Paper Craft Crew Challenge #98

Well, summertime is here!  It has really been hot with not much relief in sight.  Of course, I could be in Texas where it is really HOT!!  Enjoy that heat, Ashley!  I think instead of going to the Y tomorrow, I will just exercise in the neighborhood pool instead.

I am hoping to get a few swaps done tomorrow and Friday as well as finalize my cards for club next week.  I haven't had much time this week to get anything done with bridge on Monday and mahjongg today.  Plus I got a new Kindle Fire HDX this week and Sonny got a Kindle reader (for Father's Day) so I have been learning how to use both of them and download books for us.  Ashley and I weren't too sure if Sonny would like the Kindle but he has finished reading one of the books that I downloaded for him on Sunday.  So I guess he is handling the digital age ok!

Here is the card I made for Paper Craft Crew Challenge sketch #98.

Make sure you check out the other designer's cards HERE.

Here is the sketch if you would like to make your own card using it:

MDS Monday Challenge

Last week I discovered MDS Monday blog where a sketch and/or other challenges are given for you to follow by incorporating it into a scrapbook page using My Digital Studio.   Well, last week, I submitted this page and found out today when I checked for the newest challenge, that my page had been chosen as one of the featured picks (here) for the week.

Tonight I decided to do another page for this week's challenge.  The sketch this week was to use circles (or other shapes) and layering them.  I thought this was a great challenge for the zorbing pictures of Ashley and Courtney!!  At least this is getting me started on my New Zealand scrapbook!!

MDS Monday Challenge Take 2

I realized after I posted my last picture that I didn't follow all the rules for the challenge!  I was supposed to follow the sketch, add sequins, a frame, ink splats and overlays.  I think I only did the overlays - that's what I get for not reading thoroughly!!  Anyway .... here is my page following all the rules!!

This is another picture from New Zealand.  This one is from Lake Tekapo.  I had gotten up early in the morning to go to the bathroom and caught this picture real quick of the sun coming up over the lake.

MDS Challenge

I've been neglecting My Digital Studio lately!  I really need to get busy with my New Zealand scrapbook before I forget all the details!!  I have sooooo many pictures that I think it is intimidating me.  That is one of my biggest problems with scrapbooking - I want to include ALL the pictures and if I did, the book would be too heavy to sit on my table!!

In the meantime, I decided to do a MDS Monday challenge page using one of the pictures from New Zealand.  This picture was taken at Bruce Bay, which is on the west coast.  We were driving from Fox Glacier to Queenstown and it was a beautiful sunny day.  The drive was just gorgeous and we made many stops along the way.  My favorite was this stop where we walked along the beach a little bit collecting unique rocks and shells.  I couldn't resist getting my feet wet in the surf but, boy was it cold!!  The worst part of the beach was the sand knats!!  I didn't get bit but poor Taffy was sweet nectar to those knats!

Edited to add note:  Just realized that it was also a sketch challenge.  Oops!  Guess I'll have to do another one!!

 I used a couple of kits to create this page - mainly Be Awesome and Beautiful Today.

Ashley with a handful of the rocks we collected.

Rocks on the beach.

Super Hero and Card Swaps

If you are into Super Heroes, do I have the stamp set for you!  This would make a lot of cute cards for your kids and grandkids!  This photopolymer set was just released yesterday.  If you have not tried Stampin' Up's photopolymer stamps, they are great and stick to your blocks so good!

A lot of possibilities!

Here are a few more of the card swaps to share with you:

Top one is by Kathy Hunt, Way to Go by Lisa Pressley and Work of Art by Sharon Measmer

Top is mine, Baby is by Frances Wagner and Sea Street by JoAnne Hewins

My Swap Cards

I recently participated in a New Catalog Card Swap and received some beautiful cards!  Here is the one that I made using the popular, Work of Art.

 I was so happy to see that the 7/8" Cotton Ribbon made back into the new catalog.  It is so easy to stamp on this ribbon.  The stamp sets I used were:  Gorgeous Grunge and Work of Art.  The frame comes from the On Film framelits.

To give you a few more ideas, here are a few of the swap cards.

The top card is Marianne's and the bottom belongs to Sandy Herman.

Three more swap cards - The top card is from Nancy; Wetlands is Patty's and the purple one is Allison's.

Watercolor Background Technique

Hope your weekend was a fun one!  We took my Mom out on the lake yesterday in our boat.  She really enjoyed it although she had her nose in her book the whole time.  She was towards the end of her book (For One More Day by Mitch Album) and couldn't put it down.  I am so happy that she is still able to read - large print books only but that is ok.  When we came off the lake, she wanted to take a bath in my garden tub.  She just loves that tub!  It's funny because I hardly ever take a bath and she would take one every day if she lived here.  The hardest thing is trying to get her in and out of it since it is so deep!  Then we met Angela, Marianne and Greg for dinner and had some yummy fish and shrimp!!  

I have been working all day today on my 80 swap cards for convention.  Let me just say, I'm sick of this card!  I thought I'd chosen a pretty easy card, but I realize it has too many layers - 3 circles and a Word Bubble that need to be cut out with Big Shot; a tiny heart that is punched out with the Owl Punch; plus tying 80 tiny bows with Bakers Twine!!  I have got everything punched, cut and glued together.  Now I just have to put the whole thing onto my card front!!

I took a break and made another card for fun today.  I had seen this card on another website and loved it.  So I made a few changes and ..... I love it!!

For the background, I sponged inks -  Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi, Coastal Cabana - onto the Hexagon Embossing Folder and then spritzed it lightly.  I put a piece of watercolor paper inside and ran it through the Big Shot.  I stamped the Blended Bloom and used the Blendabilities to color it.  The sentiment is from the photopolymer stamp set, Endless Birthday Wishes.  It has been such a popular stamp set that is has sold out but Stampin' Up is going to restock and it will be available for sale again soon.

Craft Project Central Challenge

I made this card earlier today for the sketch challenge (#36) at Craft Project Central.  It's a fun sketch.

I used the MDS download from Project Life.  You don't have to just use Project Life for scrapbooking .... see this great card I made with it!

For every ten cards submitted for the sketch challenge, Craft Project Central will choose one winner who will receive a FREE one-month subscription to the site.  That would be a great prize and would give you access to the month's project tutorials.

Perfect Blend 50th Birthday

Our doctor recently turned the big 5-0.  So I made a card for him.  I used the coffee cup from Perfect Blend since he is a big coffee drinker.  I don't have the Perfect Blend stamp set BUT I do have the digital stamp.  So, I printed out the coffee cups onto Naturals card stock and the wrappers onto green dotted DSP and cut them out.  I used the Chevron embossing folder for the green card.  Just Sayin' stamp set has gotten to be one of my favorites!!  I used it for the "you're how old" along with the matching Word Window framelits.  I die cut the "5" and the "0" using the retired Bigz Die.

Serene Silhouettes

I created this card last week and I believe it is my favorite of all the cards I have made!

I cut the strip of Whisper White about 2" x 5" and using Post-It Notes for masking, sponged Island Indigo, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive.  I started at the top and just moved my Post-It Note down but trying to blend the colors together as I sponged.    Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped the wild flowers from Serene Silhouettes in black ink.  Then I adhered the sponged piece and stamped the wild flowers again.  Next I stamped the sentiment from God Is Love and tied the Denim Ribbon (just retired) around the card before adhering it to the Night of Navy card.  I am sending this card to a friend in my Stamp Club whose son only has a few weeks to live.  He lost his eye last year to cancer and it has now spread to his liver and the outcome is grim.  I can't imagine losing either of my children, even if most of the time I feel like I have lost my son.  But I have to remember that I know where he is and that he is happy so that is a blessing.

On happy news .... my friend, Margaret, (that I have mentioned in my blog many times) - her daughter who lives in Charlotte had a little boy last night.  He was delivered via C Section at 8:30 and weighed 8 lb. 6 oz. Both Mom, Dad and baby, Logan Darcy, are doing well!  I can't wait to see him.