Pocket Full of Zinnia's

I've got a pocket, a pocket full of Zinnia's...and they are all for this week's TGIF Challenges Technique Challenge!  

Inspired by both this weeks challenge and the seed packets from all of the Zinnia's I just planted, I have a pocket full of cheerful flowers to share with you today!

The Simply Zinnia dies are so, so pretty...especially if you love to build your own bouquet of flowers. I cut three Crushed Curry Zinnia's, along with a couple Petal Pink baby blooms and a few little sprigs of Whisper white mini blooms and tucked them all inside one of the new Pocket Dies pocket.   I went with a slim-line design to accommodate all of the beautiful blooms!

I stamped the single Zinnia Floral image in Crumb Cake on the Crumb Cake pocket, just like my seed packets.  A double loop of white Baker's Twine bundled the blooms together and a sweet little Thank You sentiment finished the card off.  Oh, and I can't forget the Brushed Brass Butterflies!

I can't wait to see how all of you are inspired to use a pocket!

Happy Stamping!

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Cap & Gown Season

It's Monday Montage Blog Hop time once again!  Hop along and enjoy the journey with us.

Graduation season is quickly approaching and I am making sure I have plenty of grad cards on hand this year!  This is an extra special graduation year in our family as our twins will be graduating in June.  I can't bring myself to make their cards quite yet because I am NOT ready for all of this to be happening.

For now, I will share some fun cards for family friends who will also be graduating.  The Cap & Gown stamp set is such a great stamp set with lots of fun images to create the perfect card for any grad you are celebrating this year.

We have several schools in our valley, so I tried to make a variety of cards in their school colors.  First up is the Shaded Spruce and Wild Wheat color combo for our local private school.  Alphabet a la Mode paired up with the Class of sentiment perfectly and I got to use of some of the retiring In Color DSP

 

The Azure Afternoon version is for our local Walla Walla High School graduates.  I think this may be my favorite sentiment in the stamp set.  All of the hard work IS worth it!

Lastly, the Poppy Parade version will work for a few different high schools in our surrounding area.  A simple Congratulations, Graduate and some diplomas wrapped this card.

I love the hands throwing the caps up in the air!!  It's the one moment all graduates wait for!  All of the caps, hats and diplomas were stamped in Memento and colored with Stampin' Blends before fussy cutting each image.  The color family DSP added an extra pop of color to each card and helped me use up some of my stash!

Do you have any special graduates to celebrate this year!

Next up is my sweet friend Cheryl!  I can't wait to see what she has to share with us this time around!

Happy Stamping!

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Heartfelt Sympathy

The latest Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge is so pretty!  I absolutely love these colors together and can not wait to see what everyone creates!

 I inked up the new Leaf Collection background stamp in all three colors, then fussy cut a few of my favorite leaves to bundle together.  These colors feel so fresh, clean and simple...

I bundled the leaves together and topped with a simple white Bakers Twine bow.  I little extra Petal Pink was brought in with a Stylish Shapes circle embossed with on of the Basics 3D Embossing Folders and a little bit peeking out between layers.

This sweet Country Flowers sentiment and a few Brushed Brass Butterflies brought everything together.

Happy Samping!

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Farm Fresh Flowers

Welcome to this months TGIF Challenges Sketch Challenge!  This is such a fun sketch that leaves room for lots of creativity!

Most of my summer seeds have been planted an I am anxiously awaiting all of the beautiful flowers to start blooming. While I wait, the Country Flowers colored with some of the amazing new 2024-2026 In Colors will get me through!

I colored the flower bucket in my favorite new In Color...Summer Splash. For all of you missing Coastal Cabana, this color will make you so happy!  I splatted a bit of Copper Clay to give it a bit of a rustic look...or maybe rusty?

A strip of the Country Woods DSP helped to create the perfect shelf.  And the new Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder added some amazing texture, along with the Timber 3D wood-plank in the background.

The cute little flowers in the corner were die cut with the Country Flowers Dies and colored with Petunia Pop, Fresh Freesia, Pretty in Pink and Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends.  The cute little 2024-2026 In Color Resin Dots were just right for the centers of each flower.

I hope you'll join along in this sketch challenge fun!  It's always a treat to see what you are inspired to create!

Happy Stamping!

This or That?

It's time for another Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop!  We have a fun "This or That" themed challenge this month that we can not wait to share with all of you!

Do you ever create a card and love it so much that you create another one, but change things up just a bit? I find myself doing this all the time!  It's a great way to showcase some different techniques, products, colors and layouts.

I am still having so much fun with the Just Kiddin' Suite and all of the adorable images in both the stamp set and DSP!   So the big question is...This (DSP images) or That (stamped images)?

This first card feature the kiddos from the Just Kiddin' DSP, which happen to coordinate with the Kiddin' Around dies.  I kept the layout pretty simple and used the ombre Berry Burst stars pattern of DSP for the card base.  A little Azure Afternoon layer peeks out to coordinate with a few stamped stars in the background.  

For the next card, I stamped the same kiddos in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored them with Stampin' Blends.  I swapped out the DSP for the card base, as well as the peek-a-boo layer and ink.  Such a fun and simple way to have a different look for almost the same card!

Let's see what Lori Willcox has next for all of us!  Do you think you'll go with This or That for her projects?

We all hope you have fun hopping Around the World this month!

If you get lost along the way, you can always click on any of the links below to get back on track

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Angie McKenzie - US

Kelly Taranto - US

Chris Smith - US

Tricia Butts - US

Theresa McEntee - US

Bree Renwick - US

Lori Willcox - CA

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

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Just Kiddin' Around

 

It's time for another fabulous Monday Montage Blog hop! Hop along with us and see what we all have to share!

I absolutely adore the Just Kiddin' DSP!  I have so many fun projects in mind with all of these cute kiddos, especially for all of my teacher friends!

This sweet little popcorn-eating-book-worm went along perfectly with the bucket of popcorn from Carnival Treats.  And what do you do when you can't find the perfect sentiment?  You make your own!  I snipped and pieced together a sentiment from Fun on Wheels, along with POPPIN' from the Mini Alphabet Dies for something fun and punny!

I love the imagination that is pouring out of this sweet girl! There is something magical about kids imaginations, which inspired the sentiment for this next card.

I love the sweet simplicity of these cards!  Nothing but ink, paper and stamps. Oh, and a few embellishments!

Next up is my friend Charlet.  You are going to love what she has to share with us!

Happy Stamping!

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Fruity Fresh Colors

Welcome to this month's TGIF Challenges Color Challenge!  We have some bright, cheerful and fruity colors for you to play along with this week.

I thought these colors would be fun to use with the Planted Paradise stamped set.  Take a peek below and let me know what you think!

I inked the pots up in Berry Burst and Blueberry Bushel and added some Lemon Lime Twist plants to each pot.  And since it's spring time here, I had to add a few Berry Burst Butterflies as well!

I used the Softly Said stamp set for a Just Because sentiment...because you can never have too many Just Because cards on hand!  I love the little circle image in Planted Paradise.  It makes for a quick and easy background!

See what the rest of the design team has to share this week and be sure to join in the fun!

Happy Stamping!

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Country Woods Birdhouse

Welcome to another fabulous Hand Stamped Sentiments Inspiration Challenge.  This challenge is full of cheerful spring-inspired images that are full of creative inspiration.

I ordered the Country Woods Suite Collection after OnStage and the cute little birdhouse from the Country Birdhouse bundle was perfect for this challenge!

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I love that you can either stamp and die-cut the birdhouse or you can build your own birdhouse with the additional dies.  I chose to build my own, using paper from both Country Woods and Country Lace DSP.  The striped Country Lace pattern in the background is my favorite!

I stamped the bird and floral images from Country Birdhouse and colored them with Calypso Coral and Soft Sea Foam Stampin' Blends.  The sweet birdie was colored with Boho Blue, Pool Party and Pecan Pie.  The Country Flower dies helps to add some extra foliage and flowers as well.  The Basic Gray & Smoky Slate Pearls are so pretty!  They filled the center of each flower with just the right amount of shimmer. A simple Hello Friend sentiment finished this sweet little card.  Oh, and I can't forget the adorable hanging bow at the top of the bird house!

All of these items will be available with the launch of the new catalog on May 1, 2024.  This will be a suite you want to add to your collection for sure!

Happy Stamping!

Simple Sweetness Gift Set

Hip, hip, hooray...it's Friday!  And since there are FIVE Friday's this month, TGIF Challenges has a bonus challenge for us.  This weeks challenge is to create a simple gift set of cards.

The Kraft Note Cards & Envelopes are always something that I have on hand and they happed to be perfect to pair up with the stamps, dies and DSP from the Nature's Sweetness suite.  I wrapped the four cards up with some of the beautiful Pecan Pie Center Strip Ribbon and secured a sweet little tag with a piece of Linen Thread. 

I mixed and matched some different patterns of the Nature's Sweetness DSP for each card and added a different sentiment to each one.

This was a great way to use up some of this beautiful DSP before it officially retires. I have enough to make a few more of these gift sets, which would be the perfect Mother's Day gift!

Now it's your turn!  Create you own simple gift card set and share what you have created with us!

Happy Stamping!

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Citrus Blooms Sneak Peek

During OnStage in Houston, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a stamping after hours event.  We got to choose our stamp sets ahead of time and we were given all of the other needed supplies to make some amazing samples.  I was reminded that I am NOT a late night stamper..and by late night, I mean anytime after 7:00 PM.  I could not muster up any creative energy that night, but I did stamp a few bits and pieces that I brought home with me.  Thanks to this weeks Global Design Project Sketch Challenge, I was finally able to put some of those bits and pieces together to create something fun!

The Citrus Blooms bundle is coming soon in the new Annual Catalog and you are going to love it!  It is part of the Mediterranean Blooms suite and it is gorgeous!

Do you spy a new In-Color?  Let me introduce you to Petunia Pop!  This was the perfect color to compliment the bunch of citrus sweetness!

I used the leafy frame included the Citrus Blooms Dies for an element of the sketch. I simply snipped one side off to fit along the bottom, with just a little bit trailing off the edges.  The Basics 3D Embossing Folders added some additional texture and a few of the new Petunia Pop 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer Gems gave just the right amount of shimmer.

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks over the next few weeks as we prepare for the launch of the 2024-2025 Annual Catalog!  You're going to love all this catalog has to offer!

Happy Stamping!

 

NASA Roomies

It's time for an all new Monday Montage Blog Hop...welcome!

I was so blessed to spend my time in Houston at OnStage with five of our very own Monday Montage team members.  Myself, Charlet, Wendy, Cheryl, Dani and our newest team member, Rae Jean all rented a house together.  When in Houston, you have to rent a NASA themed house right?!?

And when you rent a NASA themed house, you have to make NASA themed pillow gifts!  After finding these Seattle Chocolate Moon Rocks chocolate bars, I created a fun wallet style treat holder using the Stargazing DSP along with the Reach for the Stars bundle. An astronaut, space shuttle and a few planets decorated the belly band to keep the chocolate bar all wrapped up.

I found some fun NASA socks and moon cheese to include in their gift boxes, which were tagged with this fun moon-walking astronaut.

When I saw the house we rented was NASA themed, I mean every single room was decorated. It feel like we were at our own space station! It was so much fun spending time with all of these amazing humans.  Our time was far too short, but we squeezed in as much fun as we could in our short time together, including squeezing 7 people into a Tesla...that's a story for another day!

Hop on over to see what Cathy has to share with us!

Happy Stamping!

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Simply Zinnia Thank You

Whew...we made it through Monday and on to Tuesday!  And guess what this Tuesday means...an all new Hand Stamped Sentiment Challenge!  This week we have a unique sketch challenge to play along with.  We can't wait to see all of the creativity this sketch inspires.

I came home to absolutely beautiful weather...sunny and 70!  I can not wait for my flower gardens to be blooming with beautiful flowers soon.  While I wait, the Flowering Zinnia's DSP and coordinating stamp set will help to create beautiful blooms on paper!

I fussy cut the Zinnia pattern, placing a Deckled Circle behind the flowers to go along with the sketch.  A simple Deckled Rectangle banner for the sentiment and a Paper Butterfly Accents helped to complete the elements of the sketch.

The Zinnia 3D embossing folder added the perfect amount of texture and some itty bitty Brushed Brass Butterflies helped to complete the card.

I hope you will join along with this challenge!  We always love to see what everyone is creating!

Happy Stamping!

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Love This Happy Moment

Oops....I'm a few days late getting the latest TGIF Challenges challenge posted!  In all of my excitement to get to Houston for OnStage, I forgot to hit the publish button for this post!

I love, love, LOVE anything with stripes!  I pulled out my Water Painters to create some Smoky Slate stripes to go behind the adorable Happy Moment Flowers.

I love the sweet simplicity these flowers.  I fussy cut the Happy and added Anniversary from Sentimental Park.  A little bit of Smoky Slate peeks out from behind the card front and a few little Pastel Sequins give just the right amount of bling!

I hope you'll join along in this weeks challenge and share what you were inspired to create!

Happy Stamping!

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