...Moxie Fab Chance!! don't miss out!

Ladies, I've been knee deep in medical gear, getting my mum moved back home after her spell in Hospital, but I absolutely could not miss the 5 mins it took to pop on here and let you gals know that if you manage to leave a comment on the Moxie Fab blog today, BEFORE midnight US time, you could be in with a chance to win!!! Quick, get over there NOW!!


I am indebted to Cath for featuring us on her blog and I welcome you if you are new to us as a result of finding us through the magnificent Moxie Fab blog!!!!!

The Big Cheese of the Week

Hi there!

What difficult choices this week!  Thanks to all of you that shared your uploads.

This week's Big Cheese of the Week is Cathy Weber, with her adorable morning window scene:

Isn't it fantastic? You can almost hear the rooster crowing to start the day.  The colors are bright, bold and fabulous and I love the big bow with the pins.  A wonderful card, Cathy!

Congratulations, Cathy! Your project will be added to the Big Cheese highlight album in the WMS Gallery. Please send me an email and I will provide you with a discount code for $10 off your next Waltzingmouse Stamps purchase.

Next up is a fun little card from Maria:

Aren't the rainbow strips of houndstooth fun? The colors are so springy, too.  I also love the crepe paper flower and how she's incorporated some of her other colors into it.

This card from Karen Haman is a great one:

The cherry blossom flowers from Asian Gardens look beautiful so perfectly placed on the flourish.  I also love the chevron border accent too - a great way to use this stamp that I had not thought of! Love the inspiration, Karen!

Thanks for another great week of projects, ladies! Inspiring as always!

Would you like the opportunity to be chosen for the Big Cheese? Just upload a project to your Waltzingmouse Gallery. Then add the direct link to your newly uploaded projects here in the WMS Forum, a new thread starts every Monday! You can visit us on the forum if you have any questions.

Have a great day!
Anya

April Blog Party Highlights

What a great time we had on Tuesday – our April Blog Party.  There were so many wonderful projects each one blooming with creativity.  Today we will share with you three project that really caught our eye.  If you haven’t seen all the awesome projects, you can find links to them in this post.

Cathy W created this adorable onesie using images from the French Country set. With the addition of those sweet pearls, it’s totally girli-fied.  She added one of the small roosters stamped within a Join Us leafy circle image and her sentiment from the Compact Sentiments set.  What new mommy wouldn’t love to receive such an adorable and creative card?!

 

Kary has shown us, in full bloom, the new beginning of spring with these lovely pansies from the Afternoon Tea Sentiments set.  She framed her pansies onto two great Spellbinder die cuts one which was stamped with images from the Florentine Frippery set and a soft and lovely sentiment from the Big Day Additions stamped onto vellum.

 

And last, but not least, Claire Apostoloff created this lovely engagement card showcasing how these label images can easily become intricate and interesting backgrounds for a focal image.  The label image and sentiment is from the Fancy Phrases set.  The die cut heart is perfect for this card.

 

Thanks to everyone who participated.  We hope you had as much fun creating and playing along with us.

Now, for the winner – chosen randomly from all the participants, and using the Random.org selector, we have chosen our Blog Party winner this month.  Congratulations, Gabi MeWi.  Please send Claire an e-mail at Claire.brennan1@ntlworld.com with your stamp set selection, and mailing address details.  We appreciate EVERYONE’S participation and support of the “Blog Party”.  It was great fun looking at all the very creative projects.  We hope you had as much fun blog hopping as you did creating.

Be sure to check back on May 1st, when we will announce the theme for the May 17th “party”.

The Big Cheese of the Week

Hi there!

I hope your week is going well so far.  I am here to bring you this week's Big Cheese winner.  You guys do such a great job each week and it is always exciting to welcome the new players - we love to see new faces, so if you've been lurking, now is the time to join in on the fun!!

This week's Big Cheese winner is Karen Murray:

Karen's beautiful creation is the perfect combination of patterns and colors.  The soft berry color mixed with bits of kraft and blue make such an amazing color combination!  Karen accented her design with a sentiment from You're Lovely and a little cameo cabochon in that same beautiful berry.   Perfect coordination!

Congratulations, Karen! Your project will be added to the Big Cheese highlight album in the WMS Gallery. Please send me an email and I will provide you with a discount code for $10 off your next Waltzingmouse Stamps purchase.

I love the design of this card from Kim Heggins:

It is a simple, classic layout but Kim has stepped it up by adding the contrasting stitching and the row of buttons.  The red and cream play off of each other in this card which really adds some interest to the monochrome color scheme.

Rounding us out for this week is this fabulous creation from Kary Lim:

Take a closer look at this one - it is all one layer! What fun, and very skilled masking, too. Love that bold color combination, too, very rich!

Thanks for another great week of projects, ladies! Inspiring as always!

Would you like the opportunity to be chosen for the Big Cheese? Just upload a project to your Waltzingmouse Gallery. Then add the direct link to your newly uploaded projects here in the WMS Forum, a new thread starts every Monday! You can visit us on the forum if you have any questions.

Have a great day!

Anya

April 2012 Blog Party–New Beginnings!

Hello and welcome to the April 2012 Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Party! We are so happy to have you join us for this fun and inspirational BLOG PARTY.

Our theme for April is “New Beginnings”.  Use your  Waltzingmouse Stamps images to create your own interpretation of a new beginning such as a wedding or perhaps a new addition to a family.  Your project can be a card, a 3D item or even a scrapbook page. 

We encourage you to upload your entries to your blog or on-line gallery and then link up your creation using the inlinkz tool at the end of this post. We will leave the links open for 24 hours so that everyone will have a chance to play along!  Once you link your project, you can check out all the other inspiring projects by just clicking on their link.  Fun and easy!

A random selection of time zones are given below, so you can see how this works:

 

UK - 6:30 p.m. 17th April- 6:30 p.m. 18th April

USA (New York) 1:30 p.m. 17th April- 1:30 p.m. 18th April

Australia (Queensland) - 4:30 a.m. 18th April- 4:30 a.m. 19th April

Canada (Alberta) - 11:30 a.m. 17th April- 11:30 a.m. 18th April

Malaysia - 2:30 a.m. 18th April - 2:30 a.m. 19th April

Norway - 7:30 p.m. 17th April- 7:30 p.m. 18th April

 

There you have it.  You have 24 hours to link up your creation!  We all look forward to see your wonderfully creative projects.

Be sure to check back on the 20th of the month – we will highlight a few of the amazing entries right here on the blog! We will be on the lookout for projects that showcases extra special effort! We will also randomly select a winner for a coupon code good for a free set. SWEET!

Let the fun begin and use your direct link to start the party.

...fluttering freebie!

Ed - Nicole, thank you, and yup that's what I was afraid of... I have updated the links and made them available through google docs..will work on the store some more...cheers for the feedback!

Morning ladies! I have a wee freebie today, I was playing around with some svg files way back when I was drawing up the Nordic Spring set and I have a couple of goodies this morning for anyone who has Nordic Spring.

There are a couple of hours left before our Blog party kicks off later today, and you might just be able to squeeze something out with the aid of these files! More details on times etc later, but basically you have 24 hours to make and upload a creation!

These cut files should enable you to cut out some butterfly shapes that you can then stamp on, just as I did for this card.

Get Butterfly cutting file here.

I have also put up an SVG file for the panel that I used on this card (in tan cardstock), you can layer the butterfly cut out over this shape to get a nice sentiment panel.

Get Butterfly sentiment panel cutting file here.

I adore the Nordic sets, and even though I am working on some dies for other sets behind the scenes (still a while away) I don't think that I will be making make dies for these sets. The heart from Nordic Spring already works with the heart Die template from Spellbinders, but I thought some folks might like  a cut file for some of the more unusual shapes in the set, so watch this space for more files.

These will be made available in the freebie section of the store for future access.

Do please leave a comment to let me know if you were able to get it ok, the process for producing downloads on my store has been tweaked a little and I'd like to know that folks are able to access these ok!

Hope it tickles!

...catching up

Ladies, I always seem to be saying this don't I?

Truth is, it has been a very busy time for me personally this past 6 months or so. For anyone who doesn't know, my wee mum has been extremely unwell. My mum is a very private person and would bring forth a pink canary if I were to go into all the details here on my blog, but she has coped with over 30 years of serious and debilitating conditions. There was a hospital stay in October and she was admitted again just under a month ago and things are quite serious for her at present. Like anyone else in this situation, and I'm sure we are legion, I want to be there for her as much as I can, and so that means not being in other places.

I had hoped to make a big noise about our upcoming 3rd anniversary in May, but somehow, that doesn't feel right, and so we will be hosting a 'belated birthday bash' at a later date.

Right now, we'll be moving forward in a small way, with a little release in May. The mechanics of the store are moving as normal, due to the invaluable help that I have from my family and my assistant. Shipping is grand, and emails are being answered, although it may take a day or two longer than usual.

My drawing time has been limited, but I have been filling endless notebooks with ideas while I wait at hospital, and I look forward to getting these all into polymer at some later date. I just wanted to let folks know where things are at the moment. Thanks for listening.

The Big Cheese of the Week

Good morning!  Thank you for stopping in to see this week's Big Cheese winner.  This week, we have a theme going.. one layer cards.  There were so many fantastic one layer cards shared as a result of last week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, that it just worked out like that.  Be prepared to be inspired!

Our Big Cheese for this week is Jen Treadway, with her fab one layer card:

Love it! It is clean, simple and oh-so-trendy with the stars and rainbow! It would be perfect to mass produce to have on hand for any situation deserving a celebration. A fab design for sure!

Congratulations, Jen! Your project will be added to the Big Cheese highlight album in the WMS Gallery. Please send me an email and I will provide you with a discount code for $10 off your next Waltzingmouse Stamps purchase.

Next up is a card from Sharron Gregory:

With the easy coordination between patterns, this card is a great example of a one layer card that isn't necessarily clean and simple. I don't mean that in a bad way - the patterns add a fullness to the card, taking up most of the white space and keeping the eye moving throughout the design.

The last card I would like to share today is from Carola Dolder:

What is so great about this card is that the scored frame gives the illusion of additional layers when really it is one and the same. The masked background would be easy to achieve by covering the center square with a post-it note, and without much effort you have a created visual layering. There were some other great examples of this technique this week, too!

Thanks for another great week of projects, ladies! Inspiring as always!

Would you like the opportunity to be chosen for the Big Cheese? Just upload a project to your Waltzingmouse Gallery. Then add the direct link to your newly uploaded projects here in the WMS Forum, a new thread starts every Monday! You can visit us on the forum if you have any questions.

Have a great day!

Anya

It’s Christmas in April

The new April Waltzingmouse Stamps Christmas Card Challenge has been posted.  For all the details about this month’s challenge be sure to check out Lynn’s blog post, here or head on over to the forum and get started.

Lynn’s take on the April challenge is for the birds!

See you there!

Lynn

Easter Shipping

 Folks, just a heads up to say that the Post Office will be closed in my area from and including, Friday 6th April until Tuesday 10th April and so I will be unable to ship during this time. Orders placed from the evening of Thursday 5th April will therefore ship on Wednesday the 11th. The store will remain open during this time, but I will be out of the office from Friday until Monday and so there may be a slight delay in replying to email queries over the Easter weekend. I wish you all a very happy and health Easter!

The Big Cheese of the Week

Good morning! I'm sorry I'm late today - no good excuse, just behind on things. I hope I didn't keep you waiting.

This week's Big Cheese winner is Genevieve Pinkerton!

Genevieve created this elegant wedding card using Eat Cake. She included the perfect amount of sparkle (love all the rhinestones on the cake!) and paired it with some beautiful damask patterned paper. Sophisticated all around, and so perfect for a wedding!

Congratulations, Genevieve! Your project will be added to the Big Cheese highlight album in the WMS Gallery. Please send me an email and I will provide you with a discount code for $10 off your next Waltzingmouse Stamps purchase.

Here is another beauty for you. Don't you love this card from Anne-Elise?

The butterfly from Nordic Spring just looks amazing embossed on vellum. It is so soft, delicate and springy!

The last card I want to share today is from Charmaine Stack.

I love the aged background Charmaine created. The blue ornament is so bright and bold and really creates a unique holiday card. Just lovely!

Thanks for another great week of projects, ladies! Inspiring as always!

Would you like the opportunity to be chosen for the Big Cheese? Just upload a project to your Waltzingmouse Gallery. Then add the direct link to your newly uploaded projects here in the WMS Forum, a new thread starts every Monday! You can visit us on the forum if you have any questions.

Have a great day!
Anya

...thank you

I just wanted to pop on here and say a big thank you to everyone who has sent prayers, hugs and good vibes for my mum who has been in hospital. Mum still remains in hospital, but I believe her condition has been stabilised and she may return home this week.

I have been pretty much absent from the old blog/forum etc during this time and it feels like forever since I was out here in blog land!

We've kept the backend running, and orders have gone out pretty much as normal but I'm hoping I can get back into web related things this week, especially since we have a blog waltz coming up and Easter is literally moments away.

If you are still looking around for last moment Easter things to make, we have a selection of freebie templates here in the freebie section at the store, there are the 3 baskets shown below among others, and you might get something there to solve a last minute gifting idea! I am not even going to attempt to make anything Easter-y, lol, but you might still have time!

 Chat soon,

April 17th Blog Party Details

Hello all you April lovelies.  You are probably waiting to hear what the theme for the April Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Party will be, right?  Well the wait it over and I'm happy to announce THE OFFICIAL THEME is: New Beginnings, such as babies, or weddings.

Below is the schedule of beginning and end times in which you can enter your direct link to your project.  Your post on your blog, or on-line gallery, can go live anytime you wish on the 17th.  But during the time frame (outlined below) you will need to post your direct link here on the WMS blog using the Inlinkz widget that will be available.

The festivities begin right here, according to your location, as indicated below:

UK - 6:30 p.m. 17th April- 6:30 p.m. 18th April

USA (New York) 1:30 p.m. 17th April- 1:30 p.m. 18th April

Australia (Queensland) - 4:30 a.m. 18th April- 4:30 a.m. 19th April

Canada (Alberta) - 11:30 a.m. 17th April- 11:30 a.m. 18th April

Malaysia - 2:30 a.m. 18th April - 2:30 a.m. 19th April

Norway - 7:30 p.m. 17th April- 7:30 p.m. 18th April

The linking option will be closed after that time.  From there you can just click on any of the projects linked and be directed to any of the participants’ blogs to get a closer look at their creativity.

Although we call this a "blog party", it is perfectly fine to use an on-line gallery for your project, if you don't have a blog.  It doesn't even have to be the Waltzingmouse Stamps gallery either (although you are most welcome to upload as many WMS projects as you like there).  On-line galleries such as Flickr or Picasa or other galleries are also fine.

You only need to do three things:

1.  You will need to be able to link your project here, using a direct link URL

2.  Your project needs to contain something directly related to the theme

3.  You must use Waltzingmouse Stamps images

We encourage and welcome you to grab this "party mouse" blog button (at the top of this post for your blog sidebar) and use it at the top of your post on "party day".

Then, on the 20th of the month – we will highlight a few of the entries that really catch our attention and you'll be able to see those highlighted here on the WMS blog.  We will also select and announce our winner of the FREE stamp set of choice, by a random drawing from those participating in the Blog Party.

So now that you know the date - you know the time - and now you know the theme, what are you waiting for?  Grab those Waltzingmouse Stamps and shower the Internet with creative inspiration! 

See you on the 17th!