Monday Montage #81

Boo to you and Happy Halloween!!! Welcome to another edition of Monday Montage!!! Y'all KNOW how much I love Halloween ... I mean, it IS my favorite holiday! Despite that ... I had to make a non-Halloween/Fall card ... I just felt it was time to move on because EVERYthing I have made for the last long while feels the SAME!!

And this is what I came up with. I have seen several people posting samples of how they turned the Fox Building punch into a teddy bear ... HAD to try one myself! Couldn't decide if I wanted to go with a "boy" themed card or a "girl" themed card ... so I made one that would work for EITHER!!

Stamps: Sunshine Sayings, Swirly Bird
Paper: Tip Top Taupe, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, Soft Suede
Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Soft Sky
Accessories: Fox Builder Punch, Swirly Scribbles Thinlits, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits Dies, Circle Framelits, Owl Builder Punch, Cableknit Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

This is the first year in about the last TEN years that my next-door neighbor hasn't done a SUPERDELUXE spook alley sorta deal in his yard. While I am KINDA sad about it, I am also hoping that that means we will NOT be getting over 500 trick-or-treaters this year. I don't mind a lot of trick-or-treaters unless they are 20-somethings ... which is what we seem to get a LOT of when the spook alley next door happens!! Who knows?? We may get just as many anyway, since I have a feeling some of the "regulars" will be stopping by looking for the spook alley that once was. At least my house is all decorated and lit up ... time will tell!!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... you will NOT be disappointed no matter WHICH direction you choose (just be sure to go ALL THE WAY around to see what these girls have come up with!)!

Fab Friday #99

How can it be that we are SOOOOCLOSE to doing Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge #100???? I honestly have not been able to figure out where time has been going lately ... as in the past 10 years,lately!!! WHOOSH!!! Right by me!!

And Monday is Halloween ... Really???? Can't believe that has come back around again, either!!! So on this challenge (see sketch below), I purposely tried to create a NON-Halloween card given that it's only three days away and it would be only TOO EASY to roll with Halloween, know what I mean???


Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, So Saffron, Very Vanilla
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories:  Botanical Builders Framelits, Cableknit Dynamic TIEF, Square Punch, Burlap Ribbon, Gold Cord, Mini Stapler

Spooooooooooky and fun color combo!









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
Jan Tinklenberg

My weekend is chock FULL of Halloween activities. Starting today ... this is about the 20th time (or so ... perhaps, 22nd?) that my friend and I have been in charge of the Halloween Carnival at the local elementary school. Food, cake walk, costume contest, trick or treating, spook alley, professional photos ... we seem to have this baby down to a SCIENCE. Saturday, our family will be doing the Annual Weixler Apple Pressing Day, as well as having a Trunk or Treating party at our church. And Sunday, after church, we will be having all our kids hanging out with us to have dinner and carve jack-o-lanterns ... it'll be EXHAUSTING, but SUCH a great time!

Grateful to Be a FREAK!

What a crazy-eventful day!!! LOTS of things have been going on in my life ... which I will get to later ... but in the meantime, welcome to the "Grateful" version of the Control Freaks Blog Tour. We are all sharing our own little "thank you/gratitude" creations this go-round! If you've been hopping around, you just came from the magnificent Melissa Stout!!! I'm in a "Melissa Sandwich" for this blog tour ... how FUN is THAT???

The inspiration for this card came from an AWESOME dress I bought a few weeks ago. It is seriously SO fun! So I decided I needed to make my own version of the fabric in a card ... I LOVE this color combo!!

Stamps: Flourishing Phrases
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Soft Sky, Mint Macaron, So Saffron, Cajun Craze
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Pretty Pines Thinlits, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, Gold Ribbon

Here's a similar version of my last card ... turned horizontally ... and swirled instead!!! I was really trying to stretch myself with different color combos this time around (and I used some colors I don't often use!). I had fun with this ... I also love me some framelits dies (like, WHO DOESN'T??)

Stamps: Feather Together
Paper: Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Linen Thread, Flourish Thinlits Dies, Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits

So ... my crazy life ... we have started doing a LITTLE bit of prep for my daughter's wedding. This is going to be fun and BUSY. I have also been trying to reorganize my life (meaning, my HOUSE). It's been WAY to long since I did this. I DID put up some Halloween decor and lights as well. I hope I can PURGE a bunch of stuff and free myself up!

Next up??? The marvelous Melissa Davies!!! Grateful for all of her creative inspiration!

Monday Montage #80

It's Monday Montage #80!!! Holy COW!!!! I can't BELIEVE we have been doing this for so long!!! And can I say that I am still SO THRILLED to be a part of this group of amazingly-talented women!! HOORAY!

I think this Moroccan Nights stamp set was on my VERY FIRST order from this year's catalog. I absolutely LOVE it!!! And I promised my friend, Cheryl, that I would do EVERYthing I could to make her love it, too! (How'm I doin'???) And with fall colors??? FANTAB!!!!

Stamps: Moroccan Nights, Wherever You go
Paper: Very Vanilla, Pool Party
Ink: Soft Suede, Pool Party, Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Circles Framelits, Project Life Corner Rounder Punch, Burlap Ribbon

We have actually done TWO things for my daughter's upcoming wedding ... what a MIRACLE!!! Actually, we have done THREE ... they picked a date (May 12 ... I think!), they had some engagement photos taken this weekend, AND we have a venue!!! HOOOORAAAAYYYY!!! This may actually HAPPEN, folks!!! It's gonna be a wild ride!!!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... super duper FANTASTIC!!!

Fab Friday #98

My costume is finished (Yay! Already wore it at Disneyland for Mickey's Halloween Party!), my house is decorated, lights are up, and my 4-foot Frankenstein is on the porch!!! I am READY for Halloween!!! It's the most spook-i-ful time of the year!!

I've been stepping out of the box lately ... using things in unconventional ways. NOT THIS WEEK!!! When I saw the color palette for this challenge, I THOUGHT about doing something "non-Halloween" ... but I just gave up!!! Who's to argue with these colors??? Halloween HAD to happen!!

Stamps: Sweet Home
Paper: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Smoky Slate, Halloween Night Specialty DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Home Sweet Home Thinlits, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Project Life Corner Rounder Punch, Halloween Nights Enamel Dots

Spooooooooooky and fun color combo!









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
Jan Tinklenberg

I have lots of cleaning and lots of little projects I need to get done this weekend ... and I FINALLY have a weekend that isn't "over-planned" with so much OTHER stuff!!! My laundry may even get caught UP!!! Hooray!!

Stamp Review Crew - Jar of Haunts Edition

It has been a few months since I've had a chance to play with my stampin' friends on The Stamp Review Crew. Soooooo happy to be back in the thick of it with them!!! This week we are reviewing "Jar of Haunts" ... since Halloween is my MOSTFAVORITE holiday, I'm super happy I got to play along!

Spooky eyes!!! I totally LOVE these spooky eyes!!! Since I have been working on my Halloween costume this week, my sewing machine is still sitting out on my craft table ... couldn't resist the urge to sew on this a little bit!

Stamps: Jar of Haunts
Paper: Whisper White, Halloween Night DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Perfect Plum, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Square Framelits Dies, Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies, Halloween Night Baker's Twine, Mini Tassels

Cute-cute-cute!!! And it even has FRAMELITS to cut out all the awesome shapes!








Ahhhhh fall ... the smells, the colors ... the pumpkin-spiced EVERYTHING!!! And October has meant a trip to Disneyland with my sister in law for me for the past few years ... the BEST!!!

The "previous" button will take you to the lovely and talented Linda Callahan, and the "next" button to beautiful and amazing Betty Traciak!!

  

Monday Montage #79

What a wonderful weekend!!! I wish I still had one more day!!! The weather was GLORIOUS!!! I did a pretty long hike/run on Saturday ... I LOVE that I live so close to such beautiful canyons and scenery. But I DID get to stamp a bunch today ... which is something I haven't done for quite a while!! Yay for Monday Montage!

Since I have had all this Halloween "stuff" out, I decided to make something with the DSP, washi tape and enamel dots that was NOT Halloween-y! I really like these colors together!

Stamps: Weather Together
Paper: Perfect Plum, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzazz, Halloween Night DSP
Ink: Perfect Plum
Accessories: Umbrella Weather Framelits Dies, Halloween Night Washi Tape, Seaside Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Silver 1/8" Ribbon

Later this week I will be able to share my Halloween costume with y'all. I am SO EXCITED about it ... I finished it a few days ago, and I'm going to go to DISNEYLAND for its debut this week!! YAY!!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... I haven't seen their creations yet (as I am typing this post) ... I am SUPER excited to see what they have come up with because it's ALWAYS good!