Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum Summertime!!! Woo hoo! Normally I'm not really a hot weather person, but this year, after all the rain, I am ready for it to be nice outside. I do love certain things about Summer: Sandals, warm evenings, fresh fruit and veggies, and being outside.

Today's card is my entry for the Shabby Tea Room Blog Week #14 Challenge – Summer Fun! I love the Shabby Tea Room challenges! I had fun with this one and I really am happy with my card this week. I hope you like it too! It's a long card – finished size is 8" x 4". I needed all that room for the letters…

I had these fun chipboard letters in the cabinet – have had them for a long time. I found some matching paper and some shells and ribbon all in this sort of retro Summer color pallette. Not your typical super bright colors. I sanded the paper to make it look like an old beach towel – all worn in. I stamped the palm trees in the same color ink as the paper. I tried Versamark ink but that wasn't dark enough.

Some of the supplies I used. I created my own fun little embellishment with the chipboard, some ribbon and a pretty shell. I've also had those shells forever! Glad to finally use them.

Good News! I was chosen as one of the Top Crops over at Taylored Expressions for my card from last week. (Challenge #116). Check out the announcement by clicking here! WOOO HOOO! Thanks Taylor! I love her blog so to be selected (again) is wonderful!

Today's card was made especially for my sweet friend TeaDub! I just knew she would like these little tropical cuties! I colored the image first and then decided to go all out tropical with the color scheme too. I love these bright sunny colors.

I colored the mice with my Copic Markers and colored the sun a nice yellow hue. I added some ultrafine prisma glitter to the sun to make it shine. The flower embellishment came with the glitter already on it. I used my nesties for the circle and scallop circle.

Aloha!

This weekend was pretty busy and I didn't get in very much stamping time (gasp!) at home. I needed a birthday card and so I combined a color challenge with a sketch challenge to come up with one. The sketch is from Taylored Expressions (#117) and the color challenge is from Embellish Magazine Blog. I'm not sure why I can never get brown to photograph correctly?? The layer on the card, the ink and the velvet flower are all rich chocolatey brown.

Taylor's Sketch Image:

Embellish Color Image – Yellow, Brown and Coral Pink:

I couldn't resist putting in a picture of my cutie patootie nephew Gabriel, who we saw at the BBQ on Sunday. He just had his one year birthday. What a face! Could you eat him with a spoon??? Oy.

Greetings and Salutations! Today I'd like to share a birthday card made with those ever popular and oh- so-cute Penny Black hedgehogs! Yup, I love 'em too. I've been collecting these fun stamps for at least 12 years or so.

Fun fact about me…I used to have a real live hedgehog! Her name was Emma and she was an African Pygmy Hedgehog. She lived about five years – which is a good life for a pygmy hedgie. She was such a fun pet! She had the cutest little feet and her tummy was soft fur. Too much fun! Only down side is that hedgies only eat live food – in the form of meal worms! EW. You know I loved her because I would go to the pet store every week to buy her food. Again…EW. Other than that she was cool and unusual and fun to have around the house!

Emma:

Here's my card to share today:

Can you tell that I am SERIOUSLY in love with that blue and white polka dot paper? I know, two posts in a row… The hedgies were colored with Copics and then I added some glitter accents to the balloons, present and flowers. This card, again, cute and simple. I let the image speak for iteself.

I started coloring the hedgies with E00 for their tummies and hands/feet. I then used RV10 for their cheeks. I used three or four shades of both warm grey and cool grey to fill in their spikes. No real pattern to it, just keep going until it looks the way you like.

Hiya! Today's card is for Stacey's Stamping Stage Color Challenge #33! Check out her blog – lots of cute ideas and cards, and I love her color challenges. I've entered her contest before. The one for this week just happens to be in one of my favorite color pallettes – blues and greens. Soft blues and greens, like the ocean or beach glass.

Here is my card:

My card turned out just sort of sweet and simple. The image is from Unity and I colored it with my Copic markers. Used BG000 for the water and G00 for the glass vases!

HELLO! Happy Monday…I have been a bizzy bee in the craft room today! I had the day off and, after cleaning up the house a bit and doing tons of laundry, I settled into the craft room with Mr. Buddy by my side. I redid my blog banner for Summer…you like? I took that picture in front of the most beautiful church in Lake Forest Illinois last summer.

The card I want to post today is for Taylored Expressions Challenge #116. I love her sketch challenges!

Here's the card – a nice cheery birthday message:

Is this little birdie too cute? He's from Whipper Snapper stamps. The banner and words are from Pink Persimmon stamps. I colored in with my Copics and then added a tiny bit of glitter in the center of the flowers. The sweet felt flowers are from Impress and I've had those for ages.

Here is the sketch image:

Close up of the coloring…