Paw Prints and Poppies

A family friend recently lost their family dog that had been with them for nearly 14 years.  While she lived a long and happy life, it was still not easy for them to say good-bye to their sweet black lab, Lisa.

I knew that the Dog Builder punch would be perfect to create a card with a black lab.  As I began working on the card, I had the idea to add a little field of poppies.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Painted Poppies stamp set?!?!

I gave the flowers some color, in Poppy Parade (of course!), then added the punched pup and the sweet sentiment.  I finished the card off with a few tone on tone paw prints, a sweet little bow and heart.  

It's so hard to lose your furry family members and I am so grateful that Stampin' Up! has a stamp set like Happy Tails to help remember them when they are gone.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink ~ Poppy Parade, Memento

Stamp Sets ~ Happy Tails, Painted Poppies

Other Supplies ~ Dog Builder Punch, Whisper White Bakers Twine

I hope you are having a great week!

Happy Stamping!

Piece of My Art

Hello stamping friends!  I hope you are all having a great start to your week!

I've been having a lot of fun with all of the new Occasions and Sale-A-Bration stamps and paper, but I'm also trying to make sure I share a little love with the Annual Catalog too!

If I had to describe myself in a card, I'm pretty sure this would be it!  Stamps, Stampin' Blends, black and white stripes, a little bit of bling...all of my favorite "stampy" things all wrapped up into one card!

I would cry in joy if Stampin' Up! had a whole pack of black and white stripe paper!  I am absolutely loving these stripes from the Sale-A-Bration Golden Honey Specialty DSP and want to use it on every card I make!

It Starts With Art stamp set has my heart!  I love all of the images in this set, especially the ribbon and coloring tools...two of my most favorite stamping items!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Lovely Lipstick, Purple Posey, Granny Apple Green, Silver Glimmer, Golden Honey Specialty DSP

Ink ~ VersaMark, Memento, Stampin' Blends: Lovely Lipstick, Granny Apple Green, Purple Posey

Stamp Set ~ It Starts With Art

Other Supplies ~ Arts & Crafts Dies

Now I want to make a few other coordinating projects with this stamp set, dies and paper to hang up in my office!!  

Have a wonderful day today!

Happy Stamping!

#TGIFC248 Catalog Covers Inspiration

Happy Friday stampers!  It's my favorite day of the week!  Not just because it means the weekend is here, but because it's time for an all new TGIF Challenges!  This week we are bringing you some amazing projects inspired by the 2020 Occasions and Sale-a-Bration Catalogs!

Stampin' Up! did a beautiful job designing the front of the 2020 Occasions Catalog. All of the samples featuring the Peaceful Poppies suite are absolutely beautiful!  I loved the sample with the circles of Peaceful Poppies DSP and the bold Poppy Parade flowers.  This is where my inspiration came from for today's card. 

Rather than using card stock for the flowers, I used the DSP.  I love the pattern that has the large watercolored poppies with splatters.  Adding the black die cut outline really made the flowers pop! I selected a few other coordinating DSP patterns to create the circle background and finished it off with a Happy Birthday tag from the Peaceful Moments stamp set.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Peaceful Poppies DSP

Ink ~ VersaMark

Stamp Set ~ Peaceful Moments

Other Supplies ~ Whisper White Bakers Twine, Poppy Moments Dies

Be sure to head on over to see what inspired the rest of our design team and be sure to share your inspiration too!

Happy Stamping!

I Love You THIS Much!

Do you ever have days where you wake up and feel like you didn't even sleep at all?  I had one of those days today...absolutely exhausted with a nagging headache that just won't go away.  I don't feel awful, but felt yucky enough that I decided to stay home from work.  I've spent most of my day in bed or on the couch, but I did have a little burst of energy and spent a little time in my craft room playing along with this weeks Freshly Made Sketches challenge.

I've been having a lot of fun with all of the new products from the Occasions and Sale-A-Bration Catalogs, but I've also been pulling out some of my favorites from the Annual Catalog too.  The Dinoroar Suite is one of my favorites and is perfect for some fun Valentine's for your dino-loving kiddos!

I cut the friendly little dinos from the Dinoroar DSP using the coordinating Dino Dies.  I love that Stampin' Up! is coordinating more suites like this!  

The only stamping on these cards is the sentiment and the little spots on the hearts.  So sweet and simple!

Isn't it great when you can pair up items from multiple catalogs?!?!  I love the Heart Punch Pack from the Occasions Catalog.  The heart was the perfect addition to these loving dinos!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Pool Party, Old Olive, Mango Melody, Whisper White, Dinoroar DSP

Ink ~ Pretty Peacock, Pool Party, Mango Melody

Stamp Set ~ Dino Days

Other Supplies ~ Dino Dies, Heart Pack Punch

Here's to hoping that what ever has me down today passes quickly!  This momma doesn't have time to be sick!

Happy Stamping!

Magical Winter Thoughtfulness ~ HSSIC331

I don't know about you, but once Christmas is over, I expect the cold, wintery weather to go away and the sunny, spring weather to magically appear.  Unfortunately, that isn't the case in my neck of the woods.  While I am a summer girl at heart, I can appreciate the beauty of a snowy winter day.  This weeks Hand Stamped Inspiration Challenge is all about the winter and the magic that it brings!

I was inspired by the cool wintery blues in the photos and the snow-covered Blue Spruce pine trees in our front yard.  While I am not a fan of the snow, I do love the beauty that a freshly fallen snow brings.

I seem to be on a monochrome kick lately.  There is something to be said about using one single color on a card...it is always so striking!  

I stamped the pine tree images from Rooted in Nature in full Night of Navy, then stamped off a few more times to create the pretty forest of trees.  I added a die cut tree and fussy cut sentiment to finish the card off.  I love the peaceful feeling of a snow covered forest...

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Whisper White, Night of Navy

Ink ~ Night of Navy

Stamp Set ~ Rooted in Nature

Other Supplies ~ Natures Roots Dies

I hope you are all staying warm if you are living in a winter wonderland area!  

Have a fantastic day!

Happy Stamping!

Tropical Temptation ~ Monday Montage

Welcome to an all new Monday Montage Blog Hop!  You won't want to miss a single creation from this amazing group of stampers!

The winter blues have officially set in...and we are only a week into the snowy, cold, wintery weather.  In case you don't know...I am NOT a fan!  I could EASILY be temped to live somewhere warm and tropical this time of year.  Heck, I could live somewhere warm and tropical ANY time of the year!  Since I've yet to be swept away to a warm sunny beach, I can at least find happiness in creating it in my craft room!

I love these beautiful tropical flowers and warm, glorious colors.  I can almost feel the warm sun on my face and sand between my toes!  I stamped the flowers and leaves in Saddle Brown StazOn, the added some color with my Stampin' Blends.  The Braided Burlap Trim and Coastal Weave 3D embossing folder added just the right amount of texture and the little Calypso Coral flowers add the perfect pop of color!

 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Tropical Oasis DSP

Ink ~ VersaMark, Saddle Brown StazOn, Stampin' Blends: So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Old Olive

Stamp Set ~ Timeless Tropical

Other Supplies ~ White Embossing Powder, Coastal Weave Embossing Folder, Braided Burlap Trim, In The Tropics Dies

Make sure to check out the rest of the hop...you won't be disappointed!

We've added a list of everyone's home pages so you can hop along in any order you wish!  Just make sure you don't miss any!

Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts

Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma <-- You are HERE

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

Sharing the Freakin' Love!

 

The Control Freaks back and we are sharing our love with all of you this month! You may have hopped on over from one of my favorite Melissa's...Melissa Stout.   Isn't she lovely?!?

I just can't put the adorable Honey Bee Bundle and coordinating Golden Honey Specialty DSP away!  I love, love, LOVE the black and white DSP with little bits of gold.  Look what happens when you add a little pop of Real Red...even more to LOVE!

I dusted off my Make a Difference stamp set to create the Bee Mine sentiment.  The sentiment possibilities are endless with this pretty little stamp set!  

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Golden Honey Specialty DSP

Ink ~ Real Red, Memento

Stamp Sets ~ Honey Bee, Make a Difference

Other Supplies ~ Detailed Bees Dies

Next up is a fun little treat box and Valentines Day Card.  I love the traditional colors in the From My Heart Specialty DSP...and the added red foil makes it even  better!  

I created a fun background with the stitched heart stamp, then punched out some cute DSP hearts and the Happy Valentine's Day stamped heart. I added a fussy cut arrow and a few From My Heart Faceted Gems.  Sweet, simple and straight from the heart!

My tiny little treat box was made using the Scalloped Tag Topper.  I added a little box inside, which holds a Dove Promises candy perfectly!  The treat box was topped off with the pretty Real Red Double-Stitched Satin Ribbon and a cute  Love You Lots tag, all attached with the tiny little Library Clips.  These little clips are the CUTEST!!

I am trying to decide if this is what I'll be helping my youngest make for his class Valentine's this year...

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Flirty Flamingo, Real Red, Whisper White, From My Heart Specialty DSP

Ink ~ Flirty Flamingo, Real Red, Petal Pink

Stamp Set ~ Heartfelt

Other Supplies ~ Heart Punch Pack, Real Red Double-Stitched Satin Ribbon, From My Heart Faceted Gems, Stitched Shapes, Layering Squares, Scalloped Tag Topper

In the meantime, it's time for you to hope over to another one of my favorite Melissa's...Melissa Davies.  How did I get so lucky to be in the middle of a giant Melissa hug?!?!

Thanks for hopping along with all of us!  We hope you are feeling all of the LOVE!

Wishing You Sunshine & Happiness

Hello friends!  It has been a cold, gray and wintery week where I live, so I thought I would share a little bit of sunshine with you today!

I will admit that I wasn't totally sold on the Honey Bee stamp set when I first saw it, but I fell in love with the Sale-A-Bration Golden Honey Specialty DSP, so I figured I better get the stamp set too.  I'm so happy that I did because I have fallen in love with these adorable little honey bees!

Inspired by the catalog (my favorite place to look for inspiration!), I cut out the beehive on one piece of Very Vanilla card stock, then I stamped the beehive in Crushed Curry on another piece of VV.  With a little work, I was able to line thigs up and add a little honeycomb in between the two layers.

I added a bit more color with the honeybee, flower and a couple little Rich Razzleberry hearts.  The curved Sunshine & Happiness sentiment from the stamp set is just perfect to go above the beehive.  I added Sweet Friend from one of the other sentiments in the set as well.

I can't wait to send this out to a sweet friend to brighten their day!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry

Ink ~ Crushed Curry, Memento, Rich Razzlebery

Stamp Set ~ Honey Bee

Other Supplies ~ Detailed Bee Dies

My boys and I have a 3-day weekend coming up and I am looking forward to spending part of it in my craft room.  Be sure to check back soon for more creations!

Happy Stamping!

Peaceful Happiness

 Happy Tuesday!   

We had our first snow storm of the season, which has resulted in a two-hour school delay...hooray!  Working for the school district means I get to follow the same schedule as my kiddos, which means I have two extra hours this morning!

Since it's cold and snowy here, I thought I would share something warm and flowery!  The Peaceful Poppies DSP is absolutely gorgeous!  I'm not sure which artist designed this paper, but whoever did is AMAZING! I love all of the rich, beautiful colors and designs. 

I cut the flower images from the DSP using the background flower Poppy Moments Dies, outlining them in black. I love the way this makes the flowers pop!  I threw in a little extra splash of color using the fun splatter images from the Painted Poppies stamp set.  The whimsical stentiment is from the Peaceful Moments stamp set, which is also included in the Peaceful Poppies Suite.

I finished off the card with just a few little Peaceful Poppies Sequins...just the right amount of bling!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Basic Black, Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Peaceful Poppies DSP

Ink ~ Poppy Parade, Memento

Stamp Sets ~ Painted Poppies, Peaceful Moments

Other Supplies ~ Poppy Moments Dies, Peaceful Poppies Sequins

Thanks for stopping by today!  I am hoping to be back later in the week with more to share...and secretly hoping for another delay this week!

Have a great day!

Happy Stamping!

#TGIFC246 Sketch Challenge

Happy Friday and welcome to an all new TGIF Challenges Sketch Challenge!  I don't know about you, but a good sketch ALWAYS helps inspire fun cards!

This may be one of the busiest cards I have made in a long time.  I questioned myself several times and even asked my stamping BFF for her opinion, but decided to quit worrying about it and just go with it!  It may be busy, but all of the patterns in the From My Heart Specialty DSP just had to be used!  I love the little bits of red foil through the different patters.  I mean, who doesn't love a little shimmer and shine, right?!?!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, From My Heart Specialty DSP

Ink ~ Real Red, Flirty Flamingo, Smoky Slate

Stamp Set ~ Heartfelt

Other Supplies ~ Heart Punch Pack, From My Heart Faceted Gems

I put my fussy cutting skills to good use with the little lace hearts, arrow and sentiment.  Do you love to fussy cut as much as I do?  I know it's not for everyone!

It has been kind of a crazy week!  I've trying to catch up at work after enjoying time off for winter break, but haven't quite got there yet.  It's not looking like the weekend is going to slow down much either.  But I do have my monthly stamp classes tonight and Sunday, so I am super excited about that!

I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and an amazing weekend!  Be sure to join us in this months sketch challenge.  We love to see what you create!

Happy Stamping!

Flirty Flamingo Flowers ~ Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge

Hello stampers and welcome to a new year of Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenges!  We are kicking off the year with a fun and flirty color challenge for you to all play along with.

When I saw these colors, my mind went to the new Tropical Oasis Suite.  I could see tropical flowers in Flirty Flamingo and decided Pretty Peacock would work too!

I stamped the images and embossed them in White Stamping Emboss Powder before adding some color with my Aqua Painters.It has been minute since I've done any watercoloring and my skills were definitely feeling a little rusty!  But it was still fun to bring some life to these flowers with a little ink and water. 

I topped the flowers off with a little bit of Wink of Stella...this stuff is so magical! I just wish you could see it better in pictures!  I finished off the card with the Rest and Relax sentiment.  We all deserve a little rest and relation from time to time, right?!?!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Pretty Peacock, Flirty Flamingo, Tropical Oasis DSP, Watercolor Paper

Ink ~ Flirty Flamingo, Mossy Meadow, Pretty Peacock, VersaMark

Stamp Set ~ Timeless Tropical

Other Supplies ~ In The Tropics Dies, White Embossing Powder, Coastal Weave 3D Embossing Folder

The Hand Stamped Sentiments Design Team is happy to be back, stamping and creating to bring inspiration in to YOUR craftroom.  We can't wait to see what you create!

Happy Stamping!

Sailing Birthday Wishes ~ Monday Montage

Welcome to an all new Monday Montage Blog Hop!  You won't want to miss a single creation from this amazing group of stampers!

Our amazing team of stampers is back after enjoying a little time off over the holidays and are extracted to share some creative inspiration with all of you!

I am blessed to have a job that allows me to have the same schedule as my boys, which means I have enjoyed two full weeks off over the holidays.  It was filled with lots of family time, relaxation and, of course, creating!  Today I am sharing the card I made for my dad's birthday.

I dusted off my Sailing Home stamp set and unearthed the handsome Come Sail Away DSP.  I absolutely love the Basic Black patterns in this DSP pack!  I am usually all about color, but I kept everything neutral for this card.  There is just something so striking about black and white!

I stamped the lighthouse in Tuxedo Black Memento and cut it out with the coordinating Smooth Sailing dies, along with the flowing seaweed and wheel.  The sentiment is from Itty Bitty Greetings, again cut out with the Smooth sailing dies.  I finished it off with a bit of Whisper White Bakers Twine and a little Sail Away Trinket.  Simple, yet stunning!

 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Come Sail Away DSP

Ink ~ Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark

Stamp Sets ~ Sailing Home, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Whisper White Bakers Twine, Sail Away Trinkets, Smooth Sailing Dies

I'm not going to lie...I could easily stay home for two more weeks, but I am looking forward to getting back in to our "school year" routine.  I just need to figure out how to get a bit more stamping time in to those school days!

Make sure to check out the rest of the hop...you won't be disappointed!

We've added a list of everyone's home pages so you can hop along in any order you wish!  Just make sure you don't miss any!

Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts

Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma <-- You are HERE

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

2020 Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Mini Catalogs are HERE!

 Happy Friday friends!  Today is the day we have all been waiting for...2020 Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Mini Catalogs are HERE! It's like Christmas all over again!

I'm sharing a couple of my favorites from both catalogs today.  But lets be honest...EVERYTHING is my favorite!

The bright and bold colors of the Peaceful Poppies Suite caught my eye right away.  The stamped images and the dies in this suite are AMAZING!  I mean, look at these beautiful flowers!  And the DSP....I'm going to need several packs of this gorgeous paper!

I am a sucker for anything black and white, so making sure I earned a pack (or two) of the Sale-A-Bration Golden Honey Speciality DSP was a must!  This lovely DSP coordinates with the adorable Honey Bee Bundle.  The Honey Bee stamp set and coordinating Detailed Bee dies are BEE-utiful!

Be sure to check out the new Occasions Mini Catalog today and earn your favorite Sale-A-Bration products for FREE!  Ask me for more details!

I've been enjoying the extra creative time over my winter break, so be sure to check back soon!

Happy Stamping!