Friday, July 31, 2020

Fab Friday #195

Arrrrgghhhh!! I HATE it when somebody "moves my cheese"!!! I have been blogging since 2007 ... and Blogger has decided to entirely revamp it's interface!!! POOOOEY!!! I am old enough (and nerdy enough) to actually know html. I used to design intranet pages for the local gas company. And the new interface is designed to NOT let me do it the way I want to ... URRRRGGGHHH!!! I HATE HATE HATE it!!! I was finally able to revert back to the "old school" interface, but it will only be available through August 24. Color me UNHAPPY!! At least I got to play and make a card with the Fab Friday Team!!


Now that I have done my pouting ... I want to say how much I am IN LOVE with the "Ridiculously Awesome" stamp set AND the "Plaid Tidings" DSP (which will be available to all y'all in the Holiday Catalog on August 4!!)!! EEEeeeep!!! I want alltheplaid allthetime!!!

Stamps: Ridiculously Awesome
Paper: Seaside Spray, Mango Melody, Whisper White, Plaid Tidings DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Celebration Labels Dies, Stitched Triangles Dies, Seaside Spray Scalloped Trim Linen Ribbon










Very simple, with LOTS of options to add to/change it up!










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

How's the weather where you are?? It is HOT-HOT-HOT in Salt Lake City! It must be some sort of DESERT or something!!! I wouldn't mind as much if our air conditioning weren't having issues. I am SOOO happy we have a nice, cool basement with some fans ... they are saving my life!!
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Sunday, July 19, 2020

Monday Montage #169

Then there was that time that I got home from an impromptu out-of-town weekend getaway to discover that not only did I have to make TWO cards for one blog hop (which I knew about before I left), but you ALSO have to make a THIRD card for another blog hop (which I TOTALLY forgot about!). So I have been stampin' ... and playing ... and making a HUGE mess on my craft table! Happy Monday Montage, friends!! I kinda want to go back to West Yellowstone and camp for about, say, a MONTH!!! It was beautiful and relaxing!!


I knew the minute I got the Best Plaid Dies in my new catalog order than I wanted to do a non-traditional color combo. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do something "summery". I Googled "summer plaid". When I saw this color combo I said, "That's the one!" We ALL had a mom or an aunt or maybe even an uncle who had a shirt with this color combo, didn't we??? It is so fun and cheerful!

Stamps: Posted for You
Paper: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Green, Balmy Blue
Ink: Melon Mambo
Accessories: Best Plaid Dies, Stitched Triangle Dies, Banners Pick a Punch, Daisy Punch, Medium Daisy Punch, Clear Epoxy Droplets, Misty Moonlight 1/4" Ribbon, 1/2"  Circle Punch (retired), 3/8" Circle Punch (retired), Stapler


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 - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
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!!

THIS WEEK is my "get back into some sorta exercise routine" week. I still exercise a bit every day, but I haven't been pushing myself since about the end of May. I feel like a SLUG!!! I'm putting this out there so that I have some sort of accountability. DANG!! It's SOOOO easy to get out of the groove, isn't it??

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout ... as per usual, they BOTH knocked it out of the park!

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Freakin' Summer Lovin'!


C'mon EVERYbody ... "Summer Lovin' had me a blaaa-aaast ... summer lovin' it happened so faaa-aaast!" This month the Control Freaks are sharing a little Summer Lovin' ... and now I need to go watch Grease again because it is one of my favorites of all time FAAAAAVORITES! And I feel like I have watched all of Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Hulu, CBS All Access and Apple TV that there is already!! Darn Pandemic!!! Debbie Henderson made some VERY fun creations for this theme ... did you see them as you were hopping on by??

How I miss the days of my youth. Not only because they were great, but because I grew up in California and we had an orange and tangerine tree in our backyard. I took them TOTALLY for granted then they were RIGHT THERE UNDER MY NOSE!!! DANG!! I will eat any sort of citrus any time, anywhere!! It's good on food, it makes delicious drinks, it's good in your Diet Coke, it's good when you are camping ... it's a PORTABLE SNACK!! What I wouldn't give for some citrus trees in my backyard NOW!!

Stamps: Cute Fruit
Paper: Whisper White, Granny Apple Green
Ink: Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Mango Melody, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Banners Pick a Punch, Bumblebee Gingham Trim

Now it's time for one of my OTHER favorite summertime delicious things ... WATERMELON!! Oh MAN!! Honestly, is there ANYthing more AMAZNG on a hot summer day than a cold slice of watermelon?? I think NOT!!! The Cute Fruit stamp set is so much fun!! Both of these cards were made using it ... and I snuck in another sneak peek of the soon-to-be-released Celebration Labels Dies.

Stamps: Cute Fruit, Buffalo Check
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Poppy Parade, Garden Green, Whisper White
Accessories: Celebration Labels Dies, Whisper White 5/8" Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon, Coastalweave Embossing Folder, Whisper White Embossing Powder


We took an impromptu trip to West Yellowstone over the weekend. Just a sweet little campsite and some beautiful fresh air. It's AMAZING how much a little bit of nature can cure your soul, know what I mean?? We flew over Yellowstone Falls and Old Faithful on the way home and it brought tears to my eyes!! God had a GOOD DAY the day he made that WHOLE area!!

Next up??? The ever-talented ... Connie Babbert!! She always makes the cutest combination of things!!

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Friday, July 17, 2020

Fab Friday #194

This card took MUCH longer to make that I had anticipated ... BECAUSE ... I ordered The Right Triangle stamp set thinking I was ordering the BUNDLE (which included the dies), and I only ordered the stamp set!! DANG!! I HATE when that happens!! So I had to wait for a while to save up some more $$$ and a few more things I wanted to order. When I saw the color scheme for this week's Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge, I KNEW I HAD to use this fun bundle!!

It took me a bit to try and decide how to arrange everything on this card ... and I ended up adding a BONUS color (Pool Party)!

Stamps: The Right Triangle, Peaceful Moments, Celebration Tidings (Sneak Peek!!)
Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Poppy Parade, Pool Party
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Celebration Labels Dies (Also a Sneak Peek!), Stitched Triangles Dies, Metallic Pearls







Bright, happy and FUN colors!







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

And here we are at the end of week 4,267 of the COVID-19 Pandemic ... sigh ... at least it FEELS like it has been that long!! Let's all be careful out there ... social distance ... wear your masks (pretty please?) ... and let's get this over with SOONER rather than LATER, k???
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Sunday, July 5, 2020

Monday Montage #168

Hey-howdy Friends!! Welcome to another Monday Montage Blog Hop ... we're so happy to have you join us!! I am so proud of myself that I had this card made WAY ahead of time ... BUT ... I didn't get around to prepping this blog post until TEN MINUTES before it was due to go up! Seems like I'm always chasing the clock! SHEESH!!


I love the rain. In fact, my daughter in I always love to go out and play and dance in it, ESPECIALLY if it's REALLY coming down. This all stems from my my daughter was a very little girl. She always LOVED to go outside with her umbrella when it was raining. So now, even though she is 26 years old, married and no longer lives at my house, I STILL think of her and will call or text her whenever the rain is really coming down ... oh how I miss those days when my kids were littles!! This card is an ode to all those rainy umbrella days!

Stamps: Under My Umbrella
Paper: Whisper White, Pretty Peacock, Shaded Spruce, Mint Macaron, Forever Greenery DSP
Ink: Shaded Spruce
Accessories: Umbrella Builder Punch, Hammered Metal Embossing Folder, Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder, Flowers for Every Season Gems


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 - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

I had a HUGE-AWFUL-NASTY task that involved numbers and filing and LOTS of computer work. I have been putting it off for AGES and AGES! I FINALLY buckled down this past weekend and shut the world out and worked on it until it was DONE! Can I just say that I feel LIGHT as a FEATHER now?? Why do we do stuff like this to ourselves??? Good grief!! I spent WAY more time worrying about getting it done that actually DOING it!! I get a gold star for completing a task, though, so that's happy!

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout ... these girls are ALWAYS on top of their game!

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Friday, July 3, 2020

Fab Friday #193

Once upon a time you spent WAAAYYYY longer than you should have trying to type up a blog post whilst fighting the effects of restless leg syndrome and the quickly working dose of Ambien you took. You can't sit still to type and you are having difficult time focusing on the screen and what you are typing ... only to have the completely and FINALLY finished product decide to CRASH on Blogger and NOT save ... and so, therefore, your entire post has been lost and you have to start all over again! Only now your legs are MORE restless, and the Ambien has turned your brain to MUSH! Welcome to July 2020 ... and welcome to this week's Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge. Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any typos, grammar errors, misspelled words or any general rambling, as I feel that I barely know what I am doing right now!

Here’s a card. I made it. Earlier this week even. And it's done. And I'm going to struggle through the supplies list AGAIN since it didn't stick the first time around ... and I gotta hurry because the battery on ny laptop is dying and if I go find the cord more time is gonna pass and my eyes are gonna get DROOPIER and I may just start dreaming right here on this page and write a whole bunch of nonsense!!

Stamps: Posted for You, Buffalo Check (may it live FOREVER)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Black, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo, Wink of Stella
Accessories: Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder, Flowers for Every Season Gems, Flowers for Every Season Ribbon







It took me a hot minute to come up with something on this sketch challenge that I actually LIKED ... and to tell ya the truth, I can't really even remember if I like it or not! Do I? Don't I??? Only AMBIEN knows!!






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

Going to bed ... and I plan to watch Hamilton ALL WEEKEND LONG until I can sing every single syllable without missing a beat ... or until my hubby goes crazy and has to leave the house ... in which case, I will just start it again and watch some more!! Happy Independence Weekend!
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Thursday, July 2, 2020

Stampin' Fancy Friday - CASE A Fancy Friend!




Have any of all y'all been following the Stampin' Fancy Friday Team on Instagram??? If you have NOT, you SHOULD ... #stampinfancyfriday. These women are SOOOOOOO amazingly talented and lovely ... and they are from ALL OVER. You NEED their creations in your life!! This month we were playing "CASE A Fancy Friend"! The card I made is a CASE of one made by one of my MOST FAVORITE stampers, Connie Collins!

This is a color combo I would NEVER have put together on my own ... which is why I LOVE the Interwebz and the capability we have to spend some time (HOURS????) looking around and seeing what others are creating. Sometimes I get sucked into the BLACK HOLE (aka Pinterest) and have a hard time surfacing!! It's truly fun, isn't it???

Stamps: Blossoms in Bloom, Celebrate Sunflowers (sentiment), Buffalo Check
Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Poppy Parade
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Poppy Moments Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Many Layers Blossoms Dies, Bumblebee 1/4" Gingham Ribbon, 2020-2022 In Color Enamel Dots








This was the card Connie created that I used as inspiration ...











Last week in Zion with Bree and her family was the ABSOLUTE BEST!! The world kind of "went away" ... and we were able to relax and visit and hike and enjoy some of the most SPECTACULAR views on the planet. How did the time go by so quickly??? I can't WAIT to do it again ... hopefully SOON!!
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