Nutty Squirrels

Mornin' y'all!  How's your Wednesday going?  Ryan has STEM club after school today so that means I get an extra hour kid-free.  Well, not entirely, since I have Daphne : )  She did pretty well on our walk yesterday; we've been a little worried that she goes bonkers when she sees or hears other dogs but she did better with that yesterday.

Anyway, I figured that one Tahitian Tide card deserved another so here we are:

And here's the Retro Rubber challenge that I started with:

I used Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia, Highland Heather, Orchid Oasis, and Tahitian Tide for my colors.  Nuts About Squirrels is 3 years old and I was inspired to use it for today's card by the As You See It challenge:

One of the squirrels has an acorn, and I found another one in an old My Paper Pumpkin set to add a few more to my card front.  These squirrels always remind me of The Sword in the Stone when Merlin turns Wart and himself into squirrels as a teaching exercise.  Also I watched both this movie and Robin Hood over the past couple of days : )

That's it for me today, kids.  I'm going to go play with Daphne until it's time to get Ryan off to school.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Nuts About Squirrels, My Paper Pumpkin
Ink:  Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia, Highland Heather, Orchid Oasis, Tahitian Tide, Pecan Pie
Paper:  Tahitian Tide, Thick Basic White, DSP in Tahitian Tide, Highland Heather, Orchid Oasis
Accessories:  Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals

The Laughing Moose

If I ever opened a pub (not likely), I think The Laughing Moose would be a great contender for what to name it : )  And I have a moose-tastic card to share today.

Ahh, an antidote to that all-gray card I made over the weekend!  I had to think a while about what to do with the colors from the Paper Players:

I used Magenta Madness, Gorgeous Grape, Tahitian Tide, and Pumpkin Pie for my card, so a mix of current and retired colors.  It took two tries to figure out how I wanted to color in his scarf, socks, and skates so that each of the colors was incorporated and balanced but I think I got there in the end.

I used the sketch from Sunday Stamps:

Another great sketch to play with, and it gave me multiple panels to use for different colors.  Fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Christmas Friends, Sophisticated Sled
Ink:  Early Espresso, Magenta Madness, Stampin' Blends in Pecan Pie, Ivory, Magenta Madness, Tahitian Tide, Highland Heather, Pumpkin Pie, Gray Granite
Paper:  Tahitian Tide, Thick Basic White, Tahitian Tide DSP, Magenta Madness DSP, Gorgeous Grape DSP
Accessories:  Christmas Friends dies, Countryside Corners dies, Dimensionals, Tutti Frutti sequins, Wink of Stella

And I have some more puppy pictures!

Daphne was not at all sure about the white stuff at first, but now she really enjoys playing in the snow.  She's really good at fetch with that little soccer ball and will hop up into the really deep snowdrift in the backyard with no hesitation.  And here you can see that her face gives Eddie Munster vibes : )

And there she is recharging for her next play session.  Yes, her back legs are on one side of her and her front legs are on the other side, which doesn't look comfortable to me, but she said it worked for her.

That's it for me today, peeps.  After I get Ryan off to school, I'm taking Daphne to school and trying to teach her how to behave on a walk.  Wish me luck.  Cheers!

Snow Fun!

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  Ryan was not best pleased this morning that he has to go back to school today, especially since the hubs is off for Veterans Day.  But that's what's happening : ) Still tons of snow everywhere but the roads are clear, so it's time to get on with life.

I picked a snowy scrapbook layout to share today : )  This was a snow day in Germany.

Aww smol Ryan!  We got that snowsuit at a place in Germany for only like 20 euros and it was great, we were sad when he got too big for those.  The hubs did find him a nice ski jacket and snow pants secondhand here, so he's set even though he's gotten so much bigger.

Today's wintry palette:  Coastal Cabana, Blueberry Bushel, Lemon Lime Twist, and white.  The Blueberry Bushel and Lemon Lime Twist were pulled straight from Ryan's snowsuit, and the Coastal Cabana made a good contrasting color for the page base.

That's it for me today, peeps.  After I finish breakfast, the hubs and I are going to take Daphne out on a walk in the snow and then later we're meeting up with friends for lunch.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Tall Tales Alphabet, Snow Swirled
Ink:  Blueberry Bushel, Coastal Cabana
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Blueberry Bushel, Lemon Lime Twist, Thick Basic White, Let It Snow Specialty DSP
Accessories:  Layering Circles dies

Train Tracks

Mornin y'all!  The snow is starting to melt here but it's going to take a while.  We have a drift in our backyard that's about waist-high, so it's a LOT of snow!  We just took Daphne out and she very much enjoys zoomies in the snow.  Better enjoy it while she can, our high today is in the 50s :) Looks like Ryan will be back at school tomorrow!

For today's card, I have something unusual:

An all-gray card, on MY blog???  I know, right.  I bought Greatest Adventure when it first hit the Online Exclusives and this is the first time I've made a card with it.  I like the train image, but the real draw for me is the sentiment stamps; there are several really nice ones in the set.  Anyway, Inspire. Create. has the all-gray challenge that was the genesis of my card:

And I paired that with the Festive Friday challenge:

I got twine, neutral colors (nothing but grays here), and texture.  That embossed piece has been sitting in my Smoky Slate scraps for probably years; I started getting rid of my embossing folders because I just don't use them ever but I thought I could use that piece for this card.

That's it for me today, peeps.  Daphne chewed up the remote control for the TV yesterday and this morning our computer is acting pretty weird, so I think today I will be doing things that do not involve looking at screens : )  And maybe the hubs will be looking for a new remote control for the TV because I want to watch The Sword in the Stone sometime soon.  Good thing Daph is so cute.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Greatest Adventure
Ink:  Basic Gray
Paper:  Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Accessories:  Basic Gray twine, embossing folder, Dimensionals

Mellow Mushrooms

Mornin' y'all!  We have even MORE snow today than yesterday, but the weather app says it's supposed to stop snowing around 10 this morning.  It's my turn to shovel the driveway so that's my plan...after I eat breakfast : ) and have a nice cuppa tea.

But first, a card!

Once again I dug out a retired stamp set to play with.  How cute is this sketch from Just Add Ink:

And here's the Inspired By... challenge:

That inspo pic immediately made me think of the cute little mushroom stamp in Snailed It.

Well, as soon as I finish my tea, I've got to head out and shovel the driveway again.  Wish me luck.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Snailed It
Ink:  Early Espresso, Stampin' Blends in Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Petal Pink, Ivory, Granny Apple Green
Paper:  Bermuda Bay, Thick Basic White, Snail Mail DSP, Real Red DSP
Accessories:  Snail dies, Layering Circles dies, Glossy Dots, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Beary Merry

Happy Friday, y'all, and Snow Day #3.  It was snowing when I let Daphne out last night just before bed, and it was snowing when I got up this morning to do my workout, and it's still snowing now.  Not super heavily, but steadily.  I shoveled the driveway yesterday so today it's Ryan's turn, haha!  (Just kidding, he's only 7.) I shall continue to stay inside with a nice cuppa, and maybe (probably) (most likely) do some crafting.

I've got a Christmas card to share today:

I finally inked up Christmas Friends and of course the bear had to be first.  I love the colors from CAS Colours & Sketches:

And I'm entering this at Critter Crazy Challenges because who doesn't love a good critter card.  I'm looking forward to playing with this stamp set some more between now and Christmas.

But for now I think I might go watch Ghostbusters:  Frozen Empire.  While I drink hot tea.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Christmas Friends
Ink:  Early Espresso, Stampin' Blends in Pecan Pie, Real Red, Shy Shamrock, Shaded Spruce
Paper:  Shaded Spruce, Shy Shamrock, Thick Basic White, Real Red DSP
Accessories:  Stylish Shapes dies, Nested Essentials dies, Dimensionals

Time for a Hot Drink (or Two)

Mornin' y'all!  It's another snow day here and it is *really* coming down.  I don't think anyone is going anywhere today.  We took Daphne out on a very short walk yesterday just until she did her business and then we came back to the house and played in the snow while the hubs shoveled the driveway (he decided against spending $1K+ on a snowblower yesterday but he might change his mind if this keeps up).  I think we might all be housebound tomorrow, too.

Of course when we came back inside from the cold I had to make myself a cup of tea (or two), which brings me to today's card:

The SOS Challenge this week is Time for a Hot Drink, and I've got two.  So which would you choose, pumpkin spice with marshmallows, or apple cider with whipped cream?  I recently met up with a friend at a coffee shop in Monument (it's called Wesley Owens Coffee & Cafe, you should check it out Lynn) and I had what they called a fall fog--it was English breakfast tea with pumpkin spice and steamed milk and it was really good.  I enjoyed the blackberry scone too, so there's my plug for the coffee shop : ) and I don't even drink coffee.

Anyway, here is this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

And the Color Throwdown:

I used Pumpkin Pie, Mossy Meadow, and Cherry Cobbler, and added Early Espresso and Pecan Pie for neutrals.  I tried a Pumpkin Pie card base and it just didn't look good, so I used Early Espresso instead.  I thought about adding Pumpkin Pie embellishments, but nothing spoke to me so I just left it as is so the focus is on the cute drinks.

And here is a picture of Daphne this morning, who is Not A Fan of all the snow:

There's the hubs shoveling a path out into the grass for her : )  She's getting better about doing her tinkle fast so we can come back inside, and mostly she's behaving so well, but she did go in Ryan's room this morning and grab a stuffy to gnaw on.  I rescued Wolfier (big brother to Wolfy, Ryan has a naming convention for most of his stuffies, we also have a Foxy, Eagly, Pengy, Ducky...and this is why I named Daphne instead of letting Ryan do it) who now has a bit of damage around his nose but at least wasn't eviscerated.  Ahh, life with a puppy.  I love having a dog again.

Cheers, y'all!  I'm gonna go make some tea while I watch the snow come down.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  More Than Autumn, Latte Love
Ink:  Early Espresso, Stampin' Blends in Ivory, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, Mossy Meadow
Paper:  Early Espresso, Pecan Pie, Thick Basic White, Cherry Cobbler & Mossy Meadow DSP
Accessories:  More Than Autumn dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals

Autumnal Tree Tops

Hey y'all, how's your day going?  We have a snow day today--both the hubs and Ryan are staying home today (well, except the hubs is currently out looking to buy a snowblower).  I think we've got like 12 to 18 inches of snow so far?  It's quite nice to look out through our big living room window at the wind whipping the snow around in our backyard and the open green space behind us while I'm nice and cozy and sipping my first cup of tea of the day.  And I have a Very Good Girl laying down next to me and being a little angel.

I found out yesterday that Daphne may turn out to be a good craft room companion; she was pretty good about chilling out in there while I was working on a few things yesterday.  So here's the maiden voyage for another stamp set I got like 6 weeks ago : )

The bundle is called Winterly Tree Tops but I made it autumnal.  Ironic, considering all the snow outside.  Here's the theme challenge from the Paper Players:

I found the grateful sentiment in Inspirational Sketches.  And here's the new sketch from Atlantic Hearts:

Thanks to LeAnne for introducing me to this challenge, I've been having fun with it.  Last up is the color challenge from TGIF Challenges:

I found wash patterns in both Cherry Cobbler and Crushed Curry in the Splendid Autumn DSP Stack and used Pecan Pie for layers in between.  That Cherry Cobbler wash is very dark but it really is Cherry Cobbler.

That's it for me today, peeps.  I think I need another cuppa tea.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Winterly Tree Tops, Inspirational Sketches
Ink:  Early Espresso, Crushed Curry, Stampin' Blends in Pecan Pie, Cherry Cobbler, Bronze, neutrals
Paper:  Pecan Pie, Thick Basic White, Splendid Autumn DSP Stack
Accessories:  Winterly Tree Tops dies, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Festive Pearls

SUO Challenges: Honor Our Heroes

Mornin' y'all!  Daphne and I had a pretty successful first day together yesterday; I took her on a short walk and we played tug-o-war and she was a Very Good Girl.  Now we just need to start training her : )

But right now it's time for a new challenge at SUO Challenges!

Here is our theme:

Veterans Day is coming up on November 11 and as it happens I am surrounded by veterans.  I've been an Air Force wife for 21 years.  My dad, brother, and uncle were in the Air Force too (and my brother is currently in the Texas Air National Guard).  My maternal grandfather was in the Army.  I have a cousin who was in the Navy and another one who's in the Air Force (think you can tell what my extended family's preferred service is), and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head.  And of course many, many, many of our friends are or have been active duty.

My challenge today was to make a Veterans Day appropriate card using current Stampin' Up! products, and they haven't had a patriotic type stamp set in a while, but I am up to the challenge!  So here's what I made:

That big bold beautiful Grateful for You is from Autumn Expressions and the heart is from Bee My Valentine (it's also covered in Wink of Stella which of course doesn't show up, it's like vampires in that it cannot be photographed).  The patterned paper is from the Take to the Sky DSP and the Cherry Cobbler wash pattern is from the Splendid Autumn DSP stack.

I'm also going to enter this at Inkspirational:

Considering I have 8 layers of cardstock and DSP, I think I have this challenge covered ; )

So who's your hero?  Make a card with only Stampin' Up! products (current or retired) and share it with us at the SUO Challenges blog.  Have fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Autumn Expressions, Bee My Valentine
Ink:  Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler
Paper:  Boho Blue, Night of Navy, Thick Basic White, Take to the Sky DSP, Splendid Autumn DSP Stack
Accessories:  Autumn Expressions dies, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Breaking News...Meet Daphne

Hey y'all, we interrupt this stamping blog with some breaking news...we did a thing yesterday.

We drove out to the Humane Society in Pueblo to look at doggos yesterday and yep, we came home with one : )  I wanted to look at several black dogs (I have read that black dogs usually have the hardest time getting adopted) but no fewer than FOUR of them got adopted while we were there so we didn't even get to meet them!  So our little girl isn't black, except for some eyeliner and her tail really.  Her shelter name was Bella, but she doesn't respond to it, so we have renamed her DAPHNE.  Poor baby was pretty shy and scared in the shelter and then we immediately took her to Petsmart, but we had to get All The Things like a new bed, collar, tag, leash, harness, treats, food, and of course toys.

She was not a fan of riding in the truck and it took us an hour to get her home.

Then she got to explore her new yard...

And try out for the soccer team...

She actually does kick the ball sometimes, and sometimes she kinda somersaults over it : )  After she got some wiggles out and finally tinkled, we brought her inside.

She was not at all sure about going up the stairs and when we finally got her to the top, I betrayed her by giving her a BAFF!  But she needed it, she was pretty stinky.

And here she is getting a brush down from the hubs and Spider-Kid.  I wanted to get her a collar that was either green or purple (our previous two doggos, Sadie and Vader, had red and blue so I didn't want those colors) but the one we got is kinda teal and she looks a bit like Scooby-Doo.  I'm okay with that though.  Her name is Scooby-adjacent, after all ; )

We just put her in her kennel (that she inherited from Sadie) so I'm going to drop Ryan off at school and then go to the store and get a couple more things for our newest family member.  Cheers!

P.S. We also got another dusting of snow last night : )

Merry Reindeer

Okay, okay, I give.  I'll start making Christmas cards : )

I bought both the Reindeer Fun and Christmas Labels bundles a while back and this is the first card I've made with either of them.  Check out the beautiful inspiration challenge from Hand Stamped Sentiments:

I took something from each of the three sections:  the bright blue, deer (well, reindeer), and pink with snowflakes on it.  Who would have thought Azure Afternoon + Pretty in Pink + Pecan Pie = Christmas card?  But I like how it turned out.

That's it for me today, peeps.  Think I need to make some more fall creations while I still can.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Reindeer Fun, Christmas Labels
Ink:  Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink, Versamark, Stampin' Blends in Pecan Pie, Pretty in Pink, Ivory
Paper:  Azure Afternoon, Pretty in Pink, Thick Basic White
Accessories:  Reindeer Fun dies, Christmas Labels dies, Dimensionals, White EP, Rainbow Dots

A Couple of Copper Cards

Mornin' y'all, and happy Saturday!  Our pre-Halloween snow is still sticking around in the backyard, though it was completely gone in the front yard by the time trick-or-treating started on Halloween night.  Just goes to show how much colder it is in constant shade!  But I'm all nice and toasty in my house and thinking about starting the kettle for my first cuppa tea today : )

But first, a couple of copper cards!

I have been having lots of fun playing with Copper Clay lately, love this color.  For this card, I paired it with Old Olive and a little bit of Peach Pie on the bird--I did regular masking and reverse masking to sponge Peach Pie on the bird and Old Olive on the background.  Then I used a marker to isolate just the single word from a greeting stamp (the whole thing says "Sending a bit of love your way") and added some retired Chocolate Chip ribbon.

Still having fun with this Atlantic Hearts sketch and the Sweet Days of Autumn DSP so I made another card:

I kinda wish the animals were all facing one direction on this paper, not gonna lie.  That deer looks a little past tense if you know what I mean ; )  Still, it's super cute paper and this time I used a greeting from Latte Love and some leaves from Autumn to Remember.  The ribbon is retired; I almost never buy ribbon anymore because I don't use it a whole lot, but lately I've been dipping into the retired ribbon stash.  Soft Suede taffeta worked pretty well on this card I thought.

Here's the Just Add Ink inspiration challenge that I started with:

I took the colors Old Olive, Copper Clay, and Peach Pie from the picture, plus the nature images and cozy feel and that's what I started with for my cards.  And like I said, I'm just having too much fun with the Atlantic Hearts sketch:

This time I tried to stay very close to the sketch instead of making it more CAS, so I've got lots of layers and patterns happening on both my cards.  Here they are together:

I do love me some fall cards : )  That's all I've got for today, peeps.  Have a great weekend!  I'm planning to make a chai spice swirl bundt cake today and call it coffee cake so we can have it for breakfast tomorrow.  Cheers!

Supplies, lovebird card:
Stamps:  Inspirational Sketches, Lovely & Sweet
Ink:  Copper Clay, Peach Pie, Old Olive, Early Espresso
Paper:  Copper Clay, Thick Very Vanilla, Sweet Days of Autumn DSP
Accessories:  Circles Collection dies, Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, Speckled Dots

Supplies, hello fall card:
Stamps:  Latte Love, Autumn to Remember
Ink:  Copper Clay, Pecan Pie
Paper:  Copper Clay, Thick Very Vanilla, Sweet Days of Autumn DSP
Accessories:  Stylish Shapes dies, Soft Suede taffeta ribbon, Speckled Dots, Dimensionals

Beautiful Change

Mornin' y'all and happy Friday!  Did you have a good Halloween?  The hubs took Ryan (as Iron Man) out trick-or-treating while I handed out candy.  We had LOTS of trick-or-treaters of all ages and despite having a huge bag of candy, we ran out around 7:45...notes for next year.  I thought it was funny how many teenagers looked at our inflatable decorations and talked about how much they love Bluey : )  One girl came up to the porch and I immediately said "Fa Mulan!" and her dad told his wife, "See? SHE knows!" so apparently not everyone knew what the girl's costume was.  But of course I recognized the hero who saved China.

Anyway, Halloween cards may be done for the year but I'm still making fall cards!

I tried twice and could NOT get that sentiment to be straight on the die cut.  I tried stamping first, then die cutting--crooked.  So I die cut, then stamped--still crooked.  So now I'm chalking it up to handmade charm.

Check out this week's Color Throwdown:

Pretty!  I used Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake, and Copper Clay, and grounded those warm shades with some rich Early Espresso for the background.  I turned this week's Freshly Made Sketch on its side:

And now my brain is considering other options for this sketch, so we'll see if anything comes of that.

In other news, I had to go to the UPS Store this morning after I dropped Ryan off at school, and that just so happens to be adjacent to Walmart and they have their Halloween stuff 50% off.  LOOK WHAT I SCORED!

Aaahhhhh I'm so excited to have this up next year.  Even more excited that I only paid half price.  I also bought some Baby Ruths for half price because Ryan only brought me ONE in his entire candy haul last night.  (He doesn't like them so I get to eat them!  Sadly for me he DOES like Twix...)

Have a great day, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Regal Flora, Autumn Expressions
Ink:  Early Espresso, Crushed Curry, Copper Clay, Crumb Cake
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Thick Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Regal Flora dies, Stitched Nested Labels dies, Earth Tones Shimmer Gems, Dimensionals