A Waltzing Farewell

Welcome to the August Blog Waltz for Waltzingmouse stamps. The theme this month is coffee/tea. I chose to step out of the box a little and combine the tea theme with Claire's charming new Vintage girls.


For this card, I used Gracie. She's from the set Gracie at Halloween. I thought the sentiment, from the Afternoon Tea set fit beautifully with Gracie on her broom. Wouldn't you just love to have tea with her and her sweet little cat? I also added some Natural Burlap string to the broom for some fun texture.

eta: I forgot to mention that I used Kelly's fabulous Waltzingmouse sketch. You can click on the sketch for the link, and to see some fabulously creative samples. We'd love to see what you do with it too.

The web at the top was made using an EK Success border punch. I just layered vellum over smokey gray cs, and cut out the vellum spiders so the black showed underneath. The house top at the bottom is dp that I cut out from We R Memory Keepers Spookville 6x6 paper pad, and I added some Stardust Stickles randomly to the bg.

The moon is from one of the other charming vintage girl sets called Cicely at Halloween.

If you noticed my title, it said a Waltzing farewell. Unfortunately, two DT members are leaving us. *sniff*...I haven't been a part of this team for very long, but these two girls are ultra sweet and oozing with talent. They will be sorely missed!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I sincerely hope you are having a fabulous week!!
Happy Stamping!

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Stamps: Gracie at Halloween, Cicely at Halloween, Afternoon Tea
Paper: Vellum, Spookville (We R Memory Keepers), Smokey Gray and Vintage Cream (PTI)
Ink: Versamark, Tuxedo Black (Memento), Black Soot (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Copics, Natural Burlap String (May Arts), Web Border Punch (EK Success), Stardust Stickles, White embossing powder, sewing Machine

Verve Fave: Thanks so very much

I have a very short post for you today. I just got back from a most fabulous and unique weekend trip. I will be sharing photos and stories real soon.

Verve just released a HUGE variety of sets and dies, for its 4th Anniversary, this past Friday, and the divas are sharing their favorites over on the Verve Blog. You might want to go check out their projects.

All my supplies and links are at the bottom of this post.

Thank you so very much for stopping by. I truly hope you are having an awesome week!
Happy Stamping...

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Supplies

Stamps: Making a Statement (Verve)
Paper: Baby Steps (Simple Stories), PTI
Ink: French Roast (a muse), Brushed Corduroy (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Loopy Flower, Curvy Bookplate, and Jotted Heart dies (Verve), Long Rectangle die (Spellbinders), Ribbon and Button (PTI), Pearls (Kaisercraft and Zva Creative, Lace (Wild Orchid Crafts), Sewing Machine

Anni~Verve~sary Spotlight Hop Day 6 ~ Making a Statement

It's hard to believe this is the final day for Verve's Anniversary sneak peeks. I hope you've enjoyed hopping along with us, and seeing all the fun new images and dies! I also hope you've been commenting on all the blogs in the hop, because, if there ever were stamp sets to win, these baby's are it!! So be sure to stop by the Verve Blog for all the details.

Also, tonight's the Verve release party. It's a riot chatting with all the Verve fans as well as with Mark and Julee. They're just the sweetest!! So be sure to stop by the Verve Forum tonight at 6:00 PM Pacific.

For my card today, I stamped the lined paper image, from the Making a Statement set, with Red Brick VersaMagic, onto Kraft, and diecut it with the Rounded Scallop Frame. I then stamped the scalloped image with the Red Brick and die cut it with the Rounded Scallop Frame, and fit the ink distressed Kraft piece inside. I then added the birthday sentiment and the sweet little pieced bird.

The felt flowers were diecut with the Loopy Blooms die, and I used the Leafy Sprigs die to cut some leaves.

That's it. Next along the hop is Andrea.

1. Julee 10. Laurie 2. Charmaine 11. Maureen 3. Tosha 12. Amber 4. Andrea 13. Amy 5. Sankari 14. Jen d. 6. Teresa 15. Betty 7. Jackie 16. Lynda 8. Sarah {Guest} 17. Susan 9. Marisa {Guest}

Wow!! This is the final hop day. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such kind and encouraging comments. I really appreciate it. I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Happy Stamping!!

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Supplies

Stamps: Making a Statement (Verve)
Paper: Odds & Ends (Cosmo Cricket), Kraft and Vintage Cream (PTI)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Brick Red (VersaMagic), Brushed Corduroy (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Rounded Scallop Frame, Leafy Sprigs, and Loopy Blooms dies (Verve), Lace, Button (PTI), Felt, Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Sewing Machine

Anni~Verve~sary Spotlight Hop Day 5 ~ Tag Time

It's day 5 and the divas are featuring the set Tag Time, as well as 3 new, must have, dies: Curvy Bookplate, Tiny Sweet Scallop, and Tagged Rectangle

I used the Tagged Rectangle die today with the graphed tag image from the Tag Time set. The sentiment I used, is from the Words of Wisdom set that was peeked on Tuesday, and the flowers are from Sunny Days, that were peeked on Monday. Don't ya just love all the different combination's that can be made with Julee's sets. The possibilities are endless. By the way, the flowers and leaves are all paper pieced and paper toled. This card has a bit of dimension. :)


eta: I've been asked if the purple flowers in the background are a stamp. Sorry, but they're part of the dp. I loved the look of the soft purple and red, so I cut the dp accordingly.

Once again, that's it for today, be sure to check out what the other divas have in store for today.

1. Julee 9. Marisa {Guest} 2. Charmaine 10. Laurie 3. Tosha 11. Amber 4. Andrea 12. Amy 5. Sankari 13. Lynda 6. Teresa 14. Susan 7. Jackie 15. Maureen 8. Sarah {Guest}

Also, check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for all your encouraging comments. They mean a lot to me. Happy Stamping!!

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Supplies:
Stamps: Tag Time , Words of Wisdom, Sunny Days (Verve)
Paper: Picket Fence (Lily bee design), PTI
Ink: Onyx Black and Smokey Gray (Versafine), Old Paper (Ranger Distress
Accessories:Tagged Rectangle Die , Black Burlap String

Anni~Verve~sary Spotlight Hop Day 4 ~ Sip and Savor

It's day 4 of Verve's Anni~ Verve~sary Spotlight hops, and we've just touched the surface of all these excellent new sets and dies!! Seriously!! You won't believe what beauties are still to come!! And each time you leave warm fuzzies, on the participating blogs, your chances of winning some of these gorgeous sets increases!! So, be sure to check out the Verve Blog for all the details.

Today I went ultra CAS. I adore the sweet little cups and beautifully flourished sentiments in the Sip and Savor set. So I thought, why not make little 3.5 x 3.5 cards to put little gift cards in, or to include with a small coffee gift. I just paper piece the cups with dp from the Picket Fences dp line of Lily bee designs, and added a small rhinestone to each. A 10 minute card for sure. Quick, and easy.



That's it...these took no time at all, other than the paper piecing. Now be sure to stop by the rest of the diva's blogs. They have some fabulous inspirational projects to share. Next up is the uber talented Andrea.

1. Julee 7. Sarah {Guest} 2. Charmaine 8. Marisa {Guest} 3. Tosha 9. Laurie 4. Andrea 10. Maureen 5. Sankari 11. Amy 6. Teresa

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Stamps: Sip and Savor (Verve)
Paper: Victoria Garden (Echo Park), PTI
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty)

Anni~Verve~sary Spotlight Hop Day 3~ Words of Wisdom

I can't believe we're at Day 3 of the Verve Spotlight Hops already. I hope you like what you've seen so far. Julee has outdone herself with this release. Talk about a celebration of images!! And you have a chance to win some too. Be sure to stop by the Verve Blog for all the details.

Okay, on to the cards. I have two to share with you today. Both were made using the new set Words of Wisdom, and Basicgrey's Out of Print dp.


I love this Mark Twain quote. Especially since I'm almost 44 and am facing an empty nest in 2 weeks. Life is changing, so it's time to start thinking about my dreams. Before, they were (and still are in many ways) all about the kids. Now, I can make some plans without always checking with their schedules. :)

This card is pretty straight forward. I added some fun and vibrant Petaloo Blooms to the side as well as a punched border and a few buttons.


For my second card, I decided to make a small inspirational book using the Notebook Paper Plain Jane and the coordinating Rounded Corner die, as well as sentiments from the new Words of Wisdom set and Small Phrases. The die made making this book quick and easy. Each page has some different sentiments and a blank, Notebook paper, page is included at the end to add a handwritten note. My daughter has already informed me, since she'll be so far from home, she wants a consistent flow of cards showing up in her mailbox. I'm getting a head start. :)

Here's a close up of the sentiment "Carpe Diem" from the Words of Wisdom Verve set...I thought that would fit well on the outside.

Here's the first inside page. Aren't those arrows cute?

I included sentiments from the Small Phrases set on the second page, as well as one of the hearts from the From the Heart die set.

Another heart from the new heart dies, as well as more sentiments from Small phrases.

That's finally it for today. Sorry for the long post. Have fun continuing on the hop!! Andrea is next. :)

1. Julee 8. Sarah {Guest} 2. Charmaine 9. Marisa {Guest} 3. Tosha 10. Laurie 4. Andrea 11. Amy 5. Sankari 12. Shannan 6. Teresa 13. Betty 7. Jackie 14. Maureen

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you've been inspired!!
Happy Stamping!

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Supplies:

Never Too Old
Stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve)
Paper: Out of Print (Basicgrey), PTI
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Black Soot (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Fabric Trim (Petaloo), Buttons (PTI), Border Punch (EK Success)

Carpe Diem
Stamps: Notebook Paper Plain Jane, Words of Wisdom and Small Phrases (Verve)
Paper: Out of Print (Basicgrey), PTI
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Black Soot (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Rounded Rectangle and From the Heart dies (Verve), Standard Circle die (Spellbinders), Bakers Twine (Twinery), Buttons (PTI), Hole Punch

Anni~Verve~sary Spotlight Hop Day 2~ You and I

Welcome to day 2 of Verve's Spotlight hops. If you missed yesterday, Click Here and check out the sets that have been peeked already. You'll also want to make sure you stop by the Verve Blog to see how you can win some fabulous Verve goodies.

Now, about my card. For some reason, it looks blurry to me here on blogger. I promise, if you click on the photo, it's a much clearer picture. I don't know if it's the colors, patterns, or what. I've never had this problem before. So, sorry about the poor photo quality.

Okay...Julee has come out with the SWEETEST I {heart} U dies and matching images in a set called You and I. Talk about cute!! And of course the dies do all the work for you. For this card, I just used the "I" and "u" dies and not the images. I stamped the word "miss" onto the oval from the Charming Oval die set, and added the included sentiment "so much" to the bottom of the card. The panels behind the letters are a new die as well, but I jumped the gun on the peek day with those too. This release has oodles of new dies with it, and I just couldn't help where the creative process took me...I tried, I really did...;)

That's it for today, be sure to check out what the rest of the divas have to share. Their creativity knows no bounds, I tell ya. And stop by tomorrow for a couple of more cards.

1. Julee 9. Laurie 2. Charmaine 10. Maureen 3. Tosha 11. Amy 4. Andrea 12. Jen d. 5. Teresa 13. Shannan 6. Jackie 14. Lynda 7. Sarah {Guest} 15. Jen T. 8. Marisa {Guest} 16. Betty

Thanks again for stopping by. I hope you've been enjoying the peeks!!
Happy Stamping!

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Supplies:
Stamps: You and I (Verve)
Paper: Victoria Gardens (Echo Park) and PTI
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Charming Oval Die Set, Rounded Rectangle Die and I Heart U Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Primitive Hearts #3 (Sizzix), Rhinestones (I-Rock)

Anni~Verve~sary Spotlight Hop Day 1~ Sunny Days

I am so excited!! I get to share cards with you this week made with some of the most fun images Julee has ever designed for Verve!! Welcome to our Anni-VERVE-sary Spotlight Hops!

Hop along with the Divas all week long as we share our first looks at a few of the new products releasing from Verve on Friday night! One lucky commenter from each day's hop will win the sets and dies featured that day, so be sure and leave a little love in the Divasphere! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize details and deadlines.

I saw a photo, the other day, of a bowl of dried sprigs, and immediately the new leafy sprigs images and coordinating die came to mind. I thought, why not duplicate that image with paper. It's so fun and easy with the Leafy Sprigs die. All I did was stamp the Leafy Sprigs images, from the set Sunny Days, with French Roast pigment ink from Amuse, diecut them with the Leafy Sprigs Die Set, and crinkle them up a bit to give depth and texture.

See that little button? That's in the set too, as well as a fabulous variety of Julee's flowers and wonderful leaves. This will be a "go to" set for me in the future for sure. The sentiment I included is a plain jane sneak peek that will be spotlighted tomorrow.

Well, I'll keep this short so you can continue on the hop!! Here's a list of those hopping along. You won't want to miss a stop!! We have two very special diva guests this month too, Sarah and Marisa. Not only are they talented, but they are super sweet!!

1. Julee 8. Marisa {Guest} 2. Charmaine 9. Laurie 3. Tosha 10. Maureen 4. Andrea 11. Amy 5. Teresa 12. Shannan 6. Jackie 13. Lynda 7. Sarah {Guest}

Thanks so much for stopping by. Be sure to stop by each day this week. The release is on Friday, and there's some fabulous Verve prizes to be had!! So be sure to stop by the Verve Blog for all the details!!

Happy Stamping!!

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Supplies:
Stamps: Sunny Days and Nicest Thoughts Plain Jane (Verve)
Paper: Zoology Collection (Bo Bunny), Smokey Gray and Vintage Cream (PTI)
Ink: Red Brick (VersaMagic), Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress), French Roast (a muse)
Accessories: Leafy Sprigs Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Standard Circle die (Spellbinders), Circle Punch, Clear Embossing Powder, Natural Burlap String (May Arts), Distrezz-it-All (Zutter)

Waltzingmouse August Soap ~ Day 4

Have you all enjoyed the Waltzingmouse SOAP parades this week? I just got home from a camping trip, so I haven't seen what the other gals have shared, but knowing this fabulous team, they've been fabulously inspirational.

For the final day, we're showcasing a previously released set called Afternoon Tea. I've loved this charming set since the first time I laid eyes on it, and thoroughly enjoyed designing a card around it. I knew I wanted to paper piece the two teacups, and chose my dp accordingly. I had this fun new die frame (Ornate #3) from Sizzix and thought it would be fun to frame the cups and used a Fancy Tag as a base for the sentiment. I also added some Ice White Viva Decor Pearl Pen pearls around the frame, as well as some I-Rock rhinestones.

I also made this card for the Dare To Get Dirty handmade flower challenge hosted by the sweet Teresa Kline over on Splitcoast Stampers, and thought the flower would fit beautifully at the top of this frame. I made it with 3 of the smallest Blossom 1 dies (Spellbinders), and added a Sultan gem by Prima to the center.

All the dp is from Webster's Pages, and I used some Foliage diecut leaves (Spellbinders), as well as some crystal leaves and lace that I purchased from Wild Orchid Crafts.

eta: This card is rather large... 5"x 9" in fact. With the handmade flower it would be hard to mail, so this will have a be hand delivered.

We hope that you have enjoyed, and have been inspired, the past few days from our Stamp of Approval Parade; highlighting last month’s sets and our beloved Afternoon Tea set. Now it’s time for you to get your craftiness on as we invite you to participate in a CASE (Copy and Share Everything) competition.

Find a card or project from any of the projects posted over the past few days by the WMS Design Team, CASE that project using Waltzingmouse Stamp images, and link it using the Inlinkz on Claire’s blog found HERE. At the end of the competition, one project will be randomly selected to be highlighted with a Parade of its own on several of the Design Team blogs.

We hope you will enjoy this competition and that it will inspire you be creative. You have one week to complete and link your project as the competition will close at 8:00 AM, on Claire’s time, August 10th, which is 3 AM Eastern, 2 AM Central and Midnight, Pacific time. The winner will be announced on Claire’s blog on August 11th.



Anya Schrier
Claire Brennan
Jennifer Holmes
Julia Aston
Kate Whelan
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker

That's it for today. I want to thank you so much for your kind comments. They are very much appreciated. I hope your week is an awesome one, and that you have fun papercrafting!!

Happy Stamping!

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Stamps: Afternoon Tea (Waltzingmouse)
Paper: Webster's Pages, PTI
Ink: Smokey Gray (Versafine), Pumice Stone and Milled Lavender (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Blossom 1, Foliage and Fancy Tags (Spellbinders), Ornate Frame #3 (Sizzix), Sultan Rhinestone (Prima), Ice White Pearl Pen (Viva Decor), Rhinestones (I-Rock), Lace and Rhinestone leaves (Wild Orchid Crafts), Seam Binding Ribbon (MemrieMare), Button (PTI), Border Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts), Scor-Buddy, Sewing Machine

Waltzingmouse August Soap ~ Day 3

It's day 3 of our Waltzingmouse SOAP hop. I hope you've been inspired the last couple of days.

I have 2 more CAS cards to share with you today. For this first one, I used the set Eat Cake. I thought it would be fun to make a more masculine cake, so I clear embossed the cake image, onto Plaid dp from the Oxford Basicgrey line, cut out each individual layer, and glued it onto a circle that I cut with a Classic Circle die by Spellbinders. I then scored some lines in the bg panel and added the simple sentiment "celebrate". Nothin' frou-frou about this card. It's all man.

Now my second card goes to the other extreme. All girl.

(Click on the photo for a better view)

I stamped the flourishes, from the set Flourishes ~ Scallops and Dots, with Sky pigment ink (a muse), and Onyx Black (Versafine), and added a strip with a sentiment from the set You're Lovely. That's it.

Two more very straight forward cards. Tomorrow's card, well let's just say, it's a bit over the top. *grin*

Here's the WMS list of the other dt that's hopping along today

Anya Schrier
Claire Brennan
Jennifer Holmes
Julia Aston
Kate Whelan
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker

Thanks again for stopping by.
Happy Stamping!!

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Supplies:

Cake Card
Stamps: Eat Cake
Paper: PTI
Ink: Versamark and Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Standard Circle die (Spellbinders), Clear ep, Scor-Buddy

Beautiful Girl Card
Stamps: Flourishes ~ Scallops and Dots
Paper: PTI
Ink: Sky (a muse), Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Pearls (Kaisercraft)

Waltzingmouse August Soap ~ Day 2

It's WMS SOAP day 2 and I have a couple of CAS cards to share today. I was in a graphic mood, so decided to combine the set Teeny Trees with the two script sentiment sets Big Day Additions and Big Day Essentials respectively.

Pretty straight forward.
Stop by tomorrow for two more CAS cards. I know....that's not like me, but I had these ideas in my head and went with them. Believe me, my last SOAP card is so filled with details, it's crazy!!

Here's a list of the other WMS dt members participating today.

Anya Schrier
Claire Brennan
Jennifer Holmes
Julia Aston
Kate Whelan
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker


Thank so much for stopping by!!
Happy Stamping!!

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Supplies:

Anniversary Card
Stamps: Teeny Trees and Big Day Additions
Paper: PTI
Ink: Sage (Amuse), Onyx Black (Versafine)

Thank you Card
Stamps: Teeny Trees and Big Day Essentials
Paper: PTI
Ink: Apricot, Lemon Whip and Buttercup (Amuse) and Onyx Black (Versafine)

Waltzingmouse August Soap ~ Day 1

August 1. Another month has begun! Today is the beginning of SOAP week for Waltzingmouse. Claire releases every other month now, and on the alternating month the design team features the previously released sets. This week we'll be focusing on:

Cameo to Go
Cameo Creations
Ovals, Classic Frames
Big Day Essentials
Big Day Additions
Eat Cake
You're Lovely
and Flourishes – Scallops and Dots

I used the sets Cameo Creations, and Ovals, Classic Frames. I made the background design with the small criss-cross pattern from the Cameo Creations set. I love the diamond grid it made when piecing them together. The leaves on the middle square panel are from the Ovals, Classic Frames set. Lastly, the Cameo center, from the Cameo Creations set, was stamped with Smokey Gray Versafine, embossed with Clear ep, and cracked. I also added a trio of rhinestones.

I made this card, as a sample, for the Dare To Get Dirty sketch challenge, hosted by AmberDawn, over at Splitcoast Stampers too. Click HERE to learn about all the details. (Heads up: This challenge doesn't go up until 8 am Central) There's a wonderful variety of inspirational challenges, hosted by the Dirty Dozen Alumni. It's well worth your while to check it out. :)


That about sums up everything involved with today's card. Here's a list of all the WMS dt gals who are participating in today's SOAP. If you've missed any along the way, be sure to stop by. These gals are amazing!!

Anya Schrier
Claire Brennan
Jennifer Holmes
Julia Aston
Kate Whelan
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope your August is off to a great start. Mine is full to the brim with activities. I'll fill ya in soon.

Happy stamping!!

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Supplies:

Stamps: Cameo Creations, and Ovals, Classic Frames
Paper: PTI
Ink: Smokey Gray Versafine, Versamark
Accessories: Lacey and Standard Circles, Oval and Scalloped Oval dies (Spellbinders), Seam Binding Ribbon (MemrieMare), Rhinestones (Prima and Zva Creative), Silver Leafing Pen, Graphite Viva Decor Gel, Silicone mold, Sewing Machine, Clear ep, Silver Cord