Monday Montage #72

I love weekends. I think most of us love weekends ... and they seem to be over before they have even started most of the time!! We went up with the fam to our one of our favorite spots for the weekend ... Bear Lake!!! It's so relaxing and so much fun! And the best way to cap off the weekend is with a blog hop with the Monday Montage girls!! YAY!!!

How freakin' ADORABLE is this picture??? Are you KIDDING me???? This is my grand-niece, Sammy. This girl has SO much energy and SO much personality ... seems the birds think she is pretty great as well ... I made this as one of my OnStage samples ... hadn't done a traditional scrapbook page in quite a while. This was FUN!!

Stamps: Crazy About You
Paper: Flirty Flamingo, Emerald Envy, Daffodil Delight, Peekaboo Peach, Basic Black, Whisper White, 2016-2018 In Color Designer DSP Stack
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Project Life Moments Like These Cards & Accessories, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, Botanical Builders Framelits, Banners Framelits, Little Letters Thinlits (Retired), White Jute Ribbon (Retired), Linen Thread, Mini Stapler

Time for a little Project Life!! (This was ALSO something I made for OnStage - as is the following layout!). I took three of my favorite pictures I had taken with each of my kids in the last few years ... they are fun. I'm glad they have grown up into such great humans ... and that we are friends as well!

Stamps: None!
Paper: 2016-2018 In Color Designer DSP Stack, Whisper White
Ink: Project Life Pen
Accessories: Project Life Moments Like These Cards and Accessories, Gold Sequin Trim, Burlap Ribbon (Retired), Linen Thread, Gold Baker's Twine

This is my boy!!! He double majored in college and this was the day he received TWO Bachelor's Degrees!!! I couldn't be more proud!!! (And we trudged clear across campus so we could take this photo with the "Y" in the background ... go Cougars!!) He's gearing up to start his Master's degree in the fall ... where DOES the time go???

Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge
Paper: 2016-2018 In Color Designer DSP Stack, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Dapper Denim, Typeset DSP (Retired), Gold Foil DSP, Vellum
Ink: Dapper Denim, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Project Life Moments Like These Cards and Accessories, Large Numbers Thinlits, Hexagon Hive Thinlit (Retired), Word Window Punch (Retired), Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, Linen Thread, Burlap Ribbon (Retired), Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... ALWAYS something awesome from EACH of them!!

Fab Friday #90

Colors, colors, colors!!! I have so very MANY colors of cardstock (all the SU ones ... and more that I don't really need to mention!). I seem to get stuck on the same ol' colors time and again. Although I use ALL the colors in this week's Fab Friday Challenge, I don't typically use them all together!! And I made a point to try to NOT make this an "Independence Day" card. AND I played with some LOVELY new thinlits dies!!! Happy Happy Joy Joy!

Stamps: Flourishing Phrases, Timeless Textures
Paper: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Night of Navy
Accessories: Flourish Thinlits, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, Silver Sequin Trim

I feel like you could use this awesome color combo to make just about ANY kind of card (men, women, kids ... thank you, birthday, condolences). It's VERY versatile!






Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers

My daughter is going to be home in TWO WEEKS!!! She has been gone since the first week of June ... she is having some incredible adventures and been meeting some really wonderful people as she is working with a non-profit organization that does humanitarian work in Africa. I can't WAIT to see all the pictures she's taken and hear all of her stories. But mostly, I can't wait to hug her tight!!! Missing my girl!!! So proud of her, though ...

Stamp Review Crew - Flower Shop Edition

How can this be POSSIBLE??? TWO posts in ONE day???? What in the WORLD has come over me???? Well, since I REALLY wanted to play along with my friends from the Stamp Review Crew, I knew I would have to get myself pulled together ... the only problem is that I ran the Wasatch Back Ragnar Friday and Saturday, and TODAY is Father's Day ... but I MADE IT!!!

Luckily for me, I had this card already DONE!! I was SOOOO thrilled when I learned that the lovely "Flower Shop" stamp set would be carrying over to this year's catalog ... this was ALSO one of my OnStage samples ... and I LOVE the Emerald Envy with the Flirty Flamingo. My bedroom when I was 5 years old had pink walls and antiqued green furniture, so I have always had a "thing" for pinks and greens together!!

Stamps: Flower Shop, Endless Thanks
Paper: Emerald Envy, Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, 2016-2017 InColor DSP Stack
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Emerald Envy
Accessories: Layering Ovals Framelits, Pansy Punch, Petite Petals Punch, It's My Party Enamel Dots (sorry for the "cheat" ... these were from the newly-expired Occasions Mini and I couldn't resist using them!)

What's NOT to love about these happy flowers??? If you don't have this set, YOU MUST get it!!









I need to sign up for another race ... I'm thinking the Deseret News Half Marathon again (it's on July 25) ... I have officially become a running junkie!!! I just need more HOURS in my day!

The "previous" button will take you to incredible Shana Gaff, and the "next" button to super-awesome Heidi Baks my fellow race junkie (she does it on BIKES though ... and she is WICKED fast!)!

   

Freakin' Through the NEW Catalog

Back again with my Control Freak-y friends!!! This month we are playing with stuff from the NEW 2016-2017 Stampin' Up Catalog!!! Oh how I LOVE new things!!! Don't you??? And did you SEE what Kelly Acheson made (if you are hopping around, she was on the link just before me!!)??? She's a genius!!

Dies, dies, DIES!!! I am SOOOO overwhelmed with all the GOODNESS that is in the new Thinlits and Framelits!!! Holy COW!!!!! It's going to take me a bit to be able to play with ALL of them properly (yeah ... I bought more than I should have!) ... but they are SUPER DUPER this year!!

Stamps: Wherever You Go
Paper: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Sunshine Wishes Thinlits, Seaside Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Pearl Basics (colored with yellow Sharpie)

This little gem I made with one of the new Hostess Sets (it was also used as one of my OnStage samples a couple of months ago). Isn't it BEAUTIFUL??? It just EXUDES that "fall" feeling ... which is why I am all fall color-y and stuff!

Stamps: Fabulous Flora
Paper: Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand
Ink: Early Espresso, Peekaboo Peach
Accessories: Burlap Ribbon (this is the OLD ribbon from LAST year's catalog ... SORRY!  Luckily, we have some NEW Burlap Ribbon that is not quite as wide and I LOVE it!), Peekaboo Peach Ruched Ribbon

I set another running milestone for myself this past weekend ... I COMPLETED a Ragnar race!!! To be specific, I participated with a team that did the Wasatch Back ... the ORIGINAL Ragnar race!! It was BRUTAL and BEAUTIFUL ... EXHAUSTING and EXHILERATING!! I started a Ragnar race last summer in Zion National Park ... but we were unable to finish due to the unrelenting RAIN that pounded on us for over 9 hours!! Now I feel LEGIT!! (And are you BORED TO TEARS with my running adventures yet???? Stay tuned ...)

Next up??? The always-incredible Cindy Elam!!! A-MAZ-ING, that girl!!

Monday Montage #71

The weather service has been issuing warnings on the TV for the past 15 minutes (we've had TWO alerts already!)!! I'm hoping that the approaching storms don't wash us out to sea ... my husband came in and showed me the weather maps on his phone and said, "I don't know that we've had weather cells that look this intense EVER!" Time to batten down the hatches!! SOOOO glad that I have Monday Montage to distract me while we ride out whatever comes our way!

Whilst I was creating samples for OnStage a couple of months ago, I was inspired to make BOTH of the creations I am sharing today by the fact that this wonderful little stamp set did NOT retire!!! I love how you can make ice cream, cupcakes, or a bushel of flowers out of it!! And it has a coordinating punch!!! Which makes it pretty much AWESOME!

Stamps: Sprinkles of Life
Paper: 2016-2017 In Color DSP Stack, Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sugarplum, Peekaboo Peach, Crumb Cake
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sugarplum, Peekaboo Peach, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Square Framelits, Tree Builder Punch, Sweet Sugarplum Ruched Ribbon

This is a little gift card holder. I have made many of these over the years, but come back to them when I have a gift card every dang time. So easy and SO cute (even if I DO have to use the retired Word Window punch to make the little slot on the inside to hold the gift card in place.

I didn't have any "extra" gift cards hanging around ... so the only thing I had to put in here that KINDA matched the colors was one of my Photo Passes from Disneyland ... not like you should be at ALL surprised that I have SEVERAL of those tucked in my "Disney" purse!!! Which reminds me ... my birthday is coming up again!!!

Stamps: Sprinkles of Life
Paper: Dapper Denim, Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper,  2016-2017 InColor DSP Stack
Ink: Dapper Denim
Accessories: Tree Building Punch, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, Flirty Flamingo Ruched Ribbon, Large Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch (inside), White Jute Ribbon, Blushing Bride Sequin Trim

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... I am SO excited to see what brilliance they have come up with, so I KNOW you will be as well!

Fab Friday #89

I love weekends, don't you??? It seems that they are over before they even start, but I'm sure happy they come around!!! I missed the last Fab Friday challenge because I was still getting over jetlag and trying to get back into the swing of life. I LOVE the sketch we are sharing this week. I have SO many new toys to play with that I think I could use this sketch SEVERAL times and it would look different every time because of all the different styles of stuff I have!!! LOTS of stamp-y "playing" in my future!!

Stamps: Weather Together
Paper: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Gold Glimmer DSP
Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Umbrella Weather Framelits, Seaside Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, Mini Stapler, Tags & Labels Framelits

See what I mean??? SOOO much potential in this sketch!!!










Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers

Since we are officially in "race" season, I am trying to take advantage of that. I have a half marathon this weekend ... it's actually the same race that I did as my very FIRST half marathon two years ago. I'm hoping to set a personal record on this one ... but even if I don't I will still enjoy it. After doing the Great Wall Marathon I feel like I don't have ANYthing to prove to myself! I am just going to enjoy the scenery (it's down Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City).

Stamp Review Crew - Papillon Potpourri Edition

Here I am ... again ... and it's been a whole week since last I blogged!! Sigh ... I am honestly SO happy that I have so many talented groups with whom I "blog hop" ... it keeps me on my toes!!! I haven't had a chance to play with my Stamp Review Crew friends for QUITE some time. SOOOOO happy I FINALLY have a set that they are using (I know, I know ... you'd think I had EVERYthing, wouldn't ya???)

INLOVE with this Detailed Floral Thinlits Die!!! OHMYGOSH!!! I want to use it ALLTHETIME!!! I think it is the PERFECT compliment to the Papillon Potpourri set, don't you???? But then, y'all KNOW I have a "thing" for butterflies ...

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Floral Phrases
Paper: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Detailed Floral Thinlits, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Silver Ribbon

Yep ... it's GORGEOUS!!! I am soveryhappy that it did NOT retire this year ... it just stinkin' goes with SO much!!









I'm still running-running-running ... since it's officially "running season" I have several races in my future ... I will be doing a half marathon this next Saturday, and a Ragnar race (Wasatch Back) the following week. It took me nearly THREE YEARS of consistent running to actually "like" it ... now I can say that I am HOOKED!!

The "previous" button will take you to the ever-so-talented Mickey Roberts, and the "next" button to super-awesome Rochelle Blok!!