I Need Something Bright and Cheery

Posted on May 25, 2015 by amyoneillblog

I had a little time to spend in my craft room yesterday. We have had so much rain the past couple of months (almost daily it seems), that I decided to make something bright and cheery.

It’s hard to believe that up until just a couple of months ago, we had been in a long-running drought. We had been under severe water restrictions, where we could use landscape watering only once every other week. The lake from which our local water supply is drawn was 11 feet under the level at which it needed to be just two months ago. Now it is over 9 feet above full level and rising — lots of flooding. It has risen 20 feet in just two months! Crazy! I wish we could send this rain out West to California, or save it for July and August, when we’ll probably need it again.

I cut some little squares of the Cherry on Top dsp. This dsp just makes my heart so happy! I love the colors and fun patterns. I cut a butterfly out of some Watermelon Wonder card stock using a Butterflies Thinlits die, and added some baker’s twine and a cute In-Color Blossoms Accent embellishment — love these too!

The black and white dsp on the bottom is from the Stacked with Love dsp pack, and will only be available for another week. The sentiment is from A Dozen Thoughts. I also added a little strip of Pool Party ribbon and I cut a strip of the new Cucumber Crush 1″ Dotted Lace Trim.

Enjoy your Monday, and make time to honor those who sacrificed all for their country (it’s Memorial Day in the U.S.). Thanks for stopping by!

Balloons Just for You — FMS187

Posted on May 20, 2015 by amyoneillblog

We have another new sketch over at the Freshly Made Sketches site for you today. And this week, the super talented Cindy Lovell has a great sketch for us:

I decided to use a little new and a little retiring product on my card. I started with the balloons from Balloon Bash, which is retiring in just two short weeks. I stamped them in new colors — Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush. I stamped the focal panel using the new You’re So Sweet stamp set and Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry ink.

The dsp is from a new paper pack that I LOVE, Cherry on Top. I added some sequins and a strip of Watermelon Wonder card stock and was finished.

We hope you’ll join us and play along with the challenge. We love seeing what you make. If you’d like a little inspiration, head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team did with the sketch.

Enjoy your Wednesday! Thanks for stopping by!

Love You New In-Colors — Monday Montage #43

Posted on May 17, 2015 by amyoneillblog

Welcome to another Monday Montage blog hop! There are ten stampers who participate and bring this to you every other week, and all you have to do to follow along is click on the links at the bottom of each post.

I’ve been using my retiring sets a lot lately as I want to get them inky one last time before they retire. And it has been fun to pull out some favorites. However, I’ve had a few new items sitting close by that I’ve been dying to try out. So I thought I’d use a few for this post.

One of the sets that I love in the new catalog is the You’re So Sweet stamp set. I love the fun images and I love how it coordinates with the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies.

On this card, I just used one of the images, the heart, and stamped it several times in different colors, including two of the new In-Colors. Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush are both bright, fun colors and I LOVE them. The other colors I used are Crushed Curry, Pool Party, and Rich Razzleberry.

I took an aquapainter and colored on a little color in each heart. I punched out a heart using the Hearts Border punch and added a little rhinestone. And I added some black baker’s twine on the side. This was a quick and easy card.

You’re ready to hop on over to the fabulously creative Breelin Renwick’s blog now by clicking on the “Next” button below. If you prefer to work your way backwards, you can click on the “Back” button and venture over to Wendy Weixler’s amazing blog. Either way, be sure to work your way through all of the other nine blogs.

Enjoy your Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

Farewell to #Hello — FMS186

Posted on May 13, 2015 by amyoneillblog

It’s time for another challenge at Freshly Made Sketches. And this week the lovely Jen Brum is our hostess. This Canadian is so talented at making such fresh CAS cards. She always inspires me. Check out what she has for us:

I love this sketch! It’s trendy and clean. I’m continuing to use some of my retiring stamp sets, and I’ve used one of my favorites for this sketch, #Hello. I have really gotten good use of this set, and I will miss it.

I also used some new stuff on this card, including some new dsp, Cherry on Top, which I absolutely LOVE — the colors and patterns are so fun and fresh. And I’ve used one of the new In-Colors, Watermelon Wonder. I think I am going to be very good friends with this color.

We hope you’ll play along and join us this week over at Freshly Made Sketches in the gallery. Meanwhile, you can go find some inspiration over at the Freshly Made Sketches site and see what the design team made.

Enjoy your Wednesday! Thanks for stopping by!

A Mother’s Day Garden Party — FMS185

Posted on May 6, 2015 by amyoneillblog

It’s another Wednesday, and with each new Wednesday comes a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches. This week, the super artistic Cindy Hall is our hostess and she has a great sketch for us.

I needed a card for Mother’s Day, so I decided to use the sketch to help with that. I used another retiring set, Garden Party, for the flowers and the newest Paper Pumpkin kit stamp set for the sentiment.

I think Mother’s Day should be a happy occasion, so I went with bright, happy colors — Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Daffodil Delight, and Pumpkin Pie.

I also used one of the Project Life grid cards on which to place the focal images.

We hope you’ll be able to play along and join us with this challenge. It’s always fun to look through the gallery and see how others use the sketch. Meanwhile, you should drop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team made for some inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday! Thanks for stopping by!

Farewell Dahlia — Monday Montage #42

Posted on May 3, 2015 by amyoneillblog

Here we are with another Monday Montage Blog Hop for you. There are ten of us who participate, and all you have to do to see all of the crafty creations is to click on the links at the bottom of each post.

I am still going through the mourning process with my retiring stamp sets. Don’t worry — it won’t be a long mourning period because as soon as I get some of the new ones that will be released next month, I will be a happy stamper again. One of those I will miss most is Regarding Dahlias. I love this set!

I started by stamping the dahlia with Versamark ink on vellum card stock and then embossing it with Crushed Curry embossing powder. I added some washi tape along the side of the card base, and added some Black Baker’s Twine.

The sentiment comes from a Paper Pumpkin stamp set. I love the font on the sentiments in this set. I added a little piece of a doily behind it.

You’re ready to move on over to Breelin Renwick’s blog. She is such a creative and talented stamper, and I’m always inspired by what she makes. If you prefer to work your way backwards, you can hop on over to Wendy Weixler’s blog to check out her beautiful creations. Either way, be sure to work your way through all nine of the other blogs.

Enjoy your Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

Farewell Mosaics — FMS184

Posted on April 29, 2015 by amyoneillblog

It’s Wednesday and it’s time for another new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. And this week the fabulous Kim Singdahlsen, is our hostess. She likes to live life on the edge (I don’t really know that), and so has designed her sketch accordingly (note how part of the sketch hangs over the edge of card base).

I’m trying to use as many of my retiring stamps as I can before they are gone for good. I pulled out Mosaic Madness for this card and some watercolor paper. I started by embossing three of the small images in the set with clear embossing powder and then I used my aquapainter and some Daffodil Delight ink to make the background.

The larger mosaic images were stamped with Strawberry Slush, Coastal
Cabana, and Pear Pizzazz inks and then punched out with the coordinating punch.

The sentiment is from another retiring set, Lots of Thanks. I added little rhinestones, which I colored with a black Sharpie, for embellishment.

We hope you’ll join us and play along with the challenge this week. It’s always fun to peruse the gallery and see what you make each week. You can go by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the rest of the team made for some inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday! Thanks for stopping by!

Good Thoughts — FMS183

Posted on April 22, 2015 by amyoneillblog

It’s time for another challenge at Freshly Made Sketches. This week the crazy talented Linda Callahan, who has the best sense of humor (though she might not have it right now while her home is undergoing a kitchen remodel — ;)), is our hostess. And I can’t wait to see what y’all do with this one.

I made this card before Stampin’ Up! released the retirement list. When I saw that Too Kind was included on the list yesterday, I was so sad. I love this set! Which ones are you going to miss most?

I decided I need to use the retiring In-Colors as much as possible before June arrives, so I used one for this card. These In-Colors are my favorite ones that they’ve ever had. I am really going to miss Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush and Crisp Cantaloupe. I can’t wait to see what the new In-Colors will be!

I used a color combination of Crisp Cantaloupe, Blushing Bride, and Old Olive. A couple of strips of washi tape are on the bottom of the card.

We hope you’ll join us and make your own card using the sketch this week. You can go by the Freshly Made Sketches site and see what the design team made for some inspiration. They always inspire me!

Enjoy your Wednesday! Thanks for stopping by!06

Birthday Candles and Stars — Monday Montage #41

Posted on April 19, 2015 by amyoneillblog

Welcome to another Monday Montage blog hop! There are ten of us stampers who are participating, and all you have to do to see all of the crafty creations is to click on the links at the bottom of each post. You won’t want to miss a single one.

I needed a birthday card for a teenager, so I pulled out my Big News stamp set and my aquapainter and had a little fun.

I started by embossing the card base with the Lucky Stars Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

I then took my aquapainter and brushed on some ink in Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Strawberry Slush onto the focal panel. After that was dry, I stamped the sentiment and added some black splatters.

I then stamped the candles, fussy cut them out, and added some of the In Color Sequins. For a fun touch, I crazy-stitched around the edges with my sewing machine (after I dusted it off).

You’re ready to hop on over to see Breelin Renwick’s awesome creativity. I love everything she makes. If you prefer to work your way backwards, you can hop on over to Wendy Weixler’s amazing blog. Either way, be sure to work your way through all of the other nine blogs.

Enjoy your Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

Hello, Flower Shop — FMS182

Posted on April 15, 2015 by amyoneillblog

It’s Wednesday, and it’s April 15. For those of us in the US, that it not a very fun day as it is the day when our annual income tax returns must be filed. I finished and clicked the “Send” button last night (yeah, I procrastinate when it comes to doing taxes), so I can relax today. Hopefully, you are done too and you can kick back and check out the new challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches. The super talented Rita Wright is our hostess this week and she has a great sketch for us. This one really leaves you lots of room to be creative.

I decided to use a flower set that was getting a little dusty on my shelf, Flower Shop. I stamped the flower three times and then colored them with my aquapainter. I added some splatters with a stamp that was included in a Paper Pumpkin set a long time ago.

I used a sentiment from Four You, and used two of my favorite In-Colors, which will soon be retiring — Coastal Cabana and Strawberry Slush. The other color is Daffodil Delight.

We hope you’ll join us and make your own card using the sketch. We do love to see what you create. Meanwhile, you can venture over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to see what the design team made for some inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday, even though it is tax day. Thanks for stopping by!