TGIF #453 - Inspiration Challenge

I stamped ... just because I COULD!! Between my son's wedding prep (wedding was in October), me blowing up my knee (6 days before the wedding!), having knee surgery to repair my ACL and meniscus, and THEN doing all the Christmas stuff, I haven't hardly had two seconds to stamp just because it was something I COULD do, for FUN!! YAY and HOORAY for this week's TGIF Challenge!! The inspiration pic is darling, isn't it???

I can't get over how stinkin' caaaaYOOT the critters in the Fluffiest of Friends stamp set are!! (I mean ... they are called FLUFFY for a reason, right???) I had fun coloring each and every one of these little cuties! 

I used the Elegant Borders Dies to create the little gingham panel on the left side. I then used the Brilliant Backgrounds Dies to create the Very Vanilla panel just behind the gingham panel. I really like how both of the dies in that set look good behind just about anything!!

Stamps: Fluffiest of Friends, Charming Sentiments

Paper: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Glorious Gingham DSP

Ink: Black Memento, Pecan Pie; Stampin' Blends - Gray Granite, Balmy Blue, Bubble Bath, Lemon Lolly, Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Pool Party

Accessories: Natural 1/4" Wavy Trim, Pecan Pie 1/2" Bordered Ribbon, Linen Thread, Fluffiest of Friends Dies, Elegant Borders Dies, Sentiment Silhouettes Dies, Brilliant Backgrounds Dies

I would LOVE to take about a MONTH off of EVERYthing!! Ha! Not gonna happen, but at least I don't have any major life events on the horizon (that is assuming I don't trip on anything!)!

Monday Montage #251

 

The age-old question ... one week prior to Christmas ... is, "Are you ready?" The answer for me would be a RESOUNDING NO!! As I have been busiedly been working on THIS year's Christmas cards I was realizing that I had never posted LAST year's Christmas card! So, for this week's Monday Montage I present to you The Weixler Family 2022 Christmas Card! (Better late than never, right???)

This little baby has a TON of separate pieces on it!! I used the Trees for Sale Stamp Set in conjunction with the matching Tree Lot Dies. Boy was this FUN ... for maybe the first 50 or so times! It took a LOT of time (which I enjoyed since I was in my dining room right next to our newly-installed gas log fireplace insert!!). I stamped off the trees in the background in two different colors (Evening Evergreen and Soft Succulent). I tend to looooove making Christmas cards that are truly a labor of that love! 

This is the digital layout I did for the inside with cute pix of my family. Seeing as we live in different states, I was grateful to get everyone in the family in  the card! Yay! Success!

Stamps: Trees for Sale

Paper: Whisper White, Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Silver Foil, Smoky Slate

Ink: Black Memento, Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede; Stampin' Blends - Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Garden Green, Highland Heather

Accessories: Tree Lot Dies, Wink of Stella

Digital Insert created with My Memories Suite.

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Bree Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs 
Charlet Mallet - Painted Orange - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance  - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots

Emily Kimmey - EMK Creations 

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run  - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to see Emily Kimmey ... so happy they were able to play along this week!

Monday Montage #250

 

Welcome to this week's Monday Montage Blog Hop! Believe it or not, this was the absolute FIRST Christmas card I have made at ALL this year! What is even up with that??? The last few months have been such a blur ... I finally cleared off my crafting table and got some order replaced in my craft room, so that most definitely helped!!

I had more fun than I care to admit paper piecing the poinsettias from the Rustic Crate Stamp set. I stamped the main floral image on each of the colors of cardstock I used ... Shaded Spruce, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler and Daffodil Delight. I find fussy cutting very relaxing and kind of therapeutic. I accented the leaves and petals with a little bit of white gel pen and some Wink of Stella (which, sadly, doesn't always photograph well). 

I added a little panel behind the crate using the Countryside Corner Dies and the Merry Melody Embossing Folder (sponged with a little bit of Pecan Pie ink). I wanted to add a little bit of "Christmas Caroling" to this card and I love how it turned out!

Stamps: Rustic Crate

Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Shaded Spruce, Glorious Gingham DSP, Three Color Glimmer Specialty Paper, All About Autumn DSP, Gold Foil DSP

Ink: Black Memento, Pecan Pie, Early Espresso

Accessories: Rustic Crate Dies, Countryside Corners Dies, Music Melody Embossing Folder, Pecan Pie 1/2" Bordered Ribbon, Adhesive-Backed Speckled Dots, Wink of Stella, Stapler, White Gel Pen

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Bree Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs 
Charlet Mallet - Painted Orange

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance 

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots

Emily Kimmey - EMK Creations 

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run  - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to see Emily Kimmey ... love the inspiration I get from everyone on this team with every hop!

Monday Montage #249

 

Where has this ENTIRE YEAR gone??? I swear I blinked and it's already November!! Sheesh!! Good news is that I am making slooooow progress with my recovery from my ACL/meniscus surgery. Who has time for this nonsense anyway??? Grateful for science and that I will be back to normal ... in 7-8 months or so! Welcome to this week's Monday Montage!

I went with a pretty simple sketch and some dry and heat embossing on this card. I combined Heartfelt Hexagons with Circle Sayings and came up with this!

I put a little Wink of Stella on the cupcake's frosting ... it tastes better that way, yeah??

Stamps: Heartfelt Hexagon, Circle Sayings

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Pecan Pie, Petal Pink

Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark

Accessories: Countryside Blossoms Embossing Folder, Cheery Patterns Embossing Folders, Deckled Circles Dies, Heartfelt Hexagon Punch, White Embossing Powder, Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots,  1/4" Natural Wavy Trim, Pecan Pie 1/2" Bordered Ribbon, Wink of Stella

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Bree Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs 
Charlet Mallet - Painted Orange

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance  - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots

Emily Kimmey - EMK Creations - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run  - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to see Elizabeth Price ... now I need to gear up for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Christmas decorating next weekend! Like I said before, this year has ZIPPED by!!

Monday Montage #247

 

Ooooooooooooouuuuuuccchhh!!! Trying to come down from Oxy (I HATE the stuff and will NEVER take it again!) after having had my ACL and meniscus repaired surgically last Thursday afternoon. I made this card BEFORE I got on meds and had surgery .... so I was MUCH more with it when I created this for this week's Monday Montage. Fall-all-all-all-all is finally here!

Isn't it purdy??? LoveLove LOVE The Timeless Arrangements Dies soooo much .... even without the stamps! It would be VERY hard to make an ugly card with these dies, especially when accompanied with the All About Autumn DSP! (I used the "Hello" die from thee Rustic Crates Diess! Such a fun combo of things!

The layers and textures on this one really speak to ne! But I think that the multicolored pumpkins in the pix on the DSP is ON FIRE!!

Paper: Rose Gold Specialty Paper, Gold Foil Sheets, All About Autumn DSP, Inked Botanicals DSP

Ink: None

Accessories: Leaf Fall Embossing Folder, Timeless Arrangements Dies. Rustic Crates Dies (Hello) Copper & Natural Ribbons Combo Pack, Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots, Classic Matte Dots

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Bree Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Charlet Mallet - Painted Orange - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance 

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots

Emily Kimmey - EMK Creations

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run 

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to see Julie Warnick ... YAY for lovely projects from BEAUTIFUL friends!

TGIFC #443 - Inspiration Challenge

My brain is oatmeal!! Sometimes I feel like I need a vacation from EVERYthing! But I HAD to make time to participatee inn this week's Inspiration Challennge for TGIF Challenge Blog!! Ohmygoodness! How ca-YOOT is this little owl??? I HAD to play!!

I have to confess ... I am always saying I need a vacation, right??? Well ... I am getting one, of sorts!! I had surgery YESTERDAY to repair my right ACL (which was totally torn!) and my meniscus (which was partially torn! Sooooo ... most of this card was created while I was ... how can I put this delicately .. HIGH AS A KITE!! It was a slooooowww proceess, but I am MORE than happy with the results! This was a super FUN challenge!!

I used a blending brush to create the soft pastel-y background ... Balmy Blue, Highland Heather and Misty Moonlight. I then proceeded to flick a little water on it using my fingertips and the faucet in my kitchen! My spritzer and water painters were DOWNstairs in my craft room and I was UPstairs with a brace from my ankle to my thigh ... yeah ... that was NOT happening! I offstamped the leafy images using Misty Moonlight to give them a softer vibe. I colored the little birdie and books with an assortment of Stampin' Blends ... I haven't had this much fun making a card in a long time!! I also roughed up the edges of the DSP and top layer of White Cardstock.

Stamps: Bird's Eye View

Paper: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Neutrals 6"x6" DSP

Ink: Black StazOn, Misty Moonlight; Stampin' Blends - Gray Granite, Balmy Blue, Highland Heather

Accessories: Natural 1/4" Wavy Trim, Pastels Adhesive-Backed Sequins (retired ... sorry! I thought they were still current!)

The plan for the rest of the day (and the rest of the weekend!) is to do a whole lot of NOTHING!! At least I'm on the recovery side of things!!

Monday Montage #246

 

Keep checking things of my MASSIVE to-do list! My oldest got married last Tuesday (YAY AND HOORAY AND FINALLY!)! One more crazy hurdle and then ... wait ... the holidays are coming!! But I am having surgery on my knee next week to repair my right ACL and meniscus (the real story is sooo lame and dumb let's just say I was pogo sticking and skateboarding simultaneously because that sounds better, ok??)! THEN I feel like I will be moving forward, albeit slowly for a while!

This is Hall-O-Ween! This is Hall-O-Ween! Pumpkins scream in the dead of night!!! I was totally going to bypass ALL Halloween crafty supplies and skip making Halloween cards, but I finally caved! (Thanks, Bree!) Now I want #allthespookythings! Sheesh! I used the little tags punches in the Trick & Treats Dies to make a wonky kind of banner to accent Frankie and Drac. Can't say I'm unhappy with the results!

I was kind of going for the "floating eyeball" effect with one of the Cheerful Effects embossing folder in the background ... how'd I do???

Stamps: Tricks & Treats

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Fresh Freesia, Granny Apple Green, Glorious Gingham DSP, Brights DSP, Neutrals DSP, Three Color Glimmer DSP

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark

Accessories: Tricks & Treats Dies, Ribbon Duo Combo Pack, 1/4" Gingham Ribbon, White Embossing Powder, Cheerful Effects Embossing Folder, Glossy Dots Assortment

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Bree 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

Emily Kimmey - EMK Creations

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run  - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to see Emily Kimmey ... little bit of Fall and little bit of Winter!

Monday Montage #245

 

Whelp ... high school reunion is over and was very successful ... son's wedding is just over a week away (yay!) ... and I was able to make ONE clean, flat surface on which to create a card! Sooooo ... welcome to this week's Monday Montage!

Oooooo-la-la! I couldn't NOT WAIT to get my hands on the new Abundant Beauty Decorative Masks (available in the 2023 Holiday Mini Catalog). I made the flowers/leaves with small brush and ink, and the herringbone pattern was made using a mask and some embossing paste. I lightly brushed some Lost Lagoon ink over the dried embossing paste. The centers of the flowers are also made using embossing paste ... I am very happy with how this turned out!

The Something Fancy stamps/dies are also moving to the top of My Favorite Things list! VERY versatile and pretty!

Stamps: Something Fancy

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink: Fresh Freesia, Bubble Bath, Berry Burst, Lost Lagoon, Memento Black

Accessories: Something Fancy Dies, Abundant Beauty Decorative Masks, 1/4" Gingham Ribbon, Embossing Paste, Classic Matte Dots

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Bree Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Charlet Mallet - Painted Orange - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance 

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots

Emily Kimmey - EMK Creations

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run 

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to see Julie Warnick ... always lovely and inspiring!

MonM

Monday Montage #244

 

Aaaaaack! Wedding prep (my oldest is getting married on October 3)! High school reunion (yeah, I'm in charge and it is next Saturday, September 16)!! Working extra hours (my sister in law and I job share at our family business and she is out of town!)! And COVID! (Yep! Got that as a souvenir brought home from a short trip to Disneyland for my birthday!)! I don't even know what day it is half of the time ... but I digress!! I am LATE posting this, but welcome to Monday Montage!!

Here are a few of my NEW favorite things (I totally sang that line to myself! Feel free to do that as well!)! Pebbled Path cardstock? Yes!! Brilliant Background Dies?? Yes!! Something Fancy AND Designer Tags Dies?? Yes! YES!! Gorgeously Made Dies?? Yes (I have used these many times already and find them to be irresistible)! Not to mention the Natural Wavy Trim which has also been used before by me ... and is DIVINE!!

Up close you can see how the texture from the Something Fancy Die  is the PERFECT companion to the Brilliant Background die I used on the Gray Granite layer in the background! I also roughed up the edges of that layer to give the whole overall card a more distressed/vintage look.

Stamps: Something Fancy

Paper: Whisper White, Pebbled Path, Fresh Freesia, Les Shoppes DSP

Ink: Pebbled Path

Accessories: Brilliant Backgrounds Dies, Something Fancy Dies, Designer Tags Ties, Gorgeously Made Dies, Adhesive-Backed Speckled Dots, White Baker's Twine, Natural Wavy Trim

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Bree 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

Emily Kimmey - EMK Creations

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to see Emily Kimmey ... they are both ALWAYS on point!

MonM