Fab Friday #164

Rain, rain, rain ... holy COW!! This has been the RAINIEST spring we have seen in Utah for years and years. I think we have hit a record for snowfall in the mountains this winter/spring. The ski resorts are STILL OPEN and LOVING IT!! They don't call Utah "The Greatest Snow On Earth" for nothing, I tell ya!! And GREEN!!! Everything here is SO lush and SO green ... you would SWEAR you were in Seattle or something!! It's INCREDIBLE!! Our Fab Friday friends are creating with a really fun and VERY spring-looking color combo! I LOVE this one!

I knew as soon as I saw this color combo a while back that I was going to do something flowery with it. I am VERY happy that the "Abstract Impressions" stamp set is carrying over for another catalog cycle. I used the Flirty Flamingo for all three stages of the rose image ... I stamped off twice for the lightest color, once for the medium shade, and not at ALL for the darkest shade. This stamp set is so much fun to play with!

Stamps: Abstract Impressions
Paper: Flirty Flamingo, Soft Seafoam, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Soft Seafoam, Pear Pizzazz, Wink of Stella
Accessories: Trio Corner Punch, Stitched Labels Dies, Decorative Ribbon Border Punch, Pearl Accents

Do ya feel the inspiration coming from this??? You should!! It's a gorgeous combo!







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

It was my daughter's birthday yesterday ... and for the first time in a VERY long time we both have the day off and will be in the same city on the same day TODAY ... so we are going to go shopping and get mani-pedis!!! It's going to be a good day, even if it rains and rains (which it is scheduled to do!)!

Monday Montage #139

Stamp-stamp-stamp!!! I have made THREE cards today ... which for me is VERY good!! The Monday Montage Girls are hopping today ... did you just come from Melissa's blog??? Did you think she was INCREDIBLE (as always)??? Yeah??? ME TOO!

I have been meaning to use this cute little stamp set since I won it for Prize Patrol at OnStage last month. I KNEW I wanted to use the little mailbox image, but I couldn't decide just what I wanted to do with it. I have a feeling I will be using this set a lot as the images are fun and it will make a bunch of great birthday cards!!

Stamps: Celebrate With Cake
Paper: Whisper White, Blueberry Bushel, Come Sail Away DSP
Ink: Blueberry Bushel, Lovely Lipstick, Early Espresso
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Dies, Decorative Ribbon Border Punch, Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots

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

I ran the Ogden Half Marathon last Saturday. We got rained on for MOST of it (it didn't really stop until between miles 9 and 10). I LOVED the temperature, though!! The good news?? I woke up on Sunday morning and had NO pain or soreness ANYwhere!!! LOVE that!!

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

Goodbye, Old Friends!

The Control Freaks are at it again!!! We're coming close to the release of the new Stampin' Up Catalog ... so we all decided to play with some of our favorite RETIRING sets/supplies ... they will be gone in two weeks' time, so you better jump on them if they are on your "wish list" Did you see what Melissa Davies made??? Her creations are ALWAYS wonderful!

Citrus ... yep! I'm a California Girl at heart (born and raised in the Bay Area!)! We had oranges and tangerines growing right outside our back door ... and my neighbors had lemons! Oh how I took for granted how fortunate I was to have them in my yard!! What I wouldn't give for an orange or grapefruit tree in my yard NOW (but Utah winters will NOT allow that!)!! So the "Lemon Zest" stamp set is REALLY going to be missed by me!! Which is why I chose to showcase it this month!

Stamps: Lemon Zest
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody
Accessories: Petal Pair Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (which is ALSO retiring!), Pretty Label Punch, Granny Apple Green Grosgrain Ribbon, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Wink of Stella

This color combo is just SO striking and fun ... and I LOVE the Granny Apple Green Grosgrain Ribbon (which is ALSO retiring!). Add to that the retiring Tropical Escape DSP ... I am going to miss having these in the catalog, aren't you??

Stamps: Lemon Zest
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Granny Apple Green, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Tropical Escape DSP
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody
Accessories: Petal Pair Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (which is ALSO retiring!), Pretty Label Punch, Granny Apple Green Grosgrain Ribbon, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Wink of Stella, Stitched Rectangle Dies

Next up???  ... the delightful Dawn Olchefske!! Check it out!!

Flowers for Mom

I think daisies and lilacs are my most favorite flowers. The smell of lilacs just sends me back to my childhood (we had oodles of them in our backyard!)! Plus ... they just smell DIVINE, don't they??? And daisies?? Well dang, friends!! Daisies just make me plain ol' happy! Which is what inspired me to make these cards for my mama and mother in law for Mother's Day.

True confession ... I haven't used a non-Stampin' Up set of ANYthing to make a card in, like ... FOREVER!! My bestie, Cheryl, made a card with this set from Simon Says called Folk Dance (and I didn't actually use the stamps from the set, just the background and sentiment dies). I also realized that I NEEEED to buy me the large (and small - as soon as it is released in June) Daisy punches from Stampin' Up. I resorted to cutting these daisies out with my Cricut (to the rescue!!)! The paper, inks and flower center embellishments are all from my Stampin' Up stash!


Stamps: Itty Bitty Greetings
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Petal Pink, Mango Melody, So Saffron
Accessories: Simon Says Folk Dance Dies, Cricut Daisy, Classic Label Punch, Perennial Essence Floral Centers

Same card, different color scheme. I honestly had these creations in my head before I started ... and they came out as nicely as I had them pictured. That almost NEVER happens!!

Stamps: Itty Bitty Greetings
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Mango Melody, So Saffron
Accessories: Simon Says Folk Dance Dies, Cricut Daisy, Classic Label Punch, Perennial Essence Floral Centers

TOMORROW is the Ogden Half Marathon for me!!! The weather forecast is showing some rain, so I am gonna carb up tonight and bring all my wet weather gear for tomorrow! Wish me luck!!

Fab Friday #163

I have to laugh at myself ... again ... which is becoming all too common for me any more!! I made this card last night, took a photo of it, edited the photo, started typing my blog post and then ... I fell asleep!!! With my laptop in my bed right next to my head!!! Didn't even realize I didn't start OR finish until this morning!! I really must have needed the sleep!!! So it's going to be a Fab Friday anyway, right????

I mixed some of the "outgoing" with the "incoming" (I used the Best Route DSP, which I am going to be sad to say goodbye to!) and the "A Good Man" stamp set ... which will be available to all-y'all in June!! YAY!!! How EXCITING IS THAT???

Stamps: A Good Man
Paper: Sahara Sand, Daffodil Delight, Watercolor, Best Route DSP
Ink: Black Memento, Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy, Pool Party, Ivory, Granite Gray
Accessories: Trio Corner Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Impressions Embossing Folder, 3/8" Crumb Cake Classic Weave Ribbon, Night of Navy/Sahara Sand Baker's Twine

I like this sketch surprisingly MORE than I thought I would!! I will DEFINITELY be using it again!










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

Tomorrow morning is our LAST training run as a team (Huntsman Heroes!) before we head up to Ogden next weekend before the half/full marathon events!! I am soooo excited for this one! I feel ready ... which is a good thing! Just hoping that the weather cooperates because the course is BEAUTIFUL!!! Happy Mother's Day!!

Monday Montage #138

Not gonna lie ... I am SOOOOO sore today!!! We did an 8-mile training run yesterday, four miles of which were very DOWNhill!!! Then, I went with one of my dear friends and her doggie on a hike up to Ensign Peak last night. When I went to walk my doggie earlier this evening I could DEFINITELY feel the downhill bits (I live on a hill ... my whole dang neighborhood is hilly!)! What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger, right??? TWO WEEKS until the Ogden Half Marathon, so this was a good training weekend!!! And now the Monday Montage girls are hopping ... and if you are following us all the way around you would have just come from Melissa Stout's blog (you should really click next on all the posts and make it to all the blogs ... all the creations are SOOO fun!) \

This is what ya call a $200 card. I haven't done one of these in a looooooong time!!! I used FIVE stamp sets, a sets of dies, two punches ... and a partridge in a pear tree!!

Stamps: Butterfly Gala, Beauty Abounds, Pocketful of Sunshine, Burlap, Buffalo Check
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Pocket Framelites Dies, Butterfly Duet Punch, Tailored Tag Punch, Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon

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 - 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!!

You know that "sweet spot" during your time-between-haircuts when your hair does really well ... for about THREE DAYS??? Well ... I passed that spot about three weeks ago!! HAHAHAHA!!! I have a haircut appointment on Tuesday morning and I am SOOOO excited (which tells me that I must REALLY be overdue). Simple things sometimes make me the happiest!

Click "Next" to see what Amy O'Neill has created ... and "Back" to check out Melissa Stout's ... I'm SO GLAD to have these girls as my friends and sources of inspiration!!

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!

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!!