Fab Friday #206

I am feeling some spring vibes coming on! Which happens to be VERY crazy since we are still living in January (my friend has flower bulbs starting to peek through the dirt ... WHAT??)!! This week for Fab Friday we are playing with the pretty and soft color combo of Blushing Bride, Bumblebee and Just Jade. I snuck in a little bit of Basic Black to help make the colors POP!!

Stamps: Pretty Perennials
Paper: Whisper White, Bumblebee, Just Jade, Blushing Bride, Basic Black
Ink:Bumblebee, Just Jade, Blushing Bride, Black Memento
Accessories: Perennial Petals Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Old World Paper Embossing Folder, Pastel Pearls

Fresh and pretty ... I feel some spring in this color combo!

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

FINALLY went to the podiatrist and had my Achilles tendon looked at.  Doc says it's definitely Achilles tendonitis and some inflammation in the bursa surrouding my tendons ... which means I can't walk, run, massage, or stretch this thing for two weeks (while taking some Aleve two times a day). Also, icing after any sort of walk or anything that might aggravate the situation.  Happy to have a plan ... and crossing my fingers that in two weeks I will be SOOOO much better!!

Monday Montage #182

Can y'all say SNOW??? Here we are ... 3/4 of the way through JANUARY ... and we FINALLY got some SNOW!! It's not very much, and it will all be melted before ya know it, but at least we have SOME!! Apparently we have a couple additional storms coming this week that should add to our snow total. I am crossing my FINGERS!! It's time! Spring will be here before ya know it!! What's better than a good dusting of snow in the winter??? Playing with the Monday Montage girls, that's what!! Lookie what I made!

Pretty lacy things ... I LOVE me some dies and stamps that make pretty lacy things! The new Vine Design Bundle is LOVE-LY!! I knew I wanted to do some sort of pastel color combo for this one. I started with Petal Pink and the rest of the colors just kind of worked their way in. Once again I am using the most perfectly fabulous dies EVER (aka Stitched So Sweetly Dies - may they live FOREVER!)!! The flowers were all die cut. The leaves, however, were fussy cut because there wasn't a die to cut the little leaf image out (sad ... but I still like fussy cutting, so that is ok!)!

Stamps: Vine Design

Paper: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Petal Pink, Balmy Blue

Ink: Petal Pink, Balmy Blue, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: Flowering Vines Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Pastel Pearls, Embroidered Ribbon (retired)

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 - NOT PARTICIPATING 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!!

On the Achilles Tendon Saga ... it is still here. And my Achilles Tendon still hurts ... every dang day! Anyone have any suggestions??? I stretch, massage, strengthen and do light exercising, but nothing excessive. I heat it with a nice corn bag that I warm in the microwave. I ice it ... what else am I supposed to do???? Sigh ...

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

Freakin' NEW STUFFS!

It is only January 19-20 and I am just NOW getting my Christmas decor taken down and put away.  To be fair, my tree is getting a facelift (all new LED lights) before next Christmas, and I was just waiting for the tree guy to come and pick it up!  So that is my excuse and I'm sticking with it!! Still have a little more to do, but I took a time out and played with some new goodies from the January-June catalog for the Control Freaks Blog Tour! Hopping around you should just have come from the marvelous blog of Melissa Stout! She always ends up costing ME money by convincing me that I NEED something that I didn't even know that I did! (I'm sure you guys can relate!)

I have purchased LOTS of heart stamps and dies over the years ... but I am going to be quite honest here.  The Lots of Heart Bundle is FANFREAKINTASTIC!! The images are beautiful and the dies are DIVINE!! I had so much fun playing with them (and the Curvy Dies and Many Messages Dies!)! New toys are FUN, aren't they??? 

Stamps: Lots of Heart
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red
Ink: Real Red, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: Curvy Dies, Lots of Heart Dies, Many Messages Dies, Pastel Pearls, Whisper White Embossing Powder

One more card using basically the same goodies (with the exception of the sentiment, which is from Oval Occasions stamp set ... also new!)! I almost feel like you can NEVER go wrong with black/white/red! Such a classic color combo.  I think I could probably make about 20 different cards using the buffalo plaid heart from the Lots of Heart set ... it's just too-too good!

Stamps: Lots of Heart, Oval Occasions
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black
Ink: Real Red, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: Lots of Heart Dies, Many Messages Dies, Whisper White Baker's Twine (from Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack, Whisper White Embossing Powder

Next up??? Tami Hewlett! There is a reason she is on the current Stampin' Up Artisan Design Team ... she is terrific!!

Fab Friday #205

Well THIS card was EASY!! I took one look at the sketch and knew exactly what I was going to do with it, and I just did it!!

Stamps: NONE
Paper: Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Berry Delightful DSP
Ink: Stampin' Chalk Marker
Accessories: Play Alphabet Dies, Trio of Tags Dies, Old World Paper Embossing Folder, Clear Rhinestones, Whisper  White Baker's Twine from Snail Mail Twine, 

 

Clean, Simple and FUN to create with!

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

Weekend can't come quickly enough!! I'd really, really, REALLY love to go out on a nice winter run ... but due to my ding-dang-ridiculous Achilles' tendon on my left foot, I am STILL out of commission!! ONE DAY ... MAYBE SOON ... maybe the dumb thing will actually HEEL!! More stretching, heat, massaging, CBD cream, lotion, booted at night ... all of these things MUST bring it back to normal at some point, right?? Wish me luck!!

Monday Montage #181

YAY and HOORAY!! It's a NEW YEAR! And I am actually STAMPING something!! It took me a while to decompress from Christmas (and, to be fair, I'm still working on cleaning up various messes here and there in my house!). But i STAMPED ... for FUN ... and I LIKED IT!!

If y'all haven't already checked out the new January - June Stampin' Up Catalog, DO IT!!! It's SOOOOO good!! I know I saw that all the time with new catalogs, but this one seriously IS chock full of beautiful and amazing things!! I have a wishlist longer than my arm with my leg attached! Good thing I have a SU BFF that lives 5 minutes from me and will coordinate sets that we buy so we can get the biggest BANG for our BUCK (thanks, Cheryl!)!

I've always been a sucker for a GOOD ice cream set ... and this really IS a GOOD ice cream set!! I also fell IN-LOVE with the pastel pearls ... I think I want to use them on freakin' EVERYTHING! So I put the two together and VOILA!! I cut the color strips, taped them down to the Crumb Cake layer and then ran the entire thing through my embossing machine using the Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder! LOVE-LOVE-LOVE! It reminded me of the texture of an actual sugared ice cream cone. YUMMY!! Now I want ice cream ... and the freezer is empty of ice cream ... and it's 10:00pm on Sunday night ... sigh! I think I just saved myself about 1,000 calories!! HA!

Stamps: Sweet Ice Cream

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Rococo Rose, Seaside Spray, Highland Heather, Purple Posy

Ink: Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Seaside Spray, Blushing Bride, Rococo Rose, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Wink of Stella
Accessories: Ice Cream Cone Builder Punch, Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder, Pastel Pearls, Tag Trios Dies (for the little heart), Layering Circles Dies, 3/16" Braided Linen Trim

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!!

Do I *dare* say that I *think* my Achilles Tendon may *perhaps* be starting to heal??!?? I mean, it's only been bugging me since LAST STINKIN' FEBRUARY!! I have been SOOOO diligent for the past several months, especially since the end of October. I am hoping that all my efforts may actually be STARTING to pay off!! Sheesh!! I hate it when things you didn't even realize that you HAD start hurting and refuse to cooperate! Crossing my fingers ....

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout ... they both used the SAME set with fantastically different results!! SO CUTE!