MDS Monday - Summer Flowers

Happy Monday! Did you have a wonderful weekend? Are you ready for this week? It's the last week of August - how did that happen?!?!? People are already starting to talk about the open house...

OK. I'm not hyper-ventilating...

:D

The flowers in our back yard have been simply lovely this year. I wanted to be able to do a challenge, and I know y'all are tired of seeing my photos of my niece. :D So you get flowers!

This is a SUDSOL challenge, done on MY DIGITAL STUDIO. It makes scrapbooking SO easy!

OK, y'all, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful day - and be sure to make the time to stamp SOMEthing!

Is it too early for Easter?

Welcome to Wednesday. :) It's COLD here in Middle Tennessee - it's 17, but the wind chill is making it feel more like 7!!!! The weather's a little schizophrenic, but it's definitely JANUARY, which is nice. :D

So, this is the second project I did with the women's group in Smyrna. I really love this one!

I earned a freebie toward the end of the year last year, and wanted to get something that was as opposite from Christmas as I could find. :D So I went with BACKYARD BASICS - and got the bundle, so I got the framelits and the wood stamp set. I love earning free stuff! :)

(Don't forget! If you want to purchase from me and make sure we both get the credit we deserve, go to my business site and then click on SHOP, on the top right-hand corner! :) )

We stamped the butterfly all over a Soft Sky card base with Soft Sky ink, and a Whisper White insert on the inside had the butterfly all the way around the edge. Then we stamped the tulip onto Whisper White with Versamark, and embossed with black embossing powder. Next, we colored with Wild Wasabi and Pink Pirouette Stampin' Write markers; the next step was to cut out the tulip with its framelit. We put it on the card front with Dimensionals.

The final step was to stamp the "Happy Easter" with Versamark - again on Whisper White - and emboss with silver EP. We punched it out with the modern label punch, and put it over the tulip stem with Dimensionals.

It is SO springy! :) I love tulips, and I thought this card was simply beautiful. :) If I do say so myself...

OK, I'm outta here! I hope you have a wonderful day - and that you make sure it includes some stamping. ;)

Hello, Baby!

Good morning! How's your week going? Here we are at Thursday already - boy, time FLIES. This is the last week of February! Two weeks from Sunday is the time change for Daylight Savings! Whoosh - it's gonna be Christmas again before we know it! :D

Today's share is a fun one; Becky is getting a new niece (Heck, she might have been born already!), and purchased a gift certificate from Heavenly Perspective Photography as a baby gift. To give the gift card in, I made this card!


Isn't it ADORABLE?!?!?! I'll also put the photo of the inside here - just scroll down a bit. :)

Card stock: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery

Ink: Melon Mambo

Stamp sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Well Scripted (inside)

Accessories: Good Neighbors DSP Pack (FREE for Sale-a-Bration; I LOVE THIS PAPER!!!!), pinking hearts trim punch, word window punch, modern label punch, Big Shot, scallop square die, large oval punch, crimper, round fire rhinestone brads, dimensionals, Frost White shimmer paint, Rose Red re-inker, scallop circle punch, paper piercer, mat pack

(Sorry, had to make some banana bread. Where was I...??? Oh, yes!) :D

To make the flower, I punched two Melon Mambo scallop circles, and three out of the same piece of DSP - two are facing one way, the third another - and then I scrunched them individually. Then I stacked them, and used the paper piercer and mat pack to put a big hole in the middle - inserted the rhinestone brad, and opened it on the back. Then it was just a matter of fluffing until I was happy - and then I drenched it with a shimmer paint mist that's made up of alcohol, re-inker, and shimmer paint. It dries quickly, but it's pretty lethal-smelling! :D

While that dried, I did my leaves - punched out two scraps with the large oval, and folded them in half the long way. I ran them through the crimper, and while they were still folded, I cut one end to look like a leaf point. Open those puppies up, and assemble everything on the card front! :) It's SUPER easy!

Here's the inside pocket....

Same DSP, cut the same size as the card, and cut down to make the pocket. I lined it with the Melon Mambo card stock, so it's a little sturdier on the edge, and it looks nice when the gift card is removed. :)

OK, I've got to get something else done today! :D I hope you enjoyed today's card! Try making some of those flowers - use some ink to make them more vintage! They're LOADS of fun! :D

Have a WONDERFUL day - and be SURE to take the time to STAMP something!!!!!!!!!

This is my new toy! :D

I still can't show you at least one of my creations, but I DO have FIVE to show you of THIS. :D I love getting something you've really, really looked forward to, don't you? :D Be sure and leave me a note, and tell me which is your fave. I like different things about each one. :D It's just going to be picture and recipe - there's really no special technique, unless it's smearing ink on the card with a finger! (Yes, that's how I did at least two of these. :D)

Don't forget! ONE WEEK FROM TODAY is the next blog tour!!!!!!!!!!! You won't want to miss it!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, on with the show!

Card stocks: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Vellum

Inks: Real Red, Basic Black

Stamp set: Oval All

Accessories: Big Shot, Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die, sponge, large and scallop oval punches, dimensionals

Card stocks: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Pink Pirouette

Inks: Pacific Point, Pretty in Pink, White Craft

Stamp set: Really Retro

Accessories: Big Shot, Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die, heat tool, embossing buddy, white embossing powder

Card stocks: Pacific Point, Gable Green

Inks: Pacific Point, Gable Green, White craft

Accessories: Big Shot, Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die, Stampin' Up! Exclusive Texturz Plates, heat tool, embossing buddy, white embossing powder, sponge, paper snips

Card stocks: Whisper White, Brushed Silver

Inks: Versamarker

Stamp set: Oval All

Accessories: Big Shot, Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, heat tool, embossing buddy, silver embossing powder

Card stocks: Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Ink: Ballet Blue

Stamp Set: Three Little Words

Accessories: Big Shot, Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die, sponge, paper snips

I hope you enjoyed my show-n-tell! :D It's a GREAT new die, and I can't wait to do some classes with it!

If you have ANY questions, please don't hesitate to ask me!!!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend, and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I hope you get to take the time to STAMP something!:D)

Good Monday afternoon! :)

I don't know about where YOU are today, but it's rather chilly here in Tennessee! It hasn't stopped the flowers, though - although most of the tulips are huddled into their buds. :)

This is one of the projects from the Easter stamp camp last week; it's a super-simple basket! The colors are Mellow Moss, Apricot Appeal, and Always Artichoke; the centers of the flowers are designer series paper from the Level 1 Hostess Paper Pack. The butterfly is vellum card stock run through the Big Shot with a Texturz plate, then inked on the back with Apricot Appeal. Those flowers are cut with the Birds & Blooms dies, and the butterfly is the Beautiful Butterflies die. LOVE my Big Shot!!!! :) And YOU can, too - not only will purchasing the Big Shot and a few dies get you hostess benefits, but also qualify you for the extra freebie from Stampin' Up! this month! CLICK HERE to learn more!

OK, I'm off - I kind of have an easy week stamping-wise, so I'm doing NOTHING. LOL!!! Have a WONDERFUL day! BE BLESSED - and take the time to stamp something!!!!

Still in Portland, Oregon!

Well, today marks the half-way point for our trip. Yesterday, we went to the Japanese Garden in Washington Park (Portland, OR). It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful trip. Here's a link to their website, if you'd like to find out more: http://www.japanesegarden.com/

It was so peaceful, and so difficult to capture on camera. You can capture the elements, but not the FEELING of the place. Does that make sense???

I have to admit, I'm starting to look forward to getting back to stamping. I didn't bring anything with me to STAMP, because I couldn't narrow it down far enough. :) But I'm planning, and scheming.... Only seven more weeks until the new Idea Book & Catalog come out! :)

We're having a grand time!

Relaxing, enjoying God's creation, enjoying friends and family, and taking time to smell the lilacs. What more could I ask from our vacation? :D

This picture is a wisteria-covered arbor in the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland, WA. We actually were in town for the Lilac Festival, and spent some time there Wednesday afternoon. It was just after a rain/hailstorm, and the sun was shining, the blooms were incredible, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. The air was sweet and cool.

Bet you wish YOU were here.... :D