Halloween Wishes

Hi-ya friends!

How about a Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge card? I made this for last week's sketch, #66. Here is the sketch, I love circle cards!

And here is the card I created.

I used images from Hocus Pocus and combined them with patterned paper from My Mind's Eye. This is a fun sketch, I hope you played along!

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Hocus Pocus - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Basic Gray, Basic Black - Stampin' Up!
PATTERNED PAPER: Mischevious Collection - My Mind's Eye
INK: Jet Black Archival Ink, Black Soot Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Big Scalloped Circles, Standard Circles Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Tin Type Sprinklers Spray Ink - October Afternoon; Black Adhesive Rhinestone; Sewing machine

Trick or Treat

Hi there!

Just stopping in for a quick minute to share a card that was published in the September 2011 issue of CardMaker Magazine.

Halloween Party was the first Waltzingmouse set I ever bought, and I have been head over heels in love ever since!

The purple cardstock was stamped with the gothic font from Text It. This font is really quite versatile - it looks amazing with Halloween stuff, but also transitions so well to Christmas!

Thank you for stopping in today - I have some posts scheduled for while I am away, so I hope you'll continue to visit! I'll be thinking of you, my friends!

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Halloween Party, Text It - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Basic Grey, Perfect Plum - Stampin' Up!
INK: Jet Black Archival Ink, Black Soot Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Classic Circle Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Adhesive rhinestones - Recollections

Thanksgiving Blessings

Hi!

How is your Monday moving? It hasn't been too bad, here!

I have a card to share with you today that I made for this week's Play Date Cafe Color Challenge. A HUGE congratulations to PDCC who is celebrating their 100th challenge this week! How awesome is that!

We have another gorgeous color story this week, and one that is sure to turn your thoughts to fall!

I was so happy for this inspiration, as it gave me a chance to make a card I thought about during the Waltzingmouse release last week but didn't have enough time to make.

Fussy cutting heaven!

I started with a background stamped with the herringbone pattern from Little Box Labels. I stamped the inked up image onto scratch paper first so that the impression wasn't so dark. I love to stamp these images with just light pressure so that they are a little splotchy. I know that might not make sense, but I love the vintage country faded look they have!

The sentiment is a combination from the newly released Say It Loud: Winter Holiday. I stamped it onto cream cardstock and stitched it to my patterned base.

The leaves are from Blessed by You. I stamped a bunch and then cut them out while I watched TV. :) They were the last thing to be added to the card, and I fussed and moved them around a lot before I found an orientation I liked. I couldn't resist adding the little acorns - I don't know what it is about acorns, but I just think they are so darned cute!

Thank you for visiting me here today, please be sure to stop over to the Play Date Cafe and give them a little love and for lots of inspiration in return!

Take care!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Little Box Labels, Blessed by You, Say It Loud: Winter Holiday - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; Really Rust - Stampin' Up!
INK: Really Rust, Old Olive, More Mustard, Close to Cocoa - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Sewing machine

Sending You Hugs

Hi there!

Last night I sat down at my desk and realized I had no crafty obligations! I work well with a schedule, but sometimes its fun to make something just for the heck of it. So I thought I'd try this week's Get Sketchy challenge from My Favorite Things and combine it with the new First Class Friend set that was just waiting to get inky.

Here is the sketch:

And here is the card that I made.

As I said, I used the new First Class Friend stamp set and coordinating dies. All the little bits and pieces in this set are fun to combine. I paired my stamped, die-cut piece with some October Afternoon patterned paper and an embossed piece of Wisteria Wonder cardstock. I feel like I am the worst ribbon-tier in the world, so I opted for a button instead of a bow.

Isn't this fun? My closest girl friends live out-of-town, so cards like these are perfect for a little hello. I am so grateful that you stopped by today - thank you!

And while we're on the subject of thanks, I would like to thank the lovely ladies over at the Play Date Cafe for choosing my card as the Cup of the Week. I sure do love playing along with these challenges! You should see the gorgeous colors for this week! :)

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: First Class Friend - My Favorite Things
CARDSTOCK: Crumb Cake, Wisteria Wonder - Stampin' Up!; Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Fly a Kite - October Afternoon
INK: Crumb Cake, Wisteria Wonder, Going Gray - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: First Class Friend Die-namics - My Favorite Things; Script Texture Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft; Plum Pudding button - Papertrey Ink; Linen thread - Stampin' Up!; Sewing machine

Boo!

ETA: Oh! Just a quick note about the recipes I posted yesterday. Dorothy C. asked if the cardamom and anise seeds were necessary for the Bundt cake recipe. Dorothy, the first time I made the recipe I didn't have cardamom, so I used pumpkin pie spice (a mix of spices) instead. It gave it a subtle spicy cinnamon flavor and I would not hesitate to use pumpkin pie spice (or something similar, like nutmeg or ginger) again. I am a recipe experimenter - if I don't have something, I either leave it out or substitute something else. So far, that has worked out ok :) I don't like anise either, so I left it out all together and certainly didn't miss it! Enjoy!

Good morning! I am here today to share this week's Serendipity Stamps DT challenge. We were challenged to create a project using something from Serendipity's Halloween stamps combined with floss or twine.

I chose to use the Spider Cling Set so I could create a web out of embroidery floss.

I started by stamping the spider onto my gray cardstock for reference. Then, I lightly sketched in a web with a pencil. I used a paper piercer to poke holes for my stitches, and used embroidery floss and a needle to stitch the web. A second stamped spider cut from scrap gray cardstock was adhered over top with dimensional tape. I added some Stickles to his legs just for fun.

Thanks for stopping by today. Please be sure to visit the other Design Team members playing along today to see their take on this challenge!

Amy
Jenny
Kathie
Lynda
Miriam

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Spider Cling Set (1226QCL) - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: True Black, Soft Stone - Papertrey Ink; Tangerine Tango, Going Gray - Stampin' Up!
PATTERNED PAPER: Glowing Collection - Authentique Paper
INK: Jet Black Archival Ink, Black Soot Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Upper Crest punch - Fiskars; Brushed Pewter Distress Stickles - Ranger Industries; Ecru embroidery floss

WMS September Release Blog Waltz

Hi there! Happy release day! Today the four new Waltzingmouse Stamps sets we've been previewing for the past three days will be available for purchase.

You should have arrived here from Niki's blog (did you see her amazing card yesterday?). Claire's blog is the start of the waltz, so head back to her if you're just popping in, she has a list of all the Design Team members participating. Tosh will be your next stop.

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! You have until Thursday, September 22 to leave your comments. Winners will be announced on the WMS Blog on the 23rd.

On we go!

Today we are sharing samples using the final set being released, A Cottage Christmas. This set features a snowy, romantic version of the large cottage from A Cottage Home as well as some coordinating elements perfect for holiday gift-giving.

I'm starting off today with some baked goodies.

I started with a gable box, approx. 4.5 by 7 inches, and spritzed it with Pearl Glimmer Mist. Then I stamped the snowman, tree cluster, and star images from A Cottage Christmas onto the acetate window using white Stazon ink.

The tag features images from last year's Vintage Ornaments set as well as two sentiments from A Cottage Christmas. I love the combination of these two together. Tucked inside the gable box is a mini bundt cake - Zucchini Bundt with Orange Glaze (YUM!) all wrapped up pretty in a cello bag.

A recipe card with the cake recipe is also tucked in the box. I stamped the cottage image onto the card with silver ink and then added a strip of pink cardstock stamped with the stars and finished it off with the Home Baked sentiment from the set. The recipe was hand-written (there is something I just love about hand-written recipes.. I love to go back through and look at my Grandma's recipes...) but you could certainly print it out onto your card. This recipe makes 6 of these mini bundt cakes, so one batch could get you started on hostess or coworker gifts! Think in bulk when it comes to the holidays!

I also want to share a card with you, I was so inspired by the DT projects I saw over the past few days I had a few ideas I wanted to put to use.

Jennifer's partial stamping of the cottage image, Claire's embossed house, and Kelly's glittery goodness all came together for this card. I also couldn't wait to see what sort of phrase I could put together using the new Say It Loud: Winter Holidays.

I started off by embossing my cardstock with Spellbinders Snowflakes Impressabilities. Then I brushed it with white pigment ink and had the bright idea of spraying it with spray adhesive (with the die in place) and covering it with glitter. In theory, it worked, but was a *huge* mess. If you like this look, try a different method.. haha! Maybe VersaMark and then embossing powder would be a better route. Rubbing alcohol cleaned it up, but.. not one of my brighter ideas.

A portion of the Christmas Cottage was stamped and embossed, as well as a collection of words from Say It Loud: Winter Holidays and the original Say It Loud. LOVE making my own phrases using these sets. Lots of winter white sparkly goodness on this one!

I don't want to hold you up any longer, and I'm so grateful you stopped by to see me today and listened to all my rambling! I hope you've been enjoying the previews over the past few days. I will be looking forward to seeing your creations popping up in the Gallery (and in the Big Cheese thread) soon!

Tosh is your next stop! Enjoy the rest of the waltz!

Anya

Recipe
Home Baked Gable Box
STAMPS: A Cottage Christmas (available September 19), Vintage Ornaments - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: White, Sweet Blush - Papertrey Ink
INK: White Opaque Stazon - Tsukineko; Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze - Stampin' Up!; Silver Pigment Ink
OTHER: Gable Box - Wilton; 2010 Heirloom Ornament die - Spellbinders; Crystal Fine Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Blossom Baker's Twine - The Twinery; Pearl Glimmer Mist - Tattered Angels

Joy, Peace and Love Card
STAMPS: A Cottage Christmas, Say It Loud: Winter Holidays (available September 19), Say It Loud - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!; Melon Berry - Papertrey Ink
INK: Whisper White - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous; Crystal Fine, Crystal Coarse Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Snowflake Impressabilities - Spellbinders; Stone Baker's Twine - The Twinery; Copic markers

WMS September Release Day Three

Hello, my sweets! I am so glad that you have joined me here for Day 3 of the September Release previews at Waltzingmouse Stamps. Today we are previewing a new Halloween set called Hocus Pocus!

Hocus Pocus is a 4 by 6 inch set that contains a great mix of complimentary or stand-alone images. My favorite image of the set is this old wrought iron fence. The icing on the cake are the little crows you can perch on the fence.

I mixed Hocus Pocus with some older sets to create this graveyard scene. I started by inking up my cardstock with a variety of Distress Inks, blending them until I had the colors that I wanted. Then I stamped my images, the ones in the background are stamped in a dark gray to appear farther off. I used the spooky tree from Asian Gardens and (wait for it) the top of the surfboard from Free Spirit Boy to make my headstones. They are a little difficult to see through all that fog! - a look I achieved by adding some white pigment ink and then blending. Then I stamped that glorious fence and the little crows.

Next up is a card with a new favorite Halloween color combination of mine.

I think I may have developed an unhealthy addiction to patterned paper! Not only that, but I feel the need to use as many patterns as possible at once! I love the striped look of this card, combining some stamped backgrounds as well as printed patterned paper. The 'snowflake' image is so unique, but certainly spooky!

I punched a hole in the left side of my sentiment strip and tied a fancy bow with crinkle ribbon. I used a fine tip glue pen to add a bit of glitter to the sentiment as well... I have a thing for this Onyx glitter from Martha Stewart.

And last but not least, I couldn't resist the temptation to create another Halloween tag for you.

I combined images from a lot of different sets for this one, just bits and pieces here and there, but the witch profile silhouette and sentiment are both from Hocus Pocus.

I started by crinkling up a manila tag and then spreading it flat and spritzing it with a combination of Olive Vine Glimmer Mist and Tin Type Color Mist. I stamped some text from Text It, bats from Midnight Feast, the broom from Hocus Pocus. The witch profile was turned into a cameo using one of the oval images from Cameo Creations and matted with a paper rosette. I used my pinking shears to cut off the scallops and create a new shape for the edge of the rosette. I played around and had fun, digging through my drawers and adding other coordinating elements. I've included a fairly complete supply list below.

Good, good stuff! I'm so glad you stopped by to see me today, now on to my fellow DT members. Seriously, these ladies have been awesome!

Anya Schrier - you're here!
Belinda Chang Langner
Claire Brennan
Clare Buswell
Jennifer Holmes
Julia Aston
Kate Whelan
Kelly Schirmer
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Niki Estes
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker
Tosha Leyendekker

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
Graveyard Scene Card
STAMPS: Hocus Pocus (available September 19), Asian Gardens, Free Spirit Boy - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Elegant Eggplant - Stampin' Up!; Soft Stone - Papertrey Ink
INK: Peeled Paint, Pumice Stone, Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Black Soot Distress Ink, Jet Black Archival Ink - Ranger Industries; Whisper White Ink, Basic Gray - Stampin' Up!

Happy Haunting Card
STAMPS: Hocus Pocus (available September 19), Midnight Feast - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Cajun Craze, Baja Breeze, Sahara Sand - Stampin' Up!
PATTERNED PAPER: Mischevious Collection - My Mind's Eye
INK: Jet Black Archival Ink, Walnut Stain, Black Soot Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Cajun Craze - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: Onyx Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Black Magic Cabbage Rose Ribbon - Memrie Mare on Etsy; Postage Stamp punch - Fiskars

Witch Cameo Tag
STAMPS: Hocus Pocus (available September 19), Halloween Party, Midnight Feast, Text It, Cameo Creations - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink; Going Gray - Stampin' Up!
PATTERNED PAPER: Mischevious Collection - My Mind's Eye
INK: Basic Gray, Going Gray, Old Olive - Stampin' Up!; Jet Black Archival Ink, Black Soot Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Manila Tag - Stampers Anonymous; Olive Vine Glimmer Mist - Tattered Angels; Tin Type Color Mist Sprinklers - October Afternoon; Paper Rosette by Tim Holtz Die - Ellison; Pinking Shears - Fiskars; Skeleton Key Embellishments, Specimen Tag, Onyx Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Mini Clothespin; Sewing Machine

WMS September Release Day Two

Morning all! Thank you for all of your wonderful comments on yesterday's post (I'll post the chocolate zucchini cake recipe next week!) - you are all so sweet.

Welcome to Day 2 of the September Release previews at Waltzingmouse Stamps. Today we are sharing previews of Say It Loud: Winter Holiday. Oh yes, you heard me right! If you loved the original version (I did) then you will really love this next installment (and I do)!!

The name says it all: fantastic build-your-own phrase options for autumn and winter occasions featuring a gorgeous font and endless possibilities! Let me show you.

Oh, that font! Swoon-worthy, don't you think? Also a perfect way to combine today's Friends of WMS Waltz and this week's sketch challenge!

I combined this set with images from yesterday's A Cottage Home (and another new set we'll be previewing tomorrow) to create a spooky scene for Halloween! Nothing like some well-placed cobwebs (I drew them in myself with a Copic multiliner) to take a nice house to something a little haunted!

And another card for today that I must admit I love. It just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Here I combined two of the large script font words, but just like Say It Loud, the Winter Holiday version also has loads of complimentary words in a smaller size. You can combine them all for about a million different occasions. Trust me when I say this set goes beyond just Halloween and Christmas! I can't wait to play around more with some phrase building - I've just scratched the surface!

Here is a list of the other DT ladies sharing previews today. I can't wait to check out what amazingness they have been up to!

Anya Schrier - you're here!
Becca Feeken
Claire Brennan
Clare Buswell
Jennifer Holmes
Julia Aston
Kate Whelan
Kelly Schirmer
Laurie Schmidlin
Mona Pendleton
Niki Estes
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker
Tosha Leyendekker

Don't rush away just yet! Here are the waltz details: if you want to waltz along with us and you haven't yet linked up your project, head to the link list thread in the WMS Forum to link up your creation and view the other participants. There is also a thread for chatting about what you've seen. This month a random waltz participant will be chosen to receive a prize.

Don't forget about the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge either! Whew, its a busy day! Take care!

Anya

Recipe
Halloween Wishes Card
STAMPS: Say It Loud: Winter Holiday, A Cottage Home, Hocus Pocus (available September 19) - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: True Black - Papertrey Ink; Going Gray - Stampin' Up!
PATTERNED PAPER: Toil & Trouble - Making Memories
INK: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink - Tsukineko; Black Soot Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Copic Markers; Rhinestone Swirls - Recollections; Labels Fourteen Dies - Spellbinders Paper Arts; Houndstooth Felt - Hobby Lobby; Baker's Twine - Apple Blossom Paperie on Etsy

Holiday Greetings Card
STAMPS: Say It Loud: Winter Holiday (available September 19), Festive Foliage - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Handsome Hunter - Stampin' Up!; Rustic Cream - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Dear Mr. Claus - Cosmo Cricket
INK: Mellow Moss, Riding Hood Red - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen, Walnut Stain Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Cappuccino Baker's Twine - The Twinery; Vintage Wood Snowflakes - Maya Road; Sewing machine

WMS September Release Day One

Here we go!

Welcome to the start of the September release previews at Waltzingmouse Stamps! Four new sets will be released on Monday, September 19th.

But first up, a big warm fuzzy announcement! We have lost a few of our beloved design team members over the past few months but today I am so happy to share the news that Kelly Schirmer, Clare Buswell, and Becca Feeken have joined the team! We are happily snatching Kelly and Clare from the Mischief Makers and Becca, well - you know how fantastic Becca is! Big hugs ladies, I am so glad to have you as part of the team!

Ok, on to the goodies! Four new sets this month, today we're previewing A Cottage Home. This is a 4x6 inch set and is prefect for sharing in the excitement of a new home, welcoming a new neighbor, or just enjoying the love of your own home.

I'm starting today with an easy little wine bottle topper - a great way to spruce up a bottle of wine for quick gift!

Doesn't get much easier than this! I paper pieced the large cottage image onto a strip of cardstock that had been scored and punched with a 1-1/2 inch circle. Just slip the tag over the neck of the bottle and you have an easy peasy gift.

The sentiment was stamped onto a die cut tag and adhered with some baker's twine. An easy way to add a little welcome note to new neighbors! I love to do these at the holidays, too, they make great hostess gifts!

Next up is a simple card that uses some of the sentiments from A Cottage Home.

I love the needlework sampler look of this with the gingham background and the wallpaper-like patterned paper. Isn't that font yummy? It coordinates nicely with Cameo to Go...

Ah, home sweet home. There's nothing quite like a cottage to evoke feelings of simpler times... romantic thoughts of an easier life... all wrapped up in cozy! So what's your favorite type of cottage?

A hideout in the woods surrounded by nothing but nature?

Pinterest

A place of fairytales and daydreams?

Pinterest

A colorful Victorian?

Pinterest

Or something simple and traditional, a cozy place with a white picket fence?

Pinterest

Whatever your preference, I am sure we can agree that home is an important place. The last project I want to share today is a bit of home decor, a little neighborhood of colorful cozy cottages reminiscent of simpler times.

I stamped the large cottage image from A Cottage Home four times onto cream cardstock and colored each of them with Copic markers. I went for the palest colors. I also stamped some of the coordinating elements - a little topiary and pathway - and colored them also. Then I cut everything out and assembled it on a piece of patterned paper trimmed to fit inside my frame.

Look at that fancy gingerbread woodwork!

Here is a clickable version for a larger scale photo if you're interested in seeing it a bit closer. It is always so difficult to photograph items like this!

So what do you think? I am excited to hear your first impressions. I will be back tomorrow with more previews - you will love this next set, so I hope you will stop back! Until then, here are the other Design Team ladies sharing previews today! Enjoy!

Anya Schrier - you're here!
Becca Feeken
Claire Brennan
Jennifer Holmes
Julia Aston
Kate Whelan
Kelly Schirmer
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Niki Estes
Sarah Martina Parker
Tosha Leyendekker

Have a fantastic day!

Anya

Recipe
New Home Wine Bottle Topper
STAMPS: A Cottage Home (available September 19) - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: October Afternoon, Crate Paper
INK: Jet Black Archival Ink, Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Double Ended Tag Die - Spellbinders; 1-1/2-inch Circle punch - EK Success; Sewing machine

Home Sweet Home Card
STAMPS: A Cottage Home (available September 19), Cameo to Go, Gingham & Co. - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream, Sweet Blush - Papertrey Ink; Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!
PATTERNED PAPER: My Mind's Eye
INK: Pink Pirouette, Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Blossom Baker's Twine - The Twinery; Sweet Blush button - Papertrey Ink; First Class Friend Die - My Favorite Things; Sewing Machine

A Cottage Home Decor
STAMPS: A Cottage Home (available September 19) - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Blue Houndstooth Paper - The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby)
INK: Rich Cocoa Memento - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Copic Markers - Imagination International; Picture Frame - Walmart; Flat White Spray Paint - Krylon

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

Christmas Dove

Good morning, friends. Our power went out at home in the middle of the night last night, so we woke up with a start about 45 minutes late! Oops! I was grateful for the extra sleep, but didn't like the rushing that I needed to do to get out the door after that.

Today I have a Serendipity Stamps DT challenge to share with you. We were challenged to create a Christmas card using some of Serendipity's best selling Christmas stamps. Serendipity has a lot of fabulous Christmas images - you can find them here in the store.

I chose to use the Christmas Dove image.

This image is really large, so I knew I wanted to give it the opportunity to take center stage. And I have been waiting for a reason to use the new Wonder patterned paper collection from Authentique.

I started by stamping the dove image on both the green plaid paper (Curiosity) and a piece of Rustic White cardstock, which I colored using Copic markers. Then I cut out the colored image and adhered it to the plaid paper with dimensionals. The other patterned paper on the card base is called Expectation. I love this pattern, the flowers look very Scandinavian to me, and I've always loved that style for wintry things.

Thanks for stopping by today. Please be sure to visit the other Design Team members playing along today to see their take on this challenge!

Amy
Jenny
Kathie
Lynda
Miriam

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Christmas Dove (679J) - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Riding Hood Red - Stampin' Up!; Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Wonder Collection - Authentique Paper
INK: Rich Cocoa Memento Ink - Tsukineko; Antique Linen, Walnut Stain Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Copic Markers; Deco Scallop Edge punch - EK Success; Xmas Red Stickles - Ranger Industries; Sewing machine

Just My Type

Hi there! I am sorry things have been so quiet here. Just taking it a bit easy I guess.

Today is a chilly, rainy day here in Pittsburgh and it was a perfect opportunity to spend a little time in my crafty studio. So I made a card for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge. Here is this week's color story:

And here is the card I made. I have to send a smile to both Andrea and Chupa for this.. we all were on the same wavelength this week!

I also used this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, but you'll see more from me in regards to that later this week. :)

The text images are from Text It and PTI's Background Basics: Newsprint. I thought it would be fun to combine different types of type! ;) The typewriter stamp and sentiment are both from MFT's Just My Type set.

And in other crafty news, a Hobby Lobby opened up in Pittsburgh this weekend! It is our first Hobby Lobby store.. I've been to others in other states and I've wished for one here. I didn't waste any time in getting there either - and it was a huge store! I picked up all kinds of goodies... Labels 18 Nesties, Five & Dime patterned paper from October Afternoon, and this! Houndstooth patterned felt!

Isn't it dreamy? I also picked up another piece that looks like tooled leather. I can't wait to go back and see what other goodies I can find.

Thanks for your visit!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Text It - Waltzingmouse Stamps; Background Basics: Newsprint - Papertrey Ink; Just My Type - My Favorite Things
CARDSTOCK: Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
INK: Jet Black Archival Ink, Old Paper Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Just My Type die - My Favorite Things; Polka Dots Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft; Circle Punch - Marvy; Sewing Machine; Button

Halloween Tag

Hi there! One more day closer to the weekend - and it is a long one here in the US! I'm looking forward to an extra day of sleeping in just a bit. I've noticed it is now still dark in the morning when I get up and I have such a hard time crawling out of bed for work.

Today I thought I'd share my creation for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. This week the sketch is from yours truly! I think you might know how much I love to create tags, so I thought a tag would be a fun sketch.
Ooh so fun. Here's my tag for Halloween.

I started with a manila tag from Stampers Anonymous - these are 6-3/4" by 3-1/8", so there's lots of room to create!

I inked my tag with Rusty Hinge and Black Soot Distress Inks, and then stitched a piece of patterned paper (Glowing - Authentique Paper) to it.

I stamped and colored the circle label images from both Cicely and Gracie at Halloween sets. The trick or treat label is from Midnight Feast and the banners are from Bitty Banners.

These are fun little images to color. Next time, I plan to use lots of glitter on them! Don't you think that will look vintage Halloween yummy?

You can find more information about the weekly Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge here on the blog. It is great fun to play along, and we'd love to have you!

Enjoy your day, thank you for stopping by!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Cicely at Halloween, Gracie at Halloween, Midnight Feast, Bitty Banners - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Glowing - Authentique Paper
INK: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink - Tsukineko; Jet Black Archival Ink, Rusty Hinge, Antique Linen, Black Soot Distress Inks - Ranger Industries; Pumpkin Pie - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: Manila Tag - Stampers Anonymous; Copic Markers - Imagination International; Classic Circle Small Nestabilities - Spellbinders; True Black Twill - Papertrey Ink; Sewing Machine