Sweet Sixteen

Do you remember the days? Freedom. Ahh, the freedom of having a license to drive. Running to the grocery store for a much needed box of baking soda in the family station wagon was so very exciting. Carting five other students to school was no big deal. Feeling like you could go anywhere or do anything at the drop of a hat. Ahh, the freedom. Of course, this was back in the day before gas was $4 a gallon...

The Happily Ever Challenged Challenge is all about the sweet sixteen. Ted has challenged us to make a birthday card using purple and green and a few other requirements as well. The HEC challenges are some of my favorite, they really make me think and stretch my creativity.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Naturals White, Purple, Green) SU
Stamps: (Modern Basics) PTI
Ink: (Green, Purple) SU, (Fresh Snow) PTI
Other: (Button, Thread)

Lucky

"Luck", in general terms, tends to be as good as it is bad. I'm fortunate that I have experienced both- to balance out my life.

Ted, from Happily Ever Crafter issued a Tribute to St. Patrick Color Challenge (sheesh, these colors scared me at first, Ted, but I am so happy with the way the card turned out!)...but it also called for the use of a three leaf shamrock. While on the hunt for one, I found these digital images from Paper Smooches, offered during their guest design contest. I don't think I've ever searched for a three leaf shamrock before making this card, but I have been a sucker to search for the elusive four-leaf clover...

I was also awarded this from Brandi at Yankee Belle Stamper. Thanks, Brandi! Brandi is so fun and talented...love what she does with PTI stamps. I'd like to give a shout out to a few other blogs that I've started to follow recently, these ladies are also so very talented!
Jocelyn
Kelly
Chari

Supplies:
Cardstock: (White) Office Max
Patterned Paper: (Orange Houndstooth and solid Green) Pebbles
Digital Stamps: (Clover and Sentiment) Paper Smooches
Embellishments: (Frame) DoodleBug Designs, (Floss)

Deer Friend

After supper and the chil'rens were asleep last evening, I was supposed to make cookies for my work party. But then, I saw this card, and this challenge, and the above card formed in my head. I wondered aloud what I should do... cookies....or a card? From the words of one very talented lady after seeking advice: "cookies shmookies....make the card :) crafty mojo is a terrible thing to waste!"

I had a scrap piece of stamped background paper from Practicing Creativity Design's brand spankin' new release on my desk that provided the background for the sweet little deer (from Retro Christmas, also by Practicing Creativity Designs. He's now been a Halloween, Christmas and Valentine deer!). Ted challenged his participants to use their own handwriting on the front and inside of the card for his Happily Ever Challenged Challenge. Ted always has great challenges that are just that...a challenge. I wrote in pencil and erased about a billion times until I got something that was presentable. Here's the inside:

My dear sweet friends, I am happy to say that I did finish a batch of chocolate chip cookies as well, let it be known that you can get a lot accomplished in eight minute intervals.
 
Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Kraft) PTI, (White) Georgia Pacific, (Real Red) SU
Stamps: (Deer from Retro Christmas, Grid from For the Love of Grids) Practicing Creativity Designs
Ink: (Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress) Ranger, (Pretty in Pink Pigment) SU
Embellishments: (Epoxy Hearts) Cloud Nine, (Brown Burlap String) May Arts
Other: (Brown Journaling Peng) Creative Memories

Mummy-To-Be

She's going to be a fantastic mama. I know it. She'll love him and cuddle with him, she'll be stern when she needs to and soft when she can. Even though I won't be right around the corner if she needs my help, I will be a phone call away to offer advice when she asks for it. I absolutely cannot wait until Halloween when I can see "the mummy-to-be", who is coming from out of state for a visit!

When I emailed Ted for his latest challenge at Happily Ever Crafter, I dreaded the word "Trick" contained in his response. My challenge was to create a Halloween Card with pastel colors and non-traditional icons! Sheesh-what was I going to do? It took me literally days before I realized that I had the perfect opportunity waiting for me and created a card that is my most favorite to date.

After lightly stamping the deer from this Christmas set, I drew the mummy costume and colored her lightly. I stamped a hexagon pattern in peach that one could say represents pumpkins, and then bordered it in pastel purple and topped it off with a green button-both baby versions of traditional Halloween colors.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Vintage Cream) PTI, (Pale Plum) SU
Stamps: (Retro Christmas) Practicing Creativity Designs, (Hexagon-A-Thon) Schlosser Designs
Ink: (Soft Subtles Pigment) SU, (Antique Linen Distress) Ranger, (Close to Cocoa Marker) SU
Embellishments: (Ivory String) May Arts, (Button) PTI, (Pearl) Kaisercraft
Tools: (Labels 4 Nesties) Spellbinders, (Corner Chomper) WR Memory Keepers
Font: (Ali Edwards) Creating Keepsakes

The Beehive

I stood on the corner of the lot surveying the crew's work. They made a quick job of tearing down the one tree and were going to start on the next. Suddenly I felt something drop into my hair and then...felt the sting. Oh, how that hurt! Turns out that there was a beehive half as tall as me in the soon to be non-existent tree and the big wasp was none to happy to be disturbed.
So of course I had to pull out the hexagons from Hexagon-A-Thon by Schlosser Designs and create a beehive card. The Baker Beehive had TONS of hexagons within it, and it was really quite an inspiration. (Glad to see it gone though.) To give my hive a bit of depth, I gold embossed the hexagons, outlined them with black and then sponged a few ink colors.
There are only a few hours left to participate in the Happily Ever Challenged Challenge, the golden opportunity.
And only a few hours until we sneak the newest designs from Practicing Creativity Designs! Check back, you won't be disappointed!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (White) Georgia Pacific (Basic Black) SU (Gold) Unknown
Stamps: (Hexagon-A-Thon) Schlosser Designs
Ink: Versamark, (Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Summer Sun Pigment) SU
Embellishments: (Gold Embossing Powder) SU (Gold String) SU (Stickers) SRM Stickers, (Black Pen) Pilot

Enjoying the Hexagon

Search "hexagon" on Google and you end up with a yield of about 6,990,000 results 0.39 seconds. This little shape is truly amazing, and worthy of that many entries on the world wide web. Throw in some awesomely trendy patterns such as wood grain, and its this clean and simple cardmaker's dream stamp.

This one layer card created for the Happily Ever Challenged Challenge consists of three stamps: the woodgrain hexagon from Schlosser Designs stamped in a row in two different colors-sides touching, the outline hexagon from the same set stamped to overlap, and a simple sentiment. I scored a line at the top and bottom for a bit of visual interest. This design allows you to switch up the patterns and colors for a completely different kind of card. For instance, switch to the hexagon polka dotted stamp and stamp in light greens and purples, add a touch of light brown and you have a baby or little girl's birthday card.

Supplies Used: 
Masculine Enjoy: Cardstock: (Kraft) Stampin'Up! Stamps: (Hexagon-A-Thon) Schlosser Designs (sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages) PTI Ink: (Lime Green, Citrus Chalk) Colorbox (Onyx Black) Versafine
Baby Celebrate: Cardstock: (Very Vanilla) Stampin'Up! Stamps: (Hexagon-A-Thon) Schlosser Designs (sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages) PTI Ink: (Lavender Lace, Sage Shadow Pigment) Stampin'Up! (Antique Linen Distress) Ranger

The Mother Hen

I'm an Artsy Mother Hen, according to MontissoryMom. How appropriate and quite funny! This weekend my mothering skills were none to be desired as Saturday night I was in the Emergency Room with my youngest finding out where in his little body the penny was that he swallowed, Sunday morning the Easter Bunny forgot to hide eggs and that afternoon I attempted making a desert three times. Yep, I'll take Artsy Mother Hen any day!
This was such a fun card to make. I started with the idea of creating an unconventional Mother's Day Card for Happily Ever Challenged: A MOTHER of a Challenge and decided to take the opportunity to paper piece the design for the latest Moxie Fab Challenge: Picking Up the Pieces. The image is from an on-line coloring book. After the paper piecing was complete (the hen in white and red and four different shades of gold for the chicks) I finished the card with stitching that I call "chicken scratch" and there you have it.

Supplies Used: SU Kraft Cardstock, SU DSP (Basic Gray, So Saffron, Riding Hood Red, Garden Green, More Mustard), CM Orange Journaling Pen, Fiskars Scallop Border Punch, Thread, Printer

And for good measure, I can't post about hens without showing some eggs! These were done shortly before the trip to the ER.

The Story of the Butterfly

After last week's catechism class, my oldest son shared with me that they learned about the significance of Easter. Here's an insert from his packet: The butterfly is one of the symbols to signify Easter and the life of Christ. First, there is the caterpillar, which stands for His life on Earth. Second, comes the cocoon stage, portraying the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. The third and final stage is the beautiful butterfly, representing His raising from the dead in a glorified body. Wow, what an amazing way to explain the significance of Easter to a child. Of course, he then proceeded to ask when the Easter Bunny was going to come, so I'm not sure he retained much...
I haven't wanted to stamp much because I've felt a little bit down due to recent circumstances (i.e. the submission email acceptance never came...) but I came across a very intriguing site and challenge that made me smile, made me think, and let me enjoy creating again: Happily Ever Challenged #4 - A CRAFTy Easter! from Ted at Happily Ever Crafter. So fun, please check it out! I had lots of enjoyment shifting around items in my closet to find things that would fit.
C=Cardstock R=Red Ribbon and Rhinestones A=Antique Distressing F=Flocked Paper T=Thread
I absolutely adore this card now and I think mostly because it was created with so much symbolism. The butterfly in general, the red ribbon for His blood, the aged look. Aah, it feels good to be back!

Supplies Used: SU Kraft Cardstock, Ivory Cardstock from Paper Company, Flocked DSP from Heidi Grace, PTI Mixed Messages, Stazon Ink in Jet Black, Walnut Distress Ink from Ranger, SU Butterfly Die, SU Real Red Satin Ribbon, Fiskars Scallop Border Punch,Rhinestones from Michaels, Thread