WPlus9 October 2013 Release Previews - Day 1

Hi there! It's one of my favorite times of the month. Release Week! Welcome to WPlus9 October 2013 Release Previews!!! Today we're featuring Woodland Wreaths + Coordinating Dies and Merry & Bright + Coordinating Dies.

The Woodland Wreaths is one of my favorite stamp sets for this release. It is absolutely beautiful!!!! I used the coordinating die cut for the different wreaths in the set. This one is my favorite among them. Doesn't it look so delicate? Gorgeous! 

I don't like using the usual holiday colors. This is actually my go-to color combination for Christmas cards. I just hate using red. Not because of the color itself, but because it stains my stamps and it's soooo hard to remove. Then, when I want to use the same image on a much lighter color, I find that the red is still there and it blends in with the new lighter color that I want to use!!! And worse, it rubs off the red onto my other stamp pad!!! If there's a solution for this that I haven't heard about, please, please tell me.

 For my second card, I used Merry & Bright. And again I used my favorite image from Woodland Wreaths. You will find that Merry & Bright has a lot of "accessories" that you will absolutely enjoy. :)

This candle/wreath combo has sooo many layers. I had to use glue to make sure that the little pieces would not fall out when it's mailed. But it's absolutely fun to put together! There are so many combinations you can do, not to mention colors you can use! I am totally going to enjoy making my Christmas cards this year! :)

There you go! I hope you enjoyed today's preview. Please come back tomorrow for more. And make sure to head on over to the other DT ladies blogs' for more inspiration. Thanks for stopping by today! I'll see you again tomorrow!

Curtain Call: Sunflower Surprise

Hi there! I'm taking a break from cleaning and sharing a card with you for Curtain Call Challenge: Sunflower Surprise. Curtain Call Challenge was my first ever design team! I remember being soooo excited when Stacy asked me to join. I had only started card making then so I was a bit nervous as well. But my team members were all so great that it was absolutely wonderful to be a part of the team. I had wanted to join since their very first challenge, but I've been busy. So finally, here I am! 

Here's the inspiration photo. And here's my card. I combined a lot of stamp sets from 5 stamp companies! YES! 5! I wonder if you can tell which ones. lol.

I stamped this lush background and added shading with a brush and some ink pads. I just had an acrylic block where I pressed my ink pad and another where I had water. Then I used a small brush to make the shaded areas of the leaves and flowers. What do you think?

 After the background dried, I added my sunflowers using foam tape. My cards have become less layered than before. But a lot of times, I still can't stand it being flat (one layered), so I always try to add an element with foam tape.

There you go! I'm so glad for card challenges! If you haven't read my posts lately, I've been in a creative slump lately. Sadly, I've been watching more tv than spending time on my craft table. This wonderful challenge brought me out of my slump! I had a lot of fun with it! Thanks for stopping by today! I'll see you again soon! 

Oooh! Before I forget! I have a new tutorial over at A Cherry On Top. Check it out over here. It's a tutorial on how I made those beautiful Perfect Pearls vellum feathers. 

Waltzingmouse Stamps September Release Blog Hop

***This is my second post for the day. Please scroll down for my CASE Study Challenge post.***

You made it! It's the Waltzingmouse Stamps September Release Blog Hop! Welcome! I hope you found your way here from Jeanne's blog. If not, head on over to the WMS blog and start there.

Since we've spent the past two days showcasing Halloween cards, I thought I would make a card using Art Deco and Putting on the Ritz. I have to tell you, I can't stop using gold embossing on this!!! lol!

I made a little patterned background, using these diamond images. One is stamped straight onto the cardstock. While the other I heat embossed, hand cut and adhered onto the cardstock. I wanted to add dimension to it aside from the embossing itself.

I had so much fun with these. I hope we've given you a lot of inspiration these past few days. Now remember, you have to leave a comment on each of the blog hop's participants in order to win a prize. You have until 6:59am on September 22 to leave a comment. If you're all done here, head on over to Karin's blog for more inspiration! I hope you had a lot of fun! Thanks for stopping by today!

Waltzingmouse Stamps September Release Previews - Day 3

Hello again. Welcome back to Day 3 of the Waltzingmouse Stamps September Release Previews. We have two more stamp sets to preview before the big Blog Hop. Today, we're featuring Spooky Tree and Vintage Witch. 

For my first card, I used Spooky Tree to make my background. Isn't this background stamp amazing?! Absolutely spooky!

I stamped my sentiment on a Vintage Labels No. 18 and adhered it onto my card with some foam tape and twine. Then I decorated my card with the spooky crow from All Hallow's Eve. 

For me second card, I stamped the image of the witch and placed it inside a black frame. I made the background paper with Heirloom Patterns. I used distress inks to color it in.

For the sentiment, I just stamped it and fussy cut it. Then I inked the edges with more distress ink.

Tomorrow is the DT Blog Hop. Make sure you come back for more inspiration as well as a chance to win some prizes! Thank you for stopping by today! If you haven't yet, head on over to the other DT girls' blogs, you can find the complete list of participants in the WMS blog. See you tomorrow!

Waltzingmouse Stamps September Release Previews - Day 2

Hello! Welcome back! It's day 2 of the Waltzingmouse Stamps September Release Previews. October is just around the corner, so for those of you who celebrate this fun and candy filled day, we're featuring Halloween stamp sets: All Hallow's Eve, The Count and Splat That.

For my first card, I used All Hallow's Eve and Splat That. All Hallow's Eve is a vintage Halloween stamp set. So for those of you who love vintage style, this is for you. If not, it's versatile enough to be used in other styles. Just like what I did here.

I made a little background patterned cardstock using Splat That. Then I added a strip of kraft cardstock and stamped my favorite image from Hocus Pocus on it.

For my second card, I made a little Halloween scene. I used All Hallow's Eve and The Count for this, as well as Hocus Pocus.

I love how the black pops off the white cardstock. I heat embossed the sentiment in silver and added a strip of kraft above it with the All Hallow's Eve stamping on it.

There you go! It's a break from all the cutesy Halloween cards we always see. It would be perfect for your next adult Halloween party! :) Thanks for stopping by today. Make sure you head on over to the other DT ladies for more inspiration. Start at the WMS blog to see the full list of participants.

Waltzingmouse Stamps September Release Previews - Day 1

Hello there folks! It's finally that time again. Welcome to the Waltzingmouse Stamps September Release Previews - Day 1. Today we're featuring three stamp sets, Art Deco, Putting on the Ritz, and Opera Tags Christmas.

For my first card, I used Art Deco and Putting on the Ritz. These sets remind me so much of The Great Gatsby. Gold and glamour, and this is what I came up with.

I used Perfect Pearls and gold embossing powder to make a little "skirt" for my card. 

I decorated it with some feathers I stamped on vellum. I made a tutorial for this and will share it in a few days. I actually made it before I made this card. lol. 

***Update: You can find my tutorial here.***

For my second card, I used the same background pattern and decorated it with this from Opera Tags Christmas. I thought this would be great as a thank you card for a bridal shower. :)

 That's it for me! Thanks for stopping by today. Make sure to stop by again tomorrow for more inspiration.

Lawnscaping Challenge #65

Hello again! I've been playing with my new Lawn Fawn stamp sets and I wanted to share one card with you. This one is for the Lawnscaping Challenge 65 - These are a Few of My Favorite Things. 

And I did use a few of my favorite Lawn Fawn stamps for my card. :) 

This Woodgrain Backdrops set is my favorite woodgrain stamp to date. I can't seem to stop using it. For my card, I wanted it to look like a big tree with vines dropping from the top. So I added these vines from Blissful Botanicals in different lengths.

Then I added the cute little fawn and sentiment from Into the Woods at the bottom. It's my absolute favorite set from the new release. I just wish it had coordinating dies too! :)

 I'm still trying to get used to this style of card making. I hope I'm doing ok. This has got to be the hardest style! Seriously! At least for me anyway. I'm always in awe with people who make this style look so easy. 

You'll probably be seeing more of these Lawn Fawn stamp sets for a few more posts. :) 

I'm really, really enjoying them! :) Thanks for stopping by today! I'll see you again soon!