Stampin’ Fancy Friday - Inspired by Water Challenge

I love the beach no matter the time of year. Having grown up in the Bay Area I took for granted the time I spent there on beaches throughtouteach year, so my mind automatically thought of beach time when I saw that this month’s Stampin’ Fancy Friday  Challenge was “Inspired by Water”.

Brightly-colored flip flops made from the Splash and Relax Dies are the focal point here … toes in the sand and letting the waves wash over my feet … nothing is more relaxing!

The Rolling Stones Waves Dies are my new favorite! I splattered a little Crumb Cake and Coastal Cabana inks on the coordinating backdrop colors to give them a more “sandy” vibe. 

This card really came together quite easily … mostly just cutting a bunch of dies and only one stamped image (the sentiment). 

Stamps: Splash and Relax

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black, Pool Party, Coastal Cabama, Melon Manbo, Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Cotal, Crumb Cake

Ink: Versamark, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Rolling Waves Dies, Splash and Relax Dies, White Embossing Powder, Array of Dots

Check out all the fun things created by the Stampin’ Fancy Friday Challenge Team on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/stampinfancyfriday/!!!

TGIF Challenge #583 - Technique Challenge - Popping It Up!

Popping It Up!! Are you KIDDING me???!! I think I use dimensionals on every single stinkin’ card or project I make! So this week’s challenge is right up my alley!

Check out the blog challenge here - TGIF Challenge Blog if you’d like to play along.

One of my all-time most favorite Stampin’ Up sets has a flamingo in it (Tickled Pink). I still have it (you will have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers to get it from me!).

So I was ECSTATIC to see the images in the soon-to-be-released “Birthday Song” stamp set! I mean … COME ON!!

Not only did I fussy cut out the image of flamingos, add hats to them and color them with my Stampin’ Blends, but I popped them up on some Dimensonals as well!

And there’s more popping up when you open the card!

I made a swing card! So….. not only does the front panel “pop” and swing as you open it …

… the entire middle section of the card pops up, too!!

Here are the dimensions of each piece:

Barely Blush

  5.5” x 8.5” - scored at 4.25”

Flirty Flamingo

  5.25”x4”

  4 7/8”x1 7/8”

  3.5”x4.75”*

Basic White

  5”x8” - scored at 2”, 4” and 6”

  Scrap for sentiment

2026-2028 Gingham Gallery 12x12 DSP

  3 7/8”x2 3/8” (front panel)

  4.75”x1.75” (inside panel)

*You will have to cut out a panel in the front of the card to accommodate the “swing” panel. Make it the tiniest amount larger than the 3.5”x4.75” panel piece so that it will swing easily!

Here’s a peek from the top down so you can see how to assemble the parts …

Stamps: Birthday Song

Paper: Basic White, Flirty Flamingo, Barely Blush, Gingham Gallery 12x12 DSP

Ink: Black Memento, Flirty Flamingo; Stampin’ Blends - Flirty Flamingo, Petal Pink

Accessories: 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls, White Baker’s Twine

Have a great weekend!!

We’d love to have you play along!! You can check us out our blog HERE and Instagram … lots of great inspiration from the rest of the TGIF Crew!

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Bear Lake - Part 2!

Time at Bear Lake with my family is one of my summer staples … we’ve been doing it for as many years as I can remember.

I don’t remember the last time I did more than two scrapbook pages of a single event … and there are still two more to share after these. SIX total!! It was a great weekend!!

Trying to keep with the vibes from the other pages I have completed, I again used the Rolling Waves Dies and the Water & Dotted Lines Decorative Mask.

I added a recently retired element to this page … the cute little sailboats from the Come Sail Away Bundle. I mean, we WERE at the lake and we WERE there with a couple of sail boats!!

The So Swirly Embossing Folder4 was also employed to add dimension to the Pecan Pie strip of cardstock in the background.

The Mini Alphabet Dies are just the PERFECT size! This weekend in Bear Lake was spent at Rendezvous Beach … our campsite was the BEST! Super close to the beach and a nice pavillion and restrooms at our disposal. Beautiful!

I used one of the Scalloped Wishes Dies to do journaling for each of the pictures. There were 29 of us up there together, so getting pix of everyone was really important to me!

Stamps: Come Sail Away

Paper: Basic White, Blueberry Bushel, Azure Afternoon, Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake Coastal Cabana, Everyday Essentials DSP, Silly Old Bear DSP, Country Woods DSP

Ink: Black Memento, Coastal Cabana, Azure Afternoon, Blueberry Bushel, Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake, Balmy Blue, White Gel Pen

Accessories: Come Sail Away Dies, Mini Alphabet Dies, Rolling Waves Dies, Scalloped Wishes Dies, Water & Dotted Lines Decorative Mask

I have two more pages to share … they will be up by this weekend! Where are your summer “go to” staples??? 

Monday Montage - Bear Lake!

Time for another round of fun creations with the Monday Montage Crew!

I took soooo many fun pix about a week and a half ago at a family weekend up at Bear Lake that I couldn’t WAIT to get them onto paper … I actually started as soon as I got home (having made a stop at Walgreen’s to pick up the photos I had already sent to be printed!)

My favorite element on this two-page spread is the letters I created to say “BEAR LAKE”. I used the Party Alphabet Dies because of how big and wonderful they are.

To be fair, I had to end up doing a little scissor assistance with the letters because they were four layers thick in the middle! No problem, though, as the imprint left on the bottom layer from the dies was very easy to follow (and was only in a few spots in the middle of some of the letters that I had to cut with scissors).

I used the Rolling Waves dies to make the water hit the sand on the letters … LOVE hoi they turned out!

I also used the Splash and Relax Dies to add the fun little beach-y elements … the visor, flip flops and sun umbrellas. I love these people so much, and having some fun photos that I can touch and look at that are NOT on my phone just makes my heart happy!

Stamps: Splash and Relax

Paper: Basic White, Flirty Flamingo, Azure Afternoon, Blueberry Bushel, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Blueberry Bushel

Accessories: Water & Dotted Lines 12”x12” Decorative Masks, Splash and Relax Dies, Party Alphabet Dies, Mini Alphabet Dies, Rolling Waves Dies

I actually have another two-page layout completed and a third two-page layout nearly complete from this same trip … keep your eyes peeled in the next few days for me to share those as well!

Our Monday Montage Hop has gone exclusively to Instagram! You can check it out by finding me @tinkermom85. From there you will be able to find all of my Monday Montage Friends, too!

TGIF Challenge #582 - Inspiration Challenge

What inspires you??? This week the TGIF Challenge Crew is being inspired by this beautiful beachy sunset!

I spent last weekend on the beaches of Bear Lake with family … been working on some scrapbook layouts that I will be sharing soon. I definitely feel like I’m in “full beach” mode!

Check out the blog challenge here - TGIF Challenge Blog if you’d like to play along.

I used mostly newer products on this card, but I did add the little sailboat from “Come Sail Away” which retired in the last year. 

The paper is Sunset Coast 6”x6” DSP. I cut it into 1” vertical strips and overlapped the layers using some dimenstionals.

The fence is from the Notes & Totes Dies. The little “rope” of Basic Black Baker’s Twine is kinda cute, isn’t it?

I cut the hole in the center using Spotlight On Nature Dies. The sentiment panel is made using the Phrases & Frames Bundle. Of course I had to add some swirly water using the So Swirly Embossing Folder.

A few little rhinestone embellishments and I called this little card DONE!

Stamps: Phrases & Frames

Paper: Basic White, Blueberry Bushel, Azure Afternoon, Scenic Coast Dsp

Ink: Blueberry Bushel

Accessories: Spotlight On Nature Dies, Phrases & Frames Dies, Come Sail Away Dies, Notes & Totes Dies, So Swirly Embossing Folder, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

I love this time of year for all of the family get togethers. Tomorrow we are having a family reunion for my mom’s side of the family, and with Sunday being Father’s Day we will be having kids over … and celebrating my eldest’s birthday as well. Love spending time together!

We’d love to have you play along!! You can check us out our blog HERE and Instagram … lots of great inspiration from the rest of the TGIF Crew!

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TGIF Challenge #581 - Sketch Challenge

This week we’re doing a sketch challenge … and although I didn’t copy it exactly, it did inspire me to create a little garden scene that is quite fun!

Check out the blog challenge here - TGIF Challenge Blog if you’d like to play along.

Knowing that the “Hello” garden tag was going to be my center point, I struggled a little to come up with things that wouldn’t overwhelm it. In the end, you know me … more is MORE, right???

I added some little white gel pen lines to the plant on the left to give it a little more distinction and definition.

In the end, I like how this one turned out!

Stamps: Help Me Grow

Paper: Basic White, Basic Beige, Garden Green, Pecan Pie, Crist Cantaloupe, Lemon Lolly, Cajun Craze

Ink: Black Memento, Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake, White Gel Pen

Accessories: Help Me Grow Dies, Phrases & Frames Dies, Crumb Cake Baker’s Twine, 2026-2028 In Color 

butterflies

We’re headed to Bear Lake for some much-needed family time and good food, sailing, and playing on the beach! With my big floppy hat and sunscreen on board it should be a great time!

We’d love to have you play along!! You can check us out our blog HERE and Instagram … lots of great inspiration from the rest of the TGIF Crew!

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Monday Montage - Filled With Sweetness Picnic!

This week I made my own little picnic basket for a fruity picnic in the park with the Monday Montage Crew!

I started this card with the little basketweave panel. I stamped a piece of Pecan Pie cardstock with the Lasting Linen Background Stamp (which I just realized is now retired!). I cut the cardstock into 3/8” strips and did a little basket weaving. I then trimmed the edges.

I next created the watercolor wash panel that is directly behind the Silly Old Bear gingham panel. I used a blending brush and some Petal Pink ink to add color to some watercolor paper. I then splattered the layer with a watercolor brush and some Real Red ink.

The card base was embossed using the Ladybug Picnic 3D Embossing Folder. I added a few diecut flowers and a sentiment and called it happy!

Stamps: Filled With Sweetness, Lasting Linen

Paper: Basic White, Pecan Pie, Petal Pink, Watercolor

Ink: Black Memento, Real Red, Pecan Pie; Stampin’ Blends - Real Red, Petal Pink, Granny Apple Green, Night of Navy, Azure Afternoon

Our Monday Montage Hop has gone exclusively to Instagram! You can check it out by finding me @tinkermom85. From there you will be able to find all of my Monday Montage Friends, too!

TGIF Challenge #580 - Color Challenge

Isn’t this a STELLAR color combo??? Granny Apple Green is my FAVORITE  SU “green” … and combined with the richness of Night o Navy and the subtlety of Smoky Slate it makes for an amazing outcome! 

Check out the blog challenge here - TGIF Challenge Blog if you’d like to play along.

See what I mean??? This card was created using a 8.5”x5.5” piece of cardstock, scored and folded at the 2.25” mark and the 6.50” mark. I cut a 1” strip from the right side so that it left a gap once the card was folded.

I cut a 1” strip from some Country Woods DSP and placed it inside the card where the gap in the front exposes it. I also added a little trim on the left-hand side using one of the Bordered in Beauty Dies.

I actually cut TWO of the Granny Apple Green elements cut using one of the Lovely Arrangements Dies. I adhered one to the outside/front of the card and the other on the right/inside of the card. This made the element more stable and allowed me to adhere the White Baker’s Twine that I used to act as a closure tie for the whole card.

Stamps: Lovely Arrangements

Paper: Basic White, Smoky Slate, Granny Apple Green, Country Woods DSP

Ink: Night of Navy, Granny Apple Green, Black Memento

Accessories: Lovely Arrangements Dies, Bordered in Beauty Dies, 3D Sunflowers Embossing Folder, White Baker’s Twine, 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls

The 3D Sunflowers Embossing Folder provides the perfect background for the flowers, sentiment and diecuts. Isn’t this a fun fold??

How’d we get to the weekend already??? It’s already JUNE and my brain still feels like it’s stuck back in FEBRUARY!

We’d love to have you play along!! You can check us out our blog HERE and Instagram … lots of great inspiration from the rest of the TGIF Crew!

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TGIF Challenge #579 - For That Special Guy

Here we are again with a challenge that I really NEED to do more of … those masculine, “dude” cards that I always hesitate to make because something else looks way more fun! This week we are making cards “for that special guy”! Perfect, since Father’s Day is upon us!

Check out the blog challenge here - TGIF Challenge Blog if you’d like to play along.

To be honest, I don’t have hardly any (or none, maybe??) masculine sets that are “current” with Stampin, Up. I guess that’s something I’m going to need to remedy soon!

So, I scoured Pinterest for some ideas and this is what I came up with based on some things I had seen.

This card really DOES have 8 layers!! And those colors in the middle 6 layers? Yeah, running that whole stack through my embossing machine was a CHORE1 But I do like how it came out!

I started with a 1” square of Pool Party in the middle, then added the next color beneath each layer by added 1/2” to each layer. 

The branchy piece was cut from vellum using one of the Petals of Beauty Dies.

In the end, I used some little dot embellishments that are actually retired (sad face!) because I just loved how they went with everything.

Stamps: A Family Celebration

Paper: Basic White, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Azure Afternoon, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake, Vellum

Ink: Versamark

Accessories: Perennial Postage Dies, Petals of Beauty Dies, 3D Birch Embossing Folder, White Embossing Powder, Crumb Cake Baker’s Twine, Streaked Dots (retired)

Any cool plans this weekend?? I need to STUDY STUDY STUDY as I am working on getting my Certified Personal Training Certificate and it is a LOT of information!! No wonder I have college nightmares about never going to a class until I have to take the final … SHEESH!

We’d love to have you play along!! You can check us out our blog HERE and Instagram … lots of great inspiration from the rest of the TGIF Crew!

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Monday Montage - Rolling Waves

New toys to use to play for this week’s Monday Montage! Yay for me!! This week I focused on the new Rolling Waves Bundle!

How perfectly YUMMY are these images???? The waves just make themselves because the dies are just sooooo good! I started with a piece of Pool Party cardstock that I cut out using an Everyday Arches Die. I stamped a couple of images from the Rolling Waves stamps using Coastal Cabana and Azure Afternoon ink. I used a few more dies cut from Basic White and Vellum to add the wave foam … and a little Crumb Cake and Petal Pink cardstock to cut out a few shell dies that I then sponged the edges …

I ran the bottom two layers of Petal Pink and Basic White cardstock through the So Swirly Embossing Folder at the same time after I had cut them from graduated sizes of additional Everyday Arches Dies. Added a couple of umbrella and stamped a little sand here and there and called it good!

I borrowed a die from Lovely 

Arrangements Dies to cut the sentiment I had stamped from the Rolling Waves Stamps. 

Stamps: Rolling Waves

Paper: White, Petal Pink, Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Azure Afternoon, Vellum

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Petal Pink, Crumb Cake, Pool Party

Accessories: Rolling Waves Dies, Lovely Arrangement Dies (for Sentiment), Everyday Arches Dies, So Swirly Embossing Folder, Muted Palette Dots

Doesn’t this just make ya wanna go to the beach and put your toes in the sand and water??? I love collecting shells, too! Let’s go! Who’s in??

Our Monday Montage Hop has gone exclusively to Instagram! You can check it out by finding me @tinkermom85. From there you will be able to find all of my Monday Montage Friends, too!