Thursday, December 29, 2011

Miss You

Hi there.

I hope your Christmas was amazing and you have been enjoying your time before the New Year. My mom was admitted to the hospital on Monday, so things have been a little out-of-sorts around here. My parents live just down the street from me, so this is typically an opportunity for us to enjoy a little extra time together. Even though she is improving, it is still really bringing me down. I had a great list of things to accomplish while I was off work and I haven't managed one of them. I hope that things get back to normal before the beginning of the new year so we can start things off right.

I have a little card to share with you today, inspired by this week's Tuesday Trigger on the Moxie Fab World Blog.

I also tapped into inspiration from Maile Belles color blocking with dies post, which seemed perfect for this week's trigger.

The leafy branch and bird images are both from the Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions set from Wplus9. Both were embossed in white onto Crumb Cake cardstock and cut out. The sentiment was typed with an old typewriter that my mom dug out for me. I think the crookedness is part of the charm. Pretty simple - a bit relieved for actually finishing it.. it has been in pieces on my desk for the past few days. I'm hoping the act of finishing this card will help me to get some other things moving as well. If you can't tell, I don't deal well with not knowing what to do with myself - I like tasks and lists and crossing things off. I'm glad you stopped by, I am thinking of you!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Violet, Crumb Cake, River Rock, Blush Blossom, Baja Breeze - Stampin' Up!; White - Papertrey Ink
INK: VersaMark - Tsukineko
OTHER: Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous; Typewriter

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas

My dear, sweet friends - wishing you all a blessed and beautiful Merry Christmas. I hope your day is full of love and laughter and all the wonderful things that come with the season.

Merry Christmas!

Anya

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Quilted Tree

Good morning! Today is a Serendipity Stamps DT challenge day, and today we were challenged to create a simple Christmas card. Thank goodness for that, I think simple is all I've got left in me right now!

I get a great deal of enjoyment out of fussy cutting, and so paper piecing was the way to go for me. It might not be quick, but it is simple. Certainly an easier way for me to add color than coloring!

I paper pieced the Quilted Tree (1252F) image using the Season's Greetings patterned paper collection from Echo Park. I love the colors and patterns in this pack. I feel that images like this one that have a heavy line weight are easier to paper piece, they are a little more forgiving than those with skinny lines.

I matted the image with a strip of punched scallop paper and added another strip of coordinating patterned paper to the card. I finished it off with Stickles on the bottoms of all the branches. Easy peasy!

Before I head out for today, I just want to say thank you to Mary and the other Serendipity Design Team members. This is my last challenge as a part of the DT; after much thought I have decided not to renew my term after this year. I am so grateful for the opportunity Mary has given me and the chance to work with the other DT members. On the upside, the sweet and super talented Jeanne Jachna has joined the DT and I know she will do amazing things with Serendipity's stamps!

Thanks for stopping by today. Please be sure to visit the other Design Team members playing along today to see their take on this challenge!



Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Quilted Tree (1252F) - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; Pear Pizzazz - Stampin' Up!
PATTERNED PAPER: Season's Greetings - Echo Park
INK: Onyx Black VersaFine - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Scalloped Scallop Punch - EK Success; Star Dust Stickles - Ranger Industries

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

C'est La Vie

It has been a while since cardmaking happened in my house, its been a little hectic, you know? So today when I had some things that needed to be finished, I sat down with no mojo. Then I remembered that I had not yet played along with this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge, and I knew that would be the kick I needed.

Here's the color story for this color splash week:

And my card:

I used images from the Wplus9 sets C'est La Vie and Defining Words. I am in love with the bow around the waist of the dress form.

I always feel like such a procrastinator when I wait until the last minute to take on these challenges, but today it worked out perfectly! Have a lovely evening!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: C'est La Vie, Defining Words - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink; Baja Breeze - Stampin' Up!
INK: Baja Breeze, Going Gray - Stampin' Up!; Pumice Stone Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Onyx Black VersaFine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Label Layers 2 Die - Wplus9; Silk Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; BG11 Copic Marker - Imagination International; Houndstooth Felt - New Image Group (Hobby Lobby Stores); Labels Eight - Spellbinders Paper Arts

Monday, December 19, 2011

Happy Holidays

Whew! I am so sorry for neglecting you, my friends, I feel like whirling dervish. Can anyone relate?

How about a quick little card for you today? Not much on this but some die cutting, a quick sentiment, and a million pieces of foam tape, but it packs a fun winter holiday punch.

The snowflake dies are the Die-namics Let it Snowflake dies from MFT. I used the larger two of the set on my pink cardstock and ran it through my die cutting machine until I had the look I wanted. The sentiment is a simple one from the Wplus9 Christmas Wishes set. After the die-cutting and stamping, I spritzed the pink cardstock with some Sprinklers ink from October Afternoon and adhered it to my card base (that's where the million pieces of foam tape came in). Super cute, reminds me of something Cristina would make.

Here is another version - this was actually my first attempt.

The shimmer cardstock was a heavier weight and so a first pass through my die cutting machine didn't cut entirely through the cardstock (plus, my cutting plates are warped - it happens). No worries, I just went with it and do like the deep embossed look this has.

Thankfully, these guys *finally* went out in the mail with the rest of my Christmas cards. You would think being a cardmaker I'd be a bit more together when it came to Christmas cards. I bet you all know exactly what I'm talking about. Next year, I swear I am playing along with the Waltzingmouse monthly Christmas Card Challenge!

Hope your days is great! I promise I'll try and pop back soon!

Anya

Recipe
Happy Holidays Snowflake Card
STAMPS: Christmas Wishes - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Rustic Cream, Sweet Blush - Papertrey Ink
INK: Early Espresso - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Let it Snowflake Die-namics - MFT; Paper Doily Sprinklers - October Afternoon

Merry & Bright Snowflake Card
STAMPS: Christmas Wishes - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Night of Navy - Stampin' Up!; Shimmery White - Papertrey Ink
INK: Night of Navy - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: Let it Snowflake Die-namics - MFT

Thursday, December 15, 2011

WMS is Moxie Fab!

Good morning!

Today Cath Edvalson is featuring Waltzingmouse Stamps for the Stamp of Approval feature on the Moxie Fab World Blog. Yay! Cath has extended the opportunity to win six WMS stamp sets (all of the goodies from the most recent release) to not one, but two lucky people!

I'm here to share some eye candy made with these lovely stamps. Some of my most favorite yet.

This card uses Seasonal Remedies, a holiday follow up to the popular Rescue Remedies.

I just fell in love with this next card.

I'm not sure if its the simple design, the classic colors, or that delicious font but I just love it. If I end up needing a few extra Christmas cards here or there, this baby is going to be it. This uses two of the smallest ornament images from 2011 Holiday Ornaments. I stamped them and then die cut them with the coordinating 2011 Heirloom Ornaments dies from Spellbinders.

And finally, a card for someone special that uses one of my favorite single images from this release - the cluster of candy canes from Candy Jar Christmas Fillers.

This idea was totally inspired by Cathy Weber's Dessert Buffet Placecards where she accented her various images with the holly from Festive Foliage. I loved the look of this and incorporated it onto my card .. this went to my sweet WMS Secret Santa :)

So, enough of my chit chat - rush on over to the Moxie Fab World Blog and enter to win some of these yummies for yourself! Thanks for visiting!

Anya

Recipe
Pure Distilled Christmas Wishes Card
STAMPS: Seasonal Remedies - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Sahara Sand, Riding Hood Red - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Season's Greetings - Echo Park
INK: Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous; Eggshell Seam Binding - Hug Snug; French Pastry Doily Die - Cheery Lynn Designs; Sewing Machine - New Home

Merry Christmas Ornaments Card
STAMPS: Nordic Winter, 2011 Holiday Ornaments - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Pear Pizzazz - Stampin' Up!; Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
INK: So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz - Stampin' Up!; Pebble - Amuse|Studio; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: 2011 Heirloom Ornaments - Spellbinders Paper Arts; Maraschino, Honeydew, Buttercream Baker's Twine - The Twinery

Sweetest Christmas Wishes Card
STAMPS: Candy Jar Christmas, Candy Jar Christmas Fillers, Festive Foliage - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Woodgrain Assortment - Amuse|Studio
INK: Black Onyx VersaFine - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Wild Wasabi - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: R27 Copic - Imagination International; Dazzling Diamonds Glitter - Stampin' Up!; Houndstooth Felt - New Image Group (Hobby Lobby Stores)

Monday, December 12, 2011

Warm Wishes

I'll take some warm wishes - it is freezing here!

Here is a card today based on the ideas that were swirling after seeing this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge and Tuesday Trigger.

Here is what I created. Turned out just like I saw it in my head (love when that happens! :)

I combined the images of the mittens from Winter Wishes with the clothespin and triple string images from Heartfelt Mix. The sentiment was stamped on a die cut from the All Occasion Label Die and then trimmed to use just the top. I like doing this.

The edges were painted with an acrylic paint dabber, which reminded me of the wood floor in the Tuesday Trigger picture. The finished size of this card is 6-3/4 by 3-3/4. Instead of mailing this one, I think I'll tuck it in a little package to a friend.

I hope you all are enjoying the rush of the holidays. I just wish I could get something crossed off my list!

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Winter Wishes, Heartfelt Mix - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink; Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!
INK: Real Red, Cool Caribbean, Lucky Limeade, Pacific Point - Stampin' Up!; Onyx Black VersaFine - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: All Occasion Label Die - Wplus9; Snow Cap Acrylic Pain Dabber - Ranger Industries; Sewing Machine

Friday, December 9, 2011

Talkin' Tags

Happy Friday morning to you! I am excited for the weekend to get underway, tonight I have a hot date with my hubs for dinner and then tickets for A Musical Christmas Carol. We are heading out to get our tree this weekend, and generally Christmasify the house. Its the most wonderful time of the year!

Today I'm talkin' tags. Maybe you've been around before to hear about one of our holiday traditions, but my husband and I celebrate our anniversary on the 15th, and we share a gift a day with each other between then and Christmas. I always create a tag for each of his gifts that eventually is added to our tree. It came about purely because I love creating tags, I love family traditions, and I love my hubs. Wanna see some?

I used the Love Birds set from Wplus9 along with the coordinating Love Birds Die (this is a fantastic die set - must have). You know how much I love birdies, and this just seemed perfect for our anniversary. I also combined some other sets (cloud images from Heartfelt Mix and sentiment from Love You More) to finish the scene.

One of the reasons why I think I love creating tags so much is that they can be as simple or as complicated as you want. You can sit down and easily put together a little work of art.

Here is the second tag I created.

For this one, I started by stamping the tag base with one of the text images from Text It. Then I added some Iced Spruce Distress Ink to the edges and sprayed it with some Mister Huey's Calico Shine. The sentiment is from Say It Loud Winter Holiday and the snowflakes are from Nordic Winter. I stamped them onto scrap and cut them out, inking the edges with Antique Linen and adding some Copic-colored rhinestones to the center.

Here is a better shot of the shimmer and shine.

I set up a little tag station to keep me on task. I inevitably end up creating the night before what I need the next day, and sometimes that is ok, but I really do prefer to be a little ahead of the game :)

I cut all 11 tags at once so I can just sit down and grab one when I need it. In the past I have used all the same shape, but this year I thought I'd mix it up and used dies to cut some of the tags. I put them all in a little galvanized tin along with some Red Wood Bingo Calendar Numbers from Maya Road that I'll add to the tags each day.

Here are some of my previous tag posts if you're interested: here, here, and here.

With all this talk of tags, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that Waltzingmouse is having their annual Christmas Tag Challenge. You can read more about it here on the WMS Blog, the deadline is December 20th and the winner gets four stamp sets!

Have a wonderful day, loves!

Anya

Recipe
Love Birds Tag
STAMPS: Love Birds, Heartfelt Mix, Love You More - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Season's Greetings - Echo Park Paper Company
INK: Soft Sky, Cool Caribbean, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red - Stampin' Up!; Coffee Archival Ink, Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Love Birds Die - Wplus9; Tag Sale #1 Die - Papertrey Ink

Warm Wishes Tag
STAMPS: Text It, Say It Loud Winter Holiday, Nordic Winter - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
INK: Going Gray - Stampin' Up!; Pebble - Amuse|Studio; Iced Spruce, Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Adhesive Rhinestones - Recollections; Mister Huey's Calico Shine - Studio Calico; Tag Corner Punch - Stampin' Up!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

My Cup of Tea

Hi there! Today is a Serendipity Stamps DT challenge day, and today we were challenged to create a tea-themed card.

I used the Heart Cup and coordinating You're Just My Cup of Tea sentiment for my card. I also used the Postcard stamp.

I started by stamped the postcard border and sentiment onto a piece of cream cardstock, then punched the edges with the SU! ticket punch. I stamped the tea cup onto a square of cardstock and then colored it with Copic markers. I matted this with a bit of pink cardstock die cut using one of the postage stamp nestabilities. Some coordinating pink patterned paper, a bit of stitching and some Distress Ink and I was pleased!

Thanks for stopping by today. Please be sure to visit the other Design Team members playing along today to see their take on this challenge!



Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Heart Cup, You're Just My Cup of Tea, Postcard - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Pretty in Pink - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Uncommon Collection - Authentique Paper
INK: Coffee Archival Ink, Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Latte - Amuse|Studio
OTHER: Postage Stamp Nestabilities - Spellbinders Paper Arts; Copic Markers - Imagination International; Ticket Corner Punch - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Button; Sewing Machine

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Deck the Halls

Hello, hello my friends. I hope you don't think I'm neglecting you - I haven't been posting here as often as I like, but it is for good reason. I've been busy with some things that I can't share quite yet, but come January you'll see!

I am sneaking in just in time with a card for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge. This week's color story is a soft combination of pinks and purple.

For some reason, I knew what I wanted to do as soon as I saw these colors. Here is my card.

I created this card using the Bells & Boughs set along with the coordinating dies from PTI. These images, along with these colors make me think of something a little retro, and I love it! I finished my card off with some flicks of Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls. They are a richer gold than the Perfect Gold color and I think it really adds to the retro look.

You'll have to take my word for it that this is nice and shimmery! Thanks for stopping by today! Take care!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Bells & Boughs - Papertrey Ink
CARDSTOCK: Rustic Cream - Papertrey Ink; Blush Blossom - Stampin' Up!
INK: Wisteria Wonder, Blush Blossom, Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Bells & Boughs Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls - Ranger Industries

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Happy Holidays

Hi there! Happy Friday to you. The days sure are flying by, aren't they?

Here in my world, I am super glad that the weekend is here. No big plans, just looking forward to the days off. How about a cute little card for Friday?

Don't you love these Four Framed Snowflakes from Hero Arts? I stamped each of them in a different color - I am a big fan of these four colors together for the holidays. I cut each snowflake out, inked the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink, and adhered them to a mat of cardstock cut with the pinking blade on my paper trimmer. I added a strip of patterned paper from Crate Paper's Peppermint Collection, some paper piercing, and coordinating rhinestones in each of the snowflake centers. The sentiment is from the Wplus9 set Christmas Wishes, which was selectively inked to split the phrase.

This is a 4-1/4 inch square card. It makes me smile! Imagine all the different colors.. I'd like to try this in different shades of blue with lots of glitter!

So glad to see you today, have a good one!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Four Framed Snowflakes - Hero Arts; Christmas Wishes - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Fine Linen, Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Peppermint Collection - Crate Paper
INK: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Cool Caribbean - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Onyx Black VersaFine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Adhesive Rhinestones - Recollections; Pinking Blade - Fiskars; Paper Piercer

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Red and Rustic

Morning!

How are things in your neck of the woods? We had a good 25 degree temperature drop from yesterday, so today is chilly, chilly! Time to break out my little foot warmer again!

While we're on the subject of warming up, here is a cozy holiday card I have to share.

I was inspired to create this card after seeing this week's Tuesday Trigger on the Moxie Fab World Blog.

I approached this challenge like I do the CASE Study ones: take a quick look at the inspiration photo and jot down a few of the things that stand out to me. For this picture, I picked up on stripes, the red/kraft/chocolate color combo, and the fancy woodwork on the door.

After pulling together my strips of paper, combining plain with some patterned - I added a row of doilies punched from kraft cardstock (Martha's Vintage Doily punch). I like how these sort of reminded me of the fancy bits on the door (is that a stretch? ;). The sentiment is from the Wplus9 set Winter Wishes.

Cute and easy, no? So how are your holiday cards coming? I haven't decided whether I am going to sit down and crank out a dozen or so copies of the same design or whether I am going to see how many cards I have in my collection so far and send them out. What do you do?

Thank you for stopping by, I hope your day is fantastic!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Winter Wishes - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!
PATTERNED PAPER: Season's Greetings Collection - Echo Park
INK: Chocolate Chip - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Vintage Doily Punch - Martha Stewart Crafts; Pinking Shears Border Die - Papertrey Ink

Monday, November 28, 2011

Hello

Hi there. I am back today to share another card I created for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge.

A fun change from my normal fussy style. I kept wanting to add something else and then something else, but do really like this layout. Easy to change up!

Stamps are from Wplus9 (A Pocketful and Magical Moments) and the letters were die cut with the Block Alphabet Dies from Papertrey Ink.

I'm heading to bed - this was a rough Monday, I must have taken it a little too easy this weekend! See ya!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: A Pocketful, Magical Moments - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream, Fine Linen - Papertrey Ink; Dusty Durango - Stampin' Up!
INK: Cherry Cobbler, River Rock - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: Block Alphabet Die Collection, Pinking Shears Border Die, Terracotta Tile Felt - Papertrey Ink

Friday, November 25, 2011

A Note of Thanks

Happy weekend! I hope you are doing well. I have been luxuriously lazy today, spending most of the day in my fuzzy PJ pants :) I had the chance to make a few cards and I'll be sharing them over the next couple days. First up is an entry into this week's Play Date Cafe color challenge.

Here is this week's color story, featuring rich jewel tones and images that remind me of Morocco.

And here is the card I created.

The background was created using the border image from Wplus9's Mehndi Medallions. Then I added a die-cut label stamped with a sentiment and flourish. The bird and leaf, from Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, (I can't stop using it, seriously) were stamped, cut out and added to the label. I also added a wooden button.

Love this one lots!

I took the opportunity today to beef up my Wplus9 stamp collection during their Black Friday Sale. I am super excited about getting these new sets and really look forward to getting inky! Did you get any great deals today?

Thanks for stopping in today - have a great one!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Mehndi Medallions, Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, A Pocketful - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Rustic White, Scarlet Jewel - Papertrey Ink
INK: Really Rust, More Mustard - Stampin' Up!; Currant - Amuse|Studio; Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: All Occasion Label Die - Wplus9; Wooden button

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

I hope you are having a day full of blessings and thanks. Here at my house, the turkey is in the oven, the pies are cooling, and the table is set. I found myself with some quiet time this afternoon and put the finishing touches on some place cards for the Thanksgiving table. There are only six of us for dinner tonight, so I didn't really want to create seating assignments. Instead, I used the Wplus9 set Season of Thanks to create simple greetings for our family table.

I stamped and cut out a selection of leaves and pumpkins from the set as well as the cutest little acorns. I stamped the greeting onto my place card, and then framed it with a piece of cardstock cut with an oval die. To this I added my little accents and called it done! I made two each of three different designs. I did a little masking to allow the sentiments to fit within the oval frame, just used a post-it note to cover up the part I didn't want. It is so nice to be able to do this - gets even more mileage out of the stamps.

One of the many things I am thankful for is you! Thank you for taking time to visit with me a little today. I hope your day is filled with thankful thoughts and turkey!

Big hugs!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Season of Thanks - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream, Fine Linen - Papertrey Ink
INK: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Dusty Durango, More Mustard, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: Petite Oval Small Nestabilities - Spellbinders Paper Arts

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Country Cardinals

Hi there! Today is a Serendipity Stamps DT challenge day, and today we were challenged to create a country themed card and to combine the technique of watercoloring.

I went for a homespun, cozy look using the Cardinals image.

I watercolored my image using Stampin' Up! inks and an Aqua Painter. After the image dried, I inked the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink and stitched it to a postage stamp die cut from Spellbinders. Once it was all assembled, I added some glue to the snow area and covered it with glitter.

The patterned paper is the Nordic Holiday collection from Basic Grey, and I thought it lent itself well to the country theme.

I love this cute pair. Cardinals in the snow are one of my favorite sights. Thanks for stopping by today. Please be sure to visit the other Design Team members playing along today to see their take on this challenge!



Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Cardinals (952E) - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Nordic Holiday - Basic Grey
INK: Tuxedo Black Memento - Tsukineko; Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Peach Parfait, Close to Cocoa, Soft Sky - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Classic Squares Large, Postage Stamps - Spellbinders Paper Arts; Silk ribbon - May Arts; Crystal Fine Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Aqua Painter; Sewing machine

Monday, November 21, 2011

Get Well

Hi there!

In the midst of all the red and green I have something a little different to share with you today. I had a request for a get well card, and get well cards should all have cheery color combinations, don't you think?

The colors for this card came from that pretty floral patterned paper tape. I included a little snippet of it on the card just to bring it all together.

I used Hope Seed Co., still running strong as a favorite of mine, to create my Get Well seed packet. I seriously love adding all the little bits like the 'Hope Seed Co.' and the price to the front of these. Fun!

My flower was colored with Copic markers, and highlighted with a clear Spica glitter pen. I think this is a happy little card - I hope it cheers up its recipient!

Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Hope Seed Co. - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Cool Caribbean, Ruby Red - Stampin' Up!; Lemon Tart, Sweet Blush, White - Papertrey Ink
INK: Cool Caribbean, Going Gray, Ruby Red - Stampin' Up!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Polka Dots Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft; Copic Markers (Y11, Y21, YR61, YG11, G00) - Imagination International, Inc.; Vintage Girl Paper Tape - Martha Stewart Crafts; Sewing machine

Thursday, November 17, 2011

November Friends of WMS Waltz

Good morning, Waltzers! Welcome to the November Friends of WMS Blog Waltz. Today we're waltzing with a Winter/Christmas theme.

Here are the details: if you want to waltz along with us and you haven't yet linked up your project, head to the link list thread in the WMS Forum to link up your creation and view the other participants. There is also a thread for chatting about what you've seen. This month a random waltz participant will be chosen to receive a prize.

I will admit, I have Christmas on the brain. Like so many of you, I plan to try and be more prepared this year and soak as much in as I can. Being card makers, we spend a lot of time thinking about our Christmas cards. I am always striving for something unique and lovely, but without exponential effort. Here are a few cards that are quick, easily mass-produced, mailable, and cute!

Nothing easier than a few strips of coordinating patterned paper featuring a festive color combination. It would be easy to put a set of these together with a variety of sentiments from Say It Loud - Winter Holiday. This design was topped off with a simple felt embellishment that would still easily fit into a regular envelope. Replace this with a punched snowflake, the smallest ornament from 2011 Holiday Ornaments... you're set!

Another simple design, this one featuring Festive Foliage and a sentiment from Compliments of the Season. The punched and popped up berries help to add a little somethin'. Glitter these babies up and you have a touch of snazz!

I just hope I can keep these things in mind when I finally sit myself down to make my cards! ;) Glad you could stop in today, have fun waltzing!

Anya

Recipe
Merry Christmas Card
STAMPS: Say It Loud - Winter Holiday - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Handsome Hunter - Stampin' Up!; Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Dear Mr. Claus - Cosmo Cricket
INK: Poppy Parade - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: Holly Jolly Die, Pinefeather Felt, Pure Poppy Felt - Papertrey Ink

Merry Christmas to You Card
STAMPS: Festive Foliage, Compliments of the Season - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Always Artichoke, Read Red - Stampin' Up!; Fine Linen - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Wonder Collection - Authentique
INK: Always Artichoke - Stampin' Up!
OTHER: 5/8-inch Circle Punch - EK Success

Monday, November 14, 2011

Grateful Greetings

Good morning, my dears. How are you today?

I am in a good mood, feeling upbeat and excited about some things coming down the pike. It is good to sit down and make something you love, too, you know? The card I want to share with you today, which I made for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge, is one of those things. :)

Here is the color story for this week - it is time for another color splash!

I will admit, when I first saw these colors I thought this would have made a great Halloween challenge. These are still great colors for fall, though, and here is how I used them.

Happiness.

A beautiful leaf silhouette stamped in black from Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions. Patterned paper strips and a few well-placed rhinestones colored to match with a Copic marker. The finishing touch is a sentiment from Season of Thanks.

Yay for color splash week! Did you play along, too?

I hope your day is great, and I'll see you back here tomorrow!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, Season of Thanks - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Basic Black - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Norm's News - October Afternoon; Vintage Moon - Pink Paislee
INK: Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Pinking Blade - Fiskars; Adhesive rhinestones - Recollections; YR68 Copic Marker - Imagination International, Inc.

Friday, November 11, 2011

WMS November SOAP Winner!

Good morning!

Today I wanted to pop in and announce the winner for the WMS November SOAP CASE competition. If you remember, at the end of our SOAP event on November 4th, we invited you to participate in a CASE (Copy and Share Everything) Competition. We asked that you choose a project from any of the 4 days of the Stamp of Approval Parade (SOAP) held November 1-4th, and CASE a project from one of the Design Team members’ projects.

We are happy to announce that we have a winner! Today we are highlighting these two fantastic tags created by Charmaine Stack!!



Aren't these just so gorgeous? I love them! Charmaine took her inspiration from Tosha Leyendekker's Day 3 SOAP project.

The constant between Tosha and Charmaine's projects are the lovely snowflake, each peeking out from the side of the tag. Charmaine added lots of sparkle and shine; using glitter and lovely crystals on both of her tags. Moving from the bright hues of turquoise to the earthy muted colors of the second tag, she shows how easy it is to elicit different feelings with just a change of color.

A special thank you, also, to everyone who participated in the competition. Your projects were amazingly creative and inventive! You can see ALL the competitors here on the WMS Blog.

Please be sure to leave some love for Charmaine and the other participants if you have some time. Next Thursday, Nov. 17th is the Friends of WMS Blog Waltz, and we hope you will participate in that also! Details for that and the thread to sign up are on the WMS Forum!

Have a great day chickies!

Anya

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Festive Fall

Hi there! Today is a Serendipity Stamps DT challenge day, and today we were challenged to create a shaped card. After a lot of brainstorming, a bit of grumbling (squares and rectangles are shapes!), this one came to me.

I've seen layered-oval pumpkins before, but just little ones.. so I created a supersized one for my card. I used the largest of the Petite Ovals Small from Spellbinders, cut three of them from Pumpkin Pie (of course) cardstock, and layered them. The Scarecrow Boy image was stamped onto cream cardstock and colored with Copics. The Festive Fall (on sale at Serendipity for $0.25!) sentiment was stamped, colored, and die cut and both were added to the card front.

Thanks for stopping by today. Please be sure to visit the other Design Team members playing along today to see their take on this challenge!



Have a great day!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Scarecrow Boy, Festive Fall - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
INK: Rich Cocoa Memento - Tsukineko; Antique Linen, Walnut Stain Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Copic Markers - Imagination International Inc.; Petite Oval Small Nestabilities - Spellbinders; Leaves #2 Die - Sizzix; Label Layers 3 Die - Wplus9

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Magical Day

Hi-ya friends!

How is your weekend going? We spent some time this afternoon cleaning up our outside patio in preparation for winter. A little sad to put my beloved patio swing to bed, but it was a project we've been meaning to complete, and luckily we had nice weather to do it.

Before I share my card with you today, I want to first say thank you for taking the time to stop and visit me, as well as leave such sweet comments, during the Waltzingmouse SOAP. It means so much to me that you share your feedback!

For Day 1 of the SOAP, I shared a matchbox gift box for packaging holiday treats. Many of you asked for the pattern, and I am happy to say it is ready!

Here is a link to the pattern and instructions for the box. Please note this is not a template and is not scaled to print directly onto your cardstock. It is just a visual to help you make the box, which is super easy, by the way!

Also, here is a link to the Pretzel Shortbread Recipe that I used. I drizzled chocolate on top when I was done to make them extra yummy! If you have any problems or questions, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. Please be sure to let me know if you make a box yourself - I'd love to see them!

Ok! On to my card for today. This is my creation for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge. Here is the lovely color story.

This month at Wplus9, Dawn is focusing on some behind-the-scenes stuff instead of releasing new stamps, and I for one, was pretty excited about that! It allowed me to choose some things from my wish list that I have been eyeing for a while. My goodies arrived Friday and I sat down to create.

Isn't that peacock just beautiful? You'll find that image along with the sentiment and background stamp in the Magical Moments set. I'm really pleased with this one, which will be sent off to one of my girlies for her birthday later this month.

Glad to see you here today, later gators!

Anya

Recipe
STAMPS: Magical Moments, Mehndi Medallions - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Going Gray, Barely Banana - Stampin' Up!; Soft Stone - Papertrey Ink
PATTERNED PAPER: Hazel "Mother" Meadow (Stella & Rose) - My Mind's Eye
INK: Slate, Lemon Whip - Amuse|Studio
OTHER: Light Pink Rhinestones - Kaisercraft; Buttercream Baker's Twine - The Twinery; Mother of Pearl Button; Sewing machine