Southern Thank You ~ HSSCC309

Hello stampers!

We made it through another Monday and we're on to Tuesday, which means an all new Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge!  This week we have some soft colors for you to play along with. 

My little town is still covered in snow with no end in sight, so I've been pulling out all of my flowery stamp sets while I dream of spring-time weather!  Southern Serenade is such a pretty set and so much fun to color with the Stampin' Blends.  And that background stamp is so good!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Soft Seafoam

Ink ~ Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Soft Seafoam, Highland Heather, Pool Party

Stamp Set ~ Southern Serenade 

Other Supplies ~ White Bakers Twine, Gingham Gala Adhesive Backed Sequins

I kept things as simple as I could with this card...if you call fussy cutting the flowers out as simple!  If you've followed me for a bit, you know that I LOVE to fussy cut, so this was no big deal for me.  It's my therapy!

I hope things are warming up in your neck of the woods.  And if it is, send some warm wishes my way!  Baseball season is here and practicing in the snow is no fun!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc200 On the Wings of Inspiration - Bunches of Butterflies

Hello Friday!  We have survived our second week of the "Snowpocalypse" and it looks like we may be entering week 3...gross!  Doesn't Mother Nature know it's baseball season?!?!  
It's a good thing we have a spring-feeling TGIF Challenges for our 200th Challenge this week.  It's all about butterflies!  I can't wait to see the bright and colorful butterflies soon!

Stampin' Up! has provided us with some beautiful coordinating products in this years Occasions and Sale-A-Bration catalogs!  The Butterfly Gala stamp set and Botanical Butterfly DSP are so GOOD!  I love that they punch pairs up with some of the DSP images.  I know the punch is unavailable at this time, but rumor is that it will be in the 2019-2020 annual catalog.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Botanical Butterfly DSP, Grapefruit Grove Foil Sheet

Ink ~ VersaMark

Stamp Set ~ Butterfly Gala, Incredible Like You 

Other Supplies ~ Butterfly Duet Punch, Petal Burst Embossing Folder, Faceted Dots, Black/Silver 1/4" Striped Metallic Ribbon

I am so sad that they Grapefruit Grove and Lovely Lipstick Foil paper is no longer available as a Sale-A-Bration reward.  Maybe this is another great product that we will see again in the annual catalog...fingers crossed!  I used a bit of the Grapefruit Grove under my sentiment and for a little added touch to my butterfly.  Swoon!

The Grapefruit Grove Faceted Dots were just right for tying everything together on this fluttery-butterfly card!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'm sending warm wishes to everyone who is suffering through this late winter and I hope you'll send some my way too!

Happy Stamping!

Hooray for Cupcakes

I can not believe the month of February is almost over!  Once again, time is flying by so fast!  But guess what March brings?!?!  Amazing new Families that coordinate with some of this year's Sale-A-Bation stamp sets!  These coordinating products can be purchased beginning March 1st, so be sure to watch for the big release!

One of the new products is the Call Me Cupcake Framelits, which coordinate with the super cute Hello Cupcake Sale-A-Bration stamp set.  Not only are there framelits to cut out the cupcake, but there is a fun cupcake stand and dome, along with so many others!  See those cute little hearts?  Framelits!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Gorgeous Grape, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Silver Foil, How Sweet It Is DSP

Ink ~ Bermuda Bay, Pineapple Punch, Gorgeous Grape, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Soft Suede

Stamp Set ~ Hello Cupcake

Other Supplies ~ Call Me Cupcake Framelits, Well Written Framelits, Stamparatus

Want in on a little secret?  This is the first card I have used the Stamparatus for!   Why did I wait so long?!?!  This tool is so amazing!  I used the hinge technique to stamp the sentiment along the side of the card.  I can't wait to finally share this with my club members next month!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!

So Glad We're Friends ~ Monday Montage

Welcome back to Monday Montage!!!  We have another fabulous hop in store for you this week!  Make sure you click on the links below so you don't miss any of the creations...we promise you will love them all! 

What do you do when your BFF isn't able to make it for a visit due to the stupid flu virus invading your house and horrible winter conditions?  You spend the day FaceTime stamping! And that is just what Wendy and I did this weekend.  It wasn't quite the same as stamping together in the same room, but it sure makes you thankful for technology when you can't be together in person! My crazy family made sure to make Wendy feel like she was here too by popping in to my craft room every so often to say hi :-)  I think we both managed to make 3-4 cards during our marathon FaceTime crafting time...yay for us!  

I haven't given Incredible Like You much attention since coming home from OnStage, so I pulled it out and put it to good use with this splashy background that I've had sitting on my desk for a few weeks.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Glossy White, Grapefruit Grove

Ink ~ Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay, Grapefruit Grove, Granny Apply Green

Stamp Set ~ Incredible Like You

Other Supplies ~ Stitched Shapes Framelits, Layering Circles Framelits, Silver Metallic Thread

The layout for this creation was inspired by the latest Fab Friday Challenge. Such a fun sketch!

Next stop on the hop is my friend Cathy...I always love all of her awesome creations! Or if you want to hop backwards, you can hop on backwards to the amazingly talented Amy...her stamping style is amazing!  

Thanks you for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!

We've added links to all of our home pages as well so you can hop along in any order you'd like!

Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts

Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs

Charlet Mallett - Painted Orange

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run

Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations

Sale-a-Brating Painted Seasons

Happy Friday!

We are officially half way though Sale-A-Bration...the most wonderful stampy time of year!  As of today, new Sale-A-Bration items are available and they are amazing!  Click on the image below to see all of the fabulous newly released items!

The Sale-A-Bration Painted Seasons Bundle is available to you for FREE with a $100 catalog purchase and it is gorgeous!  With this bundle, you get the stunning Painted Seasons stamp set and beautiful Painted Seasons DSP.  These items are perfect for any season! 

 

If you spend an extra $50, you can also earn the Country Floral Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  This is the BEST embossing folder Stampin' Up has had yet! Take a look at a couple cards I created with the bundle and embossing folder.

Want in on a little secret?  On March 1st, there will be coordinating frailest for this stamp set!!  How awesome is that?!?  Want to know another little secret?  I forgot to pre-order my frailest, so all of my flowers and leaves are fussy cut!  It's a good thing fussy cutting is therapeutic for me!

I love the succulent stamp and coordinating DSP pattern.  This was my first image to ink up in the stamp set and I LOVE it.  This is another awesome Distinkstive stamp set and I've found the best way to get a crisp, clear image is to drag the stamp across the ink pad, rather than tapping.  There are several helpful tips and tricks out there to successfully inking up the beautiful Distinktive images.  Don't be afraid to ask for tips!

I coordinated both cards with the Well Written Framelits to complete my sentiments.  These framelits are so good...with or without the coordinating Well Said stamp set!

I'll be using this bundle at my upcoming stamp club in March.  I can't wait to share these amazing products with my club members.  They are going to love them!  

Thanks to my amazing job, I get to enjoy a 4-day weekend, which means lots of stamp time!  I have plans to FaceTime stamp with my BFF since she wasn't able to make the drive over due to our crazy winter weather.  Thank goodness for technology!

Happy Stamping!

Hey, Valentine...I'm Ape Over You

Happy Valentine's Day friends!

Today is a day to let your special someone know just how much you love them!  It doesn't take a big bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates or fancy diamonds...a simple card {a handmade card is even better!} with words of love is all you need!  I shared my love with my Valentine's this morning with cards made with my favorite Valentine stamp set, Hey Love.  I love any image I can color and these little critters in this set are so darn cute!  The ape is my favorite!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Lovely Lipstick, Smoky Slate, All My Love DSP

Ink ~ VersaMark, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Smoky Slate, Lovely Lipstick, Ivory, Flirty Flamingo

Stamp Set ~ Hey Love

Other Supplies ~ Layering Circles Framelits, Heart Epoxy Droplets, White Embossing Powder

I love that you can color the Heart Epoxy Droplets with the Stampin' Blends!  The color possibilities are endless.  

My hubby is working today, so I'll be celebrating Valentine's Day with my not-so-little Valentines.  I've left them each with a card and a little treat as I head out to work this morning and I'll we'll have a special little dinner tonight.  Simple and sweet!

I hope your Valentine's Day and EVERY day is filled with love!

Happy Stamping!

Happy Birthday Wishes

What do you do when you have a snow day on your birthday?  Spend the day in your craft room creating the day away!  What started out as a 2-hour delay quickly turned into all schools being canceled as the snow keeps coming.  

This weeks Freshly Made Sketches  really caught my eye this morning!  This fun layout really got my creativity flowing.

I'm working on my March stamp club projects and wanted to use the Amazing Life Bundle.  This sketch gave me an idea for a card that my stamping friends will love creating!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Botanical Butterflies DSP

Ink ~ VersaMark, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Bermuda Bay, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party

Stamp Set ~ Amazing Life

Other Supplies ~ Rectangle Stitched Dies, Well Written Framelits, Scattered Sequins Embossing Folder, Lemon Lime Twist Mini Ruffled Ribbon

I've had this ribbon since I was selected to be a display stamper last April in Las Vegas.  I will admit, I have not used it much since then, but was super happy to have it this morning to add to this card!  I had my rectangle shapes ready to adhere when the idea struck to me add the ribbon.  Not wanting the DSP to stick to anything it wasn't supposed to, my Silicon Craft Sheet quickly came to the rescue!

The fact that you can still see the grid paper through the mat was so helpful and I didn't have to worry about ruining the paper...because you know I can't ever waste any DSP that I love!

I'm headed out to clear sidewalks for my 3rd time today, then planning on spending more time stamping my birthday away!

Have a fantastic day!

Happy Stamping!

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful ~ HSSSC308

We have survived our so-called winter "snowpocalypse"...I think.  We were supposed to get close to a foot of snow over the weekend, but the worst of the storm missed us and we only ended up with a few inches.  We still have a few snowy days in our forecast this week, so we shall see.
The snowy days did give me a chance to spend some time in my craft room, which I'm always happy for.  This week's Hand Stamped Sentiments sketch challenge was one of the creations I worked on.  This sketch is so much fun!  

Inspired by our very own Elizabeth Price and daydreaming of warmer temps led me to this colorful creation using Flowering Desert.  Elizabeth used these colors and stamp set for her beautiful card and I absolutely LOVED it!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Granny Apple Green, Shaded Spruce, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink ~ Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo, VersaMark

Stamp Set ~ Flowering Desert

Other Supplies ~ Corrugated Embossing Folder, Oval Framelits, White Embossing Powder, Basic Black Bakers Twine, Glitter Enamel Dots, Bitty Blooms Punch Pack

I have had so much fun with this stamp set!  Creating your own cactus is too much fun. The addition of the cute little flower from the Bitty Blooms Punch Pack is perfect for this stamp set too.  And this sentiment...it's the BEST!  Have you had a chance to ink this stamp set up yet?

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc198 Sketch Challenge ~ Love You To Pieces

Happy Friday stampers!  It has been a cold, snowy week here and it sounds like we have more snow coming...yuck!  That silly groundhog is causing trust issues with me! :-D 

We are under a week away from Valentine's Day and this week's TGIF Challenges sketch is perfect for creating a card for your Valentine.

I love this pattern from All My Love DSP!  I thought it would be fun to pair it up with Love You To Pieces stamp set and coordinating thinlits.  

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Flirt Flamingo, Whisper White, Powder Pink, All My Love DSP
Ink ~ Flirt Flamingo, Powder Pink

Stamp Set ~ Love You To Pieces

Other Supplies ~ Puzzle Pieces Thinlits, Starburst Punch, Silver Mini Sequin Trim, White Bakers Twine, Metallic Sequins

See the cute little puzzle piece banners beneath the puzzle pieces?  Aren't they fun?!? 

I'm crossing my fingers that my youngest remembers to bring his Valentine list home from school today so we can finish his Valentine's! Between missing two days of school this week and having too much fun in the snow, his mind is far away from remembering to check his mail box!  It's a good thing he's cute! :)

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend ahead of you!  

Happy Stamping!

Chosen Family

Hi Stampers!

Mr. Groundhog is proving to be a big, fluffy liar this year!  Just a few days after predicting an early spring, we have been hit with below freezing temps and SNOW!  Snow in February...GROSS!  I am so ready for the cold, gray weather to go away and the warm, sunny days to come back.  On top of the yucky weather, I'm home with a sick kiddo today :-(  While he's laying low, watching some of his favorite shows, I'm enjoying a little quiet time in my craft room!  I'll take it!

While I wait out our winter weather, I'll make the best of it with some spring-like creations.  Inspired by the amazing Artisan Design Team Member, Jennifer Picard, I cased her beautiful card using the Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Part Of My Story.  I love all of the sentiments in this set, especially the You're My Chosen Family stamp.  This sentiment is so true for so many special people in my life!  Stampin' Up! gave us some awesome products in this years Sale-A-Bration catalog, many of which I have used on today's card.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Petal Pink, Lemon Lime Twist, Botanical Butterfly DSP

Ink ~ Memento, Petal Pink

Stamp Sets ~ Butterfly Gala, Part of My Story

Other Supplies ~ Butterfly Elements, Starburst Punch, Animal Friends Thinlits, Share What You Love Artisan Pearls, Gold Metallic Thread, Butterfly Duet Punch

This card is going out to my best friend, Erica, who moved away to Texas a few months ago.  She may not be related by blood, but she is most definitely my chosen family...my sister, who I miss so much!  I'm counting down the days until I get to see her in July!

I've got a little time left before I have to go pick up my older boys from school.  I think I'll have just enough time to squeeze in another card or two.  While I don't like any of my kids being sick, having a day off at home in the middle of the week isn't too bad. 

Happy Stamping!

Together We Make a Difference, Step by Step - Monday Montage

Welcome back to Monday Montage!!!  We are back once again another fabulous hop for you to enjoy!  Make sure you click on the links below so you don't miss any of the creations...we promise you will love them all! We have a few new and amazingly talented friends who have joined our hop this week, so you are in for a treat!

I've been training for the 2019 Big Climb in Seattle, which happens on Sunday, March 24th.  I'll be climbing my way up 69 flights of stairs in the fight against blood cancer.  This is my 3rd year participating in the event and my 5th year volunteering in the Scotts Firefighter Stair Climb, which my husband participates in FULL firefighter gear!  All funds raised for both of these events goes towards funding blood cancer research and support for services for patients through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  We have two special families in our lives that have been effected by Leukemia & Lymphoma, so this event is very near and dear to our hearts.  

I am well on my way towards my 2019 fundraising goal, thanks to the generous donations from family and friends.  The stamp set created by Million Dollar Sales Achiever, Janet Wakeland, is the absolute PERFECT set for my thank you cards this year.  The sentiment couldn't be more fitting for sending thanks to all who have helped support me this year with their donations.  

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Smoky Slate, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Brights DSP

Ink ~ Smoky Slate, Night of Navy, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Smoky Slate, Granny Apple Green, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Ivory

Stamp Set ~ Artfully Awared

Other Supplies ~ Night of Navy Bakers Twine, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Layering Oval Framelits

Next stop on the hop is my friend Cathy...I always love all of her awesome creations! Or if you want to hop backwards, you can hop on backwards to the amazingly talented Amy...her stamping style is amazing!  

Thanks you for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!

We've added links to all of our home pages as well so you can hop along in any order you'd like!

Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts

Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs

Charlet Mallett - Painted Orange

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run

Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations

Freshly Brewed Friendship

Do you ever get overwhelmed with all of your ideas for cards and don't know where to start?  I've been stuck in that boat lately and decided to step back and go back to basics of stamps, ink and paper.  And an embossing folder, because I just can't be THAT basic :-)

Freshly Made Sketches is my go-to challenge site for amazing sketches to get me started.  I love that they are always clean and simple designs that you can add your own artistic flair to.

Part of my feeling overwhelmed was due to all of the new stamp sets from the Occasions Catalog that I've been trying to use while the catalog is active.  I do this so often and forget about all of the amazing products in the Annual Catalog, so I pulled out one of my favorite stamp sets and had some inky fun times!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Sahara Sand, Grapefruit Grove, Mint Macaron, Nature's Poem DSP

Ink ~ Grapefruit Grove, Mint Macaron, Soft Suede, Petal Pink, Tranquil Tide

Stamp Set ~ Coffee Cafe

Other Supplies ~ Polka Dot Basics, Coffee Cup Framelits

I wanted to add some bakers twine and sequins, but I took a deep breath and walked away.  Sometimes less is best, especially when you are trying to simplify your stamping!  I'm feeling a lot less overwhelmed and back in a happy, crafty state of mind...perfect Friday feeling!

Wishing you a happy Friday and a weekend of happy stamping!