Waltzingmouse Stamps St. Patrick's Day Waltz!

This month's theme for the waltz is St. Patrick's Day or Irish Culture. However, the theme for my blogging lately is "by the skin of my teeth" which is what this is! I decided last minute to play along with the Waltz this month! So, here's my card! A simple one layer card inspired by one from Emily's blog

WMS Sketch Challenge

A super quick hello to say I'll be back with my winner from the blog hop tonight (If you can't wait, go check the Mami Doodles main blog!) and to play along in the WMS Sketch Challenge.

Spring...in Montana!

Welcome to my entry for the Waltzingmouse Blog Party!  

This month's theme is spring. I took some liberties with the term "spring." For me spring is bare mountains and green fields. Sure, there could be wildflowers, but they usually don't show up until summer. For me, spring still has a chill in the air, and the threat of snow. There aren't quite flowers yet. :) Enough rambling, here's my card:

Hope you like it, and play along! There's still a bit of time before the party's over at the Waltzingmouse Blog.

Waltzingmouse January Blog Party!

Welcome to my sweet submission! I made this special card for my husband using the Waltzingmouse Stamps from "Flourishes - Scallops and Dots".

I stamped the scallops in brilliance pearl white on black PTI cardstock, embossed it in clear, and then rubbed red metallic creams over the images. Then, for added fun, I sprinkled more embossing powder over the semi-wet/sticky metallic cream and embossed again for a grungy all over sheen. I used a sticker from the "Yours Truly" paper collection from Echo Park and layered it on a piece of pre-sponged pure poppy PTI cardstock. A trio of twine knots and "Viola!"

Thanks for joining me today, and make sure you check out the rest of the Waltzingmouse goodness on the blog.

Runway Inspiration Card

I made a card. From start to finish. In under an hour. That includes finding the inspiration. For real. And now I'm posting it. Who am I?

At any rate it is for the Runway Inspiration Challenge Blog (great late night discovery) and it went from being a phone themed card to a wedding card to a hello card fast. Really, fast. Glad I felt well enough to leave the couch tonight. :) Those resolutions of mine are only 1/2 working. Training for a marathon is apparently looked down upon when you have bronchitis. Not my call though, which makes me feel slightly less guilty about not exercising. Which reminds me, I should probably go take my antibiotic if I want any hope of feeling better in 2012!

Supplies: Waltzingmouse Stamps (herringbone background from Vintage Labels 4), Hero Arts (sentiment from Just Saying Hi), PTI Cardstock, MFT Loopy Flower Die, Eco-Fi Felt, Memento Ink (Tuxedo Black), Making Memories Specialty Glaze (Pearl), X-press It Adhesive tape

With Sympathy

I've thought long and hard about what I want to say about this card, and quite honestly I've come up with nothing. The reason? Because I made this card for a friend who recently lost her mother and I am sort of at a loss of words as to what to say. I feel deeply for her, and I'm sorry for her loss. I hope she can take some small comfort knowing that someone is out there thinking of her. Here's the card:

Supplies: WMS Stamps (Blessed by You, Frame It), Ranger Archival Ink (Sepia), Ranger Paint Daubers (Copper), Celebrate It ribbon, SEI Monrovia (I think...it's really old!), and PTI Kraft
Challenges: WMS Sketch Challenge #78, Ribbon Carousel Challenge #34 

A post just to play!

Just a quick link to post my get well card for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge this week! Hope you like it!

Waltzingmouse Waltz of Americana

I almost missed the Waltz for June! But it’s still the 17^th by my time, so I think I’m still sneaking in! I have to admit, I got a little caught up in getting ready for Stamping Around and forgot to make my card. But I’m the kind of person who can create on the go, so I put this baby together while waiting for them to open the doors tonight. I would say this was a 5 minute card, because it really *could* have been. Alas, I was sitting with 4 of my favorite crafty ladies laughing my butt off and screwed up my stamping…and punching…the only thing I got right the first time was the glue, oh and cutting!

I was pretty excited to finally use my red, white, and blue twine! And I had planned on using my star stamp from the Back In The Saddle before I got distracted. Well, you win some and you laugh the rest off! Ha! Ok, time for me to get my sleep on so I can have more fun tomorrow! Happy trails to you!

Happy Birthday Mom!

*My post has nothing to do with my mom's birthday other than I'm posting on her birthday! Love you mom!*

It’s Tuesday Morning Sketches time again! I’m a bit late in posting my card because I’m SUPER EXCITED!! For Stamping Around today and I’ve been packing and making my nametag and generally forgetting to blog! The challenge this week is an inspiration challenge set by Angela. Here’s the inspiration:

And here is my inspired card:

I used the succulent digital stamp from Tiffany Doodles and paper pieced it into layers. The sentiment stamp is from Waltzingmouse Stamps’ Say It Loud (sketch is WMS too!), and all of the card is from PTI. I’d say it was a quick card except for the hours I spent coloring, cutting, and embossing those flowers! I’m in it for the fun of it though, definitely not the pay! Lol

Hope you all have a great weekend and I will be back on Tuesday (and on time!!) with the next TMS sketch! I’m off to Stamping Around Ohio! Hooray!

So, you stuck around until the end of the post...this is post 99 for me. I'm pretty sure you can guess what's going to happen at 100! I would make sure you're a follower or a commenter before my next post (which will be before Tuesday)! ;)

Masculine Card with Mami Doodles

It's been a long week with a lot of work put into this card! I used the wood grain paper from Emma's Shoppe Collection by Paper Crate to make a window frame (embellished with the "Congratulations" stamp from WMS Free Spirit Sentiments set). I also used the WMS sketch this week, and it seems to have served me well with the awesome Hot Air Balloon digi from Mami Doodles. (Inside the card it says "It's time to launch your dreams!")
Now it is time for you to get your "man card" on! That's right...back away from the glitter, and put the pink twine down...then head on over to Mami Doodles to see what the rest of the design team has brought you!

Case it!

Here are the details...for those who noticed my photo-only link 5 minutes ago!

I love  that Anya thinks outside of the box and makes jewelry with WMS. It makes me smile and get creative...you'll understand soon, I have a lot of congratulations cards to post... ;)

Here is the link to Anya's necklace that I cased. I tried to make a bracelet instead since I was hand linking all of the jump rings. All in all, I think it was a win! Anya is a genius! That's all there is to say! :D

Scrap Our Stash May Challenge

I struggle with using flowers on my scrap pages because I love the huge 3D flowers that are popular, so I decided to try a new type of 3D flower (well, new technique for me, many people have been doing these for a while.): The rolled flower.
I chose to do a card because I could put it in a box with a gift and not worry about it getting mashed as it would in my scrapbook. The flowers were pretty simple, since I'm not buying any new stuff for 2011 (with some notable exceptions) I didn't use a die or any templates. I just punched a circle and started cutting in a spiral. I scrunched, rolled, and then went nuts with Glossy Accents to hold it all together. I had to use hot glue to get the flowers to stick and I'm happy to report that I didn't burn myself. I wanted the flowers and the sentiment to pop, so I kept the rest white. Could have easily been a wedding card, even though I used it for a birthday. Super versatile!


Now it's your turn to take the May Flowers Challenge. See all the details HERE! Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

I'm *fashionably* late to the party!

Happy Waltz Week!

(It's my party, I'll delay it if I want to! Ha! Ok, it's not really *my* party...)

I know, I'm a little late to the party. I'm ok with that though, because late means alive and well which didn't seem possible on the 17th. =D (Ok, <- That was a little dramatic it's just asthma, allergies, bronchitis, and laryngitis all at the same time. I'm going to be just fine.) But I'm good now! Sooooooooooooo, much better than I was at this time Tuesday!
Here is my awesome man card. Yeah, I used doilies and bling...because every award has bling...so there! I also used my itty bitty banners. In fact, if the other stamp sets I bought (<< Guilty confession right there!!) weren't gifts for others, I probably would have used them too...I'm just saying... Hope it rocks your socks and that you have a dancin' good time, because I am pretty proud of my doily award! :D (I'm feeling much, much, much, much better (as you can tell by my snark) than I have been for the past couple of months, it's a wonder what a geeky inhaler can do for a girl! lol Also, the fact that there are layers and handcut pieces also are a telltale sign of wellness.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (Take Two!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day...again!

I chose to do another card for St. Patrick's Day to give to a new friend who is absolutely nuts about St. Patrick's Day! I used the 2010 St. Patrick's Day shamrock freebie. I printed it on cardstock and did something I haven't done in a long time - Gamsol and colored pencils! (In doing this, I did something I've never done before -- used my Prismacolor pencils.) I followed the Tuesday Morning Sketch for this week, and did something that I don't normally do -- decorated the inside! I really hope she likes it, especially since I'm not like Belinda and give cards for non-standard card giving holidays.
My dear husband and parents are out right now, celebrating St. Patrick's Day the only way Butte, America knows how! ;) They are chilling at home now, pigging out on corned beef and cabbage like it's an Irish Thanksgiving! I'm glad they are having fun, but I'm not the wee bit jealous...ok, maybe a wee bit! 

Here's a little taste of what it's like in Butte, my adopted hometown: http://ptc.mtech.edu/faculty/cokrusch/music.htm
If you'd like to support this local artist, you can buy this song here: http://www.amazon.com/St-Patricks-Day-At/dp/B001AKZ158

I'll leave you with one of my favorite Irish blessings (maybe Claire can tell me if I'm wrong and it's not Irish):

May you have the hindsight to know where you've been
the foresight to know where you're going
and the insight to know when you're going too far.

(Note - I rounded the corners after I took my photos, somehow it created a lot more unity. =D )

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Welcome to the St. Patrick's Day WMS Waltz!

I've been hoping for months that Claire would keep the St. Pat's theme and she did! Thanks, Claire! However, I never thought I would say this, but I miss Butte. A lot. St. Patrick's Day is a big deal in that little town and it turns out I can't write much more about St. Pat's without getting really sad. =( So, I'll leave you with my Waltz project, and hope to calm down, and elaborate a bit on the fact that I scraplifted this fabby project from Joan!

Button me up baby!

Welcome to the Waltzingmouse February Blog Waltz

The theme this month is buttons
(If you are looking for my 14 days of Valentines winner, scroll down or click here)

My card that I am sharing today actually features homemade buttons in the same shape as the handy dandy labels 4 die from Spellbinders. I used the Rescue Remedies friendship label as my sentiment and inspiration for this card. The colors actually come from a secret special gift (hopefully to be added to this post later today!) for one heck of a person!
I made the buttons using shrink plastic, a black Copic, and my big bite. I'm again thankful for the creativity I have oozing out these days as a result of only buying used items. That swirly pattern of the gems is not from a pre-arranged sticker pack. And while they are hotfix gems and arranged by me, they aren't your typical gems. I made my own wedding veils when we got married almost 4 years ago (!) and I applied real Swarovski hotfix crystals to my train length veil. These jewels are part of the languishing stash of supplies that I happen to still have on hand now, collecting dust, and now finally seeing the light of day lamps! I'm off to continue crocheting so that I can add that surprise to this post!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 12

We're almost there! It's almost Valentine's Day! Woot! Today's post will be short because I still have to write in Ryan's card. He's super good at doing that whereas, I suck! :P Here's a quick rundown of the card. It is inspired by Robert Indiana's classic painting of "LOVE", which I saw a replica of when I went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2009. The little "dots" are actually hand-sewn beads...that took me two hours to attach in the swirly patterns. The letters are die cut from shimmering paper and the jewels are hand placed. The heart patterned paper is actually white shimmer paper with "distressed" Red Barn inked WMS hearts. I don't know why, but I had an overwhelming urge to add some lace or ribbon so I embedded the lace at the bottom between the layers of paper. Viola! A true labor of love! 

Here are the good bits:

1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).

2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!
3) I will have a special bonus post to get you an additional entry (or two, or three) sometime in the 14 day countdown, so be on the lookout! 

14 Days of Valentine - Day 6

Reasons I love you, #5: You're a good sport! Even when I'm not!

If you were paying close attention yesterday, then you noticed that mention about me kicking Ry's butt at games, and him doing the same to me. Since I have been on quite the bullet list kick lately, I'm going to list out all of the games I love playing with my hubby!

• Euchre
• Jenga
• Guitar Hero
• Dr. Mario, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros.
• Raving Rabbids
• Yahtzee
• Poker
• Pinochle
• Rummy
• Killer Bunnies
• Sorry
• Monopoly
• Trouble
• Risk

We don't have cable, so we spend a lot of time hanging out playing games together and chatting. I like it that way. :) Just to set the record straight, we each win about evenly at board games and games of general skill. However, he kicks major butt at most video games especially Guitar Hero. I dominate at Tetris, Blokus, and Dr. Mario. Period. I win. No questions asked. Did I mention, I am kind of a bad sport sometimes? :D What are your favorite games?
This page is one of the first ones I did. I wanted to use the words to embellish the page, so I made the other details rather simple. I used my Copics (Of course!), a segment from one of my favorite sewing embellishments (in my stash, featured in my January waltz post), and all of the themes that are on each of the other pages! As usual, the rules are below!

Here's the scoop:
1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).
2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!
3) I will have a special bonus post to get you an additional entry (or two, or three) sometime in the 14 day countdown, so be on the lookout!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 1

When it comes to Valentine's Day, I'm all in! I love my husband dearly, and Valentine's Day is a socially acceptable all-out mush-fest! Boo-fricken-yah! (I kind of treat everyday as a mush-fest but, the "awww so cute" I consistently hear from my boss indicates that I'm not normal. Or socially acceptable!) I thought I would share the love this Valentine's Day, and have a little countdown. I'll be sharing the gifts I made for my better half for Valentine's Day, in an effort to inspire you! I'm also giving away a prize, check it out at the bottom of this post!

DH was out of town for a week, which gave me a chance to work on this project like a mad woman! It also gave me a lot of time to consider what I wanted to give him. It became clear one day when we were on the phone and he asked "Why do you love me?" Granted, he was being particularly obnoxious, but I found it to be appropriate fodder for his Valentine's Day gift. I give you Part 1 of my grandiose 2011 Valentine's Day Present: The Book.

This it the cover. Like the rest of the book, the cover is cut from the largest Labels 1 die.  Unlike the rest of the book, I used chipboard letters and a very special heart stamp from Waltzingmouse Stamps. To put the cover together, I attached two sheets of white shimmer cardstock to a piece of chipboard. Before attaching the white paper, I used red tape around the edges of the chipboard and adhered the red ribbon to make a nice edge. The letters are threaded onto the same type of ribbon and adhered firmly with a bit of red tape (and the weight of a "real" book). I'm sure you're ready to hear about the giveaway, so I'll put my Barn Door Distress Ink away, and give you the deets.

Here's the scoop:
1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).
2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!
3) I will have a special bonus post to get you an additional entry (or two, or three) sometime in the 14 day countdown, so be on the lookout!

Thanks for playing along, and let me know, are you a Valentine's Day enthusiast?

SOS February Challenge - Love

Dear Hubster - Stop reading my feed. I know you read this, I'll let you know when you can come back!

I can hardly contain myself! I just wanted to give you a heads up to make sure you pop on over to the Scrap Our Stash blog to check out my February challenge post. It's a case of Belinda's "framed" layout...which you'll be able to read all about here between February 1 and February 14!
Can you see the cased elements? (Make sure you come back to read all about it!) A few highlights and my description will be posted later today!