Camp Farewell

What a weekend!  Other than my (very sleepy) time at church this morning and the mandatory Sunday afternoon nap (what?  you have one of those, don't you?), I've spent this entire weekend crafting.  Papertrey gave us and our supplies quite a workout this weekend.  It was a lot of fun.  It'll take me all next week to go back and read everything that I skimmed.  And it'll take the next year to go through and see what the other "campers" created.  I've peeked at a few in the InLinkz lists, and really want to go spend more time hopping through blogs.  Here is the shot of everything I made yesterday -- except the mess, I'll spare you that scene.  And the cute little baby card that I left out for some reason.

Oh, look!  You do get to see a little of the mess, after all!   The things I made today are pictured in my other posts from today, but I forgot to take a shot of them to add to this post.  I think that the next time I participate in a Papertrey event like this, I'm going to hire a photographer and a read-me-what's-going-on-in-the-forum person (I'm sure there's a better title for that).  And I'll need someone to clean up for me after it's all over.  Ugh!  My desk is in a shambles.  Many thanks to Nicole and Heather and Dawn and Danielle and Ashley and Jessica and Betsy and Erin and Melissa and Maile and Michelle!   Boy, I hope I didn't leave anyone out -- they all did a lot of work for this and even videotaped themselves for us.  It was especially fun to encounter them on the forum every now and then when I'd come up for air. 

It was a great weekend, but now I can go to bed knowing that I've earned all of my 2012 Stamp-a-faire badges.  Whew!

DIY -- Homemade Embellishment Challenge

Today it was fun to sit down and make a few little embellishments.  I chose to model my embellishments after Heather's felt badges.  I forgot to take a picture of the embellishments before I put them on tags, so you just get the "finished" look. 

I think these will be cute to attach to gift bags -- or even to make into cards!

Camp Card Challenge

All of the card set examples from the design team were so nice.  I'll probably go back and make more of them in the future.  But I was most intrigued by Danielle's little set made with the Half & Half dies.  These would be quick little sets to make for teacher gifts.  I'm thinking that they'd be a cute little set of Christmas tags/ gift inserts to give as a Secret Santa gift.    I'd also like to make some as inserts for birthday gifts -- especially for kids' birthdays. 

Here's my set:

I used Spring Rain card stock and Blueberry Sky ink.  The tags are really different shades of cream, but my wonderful photography made them look yellow. 

Tie Dye Techniques Challenge

I'll admit it:  I was afraid of the shaving cream.  I was sure I was going to choose to use the Copics and rubbing alcohol or the ink and water.  But that paper dyed with the ink refills and shaving cream was so pretty.  So that's the one I tried.  I did have the sense to move to the kitchen for this one.  :)

I used the only two reinkers I own (other than the tea dye duo -- which could be kind of cool...) -- Papertrey's Simply Chartreuse (the hybrid kind -- not the current one) and Stampin' Up's Blue Bayou.  I've got to say -- this was so easy and so much fun.  AND it gave me a new use for my Pampered Chef handy scraper.  Now I want to order every ink refill Papertrey has so that I can make lots of cool marbled papers. 

Limited Supply Challenge

This is the last one for today.  I need to go to bed before it's time to get up for church tomorrow morning.  The challenge was to use only the supplies listed on Nichole's blog.  I decided to turn to Pinterest for my inspiration.  A few days ago, I had discovered this card on Pinterest.  It was created by Pamela (spookiee on the forum) for the most recent PTI Blog Hop!  I loved the layout, so I decided that I wanted to try the same layout with the Natural Beauties set. 

Here it is!

That's all for tonight.  I'll have to jump back on these challenges tomorrow after church. 

Paper Beads Challenge

Okay, I'll admit that I cheated planned ahead a little bit on this challenge.  I made my paper beads a while ago because I just couldn't resist using that die when my Stamp-a-faire box arrived.   Tonight, I'm really glad I did that because time is awfully short for all these videos and challenges!  One day I'll find time to go shopping for some pretty beads like Nichole has in her example, but this one is good for now.  

Mini book

My "Memory Preservation" badge is well-earned tonight.  I still have a few pictures to hunt down and add (for instance, the first day of school!), but what I do have is complete.  I used a combination of lots of Papertrey sets, Papertrey card stock, and Stampin' Up designer series paper and even My Digital Studio (cover) and my Silhouette.  I love it when all of my stuff works together!

It's late, so the pictures are even worse than they were today.  But here it is!

Whew!  I wonder if I can get any more challenges in tonight! 

Another ribbon technique

Good grief!  It's almost 3:30 in the afternoon and I'm still working on ribbons!  I may have to work all night and into tomorrow at this rate.  But I loved Erin's technique, so I had to try it.  Here it is:

Must keep working!

Pretty Bow!

Here's my card using Dawn's guidance to tie a pretty bow! 

You'll see I awarded myself a knot-tying badge for that one.  Unfortunately, I'll have to play that video every single time I try to tie a bow forever-and-ever because as soon as Dawn's comforting voice goes away, I panic. 

Ribbon flowers

Here's my take on Betsy's singed ribbon flowers.  Wow!  I never expected to be lighting a candle and melting ribbon so early in the day!  Forgive the bad photography.  I used Hawaiian Shores for my card base and my ribbon flowers, but you certainly can't tell that on my monitor.  ...On to more ribbon videos!

Morning Make & Take

Hi, fellow Campers!  I'm excited to be at my desk and stamping this morning.  I did get up pretty early (for me on a Saturday in the summertime, anyway) to get started.  However, I had a little desk clearing to do before it could start.  And then I couldn't find those blasted  adorable little badges that I'm supposed to be earning today.  Really?  I've had all my Stamp-a-faire stuff together all this time and now I can't find the badges.  I did finally find them and was ready to get started. 

So here's the card I made along with Nicole on her first video!   So pretty!  I love it when I can make a card that looks like Nichole's.  This is one that definitely looks better in real life, but they all do when I'm the photographer.  I'm warmed up and ready to move on to the ribbon!

Stamp-a-faire Eve!

Good evening, everyone!  I'm excited about spending the day tomorrow (okay, I know it's technically after midnight so it's really TODAY... but I need to sleep before then) at my crafty desk with lots of ink, paper and Papertrey stamps!   Last year, I headed to Cincinnati for Stamp-a-faire and was totally planning this year's trip on my way home.  It was a long drive, so I had lots of time to think.  This year, though, Stamp-a-faire is an online event.   I'm supposed to show myself getting ready, but, since I didn't have to pack anything and no one is coming over, I don't have that much "getting ready" to show.  Nichole has been tempting us to eat s'mores tonight in honor of the camping theme to this year's event.  Unfortunately, these are the s'mores I wanted.  Go ahead.  Click.  I'll wait.... I found them on Pinterest.  Pinterest can really get a girl in trouble.  Since I saw these the other day, they are honestly all I can think about.  They look soooooooooo good.  So, obviously, I couldn't make them.  Really.  I'm stamping ALONE tomorrow.  I'd eat EVERY.  LAST.  ONE.  But you'd better believe that I will make them one day.   As soon as I can justify it.   ;)

See you back tomorrow with lots of craftiness!

June Papertrey Blog Hope -- Card #2

I decided that I should make another card since I had everything out.  So here's my card #2:

Here I used the same colors as my first card (Harvest Gold, Aqua Mist, and New Leaf).  I stamped and punched the smaller flower outline 3 times and then colored with my Copics.  I originally planned to do the strip of 3 squares and the sentiment.  But I had that butterfly sitting on my desk that I had cut and stamped when I was contemplating my first card, AND  I felt that my card needed something else -- so I added the butterfly and some of the little faceted stickers that have a gemstone look to add a little more interest to the card.  I think it worked!  I think I like this one more than the first. 

Thanks so much for looking!

June Papertrey Blog Hop

This month's inspiration photo included the colors Harvest Gold, New Leaf, and Aqua Mist.  I further challenged myself to use my new dies for the beautiful Pretty Peonies set and to do something else I hardly ever do -- use only one stamp set for my card(s).   Here is my first card:

For this one, I stamped the outlined peony in New Leaf ink onto Aqua Mist card stock to create the background.  I die cut the flower and the frame and stamped the frame with New Leaf ink and added the sentiment in Basic Gray (SU).  I colored the die cut peony with Copics.  I punched a little strip of Harvest Gold (SU scallop punch) to peek out from the bottom and also cut a strip to break up the background a bit.  I added a few peeks of yellow to the centers of the flowers in the stamped background as well as 3 rhinestones colored to match with my Copics.

Thanks for looking!

Teacher Appreciation

I've been making cards all week for teacher appreciation and made one tonight that I thought I'd share.  I've been having fun with Papertrey's Trendy Tree Tops stamps and dies and have used those for most of my teacher appreciation cards.  Most of my cards have been following the same basic layout, like this one:

 And this one:

But I needed something special for the art teacher.  After all, she is an ART teacher.  I was never any good at art, but now that I have stamps, inks, dies -- you know, the RIGHT TOOLS -- maybe now I can get a good grade.  So I changed it up a little and did this...

I really hope I'll pass kindergarten art class.  (There will be a little bribe tucked inside for insurance!) 

Thanks for looking!

Amy

All supplies from Papertrey Ink. 

Papertrey March Blog Hop

 This month's blog hop challenge was to create something inspired by this photo:

 

I have not had much time lately to do a scrapbook page, so when yesterday afternoon turned out to be rainy, I took advantage of the time indoors to do one with this piece of inspiration.  Here are my pages:

Kind of sad that these are pictures of last year's spring break since this year's spring break is next week.  Hmmm... I think I need to dedicate a little more time to the scrapbook!  

Here are the Papertrey products I used:  

Ink:  Hawaiian Shores, Aqua Mist, Summer Sunrise

Paper:  Stampers Select White, Hawaiian Shores, Bitty Dots (in Lemon Tart)

Stamps:  Mehndi Medallion, Library Ledger (and LL Year Additions), Tiny Tags, Tag Its #7 and Tag Its #12

Dies:  Tiny Tags, Simple Circles Border, Buttoned Up #1 die

Because sometimes it's worth it to go digital!

I love to play with paper, scissors, ink, and stamps as much as even more than the next girl.  But sometimes it's nice to sit down at the computer and make it all happen -- especially when I need to make duplicates of something.   When Stampin' Up introduced My Digital Studio, it didn't take me long to decide that I needed to add it -- the digital element -- to my crafting world.   I certainly haven't regretted that decision. 

Today, I want to show off the birthday party invitation I made for my little guy's 6th birthday party.   You see, this little guy of mine is absolutely obsessed with Legos and most especially with their Ninjago line.  He was dead set on having a Ninjago party.  Well, that would be great except for one small thing -- there just isn't any Ninjago birthday party line -- no plates, cups, stickers, napkins...nothing.   So what's a good mommy to do?  Well, 2 years ago, I could have convinced him that he wanted a different theme.  But not now that this child is 6.    Oh, no.  6 is stubborn sure of himself.   So I did the next best thing:  I went to Pinterest.   I found cute stuff that other much-more-creative-than-me mommies had done for their precious little Ninjago fans.  And one of them had used the free wallpapers from the Lego site to create her stuff.  (She just happened to be a graphic designer.)   "Ooooooo..." I said.   "I can do that with My Digital Studio!"    So here's the invitation I created:

I'm very proud of my Ninjago punched stars.  They were pretty easy to accomplish.  I downloaded wallpaper of the 4 Ninjas from the Lego site.  I saved each image in a folder.  I found where the Designer Series Paper is stored (in a backgrounds folder) for My Digital Studio.  I created a folder called "My Photos" within that folder.  Then I moved my Ninjago photos over to my new folder.  Now I can use those pictures anywhere I would use a background paper -- inside of a punch, for instance.   I then inserted the star punch into my project (4 times for the 4 Ninjas).  When I went to the "Paper fill" option for each punch, I selected the picture from "My Photos" that I wanted.  To adjust the picture placement, I simply double clicked on the star and dragged the picture to the best placement within the star punch.  The one problem I was left to solve was that the pictures weren't large enough to fill all the points of the stars.  To solve that problem, I put in another star punch (layered behind each incomplete star) and filled it with an appropriate color using the color picking tool.  

I printed these and mounted onto Not Quite Navy cardstock and sent them out to his friends.  The best part?   When my little guy saw these, those big brown eyes lit up and he asked, "Can I have one, Mommy?"

Papertrey 5th Anniversary Day 6 Contest -- Card #2

Since I love these sketches AND I had extra wild animal die cuts all ready to go after making my giraffe card, I decided to make another card.  This one uses sketch #3.

Paper:  Kraft, Stampers Select White, Bitty Dots patterned paper in Hawaiian Shores
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Hawaiian Shores
Stamps:  It's a Jungle Out There, Banner Builder, Mat Stack 1 Collection
Dies:  It's a Jungle Out There, Mat Stack 1

Papertrey 5th Anniversary Day 6 Contest

Another Anniversary Countdown day, another challenge!  This one challenges us to use one of the sketches that Nicole gave us here on her blog.  For this card, I chose sketch #2.

I know that it's remarkably similar to the card I made yesterday, but after I made that card, I realized how great it would be as a baby girl card.  I happen to need a baby girl card for a shower this weekend, so this fit the bill!  I just love my pink giraffe -- especially her pink toenails!

Paper:  Stampers Select White, Kraft, Hibiscus Burst
Ink:  Fresh Snow, Hibiscus Burst, Sweet Blush, Versafine Onyx Black
Stamps:  It's a Jungle Out There, Tag-its #3, Fillable Frames Additions 2
Other:  SU punch, Scor tape, glitter, ribbon

Papertrey 5th Anniversary Day 5 Contest

Today's challenge over at Nicole's blog is to create a new project inspired by a Pinterest image.  I decided that this would be a great opportunity to put some of my own pins to use.  I've pinned cards and scrapbook pages that I love to my pin boards, but haven't actually used one to make a card yet.  So I chose this card that I'd pinned from Maile Belles' blog a while ago.  I had to change a few things -- I don't have any doilies (I'm shocked, too!) in my stash, so I decided to use an embossing folder from SU that I love but have hardly used.  Here's my card!

Many thanks to Maile for such a beautiful card!!... and to Pinterest for giving me a place to "remember" it. 
Supplies (all PTI unless noted)
Paper:  Stampers Select White, Hibiscus Burst
Ink:  Fresh Snow, Sakura Glaze Pen, Versafine Onyx Black
Stamps:  Tiny Tags, Tag-its #3
Other:  Butterfly die, SU Sizzix embossing folder, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Diamond Stickles, Smash tape, Vintage Buttons (from Spring Mix), ribbon and embroidery thread from my stash. 

Papertrey 5th Anniversary Day 2 Contest -- Card #4

Last one for today.  I promise.  :)  Though, I'd really like to make more with those fun images I printed.  This one uses Beth Silaika's image.

Supplies (PTI unless noted):
Paper:  Kraft, Pure Poppy, Sending Love Specialty DSP (SU)
Ink:  Copic R29, Blushing Bride (SU)
Die:  Limitless Layers 1 3/4 circle collection
Ribbon:  Pure Poppy Classic Grosgrain ribbon
Other:  glitter

Papertrey 5th Anniversary Day 2 Contest -- Card #3

My 3rd card for the evening!  This one uses Lisa Johnson's image.  These are some really cute chicks!

Supplies:
Paper:  Kraft (PTI), Simply Chartreuse (PTI), Harvest Gold (PTI), Thrift Shop (October Afternoon), black (Archivers)
Ink:  Copics Y21, Y32, YR23, C1
Dies:  Happy Day, Limitless Layers 1 3/4 circle collection, Mat Stack #4, Rickrack border
Other:  Symphony paper tape (Idea-Ology)

Papertrey 5th Anniversary Day 2 Contest -- Card #2

Here's my next attempt for today's challenge.  This one uses Melissa Bickford's image:

 Isn't that a cute image?  The colors are so much fun! 
Supplies (all PTI unless noted):
Paper:  Kraft, Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise, Raspberry Fizz, Simply Chartreuse
Ink:  Hawaiian Shores, Lucky Limeade (SU), Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise
Stamps:  Tag-its #12
Other:  Tiny Tags die, Rustic Jute twine

Papertrey 5th Anniversary Day 2 Contest

Wow!  This is the only time of year that I EVER post more than one day in a row.  But, honestly, who can resist at least trying to win these great prizes that Papertrey offers.  Today's challenge is a fun one -- usually my favorite of the whole anniversary celebration.  The stamp designers each designed a freebie to put into a one-page image download.  The challenge is simply to use those images.  How much fun is that??

My first attempt is with Dawn's image.  She always challenges me to use colors together that I'd never dream of combining.  So, here is my Raspberry Fizz and Melon Berry card:

Supplies (PTI unless otherwise noted):
Stamps:  Background Basics:  Retro, Tiny Treats Birthday
Paper:  Melon Berry, Raspberry Fizz, Stampers Select White
Ink:  Raspberry Fizz, Melon Berry, Fresh Snow
Other:  Mat Stack 5 die, Scallop punch (SU), Scor tape, glitter

Papertrey 5th Anniversary Day 1 Contest

Papertrey fans wait eagerly for the February release countdown every year.  During these days, Nicole hosts contests on her blog and makes lots of announcements about the coming year.  Today marks the beginning of that countdown and the first contest.  Today, we were challenged to choose one of the cards each of the design team members choose as her favorite of the year and use it to inspire us to create a new card of our own.  I chose Lisa Johnson's card.   I didn't change much from Lisa's beautiful card.  I had to make my own patterned paper because I do not have the In Bloom paper pack, and I couldn't resist using the Happy Day die that coordinates with one of Lisa's most recent sets.  So here's my version of her card:

I chose Lisa's card because it featured Peaceful Garden, one of my very favorite sets.  I had the privilege of using that set with Lisa at Stamp-a-faire this year.  I have always loved Lisa's sets and admire her card creations, but now that I've met her, I even more admire her as a person.  She has a bubbly, sweet personality that is so much bigger than you can imagine could even be contained in such a petite frame.   She's the type of person I'd just love to spend hours with, sitting around being crafty (though, I'm not convinced she'd sit very much with all her energy) and laughing lots and lots.  Thanks, Lisa, for giving us such beautiful stamp sets and great inspiration month after month!

Supplies (All from Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Kraft, Scarlet Jewel, Rustic Cream cardstock and Bitty Boxes patterned paper in Spring Moss
Ink:  Fresh Snow, Dark Chocolate, Spring Moss, Scarlet Jewel, Chamomile (Tea Dye Duo)
Stamps:  Peaceful Garden, Think Big Favorites #4, Round & Round, Background Basics: Text Style, Harvest Berries
Other:  Rustic Jute Button Twine, Cream Button