#TGIFC294 Sketch Challenge

Hooray for Friday and an all new TGIF Challenges!  We have a simple sketch that is open to so many possibilities!  

One of my favorite school secretaries is retiring at the end of next week and I am so sad to see her go, but so happy for her as well!  This has not only been a tough school year for teachers, but for the secretaries as well.  What better way to send her off than with a beautiful card full of well wishes?!?!

The Forever Greenery suite continues to be one of my favorites.  Green is one of my favorite colors and you get ALL the shades of green in the Forever Greenery DSP.

I stamped a few different pieces of greenery, all in different colors, then layered them on top of and underneath one of the beautiful Gold Hoops.  I completed the sketch with a strip of DSP and a simple heat embossed Congratulations sentiment.

I added a few sprigs of Brushed Metallic cardstock, some Gold Metallic Pearls and finished it all off with some Forever Greenery Metallic Trim. A few splatters of Soft Sea Foam were stamped for the final added touch!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Pretty Peacock, Whisper White, Just Jade, Forever Greenery DSP

Ink ~ Soft Sea Foam, Pear Pizzazz, Just Jade, Pretty Peacock, Shaded Spruce

Stamp Sets ~ Forever Fern, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Greenery Embossing Folders, Gold Hoops, Forever Greenery Trim, Metallic Pearls

It was nice to take a little break from creating Christmas cards, but now it's time to get back to it!  I still have a few more to make and get sent out next week.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!

 

Inspiring Best Wishes ~ #TGIFC282

Hello stampers and welcome to Friday! We made it through another week and it's time for an all new TGIF Challenges.  We have a beautiful inspiration challenge for you to play along with this week.

This school year is just getting started and we have all been faced with so many changes and challenges.  Sadly, one of the changes is having to say good-bye to some of our favorite staff members.  One of our amazing secretaries is moving to Texas and today will be her last day with us.  Her team is sending her off with the best wishes and lots of love.

I stamped several of the flower and leave images from Free as a Bird stamp set, coloring them in shades of Petal Pink, Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party and Mint Macaron. Then I set to work fussy cutting each one out...this is my therapy at the end of each day.  Fussy cutting isn't for everyone, but it is a total stress reliever for me!

I loved the bold black background in the inspiration photo and thought it would be perfect for all of the fussy cut flowers and leaves.  I wanted a white card base, but it seems a little too boring, so I added a beautiful piece of Petal Pink Peony Garden DSP...it was the perfect way to tie it all together.  The Itty Bitty Greetings sentiment was just what we needed to send our coworker off with all of the best wishes on her new adventure!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Peony Garden DSP

Ink ~ VersaMark, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Mint Macaron, Petal Pink, Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party

Stamp Sets ~ Free As a Bird, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ White Embossing Powder, Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Greenery Embossing Folders

I hope you will join us and play along with this weeks challenge. We always love to see what you create!

Happy Stamping!

Mountain View Anniversary

Happy Memorial Day!  Today we honor and celebrate the lives of those who served our country...thank you!

Today also happens to be my parents 45th wedding anniversary!  They have set such an amazing example of what true love really is. 

Our little valley is so beautifully lush and green right now.  As I was driving my son to go fishing with his friend the other day, I was so inspired by all of the beauty of this town we call home.  I just had to come home and recreate it in a card.  It turned out to be the perfect anniversary card for my parents.

I started out by watercoloring the background with Pool Party and Granny Apple Green, letting them bleed in to each other a little.  After letting it dry, I stamped the mountains and trees from Mountain Air in shades of Balmy Blue, Old Olive and Shaded Spruce.  I added a few wild flowers from Healing Hugs and a little pond and deer from Snow Front.  I love it when you can use several different stamp sets!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Watercolor

Ink ~ Pool Party, Granny Apple Green, Old Olive, Balmy Blue, Shaded Spruce, Memento, VersaMark

Stamp Sets ~ Mountain Air, Snow Front, Healing Hugs, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ White Embossing Powder

I'm pretty sure I share this picture of my parents every year, but they were just so darn cute!   They have been dating since they were in 7th grade!

Happy Stamping!

Country Club Graduation

What do you do when it rains ALL DAY LONG?!?!  Spend the day in your craft room of course!  I'm still working on a few more graduation cards and this weeks Freshly Made Sketches sketch challenge was perfect for this Country Club Graduation.

One of our baseball families has a senior graduating this year and we couldn't be more happy for him!  He is college bound this fall to pursue a degree in paramedicine and a career as a firefighter/paramedic.  He is also an avid golfer, which means I finally got to use a bit more of the fun Country Club DSP.  

I love it when the Designer Series Paper makes the card.  These patterns are not only fun, but also happen to include the right school colors...Green and Gold...or in this case, Garden Green and Crushed Curry.  I used the retired Celebrate You dies and added the Happy Graduation using Itty Bitty Greetings.  I've made so many graduation caps lately, I'm pretty sure I could make them blindfolded!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Crushed Curry, Garden Green, Whisper White, Country Club DSP

Ink ~ Garden Green

Stamp Set ~ Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Celebrate You Dies, Whisper White Bakers Twine

This was such a fun sketch!  I have some other fun ideas with other stamp sets...be watching for more projects!

Have a great day!

Happy Stamping!

Mountain Air Anniversary

Happy Good Friday stampers!  I hope you have had a fabulous week!  It was our spring break this week, which was full of sunshine and fun at home.  As we wrap up the week, my hubby and I are celebrating our 16th anniversary.  I am not sure where 16 years have gone because it seems like our wedding was just a couple of years ago.  I guess that's what happens when you are having fun!

As soon as I saw the Mountain Air bundle in the Occasions Catalog, I knew it was a must have!  We are a family who loves the outdoors...take us to the beach or the mountains and we are happy campers!  

I used some pretty colors to try to match our Blue Mountains...I think these are pretty close.  The only thing missing is the little bit of snow left up at the top, but that will soon be gone with all of the warm weather we have been having.

The layout for this card came from a fun sketch that my dear friend Cynthia sent me as part of a little "quarantine crafting challenge".  I love the stripes!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Crumb Cake, Balmy Blue, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, Whisper White

Ink ~ Highland Heather, Mango Melody, Night of Navy, Mossy Meadow

Stamp Sets ~ Mountain Air, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Pinewood Planks 3D Embossing Folder, Majestic Mountain Dies

We didn't have any big anniversary plans as we are usually in the midst of baseball this time of year.  We will likely spend the day working in the yard, which we both actually love!  And hopefully on Saturday we can find our way to the mountains for a little hiking...as long as we can find an area that isn't closed.

Have a fantastic Friday!

Happy Stamping!

#TGIFC240 Inspiration Challenge

Hello stampers!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

How many of you were out in the wee hours of the morning waiting in lines for Black Friday sales?!?  Did you find any great deals?!  Once you are back home and have some time to recover from the shopping craziness, how about joining us over at TGIF Challenges for this months Inspiration Challenge!  Some of us may already have snow, while others are still enjoying the beauty of the autumn leaves.  We hope those beautiful colors of nature help inspire you to create today!

We have already had a few snow flurries, but some of the beautiful fall leaves are still hanging on.  We are blessed to live in a beautiful area, tucked right up against the foothills of the Blue Mountains.  This card was inspired by my view right out of my very own craft room window!

Just last weekend as I was working on a project in my office, I looked up just a two deer jumped over our pasture fence into our backyard. My youngest and I ran outside to see where they went and were quickly surprised to see them running back towards us with our dog right on it's heels!  You never know what kind of excitement you will have when you visit our house. 

Snow Front is one of my absolute favorite stamp sets in the Holiday Catalog.  I love that you can create so many different scenes for ANY season!  The images are so soft and calming.  It's almost as if you are right there in the beautiful scenery that you have created!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Early Espresso, Gray Granite, Whisper White

Ink ~ Gray Granite, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Versa Mark

Stamp Sets ~ Snow Front, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Woodland Embossing Folder, White Embossing Powder, Linen Thread

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend!  I can't wait to get home and decorate for Christmas!

Happy Stamping!

Forever & Always, By Your Side

Today my husband and I are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary.  Our marriage has been one crazy adventure after another and I wouldn't trade a single moment of it!

I always envisioned us taking a trip back to Mexico for our 15th anniversary, but that was before we were blessed with 3 boys who have a big love for baseball.  Maybe we can shoot for that trip for our 25th...but for now, we will enjoy baseball season and dream of the beach with this anniversary card I made for my hubby.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Sahara Sand, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White

Ink ~ Sahara Sand, Bermuda Bay, Blueberry Bushel, Poppy Parade, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Balmy Blue, Memento

Stamp Sets ~ Beach Happy, Itty Bitty Greetings, Waterfront, High Tide

I love being able to combine multiple stamp sets to make a card!  This one includes some of my very favorites...because I'm a warm, sunny beach girl at heart!

Wishing you all a happy Wednesday!

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc192 Product Spotlight ~ Glossy Card Stock

Can you believe this is the last TGIF Challenges for 2018?!?!?  Where has the year gone?  I am grateful for a year full of fun adventures, many of which were with my stamping and TGIF friends.  I hope 2019 is full of many more adventures and memories!

For our final challenge, we are putting Glossy Card Stock in the spotlight.  Do you use this paper very often?

Not only is today our last challenge of 2018, it is also my dads very last day of work!  Later this afternoon he will officially be retired and I couldn't be more happy for him!  The Glossy Card Stock was perfect in creating a "splashy" background for the amazing new Best Catch stamp set in the 2019 Occasions Catalog.  Check out a little tutorial below to see how I created this fun background.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Mossy Meadow, Whisper White, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Glossy

Ink ~ Balmy Blue, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Mossy Meadow, Pool Party, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake

Stamp Set ~ Best Catch, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Catch of the Day Thinlits, Linen Thread, Spritzer

To create the background on the Glossy Card Stock, I used a silicon mat, stamp pads and spritzer.

I inked up the silicon mat, randomly smearing the 3 different ink colors around, then spritzed it generously with my spritzer.  I then placed the inked side on top of the Glossy Card Stock and gently "smooshed" it around.

When you remove the silicon mat, you are left with a fun "splashy" background!

This is such a fun technique and one that isn't too messy to try in class.  It's always fun to see all of the different patterns and shades that are created by your customers!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I can't wait to see how all of you use the Glossy Paper too!

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc182 Inspiration Challenge

Halloween is just a little over a week away...are you ready?!?!  If you are still trying to put together a few projects for the spooky holiday, TGIF Challenges Inspiration Challenge has just what you need to be inspired!

I love all of the silver and gold in the inspiration photo.  Halloween doesn't always have to be about orange jack-o-lanterns, right?!?  I am a bit limited on my Halloween supplies, but I was able to pull together a fun little card with some metallic flair!

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Galvanized Metallic Paper, Silver Glimmer

Ink ~ Memento, Versa Mark

Stamp Sets ~ Making Every Day Bright, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions EF, Cauldron Framelits, Spider Trinkets, Basic Black Bakers Twine, Gold Metallic Pears

Isn't the Galvanized Metallic Paper the best?!?!  I am hoping that this paper carries over because it is so GOOD for so many different projects!

I am hoping to get my boys' costumes all sorted out this weekend.  They all know what they want to be, but we still need to find bits and pieces to bring them all together.  I love that they get creative with their costume choices every year...makes it so much more fun and memorable!

Have a fantastic Friday!

Happy Stamping!

Dashing Nature Birthday

Happy Monday stampers!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  It was a weekend full of family fun for us, which means it went by way too fast!  My husbands dad, brother and sister-in-law were in town for the weekend, so we spent as much time with all of them as we could since we don't see them very often.  We managed to get one more of the brothers to join us for a day at the river with everyone, which was the perfect way to celebrate my hubby's birthday!  We were just missing one of the Renwick brother's, but we hope to have them all together at Thanksgiving!

Every year I always look forward to finding a new deer or elk stamp in the Holiday Catalog to use for my husband's birthday card.  He is an avid hunter and making a birthday card with some sort of wildlife is something I always create for him.  

This year's Dashing Deer stamp did not disappoint!  It reminds me of the cute little doe that we have around our property with her two cute fawns.  And don't worry...my hubby only hunts for the big bucks!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Soft Suede, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Nature's Poem DSP

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Early Espresso

Stamp Sets ~ Rooted in Nature, Dashing Deer, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Layering Circles Framelits, Detailed Deer Thinlits

It's always fun to pair up different stamp sets and make them work together!  The pine trees and tree ring stamps from Rooted in Nature worked beautifully with the sweet fawn.

Here's to a fantastic week!

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc168 Sketch Challenge

TGIF stampers!  We made it through another week and have the weekend ahead of us!  Friday means it's time for an all new TGIF Challenges and this week we have a fun sketch for you.

You would think that being a mom of 3 boys would mean I would make a lot of boy friendly cards.  Unfortunately, this doesn't happen nearly enough and I am always reminded this time of year that I need to have more boy friendly birthday cards on hand.  I feel like we have a birthday party to go to every weekend and I am always scrambling to get a card made.  Thanks to this fun sketch, I have a boy card waiting for the next birthday party!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Mango Melody, Blueberry Bushel, Gray Granite, Whisper White

Ink ~ Mango Melody, Blueberry Bushel, Gray Granite, VersaMark

Stamp Sets ~ Better Together, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Stitched Shapes Framlits, Whisper White Bakers Twine, Oh My Stars Embossing Folder, Balloon Boquet Punch

It's always fun bringing an older stamp set to new life with new colors!  This was my first time using Mango Melody and I kind of love it!

I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and an amazing weekend!

Happy Stamping!

Sea of Love an Thanks

Hello happy stampers!  We finally made it to Friday and, for many, we have a long weekend ahead of us!  Not only is it Friday, but it also my parents 43rd wedding anniversary.  How cute is this picture of them?!?  I think they were in high school when this was taken. Can you believe they have been together since they were in the 7th grade?  I am so thankful to have their loving relationship to look up to!

These two love birds kicked off their anniversary week by spending some time at the Oregon Coast...a family favorite spot!  The pictures from their stay inspired today's cards, including an anniversary card for them :-)

The anniversary card I made is rather simple, which I love.  I stamped a few background images, then added some fun die cut sea life.  I finished it off with a cute Happy Anniversary sentiment from the soon to be released Itty Bitty Greetings.  

My next card is far from simple...in fact, it's down-right busy, but I LOVE it!  I fell in love with the Tranquil Textures Suite when I saw it at OnStage and could not wait to order it!  It was driving me crazy to wait this long to play with everything this suite has to offer!

The sea-inspired colors in the Tranquil Textures DSP are beautiful and the stamped images are amazing!  When you add in the Tranquil Textures Sprinkles and a bit of Night of Navy Medium Bakers Twine, you are sure to have an awesome card!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Petal Pink, Mint Macaron, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Tranquil Tide, Tranquil Tide DSP

Ink ~ Tranquil Tide, Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand, Soft Sea Foam, Mint Macaron

Stamp Sets ~ Sea of Textures, Itty Bitty Greetings

Other Supplies ~ Under the Sea Framelits, Night of Navy Medium Bakers Twine, Tranquil Textures Sprinkles

Thank you for stopping by today!  I know I will be setting aside some time to create this weekend and hope to be back to share some more creations at some point.

Until then, have a fabulous and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Stamping!