The First WMS Saturday Sketch Challenge!

Note: To see my very first Speedy The Cats' Friends Challenge card - please scroll down to the post below this one!

This is the first sketch for the new Saturday Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenges. You'll find a fun sketch at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge blog every Saturday morning!

Here's the card I created using the sketch.

The pretty circle and stem in the top left corner are from the Vintage Circles Small set and the sentiment is from Fancy Phrases.

Starting the sketch challenge blog has been a dream of Claire's for some time, and now that Waltzingmouse Stamps is a year old, she thought it was just the right time to begin this adventure.

We hope this will be a place to showcase what our treasured customers come up with using Waltzingmouse Stamps, but that's not required to participate in the challenges or to win a prize. We will offer a prize at least once a month, but we'll keep you guessing as to when!

Prizes will be awarded randomly, but if you are chosen and you've used Waltzingmouse Stamps, you'll receive a bonus prize! Plus, three people will receive a Top 3 award each week, with a blinkie to proudly display on their blogs.

So get your sketch card created and add it to Mr. Linky over at the WMS Challenge blog so we can all see it! If you post to Split Coast - please use WMSC1 in your keywords!

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Vintage Circles Small, Fancy Phrases
Paper: Plum pudding, lavender moon, lemon tart - PTI
Ink: Plum pudding - PTI
Accessories: foam dimensionals, glue pen, little gems - Taylored expressions, ribbon - The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store, Oval punch - SU, circle & scalloped circle nestabilities.

Speedy the Cats' Friends Challenge #6

I'm so excited to share the news with you that I have been invited to be a Blog Team Member for Speedy the Cats' Friends Challenge every Saturday for the next three months!! Whoo Hoo!!!

This weeks challenge is to use Buttons and Bows! This cute dog theme stamp set is called More of Speedy the Cats' Friends and will be available on June 8th!!I dragged my ink pad across the card stock to give it a little texture and I paper pierced just a portion of the top right and bottom left corners. The dog and sentiment are up on foam dimensionals.

Here's what I stamped on the inside of my card.

We'd love to have you join us in the challenges over on Marks Finest Papers Blog and to link your card there. Every week one lucky entry will win a free MFP stamp set! How cool is that?!?

If you load your card over at Split Coast Stampers, please use Speedy's Friends in your keywords.

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers - More of Speedy the Cat's Friends

Paper: Mark's Finest Papers

Ink: Dark Chocolate - PTI, Close to Cocoa - SU

Accessories: circle punch, key tag punch - SU, foam dimensionals, glue dots, Vintage Buttons - PTI, Ribbon - Mark's Finest Papers, paper piercer.

Friday Stamp Simply Challenge - Sweet Stuff!

I am SO excited to be joining Sharon and her talented team as the June Guest Designer for the Friday Stamp Simply Challenges!! Yikes - how fun is this!?!?! My stamping style tends towards the simple - so these challenges are perfect for me!

This weeks challenge is from Jenny Gropp and she wants us to create a card or project featuring something sweet - a stamp image, paper or an embellishment.

For my card I used one of the girl gingerbread cookie stamps and circle sentiments from the Oven Fresh set by Waltzingmouse Stamps. The beautiful ribbon is from Sharon's own Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.

Won't you please join along in the Stamp Simply Challenge with us this week! You can play anytime, as many times as you want! If you upload your creation to Splitcoaststampers, please use keyword, ssnotime142. And don't forget to upload over on Sharon's Mr Linky!
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Check the wonderfully talented Stamp Simply Challenge Designers to see what they have been up to this week! (Gosh, am I really working along side these creative ladies!?!?!)

Sharon Johnson: No Time To Stamp?
Julia Aston (me!) : Create with Me - June GUEST DESIGNER - whooo hooo!!!
Deb Neerman: Paper, Ink, Scissors & Stamps
Barbara Anders: Paper Pursuits
Jenny Gropp: One Krafty Kat.
Janine Orchard: 2bKrafty
AJ Otto: The Willow Garden
Deb Saaranen: Dream In Color
Barb Schram: Explore Dream Discover

ETA: Check out Claire's Blog to see the winners on the WMS DT blog waltz and be sure to check her blog and back here on Saturday for some exciting news!!!

Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - Oven Fresh
Paper: Pink Passion - SU, White - PTi
Ink: Adirondack Butterscotch, Memento Danube Blue & Lady Bug
Accessories: Ribbon - The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store, Circle & scalloped circle Nestabilities, Edge Punch - SU, foam dimensionals.

A Sketchy Day at the Beach

Here's my card for today's sketch challenge over at Split Coast.I made mine a summer fun card with this cute beach chair and umbrella, beach fence and shell stamps all from Rubbernecker . I paper pieced the umbrella and chair, popping the umbrella up on foam dimensionals. Just for fun, I added a little pearl to the clam shell stamping!

Inside I stamped the small sand dune twice, another shell and this sentiment on a white panel.

Exciting news: This weekend I'm going to be helping Dave (owner of Rubbernecker) run his booth at the Heirloom's West Springfield, MA Rubber Stamp and Paper Arts Festival!! Whoo hoo!! If you are in the area come on over and visit me at the Rubbernecker booth! I'd LOVE to meet you! It's sure to be a fun time - there are over 40 companies with booths and they are also running fun 'make and takes'!! Check out the program here.

Also - did you notice the little cat on my side bar??? I've been invited to be on Marks Finest Papers Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge DT for June, July and August!!! They have a fun challenge every Saturday and if you link your card to the challenge blog you could win a free MFP Stamp set every week!! So please check back here on Saturday!!


Stamps: Rubbernecker: Beach Party fence #40-16, Beach party chair #81-14 , shell #40-0102030506070821, Beach party small sandune #81-17, Brighten text #81-03
Paper: hawaiian shores, white - PTI, creamy caramel - SU, DP American crafts/Backyard, Cosmo Cricket/Snorkel
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, camomile ink cube, Summer Sunrise - PTI, adirondack - Hazelnut
Accessories: cuttlebug embossing folder - Mini Mosaics, sponge, copics: BG49, E35, YGo3, foam dimensionals, sponge, sticky pearl

WMS Retrospective DT Blog Waltz

Claire released SO many stamp sets in May to celebrate the 1 year Anniversary of Waltzingmouse Stamps - that she decided not to release any more new sets until July 1.

So the Design Team thought it would be fun to do a Blog Waltz in June featuring some of Claire's original sets, a retrospective view if you will!

First - you will want to start the Waltz over at Claire's Blog so you're sure to hit us all.

For my project, I got out the very first set I bought from Claire - Oven Fresh - Gingerbread Joy. Making gingerbread men at Christmas time is a family tradition in my home so this set really appealed to me!

I just stamped directly on my little muslin canvas bag, and added a red twine bow at the neck of the gingerbread girls outfit!

Now all that's left to do is fill the bag with some Yummies for your Tummy! What do you think.... maybe some little gingerbread women and men???!!!

Oh - there is one more thing to do and that is to Waltz over to Lynn's Blog to see which stamp set she used today!


The Rules and the Prize: Leave a comment at Claire's and each of the DT's blogs as you waltz and you will have two chances to win free WMS stamps! One winner will be chosen from the comments at Claire's blog and one winnner will be chosen from comments from one of the DT's blogs! Easey peasy! You have until 11:59 pm on Thursday 6/3 to leave your comments!

Good luck and thanks so much for Waltzing with us today!

Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy
Ink: Staz On Forest Green, Adirondack Watermellon.
Accessories: red twine - SU, glue dot, 5" x 6" drawstring muslin bag

A Flowery Feel Better Card

scoopy (Emily) was the featured stamper over at Split Coast Stampers today - she has a gallery full of wonderful clean and simple cards - the kind of design I tend to gravitate towards!

I chose her pretty daisies in a row card to CASE today. I used different stamps and sentiment, and stamped my flowers on a panel framed by an embossed Nestability square.

My flowers and sentiment are by Waltzingmouse Stamps

Fun news! - The Waltzingmouse Design Team will be having a DT Blog Waltz on Tuesday June 1 highlighting some of Claire's first stamp sets. There will be WMS sets to win by leaving comments so be sure to come by!!!


Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - flowers - Pic-Nic Patterns, sentiment - Asian Garden
Paper: Melon Berry, white - PTI
Ink: Ripe avocado, melon berry - PTI, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: square nestabilities, cuttlebug, foam dimensionals, black pearls - Amuse

An Awesome Son

Happy Memorial Day to everyone who lives in the US! Today we remember and thank all those who have served or lost their lives in the Military Service protecting our country and it's freedoms. ETA: sorry - I'm two days ahead of myself with celebrating Memorial Day! It's the 31st of course - but our town parade is held on Saturday - so I get confused !! LOL!!! and actually we celebrate the whole long-weekend I guess depending on when people have cookouts etc!!
The inspiration challenge today on Split Coast was the Crate & Barrel web site store. I wanted to make something patriotic so I searched the site for 'stars' and found these fun cup cake holders.
And here's the card I created from that inspiration.

I used my Fiskars Crimper to simulate the ridges in the cupcake holders. I thought these wonderful blooms looked a lot like fireworks when stamped randomly on the panel.

Here's what I put on the inside of my card today. My sentiments are from the set Free Spirit-Sentiments from Waltzingmouse.

This card will go to my son who served in the US Army for 6 years. And I am so proud of him for serving his country.

My card also fits Sharon's Friday Stamp Simply challenge - to use the colors of your countrys' flag on your card.

And here is a picture of our friend Steve, who is a member of a military reenactment group. Today he marched in our town's Memorial Day Parade in his Civil War uniform - and then he stationed himself in the Civil War section of our town cemetary during the services there.

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Big Blooms, Free Spirit-Sentiments

Paper: white, enchanted evening, pure poppy - PTI

Ink: Enchanged evening, pure poppy - PTI

Accessories: sponge, red twill, curly label & designer label - SU, foam dimensionals, crimper - Fiskars, lge star punch - Fiskars, small star punch - McGill