Farmhouse Thanks ~ TGIFC#286

Hooray...we made it to Friday!

Did you know that today is Boss's Day?!?!  This is a day that I ALWAYS make sure I have on my work calendar EVERY year so I don't miss it!  You still have time to show your boss just how much you appreciate all that they do!

This weeks TGIF Challenges Inspiration Challenge was just what I needed to create a Farmers Market/Farmhouse Thanks card for my boss.

There is nothing I love more at our local farmers market than fresh, homegrown flowers.  Sadly, thanks to COVID-19, our local Farmer's Market was pretty quiet this year.  Thankfully I had my own cutting garden full of beautiful flowers to create my own bouquets.  

Pallet Thoughts helped to create the perfect background for some beautiful Country Home fall flowers.  The colors I chose were inspired by flowers in my garden that are still blooming away!

I am always drawn to the antique/farmhouse pitchers and vases for my flowers.  I created a "rusty" look to the pitcher by adding a bit of Cajun Craze to the Bermuda Bay.  The flowers were colored in shades of Blackberry Bliss, Granny Apple Green, Cajun Craze, So Saffron, Seaside Spray and Crumb Cake.

I added a bit more color by layering some warm Tasteful Labels Die-cut shapes in coordinating colored cardstock.  A couple of folded edges and a few staples helped to finish off this Farmers Market inspired card, just in time for Boss's Day!

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Smoky Slate, Blackberry Bliss, Cajun Crazy, Granny Apple Green, Seaside Spray, Whisper White, Velum

Ink ~ Smoky Slate, VersaMark, Memento, Stampin' Blends: Blackberry Bliss, Granny Apple Green, Cajun Craze, So Saffron, Seaside Spray and Crumb Cake

Stamp Sets ~  Country Home, Pallet Thoughts

Other Supplies ~ Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder, Tasteful Labels Dies

I hope you all have a fantastic Friday!  And if you are a boss...either in your workplace or in your house...THANK YOU for all that you do!

Happy Stamping!

 

In-Color Highlights ~ August Control Freaks Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to this months Control Freaks blog hop!  I am so excited to be hoping along with these talented designers and can't wait for you to see what everyone has created.  This month we are focusing on the 2020-2022 In Colors...aren't they all beautiful?  You may just be starting the hop or you may have arrived her from the creative Connie Tumm.  No matter how you got here, make sure you keep on hoping all the way through!

Sunflowers are in full bloom in my part of the world right now and were the inspiration behind my first card.  I was originally going to make a cute banner to hang up on my cubical at work, but got lazy and went with a card instead.  LOL!  This will still look cute hanging up in my cubical, right?!?

I cut strips of 2020-2022 In Color DSP to create a fun background, then added the beautiful sunflower and my favorite sentiment from the Ridiculously Awesome stamp set.  I added a few Cinnamon Cider Enamel Dots to finish the card off.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Bumble Bee, Cinnamon Cider, Just Jade, 2020-2022 In Color DSP

Ink ~ Misty Moonlight

Stamp Set ~ Ridiculously Awesome

Other Supplies ~ Sunflowers Dies, Tasteful Labels Dies, 2020-2022 In Color Enamel Dots

I pulled out one of my favorite carry over stamp sets, Country Home, for my next card.  After seeing the sample in the Annual Catalog, I decided I just had to CASE it.  I loved coloring all of the flowers in the 2020-2022 In Color's!  Now I want an arrangement like this for my front porch!

I've been on a kick of roughing up the edges of my cards lately.  Is this a technique you use very often?  I love how much it can add to a card!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Misty Moonlight, Whisper White, Bumble Bee, In Good Taste DSP

Ink ~ Misty Moonlight, Bumble Bee, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Smoky Slate, Magenta Madness, Just Jade, Misty Moonlight, Cinnamon Cider

Stamp Set ~ Country Home

Other Supplies ~ Tin Tile 3D EF, Linen Thread, Banner Triple Punch

Next up is my stampin' BFF Wendy Weixler!  You are going to LOVE what she has done with the In Colors.

Thanks for hoping along with us!  I hope you have found some inspiration in our creations!

Happy Stamping!

 

Country Home Christmas

Happy Tuesday stampers!

The Hand Stamped Sentiments Design Team is back with a fun new Inspiration Challenge to play along with this week.  Just look at all of these fun and inspiring Christmas photos.  The possibilities are endless!  I can't wait to see what everyone is inspired to create!

I love the cranberry wreath!  It reminds me of the old wooden cranberry beads my mom used to decorate our tree with every Christmas and had me searching for just the right stamp set.  Country Home was just the stamp set I needed!  

I love how these flowers come to life as soon as you add color with the Stamping' Blends.  

I added some texture by adding a Stitched Nested Label embossed with the Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder.  I added a little shine to "Christmas" with the Fine Tip Glue pen.  Have you ever done this?  It's such a fun technique that adds so much!  I also heat embossed a Flower Faceted Gem in gold for just the right amount of bling.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ VersaMark, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Mossy Meadow

Stamp Sets ~ Country Home, Dashing Deer

Other Supplies ~ Stitched Nested Label Dies, Merry Christmas Dies, Flower Faceted Gems, Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope you all have time to play along with us this week!

Happy Stamping!

All the Good Things

Happy Tuesday friends!  It's time for an all new Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge and this week we have a fun sketch challenge for you!

Fall weather seems to have hit us, but I'm not sure it is here to stay. But after some pretty warm days last week, it's nice to have some cooler temps.  I'm a summer girl at heart, but I do love the beginning of fall and all of the beautiful colors that begin to appear.  Those colors inspired the pretty bouquet of country flowers.

I'm feeling pretty thankful for all the good things today.  My momma had surgery yesterday and all went well...something to be very thankful for!  She's at home resting and on her way to recovery.  

Supplies ~ Crumb Cake, Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White

Ink ~ Blackberry Bliss, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Smoky Slate, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Blackberry Bliss, Crumb Cake, Pool Party

Stamp Set ~ Country Home

Other Supplies ~ Nesting Dies, Braided Linen Trim, Tin Tile Embossing Folder, Silver Metallic Pearls

Before I fussy cut the flowers, I outlined the image in Pool Party.  This gives a bit more of an outline to follow and helps fill in the spots that I can't quite get my scissors into.  Fun little tip for those who love to fussy cut like me!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope to be back later this week with more to share.

Happy Stamping!

Thankful For All The Blessings In My Life

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I was creating this card, I reflected back on all of my blessings this year.  I am truly blessed!  

I love that I was able to use several from the Country Home stamp set to create the perfect sentiment for this card! 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White

Ink ~ Blackberry Bliss, Cajun Craze, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Bermuda Bay, Granny Apple Green, Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede, Mango Melody, Blackberry Bliss

Stamp Set ~ Country Home

Other Supplies ~ Tin Tile Dynamic TIEF, Stitched Shapes Framelits

After embossing the Bermuda Bay card stock with the embossing folder, I lightly sponged some Cajun Craze to add a bit of a rustic look, then roughed up the edges with an old pair of paper snips.  

At first I was only going to use the "Thankful" piece, but after looking at all of the beautiful sentiments in this stamp set, I pieced together a sentiment that comes straight from my heart.

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!  For those of you who may be working today, thank you for all that you do!  For those of you who may be away from family, please know I am thinking of you.  For those who are with your family today, I hope you create beautiful memories!

Happy Stamping!

Country Pumpkins

Hello stampin' friends!  

I am FINALLY finding a little bit more time for stamping now that my boys aren't playing 7 million sports.  I'll be honest...I love watching my boys play all the sports, but 3 boys and 4 DIFFERENT sports was too much for this momma!  We are down to just my twins playing basketball right now and it feels like a vacation!  

I have a card class coming up soon and was trying to come up with a card for Thanksgiving.  Since I don't have the Falling for Leaves bundle, I had to get a little creative with what I already have.  I searched through my stamp sets, but still couldn't decide what to use, so I searched through my DSP instead.  Hello Country Lane DSP!  The patterns with the pumpkins on it were just what I needed to create a pretty and simple Thanksgiving card.  And this sentiment is my favorite...

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Mint Macaron, Blackberry Bliss, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Mossy Meadow, Whisper White

Ink ~ Cajun Craze

Stamp Set ~ Country Home

Other Supplies ~ Layering Ovals Framelits, Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Braided Linen Trim, Snowfall Thinlits

I love the added texture from the Tin Tile EF!  And the cute little leaves from the Snowfall Thinlits were the perfect addition to the pumpkin!  We'll be making a couple cards with the Snowflake Showcase products, so this will be the perfect way to show another use of these beautiful dies!

I hope you all have a fantastic day!  The weekend is almost here...what do you have planned?!?

Happy Stamping

Simply Thankful

Good morning stamping friends and happy Tuesday!

I was able to spend a bit of time in my craft room over the weekend creating and was inspired by some fall colors to create another card with the Country Lane Suite.  Little did I know just how much the sentiment I used would be just what I needed this week.  I am doing my best to focus on all of the good in my life and not let all of the other not-so-good things get to me.  I encourage all of my friends to do the same...what a difference it will make!

I love the Crushed Curry cotton design in the Country Lane DSP and that was my focus when I started on this card.  I had yet to play with the Galvanized Metallic paper and I can now say that it is AMAZING!  I will certainly be ordering more of this ASAP and will be keeping my fingers crossed that it sticks around after the Holiday Catalog is done!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Galvanized Metallic Paper, Country Lane DSP

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Smoky Slate, Mango Melody, Cajun Craze, Granny Apple Green, Crumb Cake

Stamp Set ~ Country Home

Other Supplies ~ Galvanized Clips, Braided Linen Trim, Tin Tile Textured Embossing Folder, Circle Punch

I am simply thankful for Stampin' Up! and the happiness it brings into my life.  We all often joke about stamping being cheaper than therapy...but often times it's no joke, but absolute reality for me.  When I'm having a crummy day, I can seek happiness in my craft room and share it with all of you.  It's really a win for everyone!

Thank you for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!

Grateful Harvest Blessings

Happy Friday stampers!  

It was back to school week for us and my little family is exhausted...myself included!  As much as I try, I am never quite prepared for the back to school routine.  This year is even a bit more intense with my twins playing different fall sports at school, fall baseball and soccer for my youngest.  Add in youth group one night a week and I feel like I need to stick an Uber sign on my card!  I know after another week or so, we will totally be back in routine and life will return to normal.  Until then, I will happily embrace a four day weekend!  

I should be getting things ready for our camping trip this weekend, but I took a little detour to my craft room this morning for a little creative therapy.  A clear, happy mind will help me be more productive, right?!?!

I absolutely love farm house decor, so the Country Home stamp set is one of my favorites!  Not only are the images amazing, but they are perfect for coloring, which is just what I did this morning!

For my first card, I pretty much stuck with the colors in the Country Lane Suite. I'm really digging the Mint Macaron and Cajun Craze color combo!  I embossed my Mint Macaron paper with the Tin Tile Dynamic embossing folder, then sponged it with Cajun Craze...love the end result!  After some Stamping' Blends coloring, a little strip of DSP and some Chicken Wire Elements was all that was needed to complete this card.

I took a brighter approach with my next card.   Granny Apple Green, Blueberry Bushel and Daffodil Delight are delicious together!  I added a few splatters of Blueberry Bushel to the white panel of my card front to break up white on white from the tag. I'm wishing I would have added a few more splatters...you can never have too much, right?!?  And the Galvanized Clips...how great are these!  That little clip was the perfect added touch! 

As much as I would love to stay in my craft room all day, I've got to get a few things done to get ready for our little camping trip.  I'm hoping to have a couple of extra hands to help me get ready so I CAN get in a bit more stamping time today!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Happy Stamping!

Country Lane Thanks

Hello stampers!  I feel like it's been FOREVER since I've posted anything!  We were on vacation all of last week and had very limited internet service.  While I was a bit disappointed to not post a few times, I will admit that it was so awesome to not have everyone in my family on their devices.  We had a few great days on the Oregon Coast and ended our vacation at the beautiful Yale Lake, near Mt St Helen's.  It was seriously one of the most relaxing vacations we've had, which is just what I needed before I head back to work tomorrow morning.

I was lucky enough to find a spot with Wi-Fi while we are at the beach so I could place my 2018 Holiday Catalog pre-order.  Priorities, right?!?!  I was really hoping it would have been waiting for me when we got home, but I had to wait a couple more days.  I was so happy to see the UPS guy pull up shortly after we got home from the pool...his timing couldn't have been more perfect!  I dove in to the box as soon as I got it inside and could not wait to ink up one of the {many} stamp sets inside.

The Country Lane suite is the first thing that really caught my eye in the AMAZING new Holiday Catalog.  This is totally my style and everything in this suite is the BEST!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White, Country Lane DSP

Ink ~ Memento, Stampin' Blends: Blackberry Bliss, Cajun Craze, Granny Apple Green, Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake

Stamp Set ~ Country Home

Other Supplies ~ Stitched Shapes Framlits, Braided Linen Trim, Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Did you notice the Stampin' Blends colors?!?  Yep...there are NEW colors in the Holiday Catalog and there is a very good chance I got all of them!  And this embossing folder is the BEST one we have had!  Can you believe I forgot to order the Galvanized Metallic Paper to use with it?!?  You can be certain I'll be ordering that ASAP.  But I may have to hide my next box...my hubby was asking me if the box was part of my stamp club orders or all mine.  Oops!  :-)

Thank you for stopping by today!  Be sure to check back soon for more posts with all of my Holiday Catalog pre-order goodness!

Happy Stamping!