Welcome to the Inspire, Create, Share Blog Hop.  This month we are hopping around the theme, It's a Girl Thing.  Right now is the  peak time for cherry blossoms.  There are few things more magnificent then the delicate pink flowers especially against a bright blue sky.  When the petals begin to fall it looks like pink snow.  It is really spectacular.  The cherry blossoms remind me of my mother.  She loved seeing the delicate blooms and loved coming to visit  during the spring.  

I wanted a soft blue background so I used the Blending Brushes and Seaside Spray ink on Basic White CS.  Over the Seaside Spray layer I cut out the lovely lattice using the Many Medallions die.  The branches were cut using the Cherry Blossoms die in Soft Suede CS.  To create the cherry blossoms I again used the Blending Brushes,  Blushing Bride ink over Pearlescent Paper, and punched lots of flowers out using the Confetti Flowers Border Punch.  This punch is on sale for $9.20 while supplies last.  It is retiring so if you want it you need to get it!  I use this punch a lot.  

Here is a close up of the flowers.  I also added some tiny butterflies cut using the Butterfly Beauty dies.  These dies are also retiring and on sale.  The butterflies are also the Pearlescent paper colored using the Blending Brushes in So Saffron ink.

The sentiment is from the Festive Post set which is also retiring.   

Now it is time for you to hop on over to see what Cheryl Hamilton has created for you.

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out the Clearance Rack!  

I am getting better about knowing what day of the week it is especially  Thursday.  Thursday is the one day I know there is something I need to have a project and blog post ready to go.  Why?  It is the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge day.   This week it is a color challenge.

I have been playing with stamp sets and dies that will soon be retiring.  My version of a farewell tour.  I have a lot that will be retiring so I probably won't get to all of them but I am trying.  

I used 4 things that will soon be retiring.  Can you name them?   For the flowers I used the Floral Essence stamp set  (it is on sale at 40% off!!) and the Perennial Flower punch ( on sale 60% off).    I inked the flowers in Blackberry Bliss and Bermuda Bay ink on Basic White CS, punched them out and then used a Blender pen to color the petals.  I didn't use any additional ink just the ink that I stamped.  The third item I used that is retiring is the sentiment stamped in Blackberry Bliss ink  from Grace's Garden.   The final retiring item is the Many Medallion dies (on sale at 40% off).  I really do like this die and how it covers an A2 card front so well.

I assembled another flower but didn't use it on the front, so I popped it on the inside of the card.  If you are wondering the ribbon is the Blackberry Bliss Striped ribbon from the 2020 Jan-June Mini catalog.  Love this ribbon.  It is one of my favorites and I only wish it came in more colors.  

Hope you will check the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge out and see what the other members of the design team created with this color combination.  Thank you for stopping by!

I spent 4 hours cleaning up my craft table and all the other surfaces in my craft room.  My room is small and so every surface gets used.  It finally got to the point where there was no room left to stamp so I had to get things cleaned up and organized.  While I was cleaning up I found a bunch of half done projects.  Today's card is one of those I found.

I found this  stamped, heat embossed and fussy cut arrangement of flowers from the Ornate Style stamp set.   The Ornate Style stamp set is being retired so I am glad I found this, so I could finish it while it was still available.   This is a very simple card especially when you find the focal piece already to be popped on a card.  I embossed the Basic White CS using the Scripty 3D folder (also retiring and 10% off).   I wrapped the Night of Navy Twine from the Well Suited Combo Pack around the card front and tied a bow.  The flowers were attached using dimensionals.

On the inside of the card is a cute little daisy stamped in Night of Navy ink also from the Ornate Style stamp set.   On the front I also added a few of the Elegant Faceted Gems to add a little more interest.  

Thank you for stopping by!

Product List

Ornate Style Cling Stamp Set [152572]	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [147110]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100867]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Scripty 3D Embossing Folder [149634]	White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132]	Elegant Faceted Gems [152464]
Well Suited Twine Combo Pack [154566]

Today starts a new challenge at Festive Friday.  The Festive Friday Challenge is all about the Inspo List and the festivity that inspired the list.  The Inspo List has 10 items on it and to play in the challenge you need to use 3 of the items on your project.   For Festive Friday Challenge #FF0081 the festivity is Earth Day.  There are some rules to follow when playing along with the Festive Friday Challenge and they can be found HERE.   

Here's the Inspo List for the challenge and remember you just need to use three of the items on the list and your card does not need to be about the Earth Day theme.

I look forward to seeing what you create for this challenge in the Festive Friday gallery.

I chose earth/globe, clean and simple, and  blue/green from the Inspo list.  I used the Rainbow Glimmer paper for both the earth and the layer it sits on.  The earth was cut using the World Map dies, which is on the Last Chance list.  I just looked and the dies are 75% off!  What a fabulous price!  There is a coordinating stamp set called Beautiful World which is also retiring.  The outline on the globe was cut using Brass Foil.  The Brass Foil Sheets are also on the Last Chance list and are 20% off.  

FF #0081

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the  Festive Friday Challenge Design team.

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert. you are here!

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema 

Thank you for stopping by!

No fooling it is Thursday and April 1.  It kind of feels like a joke that it is already April.   This time of year is both exciting, confusing, and a little bit sad.  First the exciting part is that Stampin' Up! will be releasing the new annual catalog in a few weeks and it is a beauty.  There's 5 new In Colors, new stamp sets, paper and accessories, so much to look forward to.  It is always confusing trying to keep straight what products are  retiring, what is staying, and what is still available.  My room is a little crazy looking right now.  I have separated out the products that are retiring from what will  be in the new catalog, lots of different piles right now.  It is sad to see lots of favorites being retired, like To A Wild Rose and the Wild Rose dies.  Both of these are on sale.  The stamp set is 10% off and the Wild Rose dies are 75% off!  

I used the To A Wild Rose stamp set and the Wild Rose dies for this week's Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  I used Real Red for the rose and Old Olive for the leaves.  The stamp does all the hard work of coloring the rose.  I used 3 stamps to create the rose.  The sentiment is from another retiring stamp set, Itty Bitty Birthdays,  another great sentiment set.  

This is the sketch for the week.  You can see what the other members of the design team created using the sketch HERE.

I used the True Love DSP from the 2020 Jan-June Mini Catalog.  I love the black and white designs.  The Real Red border was cut using the Wild Rose dies.  You can also see a peek of the inside of the card.  There is a strip of DSP and another pretty design cut using the Wild Rose dies.  

Thank you for stopping. by,

Product List

To A Wild Rose Photopolymer Stamp Set [149452]	Itty Bitty Birthdays Cling Stamp Set [148618]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [147084]
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482]
True Love Designer Series Paper [154281]	Wild Rose Dies [149547]	Stitched Rectangles Dies [151820]	Layering Circles Dies [151770]
Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels [146924]