October SFYTT - Waltzingmouse Stamps

It's the first Saturday of the month, which brings us a brand-new Sketch For You To Try! This month we're being sponsored by Waltzingmouse Stamps.

Yay!! If I had a few more stamping hours, I would not hesitate to build my collection of Walzingmouse Stamps! With each new release, I'm drooling over the designs. Classy, clever, trendy, fun, vintage -- there's something for everyone. I have loved watching the WMS catalog grow these past couple of years, and I'm thrilled to work with their stamps for this month's SFYTT!

My stamp choice didn't arrive in time for today's post, but lucky for me, I remembered this super awesome, secret stamp set that I won from Waltzingmouse a while back. That Claire Brennan (WMS owner) wears many hats, you know? Would you believe she actually consorts with the big man in red from up North, Mr. Claus himself? She's worked it out so that elves from all over can enjoy a little stampy holiday fun!

Here's what I've put together:

using this month's sketch, turned sideways:

The papers are from Authentique, and the decorative frame is from Spellbinders Twisted Metal Accents & Tags.

For more sketch interpretation, visit the SFYTT sisters:

Jen del Muro 

Amber Hight
Becky Carafa
Carole Burrage
Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Jen Tapler
Jodi Collins
Kerry Johnson
Megan Lock
Susan Liles
Terri Moore

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1. The SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY {SFYTT} will be posted on the first Saturday of each month on www.iheart2stamp.com at 8am EST and will stay open to participants until the last day of the month, unless otherwise noted.
2. This is for fun! Interpret the sketch as you wish and embellish as desired. There are no vendor restrictions, but we would love to see you use the sponsor’s stamps!
3. Each month we will have a Designer of the Month that will be chosen from past month’s participants.
4. Come and play with us on each and every sketch! On Christmas Day 2011 a prize package worth over $200 will be given away to one very lucky and loyal SFYTT stamper that participates in EVERY sketch for the year.
5. To be eligible for the prize package, you must complete ALL of the sketches by each of the deadlines AND link your creation to the link system on that month’s sketch post (the first Saturday of the month). Everyone except for SFYTT Sisters are eligible for the prize package, including Designer of the Month and international players.
6. When posting your sketch creation on your blog, please post the sketch and link back to the sketch post on www.iheart2stamp.com. When posting to online galleries, please use the keyword “SFYTT.”

Hope you can play! Have a great weekend!

 

Autumn Fun

{Second post today ... don't miss a fun announcement

and the Skipping Stones Design giveaway winner.

Scroll down one post, or click HERE}

What's your favorite season? I'm a Fall girl, all the way! I love the cooler temperatures, curling up with my children under a blanket, coats, boots, scarves -- all of it! This adorable fall image, Autumn Fun, is from Stampavie. I stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Copic X-Press It Blending card stock and colored with Copic markers. I had so much fun trying to mix colors to create the look of leaves turning their magnificent fall colors. The patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye's Lost & Found Two "Breeze" collection, and the scallop border is Spellbinders' new Classic Scallop Edgeabilities die set. Accents include distressing, ancient Kaisercraft flowers from my stash, a leafy sprig from Spellbinders Foliage Shapeabilities, and a simple circle tag (sentiment from JustRite's Elegant Charms set) strung from some household string.

Thanks for peeking! See you early in the morning as the SFYTT sisters unveil the new October sketch and sponsor!

SSD Winner and A Fun Announcement!

Hello, my friends, two quick announcements this morning ...

First, I'm so honored to be the Fascinating Fridays featured artist over at Paperie Designs' Studio today! Head over there for more details! A huge thank you to Noor and Tammy for the feature!

Second, random.org has determined a winner for my Skipping Stones Design giveaway ...

Heidi at Heidi's Happenings, congrats!! Please email me with your mailing address and I'll get Funny Bras, Volume #2 sent out right away!

Hope to be back in a little while with a card to share!

CASE-ing Tosh!

The Verve Divas are up to great fun with this month's Diva Dare: Case-A-Diva! What we're doing, and inviting you to do as well, is to choose a Diva and CASE something -- a layout, an overall style, a color combo, or even just a small embellishment cluster.

I'm honored (and nervous!) to be CASEing the amazing Tosh! For more about my project, please visit me over on the Verve blog today.

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Want to know how you can win some fabulous new VERVE GOODIES?

1. Play along with us and link up your new Case-a-Diva creation (posted September 16 or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE post before 9pm Mountain on Sunday,October 2nd. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would  LOVE to see ‘em!
2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we share our Case-a-Diva  creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!  Winners will be announced on Monday,October 3rd right here on the Verve blog.

Good luck!!

 

Tweet Birthday

September has flown by, and here we are already at the last Tuesday of the month, which means my time as sketch designer for Skipping Stones Design is sadly coming to an end. Sniff, sniff ... always sad to say goodbye :(  But it's been another fun month, and so along with the last sketch, I also have a giveaway! More on that in a bit.

Here's our sketch this week:

For lots of sketch inspiration and to link up your entry, head over to this post at SSD! Hope you'll play along!

My sample features a beautiful bird and sentiment from Everyday Blessings, an absolutely gorgeous set. When my new Spellbinders dies arrived a few days ago, I was thrilled to find that Michelle at Stamper's Dream had tucked in some of Prima's beautiful, new Londonerry papers. I wasted no time cutting into those! (Thanks, Michelle!) Details include distressing, chunky bling, stitching, and wide striped ribbon for some drama.

I bet you're wanting me to get to the giveaway, so I'll waste no time there either. Up for one lucky commenter is ...... {drum roll} .....

...  Bras, Volume #1 !!! All you have to do is leave a comment! Deadline is this Thursday, 11:59 pm EST. Winner announced Friday. Good luck!

{Update: A winner has been chosen ... Heidi of Heidi's Happenings. Congrats!!}






Stamps: Everyday Blessings (Skipping Stones Design)
Paper: SU Basic Black, PTI Rustic Cream, Prima Londonerry
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Copic markers, SU small oval punch and wide striped ribbon, Spellbinders circle Nestabilities, MFT doily die, bling, distressing tool, sewing machine, foam tape
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Glory to God in the Highest

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend. Our soccer and football games were both rained out, so we had an unusually un-busy Saturday. Nice and relaxing, but if we don't soon get some football played, I'm afraid we'll be getting snowed out instead of rained out! We've had so much rain this fall. The landscape and gardens are so lush and green that it looks more like Spring.

I just received a batch of new Spellbinders dies that I pre-ordered back in the summer. Couldn't wait to play! I thought the large shape in the new Twisted Metal Tags & Accents Shapeabilities would make such a beautiful frame for JustRite's elegant Rejoice stamp set. Here, I've combined them with lovely vintage-inspired papers from the My Mind's Eye's Lost and Lost & Found Christmas 6x6 paper collection.

A closer look at the sentiment and decorative frame ...

I stamped the outer frame in Stampin' Up's Always Artichoke and die-cut with a Spellbinders oval die. The little pearls are dotted on with a Viva Decor cream pearl pen. All but the sentiment from the center stamp was inked with Versamagic Sage ink. I then used a black dye-based marker to ink the sentiment. I trimmed the center by hand to achieve the mat size I was looking for, then distressed the edges to hide my irregular hand-cutting.

The layout is a slightly tweaked version of September's Sketch For You To Try, sponsored by Skipping Stones Design. There's still plenty of time to get your submissions in if you haven't already! Remember, a huge prize package is coming up at the end of the year for one lucky sketch participant who has played along each month!

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit! Hope your week gets off to a fabulous start!!



Stamps: Rejoice (JustRite Stamps)
Paper: Stampin' Up True Thyme, Papertrey Vintage Cream, Lost and Lost & Found Christmas
Ink: black dye marker, Versamagic Sage, Stampin' Up Always Artichoke, Ranger Old Paper, Frayed Burlap, and Vintage Photo Distress Inks
Accessories: Spellbinders Classic Oval Nestabilities and Twisted Metal Tags & Accents Shapeabilities, charm from stash, May Arts burlap string, distressing tool, paper piercer/needle/thread, foam tape, Copic markers
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Be Afraid

My eyes were too big when the time came to stock up on Halloween papers this year, so I have a definite surplus, but I have to say of all of them, the Mischievous line by My Mind's Eye is my fave! I'm also really loving all the adorable sentiments in JustRite's Halloween Mini Sentiments. They're sized perfectly to tuck in here, there, and everywhere. I stamped "Be Afraid" onto one edge of a punched label shape, then tucked it behind the horizontal panel and embellished with two mini banner strips. The doily is from My Favorite Things, the buttons from Papertrey, and the little spider image is something I punched from one of last year's Halloween papers (from Toil & Trouble by Making Memories, I believe).

I used Jen Shults's Deconstructed Sketch #20, without the scallops and a slightly repositioned and downsized bow.

Next up is a card using last week's Deconstructed Sketch, #19:

I kid you not, I started this card over a week ago! It's been a busy and at times difficult week and I just have had no desire to craft at all. Don't you hate when that happens? When I finally ventured into my stamp room last night, I was pleasantly surprised to find this card mostly finished, minus a few finishing touches. Once again, I combined Mischievous (the owl is cut from one of the patterns) and the JustRite Halloween Mini Sentiments. This time I divided the "Trick or Treat" sentiment onto to Maya Road miniature tickets. Pretty straightforward -- lots of pattern on this one!

Here's the sketch I used:

Last, have a peek at JustRite's Halloween Mini Sentiments:

I will soon need to plan out (and make) spooky teacher/staff Halloween treats for my kids' elementary school and have been pinning ideas over on Pinterest. I'm thinking these JustRite sentiments are going to come in handy. Whatever I come up with, I'll be sure to share here!

Have a great weekend, friends. I've missed you this week!