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

Birthday Blog Hop

Good morning friends! It is a very special day here today, as it is my dear friend Claire Brennan's birthday! The Waltzingmouse Stamps Design Team has organized a blog hop in honor of her birthday!

This is the first stop along the hop, so please be sure to visit Belinda's blog next and she'll send you on your way!

Happy Birthday Claire, you're the best!

So many things I love on this card! Plaid, stitching, lace background stamps, an edge punch, and a fun color combination!

The Raspberry Fizz strip is stamped with the large broderie anglaise border from the Faux Fun stamp set. The large butterfly was cut from a piece of cardstock stamped with the plaid stamp from Off Beat Backgrounds. The small butterfly was embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder. The swirly, curly sentiment is from Say It With Style (this set is a must-have! it is so beautiful, versatile, and nestie-friendly!).

I added some stitching, rhinestones, and a punched strip.. I just kept adding and adding! Stopped short of the glitter and buttons, though :)

Claire, I hope you have a wonderful, happy birthday! Now be sure to head over to see Belinda, the next stop along the hop. I hope you all have a great day, and thank you so much for stopping by!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Faux Fun, Off Beat Backgrounds, Say It With Style - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Pale Plum - Stampin' Up!; Raspberry Fizz, White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pale Plum - Stampin' Up!; True Black - Papertrey Ink
Other: Apron Lace edge punch - Fiskars; Beautiful Butterflies Sizzix Die - Stampin' Up!; Swiss Dot Cuttlebug embossing folder - ProvoCraft; pink rhinestones - Recollections; sewing machine

You Hold the Key

Hi guys. I am in a cold-medicine-induced fog so its short and sweet today.

Thought I'd try my hand at the decorated card inside that is so trendy recently.

Here is the front, stamped with the one of the fabulous lace stamps from Faux Fun. I added some black rhinestones and half of a sentiment from Sweethearts.

This is the inside, where I carried over the lace from the front, the rest of the sentiment, and the heart-shaped lock from Little Box Labels. Very simple, but about all I can manage right now! :)

Have a great day!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Faux Fun, Sweethearts, Little Box Labels - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Real Red, Elegant Eggplant - Stampin' Up!
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink - Ranger
Other: Black adhesive rhinestones

Paris

Thank goooodness its Friday. There's a little cold bug making its way through this Schrier household (all two of us) and I'm the lucky next recipient. Hopefully with some rest and medicine this weekend I'll be right as rain.

Today's card is for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. You can see the sketch here.

I started with another ATC transparency from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps. This one is also from the Birds & Flourishes ATC Transparencies.

I stitched the transparency onto some patterned paper and built the rest of the card around that. The patterned paper is from the Life's Journey Collection from K&Company. The fleur-de-lis was cut using my Slice, the design is from the Basic Shapes 3 Design Card.

Love this card! I hope you have a great weekend, I am going to rest up! Take care!

#Anya

Recipe:
Cardstock: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; Sage Shadow - Stampin' Up!
Patterned Paper: Life's Journey Collection - K&Company
Ink: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo Distress Ink - Ranger
Other: Transparency from Birds & Flourishes ATC Transparency - Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps; Scroll edge punch - EK Success; Scallop edge punch - Stampin' Up!; Slice and Basic Shapes 3 Design Card; Pearl flower - Making Memories; sewing machine

Papertrey Princesses Challenge

Good morning ladies!

I am so very excited to bring you our first Papertrey Princesses challenge of 2010! Get your creativity on, because this is an inspiration challenge!

This photograph comes to us courtesy of Country Living Magazine. Doesn't it just make you happy? Be inspired by the colors, the materials, the layout - whatever you like! Here is my card (you can click the photo for a larger version).

For a challenge like this, I like to start by jotting some notes down - what is my first reaction when I see this picture? The things I picked up on right away were the great colors, the pinked edges of the blue striped fabric, and the overall sewing theme. Quilter's Sampler seemed like a good place to start, and the rest took off from there. I used my Copic markers to color the bits in, going for Spring Rain, New Leaf, and Spring Moss colors.

Now it is your turn! It was great to use a fresh, new color combination and stamps that haven't seen ink recently and I am very excited to see how you interpret the challenge. The important part is to have fun!

Once you've uploaded it, please share your challenge card with us by adding a link to your blog or gallery in the Official Papertrey Princesses Challenge Thread on the PTI forum. Please also include a link back to this challenge post. In two weeks, Lee will be hosting a new challenge for us.

I am so glad that the group has been revived! Many thanks to Diane for her efforts and I look forward to seeing you all around! Have a great day ladies!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Quilter's Sampler - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Spring Rain, Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: True Black, Chamomile Tea Dye - Papertrey Ink
Other: New Leaf Satin ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Pinking blade for rotary paper cutter - Fiskars; Assorted markers - Copic; sewing machine

Precious Metal

It is time again for the Gingersnap Creations challenge! This week was a Metallics color challenge.

I picked up this scrolly, metallic picture frame from Michaels ($1!) and thought it would be a perfect project for this challenge.

These frames are really fun to make. I love working on a small scale like this. They also make great gifts, or fab additions to your own house or office space. (Some others I've made are here and here).

I started by cutting an oval with my nestabilities to fit the frame. Then I stamped the Chrysanthemum (863E) stamp for the background. I inked it up with a few different colors of VersaMagic chalk ink to get the graduated colors.

I waited a few minutes for that to dry and then stamped and embossed the More Things (027D) sentiment right on top. I really love this look. Then I added a few gold pearls to carry the metallic theme through.

See how pretty?

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

Take care!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Chrysanthemum (863E), More Things (027D) - Serendipity Stamps
Cardstock: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Thatched Straw, Pumpkin Spice, Sage VersaMagic - Tsukineko
Other: Gold embossing powder; gold adhesive pearls; Gold frame - Michaels

Tie-Dye Flower

Hi friends! I will be short and sweet today, as I am running a bit behind on things. It has been one of those days!

First off, I want to say a big thank you to the Embellish Magazine crew for featuring my Secret Admirer card! That one is a favorite of mine.

Today's card uses the super-versatile ATC transparency sheets from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps. This one is from the Birds & Flourishes ATC Transparency sheet.

I used several different colors of alcohol ink to 'tie-dye' the transparency sheet. Then I used a rectangle nestability to cut out a window in the front of my card to make the pretty pattern visible. Lining the inside of the card with white also helps show off the pattern. I thought a pretty ribbon would be a good finishing touch - don't need to busy this one up any more!

Thanks for your visit, sorry I'm not so chatty! Hope your evening is relaxing!

#Anya

Recipe:
Cardstock: True Black, White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Meadow, Lettuce, Eggplant, Cranberry, Currant Alcohol Ink - Ranger
Other: Transparency from Birds & Flourishes ATC Transparency sheet - Prickley Pear; Raspberry Fizz Satin Ribbon - Papertrey Ink

For You, With Love

Hello, friends! I hope your Monday is going well. I had a few peeks of a blue sky out my window today, which works wonders on those Monday morning blues. It is rain and snow from here on out, though.

Today I have another (almost late) card for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. You can check out the sketch here. Here is my take:

Lots to love on this one! I finally inked up the fabulous scroll border stamp from Say It With Style to create my patterned paper strip. What a unique, elegant pattern! I will absolutely be using that again!

I combined phrases from the same set for my sentiment. Isn't that curvy, curly font yummy?

The hearts along the bottom are from Sweethearts. So is the large heart on the left... the little bow on the heart is the Ribbon Bow punch from Martha. I think I need to use these two cuties together again. I added adhesive pearls along the top to balance out the space. What do you think?

So I have been reading Julie & Julia, passed along from a friend of mine. While I'm not going to announce my intent to prepare each of Julia Child's 524 recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking and then blog about them, I did think I would blog about some other recipes I've tried. I always like to hear about things other people have made and loved, so I am going to assume (perhaps incorrectly) that you might like to as well. It won't be a daily feature, but if I try something I like then I will share. Same goes for you!

Like many of you, I am a big Pioneer Woman fan. Bill bought me her cookbook for Christmas, but I have been printing recipes from her website for quite some time. Yesterday, I made the French Breakfast Puffs. They were really yummy. To me, they had a slightly denser consistency than muffins and reminded me more of a donut. That right there is tops in my book. After they come out of the oven, you roll them in butter and then cinnamon and sugar. Please, do yourself a favor and try them. They apparently freeze well too, but mine will be gone before that is necessary!

And last, but certainly not least, my hubby has joined blogland! He just started a photography blog, so if that's something you might be interested in checking out, head over here. He is just starting out (so go easy on him ;) but he hopes to use it as a tool to improve his photography.

Whew - that was a lot for me, I hope you stuck around! Have a great day!

#Anya

Recipe:
Stamps: Say It With Style, Sweethearts - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Scarlet Jewel, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Bravo Burgundy - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger
Other: Ribbon Bow punch - Martha Stewart Crafts; adhesive pearls; sewing machine