Happy Thank You

Happy Friday!! I think we made it...! I've got a little sickie at home, but I've still managed to get some crafting done. 

I really liked that Freshly Made Sketch from yesterday sooo I played with it again, ha! But this time with a different stamp set. And the colors from Color Throwdown! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiest Day, Simply Said

Ink: Boho Blue, Moody Mauve, Lemon Lolly

Paper: Lemon Lolly, Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Iridescent Foil Gems, Dimensionals

Perfect Pairs!

I went looking for some challenges to play with this morning, and the newest from Freshly Made Sketches just struck me! I could think of a bunch of possibilities!! I really wanted to play with my newest set, Perfect Pairs, which just like yesterday, is from the Online Exclusives section. So for today, we'll just use these ideas for the sketch, ha. 

This first card also uses the colors from CAS Colours & Sketches...almost. I grabbed Peach Pie instead of Pumpkin Pie...but I did add a strip of Pumpkin Pie....
And since I'm using a brand new to me stamp set (its only a month or two old...!) it qualifies for the Just Add Ink challenge to use "something new"! And a lot of fussy cutting! 

I added color to the puzzle pieces with the same ink-on-blocks technique I used yesterday. I like today's result better, haha....

Supplies:

Stamps: Perfect Pairs
Ink: Early Espresso, Peach Pie
Paper: Basic White, Old Olive, Peach Pie, Pumpkin Pie card stocks
Accessories: Earth Tones Shimmer Gems, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Supplies:

Stamps: Perfect Pairs

Ink: Memento Black, Boho Blue

Stampin' Blends: Bronze, Dark Basic Black, Light Balmy Blue, Light Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Basic White & Boho Blue card stocks

Same set, same sketch, completely different cards. I love that!! 

Storms and Sun

Seems to me that across the US, including family living in unlikely areas, are getting way more snow than we are. It was a very dry December and we've only had one good storm the whole season, and that was January 4th, and what you see there, and this picture is deceptive, ha. But it was only good the first day, since then it's dried out and is hard, and not fun to play in. The last couple of days it has "snowed" most of the day, but we're not accumulating anything... Hopefully the mountains are, because that's what impacts the "water year" the most. 

The other thing about the snowfall since Sunday, is that a lot of the time, the sun is shining as it's flurry-ing. Like this: 

I got this new stamp set called Umbrella Days (in the Online Exclusives section!) and I love the sentiments it comes with! I can think of so many people who could use a card reminding them that the storms (of life) will end and the sun will shine. Also, I love these umbrella people! 

I also got this new DP from the Sale-A-Bration brochure and it might be my new favorite! Every sheet, both sides, are so pretty!!

So when I saw that one of the sheets matched a color challenge from The Paper Players, I knew what I was making! I actually thought I'd make a little set and color the girl slightly differently, but that only kind of worked, ha..... 

This first one did not work. I just laid the die cut girl on the card to show the idea that might work better for someone else, hahaha..... I was going for a more abstract look, instead of perfection. I used blocks to ink up the image. The boots worked, ha! But the umbrella made it a mess... 

and then I didn't line up the die quite straight, so that one got tossed. HA. 

For this one, I used Watercolor Pencils, and Blender Pens. But the green pencil we have is not the same shade as the one in the DP so I don't love it as much.... And this is why it's nice that Stampin' Up! offers SO MANY products in the exact same shades, ha. It really does make a difference. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Umbrella Days

Ink: Memento Black, Smoky Slate

Paper: Basic White & Melon Mambo card stock, Bloom Impressions DP (Sale-A-Bration)

Accessories: Transparent Adhesive-Backed Dots, Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pens, Umbrella Days Dies, big shot

So this one is my favorite- I used ink pads and blender pens to color this one, so the colors are "correct". 

Supplies:

Stamps: Umbrella Days

Ink: Memento Black, Smoky Slate, Melon Mambo, Shy Shamrock, Peach Pie

Paper: Basic White & Melon Mambo card stock, Bloom Impressions DP (Sale-A-Bration)

Accessories: Transparent Adhesive-Backed Dots, Blender Pens, Umbrella Days Dies, big shot

But, I'm going to use them both because I still like them! 

And if you're having a week too, remember the sun will shine, no matter what it is. It might take some real time, but it will come. 

Thinking Happy

Hello again! 
Today's card is bright and happy and I love it. I used the sketch from SUO Challenges, and played with the Bright & Beautiful DP. There's a lot of colors here, it feels like, but it all comes from that sheet of DP, so it works! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiest Day

Ink: Lost Lagoon, Bubble Bath

Paper: Bubble Bath, Lost Lagoon & Basic White card stocks, Bright & Beautiful DP

Accessories: Transparent Adhesive-Backed Dots, Dimensionals 

Happiness Ahead!

Perfect greeting for new years, or any time at all! 
Today's card uses the color combo from Color Throwdown. This train image is on the Last Chance list, so if your house is anything like mine, you'll want to snag that very soon! This time I tried to add to the smoke and cold with a Blending Brush and Smoky Slate ink. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Greatest Adventure
Ink: Memento Black, Smoky Slate
Paper: Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Basic White card stocks
Accessories: Classic Matte Dots (retired)

Bright Thanks

Happy Friday! Here's a wish for a calm weekend!! 

Today's card uses the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, and it was going ot use the colors from Hand Stamped Sentiments...but I don't own Highland Heather ink and I just couldn't make it work with this card. Maybe another day... 

Supplies:

Stamps: Spotlight on Nature

Ink: Petunia Pop

Paper: Lemon Lime Twist & Basic White card stocks, Unbounded Beauty DP

Accessories: Iridescent Striped Trim, Transparent Adhesive-Backed Dots, Spotlight on Nature dies, Dimensionals, big shot (retired)

Sparkly & Blue

Hello again, and happy 2025! 
I had hoped to post every day in December, and I came very close- 28 of 31 days is not nothin. Especially since I felt like I didn't *make anything in December! I actually just counted it all up and I did make 20 cards- also not nothin! And I had no idea I was able to make so much! 

2024 was good for my crafting goals. 

I made 148 scrapbook pages of the 125 I was aiming for. 

I made 166 cards and mailed out 54 of them (plus 83 for Christmas). 

I completed 3 Paper Pumpkin kits (but acquired a few more to "replace" them, Ha!)

And I held 4 card classes.

Now it's pushing three weeks since I've made anything and IT IS TIME.
First up- a birthday card that got stuck in the mail as soon as it was made! I used the color challenge from TGIF Challenges for this one. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Encircled in Nature

Ink: Night of Navy

Paper: Balmy Blue, Night of Navy & Basic White card stock, Silver Glimmer paper (retired) 

Accessories: Iridescant Striped Trim, Encircled in Nature dies, Dimensionals, big shot (retired)

New Years Eve 2023

Happy New Years Eve!!!

I am not a "party person" but I actually love New Year's Eve. We have let the kids have a party with friends a few times, and they have gone to friends houses once or twice, or even an event at the church, but most years, its just our little family playing games and eating and often ending with a movie. That is my kind of party, hahaha.... And we *always let our kiddos stay up til midnight, or as late as they last, no matter how old they are. Because I'm crazy... haha.
How do you celebrate?

Sometime this summer, I made this digital layout of our last New Years Eve. But I saved it to share til it was more seasonally appropriate. hahaha. 

I saw the card at the bottom right on facebook as a free download, and I liked the colors and the grungyness, so of course I snagged that. Then it became the title!
The base pages here are actually a tag I purchased with the very-long-retired MDS and zoomed WAAAAY in to, ha. But I love how it turned out. 

The handy thing about digi scrapping is you make it once and print it however many times you need it, which matters when you make a book for everyone. In this case, the family got the second page and my youngest got the set, because the first page was really just her! Everyone else was doing their own thing most of this day. Actually, my middle child was pretty sick, but she spent the evening curled up on the couch "with" us, ha. 

Supplies:
MDS, Freebie by KPertiet

I hope you have a safe and happy celebration this year! Bring on 2025!

Tree Ornaments

Wrapping up the last of Christmas, here's another evening post! It's been quite a weekend... lots of good and a whole lotta not so good too....! 

In place of a calendar this year for my family, I made photo ornaments instead. 

Several years ago, like, sixteen, lol, my mom saw an idea to stick a photo on one side of a metal lid from a can of orange juice concentrate, and scrapbook paper on the other side, and I think you were supposed to edge it all in ribbon. I saved some lids for all these years but a- we don't drink a lot of juice in our house, and b- I just didn't have enough. I decided to do a "set" of all fifteen grandchildren for my parents, and then do coordinating ornaments of the kids in each household. Does that make sense? lol.... Well it meant I needed 30 lids. This fall when I was bottling pears, I thought the used mason jar lids would work really well! So I saved some of those instead of tossing them. 

Then I pulled out my box of retired Christmas DP, haha, 

and selected small prints that wouldn't overwhelm the photos. In some cases I used both sides of the DP for one ornament, in other cases I chose two different prints from the same pack to make each ornament.
Then I had to choose some coordinating ribbon. 

I couldn't figure out what to do from what I remembered from years ago, ha, so I improvised and came up with my own plan. I also used my retired Circle Dies to cut out the DP. Then I trimmed corners to fit photos... I used my glue gun to attach the ribbon or string. I adhered the DP and photos using the Multipurpose Liquid Glue til I ran out, then I just used glue sticks. And after doing about 24 ornaments, I realized Dimensionals would work perfectly. ha. Holy cow.... 

And here's how my parents set turned out! 

The backs: 

And the fronts, in the same spots as above: 

Supplies:

Paper: Season of Cheer DP, Santa Express DP, Merry Moments Simply Scrappin Kit, All Is Calm DP, All Is Bright DP, Merry Bold & Bright DP (2003), Home For Christmas DP, Dashing DP (2006)

Accessories: Baker's Twine Trio Pack, Lucky Limeade Everyday Enchantment Ribbon, Real Red Solid Ribbon, Silver 1/8 Ribbon, Circle Dies, 

hot glue gun

2025 Calendar 4

Hopefully the last Sunday post for a while, haha.... 

But this wraps up this year's calendar! 

October: 

November: 

December: 

2025 Calendar 3

More calendar pages today...

July: 

August:

(This page was done the same as June, I think from the same pack of DP. this is a scan of a desert mtn top. You can't tell, but the colors work so perfectly!)

September: 

2025 Calendar 2

Continuing with the calendar...

April:

May: 

June: 

(On this page, I scanned in some amazing but retired DP for the background. You can't really tell it's a mountain top, but the colors still work great for the camping photos.)