Beach Vibes

Anyone ready for a trip to the beach?!?  I just returned from the sunny beaches of Cancun, but I would happily go again!  Too bad that little thing called work gets in the way.  

We may not be at the beach, but this weeks TGIF Challenges Inspiration Challenge will have you feeling like you are!

Inspired by one of my many sunrise walks on our vacation, I used shades of Calypso Coral, So Saffron and Pool Party to create a beautiful sunrise sky.  

A few splatters of the same colors for a little added fun.

The Sunkissed palm trees were inked up with Memento, like silhouettes in the early morning light.  Want to know a little secret?  I stamped the palm trees totally crooked!  Since I was too lazy to create the watercolor background again, I trimmed the edges of the paper to make them look a little less crooked, then added the sentiment to balance it all out.  It's always fun to keep on working through your mistakes!

A little extra distressed texture was added to the watercolor panel.  The frayed edges go along with the beach vibe quite nicely.  A bit more texture was added with the Bark 3D embossing folder (which I just remembered is retired...oh well!) and a few bits of Linen Thread.  A few Opal Rounds were the finishing touches.

Be sure to visit the rest of the beaches by checking out what the rest of our fabulous TGIF Challenges Design Team created today, then join along in the fun!

Happy Stamping!

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Love & Laughter Forever After

Hello stampers!  We're back with another Monday Montage blog hop to share.  Hop along with us and enjoy all of the creative inspiration along the way.

Some dear family friends got married this weekend in the most beautiful outdoor setting.  Our weather was perfect for their big day and we couldn't be happier for them!

Inspired by their wedding invitation, I used Forever Fern to create a simple, yet elegant wedding card.

I inked up the different leaves in shades of Soft Sea Foam, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen.  A few Crumb Cake splatters were added, along with little bits of gold.  

The sentiment was heat embossed in white on Basic Black.  I love the boldness of the sentiment with the softer shades of green.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy Stamping!

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Perfect Pomegranate Birthday Wishes

 Happy Thursday stamping friends!  I am finally back into the swing of things after our amazing family vacation in Cancun. This is my final week of summer break before returning back to work for the school year, so I am soaking up as much stamp time as I can get!

I never seem to have enough birthday cards on hand, so my goal this week was to get a good stockpile built up.  I inked up Perfect Pomegranate for this first time and it did not disappoint!  These images are gorgeous! The sentiment comes from Charming Sentiments, which comes with coordinating dies...amazing!

I stamped the pomegranates in Merry Merlot, which is a little darker than a real pomegranate, but I loved how beautiful it was, so I went with it.  A few Pale Papaya flowers and some Pear Pizzazz leaves were also included...which were all fussy cut.

I created a simple stamped background in colors of Pale Papaya and Merry Merlot then added a small piece of Texture Chic for the perfect amount of shimmer and shine.  I love the gold foil in this DSP!

I hope you are all having a fantastic week and have found some time to be creative!

Happy Stamping!

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Thankful Rustic Harvest

Welcome to another fabulous Hand Stamped Sentiments Sketch Challenge!

I am home after a blissful week on the beaches and poolside in Cancun and back in my craft room.  It's always a little tricky to get back in the swing of things after being away on vacation, right?!?  Today's sketch challenge was just what I needed to get the creative juices flowing again.

I am in my final week of summer break...which is always bitter sweet!  In my mind, once I go back to work, summer is over and it's time for fall. The weather always says otherwise, but that isn't stopping me from some fall creations.

I absolutely love the warm fall colors in the Rustic Harvest DSP. And the black and white patterns on the flip side make it even better!

I started with the black and white diagonal stripes, adding strips of Crushed Curry DSP.  Next, I cut a piece of the gorgeous floral print of DSP, fussy cutting around the flowers for a little added touch.  

I kept things simple with an Amazing Thanks die-cut thanks for the sentiment.  I tucked in a few of the white Seasonal Sequins for a subtle touch of shimmer.  A tiny black and white butterfly cut from the DSP was the final touch.

We are far from fall with our 100+ degree temps, but fall will be here soon.  I'll be ready with some fall-friendly cards!

Be sure to join along in the fun over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!

Happy Stamping!

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Happy Friday friends and welcome to an all new TGIF Challenges Color Challenge! These colors had me thinking of a summer creation at first, but after spying the adorable Penguin Place stamp set in my collection, my mind shifted!

After creating a Bermuda Bay sea of fish, I added a couple of fishing penguins, complete with a fishing pole!  I always love it when I see a different use for a stamp in a set!

These cute little penguins needed more than just some water to fish in, so I watercolored a piece of Shimmery White Cardstock with Bermuda Bay, then spritzed it with a bit of water to create an icy-cool background.  I layered a piece of Melon Mambo and Pumpkin pie in the background and added a few Season Seasonal Sequins for just the right amount of bling.

We are enjoying our final days in Cancun.  It has been an amazing trip, but I can't wait to get home and back in to my craft room!

Happy Stamping!

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