Au Revoir

Hello there, my dears.

A few weeks ago, Lizzie Anne Designs announced that they are closing their doors. It is always sad to see a stamp company shutting down, and I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to work with Tricia (Lizzie), Meridith (Anne) and the rest of the Design Team.

I wanted to take the time to share a LAD project with you today, one I had created for their newsletter, and a favorite of mine.

I used images from the Bonjour set.

I always forget how much fun I have making tags. I also love this glittery frame. I think I will challenge myself to make a tag with something glittery on it. I am starting to get in the mood (don't laugh!) for Halloween... I love Halloween, and there is some behind-the-scenes stuff happening that is making me want to break out my Halloween goodies!

Thanks for the visit today, Lizzie Anne is selling out quickly, so if you'd like to stop over and see what they have left, now is the time!

Have a fantastic Monday!

Anya

LAD Weekly Sketch #170

Hi friends!

This week I am posting the Lizzie Anne Designs Weekly Sketch Challenge. This is my first time actually designing a sketch and I kept it pretty simple. Here's the sketch:

And here is the card I came up with, using the fun tiki guy from the Summertime Celebration mix set:

Fun, huh? I think my Dad will love this card for his birthday.

There is more info here on the LAD blog if you'd like to play along!

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: Summertime Celebration - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Ripe Avocado, Rustic Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Thatched Straw, Jumbo Java VersaMagic - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink

Lizzie Anne June DT Challenge

Hi there, friends! Today is Design Team Challenge day at Lizzie Anne. This month we were challenged to create a project with a summer vacation theme. Perfect timing that we had the new Summertime Celebration Mix Set to use!

For the past few years, a dive trip to Cozumel has been one of our summer events, so I thought the sombrero and maracas would be perfect for my card. Here's the colorful card I came up with:

I started by layering a rainbow of cardstock that I had punched with a scalloped edge. I colored the sombrero and maracas images with Copic markers in coordinating colors. Mexico is always so colorful! I think this would be great as a party invitation, too - for a Fiesta, of course!

I'm so glad you stopped by today, please be sure head over to the Lizzie Anne Designs Blog to see what the other DT members created for the challenge. Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: Summertime Celebration Mix Set - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Melon Mambo - Stampin' Up!; Rustic Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink - Tsukineko
Other: Scalloped edge border punch - Stampin' Up!; Copic markers

LAD Summer Mix Preview

Hi there!

Today I am sharing a preview of the new Lizzie Anne Designs Summer Mix Set, called Summertime Celebration. All the details about the Mix Club can be found here on the LAD website. This is one of my favorite Mix sets so far! There are some really fun images included - and its an extra large set, too!

I'll share a few cards today and then some more later on. The hibiscus flower is one of my favorite stamps from the set.

I stamped the flowers in a few tropical colors and cut them out, adhering them to the side of my card. Sort of reminds me of a lei!

I stamped the sentiment and then stitched it to my card base. The flower centers are all glittered up, too? Can you see them?

My second hibiscus card uses a technique my friend Julia Aston shared, called ghosting.

You start by stamping your image in white pigment ink and letting it dry. Then, you add ink on top of it. It is sort of like emboss resist, but not so intense. It has a neat look, huh? It almost look bleached.

My last card uses the super cute banana split image from the set. I could go for a banana split right now.

I stamped the image and then colored it in with Copics. I added some Glossy Accents to the chocolate syrup... looks yummy!

The papers are Emma's Shoppe from Crate Paper - a sweet sugary perfect fit!

Thanks for stopping in today. I hope you like what you've seen so far! Head over to the Lizzie Anne Designs Blog to see what the other DT members have created for the Summer Mix and to find out how you can get your own set!

Anya

Recipe
Aloha Card
Stamps: Summertime Celebration Mix Set - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink; Baja Breeze - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Melon Mambo, Peach Parfait, Groovy Guava, Early Espresso - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Woodgrain Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Star Dust Stickles - Ranger Industries; Sewing machine

Thinking of You Hibiscus Card
Stamps: Summertime Celebration Mix Set, Perfect Phrases - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Berry Sorbet - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Whisper White Craft Ink - Stampin' Up!; Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Dried Marigold Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Tuxedo Black Memento Ink - Tsukineko
Other: Sewing machine

Being Your Friend is a Treat Card
Stamps: Summertime Celebration Mix Set - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: White, Sweet Blush - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Emma's Shoppe - Crate Paper
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink - Tsukineko
Other: Apron Lace punch - Fiskars; Glossy Accents - Ranger Industries; Copic Markers - Imagination International, Inc.

Aloha!

Hi there, today I thought I would share some samples for the two Simply Singles Lizzie Anne has released this month (two new Simply Singles are released on the 1st of every month).

Perfect for summer, let me introduce you to Surfer Dude and Hula Girl!

These two cuties just needed to be together! I colored both with Copic markers and cut them out. The patterned paper is Emma's Shoppe from Crate Paper. The sentiment is from the Perfect Phrases Sixlets set.

My second card features just the Hula Girl.

I layered petals die cut using the Tattered Florals die from Tim Holtz to create my flower. This sentiment is from the Warmest Wishes mix set, and even though it is intended for winter time, I think it works perfectly here!

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
Friends Forever Card
Stamps: Surfer Dude, Hula Girl, Perfect Phrases - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink; Soft Sky - Stampin' Up
Patterned Paper: Emma's Shoppe - Crate Paper
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Copic markers - Imagination International; Linen twine - Stampin' Up!; button

Warmest Wishes Card
Stamps: Hula Girl, Warmest Wishes - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Rustic Cream - Papertrey Ink; Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Peach Parfait - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!; Coffee Archival Ink, Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Tattered Florals die - Tim Holtz for Sizzix

LAD May DT Challenge

Hi there, friends! Today is Design Team Challenge day at Lizzie Anne. This month we are doing a color challenge based on the photo below. Our colors were tan and mint green with a splash of pink and yellow.

For my card, I used the Merry Marine stamp set.

I paper pieced the whale with patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's Social Club collection. The waves were created by using the negative image after die cutting a scallop border. My yellow and pink accents were easy additions with a button and some baker's twine.

This would make a great birthday card for a little one!

I'm so glad you stopped by today, please be sure head over to the Lizzie Anne Designs Blog to see what the other DT members created for the challenge. Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: Merry Marine - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Kraft, Aqua Mist, White - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Social Club Collection - Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Lemondrop Baker's Twine - The Twinery; Medium Scalloped Die - Papertrey Ink; pink button

A Good Friend

Hi there. How have you been? I hope your Mother's Day was an enjoyable one. We had some last-minute plan changes for our weekend, but it all worked out.

My kitchen is coming along nicely - its about 2/3 finished, but all the moving and maneuvering is done so hopefully the rest will go smoothly. I moved a new pantry into the room as well as built a counter top/cupboard combo and installed a shelf. I am pretty head-over-heels about the counter top and shelf. Work space and storage were not abundant in the old setup. I will share some pictures as things move along.

My craft room has been neglected, and right now I'm not so sure I miss it. I am feeling the need for a bit of a recharge, so I'm just going with the flow.

But, regardless of that, I do have some cards to share with you today that I made with the two new Simply Singles that Lizzie Anne released this month, called Favorite Jeans and A Good Friend. Love it when the Singles go so well together :)

For this card, I created a pattern by stamping the Favorite Jeans stamp all over my paper. I colored one pair in with an Aqua Painter and an ink pad. Don't they look all worn and comfy? Then I used the A Good Friend single to add my complimentary sentiment.

For my second card, I broke out some patterned paper and created a fun patchwork card.

I punched all the little squares out with a 3/4-inch square punch and adhered them to a piece of cardstock. Then I die-cut it with a circle Nestability. The jeans were paper pieced, and I added a tiny rhinestone for the button. I just included the first part of the sentiment on the front of my card...

.. and continued the rest of the sentiment on the inside. Cute!

Thank you for stopping by today, I appreciate you taking the time to visit! Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe:
Favorite Jeans Card
Stamps: Favorite Jeans, A Good Friend, Timeless Textures - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Rustic Cream - Papertrey Ink; Buckaroo Blue - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Buckaroo Blue - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink, Jet Black Archival Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Postage Stamp punch - Fiskars; Aqua Painter

Circle Patchwork Card
Stamps: Favorite Jeans, A Good Friend - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Material Girl, Social Club - Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Big Scalloped Circle Large, Standard Circle Large Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Adhesive rhinestone - Recollections; sewing machine

LAD April DT Challenge

Happy Friday, friends! Today is Design Team Challenge day at Lizzie Anne. Our challenge this month was to create an Easter card. I used the flourish-patterned egg from Follow Your Dreams (the Spring 2011 Mix set) to fill this sweet little Easter basket.

The base of my basket started out as an oval die cut shape that I trimmed to resemble a basket shape. I cut 1/4-inch strips of cardstock and then wove them together before stitching around the outside to adhere them to the basket base. Here's a closer look.

The eggs were stamped and cut out, and I inked the edges of each with a little Antique Linen Distress Ink. I tucked them into my basket (there is a back to it, like a pocket, but the eggs overlap it) and added a handle. The bunches of grass were just cut by hand.

I'm so glad you stopped by today, please be sure head over to the Lizzie Anne Designs Blog to see what the other DT members created for the challenge. Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: Follow Your Dreams (Spring 2011 Mix Set) - Lizzie Anne
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Spring Moss, Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Thatched Straw, Sea Breeze, Pretty Petunia VersaMagic; Old Rose, Sage VersaColor - Tsukineko
Other: Classic Oval Large Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Aqua Mist button - Papertrey Ink; Sewing machine

LAD April Singles

Happy Wednesday. It is raining here. Again. I am giving serious thought to never getting out of bed again.

I uploaded today's cards to the Lizzie Anne Sketchbook, but haven't yet shared them here. Lizzie Anne released two new Simply Singles for April, and these are the cards I created using them.

Here is the first, using the Mother Defined single.

I used the Starburst single to create my background pattern.

I stamped the Mother Defined single twice and cut out one of the words so I could pop it up on my image. You could easily do this with any of the words listed if you wanted to highlight something else.

The second single released for April is So Very Sorry.

For cards like these, I really like to use some kind of printed image. I don't know why, it just helps me to focus on the sentiment, I guess. For this card I used a tag from 7Gypsies and adhered everything to a Wilton doily.

I accented my sentiment with a fancy pin tied with some silk ribbon. I stuck my pin through the foam dimensionals used to adhere my sentiment. It was an easy way to get it where I wanted it!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit today. I hope you have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
Mother, Friend Card
Stamps: Simply Singles Mother Defined, Starburst - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; Riding Hood Red - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red - Stampin' Up!

Bend in the Road Card
Stamps: Simply Singles So Very Sorry - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: White - Papertrey Ink; Bordering Blue - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Buckaroo Blue - Stampin' Up!; Weathered Wood Distress Ink - Ranger
Other: Doily - Wilton; Victoria 97% Complete Tag - 7Gypsies; Leaf Trinket Pin - Maya Road; Silk ribbon - Papertrey Ink

Happy Spring

I know, I keep talking about this 'spring' thing. It is still very much winter here in Pittsburgh, despite the daffodils and tulips trying their best to get started. I am hopeful that things will warm up soon, though! Today I am sharing another card made with stamps from the Lizzie Anne Spring Mix, Follow Your Dreams. I stamped my image and colored it with Copics, choosing some colors to match this happy patterned paper from October Afternoon. Then after a light application of glue, I dusted my butterflies with glitter. Aren't they pretty? Short and sweet, that's it for me today. I have been busy, busy! Lots of stuff going on over here... later this week Waltzingmouse will be having a little fun for our first non-release month.. more about that later, but I promise you it will be a great time! See you soon!

Anya

Recipe Stamps: Follow Your Dreams - Lizzie Anne Cardstock: So Saffron, Kraft - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink Patterned Paper: Fly a Kite - October Afternoon Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink - Tsukineko Other: Copic Markers (R20, R22, YR02, Y21, BG11, BG34) - Imagination International; Dazzling Diamonds glitter - Stampin' Up!; Button; Sewing machine

Happy Mother's Day, PDCC74

Hi there! Thursday is quickly becoming one of my favorite days of the week, when the new Play Date Cafe Challenge is announced! I look forward to seeing what the new colors will be. This week is doubly fun, as Lizzie Anne is sponsoring the challenge.

I even got a bit of a sneak peek for this week's color story. Here it is:

I used the gorgeous cameo image from Follow Your Dreams for my card.

I stamped the image twice, once in purple and once in gray. I cut just the gray silhouette out and adhered it inside the purple frame, then I cut that out. It is matted with a shape die-cut from Label Five Nestabilities. To add a little interest to my monochrome background, I cut strips of cardstock and inked the edges in white.

To help tie the colors together, I added a row of purple buttons. I wasn't sure about this at first, but its growing on me!

This is a challenging color combination, I hope you'll give it a try! And while you're at it, head over to the Lizzie Anne store, where they have just announced an Overstock Sale! The sale runs through Sunday with 40% off select products! Woo!

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Follow Your Dreams - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: White, Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pretty Petunia VersaMagic - Tsukineko; Going Gray, Whisper White - Stampin' Up!
Other: Plum Pudding buttons - Papertrey Ink; Labels Five Nestabilities - Spellbinders

LAD March DT Challenge

Good morning!

I am here today to share the March Design Team Challenge from Lizzie Anne Designs. This month we were challenged to choose a photograph from the Pottery Barn Kids website and use it as inspiration for a baby card. There is certainly lots to be found there!

This is the photo I chose of the Harlington Nursery:

Three things that jumped out at me when looking at this picture were the bold color combination of red and white, the three framed pictures on the wall, and the outlined shape around them. So this is the card I created with inspiration from the photo.

The little baby shoes are another of the new images included in the new Spring Mix, Follow Your Dreams. I stamped the image three times and cut them out. I added a bit of shading with my Copic markers and an adhesive pearl 'button.'

Thanks for stopping to visit me today, be sure to head over to the Lizzie Anne Designs blog to see what the other DT members created for this challenge. Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Follow Your Dreams - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Ruby Red - Stampin' Up!; Kraft, Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Be Mine (Hey Sugar) - Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Ruby Red - Stampin' Up!; Coffee Archival Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Copic Markers (W1, W3) - Imagination International; Ticket Corner Punch - Stampin' Up!; Adhesive pearls

LAD Spring Mix Preview

Hi there!

Today I am sharing a preview of the new Lizzie Anne Designs Spring Mix Set, called Follow Your Dreams. All the details about the Mix Club can be found here on the LAD website. This Mix set is fantastic! It is just full of some wonderful images and sentiments. I went on a creating spree when I received it!

This first card features one of the Easter egg images - I love this fancy pattern. I put some springy colors together to create my stamped background. Wouldn't this egg image be so pretty embossed?

I added a strip of stitched felt to ground my sentiment. A pretty pastel button was the perfect pop to finish it off.

My second card features this eclectic line drawn image. I love the collage effect it has.

I stamped the image and paper pieced her dress, then matted the image with some green cardstock. I stitched around the outside edge with black thread to mimic the doodled border around the image. The background was stamped with the curly border image from Timeless Textures. This background image goes so well with so many different things, I love to use it.

I tied some baker's twine around my card and added a black button. I love this image!

Thanks for stopping in today. I hope you like what you've seen so far! Head over to the Lizzie Anne Designs Blog to see what the other DT members have created for the Spring Mix and to find out how you can get your own set!

Anya

Recipe:
Happy Easter Card
Stamps: Follow Your Dreams - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: White, Melon Berry - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Groovy Guava, Sage Shadow, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Pale Plum - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink, Coffee Archival Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Fine Linen felt, Eyelet Lace die, Melon Berry button - Papertrey Ink; sewing machine

Beauty Within Card
Stamps: Follow Your Dreams, Timeless Textures - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Sweet Blush, Spring Moss, Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Restoration Collection - Crate Paper
Ink: Blushing Bride - Stampin' Up!; Tuxedo Black Memento - Tsukineko
Other: Fruit Punch Stickles - Ranger Industries; Honeydew Baker's Twine - The Twinery; Copic markers; Black button; Sewing machine

LAD March Singles Release

Hi there! How is your day going?

Today I wanted to share some cards I made using the two new Simply Singles that Lizzie Anne Designs released for March.

Here is my first card, using the Ageless Single.

I combined the fun sentiment single with the birthday cake from Vintage Birthday.

Here's a close up of the sparkly birthday cake and the popped up sentiment. This is very clean for me!

My next card uses the Hope Single. I love this verse.

I combined the sentiment with an image trimmed from a 7Gypsies tag. I love the birdies!

Such an appropriate sentiment for the season - it feels like spring is just around the corner (at least I hope so!).

For those of you that receive Lizzie Anne's newsletter, keep an eye out for the spotlight on yours truly this month! I am also sharing a project created special for this month's edition. For those of you that would like to receive the newsletter, (it has new product, event, and sale information also) you can sign up here!

Thanks for stopping in to see me today! Have a super evening!

Anya

Recipe:
Purple Ageless Card
Stamps: Ageless Single, Vintage Birthday - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Lavender Moon, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; Rich Razzleberry - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Rich Razzleberry - Stampin' Up!; Tuxedo Black Memento - Tsukineko
Other: Star Dust Stickles - Ranger Industries; Copic Markers; Sewing machine

Hope is the Thing Card
Stamps: Hope Single - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Night of Navy - Stampin' Up!; Walnut Stain Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Houndstooth Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft; Victoria 97% Complete Tags (bird image) - 7Gypsies; Berry Sorbet Satin ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Vintage button

Textured Birthday

Hi all!

Right after we got home from our Indonesia trip, my Bill had his birthday. It was a bit of a whirlwind prep, as my mojo was still out to sea, but I pulled this little card together for him using some things I had out on my work table.

I stamped a strip of Kraft cardstock with the Happy Birthday sentiment from Lizzie Anne's Vintage Birthday (I love this font). Then I punched the stars out of the cardstock. Another strip of cardstock that had been stamped with the herringbone pattern from Timeless Textures was tucked behind. I layered this on some patterned paper from October Afternoon. Glad my mojo has woken up a bit since then!

Good to see you here today, tomorrow I have another Serendipity Stamps challenge to share. Hope to see you then!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: Vintage Birthday, Timeless Textures - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Sahara Sand - Stampin' Up!; Kraft - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Fly a Kite - October Afternoon
Ink: VersaMark - Tsukineko; Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Garden Green - Stampin' Up!
Other: Small star punch - Stampin' Up!

LAD February DT Challenge

Good morning!

I am here today to share the February Design Team Challenge from Lizzie Anne Designs. This month we were challenged to choose a card from the Lizzie Anne Sketchbook designed by another DT member and design a new card based on that one! Whew!

I picked this awesome card from Kendra:

I loved the overlapping patterned blocks, and took that theme and ran with it. Here's the card that I made, using the frilly hearts from the Lucky in Love Mix Set.

The hearts were stamped on patterned paper, the squiggley one is one of my favorite stamps from the new Timeless Textures set. The classy sentiment is from Perfect Phrases.

Thanks for stopping to visit me today, be sure to head over to the Lizzie Anne Designs blog to see what the other DT members created for this challenge. Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: Lucky in Love Mix Set, Timeless Textures, Perfect Phrases - Lizzie Anne Designs
Cardstock: Blushing Bride - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Fly a Kite, The Thrift Shop - October Afternoon
Ink: Ruby Red, Early Espresso - Stampin' Up!
Other: Swiss Dots Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft; Button; Sewing machine

Love Potion

Hi there! I'm back!!

So sorry to desert you like that! We went on our trip and then came back and things were busy and I was so tired! I think I'm finally getting back into a 'normal' schedule, but I was barely making it to 7:00 pm without falling asleep!

Our trip was so wonderful, just an amazing time. I will share some photos but first I want to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day! Here's a fun little card I made using the Lucky in Love Mix Set from Lizzie Anne.

Each of my little potion bottles was colored using Twinkling H2O's, so they are very shimmery! This is really a fun set to create with, with lots of other cute images.

And now, if you'll indulge me, I'd like to share some photos from our trip. Bill and I traveled to Indonesia for two weeks, to explore the culture and to do some scuba diving. We spent an amazing week at the Wakatobi Dive Resort, with time before and after in Bali (our International connections were via Denpasar). We traveled with a group of six other divers from Pittsburgh, friends we've gone on trips with before. All the photos were taken by Bill, and I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic they are. He was able to capture so many different things about the trip - not only the images themselves but movement and feeling. Looking at these pictures is really an experience for me. Please do yourself a favor and click over to his blog to catch up on his posts about the trip. He is doing some critical photography stuff, but he also has some great summary posts about the things that we did on the trip.











That photo won 'Photo of the Week' at Wakatobi! :)

If you're interested (and have a few hours!) check out the full set of photos from the trip in our Gallery.

Thank you for sticking with me while I was gone and readjusting to my own time zone. I am feeling back in the groove and looking forward to sharing more with you here! In fact, this is a busy week here on the blog so I hope to see you around!

Have a great day!

Anya