Rockin' The Dells

Everyone should travel with an almost 4-yr-old at least once in their lives!  My family (hubby, adult son, his daughter & our own daughter) packed up the car and drove off to the Dells (wisconsin, that is) for an extended weekend.


Downtown Dells

 We chose a resort that was family-oriented, and chose one close to a camping atmosphere.  They offered nightly campfires, s'mores buckets, pools, kiddie water park, along with such outdoor activities as tetherball, badminton, etc.
Besides spending a LOT of time relaxing at the pool and kiddie water park, we have been to Circus World, where Bella exclaimed that she wanted to "be a clown".  We went "mining" for gem stones, and passed on cutting and polishing the "emeralds, rubies and quartz" that we "discovered".
We took a steam locomotive train tour, that I thought (silly me) was going to be a full-sized train and ended up being one of those kiddie-sized trains.  We went shopping for moccasins and towels and fudge.

Astronaut Bella

We went to Tommy Bartlett's Exploratory and Robot World, which hasn't changed since we brough tour 25 year old son here around 1990. 
If we had come here without the grandchild, it would have been a bit of a disappointment, but looking at these attractions through the eyes of a 4 year old brought new wonder to old attractions.  The clowns were funnier, the excitement when we "found a big one" at the Mining Center was palpable, and the interactive science games at the exploratory were more entertaining than going to a show.


Mining for gem stones











Even roasting marshmallows at the campfire, or sharing a bag of popcorn while sitting in log rocking chairs in the lobby while watching Tangled seemed more magical.

I have kept my photos organized since coming here, and add a few each day to my dells album.  I will be more than ready when we get home to take my own little vacation to a crop so i can get these memories scrapped.

3D Challenge Over at Your Scrapbook Place

Monday brought a new challenge to Your Scrapbook place Blog.  They asked for a 3D project, whether it was a feature of a card, layout or a 3D item.
I used Wee Henry Snorkel digi image from Hambo Stamps and featured it on this vacation savings bank.  We just popped open the bank, as we plan on going on vacay soonest, and there was a measly $27 in it, but honestly we hadn't been saving long!!  Hambo Challenge Blog is featuring a challenge this week as well...check out the Hambo hoedown for a chance to win!
I used my fave color scheme, TEAL, on this plastic bin that I rescued from a work trash can.  I covered the container with teal and white pieces of tissue papers, and added some ripped scenery from a beach scene patterned paper for the backdrop.  I colored Wee Henry with my trusty Copics and layered a couple printed images on top of each other with dimensional dots.  I made his snorkel and swim mask shine with CTMH Liquid Glass, as well as his turtle inner tube.
I embellsihed the container all around with beach and vacation bubble stickers.  To finish it off, I added some shades of teal fibers and a dog tag, then cut a hole in the top to drop some coinage into the bank.
Let's be honest---if you had a pretty vacation bak in which to save your loose change, wouldn't you be more apt to add to it?
If you want a piece of the action, check out Your Scrapbook place Blog for this week's challenge!

Feeling Colorful today

Went to see the conclusion of the Harry Potter movies today.  After the movie, I wanted to stay seated and watch it again...and again...and again.  While it didn't follow the last book very well, it was a very nice merging of the series of movies and most loose knots were tied nicely!  I liked it, and will see it again!

Speaking of not following the theme to the T, I made another card using the Mojo Monday Sketch from this week's challenge again.  I turned the sketch sideways and used a Hanglar and Stanglar image.  The I blasted it with color and embellishments.  I don't usually pile oin the embellies, but I felt in an over-the-top mood, so that's where my card landed!
I colored the image with Copics: E00; Y11,15,17; YR02; YG03; B02; RV34 & V000.  I cut it out in a circle with my CM circle cutting system, cutting a second larger one to frame it.  I put it onto a 6x6 piece of Basic grey patterned paper.  The sentiment is a clear sticker that I adhered to green cardstock from my stash.
I used a teal mesh for the vertical and horizontal ornaments, adding a bit of green lace to the vertical stripe.  My H&S image sits atop the horizontal one, which I then embellished with some pillow stickers from Studio 112.  I fancied up my circular frame with adhesive jewels and added a MS grossgrain bow.
I really like the way the card came out, and plan on leaving it on my daughter;s pillow one night while we are vacationing next week at the Dells.  She is 16 going on 30!
You should check out all the lovely cards over at Mojo Monday Challenge blog--a true inspiration!

Three day Weekends

I love having Friday off.  The weekend is more relaxing, for not having to try to cram in all the errands, housework and fun into that tiny 48 hour slot.  Take today, for instance.  I had the leisure to make a 6x6 card to cheer up a friend.  It uses Hambo digi image Mosquito in a monochromatic color scheme for their Hambo Hoedown weekly challenge, and it also uses a sketch from Mojo Monday Challenge Blog!
I colored the image with Copics: 100 (black); B12,95;G00 & BG10,15,72.  He's shining with the Black and Icycle Stickles I used, as well as some Liquid Glass.  His eyes are popping because I used a pair oif google eyes.  I cut the image intoan oval using my fiskars cutter, framed it with coordinating paper, and followed the sketch found HERE at the mojo Monday challenge blog. 
The sentiment comes from the Quote Garden.  The inside of the card finishes off the quote with "...you've never been in bed with a mosquito."
All the patterned papers and cardstock were pulled out of my magic hat, which is cleverly disguised as the file cabinet where I keep my leftover stash.
Enjoy YOUR weekend!

I Brought My Mojo On

Life is very stressful at the moment.  I have a daughter who just passed her summer school drivers' ed class and wants to drive, well, EVERYWHERE.  I have an adult son who is recovering from major surgery at home.  Work is a bear, and the heat is melting everything in its path.

So I go to my restful, Zen Den, my craft room, and let my Mojo work its wonders on a new card to destress me.  Mojo Monday Challenge Blog has a new challenge.  To play along, I made a project using the provided sketch.  They let you use any brand of stamps you like and enter as many cards as you wish. They're adding a prize for every 50 entries up to a maximum of eight and each randomly chosen winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to  Verve Stamps!  What a great challenge, what a great way to win!!
So here's my first entry, using the gorgeous stamp set Humphrey from Crafter's Companion Stamps.  I used a little poetic license with the sketch, but the sense of it is still there, and I think it turned out well.  of course, when you're using a set like Humphrey, it's hard NOT to get a great caRD OUT OF IT!
I colored the image with COpics: V000,04; Y11,17; YG03; G94 & C1
I cut it out with my Creative Memories Circle Cutting system and framed it with PostIts adhesive backed paper. The lace came from a rummage sale, the bow is Martha Stewart grossgrain ribbon bows, the sticker is K&Co and the rest of the papers are leftovers from my stash.
CHALLENGES:
Craft Your Passion - Text It

Needed a Break from Work

So I crept into my craft room and whipped up this little card for my cousin.  No reason, just because. 
I colored the image with Copics, cut it out with Fiskars Edging scissors, and framed it with text petterned paper.
I picked up a box of lace and eyelet trims at such a deal, and liked the look of this piece on the card. 
A bit of fiber in coordinating colors finishes off the card.


CHALLENGES: Craft Your Passion - TEXT IT
                           Papertake Weekly - CUTENESS
                          Corrosive Challenge - GREEN
         Beary Scrap Design Team - Inspiration from the Closet  (I found a top I really liked to wear with this bit of lace)   

This week’s Challenge at Squigglefly Challenge Blog is to make a project that “uses a human or animal image that shows hands, feet (shoes, footie pj's, etc are ok), paws or claws, or incorporates fingerprints, footprints or animal tracks into your project”


I printed this Squigglefly digi-image “Up a Creek” three times, colored them all, and used the full image for the base, adding the canoe and bears and fish tail and head with pop dots for dimension, and finishing with the front of the canoe adhered with more pop dots.

I colored the image with Copics.

I added some shimmer to the water with Stickles, and added some Gold Stickles to simulate sunshine reflecting off the sand and the fish tail.

I made a frame card using my Epic Six and Nestabilities Scallop die, my first card of this kind (actually my second, you don’t want to see what the first looked like), and placed some fish beads on wire to frame out each side.

My sentiment, handprinted, is the thought that runs constantly through the wife’s mind (seated in the back). I think she was hoping for some shopping instead!

Now it’s your turn to play along in the Squigglefly Challenge Blog! You can use any image to play along, but to be eligible for the prize you must use a Squigglefly image. Head on over to the shop, or check out our freebies! If you're the winner you get to choose any Squigglefly image for free!!

Crafter's Companion Sketch Challenge

What fun it is to be a guest designer for Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog!  Their challenge for July is to use this sketch.

This month's fabulous prize is every single stamp set from Crafter's Companion's brand new Humphrey's Corner collection. That's 6 separate stamp sets!!! These images are so fabulous, you will absolutely love them. I won a secondary contest in June with a prize of two stamp sets of my choice, and one of them is from the new Humphrey collection. You can see more of the stamp sets HERE.

I decided to switch up the sketch used for this Challenge a bit for my second project.  I kept the main theme of ever-widening circles, but decided on making a bookmark instead of a card.

The design of this bookmark lets you place it in the corner of a page (as shown) since the two straight edges are adhered together. I took some creative license with the sketch and placed the sentiment inside the first circle, along with the image. Both are from the Crafter's Companion stamp set by Sheena Douglas called Faith, from the A Little Bit Sketchy collection. I colored the image with Copics: E35,71; Y17 & YR02,61. I used my leftover stash of patterned and cardstock papers to make the bookmark, stamped the sentiment and image with CTMH Black ink (it is very Copic-friendly) and cut the circles first with my Creative Memories circle cutter, then edged them with Fiskars edging scissors. The main thing to remember in making bookmarks is to keep them as flat as possible so they don't mess up the pages of the book you are reading.
I would love to hear what everyone thinks is a good summer read, as I am always on the prowl for new books to read. Currently, I am in love with mysteries from Joanne Fluke (great recipes included) and Carol Higgins Clark (awesome sense of humor and timing).
Meanwhile, check out Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog for their July challenge and you could be a winner!!

It Was Raining Cupcakes Today

And they were ALL sugar-free.  That's right, zero carbs, chocolate and vanilla and sprinkles and frosting and I was just about to grab a box to catch a few in...

...and then I woke up!
Of course, this dream could have stemmed from the gatefold card I made for the Hambo Hoedown.  Their challenge is to make a gatefold card using one of their images and sentiments.  I won a free digi-image from them a few challenges back, and I chose the one that inspired my card, Raining Cupcakes digi.  You can shop for it HERE or grab a freebie HERE.
I printed my image twice, so that I could cut out my umbrella girl and a couple extra cupcakes and pop them out with dimensional dots on top of the full colored iamge.  I used Stickles and Liquid Glass to shine up the scene, and colored it with Copics: E00,35,37; Y15,17; YG03; G94; BG10; B95; R29 & RV00 & 04.

For my gatefold card, I cut a piece of cardstock 4.25x11", and scored each short end at 2+3/4".  I framed my card with patterned paper from paper Pizzazz and framed my image with the same yellow cardstock as the base.  Some jewels from Michael's Recollections and a grossgrain bow from Martha Stewart finishes off my card on the outside.
On the inside, I printed the sentiment that comes with the digi-image and cut it out with a Nestabilities Labels Four die with my Epic Six.
Now I need to go back to sleep and dream of carb-free cupcakes while you play along at the Hoedown at the Hambo Challenge Blog!  Have fun and happy dreams!

Circle Easel Card

I am extending my love for easel cardsinto the shaped card realm!  This kind of card is so easy, I can foresee a bunch of easel cards coming out of my craft room, in many different shapes and sizes. 
Today I used a Hambo image called Cool Dog digi from Hambo Stamps, along with Cool Cat digi from the same company.  The challenge at the Hambo Hoedown is to make a circle-shaped card, so of course I had to try the easel kind, and I like what I did! 
]I cut my circles with my Creative Memories Circle cutting system, adjusting a couple of the circles with Fiskars edging scissors.  I used leftover patterned papers AND cardstock (I'm trying ever so hard to use up my stash by the end of the year).  I cut out each image and used dimensional dots to pop them out from the sea and the sky.  I sponged some ink in blues and greens from SU's Kaleidascope Lagoon ink pad, then smudged some dots of Stickles for a shimmery effect.  The little fishies are from a broken bracelet (never throw anything away, that's my problem).
There was just too much blue, so I added a sinking sun in the middle of these BFFs so it looks like they're toasting the sunset.
The sentiment was typed in Word and reads "A friend is a life raft in the Sea of Adversity", which I popped up a bit on the inside of the card so that when opened, my card will stay open as the bottom of it butts up against the sentiment.
If you like the Hambo images, you can see more at the Hambo Store.  Lucky you, the Cool Cat digi is FREE! So start your collection if you haven't already, and join the Hoedown for a chance to win prizes.  Every player gets a free digi image, too!
Other challenges I'm entering:
The Pixie Cottage - Wet & Wild
Craft your Passion - Anything Goes

Dog Gone It--Hambo's Got Another Challenge!

I think my new favorite card to make has to be the easel card. I don't know why I didn't start making it when everyone else was! It's so easy to make, and fun to display. I made this one from two pieces of cardstock, one 4x8" and one 4x4", and scored the longer piece at 2" and 4".
I used a digi image from Hambo Stamps called Dog house Blues. I love their images, thay're so much FUN! You can see all of them HERE.
This week at the Hambo Hoedown, the challenge is to use this image or any other of theirs and incorporate a dog tag, dog bone, or metal charm! I used cardstock to build my cardbase, then tore a piece of leftover linen paper and some green grass patterned paper to make a background scene for my doghouse. I colored the image with Copics: E35,37,71; C1,3; B93,97; Y17; V04 & RV00,13,34. I wrote in the sentiment Dogone it! and adhered it onto a metal charm, and printed the sentiment Hope You're Feeling Better, which comes from the digi-image set, and placed it onto my bottom piece with pop dots, which holds the card in place like an easel.
It's dog-gone easy to play along in the Hoedown, and every player wins a free digi image!! So trot on over and start having FUN!

In The Good Old Summertime!

Today’s card features a summer theme, and is entered in the Squigglefly Challenge Blog "In the Good Old Summertime" challenge. Love of country, freedom and democracy are symbolized by the colors red, white and blue, while reminiscing on summer block parties. I remember 4th of July parades and watermelon and softball games and horeshoes and water hoses and biking along at the end of the paprade. And what better character to ring in the ideals of American freedom than the all-American bird, the Turkey!!! After all, isn’t it rumored (possibly by Mr. Perdue himself) that the pilgrims shared some turkey legs with the native American Indians long ago?

Regardless of what they ate, MY turkey is full of patriotic feelings (probably because he knows the entrée doesn’t include him).
The digi-image comes from Squigglefly and is called “Thy Cart Overfloweth”. I colored it with Copics: E35,71; C1,3; R05,29; B93,97; G21 & YG03. I printed two images and cut out the core body of Mr. Freedom as well as the spilled apples, colored and glitzed it and adhered to the first layer of the image with pop-dots, sticking a toothpick flag (originally for cupcakes and cheese cubes) in his left appendage (let’s face it, it’s not a hand). I used blue round brads with tiny pearls attached to the centers for the wheels of the cart, then cut the whole thing out with specialty scissors. I then framed it on blue cardstock, and centered it on a border-stitched piece of red cardstock and a leftover piece of patterned paper.
I embellished with some leftover card candy from a swap (thanks, Maureen!) and now I have a card for the Fourth of July picnic, when we celebrate my daughter’s birthday and our country’s freedom (some people looked out the hospital window at the fireworks and cried ooh, ahh…I cried aaaahhhhh, it’s coming!!!!) Evidently she was the first child born in the area on that Fourth of July!
Anyway, enough about me. You should mosey on over to Squigglefly and check out the new challenge #105 HERE for more details!
Want more challenges?  How about these:
CRAFT US CRAZY - Red, White & Blue
CRAFT YOUR PASSION - Anything Goes
CORROSIVE CHALLENGE BLOG - Use the colors RED & WHITE
STAMPING SCRAPPING CHALLENGE CENTRAL - Red, White & Blue - I used Copics to color my image

Loving Everything I get from Crafter's Companion

I am a guest designer for Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog!! I was asked to complete two projects for the July challenge, and here is my first card. I used one of the SWALK images called Get Well Soon that you can find here. This month's challenge is to create something using a sketch they provide.
I used my Creative Memories circle cutter to cut out the image and extra circles, stamping the Get Well Soon sentiment on the edge of one of them. I colored the image with Copics: Y17,11; YR02,04; YG03; G94;B93 & E00,35.
My papers and ribbon and embellishments are all from my stash, which I have vowed to reduce and use up by end of year (I know, I'm hopelessly optimistic). The teddy bears on the inside of the card are from an old piece of embossed patterned paper out of which I cut several teddy bears already!
I am enjoying myself immensely, creating with my Crafter's Companion stamps! In fact, I just ordered more! To see the lovely selection of rubber and acrylic they have, click here. To join in the July Challenge, click here.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and keep cool!