Freakin' Out of the Box!

Guess what???? The stinking FLU (or one of its many-many cousins) has come to visit our house this week. YUCK!!! My husband was sick all last weekend and is just starting to feel better ... and now it is MY turn!!! DOUBLE YUCK!! At least I have actually HAD a flu shot, so I am hoping that it comes and goes in a very timely manner. I HATE wasting time being sick!! UGH ... at least I got to play a little with stamps for this month's Control Freaks Blog Tour. This month we are "Out of the Box" ... trying to do something a little "different". I have the privilege of being in the middle of a "Melissa" sandwich. Did you just come for the blog of Melissa Stout ... MAGNIFICENT, right???

My first "out of the box" creation is actually made from ... a BOX!!! I used one of the box flaps from a recent Stampin' Up order! I pulled bits and pieces of the top layers off of it to give it a really "distressed" look. Pretty cool, eh??? I need to find me some more boxes ... I LOVE the look of this!

Stamps: Timeless Tropical
Paper: Whisper White, Mango Melody, Night of Navy, Garden Green
Ink: Lovely Lipstick, Mango Melody and Daffodil Delight Blends, Wink of Stella
Accessories: In the Tropics Dies, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Linen Thread, Metallic Pearls, Cardboard Box

This creation was actually pretty quick and easy. I made the little flowers using the "raindrop" edge die from the Lily Pads Dies. I cut the center pieces out to make some petals. A little 1/2" circle punch and VOILA!!! I think I have said it before, but the Stone Embossing folder is my new VERY FAVE!! I think it is just SOOOOO beautiful and versatile, don't you???

Stamps: So Sentimental
Paper: Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo, Lovely Lipstick, Real Red
Ink: Lovely Lipstick
Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Lily Pad Dies, 5/16" Braided Burlap Trim, Stone Embossing Folder, Stapler, 1/2" Circle Punch

I am so happy for Disney+ and podcasts! I have been watching/listening/sleeping all day today whilst trying to get over this nasty sickness! My latest favorite show??? The Incredible Dr. Pol!! I LOVE animals ... and he and the other people on the show are such a great combo with some fun chemistry.

Next up??? Marvelous ... Melissa Davies!!

Monday Montage #158

I am not even sure where this past week went ... I do believe that there is something to the time-goes-faster-as-you-get-older thing ... not that I AM older or anything ... but each year seems to go by more quickly than the last. It's already mid-February ... how on EARTH did THAT happen??? sigh ... Monday Montage is upon us again and I had SO much fun making this card to share!

Check You Out ... I bought this stamp set at least two or three months ago, but I kind of forgot about it with all the holidays and such. It was fun inking it up. I make my own patterned paper for the backdrop using the "book" stamps in this set. It's soooo stinkin' cute! I did a bunch of fussy cutting since there are no dies with this set. I actually LIKE to fussy cut ... it relaxes me!

Stamps: Check You Out
Paper: Lovely Lipstick, Grapefruit Grove, Whisper White
Ink: Lovely Lipstick, Grapefruit Grove, Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Dies, 1/2" Granny Apple Green Textured Weave Ribbon, Heart Epoxy Droplets, Whisper White Baker's Twine





Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Monday Montage Hoppers
Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts
Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma
Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs
Charlet Mallet - Painted Orange
Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner - SITTING OUT THIS WEEK
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

I started going to an Orangetheory gym at the end of August. I have been skeptical about doing any sort of group fitness classes for YEARS. I taught them myself for over 10 years ... step, hi/lo aerobics, weight training, spinning ... I did a lot. But I got burned out after a while, and, to be honest, it was hard for me to take classes from someone else when I wasn't the instructor! Does that even make any SENSE??? My niece had been going to Orangetheory for a while and looked GREAT, so she talked me into trying it. I freakin' LOVE it!!! And it has helped SOOOO much with my running. We did a 7-mile training run last Saturday ... I felt GREAT the whole dang time! It's been a long while since I loved working out this much ... and for that I am thankful!! Grateful that this old bod of mine allows me to do it!!

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill has come up with ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout ... you'll be glad you checked out ALL the posts for this hop ... everyone hit a HOMERUN!

Fab Friday #183

Wishing you all the HAPPIEST of VALENTINE'S DAYS! I think that if you do nothing more than let the people you love in your life know just how much you DO love them in your life on this day, then you are WINNING at life!! It doesn't have to be a grand or expensive enterprise, either. Just TELL THEM that you LOVE THEM!! PERIOD! Doesn't have to be a "significant other" ... just tell the people you love that you DO love them! Life is short ... and most things that make us mad or frustrate us about others are really aren't that important in the long run ... SO TELL 'EM, my friends ... that is your Valentine's Day assignment this Fab Friday!!

I had a vision in my mind on how I wanted the card I made for this week's sketch challenge to turn out. Starting working on it, and all was progressing nicely. I went to cut out the little bees I had stamped with the cute little bee die ... cut one of them and the die flipped up and disappeared. I mean REALLY disappeared!! I was like freakin' MAGIC, people!! I searched for over an hour ... yes! OVER AN HOUR! My craft room is pleasantly clean at the moment, so there weren't to many places for it to hide. Since I was running out of "craft time", I just ended up fussy cutting the dang bees out. I had to leave for the evening, but when I returned, I mentioned to my hubby about the missing die and he joined in to help me look. We spent about 15 minutes doing so when I discovered that darn bee die stuck to the bottom side edge of my little magnetic dish on the craft table (that had been behind me when I was using my BigShot to cut the bees in the first place)! I had even picked this particular piece up and was looking for it originally by using the very magnetic bottom of the dish as a "die finder" as I rubbed it back and forth over my carpet. Never heard the telltale "clink" of anything having been picked up. I'm thinking it had just flipped over onto that goofy dish and was sticking there the whole time and I somehow didn't see it!! Bee Die = 1; Wendy = 0! I do like how the finished product came out, though. And I AM very happy that I found the die before I went to bed and had crazy and annoying dreams about spending hours looking for it ... oh wait ... I already DID that ... it WASN'T a dream!!! Hahahaha!

Stamps: Honey Bee
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Basic Black, Mango Melody
Ink: Basic Black, Mango Melody, Wink of Stella
Accessories: Detailed Bee Dies, 3/8" Glittered Organdy Ribbon, Corrugated Embossing Folder, Champagne Rhinestones

I quite enjoyed this sketch and think you will, too!











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

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Mindy Backes
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers

I am going to be playing "Great British Bake Off" today as I make sweet treats for my husband and kids ... this is my version of fun Valentine's gifts to give to those I love ... what do YOU do??

Monday Montage #157

What a BUSY weekend!! The best part??? With all the cleaning I did for peeps coming to the house for the Super Bowl, I should have a few days where I won't have as much to do because most of my house looks pretty dang good!! AND I am FINALLY sending out my Christmas cards ... which are now New Years cards ... which almost were going to have to be Valentine's Day cards!! SHEESH!!! Craft room is clean, too! So it has been productive (on top of which I did a 6-mile training run on Saturday and about 1,600 stairs on Sunday morning!)! Welcome to this week's Monday Montage hop ... y'all are going to see my "New Years" card before the peeps that I am mailing it to!

I cheated a little on this one ... I used some number dies that are - a-hem - RETIRED!!! But they were too-too perfect for this! And the STARS!! Oh how HAPPY they make me!!! The sequins are a little "retired" as well. Sometimes ya just want to use things you still have in your arsenal, right???

Stamps: NONE
Paper: Whisper White, Sparkle Glimmer, Gold Glimmer, Blackberry Bliss, Brushed Gold (non-SU)
Ink: NONE
Accessories: Large Number Dies (retired), Stitched Stars Dies, Trio Corner Punch, Gold Sequins (retired), Softly Falling Embossing Folder

I used a digital scrapbooking program to create this photo to put inside the card. We took this photo on Thanksgiving Day. It almost didn't happen. My daughter and her hubby were on their way out the door to go home and I made everyone traipse outside to take a quick photo. I LOVE how it turned out! Sometimes the spur-of-the-moment things work better than the well-planned things, right???



Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Monday Montage Hoppers
Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts
Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma
Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs
Charlet Mallet - Painted Orange
Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner - SITTING OUT THIS WEEK
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

Um ... sooooo ... I am having a colonoscopy on Tuesday. Nothing wrong ... just trying to keep up on preventative health maintenance. I wish I had realized that the Super Bowl was two days before I scheduled this. Many of the delicious foods that were offered as snacks were on the "do-not-eat" list. I am going to have a FEAST on leftovers later this week!!

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill has come up with ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout ... LOVE these ladies and their creative minds!