Monday Montage #127

It was 75 degrees Sunday afternoon ... SERIOUSLY??!!? Our weather has been ALL OVER THE MAP, I tell ya!! I guess that's what you call fall?? MAYBE?? I can't seem to know WHAT to wear when I get up in the morning. I keep thinking it's going to be COLD, or even CHILLY. NOPE! I took my puppy for a walk and realized too late that I was wearing WAY too many layers! Then I came home and made a card for this little Monday Montage hop. I was hoping that a "Christmas-y" card would cool me off. No luck, but at least I got to play with some paper!

In my head I knew where I was going with this card ... and then I started to try to get the image from my head to the paper. Why is it that somehow the image gets lost in between??? I still like the finished product well enough, but I had a hard time finishing it off. The gold thread came to the rescue (finally!)!

Stamps: Farmhouse Christmas
Paper: Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, White Velvet DSP, Festive Farmhouse DSP
Ink: Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Gray Granite, Basic Gray
Accessories: Farmhouse Framelits Dies, Snowfall Thinlits Dies, Swirls & Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Gold 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
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Kaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

Can't believe I was in DisneyLAND two short weeks ago and that I will be in DisneyWORLD in less than two weeks. I certainly have been blessed this year with opportunities to do fun things. Next year may seem boring in comparison!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... I get to see BOTH of these amazing women in about 10 days and I canNOT wait!!

Fab Friday #149

Welcome to Fab Friday #149! I'm really glad we had a sketch challenge to do this week ... I haven't stamped for several days and I needed to get my mojo in gear. I also needed to do some cleaning in my craft room (let's be honest, don't we ALL??). So I was able to do a little crafting and a little cleaning!

This candy cane combo got me rolling. I think I mentioned how much I LOVE the snowflakes thinlits the last time I posted. I am SERIOUS, you guys!!! You NEEEEED these in your life. They are just THAT GOOD!!! And the white velvet DSP??? Oh. My. Word. It embosses SOOOOO beautifully! I luuuuuuurrrve it!!

Stamps: Snow is Glistening
Paper: Whisper White, Santa's Workshop Specialty DSP, White Velvet DSP, Red Glimmer Paper
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Swirls & Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stitched Labels Framelits, Snowfall Thinlits, Trio Corner Punch, Clear Epoxy Droplets, Whisper White 1/8" Sheer Ribbon

You don't have to copy the layout EXACTLY ... it's just a point of inspiration! I came pretty close, but added a sentiment panel ...










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

Today is the great Halloween Carnival!!! I've been doing these for over 20 years ... Halloween IS my favorite holiday, after all!!! And getting a chance to dress up and play games with kids in our neighborhood is THE BEST!!!

Happy Fall from the Freaks!

I got home Thursday night ... or should I saw Friday MORNING after having spent three days at The Happiest Place On Earth ... aka DISNEYLAND ... with my BFF Cheryl. We laughed, we ate, we rode rides, we talked to little kids about their day ... it was a SUPER good time! And to be honest, I'm WIPED OUT! Did you check out what my incredibly talented friend, Dawn Olchefske made to help you feel the FALL???!! She always inspires me!

I was out of town, I received a lovely box of pretty things to play with from Stampin' Up. Have y'all SEEN the Snowflake Sentiments Bundle that is on it's way to being offered to you??!!?? NOVEMBER, my friends ... NOVEMBER!!! You are gonna NEEED this in your life. The Snowfall Thinlits dies also pair BEAUTIFULLY with the Happiness Surrounds stamp set (also available with this limited release). SERIOUSLY??!!??? I am IN LOVE!

I decided to make my backdrop look like a barn door ... too much fun!

Our theme this month is "Happy Fall" ... so I had a GREAT time putting together things that make me feel like fall. The colors and these dies and stamps are A-MAZ-ING!!!

Stamps: Happiness Surrounds
Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake, Merry Merlot, Festive Farmhouse DSP
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Mossy Meadow
Accessories: Snowfall Thinlits, Crumb Cake Classic Weave Ribbon, Stamp Punch (retired ... sorry ... I couldn't resist it!)

Using the same dies and stamps, I created another card! I can see myself playing with this suite of things a LOT!!! Since fall is my most favorite time of the year, I'm going to have a really good time!

Stamps: Happiness Surrounds, Burlap
Paper: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Pear Pizzazz, Wood Texture DSP
Ink: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies, Corrugated Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Galvanized Clip


Next up???  ... super Connie Babbert!! Her projects are DIIIIIVIIIINE!!

Monday Montage #126

Happy Monday Montage Day!!! The weekend was fun ... and over in a wink! Why do Mondays and Fridays seem SOOOOO long ... whereas Saturdays and Sundays seem to zip by before you know it??? Sheesh!! At least I got a lot done ... AND I got time to get crafty! I guess I don't have much to complain about, right??? Just wish I had another day "off".

I am pretty sure it's hard to make an ugly card using the Buffalo Check background stamp. I have seen SOOOO many cute things made with it. I hope it NEVER retires!!! It goes with just about EVERYthing ... kids cards, girl cards, boy cards, kid cards ... it's simply the BEST, don't you think??

True confessions ... as much as I loved creating this card, it was one of those that everything went wrong with while I was working on it. I have two Painted Harvest sets (the one with the sunflower). One of them doesn't stamp well, and the other one does. I even have them marked (not sure why I"m keeping the not-so-good one). I had some trouble with my Cajun Craze ink pad ... pretty sure I need a new one!! When I finally got it stamped, I realized I was using the funky stamp set. So I had to stamp it again with the better one. THEN, when I finally got it how I liked, I started to fussy cut it out. Then I realized I hadn't cleaned my fingers and I smudged Early Espresso ink all over my lovely sunflower! Stamped it a third time ... was good to go, then!!! (This was, of course, after I had stamped the Buffalo Check background and realized I was having issues with my ink pad ... so I stamped that three times as well!). Moving on to the leaves behind the flower. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do for a sentiment, so I kept messing with the placement of the leaves and berries ... took me three times to get that how I wanted it, too!! Sheesh!!! I was DETERMINED to get this card done! It just took me MUCH longer than I had planned.

I cut the sentiment out using one of the Stitched Shapes oval dies ... then I used the criss-cross border die from the Stitched Labels thinlits to "frame" it in on the top and bottom, which I then trimmed above and below to end up with the shape I used for the sentiment.

Stamps: Painted Harvest, Buffalo Check
Paper: Gray Granite, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Festive Farmhouse DSP
Ink: Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Gray Granite, Basic Gray
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Stitched Labels Framelits Dies, Braided Linen 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 - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma
Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Kaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

It's that time of year again ... fall ... Halloween ... you know what I mean!!! So I am heading off to the Happiest Place On Earth for a few days this week with my BFF, Cheryl. I am getting SUPER excited!!! Just hope I can get myself together before it's time to go!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Bree Renwick ... I end up spending more money on supplies by looking at what THEY have made!!! They are AMAZING!

Fab Friday #148

The inside of my house is decked out ... the outside of my house is decked out ... so I guess I have officially given in to Halloween/Spooky season!!! Honestly, this is my favorite month of the year. I absolutely LOVE Halloween ... and fall ... and costumes ... and decorating!!! The Fab Friday folks are playing around this week with a color challenge ... and it just SCREAMED Halloween at me, so I just went with that!

Isn't this little witchy hat just the CUTEST??? The brim is made with two circle punches (or framelits), and the pointy part is made with the old (retired) Tree Punch. You can just as easily make the pointy part from a rectangle and trim down the sides ... I just went with the easier approach!

Stamps: Trick or Tweet, Gallery Grunge
Paper: Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie Glimmer Paper (retired), Basic Black Glimmer Paper (retired)
Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Pumpin Pie, Basic Black
Accessories: 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, Black/Pumpkin Bakers Twine (retired), Basic Black Bakers Twine, Faceted Dots, Classic Label Punch

See what I mean???? PERFECT Halloween 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 had a VERY busy week ... and will have a VERY busy weekend! Sometimes I need to be cloned ... at least some of the things I'm doing this weekend are going to be FUN (we're meeting some friends for breakfast tomorrow morning, which will start the weekend off GREAT!)!!

Monday Montage #125

How on EARTH can it already be OCTOBER 2018??!!?? I'm both happy and blown away by that!!! I LOVE Fall ... and Halloween is my very most FAVORITE holiday ... and I freakin' can't believe that it seems like we should only be in FEBRUARY!!! Thank GOODNESS for the Monday Montage girls and the excuse it gives me to get crafty!!

I nearly named our new puppy Aspen ... because she is brown and white ... and because I love Aspen trees. They remind me of the many, many hours I have spent hiking hither and yon. Aspens are BEAUTIFUL. So I had fun stamping some on my card!! The name of my puppy was overwritten by Juniper ... aka JuneBug ... aka Junie ... aka sweet puppy!!

Stamps: Winter Woods, Itty Bitty Greetings, Gallery Grunge
Paper: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Wood Textures DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Layered Leaves Dynamic Textured Impressions Folder, In the Woods Framelits Dies, Crumb Cake Bakers 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
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Kaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

My hubby and I are starting the Whole 30 meal plan this month as well. We spent a bunch of time this weekend pre-prepping food so that we would have things to eat and NOT to be tempted to eat the things that aren't really on the plan! I figure that ANY "diet" that includes the ability to eat BACON is going to be a very, very GOOD thing!!! I'm not quite sure how my three-day adventure in Disneyland in a couple of weeks is going to fit into this plan, but one day at a time, right???

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... all the crafty goodness you will see in one place with minimal effort!!

Fab Friday #147

Sooooo ... life with a puppy is ANYthing but BORING!! Juniper has been so much fun and amazingly easy to handle ... for a puppy, that is!!! The only "complaint" I can say I have about her is that she LOVES my 13-year-old toy poodle, Daisy, a little too much!!! We have resorted to a spray bottle to squirt her if she gets a little too enthusiastic whilst around Daisy!!! And she wants to help me stamp in the WORST way!!! She is particularly interested in paper bits, spools of ribbon and thinlits/framelits dies!!! It's hard to get mad at her when so is SOOOOOO stinkin' cute!!

Which brings me to the card I made for this week's Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge. I dropped my thinlits a couple of times ... and Juniper was on them like white on rice!!! It's a good thing I was paying attention, or they may have been bent beyond recognition (she doesn't really have much more than little puppy teeth, so she couldn't chew holes in them!)!

Stamps: Detailed With Love
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Gold Foil
Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede
Accessories: Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Tin Tile Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stitched Labels Framelits Dies, Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies, Braided Linen Trim, Sequins (which I snatched from an old Project Life kit!)

You could also turn this layout horizontally ... it would be cute both ways!










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 am going to join my friend, Bree, on the Whole 30 Challenge starting on October 1st. Which is only a few days away ... I'm kind of excited yet kind of nervous to do it!! I guess I should try to plan out a menu and get some shopping done this weekend so that I will be ready!!

Happy Freakin' Holidays 2018!

I have caved in ... It is only September and I am already making CHRISTMAS cards!! Thanks to my fellow Control Freaks, we are highlighting things from the new Holiday Catalog! And BOY OH BOY are the projects on this blog tour are AMAZING!!! You should just have come from the block of the crafty, clever and creative Kelly Acheson!! You ARE getting in a holiday mood, aren't you???

This go 'round I decided to focus on the Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. It can be interpreted a lot of different ways, but I chose to do one more along the "elegant" lines, and one that is more "whimsical". I'm a sucker for classic Christmas colors ... red, green, white ... and GOLD!!! So that's what you got with this card (and I used my ever-favorite Trio Corner Punch!)!

Stamps: Merry Christmas to All
Paper: Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits, Trio Corner Punch, Sprig Punch, 5/8" Striped Burlap Trim, Gold Thread, Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

The dies that go with the Santa's Workshop Specialty Paper are SPOT ON, you guys!!! I mean, you don't even have to stamp or color if you don't want to or don't have time!! This card came together really quickly ... because I used a die to cut the Mrs. Santa image from the DSP ... easy peasy!!! And I LOVE it!!

Stamps: Signs of Santa
Paper: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Silver Foil, Santa's Workshop Speciality DSP
Ink: Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies,  Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Linen Thread, Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon, Santa's Signpost Framelits Dies


Next up???  ... super Cindy Elam!! I just LOVE her style!!!

And SOMETIMES I Craft withOUT Stamps!

Happy Fall, Y'all!! It's still in the mid-to-upper 90's here, so I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that we are halfway through September! However, when I cruise around looking at stuff on Pinterest AND spend a little time in the local craft store, it is very hard NOT to feel the FALL coming on!

A friend of mine posted a picture of a similar "Hocus Pocus" project on her Facebook page last week. I fell IN LOVE with it. Sadly, she said she had no pattern or anything, it was just something she had seen online somewhere and liked. Let's be clear, my friends ... I STAMP because I CANNOT draw. I'm NOT kidding!!! I STRUGGLE with stick figures ... and I'm NOT kidding!!! So this project seemed a bit daunting to begin with, but since the witches are a bit "abstract", I feel that this project is rather forgiving. I used 6" wide pieces of pine board (they are 1" thick ... the taller piece is about 22" high, and the shorter pieces are 18" high). I sketched in a VERY rough idea of each face on the boards to begin with (after I stained them, of course!). I worked backwards from the faces and just kinda "winged it" with the rest. The "I Smell Children" banner is only 1/2" thick ... I used my trusty Cricut and some vinyl to make a stencil, and then I painted the letters on to my stained board. I am SUPER happy with how this turned out!

This was pretty easy peasy ... whilst shopping at the local craft store a couple of months ago, I picked up this milk can for a SUPER good price. The other day, the fall "foliage" was on sale at same-said craft store. A few bits of trimming here and there and VOILA!!! Just needed to add a little checked ribbon as a bow and it was done!!! SUPER quick and easy!!

I plan on trying to do some paper crafting today ... I love when I have a little bit of time to play!!!

Fab Friday #146

The struggle is REAL, my friends!!! I have said before and I will say it again ... there is a REASON we call these "challenges" ... and there is a REASON why YOU should play along! It will most DEFINITELY get your brain working!!! Or as was the case for ME in this challenge ... it seemed to put my brain on LOCKDOWN!!

These colors are PRETTY, right??? Shouldn't be TOO hard to get something put together with them, RIGHT??!!?? I worked on this card for over TWO STINKIN' HOURS ... I could NOT get my groove going ... and this finished product is SOOOOO far away from where I started ... not EVEN kidding!!! But in the end, I guess I like it!

Stamps: Stitched All Around
Paper: Whisper White, Tranquil Tide, Balmy Blue, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Powder Pink
Ink: Tranquil Tide, Balmy Blue, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Powder Pink
Accessories: Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stitched Labels Framelits Dies, Sunshine Wishes Thinlits Dies, Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon

I BELIEVE IN YOU!!! Y'all are going to make some BEAUTIFUL things with this 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 am signed up to do the Red Bull 400 tomorrow morning ... which is a CRAZY CLIMB from the bottom to the top of a Nordic Ski Jump in Park City! I may end up getting my friend to do it instead (as it is already paid for) ... I'm STILL trying to get myself back to feeling well after the dumb bug bite/cellulitis episode last week! Sigh ... At least I can go and cheer my friend on and take pictures!!