TGIF Challenge #595 - Black & White - Whoops!!

I guess it helps to read the instructions!!

This week the TGIF Challenge Team was challenged to make a card with the Artisan Sketched Garden Designer Series Paper.

Give that I am a Last-Minute Lucy all the time, I went and looked at this graphic and thought, “Oh cool! Black and White!” WRONG!! Dang it!! Well, I am posting my card anyway!

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

Because I don’t actually have any black and white DSP (at least not any that I wanted to use!), I decided to make my own!

The background was created using the Water Decorative Mask (from the Dotted Lines & Water Decorative Masks pack).

I LOVE how it looks!

I used the stamps and dies from Lovely Arrangement to create the focal point, and even added some vellum by cutting some leaves using the dies. 

And, I cheated a little. The black and white gingham ribbon just HAD to go on this even though it is retired! (So are the embellishments … I couldn’t help myself!)

Stamps: Lovely Arrangement

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black Vellum

Ink: Black Memento

Accessories: Lovely Arrangements Dies, Black & White Checked Gingham Ribbon (retired), Adhesive-Backed Sparkle Gems (retired)

I’m actually wearing a sweater today … and it’s RAINING!! Hallelujah! (I don’t really need the sweater any more, as it has warmed up a little since I left the house). Fall is coming, though!

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!

Monday Montage - Memorable & Tile Garden

Happy Monday! The Monday Montage Crew is back! The girls have turned up the volume this week … GORGEOUS projects!!

I made my own background using some watercolor paper and image from both Memorable Garden and Tile Garden.

After stamping the images using Hydrangea Hue, Old Olive and Crushed Curry, I pulled out one of my watercolor brushes and lightly brushed over all of the images. I wanted to make it look like I actually painted the images (or at least look a LITTLE like I did!).

I roughed up the edges of the watercolor paper panels using the edge of a pair of scissors. I felt like it needed a little “aging” to go with the “watercolor-y” feel I had achieved.

A little ribbon and a Tile Garden sentiment panel and I was done! 

Stamps: Memorable Garden, Tile Garden

Paper: Watercolor, Hydrangea Hue

Ink: Hydrangea Hue, Old Olive, Crushed Curry; Stampin’ Blends - Pumpkin Pie

Accessories:  Tile Garden Dies, Hydrangea Hue 1/4” Bordered Ribbon, Glossy Garden Dots

It’s almost time to start decorating for fall/Halloween … I’m actually thinking about starting this weekend to get ahead of the game. What do you think? Are you ready for fall?? Have you started decorating yet??

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 #594 - Sketch Challenge

How fun is this sketch??? I came up with an idea right away when I saw it!!

This week the TGIF Challenge Team is working with this super awesome sketch!

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

I don’t do horizontal cards as often as I do vertical ones, so it was nice to have a challenge that pushed me in the right direction!

I had been out of town for several days and came back to an unopened box that contained both the Elegant Leaves Bundle AND the Luxe Foliage DSP, both of which I used here.

I also pulled out an old faithful friend … my trusty paper crimper. The leaves and gold on the DSP look so pretty with the added dimension the paper crimper adds!

A few dies from both the Elegant Leaves Bundle and Sweet Words & Labels helped me create just the right balance of things to add to the focal point … I love fall!!

Stamps: Elegant Leaves

Paper: Pecan Pie, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Golden Glow, Crumb Cake, Luxe Foliage DSP

Ink: Early Espresso, Golden Glow; Stampin’ Blends - Pecan Pie

Accessories: Elegant Leaves Dies, Sweet Words and Labels Dies, Adhesive-Backed Metallic Gems, Linen Thread, Paper Crimper

Just back from all ny traveling back and forth the last two weeks … I guess how I have to say excuse to put off the “spring cleaning” I totally intended to do in May … it may be time for a yard sale!!

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!

TGIF Challenge #593 - Color Challenge

What do you think of this soft, beautiful color combo? I love it!

This week’s TGIF Challenge is to use the lovely colors of Very Vanilla, Lost Lagoon and Fresh Freesia. Elegant and fun!

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

The focal point of this slimline (3.5”x8.5”) card is the word FRIEND, made using the Playful Alphabet Dies, Two-Tone Lost Lagoon and Fresh Freesia cardstock and the new Soft Weave 3D Embossing Folder.

Small amounts of the white core from the two-tone cardstock came through when I put the completed letters through my embossing machine using the Soft Weave 3D Embossing Folder. I love the effect!

The background was created using a blending brush and some Fresh Freesia ink. I then splattered a little bit of both Fresh Freesia and Lost Lagoon ink using my Stampin’ Blends. The edges were roughed up using a blade from some scissors.

The flowers and leaves were cut using a few of the Help Me Grow Dies and some Very Vanilla cardstock. I lightly colored the centers of the little diecut flowers using the Stampin’ Blends. Adding three different-sized Antique Pearl Embellishments and called this card complete!

Stamps: None!

Paper: Very Vanilla, Lost Lagoon 2-Tone, Fresh Freesia Two-Tone

Ink: Fresh Freesia; Stampin’ Blends - Lost Lagoon, Fresh Freesia

Accessories: Playful Alphabet Dies, Help Me Grow Dies, Antique Pearls

I’ve spent my entire summer going NOwhere … and since last week I have been to Disneyland, Bear Lake and am now headed to Stagecoach, Nevada, to visit my niece, nephew and two grand nephews! Great way to finish up the last month of summer!

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!

Monday Montage - Memorable Garden

Happy Monday! The Monday Montage Crew is back! Having been out of town for the whole last week I had to play catch up once I got home yesterday!

I haven’t watercolored a background for a while, and I felt the need to be crafty! I used some watercolor paper and stamped and spritzed several large and small flower images using the Memorable Garden Stamps. I did some off stamping for the tiny Hydrangea Hue flowers, and I spritzed the already-inked stamps for the large flowers. 

Of course, I couldn’t resist flicking some ink using my Stampin’ Blends … I love how this came out!

Stamps: Memorable Garden, Tile Garden

Paper: Basic White, Watercolor, Mosaic Garden DSP

Ink: Hydrangea Hue, Crisp Cantaloupe, Night of Navy; Stampin’ Blends - Night of Navy, Pumpkin PIe

Accessories:  Hydrangea Hue 1/4” Bordered Ribbon, Glossy Garden Dots, Stapler

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!

Stampin’ Fancy Friday - Letter Challenge

Isn’t it crazy that it took me until I was 27 years old (again!) to learn that I actually liked cats?? We adopted our sweet Willow last October and have been smitten with her since day ONE!

Soooo … I used a combination of letters from the Mini Alphabet and Party Alphabet Dies, Cutest Crew stamps and Vanilla Baker’s Twine to create a scrapbook layout to capture her sweet and mischievous nature!

Willow is a bundle of fun! She loves crawling in, around and under things and is very enamored of Amazon boxes (empty or full!). She is very friendly and loves to be where the people are!

I made this little ball of yarn using some Very Vanilla Baker’s twine. I stuck a little adhesive down and just wrapped my own little circle … then added some little pieces to cross over the ball and cascade down from there.

I used an assortment of circle punches to add interest and dimension behind the letters and kittens.

The pawprint strip from the Cutest Crew Dies added the most darling detail to the “MEOW”. If you look closely you can see that the left-hand side of each letter is actually a strip … I did a little cutting and pasting to be able to add them to these letters.

Of course, the Cutest Crew kittens make appearances all over this page … it wouldn’t have been nearly as cute without them!

Stamps: Cutest Crew

Paper: Basic White, Pecan Pie Two-Tone, Lost Lagoon Two-Tone, Basic Gray, Gray Granite, Country Woods DSP

Ink: Black Memento; Stampin’ Blends - Pecan PIe, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Gray Granite, Lost Lagoon

Accessories: Party Alphabet Dies, Mini Alphabet Dies, Cutest Critter Dies, 1 3/8” Circle Punch, 2 3/4” Circle Punch, Very Vanilla Baker’s Twine

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

Mosaic Garden Suite

Eeeeep! You GUYYYYSSS! There is nothing that I DON’T love in the new Mosaic Garden Suite!!

The Tile Garden stamp set (all of the images are SO pretty!!), the Glossy Garden Dots, the Hydrangea Hue ribbon, the DSP … ALL of it is just so elegant!!

All of the flowers were fussy cut (something I actually enjoy … it relaxes me!), so this took a little time. But I absolutely ADORE how this came out!!

I mean, COME ON!! The Mosaic Garden DSP that I used as a backdrop is the BEST!!! It looks embossed, doesn’t it??!!??

I used the Glossy Garden Dots and the Hydrangea Hue ribbon to balance out the details. And the Textured Tree Ring 3D Embossing Folder was just the perfect splash of texture I needed to give the Pecan Pie strip some dimension that makes it pop!

Stamps: Tile Garden

Paper: Basic White, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pecan Pie, Pretty Peacock, Mosaic Garden DSP

Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Crushed Curry, Hydrangea Hue, Pretty Peacock, Old Olive, Versamark

Accessories: Textured Tree Ring 3D Embossing Folder, Glossy Garden Dots, Hydrangea Hue 1/4” Bordered Ribbon, White Embossing Powder

What’s your favorite element? I love it all, so picking a favorite is probably impossible for me!

It’s my birthday week and I’m just back from Disneyland before heading up to Bear Lake for a weekend of doing mostly nothing (something I don’t do enough!). Summer is already winding down … how is that even possible??!??

TGIF Challenge #591 - Inspiration

Flowers, flowers and MORE flowers! And in shades of yellow, no less! This inspiration photo for the TGIF Challenge is soooo good … and I knew right away what I wanted to do!

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

This card is mostly an exercise in fussy cutting. I just had received this month’s Product of the Month - Glow of Harvest DSP. It is absolutely GOOOORGEOUS! There’s a slight sheen to it which just makes each flower and leaf even that much better.

With a piece of Gingham Garden DSP as a backdrop, I added a diecut piece using the Botanical Expressions Die in Golden Glow. Then I just fussy cut a bunch of the images from a piece of the Glow of Harvest DSP and arranged them until I felt good about them.

The sentiment came from Sending Salutations and was cut out using one of the Nested Essentials Dies.

I then added a Very Vanilla Baker’s Twine bow and a few little butterfly embellishments. Very easy, and I love the fall vibes it is giving off!

Stamps: Sending Salutations

Paper: Very Vanilla, Golden Glow, Glow of Harvest DSP

Ink: Golden Glow

Accessories: Nested Essentials Dies, Botanical Expressions Die, Very Vanilla Baker’s Twine, 2026-2028 Butterfly Embellishments

My birthday is next week, so y’all know what THAT means … Yep! A trip to Disneyland with my BFF Cheryl and sister in law Diann. I plan to eat my way across both parks (with a little bit of restraint, I hope!). Then we will be taking a little family trip up to Bear Lake for the weekend! It’s gonna be a stellar week!

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!

Monday Montage - Begonia Belle

Happy Monday! The Monday Montage Crew is at it again! Lots of good inspiration this week!

After my good friend and fellow Monday Montage-r, Elizabeth Price, posted one of these lovely accordion folded cards the other day I knew I HAD to figure it out and post one myself! I learned a lot and have some tweaks to make for when I do it again (for which I will post all the dimensions and such!).

Isn’t this purdy?

I also took inspiration from one of the photos that Stampin’ Up posted as a sample for this Begonia Belle stamp set … they used the black and white side of some of the Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP to pair with three different roses … loved it so much I had to borrow the inspiration!

Stamps: Begonia Belle

Paper: Basic Black, Basic White, Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP

Ink: Fresh Freesia, Berry Burst, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Barely Blush, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Greene Old Olive, Versamark

Accessories:  Tile Garden Dies, Ladybug Garden Epoxy Shapes

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!

On Stage Mini Album

As I was digging through some of my stash I came across a cute little chipboard-cover 5”x5” mini album … Stampin’ Up sold these about a GAZILLION years ago and this one never got the love it deserved! 

Since I have been wanted to make a mini album of my last trip to On Stage in Long Beach last March, this gave me the perfect motivation to get started!!

The Gingham Gallery DSP was the star of the show on this! I just used it on every page for every photo!

I used a combo of dies and stamps from three different set (check the supply list below).

I just kept cutting and stamping and gluing! This particular page has a little pocket to slide a photo out of …

This layout was fun! I cut two pieces of Golden Glow cardstock to 4.25”x 8.5” and folded them in half. That way I was able to adhere 8 photos in total on this little two-page layout!

The folded pieces just tuck into a little strip of DSP that I adhered on both pages close to the spiral bind … cute, eh?

This photo was too big to fit on one page, so I strategically cut it in half and mounted each half on a separate page (luckily I didn’t have to cut any of my friends in half!). How cool is that??!??

Stamps: Capturing Smiles, Extraordinary Life, Bordered in Beauty, Simple Alphabet

Paper: Basic White, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Golden Glow, Hydrangea Hue, Perfectly Pine, Barely Blush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Gingham Gallery DSP

Ink: Black Memento, Golden Glow, Hydrangea Hue, Perfectly Pine, Barely Blush, Crisp Cantaloupe

Accessories: Capturing Smiles Dies, Extraordinary Life Dies, Bordered in Beauty Dies, Very Vanilla Baker’s Twine, 5”x5” Mini Album, Just Jade Gingham Ribbon (retired)

Here are the rest of the pages … I’m so happy with how they turned out!