Lovely & Sweet Thoughts

We made it through Monday and are on to Tuesday, which means it's time for an all new Hand Stamped Sentiments Sketch Challenge!

Nature's Sweetness DSP was the star of the show for this sketch.  I pulled in two patterns and added a punched circle of Petal Pink for the main sketch.  The beautiful almond tree branch was also die cut from the DSP and colored in soft shades of Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink and Pecan Pie.

A simple So Sorry sentiment and a few Brushed Brass Butterflies completed this simple, yet elegant sympathy card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!

Products Used:

Simple Special Moments

 Happy Monday friends!

I love finding peace and comfort in creating cards, especially when they are for a dear friend who recently lost a loved one.  I turned to my favorite, Plentiful Plants for a simple, yet meaningful sympathy card.

I chose two of the Bloom Where You're Planted DSP patterns in Granite Gray, cutting the fern pattern at an angle to add a little something extra.  The brick pattern was perfect for creating a little plant shelf for two potted plants.

I finally inked up the Special Moments stamp set from Sale-A-Bration for the sentiment...simple, yet so perfect.  This stamp set is jam packed full of sentiments for any occasions and can still be earned for FREE through the month of February with a purchase of $100 in product.

Can you believe I made a card without an embossed sentiment OR embellishments?!?  Sometimes all you need are stamps, ink and paper!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you have a fantastic week!

Happy Stamping!

Products Used:

Painted Harvest Sympathy ~ Monday Montage

Welcome to an all new Monday Montage Blog Hop!  You won't want to miss a single creation from this amazing group of stampers!

Last week was a busy one and this weekend was super busy as well.  Knowing I would be gone for the weekend, I worked on a few projects throughout the week in hopes of staying caught up.  I did pretty good...but my naughty puppy ALMOST ruined the card I worked on for today's hop.  Thankfully I was able to salvage most of the pieces and finish this sympathy card for a special friend.

 Painted Harvest is still one of my favorite stamp sets.  I love that you can create a beautiful flower in ANY color...every color is beautiful!

The flowers and the fern-like leaves were stamped and fussy cut...one of my favorite crafty things to do!  I did use the coordinating Leaf Punch too.  It's hard to tell in the picture, but I used the Subtle Embossing folder, adding just the right amount of texture.  A little bit of Rose Thread and Gold Metallic Pearls were the perfect added touch to go along with the Gold Foil sympathy cut with the Well Written Dies.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Early Espresso, Rococo Rose, Mossy Meadow, Gold Foil

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Rococo Rose, Mossy Meadow

Stamp Set ~ Painted Harvest

Other Supplies ~ Gold Metallic Pearls, Rose Metallic Thread, Subtle Embossing Folder

It's a good thing this naughty girl is cute...in addition chewing up the first version of this card, she absolutely destroyed my craft room.  I'm pretty sure she had some help from our kitty or she was brave enough to jump up on my desk.  I'm not sure I want to know!  But I now know that pulling Stampin' Dimensionals from the pads of your puppy's feet and long puppy fur is NOT a fun activity!  

Happy Stamping!

We've added a list of everyone's home pages so you can hop along in any order you wish!  Just make sure you don't miss any!

Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts - not hopping this week

Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs

Charlet Mallett - Painted Orange

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance - not hopping this week

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

#TGIFC218 With Sympathy

Happy Friday my stamping friends!  We made it through the week and to a new TGIF Challenges.  This week we are working on cards that we don't always like to...Sympathy.  While these are not my favorite cards to make, they are always good to have on hand.  I find if I keep a good stash of sympathy cards available, when the time comes to send one, I'm not lost trying to create something in a hurry.

My husband lost his grandmother a little over a week ago, so this card was created with our family members in mind.  Healing Hugs is a beautiful stamp set  that is very fitting when someone is feeling a little under the weather.  But it can also be turned in to a beautiful sympathy card using the Well Written dies.

Healing Hugs is a Distinktive stamp set, which made for a  gorgeous rose when inked with Terracotta Tile.  Adding a little Granny Apple Green fro the leaves and a little splash of Night of Navy, this color combo is stunning!

I die cut the word Sympathy 3 times, glueing them all together, then topping the cut image with the Fine Tip Glue Pen to create a glossy look.  This is such a quick and fun technique!  I stamped "With" in Night of Navy using the Make a Difference stamp set.  I really need to use this stamp set more often!  The font is so pretty and the possibilities of words is endless!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Night of Navy

Ink ~ Terracotta Tile, Granny Apple Green, Night of Navy

Stamp Sets ~ Healing Hugs, Make a Difference

Other Supplies ~ Well Written Dies, Layered Leaves 3D Embossing Folder, Fine Tip Glue Pen

I hope you all have a great weekend!  We are wrapping up our final baseball tournament and I'm camping with 5 {stinky} boys and one coach...pray for me!

Happy Stamping!

Thinking of You

Only one more day until the 2019 Occasions Catalog is released!!!  Are you all as excited as I am?!?!  This catalog is AMAZING and you are going to love EVERYTHING in it!  And guess what?!?!  There's a bonus to wanting everything in the Occasions Catalog!  When you spend $50, you will earn a FREE Sale-A-Bration item between January 3 - March 31, 2019.  How awesome is that?  Be sure to check back here frequently over the next few days to see some fun creations with new items from both the Occasions and Sale-A-Bration catalogs.

Today I'm sharing a card made with the Just Because hostess stamp set.  This one caught my eye during OnStage and it was one that I knew I had to add to my collection. I love the simplicity of it!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Night of Navy, Whisper White

Ink ~ Night of Navy, Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Cajun Craze, Old Olive

Stamp Set ~ Just Because

Other Supplies ~ Layered Leaves Embossing Folder, Night of Navy 1/2" Gingham Ribbon

One of my former co-workers lost her sweet dad right before Christmas.  I was so sad to hear this as I often made cards for his birthday and other special occasions, as well as cards for him to give to his friends.  It is never easy to lose a parent, no matter how old they might be.  I hope this card brings a little happiness into my friends day and lets her know that I'm thinking about her.

I'll be back tomorrow to share more new items, so don't forget to stop by again!

Happy Stamping!

Healing Vibes ~ Monday Montage

Welcome back to Monday Montage!!!  We are back once again another fabulous hop for you to enjoy!  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 finally had a weekend where I didn't feel like I was running around non-stop and it was so NICE! My twins had a baseball tournament on Saturday, which warmed my baseball momma heart.  I haven't made it to many of their fall tournaments because I've been busy being a soccer momma too :-) My husband and I have learned our lesson this fall...3 boys in 4 different sports is TOO much.  It's a good thing our family knows how to work together as a team or we'd be defeated in a hurry!

Since we didn't have 7 million things going on this weekend, I had time to put my craft room back in order and finally unbox my last order, which may or may not have been sitting on my desk for almost two weeks.  It was kind of like Christmas opening up the box because I had almost forgotten what I had ordered.  Healing Hugs was one of the stamp sets in the box and the first one I decided to ink up {after I cleaned my office!}.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Merry Merlot, Whisper White, Wood Textures DSP

Stamp Set ~ Healing Hugs

Ink ~ Merry Merlot, Old Olive

Other Supplies ~ Layering Circles Frameits, Whisper White Solid Bakers Twine, Metallic Sequin Assortment, Gold Mini Sequin Trim

I absolutely LOVE Merry Merlot.  It's such a rich, bold and beautiful color!  Paired up with Old Olive and the touch of wood grain made for a beautiful combination of colors.  And aren't the Distinktive stamps amazing?!?!  I love all of the detail!

Next stop on the hop is my crafty Colorado friend Cathy...I can't wait to see what she has for us this week! Or if you want to hop backwards, you can hop on backwards to the amazingly talented Amy...I just love her style!

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 * You are HERE

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots 

Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog

Kaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn 

Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations

Life is a Beautiful Thing

Hello stampers!  Happy Thursday to all of you.  We are one day closer to the weekend...yippee!!!  We are off to another baseball tournament this weekend, so it will be a busy one for us, but I've got my Paper Pumpkin kits packed up so I can create in between games!

My stamping time has been pretty limited this week with work, baseball practice/games and just life.  Sometimes I go crazy being this busy, but I know when my boys are grown and out of the house, I will miss all of it so much, so I do my best to embrace all of the chaos.

I did make some time to make a card for my dear Godmother who lost her beautiful sister to cancer last weekend.  I always struggle with sympathy cards, but as I was scanning through my stamp sets, this sentiment in the Colorful Seasons stamp set jumped out and me.  Life truly is a beautiful thing and you can never take one moment for granted.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Pink Pirouette, Velum, Petal Passion DSP

Ink ~ Calypso Coral, Tuxedo Black Memento, Stampin' Blends:  Old Olive, Calypso Coral, Pink Pirouette

Stamp Sets ~ Colorful Seasons, Petal Palette, Love What You Do

Other Supplies ~ Layering Ovals Framelits, Petals & More Thinlits, Iridescent Sequins

 

I am going to be sad when my package of the Petal Passion DSP is all gone...I love this beautiful paper!  And Pink Pirouette...I'm sad it's leaving, but I know there is a new pink coming that is so pretty!

 

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous day!

 

Happy Stamping!



#tgifc150 Sketch Challenge

 Hello stamping friends and happy Friday!!!  It's time for an all new TGIF Challenge and this week we have a fun sketch for you!I honestly wasn't sure I was going to be able to join the amazing TGIF design team this week.  My boys lost a classmate, who was the sister of one of their basketball friends, last weekend very suddenly and it has hit our family pretty hard.  Processing death is hard for anyone, but when you are 12 years old, it's even harder.   My husband said it best when he told them that it was okay not to be okay.  We let them know that it was okay to be sad, okay to be made and more than okay to cry.  The schools crisis team was activated and ready with arms open Monday morning when all of the students came to school, many of them learning of her death that morning.  They gave the students all the time they needed to spend time with each other, staff and counselors throughout the day.  It has been a blessing to see so many of the students pull together to help each other through all of this.
 
I finally took some time last night while my boys were going through their nightly bedtime routines to make a sympathy card for the family.  My thoughts were with the family the entire time I was creating this card. I can't even begin to imagine the pain they are going through at this time.  My hope is that it will bring a moment of comfort and peace during this difficult time. 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Berry Burst, Very Vanilla, Wood Textures DSP, Springtime Foils Specialty DSP, Copper Foil Paper

Ink ~ Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive Stampin' Blends, Berry Burst

Stamp Set ~ Better Together

Other Supplies ~ Copper Metallic Thread, 2" Circle Punch, 1/16" Hand Held Punch

 

Thank you for stopping by today.  I apologize for the depressing post, but I do feel better after writing about the events of this week.

 

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

 

Happy Stamping!



Petal Palette Prayers

Hello stampers!  How is your weekend treating you so far? 

 

Our Saturday has been a busy one, but I'm finally home and enjoying a little stamping time while my boys are burning off some energy outside before it gets dark.  You would think after soccer and basketball games that they would be tired, but they are still running around and giving me more gray hairs by climbing on top of our chicken coop...crazy boys!!!!!

 

In an effort to not lose my mind watching them from my office window, I decided to color the beautiful images from Petal Palette.  I swore I was done buying from the Occasions Catalog, but after seeing the beautiful card that Stesga Bloodhart made, I just HAD to get the set so I could CASE her creation!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black,  Calypso Coral,Petal Passion DSP

Ink ~ Memento, Stampin' Blends: Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party

Stamp Sets ~ Petal Palette, Colorful Seasons, Rose Wonder

Other Supplies ~ Petals & More Thinlits, Basic Rhinestone Jewels

 

Aren't the roses beautiful?  And the sentiments...they were just what I was needing for two special cards that need to be sent out this week.

 

 

I'm happy I had some time to make more than just a simple card today :-)  And even more thankful for warmer and longer days and for boys who love to be outside!  We are all counting down the days until summer break!

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

Happy Stamping



 

Happy Halloween ~ HSSCC276

Happy Halloween stampers!!!  Are you ready for all of the little ghosts and goblins tonight? 

Thanks to this weeks Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge, I am all ready to treat my co-workers with some fun little treat tube holders.

I love the little treat tubes and see myself using them a lot this holiday season!  Have you created any fun treat holders with these treat holders yet?  

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Spooky Night DSP

Ink ~ Basic Black, Lemon Lime Twist, Fresh Fig, Pumpkin Pie

Stamp Set ~ Spooky Cat

Other Supplies ~ Basic Black Bakers Twine, Treat Tubes, Everyday Label Punch

 

I also used this color challenge to make a sympathy card for one of our school principal's who lost her husband very unexpectedly.  Our department is sending her and the family some well wishes, along with a donation to the Special Olympics. 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Eastern Palace Specialty DSP

Ink ~ Basic Black, Fresh Fig, Lemon Lime Twist, Pumpkin Pie

Stamp Sets ~ Butterfly Basics, Rose Wonder

Other Supplies ~ Very Vanilla Lace Trim, Butterfly Thinlits

 

I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween! 

 

Be sure to join the rest of our design team and share your color challenge creation with us too!

 

Happy Stamping! 



Colorful Sympathy ~ Monday Montage

Welcome back to Monday Montage!!!  We are back with another fabulous hop!  Make sure you click on the links below so you don't miss any of the creations...you are sure to love them all!

It has been a beautiful fall day here...perfect temps and beautiful sunshine filled the day!

I feel like all I've done is make sympathy cards lately.  Not always my favorite card to make, but it never hurts to have them on hand.  It was fun to pull out some fall colors and create a beautiful card to send out to a family who needs some caring thoughts.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, Painted Autumn DSP, Wood Textures DSP

Ink ~ Soft Sky, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry

Stamp Set ~ Teeny Tiny Wishes, Colorful Seasons

Other Supplies ~ Layering Circles Framelits, Seasonal Layers Thinlits, Soft Sky Ribbon

Next stop on the hop is Cathy...I can't wait to see what she has for us this week! Or if you want to hop backwards, you can hop on back to the amazing Amy...I just love her style!

  Thanks for hopping along with us today!

Happy Stamping!

#TGIFC122 Technique Challenge - Watercolor Image

Hip, hip hooray!  It's Friday, which not only means the weekend is here, but it also means it's time for an all new TGIF Technique Challenge!

This week we are watercoloring the main images we have stamped.

 

I have had the Rose Wonder stamp set for well over a year and this is the first time I've used it? WHY oh WHY did I wait so long!  The large rose is beautiful and was fun to watercolor.  It's a simple card, but with an image this big, you don't need much more!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Basic Black, Watercolor Paper

Ink ~ VersaMark, Berry Burst, Old Olive, Crushed Curry

Stamp Set ~ Rose Wonder

Other Supplies ~ White Embossing Powder, Rose Garden Thinlits, Pearl Basic Jewels

 

I seem to have been on a sympathy card kick lately...they are always good to have on hand, but I hope I don't have to use any of them soon!

 

Here's to a Happy Friday to all of you!

 

And, as always, happy stamping!



Be Still, I've Got This

Hi stampers...welcome back!  It's been a while since I've had a week full of posts and I have to admit, it feels good to be creating as much as I have been.  My job has finally mellowed out after almost 2 years of crazy chaos and I am loving it!

 

I'm using the beautiful High Tide stamp set again today for a card that could be used as a Sympathy or Thinking of You card, which is what our focus is over at SSINK today.  I need to have more of these cards on hand as you never know when you might need one!

 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper

Ink ~ Mint Macaron, Smoky Slate, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky, So Saffron

Stamp Sets ~ High Tide, Sending Thoughts

Other Supplies ~ Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Burlap Ribbon

 

I love creating the wood plank background with this lighthouse stamp.  You've seen it in one of my creations before and I am sure you'll see it again!

 

Thanks for stopping by again today!  Be sure to check back tomorrow morning for the SSINK blog hop!

 

Happy Stamping!



Best Thoughts

Made it through another and we're kicking of Friday with an all new Friday Mashup!  This week Tara has a color combination with the added  challenge of a square card, something I don't make often enough!

The color combination is pink, grey and sky...so pretty together!  I'm short on sympathy cards, so I thought this color combo would make for a pretty card.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Smoky Slate, Whisper White

Ink ~ Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Watermelon Wonder, Wild Wasabi

Stamp Set ~ Best Thoughts, Gorgeous Grunge, Watercolor Wash

Other Supplies ~ Silver Metallic Thread, Everyday Chic Washi Tape, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

 

The Watercolor Wash stamp is quickly becoming one of my favorites...it gives just the right amount of color to the background.

 

Be sure to check out the rest of the design team creations and please join in on the fun!

 

Wishing you all a Happy Friday and a great weekend!

 

Happy stamping!

 

 

 



Kind Thoughts

Well, we've almost made it though the work week...one more day and we get to enjoy the weekend!  I don't know about you, but this week has kicked my booty, so I am happy to see the weekend just around the corner!

Once again, I had to make some sympathy cards...I never seem to have these on hand when I need them.  Losing a loved one is never easy, but my hope is that the cards I send out bring a little happiness to the person I am sending it to.

I have been {happily} playing with all of my new stamps and paper, but decided to put out some of my older favorites.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Garden Green, Whisper White, Gold Soiree DSP

Ink ~ Garden Green, Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding

Stamp Sets ~ Choose Happiness, A Dozen Thoughts

Other Supplies ~ Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Gold Embossing Powder, Best Year Ever Accessory Pack (Sale-A-Bration)

 

I forgot just how pretty the gold paper in this DSP is...it makes for such a pretty card!

 

Thanks for visiting today!  Be sure to check back tomorrow for an all new Friday Mashup challenge :-)

 

Happy Stamping!



So Long Cowboy

Hi friends and Happy Friday!!!  I've been waiting all week for this day!!!  I just need to make it through today and then I get to enjoy 9 wonderful days off...just what this momma needs!

A friend and fellow co-worker lost her husband unexpectedly this week...so heartbreaking :-(  I never like making sympathy cards, but my hope is that they will bring a little smile to the face of the recipient.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Kraft

Ink ~ Memento, Crumb Cake and Night of Navy Blendabilities, Marina Mist

Stamp Sets ~ Yee-Haw, Bootiful Occasions, A Dozen Thoughts

Other Supplies ~ Linen Thread

 

Simple, yet thoughtful...

 

Time to bust through my work day so I can kick off my vacation!!!

 

Happy Friday and Happy Stamping!!!