Blackberry Cordial

Happy Birthday Waltzing Mouse

2011-05-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

Waltzing Mouse Stamps is turning two! And hosting a birthday tea party! I stepped out of my norm and created something very girly from the tea bag baggie template.

This is for my niece, who is just turning 8 and will be baptized next week. Luckily I was able to get a photo yesterday afternoon, because today we have snow on the ground. I can't wait until spring is really here!

WMS sets: Rescue Remedies, Musical Backgrounds, Midnight Feast and Free Spirit Boy Additions.

Paper: PTI kraft; SU: Almost Amythest, Mellow Moss and Very Vanilla.
Ink: PTI Fresh Snow, SU: So Saffron, Mellow Moss and Elegant Eggplant
Flower cut from my Silhouette and inked with so saffron, SU brad in center.

PTI Make it Monday #3

2011-02-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

This week's Make it Monday challenge from PTI is to use score tape and glitter. Glitter is so rarely used in this house! Luckily a friend's little girl is celebrating her birthday this week! I pulled out my PTI Cupcake Collection and Polka Dot Basics. I am trying to go through my stash of old SU! colors, so I used some Rose Red and Regal Rose paper and ink. It's certainly pink and girly!

WMS Sketch Challenge #35

2011-02-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

It was so much fun creating a shaped card this go-around! I pulled out my WMS Free Spirit Boy and Additions and the silver embossing powder. My base paper is a metallic silver, just kind of hard to tell. Unfortunately, buttons were deemed un-manley by my 5 year old, so I used staples and just a bit of ribbon to tie it all together!

Wish Big

2011-02-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

Today's challenge on PTI: incorporate something BIG!

I pulled together one of my favorite color combos, Aqua Mist, Orange Zest and a SU color, Close to Cocoa.
Using BB Retro I stamped a funky orange semi-plaid on white cardstock and cut my accent strip and punched my star. Added a fun sentiment from Star Prints, and a wee Aqua Mist Button. I just measured around my punched star 1/2 " on all sides and free handed a bigger one. Crumpled it up to create some dimension.

PTI Buttons

2011-02-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Today's challenge: create a project with buttons.

I have been slowly recovering our sofa pillows. Today's challenge at PTI was to use buttons, so I did... a lot of them. These are PTI's Pure Poppy vintage buttons. There are so many shapes, sizes and styles. It was fun to put a pop of color and texture on this pillow cover!

PTI Color Challenge 2

2011-02-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

Here's another color challenge card. I am trying to keep things CAS, but not boring. I hope the dark chocolate stitching added a little dimension! The color collection for this card was melon berry, terracotta tile, kraft and dark chocolate. I used the Cupcake Collection candles and sentiment.

PTI Color Challenge

2011-02-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a card I created for today's color challenge at PTI. Color combo used was pure poppy, spring rain, kraft and vintage cream. I used my neglected Star Prints set to make my 10 year old son a non-girly valentine. Added a little twine and a spring rain button to my star stamped in pure poppy on vintage cream paper. I drew the red frame with a marker.

PTI Favorite of 2010

2011-02-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

Nichole Heady has issued a challenge: go through all your PTI projects of 2010 and pick your favorite.

This card that I created for Allen has got to be the one. I needed to give him a little something on his last basketball game of the season to tell him how proud we were of his improvement in the game and what an excellent sportsman he had been. I pulled out my clear embossing powder and my PTI Allstar Team and Additions stamp set and got to work.

The background was stamped on Aqua Mist cardstock, clear embossed and then smudged with Smokey Shadow ink. The ink was wiped off the embossing for this fantastic grunge look. Same process with the sentiment, only it was stamped on SU pumpkin pie paper, embossed and inked. I punched out the sentiment with my star punch and added an additional pumpkin star behind to help set it off. My small strip of aqua mist was stamped with the star image with smokey shadow ink. This was matted on a piece of pumpkin pie trimmed with pinking shears. All mounted on Smokey Shadow cardstock.

WMS Tag Challenge

2010-11-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

I love WaltzingMouse stamps, and have been working on tags for her Christmas tag challenge. This has been extremely tricky, because I have none of her Christmas stamps or images! I used Free Spirit Boy to make this cute candy cane stripe, and then stamped the image and To/From from Rescue Remedies. A scored and folded 2" circle finished off the little details for me this time. This will be perfect on a small jar of peppermint sticks! Now let's see what else I can come up with!

Happy Birthday

2010-07-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

I really needed to make up a quick birthday card. But, didn't have the time or ambition to create something original. WMS sketch challenge was perfect for this week. Saw Mona's card and imitated it. Used WMS Labels 1, PTI Round and Round and Text Style II background. Papers are Always Artichoke and Almost Amethyst from SU. Cream is generic. Also used Artichoke, Eggplant, Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel ink. Ribbon is all from my stash, and probably all purchased at Wal-Mart.

June WMS Blog Waltz

2010-06-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

Today is the day of the June Waltzing Mouse blog waltz! This is my first time participating, and for the life of me I can't get the badge to display. Will anyone give me a pointer on how to get it on here? Thanks!!

The theme this month is boys! And am I ever surrounded by boys! Here's a quick card I made up using Free Spirit Boy and Free Spirit Additions. My son thought this would be the perfect card for him to use for a friend's birthday.

I pulled some textured cardstock from my stash, tore the edges and then gradually sanded more and more with each layer to let the white core show through. Also pulled in PTI Aqua mist for my skyline and surfboard. The other board is stamped with SU Pumpkin Pie.

SA05 Inspiration Challenge

2010-03-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at Stamping Around was tricky for me. All I kept seeing were flowers, purple and yellow. I think I have 2 flower stamp sets in my entire collection, and I used one of them last week! Here is what I finally came up with:

I wanted to keep the flower in focus, but also pull in the plaid background from the photo. All papers were from my stash, the pattern is from DCWV. Thank you was stamped with SU short and sweet.

Captain Rex

2010-03-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

All my boys LOVE legos (including hubby). And they love Star Wars. So, what happens when boy #2 decides that for his birthday he needs a lego Captain Rex birthday cake?... Mom has to get creatively awesome!

#2 was thrilled to have the "coolest cake ever Mom!!!"

I simply googled "captain rex lego" and found an image, then with ruler, pencil and a huge eraser, sketched an outline pattern. I baked my cake, put on a thin crumb frosting and then the blue base frosting and put it in the freezer. When it was frozen solid I placed my outline on the cake and with a sterilized quilting pin, pricked little holes through the paper into the frosting all along my lines. This created just enough guideline on the cake so I was able to then outline and fill in (using pastry bags and a small round tip) with my buttercream colors.

Daisy Days

2010-03-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

Claire Brennan has created some of the most wonderful stamps out on the market. Unfortunately, I am not the proud owner of any... yet. I just had to give this challenge a try, not only for the chance at getting my hands on some Waltzingmouse stamps, but to challenge myself to use some colors that I normally do not use... especially the sugar pink.

I kept my card very simple, because I am trying to learn to use white space effectively.

Ink: PTI fresh snow, SU so saffron, mellow moss and regal rose
Paper: PTI kraft and SU so saffron.
Stamps: SU Definitely Decorative Daisy, PTI Damask Designs

Sensors, Bolts and Gears

2010-03-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

I have so much fun creating with Lauren Meader's templates! Unless I am making something specifically for me, girly things just don't fly in my testosterone-filled household. So, I create a lot of boy-geared projects. My four year old has claimed this one already! I had intended it for a gift card holder for an upcoming birthday party.... I guess I'll have to make another.

This little robot uses the In a Pinch template. I printed it out on SU Ballet Blue paper, and all his gears were created with Gable Green. I used various circle punches for all his gears and circuts. A little wire on the front and top finished him off!

Lucky

2010-03-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

Little shadow box cards are so much fun to make. I love creating them for more of a little seasonal decoration. This grouping came together so quickly for St. Patrick's Day! Plan on seeing more of these as the year progresses.

Patterned paper is from DCWV. White, and black and yellow cardstock are from my stash, from no particular company. I stamped the letters with Stampin' Up's Big Deal Alphabet and embossed them with silver pearl ep from CTMH. Used my distressing tool on the edges of the squares, and put dimensionals between all layers.

Origami Boat!

2010-02-12T14:17:00.000-08:00

Papertrey Ink is one of my favorite stamp companies. This month they are celebrating their 3rd anniversary, and hosting some fantastic challenges! Today's challenge: create a project spotlighting origami! I modified the Perfect Matchbox template and made this cute little boat for the top. I can give this as a valentine to one of my boys without being accused of making it girly!

All papers used are from Stampin Up.

Messenger Bag

2010-02-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

I am crafty. This statement sums it up.

My new messenger bag.

Nice large back pocket, twin front pockets, top zipper closure, and inside, a little hidden zipper pocket. I love it!
It can easily hold 12x12 scrapbook pages to take to a crop night.

I had a lot of help from this tutorial, but changed the dimensions to fit what I needed.
Outer dimensions are 15 1/2" wide, 13" tall and 3" wide.