Happy Monday Montage Day!!! The weekend was fun ... and over in a wink! Why do Mondays and Fridays seem SOOOOO long ... whereas Saturdays and Sundays seem to zip by before you know it??? Sheesh!! At least I got a lot done ... AND I got time to get crafty! I guess I don't have much to complain about, right??? Just wish I had another day "off". I am pretty sure it's hard to make an ugly card using the Buffalo Check background stamp. I have seen SOOOO many cute things made with it. I hope it NEVER retires!!! It goes with just about EVERYthing ... kids cards, girl cards, boy cards, kid cards ... it's simply the BEST, don't you think?? True confessions ... as much as I loved creating this card, it was one of those that everything went wrong with while I was working on it. I have two Painted Harvest sets (the one with the sunflower). One of them doesn't stamp well, and the other one does. I even have them marked (not sure why I"m keeping the not-so-good one). I had some trouble with my Cajun Craze ink pad ... pretty sure I need a new one!! When I finally got it stamped, I realized I was using the funky stamp set. So I had to stamp it again with the better one. THEN, when I finally got it how I liked, I started to fussy cut it out. Then I realized I hadn't cleaned my fingers and I smudged Early Espresso ink all over my lovely sunflower! Stamped it a third time ... was good to go, then!!! (This was, of course, after I had stamped the Buffalo Check background and realized I was having issues with my ink pad ... so I stamped that three times as well!). Moving on to the leaves behind the flower. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do for a sentiment, so I kept messing with the placement of the leaves and berries ... took me three times to get that how I wanted it, too!! Sheesh!!! I was DETERMINED to get this card done! It just took me MUCH longer than I had planned. I cut the sentiment out using one of the Stitched Shapes oval dies ... then I used the criss-cross border die from the Stitched Labels thinlits to "frame" it in on the top and bottom, which I then trimmed above and below to end up with the shape I used for the sentiment. Stamps: Painted Harvest, Buffalo Check Paper: Gray Granite, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Festive Farmhouse DSP Ink: Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Gray Granite, Basic Gray Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Stitched Labels Framelits Dies, Braided Linen Trim, Linen Thread 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 - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia MommaCathy Casey - Sugar Shack DesignsDani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful CornerElizabeth Price - SeeinginkspotsJulie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! BlogKaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK Melissa Stout - The Stamp DocWendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!! It's that time of year again ... fall ... Halloween ... you know what I mean!!! So I am heading off to the Happiest Place On Earth for a few days this week with my BFF, Cheryl. I am getting SUPER excited!!! Just hope I can get myself together before it's time to go! Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Bree Renwick ... I end up spending more money on supplies by looking at what THEY have made!!! They are AMAZING!  The inside of my house is decked out ... the outside of my house is decked out ... so I guess I have officially given in to Halloween/Spooky season!!! Honestly, this is my favorite month of the year. I absolutely LOVE Halloween ... and fall ... and costumes ... and decorating!!! The Fab Friday folks are playing around this week with a color challenge ... and it just SCREAMED Halloween at me, so I just went with that! Isn't this little witchy hat just the CUTEST??? The brim is made with two circle punches (or framelits), and the pointy part is made with the old (retired) Tree Punch. You can just as easily make the pointy part from a rectangle and trim down the sides ... I just went with the easier approach! Stamps: Trick or Tweet, Gallery Grunge Paper: Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie Glimmer Paper (retired), Basic Black Glimmer Paper (retired) Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Pumpin Pie, Basic Black Accessories: 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, Black/Pumpkin Bakers Twine (retired), Basic Black Bakers Twine, Faceted Dots, Classic Label Punch See what I mean???? PERFECT Halloween combo! Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along: Fab Friday Challenge BlogCheck out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends: Mindy BackesCindy BeachHeather HeroldtBrian KingAmy KoendersJustin KriegerAmanda MertzBrenda MyersJan TinklenbergI have had a VERY busy week ... and will have a VERY busy weekend! Sometimes I need to be cloned ... at least some of the things I'm doing this weekend are going to be FUN (we're meeting some friends for breakfast tomorrow morning, which will start the weekend off GREAT!)!!
How on EARTH can it already be OCTOBER 2018??!!?? I'm both happy and blown away by that!!! I LOVE Fall ... and Halloween is my very most FAVORITE holiday ... and I freakin' can't believe that it seems like we should only be in FEBRUARY!!! Thank GOODNESS for the Monday Montage girls and the excuse it gives me to get crafty!! I nearly named our new puppy Aspen ... because she is brown and white ... and because I love Aspen trees. They remind me of the many, many hours I have spent hiking hither and yon. Aspens are BEAUTIFUL. So I had fun stamping some on my card!! The name of my puppy was overwritten by Juniper ... aka JuneBug ... aka Junie ... aka sweet puppy!! Stamps: Winter Woods, Itty Bitty Greetings, Gallery Grunge Paper: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Wood Textures DSP Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake Accessories: Layered Leaves Dynamic Textured Impressions Folder, In the Woods Framelits Dies, Crumb Cake Bakers Twine Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ... Monday Montage Hoppers Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper CraftsBreelin Renwick - Craft-somnia MommaCathy Casey - Sugar Shack DesignsDani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful CornerElizabeth Price - SeeinginkspotsJulie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! BlogKaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK Melissa Stout - The Stamp DocWendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!! My hubby and I are starting the Whole 30 meal plan this month as well. We spent a bunch of time this weekend pre-prepping food so that we would have things to eat and NOT to be tempted to eat the things that aren't really on the plan! I figure that ANY "diet" that includes the ability to eat BACON is going to be a very, very GOOD thing!!! I'm not quite sure how my three-day adventure in Disneyland in a couple of weeks is going to fit into this plan, but one day at a time, right??? Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... all the crafty goodness you will see in one place with minimal effort!! Sooooo ... life with a puppy is ANYthing but BORING!! Juniper has been so much fun and amazingly easy to handle ... for a puppy, that is!!! The only "complaint" I can say I have about her is that she LOVES my 13-year-old toy poodle, Daisy, a little too much!!! We have resorted to a spray bottle to squirt her if she gets a little too enthusiastic whilst around Daisy!!! And she wants to help me stamp in the WORST way!!! She is particularly interested in paper bits, spools of ribbon and thinlits/framelits dies!!! It's hard to get mad at her when so is SOOOOOO stinkin' cute!! Which brings me to the card I made for this week's Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge. I dropped my thinlits a couple of times ... and Juniper was on them like white on rice!!! It's a good thing I was paying attention, or they may have been bent beyond recognition (she doesn't really have much more than little puppy teeth, so she couldn't chew holes in them!)! Stamps: Detailed With Love Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Gold Foil Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede Accessories: Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Tin Tile Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stitched Labels Framelits Dies, Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies, Braided Linen Trim, Sequins (which I snatched from an old Project Life kit!) You could also turn this layout horizontally ... it would be cute both ways! Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along: Fab Friday Challenge BlogCheck out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends: Mindy BackesCindy BeachHeather HeroldtBrian KingAmy KoendersJustin KriegerAmanda MertzBrenda MyersJan TinklenbergI am going to join my friend, Bree, on the Whole 30 Challenge starting on October 1st. Which is only a few days away ... I'm kind of excited yet kind of nervous to do it!! I guess I should try to plan out a menu and get some shopping done this weekend so that I will be ready!!
I have caved in ... It is only September and I am already making CHRISTMAS cards!! Thanks to my fellow Control Freaks, we are highlighting things from the new Holiday Catalog! And BOY OH BOY are the projects on this blog tour are AMAZING!!! You should just have come from the block of the crafty, clever and creative Kelly Acheson!! You ARE getting in a holiday mood, aren't you??? This go 'round I decided to focus on the Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. It can be interpreted a lot of different ways, but I chose to do one more along the "elegant" lines, and one that is more "whimsical". I'm a sucker for classic Christmas colors ... red, green, white ... and GOLD!!! So that's what you got with this card (and I used my ever-favorite Trio Corner Punch!)! Stamps: Merry Christmas to All Paper: Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, Cherry Cobbler Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits, Trio Corner Punch, Sprig Punch, 5/8" Striped Burlap Trim, Gold Thread, Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder The dies that go with the Santa's Workshop Specialty Paper are SPOT ON, you guys!!! I mean, you don't even have to stamp or color if you don't want to or don't have time!! This card came together really quickly ... because I used a die to cut the Mrs. Santa image from the DSP ... easy peasy!!! And I LOVE it!! Stamps: Signs of Santa Paper: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Silver Foil, Santa's Workshop Speciality DSP Ink: Coastal Cabana Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Linen Thread, Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon, Santa's Signpost Framelits Dies Next up??? ... super Cindy Elam!! I just LOVE her style!!!
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