Falling for Fall ~ Control Freaks Blog Hop

Welcome to the September edition of the Control Freaks Blog Hop!  This month we are falling for FALL!  You may just be starting or you may have just hopped over from the marvelous Melissa Stout.  No matter where you started, don't stop until you've made it all the way through!

If you have been following along with me for a while, you probably know that I am a summer girl and live for the warm, sunny days.  BUT...fall is the next best thing!  I love early fall when the mornings and evenings are cool, but the days are still warm and sunny.  Todays cards were so much fun to make, especially since it really felt like a fall day here.

Nothing says fall more than the beautiful changing colors of the leaves on the trees.  Colors are just beginning to change, which was the inspiration behind my first card.

Rooted in Nature is one of my favorite fall-friendly stamp sets and it was so much fun inking up leaves in shades of Pretty Peacock, Bumble Bee and Terracotta Tile.  

The leaves were cut out with the coordinating Natures Roots dies and placed on top of the wood round stamped on Soft Suede.  The Thinking of You sentiment was also stamped in Terracotta Tile, fussy cut and popped up with a few Stampin' Dimensionals.  I added a few Bumblebee Enamel Dots...because every card needs a little bling, right?  I layered the Soft Suede on top of Bumblebee and added those layers to a Pretty Peacock card base, but not before roughing up the corner of the Soft Suede and adding a few staples.  I love the added texture this gives a card!

What's another sign that fall has arrived?!?!  Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING comes out!  I love me some pumpkin!  While I am not a huge fan of pumpkin spice coffee, I do love a pumpkin spice Chai from one of our local coffee shops.  It's like a desert in a cup.  My next card was designed with that tasty treat in mind.

I love the stripes in the Gilded Autumn Specialty DSP.  The colors are so warm and cozy...perfect for a couple cups from Press On.  I stamped a Mint Macaron and Cajun Craze heart, then colored the coffee cozy in Crumb Cake.  The cute little Happy Fall Y'All sentiment is from Banner Year, stamped in Cajun Craze on Mint Macron.  If you don't have that set yet, you need it!  This set is the best for any seasonal holiday!  I wrapped it all up with some cute little leaves and acorn punched from the Gilded Autumn DSP and a simple Linen Thread Bow.  This was all laid out on a piece of Very Vanilla, embossed with the Subtle Embossing folder, then layered on a piece of Mint Macron with a Cajun Craze card base.  These are my favorite fall colors this year!

Next up on the hop is the beautifully creative Cindy Elam.  Doesn't her creation make you fall for fall even more?!?!

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

Happy Stamping!

 

Words Are Never Enough ~ HSSCC#348

It's Tuesday...and we all know what that means.  It's time for an all new Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge.  We have a beautiful color challenge for you to play along with this week and we can't wait to see what you create!

Much of the Pacific Northwest has been on fire for the past several weeks and my area has been blanketed in a smoky haze since last Friday.  Things are clearing up a little bit, but the bad air quality has kept us inside and the smoggy skies have made for color temps, making it feel like fall.

Today's card was inspired by the fall-like weather and created as a huge thank you to all the fire fighters who have been out for weeks fighting all of these fires.  Words will never be enough to thank they for all that they have done and are continuing to do.

Rooted in Nature is one of my very favorite stamp sets.  I love all of the beautiful leaves and the textures in the coordinating Nature's Roots dies.

I stamped the leaves in Cinnamon Cider, Soft Suede and Mint Macaron and added a few die cut leaves on top of the fussy cut wood round.  I added a thin strip of Mint Macaron card stock and some of the beautiful Copper Metallic Ribbon from the Gilded Autumn Suite.  My sentiments were stamped on Mint Macaron and Cinnamon Cider in Cinnamon Cider.  This is quickly becoming one of my favorite new In Colors!

As I said earlier, there will never be enough words to thank all of the fire fighters for all that they are doing.  My husband is finally getting to come home today after being out for 14 days.  He has worked long, hard and exhausting days and has seen devastation that he described as "things you only see in movies".  These men and women have a passion for fighting fire, but these wild fires take things to a whole new level.  I am grateful my hubby only has to work one shift back at the station before getting to have 4 full days off.  It will be a much needed and deserving break!

I hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday!  Be sure to join along in the fun with our challenge!

Happy Stamping!

Rooted Strength ~ HSSSC

Happy Tuesday stampers and welcome to an all new Hand Stamped Sentiments.  This week I had the honor of creating the sketch challenge for everyone to play along with.  I don't know about you, but I always love having a sketch to help get me started with my creations.

I have been working on a lot of cards with words of encouragement lately.  I work for our local school district and there is not one staff member who has not worked so extremely hard over the past few months to get every thing ready for the first day of school next week.  The card I am sharing today will be given to the staff at my youngest sons school as we go to pick up his virtual school supplies.

Rooted in Nature is one of my favorite stamp sets and I absolutely LOVE this sentiment.  Be Strong, Be Happy, Be You...this is so true for every single staff member this year.

I stamped the leaves in Shaded Spruce, Just Jade and Pretty Peacock. I used my Shaded Spruce and Soft Suede Stampin' Write Markers to ink up the tree.  I tend to use my Stampin' Blends more often, but I still love to use my Stampin' Write Markers on my stamps.  (One of my older boys was so amazed by this technique...it made me giggle!) 

I added a small watercolor Stitched Shape square with a few leaves stamped, which I topped off with the fussy cut sentiment.  I added a few strips of Pretty Peacock and Just Jade behind the square to complete the sketch.  I just love this color combo!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Shaded Spruce, Just Jade, Pretty Peacock, Whisper White, Watercolor

Ink ~ Shaded Spruce, Just Jade, Pretty Peacock

Stamp Set ~ Rooted in Nature

Other Supplies ~ Natures Roots Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies

I hope your week is off to a great week so far! Be sure to join us and play along with our sketch this week. We always love to see what you create!

Happy Stamping!

 

Quaran-TEAM Teacher Appreciation

It's Teacher Appreciation Week!  As with so many other things in life right now, this week of celebrating teachers is going to look so different.   But that doesn't mean we can't show our teachers how much we love and appreciate them!

My son's elementary school is doing Spirit Packet Pickup days every Monday between now and the last packet pickup of the year.  Today is Rainbow Spirit Day, so I thought it would be fun to make a fun card for the ENTIRE staff.  Yes, it's teacher appreciate week, but if it wasn't for ALL of the staff throughout our district, Distant Learning would not be as successful as it has been.

I think this is what you can call a $200 card!  I used SEVERAL different stamp sets, inks and supplies.  I think these are my favorite cards to make!

"You Make A" comes from Broadway Birthday, "Great" comes from To A Wild Rose, "Team" comes from For The Win,"Thank You For All You Do" comes from Rooted in Nature, and the fun little sunbursts come from Rise & Shine.  How awesome it that so many stamp sets can come together to make a fabulous card for some amazing teachers?!?!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Blueberry Bushel, Gorgeous Grape, Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Ink ~ Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Blueberry Bushel, Gorgeous Grape

Stamp Sets ~ Broadway Birthday, To A Wild Rose, For The Win, Rooted In Nature, Rise & Shine

Other Supplies ~ Hand-Lettered Prose

I hope you are able to show a teacher in your life how much you appreciate them this week!  Make their week with a handmade card, their favorite coffee or lunch delivery...or just a simple text or email letting them know just how much they mean to you.

I hope you all have a great week!

Happy Stamping!

Teachers Are A Work of Wonderful Art ~ #TGIFC262

We've made it through another week of working and learning from home and I am celebrating with an all new TGIF Challenges!  This week's color challenge is just what I needed to rest and relax my mind...especially since these are some of my FAVORITE colors!!!

I know that most teachers are putting in more work right now than they normally do in the classroom.  It has not been easy for them to prepare their classes week after week and not get to present their lessons in person.  Teachers are missing our kids so much and I am so grateful for all that they are doing to stay connected.  I made today's card with my youngest son's 2nd grade teacher in mind.  She is so WONDERFUL!  A simple card will never be enough to thank her for all that she has done, but I am hopeful that it will brighten her day! 

It Starts With Art has been my go-to stamp set for teacher cards lately...I'm so sad to see it go!  And the adorable Follow Your Art DSP is so cheerful and fun!!  I colored the pencil and pens with my {favorite} Stampin' Blends, then had some fun with different DSP patterns and cute little Arts & Crafts die cut pieces. 

The sentiments from Rooted In Nature were absolutely perfect for this card!  I stamped "You are wonderful" in Daffodil Delight and fussy cut the pieces for a fun layout.  I heat embossed "to thank you for all you do', cutting off the "to".  Do you like to fussy cut sentiments to make your own?  It's one of my favorite things to do!

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Follow Your Art DSP

Ink ~ VersaMark, Daffodil Delight, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay

Stamp Sets ~ It Starts With Art, Rooted in Nature

Other Supplies ~ Arts & Crafts Dies, Subtle Embossing Folder, White Embossing Powder

I hope you find time to play along with us this week!  It's always fun to see what everyone is inspired to create.

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!

#TGIFC236 Color Challenge

Welcome to November, Friday AND an all new TGIF Challenges Color Challenge!  

I've been on a Christmas card kick lately, but it was nice to take a little break and give some love to one of my favorite stamp sets in the Annual Catalog!  I hope Rooted In Nature is here to stay a while longer.  This beautiful stamp set is perfect for any occasion and for anyone!

I stamped a few of the leaves in Pear Pizzazz and added a splash of Calypso Coral behind the wood round.  I felt like the background still needed a bit more and decided a few embossed leaves would be just right!  

You all know that I love me so fussy cutting!  I put my scissors to work on the sentiment and finished off the card with a few extra die cut leaves and some ribbon.  Simple and beautiful...sometimes those are the best cards!

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake

Ink ~ Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral, Early Espresso

Stamp Set ~ Rooted In Nature

Other Supplies ~ Nature's Roots Dies, Linen Thread, Magnolia Lane Ribbon

I love the Very Vanilla with these colors...so soft and warm.  I ignore my Very Vanilla card stock far too often and need to be better about using it!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fantastic weekend and enjoy your extra hour of sleep!

Happy Stamping!

Rooted in Thoughtfulness

I went to bed last night with plans of getting up early and hitting the road at 6:00 AM for a baseball tournament, only to wake up to a message that games had been delayed by two hours.  My first thought???  Sweet, some extra time to stamp!   I will never complain about that!  The only bummer is that one of my boys also woke up not feeling well, so we stayed behind this morning and missed the first game.  He's feeling a bit better, so we are getting ready to pack up and head out for game two later this afternoon.

Before we head out, I wanted to share what I made this morning, thanks to my unexpected extra stamp time.  A co-worker asked me to make a card for her to send to her uncle who has just recently started cancer treatment.  With a little help from this weeks Freshly Made Sketches and Rooted In Nature, I created a simple Thinking of You card.

I am so happy this stamp set and coordinating dies carried over...it's one of my favorites!  And I'm still stuck on the Subtle Embossing Folder...its just the right amount of texture!

The Magnolia Lane Ribbon Combo Pack came in perfect when adding the finishing touches to the card.  I love that the Leaves Trinkets carried over too!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake

Ink ~ Mossy Meadow, Memento, Stampin' Blends: Mossy Meadow, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede

Stamp Set ~ Rooted In Nature

Other Supplies ~ Magnolia Lane Ribbon Combo Pack, Nature's Roots, Leaves Trinkets

And we're off...wish us luck that our drive is uneventful and we have a successful second game!

Have a great Saturday!

Happy Stamping!

Wonderful Nature

Welcome back to Monday Montage!!!  We have another fabulous hop in store for you this week!  Make sure you click on the links below so you don't miss any of the creations...we promise you will love them all! 
We have had a weekend of glorious sunshine and our snow is nearly gone...HOORAY!!!  After weeks of dreary, cold, snowy weather, it felt so good to soak up ALL the sunshine!

I brought out another one of my favorites from the Annual Catalog. Nature's Poem suite is so beautiful and versatile.  I love the combination of colors in the DSP...they are so calming!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Tranquil Tide, Nature's Poem DSP

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Grapefruit Grove

Stamp Set ~ Rooted in Nature

Other Supplies ~ Nature's Roots Framelits, Leaves Trinkets, Subtle Embossing Folder, Copper Metallic Thread, Metallic Sequins

The Subtle Embossing Folder has got to be one of my favorites!  I love that it gives just a hint of texture, especially when you are using Whisper White card stock.

My sketch inspiration came from the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenge...my favorite go-to when I need a starting place for my cards!

Next stop on the hop is my creative friend Cathy...I always love all of her awesome creations! Or if you want to hop backwards, you can hop on backwards to the amazingly talented Amy...her stamping style is so good!  

Thanks you for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!

We've added links to all of our home pages as well so you can hop along in any order you'd like!

Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts

Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

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

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!

#tgifc172 Sketch Challenge

Happy Friday stampers!  Are you all ready for the weekend?!?

I have to admit, I was a little annoyed with having to start back to work on a Thursday after an amazing summer off, but only having to work two days before having the weekend off is actually pretty great!  While I miss being at home with my family, it's been good to get back into a routine and back with my awesome team of co-workers!

Being that it is Friday, that means it's time for an all new TGIF Challenges and this week we have a great sketch for you!  I will certainly be using this sketch for more than one card, especially since I have a HUGE box of new Holiday Catalog items to play with!

As soon as I saw this sketch, my mind went straight to the Rooted in Nature stamp set.  I hope this set sticks around for a LONG time because I LOVE IT!  Paired with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder, it is even more amazing!

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Whisper White, Tranquil Tide, Soft Suede

Ink ~ Mint Macaron, Tranquil Tide, Soft Suede

Stamp Set ~ Rooted in Nature

Other Supplies ~ Pinewood Planks Embossing Folder, Nature's Roots Framelits, Leaves Trinkets, Copper Metallic Thread, Faceted Dots, Copper Trim

Don't you just love the font for the sentiments in this stamp set?  I am always drawn to stamp sets with fun fonts!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope to be back some time this weekend with more to share. 

Until then...Happy Stamping!

Be Strong

Happy Sunday stampers!  I hope you have all had a great weekend so far!  We had a yard sale yesterday...I forgot just how much work goes in to those things!  I was exhausted by the end of the day, but we had a successful sale, so it was well worth all of the work.  I decided this morning when I got up that today was going to be a chill day...which started with some stamping after my morning walk with my pups.

I decided on a pretty simple design this morning based around one of the sentiments from Rooted In Nature.  Be Strong...Be Happy...Be You.  I LOVE this!  After a trying day with a couple of my kiddos on Friday, this sentiment spoke to me.  Paired up with the big, strong tree in this set, it makes for a perfect simple, yet strong card.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Crumb Cake

Ink ~ Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight

Stamp Set ~ Rooted in Nature

Other Supplies ~ Subtle Embossing Folder, Nature's Roots Framelits, Linen Thread, Leaves Trinkets

Each time I used the Subtle Embossing Folder, I love it more and more.  It gives just the right amount of texture that is absolutely perfect with a stamp set like Rooted in Nature.  And do you see the embossed leaves on the tag?!?!  Those are part of the Nature's Roots Framelits...they are amazing!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'm headed out to do a little bit of yard work before it gets to hot.  I know that sounds like work to some, but I love working in my yard.  It's a constant work in progress, but I am finally seeing some of the results I have been dreaming of since we bought our house 2 summers ago.

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc163 Sketch Challenge

TGIF stampers!!!  We made it to Friday and I couldn't be happier!  My twins had their last regular season baseball game of their Little League career last night and I'm still a bit emotional!  It has been such a treat to watch them grow in so many ways over the past 7 years and I could not be more proud of them!  Their team made it to the City Tournament, so we still have a couple games ahead of us before they are officially done.

Enough of my tears...lets get on with this weeks TGIF Challenges Sketch Challenge.  It's not my regular week to design with the team, but after seeing this great sketch, I just had to jump in!  

Between the sketch and the Annual Catalog, I had lots of inspiration to create this card.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love all of the yummy textures and colors in the Nature's Poem Suite.  

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Petal Pink, Mint Macaron, Whisper White, Nature's Poem DSP

Ink ~ Petal Pink, Mint Macaron, Tranquil Tide

Stamp Set ~ Rooted in Nature

Other Supplies ~ Nature's Roots Framelits, Leaves Trinkets, Pinewood Planks

The colors and stamps in this suite are just so soothing and calming to me...just what my crazy emotional mind needs today ;-)

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc160 Inspiration Challenge

Who is so thankful it's is FINALLY Friday?!?!  This momma sure is!  Between being out of town all last weekend, bringing home a new puppy and being at the baseball fields all but one night this week, I am ready for a break!  

My twins coach decided to give them a night off from practice on Thursday, which means I actually had time to create...just what I needed!  This weeks TGIF Challenges Inspiration Challenge was the perfect inspiration to use the new Nature's Poem Suite.  

I absolutely LOVE all of the colors and textures in this suite.  The Rooted in Nature stamp set and coordinating Nature's Roots framelits are amazing!  You will want to add this to your MUST HAVE list from the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Soft Suded, Very Vanilla, Tranquil Tide, Nature's Poem DSP, Wood Textures DSP, Vellum 

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Tranquil Tide

Stamp Sets ~ Tree Rings, Rooted in Nature, Apron of Love

Other Supplies ~ Natures's Roots Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Leaves Trinkets, Burlap Ribbon, Linen Thread

Aren't these colors great?!?!  They are so calming and peaceful...perfect for a Father's Day card for my dad :-)

Be sure to head on over to see what the rest of our amazing design team has been inspired to create today...you WOOD'nt want to miss out!

Happy Stamping!