Waltzingmousestamps Pajama Party!

(Before I get to the pajama party festivities please let me know if you are interested in helping out little Taco Papacito - see this post here - he still needs a foster home or a forever home and I have heard from several stamping companies kind enough to donate supplies for a fundraising blog hop to help cover his eye surgery - thank you!!)

Today I am playing along with Waltzingmouse Stamps' Pajama Party Challenges (which has been challenging to do with my mind on poor little Taco, so if you think this work is not quite my best, you will know why.)  I used my new 'Ocean Bound' set on three of these cards, which I was lucky enough to win as blog candy (Thanks Claire & Lynn!!).  The first challenge we were asked to 'tie a knot' so I used some thick, rough twine and created this card:

 (please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  It is based on this week's 'Seize the Sketch'... sketch

I used a Fiskars wave border punch to create the 'ocean' (stamping the ship underneath first) and added a tag next to the knot.  Clap clap - challenge 1 complete!
     Challenge 2 was called 'Get Nauty' - anything nautical themed (so I technical could have entered all three of my creations thus far) but you got extra bonus points if you made something 3D, so I scoured my pantry for lifesavers to play off of the 'You're a lifesaver' sentiment but found none (EH! - HEY), so instead I used my MFT lollipop die cut and some Fancy Pants paper from their 'Down By The Shore" to create this little thank you treat with a Tootsie lollipop inside:

I fussy cut the cut lifesaver out and tucked the sentiment underneath and added a little crab eyelet from my stash (GASP - how cute would these be with Lifesaver Lollipops?!!  I wonder if they still make them...).  Challenge 2 - clap clap complete!
     Challenge 3 was a coloring combination based on this picture:

I chose to focus on one of the cute seashorse images from the set to create my own background paper:

The chain links were created with an EK Success edger punch I got on clearance at JoAnn's years ago - cool isn't it?  And I stamped off the ship image twice with Pcific Point ink to give it a subtle effect behind the 'Bon Voyage' sentiment.
     So, those are my first three cards.  There are two more challenges I hope to be able to play along with before the Pajama Party ends - hope you will play along too!  Thanks for stopping by!
~ Crafty Math Chick

  

Merry & Bright

Hello Friends & Followers!  I hope you are doing well.  I wanted to make a card for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge:

I decided to use their Seasons of Love - Tags set and some metallic paper by American Crafts to create this card:

(Holiday card count - 20, eek!  I usually have more like 100 by now!!  I better get crackin'!)  My card is actually red & silver, but for some reason a lot of folks think I used gold...  I think Martha Stewarts' holiday stars border punch coordinates so nicely with this stamp, don't you?  I will say, it is a little tricky trying to heat emboss on that metallic paper, it is really slippery and wants to curl when hit with the heat gun.  I know this is simple, but I like how it turned out.
     This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Crafts and Me Challenge 108 - Reds, 
• Clear It Out Challenge - anything goes with your red supplies in your stash (i have had this metallic paper in my stash for years, love it!!),
• Card Mania Challenge 7 - Embossing, and
• Whoopsi Daisy Challenge - Christmas Cards.  

     Thanks for looking!  I hope you have a good evening!

~ Crafty Math Chick

Christmas Card Kit Club ~ August 2012

Hello friends and followers!  Today I have a treat for you - 5 of my crafty friends and I have gotten together and organized a Christmas Card Kit Club.  I got the idea from my crafty friend Suzanne; each of us takes a turn hosting the challenge for a month by mailing supplies to the other members of the group - images, patterned papers, embellishments, etc.  Everyone receives the same materials, and we have the entire month to make one or more cards with them.  Then, on the last day of the month we all share our creations on our blogs and have fun seeing what everyone else made with the same supplies, plus we have a big head start on our holiday cards for the season.  Isn't that a fun idea?  I was so happy my pals wanted to play along.  So, this month Peggy Sue was the host and sent us the following supplies including a very intricate image of a Nutcracker by Waltzingmouse Stamps and some pretty patterned papers from Echo Park's Holly Jolly Collection:

I cannot tell you how much FUN it was to have EMBELLISHMENTS to create with since all of mine are still packed up and I have only had my scrap folders of cardstock at my disposal.  Due to time constraints with our move, I was only able to create two cards this month, but I am happy with both of them.  The first was inspired by the soft aqua tones in the Holly Jolly collection:

In my second cards I opted for a CAS no-stamping style, spotlighting the patterned papers themselves because I just love this collection so much:

Aren't the colors in this collection pretty?  They really can carry a card all on their own.  (Note - My holiday card count - only 12, dismal!  I usually have about 80 by this time already!  A move really is all encompassing!  Hopefully this Christmas Card kit club will help get that number up SOON!  The holidays will be hear before you know it!!)
     Now I know you are excited to see what my talented friends made with their kits as well, so be sure to visit them all, I am sure they have something beautiful for you to see:

• Kelli
• Lee
• Lydia
• Misti, 
• and our wonderful August hostess, Peggy Sue.

     Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you enjoyed our first Christmas Card Kit Club Hop and will join us again last the day of the month in the future!  Cheers!
~ Crafty Math Chick

Not Your Typical Green Card

Hello friends & followers!  Have a quickie card for you today - Ty baby seems to finally be improving so I am trying to rush and get ready to see a matinee of The Hunger Games (LOVED the book!  Guess I am into dystopias, is that bad?) in the hopes the kiddies' folks won't take them out of school early to see the movie and the theater won't be completely packed.  I created this card for the latest Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 89 using their Nordic Winter and Vintage Ornaments 2011 sets & Nestabilities:

I just love Nordic patterns!  They remind me of the sweater we used to wear as we snuggled by the fireplaces at the ski lodges and cafes in Vermont, ahhh... relaxing, happy times.  I just love sets that coordinate with Nestabilities dies too.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Stamp Scrap 'n Doodle Saturday - Green & White Challenge, and 
• The Crazy Challenge - Go Green.  

I think I was expected to create a St. Patrick's Day card or a spring card with these green challenges but I went in the opposite direction with Christmas - HA!  LOVE thinking outside the box.  Waaaaaay behind on my holiday card count for the year though - only 5 cards so far, should be up to 25 by now, but with everything going on I don't think I have made that many cards total this year yet...  Bad stamper!  
     Well, that is all I have for you today... so far... if we get shut out of The Hunger Games I will have plenty of time to stamp, HA!  Thanks for stopping by to seeing my cards and read my ramblings.  Happy Friday!
~Crafty Math Chick 

Waltzing With the Stars

Good afternoon Friends, Followers and Waltzers!  Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  This month's Waltzingmouse Blog Waltz theme is Christmas - my favorite kind of cards to make (well, maybe tied with dog themed cards, LOL).  I decided to finally ink up my Seasons of Love Tags set by WMS and create this CAS number for your viewing pleasure:

I embossed that pretty star shape with silver EP and cut it out (it is designed to fit the Stars Nestabilities set, but I don't have it yet), added a silver eyelet using my Crop-o-dile and some silver cord, which was a little tricky to fit through the opening.  I popped the star tag up with dimensionals onto some red foil paper by American Crafts which I punched at the bottom with Martha Stewart's stars border punch which I matted with shimmery silver cardstock and voila - that is pretty much it.  Relatively easy right?  This makes my holiday card count for the year 50 on the nose.  Still behind where I hope to be this time of year, but not too bad right?  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following challenges:

• The Pink Elephant Challenge 125 - Embossing,
• Stamptacular Sunday Challenge 138  - Punch it, and
• Shopping Our Stash  - Never Been Inked (I know, it is so embarrasing that I did not ink up this pretty set sooner!)

     Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations.  I hope you enjoy your journey along the WMS Blog Waltz.  I am always impressed with the pretty things the other waltzers create with Claire's lovely images.  Have a great day!
~Crafty Math Chick

Waltzingmouse Blog Waltz

Hello friends, followers and waltzers!  I am so sorry my post for the 'thankful/Thanksgiving' waltz was not available for you bright and early the morning of the 17th - without further delay, here is my card:

That beautifully illustrated image is from Waltzingmouse Stamps' 'Peace & Plenty' set - some really gorgeous fruits in that set!  The paper id from DCWV's happy Harvest mat stack.  I added some pre-glittered foamy leaves that seemed to match the colors in the patterned paper well, along with its pre-glittered sparkle, and tied the ends of a thick Offray evergreen ribbon with linen thread and orange buttons (not exactly the final result I had in my mind, but relatively close).  In addition to the blog Waltz, this card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Paper Sundaes Challenge 91 - Fall or Halloween,
• Wags n Whiskers Challenge - Fall Colors, 
• Sundays With Chrissy Challenge 22 - Thankful or Thanksgiving,
• Repeat Impressions Designer Choice Challenge 1012 - Halloween/Fall, 
• For Fun Challenge - Pumpkins (not Jack-o-lanterns),
• Color Me Creative Copic Challenge Group - Autumn Inspiration,
• Stamptacular Sunday Challenge 134 - You Choose (i.e. anything goes), and
• Pile It On Challenge 42 - Fall is for Fun.

Thank you for waltzing by to see my card.  I do apologize it was not posted sooner.  I hope you liked it anyway and have a wonderful afternoon and evening.
~Crafty Math Chick

Late to the Waltz...

Hello friends & followers, somehow I spaced the date of this month's Waltzingmouse Stamps' Blog Waltz (blushing), but luckily their owner Claire is super sweet and gives us a little extra time to post our creations.  This month's theme - Halloween.  Claire has a ton of really terrific Halloween images, I don't happen to have any in my collection so I had to get creative.  I used this beautiful pumpkin image from WMS' 'Peace & Plenty' set to create this card (please click on the photo for clearer resolution):

with the intention of drawing in eyes, a nose and a toothy grin to convert it into a jack-o-lantern, but I just couldn't bear to do it once I colored it in (and I wondered if the inks might bleed?) with my Copic markers.  I used my Martha Stewart 'punch around the page' crackle punch on this really cool black holographic paper I picked up at Target - I tried to capture it's rainbow sheen in the photo - did I succeed?  Since I didn't have any WMS sentiments that said "Happy Halloween' I scavenged through my small package of resins and found this 'trick or treat' sentiment that I thought would work perfectly.  


So, that is my card for Waltzingmouse's September Blog Waltz, I wish I had been on time.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Crazy for Challenge 105 (C4C105) - make something with a pumpkin on it,
• Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge - punches & dies,
• Paper Play Challenge Week 37 - use punches or dies, 
• Totally Stampalicious Challenge - Anything Goes (prizes if they have 100 entries, so play along!), and 
• Cute Card Thursday Challenge 182 - Anything Goes.

Thanks again for stopping by and seeing my creations.  I should have more for you to see tomorrow.  Until then - have a fantastic Saturday Night!
~Crafty Math Chick

May Blog Waltz

Welcome friends, followers and waltzers!  This month's Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz Theme was 'Masculine'.  Unfortunately, I don't have any of Claire's terrific masculine sets in my collection set, so I had to improvise.  I used some images from 'Sewing Box Hugs' and created this card:

I stamped the sentiment and then the star image twice on Brilliant Blue and then white cardstock, cut them out and popped up the blue star with dimensionals.  Then I stamped 5 stripes on white cardstock and cut them out and pretty much is it.  Do you like it?  It is going to be an 'Any Hero' card that is distributed to a member of our deployed military who does not get a lot of personal mail from home with my next shipment of cards to Operation Write Home, which I am mailing out soon.

I am also entering this card in Stamp Something's Challenge in honor of their third anniversary and Whimsie Doodles Wednesday Challenge - No Coloring!

Thanks for hopping by!  Have a grand day!
~Crafty Math Chick

Bunny Waltz

Hello friends, followers and waltzers!  You've heard of the Bunny Hop, well today is the Bunny Waltz in honor of Waltzingmouse Stamps' April Blog Waltz.  Please forgive the delayed posting, I have been playing with ideas in my head all month, trying to come up with something really spectacular to honor Claire and her fabby stamps and nothing seemed good enough.  Then, starting last Tuesday my back has been worse than it has been in a long time so I have been trying to rest it and that left me in the unfortunate position of creating something last minute, which I despise doing because for me pressure does not result in my best work.  Ramblings aside, here is my card:

This month's waltz theme was 'Easter' and the only WMS set I have that has Easter themed stamps is Claire's adorable "Lil Buddies".  I stamped the bunny twice, on the white background and then again on Creamy Caramel cardstock which was cut out and flocked with Caramel Latte Fun Flock and adhered to the white base.  I also flocked his fluffy tail with cotton ball white Fun Flock as well.  I could have sworn I had Martha Stewart's grass punch but could not find it anywhere without lots of bending and my back finally insisted that I give up and create grass of my own for its sake, so I took two strips of green cardstock and notched them with a scissors and pulled up a few random pieces by hand for dimension.  I decided to use the butterfly from the set to hold the 'Hoppy Easter' sentiment in the banner which I curled with my fingers and popped the middle section up with a thick dimensional to try to give it a wavy effect. I colored in the butterfly with Fruit Punch Stickles for a little sparkle.

That's about it - thank you for visiting my card on this waltz, but please do not feel pressured to leave a comment on this one; even my husband told me 'it isn't your best work' as the smile disappeared from his face when he looked at it.  I guess the fact I am not feeling well is effecting my creativity and/or execution today.  Please forgive me Claire, perhaps it is better not to participate at all in the future if I can't honor your stamps as you deserve?  I hope everyone is feeling well and has a happy Sunday.  I apologize for wasting your time and will try hard to do better in the future.
~Crafty Math Chick

Six on the Seventh

Hello my friends and followers - I cannot tell you how it makes me smile as I see your numbers slowly increasing.  :)  Today I have not one, not two, not even three cards to show you but six.  (I KNOW!)  There are lots of cool challenges on the horizon that have piqued my interest.  The first one is for  Skipping Stones Design Sketch 71:

I used their humorous 'Birthday Donuts' set (the inside says "...sometimes it's best not to count how many you've had") with some Regal Rose patterned paper from one of Stampin' Up!'s retired hostess stacks and this cool chocolate chip morsel DP I found at JoAnn's.   (Someone out there has to come up with some chocolate morsel shaped brads, don't you think?  They would have been awesome on this card!) The donut is embossed using American Crafts' Brownie embossing powder onto Creamy Caramel Cardstock.  I popped the donut up on dimensionals and added a few fun pink & brown ribbons.  Oh yeah, and the brown brads in the corner - do you know how difficult it is to find brown brads?  Not bronze or copper, but brown?  Psst - try Hobby Lobby, they sell them in the combo six packs by Spare Parts and go on sale pretty regularly.  Since this card is humorous, as are several of Skipping Stones Design's sets, it satisfies the requirements of this week's Cupcake Craft Challenge - Comedy Rocks.

This next card I created for Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge 49 - to spotlight an animal.  I have not tried the spotlighting technique before:

...so how did I do?  My friend Lee Murphy turned me on to House Mouse stamps, aren't they cuties?  So I created this birthday card for her using some patterned paper from the 'Birthday Extravaganza' stack by the Paper Studio and layering two of the yummy ribbons she was kind enough to send me in a 'get well soon' care package.   She is a big fan of pink and the meeses, so I am hoping she will like this card.  (Note to self - you do not have a 5/8" or 7/8" circle punches in your collection and, yes, you do need them).  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following challenges:

• Really Reasonable Ribbon's Challenge 21 - to use punches or die cuts and ribbon,
• Paper Play Challenges Week 14 - Critters Galore, and
• Wee Memories Challenge 50 - rainbow inspired - isn't Jenny's inspiration picture GORGEOUS:

Okay, on to my third card, which was created for Verve's 'Color Me Spring' Challenge.  I used the my new 'Egg-stra Special' set that I won during a sneak peek blog hop from Jackie Pedro's Blog (thanks Jackie!) and some patterned paper and ribbon from a past Sell-a-bration Freebie to make this little number:

Believe it or not, I struggled with this one; I am just not a pastel person.  Other than light blue and making an all white and blue or all white and pink baby card, I tend to shy away from my pastels, but I wanted to give this cute little chickie some love.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following challenges as well:

• The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge 56 - based on this inspirational photo (I thought of the chick hatching from one of these eggs and the pastel colors):
• 
• Tuesday Throwdown 43 - Spring theme, and
• Dutch Dare Card Challenge 107 - Spring has Sprung.

Now for my last three cards, a trio of itty bitty 3 x 3 cards (LOVE this size to include with 'happy mail' packages sent to fellow crafters, because you just can't send something to a fellow card maker without a handmade card in it) for you courtesy of Waltzingmouse's Sketch Challenge 41, which was to make 3 itty bitty cards this week.  I used their 'Sewing Box Hugs' set and made these little cuties:

Again, I used patterned papers from retired hostess packs from Stampin' Up! in Pretty in Pink and Apricot.  The birdie was stamped three times on white, apricot daisies and apricot swirls papers, then cut out and layered, popping up the wing with a dimensional and corner-punching the corners to add pink pearls in some of the corners (discovery - I don't have nearly as many pearls as I do rhinestones!).  Since faux stitching is used in the images of this card is also fulfills the requirements of Challenge 39 by Your Next Stamp - stitching.

That is about it from me.  Tami Mayberry of Gina K. Designs fame is having a HUGE giveaway on her blog if you wish to go check it out, it is pretty spectacular.

I hope everyone has a happy Thursday evening!
~Crafty Math Chick

My First Blog Hop

...or 'Waltz' rather.  Welcome vistitors and waltzers!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Despite my doctor's advice NOT to do anything other than 'grow bone' for the first three months after my spinal fusion surgery I could not help thinking, "How much could making one card really hurt my back?"  The answer - A LOT!  OW!  I guess in the process of cardmaking I was doing enough leaning, twisting and/or bending and my back let me know it was not happy with me.  So, this is probably my last card for a little while, but I thought Claire's Blog Waltz for Waltzingmouse Stamps was the perfect event for the attempt and an opportunity to introduce my new little blog to the world.  (I just hope I didn't do any permanent damage!)  :(

So, here is my card for the waltz.  This month's theme was Irish Heritage or St. Patrick's Day.  I knew I wanted to use one of the first sets I ever purchased from Waltzingmouse Stamps, Irish Blessings paired with this cool Celtic Cuttlebug embossing folder.  I embossed a piece of Brushed Gold cardstock in the embossing folder.  Then I selected the sentiment and images I wanted to use and found a Nestabilities label shape that worked well with it, Labels 10.  I stamped the sentiment using Handsome Hunter ink and then added those petite little shamrock images on either side (aren't they the sweetest?).  To create the illusion of another layer, I held the die in place and sponged some Handsome Hunter Ink around the edges of the sentiment - it was my first time trying this technique - how do you think it came out?  I added a row of petite bling under the sentiment and some more rhinestones and golden domes accents and popped the panel up with dimensionals over a strip of grosgrain ribbon.  I had hoped to make something more elaborate, the spirit was willing but the back was weak.

Thank you all for visiting my blog and taking the time to look at my creation.  I hope you will visit again in the future, when my back has healed more and crafting is less painful.  Enjoy the rest of the waltz!
~Crafty Math Chick

First attempt at a card upload...

Hello my faithful friends and followers!  (I hope you know how much I appreciate every single one of you).  I figured I would take a test run of uploading a card - since I am still recovering from surgery and not supposed to be crafting quite yet I am uploading a previously created card.  I created it for sketch challenge WMSC19 and I am very proud of it because Claire and her team at Waltzingmouse Stamps liked it enough to honor me with a 'Top Mouse' Award (squeak!  squeak!  - polishing the blinkie on my sidebar).  Okay, let's see if this works...

OOOH!  Look at that!  WOO HOO!  Okay, the deets on this card.  I stamped the holly leaf images from Waltzingmouse's 'Sewing Box Christmas' onto Glorious Green and Green Galore cardstocks, cut them out and layered one on top of another.  Then I stamped three holly berries onto Real Red cardstock and punched them out using a 3/4" circle punch.  The middle berry is raised with a dimensional and I added rhinestones to their centers for a little sparkle (I love bling!  Don't you?), then I adhered the lollipop ribbon and bow and stamped the sentiment over it.  Really, it is a pretty easy card to make and it fits in a regular sized business envelope, which is convenient, don't you think?
Hey, that was FUN!  I can't wait to start adding NEW creations now!  Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a terrific day and a fun-filled weekend! 
~Crafty Math Chick