Serendipity Blog Hop Challenge - January 18, 2012 Calendars

Hi and welcome to my first post as a Serendipity Stamps design team member!  I am so proud and excited to work with these stamps and show you all their gorgeous designs.  Their flowers in particular are amazing and so life like that I can almost smell them as I'm coloring away with my Copics.

Like many of you I've been working so hard on getting more organized this year.  My husband put shelves up in my craft room to get the boxes out from under my feet.  I put all my cling stamps in empty DVD cases, got glass jars for my twine, and my Cricut cartridges are all in alphabetical order!!  Mary, the owner of Serendipity Stamps came up with another fantastic way to help get organized this year - create a calendar! 

I've seen blank calendar kits before, but I'd never actually worked on one until now.  I don't know why I never tried this, but now that I have it might become an annual event.   I really enjoyed decking out these two pages.  I know I will enjoy looking at them in the months to come - each one an individual work of art hanging in my craft room.

I glammed up the October page with lots of bling and sparkle to capture the magic of the holiday.  I made the orange flower using a tutorial featured by Clare Buswell for they Hybrid Chick blog http://www.thehybridchick.com/2010/09/fabric-flower-gift-box/. 

For November I wanted to capture all the color of the fall leaves.  I love the Horn of Plenty image because it captures all these colors in the bounty of the harvest so well. 

Each of the design team members were assigned two months to decorate - just click on their names to hop on over to their blog to see what they've come up with. 

Jenny Gropp       January & December

Amy Cokley       February & March

Miriam  Napier   April & May

Kathie Bailey     June & July

Sue  Eldred        August & September

Jeanne Jachna  October & November   (You are Here)

I hope this will inspire you to come up with a one of a kind creation of your own to brighten up your home and your day!

Jeanne 

Supplies Used:
October                                                                          November

Stamps:  Serendipity Pumpkin on Rock 405H, Wicked 1228D                   Stamps:  Serendipity We Give Thanks 488E,

Trick or Treat 314C,  October 549F, Tiny Pumpkin  1021C                       Horn of Plenty 672K, November 595F
Paper:  Recollections Midnight Magic                                                       Paper:  Authentique Blissful Collection "Prosperity" & "Euphoria"
Markers:  Copic YR00, 12 16, 18, 24, R17, YG01, 95                                Markers: Copic G07, 24 28, E00, 13, 23, 33, 87,  R17, 46, CO

Y08, W0,  01, 03, 05                                                                                 YR12, 16, 18, 24, 31, Y01, 19, YG61, 95, V01, 04, 09, 06, B24

Dies:  Quickutz/Lifestyle Crafts Frame, Nexting Frame 5 & 3,                     Dies:  Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Frame 2, Spellbinders Grand Circles
Flourish , Spellbinders Fancy Tags 2, Petite Ovals                                    Grand Scalloped Circles,  Fancy Tags 2, Petite Ovals

Bling:  Recollections                                                                                 Border Punch:  Martha Stewart Zig Zag

Orange Button:  Bazzil Basics

Twine:  My Mind's Eye  Lime Twist Fly A Kite "Everyday"

Border Punch:  EK Success Double Embossed DOtted Lace

Embossing Folder:  Cuttlebug Skeleton Scroll

Ink:  Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Antique Linen,

Versafine Onyx Black, Momento Tuxedo Black

Black Button La Mode

Waltzingmouse Stamps January Blog Party - Sweet Things

On the 17th of every month Waltzingmouse Stamps hosts a blog party - this month it's all about "Sweet Things" - just in time for Valentine's right?  I've had my eye on these little wooden boxes you can find at Michael's for a while.  They are very inexpensive - around $2.    I wanted to do something special for the blog party so I took the plunge and bought one.  I gave it a quick coat of gesso and covered it in sweet Martha Stewart Valentine's paper.  

To make it even more like a party I added a rosette wand with a streamer of little hearts.  Save some money - make your own rosette without a die - just cut a 2" strip of 12" paper, score it every 1/4" for folding.  I ran mine through a Fiskars border punch to give it a fancy edge, zig zag folded it, and attached the two ends. Use a hot glue gun to attach a small circle on both sides for some stability and you're good to go.  Easy Peasy!

What could make this box any sweeter than this you ask?  I say CHOCOLATE!!!  I'm planning on giving this one to my mom to brighten her day - she's been a little down lately.  This will let her know I'm thinking about her and satisfy her sweet tooth at the same time! 

Thanks for taking a peek - Have a great day!

Jeanne

Products Used:

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse Sweethearts, Gingham & Company, "Dearest" from Cameo to Go

Dies:  Spellbinders Nested Lacy Pennants, Fancy Tags 2, Classic Hearts, Cheery Lynn Two of Hearts, Dancing Doily Lace Border, Sizzix Window Cuts Hearts 

Paper:  Martha Stewart Valentine Collection

Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter

Twine:  My Mind's Eye Lime Twist Life of the Party "Happy Day"

Border Punch (on rosette) Fiskars

Ink:  Momento Rosebud, Lady Bug, Versa Fine Onyx Black

WMSC 80 - January 14, 2012

Happy Sunday!  I made it through my dental implant surgery yesterday and am just happy to be alive!  I think you know the feeling.  Like when you're on the way to the doctor or the dentist - don't you always feel better?  So good sometimes that maybe you don't feel like you need to go there at all!  HA!  I was brave and got through the procedure conscious - now just a  sore jaw and a little swelling.  So I'm spending the day in my pj's and playing with my craft supplies.  My boys are out helping with a Boy Scout Eagle project, and I have my girls  (my daughter and my dog) to take care of me!

Of course, had to play along with the Waltzingmouse sketch challenge.   I decided to go with the Asian Gardens set for my design today.  Here's the sketch and the link if you want to play along or just see what everyone's come up with http://waltzingmousesketchchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/01/challenge-80january-14-2012.html    I have a no peek policy - that means I don't look at anyone else's design until I'm done with mine.  This week I'm done early so I can check everyone else out. 

I really love the birds in this set, but have been unhappy with the results when I stamp them in one ink.  I changed things up a bit today by stamping them first in Momento Summer Sky - light blue. Then I took a Momento Danube Blue marker and highlighted the head and the feathers.  I took a cotton swab and cleaned off the belly and markered in some Momento Tangelo.  For the leaves on the tree I dipped the stamp in Momento Pear Tart and then dabbed some Bamboo leaves onto the edges of the stamp to give them the two color effect you see.

Supplies Used:  Finished Size is 5" x 7"

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse:  Asian Gardens

Paper:  My Mind's Eye A Beautiful Live 6x6 pad

Dies:  Spellbinders Labels, Chery Lynn Lace Light Deco Border

Ink Pads/Markers:  Momento:  LuLu Lavender, Bamboo Leaves, Summer Sky, Potters Clay, Sweet Plum, Danube Blue, Grape Jelly, Tangelo, Pear Tart