Tweedcurtain Productions

Plum...Pear...Moldy Cheese

2012-01-29T22:57:00.000-08:00

Yep, that was the colour "menu" at the Play Date Cafe this week. Hmmmm. This is their 116th challenge, but it is the first time I have played. Here is the inspiration photo.

This was a great challenge for me as I tend to be a two-colour gal. I never would have put these colours together. The plum and pear, maybe, but not the blue moldy cheese, too. I was surprised I actually had the colours in my cardstock stash, and I pulled out these stamp pads bought a decade or more ago, and they were still good to go. Now I needed a design.

I recently received an amazing prize package from Waltingmouse Stamps for an entry in their annual "Nice" competition. Here are the goodies Claire so generously sent along from Ireland:

Thank you, Claire! This Play Date Cafe Challenge gave me an opportunity to use some of my new stamps, and I used the Waltzingmouse Stamps Weekly Sketch Challenge #82 designed by Anya to determine my layout.

And here's my card, with some matching fibers to accent:

I am also posting this for the Simon Says Challenge of "Anything Goes" and the Die Cutting Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Northern Lights

2012-01-28T12:04:00.000-08:00

The month of January's Christmas Card Challenge on the Waltzingmouse Stamps Forum is to create a card featuring a day or night-time sky. There are some amazing cards posted, including some featuring a great stamp of Santa and his sleigh against a starry sky. I don't have that stamp, though, and was a little stumped about what to do.

Then my family mentioned we might see a rare display of the Aurora Borealis in our neighborhood (we didn't) and that got me thinking of a Northern Lights sky. The stamp set 'A Cottage Christmas' was just the ticket to create a scene to set against that backdrop. One more 2012 Christmas card completed!

A Glittery Thank You

2012-01-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

Have you tried Peel-offs and glitter? It's a neat technique, the glitter really stays put, and the thin Peel-off sticker nicely emphasizes the outlines of the glittered image. Below is the Elizabeth Craft Designs Peel-off I used to embellish this thank you card. I purchased it at my local stamp store, Stampers!

I chose the coral gingham paper first and then stamped the trellis background and sentiment (both Waltzingmouse Stamps) to match. To make the glittery floral focal point, I laid a piece of wide Sookwang tape onto a scrap of white cardstock, then peeled back the liner to expose the sticky face of the double-sided tape. I peeled off the black outline sticker, carefully laid it down on the exposed sticky face of some wide Sookwang tape, then covered it with the tape liner and lightly burnished. Then I peeled back the tape liner and poured Glitter Ritz Warm Highlights translucent glitter over the design, poured off the excess (saved for re-use) and used my finger to burnish the glitter into the tape (per the Burnished Velvet technique).

I coloured the clear sparkly glitter with Tombow watercolour markers and I used a Stampin' Up! blender pen to soften and pull the colour around. (You can do this with alcohol markers and alcohol blending solution, as well, but you need to use a light hand as the solution can eat away at the adhesive.) I backed the floral "label" with another piece of Sookwang tape to adhere to the card. I cut out an oval and a scalloped oval with my Spellbinders Nestabilities dies and elevated them with foam pop-dots. I think it is an easy technique with a lot of "wow" factor (at least in real life). Here's the final result:

Free Stamp Make

2012-01-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my goal to not make every card I need at the eleventh hour, here is an Easter card! I sometimes buy a copy of the UK stamping magazine, Craft Stamper, and it includes a free unmounted rubber stamp on the cover. The January issue featured this rooster and a Cock-a-doodle-doo label.

The Easter Greetings sentiment is from a Waltzingmouse Stamps set. I coloured the rooster with copics and sponged Tumbled Glass Distress Ink on the background. A quick, easy card and nice to use a free stamp, too!

Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz, errr... Party

2012-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Once a month (on the 17th) the gals over at Waltzingmouse Stamps hold a Blog ~~Waltz~~ Party. Everyone posts their creations for the monthly theme and then we all visit the various blogs to ooh and ahhh at the plethora of stamping goodness.

Starting this month, the event formerly known as a WALTZ is now a PARTY. Perhaps the design team found waltzing just a bit too tame - maybe they are all party girls at heart? So I am looking forward to seeing what the design team does to whoop it up this month!

I have my party hat firmly placed on my head and have prepared a card for this month's theme, which is Sweet Things. I will soon need a Housewarming Card for a colleague so I thought I'd prepare it in advance (for a change) and come to the WMS party with it.

I paper-pieced this sweet little cottage from the Sewing Box - Hugs set using Prima papers.

The borders are Spellbinders die cuts and I affixed some black gemstones to the holes.

Here's a close up of that sweet little abode. I just took some markers to the windows and door to colour them.

Thanks for stopping by today. I imagine if you go to the Waltzingmouse Makes... blog you will see all sorts of "SWEET THINGS," so what are you waiting for? Party on!

WMS Sketch Challenge #80

2012-01-16T08:09:00.000-08:00

Here's the current Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, and it's a dilly! Anya really tests the cardmaking mettle sometimes!

I had no idea where I was going with this one (and perhaps you can tell!) so I cut some strips, embossed some, chalked the birdcages and just kept going until I got something that resembled a card.

The sentiment and birdie are WMS stamps. I placed the sentiment under an epoxy label I picked up at the dollar store years ago. The decorative paper I used is the same vintage. I am making good on my New Year's resolution to use some of the stuff that's been neglected in my craft room. And look - not a gem or other extraneous bling to be seen! The simplicity of this card and the soft chalking just seemed to be opposed to further embellishment.

Give this sketch a whirl and see if you found it as challenging as I did!

MOJO Monday 223

2012-01-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here's the sketch for this week's Mojo Monday 223.

And here's my card:

I just picked up this DP and loopy trim at my local stamp store's pre-inventory sale, so was pleased to be able to use it.

The cupcake (enhanced the icing with a clear glitter pen) and the sentiment are from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I added the row of hearts with a gel pen. A little Cuttlebug embossing on the two panels gave it a bit of life, and I cut out the scalloped circles with Spellbinders Nestabilities dies.

First Christmas Card of 2012

2012-01-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

I never got around to using some of the stamps I bought in the fall to use for Christmas cards, so I was happy to start my 2012 Christmas card stash using them now. I also was inspired by the first Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge of the year and Sylvia's Christmas Card Challenge for January to use white, turquoise and chocolate.

Stamps are all Waltzingmouse Stamps from the wee A Cottage Christmas set. I used Copic markers to add colour, and Martha Stewart fine marble glitter to create the snow. Living in Victoria, this may be the only snow we see this year! I am also entering this in Sparkle Creations' Weekly Christmas Card Challenge.

Mojo Monday 222

2012-01-05T00:22:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to be playing along this week in the Mojo Monday 222 sketch challenge. I could only do it because Monday was a holiday for me and so I was able to play instead of work.

Julee Tilman designs very unique sketches, unlike my "normal" card style, so they really stretch me creatively. I love that! Here is this week's sketch:

Here's my card:

The sentiment stamps and the small and large doily stamps are from the Waltzingmouse Stamps line. I am tickled by how well those doilies go with the October Afternoon Thrift Shop printed papers. Of course, I had to add a few Swarovski crystals here and there for accents.

The thing I like best about this card is the way inspiration struck and I split apart some clear sentiment stamps (gasp! I know!) from two different stamp sets and combined them to get my sentiment for my label. "Homespun hugs" was one stamp and "Birthday wishes" was another. A little careful slicing with a craft knife and I was able to create a label that said what I wanted it to convey. (Note: WMS stamps are very high quality; I would not attempt this with thinner clear stamps for risk of tearing.)

Once I was pleased with my stamp alignment, I stamped and embossed a couple of sheets of this arrangement in various colours, then cut them out using a number of different dies. Don't be surprised if you see this sentiment pop up again in future cards.

Sympathy Cards

2012-01-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

Sympathy cards are something one should have on hand at all times. I never do! So when the time comes to make them, I reach for something simple and quick.

Starting with designer paper or pre-printed cards seems to work well. Minimal stamping and layering, but still enough to say "I care."

A Stampin' Up! bouquet on a scalloped circle.

A Stampin' Up! sentiment on a Fancy Tag die cut.

A Heavy Metal Birthday

2011-12-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I got out the Ten Seconds Studio coloured aluminum and play around. Recently I needed to make a birthday card. I ran a couple shades of pink metal sheets through the Cuttlebug with some embossing folders and backed with Sookwang Tape to secure. I covered the join with a piece of pink velvet ribbon, which is a nice soft contrast to the shiny metal.

It is difficult to get a good photo of metal as it is so reflective. I tried a few angles here.

The flower was die cut twice with Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals die and then I punched out a scallop and used a TSS mold to raise the letter "C" for the birthday girl's monogram. I used the ball and cup to add dots around the rim, and lightly sanded away the colour. The flower looks better In Real Life but you'll have to take my word for it!

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

May your days be merry and bright!

How did I use that tag?

2011-12-21T09:11:00.000-08:00

Remember this tag?

Here is the card I made with it:

O Christmas Trees!

2011-12-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here is my last card for the monthly Christmas Card Challenge over in the forum at Waltzingmouse Stamps. For December we were tasked with creating a one layer card.

While my card is one layer, I tried to make it interesting. I created an oval by selectively embossing the Holly Ribbon embossing folder in my Cuttlebug. To do this, I place a wooden frame with an oval cut out over my embossing folder and fed it through the machine. This created pressure on all areas around the oval cut out, but left the center oval smooth and flat.

Then I stamped and masked the small and large trees from Nutcracker Sweet and chalked a gradient background. I coloured the trees with Copics. I buffed a silver green metallic wax over the embossing to highlight it a bit, then added a red bow to complement the scheme. Even though it is one layer, I think it has a lot of dimension to it. The teal blue green and lime are a little out there for Christmas colours so I am also entering this in the weekly Christmas Card Challenge that asked for non-traditional colours, and the Seriously Creative Challenges for the simple theme of Christmas.

Christmas Tag and Card for a Knitter

2011-12-19T02:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a tag I made from Ten Seconds Studio gold coloured aluminum and a Waltingmouse Stamp from the Nutcracker Sweet set. I ran the metal through my Cuttlebug to emboss with D'vine Swirls:

And here is a special card I made for my dear friend (and avid knitter) Mary:

Front of card, Stampington & Company stamps.

Inside of card

Christmas Card Challenge - CAS Style

2011-12-19T00:32:00.000-08:00

The Waltzingmouse Stamps Christmas Card Challenge is coming to a close for 2011 and I have really enjoyed the monthly sparks of creativity. That is, until November. That month, our hostess Lynn Mercurio announced that Clean and Simple Style was the theme. I am sure Lynn thought she was doing everyone a favour choosing something simple. However, this is the theme that was my nemesis. I am not comfortable with white space. I don't do simple. And one look at my crafting space dispels any notion of clean.

It took a month and a half but I finally got inspired. I don't actually need anymore Christmas cards, but little gift cards will come in handy as I shift into baking and gift-wrapping mode this week.

The rule was they needed to be completed in about 10 minutes, and once I had the idea for these, that's about how long they took, even with the heat-set Swarovski crystal in the center. They run about 3.5 inches square and I cuttlebug embossed the card front before adding the Frame It layer with the Very Vintage Christmas Stamp Set snowflake at its center.

Clean and Simple Style vanquished! I have entered this in the WMS Sketch Challenge, too.

Labels and Tags for a Good Cause

2011-12-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

Today was a fun day! My department hosted the December Monthly Celebration (communal coffee break) at work and we held a baking day to prepare for it. We baked so many goodies (10 or 11 recipes) that we had enough excess to make up five Incredible, Edible Gift Baskets to have as door prizes. We collected Twoonies (the Canadian $2 coin) and gave out draw tickets. All the money ($132) will be going to a local food bank.

I used a number of Waltzingmouse Stamps to create labels and tags. I covered a bottle of wine with a sleeve and a Labels 21 die cut from gold mirror card. Very luxe. Then I added a label made from one of my newer Irish purchases, the Seasonal Remedies set. For the items above, I was greatly inspired by a WMS design team member, Laurie Schmidlin, and her sweet gift set pictured here.

Homemade Raspberry Jam

For this wee jam jar, the sentiment (also from Seasonal Remedies) was embossed in silver, as was the holly medallion stamped from the Around Christmastime set.

The jam and homemade "Rainforest Crisps" packaged for a draw.

Santa (also from Around Christmastime) is featured on this large tag made with the 2010 Heirloom Ornaments Spellbinders die. I embossed the fellow in gold. I dusted off my EZ Bowmaker to create the gold wired ribbon bow.

Wine bottle stands upright in this gold star-shaped wire basket with sleeves of cookies in each of the star points.

Closeup of the fun label for the wine.

Below you can see one of two coiled wire baskets we filled with my personal fave. The simple label is created with Majestic Blue Versafine using a stamp from the Rescue Remedies set.


Homemade Almond Roca - the best!

It was a fun day with my staff making the goodies, and then a fun, fast half hour break with our colleagues to enjoy the fruits of our labours. A nice way to usher in the Christmas season, raise money for charity, and play with my stamps!

Squeeeee! I won!

2011-11-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

My two humble renditions of Tosha Leyendekker's tag are now being featured on the Waltzingmouse Stamps blog as winner of the CASE (Copy and Share Everything) competition! My original (now winning!) post can be seen here! What did I win? Fame and glory! My tags will be posted on some of the WMS designers' blogs.

Thanks to the WMS design team for choosing my project. How on earth do they choose? There were so many worthy entrants. What an honour!

WMS Sketch Challenge #72

2011-11-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas will soon be here! I made a triptych card for the current Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.

My inspiration for this project comes from a wonderful Valentine's project by Sharon Johnson that you can see here. I didn't follow her instructions because I didn't have them at hand. I just went from memory. The Labels Fourteen frames and plum pudding are WMS stamps. I used Brilliance Ink in Rocket Red to stamp everything. The letters are die cut. So are the Spellbinders Labels Fourteen, the white center circle and the scalloped red one. I am thankful for my Cuttlebug! The rest is coordinating design papers and ribbon. I accented the plum pudding with a paper-pieced bottom to coordinate with the designer paper and three Swarovski crystal "berries." Noel!

WMS SOAP CASE Competition

2011-11-06T23:45:00.000-08:00

The Waltzingmouse Design Team has been showing off old and new stamps in an homage to Christmas. There have been so many lovelies in the SOAP (Stamp of Approval Parade), and we've been invited to CASE (Copy and Share Everything) one of our favourite designs in the challenge on the WMS blog.

Tosha Leyendekker's fabulous vintage tag is above. I was smitten by this. Details on how she made it are here. I decided to have a go and ended up with two tags.

This first one gave me a chance to play with my new WMS stamps and Spellbinders 2011 ornament dies. The teal glitter snowflake was negative cut from the dp using a Memory Box die called Bianca Snowflake. I used Martha Stewart glitter and layered a small Spellbinders snowflake over top. I centered a teal Swarovski crystal in the small hole. I stitched all around the edge.

What drew me to Tosh's tag was the vintage feel and creamy colours she used. I decided to try again to see if I could hit closer to the mark. I used some champagne Ritz glitter for the burnished velvet snowflake. I didn't have any paper featuring subtle postal marks and scrolls, so I grabbed some stamps and Antique Linen Distress Ink and tried my best to create my own. Cranberry Adirondack Ink was a good match for the striped dp so I stamped some ornaments with that and hung them with red and white baker's twine. I quite like both tags, even though they are quite different. I have not decided if these will be used as tags or if they will become a feature on a card. Plenty of time before I have to choose!

More Birthday Cards

2011-11-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

Really, can you ever have too many birthday cards on hand? In fact, I probably should invest a lot more in birthday stamps and cut back on all the Christmas stamp purchases, given that birthdays are year 'round cardmaking occasions compared to Christmas. (I just can't resist a good yuletide stamp, though!)

This may be the first time I have inked up this Gina K houndstooth label stamp (coordinates with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eight), though I think I have had it for a year. I used Tim Holtz's new autumnal colour Seedless Preserves distress ink to stamp the label and the sentiment. The background is some gorgeous 6X6 Prima Fairy Flora designer paper that I got from Quietfire Design. I die cut the flowers and leaves and distressed them with more of Timmy's inks.

Hi, Cupcake! I used a Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge design for this card, but I didn't use any WMS stamps on it so didn't enter it in the weekly challenge. I'm pleased with how it turned out, though. This was a bit of a twofer - I had the materials out and made the first card, and then used the leftovers to make a second card. Gotta strike while the iron's hot!

Birthday Cards Galore

2011-11-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Lest you think all I make are Christmas cards, I thought I would post some of the birthday cards I have been commissioned by my daughter to make of late. She has a number of friends who were born in November and December. These first two feature a resist technique of layering Adirondack dye inks on glossy paper, from the Nancy Curry book "Texture Effects for Rubber Stamping."

For this one (below) I relied on two Cuttlebug embossing folders from the Once Upon a Princess set of four to do the heavy lifting. The card sketch came from a past issue of Stamper's Sampler.

Rhinestones embellish the next card. The flower is a Hero Arts stamp and the Spellbinders fancy tag is highlighted by the crystals in the Nestabling sticker.

I have two more birthday cards to share... that will have to wait until tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by.

Sweet Greetings

2011-11-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

The October challenge on the Waltzingmouse Forum was to use food in your cards. I don't have any of Claire's newest stamps featuring large candy canes and the candy jar, but I remembered what I did last year with the Bountiful Baskets Additions stamps featuring these gingerbread men and that got the wheels spinning. Where else could those gingerbread men be found? I decided to place them in the star and heirloom ornaments.

This first one is my favourite; I like the blue against the textured Cuttlebug embossed snowflakes panel.

For these ones, I pieced together "Sweet Greetings" from the sentiments in the Nutcracker Sweet stamp set, also from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

Christmas Cards - Inspired by Therese

2011-10-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

This year I have been playing in a monthly Christmas Card Challenge put on by Waltzingmouse Stamps. I have 30 cards done now. However, the month of August stumped me: use three designer papers on your card.

I had the idea that I wanted to do ornaments made by die cutting papers with my Cuttlebug ornament die, yet wasn't really inspired. But then I visited (a fellow Canadian Stamp Talk member) Therese Malak's blog and saw her pink ornaments with the "wave" cut through them (please click on the link and go see them) and knew I had to try that.

I used Tim Holtz' Brackets steel die and cut 6 ornaments apart in one pass through my Cuttlebug, which means I could easily paperpiece (mix and match) tops and bottoms and they would all fit well together, with a bit of space on white cardstock to allow the "wave" (more of a thin scallop on mine) to peek through. The designer papers had glitter on them, so I used my Stardust Clear Glitter Pen to outline my white insets as well.

I added a stamped and embossed ornament to each of these cards from the Waltzingmouse Stamps Vintage Ornaments set, cut out with Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornaments. The "branch" is another Tim Holtz steel die: Flourishes. Bonus: these cards are flat, for easy and cheap mailing in December!

Thanks, Therese, for the inspiration! I am entering this in the Christmas Card Challenge Week 46, too.

Celebrate

2011-10-10T00:17:00.000-07:00

I really like the colour combination of orange and blue. It's probably my all time fave. This card features a stamp from Stampington & Company called Starfish Document from the Christine Adolph Shore Cliff collection. I stamped it in Black Sta-zon on white glossy cardstock that I had first splashed with some Distress Stains and Inks. I stamped it again and fussy cut the starfish, on which I deepened the orange and applied some Distress Stickles. The Stickles were more for texture than colour.

While I had the white glossy out I made a background panel by brayering Kaleidocolor ink and overstamping in Black Sta-zon with a compass stamp. The Celebrate is a Stampin' Up! stamp. The postal mark is a Michelle Ward Post Cube stamp by Stampington & Company. Square black brads seemed the right thing to use to mount the layers to the marine blue Italian silk cardstock. The latter seems to glow.

This is a happy card. I just sat down and played without much thought. It ended up being just the card I needed for a travelling man's birthday. Love when that happens! And it fits with the Creative Accents Challenge to use orange this month.

Joyeux Noel Christmas Tags

2011-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is one of the 28 tags I made for the annual Christmas Alphabet Tag Swap that the Canadian Stamp Talk Yahoo Group holds each year. Each one was just a little different as I tend to get bored doing the same thing over and over. This fits well with the sketch this week for Challenge #67 at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challange.

I made the ornaments using the Burnished Velvet technique. The base is one of the Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornament dies. I covered that with Sookwang double-sided tape, then applied various masks made from the tape's peel off liner. With masks in place, I sprinkled one colour of glitter, then removed some masks, sprinkled a second colour of glitter, and then removed the last masks and sprinkled the third colour. I used my finger to burnish the glitter into the tape and it became smooth as velvet but also incredibly sparkly. Click on the photos to see the glittery goodness!

I cut the masks with dies, such as Tim Holtz's flourish, and border punches. I used punchinella (sequin waste) on a few as I discovered it lifted cleanly off the tape so could be used as a mask.

I got the Letter X in this swap. I decided to use the Joyeux Noel from Waltzingmouse Stamps Very Vintage Christmas stamp set and highlight the X in the word. The boughs were stamped in various green inks to create a background.

Here are a few more individual shots of various tags:

I made a few little acrylic fragment tags for the swap hostess. I have hosted this swap in the past and know the incredible amount of work involved. I really appreciate the effort, and each Christmas it is so much fun to receive a ring with everyone's tags on them.

It's amazing what people come up with to interpret their assigned letter. I have many years' worth of these small "booklets" now and they fill a basket at Christmas and are fun to leaf through. Even non-stampers enjoy seeing them.

World Card Making Day - Canada Style

2011-10-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of World Card Making Day? October 1 is the day. In order to celebrate, we've got a CANADIAN Blog Hop going on.

If you came here from Annie's blog, you are in the right place. If not, be sure to go back to the beginning of the hop and check out Tara's card and the full list of blog participants. We are all hoping to use at least one Canadian item in our creations. Here's my card:

This card features a lovely floral stamp from Ontario-based The Stamp Barn. I bought this stamp at my local stamp store in Victoria BC, Stampers! The flowers were coloured with Copic markers and popped up with foam pop-dots. The background BFF stamp and the larger "friend" stamp are hand-calligraphy stamps from the BC-based Quietfire Design stamp company. (The polka dots are not Canadian though - shhh, they are Hero Arts.)

Thanks for stopping by my blog, eh? There are 36 Canadian stampers participating in this hop. I can't wait to go hopping to see all the Canuck goodness out there! Now be sure to go to the next blog on the list: and that would be Nicole.

Frame-It Baby Style

2011-09-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a sweet teal card for a baby boy's shower. I used the Waltzingmouse Stamps Frame-It set and the Gingham & Co. set for the background. I sponged teal pigment ink on the edges and softened with white pigment ink, rubbing in very well to mute the colour.

I spritzed the square with Tsukineko's Pssst! Shimmer Mist in Champagne and it adds a subtle sparkle. The baby buggy was a freebie stamp from Craft Stamper magazine out of the UK. A little Swarovski crystal accents the hub of the spoked wheel. I love the versatility of Frame-It; you can feature all sorts of items in that square!

Hope you are having a great weekend; I am planning to stamp today - how about you?

Wedding Cards

2011-09-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

This little tiered wedding cake from Stampin' Up! got star billing on this wedding card I made recently.

What made it special is the background panel of ecru flocked flourishes. That came from the bride and groom's wedding invitation, allowing me to personalize their card in a unique way. The cake is stamped on a Marianne die cut which is accented with small ecru pearls.

This last card (above) was made for a bridal shower. The stamps are from the same Stampin' Up! set. I put tiny pearls along the hem of the gown. I die cut and embossed the background, then patted Versaamark over the raised area and swished Perfect Pearls over all.

Frosty Acetate Christmas

2011-09-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

For Canadian Stamp Talk's Challenge #17, to use a die cut on your card, and Waltzingmouse Stamps Christmas Card Challenge for September 2011, which was to use acetate in your card.

I layered four Memory Box die cuts of a snowflake border on acetate that I had stamped with the sentiment from Compliments of the Season in white Sta-zon ink. I pounced a Ranger Pearl acrylic paint dabber on the underside of the acetate to make it frosty. Then I layered onto a gorgeous deep blue silk cardstock from Italy. The luster on this carstock is amazing in real life, but you can't really see it under all the rest!

Dancers in Love

2011-08-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a romantic one layer card I created for a former ballerina and her beau for their engagement party. I started with white cardstock and stamped the Hero Arts Italian Poetry, the solid Always heart and the "love" flourish in Antique Linen Distress Ink. Then I heavily distressed the edges with the same ink.

I added the chandelier (a freebie stamp from the UK Magazine Craft Stamper) and the dancers (an Oxford Impressions stamp) in Versafine Onyx Black. Three black pearls completed the ensemble. I am sorry the scan quality isn't that great, but it was a rush job and was whisked off to the party before I could get camera shots.

Copics - finally

2011-08-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Resistance is futile. I finally got some Copics, the alcohol ink markers that seem to be the current darling of the stamping world. This is my first attempt with them. I look forward to further exploring this colouring medium. I have generally shied away from colouring of any sort, so this is a real stretch for me.

The sentiment stamp is one I have admired for many years but did not own. About ten years ago it seems everyone was using this stamp and it really is a nice, all purpose sentiment. I am not sure why I never bought it. So imagine my delight when a non-stamping friend sent this stamp to me for my birthday!

Thanks for stopping in to look; I hope you will take time to enjoy the simple things in life!

WMS Sketch Challenge #58

2011-08-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here is my pocket card for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. I created the pocket from a Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Twenty-One die.

The Sleigh Bells stamp is from Waltzingmouse. I used a new Memory Box steel die to create the scalloped border. The collage is an assortment of odds and ends featuring a vintage Santa from Graphics 45 scrapbook paper that was coated with Rock Candy Distress Stickles.

The green metallic medallion is a silver embossed yogurt tub liner that I rubbed with metallic wax paste to tint. The bottom of the tag is edged in gold glass glitter shards. With the summer we have (not) been having, it hasn't been too difficult to get into the Christmas mood!

B and W Cindy Loo: Therapy?

2011-07-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made a card that seemed to fight you every inch of the way? Meet my nemesis, the Black and White Cindy Loo.

In the end I was moderately happy with how it turned out, but it sure was a struggle getting there. I made this for a monthly mingle (a mingle is where you make and send a card to one person on a list, and they make and send to the next person, and so on, so you don't actually exchange cards with the person your card is sent to, but everyone gets one).

The theme was Black and White (having just made the similar-concept 65 - Bravo card, I figured this would be a cinch!) and you needed to use your Cuttlebug machine to either die cut or pressure emboss. I did both. I used one of the four bundled Cindy Loo Cuttlebug embossing folders:

This is a large format with a paisley border top and bottom and a square-ish frame in the center. (Neenah cardstock did not play nice with the folder. The embossing was so well defined the paisleys were cutting and dropping out of the sheet. I had to add text weight paper as a buffer to keep the embossing from being so crisp/sharp. It took me a few tries to get the right sandwich. I probably should have chosen a different cardstock for this. Grrr.)

I added pearls, polka dot paper, and strips of black burnished velvet glitter that you can't see in the photo because I then mounted everything on black glossy cardstock. (Yes, that sounds so breezy and easy, doesn't it? My ruler slipped, making the white panel crooked, meaning I had to keep trimming around to get it all squared up again. Hence the need for the black glitter strips to enlarge the sections I had trimmed away. Then the tape I used grabbed the black glossy when I wasn't looking, and I had to wad that up and try again. Hey, it's just paper, right?)

The center die cut (Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eighteen) is stamped with one of the many labels in Waltzingmouse Stamps' Very Vintage Labels 18 set, black heat embossed (don't ask how many black inks and embossing powder combinations I tried in order to get that just the way I wanted it!), and the sentiment is from Fancy Phrases. I used Rangers Black Enamel to add raised pin dots around the circle that I cut out using Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circles. I am enjoying using the enamel - it comes out of the bottle's small thin nozzle in perfect little dots, self-levels (no Dairy Queen curlicues!) and dries very quickly. So that's my little ray of sunshine in this card-making session.

I make cards for relaxation and therapy. Really, I do!

WMS July 2011 Waltz: Birthdays

2011-07-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's that time!

This month the theme is "Birthday Party" and I believe it was my first time to ink up this stamp from the Very Vintage Labels No. 18 set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. This Spellbinders compatible stamp fit nicely into the Nestabilities die.

This card is for a dear male friend who turns 65 soon. I distressed the striped paper with Black Soot Distress Ink. I added some Cuttlebug Vintage corners and kept the hints of red minimal with some gemstones and a bit of velvet ribbon. The numbers came from the WMS Victorian Alphabet set and the sentiment came from the Fancy Phrases set.

To find out more about the monthly Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps blog waltz, please visit this link. To find out how to accurately line up stamped images inside thin metal dies like Spellbinders, please visit my photo tutorial here. Thanks for stopping by to tap your toes with me; if you are waltzing along with us this month, I look forward to visiting your creation soon!

WMS Sketch Challenge #55

2011-07-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

This week's Waltzingmouse Stamps Sketch Challenge presented me with an opportunity to finally break out my WMS doily stamps!

I stamped, die cut and layered various doilies and accented with Ranger's white Enamel. I like the olive, kraft and blue colour combination. I softened the edges with some sponged on, chalky white VersaMagic ink. The sentiment is embossed in the same dark blue but it appears black in the photo for some reason. Thanks for taking a peek!

A Parade of Silhouettes

2011-07-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

I recently took a class called Silhouettes at a local stamp store. I thought I was going to learn about stamping with these solid stamps.

They are all the rage right now and Waltzingmouse Stamps just released a number of cameos so I thought a class might be in order. I hoped to learn about the stamps and what types of inks and papers are best suited to get successful images.

Alas, this was not that type of class. Instead, this was a cardmaking session, with pre-set card designs and pre-cut layers. All we did was stamp and complete. There was no discussion or information shared about the best types of inks and papers, or techniques, to use.

As I rarely take stamp classes, I forgot to pack any sort of adhesive in my tool kit. So I created the layers, but did not attach anything. This actually turned out to be a good thing, because when I got home, I was able to put the cards together in ways I preferred, and embellish them with gems, etc. Plus I got finished earlier and so could leave earlier. (I had a ferry to catch so that was a good thing.)

I think for beginner stampers this might be a great class - we finished 9 cards in under 2 hours. For me, though, it was frustrating as I was looking for education, not a session in copying someone else's designs - lovely though they were. Ah well, lesson learned! Thanks for visiting today.

Vintage Destiny

2011-07-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

Have you tried metal tooling yet? Here is a card I made featuring a lovely quote from Quietfire Design stamped in Vintage Sepia Versafine ink.

I ran some Dark Chocolate Metal from Ten Seconds Studio through my Cuttlebug using a Labels 4 die to create and emboss the frame. I also die cut and embossed a Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Doily Accents border from the same metal, then lightly sanded the highpoints to highlight.

The dressform was made by rubbing the label-shaped metal over a section of a Kabuka mold from Ten Seconds Studio, then refining, scratching with a brass brush, and burnishing. I used spackle to fill in the puffed up area so it would not dent with handling.

The ribbon was some cheap polyester or nylon ribbon from Wal-mart. It was originally a tan colour and I wanted it to be richer, in keeping with the metal. So I tried Walnut Distress Stain and was very pleased with how it dyed the ribbon with just a few swipes and dried almost instantly.

The only tricky bit with this card was finding some adhesive dots small enough to secure the pointy parts of the border at the vertical edges where it had been cut off. I ended up taking my smallest Zots and cutting them in thirds to tuck under the metal to hold it down.

Hope you enjoy your weekend and find some time to try something new, too!

Perfect Die Cuts Every Time

2011-07-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

A first for me - a photo tutorial!

If you own Spellbinders dies, you may have noticed that all are not created equal; some have more flat border around the cutting ridge, or the ridge is not centered on the flat border. This makes knowing exactly where the cutting is going to occur a little tricky - which matters if you are trying to die cut a stamped image or even a specific section of a patterned paper.

I thought I would share this little trick I use all the time that I learned from my local stamp store owner (Steve Thomson, Stampers). It is actually really easy - don't let the long-winded explanation scare you off.

This tip works for all Spellbinders dies - or similar thin dies. I have not tried it with the thicker steel rule dies, but it probably would work with them, too. For this tip, let's assume you want to stamp one of the amazing Vintage Ornaments from Waltzingmouse Stamps and then use the corresponding 2010 Heirloom Ornaments Spellbinders die to cut it out so that it is nicely centered with equal amounts of border around it.

"Special" supplies needed: plain light weight paper, removable tape.

1)Take a piece of plain text weight, printer or loose leaf paper that is about an inch bigger all around than the ornament die you want to use, and lay the die in the center of the paper (ridge side down).

2) Affix one or two pieces of removable tape to the edge of the die cut at the top OR on one side. (In photo above, tape is on the left hand side.) Put the tape on the metal and the outside paper; don't have any tape laying over the inside aperture of the die. Run through your die cutting machine of choice. (I use a Cuttlebug.)

3) Leave the die in place on the paper, but pop out the die cut, so the die is now sitting in the paper with the ornament-shaped hole in the center. Set aside.

4) Now stamp your ornament image on your card stock or other substrate.

5) Pick up your newly created paper and die "frame" and lift the metal die out of the way using the "hinge" of tape you created. Keep the die attached to the paper - just flip it back so that you can see the paper frame underneath. Lay that frame down on top of your stamped image and line up the image to center it inside the paper frame. You will be able to see exactly where the stamped image will sit inside the cut lines.

6) Once you have things aligned nicely, carefully flip the die back in place over top of the paper frame and the stamped image. It will "seat" into the paper frame over your image. If you look closely at the photo below (click on it to enlarge) it might appear that the die is not lined up accurately. This is because the flat border on either side of the ridge is not even. However, we are not eyeballing the placement; we are assured it is correct because we aligned our image to the cut frame template instead of relying on the appearance of the die's flat border.

7) At this point, you can place the unit of die, paper and substrate into your machine and cut. (Or, if you want to be extra secure in placement, you can add a piece of removable tape to connect the outer edge of the paper frame to the substrate underneath. I don't bother.)

8) Voila! A perfectly aligned cut image will emerge from your die cutting machine!

I have embossed these with the paper still in place and as long as you use thin paper to make your frame template (as opposed to cardstock) it works well. Click on the image below to see the embossed edge.

I save the paper frames and store them with my dies. I even store some of the smaller ones still attached to their dies so I don't have to re-tape next time I use them! I'm just lazy that way.

I hope you will try this - and if you do - let me know how it goes. I am sure you will be pleased with this exact placement instead of the old eyeball method that seems to work 80 percent of the time - but never when you really need it to!

Quick and Easy Quietfire

2011-07-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

This is totally cheating. I mean, I know I should feel bad because these cards were so easy and required so little from me - but they turned out well and it is great to have some cards on hand that are done up for those card emergencies that crop up.

Each card was a pre-printed card with a large central blank frame begging for some stamped love. I picked up boxed sets of these cards and envelopes at Michaels for a song.

Quietfire Design rubber stamps are so lovely - featuring Suzanne Cannon's gorgeous calligraphy - that I think they are perfectly suited to this treatment. The frame enhances the verse rather than overpowering or detracting.

On the first two cards I just stamped a verse directly in the frame, but on the last one, (perhaps feeling guilty at how easy those were) I fussy cut the blank canvas away and inserted a stamped quote on coral paper to provide a bit more colour. I think I will make up a set of these and gift box them for someone special. They certainly would be easy to mail with no bulky layers or embellishments. Thanks for stopping by!

WMS Sketch Challenge #54

2011-07-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I have had a chance to play in the weekly Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. Here's my card for this week, using the Sewing Box - Hugs set. I used a card base that was already striped - it made lining up the clear photopolymer sentiment stamp a cinch. The flowers and leaves were leftover bits from my Mother's Day card here, so this card could not have been easier!

Here's the sketch:

Once Upon a Princess

2011-07-04T01:38:00.000-07:00

This card was made using a Cuttlebug embossing folder set called Once Upon a Princess. The floral background was pressure embossed and then I sanded the raised parts to expose the cream core of the peach cardstock.

I fussy cut the frame and highlighted it and the cake with various metallic gel pens. I used a Tim Holtz die to create the rosette. The only rubber stamping here is the sentiment and the small butterflies. Glitter pen adds sparkle but I doubt the photo has captured that.

Thanks for looking!

Bow Challenged!

2011-06-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Over on the Waltzingmouse Stamps Forum, Lynn challenged us to use a big bow on our card for the Christmas Card Challenge in June. I am definitely bow challenged. I even used a bow maker to help me out here, and still this bow was fighting me every step of the way. It is wide and slippery and even as I was taking a photo it seemed to be moving on me. And the ends are fraying right before my eyes! Sorry, Lynn, but I will only be making one of these! It makes me even more in awe of gals like Mona and Becca who make gorgeous bows with (seeming) ease.

I stamped with Sta-zon Metallic Copper on acetate and then backed the ornament with a purple die cut and then folded designer paper inside to line it. The mini ornament hangs straight in the center even though the bow was pulling it slightly askew in this photo. I am tempted to add a sentiment to the lower front right of this card, but I am still thinking about it.

I just discovered a new Christmas Card Challenge online and have entered this now in the Sparkle Creations Christmas Card Challenge to use a die cut in my card.

More Christmas

2011-06-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

I have made more cards for the monthly Christmas Card Challenge on the Waltzingmouse Forum.

Waltzingmouse Forum

And the Nancy Elrick-hosted Christmas in June Playing in Paradise Challenge #21:

For Waltzingmouse the April theme was SNOW.

The May theme was TREES. For the cards below, I used two different Fancy Tags dies from Spellbinders to create the frame for the Labels 18 stamped image.

Butterflies

2011-05-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

I made this simple card for a sketch challenge on CST (Canadian Stamp Talk Yahoo Group). The lovely sentiment is a Quietfire Design stamp and the butterfly is from Stubby Stampers. Thanks for looking!

Christmas Card Challenge

2011-05-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

I have been playing catch up in the Waltzingmouse Christmas Card Challenge. On the tenth day of each month WMS design team member Lynn Mercurio posts a new challenge and encourages folks in the WMS forum to play along. I have made a few cards now to add to my stash. I should be feeling pretty smug come December!

January was all about recycling: old cards, wrapping paper, etc. I made two different cards incorporating commercial card fronts:

For the one above, I stamped and watercoloured the poinsettias and cut them out, then outlined them in chunky gold glitter.

For this tall card, I repurposed part of a commercial card front and added banners above and below with some white dimensional glossy dots for accents.

February was "Quick Pick" where we were supposed to look around our work desk and find some elements that could be made into a card. I had some left over bird die cuts and some punched out tags, so I pulled together a long (think business card envelope) card:

In March Lynn challenged us to create three or more cards using the colour scheme of kraft, red and white or cream. I like this colour scheme so enjoyed this one.

I used the Cuttlebug Flourished Frame embossing folder on red cardstock, then highlighted the lines of the embossing with a white gel pen. I stamped the background "wallpaper" using a couple of border stamps in white Versamagic ink, so they have a chalky effect. Swarovski crystals added some needed - but subtle - bling.

I have two more months to catch up on. April's theme is snow (flocking or glitter) and May's theme is trees. I've already got ideas for both and that is usually the hard part - so I think I can do it!

WMSC48

2011-05-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here is my card for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #48:

I used the Waltzingmouse Sewing Box Hugs set and the faux stitching from the Off Beat Backgrounds set. I just received the latter and am so glad I finally got it. I like its free form and the fact I don't have to thread my sewing machine!

Press'n Seal

2011-05-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is next weekend in Canada. I'm popping this card in the mail to my Mum. It was fiddly - lots of cutting out and paper piecing to create the flowers. I used the October Afternoon Thrift Shop pad of paper so everything coordinated. And along the way I discovered something.

See the layout of the card above? When I first layered all the bits and bobs, nothing had been glued down. I got it all arranged the way I wanted it and then realized the plain white background was really boring. But I was very happy with the arrangement of the label, flowers and leaves and didn't relish re-doing the layout after I created the background. Then inspiration struck.

Glad Press'n Seal is normally in a kitchen drawer. It clings really well to odd shapes and rims of bowls. It's like Saran Wrap but stickier. I peeled off a whack of it and laid it on top of the layout and pressed all over firmly. Then I peeled the wrap off and my layout came with it. I created my background, and then I adhered all the elements one by one, peeling them off the Press'n Seal as I needed them. They released easily, leaving no marks. I think this is a method I will use again, especially for cards with lots of layers.

The bird and flower stamps are from the Waltzingmouse Sewing Box - Hugs stamp set, and the sentiment is from the Spring Baskets set. Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One dies were used to create the frames.

Hope you can use this tip! And I am entering this item in Craft Critique's May Carnival. Go check out the other Mother's Day projects over there at: Mother's Day Carnival.

Just a little Easter something...

2011-04-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of a very simple little sentiment that I affixed to these mini potted plants for my co-workers. I used Waltzingmouse Stamps for the outline and sentiment, and Spellbinders Nestabilities dies to cut out the cardstock. A little glitter gel pen around the edge and I was done!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

I made this card using a free template provided by Quietfire Designs here. I created the texture using a new (to me) Cuttlebug folder from the set called Once Upon A Princess. I embossed a rose coloured sheet of cardstock and sanded the rose buds lightly. Then I pounced Versamark ink pad over all and embossed with fine white embossing powder. I think I should have swiped in order to get just the raised flowers, but it still looks good. The Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls embossing folder and a Stampin' Up! scalloped punch furnished the tail. A velvet riboon with some SU! hodgepodge hardware for bling finished it off.

Suzanne at Quietfire Designs wants to see what you can do with this bunny, but today is the deadline. Hope you can join the fun!

Oh, and along with the card, here is what I put together for my daughter for Easter (inspired by an Internet cartoon):

WMS Sketch Challenge #42

2011-04-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a good weekend. I have spent my time reading crafting books from the library and working on cards. Love it! I was supposed to be filing taxes, but I guess there is always tomorrow. How can you blame me?

Finally have had a chance to play in the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. This is a weekly challenge but I don't seem to get around to it as often as I'd like.

Here's the sketch:

I used the opportunity to create one more birthday card. One can never have too many in one's stash! Our weather has been dreary and cold, so I think I was trying to urge spring along with this one.

I Cuttlebug embossed the top and lower portions of the designer paper using two different folders. I recently acquired the new Spellbinders banner dies and found a Waltzingmouse sentiment to fit. These stamps are polymer so I was able to curve the words to follow the banner. The butterfly was stamped on acetate twice and cut out. I used double sided tape to apply three colours of glitter to the back of the images, and left the wings loose on the topmost butterfly. I created a narrow border around the panel with the same tape and applied lilac glitter and burnished it into the tape; a nice subtle border with a bit of pizzazz.

Thanks for visiting! Hope your weekend was just as fun as mine!

Quietfire Mojo

2011-04-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Mojo Monday 185 upload window is closing and after fussing about with this week's sketch, I am determined to get my entry in! The sketch overwhelmed me, there were so many elements, but I think I managed to cover everything, though I did flip the layout.

Here's the sketch:

Quietfire Design has lovely calligraphic quotes and this one looks great embossed in copper. It perfectly matched the metallic cardstock I used to die cut the Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Accents. The lady is an Oxford Impressions image stamped in Archival Ink; the wee tea cup is from Waltzingmouse Stamps. Three blue Swarovski crystals were heat set in place to finish things off.

Quietfire Style Blog is having a blog post showcase. Suzanne is looking for new design team members, too, so if you are so inclined, post a link to your blog; she just might call you!

By the Sea

2011-03-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hello! Today I have a "just because" card - not made for anyone in particular and merely a result of playing in my craft room.

On the weekend I ran across some old technique booklets from ancient swaps on the Yahoo group Canadian Stamp Talk (largest Canadian Stamp Group on the net with 695 members currently) and was reminded of stampers I have not heard from in years - and techniques that I have not used for ages. It was a nice trip down memory lane. I decided to make some Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) and Perfect Pearl tiles to feature on a card. I crackled them and rubbed black ink into the cracks. I popped the center tile up on foam to highlight it a bit.

I live on an island so I have a bit of an affinity for the sea. I have always liked the Shore Cliff cube stamp from Stampington & Company; guess that's where the inspiration came from!

Tulips for Mojo Monday- MOJO183

2011-03-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a response to the Mojo Monday sketch challenge number 183. This is a great challenge blog - it really makes me stretch.

I tried a few different things with this card. The tulips are black embossed and three layers, using silicone to 3-D them. I watercoloured them and added a subtle glimmer to the buds with a clear star sparkle gel pen. I used straight stitching, zig zag stitching and crazy free form meandering stitching. I left off the suggested bow. I may re-think that, but for now this will do.

The sketch provided was:

Smile for WMSC39

2011-03-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

This week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge is almost over, but I am just squeaking in at the last minute with an entry. Here was the sketch:

And here is my attempt, using a WMS alphabet set:

This is also a belated entry in the Splitcoaststampers Weekly Ways To Use It Challenge -WT314 - feature a smile somewhere on your card.

Sage, Raspberry and Vanilla

2011-03-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

Meredith's blog, A Delightful Waste of Time, is celebrating its first birthday with a week of challenges. In my last entry for Meredith's Birthday Blog Bash, I made a card for her colour challenge:

This really is raspberry but for some reason the camera isn't capturing it accurately. I think Meredith was expecting bright, bold and funky, but I liked these colours for an old fashioned Easter greeting.

Meredith's Birthday Bash Sketch

2011-03-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Meredith's blog, A Delightful Waste of Time, is celebrating its first birthday with a week of challenges. One of these was a sketch challenge. Here's my card, featuring Waltzingmouse Stamps:

Here's Meredith's sketch:

I think I prefer sketch challenges over colour challenges, but she has one of those, too! Stay tuned.

Justimization

2011-03-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

The other day my very clever daughter coined a new term: "Justimization!" I asked her what it means and she said it is optimizing her justification of something. I told her I should re-name my blog Justimization, as it serves to optimize my justification of all the CRAFT STUFF I own.

So imagine my surprise when I took some classes at my local stamp store, Stampers!, last weekend and developed a newfound passion for metal sculpting. I am NOT looking for another craft that requires oodles of new supplies. I already have a fully equipped (read: no room to move) paper crafting and sewing space. But these classes looked pretty interesting and what made them even more intriguing was the opportunity to use many supplies and equipment I already own, like my Cuttlebug die cut and emboss machine and assorted dies and embossing folders.

We were instructed by pewter and metal artist Elitia Hart in how to free style doodle on soft aluminum sheets, then work the metal to enhance relief; to use TEN seconds studio molds to create shapes, and how to refine them; how to stamp and heat-emboss on the metal; and how to emboss the metal in the Big Shot or Cuttlebug machines. We also sanded the metal and colourized it with alcohol inks.

My samples are not anything to showcase here, but last night I needed a quick gift so I took some black metal and repurposed a 3 inch round tea tin to feature a molded monogram and the Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls embossing folder. One of the tricky bits with this work is if you have a large relief area, you don't want it to collapse. In class we discussed spackle, silicone and melted beeswax as support methods. However, at home I experimented with hot glue and was very pleased with the results. I can't recall the last time I used my glue gun for something. See, there's some justimization right there!

Working with the soft metal is very relaxing and fun. I am looking forward to expanding on my skills with practice. If you are on Facebook you can see many cards made from the samples we did in class. Just go to the Stampers! photo album there and check them out. More classes are being scheduled so if you are in the Victoria area you might want to inquire. For more inspiration visit the TEN seconds studio blog.

After making this tin, I realized I was subconsciously making something that looked an awful lot like this tin that holds Clipiola Clips. Oops! Purely unintentional.

So inside this tin (remember, it was a gift) I put a bunch of 2-inch square cards and teeny matching envelopes. And there you have it, an almost free, upcycled gift that optimized the justification of my craft obssession! I am entering this in the Blog Birthday challenge focused on {Gift Packaging} over on Meredith's blog. What will you justimize today in your craft room?

Canadian Crafty Blog Hop

2011-02-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

Over at the Made By Jacqueline blog there is a blog hop on that is open to Canadian crafters. Isn't that hop logo adorable? Why not join us?

Today I have an engagement card to share.

This is a Cuttlebug embossed background with a simple stamp in a flat area in the middle. I used a Bow Easy to tie the satin ribbon double bow.

Linda S. asked how the selective embossing is done. To leave a center area unembossed, you run the paper through an embossing machine (I use Cuttlebug) with something on top that has the center cut out. In this case I used a wooden photo mat that is about one quarter inch thick. I got it at Michaels. They are really cheap, about $2 each, and they have a number of different ones with hearts, ovals and squares for openings. When the mat goes through the machine, extra pressure is on the solid area and less on the opening, so it leaves the opening unembossed. Hope this makes sense. Here is a link to describe it better with photos:

http://indigoinklings.blogspot.com/2008/04/creative-cuttling-in-more-detail.html

Snow Day!

2011-02-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a freak little mini blizzard that shut down the roads for a bit - so I called a snow day and told my staff to stay home. This meant I got a bonus day to play with some stamps!

I made this Side Step Card. I got the directions here from Julie Davison. The cupcakes are gold peel off outline stickers and I laid them on double-sided tape, then sprinkled clear glitter over all. I coloured the glitter with Bic Permanent Markers. The flourish is a Tim Holtz die and the flowers are Cuttlebug dies. I gave the stem and flowers the same glitter treatment. I gold embossed the Stampin' Up! sentiment.

I had a few extra cupcakes so I got out the Waltzingmouse Frame It set of stamps and put together these two bonus cards.

The snow day could not be stretched to two, alas, but I was pleased to have something to show for my day off! I have entered this in Meredith's week-long Blog Birthday Challenge.

Valentine for my sweetie

2011-02-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Swinging Z-fold Valentine

2011-02-12T22:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, Mom!

I created a Swinging Z-fold Valentine card using Spellbinders dies and Tim Holtz papers and Distress Inks. The Stampin Up Hodge Podge Hardware in silver provided a frame for a small sentiment. I covered the words with Glossy Accents.

I got the directions to make this type of card from here: Splitcoaststampers Tutorial. I actually foolishly used my Cuttlebug to cut the hearts. The front ends up being three layers and the paper and cardstock I used were too thick for my machine to handle. Next time I would just cut each layer separately and then glue them together, instead of trying to run all three layers through at once. This was an expensive lesson, but I really like the card even so!

Queen of Hearts Challenge

2011-02-12T22:28:00.000-08:00

So it's soon Valentine's Day. Must buy chocolate for my sweeties or forget about coming home Monday.

I made a card for the annual Queen of Hearts challenge - and also for the Created byHand weekly challenge. It's a Valentine for my daughter, who is always going at such a whirling pace. She is a list maker and actually accomplishes quite a lot. Some would say she's an overachiever. I know I get tired just watching her zoom around doing things.

The woman is a Chapel Road Artstamps rubber stamp. I think she has her hands up and is saying "Enough already!" The hearts and the sentiment are from Quietfire Design, which is offering prizes for this challenge - so what are you waiting for?

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 31

2011-02-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

This week it's Rusted Enamel. I followed Tim's directions to create the background for my tag, but I think I need to practice more. The embellishment (above) was some silver Hodge Podge Hardware from Stampin Up! that I colourized with alcohol inks; I smashed the brad heads a la Tim. I stamped the postmark (Stampington & Company) twice, once on acetate and once on cardstock. I like the depth it provides. The passport image is from Oxford Impressions. I added some pen stitching to Tim Holtz's Tissue Tape.

Details for this weekly challenge are on the Studio L3 blog.

Altered Metal with Paint

2011-02-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

The weekly Compendium of Curiosities Challenge over at Studio L3 is on number 30 of 35 challenges. This week we are to focus on page 48 of Tim Holtz's book. Woohoo! This is a great challenge as it had me try something new, which is always fun. I used Red Pepper and Pearl to jazz up my vintage frame.

A couple of Sizzix embossing folders added some pizazz to the Spellbinders hearts. I highlighted the relief with Fired Brick Distress Inks. Tim's designer paper provide background music and the inset hearts. The word Love is from the Michelle Ward Tea and Coffee Collection of rubber stamps for Stampington and Company (Scandal...). Thanks for looking!

Other challenges this has been entered in: Simon Says Stamp and Simon Says Stamp and Show and The Cheerful Stamp Pad.

Layered Fragment

2011-01-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

I am coming to this party really late. There is a weekly Compendium of Curiosities Challenge over at Studio L3 and I have wanted to play along for quite some time. Well, the series is winding down with only 7 or 8 technique challenges to go, but I managed to get this week's Challenge 28 - Colorful Layered Fragments - done at least. It's from page 57 of Tim Holtz's wonderful Compendium of Curiosities book.

I had a wee bit of trouble with this technique (Glossy Accents is not too forgiving!) so I need to go and practice some more, but for a first try this is passable. The bird collage stamp is from Oxford Impressions; the background flourish is Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous; the polka dots are Hero Arts. I am also submitting this for the Waltzingmouse Sketch this week.

Waltzingmouse Blog Waltz - January 2011

2011-01-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

I am so glad to dust off my dancin' shoes and waltz again with the Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz! The theme this month is Valentine's/Love, so here you go:

I used some Spellbinders dies to cut and emboss the lower scallops, and a Sizzix brocade embossing folder to emboss the background. The cardstock is white core so a little sanding reveals the white inner layer. I coloured the velvet ribbon with Victorian Velvet distress ink to match the distressed pink heart layer. I created the small heart brad with an I-top brad maker tool and highlighted with Glossy Accents. A couple of pink Swarovski crystals are the finishing touch. WMS stamp sets used to make this card: Seasons of Love - Tags, Nutcracker Sweet (small heart on brad), and Vintage Ornaments (background behind sentiment). I also used some WMS digital paper from Victoriana Papers. Details on this waltz can be found on the WMS blog. Hope you can join us and sashay around the room!

Double Duty

2011-01-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

I love it when I find a new way to use stamps I already have. Claire at Waltzingmouse designed a set of stamps recently that fit into baskets. She provided the baskets, or they could be used with baskets from another set. The Bountiful Baskets Additions has some cute motifs and - guess what? They ALSO fit into the cute homespun appliqued stocking and mitten in the Sewing Box - Christmas set. (I figured this out while cleaning up my stamp room and putting away the Christmas craft supplies. You can imagine how much cleaning actually occurred once I started running with this idea...)

Here are two samples of what I am excitedly blabbering about:

Bring on Christmas 2011 - I am getting ready early!

Mojo Monday 171

2011-01-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I am too late to enter this, but thought I would share it anyways. The sketch last week was:

I am square all the way.

2010 Christmas Alphabet Tags Swap

2010-12-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

Each year on the Yahoo Group CanadianStampTalk*, there is a swap of alphabet tags for Christmas. I have taken part most of the years it has been going (must be close to 10 now), and so I have a number of lovely Christmas tag collections in a basket under my Christmas tree. It is so much fun to flip through them each year and see all the variations on, oh, let's say, the letter Q! Admittedly some letters are easier to manage than others. Here are some scans (sorry for the rough quality, but click on them to view larger) of the 2010 tags:

Darlene Crane hosted once again (THANK YOU!) and created the lovely front cover on purple cardstock with two turtle doves black embossed and painted in with shimmery silver paint and edged with silver Krylon. She created the index of players for the final back tag and a festive beaded and beribboned tassel. Thanks to everyone who played this year.

A: Pat Makarenko’s All I want for Christmas is red and green, with roboon and layers. Pat, I hope we all get your wish!

B: Kristi-Ann Watrin had the cutest Bear and Bells; loved the srapped teal twine affixing the mini-bell to the letter.

C: Barb Krupa used brads and glitter to make her Candy Canes pop!

D: An elegant die cut and stamped Dec. 25 popped up on foam with ribbon, stamped snowflakes and crystal gems from Gail Akister. The silver snowflakes are almost holographic against the red ones. Gail, who makes that label/frame stamp?

E: Is for busy, high-kicking elves. Gaylene Ouchar sponged her blue tag with a darker shade of blue and coloured in the embellishments with metallic paint or markers.

F: Bettiann Nielson did a warm tag for Faith, using a resist technique for the nativity scene and sponging terra cotta hues over top.

G: Christine Telega made a sparkly gingerbread man that looked real enough to eat, complete with the recipe and a gold snowflake.

H: Val Braun provided an angelic Holiday Hello in soft blues with layers and just the right amount of subtle bling.

I: Is for “It came upon a midnight clear” and Melissa Groenink stamped a background, resisted a hearkening angel, and sponged overtop to highlight. There is a shimmery sheen overall.
J: A rather busy tag from me (Charmaine Stack) that featured the word JOY. I stamped in black on acetate, and inked and glittered the underside for colour.

K: Karen Gilmore sent us a sweet, distressed Kris Kringle masked to create a background of Silent Night sheet music. Little red berries in his cap were glittered for sparkles.

L: Marg Elcich says “Let it snow” and it sure did on her tag! A dry embossed snowy tag was painted white and spattered with blue ink, then layers of die cut or punched snowflakes were affixed with a crystal gem, and five more were added for effect. The main banner and its border were popped up with two layers of pop dots.

M: Music and Merry Christmas got equal billing on Karen Cielen’s red, black and cream tag featuring large musical notes. Very dramatic!

N: Heather Robinson featured an elaborate texturized background and a collage of a little gal that is either naughty or nice. Guess only Santa knows for sure!

O: Teena Steele embossed ornaments on her green tag, sponged the edges, glittered the bows and stamped NOEL in the corner. Bright and festive!

P: Our hostess, Darlene Crane, provided the letter P. Peace on Earth was sparkle embossed on a lilac tag and overlaid with white vellum that was embossed with iridescent snowflakes. A white eyelet finished the tag nicely.

Q: Melanie Wortman patiently paper-pieced a quilt together to back her large gold Q.

R: Judy Preston brought us a wonderful reindeer on a red tag that was dry embossed with a great wood grain texture. The large letter R was glittered and the reindeer’s nose was beaded.

S: Lynne Martel’s homage to snow featured three different snowflakes (dry embossed background on luxe metallic cs; blue sparkle embossed feature stamp and a 3-D snowy glittered charm).

T: Donna Tameling created a snowy tree-scape with layers of glittered snow banks modern trees against a snowy sky.

U: Brenda Thain had one of those “tough” letters but did a great job with a banner proclaiming “U is for Universe where Christmas brings joy to all the world” and a wonderful globe ornament against a dry-embossed starry background.

V: Vintage Christmas was presented by Beth O’Brien and featured old-fashioned script writing, Victorian postoid images framed in red and green, red and gold ribbon and judicious use of glitter. The gold hole reinforcement and tiny gold stars finished the look.

W: Maryann Lawrence, who used white embossed snowflakes to resist sponged blue inks, created Winter in all its snowy glory.

X: Another challenging letter, but Sandy Proulx was up to the task, with a polished stone background in blues over stamped with silver snowflakes and embellished with glittery 3-D snowflake charm and blue crystal. The final touch? A round tag that says Snow puts the x-citement in Christmas!

Y: Susan MacDonald created a VERY deeply embossed brocade background for her sage green tag, then attached music with brads, a burgundy ribbon and a flute of champagne with a sentiment about the New Year.

Z: Agnes Bottomley made me chuckle with her wonderful Zazzy (flashy, stylish or something shiny) bunny, who has a string of lights wrapped around his ears but needs to stay close to the electrical outlet to remain lit up!

*CST (CanadianStampTalk) is the largest forum on the net for rubberstamping, card making and paper crafting resources in Canada! The list is for Canadians, looking to meet other stamping and paper crafting Canadians and find out more about our passion for rubber, ink and all things related to card making including techniques other than stamping. We have swaps, friendly chit chat, great information, messages from Vendors.... and a great network of friendships and information! Membership is currently restricted to Canadians only. To subscribe to CST, email this address.

Belated Christmas Greetings!

2010-12-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

Where have I been? Here it is Boxing Day (December 26) in Canada, and I have a quiet moment to write a brief note. I have missed blogging, but there have not been enough hours in each day to do all I need to do. Hopefully 2011 will allow for more. A belated Merry Christmas from me to you!

I made these Victorian style cones for my staff this year. I cobbled together terrible instructions from one site Michaels.com Christmas-Cocoa-Cones, a template from another site Escapade Direct, and then revised to get these the length I wanted. Double-sided scrapbook paper helped it go quickly, and stamps were from the Around Christmastime set from Waltzingmouse. Most are filled with hot chocolate powder, mini marshmallows and crushed candy canes in clear plastic cake decorating bags (they are already cone shaped).

I am looking forward to 2011 and more creative time. My thoughts are already turning to Valentines Day!

Happy Birthday Z-card

2010-09-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying trying new card folds that allow a card to stand up and still fit in a normal card envelope. This one meets the test.

This is a set of Inkadinkado clear stamps and I stamped on laser photo paper using Jet Black Stazon ink. I had to add some bling, though.

Tim Holtz Meets Quietfire Design

2010-09-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a lo-o-o-o-o-o-ng while since I have been able to do anything creative due to an incredibly busy work season. However, a week or so ago I made something that brought me a lot of joy, simply because it was made without any preconceived notion as to where I was going with it. This collage wall hanging was the result:

The crow and the music and the lovely scripted Corvidae are from the Crows Unmounted rubber stamp plate from Quietfire Design. The bird cage and flower die cuts are Tim Holtz Alteration dies by Sizzix.

Lately the only thing I have had time to do is make a card here or there as needed (thank yous for staff, mainly) or responses to a challenge if time allows. This was pure joy as I just sat and played without expectation or urgency, and when it was all done, I suddenly knew EXACTLY who was going to receive it. It was just perfect. Love when that happens.

Waltzingmouse Blog Waltz - August 2010

2010-08-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

This month's waltz theme was Vintage or Shabby Chic. I tried to go for the latter. What do you think?

The flower is made by punching scallops from a sheet of apricot coloured vellum. A homemade brad fills the center.

The stamped label is from the Rescue Remedies set from Waltzingmouse Stamps, and the lacy border underneath is from the Faux Fun set. For details on the Waltz, please visit: The Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps blog waltz post.

The pleated ribbon makes it qualify for Sharon's Stamp Simply Challenge #153. You can check out that challenge on Sharon's No Time To Stamp Blog.

WMSC 9

2010-08-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

I wasn't really feeling the flowers theme in this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge No. 9, so instead I went for a slightly medieval influenced motif. The sketch provided was:

I took some pebbly textured silver yogurt lids and backed them with cardstock, then ran them through my Cuttlebug to die cut and emboss. Then I pounced them with Wild Plum and Cranberry Adirondack Alcohol Inks and hot-fixed Swarovski crystals.

A number of Waltzingmouse Stamps (the frame, the sentiment, and an isolated part of the Victorian Frippery Border for the corner motifs) complete the card.

31 Years of Wedded Bliss

2010-08-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here's the card I gave my DH this a.m.

The quote inside (not shown) is a Quietfire sentiment: The secret to happiness is a good sense of humour and a bad memory. I think it is appropos!

WMSC8 & August Christmas Challenge

2010-08-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know where the time goes but I am sad that I cannot take part in more of the weekly Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenges. Here is my very loose response to the eighth of these challenges:

You might have to use your imagination to see how the above has anything to do with this sketch:

This card is one of six that I made this week for Sylvia's Christmas Card Challenge for the month of August. My husband wants to know who this person is that has replaced his wife, who normally is frantically stamping Christmas cards between Christmas and New Year's to mail belatedly.

Why not get a jump on your holiday cards and play along and then post to Sylvia's blog here?

WMS July Waltz

2010-07-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is that time again, the monthly waltz around the blogosphere with Waltzingmouse Stamps fans. The theme this month is blue and green. I let the paper do the work for me this time and opted for something pretty simple.

I added a little royal purple cardstock to go with the Versafine Imperial Purple Ink that I used to stamp the image and sentiment. Six kiwi green Swarovski crystals set off the Spellbinders Fancy Tag die cut.

I am always trying to capture the sparkle of those gems on camera! To find out more about the blog waltz and where to find all the amazing posts by other WMS fans, (and a chance to win a prize!) please visit the WMS blog post that reveals all!

Christmas Angels

2010-07-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

Once again I am participating in Sylvia's Christmas Card Challenge and this month the theme is angels. These two vintage cuties are from an umounted stamp sheet I bought many years ago from Lazarwerx Studios. I stamped them on glossy cardstock in brown archival ink to keep the image outline crisp, then watercoloured them in pastel tones to keep the softness (if that makes any sense!).

I made six of these cards with various backgrounds. The sentiment is from A Muse Stamps and the Spellbinders Fancy Tag is lightly bowed in the middle to give a bit of dimension. The postal mark is an old Rubber Stampede stamp. The peanut gallery (my DH) thought the angels should have been mounted straight on, but I like my angels on angle!

Black Magic With a White Twist Technique

2010-07-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes cards take a long time to come together. I try to make cards with the recipient in mind, and sometimes that is tough. When learning a new technique, that can take awhile, too. Recently I came across this technique tutorial on Karen Barber's blog, Black Magic With a White Twist, and tried my hand at it. Please go look at Karen's beautiful work - mine is not representative (yet)!

I tried three different stamps with this technique, which is stamping with white pigment ink on dark cardstock and then colouring over top with pencil crayons. Karen's twist is to add little white pin dots to the design with a gel pen.

I think I overdid the dots on that last one! That flourish looks like it has a case of measles. I have only managed to make one of the samples into a card:

I am enjoying this technique and want to try it with other stamps. Karen's blog is full of inspiring samples and I hope practice makes perfect! Stamps: Scene - Stampin' Up!, Sentiment and frame - Waltzingmouse Stamps. Accessories: Spellbinders Labels Ten; White Versamagic Pigment Ink; Prismacolours.

Flat Cards

2010-07-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is a flat card. Canada Post has gotten very sticky about what we mail in plain card envelopes these days. No lumps or bumps allowed. My predilection for Swarovski crystals, pop dot layers and ribbons means most of my cards must be swaddled in bubble wrap and sent parcel post to pass the eagle eye of the postmaster!

This top-fold card is just the white base and two layers. The Spellbinders Labels Ten die cut is stamped with a frame and sentiment from Waltzingmouse Stamps in red dye ink. I traced around the metal die with an Exacto knife to get a deep red mat that is just an eighth inch or so bigger than the stamped white die cut. The corner flourishes are also from Waltzingmouse. It is extremely simple and yet, somehow, I quite like it. I am not a "clean and simple" type card maker - so this is a surprise to me.

This card (below) is also flat, but I did not have to mail it anywhere. It was a Father's Day card for my husband that I made in a Burnished Velvet class with Deanna and Haroldine recently.

All the little white bits you see in the tie are actually reflections of light off the glitter. The gold-embossed sentiment is from the Words of Wisdom stamp set from Waltzingmouse. I thought it worked well with this tie (although I keep thinking of Rodney Dangerfield for some reason).

I have one more flat card to show you, which I started in my Burnished Velvet class and finished at home. It is a Going Away card for a colleague at work. The word was created by die cutting letters out of cardstock that had double sided tape on both sides. Then I stuck the letters down on the card, removed the top liner, and loaded on the glitter. Burnished this with my finger to adhere it all well, and to bring up the shine. I am enjoying this technique very much.

Poinsettias For Christmas

2010-06-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sylvia in Edmonton has a monthly Christmas Card Challenge and the theme for June is poinsettias. I don't have a green thumb, which apparently extends to card making! I have bits and pieces to make about six cards, but in the end have only managed to get two finished, and today is the last day of June, so it's time to post!

The first card is made with an old Magenta stamp. I created a Burnished Velvet background with fuchsia glitter, and use metallic gel pens to colour in the borders.

Here is a close up (you can click on it to enlarge):

I prefer this second card, made with a stamper in mind. The flowers in the border were painted with Twinkling H2Os.

I created a Burnished Velvet border around the frame by laying down strips of 1/4 inch double sided tape and covering with glitter. Tapped and brushed off the excess, then burnished the glitter with my finger to adhere it well and bring up the sparkle.

Burnished Velvet

2010-06-26T22:54:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a few classes at my local stamp store, Stampers!, to get better at the Burnished Velvet Technique. This is a technique that involves strong double-sided tape, and GitterRitz micro-fine glitters. After the glitter is rubbed into the tape, it feels soft like velvet and sparkles like crazy; two features which you won't be able to discern due to the limits of scanners and computer screens!

A close-up of the glitteriness:

For this card, the tape was exposed and then masks were laid down and selectively removed to colour in the flowers and leaves.

For the card above, I used a die set from Cuttlebug to create the tape base from a sheet of double-sided tape. Various parts of the tape liner were peeled away to apply the green and navy glitters.

The instructors, Deanna and Haroldine, are an example of women entrepreneurs who love what they do and have found two are better than one: Deanna is the glitter gal and Haroldine is the tape lady. When the two of them combined forces, Burnished Velvet was born.

WMS Sketch Challenge #4

2010-06-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

Oooh, my, I am waaaay behind these days. I have been traveling for work and too bagged since coming home to do too much. I am also without a camera right now, so anything I share has to be flat so the scanner can handle it.

So I missed the Waltzingmouse Sketches the past few weeks, but managed to put together a flat card for today's sketch, which is:

Here is my card, which unfortunately didn't scan well. The Spellbinders Pendant is all glitter - Bronze GlitterRitz in the Burnished Velvet technique. It sparkles in real life. Some other colours to coordinate were also used.

Here is an angle shot that might show the glittery aspect better:

The sentiment is a Waltzingmouse Stamp. Thanks for looking. Some more flat cards will be coming shortly!

Waltzingmouse Stamps Challenge #1

2010-06-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Mouse has started a weekly challenge blog, with a new challenge to be uploaded each Saturday. This is perfect for me - a mostly weekend stamper! This week we are to try our hand at creating a card that reflects this sketch:

Here's my go:

I used a number of Waltzingmouse Stamps on this card: the circle, the sentiment, and the background leaves. The maroon DP is actually digital paper from WMS, too. To get the closely nested scalloped squares, I first die cut the green one with the largest die in the Classic Scalloped Squares Small set of Nestabilities. Then, using an Exacto knife, I cut around the outside of the die on the digi paper to get a slightly larger border. I created the brad button with an I-top brad maker and set it on a die cut embellishment from the Cuttlebug Harlequin set. The tone-on-tone background was stamped with Antique Linen Distress Ink, and Adirondack Cranberry Ink was used for the sentiment.

I adore Swarovski rhinestones. They have a reflective quality that is unmatched in embellishments. They are a bit pricey, and I have only found them at Michael's. When I have a 40 or 50% off coupon, this is more than likely what I use it for. It's hard to catch the effect on camera, though.

Why not join us over at the Waltzingmouse Challenge Blog and see the wonderful cards the Design Team made for the first sketch, and all those uploaded by others. You don't have to use WMS stamps to play along, and there are random prizes to be awarded, too. Click on the blinkie at the right hand side of my blog to visit there now.

Red, Kraft, Cream and Chocolate

2010-05-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to participate in Tracy's Holiday Challenge and made the requisite five Christmas cards, plus managed a couple of bonus gift card holders, using an interesting colour scheme of red, kraft, cream and chocolate.

Here are the five:

This challenge is great because I bought this Hero Arts stamp on sale at the end of January and I don't have to wait until next December to use it. I stamped the main image on white glossy in Stazon Timber Brown, then warmed up the colour to cream by brayering Antique Linen Distress Ink overtop. Cranberry Memories ink set the text apart.

The bottom border is a Waltzingmouse stamp. I added some bronze glitter to the swirls in the main image, but am not sure they show up (you can always click on any photo to see it larger):

And here are the gift card holders, which I made from a template by Claire Brennan that is available on Splitcoaststampers:

I hope I can play in Tracy's challenge again next month. Wonder what she'll come up with for June?

Caged Bird

2010-05-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Tim Holtz has gotten into the die designing business, and this caged bird is one of his new Sizzix steel dies. I had no trouble using it in my Cuttlebug.

I tried something new - I affixed the cage die to a background panel with a few bits of tape and then ran both through the Cuttlebug machine together to emboss. This almost makes the cage look like it is embedded in the background. The embossing continues seamlessly from the cage on to the background (see below). I highlighted the embossed design with glitter pens. The bird was die cut from some recycled packaging from a set of Waltzingmouse Stamps, which included the sentiment stamp (Fancy Phrases). A Spellbinders Fancy Tag die cut holds the sentiment and a bit of stencilling with Distress Inks highlights it. By keeping the inner portion of the cage die unattached, I was able to set the bird inside. Sheer ribbon is the small crowning glory.

I quite like the colours of the various elements I used - the muted coral and yellow-green work well with the little plaid bird. I want to try this again using a light weight paper for the die, like tissue paper or rice paper; I think that would embed even more into the background. I can imagine this with flower die cuts scattered across a background. Thanks for taking a look!

Hurrah!

2010-05-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

This is a little shabby vintage card celebrating a young woman who is moving out into her own digs for the first time. I antiqued it with distress inks. The house and sentiment are from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

I like how the text peeks out as a border. The papers I used are October Afternoon's Thrift Shop. The Martha Stewart aqua twill tape was in my stash.

The I-top brad maker enabled me to make a coordinating brad center for the flower.

Polka Dot Mojo

2010-05-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

Over at The Shabby Tea Room, they are having a tea party. This is my submission, based on their inspiration photo. I am wondering why these dots are called "Polka" dots. I am not sure if there is a connection to that style of dance. Hmmmm.

All the stamps are from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The card is based on this week's Mojo Monday sketch #140. Here's a closer look at it:

It's hard to tell, but that is metallic gold ink around the rim of the cup. In Real Life it shines. Hmmmm. The Tea Bag gusseted gift bag (below) is an amazing template that Claire Brennan at Waltzingmouse Stamps has made available free on her blog. If you click on that link, you need to scroll ALLLLLL the way to the end of that really long post to get to the template file. I made a matching tea bag with little tag to round out the set.

Well, all this talk of tea is making me yearn for a cuppa. Thanks for stopping by!

Waltzingmouse Blog Waltz - May

2010-05-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Today is the day! For the May 17, 2010 Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz, that is. Our theme is Birthdays, and WMS just celebrated its first birthday, so that's appropriate. Here's my square aperture card:

I was happy to use the Fancy Phrases stamp set that fits so nicely in the Spellbinders Fancy Tags dies. I created the plaid background using stamps from the Pic-Nic Patterns stamp set combined with a long line stamp I found on the Very Vintage Christmas stamp set. At first it didn't look like much but I just kept adding rows and turning the paper and next thing I knew, I was looking at plaid! The tea cup and pansies came from the Afternoon Tea Sentiments stamp set. I coloured them with Prismacolour pencils and then glaze pens.

Thanks for visiting. If you want to see more from other dance partners in the waltz, please visit Claire's blog for details.

Distress Inks BLENDING FOAM Storage Solution

2010-05-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

I really like Ranger's / Tim Holtz's Distress Inks. I have quite a collection now, and they reside on a Lazy Susan right on my work table. I stack them upside down and I have labeled the sides of the ink pads and grouped them into colour families. I reach for them all the time.

One of the great ways to use these inks is with an Inkssentials Blending Tool and Foam. This is a wood-handled mount with a piece of rough velcro attached to the base. (I staple-gunned the velcro in place so it will never come off.)

A piece of blending foam attaches to this base to pick up and apply ink. I recently acquired a rectangle of foam for each of the ink pad colours I have, but I only own three wood handles. I devised a system to store the foam pads so that I would know which ink colour they are for. I had a plexiglas upright document stand that was gathering dust (remember these from typing class?). I put strips of adhesive velcro (the rough part, like on the base of the blending tools) across the holder in rows, then attached the foam pads and labelled their locations. You can see the stand, and a closeup with the tools sitting on the document holder shelf, below.

I can now peel off the pad I want, use it and put it back. Easy peasey lemon squeezey!

If you are new to these inks, please check out this series of amazing videos on YouTube that Jennifer McGuire did:

Intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zRk1zYwVLw&feature=channel
Week 1 Part 1 Distress Inks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjXNnOTAYFA&feature=channel
Week 1 Part 2 Distress Inks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQKR5xHgCJY&feature=channel
Week 1 Part 3 Distress Inks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU1OYfYDuik

Two Different Wedding Cards

2010-05-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Mar came for a visit and requested two wedding cards from my studio. I asked her what style: vintage? elegant? country? etc. As I did not know the recipients, she needed to provide some guidance. She decided on elegant for one (above) and country for the other (below). Like most stampers, I like a challenge, but for an elegant wedding card, I was a bit stymied. My selection of overtly wedding-themed stamps is a bit skint, so I went to one of my favourite inspirational cardmaker blogs, Sharon Johnson's No Time To Stamp and browsed for something I could manage. I ended up CASEing her beautiful card here. So thanks, Sharon! Cuttlebug pressure embossing and pearly thermal embossing meet with a Nestabilities layered heart and some sheer ribbon. The word "Love" is the first word in a Stampington & Company Scandal sentiment stamp. It is good to use just part of a stamp sometimes!

I don't have much in the way of "country" style stamps, so when I saw this Memory Box nesting birds stamp in my local stamp store I decided it would work. It's not too country cute, so I think I can get a fair bit of use out of it. I got the pre-printed ribbon at the same store. Just a little watercolouring and some blue Swarovski crystals seemed to be enough.

MOJO Monday 137

2010-05-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

It's another Mojo Monday. Here is the Mojo Monday Sketch 137 that we were challenged with:

Today I am meeting two challenges. Mojo Monday, and also Sylvia's Christmas Card Challenge for May, which was to use a candle. Yes, I am feeling pretty clever! :-)

I used glaze pens and glitter pens on the candle image, but it does not show up in the photo. The candle is a Stamp Barn image and the "Joy" is from Waltzingmouse. Swarovski crystals finish it off.

Waltzingmouse Turns One!

2010-04-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

EDITED TO ADD: I reveal how many stamps I used and the sets they are from below.

Over here on the Waltzingmouse Blog, Claire's newest baby, her stamp company, is having a First Birthday Party and she issued a card contest sketch challenge. Here's the sketch:

And here is my entry:

I tried to use as many WMS stamps as possible on this card, and also used the backing cardstock that Claire packs her stamps in. Can you guess how many WMS stamps I used? (Click on the pic to enlarge.)

I used 7 stamps from 5 different sets. Claire is issuing 8 new stamp sets on May 1. How exciting!

Mojo Monday 136 Vintage

2010-04-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

There is a wildly popular blog that posts a sketch challenge each Monday, called Mojo Monday. This is my first time playing along. MOJO136 provided a choice of round or square formats. I say it's hip to be square!

The papers are K&Company, the millinery ribbon is olive shot with gold, the lady is from Oxford Impression's The Art of Being Beautiful plate, and the frame around her and the sentiment are from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I used Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles and Scalloped Circles to cut out this framed beauty. I distressed the scalloped border and torn paper strip with Barn Door Distress Ink.

I found it quite challenging to follow a sketch, but it is good to be challenged sometimes! Thanks for stopping by to see.

New home

2010-04-25T00:14:00.000-07:00

This is a card for my aunt and uncle who have just moved into a new home. The stamps are Technique Tuesday and the ink is Memento Rose Bud. I discovered the frame for the little house stamp was just the right size to border an opening made by a Spellbinders label die. The Fancy Tag die I used at the base behind the sentiment was too small to stamp the word "home" on, so I layered the word on another piece of cardstock, then split the tag apart underneath to stretch it out. My favourite Swarovski crystals finish it off.

Nativity

2010-04-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

Sylvia has a Christmas Card Challenge on her blog. Her list of monthly themes is here and this month the theme is Nativity. I haven't managed to make Christmas cards in Jan, Feb or March, but did get one done for April. Hopefully I will be a better challenge player in future!

I only have the one nativity stamp (unknown brand), sort of a cartoon style. Really not my thing but I decided to go with it anyways. The strips of glittered tape border a SU! sentiment that is embossed with purple tinsel.