Right Now, February

*photo by Kimberly Campbell*

It's time for another installment of "Right Now" - documented 2/19/14

• feeling:  a little frazzled
• on the to do list: deliver Girl Scout Cookies
• my guilty pleasure:  Carnivale Cake K-Cups from Community Coffee
• favorites: my cowboy boots
• dreaming about: my new fridge - coming Tuesday!!
• grateful for: paychecks, paid bills...simple stuff

You can find the pages to make your own album on Monika Wright's blog. Read all about it here.  

Birthday card for Harrison

Yes! I am really posting twice in one day!! I think twice in about 2.5 hours, actually.

It's another card for a PTI challenge (scroll to the bottom of this post to see all the options).  This one involves using a "recipe" that contains a color scheme and another "recipe" that contains a sketch.  I chose the color scheme inspired by Dawn McVey -- blues and greens:  Ripe Avocado, New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores, Aqua Mist and Classic Kraft.  I chose the last sketch.

You know, I often make all these excuses about how I'm too busy to craft. However, I've worked over 50 hours this week...and I've made eight cards, too! (four for challenges, four Valentines...granted I didn't go to bed until 2:00 this morning because I was working on the Valentines). I need to cut it with the excuses. Usually the real reason I don't craft is because I know it means getting everything out.  Honestly, I dread the thought of getting it all out and making a huge mess (see last post). But, I do enjoy it once I get it done.  

I made this for Harrison's birthday tomorrow. He loves blue and green so I'm hopeful he will like it. I can't believe my baby is six!! Oh these years have flown!

Supplies are all PTI unless otherwise indicated:
     Stamps: 2012 Birthday Tags; I Only Have Eyes for You (Simon Says Stamp...faux stitching)
     Paper: Aqua Mist, New Leaf and Classic Kraft cardstock; Hawaiian Shores Bitty Dot patterned paper
     Ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves (closest I have to RA)

Birthday Card and Envelope

So, this is the mess I make when I'm crafting - actually, this is picked up some. I get antsy when the chopping block looks like this. My OCD goes into overdrive. It's hard being Monk-ish. :) Actually, as I look at that now - that's cleaned up A LOT! But anyway, that's not what I'm here to share.







It's another challenge for the PTI 7th anniversary. The challenge today was to make a card with a coordinating envelope.  I have a friend who recently had a birthday and I still haven't given her a card. I decided this would be my chance to remedy that.  I've been wanting to try the chalkboard technique and, again, here is my chance to try it.

I'm pleased with this little set and I hope my friend will like it. It was fun to do and I'll be doing it again, I'm sure. 

Supplies are Papertrey Ink unless stated otherwise:

Stamps: 2012 Birthday Tags, Boutique Borders: Birthday, Movers & Shakers Sentiments, Sketched Shapes, Stylish Sentiments:  Birthday
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, True Black
Ink: Versamark; Versafine Onyx (both Tsukineko); Pure Poppy (PTI)
Other: White embossing powder (Stampendous), Chalk marker (Uchida), Ladybug baker's twine (Bakers Stock); Limitless Layers: 2.25" Ovals dies (PTI); Button (PTI)

Flip Flops

I know! How in the world can I be talking about flip flops when it is eleventy-billion-degrees below zero in half of the country?! Winter Storm Olaf. Let It Go. FROZEN. Have you not been outside? Have you not been to the movies?! Hahahaha. I know, right?  (by the way, Frozen totally had me in tears five minutes into the movie) ANYWAY.

You know the PTI 7th Anniversary gig is going on right now. The challenge today was "Building Blocks". Roll a die nine times. Each roll, visit a design team member's blog and get your "block" for building your card.

So, apparently 1 is my "lucky number" - I rolled it four times!  Nichole stated that if you didn't have a particular supply, you could roll again.  Well, that last 6 required seam binding. I have none. So, I rolled again and got a 3. 3=embroidery floss. Dude, I have floss out the wazoo!! But my color combination sent me over. the. edge. Hawaiian Shores. Raspberry Fizz. Melon Berry. With Vintage Cream as my neutral.  Make a friendship card using generational stamping, brads and embroidery floss.

Hawaiian Shores & Raspberry Fizz - okay. Bright. But fun. Okay. Then, MELON BERRY?!  Melon Berry?! With Raspberry Fizz?! Are you kidding me?! I thought about rerolling. But the fun is trying to have a Tim Gunn Moment and "Make it work!"  So then I thought, "Oh, I can use generational stamping to make the blue and pink softer to work a little better with the Melon Berry."  I decided I could use Flippin' Out - two pairs of flip flops, one each in the bright colors with Melon Berry straps. That would work - and be cute. But how am I going to work in brads and floss? The more I stared at my "rolled" sketch, the more I kept thinking about Nichole Heady's adorable card introducing the set Flippin' Out set (see it here). She had that little strip of cardstock with the floss fringe. Bazinga!!  Still had no idea what in the world I was going to do with brads - other than be married to one (with an uppercase B). OR how I was going to use generational stamping. Then I realized what I could do -- little flowers scattered around my flip flops were stamped using the generational stamping. And, tada, brads make perfect little flower centers.  Personally, I think life is better in cowgirl boots - but flip flops run a close second!

Supplies (are Papertrey Ink unless otherwise specified):
     Stamps:  Flippin' Out
     Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores, Melon Berry
     Cardstock: Melon Berry, Vintage Cream, Hawaiian Shores
     Other:  Stamps of Life (I think they're Chocolate...but I won them in a goodie box so I'm not sure and they aren't labeled -- they look more brown than black); DMC floss 958 and 3778
     

Right Now Cover

As you may know (or not), I have been doing the "right now" journaling for a mini album. The journaling pages have come from Monika Wright at I Love It All.

Now that I have a Cinch, I'm ready to bind it and make the mini album. Here is my cover:

After I painted the chipboard letters and then stamped them with Sketched Shapes in Pure Poppy. When you see them in person, you see the squiggly lines on the letters.  I'm linking this to the Papertrey Ink 7th anniversary celebration challenge calling us to show a project with stripes. Chevron stripes, stripes in the "wood floor" patterned paper.  Stripes of stamping. Stripey. Stripey. Stripey. I love stripes! And...you know I love the red, white and blue color scheme. :) I'll show the back cover later. I need to break out the Cinch and bind it. I'm pretty pleased. 

Supplies:

     Paper: On the Bright Side-Collection One (My Mind's Eye)
     Chipboard: a cereal box saved from the recycling bin ;); letters (Paper Studio, Hobby Lobby)
     Stamps:  Sketched Shapes (Papertrey Ink)
     Ink:  Pure Poppy, Enchanted Evening (PTI)
     Other:  Paint - Claudine Hellmuth Studio "Blank Canvas" (Ranger); Ribbon - red saddlestitch (stash)