Rustic Birthday

Hi stampers!  It's been a few days since I've posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been creating!  I start almost every day with a little bit of stamping...it's my calm before the storm during the school year!

If you have been following my blog for a while, you will know that I always make my husband some sort of outdoor or wildlife card for his birthday each year.  This year is no different!  As soon as I saw Rustic Retreat in the Annual Catalog, I knew I would be using it for his card this year.  Join me in wishing my hubby a Happy Birthday!  (His last year in his 30's!)

I was inspired by a beautiful card made by the amazing Mary Deatherage of Stamps-n-Lingers.  I love her choice of colors and textures, which were perfect for a birthday card for my hubby.  And this just so happens to be one of this weeks Stampin' Through the Catalog stamp sets!  It was fun to play along with them finally.

I first stamped the buck on Whisper White, but it seemed far too bright, so I switched it out for Very Vanilla.  It still seemed a bit bright against the darker colors, but adding a few splatters of Granny Apple Green was just what it needed.  I also added a few splatters to the pine springs before fussy cutting to help soften them up.  This is such a fun technique, and one you will see more of later this week!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Granny Apple Green, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Granny Apple Green, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party

Stamp Set ~ Rustic Retreat

Other Supplies ~ Corrugated Dynamic Textures Embossing Folder, Braided Linen Trim

I'm stuck at work today, but the birthday boy and our boys are lucky enough to be spending the day at the river boating.  Lucky guys!

Have a great day!

Happy Stamping!

Braver, Stronger, Smarter, Loved ~ Monday Montage

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! 

I wrapped up the end of my summer break with a long weekend at Yale Lake and the Bridge of the Gods half marathon at Cascade Locks.  It was a whirl-wind trip, but so much fun.  I've still got one more adventure in store today before I head back to work Tuesday morning...I'm driving a group of 8 youth members, including my twins, to church camp for the week.  I'm sure I'll be in for a WiLD ride with these kiddos!  

Not only will my twins be gone for the week, but my youngest is staying with grandparents on the Oregon Coast for the week.  This is the longest any of them will be away from home without us.  I already miss them, but I know they will ALL have so much fun!  I wanted to sneak a little card into their bags and this awesome sentiment from Rustic Retreat was so perfect!

I used the same color scheme and embossing folders for all 3 cards, but switched up the layout a bit for each one.  I feel like all of the different textures from the embossing folders matched up with the sentiment.  I stamped the sentiment in multiple colors then fussy cut each adjective out in a different color.  This is always a fun way to add a bit more to any sentiment!

I added a bit of ribbon and bakers twine...

 ...and just some bakers twine to this one.  

Owen has already discovered his card, but Aidan and Hunter won't find theirs until later tonight.  I'm hoping they won't be embarrassed to have mom send a note in their suitcase!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Night of Navy, Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody, Coastal Cabana

Ink ~ Night of Navy, Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody, Coastal Cabana

Stamp Set ~ Rustic Retreat

Other Supplies ~ Denim Ribbon, Whisper White Bakers Twine, Embossing Folders:  Corrugated, Pinewood Planks, Brick & Mortar, High Seas

Next up in hop is my crafty friend Cathy...her creations are always so awesome!  Or if you'd like to take a hop back, you'll find the amazingly talented Amy...I love her style!

Thank 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

Rustic Thoughtfullness

Hello stampers! 

It's been a bit of a roller coaster week of emotions for my family.  The week started with celebrating my youngest sons birthday, which was lots of fun for all of us.  But it also started with the news of my husbands uncle taking a turn for the worse.  We didn't think he would make it through the night on Monday, but he rallied through and hung on so he could say good-bye to all of his family members who were coming in from all over the US.  We said our finally good-byes yesterday...

I made this card a few days ago and it seems fitting to share it today as all of my husbands family is grieving the loss of a dear, sweet man.  

Rustic Retreat caught my eye in the catalog, mainly because of the animal images.  I'm always drawn to outdoor life images, especially for cards I create for my husband and boys.  But I was also drawn to the beautiful cabin image...it just feels so calming and peaceful!

I colored the image with both Watercolor Pencils and Stampin' Blends.  I still can't decide which I like best, but I did go with the Blends version for the card I'm sharing today.  Adding the Buffalo Check background and the textures from the Corrugated 3D and Pinewood Planks 3D Embossing folders were just what this rustic old cabin needed.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Shaded Spruce, Crumb Cake, Whisper White

Ink ~ Memento, Stampin' Blends: Shaded Spruce, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Smoky Slate, Pool Party, So Saffron

Stamp Set ~ Rustic Retreat

Other Supplies ~ Layering Ovals Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies, Corrugated 3D EF, Pinewood Planks 3D EF

I'm keeping all of our family in my thoughts and prayers as they prepare for Uncle Lee's service.  It's always bitter sweet to gather family in times like this.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!