Summer lovin' ... has me a blaaa-aaast! Summer lovin' ... happened so faaaa-aaast!!! Oh my!! I LOVE that movie!! (for those of you who are lost ... I'm talkin' GREASE here, people!!)

I made this as my sample for today's Free for All Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers ... I called it "Summer Lovin'" and challenged people to do something that evokes summer feelings of fun!!

Ice cream??? Oh yeah, baby!!! I probably eat more ice cream than I should, but it's just sooooo yummy and soooo delicious I can't help myself!!! Think it's time for another frozen hot chocolate, too! (I'm gonna just have one for dinner tomorrow and then the calories won't count 'cause it's a whole freakin' MEAL, right??)

Stamps: Geometrical
Paper: Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Moonlight DSP, Brights Color Collection DSP, MDS "All Time Fave" (ice cream), Silhouette
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Large Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Tiny Triangles Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Scallops Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Spiral Border Punch, 1 3/8" Square Punch, Chalk Talk Framelits, Melon Mambo Taffeta Ribbon, In Color Printed Clothespins, Silhouette
MDS Download: All Time Fave (ice cream cone)

I'm off to Bear Lake with some of my family this weekend (sadly, my husband, daughter and one of my sons have WORK and stuff going on! Dang!). Bear Lake is one of the reason I LOVE SUMMER!!

It's Monday Montage time again!! Woot!! Woot!!! And this week I decided to go outta the box ... again ... which is good for me, right??? Sometimes I wonder ... but then again, thinkin' outside of the box is GOOD, right???

My adorable little GrandNephew, Hansel (which makes me a GREAT Auntie, right???), is celebrating his second birthday. I honestly do NOT know how time seems to speed up the older I get, but it does ... sigh ... I decided to stop getting older at 27 ... which sometimes I believe and sometimes not, but I digress ...

Whilst I was looking for something to go with my "2" theme, I came across (once again), the image from "Yippee-Skippee" that says "Never Underestimate the Power of TWO!" ... and I figured, "Why not???" Most definitely NOT what it was intended for, but somehow it makes me happy!

I cut the lion and the Basic Black "base" piece using my trusty ol' Silhouette and some images I swiped outta MDS ... I LOVE how my possibilities seem to be ENDLESS when I go this route ... needless to say, I have a LOT of downloads ... but I digress, again ...

Stamps:  Yippee-Skippee
Paper:  Lost Lagoon, Basic Black, Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey
Ink:  Lost Lagoon
Accessories:  Large Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, In Color Printed Clothes Pins, Sweet Sadie Washi Tape, Beach House Washi Tape, Gold Sequin Trim
MDS Downloads: Nursery Alphabet, Seriously Teen ("two"), Timeless Type Punch ("2")

So Happy Birthday to Hansel!! SUCH a cutie!!!

Click "Back" to see Melissa Stout's mind-blowing creativity, and/or the "Next" button to see Amy O'Neill's always awesomeness!

Oooooo!! What could be MORE FUN than getting inspiration from the Control Freaks as they play with NEW GOODNESS from the NEW CATALOG???? Not a whole heck-of-a-lot!!! This month we are all making creations from things we have ALREADY "acquired" from the new Stampin' Up Catalog!! Did ya SEE what the Creative Connie Babbert shared??? She is ALWAYS amazing!!

I saw a card similar to this one at a recent "downline" meeting I went to at Pam Morgan's ... couldn't tell ya WHO made it ... but I DO know that I KNEW that I HAD to do something similar!! I seem to be having a "thing" lately with tone-on-tone, monochromatic creations ... and I LOVELOVELOVE that I was able to use the new Blendabilities markers to make this card for a wedding gift that needed a card for a wedding reception I am heading off to ... I am INLOVE with these Blendabilitites!!

Stamps: I Like You, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White
Ink: Pool Party, Whisper White, Coastal Cabana Blendabilities, Old Olive Blendabilities
Accessories: Bitty Banners Framelits, Mossy Meadow Stitched Satin Ribbon, Small Oval Punch, Zig Zag Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder Punch, Whisper White Embossing Powder


And ... to continue with the "tone-on-tone" thing I got going ... here is a card I made with the Bordering Blooms stamp set ... I also seem to be having a "thing" with the Corner Rounder Punch (which is now available with the Project Life goodies!) ...

Stamps: Bordering Blooms, A Dozen Thoughts
Paper: Crisp Cantaloupe, Mossy Meadow, Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe
Accessories: Zig Zag Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Very Vintage Designer Buttons, Gold Sequin Trim, Venetian Crochet Trim, Pearl Basics, Linen Thread

Next up is the MARVELOUS Mary Brown!! LOVE her style!!

Welcome to this week's version of The Stamp Review Crew!! This week we are playing with "Life in the Forest" ... I have had this set since it came out and haven't even OPENED the case it is stored in until NOW!! What in the world has been WRONG with me??? Sheesh!!

And I feel like a last-minute-Lucy on this one!!! I have had SUCH a week ... and SUCH a weekend!! So I used this fun little set to create a Father's Day card for my father-in-law ...

On the "good news" front ... I finished my VERY FIRST 1/2 marathon on Saturday. Holy saMOKES!! I NEVER thought I would EVER be able to run that far ... EVER. Period. End of statement!! I am SO proud of myself!! Best part??? I didn't even fall down ... not once!!! (Ok ... that's really only funny if you've been following my blog for a while and read my whole dang-long saga that I posted last year on my birthday!).

Stamps:  Life in the Forest
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Tangelo Twist, Mossy Meadow, Subtles Color Collection DSP
Ink:  Mossy Meadow
Accessories:  Little Letters Thinlits Dies, Tiny Triangle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Natural Chevron Ribbon, Retro Fresh Washi Tape, Fringe Scissors, Sewing Machine

Here are all the images that come in this fun set (and how WEIRD is it that I didn't use one single critter??? I just don't see my father in law as the "critter" type!)

Next up?? Nancy Smith!! If you click on the "previous blog" button you will be taken back to Jill Coleman's fabulous creation as well!

Where da HECK did this week go already??? I feel like it was JUST Monday!!! Yikes!!! Maybe it's 'cause I'm getting nervous for my first 1/2 marathon this Saturday (and maybe THAT'S because my shin splints decided to be MEAN to be this week!)!! Sigh ... I am GONNA finish!!! And I am gonna TRY not to die in the process ... but I digress ...

We recently had another swap with the Control Freaks ... and I am just NOW getting around to posting my card for that!! We were given the challenge of using some of the new "preview" catalog stuff (which is now not preview at ALL since the whole catalog is available ... YIPPEEEEEE!!). I get the BEST swaps from the Control Freaks. Never a clunker in the bunch!!!

You can actually make the little "bracket" I used with the Artisan Punch ... BUT it takes a little bit of patience to get it all lined up. AND since I was making 30 of these babies (which means I needed SIXTY of the little brackets), I just decided to pull out my trusty ol' Silhouette and use a bracket from MDS so that the machine could could them all FOR me ... lickety split!!

Stamps: Traveler, Something to Say, Work of Art
Paper: Crumb Cake, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Whisper White, Very Vanilla
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow
Accessories:  Arrows Textured Impression Embossing Folder, Natural Chevron Ribbon,  Baked Brown Sugar Thick Baker's Twine, Banner Punch, Staple, Silhouette (eCutter)
MDS Download:  For All You Do (bracket)

Soooo ... I'm gonna do some happy stretching and massaging on the darn shin splints today ... and then maybe do my run this evening ... then I take tomorrow OFF from running so I will be all happy and fresh on Saturday!!! I'll let y'all know if I made it without falling ...

Hooray for sunny weather, frozen hot chocolates, wearing shorts and MONDAY MONTAGE!!! And ... oh yeah ... playing with MORE new stuffs!!! It's sad that I've had some of it for WEEKS and haven't touched it!!! So HOORAY for TODAY!!

I decided to do a "non-traditional" baby card. Ok ... this DOES look like a baby card ... however, I decided to make it a BIRTHDAY baby card for one of my little cousins (we have a BIG family ... lots of ca-YOOT Weixler littles!!). So I "built" a sentiment using three different stamps from the "Endless Wishes" Photopolymer Set (which IS going to be available again soon!). Also added the fun background on the Crumb Cake using the beautiful new "Boutique Borders". I can tell I am gonna have a LOT of fun with that one!!! And new washi tape (it's called "Beach House" ... I used one of the three tapes available - Pool-Party-colored ... LOVE 'em ALL!)!!! My sewing machine is still sitting out from the last card I made, so I couldn't help from using it a little bit again as well!! And HAPPYHAPPYHAPPY new embossing folder .... LOVE  Sigh ... sometimes I just don't know when to STAWWP!!!

Stamps:  Something for Baby, Boutique Borders, Endless Birthday Wishes
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White
Ink:  Hello Honey, Tangelo Twist
Accessories:  Baby's First Framelits, Large Oval Punch, Banner Punch, Large Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder Punch, Beach House Washi Tape, Linen Thread

And EEEEEeeep!! I signed up for my first 1/2 Marathon ... it's NEXT SATURDAY!!! Oy-yoi-yoi ... not sure I'm ready, but I AM going to do it!!

Click "Back" to see MUCHO MARVELOUSNESS from Melissa Stout, and/or the "Next" button to see ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDINGNESS from Amy O'Neill!

SOOOO happy that I have the opportunity, once again, to dig into my box of NEW Stampin' Up goodies!! This time I created something for this week's Fab Friday Challenge!! And I totally LOVE this sketch!!

I was SOOO excited to see the absolutely-adorably-CUTE doggie stamp set in the catalog. KNEW it was gonna be on my first order!! And this challenge ALSO got me to use my triangle punch ... I think I have only used that thing ONCE (or maybe NEVER??). And WHY NOT???? WHO KNOWS? It's freakin' awesome!!

How COOL is THIS??? When I posted for Fab Friday two weeks ago, it was my daughter's 20th birthday ... and TODAY is my son, Garrett's 23rd birthday!!! My babies are gettin' all grown up and everything ... NO idea where the years have gone!!

Stamps: Hot Diggity Dog
Paper: Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Hello Honey, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Vellum
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Triangle Punch, Word Bubble Framelits, Word Window Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Tiny Triangle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Melon Mambo Taffeta Ribbon, Sweet Sadie Washi Tape, Beach House Washi Tape, Sewing Machine








Here's the sketch we are using this week in case you'd like to play along ...











And ... Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Brian King
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Marla Reed
Pam Steckman
Jan Tinklenberg

Now I need to take a shovel (or maybe a backhoe??) down into my craft room and see if I can find any floor or counter space ... wish me luck!!

Do you know how DIFFICULT it is to know that there is a lovely box FULL of shiny-happy new things from the shiny-happy new Stampin' Up catalog sitting on your porch and being unable to even SEE it (let alone TOUCH it) until 10:00 pm after a VERY long day???? I DO!! Sheesh!!! And I was SO tired by the time I got home last night (even my HAIR was tired) that I didn't even have the ENERGY to OPEN the box!! Now THAT'S what I call just plain ol' SAD!!!

GOOD NEWS is that I got up early this morning to play ... despite the fact that I (a) had LOTS of household chores I COULD have done instead (yeah ... right ...) and (b) I SHOULD have gone running or done some sorta exercise ... nah ... wasn't gonna happen!!

Even though I didn't place an overly-large order as soon as I was able (which was at NOON last Monday!) ... I was STILL overwhelmed with all the (dare I say it again??) happy-shiny new stuffs staring back at me from the box after I opened it up this morning??? WHERE to BEGIN??? Sigh ... first.world.problems.

So I made this card before I had to run out the door for another busy-crazy day. And I have been feeling happy-shiny ever since!!

LOVE the new Striped Scallop Thinlits Die!! LOVE the new Little Letters Thinlits dies, too!! Oooooo!! So much to choose from in this new catalog!! If you'd like to see for yourself, just click on the catalog icon on my sidebar to the right ... FUN stuffs, I tell ya!!

Stamps: None
Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party, Real Red, Typeset DSP
Ink: None
Accessories: Striped Scallop Thinlits Die, Little Letters Thinlits Die, Pool Party 1/4" Cotton Ribbon, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, Gold Sequin Trim, Sewing Machine

I love spring!! I love flowers ... and I LOVE the stamp set that has been chosen for this week's edition of the Stamp Review Crew!! Everything Eleanor ... what is NOT to love about this set??? I contemplated how I could do something DIFFERENT with this set (at least for ME!). And, as I was perusing photos on Pinterest to help inspire me, I decided I would go with something kinda monochromatic ...





I broke out my new Blendabilities markers to color the backs of my flowers (so there wasn't ANY skill in coloring, I tell ya!). I stamped the flowers in Whisper White craft ink and then embossed them with Whisper White embossing powder. Then I set to doing some "fussy" cutting ...

I also "fussy" cut the label-looking image from the set that I "off-stamped" with some Wild Wasabi ink. (For those of you who DON'T know ... "off-stamping" is when you ink of the image, stamp it ONCE on some scrap paper, and then stamp it AGAIN onto the cardstock that you are going to use ... just lightens the color a bit!).  See all the pretty stamps that come in this set??? Happy it is being carried over into the new catalog!!

Stamps:  Everything Eleanor, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper:  Whisper White, Subtles Color Collection DSP
Ink:  Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Blendabilities
Accessories:  Apothecary Accents Framelits Die, Bitty Banners Framelits, Gold Sequin Trim, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Bird Builder Punch

If you click on the "previous" button you will see Heidi Baks' creativity with this set, and the "next" button will take you to Debra Burgin's brilliance!!