Monday Montage #161

Happy Quarantine, Dear World!! Things are getting real around here. We are "officially" staying home ... a dear family friend lost his fight against coronavirus on Sunday ... and my father in law actually got tested Sunday afternoon (he has been sick for over a week ... has a nasty fever and such going on). While I do believe that we will all be ok, we are hunkering down because we have all been exposed to my father in law and won't know his test results for 5-7 days (the labs are SWAMPED!)! He will turn 88 next month, and he has quite honestly run circles around ALL of us (I have known him for 35 years and have never seen a more hard-working, dedicated soul). We own a family business, and he works just as hard, if not harder, than everyone else. He has just enough stubborn in him that he won't let this take him down (although we are hopeful that "this" is just your regular old "run of the mill" kinda flu bug.

I got to spend some time this weekend Zoom-Stamping with a fun group of friends, FaceTime Stamping and visiting with a few other friends and spending some time cleaning my stamp room (which was really needing it!)! I actually had this card done a whole dang day EARLY (for a change!)! I plan on spending my quarantined days doing some much-needed spring cleaning!

Stamps: Bonanza Buddies
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Subtles DSP
Ink: Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede
Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Stitched Rectangles Dies, Basket Weave Embossing Folder, Square Punch, Detailed Trio Punch, Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Very Vanilla Scalloped Lace Trim, 5/16" Braided Burlap Trim, Linen Thread



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
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

What are YOU guys doing to pass the time and feel productive??? I have committed myself to actually getting GOOD at doing push ups ... I have NEVER liked them, so I have never spent very much time trying to get proficient at them. This is my goal ... I AM going to conquer this!

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout ... you won't want to miss EITHER of their creations!

Fab Friday #186

Social Distancing ... Self-Quarantining ... this is what "normal" looks like right now for ALL of us!! First ... HUGE shout out and MOUNTAINS of thanks to all of those of you are working in "essential" jobs (or have loved ones who do)! You guys are the reason we WILL get through all of this!! You are HEROES!!!

Weirdly enough, I have not had all that much time to be crafty! I have been running back and forth to my mom's condo to take care of her and get her what she needs (she doesn't drive and has very frail health, so we are keeping her TOTALLY inside!)! I have also been going on runs/walks with my doggie ... and I have been working out at home (which, quite honestly, has been kickin' my booty!)! Thank goodness that Fab Friday made me get my act together (and luckily my craft room isn't a TOTAL disaster!!)! I used the four colors in this color challenge to create an ombre effect in the background using the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks. Easy. Peasy. FUN!

Stamps: Lovely Lily Pad, Peaceful Moments
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, Terracotta Tile
Accessories: Basic Pattern Decorative Masks, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Lily Pad Dies, Terracotta Tile 1/2" Linen Scalloped Ribbon

Bright and Cheerful!









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

What are YOU doing during these crazy times??? Stamping via FaceTime or Skype is a good way to be productive and pass some time!! I'm also going to try to bake some things for the next few days ... wish me luck ... think I'm going to try some sourdough bread!! Stay safe, my friends!

Monday Montage #160

Not gonna lie ... I am WIPED OUT!!! I have been doing so much running around the last few days to make sure that our home, my mom's place and my kids all have the items they think they will need for at least the next two weeks. This COVID-19 is affecting every single one of us, isn't it?? I feel quite calm and certain that we will all come out okay when all is said and done ... but it has been both a mental and physical struggle this past week (I am sure every single one of you can relate). So it is good that we have lovely hobbies ... like paper crafting ... to keep us feeling a bit more normal, right??

This idea just popped into my head pretty quickly. That doesn't happen very often!! And considering how full my mind has been this past week, it's DOUBLY amazing!!

Stamps: Garden Goodness, Band Together
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Golden Honey Specialty DSP, Vellum
Ink: Garden Green, Mango Melody, Real Red, Pear Pizzazz, Black
Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly Dies, 5/8" Whisper White Flax Ribbon, 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 - SITTING OUT THIS WEEK
Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog - SITTING OUT THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

Breathe in, breathe out. Take every day one step at a time. We GOT this, my friends!! Be safe and stay home ... wash hands ... enjoy your families!

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout ... ENJOY!!!

Monday Montage #159

What's better than creating a card for the Monday Montage Blog Hop??? Creating a card for the monday Montage Blog Hop in the very same room with one of my BFFs and fellow Monday Montager, Bree Renwick!! I drove up to Walla Walla to hang with her boys (and some of their friends) at a TobyMac concert. We had SO MUCH FUN!! Long walks, singing, dancing, stamping, eating and overall having a very nice, long and relaxing weekend!! Came back home to Salt Lake City to find the ground covered with snow ... uggggghhh! My body and brain are SO confused!!

Something else FUN about stamping with a friend??? SHARING stamps/dies that you don't have and SHE does ... and vice versa! I have been eyeing the "Happy Birthday to You" stamps/dies. Since Bree had them in her stash I was able to play with them. Oh how I LOVE them!! This card was inspired by the oh-so-talented Stesha Bloodheart. I love the combination of a really strong color (in this case Lovely Lipstick) with a nice shade of gray (as in Gray Granite). It just looks so rich and lovely. I used some Versamark ink to stamp the image, then I added some Whisper White embossing powder and heat embossed the image. A blender pen and a little bit of Gray Granite reinker help define the lines and make the cake look like it has some dimension. I did the same thing with the flowers and some Lovely Lipstick ink. I think I am going to be submitting an order for this whole suite for myself!!

Stamps: Happy Birthday to You
Paper: Lovely Lipstick, Granite Gray, Watercolor, Vellum
Ink: Lovely Lipstick, Granite Gray, Versamark
Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Dies, Birthday Dies, Leaf Punch, Sprig Punch, Metallic Pearls, Stone Embossing Folder, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Whisper White 1/4" Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon

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

Why is it that just DRIVING makes you SOOOOO tired??!!?? Honestly, I have never been able to figure that out!! Drove 8 1/2 hours today and am WIPED OUT! I think I need another weekend ...

Speaking of my BFF Bree, click "Next" to see what Bree Renwick made while we were playing stamps together ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout ... you'll be glad you checked out ALL the posts for this hop ... everyone hit a HOMERUN!