WMSC70 - October 22, 2011 - Halloween Party Invite

Hi Everybody!  Sorry I have been missing in action.  I got hit with a bad flu and have spent a lot of time in bed lately.  You can tell I'm sick when I don't want to draw or my hands don't have ink on them!  At least I got to catch up on all the TV I've been missing out on.  I don't know if I could take another episode of NCIS Bones or Criminal Minds.  Seems like all that was on TV was zombies - which was sort of how I'm feeling. 

 I did catch a few good things - Twilight, and the Corpse Bride. I didn't want to close out the week with out even one post so I made this one for my fave skech challenge - Waltzingmouse!   I am giving total credit to Tim Burton and my fevered delirium for this scrumptious spookly creation.  I kept thinking of a perfectly yummy Halloween cake and this is what I came up with.  I used the picket fence from the Hocus Pocus set for the piping on my cake and added little touches of pearl, gem, and glitter to bring out the magic.  I think the Halloween Invitation sentiment looks sort of like a moon with the the flourishes as clouds around it.   I hand trimmed the black background around the tags, and left the ink a little messier than usual to keep with the spooky theme.

This is a close up of the border I made for the bottom.  I simply scored lines spacing 1/4" and 1/2" apart to make this trim.  I have seen alot of fabric trim like this and thought it would be easy to reproduce the look.  It adds alot of dimension and the ribbon tie holds it as flat or as puffy as you like - so there is room to play here.   I made the bow with 8 "legs" to look sort of like a spider.   Creepy huh?

Stay healthy and keep smiling!  Have a fantastic Halloween weekend!

Recipe:  Finished Size is 6" x 6"

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse:  Hocus Pocus. Eat Cake, Midnithgt Feast, Gracie at Halloween

Die Cuts:  Spellbinders for Scrap Mart Oval Square Label, Ornate Artisan Tags & Accents
Ink:  Momento:  London Fog, Tuxedo Black, Lulu Lavender, Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Antique Linen

WMSC #69 - October 15, 2011 - Vampire Bites

Happy Tuesday!  I hope everyone is off to a good start.  Today I am posting a tag I made for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.  I really love the fall and the cooler temperatures it brings.  Summer time for me is mostly spent outdoors -  BBQ and food on the grill - I even plug a steamer outside to handle the veggies.  Colder weather of fall marks the beginning of baking for me.  It serves a dual purpose of helping heat the house - and filling it with all the fantastic smells of home cooking.   This is such a comfort in the midwest on a cold winter day!

Every fall I make several batches of this carmel corn snack mix for friends, family, bake sales and the like.  One year I sent 50 bags of it to San Diego, CA when my nephew was in Marine boot camp (gotta send enough for everybody!).  The recipe is at the end of this post.

I copied and pasted the design from the blog into word.  I enlarged it to about 5" and used it as a template.    I cut the hat out of paper I stamped with the gingham pattern from Gingham & Co.    I made the black organza ribbon accent by pulling the bottom wire from both ends of a 12" length and twisting it into a circle.   The rest was simply layering and embellishing.   I love how that oval classic frames looks like it was meant to wrap around that Vampire Bites sentiment.  I don't know how Claire does it! 

 I hope you like the tag and will give the snack mix a try - it's sweet /salty combination is  really addicting!

Popcorn Snack Mix:

Spray a large aluminum foil roasting pan with non stick spray. 

Combine:

3 quarts popped popcorn

4 cups Cheerios (oat cereal o's)

4 cups Corn or Rice Chex or Crispix Cereal

2 cups salted peanuts or your favorite nuts

In a large saucepan combine

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

bring to a rolling boil.  Boil for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; quickly stir in  2 tsp pure vanilla extract  and 1/2 tsp baking soda until mixture is light and foamy.  Immediately drizzle over popcorn mixture; mix well.  Bake uncovered at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Cool completely. 

Makes approximately 5 1/5 quarts or 10 cellophane snack bags

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse Midnight Feast, Oval Classic Frames, Gingham & Co.

Die Cuts:  Spellbinders Ornate Artisan Tags & Accents, Classic Ovals, Fancy Tags Two

Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black, Tangelo  Ranger/Tim Holtz Antique Linen, Black Soot

Case Study #61 - October 13, 2011 - You Are My Sunshine!

Welcome to another week of Case Study with inspiration provided by muse Niki Estes!  This week Niki came up with this fabulous red flower creation with cloth backing.  As I have never put fabric to paper before I totally CASEd Niki's card.  I thought her card was perfect - so why reinvent the wheel right?  I decided that like a recipe - I needed to know what it's supposed to taste like before I go fiddling around with the ingredients. 

I can't resist trying something new so I went looking for a big flower stamp.  I found this bright sunflower.  Gotta love a tall sunflower out in the middle of your garden in the summer time......  Then  I got out some denim fabric (come on.... sunflowers and denim.... YES!) and a piercing tool to get my holes nice and even, but when I sewed it by hand it looked terribly crooked. Off to plan two - I grabbed some old fiddlers cloth from my cross stitching days and went to work on that.  I didn't do any piercing - I just followed the holes in the fabric.  Instead of a straight line I did a pattern of straight stitch and half diamonds.   I like the rustic look of the fiddlers cloth with the sunflower.  I didn't have a stamp with the Sunshine sentiment I wanted so I just typed it in Word with Courier New 20 pt. and there you have it.  I can't tell if Niki double cut the flower or not, but I did to give it a little more texture.  I also roughed up the edges of the gold paper to keep it really casual looking. 

 I do have a sewing machine - actually it belongs to my husband - but I have no clue how to use it.

 I'm glad I tried this and I kept it simple for my first go round.  I think if I try this one again I will go for a shimmery satin fabric and make a ribbon flower.  Maybe I will even learn how to use that old sewing machine to keep everything nice and even!!  Who knows.... could happen!!

Supplies Used:           Finished Size is 4.25" x 6"

Stamp:  Sunflower Rubber Stampeede

Markers:  Copic

Font:  Word Courier New - 20 Pt.

Waltzingmouse October Blog Hop - October 17, 2011 - Thanksgiving

Are you Waltzing?  On the 17th of every month Waltzingmouse Stamps hosts a blog waltz.  The theme this month is Thanksgiving.  You can make anything you want - just be sure to use some of your Waltzingmouse stamps!!  When I think Thanksgiving, my first thoughts are friends and family seated around the table enjoying great food and conversation.  It's a time to see family members who've been away and catch up.  I made this "Join Us" invitation card with the Cottage Home image to welcome friends to my home for the holiday.    I just got this set in the mail and couldn't wait to get to play with it.  I experimented with a few different ways to get this one colored.... Markers, pens, pencils and embossing.  I finally decided on a flat ink black stamp with the Copic markers. 

 This one was a little tricky for me to color since some of the areas are so small.   I wanted the roof shingles to encompass all the different colors of the fall leaves. I stamped the image cottage image three times and layered them.  The first layer is the whole house, the next layer is the center section, and my last layer was just the door with the arch around it.  I wanted to add a little dimension so I put some black pearls on the door knob and hinges, and a few ivory pearls  (colored with my Copics) on the fascia. 

I made my own paper "lace" trim using the new Spellbinder Edgeabilities - I mixed up two sets.  I fussy cut the second layer of red behind the house image to make it pop a bit more, and I left the twine strings long and wrapped around the leave to make the leaf look like it's being carried in the wind.

I hope you are waltzing along today - details as well as the links to all the others can be found at

 http://waltzingmouse.blogspot.com/.

Supplies Used:  Finished Size is 5" x 7"

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse Cottage Home, Join Us, Say It Loud Winter Holiday

Dies:  Spellbinders Tags Trio, Labels 17, Classic Petal Edgeability, Classic Postage Stamp Edgeability, Orchard Harves Tags and Accents

Markers:  Copic

Ink:  Momento:  Tuxedo Black, Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Antique Linen

Card Patterns Sketch 137 - October 15, 2011 - Halloween Wishes

Hey did you hear?  I'm guest designer this week for the Card Patterns Challenge No. 137!.   I was so excited to be in the company of many of my favorite designers who did the same before me.  I hope you are playing along!  If you're card is selected out of the top "Super 6" you could be the next guest designer for Card Patterns.  You can get all the details here: http://cardpatterns.blogspot.com/.     This is the design this week by Michelle Bertuzzi.   You can make any type of card you like, any color you like - JUST HAVE FUN!

I just love Halloween - the way my neighborhood is transformed into another world as all the houses are decorated with spooky scenes, and seeing the delight of the children dressed up going door to door collecting treats.  Most of the adults here sit in front of their homes near a fire pit, or sometimes pretending to be a zombie on the front porch until a passer  stumbles accross them unaware as they quickly come alive.

The timing for this challenge was perfect for me because I just got my hands on the new Hocus Pocus stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps.  What a great excuse to put these babies to use immediately! 

I stamped the top background paper with the "bat wreath" using a laser level to get things nice and straight.  I put a little moon gem in the center of each of the wreaths and put a flourish of gems around my sentiment to add a little magic to my Hallowen theme.  The trim is threaded with sequins so it has alot of spakle, and I got the button out of my stash.   I put a little witch charm on some black and white twine threaded with some black ebeads and wrapped it all up with a big orange grosgrain ribbon.   Gotta have a little bling for Halloween!

I hope you like my card and have time to play along!  I look forward to seeing your creations and I really appreciate the chance to be Guest Designer this week.  Thanks and Happy Haunting!

Supplies Used:   Finished Size 5" x 7"
Stamps: Waltzingmouse Hocus Pocus, Midnight Feast (Witch), Vintage Labels 14
Dies:  Spellbinders:  Vintage Labels 14
Pattern Paper on bottom half of card by The Paper Studio - Vintage Black Ornate
Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black, Orange
Twine:  Martha Stewart

Card Patterns Sketch 136 - Gears / Experience

Happy Thursday Everybody!  As predicted yesterday, my son is home sick today.  He is a teenager so any excuse to stay in bed is ok with him.  Mom waiting on him is just another plus.  I'm trying to keep it quiet for him so I'll use this as an excuse to do a little scrapping.  I'm behind this week playing the Card Patterns Challenge, but better late than never.  Hey did you hear - I'm the designer for the new challenge that comes out on Saturday??  Pretty exciting huh?

I switched up the pattern a bit this week - but I think you can see where I  got the inspiration from with this.  I just changed up the shape in the middle a little - but that is ok.  It's just for fun and it is subject to interpretation!  I made this one for my hubby - he works construction so I think he will appreciate all the different elements here.  I distressed here and there with sandpaper and ink to give it a rough feel for my manly man ;) !!  So if it looks a little roughed up - that was the plan.

Speaking of distressed, did you hear Tim Holtz is putting out a seasonal series of distress inks?  They come in a 3-pack of colors.  I had to special order the Fall 2011 set and used the Gathered Twigs on this card.  I hear there will be a Christmas collection as well - so keep your eyes open for them - I understand they are quite limited. 

I love these gear dies by Spellbinders - they are great for a lot of different themes - mechanical, steampunk, time etc.  I thought they would make a great pairing with this sentiment.   Can you believe I got a little bling in there and kept it manly at the same time?  AMAZING!  Thanks for stopping by for a peek - I hope you are playing along and check out my very first designer spot on Saturday at:  http://cardpatterns.blogspot.com/

Supplies Used:  Finished size is 5" x 7"
Stamp: Tim Holtz Visual Artistry Collection Seamless Experience
Dies:  Spellbinders Small Labels, Gears
Border Punch:  EK Success Binding Edge
Ink:  Momento:  Rich Cocoa  Tim Holtz/Range Distress Gathered Twigs

Mojo Monday Sketch 210 - October 10, 2011 - Pink Thinking of You with Crown

Are you getting your mojo on?  Me, not so much today.  I took my car in for service -  that wound up taking several hours.  Just when I made it home the nurse from school called and asked me to pick up my son who is ill.  After making soup for him and then a big pot of curry for dinner I got time to sit down and play.   There's big benefits to dinners like soup, curry and chilli - you can make them ahead and steal some time for yourself.       I know it's Wednesday and the challenge is Mojo Monday, but it's not too late right?  The mojo hits when it likes and you have to take advantage of it whenever that may be!!!! 

 I made this pretty pink "Thinking of You" card for the sketch this week.  I started out with the map paper in the center and went from there.  I think this will be a great card for my daughter to send to one of her friends that are away at college. I really like the bright pink and that crown die has been one of my favorites since I first lay eyes on it.  

Of course I have a decent amount of the bling I am addicted to - the glittery plaid paper, the pearls on the crown, and that heart gem in the tag hole.  This is the first bow I've ever made with cord, but I think it turned out ok.  I hope you are having a great day and don't forget to Sieze the Mojo!

Supplies Used:    Finished Size:   5" x 7"

Stamp:  Just Rite Stampers Cling Fancy Tags

Die Cuts:  Spellbinders Tag for Just Rite, Nested Crowns, Fancy Tags 3

Border Punch:  Ek Success Double Embossed Dotted Lace

Embossing Folder:  Paper Studio Intricate Swirl

Ink:  Momento:  Angel Pink   Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Antique Linen

Pattern Paper:  Plaid My Minds Eye Lost & Found Collection, Map K & Co.

WMSC #68 - October 8, 2011 - Poinsettia

Happy Monday!  I hope everybody is starting off the week on the right foot.  The weather here is still uncommonly warm.  I love this weather because it is perfect for opening the windows - no air conditioning, and no furnace running.  Just perfect fresh air! 

How do you start out your week?  For me it begins with my WMSC project.  If you'd like to play along (it starts every Saturday so there's plenty of time), here's the details: 

 http://waltzingmousesketchchallenge.blogspot.com/2011/10/challenge-68october-8-2011.html

I love playing along with the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.   I really like to see all the wonderful creations people have made with the very same set of stamps I have.  It's like seeing something in a whole new way - through a different pair of eyes.  Talk about inspiration!

I just got my shipment of some of the new releases and tucked in there was the Big Bloom Poinsettia set that I've been looking at for a while.  I've just started my Copic collection (and coloring skills) and hadn't ordered it sooner because I didn't think I was ready for the challenge.  Buying this set sort of forced me to at least give it a try, and Ohhhh the possibilities!   What fun!!  I'm addicted!  I had never used an alcohol based marker and didn't understand the blending potential until now.

I stamped the poinsetta's in Momento Rich Cocoa - I think the brown is more natural looking than a black ink would be for these flowers.  I made the leaves by coloring one of the poinsettia leaves green and fussy cutting it.  I used a Copic gold marker to color white pearl accent stickers the perfect shade flower centers.   

Thanks for stopping by for a peek!  I appreciate your comments and I hope you will give something new a try today.  Maybe you will discover something great that you've been missing out on!   You never know until you try right?

Supplies Used:  Finished size is 5" x 7"

Waltzingmouse Stamps:  Big Bloom Poinsettia, Compliments of the SEason, Holiday Label No. 14

Dies:  Spellbinders Labells 14  Corner Accent is from Parisian Motifs

Copic Markers:  RV29, R20, R43, YR12, YR24, G28, YG03, G21

Ink:  Momento:  Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa, Angel Pink

Patterend Paper:  My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Collection

Case Study Challenge 60 - October 6, 2011 - Christmas Greetings

 

Hi and Happy Friday!  We made it through another week!  I hope you've got something fun planned for the weekend.  It's Indian summer here and  I'm having my parents over for dinner tomorrow for BBQ.  The weather is unusually warm here for October - today was 85 degrees!  Usually we're looking for frost on the pumpkin about now.  I'm not complaining, I'm just sayin' !!

 I just recently found Case Study and have been hooked on it since.  Maybe it is the fantastic design team they have, or the wonderful inspiration they come up with every week.

If you aren't familiar with Case Study the concept is simple.  They present a designer every week to act as a "muse" to inspire your creativity.   You are not required to stick to a card recipe - so no set patterns, and no required color combinations.

You are completely free to interpret the design however you like.  For this week's inspiration by Nicki Estes you  might be inspired by that beautiful butterfly, the music pattern, the bright color, the card layout or maybe even the pretty lace. 

With all this open to interpretation it  makes for some interesting play - especially when you see all the different directions that the sketch will go.  

As for me, I fell in love with the layout pattern on this one.  I've been focusing on holiday cards lately and decided to turn this casual design into an elegant Christmas card.  Instead of the bright turquoise Nicki used, I used a deep red; in place of the torn notebook border - a lacy cutout.  I'm really getting to enjoy using my Copics and really like how my poinsettias turned out. I fussy cut them 4 times and layered them with pop dots. 

I hope you like it!  Have a great weekend!  I hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

Jeanne

Supplies Used:  Finished Size 5" x 7"

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse Compliments of the Season, Oval Classic Frame, Big Bloom Poinsettia

Dies:  Spellbinders:  Classic Ovals

Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Collection Union Square "Perfect" Damask Print, "Home Sweet Home" Collage Paper

Border Punch:  EK Success Morocco Lace

Cuttlebug Embossing Folder:  Cassie's Brocade

Ink:  Momento:  Tuxedo Black, Rhubarb Stalk  Ranger/Tim Holtz Antique Linen

Markers:  Copic Sketch

Play Date Cafe Challenge #102 - October 6, 2011 - Happy Halloween

Hi!  I am posting twice today - I don't know if I will have time tomorrow - since I have lots of running around to do.  I saw the inspiration for the Case Study and I started tearing apart my scrappy room - pulling out papers, and Spellbinders, and ribbons.  It looks like a tornado hit!  It will probably take me longer to clean up than it took to make the card : ) !! 

 I hate when I pull out a Spellbinder die and it gets lost under all the pop dots, paper remnants and scraps of ribbons!  I think I've bought the set of standard circles 3 times now!!  I'm thinking about putting a magnet strip somewhere and sticking them to it once I've cut out the shape.  I hate of how many times I've looked through the garbage or my paper recycle bag to see if I threw one out by mistake.  Maybe you've conquered this problem - if so I'd be happy to hear your solution!

See the thing is that sometimes I cut several shapes with the same size die.  For example the card I made today - I knew I wanted a circular image in the center but I wasn't sure which one.  So I wound up inking / coloring, and cutting probably 4 or 5 images before I settled with this one (which by the way was the first one I started with).  So it is easy to loose those little flat dies in the wake of my creativity. 

I hope you like this fun Halloween card.  I had a hard time photographing it because of all the black.  The ribbon is organza so it is shimmery, and I embossed the stamp.   If you'd like to play along this week at teh Play Date Cafe the details are here:   http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/2011/10/play-date-cafe-challenge-pdcc102.html

Supplies Used:  Finished size 5" x 7"

Stamp:  Catslifepress.com

Dies:  Spellbinders - Standard Circles, Classic Inverted Scalloped Circles, Picod Edge Circles, Parisian Motifs

Paper:  K&Co.

Border Punch:  Martha Stewart - Iron Gate

Twine:  Martha Stewart

Button:  Bazill Bling!

Embossing Powder :   Zing!Black

Ink:  Ranger/Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress

Stampin' Royalty Challenge #92 - October 5, 2011 - You Inspire Me

Hi!  I hope you are having a good week.  My husband has been working off hours this week so we've been sneaking out for lunch almost every day this week.  It's not very often we are on our own so we are making the most of it!

I made this card for the Stampin' Royalty Challenge #92.  The challenge this week is to make a card that uses primarily Olive, Mustard, Saffron and Eggplant.   So where to start?  Find the paper?  Pick a theme?    I started more than a few times before I came up with this one that I am happy with.   My first thought was sunflowers with a purple background - but that got quickly nixed - the stamp was too big, and the purple looked like night.  

I finally got to use my new Spellbinders Nested Butterflies Two set, and a great quote from the Just Rite Stampers "You Are My Anchor" set.  It feels like a bit of a departure for me - no big fat bow, but I did put a frilly flower on it. And there is still a tiny bit of bling - the silver flourishes on the butterfly, and the purple wire antennae on the butterfly!

If you are interested in playing along you can get the details here:  http://stampinroyalty.blogspot.com/2011/10/stampin-royalty-challenge-92.html.
I hope you have a great day and find some time for yourself to do something you love!

Supplies Used:    Finished Size 5" x 7"
Stamp:  Just Rite Stampers: You Are My Anchor Set
Die Cuts:  Spellbinders: Foliage, Nested Butterflies Two, Ornate Artisan Tags & Accents, Fleur De Lis Rectangle
Border Punch:  Martha Stewart Eyelet Lace
Sizzix Embossing Folder:  Diamond from Diamond & Tropical Paisley Set
Ink:  Momento Sweet Plum, Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Antique Linen
Flower: Prima Whisper Collection - Fairy

Mojo Monday #209 - October 3, 2011 - Butterfly

Are you getting your Mojo on?  This is the sketch challenge for Monday October 3.  Top picks this week receive a set of Verve stamp set of their choice!  

I just got the Papillon set of stamps from Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous and used them as my starting point for the challenge this week.   I like how the images look like they are from an insect field guide. 

I put the focus of my card - the butterfly - in neutral to draw your eye to it.  I used the K & Co. Tim Coffey Blossomwood paper collection because I like the "fabric" look it has and how it lends a little texture to my card.

Of course, you know me, I had to put some bling in there somewhere.  If I'm going to make a card I want it to be extra special and a little sparkle never hurts!   I included a big fat two color seam binding bow with a big gem bauble in the center, and a swirl of turquoise gems to give my butterfly a little magic.  Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!  I hope you are having a great day!

Supplies Used:  Finished Size 5" x 7"

Pattern Paper:  K&Co. Tim Coffey Blossomwood, Tim Holtz Kraft Resist

Stamps:  TIm Holtz Stampers Anonymous Papillon, For You from Stampin' Up!

Die Cuts:  Spellbinders Standard Circles, Picot Edge Circles,

Border Punch:  Fiskars - Tag Punch Stampin' Up

Seam Binding:  Snug Hug Elegant Peacock Blue, Havana Brown

Ink: Momento Rich Cocoa, Sand  Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Antique Linen
Twine:  Martha Stewart
Button:  Bazzill Bling!  Gem Swirl:  Recollections

Card Patterns Sketch 135 - October 1, 2011- Hey Girlfriend!

  Hi and welcome to another Card Patterns sketch challenge!  Are you playing along?  All the details are at   http://cardpatterns.blogspot.com/.  This week one random winner will receive a $20 gift certificate for Paper Makeup Stamps.  Did you hear I won the Sketch 134 and get to be the guest designer for Sketch 137?  Neat huh?  I can't wait to see what they have in store for us.

I bought a cute set of 3 girls stamps by Hero Arts about 6 months ago.  They just made me smile so I brought them home and put them on display on a shelf in my crafty room.   I have a few shelves that put all my little treasures on - my Hello Kitty and Choco Kitty Pez dispensers, some favorite stamps, and little treat boxes I've decorated.  

I've been practicing my Copic blending skills and thought why not put a little color on these babes.  I thought this would be a cute card to send to a girlfriend that moved to Florida that I haven't talked to for a while. 

I punched the lacy border in light purple and put a piece of darker purple behind it so you could see the detail better.  I didn't have a stamp with a sentiment I wanted to use so I just printed one with purple ink in Word.  For the tag I just took a rectangle die, cut out the sentiment and punched a hole for the string.

I love how the card turned out and those girls still make me smile.  I bet you have a few new stamps that haven't been kissed by ink yet.  Dust 'em off and see what you can do with them!

Products Used:  Finished size 5" x 7"

Pattern Paper:  Echo Park A Walk in the Park Collection - Playground & Picnic Fun

Stamps:  Hero Arts 3 Girls

Border Punch:  Martha Stewart Deco Flowers

Markers:  Copic

Dies:  Spellbinders Standard Circles, Classic Scallop Circles, Tag Spellbinders for Just Rite

WMSC #67 October 1, 2011 - Home Cooked Vittles!!

Hi everybody and happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great weekend!  Mine was good!  My son ran his shoes off at his cross country meet on Saturday - literally!  It's been so rainy and muddy here that during the race his shoes got stuck in the mud.  One shoe came off his foot, but he kept running and he placed 3rd!  Sunday the weather was nice so we sat outside and had an excellent bbq dinner! 

I made this tag for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge this week.  It's so easy to make a tag using Waltzingmouse Stamps.  There are so many borders to mix and match with Spellbinder dies that the only limit is your imagination.   My daughter has so many friends that went off to college this year that I thought this would be a fantastic way to make a shipment of chocolate chip cookies extra special. 

 I started out with a simple tag and just kept adding to it until it looked finished to me.  I used a variety of stamps on my main tag.  I inked only the sentiment from the "vittles" stamp.  I put tape over the part of the stamp I don't want to use, then ink up the stamp, remove the tape and stamp away.  This is a great way to keep your stamped image really clean- vs. trying to ink only part of an image.  The little scroll under the "Yee Haw" is from Vintage Labels 4.  Claire packs in so many little extras in her sets that it's always easy to find the right accent.  I love using rich red with the Back in the Saddle western stamps and this one is no exception.

I'm glad I got this one done early this week so I can see what everyone else is coming up with!   I try not to peek at anyone else until I'm done.

Supplies used:

Waltzingmouse Stamps:  Vintage Labels 4, Vintage Labels 5, Back in the Saddle

Spellbinders:  Labels, 5, Labels 18, Fancy Tags 3, Fleur De Lis Rectangles

Seam Binding:  Hug Snug Lipstick Red, Havana Brown

Ink:  Momento Rich Cocoa, Rhubarb Stalk  Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Antique Linen

Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC101 - Wine, Smudge, Leather, Parchment - September 29, 2011 - Live Laugh Love

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  I just got back from my son's cross country meet - still had some good daylight to take photos of the card I finished last night - so I'm doing a post quickly. 

I am trying out a lot of different challenges lately and posting daily (sometimes more) until I decide on which ones I want to stick with.  I'm new at blogging so I'm not sure if posting every day is a good thing or not.  At least you get to see something different every time you stop by for a peek.  Please feel free to leave me comments/suggestions since I'm learning as I go.  I'd also like to hear if there are any particular challenges that you really like that I should give a try.

This is the first time I'm playing along with the Play Date Cafe.  This is Challenge 10.  The colors are  Wine, Smudge, Leather and Parchment.  With that combination of colors and the inspiration sketch I immediately got to thinking vintage.  I inked up this new stamp I got at Jo Ann Fabric's and went to work.  I stamped it in Momento Tuxedo Black and then stamped the Faded Text Background in Antique Linen on top of it and distressed the edges.  I die cut my sentiment  with the Spellbinders Labels 21.  This shape didn't look right on this card to me so I trimmed off the bottom.  I hand cut a border in wine to make it stand out more.  I loved the flower grand adhesion sticker I picked out but it was pink - not the wine color I needed so I inked it up with some Copics.  I didn't have any pearls that would match either so I inked those as well.  I always have to have a little bling so I squeezed in some pearl and glitter papers as well as the gems at the bottom of he card.

Thanks for stopping by for a peek!  Oh, and if you want to play along with this challenge here's a link to the details http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/2011/09/play-date-cafe-challenge-pdcc101.html.  The challenge starts every Thursday.  Have a great day!

Jeanne

Supplies:

Stamp:  Cloud 9 Word Border, Stampabilities Faded Text Background.

Die Cuts:  Spellbinders Labels 21, Fleur De Lis Accents

Pattern Paper K & Co. Scrap Pack

Markers:  Copics

Border Punch:  Scallop Fiskars

Ranger Tim Holtz Stickles Rock Candy

Flower Sticker K & Co. Grand Adhesion

Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black, Ranger/Tim Holtz Antique Linen