Serendipity Stamps Summer Release Blog Hop

You should have arrived here from Anya's blog, but if not, a full list of the blog hop participants is listed at the bottom of my post.

The weather is warming up and Summer is just around the corner.  Today, the Serendipity Stamps Design team is sharing samples of the first stamp and die set of the Summer release...introducing Pear Die and Stamp set.
When I think of Summer, I always think of the beautiful, fresh sweet fruit that is so abundant.  Todays hop focuses on one of those delicious fruits, a beautiful pear stamp and matching die.  **These can be purchased separately or together as a set.
I have three cards to share today, two using the die and one using the stamp.  Here they are:

I am starting off with my favorite.  For my card I used just the intricate die (Pear Die).  I cut the die (which cuts so crisp and clean) and layered it onto a checkerboard pattern I cut with my Silhouette Cameo.  I love the contrast between the green pear and the black and cream background.  For my sentiment, I used another stamp from Serendipity, Handmade Just for you and just masked off the first half of the sentiment.

My second card is a folksy type of card which also uses the new Pear Die.

I cut out two of the pears and added them to some very homey paper, Summer Fresh from Simple Stories.  The sentiment was cut on my Silhouette Cameo and I love the those pears with ric rack.

My last card today uses the Pear Stamp Set.

The pear is stamped in gray ink and the sentiment is also one from Serendipity...For All You Do.  I think this card could be used for either a guy or a girl and you won't believe how nicely this image stamps...perfect, sharp and clear.

You are going to want to leave a comment on all of the Design Team blogs today, there will be one random winner who will receive a new pear stamp and die, just for leaving a comment!  You have until Friday, May 3rd to leave your comment and the winner will be announced on the Serendipity Stamps Blog on Monday, May 6th.

And yes, there's more!  I sound like an infomercial, don't I? In just two days, Thursday,  May 2nd, the Design Team will be sharing a batch of new stamps...all very pretty and perfect for Summer stamping.  Make sure to check our blogs then and there will be a grand prize available...and it is a whopper!  There will be a random draw for a complete set of all the stamps released on that day.  You should now pop over to Marybeth's blog.  I am sure she will have something fabulous for you to look at.

Here is the blog hop order just in case you have missed it.  Enjoy the hop!

Miriam

Jenny

Anya

Cathy (That's me!)

Marybeth

Pauline
Jeanne

Pear Die

Pear Stamp

Pear Stamp and Die Set

Handmade Just for You

For All You Do

Case Study #137 - Wonderful Birthday

Technically, my son's wedding is today as it's 1 a.m. and I am wide awake, unable to sleep.  Too many thoughts and memories running through my head, most of them remembering the little boy who wouldn't leave my side for the first few years of his life.  It is hard to imagine that he is getting married today...a grown man who now will have a family of his own.  Rather than tossing and turning, I decided to get up and try to make a card for a challenge that I have really been enjoying, CASE Study.  Each week you have an inspiration photo by a talented designer "Muse" and you can make any kind of card you want depending upon how you are inspired.  Lots of fun, lots of ways to interpret each sketch.  This week's sketch (#137)  is again by JJ Bolton.  I have really enjoyed her CAS style and use of great techniques with die cuts.

Here is this week's inspiration photo:

I was inspired by JJ's use of white cardbase, color, and her stamping through a die cut.  It is hard to see in my little picture, but if you check out JJ's original post of this card, there is a little clear tab next to the word "you" that you pull and the globe fills in with colorful beads.  The colors are so pretty, so Spring-like, I decided to color up a really pretty label stamped though a Spellbinder Labels #25 die.  Waltzingmouse Stamps Folk Art Labels #25 is such a pretty stamp set, requires little shading (my kind of coloring) and also has some places to put a little bling.

                 Here is my card:

The patterned papers are by Crate Paper (Little Bo Peep) collection and I cut the edges of the green pattern with pinking shears.  I added lots of little rhinestones to the label and used some Gina K 110 lb white paper for the card base.  Copic markers do not bleed though that paper so you don't have to worry about it coming through onto the other side of the card.  The little blue tab is my take on the clear plastic tab JJ used on her card.  It is now 2:15 a.m., my post is written and I think I might just be able to fall asleep.  I am looking forward to sharing some photos of my sons wedding with you as soon as I get the chance to go through them.  Wish me luck!

CASology Week 40 - Word

I made a quick card today for CASology #40 with this week's cue card being "word".  I am hoping my card is considered CAS, even though it has a lot of stamping on it.

A lot of birthday words but only one stamp.  Impression Obsession's Cover a Card Birthday Words stamp is so easy to line up and makes it every easy to say Happy Birthday in a whole bunch of different ways.  I also used Heart 2 Heart #4 from Papertrey Ink on this one, love that cute little phone.  I have a little bit of impressing and jute ribbon on this one too.  I guess I didn't read the cue card right, when I made this I thought it was "words", so guess I better pay closer attention next week!

Waltzingmouse Blog Party - Spring Flowers

**For todays Serendipity Stamps Blog Challenge Post, please scroll down.**

Today is Waltzingmouse Stamps April Blog Party and I have a very quick post.  My son is getting married in two days and I am a bit frazzled.  Lots of last minute things to get done, but I did make a card for the party.  When I saw this month's theme of flowers...my immediate thought was of WM Sewing Box Hugs and the really cute flowers in that set.  Within a few days, my friend Joyce of Cards by the Sea posted a card using Sewing Box Hugs that I could not get out of my mind, in fact, as soon as I saw it I knew I was going to CASE her card.  And by CASE it, I mean almost identical!  Here is Joyce's cute card:

Joyce's Card

Pretty hard to beat, don't you think?  I didn't even try, just came as close as I could to it with the stamps I had at home.

I love those flowers popping out from within the polaroid frame.  Such a great idea Joyce had with this one.  In addition to the Sewing Box Hugs flower stamps, I used the stems from Pic-nic Patterns and the beautiful scripted sentiment from Folk Art Labels #25.

Thanks Joyce for the inspiration this month...I promise next month once the wedding is behind us, I will come up an idea all on my own!

SSCB#10 - Make Your Own Patterned Paper

***The sale for this challenge is 40% off the highest priced item in your basket 4-17 through 5-1.  Just add coupon code  “40fromhigh413” to receive the discount ***

Welcome to another posting for the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog, this month featuring cards  in which we created our own patterned paper using Serendipity Stamps.  I love making my own coordinating paper especially since it will always be in the exact color scheme I want, in the exact size I want.  Serendipity Stamps have a ton of background stamps, but there are also a lot of stamps you can use to make your background that were originally intended to be used as an individual stamp.  Today I used just that type of stamp (Small Dogwood). 

I stamped repeatedly over a piece of white paper using my Thingamajig to help me line it up.  I love the rich cocoa colors on this card and used some PTI dark chocolate patterned papers for the additional paper strips.  My sentiment is from Serendipity (Happy Birthday II) and is embossed with white embossing powder to stand out on the polka dot background.   The scallop border is from Lil Inker.   I don't usually use bows, but this card called for a pretty Kraft bow and some brown jute twine looped around it.  Some machine stitching and a couple of heart stick pins finished off my card.

Do you like making your own patterned paper?  How about giving it a try this week for the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog #10?  Just make a card using stamps to make your own patterned paper and use one Serendipity stamp or die on your project.  Just link it here and wait for the rave reviews!  You might also win a $20 gift certificate off you next Serendipity Stamp order.  Need a little more inspiration?  The SS Design team have all created cards using Serendipity Stamps to make their patterned paper.  Follow the links below and enjoy!

Jeanne
Marybeth
Anya
Pauline
Jenny
Miriam

Happy Birthday II

Small Dogwood

4 of a Kind- California Style

We are finally back!  Our four of a kind group has changed from every month to every three months now with a few changes.  Renee Lynch is super busy concentrating on her responsibilities as a member of Waltzingmouse Stamps Design team and although we miss her, we will enjoy seeing all the wonderful projects she comes up with during Waltzingmouse release time.   Joining our group is another great card maker...Marybeth Lopez.  Marybeth always makes such beautiful cards and I know she will be a great addition to our 4 of a Kind challenge group.  With this change, we also realized that there are now all "California Girls" in our group, so that was a fun coincidence too.

This month our hostess is Kim Heggins of Cupcakes, Cards & Kim.  Kim has such a sweet and cheery personality, it was no surprise when I opened up my kit and saw a package full of bright, happy and Springy ingredients.  Here's a picture of all the goodies Kim sent us.

Aren't all those papers and ribbons pretty?  Don't they make you happy just looking at them?  Here are the cards I made with Kim's great April kit.

Anyone who knows me won't be surprised by this card...I have a special fondness for that window die and when I saw the pretty stamped butterfly from Paper Smooches, I knew it would look so pretty fluttering by my window.  I added a little greenery using a Lil Inker scalloped die and just for fun (and because I have hardly used it) a little floor lamp with a gingham lamp shade.

My second card makes use of the tiny little strips of paper that bordered each patterned paper sheet (Pebbles by Family Ties).  It seemed such a waste not to use those little pieces which had such a pretty pattern on them.

See the little strips at the top?

I cut each strip into a little banner and added some buttons, a frame, sentiment and little butterfly, all ingredients from our kit.

My third card makes use of some of the pretty ribbons Kim gave us.  I have had a card pinned for a long time featuring a similar bunch of cinched ribbons and wanted to give that a try.  The original card is from Kristie at My Bliss.  Isn't that cute patterned paper?  I think this card will be a good birthday card for just about any relative I have.

My last card is my favorite.  I LOVE the birdhouse patterned paper.  I loved it so much I almost didn't even use it because I could hardly stand to cut into it.  I also wanted to use the yellow die cut (My Favorite Things Sentimental Flourish) and decided to hang it from a brad on my card.  I also used some new stamps from Waltzingmouse Stamps 

(A Good Egg) and a few of the cute little die cut birds that Kim sent us in our kit.  I am not sure if I am going to use this card for a new baby or a new house, but either way, I love how it turned out.

I want to thank Kim for a great start to our new 4 of a Kind challenge and I hope you all will visit Kim, Joyce and Marybeth to see what they have made with their April kits.

Kim

Joyce

Marybeth

CASology #39 - Travel

Another great cue this week from CASology #39...Travel.  Although I don't have any trips planned in the near future, I sure wish I had a nice trip to look forward to.  Something far away, far enough away that I need to travel by plane and maybe even cross the ocean.  I may need to settle on "sending" a card to someone across an ocean far away and arrives there by plane.  Here's my card:

Papertrey Ink's World Map stamp is huge!  To make a CAS card with lots of white space I had to make  a pretty big card, it's 5 x 7".  In addition, I used a sentiment from Everyday Photo Finishers and cut a small airplane using my silhouette.  Very quick and easy.  Here's hoping that one day I get to to do more than just wish I could take that plane trip across the ocean.

SSBC#9 - Oh Baby

This is my favorite kind of card to make, I always love making baby cards.  Today the Serendipity Stamps Blog Challenge is sharing baby-themed cards...all using Serendipity Stamps.  

One day I hope to dress a sweet little grandaughter in a onesie like this...such a cute background pattern using Serendipity Stamps (Calico Background).  I shaded it a bit using copics and added some scalloped trim.  The center image on the onesie is also from Serendipity (Heart Quilt Set).  I had two sons and for 7 years wished for a little girl to complete my family.  When my daughter was born, my sister gave me a beautiful little dress with pearls all over the collar and when I make a onesie card for a girl...I always add lots of pearls.

Now I know everyone loves to make baby cards, and Serendipity has some beautiful baby stamps to choose from.  I hope to see you all play along with our challenge this week...simply make any kind of baby card and use at least one Serendipity stamp or die.  You can win $20 off your next Serendipity order.  Here is a link to the details!

Now is the perfect time to order some Serendipity stamps...from now until April 10th, shipping on all orders over $10 within the continental US are FREE!  It doesn't get better than that.

Jeanne

Marybeth

Anya

Pauline

Jenny

Miriam

Calico Background

Heart Quilt Set