Gnome Tag

It's a bit past Christmas now, but I want to post the tags that I made for Christmas last year.  I'll post them over the next three days.  This first tag uses an adorable gnome die that I bought recently from Simon Says Stamp.  I just had to use it for a tag!

So cute!  I cut the gnome from both white and patterned paper and then pieced it together.  The nose and beard were colored with Copics for some shading.  On the back piece, I also colored behind the little triangles to avoid gluing them back in.  I wish there was a version of this die with a solid body to expand the possibilities.

I adhered the completed gnome to a Kraft cardstock tag cut with the Tag Sale #3 die by Papertrey Ink.  Then, I stamped a sentiment from an older set by Waltzingmouse Stamps called Jolly Old Elf.  I'm still sad that the company went out of business.  So many wonderful designs!

After adding some ribbon, this tag design was done.  Nice and simple!

Stamps:  Jolly Old Elf (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Paper:  White, Kraft (Papertrey Ink); Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey); Candy Land (My Favorite Things)
Ink:  Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Copics:  0, C1, YG67, E30, E42
Misc:  Li'l Gnome die (Simon Says Stamp); Tag Sale #3 die (Papertrey Ink); green ribbon 

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: Moon Blast

This year is just flying by.  How are we already into October?  It was downright cold outside this morning when my daughter left for the bus.  The trees are starting to show their autumn colors.  It's my favorite time of year!  My son Benjamin received his mission call two weeks ago and we are getting him prepared to leave.  He reports to the MTC (missionary training center) on Nov 9th and will be serving in the Utah Salt Lake City East mission.  Change is in the air.

It's also time for the newest Ink It Up post with Leigh Penner.  We share a project on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month using uninked stamps.  When cleaning out my scrap drawer recently, I found this piece of metallic star paper already cut to size.  I simply adhered it to a white card base.  There it sat for a couple of days until the Half Pint Heroes set by Waltzingmouse caught my attention.  Sadly, that company is out of business now.  I saw the fun rocket ship and decided to re-create a card design I made several years ago. (found here)

Waltzingmouse made such wonderful stamps!  Thankfully, several of Claire's designs are now available through Gina K Designs.  Not the Half Pint series at this point, but you never know what will come in the future.  I stamped the rocket ship on a piece of white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers.  I added Wink of Stella on the flames and Glossy Accents over the boy's head.  Hopefully you can see it in these close-up photos.

I used the Mini Bubbles embossing folder by Paper Studio on a gray cardstock circle, shading it with Soft Stone ink, and then spritzing it with Perfect Pearl Mist.  And there you have it - a moon.  I love the shimmer!  It's almost otherworldly.  I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock and cut it apart into words.  The rocket ship is hand-cut and popped up for dimension.

This card was fun to make.  It's about time I got these darling stamps inked!  Once I got an idea, it came together very quickly.  Make sure you pop over to Leigh's blog, To the Full, to see her Ink It Up card!

Stamps:  Half Pint Heroes (Waltzingmouse)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Soft Stone (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White (Papertrey Ink); Rockstar Stack dsp (DCWV)
Copic: 0, C1, C3, C5, E00, E30, E42, R05, R20, R24, R29, BG72, BG75, BG78, BG99
Misc:  Standard Circles Large die (Spellbinders); Mini Bubbles embossing folder (Paper Studio); Perfect Pearl Mist, Glossy Accents (Ranger); clear Wink of Stella; ink sponging tool

Holly & Stars

I'm squeaking in at the last minute to post one last card for the Waltzingmouse Pajama Party challenges.  This time it's a sketch.  Pretty straightforward, but my card required a lot of tweaking before I was happy with it.

I'll add more info in just a bit.  I've got to get this linked before time runs out!   :)

Okay, I'm back.  I made it with six minutes to spare.  lol  You'll have to pardon the indoor lighting.  The sun is well and truly down here on the east coast.  I'll get a better picture tomorrow.  (edited to add new pics above)

I used an oldie but goodie stamp set by Waltzingmouse.  I purchased Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy along with its companion set when they were first released several years ago.  I love the adorable gingerbread men, but this time I reached for the holly and berry images for my card.  I stamped them randomly around the oval in Handsome Hunter and Real Red ink.  Then I added two sizes of gold stars from the same stamp set.

The images looked a little flat, so I took my Wink of Stella pen and added a sheer layer of glitter to each star.  I used Glossy Accents on the berries to add shine and dimension.

I cut two ovals from white and green cardstock using Spellbinders dies.  On the white oval, I added a gold border with a paint pen.  Love the look!  I also went over it with my Wink of Stella pen to match the stars.  In the center, I stamped a sentiment from Ornate Ornaments and a small flourish underneath from Vintage Labels 4.  I added one tiny glittery star above.

I stamped and cut out two more sprays of holly and adhered them to each side of the oval, again adding Glossy Accents to the berries.  The whole centerpiece was popped up with foam tape on the card.  Whew!  It didn't turn out half bad!  Thank goodness.   :)

Stamps:  Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy, Ornate Ornaments, Vintage Labels 4 (Waltzingmouse)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Handsome Hunter, Real Red (Stampin' Up); Gold (Encore! Ultimate Metallic)
Paper:  White (Papertrey Ink); Handsome Hunter (Stampin' Up)
Misc:  Standard Ovals Small and Large dies (Spellbinders); Glossy Accents (Ranger); clear Wink of Stella pen; foam tape  

Sweetest Christmas Wishes

I'm popping in to post a card for another of the Waltzingmouse Pajama Party challenges, this time to use an older Christmas set.  The DT used Candy Jar Christmas, which I do have (and also haven't used yet), so I pulled it out to make this card.

I stamped the candy canes with black ink, colored in sections with a red marker, and then used a glue pen to add sparkly red glitter.  I hand cut the candy canes, completely forgetting that I had the dies!  {smack forehead}  I remembered when I considered using the jar image and pulled out the matching dies.  Ooops!  I did use a die for the bow.  :)

After stamping, I colored the bow with Copic markers to add shading and then coated it in glitter.  Love the sparkle!  I stamped a Vintage Labels 4 image on another diecut in Hawaiian Shores ink, and then the sentiment in Pure Poppy ink.  I love how the bow fits nicely around the sentiment.

I embossed the Hawaiian Shores panel with a Decorative Dots folder from Stampin' Up.  It almost looks like falling snow.  I glued it to a white card base and then added the layered candy cane piece.  It makes a very sweet Christmas card!  (pun intended)  :)

Stamps:  Candy Jar Christmas, Candy Jar Christmas Fillers, Vintage Labels 4 (Waltzingmouse)
Ink:  Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Copic:  0, C1, C3
Misc:  Cherry Cobbler marker, Decorative Dots embossing folder (Stampin' Up); Labels 4 die (Spellbinders); Jar Fillers die (Waltzingmouse); Sugar Cube glitter, Garnet glitter (Martha Stewart); glue pen

Scandinavian Tag

I could not resist the Waltzingmouse Pajama Party challenge for this month to make a Scandinavian-style tag using red and white.  I have had the Folk Art Medallion stamp set for quite some time without using it, and I just knew it would look cool embossed in white on a red tag.  I had to try it out!  Here's the result.

Quite simple, although it took several steps.  Each part of the medallion was stamped and embossed separately.  First the large leafy circle medallion, and then the smaller bits inside.  I stamped my sentiment on a diecut flag and popped it up.  Yes, that is an eyelet!  lol  I've had these flower eyelets for years and completely forgot about them until I started searching through my embellishments today.  They were still in the box!  It echoes the floral shapes in the medallion so it adds a nice touch. Besides, using what I have is the goal!  :)

You can see other projects for the challenge here on the Waltzingmouse blog.

Stamps:  Folk Art Medallion, Ornate Ornaments (Waltzingmouse)
Ink:  Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark
Paper:  White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  white embossing powder (Filigree); flower eyelet (Making Memories); Tag Sale #1 die (Papertrey Ink); Fishtail Flags Layers STAX die (My Favorite Things); baker's twine; foam tape

Silver Christmas

Waltzingmouse Stamps is having their September Pajama Party and I decided to join in at the last minute.  This card is for their Old Pajamas challenge to use an older Christmas set.  You can see the challenges here.

I envisioned using a blue and silver color combo, so I pulled out some Enchanted Evening cardstock and silver embossing powder.  First, I cut out the ornament shape using an older Spellbinders die and then embossed the ornament.  I then added the sentiment and embossed it as well.  For my card base, I outlined a frame using a silver paint pen and stamped branches from a retired SU set called Peaceful Wishes using shimmery VersaMark ink and the masking technique.  The ornament is popped up to add a bit of dimension.

Stamps:  Ornate Ornaments (Waltzingmouse); Peaceful Wishes (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Frost Dazzle (VersaMark)
Paper:  Enchanted Evening (Stampin' Up)
Misc:  2010 Heirloom Ornament die (Spellbinders); silver embossing powder; silver paint pen; pop-dots

Waltzingmouse Tag Challenge

December has been so busy! I had nine performances in the span of fifteen days, along with school concerts and other family/church activities. I have three performances this week and then I get a bit of a break from major commitments. I am so looking forward to it! I love what I do, but there are so many things that need catching up and unscheduled time is so precious. I can't wait to sleep in and spend time with my kids! I can't believe Christmas is in just a few days. This past year feels like a blur.

Most of this month's extra time went toward stamping my Christmas cards. I'll show those in a future post since I still need to get them mailed (yikes!). Yesterday afternoon, I got some free time to spend in my studio so I made a tag for the Waltzingmouse challenge. This is actually my third try since I wasn't satisfied with the first two tags I made.


I used three different sets: Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy for the adorable gingerbread man and holly, Half Baked Gingerbread Joy for the sentiment, and Vintage Circles Small for the frame. It's difficult to see, but I clear-embossed a candy image in the center of the tag. Now I have the perfect little tag for some Christmas cookies!

Stamps: Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy, Fresh Baked Gingerbread Joy, Vintage Circles Small (Waltzingmouse)
Paper: Rustic Cream, Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, New Leaf (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark
Dies: Tag Sale #4, Double-Ended Banners (Papertrey Ink)
Misc: white embossing powder (Filigree); clear embossing powder

Out Of This World

I got my card done early for this month's SFYTT sketch challenge! One of my favorite stamp companies, Waltzingmouse Stamps, is the sponsor. I went in an unusual direction since I only have a few of their stamp sets (so far!) and most of them are frames made to fit Spellbinders Nestabilities dies. I dearly want Halloween Party, Midnight Feast, Rescue Remedies, and many others! Eventually they will be mine, but for now I improvised with what I have.

Since I'm currently fixated on Halloween, I just couldn't help but see a robot in the Nestie Eggs set. Surely you see it too? :D


Isn't that fun! I ran into a snafu with the sentiment though. I thought for sure that somewhere in my stamp collection that I had an appropriate phrase. Nope, not at all. I finally just printed one out for the card using the Droid Lover font.

So there you have it. I bet you will never see that particular stamp image quite the same way again!

Stamps: Nestie Eggs (Waltzingmouse)
Ink: Basic Gray (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Soft Stone, True Black (Papertrey Ink); Basic Gray (Stampin' Up); Rockstar Stack (DCWV)
Misc: Nested Eggs die (Spellbinders); Droid Lover font

You're so sweet

Thanks to everyone who commented on my humble little blog! It really made my week to read your sweet comments. Here's another card as a way to say thanks! :)

I bought these stamps from Waltzingmouse Stamps back in May 2009 when they were first released as the company was getting started. I just love the adorable images and the build-a-gingerbread man possibilities inherent in the set. (well, two sets actually) You can see the sets here and here. I absolutely love Claire's designs and unique style. Most of her sets are on my wish list!

Recently, the Waltzingmouse design team did a series of posts using the new Grand Calibur from Spellbinders. I absolutely love their dies and Claire has so many matching images! Anyway, they issued a challenge to CASE one of their projects and post the result. My card is a CASE of a card posted by Belinda Chang Langner at her blog here. It jumped out at me immediately!

I didn't change much from the original card other than using a different die shape, color, and stamp set. Since Oven-Fresh Gingerbread Joy is geared more toward Christmas cards, I used a sentiment from a Papertrey ink set so my card could work for either Valentine's Day or a thank you card. I stamped the pink background with a small candy image, and then embossed the gingerbread man and sentiment. I used white embossing powder, but my jar is so old that it is more of a vanilla color now. I actually like the look. (I do need to get some new white though!) The white layer and gingerbread man are raised up on dimensionals just like the original card.

I had so much fun stamping this and I'm beyond tickled at the result!

Stamps: Oven-Fresh Gingerbread Joy (Waltzingmouse), Cupcake Collection (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Dark Chocolate, White (Papertrey Ink), Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink), Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up)
Dies: Labels Ten (Spellbinders)
Misc: white embossing powder