Clare's creations

CASE Study #76 - Be My Valentine

2012-02-02T05:00:00.060Z

Yay, it's February, that means we have a brand new muse at CASE Study. This month Karola Witczak is our muse, I've admired Karola's shabby, layered and beautiful style for quite a while. Here's Karola's card this week.

I loved the banner Karola added her sentiment to so I CASEd this, along with the layered elements. Instead of the six boxes I divided my card into three panels of patterned paper. I used Sweet Nectar from K&Company.

The fun sentiment sticker on the banner is from Say It With Stickers - Valentine by SRM Stickers. I also used the love definition sticker from the same set to add some interest to the background. The hot pink dotty ribbon is from the Craft Fairy.

I also added some heart stickers from Express Yourself - Valentine by SRM Stickers to the patterned paper at the bottom just for fun! : )

Don't forget to have a peek at the rest of the CASE Study DT's creations this week! Such a fabulous variety as always! Thanks for dropping by! : )

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Christina Maclaren
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

SUPPLIES:

CARDSTOCK: RED CARD
PATTERNED PAPER: SWEET NECTAR FROM K&CO
STICKERS: EXPRESS YOURSELF - VALENTINE AND SAY IT WITH STICKERS VALENTINE FROM SRM STICKERS
OTHER: HOT PINK POLKA DOT SATIN RIBBON FROM THE CRAFT FAIRY, RED SATIN RIBBON, SAGE LACE, NATURAL HEMP TWINE, BUTTONS, SEWING MACHINE.

CARD PATTERNS - Sketch 150

2012-01-28T17:00:00.093Z

Hi, it's time for a new sketch at Card Patterns. This week we're sponsored by My Favorite Things. Here's this week's great sketch. I flipped the sketch on it's side for my card.

Each team member was given a gift certificate to purchase some stamps from My Favorite Things to use on their creations this week.

This fab bird is from Inspired By - Caged Bird from My Favorite Things. I simply stamped it in black and cut it out leaving a small edge. I added to my card using foam pads. I really love this little bird!

The sentiment is from Die-namics Vintage Cameo Frame Die & Stamp set, the frame behind the bird is from the same set.

The die cut frame has a co-ordinating frame stamp, it's such a classic shape. There's some fab cameos in the same set too. I added a little bit of baby pink seam binding and a funny button from my stash. The background I embossed using the woodgrain embossing folder.

Don't forget to visit Card Patterns this week and see what the rest of the design team created and play along with us if you have time. There's a great prize up for grabs and a chance to be our guest designer! Thanks for dropping by! Enjoy the rest of the weekend! : )

SUPPLIES:

CARDSTOCK: EMERALD GREEN, SKY BLUE, WHITE, CREAM
PATTERNED PAPER: CATH KIDSTON MIX AND MATCH STATIONARY
CLEAR STAMPS: INSPIRED BY CAGED BIRD BY MY FAVORITE THINGS, DIE-NAMICS VINTAGE CAMEO FRAME DIE AND STAMP SET
INKS: JET BLACK ARCHIVAL INK, MEMENTO ROSE BUD INK
DIES: DIE-NAMICS VINTAGE CAMEO FRAME DIE
OTHER: WOODGRAIN EMBOSSING FOLDER, PINK SEAM BINDING, BUTTON, SEWING MACHINE, SIZZIX BIG SHOT, PAPER DOILY.

CASE Study #75 - Spring blossoms

2012-01-26T05:00:00.079Z

It's our final week with Jen Rzasa as our muse at CASE Study, Jen's stunning CAS cards have been quite the challenge for me! So much white space!! I managed to fill it with some debossing this time, for a sweet and fairly simple card! : ) Here's Jen's fab card this week.

I love the knotting technique Jen used in her card, I chose to CASE this but I used some twill ribbon instead of twine. I also added a few feminine elements. I interpreted the white space as an embossed area and teamed some cream card with some white for a light and fresh look.

The Antique White and Willow Green Twill ribbon are from the Craft Fairy. I love this shade of green. Perfect for Spring cards, yes, I'm ready for Spring already. We've had such a mild winter, the daffodils are starting to bloom already!! The embossing folder is called Garden flowers from Bringing Crafts Too You. I used the debossed side for a change.

I just tied some simple knots in the ribbon and added some sweet Pink Cherry Blossoms from the Craft Fairy. You can't beat a pink and green color combo! It's just so fresh!

For the sentiment I used one of the gorgeous stickers from Fancy Sticker Sentiment - Love from SRM Stickers. I love this beautiful font!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the CASE Study DT members creations this week and play along if you have time! Have a great day! : )

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Christina Maclaren
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

SUPPLIES:

CARDSTOCK: WHITE CARD, CREAM CARD
PAPER: GREEN POLKA DOT PAPER (DIGITAL)
STICKERS: FANCY STICKER SENTIMENT - LOVE BY SRM STICKERS
RIBBON: ANTIQUE WHITE AND WILLOW GREEN TWILL FROM THE CRAFT FAIRY
FLOWERS: PINK CHERRY BLOSSOMS FROM THE CRAFT FAIRY
EMBOSSING FOLDER: GARDEN FLOWERS BY BRINGING CRAFTS TOO YOU
OTHER: WHITE CROCHET LACE, SEWING MACHINE.

Cardmaking & Papercraft Mag (UK) Issue 101 - Gilding Flakes

2012-01-25T16:27:00.000Z

Hi, just popping in with some cards I have in the current issue (101) of Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine (UK). I was asked to make some cards for the gilding flakes feature. I had to use gilding flakes in several different ways, I hadn't used them before so it was fun to experiment!

Here I used a chipboard piece and gilded the reverse (the self adhesive side), it worked really well on this surface. Once you have the surface covered, brush off the excess and buff the surface with a soft brush.

Here I used a combination of different techniques, I highlighted sections of the stamped cakes using a glue pen and the gilding flakes. I used double sided tape and gilding flakes to create the frame. I loved the results I got with the stamped text, I used a glue pad to stamp the text and added the gilding flakes. Buffing with a soft brush really makes a big difference.

Here I created a shimmery butterfly background by stamping the butterflies using a glue pad and adding the gilding flakes. The border at the top and bottom was created with double sided tape.

Here are the cards in the magazine. I had to make six altogether. So if you haven't tried gilding flakes before I'd really recommend giving them a go, you can get some really great results. Check out the current issue (101) of Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine for more details.

I'll be back tomorrow with my CASE Study card. See you then! : ) I hope it's not raining where you are, it hasn't stopped here all day!

CARD PATTERNS - Sketch 149

2012-01-21T17:00:00.038Z

If you're here for my Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge card scroll down to the next post. We have a fun sketch this week at Card Patterns, it's a circular shape but you can opt to incorporate it into a square card (like I did!) if you're not fond of circular cards. Here's the fab sketch! I love that sweet heart tucked in there!

I also used this week's Trigger Tuesday - Winter Blossoms from Moxie Fab World as inspiration for my card this week. Such a fab trigger this week. I love the soft muted tones and of course the soft, feminine fluffy textures of those pom poms!!

I used the colors from the trigger in my card and I made a fun pom pom flower from some tissue paper. The pom pom was very easy to make, I just folded over a length of tissue paper several times, stitched along one side on the sewing machine, then fringed with a scissors and rolled into a flower.

The sweet pink crochet heart I bought from Annie Design on Etsy. The patterned papers are from Pink Paislee Nantucket. I love the colors in this collection.

I used Spellbinders Big Scalloped Circles Large for my circle and embossed with a roses embossing folder. The Ivory chiffon ribbon and Antique White Twill are both from Craft Fairy. The sentiment is a sticker from We've Got Your Sticker - Forever by SRM Stickers, I also used the white 'Happily ever after' text sticker from the same set to create the background paper below the sentiment.

Don't forget to visit Card Patterns this week and see what the rest of the design team created and play along with us if you have time. There's a chance to be our guest designer. Thanks for dropping by! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! : )

SUPPPLIES:

CARDSTOCK: WHITE CARD, YELLOW CREAM CARD
PATTERNED PAPER: PINK PAISLEE NANTUCKET COLLECTION
STICKERS: WE'VE GOT YOUR STICKER - FOREVER FROM SRM STICKERS
OTHER: CROCHET HEART, BUTTON, MUSTARD/WHITE BAKER'S TWINE, SPELLBINDERS BIG SCALLOPED CIRCLES LARGE, BIG SHOT MACHINE, SEWING MACHINE, CREAM TISSUE PAPER, FOAM PADS.

WMSC81 - Heart of roses

2012-01-21T08:00:00.075Z

Hello, I managed to squeeze in a card for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge this week. I do love making Valentine's cards, so you'll be seeing quite a few more in the run up to Valentine's Day. A nice simple sketch this week. Check it out.

I used the lovely heart stamp from Seasons of Love - Tags from Waltzingmouse Stamps as a base for my roses. I used some sweet Pink Paper Tea Roses and Fuchsia Medium Tea Roses from Craft Fairy. These are just so pretty!

The green chiffon ribbon is also from Craft Fairy. For the sentiment I used Say it Loud from Waltzingmouse Stamps, cut out and propped up on several foam pads. I used a Script embossing folder on some plain white card for the square behind the heart.

The bottom half of the card I stamped some text from Text-It, the sentiment is from Roses in Bloom, both from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

I stamped the polka dot background using Gingham & Co from Waltzingmouse Stamps, the green paper was from my scraps box. Check out what the Mischief Makers have created this week at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge and play along this week if you have time. I'll be back a little later with my Card Patterns card. See you then! : )

SUPPLIES:

CARDSTOCK: WHITE CARD
PAPER: GREEN PAPER
CLEAR STAMPS: TEXT-IT, SAY IT LOUD, SEASONS OF LOVE - TAGS, ROSES IN BLOOM ALL FROM WALTZINGMOUSE STAMPS
DYE INK: MEMENTO ROSE BUD, VERSAMAGIC TEA LEAVES, RANGER JET BLACK ARCHIVAL INK
FLOWERS: PINK PAPER TEA ROSES AND FUCHSIA MEDIUM TEA ROSES FROM CRAFT FAIRY
RIBBONS: GREEN CHIFFON RIBBON FROM CRAFT FAIRY
OTHER: SCRIPT EMBOSSING FOLDER, SEWING MACHINE.

CASE Study #74 - Flower of hearts

2012-01-19T05:00:00.064Z

It's our third week with Jen Rzasa as our muse at CASE Study. Here's Jen fabulous inspiration card this week! A bold and striking beauty.

I was inspired by Jen's use of patterned paper, the white space and pop of red. So for my card I created a flower made from patterned paper hearts. I used the heart from Sweethearts by Waltzingmouse Stamps stamped and clear embossed them onto a mix of patterned paper from Lost and Found Market Street by My Mind's Eye. The centre is a fabric brad. I made two layers of petals, the bottom layer I left flat, the top layer I folded the petals gently in half to add dimension.

I played around with the text on this card using some SRM Stickers. I used Sticker Sentiments - Thank You for the flower stem and surrounding text grass, I trimmed the text to give myself some shorter lengths to work with.

I added a layer of sweet green buttons at the base of the card and some faux stitching in the form of a sticker from We've Got Your Stickers Plus from SRM Stickers.

I added a little bit of tied lace for the leaves. Check out my CASE Study team mates cards for some more inspiration. Oh, I almost forgot we have a sponsor this week, My Creative Classroom, they're offering a free seat to a class of your choice to one lucky winner. Visit the CASE Study blog for full details. Have a great day! : )

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Christina Maclaren
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

SUPPLIES:

CARDSTOCK: RED CARDSTOCK, WHITE CARDSTOCK
PATTERNED PAPER: LOST AND FOUND MARKET STREET FROM MY MIND'S EYE
CLEAR STAMPS: SWEETHEARTS FROM WALTZINGMOUSE STAMPS
STICKERS: STICKER SENTIMENTS - THANK YOU AND WE'VE GOT YOUR STICKERS PLUS FROM SRM STICKERS
OTHER: CROCHET LACE, FABRIC BRAD, SEWING MACHINE, BUTTONS,

Rose Creations Die flower tutorial

2012-01-18T12:34:00.000Z

Hello, I've put together a little tutorial for the paper flower I made (I used it on a card in my previous post) using the Spellbinders Rose Creations Die. I've made a medium sized flower here but you could make any size you like using the same techniques with the different sized flower dies. I used some paper from the Random Collection (Crate Paper). I painted the back pink to match but you could use any double sided paper.

You can play around with the number of layers, I didn't use the largest flower die and I graduated the size of the layers. After I die cut and embossed the flowers I inked the edges with Distress Ink (Antique Linen) because I was going for a more shabby look.

This step is optional, continuing the shabby look I lightly sanded the edges of the petals, just roughly, don't be too uniform about this.

Now you need to curl each of the petals of every flower except the smallest one. I used a bone folder for this, I bent the edges over it to form a gentle curl.

Now using the rounded end of any pen rub the centre of each flower to create a cupped effect. You need to do this on a foam pad or upturned mouse mat. (as you can see mine gets a lot of use!)

For the smallest layer rub the centre and petals so it rounds up almost into a ball. This layer will be pinched closed.

Now using a needle nosed tweezers pinch and twist clockwise along the middle of each petal to form a little line, do this for each layer except the smallest.

Ok, so all your flower layers should look a bit like this, depending on how many layers you want and how full you want your flower to be.

I like to glue three layers together separately and let them dry a little before assembling the flower. (You could use a brad to secure them together but I prefer to use glue to make them really solid!) When gluing the layers make sure you alternate where the petals are, the petal above should be between the gap of the two petals below.

I usually add a dot or two of glue with a toothpick to the smallest layer to keep it closed so it looks like a bud. Squish the smaller layers together a bit.

Then glue the two sections together and make any adjustments. I kinda think this one looks a bit like a carnation! Maybe with a few more layers! Anyway it's a sweet little flower. Oh and I just discovered a REALLY cool tutorial using the same Spellbinders Rose Creations Die, this one shows you how to make a large Cabbage Rose, using similar techniques, I'm off to give it a try!

January 2012 Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Party

2012-01-17T11:35:00.000Z

Hello, here's my card for the January 2012 Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Party! This month the theme is "SWEET THINGS". Sweet things can be food items, a Valentine for your sweetheart, something you consider to be a sweet thing or however you interpret "sweet things" and as long as you use Waltzingmouse Stamps images on your creation. You can link your card or project on the Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog, check it out for full details.

I mixed up a few different Waltzingmouse Stamp sets for my creation! The celtic heart is from Celtic Heritage Stamp set, the label is from Very Vintage Labels No.10, the sweet text is from Rescue Remedies (I masked the rest of the stamp) and the 'darling of my heart' text is from the Irish Blessings stamp set. The motif in pink is also from Very Vintage Labels No.10.

The flowers I made, the larger one I made using the Spellbinders Rose Creations die. The other one is a Quilled Rose and I painted the tips in white.

The white background paper I repeat stamped using text from the Sweethearts Stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I stamped it several times before inking up again to get that effect. The Inklinkz tool closes later today, so you only have a little while to get your creation linked up. Pop over to the Waltzingmouse Stamps blog for more details. Have a great day! : )

SUPPLIES:

CARDSTOCK: DARK PINK, WHITE CARD
PATTERNED PAPER: CRATE PAPER RANDOM
CLEAR STAMPS: CELTIC HERITAGE, VERY VINTAGE LABELS NO.10, IRISH BLESSINGS, RESCUE REMEDIES AND SWEETHEARTS ALL FROM WALTZINGMOUSE STAMPS
DYE INK: RANGER COFFEE ARCHIVAL INK, RANGER JET BLACK ARCHIVAL INK, RANGER DISTRESS INK VINTAGE PHOTO, MEMENTO ANGEL PINK
FIBERS: BABY PINK SEAM BINDING
OTHER: PINK GEM, WHITE ACRYLIC PAINT, PINK PAPER, SEWING MACHINE, SPELLBINDERS LABELS 10 AND ROSE CREATIONS DIES.

SRM Stickers 2012 Design Team!!

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000Z

Well it sure has been a great start to 2012! I can finally let the cat out of the bag and announce I'm one of the new team members of the SRM Stickers 2012 Design Team! I'm so excited to be part of such an amazing team and can't wait to create with more of SRM Stickers fabulous products! You won't want to miss out on the SRM Reveal Party, along with revealing the new 2012 SRM DT Members, a week long reveal begins of all the new CHA introductions with a giveaway everyday!!

If you haven't tried these amazing stickers yet, you really have to grab yourself a packet or two! I personally adore the Fancy Sentiments, I love the elegant font! The quality of the stickers is what is amazing, they really are something else! On my card I used Fancy Sticker Sentiment - Birthday by SRM Stickers. These stickers have a transparent background so they really are versatile.

I added a sweet fabric flower trim to the bottom of my card, trimmed the ends and added some pearls to the centers. I love the texture they add!

The floral pattern on the top half of my card I made by stamping with the raised section of an embossing folder and some white acrylic paint mixed with some modeling paste medium. I love this effect. It's stamped onto some recycled card.

So pop over to the SRM blog to check out the Reveal Party!! You won't want to miss this one!!! Have a great week!! : )

SUPPLIES:

CARDSTOCK: LIGHT CREAM CARD, WHITE CARD, RECYCLED CARDBOARD
STICKERS: FANCY STICKER SENTIMENT - BIRTHDAY BY SRM STICKERS
EMBOSSING FOLDER: BRINGING CRAFTS TO YOU - GARDEN FLOWERS
FIBERS: LIGHT CREAM FABRIC FLOWER TRIM
OTHER: WHITE ACRYLIC PAINT, MODELING PASTE MEDIUM LIQUITEX, PEARLS.

CARD PATTERNS - Sketch 148

2012-01-14T17:00:00.040Z

It's time for another Card Patterns sketch already! Where did the week go? This week we're sponsored by Clear Dollar Stamps. Here's this week's fab sketch.

Each design team member received some digital stamps from Clear Dollar Stamps to use on their creations this week. They have some fabulous digital images, I chose this beautiful rose image from Rose - June Flower of the month and I teamed it with some pretty digital papers from Tea-riffic Digital Paper Pack.

I wanted a hand painted look to my image so I printed it onto some heavy card and colored it with acrylic paints. I cropped the image into a circle to fit the sketch.

For the 4 panels in the sketch I added some zig-zag stitching instead of paper piecing the panels. I embossed the top half of my card using the Swiss Dots embossing folder. The sentiment is from Say it Loud by Waltzingmouse Stamps.

Don't forget to visit Card Patterns this week and see what the rest of the design team created and play along with us if you have time! There's a great prize up for grabs and a chance to be our guest designer! Thanks for dropping by! I'll be back on Monday with some exciting news!! : )

Little bird card with painted mask background

2012-01-13T12:13:00.000Z

Hello, just popping in with a little bird card I made. I do adore bird stamps, I love the subtle stippled shading on this one. It's from Inspired by - Caged Bird from My Favorite Things Stamps. I used Coffee archival ink to stamp it.

I used some foam pads to give it some dimension after I cut it out. It's layered over some sweet paper doilies, brown and white baker's twine and some dark brown grosgrain.

To create the patterned background first I painted a piece of canvas fabric with some acrylic paint (I mixed the color using Ultramarine, Lemon Yellow and White). Once that was dry I used a mask from Pink Paislee (my first time trying a mask!), taped that in place over my painted canvas, I mixed some white acrylic paint with some modelling paste medium by Liquitex (I had some left over from my painting days!). Using an artists trowel I added a layer of the paste over the mask and smoothed the top. I removed the mask and left to dry (overnight). I love the texture and depth of the pattern.

The sentiment is from Sweet Silhouettes from Layers of Color. Yep, I'm ready for Spring already! I noticed my daffodil bulbs peeking their tips above the ground the other day! I'll be back tomorrow with my Card Patterns card. Have a lovely weekend! : )

CASE Study #73 - Butterflies

2012-01-12T05:00:00.036Z

It's time for another CASE Study Challenge, it's our second week with Jen Rzasa as our wonderful muse. Here's Jen's fab card this week.

I CASEd the butterfly theme, sentiment and color combo. Jen is just amazing at using white space, something I really struggle with but I did my best to interpret it.

The sentiment is a sticker from Fancy Sticker Sentiment - Thanks by SRM Stickers. If you haven't tried these amazing stickers yet I highly recommend it, they really are fabulous!

The butterfly background I stamped using an Artemio stamp. I used Impress Lemon Yellow Ink and VersaMagic Pink Grapefruit.

I also added a little bit of white crochet lace and some light blue organza ribbon. Feels kinda summery! Don't forget to check out my CASE Study team mates creations and play along with us if you get a chance! : )

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Christina Maclaren
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Cardmaking & Papercraft Mag (UK) Issue 100

2012-01-09T21:49:00.000Z

In the current issue (100) of Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine (UK) I was asked to create six cards using washi tape! It was fun but definitely a challenge! Here are some of the cards I came up with.

A quick and simple birthday card, the candles are strips of washi tape and I just cut out some yellow teardrop shapes for the flames, I added a little shading with colored pencils. The sentiment is from Say it Loud by Waltzingmouse Stamps.

Here I just made some pretty ruffles using the washi tape (it has a self adhesive backing) and layered it starting at the bottom. The sentiment is from Fancy Phrases by Waltzingmouse Stamps.

I love the bold graphic patterns and colors. The strips of white spaced between the washi tape made it another quick and easy card to make. The sentiment is again from Say it Loud by Waltzingmouse Stamps.

Here I just created a faux gift wrap effect using the washi tape, I made a simple gift bow to match. The sentiment is from Frame-It by Waltzingmouse Stamps. To see the rest of my creations and for lots more ideas and inspiration you'll have to grab a copy of Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine Issue 100.

CARD PATTERNS - Sketch 147

2012-01-07T17:00:00.059Z

I'm deeelighted to be joining the Card Patterns DT, I really am honored to be asked! So here's my first card as DT member and here's the fab sketch. This week we're sponsored by DRS Designs.

Each design team member received some some rubber stamps to use on their creations this week. I used this pretty motif stamp and repeat stamped it along the right side of my card and embossed in white. I punched four holes in the centers and in between the motifs and threaded some off white seam binding between the holes.

I made a paper frill/ruffle for the bottom of the card, here's the link to an earlier post with tutorial on how to make the paper frill. The yellow paper is Sweetness from Pink Paislee and the pink paper is Lost and Found Madison Avenue by My Mind's Eye.

The sentiment is from Fancy Sticker Sentiment - Thanks by SRM Stickers. I really love the fancy sticker range, I really hope they do more of these!

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the light cream glass pearl trinket pin is from my own little Etsy shop. I do hope you'll pop by Card Patterns this week and see what the brand new design team made with the sketch and play along with us if you have time! There's a great prize up for grabs and a chance to be our guest designer! Thanks for dropping by! : )

Some exciting news!

2012-01-06T18:18:00.000Z

I'm delighted to announce I've joined the Design Team at Card Patterns!! Go check out the rest of the team, there's some familiar faces on there! Check back tomorrow for the new sketch and my first card as a team member!! YAY!

CASE Study #72 - Home Sweet Home

2012-01-05T05:00:00.065Z

Yay, a brand new year and our first CASE Study Challenge of 2012! Yep, that means we have a brand new muse too! It's none other than Jen Rzasa, she has such a fabulous style, a simplicity slightly beyond my capabilities but I interpreted Jen's card in my own little way! Her's her card.

I wanted to keep the fun element that's in Jen's card, I love those cheery balloons. So I went for a cheery, chirpy color scheme, did a little paper piecing with a basic house shape and some clouds. (I used up some of those bits from my scrap box!) I kept the whole new home theme.

The polka dot background I stamped using the polka dot stamp from Gingham & Co. from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I used Memento Summer Sky ink but I inked the stamp with some VersaMark ink first for better coverage. The little roof I embossed using Swiss Dots embossing folder. Lots of fun stitching on this one, the clouds were a little tricky though!

The sentiment is from Marianne Design Eline's Huis - Cross Stitch stamp set. I added a little bit of lace to the top from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

You're going to love how the rest of my CASE Study team mates interpreted this one!! Sadly we're saying farewell to some familiar faces, both Andrea and Cristina are moving on. We'll miss their fabulous contrasting styles but there's a new face in town, another Christina! Our new team mate is Christina Maclaren! She has a fabulous clean and simple style! Welcome Christina!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Christina Maclaren
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

The only other bit of news I have is, I've finally opened that Etsy shop, I've actually put stuff in there too! Just some handmade embellishments, cameos and trinket pins for the moment. I will be adding new colors gradually and maybe some other stuff. There's a mini gallery with a link to my Etsy shop in my side bar! Ok, enjoy what's left of the week! : )

A few cards...

2012-01-03T23:59:00.000Z

I finally finished the big craft room clear out today! Boy did it take longer than expected! Sorting the scrap box was a bit of a nightmare. The room feels so much bigger and lighter now though, ready for the new year!! I haven't actually made any new cards yet but I can share some of my Dirty Dozen Splitcoaststampers cards from September. I love this first one with stamped gingham paper frill, I used the Gingham & Co stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps and Memento Rose Bud Ink. The label is from Afternoon Tea also Waltzingmouse Stamps, stamped twice, once in black and once in VersaMagic Tea Leaves. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

A little bit of patchwork paper piecing using papers from Lost and Found Two Sunshine from My Mind's Eye and Random from Crate Paper. The label I stamped using Very Vintage Labels No.4 from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I love the bit of black teamed with this one.

Lots of lovely texture in this one with some corrugated card layered with a label stamped using Holiday Labels No.14 using VersaMagic Sage ink. The sentiment is from Fancy Phrases by Waltzingmouse Stamps. The leaves I stamped using the polka dots from Gingham and Co. and then stamped using the leaves from Roses in Bloom. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

And finally a shaped card (template is available in the Fan Club area of Splitcoaststampers). I had an image of a nice comfy chair in my mind so I Googled some photos of chairs and drew up a template from those. I had fun paper piecing this and inking the edges to give depth. I emphasized the 3D effect with some colored pencils. The sentiment I printed from the computer and cut out a little pillow shape. A fun card! : ) I'll be back on Thursday with my CASE Study Challenge card. Oh and I might have a little announcement on Friday! Have a great week! : )

CASE Study #71 - Thank You

2011-12-29T05:00:00.061Z

Yay! CASE Study Challenge is back this week after the Christmas break! It's our final week with the talented Amy Sheffer as our muse, I've really enjoyed the inspiration! Here's Amy's fabulous card this week.

I flipped the layout in my card (mainly so I could have the bird facing the way I wanted!) I kept the doily as my focal point and added layers of ribbon across my card too. The polka dot paper is from my scrap box and the pretty floral paper is from a Cath Kidston Stationary set.

I used Die-namics doily die to cut out a felt doily. The sentiment is a sticker from Fancy Sticker Sentiments from SRM Stickers. I used some foam tape behind the circle for dimension.

The bird stamp is Inspired By - Caged Bird from My Favorite Things. I stamped it in black, cut out and colored with ordinary coloring pencils. Again I used foam pads to add depth.

I added layers of white grosgrain, red twill and pink crochet lace across the card. I love the cheery spring feel to this card. I'm wishing away winter already and looking forward to the signs of spring! Don't forget to visit my CASE Study team mates to see what magic they've worked on their cards!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Hello!

2011-12-28T10:46:00.000Z

Just popping in to say hello! We had a lovely Christmas, Isabelle is really enjoying the whole Santa experience now and it is a delight to see. I started a big clean up of my craft room yesterday, one half looks wonderful, the other half is a bit chaotic, it's taking longer than I thought it would but the good half feels so much better so I'll battle on with the rest of it!

For this cheery card I used some pretty Pink Paislee papers from the Sweetness Collection and some others from my scrap box (that's overflowing! I really need to start using some of it up!) The wooden letters are also from Pink Paislee. The paper ruffle I made using this tutorial, I added the zig-zag stitching first though! Ok, I'll be back tomorrow with my CASE Study Challenge card! See you then! : )

Birthday Florals

2011-12-21T11:15:00.000Z

Just sharing a birthday card I made using a mix of Pink Paislee Sweetness, Daily Junque and Nantucket papers. The gorgeous flower is from Prima. No stamping on this one, for a change I used one of SRM Fancy Sticker Sentiments - Birthday, I love the fonts used in the fancy sticker range.

I fussy cut around some of the detail in the Daily Junque patterned paper to create a scalloped edge and I added some dimension by raising the layer with foam tape. I went for a bit more of a contrasted look by adding accents of black. I use seam binding so much that I forget about organza ribbon sometimes! Ok, I should be tidying the house and my craft room seriously needs a good clear out! Have a fabulous Christmas! Thanks so much for all the comments you leave and just for popping by my blog! : )

Ruffles and silhouettes

2011-12-20T18:13:00.000Z

Just sharing a couple of more cards you haven't seen. A cheery paper ruffles card, papers are from Echo Park Happy Days and Pink Paislee Daily Junque. I love those cheery Happy Days papers!

Here's the link to the paper ruffles tutorial on my blog. I die cut the label using Spellbinders Labels 10 and stamped the frame in red using Sweet Silhouettes from Layers of Color.

The sentiment is from the same set. I really love that font combo! There are some fabulous sentiments in the set. Here's my second card, this one came together fairly quickly (that hardly ever happens!)

I combined a mix of different turquoise patterned papers for this silhouette card, Crate Paper Portrait Collection and Echo Park Happy Days (the stripe paper).

I used Labels 10 again for the label and the same frame stamp stamped in VersaMagic Oasis Green. The pretty silhouette stamp is from Sweet Silhouettes from Layers of Color. I love the little details in the silhouettes.

The sentiment is from the same set. The lace is from Wild Orchid Crafts. I think I'm nearly ready for Christmas. Just a few little bits and pieces to get. I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with family and just to slow down! I feel like I'm always in a rush! It'll be nice to take it easy... after I spend half the day cooking that is! Luckily my mom is spending Christmas with us and will help with some of the cooking. Have a great week!

A few cards...

2011-12-19T11:44:00.001Z

Hi, I thought I'd pop in and share a few cards that didn't get picked for publication, I made a few extra for the last submission call for Card Creations: Volume 10 (Paper Crafts). I'm delighted that five of my other cards were chosen for that issue, I did submit more than I usually do (only 3 normally!) so the hard work paid off. I still can't believe how lucky I've been to have cards chosen! It's funny you never know what they're going to pick. I really liked this one, it has a nice summery feel to it!

I used some pretty papers from Echo Park Country Drive. I stamped the banner using Bitty Banners from Waltzingmouse Stamps (I love this set, it's one I go back to time and time again!). The butterfly is a Fimo (Polymer clay) embellishment I made using a silicone mold. The banner is just attached at the front of the card so the two tails hang down.

The sentiment is from Fancy Phrases from Waltzingmouse Stamps, stamped in black on a Spellbinders double ended tag. Here's another one of the cards I made for that call.

I don't usually make purple cards, it's not a color I usually go for but I fancied making a Shabby flower and I had a variety of purple fabrics. Here's the link to the tutorial on how to make these flowers, it's one I did while I was at The Hybrid Chick.

I used a mix of purple chiffon, satin and tulle/netting in various sized circles and melted the edges with a candle. The centre is an old vintage earring. The embossing folder I used is called Floral Summer and is from Bringing Crafts To You.

The sentiment is from Beautiful Lace by Layers of Color. I added a little bit of lime green ruffle edged ribbon from The Ribbon Reel to add a bit of contrast. The lace is from Wild Orchid Crafts. Ok, I'll be back tomorrow with a couple more cards. I hope you're nearly all ready for Christmas. It's turned milder here now so it'll be a wet Christmas. (Which is what we normally should have, it's only the past two winters we've had lots of snow!) Have a great week!

Jan/Feb Issue Paper Crafts Magazine

2011-12-16T08:00:00.005Z

I'm very excited to share with you my very first card published in Paper Crafts Magazine, it's in the Jan/Feb issue just out this week! It's brilliant they have an online digital version of the magazine that you can flick through, I'll have to wait a bit longer to get my physical copy! It's called Cameo Birthday Card (on p.42) I used pretty papers from Prima Botanical Collection but the polka dot paper is stamped using blue acrylic paint and the polka dot stamp from Gingham & Co from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The sentiment is from Say it Loud also Waltzingmouse Stamps. The cameo I made. Here it is in the magazine.

I also have a second card in the magazine, it's in the Exclusive Digital Content section of the digital version! It's called Everything to Me. You'll have to check it out there though! I have a couple of cards in the next issue too, so watch this space! So glad I plucked up the courage to submit now! It's such a great feeling! : )

CASE Study #70 - Goodwill

2011-12-15T05:00:00.044Z

Not long 'til Christmas now, I still need to do some shopping and send some more cards! Looking forward to a rest! Ok, so this is our third week with Amy Sheffer as our muse at CASE Study. I love Amy's card this week, so striking and bold. I chose to CASE the layout, focal point and use of bow.

The patterned paper on the top half of my card I made by stamping the tree motif from Nordic Winter by Waltzingmouse Stamps in a repeat pattern in VersaMagic Tea Leaves. If you're a Waltzingmouse Stamps fan you'll want to visit Moxie Fab World, Waltzingmouse stamps has received the Moxie Fab "Stamp" of Approval!

The label is from Seasonal Remedies by Waltzingmouse Stamps layered onto a die cut oval and fancy tag from Spellbinders.

The red dotty paper is from Echo Park Happy Days. I love this combo of bright green and red, reminds me of elves! : )

Ok, don't forget to check out the fabulous creations from my amazing CASE Study team mates. Enjoy the rest of the week! Don't forget to check out Moxie Fab World : )

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Beautiful Friend

2011-12-14T15:10:00.001Z

I seem to be so short on time these days, I realized I hadn't made a flower for ages. I forgot how much I love making them. For this one I used Spellbinders Rose Creations dies and paper from Lost and Found Market Street from My Mind's Eye.

I mixed up a few different flower tutorials to make this flower, I'll do up a little tutorial as soon as I can. I made it a little bit shabby by sanding some of the tips of the petals. It seemed to work better after I did that! The petals are made from mint felt, I die cut the leaves from the same Spellbinders Rose Creations set.

I made the frill using one of the Spellbinders Edgeabilites sets, I loosely pleated it, punched some holes along the top and threaded some twine. Patterned paper is from Pink Paislee Nantucket Collection.

The sentiment is from Beautiful Lace by Layers of Color. I love this font! It's just so elegant! All the edges have been inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

Ok see you tomorrow with my CASE Study card! I hope you're nearly all ready for Christmas! I'm not!

A few cards...

2011-12-14T14:49:00.001Z

Just popping in with a few of my Dirty Dozen cards that I made for the August theme at Splitcoaststampers. The theme was In Your Footsteps, people, places and things that inspire us. This first one was about my mom, the vintage paper is a scan of one of my mom's old cook books. She taught me how to bake, which I love! Stamps are from Roses in Bloom, Holiday Labels No.14 and Gingham & Co. all from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

For this botanical inspired card I used some scented drawer liners for the top half of the card, it smells lovely! Stamps used are Holiday Labels No.14, Text-It and Big Day - Additions all Waltzingmouse Stamps.

Inspired by my love of sewing. The fabric heart is filled with lavender and is detachable from the card. I stamped the heart using Seasons of Love - Tags, the sentiment is from Cameo to Go.

This last card is my attempt at a little bit of ribbon embroidery! I think I need a bit more practice but I did enjoy making it! The sentiment is from Celebrating You stamp set from The Craft's Meow. Ok, better dash, I still have a very long to-do list for today! I'll be back tomorrow with my CASE Study Challenge card.

CASE Study #69 - Sweet yellows

2011-12-08T05:00:00.069Z

Hello! I can't believe how fast Christmas is approaching but for my CASE Study card this week I thought I'd take a break from Christmas. It's my lovely mom's birthday this weekend so I needed a special card for her. She loves yellows, oranges... warm cheery colors! Just like her. I hope she likes it. I took my inspiration from our muse Amy Sheffer's fabulous card.

I kept the basic layout, the use of layers, dies, embossing. I love the little gems that frame the card. I added a little more color to mine but I love the fabulous textures and depth Amy created in her card just using a white palette with touches of color. Gorgeous!

I die cut the label using Spellbinders Labels 10, the frame is stamped using Very Vintage Labels No.10 by Waltzingmouse Stamps. I stamped it in Impress Lemon Yellow and embossed it with clear embossing powder. The sentiment is actually a sticker! I've heard SRM Stickers being mentioned a lot recently so I had to give them a go! Glad I did, the quality is amazing and I love the range of font size you get on a sheet. This one is from Fancy Sticker Sentiments - Birthday. Definitely nice to have in my stash, you can never have enough sentiments!

The sweet flower is from Prima (Solitare Meadow), it's actually fabric but I love the bit of bling in the centre. My mom loves this color too! The little bit of foliage is from Spellbinders Foliage.

This week at CASE Study we have a sponsor, the Crop Stop online store, they have a $15 gift certificate up for grabs! Now check out what my fellow team mates have created this week. Oh and check out Paper Crafts Connection today for some quick and easy holiday inspiration!! Go on have a look! ; )

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

A few more cards...

2011-12-07T08:00:00.038Z

Yesterday I shared some of my Splitcoaststampers DD cards that I made for July. The theme for July was Star Spangled, we had the choice of stars, stripes and polka dots to use in our designs. Here's the rest of the cards I made for that theme. This star shaped card was one of my favorites. The small star is from Seasons of Love - Tags from Waltzingmouse Stamps and the sentiment is from Fancy Phrases. The pretty rose is from Wild Orchid Crafts.

A bright and cheery card. The sentiment is from Say it Loud. The papers are digital from The Digichick. I used the same stamp set in the following card. The top half is embossed with stars.

I cut around the sentiment leaving a small rim. The little bottle is filled with stars! This would make a fun birthday card for a teenager! A real fun one for my last card. I used this star paper for the background but I added sparkly stars to it and some dots of glow in the dark paint! SO the card glows in the dark!

The stamps used are from Half Pint Heroes and Bitty Banners from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I'll be back tomorrow with my CASE Study Challenge card!! See you then! : )

A few cards...

2011-12-06T15:14:00.001Z

I've been so busy the past week working on various projects, nothing I can share here yet! : ( I can share some of my Splitcoaststampers DD cards that I made for July now. I can't believe this is my last month with them, the time really flew! The theme for July was Star Spangled, we had the choice of stars, stripes and polka dots to use in our designs. This was one of my favorite themes!

I made some fun glittered stripes on this card using double sided tape and glitter! Love the effect! The sentiment is from Big Day Additions from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The cameo I made.

I love this pale blue silk ribbon, I must get some more! The oval frame is from Ovals Classic Frames from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The sentiment is from Celebrating You from The Crafts Meow.

Here I made the dotty paper by stamping and embossing some large circles, these are from Teeny Trees from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The silver embossed star is from Seasons of Love - Tags. Ok, one more...

The star is the same as the previous card. The sentiment is from Celebrating You from The Crafts Meow. I used some pretty Webster's Pages paper. I love the color combo in this one. I'll pop back tomorrow and share the rest of my cards from the July theme. Have a great day!

CASE Study #68 - Bold and bright

2011-12-01T05:00:00.007Z

Hello! We've been having some really dreary weather here, endless rain, wind and now it's turned pretty chilly. At least we've been spared the early snowfall we've had in recent years. Although Isabelle's begun to expect snow now! Anyway, I'm here with my CASE Study challenge card. We have a fabulous new muse this month, I'm a BIG fan of her work... it's Amy Sheffer!! She has such an amazing style!! Here's Amy's inspiration card.

I don't usually use a lot of black in my cards but I thought I'd be brave and give it a try. I'm glad I did, I love the striking result! I went pretty bold with the colors too! I was playing with some fab papers from Echo Park Country Drive, I guess I got carried away! SO I CASEd the fab layout, the bold use of color and black contrast from Amy's card.

I also got some lovely new stamps in the post (mail) from Layers of Color. I'd been meaning to place an order for ages and after seeing the last release I just had to! On this card I used the Beautiful Lace stamp set, it really is beautiful and I just love the font used for the sentiment!

The doily is stamped using VersaMagic Aspen Mist Ink and Oasis Green. The doily stamp is compatible with Spellbinders Big Scalloped Circles Large. I think the rectangle die I used for the sentiment is from JustRite. The orange/peach seam binding is from The Ribbon Reel.

Oh and we have a brand new DT member at CASE Study, the fabulously talented Maureen Plut!! Now check out all the amazing creativity of my fellow team mates! I hope we inspire you just a little bit to play along this week! : )

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Cardmaking & Papercraft Mag (UK) Issue 99

2011-11-29T16:52:00.002Z

I've a few cards in the current issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft (UK). I was asked to make some cards for their recycling feature, this time I had to use sweet wrappers (the Quality Street or Roses kind) as a design feature on my cards. This certainly challenged me but it was fun coming up with the ideas. For this first card I went with jewel tones and made lots of little balls from the wrappers. I used a single color for each row. The sentiment is from Fancy Phrases by Waltzingmouse Stamps.

For the second card I kept it pretty CAS again, the colors of the wrappers are so bright it was best to keep a balance with white. The kite is just made up of some triangles attached with foam pads for dimension. The sentiment is from Hero Arts Live and Laugh.

I made a sweet little garden scene for my last card. I fringed some of the cellophane sweet wrappers to make the grass. It turned out pretty cute! Again the sentiment is from Hero Arts Live and Laugh. Here they are in the magazine. Check out the current issue (99) of Cardmaking and Papercraft for lots more ideas. See you thursday with my CASE Study card, we have a brand new muse!! Enjoy the rest of the week! : )

Origami Christmas Tree

2011-11-29T12:21:00.001Z

The double workshop at The Crafty Alley Shop at the weekend went well, just an hour between the two was a little tight though, I managed to grab a quick bite to eat at lunch. I thought I'd just share a couple of the cards we made in the second workshop (for more experienced crafters). The morning workshop was for beginners, we even had some teenagers in the class, it was great to see their enthusiasm for card making. I love this first card, the origami Christmas tree, there are some great tutorials on You Tube on how to make it. I love the dimension it creates yet it folds completely FLAT for mailing!! I used papers from K&Co Glad Tidings and the stamps are from Hero Arts.

The second card is a nice and quick card. I went with bright colors for this little set, very festive. The green holly paper is from Dovecraft Back to Basics Christmas and the stamp is Hero Arts. I love the sweet little bells. This simple layout could be done in so many different styles and colors. I think I'll do a vintage version. We also made a simple gift card holder using the template that Windy Robinson provided on her blog, it's very quick and easy. Ok I'll be back later with some cards I have in the current issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft Magazine (UK).

CASE Study #67 - Thanks

2011-11-24T05:00:00.055Z

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! I hope you're enjoying the holiday. It's business as usual here! So on to my CASE Study card. This is our last week with Krysii Ng as our wonderful muse. Here's Kryssi's fabulous CAS card.

Such a fabulous card, I love the layout, the perfect balance of white space. The stamped turquoise flower is gorgeous and I love how she stamped the polka dot border in the same color. The little bit of kraft peeping out works wonderfully and wow what a sentiment. I love big fonts! So for my version I tweeked these elements to fit my style.

For my border I stamped some text from Text-It from Waltzingmouse Stamps in Rose Bud (Memento), instead of a flower I stamped one of the doilies from Dainty Doilies - Large set in Pear Tart (Memento) and my large cut-out sentiment is from Say it Loud. I used Spellbinders Big Scalloped Circles LG to cut out the doily.

I love a bit of lime and hot pink, such a zingy color combo! These sweet flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. There's also a clear diamonte stick pin in there that I chopped to size! I added a strip of white seam binding as my border.

As a nod to Krysii's polka dots I embossed the background using the Swiss Dots embossing folder. It takes the edge off the scary white space too! : ) I'm not AS scared of the dreaded white space anymore and that's definitely thanks to CASE Study (and the talented DT and muses) pushing my boundaries. Ok, don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's creations! I'm off to prepare for a double workshop at the weekend! (Beginners and advanced) Thanks as always for popping by! : )

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Julie LaceyJean Martin
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

November Friends of WMS Blog Waltz

2011-11-17T08:00:00.021Z

Hello and welcome to the November Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps blog Waltz. The theme is Winter/Christmas. Here's my card! (If you're here for my CASE Study card scroll down.)

My card was totally inspired by Kelly Schirmer's fabulous card here! I just loved the layout, I had to make a 'Clare' version! I kept the color scheme warm and vintagey!

I love the santa silhouette from Santa's Coming to Town, it's just magical. I made a simple rosette from vintage music sheet and the larger Sizzix rosette die. The edges are distressed with Antique Linen distress ink.

The sentiment is from the same Santa's Coming to Town stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I added a little lace to the bottom and rubbed it with distress ink.

The gorgeous papers are from the Basic Grey Jovial Collection. I just love that plaid!! Ok, enjoy the rest of the blog waltz!! Have a great day! : )

CASE Study #66 - 3D Christmas Tree

2011-11-17T05:00:00.004Z

Hello!! Again, apologies the old blog has been a bit quiet. I swear I've been making cards, I just can't show them here!! If you're a Splitcoaststampers Fan Club member you can check out some of the cards I've been working on. Next month is my final month in the Dirty Dozen, I can't believe how fast the time has whizzed by!! The rest of the stuff I've been working on is magazine stuff and you'll have to wait for those to be published! Ok, on to my CASE Study card. We're on our third week with Kryssi Ng as our muse. Here's Kryssi's fab inspiration card this week.

I love the layout of Kryssi's card. I interpreted the shape of the buildings and substituted it with a tree. I kept the cropped label and sentiment at the top and also added some snowflakes. My card was a bit experimental, I wanted to make a 3D Christmas tree, kinda shabby and textured. I made a simple cone shape with tabs at the back. It's embellished with little bits of ribbon, lace and beads.

I'm not sure how successful I was, I think I'll have to give another go. The process was fun though and a great way to use up all those little bits of trim and lace.

The sentiment is from Eline's Huis Marianne Design Winter stamp set stamped onto a cropped Spellbinders Labels 18 die cut. The little stars are stamped with acrylic paint and are from Very Vintage Christmas by Waltzingmouse Stamps. I'll be back a little later to join in the Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps November blog waltz.

Check out the fabulous creations from my CASE Study team mates. Oh and we have a brand new team member, the talented Julie Lacey. Sadly we're saying goodbye to Julie Smith. We'll miss her fab cards!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

CASE Study #65 - Festive Foliage

2011-11-10T05:00:00.037Z

Hi! Here's my card for this week's CASE Study challenge. It's our second week with Kryssi Ng from Sugar Buffet as our muse. I must confess I was a little nervous when I saw all the CAS cards for this month but I'm actually becoming more comfortable with the style (or should I say less terrified!) Here's Kryssi's inspiration card this week.

I loved the layout of Kryssi's card with the touches of turquoise color paired with kraft and white card. Those acorns just pop right off the card! A wonderful focal point. I CASEd these elements in my card.

I used a mix of elements from Festive Foliage from Waltzingmouse Stamps for my focal point. I stamped them all separately, cut them out and then arranged them. The stamped strip was made using Pic-Nic Patterns.

The large sentiment stamped on the brown paper is from Say it Loud - Winter Holiday from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I used Coffee Archival ink to stamp it. The foliage was stamped using VersaMagic Tea Leaves and the berries Ink it Up True Red.

Don't forget to check out the amazing creations from the CASE Study design team. They are wonderfully inspiring as always.

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Jean Martin
Julie Smith (On a break)
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Cardmaking & Papercraft Mag (UK) Issue 98

2011-11-09T12:58:00.001Z

Hi, just sharing a few cards I have in the current issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine (UK). This time I had to make a series of cards using the BoBunny Blitzen Collection. I loved this designer challenge, the papers are fabulous and make very quick and easy cards. I just added some touches of glitter and some embellishments here and there. I really loved the leaping reindeer card, I added some felt and made a felt bow from a strip of felt. The tag is die-cut cardboard and I added some little bells.

The text on the papers made them perfect for making cards. Especially the hanging stockings, I just added some pom pom trim. Some of the sentiments are from Seasons of Love - Tags from Waltzingmouse Stamps. Here are the cards in the magazine.

Ok, I'll be back tomorrow with a brand new card for the CASE Study Challenge. See you then!! : )

A sad week..

2011-11-09T12:44:00.000Z

It's been a sad start to the week with the tragic passing of fellow crafter and friend Katie Renz. She lost her battle with stomach cancer just almost a year after diagnosis. She's left behind a beautiful young family and my thoughts are with them as they adjust to life without her in their lives. I have been amazed at how the crafting community has come together for Katie and it warms my heart. One thing I have gained from this is perspective, my little problems seem like minor blips compared to what Katie had to face and I'm extremely grateful for my life right now. We never know what's around the corner for us, so embrace life now.

WMS November SOAP - Day 4 (This little light of mine...)

2011-11-04T08:00:00.101Z

Welcome to Day 4 of the Waltzingmouse Stamps November SOAP (Stamp of approval parade), thanks for all the lovely comments yesterday, I really appreciate them. Ok, so today I decided to focus on 'light', I love a warm glow about the house at Christmas, the fire lighting, candles on the mantle, fairy lights on the tree pretty much anything that gives off light. So I decided to make some luminaries.

I included a couple of techniques, some piercing and cutting. When I was a teenager I made these lampshades that had pierced patterns and paper cutting on them, they glowed beautifully. So I looked at some different stamps to see which ones would lend themselves to this technique. On this label from Seasonal Remedies I pierced all the way around the border and cut sections on both sides of the label (you'll see why once they're lit up).

Here I teamed the star from Seasons of Love - Tags (this is one of my favorites!) with the Santa silhouette from Santa's Coming to Town. Again I pierced around the edges of the star and cut sections of the circle.

Lastly I used the ornament from Santa's Coming to Town and repeated the same steps as with the other two. The luminaries are just a simple cube shape made from white card, the edges are distressed with ink. Each of these images are on two sides of each cube.

For all the other sides I stamped one of the backgrounds from Pic-Nic Patterns, a perfect pattern for the piercing technique. So, once it got dark I popped in some BATTERY OPERATED TEA LIGHTS!!! (Card and naked flames don't mix!) This is my first time photographing anything in the dark! I tried my best!

I think I'll have these dotted around the house at Christmas, just to add a little glow here and there. I don't have to worry about Isabelle playing with them either since they're just battery operated.

I love how they come to life. The piercing alone gives a nice effect but I love the extra light the cutting reveals.

There are so many possibilities with this technique, next on my list will be A Cottage Christmas. I can so imagine that little cottage with glowing windows!

On two sides of each of the luminaries as I mentioned before I used Pic-Nic Patterns, to pierce it all might have been a bit much (not to mention taken forever) so I just picked out some of the dots from the pattern. It turned out really pretty though!

And then I decided to stamp some candles... I've seen this done a few times before and I was a little nervous about trying it but I'm so glad I did. It's easy-peasy!! Get an ordinary candle, stamp label onto tissue paper (I stamped onto the slightly shiny side) I used a brown ink for a softer vintage look. Cut around, leave a bit of a border, position onto candle, take a piece of wax paper (enough to wrap around the entire candle and let you grip it at the back) cover the stamped label, try to make sure it doesn't move,
heat with heat gun, don't over do it! You'll see it changing once it's heated enough, over heat it and you'll have drippy bits! There are a few video tutorials on YouTube.

Here they are lit, I love this technique! I'm so glad my mom brought me home wax paper from her last trip to the States now! I've never seen it here!

Today we invite you to participate in a CASE (Copy and Share Everything) competition. Here’s how it works: Find a card or project from any of the projects posted over the past few days by the WMS Design Team, CASE that project using Waltzingmouse Stamp images, and link it using the Inlinkz on Claire's blog. At the end of the competition, one project will be randomly selected to be highlighted with a Parade of its own on several of the Design Team blogs.

We hope you will enjoy this competition and that it will inspire your creativity. You have one week to complete and link your project as the competition will close on November 10th at 8:00 AM which is 3 AM Eastern, 2 AM Central and Midnight, Pacific time. The winner will be announced on Claire's blog on November 11th.

Well, I hope I gave you a few ideas to try! Here are the Design Team members bringing you ideas today!

Anya Schrier
Becca Feeken
Clare Buswell
Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes
Kate Whelan
Kelly Schirmer
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Sandie Dunne
Tosha Leyendekker
Claire Brennan (Owner)

WMS November SOAP - Day 3 (Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...)

2011-11-03T08:00:00.074Z

**Scroll down for my CASE Study post** Good Morning! Welcome to Day 3 of the Waltzingmouse Stamps November SOAP. We're having a look at some ideas for Christmas of course! Claire has designed some amazing Christmas stamps but I thought I better not overlook some of the non-Christmas stamps just in case I could make something Christmassy from them too. Well, HELLO Vintage Banners you make perfect Christmas trees!! : )

Teamed with the 'star' from Nordic Winter and the square motif from Very Vintage Christmas (just perfect for the tree trunk!) we have a pretty cool Christmas tree! I made these into shaped Christmas cards.

The sentiment is from Say it Loud - Winter Holiday from Waltzingmouse Stamps. Stamped in Coffee archival ink and the small text is stamped in Memento Rose Bud ink.

I stuck a few lights on this one using the little circle motif from Very Vintage Christmas, it didn't take too long to cut them out! The sentiment is also from Say it Loud - Winter Holiday.

The tree I stamped using VersaMagic Tea Leaves ink and the yellow is Impress Lemon Yellow. I love those little fairy lights! I also made some very CAS versions of my WMS Christmas trees.

These ones are dead flat, easy for posting/mailing and super fast to make. I went for a pink Christmas theme. Again using Vintage Banners, this time I used the medium sized banners stamped using Memento Rose Bud ink.

I used the star again from Nordic Winter and I also used the square motif from the same set for the trunk this time, it's slightly smaller for this smaller tree. The sentiments are from Compliments of the Season and 2011 Holiday Ornaments. I hope I gave you a few ideas and you might go and 'build a Christmas tree' from your Waltzingmouse Stamps! I'll be back tomorrow for Day 4!

Here are the Design Team members that are inspiring you today!

Anya Schrier
Becca Feeken
Clare Buswell
Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes
Kate Whelan
Kelly Schirmer
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Sandie Dunne
Tosha Leyendekker
Claire Brennan (Owner)

CASE Study #64

2011-11-03T05:00:00.046Z

We've been having some frustrating problems with our internet again! It was off most of yesterday then came back intermittently last night! Hopefully it'll stay on long enough for me to write this post! Ok, so we have a brand new muse at CASE Study for the month of November. It's Kryssi Ng, she has a fabulous clean and simple style. I love her sweet and elegant card here, just magical!

I chose to CASE the fab layout and the recess created using a negative die-cut, I made mine Christmassy of course! (Now that Halloween's out of the way!) I also got a chance to ink up my Nordic Winter set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I also added a little knitted background from Faux Fun, I think they work really well together!

The cute reindeer I die-cut using a Marianne Design die, there's a cute sleigh that goes with it too! The negative die-cut recess was made using Spellbinders Labels 18.

The sentiment is from Say it Loud - Winter Holiday by Waltzingmouse Stamps. The red ink I used is True Red by Ink it Up.

Our clocks went back last weekend so I'm hoping this is scheduled for the right time. I think the clocks in the US go back at the weekend, not sure about everywhere else! Now check out the rest of the CASE Study DT cards, they're amazing as always! I'll be back later to join in the Waltzingmouse Stamps November SOAP event. See you then!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

The Ribbon Reel - Challenge #14

2011-10-31T00:00:00.061Z

This is my final card as Design Team member for The Ribbon Reel Challenge blog, I've had such a fabulous time and really enjoyed playing with all the different ribbons and trims. (Thanks Keilly!) There are two very talented ladies joining the team, Lenet Mos and Helen Berry. I love both their styles of work! Ok, here's this week's inspiration photo.

I kept the fresh whites as a main element of my card, added the pop of hot pink and teamed it with bright turquoise. The fabulous label is from Seasonal Remedies from Waltzingmouse Stamps, I colored it with colored pencils and a pink gel pen. I love the font combo in this!! The Turquoise Satin is from The Ribbon Reel.

Behind the label is another label/tag from Very Vintage Christmas from Waltzingmouse Stamps stamped using Memento Rose Bud ink. The paper ruffles I made from ordinary white card, here's the paper ruffle tutorial.

I'm in love with that Sheer Ruffle edge ribbon, it's so pretty, I want it in every color!! : ) The little pink roses are also from The Ribbon Reel.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT cards at The Ribbon Reel Challenge Blog. Can you believe it's almost November already!! Better get cracking on some more Christmas cards! I'll be back on Thursday with my CASE Study card AND for the November SOAP event with Waltzingmouse Stamps, it's a Christmas special!! : )

CASE Study #63 - Vintage golds

2011-10-27T05:00:00.045+01:00

Hi! Sorry for the very quiet blog, I've been fighting off a bug since last weekend and I wasn't up to doing much. Feeling a bit better today. Here's my card for this week's challenge at CASE Study. It's our last week with Niki Estes as our muse, I can't believe how fast October went by!! Here's Niki's gorgeous card.

I CASEd the layout and the centre focal point for my card. The sentiment is from Christmas Nested Sentiments by JUSTRITE stampers, stamped in Coffee archival ink. I die cut the oval shape using Spellbinders Classic Ovals - Large.

I die cut a larger oval from some corrugated cardboard. (TIP: If you lightly spritz the top of ordinary cardboard with water it's very easy to peel away the top layer to reveal the corrugated card.) The little sprig of holly is from The Ribbon Reel and I just gave it a frosty look by rubbing it with a white ink pad.

The dotty paper is from October Afternoon 5&Dime. The ivory crochet lace and gorgeous antique gold seam binding are from The Ribbon Reel. The pearl centre of the bow is a vintage earring.

Now check out the rest of the CASE Study DT cards, they're fabulous! We're voting for a new president here in Ireland today, better go vote!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

CASE Study #62

2011-10-20T05:00:00.047+01:00

It's time for another new card at the CASE Study challenge, it's week three with Niki Estes as our muse. Here's Niki's fab CAS card. I love the clean lines, that amazing shade of green, the focal point of the flower and bold text. So I CASEd all these elements in my card.

For the Poinsettia I used the Big Blooms - Poinsettia stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I stamped the medium sized flower onto red card three times using brown ink. I cut out various leaves for each layer and inked the edges with Distress Ink to add depth. The centre I colored with a gold ink pen. To make the gold brighter on the red card I colored it white first, then went over with the gold pen.

The sentiment is from Say it Loud - Winter Holiday from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The green background was plain green card I stamped with the motif from Ovals - Classic Frames in VersaMagic Tea Leaves.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the CASE Study DT creations, they're amazing as always!! Lots to get done this week! Eeeek!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Cardmaking & Papercraft Mag (UK) Issue 97

2011-10-19T17:59:00.003+01:00

Hi, just popping in with a few cards I have in the current issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine (UK). I had to make some sample cards using the free papers that came with the magazine. This poinsettia paper was my favorite. I used Holiday Labels No.14 and Compliments of the Season both from Waltzingmouse Stamps for the label. I cut out some of the poinsettias and layered them for the 3D poinsettia.

A CAS card using the pretty poppies paper that also came with the magazine to celebrate Remembrance/Poppy Day in November. The sentiment is from Say it Loud from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

A card using the purple floral paper that came with the magazine, the sentiment is from Half Pint Heroes from Waltzingmouse Stamps and the label stamp is from Timeless Tags by The Crafts Meow.

In the Q&A section I was asked for a quick idea for a Christmas Party invitation. I kept it pretty simple again. The holly stamp is from Festive Foliage from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The party details are printed on the inside. Here's some of the cards in the magazine.

That's all for now, I'll be back tomorrow with my card for CASE Study Challenge. See you then!! : )

The Ribbon Reel - Challenge #13

2011-10-17T00:00:00.049+01:00

Hi! I had a lovely day today, we're all so busy during the week it's nice to slow down and spend some quality time with Isabelle and Niall at the weekend. We took Isabelle to her favorite place, a forest park nearby. There's a lake with swans and ducks, lovely walks and a playground. Of course we brought a little picnic. You could feel a chill in the air so I was glad I packed the hats and gloves! Ok on to my card, it's for The Ribbon Reel Challenge Blog. Here's the photo inspiration, I love the colors in this!

Actually this card was made from scraps from my scrap box, I have a box of trimmed patterned papers and I also have a box of spare die cuts and stamped sentiments. They're really handy as I can play around with elements of a design very easily to see what works.

The sentiment stamped in Coffee Archival ink is from Hero Arts Live and Laugh and the little bit of text underneath is from Say it Loud from Waltzingmouse Stamps stamped in VersaMagic Oasis Green. I used the Sizzix rosette die to make the rosette.

The cute little flowers (Ivory Tea Rose and Apricot Tea Rose) are from The Ribbon Reel. I used some yellow gingham ribbon, bay leaf seam binding, peach seam binding and bakers twine.

The great big bow is white silky crush ribbon and also added some pretty white crochet lace at the bottom both from The Ribbon Reel. Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT creations at The Ribbon Reel Challenge Blog and play along to be in with a chance of winning some fab goodies from The Ribbon Reel. I thought I'd share a few photos from the forest park.

The swans were so beautiful and they came really close! We were lucky it was sunny and dry just until we made it back to the car! Then a heavy passing shower!

She loved the bridge, she could see the ducks and swans even better! Ok, that's all for now, have a great week! : ) Thanks for dropping by and thanks for all your comments, they really are appreciated!

Waltzingmouse Stamps October Release Day Blog Waltz!!

2011-10-15T19:00:00.115+01:00

Yay! It's the Waltzingmouse Stamps October release!! I hope you're enjoying the blog waltz! Visit Claire's blog to start at the beginning. Today we're having a look at two more of the six sets being released today! They are Candy Jar Christmas and Candy Jar Christmas Fillers, these sets are just amazing, I had so much fun creating with them.

This lollipop was the inspiration for my color scheme, a fun pink and turquoise Christmas! (There's a little someone waiting for me to finish taking photos of this lollipop so she can have it!! : )

For my card I stamped the background with the swirly sweet stamp from Candy Jar Christmas Fillers, the jar and cute gingerbread people are from the same set. I colored them with acrylic paints. The sentiment is from Say It Loud - Winter Holiday. The ruffle edge ribbon is from The Ribbon Reel.

For the sweet jar I stamped the label from Candy Jar Christmas, I love all the little elements in this set!!

I used one of the oval frame stamps from Cameo Creations stamped in Memento Rose Bud. The edges are inked with Antique Linen distress ink. I added a fun label to the back of the jar too, all the stamps are from Candy Jar Christmas.

I also decorated a cookie jar using the same label, just to show you some more possibilities, the label I just cut out by hand leaving an even edge. I wrapped some organza polka dot ribbon around the jar and some fun diagonal stripe ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

I did actually make the cookies too!! I made some orange flavor shortbread biscuits/cookies. They're a little special.. You'll see why in a sec.

Oh, I added a little label to both jars too. The one from Very Vintage Labels No.4. Ok, back to the cookies now.

Yes I did stamp the cookies too! I've been dying to try this for ages and I was pretty happy with the results. I would recommend only using unused stamps (never been inked) for creating foodstuffs.

There are four small circle stamps in the Candy Jar Christmas set, I used these for my cookies! I would also recommend chilling your dough in the fridge before cutting your circle shapes, stamp them then chill again for about 30 mins, this gives the best impression and stops your cookies from spreading too much. Brushing the surface of the stamp with flour prevents any sticking.

For my matching banner I used the Vintage Banners set, the cute little gingerbread person and swirl sweet are from the Candy Jar Christmas Fillers set. They were very easy to cut out and I attached them with foam pads. I didn't have the right shade of turquoise ink so I mixed some acrylic paint to stamp the banner and I did the same for the gingerbread person.

Next on the hop is the lovely Kelly, can't wait to see what she's made!! Oh yes there'll be a prize of a stamp set of choice from a random drawing from one of the Design Team's blog. You have until October 17th 11:59pm GMT to comment to be in with a chance of winning. I hope you enjoyed my samples!! : )

Waltzingmouse Stamps October Release Preview - Day 3

2011-10-14T08:00:00.105+01:00

Today is day three of the previews we've been having for the Waltzingmouse Stamps October release. (All six sets will be available to purchase tomorrow the 15th of October) Today we're looking at 2011 Holiday Ornaments and Santa's Coming to Town (I've just used the Holiday Ornaments set here). Both of these sets are compatible with Spellbinders 2011 Heirloom Ornaments Dies. Yay!

I played around with lots of different layouts but I really liked the negative space created when I arranged all the ornaments together. I thought it made a nice pattern. I went for nice warm colors and tones. The background papers are from the BoBunny Blitzen Collection, that's also where I took my color inspiration from. I used some of the medium and smaller ornament stamps from the 2011 Holiday Ornaments set.

The nice big sentiment is from Say it Loud - Winter Holiday stamped in Coffee Archival Ink. I attached all the ornaments with foam tape to add some dimension. The deep burgundy color paper is from Basic Grey Jovial paper pad. I love how you can stamp the little tops of the ornaments separately.

Ok, for my next card I went for a frosty blue and white color scheme with touches of silver. I used one of the large ornament stamps from 2011 Holiday Ornaments for my card.

I made the silver holly using the solid holly stamp from Festive Foliage, embossed in silver tinsel and cut out. I couldn't resist adding a few silver bells, I love a card that jingles!! : )

The 2011 Holiday Ornaments set comes with two similar sentiments, one normal and one bold.

I stamped the ornaments using Memento Summer Sky ink. Using a glue pen I picked out some of the details and sprinkled with silver ultra fine glitter. I stamped the ornament three times, scored the centre of each and glued the sides to each other.

I hope you enjoyed having a look at 2011 Holiday Ornaments, it really is a fabulous set. Now check out the other Design Team ladies sharing previews today. I'll be back tomorrow for the Waltzingmouse Stamps release day blog waltz!

Anya Schrier
Becca Feeken
Belinda Chang Langner
Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes
Kate Whelan
Kelly Schirmer
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Niki Estes
Sandie Dunne
Tosha Leyendekker
Claire Brennan (Owner)

CASE Study #61

2011-10-13T05:00:00.044+01:00

Hi! It's week two at CASE Study Challenge blog with Niki Estes as our fabulous muse. I love Niki's card this week, I love how the touches of red in her card work together, teamed with Kraft card, the fab texture of the canvas, the sentiment stamped on colored card and the beautiful bloom of course!

I CASEd the layout (flipped upside down), the bold color teamed with Kraft card, I used a rosette instead of a flower on my card. I added some texture to the background using the Swiss Dots embossing folder.

I used the Sizzix larger rosette die to make the rosette from hot pink card, I cut a circle for the centre, the background is stamped using Text-It from Waltzingmouse Stamps and I stamped one of the silhouettes from Cameo Creations in the centre. The trinket pins I made.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Live and Laugh stamp set. I don't know why I don't stamp on colored card more often!

I used some pretty white ruffle edge ribbon from The Ribbon Reel, love this stuff, I have it in a few colors! Check out the rest of the CASE Study DT creations, they're amazing!! I'll be back tomorrow with some of the previews from the October Waltzingmouse Stamps release.

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Another wedding card!

2011-10-12T15:06:00.002+01:00

I thought I'd share the other wedding card I made this week. (Sorry for the dull photos it's been really foggy here!) For this one I didn't have any requests on the colors so I went with soft peach tones, it's usually a safer option instead of pink or lemon (some people can't stand any yellow tones for some reason!)

I made another matching box. I use box card to make my boxes, it's a bit hard to get here but it's the best weight and it's coated white on just one side, neutral on the other.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, they're perfect for wedding cards!! And certainly value for money! I love the cherry blossom flowers, they go so well with any rose.

I used Spellbinders Labels 18 for the labels and embossed the background. The text I typed up on my computer. The fab lace is from my local craft shop and the pearl trinket pin I made. The peach background paper is from Victoria Gardens by Echo Park Papers.

Ok, I'll be back tomorrow with my card for CASE Study. Oh and pop by on Friday for the rest of the previews for the October release from Waltzingmouse Stamps!! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! ; )

Swimming for Katie!

2011-10-11T05:01:00.066+01:00

I'm so delighted to be taking part in this very special blog hop for Katie Renz. From October 10-12 some of the best stampers are joining together to support and encourage our friend and fellow stamper, Katie Renz, who is currently battling inoperable gastric cancer. If you're not familiar with her, Katie’s cancer story started just before Christmas last year. This young, beautiful, healthy, vibrant mother of 3 with her infectious smile was suddenly diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, virtually overnight. A few tummy aches and then stage 4 gastric cancer. Her first post about it is here. The idea of “Swimming for Katie” came from her recent post here.

This exclusive stamp used in my sample, designed by Becky Oehlers is available as a clear stamp, as well as a digis or a dig and SVG cut file. 100% of the profits go to Katie's fund to help her and her young family. Her husband Kevin and her three young children need our help and support. In addition to the Keep Swimming Octopus, Marianne Walker and True =D Doodle Designs both also donated digis that are for sale. Direct donations are also being accepted. Information central is HERE. This is a permanent page that will stay active at i {heart} papers with current information and the full 3 day blog hop listing, as well as the donation button.

Here's the card I made using the Swimming for Katie digital image colored with acrylic paints. I am a little terrified of coloring images but I gave it my best shot!

I wasn't even sure what color an octopus was supposed to be, I think grey but that's not very cheery so I went for a bright yellow instead. I added some fishy friends and bubbles from Half Pint Heroes from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Live and Laugh. The banner I made using the banner stamp from Bitty Banners from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

The background paper I stamped using Pic-Nic Patterns. I really hope you'll join me in supporting Katie through a purchase or a donation. Katie really is a special lady, she inspires me so much. (Katie, if you're hopping I hope you realize how much we all love and support you!)

Here are all the items available for sale.

Keep Swimming Octopus
Peachy Clear stamp
$5.50 with free shipping

Keep Swimming Octopus DIGIstamp
$3.00 with instant download

Keep Swimming Octopus DIGIstamp with SVG cut file
$3.50 with instant download

Keep Swimming Mermaid DIGIstamp
$3.50 with instant download

Keep Swimming Ribbon Fish DIGIstamp and DIGIpapers
$5.00 with instant download

The following is a list of everyone who has projects posted today. I hope you'll be inspired by them and moved to purchase or donate. If you'd like to send Katie a card, here's her mailing address:

Katie Renz
PO Box 5913
Bellingham, WA 98227-5913,
USA.

Ashley Harris

Clare Buswell

Jessica Diedrich

Lisa Somerville

Charlene Merrick

Eva Dobilas

Judy Rozema

Sharon Doolittle

Tifany DeGough

Windy Robinson

Ashley Cannon Newell

Connie McCotter

Heidi Van Laar

Karen Maldonado

Lori Craig

Melissa Phillips

Tosha Leyendekker

Amy Kolling

Angela Thomas

Angelica Suarez

Angie Blom

Becky Oehlers

Betty Wright

Bev Gerard

Brenda Weaver

Carolyn King

Chari Moss

Charlene Driggs

Cindi Bisson

Claire Brennan

Corinna McGregor

Craft Critique

Karen Hunsaker (Rubbernecker Stamps Designer)

Keely Yowler

Kelly Schirmer

Keri Lee Sereika

Kim Hughes

Kimber McGray

Kittie Caracciolo

Kristin Eberline

Wendy Price

Personalized wedding card and box

2011-10-10T20:06:00.006+01:00

Sorry my blog has been so quiet! I've just been very busy. Quite a few deadlines have clashed and I'm under a bit of pressure! I've been working on a couple of wedding cards this week. I don't normally sell my cards but I do commissions for personalized wedding cards. I love doing wedding cards, they kind of suit my style. I can indulge in lots of lace, flowers, embossing and all things pretty. Sometimes the client asks me to incorporate some of the colors from the wedding, usually the bridesmaids dresses or from the invitation.

For this card I was asked to add some teal and I balanced it with some old gold and touches of natural lace. I used a gorgeous satin toffee ribbon from The Ribbon Reel, for the centre I used a vintage clip on earring. The background I embossed with the In Stitches embossing folder. I used Spellbinders Labels 14 for the label, the text I typed up and printed.

I always make a matching box for the card, it makes a lovely keepsake from a wedding. The recipients love the personalized touch! The patterned paper is from Victoria Gardens by Echo Park papers.

I added a little brass locket to the box with the cluster of roses from Wild Orchid Crafts. The bride had a heart theme on her wedding invitations.

I really like the color combo on this one, makes a change from the usual whites with touches of peach or lemon! Ok, I've lots of projects to finish!! I'll be back tomorrow to join in the Swimming for Katie Renz Blog Hop and Fundraiser! There's quite a LOT of people taking part in this event so don't miss it, it's for such a wonderful lady and her family. It started today so check out all the details here.

CASE Study #60

2011-10-06T05:00:00.002+01:00

It's October, so that means we have a brand new muse at CASE Study and it's none other than the amazingly talented Niki Estes. I love her amazing use of color and fantastic coloring skills! Here's Niki's card that we CASEd this week!

I just loved the layout of Niki's card with the butterfly focal point. I went for a more pastel version and used a cameo as my focal point. I struggled a bit with this one, just an off day I think!

The background paper is from Victoria Gardens by Echo Park. The oval I stamped using Ovals - Classic Frames from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The cameo I made using some white Fimo and silicone mold. It's painted with acrylic paint..

The fabulous sentiment is from Big Day - Additions from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The edges of the card I brushed with some white paint.

I used Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Square die for the ornate square and I embossed a panel with a script embossing folder. Don't forget to check out the rest of the creations from the rest of the CASE Study DT. I'll be busy looking for my mojo!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

The Ribbon Reel - Challenge #12 - 'Autumn Elegance'

2011-10-03T00:00:00.052+01:00

This week at The Ribbon Reel (challenge #12) the theme is 'Autumn Elegance' - using the inspiration photo create a card or project with neutrals, orange and flowers. Here is the fabulous photo. (My card is also for this week's challenge at The Shabby Tea Room - 'A Shabby Autumn'.)

What a fabulous bunch of flowers! Love the cute pumpkins too! On my card the floral paper I used is from Songbook by Marianne Design, I just did a little fussy cutting and used some foam tape for dimension. I carefully placed my paper flowers to blend in with the floral paper.

The gorgeous flowers I used are a Cream Gardenia and 2-Tone Apricot Tea Roses from The Ribbon Reel. I also added some Ambrosia Seam Binding behind the flowers.

I used Holiday Labels No.14 from Waltzingmouse Stamps on the label, the sentiment is from Hero Arts Live and Laugh. I also added some Orange Bakers Twine across the card.

I made another paper ruffle for the bottom of my card and layered some Yellow Gingham on top and some Cream Scalloped Lace. I also made a little bow from the same lace.

Pop on over to The Ribbon Reel Challenge blog to see the amazing creations from the rest of the DT and play along to be in with a chance of winning some fabulous goodies from The Ribbon Reel.

I had a great time at the Great Big Craft Extravaganza in Athlone, even though it was a short visit! I took part in a great quilling workshop, made some cool fringed flowers and finally got the hang of quilled roses!! So you'll be seeing some of those on my cards in the near future! I also got to meet the very sweet Claire Brennan from Waltzingmouse Stamps and fellow DT member the talented Sandie!! : ) I just wish I could have stayed a little longer! Maybe next time! Have a great week! : )

WMSC67- A Christmassy tag

2011-10-01T08:00:00.046+01:00

First of all Happy World Cardmaking Day!! I should be doing something crafty today, I'm going to the Great Big Craft Extravaganza (GBCE) held in Athlone, Co.Westmeath here in Ireland. I am pretty excited to be going, there aren't many craft events held here. It's a little more special because I'll get to meet some online cardmaking friends including Claire from Waltzingmouse Stamps!! I'm just up for the day, it's a bit of a drive but I've managed to book one of the workshops - flower embellishments! I couldn't resist! Ok, anyway it's time for another new sketch at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. This one could be a tag or ornament or you could work it into a card.

I stamped some paper using Pic-Nic Patterns from Waltzingmouse Stamps and made a rosette using the Sizzix rosette die (how did I live so long without it!) I stamped one of the doily centers from Dainty Doilies - Large set for the middle.

The sentiment is from Say it Loud - Winter Holiday but the word was just Holiday so I added the 's' from one of the other words. I stamped a long strip using Gingham & Co and made a paper ruffle (yep just like the other ones!) this time I just joined up the ends and made a rosette from it!

I added some gold bells (love these at Christmas!) and made a large bow from some wired gold ribbon. I added some brown seam binding to the top for the loop.

It turned out pretty large! So I guess it would make a nice ornament too! Don't forget to check out what the Mischief Makers and some of the WMS DT have come up with at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge blog. Hopefully I'll get some good snaps at the show!! : ) Happy Cardmaking Day!!

CASE Study #59

2011-09-29T05:00:00.043+01:00

Hi! It's the last week at CASE Study with our September muse Julie Lacey, she has been such an inspiration. I love Julie's beautiful blue card, I chose to CASE the layout and clean and simple style this week.

I used Pink Paislee Daily Junque paper for the rosette. The sentiment is from the new Say it Loud - Winter Holiday set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The birthday text is from the original Say it Loud.

The patterned background papers are from Farmhouse by Crate Paper. I also added a little pink bling, crochet lace and some grosgrain ribbon.

Don't forget to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the CASE Study team. I'm heading up to the Great Big Craft Extravaganza in Athlone on Saturday, I'm actually going to meet some crafty people in 'real' life! Super excited that Claire from Waltzingmouse Stamps will be there too! : ) Squeezing in a floral embellishments class, happy to be the student for a change!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Cameo and paper ruffle

2011-09-26T12:30:00.000+01:00

Hello! I hope you all had a nice weekend. I had a great day Saturday teaching some lovely ladies card making techniques at a workshop at The Crafty Alley Shop in Killarney. I showed them the paper ruffle technique and how to make some flower embellishments. They did a great job! Ok, I thought I'd just share this card with you, it is technically a 'reject'! but that's ok because I had two other cards accepted for that submission! I did like this one though but I guess you never know which one they'll pick! (if any!)

Here I used Ovals - Classic Frames by Waltzingmouse Stamps and Spellbinders Classic Ovals Large. The silhouette from Cameo Creations is stamped in Coffee Archival ink and I distressed the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The background paper and ruffle I stamped using one of the motif stamps from Ovals -Classic Frames in VersaMagic Tea Leaves.

The sentiment is from Frame-it by Waltzingmouse Stamps stamped again in Coffee ink onto a Spellbinders Double Ended Tag. See previous post for paper ruffle tutorial.

The green paper I die-cut with Spellbinders Labels Eighteen is from the Margarita Collection by American Crafts, I embossed it with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. The green patterned paper I used to cover the base is from the same collection. Lots to do this week, better make a start! Enjoy your week!

Supplies:

Cardstock: White card
Patterned Paper: American Crafts Margarita (Santo Domingo) and (Pico de Gallo)
Stamps: Ovals - Classic Frames, Cameo Creations, Frame-It from Waltzingmouse Stamps
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink Coffee, VersaMagic Tea Leaves, Distress Ink Antique Linen
Dies: Spellbinders Classic Ovals Large, Double ended tags, Labels Eighteen
Other: Brown seam binding, Cream crochet lace, green/white Baker's twine, natural twine, foam pads, Swiss dots embossing folder.

Paper Ruffle TUTORIAL (lots of photos!)

2011-09-22T21:09:00.003+01:00

As promised, I've put together a tutorial on how to make these no-sew paper ruffles that look like fabric. I've been using this technique a lot recently because I love the results, they really add fabulous texture and drama to a card. Once you get the hang of the technique you can make them quite quickly. Here I've made a triple ruffle but double and single ruffles look great too. Ok, here we go... I do go into a lot of detail! So maybe get a cup of tea... or coffee! : )

Firstly you'll need a good quality weight of paper, here I've used Prima Botanical papers in strips of 12" by 1.5". You can play around with the widths of paper but I find you'll need at least 12" for the length. You'll also need some water in a spray/mist bottle, I used an old Tattered Angels glimmer mist one and double sided tape.

Spray along the BACK of your strip of paper with water, just a few squirts, don't over wet it or it'll be too soggy!

Using your finger spread the water evenly over the back of the strip. Leave it for a minute or two to absorb in. The water makes the paper much easier to shape.

Flip over your strip and start to gather, pinch along just ONE SIDE of your strip.

Keep hold of as much of the strip as you can, continue gathering, the gathers don't have to be uniform in size. Keep going until you get to the end, it should look a bit like this.

Once you get to the end you can let go. You'll need a tool with a flat rounded end, I used the wrong end of my tweezers. On every other gather use the tool to plump out the pleat by pulling the tool along the back of the pleat in an upwards motion. Do this while holding the pinched side.

It's kind of hard to describe, I hope you can see what I'm doing in the photos. Do this for a few of the gathers.

Once you get to the end, put your ruffle aside to DRY for at least 15 mins. Pinch the gathered side tight before leaving to dry. You need to leave it to dry because the double sided tape won't stick to the damp paper and you'll have a bit of a mess. (Trust me I know!)

You can make your other ruffles while this one is drying! Once dry gently lie the ruffle flat on the wrong side (Trust me!)

Then add a strip of double sided tape to the top of your ruffle (at the back), press down firmly. Remove backing.

Flip over your ruffle. TAKE YOUR TIME doing this next bit. Start to regather your ruffle! Sticking the pleats as you go along, the double sided tape is pretty sticky so don't panic. Just focus on a section at at time.

Work your way along to the end of the strip. Once it's all gathered and secured use your tool to fluff out some of the gathers.

Then repeat for your other strips. You shouldn't need to add any more tape to the back of your ruffles, you should be able to stick them directly onto your card. Just don't forget they're sticky when you put them down somewhere!

I'll just show you how I do the triple ruffle. Stick down your bottom ruffle, gently press the middle down first, make any adjustments so that it's straight. Once you're sure it's straight press the top of the ruffle down firmly.

It's best to trim the ends of each ruffle before you add the next. I cut them flush with the edge. (You'll see why in a minute!)

Add your next ruffle, following the steps as before. It's up to you how much space you want between the ruffles.

Add your final ruffle. (Don't worry, we're nearly at the end!)

Trim the ends with a sharp scissors flush with the edge of your card.

Now tease out the edges of the ends, they should fan out nicely. I do this for each ruffle.

So that's it, your ruffles are complete. It should look a bit like this. Now finish off your card however you like. It's fun to play with the depth of the ruffles as well as the fullness, use shorter strips for less full ruffles. There's so many possibilities!!

I hope you followed all that ok!! I hope you'll give it a try, it's very addictive once you get the hang of it!! Have fun!! : ) Oh yea, the ruffles are also really handy for hiding the sharp ends of trinket pins behind too!

Supplies:

Card/Paper: White card, Prima Botanical papers

Stamps: Big Day - Additions from Waltzingmouse Stamps

Ink: Black Archival ink, Distress Ink Antique Linen

Other: Seam binding, trinket pins, Spellbinders Fancy Tags, twine, sewing machine, die-cutting machine.

CASE Study #58

2011-09-22T05:00:00.043+01:00

It's time for us to CASE another of fabulous Julie Lacey's cards this week at CASE Study. I loved the layout of Julie's card, the black on white stamping of the butterflies and sentiment, the pop of color with the polka dot paper and of course the sweet bow. So I CASEd these elements, here's Julie's card.

I used Dainty Doilies - Large Set from Waltzingmouse Stamps to stamp my focal image and Say it Loud for the sentiment, also from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The pretty lace is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

Papers are from Crate Paper Farmhouse and Pink Paislee Daily Junque. I decided to keep this card pretty clean and simple, staying true to Julie's design.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT creations at CASE Study. These ladies never cease to amaze me with their talent! Enjoy the rest of the week! I must go and prepare for a card making workshop I'm teaching on Saturday in Killarney at The Crafty Alley Shop. We're going to be making handmade paper flower embellishments and paper ruffles for our cards. I haven't forgotten about the paper ruffle tutorial for my blog, I'm working on it!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Andrea Ewen
Cristina Kowalczyk
Debby Hughes
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teresa Kline
Teneale Williams

Cardmaking & Papercraft Mag (UK) Issue 96

2011-09-21T16:55:00.001+01:00

Hi, I'm just popping in with a few cards I have in the current issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine (UK). Some bonus papers came with the magazine so I had to create some cards using these papers. I love the autumnal feel to the papers. Here's the cards before I sent them off to the mag.

I also had some projects in the Questions and Answers section. Some quilled earrings. My first time making these but I really enjoyed it! These are my favorites!

Here's another pair I made. I sprayed them with a matte spray varnish to seal them.

Here they are in the magazine Q&A section.

I also had to design a quick and easy 40th birthday party invitation. So I went with a back and white color scheme and I kept the design very simple. Details of the party are inside. Stamps are from The Craft's Meow.

Isabelle was very excited to be featured in the Kids Corner section, I designed a simple card for her to make with a little bit of help.

Here's the card we made at home before we sent it off. It was a very simple crepe paper flower with a few extra details.

Here's Isabelle with her card. She was very good at following instructions, I was surprised how patient she was!! This is her second time doing the kids corner feature!

Ok, I'll be back tomorrow with my CASE Study card! Have a great day!

Waltzingmouse Stamps Release Day Blog Waltz!!

2011-09-19T19:00:00.045+01:00

Yay!! It's Waltzingmouse Stamps release day!! I hope you're enjoying the blog waltz!! Today we're previewing one of my favorite sets A Cottage Christmas, nope that's not it on the outside of my card that's the fabulous Say It Loud - Winter Holiday also being released today! The magic is all inside my card this time!! The fab paper I used on the outside of my card is Jovial from Basic Grey. So shall we have a look inside! Say hello to a friendly snowman! He's definitely part of A Cottage Christmas!

Yes, I made a pop-up card! This scene was inside my head the moment I saw A Cottage Christmas, so I had to find a way to make it real! Yep, that's a Christmas Cottage there behind him, just follow the path to the warm glowing cottage.

I LOVE this cottage, the details are amazing, it really was a joy to color! I used acrylic paints to bring it to life and a teeny tiny brush!! I add some dimension I stamped and colored it twice, cut out the centre piece and layered it with foam tape.

The stars from Midnight Feast I stamped and embossed in white and then applied a wash of acrylic paint to create the night sky. The trees in the distance from A Cottage Christmas I stamped and colored in a grey/black, I stamped some more on some separate card and drew a little line across to make the snow tops, then painted with acrylics. I also painted a little path.

I stamped this lovely sentiment also from A Cottage Christmas in the bottom left hand corner. It just fit nicely. So I hope you enjoyed my snowy winter scene! It all folds flat too!

You should have arrived here from the lovely Becca's blog and you should be hopping on to Kelly's! If you missed the start just hop back to Claire's blog! Have fun!! Oh and I hope you have been working your way along the Blog Waltz and leaving comments along the way. You have until September 22 to comment on as many of the Design Team blogs as possible because a winner will be selected at that time from one of the Design Team members’ blogs to win a Waltzingmouse Stamp set of choice. The winner will be announced on the 23rd on Claire’s blog.

Just to recap the sets being released today are A Cottage Home, Say it Loud - Winter Holiday, Hocus Pocus and A Christmas Cottage.

The Ribbon Reel - Challenge #11 (Happy Birthday)

2011-09-19T00:00:00.044+01:00

Thanks to everyone who has left comments on my blog, I truly appreciate each and every one! I love to get round and visit your blogs but I've been so tight on time recently I just haven't had much of a chance. I will as soon as I can! SO on to another card! It's time for a new challenge at The Ribbon Reel, this week it's the theme of birthdays, to use ribbon/lace/twine. Here's the inspiration photo but you don't have to use the colors.

I chose the lovely soft turquoise color from the photo to use in my card. I layered lots of elements here, Very Vintage Labels No.18 from Waltzingmouse Stamps, I used Spellbinders Labels 18 for both and embossed some swiss dots but I used the reverse for a change. I used some gorgeous Turquoise Sheer Ruffle (can't get enough of this!! love it!) and some Guipure Lace drops in white.

The sentiment is from Say it Loud from Waltzingmouse Stamps and I just inked the edges with Distress Ink. Papers are from Melissa Frances.

I layered some Cameo Beige Seam Binding over some Cream Scallop lace and on top of that I added some gorgeous Lace and Pearls all from The Ribbon Reel.

This pretty Hybrid Tea Rose is also from The Ribbon Reel. Don't forget to visit The Ribbon Reel Challenge blog to see what the rest of the DT have come up with and play along to be in with a chance of winning some fabulous goodies from The Ribbon Reel store. I'll be back later on today for the Waltzingmouse Stamps Release Blog Waltz!! Do join me then! : )