It's an Aqua and Teal kind of day....

...at least that seems to be the colors that I have used in both of my cards today.   It's also one of my favorite colors and comes to very close to my favorite, which in case you can't guess is Purple.  I started to realize just how much I loved this color, after falling in love with Hero Arts Pool and Tide papers and inks and every since, I find I'm drawn to it and love to create with these colors all the time.

    I'm also very happy that I found time to create two new cards today, both of which are for two of my favorite challenges, which I really did miss while I was away at "Summer Card Camp".  As much as I had hoped to keep up with the challenges too, I quickly fell behind, but did continue to vote and browse the Galleries looks at the awesome cards.

    My first card to share today was created for the cute Cas(E) This Sketch Challenge and I'm thrilled that I actually finished before the challenge was over!  I loved this new sketch from the first day I saw it and had the image printed out and sitting on my desk, all along waiting for time to work on my card.  I actually started on one last night and that card was all done in Pink, but I missed it up, when I decided to try and round the corners, at the last minute and ended up ruining my strips!  OOPS!!  That's what happens when I try to do things in the evening...I'm too tired and nothing ever seems to work out.  I'm much better in the morning and that's when I started on this card!

    I'm also sharing the current sketch, just in case you have time to get a card done and uploaded before the challenge ends

CTS # 38

My Card

and a close up view....

   I pulled out a white card base and knew I wanted to use a teal background and wanted to cut my strips out of patterned paper, which I pulled from my overflowing Scrap Bin.   I cute the middle strip to be the widest and then all the rest were cut to be 1/2", and each new section was 1/2" shorter than the next one.  I adhered them to white paper, just to line everything up and then transferred it direct to the teal cardstock.   I used that same color and picked out my sentiment from a Paper Smooches Set.  I wanted it to be in white, so I stamped it in Versamark and then heat embossed it with white powder.  Its' a very CAS style, but I really love the colors!!  

  Right after that I went right to work on my card for the brand new MUSE challenge which was posted yesterday!  I had fun creating my own little version of the MUSE card, which reminded me of a framed image almost like a Polaroid photo.   This is a copy of the MUSE card, which was created by Lynn Mangan, who was chosen as the Guest Designer for this week!   Congrats to Lynn!!

 

    As you can see, I again kept with the Teal/Aqua them and actually started this card using scraps left over from the first card.  The first step was to cut my frame which I did using a Spellbinder "A2" matting die, which I just love!  This set is designed for cardmakers who create A2 card and it makes perfect mats.  To have the bottom section a bit larger, to look more like Lynn's card, I move the die up toward the top of my Tide Layering Cardstock and once it was cut, I then used my Trimmer to cut the bottom, so I could make it any size I wanted.  Looking back, I think it maybe should have been a bit wider???    I then lined the inside in a deeper teal color.   I pulled out the flowers from my stash and was so happy that I had the perfect match using some of my favorites from this Hero Set!   I also have a new love for sequins and find myself using them a lot of my cards.....!   The patterned cardstock I used to created my card, is brand new and it's from Amuse and I LOVE it.   It's an assortment set and comes in a variety of colors, I have this and also bought it in pink and love that set too!    If you love Amuse and need a nice Demo, I highly recommend mine, Tobey, who even has a online store, where you can shop from home!    It's nice having a local Demo, as I also have the ability to go to her fun little workshops too.   

   And now it's time to clean off my desk for today, something I do almost every day, so I can start with a fresh clean space the next time I create.   That has me wondering, if I am a super messy crafter or if everyone can make a mess this big, simply making two cards?  YIKES!!

It's never easy to say Goodbye...

...but after three very fun-filled weeks in Summer Card Camp II, today is the very last day and I know I'll miss it.  I was also very excited to see that we have some wonderful new videos today, as well as some more great inspiration cards, new sketches and an awesome new selection of color combo.

   I wanted to be sure to make at least one more card and most importantly I wanted to use one of the new sketches, the new colors and for it to be a "Thank You" Card to express my feelings to Kristina and Jennifer, for all their hard work.  I am also thankful to each and every guest designer who took the time to create and share with us, as well as all the stores who gave us discounts and donated so many fabulous prizes.   The Online Card Classroom is so amazing and I'm so lucky to have had the opportunity to have taken every single class offered and Summer Card Camp II -- is a new Favorite!!

Card One

   This is actually a revised version of card one, which I ruined by adding way too much stickles to each fo my die cut.  I had also created all three in different colors and it simply did not look right.   Instead I simply added in a few colors in the Gems to use all the colors in today's combo!!

   And next we have my second card, which was also created based on the same sketch and using the same colors, only I changed them a bit by using a darker pink background and another shade of glitter pen to enhance my Thank you Sentiment.   The die cuts are also larger, but both came from this set, by Avery Elle.  My Butterfly is from Simon Say Stamp and my Sentiment is this one by Ali Edwards - Technique Tuesday.

   I am also submitting this Thank You card to the new "Greeting Card Challenge" over at "The Outlawz", where the theme this week is "Anything Goes" as long as your card includes a Sentiment!!  

   I know come tomorrow morning when there is not a new email sitting in my In-Box that I'm going to have "class" withdrawal, especially from this class, because it's been so awesome and is on the longest.  The very first Summer Card Camp, was another long class and I still go back every so often to watch the videos or browse the Galleries for inspiration!  That's another great feature of these classes -- Lifetime Access!!

   And now I have two more cards to share, both of which I created yesterday for the latest 90 Minute Scramble over at the Hero Arts Flickr Group.  Janet was our hostess for this Scramble and came up with a really fun theme.  For all the details you can go to the Scramble Discussion Here.   The basis of here theme was Butterflies and Rainbows, but we also had the option to create something with Butterflies, Rainbows or both and Janet made several fabulous cards as inspiration that you'll see in her post.

   I also have to admit when I first saw her wonderful cards and the theme, I thought it was going to be really hard and I hurried over to my desk to start looking through my huge collection of Hero Stamps...looking for a background or a butterfly.  I couldn't' quickly find a butterfly (surprise), but did find the always lovely "Leafy Vines" background stamp and decided to start with that.  I stamped in in Versamark on white Neenah Cardstock and then added white embossing Power and Heat set it.   I knew I wanted to try to do some type of rainbow background, but then chicken out, for fear of mixing too many colors and ending up with mud.  I then picked two shades of Distress Stains (Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick) and used them to color my background.   White that was trying I kept looking for a butterfly image and was stunned that I could not quickly find one (see I am NOT that organized).   Luckily, I knew my next best option would be do die cut one or punch one and when my first die-cut did not come out well, I grabbed my MS Punch and used that instead.  I then colored that to match and embossed it in my Cuttlebug, with the first embossing folder I could grab.  I popped it up with foam tape, added a little bling and my Sentiment, which is also a Hero Set.  I then added two thin borders which were also colored with the same stains, mounted everything to a white card base, and rounded all the corners.   I love how this came out and always love every card with this wonderful stamp!  I MUST use it more and more, because it always makes such a pretty card.

  And I still had about 40 minutes, so I quickly hurried back to my desk to try and make a very quick second card and to somehow tie in the rainbow theme.  I thought about hand drawing a rainbow and then punching a bunch of small butterflies, but was not convinced I could make it look right.  That's when I came up with the idea of taking a piece of white cardstock and quickly coloring the various shades of the rainbow across the sheet.  I knew I would then use a punch or die to cut out something and chose to go with a black background, which I made with some Hero Art Layering Paper and adhered to a white card.   I also pulled out a bag of sequins that I had recently won on eBay and planned to highlight the card by adding one of each color to match "whatever".  That whatever turned out to be another butterfly, which I again punched with the same punch.  I also used the same sentiment set, but chose a different saying and stamped that directly onto my card front and embossed it again, with Hero's White Powder.  I then quickly added my butterfly and truly scrambled to glue on the sequin, quickly take a picture, hoping none fell off and posted it to the Scramble.  Happily it all worked out and my card did make it on time.   It seems that about half of us, are pretty quick cardmakers and often will make 2 cards for each Scramble.  Then other, work really hard, put in tons of detail and make one amazing card!   You can seem them ALL from this scramble HERE!!   Great aren't they!

   And that is it today my friends!   I have totally enjoyed Summer Card Camp, but also realized just how much I love playing in some of my favorite weekly challenges, which I have not had much time for lately.  I do hope that I can now get back to that, too!

    As for the dogs...they are both doing great and I have decided that as much as I would absolutely LOVE to adopt Skye's sister (Ziva) that three dogs would be too much for me on a full time basis, especially the costs of caring and feeding them.   But, I do HOPE sweet little Ziva will find her Furever home very very soon and I'm so sorry that her adoption feel through!  Ironically, she was the first dog I was applying to adopt, but when I found out she had an application pending, I opted to apply for Skye instead.    If you know anyone who is looking to Rescue a sweet and adorable 7 month old Chiweenie, please send them here.  Ziva is now totally potty and crate trained, has been spayed and is current on all her shots.   Like Skye, she can be a bit timid, although Skye is much better, and Ziva is very afraid of large dogs.   I wish so much that I knew her adoption had fallen through, so that I could have applied to Foster her. \ Finding out she was the only pup from the liter that was not adopted made me feel heartbroken.   But, if there is a good thing to that,  it's also made me realize that I want to do more for all the amazing dogs who need loving and caring home.

   That being said, I have decided that I want to become a Foster Mom and will be working with another Rescue called - Little Paws Dachshund Rescue and I am in the process of completing the paperwork to "Foster" for them.  It was actually two of the gals who are now affiliated with this Rescue, (Fabre and Maria), that were so helpful to me in adopting Skye and because of them and their work with this brand new Rescue, I thought it would be perfect for me to join them.   So.....in a matter of months I may have another doxie in the house, but will only take one who does very well with both of mine.  I will also request females, as Scout is very much the leader here and he, being my oldest deserves that role.  In the meantime, I'm having so much fun with both my dogs and they have already brought me so much joy!!   Love them to pieces...almost as much as my "real" kids -- Brian and Alex..!!!!  Alex told me last night that my dogs are spoiled and I treat like like they are my babies....!  Of course I do, I love them and since I don't have and Grandchildren, they are the next best thing!!

So happy to be posting...

...what a crazy and very hectic Summer I have had.  It's so unlike me to have so much to do and it's starting to wipe me me more and more every day.  I typically love Summer and hate seeing it fly by, but I am happy that our heatwave finally broke and we're back to a bit cooler weather.  A bit too cool one day this week, when it was only in the 60's...Brrrr!  Great for sleeping, but I can sleep all winter and for now, I'd much rather enjoy the warm sunshine.

  The dogs are really enjoying Summer too and we even ventured over to a new Dog Park that was built in the next town area, which is where I grew up.  The downside is that it shares a Parking Lot with a large Park and Beach area and because it's Summer, they charge to park for those visiting or going to the beach, except for those who have a Resident's Sticker.  And while I knew they charged, I thought there was a separate agreement for those visiting the Dog Park, since it's a community park and open to ALL the towns in this area.  Not to mention that I donated to the building fund, as did many local businesses, in all the towns. Well, I was wrong and not happy when they asked me for the $10 fee, of course I didn't' have any cash and only grabbed my license and my debit card, just for an emergency and they didn't take those!  UGH!!  So, we had to leave and I then took the dogs down to the Boulevard and walked along the water and ended at a little beach area, which was very tiny, since it was high tide.    I then decided to run to the ATM so we could at least try out the park.  We did that and returned and were the ONLY people there.  It's a nice set up, with three areas...one for dogs over 25 lbs., another for the little ones like mine, under 25 lbs., and one more separate space for those who are timid or need more time to adjust to being off leash with other dogs.   All the areas are pretty large, but only one seems to have many trees and that's the one for dogs who need more time.

  We headed in and Scout happily ran off, but little Skye stayed close to me...and I walked down the slope where Scout was heading, but was really surprised it was all overgrown, with lots of tall grass and that's the perfect area for ticks, so I quickly headed Scout back to the dirt area, which was the only other place.  Kind of a shame, since it just opened in May and is also new.   There also is not much shade, and when another family came, that was something they did not like.  There are water areas for the dogs and plenty of 'bags' for everyone to pick up after their pets.   By then, my dogs were hot and tired, so we got ready to go and that's when a man with a pretty big "Basset Hound" came and actually entered the small dog side...which also surprised me since his dog was pretty big and very intimidating for little Skye!   On my way out, I noticed a sign noting that the local Vets have noticed an increase in Kennel Cough since the dog park opened, which is also a bummer!  All in all, it was a big bummer for me and it's not likely I'll go back soon.  Maybe in the Fall, when I won't have to pay, but I do also HOPE those who are part of the group, will do some grass cutting soon, before ticks do become an issue!  

   I also had both a doctor and dental appointment this week, which took up lots of time...!  I'm done with my doctor now for a nice little break, but have more dental work to be done, including a crown, possibly two, which is just awful, since I dread the dentist, ever since I've had Fibro...something I never minded before, but is hard now.  Luckily, my new dentist is very aware and has been fabulous.  I also bring my iPod to down out the sound on the drill and they now give me extra novacaine, as I seem to need more than most, for ti to work...just my luck!   I also broke a second molar, the second one this Summer, which is a bummer.  The same exact tooth, just on the opposite side and both had really large filling, from my former dentist who I feel was much too aggressive.  I swear he overdrilled small cavities and now it's comprised my teeth and I'm stuck with expensive work!  UGH!

  Moving on to happy things, I had another fantastic week at Summer Card Camp and I am very sad that we will be having our final day on Monday!!   It's been fabulous and my only regret is that I am so behind, from having so much going on.  This is also the first Summer that I've had two dogs and we really love getting out, so that takes up a lot of my day!!

  I did make a few card earlier in the week, but never found time to share.  I'm happy to share all my cards today and as you can see, they first several, were all based on this week's new color combination, as well as the wonderful sketches we had as our inspiration.  Not to mention some fabulous guest designers who really shared some great tips and techniques.    Of course, we can't share all the class details, as it's copyright protected and meant to be exclusive to those who take the class.  We can however, share cards and projects that we create and these are mine from Week 3 for Summer Camp.  I highly recommend this class, which you can still take.  The interactive version will end on Monday, but like all the classes that are offered in Jennifer and Kristina's Online Card Classroom, you can take them after and even save a little money!  I prefer the "Live" classes and love that we can communicate with other students in the "Gallery" and "Forum", which can not be done after.  Even so, you'll still learn so much from the fabulous Videos and PDF files and you'll have lifetime access to the class. I still go back to previous classes, at times, especially when I need ideas or my MOJO is missing!!

  These first few cards are the cards that I made earlier this week and I have to admit, I really had a challenge with some of these and even have a "Fail" card to share!   This first card was my favorite from the beginning of the week.  I love the colors and love the flower I pulled from my stash to use on this card!

And this was next......and was my "fail" card....It just looked to plain to

me and the colors did not work out, nearly like I hoped!!

So...I took it apart and started over and came up with this

one, which was based on the same Sketch and Color Combo!

I also had a terrible time getting good photos, as we had lots of clouds and rain

earlier in the week!   This card actually looks so much nicer in person!!

And now I have two more to share, which I like much better than any of the cards I made earlier this week.  I created both of these today and the first card is based on the same sketch as the card above and also the same basic colors, but overall I think this card is better?  What do you think??

  And that brings me to the last day of class, which was Friday, the day we are given all kinds of new ideas along with several new color combinations to use.  I chose the one you'll see on this card and had a blast creating and designing this card using my Silhouette Cameo.  It was also the first time, I tried this particular Sketch which I think works best for a square card.  I hope you like it!   I think it may be my favorite.

 

and one more larger view on an angle....

  I actually created three different card designs using my Cameo along with one sheet of double sided, cardstock  (Pink/Black), and now have two more already pre-cut and ready to put together.  I did one where I changed the card base to black and the elements in Pink and that one is in a Zig Zag type design and the last was done in a Diamond like pattern.   I'm really learning so many ways to use my machine and to create more custom designs.  For this card, I drew the 5 1/2" square and then found a circle-border type design that I cut and edited to be a row of circles.  It's all cut from the same cardstock and I put a layer of dark gray cardstock behind the circles on this card.  The other strs were cut from the same cardstock and one scrap of patterned paper.  The circles for the Sentiment were cut with Spellbinder Dies and the "Thank You" sentiment was in my stash of die-cut. I'll often cut several at a time, and then put htem all in envelopes to use at other time.   I finished this card with a few gem stones and found it was fun and easy!  I need to use my Cameo more and now that I have down some more organizing in my craft room I have a new space for it.

   I packed up my Pink Journey Cricut Expression and plan to sell it along with all the rest of my Cricut Cartridges and even my "Baby" bug!  If you know anyone who is looking to buy a beginniner "Baby Bug" or my beloved Pink Cricut Expression,  please let me know.  I'm hopiong to open an little  Etsy Store in the Fall, but will sell it now, if anyone wants it.   It will come with a tool kit, extra mats, a Brand New sealed Pink Journey Cartridge and a George and Basic Shapes Cartridge, which was once linked to my Gypsy (already sold).  The price is negotiable and ideally I want it to go to a good home where it will be used.  I have several Cricut Cartridges and will also be adding them to my little store with the Baby Bug, which also comes with extra mats and a George and Basic Shapes Cartridge!   Both machines were well taken care of and hardly ever used....I really never did well with the Cricut and find that I'm much better with my Cameo, yet I know many LOVE the Cricuts and create amazing projects with them.   I'll be happy to take more photos, if you are interested.   I need space and decided that it was time. I have not used my Pink Expression in over a year, but did test it today and it's in excellent condition.  I now have a Vagabond and needed a a place to set it up, so made it the time, to finally say Goodbye to my Pink Expression.

 And that's all for now!  I do HOPE I can make another card or two tomorrow and then get back to some of my favorite challenges too!  I have missed them a lot, but totally enjoyed being in Summer Camp too!!   Have a nice night and hope to see my fellow campers on Monday for our final farewell!

I LOVE Summer Card Camp...

....but I have not been the best student this time?   I'm finding it quite a challenge to keep up and it's a bummer because I so LOVE the class and know that we only have one more week and it will be over.   But, it's been such a busy time for me and with the wonderful Summer weather we've had, it's been hard to stay inside, even though I do love spending time in my craft room.

  This is also the first Summer that I have had two dogs and they just really LOVE being out, taking the walks and even spending time lounging on our deck.   Even on the hottest day, they have wanted to walk and I even had a little kids pool for them on the deck.....NO!  They're not one bit spoiled...Ya right!  But, they are my wonderful little companions and I LOVE them both so much!  So much so, that I am soooo sooo tempted and really want wish I could adopt "Ziva", who just happens to be Skye's little sister and the only one who was never adopted from that litter.  The ironic thing is that I had originally planned to adopt her, but when I put in my application, she had one already ahead of me, so I then chose Skye, and then at some point Ziva was never adopted and it kills me to know that she is not in her furever home.  I know Sky would LOVE her and I would EVEN love to Foster her, but have not heard back on that and she is currently in Foster care somewhere.   This is one of her most current pictures....isn't' she sweet!   Would you LOVE her and do you want a sweet little Doxie Mix...if so you can go to Furever Dachshund Rescue and apply to rescue this sweet little girl.....!   And if you do consider it, please let me know, because I would LOVE to keep in touch with her owners.   I'd take her in a second, if I truly thought I could easily handle three dogs and also be able to afford all the care they may need?   I need to win the lottery!!

   I can not get her off my mind and thought that she had already long been adopted.  I guess that's a good thing, as now I just WANT her and know it's all in my heart and I know that mostly I want someone to LOVE her as much as I love Skye!    I can't even being to tell you how many times I have wanted to get on the phone and just say, I'll take her too !!  It's hard, but I also know how hard some days have been with Skye and with me dealing with Fibro...it's a challenge and having three dogs would be really hard in many ways.  It would make it pretty much impossible for me to go and visit Brian and Meg, as I could never fly with three, let alone afford it and I would need someone really special to take care of three dogs too and that's then logic sinks in and I stop myself....!!

   Now.....trying to focus again on crafting, I have a nice selection of new cards to share and almost all of them were first inspired by Summer Card Camp, along with some of my favorite challenges, including this current "Cas(E) this Sketch Challenge" where we have this amazing sketch to use.

  

  I seem to have developed a LOVE for Hexagons and when I saw that Stampin' UP had a new Hexagon punch, it was one of the first things I ordered.   It worked out perfectly for this card, which I finished up last night for the Challenge.  I also used some of the fun colors in our color combo from Summer Camp and will be added it to the Gallery there too!

   And this is another card that I created for Summer Camp this week and this again uses the new colors were worked with this week, along with the new techniques and sketches that were shared with us.  It was a fantastic week and I only wish I had more free time, so that I could have made a lot more cards.  The good thing is that I'll have forever access to the site and can always go back and use the idea for cards down the road.   And in the case of this card, that's a really good thing, because this card is not longer in existence...you see, my wonderful little "Skye" thought it would make a tasty treat and when I inadvertently let if fall on the floor of my craft room, she was the one of found it first!!  BooHOO!   I did tell her that I am NOT at ALL fond of her eating "Momma's" cards and I hope this will be the last one.   I think she liked the bling....and of course the twine, which went for a cute bow to a long wet piece of string....!   And to think she is so sneaky and does all this in a matter of minutes, when I'm concentrating on a different project!!   Oh, and that's when I am reminded that I must be "losing it" to even be thinking of adding another Puppy to my life...not matter how adorable they are!
 

    The good thing is that I can pretty much re-created this, since most of the elements are things I can make again, and although I might not have al the exact same papers, I certainly do have a whole lot of paper in my craft room and I'm quite certain, I could come really close!  

    And next I have this new card, which was inspired again from Summer Camp and a challenge that we had on Thursday.  The goal was to use some type of Holiday Stamps to create a Non-Holiday Card and at first, I thought it was hard, but once I started looking though my stamps, I decided I would use one of my Hero Cling Sets to create a fun background, again using some fun masking ideas that were shared in class.  

Featuring - Hero Arts - Snowflake Shapes

   I started with a piece of cream cardstock and pulled out a variety of Distress Inks and Hero Arts Shadow Inks and started stamping the circle shaped snowflake all over my card, again using this week's color combo.  I also created a mask and used my dark brown ink (Gathered Twigs) to stamp partial images in between each of the others and I added a sequin the center of each.  I then cut a cardbase from a sheet of Desert Storm Cardstock and also a small border, which I stamped in the dots from this Paper Smooches Set.  I also stamped my Sentiment in the same ink and used my SU punches to punch it and layer it onto a contrasting background, (Hero Arts Pool cardstock),  I used the same cardstock to create two thin borders for each side of the strip and added them all together and tied on some matching twine.  

  And this next card is another that was created this week as part of Summer Card Camp.  I used this set of "Abstract Art" Stamps which is brand new and from My Favorite Things, along with another of our weekly sketches to make this fun and easy little "You Make Me Smile" card.  I am loving all these fun new "inky" type stamps and along with my sets from Hero, this set from MFT is fabulous!  Love IT!!   If you follow Jennifer McGuire's blog you know that she has been a Guest Designer for MFT for the past couple of weeks...and I seem to fall in LOVE with everything she shares, which is how I ended up with these new stamps, along with this fun set, plus the matching dies and some of their amazing inks.    I have always been a fan of their products and was thrilled with everything I bought!   

  And that brings me to my last card, which is a card I kind of put together with a bunch of scraps that were laying all over my desk, after I finished up these cards.  I have not put anything away lately and my desk, is a disaster area.  I will definitely need to clean it now, otherwise there is not any space to create.   I also wanted to try out another of my new stamp sets, including this one which I bought from Neat and Tangled, a newer company that has fast become one of my favorites.

  And now I am heading out to take the dogs for a walk.   I bought Skye a new harness this morning, after she chewed on another one, making it unsafe

.  LOL!   Now she has a brand new extra strong one and a very pretty matching pink collar!  She also had her nails clipped and come to find out they even paint dogs nails at our local Petco and I was almost tempted to have hers done.  Maybe when she is a bit less timid, but for now, I did not want to overwhelm her with too much pampering....I already do so much for both of them!

   

   Here they are--my furbabies!   - I mention the word "Walk" and they are at my side and ready to roll!!  

 How you can help but love them...they are just so sweet...

  Skye and Scout!

My second week at Summer Card Camp....

...and I am already loving it and it's only Monday!!   We started out this week with a wonderful new color combination along with three fabulous new sketches as well as two great videos from Kristina and Jennifer, which I loved.   I was also very excited and happy to see that one of the designers that I met though these classes, was our Guest Designer for the day and she (Jean) created a fantastic card for our first day!  I was thrilled when I found out she would be one of the new guest designers and I great admire her work.  You can see it HERE on her blog and to think that she's only been doing this for just a little over two years!  Amazing -- she's a natural !!

   I also already am fairly certain that I'm going to enjoy working with these new sketches and have my first cards to share now.

  Out of the three sketches today, one was a circular shaped card and those have always been one of my favorites.  Most times, I'll quickly cut out a few on my Silhouette, but to save myself some time, today I decided it was just as easy to use my circular Nestabilities Dies and started by cutting my card base, from a set of 'Stampin' Up" Designer Papers that had been sitting in my stash - (unopened and never used), until today.  A new goal I have is to shop from my stash and start using much more of all these amazing goodies I have stuffed into my craft room.

   Although the patterned paper is just the look the wanted, it's not nice and thick like cardstock, but a quick and easy way to fix that is to simply line the inside of the card with white cardstock.  It also makes it work out perfectly for a place to hand write your note!   Next I cut a slightly smaller circle in a piece of blue patterned paper also sitting in my stash.  I then picked out a floral style embossing folder (sorry, not sure who it's from) and used that to add some texture to this layer.   I followed along with Kristina's idea of using "Watercolor Paper" for the layer that I was inking and started by stamping on my image (Leafy Vines, a favorite Cling, from Hero Arts), that I then heat embossed in white.  I then picked out to Green Distress Inks, Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint and colored the image by placing the pads directly onto the embossed image, which automatically resist the ink.   I finished off this layer by covering it with a layer of Perfect Pearls Mist, love that shimmer!   I set that aside to dry and while doing that I went ot check to mail, where I was very excited to have some Happy Mail from Neat and Tangled.  I had fallen in love their their new release and ordered the new stamps on Friday.   I was so happy to see that that I knew I wanted to use this set "Scrap Circles" to create the Sentiment for my card.

   I stamped my "Love" sentiment onto some blue scrap paper again with Versamark and then embossed it in white.  I then used a circle punch to cut it out and added it to the banner running across my card.  To finish it off, I picked out a few matching sequins, which were a sweet little thank you gift that was included in my order.   I also just happen to LOVE the amazing colors of sequins that Neat & Tangled sells and also love how on trendy they are.

  Once everything was totally dry, I put it all together and had this fun new card!   Hope you like it, as much as I do!   Kudos to Kristina for her inspiration and the idea of using these Distress Ink Color, which are perfect for our new color combo this week.

 My card is also being submitted to these challenges, which are open to all!  Come on over and play along:

• Oozak Challenges - Anything Goes/Texture Required
• Through the Craftroom Door -- Anything Goes
• The Crafting Cafe Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

       I am so excited about the new week ahead and can't wait to have lots of time to work on the other two sketches!  I also really enjoyed the cards that all three of the gals created not to mention how quickly the Gallery is filling up with  to much awesome inspiration!!

   Summer Card Camp II ROCKS!  I'm so happy to be in this class and totally LOVE it!   I only wish I didn't have other things to do this week, so I could spend ALL my free time creating!!   

Creativity....

   I've had a fun weekend!  Not only have we had nice weather which has me out a lot with the pups, but I've also had lots of time to create and that's been extra fun.   I find if I take them for a nice long walk a few times a day, they come back all tired out and take nice long naps!!

   Yesterday, that worked out perfectly and just in time for me to take part in the latest Scramble over at the Hero Arts Flick Group!   This week Jayne was our hostess and she came up with a great challenge for us.  We had our normal 90 minutes and had to create a project that included three elements.   We had to "frame" something on our card..."think polaroid photo", was her suggestion.  We also had to place something at a slant/angle and the last thing was to include something metallic.  

    I thought it sounded fun and actually manged to get two cards done, which makes me happy.  My first card started with me creating a frame using my Nestie Matting Dies.  I wanted that to be for a die cut butterfly which I created with one of my Memory Box dies.   This is my finished card and in the end, I really like it.  I think out of all the Scramble cards I've ever done, this is one of my favorites and doesn't look like I "rushed" to get it done.

  And this is my second card, which is another one that I really like.  In hindsight, I can see now that I did not do a great job embossing the sentiment, and must have not inked up the sentiment fully before I added the Silver Embossing Powder, (I'm missing part of the "y").   Other than that "oops", which can easily happen in a Scramble, I really love the colors and the design and can easily fix the Sentiment, when it's time to use this card.

  That brings me to today, and my goal was to crate a new card for the current MUSE challenge, which has really stumped me.  I wanted to "think of of the box" and not try and use the same ideas as the MUSE, but I just could not find the right mix and after my first take (this card), I almost gave up and moved on to another challenge.   I loved the ideas of using this cute little "Paper Smooches" Pup, but my card is simply too plain and doesn't really reflect the MUSE card.....???  It's my "fail" card of the week...but I'm sharing just to show  you I tried something different.

    I went back to my desk and again looked at the Muse Card, which I have copied over to share with you here.

.  

And after another try, this is my new card!!

   I just happened to have the same Sentiment from Paper Smooches and liked the idea of use a combination of vibrant pink and blue birds, although instead of her cute flamingos, which I don't own, I used a set of Memory Box dies to cut out mine and then colored them with my Copics.  At first I thought I would have them on a line, but then decided to go with this fun tree and branch die, which is from Simon Says Stamp.

   My last card today is one that I created to Summer Card Camp and it was based on our Homework from Friday, where we were provided with a wonderful new palette of fabulous color combinations to use to create more cards.   We also had an "open" theme and could create anything we wanted, using one of the new color combinations!   I chose one that had my favorite colors, which in if you don't already know is "Purple"/    At first I thought about making a window card, after falling in Love with a card that Kristina had shared, but in the end, I created something very different which is this "With all my Heart" card, that features this wonderful sentiments which is a die set that Kristina designed for Simon Say Stamps.  I love her handwriting and have purchased pretty much all the dies and stamps sets she created.  Love them!! 

  I am super excited for tomorrow new class and also really loved seeing the cards that were featured yesterday.  I'm also planning to create at least one more card from this week and hope to get that done soon.  

  For now I'm signing off and going to get ready to go out for a late lunch/early dinner with Hubby.  I've been dying for some seafood and living here on the coast, we certainly have so many great places to choose.  My favorites are fresh haddock, filet of sole and broiled scallops and I'm not sure what I'll order today, but I'm thinking it will be delicious!  Luckily, Alex just came home, and he will keep an eye on the pups while we are gone.  It's not that I never leave them, but typically, it's just me leaving, after everyone else has long gone for work.  I'm not sure they will be happy about Hubby and I both leaving together!  Hopefully, it will be fine and when we get home, I can feed them and take them for an nice walk, to walk off some of my dinner!   Hope you are all having a nice weekend and hope your dinner is going to be as wonderful as mine!!

I'm a Happy Camper....

...and enjoying every day in "Summer Card Camp II", which has already been awesome.  I had totally enjoyed every day and I'm learning all kinds of fun new ideas, hints and tips from all the designers.  And to think we are still only on week one and have two more full weeks to go!   Woohoo!!!

   I did not find time to write a post yesterday, but today, I'm covering the past two days in class as well as sharing another few new cards, starting with this one, which was also created for the current challenge at Die Cut Diva's, where the theme for this month is "Summer Flowers".   It's also a challenge being hosted by Bugaboo Stamps, which is one of my all time favorite places to shop for my digi images.   I knew that I wanted to use one of my Bugaboo Stamps for my card and I chose this sweet little flower image, which is from this adorable set.   adorable one, which has a very clean and simple style and design!  It also somewhat reminds me of a orange Day Lily, and my garden is currently fun of them this time of year.  I thought the little butterfly was a sweet touch and colored up my image with my Copics and then added a touch of sparkle with my Wink of Stella Pens (not showing up well in the photo).  My next step was to cut out my image and a border, which I did with this set of dies from Sizzix.   My card was created from some Hero Arts "Carnation" layering paper and the black zig zag is a Spellbinders border die!    My "Just a note" sentiment is from Paper Smooches and works out perfect for this fun little card.

    My next card is another one that was inspired and created with the sketch and colors from Summer Card Camp and it's one that that I'm entering to the new challenge at "Crafting By Design".   For this card I wanted to try something different, on my banner, so I decided that I would add a stamped image and knew I wanted to use one of my brand new stamps that just arrived from  Whipper Snapper Designs, who happen to create some of my favorite whimsical style of stamps.

    Please join me and hop on over to "Crafting By Designs"  where the theme this week, is "Anything Goes" with a Twist of  "Thank You".   This challenge has always been one I love to join, but, like so many others, I have missed out on several over the past couple of months, pretty much since I adopted little Skye.  Now, I'm very happy to be back and hope to continue to play more often!   Now, I just need to remind myself to go over and check out the challenges!   This was was really fun and worked out perfectly with Summer Camp.  

   

  Following that card, I knew it was time for me to trying something new and so I went digging through more of my digi images and found the perfect image to use for this card, which is also based on another fabulous sketch we had from class.   I just LOVE the bright colors in this cute little birdie and knew I had the perfect sentiment (again from Paper Smooches) to use with this image.  Hope you like it and if you help me remember the artist or store when I bought this sweet little bird, I would be thrilled, so that I can give credit to them for the fun and happy designs!  

  And that brings me up to Day 4 in Summer Camp, which has turned out to be one of my favorite days!   I absolutely LOVED the cards that Kristina and the guest designers created and still hope to work on more cards with their fabulous ideas.   If you are a member of the class, you'll know that Kristina also challenged to us to try and create a card in (10 minutes)...YUP....only ten minutes, which is a huge challenge.  I have seen her do it a few times in her YouTube Videos and while I have made a few quick cards, I have never timed myself, so I had to put in a lot of thought before I even started on this one.   

    We did not have to use the weekly sketches for the challenge, but we were asked to continue to use the colors we've been working with all week.   I started by trying to plan out a design and came up with the idea of doing something with some type of shapes.  That's when I remembered I had that brand new die set called "Chevron Bits" from "Avery Elle" and that gave me the ideas of making a large "arrow" type design for my card.  I also thought I had a stamp that say's "What's Up", but for the life of me can not seem to find it, so I had to create this one with my computer, which is always a great way to add a sentiment, if you don't seem to have the right one in your stash.  I printed it directly only white paper, then punched it out and layered it onto a black scalloped circle.   I hand cut my large black arrow and cut all the other shapes my the die set.   I then colored each section in the different colors from our combo!    In the end, I think it came out kind of cute and I think it's a card I'll end up sending out to my son in Cali!   

   I am heading back to my desk now and want to try and create a 'Star Shaped' card, something similar to one of the two the Kristina shared with us in her amazing videos.   It's hard to believe that she can create something so amazing in ten minutes.   Oh, and Yes, I did manage to finish my card in the 10 minute time frame, but that does not include the time to photograph it !    I also loved the cards that our guest designers shared and I think it's very cool how they all used some type of die-cuts on their cards.   I am a HUGE fan of die cuts and own several sets, plus a Vagabond, a Cuttlebug and my wonderful Silhouette Cameo, making it so easy to create almost any shape!   I also LOVE the die cuts that Kristina has created for Simon Says Stamp and some of my favorites are actually the words she has handwritten...I just LOVE her style and WISH I could write like she does!

    If you love challenges where time if of the essence, then you'll LOVE being part of the 90 Minute Scrambles that are hosted bi-weekly over at the Hero Arts Flick Group.  I totally enjoy them and can often complete two cards in that time frame, which is awesome.   We actually have a scramble coming up this Saturday and it's at 3PM Eastern Daylight time.   If you would like to take part, all you have to do is be a member of the group and head on over to the site to read up on the rules.  Basically, you can create whatever you want as long as you include a least one Hero Arts Stamp and follow the theme that is given by the hostess!   Our challenge this weekend is being hosted by Jayne, who has some already put together some great prizes.  

   Heading back to camp....to check out all the amazing cards in the Gallery and see what's going on in the Forums today!  Oh how I love Summer Camp....it's so much better than the camp I went to when I was little.

Sent with love....

.....if you know me, then you also know that some of my favorite sentiments for my cards are Love, Hugs and Smile.  I also love Hearts and think they always make a perfect little embellishment or can be used in the place of the word love...!!  Today, I have three new cards to share and two seem to have a bit of that "love" theme in mind, as well as being the two newest cards I created for Summer Card Camp, which I am loving.

     My first card, is pretty much based on the same sketch I used yesterday, but I went with lighter colors and added hearts to my banner, which I also embossed first in my Cuttlebug.   I broke out my Silhouette for this one, as I wanted to use it to create my custom banner with the hearts cut out and also wanted to create a variety of hearts in all kinds of fun patterns.

  This card doesn't exactly match the color combo, but it does use my favorite shades of Pool and Tide which are from Hero Arts.   I also used some Hero Bling in a matching deep teal shade and created my "Love" sentiment, by using my Paper Smooches "Love" die and cutting it about 5 times, all in white except the last one, which I cut to match my hearts with this adorable Echo Park Paper.   

   My next card was based on another sketch from class and is a design I came up with after seeing the fabulous ideas that Shari Carroll and Tami Hartley shared in class today.   I loved how they used inks/paints to create their fabulous cards and wanted to use my new "Hero Daubers" to create my card, in the vibrant happy colors were are working with this week.

   I started with some plain white cardstock and took four of my daubers and created streaked lines going vertically down the page.   I then heat set that and dried it with my heat tool.  Next I cute that down to fit on my card and rounded the corners. Then I simply picked out my Sentiment, which is from one of the Exclusive sets that Kristina designed for Simon Says Stamps.  I stamped that on White, cut it down and also rounded the corners.  I then added that on top of my "water colored" paper and picked out three different hearts to add to my card.  To finish it off I added some sparkling black Hero Gems!  Hope you like it, it's very different for me, but I do like how it came out.

   This card is also being submitted to this week's new "Neon" Challenge over at CASology.  Please hop on over to the challenge blog for the the details!  It's a good one and I was excited to create one card that worked out well for Summer Camp and one of my favorite challenges too!

  And my last card for today, is one that I created for this week's challenge over at the "Addicted to CAS" challenge, where our theme for this week is "Water".   I knew I wanted to do something fun and something that had to do with the beach.  I started by going through my digi images and thought this cute little image from Bugaboo Stamps, was perfect.   I colored up my little "Froggie" with my Copics and then added a layer of 3D Crystal Lacquer to the water and his cute eyes.   Once it all dried, I cut down the image, matted it onto black  cardstock and created a card with this awesome "Woodgrain" look cardstock.  I just LOVE this cardstock and the texture that it adds to any project and is nice and thick, at 110 lb.  It makes a wonderful cardbase and you can find it HERE at Simon Says Stamp.  It's very popular and really is fun to work with.

   Oh and while I was creating.....little "Skye" who I thought was napping....decided she wanted to 'eat' up another of her beds??  Imagine my surprise, when I looked up from my craft desk and saw this...  LOL!   I guess she finds them tasty...since this is now the third one??   I simply have to laugh, as she is only a puppy and when she looks at me with that innocent look....it's hard to ever be upset with her!   In he mind, she thinks this is all fun and can't imagine what in the world is wrong?   Scout on the other hand, is much older and wiser and I should have guessed she was up to something when I heard him barking at her, about 10 minutes before I found this!!

   You'll have to excuse the 'dark' photo, it's a cloudy dreary day here and I wanted to be sure to capture her in the act, before she ran off, which is what was next!!   Good thing she's so darn cute and lovable, because she she is a lil' terror, at times!