Fanatics and Elephants United

The fortnightly Waltzingmouse Fanatics Challenge has rolled around again, and this time the gals are getting sketchy.

To play in this challenge you need to use something from Waltzingmouse Stamps - a stamp, a digital file, a template, etc. Claire has a bunch of freebies on her site so everyone can play even if you have never purchased anything. Deborah's wonderful samples showed some of Claire's digital papers that were cut by hand into the "ray" pattern. Deborah did this fussy cutting to enable her to match up the pattern perfectly across the colour ways. That kind of effort is to be lauded!

Using Deborah's card as inspiration, I created the rays in my Silhouette software and loaded the digital papers into them so my rays are one seamless piece of paper printed on my printer. However, I forgot to work on matching up the patterns.  I think it can be done fairly easily in the software, so need to go back and figure that out.

The digital papers I used (also Waltzingmouse) have a smaller, busier pattern so my slackness hopefully isn't too obvious! I also scanned and traced the label and rooster stamps into my Silhouette program and cut them out with my Cameo.

WMS Stamps: French Country; Papers: Victoriana Papers

Using the same sketch, I created a Valentine's Day card using some Samathan Walker Cuckoo Red Hot digital papers (the pink and white heart patterns) and part of a journalling card from the Echo Park Love Story 2 kit (right side of card). I purchased these paper files from Jessica Sprague's site.  

WMS Stamps: My Heart

Sequins are HOT right now and I have had these for ten or more years so - just like fashion - if you hang on to something long enough it comes around again! I stamped the LOVE and "is all we need" to compliment all the digital papers. Again, the whole design is seamless as I put it all together in my Sihouette Studio software and printed as one whole piece.

Ranger Glossy Accents used to shine the hearts and affix the sequins.

This card works well for the theme of "LOVE" over at The Pink Elephant Monday Challenges' TPE 235 so I am entering it there, too.

Thanks for stopping by today. Now look at the sketch again, whip something up, and head over to the Waltzingmouse Fanatics challenge blog and enter today!

A Little Love

Hello, welcome to my blog today. I recently watched a video by one of those talented stars in the stamping world - Jennifer McGuire. She showed how to get more out of your dies by paper piecing remnants from one die cut into another. I was inspired to give it a go. I used a Memory Box Cherish Border die and cut it out of a number of cardstocks and patterned papers, both white and pink. 

For this card, I inserted patterned papers and then highlighted them with Ranger Glossy Accents. I stamped the Waltzingmouse sentiment, For You, in the lower corner. Clean and simple.

The "love" stamp is an oldie, but goodie, from Stampin' Up! I used patterned paper for the border and glittered the insets.

This last card is a riff on the Burnished Velvet technique. I die cut the border out of cardstock with double-sided Sookwang tape affixed to both front and back. This severely tested my Cuttlebug and I do not recommend it. It gave me the opportunity to easily glitter the border, and the background, and the insets. I then added a couple of hearts (Memory Box (modified) and Spellbinders) and the beautiful calligraphy stamp from Quietfire Design, stamped in StazOn Fucshia Pink. 

By the way, all these cards were made from Memory Box card bases. I get these from my local stamp store, Stampers!, and they are very good quality, with white insides and smooth as silk coloured outsides. Great weight - not flimsy. I like the saturated colours and the convenience of not having to cut and fold my own bases. Thanks for visiting today!

Fanatics with Fabric

The current Waltzingmouse Fanatics Challenge is to use fabric on your card. I chose to use white tulle, which is a slightly stiff net material. All stamps by Waltzingmouse Stamps unless otherwise noted.

Card 6.5 X 5 inches

I stamped a white card base and clear heat-embossed, then rubbed Broken China Distress Ink over all to make the stamping pop. I layered on a swatch of turquoise patterned paper that I "knocked back" with white Picket Fence Distress Paint. A couple of stitched ribbons trimmed the panel.

I adore the pearly hat and stick-pins that Jeanne Jachna sent me a year ago.
I used them with a memo pin from Tim Holtz and a wee stamped tag to embellish the tulle flower.

I die cut (Memory Box) a ticket-shaped piece of pearl cardstock and wrapped a distressed dictionary page around the middle, then stamped and heat embossed sentiments on each end. Six layers of tulle were die cut (Tim Holtz Sizzix Tattered Florals) to provide a focal flower. I placed a piece of the patterned paper behind a clear acrylic button to accent, along with baker's twine.  

Postmark is a Stampington & Co. stamp; above it is a digital 'print and cut' from the Silhouette Online Store.

There is a whole week left to play in this challenge so check it out at the Waltzingmouse Fanatics Challenge blog.

HB2U with Quietfire Design

Here is a birthday card with a number "2" on it for the Seize the Birthday first challenge of 2014. I requested the calligraphy cut file "HB2U" from Suzanne Cannon at Quietfire Design and she obliged! It is now available in the Silhouette Online Store.  I cut it from the same metallic gold cardstock as the scalloped fat oval shape.

The French-themed images are print and cut files from the Silhouette Online Store. They were designed by Valerie Foster and there are a few different files there, so if you like these, poke around the store to see the others. I manipulated them a bit to put sentiments on the "postage stamps" and separated the files from the background mats so I could cut the mats from the same gold metallic cardstock. Look how nice and thin those mats are!

Short and sweet tonight - want to get back to making more cards! Thanks for stopping by.

Waltzingmouse Fanatics Challenge #8 with Mojo

It's the first WFC of 2014 - a colour challenge - and I am barely getting my entry posted in time! Look at that beady little eyeball up there - is he handsome or what? Made me reach for the "My Kind of Guy" stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

I used the Mojo Monday #327 sketch.

Nothing overly complicated here. I popped up the faux buttons (Dienamics die cuts) to give it a little interest.

I hope you can play along, too. I plan to try and be diligent with the Waltzingmouse Fanatics Challenges this year as I have oodles of WMS sets that need more love. Thanks for stopping by!

January Christmas Challenge: Embossing

A fellow Canadian stamper, Sylvia Durocher, has a blog where she posts a challenge each month for Christmas cards. Her January 2014 challenge is embossing. This can be pressure embossing or thermal. I chose thermal.

I was going for a copper theme, and you need to trust me that everything that is sort of orange-brown in these photos is actually copper!

I liked the idea of making a card for Santa. He's always left out, isn't he? All the images, the lantern e-cut file and the woodgrain background are from Waltzingmouse Stamps. 

I stamped and white-embossed the woodgrain on kraft cardstock, then rubbed some white pigment ink into the unembossed sections to tone down the kraft. I really like the effect!

On this angle hopefully you can see the copper colour a bit better.

I used heavy-weight copper Stardreams cardstock for the base, the frame around the words and for the lantern e-cut. After cutting out the lamp with my Silhouette Cameo, I clear embossed the stamp on top and then rubbed some green and black felt pens over top to antique it. The clear-embossed image resisted the ink. The lantern die cut is popped up over a second lantern image stamped on clear acetate. I embossed the white candle and the red radiance. The yellow glow is Copic markers scribbled on the back side of the acetate. Some holly leaves and berries, and a copper Peel-off sticker border for the sentiment, were the final touches. Check out Sylvia's blog for the post about the January 2014 challenge and play along! I am also entering this in the Allsorts Challenge for Week 240 "Free and Easy."