Lots of Happiness

Good morning, friends! Today is Tuesday, and you know what that means! (Haha, if you don't - its time for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge!)

Here is this week's sketch:

And here is my sample:

The fabulous birdcage stamps are from the Elegant Birds set from My Cute Stamps. I love these adorable, whimsical birdcages.

I stamped one of each size birdcage onto Lilykate patterned paper and cut them out. I did a little bit of masking to put the bird in the blue cage. I used a Spica glitter pen to add a bit of sparkle to each of the bird cages. The sentiment is also part of the set.

I stitched the satin ribbon to a strip of patterned paper and added the flourished brad to finish off the sketch. The completed card size is 4 inches by 7 inches.

Make sure you stop by Mercy's blog to find the links to the DT members and check out their sketches.

Also stop by Claire's blog to see if you were one of the Waltzingmouse Stamps new release blog hop winners! Thank you all for your visit and kind comments during the new release!

Have a great day!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Elegant Birds - My Cute Stamps
Cardstock: Rustic White, White - Papertrey Ink; Barely Banana - Stampin' Up!
Patterned Paper: Lilykate - Basic Grey
Ink: True Black - Papertrey Ink; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger
Other: Spring Moss satin ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Flourish brad - Stampin' Up!; Sand Spica glitter pen; sewing machine

Happy Birthday, Bill!

Hi everyone! Today is my sweetie's birthday. We have celebrated many birthdays together - the first one was back in high school, 15 years ago. Time really flies.

I'd like to share the card I made for Bill with you.

My jumping off point was the embossing resist challenge that PTI had last week. The sentiment was stamped and embossed first. I then used Distress Inks to create the graduated colors in the background. Then I stamped the trees, which are from Through the Trees. A strip of text from Background Basics: Text Style II inside two score lines creates a subtle background.

I know I don't talk too much about him, but Bill is a very special guy. He is kind and supportive, and very smart. He is silly and spontaneous and maintains family as his highest priority. We have had some difficult times over the past few years, but with a lot of hard work are coming through things on top. That is a nod to Bill's work ethic as well as his belief in us. Not a day goes by that I don't think we were made for each other or that we are fulfilling some sort of destiny by sharing our lives together. He is my partner and I highly value his opinion and feedback (I want to interject that he provides his seal of approval for all of my creations - sometimes he provides suggestions that really make a world of difference to my fishished product). My experiences are richer when shared with him, and I look forward to that for the rest of my life. Happy Birthday, babe!

Bill shared some pictures of our monster snowstorm this weekend. We ended up with about two feet of snow Saturday afternoon after it was all said and done. We are running out of places to put all that snow. He's a pretty tall guy, and it was up to his knees - it was over top of our dogs' backs! Check out his blog for some photos.

Have a great day everyone - thank you for stopping by today!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Through the Trees, Background Basics: Text Style II - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink; Garden Green - Stampin' Up!
Ink: True Black - Papertrey Ink; Going Gray - Stampin' Up!; Pine Needles, Faded Jeans, Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord Distress Ink - Ranger
Other: Clear embossing powder - Stewart Superior; Scor-Pal; sewing machine

So Sweet!

Speaking of sweet, I am going to be short and sweet today. We are getting some serious snow here in the 'Burgh and I am going to try and finish up and get out of here before things get bad.

Here is a sweet card with some yummy cupcakes!

The cupcakes and sentiment are from Papertrey's Cupcake Collection. The swirly icing top was stamped onto different patterned papers (all PTI), cut out, and then glitterfied. The cupcake bottoms were stamped onto Kraft cardstock and cut out.

I stitched around a piece of Rustic White cardstock and adhered it to a Lemon Tart card. I have been using yellow a lot recently - I have been loving the happy, springy feeling it gives everything. I think I am not the only one that is looking forward to spring! The sentiment is from the same set.

Thank you all for the wonderful comments you left on yesterday's Waltzingmouse Release Blog Hop post. It was so nice to hear from so many of you. If you have not seen it, please check it out! There are prizes to be had! The contest ends Sunday, February 7th at 11:59 EST.

I also promise you a masking tutorial using the daffodil stamp from Spring Baskets. Many of you left comments about masking these images and I thought maybe a little visual would be helpful. Look for that coming up soon!

Have a wonderful evening friends, I am going to hunker down at home with my hubs and the fireplace!

#Anya

Recipe:
(All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Cupcake Collection
Cardstock: Rustic White, Lemon Tart, Kraft
Patterned Paper: Raspberry Fizz Mix, Everyday Blessings, 2008 Bitty Box Basics, Simple Valentine
Ink: True Black
Other: Dazzling Diamonds glitter - Stampin' Up!; sewing machine

Glorious Spring Wishes

Hello! Welcome to the new release blog hop for Waltzingmouse Stamps!

If you're hopping along with us, you should have come here by way of Belinda's blog. If you just happened to stop in, Lynn is heading us up today if you'd like to start at the beginning! Prizes are up for grabs, too, so keep reading!

As soon as I saw the graphics for the new Spring Baskets set, I wanted to color these daffodils! These guys fit beautifully into both of the baskets included in the set, but they have a flat bottom and are just as beautiful planted in their own flowerbed!

I stamped my first daffodil image and used a post-it note as a mask when stamping the other two images. The result is a seamless bed of beautiful, blooming flowers! Don't be fooled by the intricacy of the image - masking these flowers is a cinch.

I added one of the sweet little bees and his buzzy trail as well as one of the great sentiments. Some Stickles finish off the flower centers. If you can't tell, I really love this set!

My patterned paper is (surprise!) the plaid stamp from Off Beat Backgrounds, custom-made to match the colors in my flowers. I punched a strip of white cardstock with the Fiskars Threading Water punch and then stitched it. If this card sketch looks somewhat familiar, it is the same one I used for Claire's birthday card - I loved it so much I wanted to use it again.

Now before you hop on, let me get some details out of the way. There are two fabulous prizes up for grabs and all you have to do is leave a comment! One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments left on one of the Design Team Members' blogs, the other will be chosen from the comments left on the Waltzingmouse Stamps blog. Now that's easy!

So what are you playing for? The chance to win your own copy of one of the newly released sets, of course! The DT blog winner will receive a copy of Spring Baskets and the WMS blog winner will receive a copy of L'il Buddies. Awesome! The deadline for comments is Sunday, February 7th, 11:59 pm EST. The winners will be drawn and posted on the WMS blog on Monday.

Your next and final stop on the hop is Claire herself at the Waltzingmouse Stamps blog! She has something fantastic to share with you (if you haven't seen her countdown posts you *really* need to).

Thanks for your visit here, and good luck!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Spring Baskets - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Barely Banana, Soft Sky - Stampin' Up!; White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal - Stampin' Up!; Tuxedo Black Memento - Tsukineko
Other: Assorted markers - Copic; Threading Water punch - Fiskars; Star Dust Stickles - Ranger; sewing machine

Bad Hair Day

Happy Wednesday everyone! My computer is acting strange today - hopefully it figures itself out. Computer problems are the worst!

Today I have a super fun card to share! I stepped up to the plate again for the current challenge on the Moxie Fab World Blog - Let's Get Sassy with Taintor-tude!

I love Anne Taintor's snarky sense of humor. I mean, what isn't to love about this? It is sort of like we're all thinking it.. but she says it! Anyway, on to my card!

This is another very versatile transparency from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps. This is from the Vintage Fashion ATC Transparencies. I thought these behatted ladies would be just the ticket. The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket (Early Bird and Girl Friday). I liked how everything is on an angle and the circle hangs over the card - I added some red rhinestones for pizzaz.. Or sass, if you like. :)

The sentiment was computer-generated, just cut from copy paper and then distressed with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo ink. Cute, quick, and fun (and too bad if fabulousness isn't a word ;)

Today you should also visit Bonnie, Jennifer, and Claire, who are sharing their sneak peeks for tomorrow's Waltzingmouse Stamps release! Yay! We'll be hopping blogs and giving prizes starting at 1 pm EST so you should stop back then!

Have a great day!

#Anya

Recipe:
Cardstock: Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Girl Friday, Early Bird - Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo Distress Ink - Ranger
Other: Vintage Fashion ATC Transparency - Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps; Standard circle nestabilities - Spellbinders; Red adhesive rhinestones; Sewing machine; computer-generated sentiment

Love and Roses

Good morning, my dears! Happy Groundhog Day - we'll have six more weeks of winter here regardless of what Phil has to say, but one can hope!

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a little secret with you. I was asked to be Mercy Kerin's Guest Muse for the month of February! You know how much I love Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenges, and I am just so tickled to be working with her and the rest of the Muses this month!

I'm kicking things off with MTSC59. Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

I first saw these fun paper roses on Winter Sims' blog with a link to the original tutorial here. These babies are so easy and very cute! After assembling them, I traced the petals with a glue pen and dipped them in glitter. The leaves were cut using my Slice.

I created my own patterned paper using the lace stamp from Faux Fun. I also snuck in another sneak peek of the soon-to-be-released Faux Fun Circles set! Is that not the most gorgeous decorative element you have seen? The sentiment is from Seasons of Love - Tags. Such a lovey dovey card - nothing says love like roses!

Now head over to Mercy's blog and see what she and the other Muses have created with this sketch! They are so much fun, and we would love for you to play along! Mercy has given me such a warm welcome and in addition to my card has posted a little info about yours truly. :)

And don't forget the Waltzingmouse Stamps sneak peeks continue - Lisa and Lynn are your hosts today, and of course, Claire!

Have a great day, everyone! I'm so glad you stopped by!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Faux Fun, Season of Love - Tags, Faux Fun Circles - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Sweet Blush, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; Real Red, Regal Rose, Old Olive - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Going Gray - Stampin' Up!
Other: Garnet and Tourmaline glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Basic Shapes 3 Design Card and Slice - Making Memories

WMS Sneak Peek - Faux Fun Circles

Good morning! Today I am continuing the sneak peeks for the new Waltzingmouse Stamps February release! This Thursday, there will be four fantastic sets released.

I am sharing a sneak peek for the new Faux Fun Circles set. In true Waltzingmouse Stamps fashion, this stamp set coordinates with the Small Standard Circle Nestabilities from Spellbinders. As the name suggests, some of the elements from last month's Faux Fun stamp set are incorporated into this set.

I chose to use one of my favorite designs from this set, a wreath.

I stamped the wreath three times using Sage VersaColor ink. I highlighted the berries in the center wreath with rhinestones. The Easter sentiment is one of many offered in the Spring Baskets set, which will also be released on Thursday.

The coordinating branch element, stamped onto Melon Berry cardstock using VersaMark ink, is also part of the Faux Fun Circles set. The background on the card is the knitted pattern stamp from Faux Fun. I love how this goes with anything! I finished it off with some machine stitching.

I hope you enjoyed my sneak peek! More peeks are available today on Claire's blog and Julia's blog. Make sure you see what wonderful creations they have made using the soon-to-be-released sets!

Thanks for stopping by today, I will see you tomorrow (with a fun surprise)!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Faux Fun Circles, Spring Baskets (to be released February 4), Faux Fun - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Mellow Moss - Stampin' Up!; Melon Berry, White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Sage, Cinnamon VersaColor, VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Adhesive rhinestones; sewing machine

Another Valentine

Happy Friday friends! I hope you're looking forward to the weekend. It is supposed to be cold here in Pittsburgh, so I've decided it would be a great weekend to stay in. Next week is a release week for Waltzingmouse Stamps, so I've got some sneak peeks to prepare for! :)

Today's card is for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. Another great one, Mercy! The sketch is here, and here is my card.

This card turned out so soft and dainty! The background is the knitted pattern from Faux Fun. I really love it. It adds just the perfect amount of something, if you know what I mean. The lacy bit is the broderie anglaise border from the same set, stamped onto Kraft cardstock and then embossed in white. I used a corner rounder to create the scallops along the bottom. I was really pleased with the way that this pattern looked when embossed, very pretty.

The hearts and sentiment are from Sweethearts. The flower in the center of the hearts is from Faux Fun, an easy way to tie it all together. I colored the pearls with my copics and added some Antique Linen Distress Ink to everything.

Faux Fun is certainly a new favorite of mine!

A few notes before I sign off, this card of mine was chosen by Nichole Heady as one of January's Guest Star Stamper winners! What a fab surprise!

And if you have a few minutes, it would be great if you could pop over to Bill's blog. He has a few recent posts, and he's asking for some photo critiques. I'm sure he would love some feedback if you have the time!

Have a great weekend friends! Next week starts sneak peeks for the February Waltzingmouse Stamps release - you are in for a fantastic release! See you then!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Faux Fun, Sweethearts - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Sweet Blush, Kraft, White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip - Stampin' Up! ; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger
Other: Corner rounder - EK Success; Studio Essentials Design Card and Slice - Making Memories

Homespun Hugs

Good morning my dear friends.

I hope your week is going well. I am looking forward to the weekend.

Today's card is a simple one I put together for a publication call. It didn't get picked up, so I get to share it with you!

Easy, peasy card here. The patterned paper is from Basic Grey Nook & Pantry. I stitched it along the bottom. The branch, bird, leaves, and sentiment are all from the Sewing Box - Hugs set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I stamped everything in Chocolate Chip ink and trimmed it out. I used some foam tape to pop up the bird and its wing.

This card is on its way to a good friend of mine from college. She is a few months pregnant and at the beginning of January her husband was deployed to Afghanistan. So, she needs some hugs. Hugs to you too!

I hope your day is great! Thanks for your visit!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Sewing Box Hugs - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Kraft, Rustic Cream, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Close to Cocoa textured, Barely Banana - Stampin' Up!
Patterned Paper: Nook & Pantry - Basic Grey
Ink: Chocolate Chip - Stampin' Up!
Other: sewing machine

Count the Seeds

Good Wednesday morning!

Today I have another card to share that was made for the Gingersnap Creations Wednesday challenge. This will conclude Serendipity's month of sponsorship of the challenges, and I had a great time! This week's challenge was numbers.

I did some thinking, and thought about numbers, and thought counting and this stamp popped right into my head. I used Anyone Can Count (1165F) from Serendipity Stamps.

I started by stamping the apple once onto Cranberry Crisp cardstock and again onto Ripe Avocado cardstock and cut the pieces out. The strip of lacey paper is the Martha Stewart Embossed Scallop punch, punched on both sides of the paper. Isn't that pretty?

The patterned paper is once again from the Life's Journey collection from K&Company - boy, I love this (and I found it on sale at Michaels :)

Some stitching, some inking and I think it looks like a cozy country creation!

Now it is your turn! You can submit your creations for the Gingersnap challenge and have a chance to be the randomly drawn winner of the Pithy Sayings set from Serendipity Stamps! Details are here. Make sure to take a peek at the other creations from the Gingersnap and Serendipity Design Teams while you're there!

Hope you have a great day!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Anyone Can Count (1165F) - Serendipity Stamps
Cardstock: Cranberry Crisp, Creamy Caramel, Buckaroo Blue - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream, Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: From the Life's Journey Collection - K&Company
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo Distress Ink - Ranger
Other: Embossed Scallop edge punch - Martha Stewart Crafts; Cranberry Crisp stitched ribbon - Stampin' Up!; Classic Circle Nestabilities - Spellbinders; sewing machine