Disney Cruise: Beach Bums (Castaway Cay)

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  Quick post as I need to leave in about 10 minutes to get Ryan to the babysitter and then me to WORK!

The final port of our Disney cruise was Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas.  We spent the day on the beach--I even did a yoga class, which meant I got covered in sand :p and had a good barbecue lunch on the island.

Today's tropical color combination:  Blueberry Bushel, Calypso Coral, Cucumber Crush, Mango Melody, and Whisper White.  Cheers y'all, and wish us luck on our first day!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Taffy Alphabet, Seaside Shore
Ink:  Blueberry Bushel, Calypso Coral, Mango Melody
Paper:  Blueberry Bushel, Mango Melody, Cucumber Crush, Very Vanilla, By the Seashore DSP
Accessories:  None

Mermaid in a Bottle

Hey y'all!  How's your week going?

I decided to pull out some retired stamps for today's card.  Check out the challenge from Cupcake Inspiration:

Both my stamp sets, Message in a Bottle and Seaside Shore, retired last summer but I just couldn't resist pulling them out for this challenge.

I also used the sketch from the Paper Players:

And I know who this card should go to, so I'm going to try to get it in the mail by the end of the week.  I need to actually MAIL more of the cards I make :)

Have a great day, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Message in a Bottle, Seaside Shore
Ink:  Coastal Cabana, Call Me Clover, Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Petal Pink, Basic Black, Real Red, & Call Me Clover
Paper:  Real Red, Thick Whisper White, Fresh Prints Stack
Accessories:  Dimensionals

Retiring: Magical Day & Seaside Shore

Mornin', y'all!  I was blessed with two good naptime crafting sessions yesterday (thank you Ryan) and it's a good thing because I had a slight dangit! moment.  I was halfway done making a card for a color challenge when I realized that I'd used the wrong green for the challenge.  I even had the colors written down right in front of me! #DUH Oh well, I ended up with two cards I like, so you'll see the wrong color card tomorrow.  Here's the second card I made:

Most of the stamp sets on the retiring list I am content to say goodbye to, but not Magical Day.  I love this set so much!  I wish it was carrying over just because I tend not to use a lot of retired stuff except for on scrapbook pages and I want to play lots more with this set.  Well, it will live forever in my collection.

The card base is Shimmery White, and I used very diluted Tranquil Tide to make a tranquil tide for my mermaid.

I've always got a cup of water with me, so I squished the ink pad into the lid to get a pool of ink, and then I poured a bit of water in the ink pad for an impromptu watercolor session.  I also keep a roll of paper towels in my craft room, so when I was done I just blotted the ink out of the ink pad lid.  No muss, no fuss!

Check out this week's sketch from Clean & Simple Stamping:

And the color challenge from the Paper Players:

You know I love me some Tranquil Tide, so I really don't know why I picked up Wild Wasabi instead on the first card I made (though for that card, Wild Wasabi worked better than Tranquil Tide would have...check back tomorrow to see it).  Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant are now retiring.  I'll be sad to see Elegant Eggplant go, but I do admit that the ink comes out so dark sometimes (especially with my ridiculously juicy ink pad) that it looks black.  We're getting two new purples to replace these two, and I can't wait to dive in to the new colors.

That's it for me today, y'all.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Magical Day, Seaside Shore
Ink:  Basic Black, Tranquil Tide, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, retired skin tone Blendabilities
Paper:  Shimmery White, Wisteria Wonder, Delightful Daisy DSP
Accessories:  Magical Mates Framelits, Dimensionals

I Believe in Mermaids

Mornin', y'all!  I almost typed "mermaid, y'all!"  Because today's card has a mermaid on it.

The mermaid has Wink of Stella on her so she's all sparkly, even though you can't see it at all in the picture (it's overcast here and it's notoriously difficult to photograph anything sparkly on a card).  And she's a triple challenge over-achieving mermaid.  First off, What Will You Stamp? has cycled back around to a stamp set I own:

So yep, there's my stamp set sorted.  Then I used the layout from this week's CASE the Designer challenge at Global Design Project:

And last of all I added in this week's Paper Players color combination:

Once I had those three elements, the card came together pretty quick.  I like that since I never know how long naptime will last :)

I've got breakfast in the oven (have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with apple cinnamon baked oatmeal...and generally I think oatmeal only belongs in cookie form!) so I'm going to try to vacuum up some dog hair while I wait for that to bake.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Magical Mermaid, Marbled, Seaside Shore
Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz, Smoky Slate
Paper:  Pink Pirouette, thick Whisper White, Silver Foil
Accessories:  Stitched Shapes Framelits, Dimensionals, Iridescent Sequins

Mermaid Splash

Mornin' y'all!  I know it's Saturday, and usually I post layouts from my honeymoon cruise album, but I missed posting the last couple days and I have a card I want to share instead.  I've been dealing with a headache all week that just will. not. go. away so lately I've been napping when Ryan naps.  Makes it hard to get any stamping done, but last night I made this!

Message in a Bottle is one of the stamp sets I just got in the last couple of weeks, and it's SO. CUTE.  When I saw this week's Color Throwdown, I knew I had to ink up that sweet little mermaid.

I used some retired colors on here but it's going to my two "nieces" and they won't care about that.  So I used Coastal Cabana, Flirty Flamingo (Powder Pink might have been a closer match for the swatch on the right, but I wanted something that was definitely pink so it wouldn't make her tail just blend into her skin), and Lavender Lace.  I used Island Indigo for the bottle and sentiment.  I noticed as I colored in the mermaid that she's got a belly button, which I thought was funny.

Anywha, here's this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

Congratulations to the FMS team for making it to #300.  I haven't participated in every single challenge (it's really hard to do that in the middle of a move, for instance), but I do participate more often than not.  I like this sketch...might have to try another card with it.

ETA:  Oh what timing!  Check out the word prompt from Inkspirational!

I think my card counts for this...the mermaid is surrounded by water waves, *and* it looks like she's waving (with both hands, because she's excited).  Ha!!

That's it for me.  I've got a kiddo to entertain until he goes down for his nap.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Message in a Bottle, Seaside Shore
Ink:  Coastal Cabana, Flirty Flamingo, Lavender Lace, Island Indigo, Blushing Bride, Basic Black
Paper:  Thick Whisper White, Fresh Prints (....of Bel Air) DSP Stack, Flirty Flamingo DSP
Accessories:  Pearls, Mini Dimensionals these things are SO COOL

Birthday Fishes

Mornin', y'all!  How goes it?  I'm all hunky-dory :)

Speaking of Dory, how about a fish card...

That segue was totally unplanned, it just happened as soon as I typed hunky-dory :D  Even though this fish doesn't look like Dory.  Whatevs.  The inside has the sentiment from Seaside Shore that says "Hope your day goes swimmingly!" which I figure works fine for a birthday card, and pretty much any other kind of card for that matter.  All purpose.  All porpoise? 

Moving on.  Not-Dory is a quadruple challenge card!  First up is the SUO Challenge to make a birthday card; check.

Next up is the Cupcake Inspirations challenge to make a beachy card:

Hubs and I had a discussion about if an under-the-sea card like mine counted as beachy, and hubs decided that yes it does count, so check on this one too.

Next up is the Global Design Project sketch:

I turned the sketch on its side because making the sentiment sideways like that was making my brain itch, but check.

And finally, the Paper Players tic-tac-toe challenge:

I did the diagonal from lower left to upper right:  blue, enamel dots, and birthday.  Easy peasy mcsqueezy!  And also check.

Well, looks like the little one is maybe starting to wake up...either that, or he kicks his feet even when he's asleep (which wouldn't surprise me, future karate champion in da house).  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Seaside Shore, Sunshine Sayings
Ink:  Night of Navy, Soft Sky, Peekaboo Peach
Paper:  Night of Navy, Watercolor paper, Naturally Eclectic DSP
Accessories:  linen thread, Dimensionals

Ahoy Again

Happy Wednesday, y'all!  I'm in luck today...the What Will You Stamp? crew as finally circled back around to a stamp set I own :)

Soooo ahoy again, fishies!

Once again, those two patterns happen to be the same piece of paper.  I have a feeling I'm going to want to stock up on some of these DSPs before next summer because I am LOVING them!  I've got a scrapbook layout on my desk right now that I'm going to use the same DSP as from yesterday's card on.  But back to today's card, you can stamp on patterned paper!  How fun is that?

Anywha, there's a new sketch at Retro Rubber too!

Seaside Shore is *just* a year old, so it's like, barely retro, but it still counts!

That's it for me today, y'all.  I'm off to do some Urgent Naptime Crafting.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Seaside Shore
Ink:  Emerald Envy, Lemon Lime Twist, Dapper Denim
Paper:  Emerald Envy, Thick Whisper White, Naturally Eclectic DSP
Accessories:  Dimensionals

Ahoy, Fishy

Mornin', y'all! How's it going?  I think we need to have our AC looked at.  It never seems cool enough on the top floor in this townhouse, and of course that's where the bedrooms are.  The basement though, that place sometimes feels like an icebox...

But I went on down to the basement last night after Ryan went to sleep and I made something!

Usually I craft during the day while Ryan  naps, but....well, I napped yesterday afternoon too :)  Might be why I didn't sleep well last night.  But anyway!  Still had to get inky last night.

I started with the Cupcake Inspirations challenge:

Which just fed into my recent fascination with watercolor wash backgrounds.  Paired that with this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

And the Color Throwdown:

I did the watercolor wash with Pool Party and Lemon Lime Twist, and only when it was done did I think HEY SEA and pulled out Seaside Shore.  (I used Night of Navy and Crumb Cake for the other two colors.)  I cut the circles out with the Layering Circles Framelits, cut out and popped up the fish and sentiment on Dimensionals and voila!  A fish in his own little bubble.

Well, Ryan and I got to a really exciting part of our book yesterday before he was ready for his nap, so I'm going to go pick up where we left off while he tries to get rid of his hiccups.  Seems like he gets those every morning :)  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Seaside Shore
Ink:  Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist, Crumb Cake, Night of Navy
Paper:  Pool Party, Night of Navy, Thick Whisper White, Watercolor Paper
Accessories:  Layering Circles Framelits, Dimensionals

Scrappy Showcase, Part 3

Mornin, kids!  While everyone else is New Years resolution-ing, I made scones for breakfast.  With a sugary glaze on top because of course.  I'm 8 months pregnant and I want to bake ALL THE THINGS.

But now that I've made (and eaten) the scones, it's time to get some things done today.  Aside from the giant pile o' dishes I washed this morning and the load of baby laundry in the washer (ooh, I should go switch that out).  But right now we're talking the last of the 2016 Scrappy Showcase!

I actually made this layout more like at least two years ago but it only showed up on the blog last October.  This was from Halloween in 2004 and was the first time hubs and I carved pumpkins.  Then we didn't do it again until last year ;)  Anyway, I love this layout and I still miss my little Chewie and he's been gone for over 10 years now.

Next up is this Tokyo Disney Sea layout, which I dearly love and maybe I should buy more of that patterned paper before it retires.  (Or maybe not, I have a giant stash of paper.)

And here's a fun Thanksgiving layout for you, I love the contrast of the dark blue page base with all the warm colors in the patterned paper.

And my last layout for the 2016 Scrappy Showcase is this simple one from the Great Wall Marfon.  Partially because I'm just tickled that I got the words "marfon" and "chompuns" immortalized in my scrapbooks since hubs and I still say them (and so do Missy and Bennet, for that matter).

So there you have it!  The 2016 Scrappy Showcase is now concluded.  And I need to get in my craft room today and see what new goodness I can whip up.  Cheers, y'all!

Nachos: Just Keep Swimming

Happy Tuesday, Nacho fans!  Are you ready for a sketch?  Hope you can fit us in between all the Turkey Day preparations :)

Don't be scared!  Yeah, the sketch is different than a lot I see on the interwebs, but I actually had several ideas for this one.  But here's what I went with for today:

I know I already said how much I love the By the Seashore DSP when I posted these layouts,  and I got the idea for punching out bits of the paper from those same layouts.  This would be a fabulous way to use up little scraps of paper, and of course you don't have to mat the patterns if you don't want to which would make this even faster to do.  I scattered some rhinestones around the sentiment and you know what a bugger it is to photograph those.

So let's see what you've got!  Post your circle-tastic card on the Nacho blog.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Seaside Shore
Ink:  Dapper Denim
Paper:  Soft Sky, Calypso Coral, Dapper Denim, By the Seashore DSP
Accessories:  circle punches (1" and 1 1/4"), rhinestones

Tokyo Disney Sea

Scrappy Monday!  I had been planning to post another Ohio Amish country layout today, but late last week I finished up two layouts from Tokyo Disney Sea and I just couldn't wait to share them.

Squee!  I originally had some slightly different colors in mind for this layout, but I got the By the Shore DSP last month as part of the patterned paper promo, and when I opened up that pack I just loved it.  Seriously, it didn't look like much to me in the catalog and I only got it because I needed four for the promo, but in person I looooooved it.  Anyway, these photos are from 2010, and you can see 'em all here.

Sorry, bit crooked here.  The alphabet is the now-retired Back to Basics Alphabet, which I got when it hit the retirement list but this is its maiden voyage on a scrapbook page.  And I can't remember the last time I cut letters out of patterned paper but I just had to try it for this one.

Since I got the patterned paper, I did an impulse buy and got the coordinating Seaside Shore stamps too.  I really meant to get out some Disney stickers from my stash but I just was having so much fun with the paper and stamps that I ended up with all fishies and no mermaids :)

And I did two layouts!  I had trouble deciding which patterned paper to use for my borders on both sets of pages, so I cut circles out of five different patterns to accent this page.  Seriously, this DSP pack is so much better in person than it is in the catalog.

Closeup of my journaling block fish and his bubbles.

Today's color palette was taken directly from the By the Shore DSP:  Soft Sky, Calypso Coral, Dapper Denim, Mint Macaron, and Very Vanilla.  I probably wouldn't have put those colors all together on my own but have I mentioned that I looooove it? ;)  Thank you SU!

Okay, peeps.  Check you later and have a great week!  Back tomorrow with a Nacho card that I also love :)  Isn't it nice when you make things that make you happy?

Supplies, almost all SU!
Stamps:  Seaside Shore, Back to Basics Alphabet
Ink:  Soft Sky, Calypso Coral, Dapper Denim, Mint Macaron
Paper:  Soft Sky, Calypso Coral, Dapper Denim, Mint Macaron, Very Vanilla, By the Shore DSP
Accessories:  Circle punches, lettering template