Friday Flashback: Artfully Asian

I haven't posted one of these in a long time so it's a FRIDAY FLASHBACK!  I actually have a bunch of FF draft posts and I figured that while we're once again doing the moving chaos, I might as well post a few of these flashbacks.  So let's take a look at Artfully Asian, shall we?

I made three cards, all with the same stamp set, colors, dies, and layout (one turned vertical).  Since the hubs and I lived in Japan for a couple of years, I am always drawn to any Oriental-type stamp sets.

I haven't made any new Flashback cards in a while, but my goal with these is to revisit retired stamp sets, make some simple cards, and use up some of the 6x6 patterned paper in my stash since I am less likely to use it on scrapbook layouts (I am very fond of making strips to go across a 12x12 page, which is hard to do with a 6x6 paper pad but I can't stop buying those anyway...)

So there's my Artfully Asian card trio.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Artfully Asian
Ink:  Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, Stampin' Blends in Pale Papaya, Calypso Coral, Soft Succulent
Paper:  Pale Papaya, Thick Basic White, Soft Succulent DSP
Accessories:  Stitched So Sweetly dies, Dimensionals

C Is For Cookie

Mornin' y'all!  Pack out continues and I still have cards to share.  I actually made these for a color challenge a while back, but the challenge closed out before I could get them posted so I just didn't do it until now.

Cookie monster!  I think cookies are my preferred baking medium, to be honest.  Back in March, I made several hundred cookies and sent them to some deployed troops along with one of these cards.  The other card I sent to my friend and fellow cookie baker Krissy.

That's all I got today, have a good one!  And maybe eat a cookie.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Cookies from The Ink Road
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Azure Afternoon, Pecan Pie, Bubble Bath
Paper:  Bubble Bath, Night of Navy, Thick Basic White, Bright & Beautiful DSP Stack
Acceesories:  I forget which Pecan Pie dots, Dimensionals, Stylish Shapes dies

Life Is Sweet

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  I'm scheduling a bunch of posts for a while since we're moving--the packers are arriving today, actually; we'll get to Colorado near mid-July and I don't know when we'll be unpacked on that side.  So anyway, I have 100 draft posts from which to choose for the next little bit, and I thought I'd start with this scrapbook layout:

We had a cherry tree in our yard in Germany, and that is the whole reason why I bought the Sweetest Cherries bundle.  I had these pictures with a few other random shots from June 2021 to do a monthly layout, but I decided that these pics deserved their own layout so I could share the story of how Ryan was all excited to pick cherries to make a pie and then he refused to eat any of the pie : )

The just-retired set of In Colors were the basis of my color palette:

Parakeet Party, Sweet Sorbet, Orchid Oasis, Starry Sky, and white.  There might be a smidgen on Tahitian Tide in the DSP to make the whole set.  I chose a super-fun but very busy floral pattern from the Flowers & More DSP stack (I love that one!), cut it in half for a six-inch strip across the layout, and then I kept the other elements very simple with lots of open space to balance out the busy pattern.

Have a great day, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sweetest Cherries
Ink:  Orchid Oasis, Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Pecan Pie, Starry Sky marker
Paper:  Parakeet Party, Orchid Oasis, Starry Sky, Thick Basic White, Flowers & More DSP
Accessories:  Cherry builder punch, Stylish Shapes dies

Friday Flashback: The Art of Life & Small Script

Well dang it, I was trying to schedule posts for the future and accidentally made this one for June instead of July.  Oh well....

Friday Flashback again!  Today it's The Art of Life and Small Script.  I have a parade of cards today!

All of the stamps in The Art of Life are tall, skinny stamps; I like the textured stamp behind the floral stem on this one.  Great way to make it look like layers even though this is a one-layer card.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  The Art of Life
Ink:  River Rock, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Thick Very Vanilla
Accessories:  None

Same basic idea with the leaf stamp.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  The Art of Life
Ink:  Mellow Moss, Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Thick Very Vanilla
Accessories:  None

And then I made a few with the images from The Art of Life paired with Small Script sentiments.  Very simple but a few more layers than the first couple of cards.  All four of these have the same layout, but I changed out some of the colors for the floral cards.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  The Art of Life, Small Script
Ink:  River Rock, Mellow Moss, Early Espresso
Paper:  River Rock, Early Espresso, Thick Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss DSP
Accessories:  Dimensionals

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  The Art of Life, Small Script
Ink:  River Rock, Mellow Moss, Early Espresso
Paper:  River Rock, Early Espresso, Thick Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss DSP
Accessories:  Dimensionals

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  The Art of Life, Small Script
Ink:  River Rock, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Early Espresso
Paper:  River Rock, Early Espresso, Thick Very Vanilla, Ruby Red DSP
Accessories:  Dimensionals

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  The Art of Life, Small Script
Ink:  River Rock, Mellow Moss, Early Espresso
Paper:  River Rock, Early Espresso, Thick Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss DSP
Accessories:  Dimensionals

So there's six super simple cards that I made with The Art of Life and Small Script.  They've both been retired for ages, but I still really like them so it was fun to get them out to play with again.  Cheers!

Sweet Summer Swimsuits

Hey y'all, happy Friday!  And today's card is the last one I'll make in my Texas craft room as the crew is coming on Monday to start packing up all my stuff for the move to Colorado.  So here's a summery card for today:

Sunny Splash was the first stamp set I thought of when I saw the Retro Rubber Challenge:

I've had the stamp set for over a year and a half but I had only used it once before now.  For the tic-tac-toe, I went along the diagonal with die cut - summer - sequins.  Once I chose the stamp set, the first color that I thought of was Pineapple Punch, which is the happiest yellow ever invented, and that led me to the How Sweet It Is DSP, which was candy-themed but also has some fun patterns like the rainbow stripes and polka dots.  Of course I had a yellow polka-dot swimsuit (even if it's not a bikini) for the middle of my card.  A few Tutti Frutti sequins and it's done!

Okay, I'd better get some stuff done today--I had intended to start getting things prepped to move yesterday, but after I picked up Ryan from soccer camp and we went to lunch with my dad, I was just zonked out and I took a nap, then did some stitching and read a bit before going to bed.  So today I have to start organizing things, starting with my craft room since it takes a while to get all the ink pads ready to move.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sunny Splash
Ink:  Melon Mambo, Pineapple Punch, Granny Apple Green, Gorgeous Grape
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Pineapple Punch, Thick Basic White, How Sweet It Is DSP
Accessories:  Nested Essentials dies, Tutti Frutti sequins, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Blueberry Picnic Birthday

Hey hey, y'all!  Well, I wasn't quite as productive yesterday as I was hoping to be, and today is probably going to be busy--Ryan has a couple of games at his soccer camp this morning that I'm going to watch, and then we're supposed to have lunch with my dad.  But that gives me most of the afternoon to get stuff done, so here's hoping.

Anyway, I did manage to take pictures of my scrapbook pages yesterday and then I made a card:

Here's this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

I stamped a couple of extra leaves from the other blueberry bunch stamp and cut them out for the smaller element on the sketch, I popped the larger image up on top of the leaves and I colored those leaves darker so you can see they're two pieces.  Here is this week's Color Throwdown:

I used Sweet Sorbet, Azure Afternoon/Blueberry Bushel, and Granny Apple Green for my colors, with a bit of Mossy Meadow for shading.  I thought the Sketched Plaid background would give the impression of a blanket for a picnic, and I used Sweet Sorbet instead of Real Red because Sweet Sorbet is just a touch softer and plays nicer with the other colors.

That's it for me today, I'm going to go be a soccer mom : ) Have a great one, peeps!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Blueberry Bunches, Sketched Plaid
Ink:  Night of Navy, Sweet Sorbet, Azure Afternoon, Stampin' Blends in Azure Afternoon, Blueberry Bushel, Granny Apple Green, Mossy Meadow
Paper:  Granny Apple Green, Night of Navy, Thick Basic White
Accessories:  Dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Tinsel Gems

Built Tough

Mornin' y'all!  I am happy to report that I finished up my batch of scrapbook pages yesterday, so hopefully today I'll get them photographed for future blog posts and I can start getting some things ready for the move.  I also framed several pieces of artwork, which I've been meaning to do for a long time (cheap Michael's frames, but better than nothing).  I need to sit down and make a list of the things I need to do before next Monday.

In the meantime, you *know* I'm sneaking in as much craft room time as I can manage, so here's a card for today:

I tried mighty hard to resist Rhino Ready when it was introduced as an Online Exclusive, and then my friend Krissy called my kid Rhino Ryan which is the most fitting sobriquet ever and then I had to have it.  Sadly for me the dies were already sold out but I don't mind doing some fussy cutting.  Anywha, I made this for the current Paper Players challenge:

And the new-to-me Creative Colour Challenge:

I used Blackberry Bliss to stamp my rhino and his bird friend as well as the sentiment, the card base and grass are Soft Sea Foam, and I used Boho Blue to color in the rhino.  I have colored in the rhinos from this stamp set in several different colors just because it's fun.

Anyway, it's about time to get Ryan slathered up with sunscreen and head out the door for soccer camp.  And then I'm going to start that to-do list and see what I can get done before he gets done with camp at noon.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Rhino Ready
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Soft Sea Foam, Stampin' Blends in Boho Blue, Blackberry Bliss, Gray Granite
Paper:  Soft Sea Foam, Thick Basic White
Accessories:  Transparent Dots, Dimensionals

SUO Challenges: Bring on the HEAT

Hey hey, y'all, it's time for a new challenge from SUO Challenges!

And here's our theme this time around:

So, make a summer card and/or do heat embossing!  I kinda did both with an adorable little cow:

I heat embossed the sunflowers on a color wash pattern from the Full of Life DSP Stack, I love that paper but at the same time I'm a bit afraid to cut into it ; )  Know what I mean?  Maybe if I get another pack of it, then I'll feel like I'm "allowed" to cut into the first one more.  Anyway, I used the Cow Builder Punch to make my little moo for the focal point and I have to say that I am 1,000% the person who will announce "COWS!!" every single time we go past cows when on a road trip.  Every.  Single.  Time.  Because their presence should be announced always.

Anyway, I hope you'll join us and post your creation on the SUO Challenges blog.  As always, have fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Cutest Cows
Ink:  Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Granny Apple Green, Stampin' Blends in Pecan Pie, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Paper:  Granny Apple Green, Thick Basic White, Full of Life DSP Stack
Accessories:  Cow Builder Punch, Glossy Dots, Dimensionals

Burg Eltz

Scrappy Monday, y'all, with an emphasis on MONDAY.  I was about to get Ryan out the door for his first day of soccer camp and we discovered a giant roach in the house.  So I took care of that, dropped Ryan off, and went to Walmart to buy Sphaghetti-Os because Ryan thinks they're a food group and we were almost out.  I was walking towards the store, minding my own business, when a big black bird whacked into my head!  (I don't know if he's a raven or a crow, but something like that.). I yelled "REALLY?!  WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" while the bird strutted off, supremely unconcerned by my indignation.  So I bought Star Wars Oreos to soothe my ruffled feathers (pun intended) and on the way back to my car THE SAME DANG BIRD DID IT AGAIN.  And that is why I am eating Oreos for breakfast.

Anyway, I did finally take pictures of a giant stack of scrapbook layouts last week so for today I have two layouts from that batch.  Here's the first one:

Unlike most of the castles we visited in Europe, Burg Eltz is privately owned by the Eltz family to this day and they still live there.  It was about a two-hour drive from our house to the castle, which is situated in a forested valley so you pretty much can't see it until you're super close to it.

Ryan paid attention to the tour guide's spiel and asked a question or two about the castle that showed he really was listening, which surprised the tour guide (and to be honest, the hubs and I were wondering what was going to come out of his mouth when his hand shot up to ask a question).  We got some snacks in the castle's cafe before we left, and we decided to hike back to the parking lot so we got more pictures of the castle from the surrounding forest.  It was pretty cool and obviously I had a lot of pictures I liked and I couldn't narrow it down more than this, so two layouts it is.

Today's color palette:  Pale Papaya, Balmy Blue, Pear Pizzazz, Grapefruit Grove, Gumball Green, and Whisper White.

Okay, I have just over an hour and a half left before I have to go pick Ryan up, so I'm going to work on my last batch of scrapbook layouts before I get things ready to move--packers will be here next Monday!  Eek!  But maybe I'll eat one more Oreo first.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Back to Basics Alphabet, Letters for You, Carte Postale, Hello Lovely
Ink:  Pebbled Path, Basic Gray marker
Paper:  Pale Papaya, Grapefruit Grove, Gumball Green, Thick Basic White, You're a Peach DSP
Accessories:  1" and 1 1/4" square punches

Lavender Thoughts

Hey y'all, all of a sudden I'm having computer issues this morning--I uploaded two pictures from my phone onto my computer, then decided that I wanted to take another pic and now my phone can't find my computer to share pictures with.  The heck?  It could find the computer two minutes ago!  Urgh.  So anyway, here's the pic I have for today's card:

And I made this for the Festive Friday challenge:

Okay, the weirdness continues--my computer just spontaneously restarted.  Hope this chills out because I am not great with troubleshooting technology.  Anyway, from the list, I chose purple, pearls, and thinking of you.  I actually had put some purple gems on at first because I forgot I needed pearls from the list.  Also I borrowed the sketch from Mary Fish.

Anyway, I think I'm going to step away from the computer before anything else weird happens, and I have other things to do anyway.  Have a great Friday, peeps!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Painted Lavender, Feathered Flight
Ink:  Pretty Peacock, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather
Paper:  Highland Heather, Pretty Peacock, Shaded Spruce, Thick Basic White, Perennial Lavender DSP
Accessories:  Painted Lavender dies, Countryside Corners dies, linen thread, In Color pearls, Dimensionals

Don't Worry, Bee Happy

Hey y'all!  How's your Thursday going?  I will admit, I had to check the day on the computer ; ) I have been trucking along on scrapbook pages, my stitching project, *and* rereading my favorite author's series before the next one drops next Tuesday (I still have 4.5 books left to read though).  So I'm a busy little bee and guess what's on today's card!

Oh hey look, I used more of that Peach Pie pattern from yesterday's card.  Anyway, check out this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

And the Color Throwdown:

I used Lemon Lolly, Peach Pie, and Sweet Sorbet for my colors.  Bee My Valentine was already on my craft table as I was considering it for a different project, but bees and hearts seemed like a good fit for these colors and I had that peachy pattern in my brain from yesterday too.  So yeah, this card came together lickety-split with the Bee Builder punch and some Lemon Lolly sequins.

After Ryan's taekwondo class yesterday, we headed over to Michael's and I got some frames for artwork I ordered last year (because we don't have enough stuff to put on the walls already, haha).  So either today or tomorrow I'll have to get those items framed and ready for the move.  I just typed "movie" instead of "move", but a movie will most likely be in our near future too as Ryan wants to go see Inside Out 2.  So there's our plans for the next little bit.

Have a great day, peeps!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Bee My Valentine
Ink:  Lemon Lolly, Sweet Sorbet, Balmy Blue, Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  Thick Basic White, Peach Pie, Unbounded Beauty DSP
Accessories:  Bee Builder punch, sequins, Mini Dimensionals

Zinnia Thanks

Hey y'all, what day is it again?  We are in full Summer Mode here and time has no meaning...well it will next week when Ryan has soccer camp, but for this week we're not keeping track ; )  I'm still spending as much time in my craft room as I can before we move, so here's my latest creation:

It took a little while for me to warm up to the Simply Zinnia bundle and I thought I would be able to resist buying it, but I kept seeing so many great things made with it by other stampers and I am so glad it is now a part of my hoard.  I thought it was a good match for the Sunday Stamps color challenge:

I used Lost Lagoon, Peach Pie, Bubble Bath, Petunia Pop, and Berry Burst for the colors, and I paired that with the fun sketch from Hand Stamped Sentiments:

I put a small sentiment block in the place of the bow on the sketch as I don't have any ribbony things that match the colors on the card.  I've used Petunia Pop on a scrapbook layout, but this was the first time I have tried out Peach Pie so that was fun.  And I busted out the new Unbounded Beauty DSP too.  The just-retired set of In Colors (Starry Sky et al) are my favorite set ever, but this new set is making a good case for itself too.  I do love me some bright colors.

That's it for me today, peeps.  I'm off to work on a stack of I think nine scrapbook layouts?  My goal is to finish those up before I have to start prepping things for the move next week, and I have a few more design team cards to make too.  Time grows short but that's okay because it means that this year-long deployment is almost over!  Woo!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Simply Zinnia
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Lost Lagoon, Peach Pie, Bubble Bath, Petunia Pop, Berry Burst
Paper:  Petunia Pop, Bubble Bath, Thick Basic White, Unbounded Beauty DSP
Accessories:  Simply Zinnia dies, Countryside Corners dies, Dimensionals, In Color Shimmer Gems

Boho Hummingbird

Mornin' y'all!  Ryan had is taekwondo belt test last night and it was pretty great--part of the test is sparring, both with other students and with the instructors, and at one point Ryan and another kiddo ganged up on the guy who runs the studio and it was HILARIOUS and I got a video of it to share with the hubs.  And then Ryan got to break his first-ever board and he was so excited about that.  I'm sad that he only has two more weeks with this martial arts studio before we move.

Anyway, I have a card to share today!

I had picked up Thoughtful Expressions a week ago, intending to make a hummingbird card, and then I went with a sea turtle instead so today is the hummingbird's time to shine.  I used the Paper Players color challenge:

And my additional color is Moody Mauve.  I inked up the images with Versamark and then Night of Navy ink, stamped, and embossed with clear EP so I could watercolor without the outlines smudging.  My mom loves hummingbirds so after I move to Colorado this will probably be going to her : )

I finally got pictures of a GIANT stack of scrapbook layouts yesterday!  So now I have a whole lot of draft posts ready to go for future Scrappy Mondays.  I have this week and next in this house and then the movers get here to start packing up, so I'm trying to bust out a few more layouts (and cards) before that happens.  I have six in progress layouts going right now and I'm hoping to start two or three more and get them finished.  We'll see how I do.

That's it for me today, peeps.  Have a great day!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Thoughtful Expressions
Ink:  Versamark, Night of Navy, Boho Blue, Lemon Lolly, Moody Mauve
Paper:  Boho Blue, Thick Basic White, Countryside Inn DSP
Accessories:  Thoughtful Expressions dies, clear EP, Dimensionals, In Color dots

Peterhof Gardens

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  It's a bit overcast today so maybe I'll be able to take pictures of my scrapbook layouts today...I have a giant stack that I have finished but not photographed to share here yet, and I don't want to do it when it's full sun because then harsh shadows and glare on the pictures.  Which there's still a bit of glare on the ones I'm sharing today but all I can do is the best I can do...

These layouts are from our visit to Peterhof near St. Petersburg when we visited on a Baltic cruise in 2014.  Peter the Great was happy living in a simple wood cabin, but his ministers insisted he had to have a residence to impress foreign dignitaries, so Peterhof was built and surrounded with extensive gardens.  Our tour didn't take us inside any of the buildings, just through the gardens.

That watch out for pickpockets sign in the lower right just always makes me laugh for some reason.

Today's color palette:  Evening Evergreen, Pale Papaya, Gumball Green, and Dapper Denim.  I made these pages over a year ago and honestly I don't know how I landed on this color palette with these pictures.  I guess it works?

Anyway, that's it for me today.  Ryan has his taekwondo belt test this afternoon and then we're going to dinner at Texas Roadhouse after.  But in the meantime I have to start contacting utilities companies in Colorado to set things up for when we move.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Letterpress Alphabet, Rough Edges Alphabet, Friends Never Fade
Ink:  Gumball Green, Evening Evergreen, Pale Papaya
Paper:  Evening Evergreen, Gumball Green, Dapper Denim, Thick Basic White, Lovely in Linen DSP
Accessories:  None

Tropical Birds

Happy Friday, y'all!  I admit, I got a slow start today despite good intentions.  I did eventually get my workout done but it was too late for breakfast so I had an early lunch and it was GOOD and now I am ready to get to work today!

But first, get out your sunglasses because today's card is bright!

Yep, still loving that Saying Hey stamp set.  Let's start with this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

And the very fun Color Throwdown:

I used a mix of Lemon Lolly and Daffodil Delight (the Daffodil was a bit darker for watercoloring the birds, but the papers all feature Lemon Lolly), Pumpkin Pie, and Berry Burst for my colors and this was just so much fun.  I do love me some bright colors.  I also added some Pebbled Path for a neutral; I have been using this color A LOT on scrapbook pages as an alternative to Basic Gray.  Anyway, for this card, I decided to watercolor the birds rather than using Blends to color them, so I inked up each stamp with VersaMark, then whatever ink color I wanted, and then embossed with clear EP so I could do the watercolor without making the stamped ink run.

That's it for me today, peeps.  I've got a zillion pictures laid out on my craft table and it's time to start organizing them onto scrapbook pages.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Bird's Eye View, Saying Hey
Ink:  Berry Burst, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Pebbled Path, Versamark
Paper:  Berry Burst, Lemon Lolly, Thick Basic White, Bright & Beautiful DSP stack, Flowering Zinnias DSP
Accessories:  Countryside Corners dies, clear EP, white EP, retired glitter dots, Dimensionals

You're a Classic...Car

Hey y'all!  With Ryan staying at his grandparents' house this week, I have been filling up as much time as I can in my craft room, working on stitching, or reading books (I'm doing a series reread because my favorite author has a book coming out in a couple of weeks).  It's fun but I still miss my kiddo : )

Anyway, I have a Father's Day card to share today.

I just recently used Geared Up Garage on a scrapbook layout, so I had it on the brain when I saw the Retro Rubber sketch:

Geared Up Garage is five years old, so it definitely counts as retro.  The only stamping on the card front is the greeting, which was a PAIN to cut out, and I put the Happy Father's Day stamped greeting on the inside of the card.  My dad has been the recipient of multiple Geared Up Garage cards featuring orange, 'cause he loves cars and wears a lot of orange to rep his college teams (Oklahoma State).  Anyway, once again I let the DSP do the heavy lifting on the card front--the cars are cut from one pattern and I used three others for the rest of the card.

Okay, I have to go to the store to get some groceries and then it's crafting time, y'all.  I'm enjoying it as much as I can since we pack up later this month for our move.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Geared Up Garage
Ink:  Tranquil Tide
Paper:  Pumpkin Pie, Thick Basic White, Classic Garage DSP Stack
Accessories:  Garage Gears dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Mini Dimensionals, retired Crushed Curry glitter dots

Friendly Duck

Mornin' y'all!  Quick post today as I have an appointment that got moved up by an hour, so I'm squeezing a bit this morning to get some things done.  Today's card is all about Ryan's favorite animal:

Ducks!  Seriously, my kid loves ducks.  He brought home multiple writing assignments from school this year extolling the virtues of ducks.  His favorite stuffie is his friend Peking Duck (do not tell him that is Chinese food, he will get upset...I named the duck before Ryan could talk).  He gets excited when we see real live ducks--a couple of days ago, we saw two playing in a puddle in front of his school, so we had to go cruise through the parking lot so he could take a picture.  All that to say, you know the Charming Duck Pond suite was on my first new catalog order.  For today's card, the cute DSP is doing the heavy lifting--the background is one sheet of patterns, and I cut the duck buddies out of another sheet.  Doesn't the one on the right look like he is totally spilling the tea to his friend?

I'm entering this at a new-to-me challenge, Critter Crazy:

It's anything goes with a critter as the main focus of the card.  One or two stampers I follow play along in this challenge, which is how I became aware of it, and who doesn't need a good excuse to use more critters in their crafting?

Next up is the Paper Players theme challenge:

I picked Charming Duck Pond off my new stamp shelf fully intending to stamp some duck buddies, but the ones on the DSP were just too funny to ignore so the only stamping on my card is the greeting.  I backed it with some cattail die cuts and a bit of ribbon for interest.

That's it for me today, peeps.  I'm going to go work on some things before I have to head out.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Charming Duck Pond
Ink:  Balmy Blue
Paper:  Granny Apple Green, Pretty Peacock, Thick Basic White, Lily Pond Lane DSP Stack
Accessories:  Charming Duck Pond dies, Nested Essentials dies, Natural Polka Dot Trim, Dappled Dots, Dimensionals

SUO Challenges Celebrates Dads & Grads

Surprise, it's a double post day!  Okay, I wrote out the first post and blithely published it and didn't remember that it's SUO Challenges day until I went to go look at Cynthia's blog and she's on the ball and did her SUO Challenges post for today and I FORGOT.  So it's a double post day now!

And here is our theme this time around:

No one in my immediate circle is graduating this year, so I went for a Father's Day card:

And I made this weeks ago, not tracking that the annual catalog was coming to an end so the DSP I used is retired.  Actually so is the stamp set I used for the sentiment, but I'm happy that Doggone Friendly is in the new catalog!  Not that it matters since I keep my stamps forever.  Anyway, I decided to go with Doggone Friendly for my Father's Day card because the hubs and I were the parents of two fur babies for many years before Ryan entered the chat, AND we'll be getting a new doggo (or two) after we move next month.

Your turn!  Make a card for the dad or grad in your life (or both, if applicable), and upload it to the SUO Challenges blog.  Have fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Doggone Friendly, He's All That
Ink:  Pebbled Path
Paper:  Misty Moonlight, Pebbled Path, Thick Basic White, Fresh as a Daisy DSP
Accessories:  Deckled Rectangles dies, Deckled Circles dies, In Color Rounds, Dimensionals