TGIF Challenge #539 - Inspiration

This week’s TGIF Challenge is one of inspiration … see the pretty pink skies??? What does it make you think of??

Honestly, I love me a good sunrise or sunset … up in the mountains, down on a beach, I’m IN!

Check out the blog challenge here - TGIF Challenge Blog if you’d like to play along.

I started this background off by masking it with a cutout I made using one of the Everyday Arches Dies. Starting at the bottom I sponged first some Melon Mambo, followed by Pretty in Pink and Bubble Bath (from bottom to top). 

The rest was super simple. I stamped some of the foliage images from Textured Notes and then borrowed a seagull from Sunrise Sailing to balance out the sky.

Lastly, I made a little sentiment tag using one of the sentiments from Textured Notes and a bit of White Embossing Powder. Added a few Low Profile Sparkle Dots and a scrap of ribbon and I was done!

What do you think? The lighting is making the Misty Moonlight lean a little more to black, but I like it anyway!

Stamps: Textured Notes, Sunrise Sailing

Paper: Basic White, Misty Moonlight, Pretty in Pink

Ink: Versamark, Misty Moonlight, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Bubble Bath

Accessories:  Perennial Postage Dies, Everyday Arches Dies, White 3/8” Frayed Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Low Profile Sparkle Dots

Heading on a girl’s trip with my bestie this weekend … where else?? Disneyland!! Woot! Woot!! It’s a birthday tradition (we both have August birthdays!)

We’d love to have you play along!! You can check us out our blog HERE and Instagram … lots of great inspiration from the rest of the TGIF Crew!

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Arched Wishes

I sent out a LOT of birthday cards … to family … and I do mean a LOT!! I think I am approaching 125-ish family members who get birthday greetings from me (which is why most of the cards I post have birthday sentiments).

I seem to have a lower supply of cards for kids, so I am trying to replenish it!

Thank heavens for the Arched Wishes Stamp Set … it seems to be universal for any age!

Who doesn’t like a balloon on their birthday?? I started with Blackberry Bliss for the card base since it seems that I neglect this color WAY too much!

I used the coordinating Everyday Arches Dies to compliment my little bundle of balloons.

I also chose to add white dots to EVERYthing on this card (the balloons and the backgrounds) as well as using my Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Write Marker to add little “stitches” around the outer arch. 

This really came together pretty quickly … I LOVE it when than happens!

Stamps: Arched Wishes

Paper: Basic White, Pool Party, Strawberry Slush, Blackberry Bliss, Bubble Bath

Ink: Pool Party, Strawberry Slush, Blackberry Bliss, Versamark, White Gel Pen

Accessories:  Everydayy Arches Dies, White Embossing Powder, 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls

Wishing you all a lovely week!!

TGIF #538 - Product Challenge - Country Woods DSP

One of my favorite DSP’s to come along EVER has been the Country Woods DSP. It is soooooo cute … and fun … and versatile.

This week’s TGIF Challenge team is showing you fun things to do with it, so check it out!

Check out the blog challenge here - TGIF Challenge Blog if you’d like to play along.

I saw this card almost exactly how it turned out, which doesn’t happen very often!

The little houses were stamped using the Humble Home Stamp Set - which is still available on “Last Chance”, so don’t delay!

The Humble Home Builder Punch is no longer available, but these houses are so simple that they would be easy to fussy cut!!

The background for these darling little houses is also made using the Country Woods DSP. I used the Birch 

Wood 3D Embossing Folder and some sponged-on Early Espresso Ink to give it a little more depth and texture. And a little bit of splatter using the Dark Pecan Pie Stampin’ Blend.

Stamps: Humble Home, More Messages

Paper: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Country Woods DSP

Ink: Early Espresso, Dark Pecan Pie Stampin’ Blend.

Accessories:  Birch Wood 3D Embossing Folder, Humble Home Builder Punch, Low Profile Sparkle Dots, Linen Thread

Have a great weekend!

We’d love to have you play along!! You can check us out our blog HERE and Instagram … lots of great inspiration from the rest of the TGIF Crew!

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Beautiful Butterflies & Impressions Abloom

Is there such a thing as using TOO many die sets on one card??? Two … three … FOUR???

Yeah, yeah, yeah … I am one of THOSE people! I used FOUR sets of dies on this card (and I’m still telling myself somewhere in the back of my brain that making your own cards is cheaper than buying them … even though my husband doesn’t believe that any more!)!

This is actually the second version of this card that I made. I used Basic White as the base of this card originally and did not really like how it looked. So, of course, I had to tear it all apart and try it again!

On this second try I used Pool Party as the base. I used both my White Craft Ink reinker and a white gel pen to make a pattern of “dots” on it.

I used an aqua brush and some ink to add some color to the postage squares, as well as flicking ink on them (which you know is my new favorite thing!).

I also used the white gel pen to add dots to the centers on some of the flowers as well.

Lots of 2024-2026 In Colors on this one as well! Where has Shy Shamrock been??? I’ve had it and it has kind of gotten forgotten! Not any more!!

Stamps: Beautiful Butterflies, Impressions Abloom

Paper: Basic White, Pool Party, Strawberry Slush, Peach Pie, Pretty in Pink, Shy Shamrock, Basic Black

Ink: Strawberry Slush, Pretty in Pink, Peach Pie, White Craft, White Gel Pen

Accessories:  Beautiful Butterflies Dies, Impressions Abloom Dies, Perennial Postage Dies, Textured Notes Dies, 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearl

Come back on Friday to see what the TGIF Challenge Crew has to share!

Monday Montage - More Textured Notes!

Once upon a time I made a card a couple of weeks in advance. When I went to post it I realized that several of the items I used to make it had either (a) disappeared from SU’s website or (b) are on the “last chance” list. Sigh … welcome to this week’s Monday Montage!

Things I used that you CAN still get:

Woven Textures DSP (LOVE this stuff!)

Country Woods DSP (this stuff, too!)

Plaster Painting 3D Embossing Folder (last chance!)

Perennial Postage Dies

All cardstock and Baker’s Twine

Thing that are no longer available?? Yikes!

Mixed Labels Stamp Set (I used for sentiment)

Corrugated 3D Embossing Folder

Adhesive-Backed Sparkle Gems

You could easily use the Drusy Adhesive-Backed Embellishments on this since they ARE still available!

I did a bunch of fussy cutting/tearing to layer this card up … I’m nothing if not from the “more-is-more” camp!

Heck, I use retired stuff all the time! Not like we will get in trouble for it, right???

Stamps: Textured Notes, Mixed Labels

Paper: Basic Beige, Very Vanilla, Pecan Pie, Woven Textures DSP, Country Woods DSP

Ink: Versamark, Pool Party, Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Just a Note Dies, Perennial Postage Dies, Crumb Cake Baker’s Twine, Drusy Adhesive-Backed Embellishments, Plaster Painting 3D Embossing Folder

Hope your week is phenomenal … mine is starting out pretty well, I think!

Our Monday Montage Hop has gone exclusively to Instagram! You can check it out by finding me @tinkermom85. From there you will be able to find all of my Monday Montage Friends, too!

Birthday Celebration

I don’t allow myself to do this very often, but I love the Everyday Happiness DSP soooo much that it just kinda happened.

I used the DSP for almost everything on this card, which is usually something I don’t lean on as hard. The only “inked” parts are the sentiment and the little flag banner. All of the flowers and the little pocket are from Everyday Happiness … it’s just too pretty!

This came together pretty quickly … except the fussy cutting of the flowers and banner. I have never disliked fussy cutting. It’s very relaxing!

Stamps: Birthday Celebration

Paper: Basic White, Lost Lagoon, Everyday Happiness DSP

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Lost Lagoon, Versamark

Accessories:  Birthday Celebration Dies, Muted Palette Dots, Gold Embossing Powder

I got a sneak peek at the next Online Exclusives AND the upcoming Mini Catalog … man oh man am I in trouble!! Y’all will have to stay tuned, but I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Tagged Inspiring Imperfections

A little of this, a little of that … I’ve been wanting to use die from the “Tags to Go” dies as a hinge since the minute I saw it! It’s just what I see when I look at it!

I paired it with a couple of dies/images from Inspiring Imperfections (the kintsugi stamp set and dies). The flowers and dies are just THAT good!

I really made an effort to try and “age” my hinges. I splattered them with my Pecan Pie Stampin’ Blends, and I ALSO flicked a little bit of bleach on them (a Clorox Bleach pen is the BEST for this!)

Once again I frayed the edges of the Woven Textures DSP to give it a more rustic feel (I seem to be addicted to doing this lately).

I used a combo of Pecan Pie, Daffodil Delight and Granny Apple Green to color the flowers. Kinda different, but I think I like it!

Stamps: Tags to Go (sentiment), Inspiring Imperfections

Paper: Basic White, Daffodil Delight, Pecan Pie, Woven Textures DSP

Ink: Pecan Pie, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green

Accessories:  Tags to Go Dies, Inspiring Imperfections Dies, Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack, Muted Palette Dots, Clorox Bleach Pen

Happy August!!

TGIF Challenge #536 - Color Challenge

Just LOOK at this fresh and fun color combo! Crumb Cake, Peach Pie and Shy Shamrock are soooo nice together!

Check out the blog challenge here - TGIF Challenge Blog if you’d like to play along.

This is a TOTAL throwback technique that I have done for over a dozen years! It’s called Bargelo. It is made by cutting strips of cardstock to 1/2” wide and as long as you want the finished product to be.

I mounted 1/2” x 4” pieces of Basic White, Shy Shamrock, Peach Pie, Crumb Cake, Peach Pie, Shy Shamrock and Basic White to a 4” x 3.5” base piece of Crumb Cake cardstock, laying the strips horizontally.

I then cut the piece into vertical 1/4” strips, working across the 4” edge of mounted cardstock.

Once the strips are cut, mount them from left to right starting in the lower left corner and moving each subsequent vertical strip up 1/4” up. You can repeat this up and/or down until you get the desired pattern you were visualizing.

Once the Bargelo pattern and been completed, I ran the whole thing through my Stampin’ Emboss and Die Cut Machine using the Pattern of Friendship Die to give it some very fun dimension. I then layered that whole pretty Bargelo piece on top of a piece of Basic White Cardstock that I had embossed with the 3D Soft Swirl Embossing Folder.

Lastly, I topped everything with a Sentimental Frames Die and a Die from Storybook Friends. The sentiment was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed using White Embossing Powder. I fussy cut the sentiment panel, including the Peach Pie “SMILE”. Adding a couple of 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer Gems as a finishing touch.

Stamps: Pattern of Friendship

Paper: Basic White, Crumb Cake, Peach Pie, Shy Shamrock

Ink: Versamark

Accessories:  3D Soft Swirl Embossing Folder, Pattern of Friendship Die, Sentimental Frames Dies, Storybook Friends Dies, 2024-2026 Shimmer Gems (retired), White Embossing Powder

Old techniques can become new again when you haven’t pulled them out in a while! Try it!!

We’d love to have you play along!! You can check us out our blog HERE and Instagram … lots of great inspiration from the rest of the TGIF Crew!

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Spring Corners

Now that we are approaching the LAST “official” summer month, I have finally started playing with “Spring Corners”. I just KNEW I was going to love it!!

With a layer of Floral Delight DSP between the Lemon Lolly base and top layer, there are flowers all over!

I actually put a small layer of Basic White cardstock behind the top layer so I could color it. I used some sponge daubers to lay some colors down that could peek through the Spring Corners Die and the coneflowers. My alignment was 100% perfect, but I still like the overall effect.

I also distressed the edges (which a blade of my paper snips), flicked some ink onto the front using my Stampin’ Blends, and highlighted the coneflowers and leaves with a white gel pen.

I’m also still a sucker for using my stapler on ribbon … 

Add a couple of Brushed Brass Butterflies and a few Low Profile Sparkle Dots and you’re good to go!

Stamps: Spring Corners

Paper: Lemon Lolly, Basic White, Floral Delight

Ink: Pecan Pie, Old Olive, Lemon Lolly, Daffodil Delight, White Gel Pen

Accessories: Spring Corners Dies, White Diagonal Trim, Brushed Brass Butterflies, Low Profile Sparkle Dots

Have a lovely day!

Monday Montage - Notes & Totes & Cool Shades!

Summertime … and the livin’ is eeaaaaasssssyyyyy! For this week’s Monday Montage I was evoking all the powers of summer and the beach!

Could anything be more adorable than little, tiny heart-shaped sunglasses??!?? 

I decided I need ALL the colors for these! Once I cut out all the lenses and glasses using the Notes & Totes Dies, I glued the lenses to the frames and used a white gel pen to highlight the outside edges of each lens.

I used two different patterns from the Woven Textures 12x12 DSP to create the background. Once again, I distressed the edges with one of the blades on my paper snips.

A little row of  Pumpkin Pie suns made a great accent.

And to finish it off I stamped the sentiment with some Versamark on Basic Black and heat embossed the result with White Embossing Powder (which I then did some fussy cutting on).

Stamps: Notes & Totes

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black, Flirty Flamingo, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lolly, Fresh Freesia, Bubble Bath, Highland Heather, Granny Apple Green, Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party, Woven Textures DSP

Ink: Versamark, Pumpkin Pie, White Gel Pen

Accessories: Notes & Totes Dies, White Embossing Powder

How can we already be creeping up on August??!!?? One more month of summer sunshine to soak up!

Our Monday Montage Hop has gone exclusively to Instagram! You can check it out by finding me @tinkermom85. From there you will be able to find all of my Monday Montage Friends, too!