So Glad You're Meer

Happy Friday stampers!  Anyone else super excited the weekend is here?!?!

I have a cute little card to share today that was inspired by a few house guests we have this week.  The first two are some pretty cute little spotted gecko's that my boys have been taking care of for a friend.  Mango and Tango have been keeping me company in our laundry room and keeping us all entertained with their speedy worm eating skills!  I was not super excited about having them here at first, but they have grown on me.  But not enough to have some of our own!

Our other house guest has me WAY more excited because it's my Stamping' BFF Wendy Weixler!  She is here for a long weekend visit to hang out with our family, stamp and just have fun!  She is braving the adventure of taking 6 kids to the TobyMac concert tomorrow...it's gonna be so much fun!

The Gang's All Meer is such a cute stamp set and one that I couldn't resist from the Sale-A-Bration catalog.  The little lizard and Meerkat's are just too cute!

I stamped the cacti and Meerkat, then used my journaling pen to add a little more ground for the lizard.  I sponged the sand and used my Pool Party Stampin' Blend to color the sky. 

These little guys just make me happy!

I'm not sure what today holds for Wendy and I, but I am certain we will end up in my craft room at some point.  I mean we have to, right?!?!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Lovely Lipstick, Granny Apple Green, Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink ~ VersaMark, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Granny Apple Green, Lovely Lipstick, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Crumb Cake

Stamp Sets ~ The Gang's All Meer, Peaceful Moments

Other Supplies ~ Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots, White Embossing Powder

Have a great Friday!

Happy Stamping! 

Wildly Happy

Anyone else Wildly Happy it's Wednesday?!?

I've been eyeing this adorable stamp set for quiet some time and finally added it to my collection after getting an invite to a baby shower for a very special family friend.  After seeing her cute and cuddle elephant theme for her soon-to-arrive baby boy, this momma and baby elephant was a must!

I am often inspired by the amazing Stesha Bloodhart and her adorable card using the Wildly Happy stamp set just had to be cased!  I loved her layout and soft colors, which just happened to match the little lovey blanket I got as part of the gift. 

I stamped the momma and baby on Smoky Slate, then softened the images with a layer of velum.  I added a few little hearts from the Detailed Bees Dies and added some Smoky Slate color to the Whisper White Crinkle Seam Binding Ribbon. I love that you can use your Stampin' Blends on this ribbon...the possibilities are endless!

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Velum, Follow Your Art DSP

Ink ~ Smoky Slate, Memento, Stampin' Blends: Smoky Slate

Stamp Set ~ Wildly Happy

Other Supplies ~ Whisper White Crinkle Seam Binding Ribbon, Layering Circle Dies, Detailed Bees Dies

I am so excited for this sweet family to welcome their baby boy soon.  It has been long awaited!

Have a fantastic day!

Happy Stamping!

Rise and Shine

Rise and shine friends...it's Monday!  But first...COFFEE!

The second Sale-A-Bration release is coming on March 3rd and I'm sharing a sneak peek for all of you!

Rise & Shine stamp set is FREE with a $100 purchase during the last month of Sale-A-Bration.  You get 15 adorable stamps in this set AND it coordinates with the Cup of Cheer Dies.  This is a set is a must have for any coffee or tea drinker.  It is so cute!!

The latest Freshly Made Sketches sketch challenge was perfect for the Rise and Shine sentiment.  Nothing better than a good cup of coffee as the sun rises, right?!?

 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Ink ~ Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo

Stamp Set ~ Rise & Shine

Other Supplies ~ Cup of Cheer Dies, Metallic Bakers Twine & Sequins Combo Pack

I hope your Monday is filled with plenty of coffee (or tea) to fuel an amazing day!

Happy Stamping!

#TGIFC252 Product Spotlight - This or That

It's Friday and time for an all new TGIF Challenges!  This week we have a Product Spotlight, focusing on the two AMAZING Sale-A-Bration Designer Series Paper.

If you've been following any of my posts lately, you will know what my favorite Sale-A-Bration DPS is...Golden Honey Specialty DSP!!!  I would love an entire pack of just the black and white stripes!

After seeing some of the other Honey Bee cards I had made, a family friend contacted me and asked if I could make her husband a Happy "Bee"-Day card.  Of course I was happy to do so!

Their family is currently raising honey bees, so I had that in mind as I designed the card.  The bee represents the hubby and the hearts represent the wife and their two sweet kiddos.  I added a little splash of honey and some honeycomb to tie it all together. 

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Golden Honey Specialty DSP

Ink ~ Daffodil Delight, Memento

Stamp Set ~ Honey Bee, Piece of Cake

Other Supplies ~ Detailed Bee Dies

Thank you for dropping by today!  I hope you will join us over at TGIF Challenges this week!  Don't have any Sale-A-Bration DSP?  No worries...pull inspiration from the colors or images in the DSP!

Have a fantastic Friday!

Happy Stamping!

Butterfly Gift Bag - Control Freaks Blog Tour

Welcome back to another Control Freaks Blog Tour!  You should have just left the beautiful creation of Tami Hewlett - Swimming in Stamps.  She constantly blows me away with her creativity!

This month we are "Thinking Outside of the Box"...or in my case, outside of the bag!  I will admit, thinking outside of the box kind of made my head hurt...or maybe it's just the head cold I have going on.  No matter how you look at it, coming up with this fun little gift bag was the best I could do!

My original plan was to create a basket using the Springtime Impressions corner die, but my plan just didn't come together as I had envisioned it in my mind.  So, I went with Plan B and created a pretty overlay with the flowery die.  I love the white on top of the bright Grapefruit Grove.

It has been awhile since I've used the Springtime Impressions dies and Abstract Impressions stamped set.  I was sent these items to create display board projects for OnStage last year...I can't remember how many projects I created with them, but it was several! It has taken me a while to come up with some new creative uses, but I'm loving this bag and butterfly tag!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Grapefruit Grove, Coastal Cabana, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper

Ink ~ Grapefruit Grove, VersaMark

Stamp Sets ~ Abstract Impressions, Piece of Cake

Other Supplies ~ Springtime Impressions Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies, Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder, Silver Metallic Thread, Glittered Organdy Ribbon, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Mini Library Clips

Next up is the amazing talent of Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc.  You don't want to miss out on what she has created today!

Accented Thanks ~ Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge #333

Hello stampers!  It's Tuesday, which means it's time for an all new Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge.

I was a little stumped with these colors at first...but as I was looking through all of my stamp sets, Accented Blooms jumped out at me.  I knew these pretty flowers would be gorgeous in this weeks Color Challenge colors!

I paired up my Stampin' Blends with my Stampin' Write Markers to color these pretty flowers and leaves. After heat embossing the sentiment in black, I fussy cut the image and placed it on my favorite black and white striped Golden Honey Specialty DSP.  

I added a few little embellishments and ribbon for the finishing touches. I'm loving the bright colors with the black and white stripes.  I hope I never run out of this DSP!

Supplies Used:

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

Ink ~ Memento, Gorgeous Grape Stampin' Write Marker, Stampin' Blends: Lovely Lipstick, Mint Macaron, Purple Posey

Stamp Set ~ Accented Blooms

Thank you for stopping by today!  Be sure to join in the fun and play along with us.

Happy Stamping!

Sale-A-Bration Thoughtfulness ~ 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!
We are half way through my favorite time of the Stampin' Up! year...Sale-A-Bration!  I love the excitement these free products bring to us every year!
I've been playing with the adorable Thoughtful Blooms over the weekend and am sharing a couple of my creations with you today.

Do you spy any other Sale-A-Bration items used in these cards?!?!

What's black and white and Brights all over???  A super cute thank you card that is going out to a super amazing youth pastor at our church!

I stamped the leaves in Granny Apple Green, then added a rainbow of flowers in Poppy Parade, Mango Melody, Coastal Cabana and Gorgeous Grape.  I added a strip of my favorite Golden Honey Special DSP, a little bakers twine bow and finished it off with a simple sentiment stamped in Memento.

I went for some softer colors for the next card. Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Soft Sea Foam and So Saffron were my colors of choice...I need to bring these colors out more often!

In addition to the Thoughtful Blooms stamp set and Golden Honey Speciality DSP, I also used some of the pretty So Saffron Metallic Bakers Twine (& Sequins Combo Pack).  I added some texture and dimension with the Layered Leaves Embossing Folder as well also some Leaf Punch leaves and Frosted Bouquet flowers.  I decided to be bold with the sentiment and embossed it in white on a little strip of Basic Black.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the Small Bloom Punch, which I used to punch out flowers on both cards, will carry over.  It's such a cute little flower!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Now, on to the next stop on the hop!

Happy Stamping!

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

Love You Lots, Valentine

Happy Valentines Day stamping friends!

I've been kind of quite this week, but I've still be creating!  I wanted to share a quick post with the last of my Valentine creations for this year.

First up are the cute little sucker "pockets" I made for my sons 2nd grade class Valentines this year.  I made these with the From My Heart Specialty DSP.  Cutting 4x4 squares, then folding them in a "diaper fold" and punching a little hole in the bottom, the Blow Pop sucker stick slid right in and they were done!

I was going to tie a bow at the bottom, but I quickly reminded myself that they were going to a classroom full of 2nd graders who could probably care less about a bow!  I forgot to get a picture of the back, but I attached a heart where my son wrote the names of his friends. 

Next up is the Valentine card I created for my hubby.  I struggle with a card for him every year, but always manage to come up with something for him!

I used the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder for the background.  I dabbed some VersaMark on some of the raised bricks then heat embossed them in white.  I roughed up the edges a bit for a more rugged look.  This wasn't quite the look I was going for, but ended up liking it!

I added a couple of Heartfelt hearts, an arrow and a little bling with some From My Heart Facted Gems and the card was done.

Valentines Day has never been a big celebration for me and my hubby since my birthday is the day before, but I always like to show him some love with a little bag of candy and a card (of course!).  

I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day, sharing and receiving love with those around you!

Happy Stamping!

#TGIFC250 Color Challenge

Hooray!  We made it to Friday and to an all new color challenge over at TGIF Challenges!

As I was digging through some of my old Paper Pumpkin kits trying to piece together some Valentine's for my youngest son, I came across last years adorable kit that coordinated with the Animal Outing stamp set.  Inspired by the cute images and the fun colors in this weeks challenge, I pulled out my paper, ink and stamps and got to to work!

It's been a while since I have used ANY of these colors, so it was great to pull them out and have some fun.  After punching out the Melon Mambo hearts, I created a stencil with the animal print and sponged some fun little spots.  

Of course I colored the sleepy rhino with my Stampin' Blends...I know you expect nothing less from me!  

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Melon Mambo, Pool Party, Whisper White

Ink ~ Melon Mambo, Pool Party, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie

Stamp Set ~ Animal Outing

Other Supplies ~ Heart Punch Pack, Detailed Bees Dies, Animal Friends Dies

I think I only have one more Valentine to make for my hubby.  I always save the hardest for last!

Have a fantastic Friday!

Happy Stamping!

Bird Ballad Thank You ~ Hand Stamped Sentiments #332 Sketch Challenge

How many of you are excited for an early spring?!?  I hope Mr. Groundhog isn't wrong this year and spring is on it's way!
This week's Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge and the Bird Ballad Suite sure had me thinking of spring this week!

You all know how much I love to fussy cut!  I spent some time in my craft room over the weekend cutting out birds from the Bird Ballad DSP and thought that these little birdies were perfect for this sketch!

It was so much fun to mix the different patterns of DSP for this unique sketch! It's always so much fun to create a card with {almost} nothing but paper...that's a sign of an amazing DSP!  The only stamping on this card is the sentiment...a simple Thank You. 

Anyone else panic a little when it comes to using Very Vanilla and Whisper White together?  It still seems so strange to me, but I always love how the look together in the end.  The Very Vanilla Scalloped Lace Trim and Bird Ballad were the perfect finishing touches!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Soft Suede, Whisper White, Bird Ballad DSP

Ink ~ Soft Suede

Stamp Set ~ Free As A Bird

Other Supplies ~ Very Vanilla Scalloped Trim, Bird Ballad Trinkets, Pinewood Planks Embossing Folder (no longer available)

Be sure to head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments to see all of the great projects from our Design Team and don't forget to play along!

Happy Stamping!

Celebrating Birthday's ~ 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!
We are only a couple days away from the Coordination Product Relaease and you are all going to LOVE new Birthday Dies that coordinate with the Sale-A-Bration Happy Birthday To You stamp set.

These coordinating dies cut out the beautiful flowers, the cake, a cake stand and some pretty little leaves and flowers.

While I love the flowers on the cake, they are just as beautiful all on their own!  I die cut a couple sets of them and used my paper snips to cut them apart a little bit more to surround the Happy Birthday sentiment.

Do you recognize the label die that I used for the sentiment?  It's from the Painted Labels Dies, but I made it a bit longer!  I'll have to come back later to share just how I did this!

The Tufted 3D Embossing folder helped to create the perfect background.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Highland Heather, Granny Apple Green

Ink ~ Highland Heather, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Highland Heather, Granny Apple Green

Stamp Set ~ Happy Birthday To You

Other Supplies ~ Tufted 3D Embossing Folder, Birthday Dies, Painted Labels Dies

Next up is a beautiful cake of celebration.  What could the celebration be for?!?  That's the beauty of this stamp set...it can be a celebration cake for any occasion!

I dressed this cake up with some pretty Daffodil Delight and Seaside Spray flowers, with a little touch of Champagne Rhinestone bling!

Doesn't the Country Floral 3D Embossing folder pair up beautifully with these flowers?  They were meant to go together like cake and frosting!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Seaside Spray, Whisper White, Old Olive, Silver Foil

Ink ~ Memento, Stampin' Blends: Petal Pink, Seaside spray, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive

Stamp Set ~ Happy Birthday To You

Other Supplies ~ Country Floral 3D Embossing Folder, Champagne Rhinestone Jewels, Birthday Dies

Be sure to check back on February 4th for all of the new Coordinating Products...you are sure to love them all!

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