Monday Montage #212

New toys are SOOOOO much fun to play with!! I have received a couple of orders in the past couple of weeks and I FINALLY got to really spend some time digging through everything and deciding what to play with first! Thank goodness for blog hops like this one with the Monday Montage ladies to give me an excuse to create!!

I went all monochrome for this one. I still have to say that Pool Party has been one of my all-time favorite Stampin' Up colors. It never gets boring for me. Hues of Happiness DSP is sooooo gorgeous I can't stand it!! I snuck a little of it on my second layer ... and, of course, I used the Blossoming Happiness Dies to cut the floral/greenery images from the DSP. 

Here's a closeup for you ... the Spots & Dots Die is going to get so much use from me!

Stamps: Happiness Abounds

Paper: Pool Party, Hues of Happiness DSP

Ink:Versamark

Accessories: Trio Corner Punch, Stylish Shapes Dies, Blossoming Happiness Dies, Spots & Dots Dies, Glossy Dots Assortment, Whisper White Embossing Powder

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

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

Well ... I participated in my first race in what seems like forever ... sort of!! Due to a series of unfortunate events I didn't get to the starting line until about 35 minutes AFTER the start ... and it was raining, snowing and sleeting! I ended up NOT running the race and ran back home instead! I got up this morning early and decided to go out and follow the race course to make up for what I had missed! It was just a 10K (in preparation for a half I am planning on running in a few weeks). Felt good to be out there, even though I did the day-after-the-race-race by myself! Sheesh!

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to visit Elizabeth Price! Love their creativity!

Control Freaks - Can't Live Without

One of these days ... hopefully sooner than later ... life will get back to some sort of "normal" around my house! The last month has been UBER crazy! I haven't really had much time to do the things I like, but I did take some time out to play with the Control Freaks this month where we are highlighting things that we "Can't Live Without"! You MUST check out the beautiful creations of LeeAnn Greff ... her use of color is AMAZING! 

Right now my favorites include anything new and FUN! Of course, it goes practically without saying that I could NOT create a card without doing some sort of die cutting or embossing. So the Stampin' Cut and Emboss would probably be at the top of my list of things I CAN'T live/create without! And polka dots ... I have ALWAYS been a sucker for anything with polka dots (stamps, embossing folders, ribbon, dies). So when I saw the NEW Spots & Dots background die I KNEW it was going to come and live with me ASAP! I used some washi tape to hold my colored sections of cardstock together before I ran them through the Cut and Emboss machine with the Spots & Dots die. The "leftover" dots that were cut out ended up on this card as well ... kind of by accident.  I had a couple of them that stuck to the front of my card and I decided I LOVED them and wanted to add a bunch more! I also used the "Sit Stay Relax" hostess stamp set, which is also new!

Stamps: Sit Stay Relax
Paper: Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Fresh Freesia, Daffodil Delight, Soft Seafood, Granny Apple Green

Ink: Granny Apple Green, Fresh Freesia, Daffodil Delight (Stampin' Blends)

Accessories: Spots & Dots Die, Beautiful Shapes Dies, Faux Linen Ribbon

I colored the cute little sleepy kitty with some Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends ... which I ALSO lovelovelove! And Dimensionals ... I can honestly say that I NEVER make a card without THOSE little babies!

Next up? Deb Henderson! Her creation is STUNNING!!

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Monday Montage #211

One day I may actually feel like I'm on some sort of "normal" schedule ... whatever THAT means! At least my craft room isn't a total disaster, so when I need to go make something I can actually do it!! We're back to another Monday Montage, and the girls are all in fine form!

Have any of y'all seen the new Waves of the Ocean Bundle??? I am IN LOVE with every dang part of it! The stamps, the dies, the DSP and the rhinestones ... soooooo much fun to play with! I decided to hit the "neutrals" with this little card instead of all the blues ... and I'm pretty happy with how it came out. 

You guys NEEEED this bundle!! The paper is just oh-so-GOOD! I used the Tasteful Texture embossing folder behind one of the waves dies ... I really like the effect.

Stamps: Waves of Inspiration

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Waves of the Ocean

Ink: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Garden Green, Versamark, Chalk Marker

Accessories: Waves Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Waves Rhinestones, Fine Art Ribbon, Linen Thread, Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder

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
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

We've been cleaning, boxing, sorting and packing up all the things at my mom's place. I am super grateful that the lion's share of the work that needed to be done with sorting through and weeding out of things owned by my parents was done 12 years ago when we moved my mom from her house to her condo. But it is STILL a chore ... and hard on the heart. So grateful that I have an amazing husband who has been tackling the areas that I have found too sentimental. He just goes in and gets it done. My mom's siblings and my mom's grandchildren have all been able to pick a few things that are meaningful to them, which has been therapeutic for all of us. Happy to report that we've made a TON of progress and I can see light at the end of the tunnel!

Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to visit Julie Warnick! FAN-TAS-TIC!

Monday Montage #210

Hey friends ... we are back with the Monday Montage Girls. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to create and share something I love. Crafting has always been therapeutic for me (since I was a little girl). And Heaven knows I have really needed it this weekend ...

Spring is on its way, and nothing feels more like spring to me than ladybugs and flowers. We had more snow today, but the weather on Friday was absolutely gorgeous ... hopefully we will be getting more of THAT kind of weather before too long.

I added a little hand-drawn stitching using my chalk marker. With a little help from the vellum doilies, Whisper White craft ink and a sponge I was able to create a little bit of a "lacy" background effect here, too! Some polka dots with the aid of the Polka Dot embossing folder and I had it.

Stamps: Hello Ladybug

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red, Daffodil Delight

Ink: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Garden Green, Versamark, Chalk Marker

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Ladybug Punch, Vellum Doilies, Checks & Dots Embossing Folder, Stapler, Faux Linen Ribbon (from the Flowers for Every Season Combo Pack)

This post is very brief. The past week has been a rollercoaster and a whirlwind all wrapped into one. My dear, sweet mama went to meet my daddy in Heaven last Wednesday. It has been a long road for us ... years and years of struggles are finally over for my mama ... and as sad as I am for us, I am very happy for her as she is no longer trapped in a body with so many infirmities and a mind that was foggy. I will probably talk a little more about this in future posts, but as of now I am both physically and emotionally wiped out. I really am ok (and thanks to so many of you who have reached out with your love and support). Grief is a process for sure!

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 - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK

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 visit Julie Warnick! Love these women and their amazing talent!

Monday Montage #209

I have typed this ding-dang blog post four different times already!! URRRRRGGGHHH! Blogger is being an absolute JERK to me today!! And I'm tired and wanna go to bed because it's freakin' COLD due to the crazy winter storm we had from Saturday night to Sunday morning! Stupid groundhog ... I was just starting to get used to the temps in the 60's ... dang it!

Made this slimline birthday card for my super adorable grandnephew Jordan's 2nd birthday. When I say adorable, I am not exaggerating. That boy is cute, funny, happy, charming, sweet, lovable and wonderful! I didn't want to make hin just "any ol' card". I had fun making the watercolor background on this using my Aquapainter and lifting the ink out of the lids of my ink pads. I also used the Rectangle Postage Stamp Punch to make the little blocks to put behind the letters of his name ... I slid thee punched images back into the punch after punching them once so that I cut alter them to make them square ... I punched off the extra length (if that makes sense). Love how they turned out!

The photos don't do this cute little card justice. The Wink of Stella I added to the little penguins balloon and the letters in Jordan's name aren't really showing up in the pix ... but that little bit of sparkle is JUST what they needed!

Stamps: Count On Me, Sweet as a Peach (sentiment)

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Midnight Muse, Pacific Point, Balmy Blue, Real Red, Poppy Parade, Watercolor

Ink: Midnight Muse, Pacific Point, Balmy Blue, Wink of Stella, Versamark, Memeto Black; Stampin' Blends - Mango Melody (light and dark), Basic Black (light and dark)

Accessories: Rectangle Postage Stamp Punch, Playful Alphabet Dies, Blue Adhesive Backed Gems, White Embossing Powder

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

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 visit Emily Kimmey! WOW oh WOW!

We Create Blog Hop - Sporting Green

Green is my favorite color. It took me years to actually realize that this was the truth, but SOOOO much of my wardrobe is green ... in every possible shade (but olive green seems to be the front runner). I have dresses, shirts, sweaters, pants, tees, socks and shoes that are green. So this month's WCBH theme "Sporting Green" is right up my alley!

I took the two-heart stamp image from the Nuts & Bolts stamp set and created a bunch of shamrocks. To be fair, there is a bunch of fussy cutting going on here, but I find that therapeutic!

Stamps: Nuts & Bolts, Hello Ladybugs (sentiment)

Paper: Whisper White, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green

Ink: Garden Green, Versamark

Accessories: Ornate Frames Dies, Stitched Greenery Dies, Metallic Pearls, Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems

I used some gold metallic pearls and some Blue Adhesive-Backed gems to set off the centers of these little shamrocks.  I hand cut the stems for the clovers since I couldn't find an image that would work, and they were super easy to snip out!

We Create Blog Hop Blog Roll -

MARCH 2022

Wendy Weixler - YOU ARE HERE

Cheryl Curtis

Kimberley Morris

Tricia Butts

Tanya Harvey

Go check out the rest of the lovely green creations of these wonderfully crafty ladies! Next up? Kimberley Morris!

Monday Montage #208

The struggle is real. I haven't really done an adequate "clean" in my craft room since before Christmas. Which makes each time I go in there a "can't-find-what-I'm-looking-for" experience! Uggghhh! That's it! I'm making a public declaration that a thorough cleaning WILL happen THIS WEEK! There ... I said it ... now I HAVE to do it!!

I have had a love affair with VW Bugs since I was about twelve years old! I have wanted one since then (especially of the vintage convertible type!)! What's NOT to love about them?? They are cute! They are cool! They have engines in the BACK! And they make an adorable little chirpy purring noise when you accelerate in them!! EEEEEP! Some friends of mine just finished totally restoring a 1967 VW ... and I'm hoping they let me take her for a spin around the block a couple of times sometime soon!

I used some Wink of Stella to give the hubcaps and bumpers a little bit of shine and sparkle. Pairing the Bugs with Timeless Tropical gives them the super-cool beachy vibe they deserve, don't you think??

Stamps: Driving By, Timeless Tropical

Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party, Crumb Cake

Ink: Wink of Stella, Versamark, Staz-On Black, Crumb Cake, Pool Party; Stampin' Blends - Pool Party (light and dark), Pumpkin Pie (light and dark), Poppy Parade (light and dark), Daffodil Delight (light and dark), Night of Navy (light and dark), Smoky Slate (light), Basic Black (light)

Accessories: Linen Thread, Champagne Rhinestones

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
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc 

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

 Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to visit Melissa Stout! I feel so privileged to be "sandwiched" between two such talented and amazing women!

Control Freaks and F*R*I*E*N*D*S

It's easy to be inspired to make something for F*R*I*E*N*D*S along with my fellow Control Freaks, as I consider myself very fortunate to have them as my personal friends!  Deb Henderson made a LOVELY "friend"ly creation (I particularly like her color scheme!)! Awesome!

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This little girl "Catching Butterflies" makes me think of all things light and wonderful about friendship. Whimsical, happy ... I just love her! And I also have a thing for monarch butterflies, as I grew up in California and they were almost exclusively the butterflies we saw the most.  Used my Stampin' Blends to color her because I really want her to jump off the page ... what do you think??

Stamps: Catching Butterflies, Birch
Paper: Whisper White, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Early Espresso

Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark, Black StazOn; Stampin' Blends - Soft Suede (dark), Daffodil Delight (light), Petal Pink (dark and light), Highland Heather (dark and light), Pool Party (light), Balmy Blue (light)

Accessories: Scalloped Contours Dies, Basic Borders Dies, White Embossing Powder, Crumb Cake Baker's Twine

I always use a little Pool Party and/or Balmy Blue to add some "shadows" to my colored images.  Just a little bit outside the lines on one side of the image add a LOT of dimension!

Next up? Melissa Davies! She has a LOVELY monochromatic "friendly" card that will knock your socks off!

Monday Montage #207

Busy-busy-BUSY! I did get to take a little time from my weekend and stamp with the Monday Montage girls. This is my SECOND "Nuts & Bolts" card in a row ... I LOOOOVE this set!

I used all three robot images included in the set. Could NOT be happier with the completed card as it is very special for me ... I will be delivering it to my very sweet and amazing little grandnephew, Lincoln. He is turning ONE this week!

The heart and the "1" on the front of the card are slathered with a very glittery layer of Wink of Stella ... Stitched withWhimsy Dies, Checked Embossing Folder, and Basic Borders Dies all also found their way into the mix. Lots of fun adding so many little details on this one!

Stamps: Nuts & Bolts

Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party, Real Red, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate

Ink: Basic Gray, Versamark

Accessories: Basic Borders Dies, 

Stitched With Whimsy Dies, Checks Embossing Folder, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Wink of Stella, Metallic Pearls

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
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc 

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU ARE HERE

 Click "Next" to see Bree Renwick... and "Back" to visit Melissa Stout! Bree's tulip garden and Melissa's oh-so-cute take on the Nuts & Bolts Stamp Set are stellar!