Serendipity Stamps Blog Challenge #5

Hello, hello!

It is time once again for a new challenge on the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog. The challenge for this week is to create an Easter project using one of the project tutorials from the Scor-Pal website. I chose to make the One Sheet Box and combined it with images from the Bunny Artist Cling Set.

I started by stamping the entire sheet of cardstock with the ink splash image from this cling set (all these stamps are available individually as well). I used a bunch of different pastel colors and just stamped all over.

The box assembly was really easy, just a few score lines and folds. It was very helpful to have my cardstock stamped before I started the folding process. The finishing touch was to add the cute bunny artist image to the front. I stamped him separately and colored him with Copics before adding a touch of Stickles, cutting him out and adhering him with dimensional foam adhesive. He is placed in such a way that his ear helps to keep the flap of the box closed. :)

This week, Scor-Pal has donated one of their score boards for our random challenge winner, so we hope you'll play along! What a fantastic prize, and their website is just FULL of inspiration - there are tons of tutorials for making some pretty fabulous cards, boxes and gift containers! Remember, you just need to use at least one Serendipity image or die on your project, and even though the DT is going with an Easter theme, you are free to create anything!

Stop over to the Challenge Blog for all the details and to see the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the Design Team:

Cathy Weber

Helen Berry

Jeanne Jachna

Marybeth Lopez

Miriam Napier

Serendipity's special this week (February 6 - 13) is free shipping on any US order of $10 or more.

Have a great day!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: Bunny Artist Cling Set - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream, Spring Moss - PTI; Soft Sky - SU!
INK: Pink Pirouette, Blush Blossom, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky, Pale Plum - SU!; Rich Cocoa Memento - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Standard Circles Small - Spellbinders Paper Arts; Star Dust Stickles - Ranger Industries; Copic Markers

This and That

Good Monday morning, friends!

I hope you had a great weekend. Bill and I had the honor of attending a wedding for some dive friends of ours on Saturday. It was a beautiful day, a lovely location - it was really nice.

I got it in my head that I wanted to create for some recent open publication calls, so I've been creating some stuff I can't really share with you right now. I've also been trying to get a head start on projects for the upcoming Waltzingmouse Stamps release. But I do have a little paper crafting something I made that I hadn't shared yet, so I thought you might like to see that today.

I used a mix of butterfly punches and dies to put together this 'catalog of specimens'. The patterned paper is from the Pixie-Licious collection from Cosmo Cricket. Home decor is always fun to make - this is for my friend's newest little one.

I also wanted to share some yummies.. I love baking with zucchini this time of the year and one new recipe I tried this summer is this Chocolate Zucchini cake.

It was delish! I can get you the recipe if you're interested - its from a raddy old cookbook my mom gave me full of zucchini recipes.

Have you visited the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge Blog recently? Lynn introduced some new Mischief Makers this past Saturday! We've also been using some of my own card sketches, too. I've been taking a bit of a break from playing along with the group, but am still playing along! You should, too, and say hello to our new ladies!

Thanks for the visit today, I will be back with more tomorrow!

Anya

Recipe
Patterned Paper: Pixie-Licious - Cosmo Cricket
Other: Classic Butterfly Punch - Martha Stewart Crafts; Beautiful Butterflies Die - Stampin' Up!; Frame - Ikea

WMS March Release Blog Waltz

We've hit the home stretch! Welcome to the March Release Blog Waltz for Waltzingmouse Stamps! Five new stamp sets are being released today, now available for purchase in the WMS store.

You should have arrived here from Claire's blog where you had the chance to see the new sets in their entirety. Lynn will be your next stop along the waltz.

Claire shared some important news about WMS and future releases earlier today - if you haven't had a chance to read it, I encourage you to do so! I am very excited about this updated format and am really looking forward to focusing on her amazing stamps!

Also, as usual, Blog Waltz prizes are up for grabs! One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments left on one of the Design Team blogs, so let us know what you think of the new release! The contest ends at 11:59 pm EST Tuesday, March 2. Winners will be announced on the WMS Blog.

Now that the details are out of the way, let's get on to the goodies! I'm bringing gifty ideas to you today.

Round up the posse for some Cowboy Chili! I used Way Out West and Back in the Saddle to put together this little gift that includes a recipe card and mini casserole dish. Now I know you can't make the recipe in the casserole dish, but you could certainly include the mixture of dry ingredients and spices necessary for the recipe and tuck them inside. Makes the presentation a bit more fun!

I printed my recipe directly onto cardstock (with my own printer! woo! finally!) and trimmed it down to 4" by 6". Doesn't the desert silhouette from Way Out West look great stamped along the bottom of the card? The cowboy was an easy addition to the landscape, too! I used the same color ink and he blended right in.

The mini casserole dish was a dollar find from Michaels. I used the existing product wrapper as a template to create my own, and stamped it with the woodgrain background from Way Out West. I tied a tag to the lid with a strip of red bandanna.

My second project is another fun way to present a little something. I think this project would be cute for a little one, and easily adaptable for just about any occasion.. maybe losing a tooth, or making it through a rough day?

I used the Vintage Banners set to make some pennant pockets. These are the perfect size for a smaller treat like a gift card or mini candy bar.

I used the small bunting shape from Bitty Banners to decorate my gingham print pennants. These little guys layer so nicely onto the Lacey Circles or Pinking Circles from Spellbinders, an idea I pinched directly from Mona's project yesterday!

I stitched the pennant onto another piece of cardstock and trimmed around the outside. The coordinating Nesting Pennant dies from Spellbinders would make this even easier than it was! Voila, a pennant pocket!

Ok, you've got some waltzing to do! Thank you for visiting me today, my sweet friend Lynn is your next stop!

Anya

Recipe:
Cowboy Chili Gift
Stamps: Back in the Saddle, Way Out West, Very Vintage Lables No. 5 - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Real Red - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!; Jet Black Archival Ink - Ranger
Other: Scalloped Oval, Labels Five - Spellbinders; Mini Casserole dish, Bandanna - Michaels

Pennant Pockets
Stamps: Vintage Banners, Bitty Banners - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Sahara Sand, Pear Pizzazz, Riding Hood Red, Concord Crush - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Pinking Circles, Lacey Circles - Spellbinders; Buttons; Embroidery thread; Sewing machine

Love You a Latte Packet

Hi there! How is your day going?

I have a little gifty idea for you today. This idea is certainly not something new, but it came together so cute using some new Lizzie Anne stamps.

I started with a 3-1/2 by 8-1/2 piece of Kraft cardstock and scored it at 2-1/2, 2-3/4, 6-3/4, and 7 inches. You can easily adjust this depending on what you're putting inside. I stamped the fancy heart from the Lucky in Love mix set onto the two front flaps. The Love you a Latte single was stamped onto some cream cardstock and colored with colored pencils. This little panel is adhered with foam dots to the top only. The baker's twine keeps the little package closed, and here's the open view.

I tucked some cappucino mix in there, but you could just as easily use hot chocolate mix, cider mulling spices, or tea! It is easy and fun to make, and something cute to give a friend. The hot chocolate mug and little marshmallow guy images from the Warmest Wishes mix set would be great to use to. I think I'll give them a try!

Thanks for your visit today!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: Heart from Lucky in Love, Love you a Latte - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Kraft, Rustic White, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!; Coffee Archival Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Maraschino baker's twine - The Twinery; Colored pencils - Crayola; Cappucino mix

Pine Cone Candle

Hi there. How is your Thursday going?

I have an easy and festive gift to share with you today. This also makes great decor in your own home, too.

You may have seen this candle that I made for last month's WMS release. I needed some craft show projects, and it was easy to come up with a few other designs based on that first candle.

The candles themselves are pillar candles from Michaels - I think they are less than $3 each. I used some vintage sheet music given to me by my mom (these were her piano lesson books from the early 60s :)

The tag was created using Festive Foliage, which is one of my all-time favorite WMS stamp sets. The branch was stamped once in green and once in brown. I cut them both out, layering just the brown pine cones onto the green needles. It is very easy to ink this stamp up with both colors at once (see Claire's post here) but I liked the dimension those extra pine cones added.

I added some crystal glitter to the pine cones and tied the tag to my candle using baker's twine and a jingle bell. Isn't it just sweet? I made a few of these for a craft fair I'm participating in. Like I said, an easy gift or fun decor for yourself. If you want to light the candle (which smells like yummy evergreen) all you need to do is just slide the band off the candle.

Two more things quickly before I take off. I just had a thought about my advent calendar - you certainly don't need to have your days in order. I've seen many calendars with the days mixed up so that you have to do a bit of searching for the one you're looking for. Not necessary, but might be fun if you have little ones! The way that I made the boxes to fit within the frame would be so easy to switch them up from year to year, or even as you go!

And secondly, I added a new page to my left sidebar with a list of the Waltzingmouse Stamps sets and the Spellbinders Dies that coordinate with them. If you scroll down that same page, there is also a second list listing the Spellbinders dies and the WMS stamp sets that coordinate with them. So if you want to know what dies coordinate with Rescue Remedies, or if you have the Standard Circles Large and want to know what stamps you can use with them all the information is in one place. This list will be available on the WMS site as a resource soon, too, and will be updated as new sets and dies are added!

Have a great day, my dears!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: Festive Foliage - Waltzingmouse Stamps; Background Basics: Woodgrain - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Rustic Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Evergreen, Pinecone Versacolor - Tsukineko
Other: Vintage Cream Twill; Tag Sale Die #1 - Papertrey Ink; Baker's Twine, Crystal Glitter Fine - Martha Stewart Crafts; Vintage Sheet Music; Jingle Bell; Pillar Candle

Miss Abigail

Hi!

Today I wanted to share a little home decor I made for my good friend Dina's new daughter Abigail. I boxed up some little outfits, a smocked dress (hand-made special by my Momma), and this little frame.

The design is reminiscent of this card that I made for WMSC5. I loved the flower clusters and fresh color combination.

I used Victorian Alphabet to spell Abi's name, and framed it with one of the images from Very Vintage Labels No. 10. I should really get these Nesties.. but cutting the labels out by hand is easy, too!

The flowers are from Rescue Remedies. There is something about them that I just love, and to me, they beg to be layered like this. I used a combination of dimensional tape and regualar paper adhesive to create the flower clusters. The large flowers have coordinating rhinestone centers.

The frame is a 4" by 6" photo frame from JoAnn's - I cut my cardstock to size and removed the glass.

Enjoy! Have a great day!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Victorian Alphabet, Very Vintage Labels No. 10, Rescue Remedies - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Groovy Guava, Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Adhesive rhinestones - Recollections; Photo frame - JoAnn's

Fancy Flower Flip Flops!

I love these cuties!


This pair was part of my present for my good friend Julie.. I loved the way they turned out and set out to make a pair for myself. Then I showed my mom and she wanted a pair, too!

These were made using Raspberry Fizz, Simply Chartreuse, and Vintage Cream felt from PTI. These are Betsy Veldman's flowers, and I love how full and fluffy they are. I stitched everything together in addition to using a little glue. The flip flops came from Michaels - only $1! I made a pair for myself using Hawaiian Shores instead of Raspberry Fizz... they are supah cute!

Its summer time! Make a fun pair of flip flops for yourself!

Have a great night!

#Anya

Recipe:
Raspberry Fizz, Simply Chartreuse, Vintage Cream felt - Papertrey Ink
Blossom Nestabilities - Spellbinders
Flip flops - Michaels

WMS July Blog Waltz

Welcome to the Waltzingmouse Stamps July Blog Waltz! Six new stamp sets are available now in the store!

If you're waltzing along with us, you should have come here by way of Bonnie's blog. If you just happened to stop in, the fun starts with Claire on the Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog. My dear friend Julia is the next stop after me; her blog is linked up again below.

As usual, prizes are also up for grabs for two lucky commenters! One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments left on one of the Design Team blogs, the other will be chosen from the comments left on the Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog. So let us know what you think of the new release! The contest ends at 11:59 pm EST Saturday, July 3rd. Winners will be announced on the WMS Blog on Sunday.

I couldn't resist the pull of Rescue Remedies!

'Twas fate that brought this project together! First I found the adorable purple plaid tin at Michaels. And then I found this ridiculous (as in ridiculously delicious) recipe for Brownie Pillow Cookies from Bakerella. Then, of course, there was a label for Hand-Baked Goods in the Rescue Remedies set. I couldn't ignore the signs any longer!

I stamped my label in Perfect Plum and used Off Beat Backgrounds to create a plaid pattern to mat my tag. I added some flower accents and a strip of felt.

You're waiting for a peek inside, aren't you?

Yum. These will certainly stimulate the appetite, but I'm not sure what tone they will give to the stomach!

Thank you so much for visiting today - Julia is your next stop along the waltz. Have a great day!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Rescue Remedies, Off Beat Backgrounds - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Wheat, Perfect Plumeria VersaMagic, Peony VersaColor - Tsukineko; Perfect Plum - Stampin' Up!; Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Labels Four, Petite Oval Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Vintage Cream felt - Papertrey Ink; Paula Deen cookie tin - Michaels; clear adhesive rhinestones

Gifty Things

Good morning!

I am going to take a break from the tags today (..because I forgot to photograph the next ones, that's why!) and show you some other things I've been working on.

First off, some wine bottle scarves!

This uses the ginormous (purple - is that giga?) snowflake punch from Marvy, a simple tag, and a button.

This uses my favorite holly image from Sewing Box Christmas (which is out of stock in the store right now but on order - sorry!) and a big button for the berry.

I first saw these bottle scarves on Amy Rohl's blog and loved them. They were a snap to make!

Next are some gift card holders. I saw these on Jel Del Muro's blog with a link to the tutorial. These are also easy to make but really add something to your gift card presentation!

Using Very Vintage Christmas and a favorite cream, red and sand color combination.

And more holly! Love the woodgrain background on this one.

So here's what makes these so cool - untie the ribbon to reveal the inside..

Isn't that a great presentation? There is space inside for a sentiment or a little note. Very easy to make, too. The original tutorial came from Roxy's blog here. Instead of going through the whole Word Window punch business to create the opening for the gift card, I used one of the rectangle Nestabilities. Much easier!

Hope you have a great day, my dears! Have a very Merry Christmas if your holiday plans keep you away for a few days!

#Anya

Scary Sweets & Spooky Treats

A few weeks ago when I made my Spooky Swag and all the supplies I used were piled on my desk, this card came to life.


Other than the limitations for mailing, why not use fake spider webs to decorate your cards, too? I thought this would be really fun as a place setting. Or a treat for the kids set on their bedside table. Or delivered to a friend in a spooky basket - I think you get the point!

I stamped the stone pattern from Halloween Party repeatedly onto the card and then stamped the circle of text. I used a classic circle nestability to cut the center out of the circle. The inside of the card has a trail of spiders that peek through the hole.


Then I just took some spider webs and wrapped them around the card. You know how the spider webs go.. they are super stretchy and stick to everything, so just a little went a long way. Then I thought I needed some scary sweets and spooky treats to go along with it.


The little pail is from the dollar bin at Target. Now that I have actually used something from the dollar bin for a project, there is no talking myself out of goodies from there. I filled a cellophane bag with Brach's Autumn Mix and tied it shut with twine and ribbon. The tag was created with the same stamps and circle dies. There are two holes (hidden by the spider) that the twine threads through and wraps around the pail. I chose to keep with the spider theme, but there are so many stamps in this set that you could use for the center! I love it! These are perfect gifts - quick and easy. Now if I can just keep the candy away from my husband, we'll be all set...

Hope you have a great night!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Halloween Party - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Green Galore - SU!; White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Going Gray - SU!; True Black - Papertrey Ink
Other: Classic and Pinking Circle Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Linen thread - SU!; True Black Swiss Dot Satin - Papertrey Ink; Dollar bin pail, Fake spider webs - Target

Baby Boy Onesies

Monday already? I hope you had a great weekend - my husband and I are officially Advanced Scuba Divers, having completed the last of our skills for that certification level. Now it is planning (and saving) for our 2010 trip to Australia.

I have another gift to share with you today. Another thing I really like to make (easy and fun) are stamped baby onesies. PTI has so many images that work well for these - Pond Life and Forest Friends are two of my favorite sets to use.

I used Palette Inks for these, sometimes I heat set with an iron when I am done and sometimes I don't. I don't know that it makes a difference, honestly.

These are great gifts and also are a great item for craft shows. Easy to customize as well!

It has been a few days since I have visited my stamp room, so I am hoping to do that tonight. Good therapy, which I could use.

Hope you have a wonderful evening, and I hope to see you tomorrow!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Forest Friends, Pond Life - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, True Black - Papertrey Ink; Orangerie, Beaux Arts Blue - Palette Hybrid Ink
Other: Baby onesies - Gerber (Target)