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!