Away We Got Bike Ride

Today’s card features five retiring products: Bike Ride Stamp Set, Timeless Textures Stamp Set, Labeler Alphabet Stamp Set, Best Route DSP, and Daffodil Delight 1/4” Double Stitched Ribbon. I adore the Bike Ride stamp set, but have never used it with the Best Route DSP pack. How did I not think to pair it up? The DSP has a piece with little bikes all over it! Perfect pairing for today’s card. I stamped my bicycle in Mango Melody and Pineapple Punch and paired it with a simple stamped sentiment. So cute! I layered my paper and finished off my card with some ribbon. Love it!

• Stamps: Bike Ride; Timeless Textures; Labeler Alphabet

• Inks: Blueberry Bushel; Mango Melody; Pineapple Punch; Smoky Slate

• Cardstock: Best Route DSP; Blueberry Bushel; Whisper White

• Accessories: Daffodil Delight 1/4” Double Stitched Ribbon

• Tools:

The 100 Day Project 2019 Update #2

I’m going to focus and trying to accomplish my already started projects!

#100daysofcompleting

Short list of projects to complete:

• Quentin’s 2018 PL album - currently in March

• Arthur’s 2017 PL Album

• Arthur’s 2018 PL Album

• Family 2019 PL Album - haven’t even started, but do have the supplies

• WITL 2019 kit

• Various half-down cards laying around

I’ll probably also throw in some card that I’ll make from start to finish throughout the 100 days. And there’s usually a surprise project that crops up. So I’m not going to restrict myself too much. I just want to work on one of my projects each day. The daily time could be 5 minutes or 2 hours, but the idea is to do something toward one of my craft projects. I’m going to do weekly (or biweekly) posts on here with my progress. And I’m going to try to document daily on instagram (@TFrances19).

Update #2: April 15th - 28th

In the second two weeks, I finished:

• 2 pages of Quentin’s Project Life Album = 1 week

• 8 cards

• 3 planner spreads

• Complete organization and cataloging of current and retiring SU products

• Complete organization and cataloging of current and retiring ribbons

• 3 weeks of PL pictures printed

• April MP pictures printed

Sunday Haul #7

My preorder came! I’m super excited to dive into the new goodies, but I need to remember to continue using and celebrating all the current and retiring products. For my preorder, I made sure to get all the new color ink pads and cardstock along with the Mosaic Mood suite, Above the Clouds bundle, and Perennial Essence DSP. Can’t wait to dive in!

Tranquil Typewriter

Today’s card features the retiring P.S. You’re the Best Stamp Set, Tranquil Textures DSP, Scattered Sequins Embossing Folder, and Tranquil Tide and Fresh Fig In Colors. I seriously love the typewriter stamp set and don’t think I will be selling it after it retires. I need it in my life! For this card, I stamped a few pieces and constructed my own typewriter with simple message. From there, I took the colors and layered some dsp plus an embossed piece of dsp onto my coordinating cardstock. I really love the color combination of Tranquil Tide and Fresh Fig. I will definitely miss these! Thankfully our new Pretty Peacock In Color is similar to Tranquil Tide (although more blue than green). And I still have Blackberry Bliss for a dark purple.

• Stamps: P.S. You’re the Best

• Inks: Fresh Fig; Tranquil Tide

• Cardstock: Tranquil Textures DSP; Soft Sea Foam; Tranquil Tide; Whisper White

• Accessories: Pearlized Doilies; Fresh Fig Ribbon (retired); candy dots (retired)

• Tools: Scattered Sequins Embossing Folder

March 2019 Memory Planner Pages

Loving my pages this month! I think I have found a good balance of photos and journaling with embellishments only to fill space or add a bit of fun. Super excited that I got these pages finished right at the end of the month (even if it took me awhile to upload here). I’m almost doing these in real time!

Currently

Reading: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan for book club in early May. So far, it’s been nice and light. Just what I needed.

Watching: J and I took a mini break from our Marvel marathon to start Umbrella Academy. I wanted to wait until I read at least the first trade of the comic. Only two episodes in, but really loving the show!

Listening: Lots of NPR Politics, but I might need to take a bit of a break from political news. (Or at least ration it out).

Making: I’m trying a new-to-me recipe of Coconut Lentil Soup. Really hope it’s good!

Feeling: This past weekend the temperature was in the high 80s. Yesterday and today the temperature plummeted into the 50s. I’m so cold!

Planning: Working on finishing out our summer plans.

Loving: While at the Mall of America, we stopped at a fun candy store and I bought a pound of fancy gummi bears. Many of them were cocktail flavored (margarita, bourbon and coke, pina colada, etc).

Don't Worry About the Rain

Today’s card features the retiring Friendly Conversation Stamp Set, Playful Backgrounds Stamp Set, and Tranquil Textures DSP. I knew I wanted to use this big sentiment with the Tranquil Textures DSP, but wasn’t sure where to go from there. After playing around, I settled on stamping a background piece and layering a piece of scrap DSP over it. Very nice compliment. From there, I stamped my sentiment, added some touches, and placed it on a piece of cardstock to create a nice layered piece. Very simple card with a lot of varying blues!

• Stamps: Friendly Conversation; Playful Backgrounds

• Inks: Balmy Blue; Night of Navy

• Cardstock: Tranquil Textures DSP; Balmy Blue; Night of Navy; Whisper White

• Accessories: Rhinestones; Night of Navy Crinkled Ribbon (retired)

• Tools:

Simple Birthday

Last weekend was OnStage (Stampin’ Up!’s convention) and as part of the convention, we find out what products are retiring. One of the first things I did after getting home was pull all my retiring products out and evaluate. Some I’ll keep. Some I’ll sell after the new catalog comes out. And all I’m going to try and highlight before the new catalog launches. Today is the start of my month and a half long series highlighting all those wonderful products!

Today’s card highlights two big retiring products: Birthday Wishes for You Stamp Set and Best Route DSP. This particular DSP is very fun, but somehow I didn’t use much of it over the past year. Thankfully it pairs very well with the Birthday Wishes for You Stamp Set. I stamped in Momento ink (best for alcohol based markers) and colored it in using my Smoky Slate, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, and Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Blends. I turned a simple outline sentiment and made it pop with fun colors and blending. After getting my sentiment set, I added some layers of pattern paper and lots of fun embellishments.

• Stamps: Birthday Wishes for You

• Inks: Momento Black; Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy, and Pumpkin Pie Blends

• Cardstock: Best Route DSP; Mango Melody; Whisper White

• Accessories: White Accent Dots (retired); Silver Sequins (retired); Clothespin (retired)

• Tools: Triple Banner Punch

Minneapolis OnStage 2019

Bright and early we arrived at the Convention Center ready to craft! We checked in and received our welcoming bag and goodies inside! And then at 9am, the fun started!

Throughout the day, there were multiple prize patrols. I wont the all-new Genuine Gems stamp set!

All the presentations were amazing and I wrote down a ton of good ideas. But my favorite part of the day is the make n takes! We ended up making five different cards featuring four new stamp sets and the upcoming Hugs from Shelli Paper Pumpkin! My favorite was the Bird Ballad suite. We colored those wonderful birds with some Stampin’ Blends! (At the end of the day, Pam got to take home that Bird Ballad Stamp Set)

Because of the switch over, we didn’t get to play with the new dies associated with the Come Sail Away Suite. I ended up not finishing this card all the way. I want to change it up a bit at home.

Right in the middle of crafting!

And on to the other super fun thing at OnStage, the display boards! You can see the products involved in each suite, plus some example cards for a few.

In May, everyone will be able to order the new Everything is Rosy Suite. Check out these gorgeous example cards we saw:

The To A Wild Rose stamp set and coordinating dies didn’t wow me at first glance, but then the designer (and stamper) Mary Ellen Byer did a live demonstration and I seriously fell for the bundle!

By the end of the day, we parceled out all of the goodies and each took home a bag! Along with the all-attendee stamp set, Daisy Lane, I got all this stuff! (The ink pads will replace my still good, but old style case pads.)

I took the picture above, got my bag packed, and then they announced one more all-attendee gift!!! What?!?!?! Was not expecting that! Everyone got the Mosaic Mood DSP! I was planning on getting that entire suite for part of my preorder and now I don’t have to buy the paper and can instead buy a different DSP pack!

The next OnStage is November 14th - 16th. The closest Local to me is Lansing, Michigan. We’ll see if I can make it! Until then, we have a new catalog launching in June, a new suite of products available in May, new Stampin’ Storage available now, a special Hugs from Shelli Paper Pumpkin kit in May (I’ve already ordered mine!), and all the retiring and carrying over products to play with. Let’s get crafting!

Minneapolis Fun!

The closest OnStage to me was Minneapolis and my upline (and good friend) lives in Chicago. Minneapolis was the perfect halfway point for us to meet up, enjoy the area, and attend OnStage. Let’s check out our non-convention fun:

After picking Pam up from the airport, we headed over the Mall of America. Neither one of us has ever been! We shopped and chatted. Before leaving, we had to ride something. We ended up picking the Pepsi Orange Streak roller coaster. So much fun!

We checked into our AirBnB just north of downtown and headed out for dinner. On the recommendation from our hosts, we chose Brasa. Oh so yummy!

Saturday was filled with the convention, but we had to pick out a dinner spot. Thank goodness Sushi Train is just a few blocks away from the convention center. So good! Our favorite roll was the Empire Roll (spicy tuna, avocado, spicy crab, eel sauce, spicy mayo, wasabi mayo).

Stay tuned tomorrow for pics from the convention.