This & That Thursday: One Year Ago

Let's take a walk down memory lane

and see what we were creating last year in April!

Bella Rose Card - I miss the Bella Rose DSP... this card makes me want a whole 'nother stack to play with. It was so delicate and lovely! I really like the layout of this card and it makes me think I should try it out again with a different color scheme and DSP for a new look.

Patchwork Top Note Card - We still haven't made one of these in our classes yet! That's terrible! This definitely needs to get put on the list, because this card has great results with minimal effort. We've gotta do this soon! =)

Victorian Fifth Avenue Card - My mom used the versatile and beautiful Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set to create this card. I called it the "Triple Decker Rose" (I thought I was being pretty clever). The rose is stamped three times and she cut out parts of it from two of the images and layered them to create that fun 3-layer effect. Another idea we should try again!

Happy Hi Card - I made this card for one of Kristina Werner's challenges. Boy, was this one fun to make and it's still one of my favorites, even a year later. I just love those flowers and the colors! The vase was made by punching a wide oval and then trimming off the top. Then the top is used for the bottom of the vase! =)

Sometimes old ideas can be great for new ideas!

Have you revisited your craft or art recently

from a year ago or more and found some old ideas

that you want to try again?

Tell us about it.

Wowzer! Wednesday: Embossing Folder Strips

I was "wowed" when I saw this tutorial on Dena Rekow's blog. She took embossing folders, cut them up and made strips out of them that you can send through with cardstock through your Big Shot. The result is that only part of your card has the pattern on it... it's awesome! Here's a couple cards she made so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about:

You can view her Wowzer! tutorial by clicking HERE and let her know how awesome it is! =)

Newsy Tuesday: Classes and New Organizers

Catch up on all the latest

Two Happy Stampers news!

We're doing a card class today at Tumbleweed Rec. Center. We'll be teaching the Criss Cross card technique and doing some stamping also. Here's a couple of the cards we'll be making today.

We have two fresh new cute and stylish coupon organizers in our shop! My mom and I are in love with the black and white one! The paper is Stampin' Up's Nouveau Chic DSP and it looks fabulous!

Our fun flower brooch project class is this Thursday! We've still got a few spots open, so if you're interested in joining us, you can contact us HERE. Sorry, I don't have a picture to share! =(

Our special Stamp-a-Theme card class featuring girly cards is next week! Here's one of the cards we'll be making.

Our monthly Color Challenge is still open and you can get all the details HERE. The colors are a lot of fun! =)

That's all the news for today! Be sure to check back in with us tomorrow for our Wowzer! Wednesday feature... you don't want to miss it! =)

Sweet & Simple Monday: Masculine Card

Today's Sweet & Simple tutorial is for a masculine birthday card. We all have those guys in our lives that need cards too, right? Sometimes just keeping the card simple and low-key without a bunch of fluff can be challenging. I like all that girly stuff! =)

Here's a card that is really simple, really easy and really sweet (even though it is for a guy)! Hope you enjoy! =)

1. Fold a piece of 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" Sahara Sand CS in half at 4-1/4". Use Sahara Sand ink and stamp image from Circle Circus in a random pattern several times on card front. Use Chocolate Chip ink pad and lay the ink pad directly on the card front edges. Do this several times in a random pattern all around edges.

2. Stamp a couple of the Circle Circus images in Taken w/ Teal and Chocolate Chip inks on Whisper White CS. Punch out these images with corresponding circle punches (varies with images).

3. Use Chocolate Chip and Taken w/ Teal Stampin' Write markers to ink up image from Birthday Bliss stamp set. Punch out with 1-1/2" circle punch.

4. Punch out:

- (1) 1" Taken w/ Teal CS circle (I punched mine out of an embossed piece of cardstock)

- (1) 1-3/8" Chocolate Chip circle

- (1) Taken w/ Teal Scallop Circle

5. Attach stamped and punched birthday sentiment to Taken w/ Teal scallop circle with SNAIL adhesive.

6. Use SNAIL adhesive to attach all the circles (except for the scalloped sentiment circle) to the front of the card in a random pattern, allowing some of the circles to go over the edge of the card. After attaching, trim edges of circles in line with the card front edges.

7. Attach the scallop sentiment circle to card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Supplies: Circle Circus stamp set, Birthday Bliss stamp set, Sahara Sand CS, Taken w/ Teal CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Whisper White CS, Chocolate Chip classic ink, Sahara Sand classic ink, Taken w/ Teal Stampin' Write marker, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker, Scallop Circle punch, 1-1/2" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, SNAIL adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Stampin' Up! supplies can be ordered through Heidi by clicking HERE.

Here's another variation of this card... just a couple changes for a little different look. =)

Thanks for stopping by on this Monday! Hope you're getting a great start to your new week and we hope to see you back here again soon! Have a great day! =)

Take 2

From Adriel:

Remember my first take on a project I was working on?

(You can click the preceeding sentence if you missed it.)

I made another attempt and I'm happy to say that I am much more pleased with the results! This project will be for one of our upcoming local classes. You want to like what you're going to teach others to make. That won't be a problem this time... I like it and it's a winner! =)



I broke out the Lattice die for the Big Shot that's been sitting in it's packaging for a few weeks... talk about instant wow! It's beautiful and easy to create with! Can't wait until our ladies get to try it out... they're going to love it!



I used the Mojo Monday 133 card sketch for my card and it worked out great!


My card size is 3-1/4" x 4-7/8", so a bit smaller than the normal 4-1/4" x 5-1/2". The colors I used for this card are: Sahara Sand, Bordering Blue, Not Quite Navy, and Very Vanilla. I used the Very Vintage wheel on the background of the card and the center oval is stamped with images from the Vintage Vogue stamp set. The sentiment is from the Vintage Labels sale-a-bration set.

Hope your weekend is going good for you!

Happy Weekend!

From Adriel:

The weekend is here again! And my husband got the taxes done last night, which means he doesn't have to spend the weekend working on them, which means he gets to spend more time with me! =D <------- BIG smile It's definitely a HAPPY weekend! =)

I've got a card to share with you today that I made last week. I used a few challenges to help me get a head start on it... challenges can be helpful in that way.

For my thank you card I combined two challenges:

1. I used the Play Date Cafe Challenge #24, which was to use the beautiful color combo of Plum, Lavender, and Cream. I would love to play more with these colors... they're just so beautiful together! =)

2. I used the sketch from Just Add Ink #12. It was a simple layout and very easy to work with and be creative with. =)

Here's my card!

Some new Stampin' Up! goodies were recently delivered to us and one of them was this cute new set called "Sweet Scoops". It will be in the new Spring/Summer Occasions Mini catalog. It was perfect for the card theme I had in mind, which was "treat yourself" and included a gift card to Starbucks. ;-) This card was very easy to put together since the colors were already figured out for me and the layout... I wish it was that easy all the time! =)

Supplies: Pale Plum CS, Perfect Plum CS, Very Vanilla CS, Sweet Scoops stamp set, Sahara Sand classic ink, Pale Plum Stampin' Write marker, Perfect Plum Stampin' Write marker, Scallop edge punch, Large oval punch, Scallop oval punch, Sponge, Corner Rounder, Cream-colored satin ribbon.

Friday's Fresh Finds

We're doing something a little different this week! The past couple of weeks we've been showing off Fresh Finds from Etsy (and they have been wonderful!). This week, we'd like to share a link to a tutorial with you!

We recently finished some fun invitations to the "Preparation Scrap-together" that we are having in preparation for Allison's arrival. Here's a photo of the finished invites...

Our invitations are pocket cards. We didn't use any printed paper... we stamped our own! (That's the great thing about stamps... you can make your own coordinating background paper!) We thought you might like the link to a great tutorial that shows you how to make these simple, but different cards. We made a smaller size with different dimensions, but this tutorial is a great place to start and you can change it to your liking from there!

You can find the Pocket Card Tutorial HERE!

Our Etsy shop is also featured in a fun thank you card treasury on Etsy. Our little birdy thank you cards were featured! You can view the treasury by clicking HERE.

We hope you enjoyed Friday's Fresh Finds this week.

Come back soon!

This & That Thursday

From Adriel:

Okay, I'm not proud of what I have to show you today. I spent the entire afternoon yesterday working on this and it turned out terrible in my opinion. But it's something to share with you and it fits into a couple of challenges. Perhaps you can give me some suggestions on what I could have done different! Anyway, onto yesterday's disaster project!

This project is for the Our Creative Corner: Break Out the Buttons challenge, the Pals Paper Arts Flower-theme challenge, and our very own Two Happy Stampers Color Challenge #3.

I made a tote for 3-1/4" x 4-7/8" note cards (basically fits into a 3-1/2" x 5" envelope). I used the directions for the tote from Procrastistamper... I just changed the measurements a bit to fit a smaller card. Sorry, don't have the measurements in front of me at the moment, but I may share them at a later time. The tote itself is very cute and I like the design a lot, so the afternoon wasn't completely wasted.

I did a bunch of stuff to the front of the tote that I'm not proud of. I like my shabby flower, but it just doesn't seem to go. The ribbon was fun to do! =)

I also made 5 notecards to go in the tote that I'm not proud of. HAHA! Well, it's good to be humbled. =)

I hope you enjoyed my attempt at being creative! Hopefully my creative juices will get going a little better soon. =) Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day! =)

BTW, our color challenge is looking a bit lonely at the moment... we'd love to have you play along with us! Our challenge is open for the entire month of April, so you still have plenty of time! Check out the details HERE!

Wowzer Wednesday! New Stampin' Up! Colors!!

I had to add another Wowzer Wednesday...really, Wowzer news! Stampin' Up has announced their new Color Renovation...and I love all the new colors and Color Collections for 2010-2011.There are many colors that will be retiring after the new 2010-2011 catalog comes out in July. If you'd like to stock up on any of the retiring colors, I am offering 20% off all retiring color products (card stock, ink, refills, markers, etc.) until June 30, 2010. Once they're gone, they're gone!

Here is a list of the current colors that will be retiring at the end of June:

glorious green
green galore
gable green
yoyo yellow
only orange
pink passion
pixie pink
orchid opulence
lovely lilac
brilliant blue
close to cocoa
creamy caramel
really rust
ruby red
cameo coral
summer sun
bordering blue
brocade blue
ballet blue
taken with teal
handsome hunter
pale plum
blush blossom
apricot appeal
barely banana
mellow moss
sage shadow
almost amethyst
lavender lace
basic brown
going gray

Wowzer! Wednesday

Hi to all of you! How are you doing today?

Our Wowzer! Wednesday focus today is on simple cards

that still give that "Wowzer!" factor!

We're featuring work from 4 wonderful card makers today,

so let's get started with the wowing! =)

Here we go!

First up is this beautiful card by Renee. She used a combination of patterned paper and a stamped background along with a punched border and a simple, yet stunning, stamped flower focal point. She added a build-a-brad and a die-cut element to add a little "extra" to this card. In addition, her color combo is a departure from the ordinary and it a total Wowzer!! You can visit Renee HERE for a complete list of supplies and to give her a wave! =)

Next is this lovely and calming card from Julie Davison. Julie does such a great job keeping things simple and yet turning out lovely work. This card is no exception. She stuck with one stamp set primarily (except for the sentiment) and used it in a variety of ways. The rounded corners on the panels, the multi-colored floral image and the silver brads give the "extra" that make you forget that this card is simple. Love it! You can visit Julie HERE for a complete list of supplies and let her know her card is beautiful! =)

Our next Wowzer! pick is this bright and fun card from Nancy Riley. She kept things simple using designer paper and die-cuts as the main basis of this card, but she added the "extra" by using an eye-catching color combo and a fun button in the middle! It's perfect for the winter blues! =) You can visit Nancy HERE for a complete list of supplies and to say hi!

And last, but not least this week, is this sweet card from Vicki. The simple layout of the card is taken from simple to "wowzer!" with a few "extras" that are very easy to add, but they make such a difference! The ribbon, the embossed cardstock, the butterflies and the addition of the silver pearls on the butterflies all combine to make a lovely card. You can visit Vicki HERE for a complete list of supplies and to say something sweet! =)

We hope you've been inspired today with these cards. Next time your simple card looks a little too simple for your tastes, try adding one or more of the elements we saw in today's cards. A little ribbon, a button, a die cut element, or some embossing can make all the difference!

Have a wonderful day today and stay creatively inspired! =)

Newsy Tuesday

Hey there! We don't have a whole lot of news today, but we've got a few things to share with you today.

I finished the baby boy memory flip album I have been working on. It turned out SUPER cute and I really hope the new mom likes it. The story behind the album is that I reconnected with an old childhood friend via facebook recently. I really was better friends with her older sister when we were kids, but it's funny how a 3 year age difference isn't really that big of a deal when you're a grown-up... anyway, I digress. Her older sister recently had a baby boy and she asked me about the flip album. That's how the whole thing got rolling and now I have all the pieces cut out for another baby boy album and I'm hoping to do a couple of baby girl ones also. I'm planning on getting this album in the mail today on its way to its new home! =)

Last week my mom and I spent some time making some masculine-themed cards. We're planning on doing a masculine-theme SAS sometime within the next few months. It's hard to get your brain to think "masculine". I'm a girl! I love flowers and pretty things! These stretched my creativity, but it was a good challenge. Here are just a couple of the cards we made:

We're getting closer to being done with the preparation for the scrapbook put-together party for the upcoming baby. My husband and I (mainly I) finally decided on the spelling of the name we chose: Allison Grace. My husband didn't really care how it was spelled... I kept going back and forth between different spellings. =)

We have a couple of classes this week at Tumbleweed Rec. Center. A Creative Cards class and a CD scrapbook album. I'm sorry I don't have pics to share for these classes... I'll have to get them from Mom. =)

Anyway, that's the news for this week! Hope all of you are doing well and staying creative. Enjoy your day. =)

Sweet & Simple Monday

Make a set of sweet and simple gift tags perfect for a variety of occasions! These tags feature one of our favorite cardstock colors right now: Kraft. Kraft is so versatile and adds something extra to these gift tags. Of course, these tags would be perfectly fine using white cardstock... they would still look great!

1. Trim Kraft cardstock to 2-1/4"W x 4"H. Use tag corner punch on top corners to create the "tag" look.

2. Use medium floral image from Fifth Avenue Floral in Old Olive, Ruby Red or Rich Razzleberry to stamp on the bottom of the tag. (I stamped once and then also stamped again without inking up again to create a more subdued, faded look in the left-hand corner of the tag. This is optional.)

3. Stamp sentiment from Fresh Cuts in Chocolate Chip ink on upper right-side of tag.

4. Find the top center of tag and punch a hole.

You can use a variety of fibers to tie this tag onto your gift or bag. Some of our favorites are hemp twine and fine white crochet thread. Ribbon in various colors are also great!

Super simple and you can make a great looking set of tags in very little time! Hope you enjoyed today's project. Join us again next week for another sweet and simple Monday. =)

Supplies: Kraft cardstock, Fresh Cuts stamp set, Fifth Avenue stamp set, Old Olive classic ink, Ruby Red classic ink, Rich Razzleberry classic ink, Chocolate Chip classic ink, Tag Corner punch, hole punch.

Stampin' Up! supplies can be ordered through Heidi by clicking HERE. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at: twohappystampers@gmail.com

April's THS Color Challenge #3

Here's the colors for our color challenge this month! We're looking forward to seeing what you have to offer with these fun colors this month!

Our color challenge is open for the entire month of April, so you have plenty of time to play! This challenge is open to all of our artsy, craft friends. Whether you make cards, scrapbook, knit, paint, make jewelry, or anything else in between, we'd love to have you join us!

Our color challenge this month is: Cameo Coral, Night of Navy, Taken w/ Teal, and White (these are Stampin' Up! color names... use what you have, but try to keep it close). Make something creative using our color challenge and leave the url link to your creation in the comments at the end of this post or send us a picture of your inspired creation. We will choose 5 of the submissions to feature on our blog at the end of the challenge!

Sound fun? Join us!

Guidelines to participate:

- Use the colors in the challenge as a springboard for your creativity.

- Challenge ends Friday, April 30th @ midnight, Arizona time.

- Please keep submissions family friendly. =)

We're looking forward to seeing what you have to share with us! Let your friends know about our challenge, too! Have fun! =)

UPDATE: We recently figured out how to get the InLinkz feature to work, so if you are just joining us and haven't left your link in the comments yet, please try leaving it through InLinkz. Don't worry if you left your link already in the comments... it still counts! =)

Friday's Fresh Finds

It's Friday already! Wow, this week flew by and here it is already Friday! In addition, here we are in new month: April. Our weather here has been beautiful lately, but I know that the summer heat will be upon us before we know it. I've been encouraging the kids to spend time outside and take advantage of the weather, because pretty soon they'll be cooped up in the house with it being too hot to play outside.

With all that being said, our Fresh Finds theme this week is spring and garden-related items. Here are just a few of some wonderful items that caught my eye on Etsy recently! Enjoy! =)

Cherry Blossom Bangles from sophiapip - Someone on facebook shared a link to these and the photo caught my attention. Such a lovely piece! There's so many more lovely things in her shop, too! Lovely work. =)

Garden Tray from LynnWoodPorcelain - This piece is so happy and cute! Perfect for the new season! =)

Blooming Pillows from TwoYellowShoes - Okay, I am in love with these! Aren't they fun?! =)

Hair Garden Bobbies from TopStory - These are just beautiful! I love things like this, but then I can't figure out how to do my hair with them. I have jeweled hair things and bobbies that never look right when I put them in my hair. Call me accessory-challenged... I still love looking and dreaming, though. These make me want to try again... =)

Chalkboard Flower Pots from MaysHomemade - I thought these pots were such a cute idea, especially for herbs or something of that sort. Simply write with chalk on the pot what you've planted. Charming idea! =)

Crochet Flower Brooch from bysweetmom - I saw this on facebook also. It just caught my eye! Such a beautiful way to dress up a T-shirt or simple blouse. Lovely accessory! =)

I hope you're enjoying the spring season and all the loveliness that it brings. Have a wonderful Friday! Thanks for stopping by! =)

This & That Thursday

Color Challenge Participants

We had 6 participants this month in our color challenge! I think that's double from last month! =)

Since we only had 1 more than the 5 we said we would choose to feature, we're going to feature all of the participants as a thank you for their participation! We were excited to get a couple of paintings in the participation this month! Here are the submissions for this month's THS Color Challenge #2:

Kirsten Bailey used the color challenge to create this beautiful painting called "Embracing the Storm":

Karen Fisher created this fun collage piece:

Karin Morin, one of our local stamping buddies, made this cute card for our color challenge:

Nicole Corbett used the color challenge for her painting:

Kayla Hong made 3 cards using the color challenge:

Jacob Hong made this nice picture using the color challenge:

We'll be introducing this month's new color challenge soon, so be watching for that! Thanks to all of our participants! We're looking forward to seeing your wonderful creativity next month!

Have a great Thursday, everyone! =)