search for "custom blog design" and came across a site called "Custom Blog Designs". (Smart name, as it came up within the first three items in a search!) and I looked around Diana's art and customers. I liked what I saw and, what more, her prices are quite reasonable (I did much research). I invite you to check out her site if you're considering a blog makeover (click the picture below):












I was fortunate and it only took a few days for the entire process (Diana was in-between projects). In those few days, Diana was in CONSTANT communication with me... very flexible when I wanted to make changes or suggestions. Overall, I was quite pleased with the process and very happy with the results. I'll be using Diana again (should that need arise).



Anyway, I hope you like the new look of the blog... I wanted something to go along with the whole "happily ever after" theme, and yet not make it too feminine. Hopefully, I accomplished that. :)



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!



 Happily Ever Yours,

 

Maculine Birthday Card - Masculine Motifs

Hello all,



Well, I wanted to take a break from all my Christmas card and gift making to make a non-Christmas card! Yes, I know... very Scrooge of me, but I just needed a break from greens, reds, and sparkly blues. Shoot me. ;)



That, and I needed an excuse to try my very first WaltzingMouse Stamp set, "Offbeat Backgrounds". I've been searching for a good plaid-making stamp set since I've begun this crazy hobby and I think I've found it. I blame Michele (Derbylea) for that! I'm now going to be hooked on WMS! :P I love this stamp set! One of the patterns makes it VERY easy to make a plaid. Here's the masculine card I created for my dad's or a buddy's birthday:

Now, I realize I could have done a better job on the plaid, but it was my first try! I'll do better with consecutive tries, I promise! :)



Now, I'm proud of many things on this card, first of them being the twine and button. In the past, I thread a button with twine and use a Zot to adhere it. This time, I tried something different and actually had the twine go THROUGH the button. :) Love the look!

Now, I'm not sure if you can make it out in this picture above, but I used the trees image from Masculine Motifs (Papertrey Ink) to clear-emboss them on the plaid. I know, I know... you can hardly make it out. In my head, it looked a LOT cooler! LOL Live and learn, I reckon! :)



Check out that leather tag above the button and twine. Actually, it's not leather. For the first time, I used the reverse side of the Canvas/Linen Impression Plate (also Papertrey Ink) and I love the results - it does look a bit like leather to me. If you look at the background paper, that is with the Linen side of the plate. Very cool, eh?



Here's a close-up of the deer (from Masculine Motifs). I wanted to emboss him, so I pulled out my newly discovered black embossing powder and went to town. If I had brown, I may have used that. :)

If you look closely at the green mat behind him, you can make out that I used my new Tim Holtz ink applicator doohickey (I'm sure that's the official name) to shade it. So much nicer than my old way of using a sponge to brush at the edges. :) Also, I wanted to add a little somethin-somethin to the focal image... thus, the two ribbons.



Overall, I'm quite pleased with the results of this card. :) I can see it as part of a gift set geared towards the men of our lives.



Thanks for looking and/or commenting!





Stamps: Masculine Motifs (Papertrey Ink); Offbeat Backgrounds (WaltzingMouse Stamps)

Ink: Versamark; Onyx Black (Versafine)

Paper: Close to Cocoa, Handsome Hunter (both Stampin' Up!); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Dark Chocolate buttons, Rustic Twine, Linen Impression Plate, Vintage Cream twill ribbon (all Papertrey Ink); Labels 1 Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Key Tag Punch (EK Success); Dimensionals, ATG



 Happily Ever Yours,