I'm doing something different this for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, by using a digi.
But this is not just any digi...My online, crafty friend Janna (aka snuffermus) from Papiersalat creates her own digis, which she is sharing for free. So, head on over and check out her beautiful blog and leave her some love. And don't forget to link back to her if you use her digis!
In addition, the current Papertrey Princess challenge is hosted by amazing Diane. The theme is to create something Merry and Bright. So I pulled out one of my first embellish loves - Stickles. They are my second embellish acquisitions to my stash, after ribbons, because I was introduced to them at the Stamping Around PA retreat. Thanks, Korin, for using them in your class!
Stamps: (November Digi - Snowman) Papiersalat; (Compliments of the Season) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Preppie Pack - Red) Bazzill; (Basic Card Stock Scrap Pack - Blue, Basic Card Stick - White) Recollections
Ink: (Momento - True Black) Tsukineko;
Embellishments: (Stickles - Xmas Red, Baby Blue, Diamond) Ranger; (Vintage Buttons - Poppy Red) Papertrey Ink; (Silver Jewelry Threading); (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Border Punch - Upper Crest) Fiskars
Coloring with Stickles is actually kind of fun. To give the card more dimension, I really piled on the blue onto the mailbox to give it some 3D effect. My interpretation on the sketch is kind of loose - larger square and a border for the strip. But hey - creative license, right?
A lastly, for my buddy Janna, up-close look on the digi - which is really fun and easy to color.
So what do you think? Is it "Merry & Bright" worthy? Hope you are having a great Tuesday...
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I have a special post coming up for that later today. But in the meantime - Yep - you read right. I wrapped the first Christmas present already. But I have good reason! I'm heading out on a business trip soon, and I wanted my newly-addicted-to-stamps friend to get a little gift. In fact, you may have heard me mention Sandra in a previous post. She placed her first SU! order and will be crafting with her MIL. How awesome is that?! Heehee...Nicole and I successfully converted her to the dark side ;)
When I saw this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, I was snickering to myself. Last week I had made a card for the WMS #23 Challenge as well as for the WMS Blog Hop and thought I had added my link. Evidently, I didn't...so in theory, I have never missed a WMS Sketch challenge. But in practice...silly, forgetful brain! Surely, I'm not the only one?
For this sketch, I pulled out a few of my Waltzingmouse Stamps to create a gift wrap for Sandra's gift.
Stamps: (Very Vintage Christmas, Vintage Label Two) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Brown Parcel Wrap) Scotch; (Basic Card Stock - Cream) Recollections
Ink: (Earth Elements - Chocolate Chip) Stamping Up!; (Tea Dye Duo - Chai) Papertrey Ink; (Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Spool 'o Ribbon - Green) Michaels
The snowflakes were actually stamped in both the Versamark and Chai Tea Dye Duo to give it different color gradient effect. The picture below shows it better in detail.
The crisper darker one on the left is Versamark; the snowflake below the label that is a little more yellow, is the Tea Dye. Sorry for the horrible pictures, but it would not take in the evening light!
Perhaps I should wish for a light box this Christmas ;) What's one thing you are hoping that Santa will bring you?
I was in such a rush for my last business trip that I have forgotten to share some exciting, crafty news. I am a Princess! Better stated, I'm part of a great blog group called the Papertrey Princess. See the right margin of my blog for links to the other gals amazing crafty blogs. They have some amazing creations and I am incredibly excited and blessed to be part of this group. So thanks for having me! Plus, "Princess Ren-Yi" doesn't sound half bad, right? ;)
The Princesses take turns hosting a challenge and Bethie is currently hosting. Well better said - was hosting - because by the time I finish this post, it will be past due.
Her challenge is Red/White or Cream/Brown, and an added twist is to recycle something. My last blog post actually was about a bag I saved and wanted to refurbish into a wine gift bag; however, my colors were a tad off ;) So here is my second attempt...
My second attempt is also wine related. In fact, I have been testing out my home-made Christmas gift ideas this past week (which explains the long, long silence from the blog). A few of you may know Glühwein - a kind of mulled wine popular in Germany around this time of the year. It brings back many childhood memories, because I use to poke around the Christmas market (or Christkindlesmarkt) with my Mom, looking at all the wonderful hand-crafted items. Usually, it would be so cold that could see my own breath in the air. The Christkindlesmarkt would have this amazing aroma of cinnamon, cardamon, orange peels, anis, as well as roasted nuts and Lebkuchen. If anyone has experienced a walk-through these markets, maybe you can relate that walking through one of these markets makes Christmas tangible - it's just around the corner!
So my attempt is to make my own Glühwein. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll post it up in a separate post.
And like any good home-made gift, it should come with a home-made label, right?
I pulled out my trusty Waltzigmouse Rescue Remedies and went to town. I started re-using some old brown paper wrapping that I had lying around and created a newsprint.
Add an embossed little vintage, cream label and a decadent, shiny red ribbon and I call it done.
Speaking of the colors chosen, Mona's hosting her own challenges. And I have been meaning to play along to show my support! When I happened to see that these were her colors this week, I did a little happy dance!
It felt like getting a two-fer deal. Mona, next time I will check out the color challenge before making a project ;)
In case anyone is interested in the supply list, it is attached below. Have you guys figured out your Christmas to-make and to-buy list?
Stamps: (Rescue Remedies) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: Postal Brown Wrapping Paper (Scotch); (Basic Card Stock - Cream) Recollections
Ink: (Versamark) Tsukineko; (Tea Dye Duo - Chamomile, Chai) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Embossing Powder - Ebony) Martha Stewart; (Value Ribbon - Red) Michaels; (Nestabilities - Label Four) Spellbinders
I'm still alive & kickin'! I arrived home at around 1a Saturday morning, since my plane was delayed on Friday. Don't you love business trips in the fall and winter, when weather becomes more or less unpredictable? However, I am relieved that I was not stuck overnight at the airport - sure didn't want to experience an abbreviated version of Tom Hank's The Terminal. So this weekend I was recuperating and catching up on much needed household chores, and seeing family and girl friends for meals.
However, November 17th was creeping up and the next installment of the Waltzingmouse Blog Waltz was coming up! The theme is Christmas and the perfect excuse to get my crafting back into gear. But since my crafting mojo is still fighting my sleep-deprived brain, I thought to combine it with this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.
For this card, I pulled my current obsession Very Vintage Christmas to ink up.
Stamps: Very Vintage Christmas (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Paper: Paper Basics Card Stock - Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink); Basic Card Stock - White (Recollections)
Ink: Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Embellishments: Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Powder - White Opaque (Stampendous!); Vintage Buttons - White & Cream Mix, Spring Mix (Papertrey Ink); Rustic Button Cream Twine (Papertrey Ink); Spool 'o Ribbon - Green (Michaels)
The sentiment was actually masked onto the ribbon and then heat embossed. I was actually really scared trying this, since the ribbon was made of some sort of polyester mix. I had visions of the ribbon blazing up into flames and was glancing nervously over to my cup 'o tea that was in grab-able distance. You know, just in case ;)
The torn paper was suppose to be a lil snow hill and the snow flakes and buttons a cute way to "snow" onto the card. So, that's my take on a little non-traditional Christmas card. Cannot wait to see what the other gals have up their sleeves!
I wanted to share some exciting news. Korin from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps featured a card of mine on their challenge blog. I never had anyone say "Hi Ren-Yi! Love your card! How creative :)! In fact, I love it so much, I featured it in our Sweet Stop post today" out of the blue. I was tickled! Ok - so little things make me happy ;)
I mentioned how November is Crazy Birthday Month! I thought I would pull out my Elzybells out and give them some inky love. A real shocker, right? It's not a Waltzingmouse Stamp ;)
I remember reading that wee Memories was having a Birthday-theme challenge this week. And here the proof that my memory isn't failing me:
The cute birdie in Elzybells and the hot craze for tweets really inspired this card:
Stamps: Little Birdie Told Me (Elzybells)
Paper: Paper Basics Card Stock - True Black (Papertrey Ink); Oasis (SEI); Basic Card Stock - White (Recollections)
Ink: Pigment - Black (Colorbox); Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Terra Cotta (Papertrey Ink)
Embellishments: Soft-core Color Pencils (Prismacolor); Jewel (Memory Box)
I dared to add a lil bit of gems to the center of the flowers for a boy card. I hope I am forgiven. Here an up close look of the party animals:
Thought keeping the sheep a lil grey and plain and making everything around it dazzle color was the way to go. And a big happy birthday shout out to wee Memories!
November 9, 2010, marks the big THREE for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. So, Happy Birthday, SnSS, and congrats to such a successful run, Korin! And I wish you many many more years of success.
I met Korin last year at the Pennsylvania Stamping Around event. I was the non-crafter that showed up, cause a certain crafty (and yes, I mean that on both definition counts: hand-made and sly) chica managed to enable me to come. I mean with an offer such as "Just show up - we can share my tools" who wouldn't, right? So, I made a huge adhesive run, packed my color pencils and came. We were such good students, we even sat in the first row - I didn't want to miss any steps and was already intimidated as is ;)
Everyone was so sweet and Korin had a wonderful little stand set up in the lobby. I immediately checked out these things called acrylic, clear stamps. It was all alien to me (at that time an avid knitting and crocheter - so anything yarn made sense, but acrylic, clear stamps? come again?)
My great enabler friend pulled out Baked With Love and mention how perfect they were to go along with my cookie baking hiatus. Cookies were after all the home-made Christmas project of 2009! Korin had such wonderful prices offered for that weekend, and I ended up leaving with Trendy Girl and Doodle Flower for Sentiments as well. I had no idea what I was going to create, but I figured, I'd hit a Michael's on the way home and buy an ink pad. After all, that's how the paper crafting addiction starts, right?
Check out my first card ever, made with Trendy Girl! I never posted my Christmas Cookie Tags (notice how crazy I went?)
Stamps: Baked With Love (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps); Tag Treats (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Basic Card Stock - White (Recollections); various pattern paper (Basic Grey)
Ink: Pigment - Black (Colorbox)
Embellishments: 1/8" Circle Eyelets Multipack - Various Colors (Making Memories)
But in honor of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamp, I pulled out Warm Up to meet this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge
And found some color inspiration from this week's DeNami Color Challenge (my first time playing along - yay!)
A good cup of coffee is always a great way to say "Thanks a Latte." I had fun playing around with the colors, and decided to offset the cup color and the stamped image. The cups are also adhered with dimensional adhesive at different levels to give it some interest factor (the next picture shows this better).
Stamps: Warm Up (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)
Paper: Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Earth Elements - Old Olive, Chocolate Chip (Stamping Up!); Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Orange Zest, Tea Dye Duo - Chamomile (Papertrey Ink)
Embellishments: Soft-core Color Pencils (Prismacolor); Nestabilities - Fancy Tags (Spellbinders); Ribbon - Petals & Paisley Key Ingredient Kit (Taylored Expressions); Paper-Piercing Tool & Mat Stack (Stamping Up!); Fine Point - Black (Sharpie)
A little bit of Tea Dye ink to vintage up the fancy label and stringing the tag onto a cute polka-dotted ribbon - and I call it done.
The 'lil steam swirls are paper pierced and faux stitched. Can you tell that the yellow cup is popped a tad higher? So - what's your perfect latte? I fancy a nice Pumpkin Spice right around now...
Wow can you believe Sweet Stop Sketch is already on their #80? Congrats on the huge milestone!
And since it was "free for all" challenge at wee Memories, I thought I'd throw in this card too!
Stamps: (Nutcracker Sweet) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Avocado) Papertrey Ink; (Boxer) Basic Grey; (Basic Card Stock - White) Recollections
Ink: (Earth Elements - Close To Cocoa, More Mustard, Old Olive) Stamping Up!; (Tea Dye Duo - Chamomile) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Vintage Buttons - Poppy Red, Rustic Jute Button Twine) Papertrey Ink
I thought it would be fun to section the tree off, and blended colors for the tree.
Well, hope it tickles!
