Raise the Bar Has the Blues

No, the bartenders are not depressed - lol! We are having a blue and white challenge with a fabulous sponsor this week: By Lori Designs!  Isn't this little Candy Cane Jane digi by Lori Boyd just too cute?!  I colored her with Copics, fussy cut then popped with foam dots.  Her ear muffs have Polar White Flower Soft added.  This card is also for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge with the layout designed by Iwona Palamountain.

So...here's hoping you will join us in this cool, crisp wintry color challenge and enter for a chance to win a $5 GC to By Lori Designs!  Check out the other great cards by our design team and our guest designers HERE.

STAMPS: Candy Cane Jane digi (By Lori Designs),  Vintage Ornaments (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
PAPER: Tempting Turquoise, White, X-Press It Blending Card, SU Patterns Stack Brights Collection
INK: Tempting Turquoise, Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Ornament Nesties by SB, Snowflake 5x7 EF, Brads, SU snowflake punch, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Silver cording.
COPICS: Hair-Y11, Y26, Y28, Y32
                Clothing - BG000, BG01, BG02, BG05, BG07
                Skin - E000, E00, R20, BV02
                Boots - N1, N2

JOY

A quick post here with a card for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.  I gold embossed the ornament stamp then popped the sentiment and added a small layered poinsettia using the SB poinsettia dies (edges were sponged using Riding Hood Red ink).

STAMPS:  "Vintage Ornaments" by Waltzingmouse Stamps
PAPER: Bo Bunny "Father Christmas Collection", White, Metallic gold
INK: Versamark, Riding Hood Red
ACCESSORIES: Diamond EF, Gold EP, Gold Cord, Retro Squares border Die-Namics by MFT, Fern punch by MS, Gold glitter dot, Pennant trim die by Verve, Corner rounder, Oval Nestie, Poinsettia dies by SB.

Chill Out

Today's CAS Challenge on SCS is to use the inspiration phrase "Chill Out" and I not only created a winter scene, but brought the 20-something degrees of chilly weather along as well! I omitted the snowflake for the CAS entry, but added it later for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge which was perfect for a longer 3 1/2 x 6" card. Some coloring with Copics and lots of added glitter made this a quick and easy card to complete!

Here's what else I used:
STAMPS: Christmas Cottage (Waltzingmouse)
PAPER: Season's Greetings (Echo Park), PTI White
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black
ACCESSORIES: EK Success snowflake punch, Vintage floral border punch by Martha, Crystal fine & crystal coarse glitters by Martha, Brad by Echo Park, Copics.

Thanks

...to Claire for her generous offer to give away a free set for a lucky participant of the weekly Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge! My name was drawn several weeks ago, and I chose this Say it Loud set that has an endless variety of possible sentiment combinations. Kelly has another great sketch for us...very CAS but can be dressed up or down. I kept my card simple, so I wouldn't cover up these beautiful new papers from MME's Six by Six collection called Paris & Co. The decorative edge was made using Tim Holtz' Ornate die - once cut using Chocolate Chip and again cut using the dotted swiss DP. I am so sad that my supply of these vanilla rosettes by SU is nearing the end! They are no longer in the catalog and my search online was a dead end. If anyone knows where I can buy more of these satin roses, please let me know! Thanks for stopping by and commenting...I always love to hear from you!

Bridal Shower Invitation

I loved the colors for the CR84FN challenge as seen in the inspiration picture here. I was also intrigued by the unique sketch by Kelly Schirmer for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge and decided to go with a bridal shower invitation theme. LOVE paper piecing this beautiful gown image! The tag with the party information can be removed from the pocket created by the crisscrossed panels.
Here's what I used:
STAMPS: You're Lovely (Waltzingmouse Stamps), Brides & Babies (retired SU)
PAPER: Lilac Avenue Collection (Kaisercraft), Latte Matstack (DCWV), Plum Pudding (PTI), Going Gray (SU), White
INK: Elegant Eggplant, Going Gray, Black
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Adhesive pearls, Rhinestones, Decorative scissors (SU).

Fabulous Gown

I was thrilled to see this set in Claire's last Waltzingmouse stamp release, as it took me back to grade school days when I used to play with my best friend playing paper dolls! We would design all kinds of outfits and entertain ourselves for hours! The photo may not show up too well, but I used a piece of tulle and gathered it slightly over the skirt portion. I adhered it with score tape under the bodice and also made a couple of lines of 2-way glue down the skirt area to hold the folds. The bodice was paper pieced. I flipped the sketch to accommodate this image and moved the placement of the sentiment. Hop on over to see what the talented WM design team cooked up for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge! I look forward to using this set for more "girly" creations! :-)

STAMPS: You're Lovely (Waltzingmouse Stamps), Small Phrases (Verve)
PAPER: 5th Avenue by Melissa Frances, Black, White
INK: Versafine Onyx Black, Baja Breeze
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon trim (? source), Tiny tag die by PTI, Tiny flower punch from the dollar bin at Michael's, Adhesive bling, Tulle, Large dotted EF.

Waltzingmouse Birthday

((Scroll on down for my For Your Inspiration challenge card!))

After getting some new Waltzingmouse stamps in the mail today, I just couldn't resist playing along with the Sketch Challenge this week...a great, simple layout by fellow Paper Doll, Julia Aston! I paper pieced the cake and added a couple of tiny primas and some punched leaves. The 4" square base was embossed using a Victorian EF by CB. So fun and quick to create...a perfect little birthday card to tuck in with a gift! This is also for Hannah's fun WT Challenge to use metal on a card...those 2 tiny brads are metal, so I'm thinking this qualifies for that as well!

STAMPS: Waltzingmouse Stamps
PAPER: Odds & Ends Mini Deck by Cosmo Cricket
INK: Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Victorian EF, Wonky Rectangle Nestie, Kaiser pearls, Primas, Brads, Frond punch by MS.

CAS Thank You

This was a quick card made for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. I've had these felt button flowers for awhile and never used them. The sentiment was stamped, punched & layered over a Labels Four Nestie.
STAMPS: Very Vintage Labels No. 4 (WMS), Faithful Phrases (Verve)
PAPER: Melody DP by Prima, White
INK: Versafine Onyx Black, Antique Linen distress ink by Tim Holtz
ACCESSORIES: Webster's Pages trim, Felt button flowers (? source), Baker's twine, Labels Four Nestie, Rhinestones, Spiral border punch, Distressing tool.

Spring Gifts

This is card is for 3 different challenges:
Technique Lover's Challenge - create paper buttons
CAS119 on SCS - be inspired by the word "GIFT"
Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge - a CAS sketch by my Paper Doll friend, Edna Morrisedie. Edited for mistake...didn't use any rodent stamps, so this one is disqualified!
So...I'm hoping Edna won't gong me for adding a long oval to the sketch. I popped it on foam dots, so I'll just call it an embellishment - lol! I've always loved this old set from SU with the spring flowers and then the sentiment was a perfect fit for the "gift" theme. The faux button was my second attempt (had WAY too much Crystal Effects piled on the first one...got impatient and messed it up because it wasn't completely dry). I do like the fact that you can custom make a paper button to match any color...BUT...patience is a big must! I punched 5 hearts and glued them together, sanded the edges, applied CE to give it shine, punched holes and threaded it with some baker's twine. The lace border was stamped using Versafine Black Onyx ink...my fave ink...unless I'm coloring with Copics. Then I use Memento Tuxedo Black.
STAMPS: Stella & Rose Hattie "Remember" Stamps by My Mind's Eye (lace border); The Gifts of Spring (SU).
PAPER: Stella & Rose Hazel "Mother" Meadow DP by MME, Neenah Solar White
ACCESSORIES: Corner Chomper, Mega Ovals Large Nesties, Triple hearts punch by SU, Baker's twine, Copics.
Flood watch is on for the large amount of rain that has hit our area today...and it's still coming down! Hope everyone stays safe!

TGIF

Yay! It's Friday and I'm off the w/e! Just wanted to remind you of the new FYI (For Your Inspiration) challenge...we'd love to have you check out the inspiration picture and play along! Check it out HERE! The card I'm posting is for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge and for the Free 4 All Challenge on SCS which calls for adding interesting edge details. I went back to my stamping roots for this one. Remember the time before Nesties and the era of the decorative scissors? The deckle edge was my fave scissors, so I got it out and trimmed all the layers with it. I then slid the edges along my Versamark ink pad and used gold EP to heat emboss the edges. I also embossed the sentiment. Some primas and a touch of bling and this was a quick and easy card!
STAMPS: Well Scripted (SU)
PAPER: Neenah Solar White
INK: Versamark
ACCESSORIES: Fine gold EP, Primas, Adhesive pearls, Foam dots

Look Out World!

It's been a couple of busy days without stamping, so had to whip out a card to prevent withdrawal symptoms - lol! This card uses Claire's CAS sketch for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge and the colors are from the Color Throwdown Challenge to use Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze & Pink Pirouette. I thought these papers from Tim Holtz's Vintage Shabby paper stack worked well. The stars were punched from Not Quite Navy CS then star eyelets were added. I'm looking forward to a day trip tomorrow with Va.Sunshine! Scrapdoodles and Hobby Lobby...here we come!
STAMPS: To the Moon (Verve)
INK: Not Quite Navy
ACCESSORIES: Small star punch (SU), Star eyelets, CB tag die, Ribbon, Twine

Teapot Tuesday

The teapotters are headed to the A-Card-a-Me Awards on the 27th and we're vying for the best of the best in fancy garb or...if the critics so deem...the worst of the worst! You can check out the details HERE. Betty posted the perfect hat colors for the Color Challenge: Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Neutrals of choice w/dessert option to use hardware. I found a google image and printed it, traced it for the card shape and had a blast decorating it! The polka dots are to honor Mothermark - they're her fave! This week's destination is Lauren...a young actress who has to put her career on hold while she faces some tough medical issues. Hat's off to Lauren! This card is also being entered into Claire's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. She has a star-shaped card for the inspiration, but I'm using the hat shape instead.

PAPER: Rose Red, Always Artichoke, White, The Thrift Shop (October Afternoon)
ACCESSORIES: Primas, Sheer ribbon, Stick pin (Mike's), Pearls from Pretties Kit (SU), MS frond punch

Branching Out

Using the layout for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, I also made this for 2 different CAS challenges: SCS CAS Challenge is to use peach parfait, poppy parade, daffodil delight & white. Our Creative Corner Challenge is to use a tree image in CAS style. I stamped the Plain Jane tree image from Verve on 3 different pieces of DP from the Citronella pad by K&Co. It's hard to see, but the paper has lemon slices on one, orange slices on the other and I'm calling the red one my cherry tree - lol! I always like this sentiment for retirement or going away parties and this would work for a masculine card as well.
STAMPS: Verve (tree), Inkadinkadoo (sentiment)
INK: Versafine Onyx Black

Analogous Heart

Love the curvy line in this Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge...a perfect layout to use some new Verve that came in the mail today! The heart is one of Julee's new A Cut Above dies that coordinates with her stamps. I sponged the edges in Blue Bayou ink, added faux stitching using a Tombow marker, stamped the Soft Swirl BG stamp and colored in the green hearts with a Copic marker. Oh...and added some tiny pearls and a prima. A quick CAS card which is also for Our Creative Corner's Challenge to use analogous colors (3 adjacent colors on the color wheel - I used 2 shades of blue and green).
STAMPS: Smallest Things Plain Jane by Verve, Soft Swirls BG by SU
PAPER: Two Scoops (BasicGrey), Blue Bayou (tiny strip above lace), Whisper White
INK: Blue Bayou, Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Verve heart die, Prima, Adhesive pearls, Tombow & Copic markers, Lace

Amazing Grace

The Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge was simple and unique this week. I used DP from MFT and stitched along the edges of the triangle. The dahlia was stamped twice and colored with Copics, then a portion was cut out and layered with foam dots. Some diamond stickles were added to the center. A little seam binding was the finishing touch...simple yet it makes a bold statement. I have a project organized with a local Girl Scout troop helping me paint the youth S.S. room at church this morning. Here's hoping we get more turquoise paint on the walls than on ourselves - lol!
STAMPS: Delightful Dahlia by PTI

Friend Ship

I finally stole a few minutes to ink up this new Verve set called Text Objects. I just love the tiny script that matches the larger, coordinating sentiments! I wanted to paper-piece the cute little ship with some new DP (Tickled Pink by My Mind's Eye). The lacey circle was a die cut from Baja Breeze CS. I used the layout for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge and took the liberty to add a ribbon and hand ruffled it over a strip of Score Tape. I'm trying to get my house in order for company over Christmas, so today was spent cleaning up in my stamp area after a snowy trek to the dentist this forenoon. Hope you are staying warm in your corner of the world!

WOOHOO!!

First I have to give a shout out to my 2 fave college teams who both won today! The VA Tech Hokies beat Miami and the Ohio State Buckeyes beat Iowa! I discovered that I can watch TV programs on channelsurfing.net on my computer while I'm stamping (I don't have a TV in my craft area). Now that I'm done cheering, on to my card which is for 3 different challenges:
Crazy 4 Challenges - add circles
Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge
Our Daily Bread Shining Light Challenge - to make a holiday card
I added another Christmas card to my stash and this one is in very non-traditional colors. I went with SU's Sweet Pea DP with lots of circles and pulled the turquoise, rose red and old olive colors for the layers. Lots of corner chomping, some punching of snowflakes, a Bow Easy bow & a sentiment on a large mega oval and this card was quickly put together.

STAMPS: Peace & Joy (ODBD)

Let it Snow!

I created this card for two different challenges:
Paper Sundaes Challenge - 'Let it Snow' theme
Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge
I kept it simple and punched out 3 ornaments on metallic silver CS. I silver embossed the new Verve snowflake image and cut it out and popped it with dimensionals. Some quick Bow Easy bows finish off this CAS card.
STAMPS: Glad Tidings (Verve)
PAPER: DP from unknown source; Silver metallic CS, White
INK: Versamark
ACCESSORIES: Silver EP, Ornament punch (SU), Ribbon, MS snowflake border punch