Monday Montage #192

One of the best things and BIGGEST blessings Stampin' Up has been the people I have met ... forever friends. People I can't imagine my life without!! Got to spend this weekend up in Idaho with two of them ... my besties Bree Renwick and Cheryl Curtis (who BOTH happen to be part of our Monday Montage Team! Pretty danged cool if you ask me!! Luckily, I was able to finish my card for this week's blog hop BEFORE I left home in SLC.  I had about 30 minutes to get one made and take a pic ... kinda miraculous that it happened at ALL!!

I had the red, white and blue color scheme already on board in my head ... and I KNEW I wanted to use "Biggest Wish" because the sentiments are BIG, fun and AWESOME!! I do believe the Scalloped Contours Dies will help me fill part of the void left by the retired "Stitched Shapes" dies ... I used those babies on EVERYthing!! 

Stamps: Biggest Wish

Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Real Red, In Good Taste DSP, Vellum

Ink: Real Red, Versamark

Accessories: Scalloped Contours Dies, Flowers for Every Season Ribbon Combo Pack (Faux Linen Ribbon), Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Whisper White Embossing Powder

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!!

We have been eating and crafting and watching some chick flicks ("Under the Tuscan Sun", "Steel Magnolias" and "Luca") in addition to doing a 4-hour tube float down the river.  It has been soooo relaxing and lovely, and also conducive to me being stuck wearing a boot on my foot!

Click "Next" to see Amy O'Neill ... and "Back" to visit Melissa Stout!! We really NEEEED an in-person Stampin' Up event some time SOOON so I can see these creative women and give them a hug!!

Freaks & New Catalog Goodies

I think I melted this week. Or at least parts of me have. I started wearing an orthopedic boot last Tuesday ... and it was a record high for the middle of June here in Salt Lake City ... 107 degrees!! And every day since then has been SO.DANG.HOT. I really need a pool in my backyard. Or a hot tub. Or both. I guess I will have to pull the kiddie pool (that we bought for my doggie) out and soak in that. At least I got the chance to play with some of my new catalog goodies for this month's Control Freaks Blog Tour!  Cindy Elam made me feel all sunshine-y and happy with her beautiful creations in shades of yellow ... VERY pretty!

 

I have a friend in Florida whose son has been a CHAMP through all of the difficult medical challenges he has faced since birth. I made him this little "cheer me up" card following some very intense surgery he recently had.  He is AMAZING and such a fighter!! Hope it brought a smile to his face as much as it did to my heart to make it for him!

Stamps: Peekaboo Farm
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Bloom Where You're Planted DSP

Ink: Black Memento, Stampin' Blends in Blushing Bride, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Light Basic Black, Petal Pink

Accessories: Rectangle Stamp Punch, Layering Circles Dies, Basic Borders Dies, Painted Texture 3D Embossing Folder, Artistry Blooms Adhesive Backed Sequins, Linen Thread

I have recently become OBSESSED with indoor succulents. I am not always successful in helping them survive, but I AM learning! My daughter has been WAY into plants the past few years and it has kind of rubbed off onto me! I made this card for her for her birthday ... it was so fun playing with the dies, DSP, stamps and embossing folder in the whole Bloom Where You're Planted Suite of goodies ... it is one of my new favorites! I even braided some Whisper White Baker's Twine to hang my little basket from. I remember learning how to macrame as a young girl waaaayyy back in the 1970's, and it kinda cracks me up that it is all coming back around again!

Stamps: Plentiful Plants, Garden Birdhouses (sentiment)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Cinnamon Cider, Whisper White, Evening Evergreen, Bloom Where You're Planted DSP
Ink: Versamark, Cinnamon Cider

Accessories: Perfect Plants Dies, Stitched Triangle Dies, Basic Borders Dies, Macrame 3D Embossing Folder, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Stitched Greenery Die, Whisper White Baker's Twine

Next up??? Melissa Stout! Her cards are OUT of this WORLD!!

Fab Friday #216

Here we are again ... It's Fab Friday Time!! I have THREE blog hops this weekend ... and I managed to get everything ready for two of them before we left town for a very short little vacay. YAY ME!! 

It is soooooo hoooooot!! As of Tuesday, I have been confined to a boot for my funky Achilles tendon ... and I get to wear it every dang day, all day, for at least a MONTH!! Isn't it FUN that Salt Lake City hit a record high for the middle of June of 107 degrees on Tuesday?? Joy of JOYS!!! I choose to believe that this will all be totally worth it in a month!! Crossing my fingers!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this color combo! It feels so fresh, doesn't it??!? I still think that Granny Apple Green is one of my favorite all-time SU colors. It's so stinkin' HAPPY!! And green IS my favorite color!! 

Stamps: Artistically Inked
Paper: Whisper White, Granny Apple Green, So Saffron, Fresh Freesia, Flirty Flamingo

Ink: Fresh Freesia

Accessories: Checks and Dots Embossing Folders, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Basic Borders Dies, Large and Small Daisy Punch, Pastel Pearls

See??? TOTALLY fresh!!

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
Brenda Myers

I will be motoring around on a little knee scooter this Saturday at an air show up in Rexburg, Idaho. I think it will be some sort of miracle (personal record?) if I don't faceplate at least once or twice during the next month due to this funky boot ... it's big and clunky and awkward ... and my dog keeps trying to trip me in it!! Here's hoping that she doesn't succeed!!!

Monday Montage #191

I'm going to do another brief and to the point kind of post. Another SUPER busy and crazy weekend that ended in me hurriedly creating a card so that I could post with my Monday Montage friends! I still have so many lovely new goodies to play with, but I need to clean up my messes so that I can have some room to play!

This whole bundle is going to get used and used and used again by me!! I freakin' LOVE it and the endless possibilities it presents ... I went "clean and simple" with this one and it came together really quickly. SUPER FUN!!

Stamps: All Squared Away

Paper: Whisper White

Ink: Real Red, Granny Apple Green

Accessories: Floral Squares Dies, Checks and Dots Embossing Folders, Ornate Frames Dies, Trio 

Corner Rounder Punch, Real Red Satin Stitched Ribbon, Silver & Clear Epoxy Essentials

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 - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

Going back to sleep because my brain has turned to MUSH!!

Click "Next" to see the yummy ice cream treats made by  by Amy O'Neill ... and "Back" to "give it a whirl" with  Melissa Stout!!

Fab Friday #215

Well here I am again ... blogging at 11:00pm! I had meant to get to this Fab Friday Challenge MUCH earlier than I had! I have a HUGE mess in my craft room and had to work around it (in the middle and over the top of it)! So all in all, it's kind of miraculous that I actually finished prior to midnight!! I'm sure many of you can relate!

This card feels pretty "old school" to me ... the colors, the layout ... hmmmm. I must have made a card very much like this one more than once since it feels so "familiar". 

Stamps: Measured With Love
Paper: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Basic Back, Real Red

Ink: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Garden Green, Black Memento

Accessories: Stitched With Whimsy Dies, Taylor Made Tags Dies, Trio Corner Punch, Artistry Blooms Adhesive Backed Sequins, Real Red Satin Stitched Ribbon, Checks and Dots Embossing Folders

I love when we have something basic and simple ... and then I overdo the HECK out of it!! I haven't made a square card in FOREVER, so this was a good one!

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
Brenda Myers

Been doing some MAJOR spring cleaning and reorganizing in my house ... which means it is a DISASTER! You know that it takes making a mess to clean one up, right??? Which is also why my craft room has been VERY neglected! Hopefully I will be in a better place all the way around by the end of the summer ... crossing my fingers!!