Saturday, April 27, 2019

Wonderful Wisteria Mosaic

I LOVE having days off when I don't have 100 different places to go or errands to run. I also love when it is a mixture of rainy/sunny outside. So I spent some time yesterday (whilst watching some more movies from the Marvel Universe to gear of for Avengers Endgame ... which I saw last night!) stamping and enjoying a little quiet time. It was great!!!

The MOMENT I saw the tree stamp in this Memorable Mosaic stamp set I KNEW it was going to have to end up as a purple-colored wisteria!! Ohhhhh my goodness, you guys!!! It turned out just as pretty as I had hoped it would!!

Stamps: Memorable Mosaic
Paper: Gorgeous Grape, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Glossy White
Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Soft Suede
Accessories: Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Classic Label Punch, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon

And because I couldn't decide what I wanted to do (and because I had a LOT of images floating around inside my head), I made a SECOND card (I was kinda making both of them at the same time ... just deciding what I did and didn't like!)!!

I did a little watercolor work for the backgrounds on both of these cards ... it's fun now that I have figured out what I'm doing (kind of!)!!

Stamps: Memorable Mosaic
Paper: Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Whisper White, Glossy White
Ink: Highland Heather, Soft Suede
Accessories: Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Timeless Label Punch, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, Stapler

I did my last long training run before I do a half marathon in Ogden, Utah in a few weeks. Twelve miles ... and I felt pretty good when I was done. I think I am totally ready. We will be tapering the next couple of weeks, so I have a couple of 8-mile runs as well as a handful of 3-4 mile runs. BRING IT!!!

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Friday, April 26, 2019

Fab Friday #162

Not only is today FAB FRIDAY (which I always LOVE, by the way!) ... but it's Avenger's Endgame Friday!!! Ohhhhh maaaaannnn!!! I can't WAIT to see this movie (and YES I am a GEEK ... and YES I wanna be Captain Marvel for Halloween)!!! So two of my favorite things are part of today ... stamping and the Marvel Universe!!! YAAAYYYYY!!

See this stamp set??? Isn't it GORGEOUS?? Isn't it AMAZING???? Don't you just want one for yourSELF????? It's called Memorable Mosaic ... and it's one of the many LOVELY new stamp sets that will be in the 2019-2020 Stampin' Up catalog!! I am gonna go BANKRUPT ... just like I do EVERY year when new things come out!!

Stamps: Memorable Mosaic
Paper: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Petal Pink, Vellum
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Timeless Label Punch, Petal Pair Textured Impressions Embossing Folder






Five colors ... but since Pool Party/Coastal Cabana and Blushing Bride/Petal Pink/Poppy Parade are all different variations on the same color, it makes it kinda easy!! You GOT this!!







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

I'm going to need to get up early tomorrow morning for a 12-mile training run with the Hunstman Heroes ... half marathon in Ogden coming up in a couple of weeks!!! It's getting SOOOOO close!!!

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Tuesday, April 23, 2019

And Then I Forgot ...

Truth be told ... I went through a VERY dry spell with my papercrafting for a couple of years. Don't get me wrong ... I STILL loved it ... and STILL managed to squeak things out from time to time ... but after The Great Flood of December 2016, getting everything repaired, cleaned and put back in order for me to be able to do some serious crafting took FOR-EV-ER!! Since the beginning of this year I have found myself going through crafty marathons where I create more than ONE thing at the same sitting. It is AMAZINGLY fun and therapeutic. Having said all that, I know can admit that I have created a handful of cards that I promptly FORGOT about!! They have just been sitting on the counter in my craft room and not getting the love and attention they deserve! How SAD is THAT??!!

Which brings me to this card. I made it well over a month ago, and am just remembering to do something about it!!! I borrowed the vase punch and stamp set from my bestie, Cheryl. I started out with something COMPLETELY different from the finished product, but that's how the creative process works sometimes, isn't it??

Stamps: Vibrant Vases
Paper: Crumb Cake, Tranquil Tide, Whisper White, Tranquil Tide, Tranquil Textures DSP
Ink: Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss, Soft Sea Foam, Tranquil Tide
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits, Vase Builder Punch, Leaf Punch, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, Linen Thread, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Simply Scored

Dashing off to get my day going in a positive direction. Laundry, errands, cleaning, doggie groomer appointment ... day is going to be pretty busy, so I had better get with it!! Ta-ta!!!

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Sunday, April 21, 2019

Monday Montage #137


It's another gorgeous day here ... sunshine and rain! The air feels GREAT! Nice temperatures and crisp, clean air!! Once again, the Monday Montage girls are playing and creating some beautiful things!! Oh man!! Didn't ya just LOOOOOVE Melissa's post??? She has got it going ON, right???

I feel like this is "part two" for the last thing I posted last Friday. I have already created four cards with the "Come Sail Away" suite!!! I still have a LOT of ideas in my head for these lovely products! This one ... I created the background by "smooshing" both Night of Navy and Balmy Blue ink pads onto my silicone sheet ... spritzing the sheet with some water ... then pressing a piece of glossy cardstock (shiny side DOWN) on top of the spritzed ink. Make sense??? I did it several times until I got a background that looked like it was "under the sea" ...

Stamps: Sailing Home
Paper: Whisper White, Glossy White, Night of Navy, Balmy Blue
Ink: Night of Navy, Balmy Blue
Accessories: Smooth Sailing Dies, Trio Corner Punch, Spritzer

The DSP in this suite ... MAN-OH-MAN!!! There isn't a single pattern that I DON'T love!! This was a quick and easy little card ... not even quadruple-layered or anything! LOVE the little die that goes with the compass image ... making the "dials" was a lot of fun!

Stamps: Sailing Home
Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Gold Foil, Soft Suede, Come Sail Away DSP
Ink: Night of Navy, Soft Suede
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Night of Navy/Sahara Sand Baker's Twine, Metallic Pears, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Trio Corner Punch, Classic Label Punch (to create "banner" shape on the edge of the Whisper White sentiment tag)

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 - SITTING OUT THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

After having eaten my fair share of food/dessert on Easter Sunday, I am looking forward to trying to get back on track this week. No more junk food ... and I'm going to ramp up my exercising efforts!! I saw a Captain Marvel costume that I either want to make myself or purchase for Halloween (and whatever other events I can think of as an excuse to wear it!). I would LOVE to be able to fit into it and not look like a tube of toothpaste!!

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill has created ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout's marvelousness!!



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Friday, April 19, 2019

Let's Hear It for the Boy(s)!




The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the grass is GREEN!! Oh SPRING how I LOVE YOU!! It may snow this weekend ... sigh ... and then we will be in SUMMER!!! Seasons change SO quickly here in Utah! Sometimes the transitions are HARSH, I tell ya!! This month the Control Freaks are freaking out about MASCULINE/BOY cards! Cindy Elam certainly NAILED it, didn't she??


Last Saturday, along with a BUNCH of my wonderful Stampin' friends, I was able to attend Stampin' Up's OnStage event in Salt Lake City. We had SUUUUUCH a good time!!! One of the BEST parts was that we got to play with some of the "new" stuff coming out in this year's catalog!! HOOOORRAAAYYY! Even BETTER??? We were able to preorder some of the things we had seen!! How FUN is THAT??? This "Come Sail Away" Suite of products may be one of my most FAVE set of things that have come out in a while. I am gonna be creating a BUNCH of things with this stuff!!

This was my first creation ... and in spite of myself it's kinda #cleanandsimple. I have a hard time NOT using ALL the layers!! The designer series paper and the dies that go with the stamps are GREAT!



Stamps: Sailing Home
Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Come Sail Away DSP
Ink: Night of Navy, Balmy Blue
Accessories: Night of Navy/Sahara Sand Baker's Twine, Smooth Sailing Dies, Metallic Pearls


And NOW ... I think I tried to put as much DSP on this baby as I could!! I mean, REALLY??!!?? Isn't it ALL just SO LOVELY??!!??

Stamps: Sailing Home
Paper: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Soft Suede, Come Sail Away DSP
Ink: Night of Navy, Soft Suede
Accessories: Night of Navy/Sahara Sand Baker's Twine, Smooth Sailing Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Seaside Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Sail Away Trinkets, Linen Thread


Next up???  ... the oh-so-creative Julie Davison!! Always a pleasure to see her creativity!

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Friday, April 12, 2019

Fab Friday #161

Welllll ... TODAY is a GOOD day!!! Not ONLY is it Fab Friday (and I KNOW you always love that!) ... but I have friends arriving for all over hither and yon to attend Stampin' Up's OnStage event!! I LOOOOOVE my stampin' friends more than I can even tell ya! Heck ... it's BECAUSE of them that I even HAVE a blog!!

I have decided recently to regain my "overdoes-it-girl" mentality when it comes to making cards. I have been STRUGGLING the past few years to try to make cards that are "simple" or "easy" ... and I have just let myself admit to myself that I have more fun when I add #allthethings and #allthelayers. So there you go!! Which bring me to this week's challenge. It's a very clean and beautiful sketch ... and I, of course, added a gazillion layers more than I needed to ... but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

Stamps: Beautiful Bouquet, Well Said
Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Basic Black, Real Red, Pineapple Punch
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Basic Black, Real Red, Pineapple Punch
Accessories: Bouquet Bunch Framelits Dies, Well Written Framelits Dies, Stitched Rectangles Framelits Dies, Classic Label Punch, Tufted Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, 1/2" Circle Punch, Braided Linen Trim, Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots







Can you see how my card started out with this sketch??? It's a fun 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
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers

I will be spending the better part of today helping to set things up for the OnStage event at the Salt Palace convention center. Then I will be hanging with friends ... and Saturday we will ALL be together and enjoying crafty goodness (and we will get to see the new 2019-2020 Stampin' Up catalog)!! I can't WAIT!!

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Sunday, April 7, 2019

Monday Montage #136



Back on the HOP with the Monday Montage Girls again this week!! We've had some BEAUTIFUL sunny days this past week, and I'm feeling SOOOOO into Spring!!! Man-oh-man has it been a long winter or what???

And here I am with ANOTHER "cake" card. Seriously??? You guys, I just LOVE cake ... of almost EVERY kind (I will eat carrot cake, but it's not at the top of my list!!)!! I've been wanting this Swirly Frames stamp set since it came out last year!! I FINALLY ordered it this last week (along with the Scattered Sequins Embossing Folder ... which I didn't even realize EXISTED until a couple of months ago!)!!! What can I say??? Cake is just the happiest of things!

Stamps: Swirly Frames, Piece of Cake
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Melon Mambo, Pineapple Punch
Ink: Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Melon Mambo, Pineapple Punch
Accessories: Stitched Rectangles Framelits Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Bitty Blooms Punch Pack, Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots, Silver Mini Sequin 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 - SITTING OUT THIS WEEK
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 - SITTING OUT 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!!

Next weekend is Stampin' Up's OnStage event ... and I will be there with my friends right here in good ol' Salt Lake City!! Can't wait for Bree to be here staying with us. And speaking of Bree ... she is NEXT UP on our hop this week!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Bree Renwick ... SOOOOO GOOOOOD!


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Wednesday, April 3, 2019

{Cup}Cakes are ALWAYS a Good Idea!

If I haven't mentioned it before, I have a VERY large extended family. YEARS ago I started writing all the birthdays/anniversaries for all of our Weixler family members and giving them to everyone for Christmas. THEN, kids were growing up, getting married, and having babies of their own. It got to be a HUGE amount of work AND a HUGE amount of expense to make these calendars (which I was now adding family photos to AND printing out in color for each and every family member who was living in their own home). I finally gave in some years back and just settled on creating family lists with birthdays, anniversaries, addresses, phone numbers and the like. They get fixed up pretty and emailed to all the family peeps. SOOOO, because it's fun and I don't have enough things to do, I send birthday cards to all of the extended Weixler family members (I gave up on the anniversaries and decided a text to the anniversary couple will have to be good!). You may have noticed that a LOT of my cards are of the birthday variety, and now you know WHY!

CUPPYCAKES!!! Oh man ... oh MAN!! I LOVE ME SOME ADORABLE LITTLE CUPPYCAKES! Hoping that my cute little cousin will like them, too!!

Stamps: Birthday Cheer
Paper: Blushing Bride, Basic Black, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Butterfly Gala DSP (recently retired)
Ink: Melon Mambo, Blushing Bride (applied with an aqua painter to background)
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits, Detailed Birthday Edgelets, Dot to Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stitched Rectangles Dies

Next week OnStage will be happening here in good ol' Salt Lake City! Getting VERY excited for my BFF, Bree Renwick, to come stay with me! AND to be able to hang with my very best besties and crafty SU friends!!! Such a good time is ALWAYS had!! Squeeeeee!!!

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