WMS December Release - Day 1 Previews

The WMS December Release is almost upon us! Can you believe it's almost December?

Anya, Lynn and I didn't get our stamps in time to join the party so we'll be having our own party next week - a post-release party! Yay! So be sure to join us next week Monday - Wednesday for more inspiration!

In the meantime, check out these lovely ladies for some awesome eye candy!
Bonnie Sharp
Tosha Leyendekker
Kelly Schirmer
Sandie Dunne
Clare Buswell
Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes
Claire Brennan

Waltzingmouse Release - Day 3

Welcome to the second day of the Waltzingmouse Stamps November Release previews! The DT and I will be sharing projects over the next several days featuring many new stamp sets that will be available for purchase at the Waltzingmouse online store starting November 2nd.

Today the team is sharing projects with Cabin Plaid, Half Pint Heroes Additions, and Sheriff.

I decided to do a little scrap of a recent side stop during our road trip.
I stamped the plaid background for the panel on the top left.
It's so easy to cover large areas and no lining up required. :)


I used the Sheriff set to add a fun embellishment to the page.
And then used stamps from Back in the Saddle to add

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to check out the other DT's blogs
Anya Schrier
Becca Feeken
Bonnie Sharp
Clare Buswell
Jennifer Holmes
Julia Aston
Kelly Schirmer
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker
Tosha Leyendekker
Claire Brennan

WMS August Release Waltz

Welcome to the Waltzingmouse Stamps August Release waltz! If you didn't come from Jennifer's site then be sure to go to Claire's blog to start from the beginning. There will be a prize of a stamp set of choice from a random drawing from comments left all the DT member blogs. You have until August 26th 11:59 PM, 5:5 9AM Central, 3:59 AM Pacific and 6:59 AM Eastern to leave comments. The winner will be posted on Claire’s blog on July 6th.

Let's start with a holiday card.
Because it's never too early for Christmas
At least in my house...

I always thought it'd be fun to hang the lantern from Festive Foliage.
The lantern is embossed and I tied a little ribbon on top.

For this next one, I opted to use the flower from Vintage Seed Packet set.
I stamped my favorite pattern from Pic-nic Patterns in white.
Very subtle but it gets the point across.
The sentiment comes from Say It Loud.

There's a little bit of perfect pearls but it's hard to tell in the photo.
Did you think I could leave out some of that stuff? ;-)

Next up is the very talented Mona!

WMS August Day 3

Welcome to the third day of the Waltzingmouse Stamps August Release previews! The DT and I will be sharing projects over the next several days featuring NINE new stamp sets that will be available for purchase at the Waltzingmouse online store starting August 24.

Today we're featuring sets Little Lanterns, Bright Season and Light of the World Sentiments.

For this first card, I decided some misting was in order.
I like to buy mists.
Almost more than I like to eat.
And that's saying a lot. ;-)
But I tend to just look at the pretty colors...
So it was high time I used some on an actual project.

 I created a fun little sunburst pattern with the help of a ruler and some temporary adhesive.
And then misted away in white.
After that, I removed my mask and misted the entire thing with some perfect pearls.
Lots of shine.
Lots of mist.

A little window die cut from the Opera tags set and a sentiment to tie the misting in with  the rest of the card.

For this card, I stamped the leaf from Bright Season, which granted was intended as a holly leaf...
But I think it looks cute.
And once you change the color, no one knows anyways. ;-)
Added a sentiment from Vintage Seed Packet.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to visit the rest of the WMS team to see some awesome projects!


Anya Schrier
Becca Feeken
Bonnie Sharp
Clare Buswell
Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes
Kelly Schirmer
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker
Tosha Leyendekker
Claire Brennan (Owner)

WMS August Day 2

Welcome to the second day of the Waltzingmouse Stamps August Release previews! The DT and I will be sharing projects over the next several days featuring NINE new stamp sets that will be available for purchase at the Waltzingmouse online store starting August 24.

Today we're featuring projects around Camellia and Opera Tags.

For this first card, I stamped the backside of the stamp first in blue.
And then embossed detailed of the flower in white.
Easy peasy.
No coloring required.
I like easy.
Added a little vellum and dry embossing for texture.

For the second card, I used the flowers from Camellia and the tag from Opera Tags.
I love that you can change the look of a stamp by only stamping part of it.
Added a bit of stitching to ground everything.
And even used a bit of glitter to make the flower pretty.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to see what the other WMS ladies have up their sleeves!
Anya Schrier
Becca Feeken
Bonnie Sharp
Clare Buswell
Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes
Kelly Schirmer
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Sandie Dunne
Sarah Martina Parker
Tosha Leyendekker
Claire Brennan (Owner)

WMS August Blog Party

  

Blog party time!
Welcome to my little entry to the WMS blog party this month.
Where we're celebrating all things birthday.
A special day to celebrate

So I did a quick layout.
Super quick.
As quick as fox.

I have been all about layouts recently.
Partially because I've gotten obsessed with Instagram.
I take pictures of everything I eat.
Everything I wear.
Everything I see.
Just everything...
And that's probably why only I have 5 Instagram followers.
(The 5 friends I conned into following me.)

So this pic was taken on my birthday this year.
And I figured why not make a layout.
Because, really, when am I going to turn 29 again?
(Oh right, next year... and the year after that... and the year after that...)

The stars are stamped from Midnight Feast.
To some of the stars I added a touch of glitter and then on some, I added a little gem.
Can you really have too much sparkle?

And then for the star of the show...
I cut out those numbers lovingly (with a machine)
And then stamped and embossed the background with Heirloom Patterns.
And there you go...

Thanks for stopping by and do make sure to check out ALL the fabulous projects here!

B-B-Benny

I attend baseball games when you feed me food.
Preferably nachos and garlic fries
There's something about that combination that's just magical for me.
And then if you add a great mascot...
Oh I'm so there.

I had this photo that  Carrie sent me from our trip to go see the Durham Bulls - a minor league team in NC.
For some reason, I had it in my head that the Durham Bulls mascot's name was Benny.
Because in my mind it was always Benny and the Bulls.
Until my dear dear husband reminded me that I was thinking of the Chicago Bulls.
Whoops. Too late now.

This bull is actually named Wool E Bull.
Sorry to the Durham Bulls. Sorry to Wool E Bull.
This is what happens when you scrap a picture that's at least 4 years old.
It's also what happens when you only go to baseball games for garlic fries.
If only Carrie was still my cropping buddy- she would have corrected me. :)

For this layout, I was feeling like layering a bit.
I took some of the pennants from October Afternoon's 9 to 5 collection
And for a little creative liberty, used it as patterned strips.
Because why not?
Who says you need to use product the way it was intended to be used?
Not me...

But just because I'm not a complete rebel, I did use some of the pennants the way they should be used.
Or I'd be stuck with some extra wooden sticks and I'm not what I'd do with them.
Or so that was the logic. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Studio Calico Kit (June)
FISKARS MANUFACTURING FSK23537097 HAND PUNCHES 1/4 INCH STAR

Shutterbugs

I learned at a young age that good photos take time.
We learned how to stand still and wait.
Wait for others to move out of the frame.
Wait for dad to position the shot just right.
And now I do the same thing to my friends and family.
Except some of them aren't so patient...

But this photo cracked me up when I saw it.
Mainly because this is what we did a lot during our vacation.
Compare photos.
And discuss light. And shutter speeds.
So how do you not make a layout from this pic?

And a little chevron pattern to make life more fun.
I cut out paper strips and then proceeded to line them up.
Then I stitched over the middle.
Hides some flaws and its just plain fun.
It's definitely not a perfect pattern.
But then again, I'm ok with not being perfect.

The title is misted onto Heidi Swapp's Color Magic letters.
I'm not sure how I feel about them still but it turned out pretty cool.

Isn't it fun creating your own patterns out of paper? Let me know if you have done it with other shapes before!

Thanks for stopping by!

Zoom zoom

I bike to work.
I aimed for most days.
Then I took a horrible fall.
A fall that I still have scars from.

So I took a little break.
And then I joined a sports league. One where the games are after work.
I'm not a fan of biking on the trail when there's no people around.
If I fall, I'd like someone to call 911 for me...

But I do like biking a measly three miles to work when I can.
It's freeing. Clears the mind.
And it's a mini workout.

Still playing with the more is more concept here.
I know... I could have added more.
 But that's not my nature.
This, in my mind, is already more.

I tend to actually lightly adhere things to the page.
(More because I'm a clumsy oaf and knock my layouts off the table many a times)
And then rip things off and place things under them as I see fit.
It's probably a bad habit as I've harmed many papers in the process but hey, it works for me.

I also played a bit with the bike stamp.
I was going to emboss and then mist.
But I realized I wanted a bit more control here so I went with inking.
I like having some control.
Especially because I didn't own any other pieces of gray cardstock.
I take more risks when I have backups.
And then because I had the embossing gun out, I figured I'd emboss "Enjoy the ride" on one of the banners.

When I was doing this layout, I couldn't get the Mazda commercial out of my head
"zoom zoom"
And then I decided since I was so speedy, I'd add another zoom for good luck.
Hah.

I laugh because everyone passes me on the bike trail.
And I mean everyone.
But I'm totally ok with that.

Thanks for stopping by!

Yosemite

I used to love summers because that means freedom.
Freedom from waking up at 6am to catch a bus.
Freedom from sitting in a classroom all day.
Freedom from tests and essays.

But now summers don't quite mean the same type of freedom.
Now it's a chance to get away from the computer.
A chance to go for a walk and breathe in some fresh air.

Yosemite Falls

A chance to stand in awe of the wonderful beauty this world has to offer.
A chance to realize that even though I'm approaching a dreaded age, that in the grand scheme of things, I'm quite young.

Glacier Point

A chance to see things from above.
To get a different view on life.

A chance to realize that there are other creatures on this earth
That we should be considerate of their habitat

And that is why I love my summers.

It's Tractor Time

It's tractor time!

My team went to ride tractors.
Yes, you read that correctly.  Tractors.
And oh boy, was I excited.
I skipped.
Yes, skipped as in "skipped to my Lou".
And I've never been so excited to scrap a photo.
Because honestly, that face -- epic.

For this layout, I went a bit scrappier.
A bit messier.
A bit crazier.
More layers.
I was feeling a bit crazy.
If I was really crazy, I would have misted.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the right color mist in my collection.

I'm sure some of you are secretly sitting there laughing and thinking "girl, you have no idea what layering is all about"
And you would be right - But this is already a lot for me...
More than any other page I have.
So I'm quite proud.

I tend to take photos of my layouts and then set them aside.
Then I go back and edit my photos and think to myself - what was I thinking?
Usually my jaw drops in shock.
Once I get over myself, I go back and add something.
Or move something.
Or take something off the layout.
And repeat the process.
Usually this is a few tries before I'm content.
Sometimes this takes days... not kidding.

This time, I just kept adding.
And I'm ok with that.
But there's a few closeups that I forget to retake.
Go back to previous posts and you'll see what I mean.
Reading my posts is like playing the "What's Different" game in Highlights
(Is that magazine still around? Because I loved it as a child).

Thanks for stopping by! And for listening to my crazy processes. Please, for the love of cookies, let me know if you do anything crazy like that as well. Or perhaps it's not as crazy as I thought?

Road Trip Layout

During our road trip, my husband stopped at every single state sign
We got honked at. We were stared at.
People thought we were cray cray.
Heck, there were times when even I thought we were losing our minds.

But at the end of the day, it was worth it. Honks, whistles, and all.
It was definitely fun to see all the different state signs lined up
And now that we had all these pics - what is a gal to do?
Ah yes... you make a layout. 
Because it's going to be really hard to convince me to drive across 8 state lines again...

Each of the welcome signs was cut and trimmed.
And they were even organized in the order we crossed them.
Well sort of... We crossed into the Wyoming/Colorado state line twice... 
(Long story)

When I started this layout, I figured I'd do a grid.
Grids are a great way to layout multiple photos.
Grids also make me happy.
And since all my photos were the same size and there wasn't really any one that was "more important" than the other, I figured a grid was perfect.

The photos in the grid are also adhered with dimensional adhesive.
Which makes it look cooler in person.
Yet another thing I can't get the camera to capture.

I stitched around the border.
Love the texture that this adds without any real bulk.
And because I think it adds a little interest to the edges as well for simpler layouts.
I also added few stars to the All-American feel of the layout.
Because really a few stars never hurt anyone.

And there you go - a simple layout for a crazy trip.
Is anyone else crazy enough to take these kinds of photos on a road trip?
Or any other photo traditions for trips that your family does?
We have more weird photo traditions... oh just you all wait!

Crate Paper 680047 Story Teller Collection Kit 12 in. x 12 in.
Studio Calico Story Hour Kit (March 2012)
Red and White Striped Baker's Twine

Love

Lovey dovey layout time
Because that's how we roll on this blog.
And because I'm still swimming in engagement and wedding photos.
Despite the fact that it's been years since our wedding.

I tend to scrap photos that are printed already. Since I haven't had a chance to print vacation photos yet, when I sat down to scrap recently, this is what came out.

To add a bit of layers and texture without the bulk, I just sent my texture plate through the Grand Calibur. Love the look and I'll be doing it again with my layouts. Just imagine adding a touch of mist or some color to the embossing.

I stamped the flourishes from WMS's Flourishes - Scallops and Dots set. Love the little touch swirls can add to layouts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crate Paper 680047 Story Teller Collection Kit 12 in. x 12 in.
Waltzingmouse Stamps Flourishes - Scallops and Dots
Studio Calico City of Lights Kit (April 2012)

Seattle

We were in Seattle recently for a wedding.
And of course, we took the time to wander the city a bit.
I adore Seattle.
Although I say that about every place we've visited...
So take my adoration with a grain of salt.

But this is a land filled with tasty doughnuts

A place where you can get a smoking drink

And see some blue trees

A place to get a view of the city at night (or during the day)

What's not to adore?

Blazing the Trail

I know its been awhile since I've updated. 
I keep telling myself I'll update. 
And then life gets in the way. 

Summer usually means weddings, vacations and talking walks outside. 
Because really, what's better than enjoying life?
But I do have a layout to share
A layout that encompasses everything I love about summer.
From the fresh air to the bugs,
From the long car rides to the hikes until your feet hurt.
From the hot dogs to the granola bars.

I found this photo in my stash o photos.
Carrie had sent me a bunch awhile back
And I finally got a chance to use one.

And so of course we had to make a layout.
A layout with a few more layers than I usually use.
And more white than I prefer.
But that's half the fun. :)

I have lots of photos from the hikes we've done recently
And most of them are going to stay unedited
Until the weather stops being so wonderful.
Because that's how I roll.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're enjoying your summer!

WMS July Release - Waltz

Welcome to the Waltzingmouse Stamps July Release waltz! If you didn't come from Jennifer's site then be sure to go to Claire's blog to start from the beginning. There will be a prize of a stamp set of choice from a random drawing from comments left all the DT member blogs. You have until July 4th 11:59 PM, 5:5 9AM Central, 3:59 AM Pacific and 6:59 AM Eastern to leave comments. The winner will be posted on Claire’s blog on July 6th.


Today I'm sharing a layout made with My Island. I stamped the tree image and also used the vacation sentiment. I'm not sure the photo makes it clear, but there's a sentiment with 'chillax' and I used it as part of my journaling. The clouds are colored with mist. One of them has a bit more mist than the other so that they appear to be slightly different colors. 

Thanks for stopping by -- next up is the very talented Mona Pendleton!

WMS July Release - Day 3

Welcome to the third day of the Waltzingmouse Stamps June Release previews! The DT and I will be sharing projects over the next several days featuring THREE new stamp sets that will be available for purchase at the Waltzingmouse online store starting May 8. 


Today we're all sharing projects with My Island. It has lots of fun components to build a fun beach scene. And of course, there's some great summer sentiments! For this card, I stamped the palm tree in the bg. The sunset is stamped on vellum so the tree image does peek through a bit in real life. 

Make sure to check out everyone else's fabulous creations!

Anya Schrier

Beeca Feekan
Clare Buswell

Bonnie Sharp

Julia Aston
Jennifer Holmes

Kelly Schirmer

Laurie Schmidlin

Mona Pendleton

Sandie Dunne

Tosha Leyendekker

Claire Brennan (owner)