Sunflowers & Honey Bees, Oh My!

Finally — real signs of spring and summer. It has taken so long for the gray rainy gloom to disappear. I think we have had a recordbreaking run on rainy days — last time I checked we were at 113. Yes, days in a row of rain! You can bet that I offset that gloom by decorating my planners in bright cheery spring and summer colors. Lots of flowers and lots of sunshine! 

Paris? Mais oui!

Ready for a little travel adventure? Yes…but only in your imagination? Join the crowd! Just because you aren’t physically going anywhere doesn’t mean that you can’t dream of going somewhere. RIght? So pop on your beret and come along to Paris!

Vintage Green, Pink & Peach & a Wink to St. Patrick's Day

Come on spring! Yes, doing the dance of joy here because it is just around the corner! That means not only will your planners be blooming big time — it means we will see sunshine, green, blossoms and blooms every where we look, yay!! Well, I might be a bit optimistic on the sunshine deal…living in this part of the world, sunshine is never a sure thing! But, we just go with it most days; and on those gloomy rainy days I gaze at my planners and pretend!

Blooms, Blooms & More Blooms!

I know we are in the middle of winter and there isn’t a bloom in sight…well, maybe at the corner grocery flower stand…but living out in the country these days…there isn’t a flower stand to be seen. Good news, these bloom stickers are just the thing to brighten your planner and, in turn, brighten your day. Not one to be relegated to specific colors or designs on each spread, I decorate my planners according to my mood! Do you?

Vintage, Planners & Warm Fuzzies

I love all things vintage - no secret! My love started at an early age and over the years it still goes on. So it was natural that when I started decorating and designing stickers, pocket cards, clips and flash cards for my planners I always incorporated vintage designs of one sort or another. 

Sun is Shining & Surf's Up!

Not sure how you’re feeling about it, but I am definitely ready for sunshine and warmer days! I know, it’s only the middle of January but if you are living in the Northern Hemisphere like me, you just might be longing for summer.

Happy Hearts Valentine Goodies for Planners

And, we are off…2017 is up and running and we are looking at Valentine’s goodies already. How does that happen? I’m not much of a frilly fancy girl and that thinking follows through to the stickers I design for my Erin Condren Life Planner and Mambi The Happy Planner. 

One Fun Stamp — Five Fun Gifts!

While it is not holiday specific, it sure makes a great holiday gift. I actually got the Stack of Gifts stamp back in August. At the time I was puzzled thinking about how to use it on a greeting card. Well, step out of the box, Tanya…not every stamp has to become a card. The six inch length of the stamp makes it perfect for those long skinny projects…like…what? What is long and skinny and not a card? Eureka! Bookmarks! 

When Halloween Comes Softly

I know…seems like an oxymoron…pairing halloween and softly…but it’s possible. I love the colors of fall, in fact, fall is my favorite season of the year. Out of my love, all the planner sticker designs I create take a soft vintage approach to the vivid colors of the season. My latest planner sticker release, Fall Comes Softly!, is a good example.

Harvest Moon & a Bouquet of Brooms

Bouquet of brooms? Yes…all from the September Brutus Monroe Stamp set. I actually colored and I like how it looks!!

Got Pumpkin?

Fall — my favorite time of the year! Sweater weather, cooler days and nights, beautiful colors and pumpkins! Many of my friends excitingly await the appearance of their much-loved pumpkin lattes at their local coffee stop. To celebrate with them, I thought I would make a few cards using the Brutus Monroe Stamp Club stamp “Got Pumpkin?”

A Celebration No Matter the Season!

And, another year is coming to a close. How does that happen? As I always say “in a blink.” It’s always fun to reminisce about the year that is passing and celebrate the beginning of a new one. When I first saw the Brutus Monroe December Stamp Club set my first thought was New Year’s — so with that in mind I got to work on a greeting card and a planner clip.

A Simple Merry Christmas!

And, to all a good night. Yes, this is my final post on the Inspiration/Design Team Blog. With that in mind, I thought I would make it short and sweet, as they say. I created a couple of greeting cards using the Brutus Monroe Holiday Sentiment Stamp Set and bits and bobs of scraps I had just waiting in my paper drawer.

Wise Litte Owl & Coloring 101

Truth be told…when I received the Owl stamp from Brutus Monroe my first thought was “so so cute but I will never use it.” What? Yes, in my mind I thought the owl would take a lot of time for coloring. While I can always make the time…my coloring skills need a lot of work. So I pretty much set the stamp aside and moved on to the other stamps that really appealed to me — victorian birdcages and feathers, fall-inspired layering elements (stay tuned) and tall stacks of wrapped packages and ice cream cones. Poor little owl sat in the August Release folder. He wasn’t alone…in with him were some other stamps I hadn’t fiddled with yet. So, not to worry, owl was in good company.

Chuck Carson Scary Scarecrow Comes to Stay

Imagine my surprise! When I first saw the new fabulous Halloween stamps from Brutus Monroe, while I loved them, I was a bit skeptical about making them work with my “design sensibility.” Talk about honesty! So I took that as my challenge. Thinking a card or a tag as the end result, I started by using Brutus Monroe Detail Ink in Raven to stamp the scary scarecrow on a heavy white cardstock. Wow — beautiful detail with every impression I made. I am having so much fun coloring these days, I used my colored pencils and colored away. It didn’t take much work to get great color in the smaller details & I was happy with it…so far!

A Seaside Cup of Thanks

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea. Oh don’t I wish! And, you can thank me for putting that little ditty in your head for the rest of the day! But, back to business — I love the Cup of Thanks stamp set from Brutus Monroe. If you’ve read my other posts you’d see that I am having a bit of a thing for little things clipped to a line — as if they are flying in the air. So, I played on that idea a bit more with this card, thinking sea breezes and beach towels.

Banner or Bunting? Holiday or Birthday?

Yes, the holiday season seems to be in full swing! That means holiday cards along with birthday cards for my fellow pals with December birthdays. As a December baby, I was never the fan of the combined Christmas/Birthday card so I make a point to give both birthday cards and holiday cards to my December friends. Never one for a Hallmark, I like to make holiday cards that are a bit unexpected, this year I thought it would be fun to make banner styled cards that double as decorations. Stay tuned…I did a birthday version, too. I started it all with the Sketched Holiday Stamp Set from Brutus Monroe. You may have seen my post a few weeks past where I used this set for cards and a really festive planner clip. I just love the detail in the artwork and with the Detail Ink in Raven that detail doesn't get lost in the stamping or the watercoloring. This stamp is included in the Sketched Holiday Card Set and it is available individually in the Brutus Monroe store.

A Stack of Presents Marks the Spot!

I totally forgot a friend’s birthday last week. I know…it happens! She’s a long time planner girl and my first thought was to give her some stickers from my etsy shop but quickly remembered she has all my stickers and more. Better idea…a bookmark for her current book or one of her planners. The tall gifts stamp from Brutus Monroe was just the thing. Good deal…I could spend time coloring (again) and make a gift for her at the same time.