STB february 2024 in a nutshell

I used the month-at-a-glance in my 2024 STB memory planner for the first time. 

I know people use them like a calendar. I decided to do a glance back at the end of the month and do a month-in-a-nutshell. Just having fun with all the things that somehow stuck out to me as having been important in that month. What a fun exercise that is.

However... note to self... don't use wet glue to adhere vellum!

May I introduce February-in-a-nutshell.

  

STB - july 24 2023

 And the next summer week spread in my STB memory planner. 

More Michigan. This was such a good week. A couple days just enjoying all the beauty that surrounds. A day of hard, sweaty work but such fun to see results. And time spent with great people and great eats:)

Using up stash when working on my Heidi Swapp memory planner preserving memories like this ;) Random stamps for some background interest. Alpha stamps. Alpha dies and PP. And a tiny bit of washi. Cuz washi is always a good idea. And makes for good tag pulls.

commissioned milestone birthday cards

Next up in my summer programming - commissioned milestone birthday cards. 

Can you guess the recipient of this first card? A teacher! How'd I do?

Action Deutschland banner dies

Simply Graphic frame dies

Memory Box number dies

embossing pen to write sentiment

white embossing powder

star sequins

And this one was a challenge.  A Covid theme for a gal turning 40. Had to get creative with clip art and a hole punch!

Memory Box alpha dies

MFT number die

Have a great day! 

and more milestone birthday cards

Summer programming ...

First up some milestone birthday cards. 

For the younger crowd...

Papertrey Headline alpha die

Memory Box Parker number die

STAMPlorations tag and phrase dies 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

CAS valentine for son

A quick post today to share the Valentine I made for DS. I was inspired by the challenge over at Poppystamps. I went to my dies and found a NBUS beaut which fit the animal challenge and my desire for a CAS Valentine.

Memory Box Bird and Branch die

STAMPlorations Balloons and Banners stamp

Inkystamp Winzige Grusse stamp

Altenew ink

So hard to photograph on a crappy weather day. Here's a closeup for you.

Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day? I remember being in Myrtle Beach with my snowbird parents and being amazed at how Valentine's crazy the folks were! Germans poo poo the holiday as American commercialism ;) I think we'll be going out to dinner. And I bought myself red tulips for the table ;) A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, ya know?!? Hope the day includes lots of hugs for you!

I'm playing over at:
Poppystamps - Animal Menagerie

The Card Concept - Be Mine Valentine

The Paper Players - Red, Pink, B/W

which one would you choose?

Been meaning to share this post for a while. A bit ago I was asked to make two cards for guys' 60th birthdays. One for a winemaker I actually know. The other for someone I don't know - except my friend said he's with the police and likes meat! Um. OK.

Should you have any questions to supplies, just ask.

Winemaker was easy.

Grateful for wine labels I got from Jacqueline years ago, I put one to use and carried on the gold theme with grapes and various collage elements.

As for the other guy, I was pretty clueless. So I searched the internet for milestone card ideas. Made several so she could have a choice. Which one do you think she chose? Which would you choose?

I kinda carried on the wine feel for this one.

And then gave a gatefold card a la Jennifer M. a try. Great way to stretch your cover plate dies too!

Next up, gave another cover plate die a shot. With kinda police colors ;)

And then I grabbed an alcohol-inked BG from my stash and turned it into a more playful card.

How about a deluge of confetti to celebrate?

Then there's the party props to support the giant "60".

And finally, the only "meat" stamps I owned...

So which one did my friend choose? Yep, the hot dogs! Though I'm happy to report she bought the blue geometric cover plate version and the alcohol-inked one too ;) Do you have a favorite?

Hope your Thanksgiving is/was wonderful. We celebrated last Sunday and I must admit I'm happy the preparations are over, though I'm still eating leftovers ;)

I'm joining the fun at:
ETA: Did someone say Circles? I'm hooking up at Day of the Month Card Club.
SSS Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes
AAA Birthday - Number

so raise your glass...

Someone in our household turned 60. And it ain't me. But it's still shocking!

The kids and I got DH tickets for Pink in Frankfurt. This is the card I made, inspired by the line in Pink's song AND the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. (OK, I missed the challenge due to a busy weekend) but still inspired by the sketch...

Spellbinders Bottle Tag die

Essentials by Ellen Hands die

Memory Box Parker Numbers die

patterned paper

nail polish
Dymo label maker

Pretty self explanatory. But did you notice the polished nails? Yep, used red nail polish ;)

I'm joining the fun at:
Tuesday Throwdown - AG
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Any Occasion

simon says stamp sending sunshine release - garden party

Have you seen the new release "Sending Sunshine" over at Simon Says Stamp? Nice and summery.  I received a wonderful typographical die to play with and man did I have fun! Did you see my Malibu sunset inspired projects? Or the poolside ones?

Meet today's projects inspired by flora. Specifically lush green garden parties.

Simon Says Stamp Summertime die

Flora and Fauna Flamingo Flamingo Pool Party stamp

Memory Box Parker Numbers die
Altenew Inks

Lately I'm deceiving myself into thinking I may start scrapbooking one day soon, and I really think this die lends itself to journal cards. So I thought about the kinds of photos that are typical for summer. Usually lots of green grass in the photos. So I had to grab this beautiful PP with leaf images and make a beautiful, but neutral journal card.

And then I thought about other words you could create with all the leftover letters... and created the "Summer 2018" journal card. BTW, those numbers are actually gold! And, BTW... how about ME + U = US. Or Merrier. Or MUM. And of course Mer and Meer for the internationals... Lotsa possibilities.

So these Flora and Fauna stamps got me thinking about making a summertime birthday card... but you'll have to come back tomorrow for that one!

Check out the entire new release over at Simon Says Stamp and the blog hop too. I'm back with my last makes tomorrow.

twofer card challenge - hearts

It's taken a while, but I've got an entry for this month's Twofer Card Challenge. This month we're to use hearts. Ready for my twofer?

STAMPlorations Clustered Hearts die

Kelly Purkey Ampersand die

Honey Bee Grunge Alphabet stamp

We R Memory Keepers Gemstone embossing folder

Heidi Swapp gold spray ink

See the cluster of hearts? Pretty normal that they make an appearance on a wedding card, right? Even if they're not only die cut, but also embossed. So here's my second make.

STAMPlorations Clustered Hearts die

STAMPlorations Layered Snowman stamp

STAMPlorations Party Time stamp

Memory Box Branch die

It's a birthday card with a whole slew of chickies sending wishes. Recognize their faces - yep those are carrol noses actually, from Layered Snowman. To tell you the truth, this card was already made for the March CUTplorations challenge (which is on a temporary winter break) where this was going to be the challenge graphic ;) Probably makes more sense now, eh?!?

How nice that the Twofer girls chose hearts for their theme this month!

Oops - still have to learn that I need a shot of both cards in one photo. Improvising here...

I'm also playing at:

AAA Cards - Only Die Cuts

ATSAM - #279 CAS

Happy Little Stampers CAS - Hearts

Memory Box - Hearts (2nd card)

Cards in Envy - Give it some Heart

Watercooler Wednesday - All About Occasions

Die Cut Divas - Love is in the Air

reed bird swoon

Welcome to my post about a reed bird. He made me swoon when I finished coloring him. I hope he makes you swoon too. Fun word, eh?

Cuttlebug Thanks die

Memory Box Bird die

Savvy Grass die

SSS Thoughtful Messages stamp 

Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens

Gotta love that Perfect Pearls shimmer and what it does for colored die cuts...

Taking this card to:
#thedailymarker30day
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Layer it up (I layered layers of color on my birdie)
CUTplorations - January cuz of the colors
Tuesday Throwdown - Favorite Color (mine is magenta and the tones around it on the color wheel)
CASology - Swoon

enabled by therese

Rarely does this happen, but when I saw this card by Therese C. I went right out and bought that alpha die. Knew I had a wedding coming up and decided on the spot that I was going to CASE her card. Wanna see?

My bridal couple was going natural - wood slices as table centerpieces and muted colors. So I worked some woodgrain paper, pastel and gold sequins AND tiny hearts die cut with Winnie and Walter Audrey Cutaway from their wedding invitation into my shaker card design.

Used Memory Box Urban Lowercase Alphabet die and Dienamics Ampersand die.

We gifted them money (which I put into a kraft gift card envie on the inside of the card) and I wrapped it all up with this hashtag LOVE wall hanging I found at TJMaxx. And brought back in my suitcase!

Happy Sunday! And thanks, Therese! This, BTW, is what their tables looked like at a local winery.

the heart desires beachy challenge - take one

Ahhh summer! I realize it's only true in my hemisphere. But doesn't this mood board just scream summertime? And oh that touch of Wilted Violet ;)

I had to play along with The Heart Desires challenge #14, not only cuz I missed last month's but cuz it's the store's first anniversary so all the more reason to join the fun. Their challenge mood boards are always gorgeous, don't you agree?

Well my first inclination was to pull out some Lilypad digi papers which I discovered through Kate L. I thought the color scheme kinda fit. Though beachy it's not.

(I also watercolored some seashells with my Gansai Tambi but they didn't "work" with my digi papers, so I turned them into two additional cards you'll see tomorrow.)

Decided to channel my inner Kate and play around with PP and layers.

On my first card I just started die cutting some panels.... big print, neutral print...

Added a strip of washi, a piece of die cut vellum, some die cut stems and a circle and then topped it all off with a heat-embossed-on-vellum seashell and "hugs" cut from cardstock I'd swiped some Wilted Violet Distress Oxide onto.

And needing a sympathy card I layered a stripe cover die cut from woodgrain cardstock over the darkest PP from the pack.

Added a single white stem and a heat embossed sentiment on ripped vellum. I've only partially adhered the die cuts so there is movement to the design. I really like how the artsy PP works paired with the graphic white stripes. Did I capture the striped-beach-towel-summery-feeling?

crazy double stitched rectangle die

 polka dot cover plate die

slender leaves die

circle die

hugs die

Herbology digi paper

seashell

striped cover plate die

sympathy sentiment stamp

I'm hooking these cards up at Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Die Cuts. Thanks for visiting. Hope you're enjoying your weekend. We had a lovely summery one. And beer!