Blessings...

....sometime we all forget to sit back and take time to think about all the things in our life that are good and to cherish each day and be thankful for those blessings.   I know it's something I forget myself, but when things in my life are good and happy, I do feel very blessing and ever since I adopted little "Zeva" just a little over a week ago, I do feel really good and I'm so happy that I was able to give her a new home.  Each and every day she is with Skye and Scout is another fun day and the two puppies I almost sense know that are sisters and having them back together is a Blessing in my life.

   I'm also thankful that the weather has been really nice all week and although we do have the feeling of Fall, I'm not feeling cold or in pain as much as I tend to be when the really cold winter weather arrives.  I'm not looking forward to that and will always HOPE that winters flies by.

  Today, was also another fun day for me.  I was up early did a bunch of Sunday chores and then went off to Petco to pick up some things for the dogs, of course and also to CVS to pick up my RX along with something we needed around the house.   Hubby was home, so it was great to leave the dogs with him and then he went and did his errands later, while I took them for a nice walk.

  This afternoon I have been working on cards again...(my relaxation) and fun time and have two new ones to share.  The first was one I started yesterday, but had not finished before my post.  It's another card inspired by the "Insider" class and this time I made a fun and cute little Christmas Card, which I cut off part of the bottom on the card so the the "Sentiment" shows on the outside as well as inside!!!   I also used a cute new set of Penny Black Stamp Set that I picked up my LSS the other day.  It's this little Set -- called "Festive Forest" and it's just my style...whimsical and cute!!  

 As you can tell, I only used on of the stamps for my three trees and stamped two onto some scrap patterned paper and the last one of a scrap of burgundy cardstock.  I also added the cute little bling stars and stamped a few matching stars around my Sentiment which is from this Paper Smooches Set.  I colored parts of the trees and the stars with a Green Wink of Stella marker to add some extra sparkle!  Again, a very simple, yet fun and easy card!

  My next card was inspired by a few new challenges and the first is the brand new "Addicted to CAS" Challenge, which arrived in my email this morning.  The theme for these all is Fall / Autumn and I knew right away that I wanted to make a card using this adorable "All Seasons" Tree Die, which is from Simon Says Stamp, along with some Handwritten Sentiments that Kristina Werner also designed for SSS.   Oh how I LOVE her handwriting and wish I could write like she does, but since I can't I'm thrilled she is now designing more and more stamps and dies!!  This card was also created to submit to the "Autumn" themed challenge at CASology, and I'm so happy to get it done and posted, just in the nick of time!!  Phew!!

 

My Autumn Card

  

  And that's it for today!  I'm heading out with the dogs for a walk before supper and then will wind down and relax !  Hope everyone had a fun and happy weekend!!   I sure did!!

Another creative day!!

...and I'm am thrilled to be finding more time to spend in my craft room and also get back to some of my all time favorite challenges.

   Today, is also the last day of the fabulous "Insider" class, but it won't be the last day I work on cards for the class, since I have been a bit behind.  I actually created one card today that not only was created for the current "Cas(E) This Sketch" Challenge, but I also took it that extra step to make my card inside work very well with the front and that's the basics of the concept behind the class!   I also have some awesome new ideas for window cards, as well as gift card holders and even cards with Acetate fronts and I'm looking forward to using those ideas more this week.

    I'll start with my CTS Card, which is based on this Sketch which is # 47.  This is a fun challenge and one I try to plan in weekly, but have to admit, I've missed out on the for the past few weeks.

My Card

  And this is the inside of my card, where I continued with my Sentiment, (a die cut that was created by Kristina Werner for SSS), along with a die cut and another piece of my Zig Zag border.   I am LOVING this very cool deep purple foil cardstock that I picked up awhile back at my LSS.  I used my Nestie Border dies to cut the Zig Zags and then use the "With all my Heart" die for the Sentiment, which was also cut from the same cardstock!   I sure am glad I bought a few sheets, as I think this will be very fun to use for Halloween and Christmas Cards!!

   

  My next card is another challenge inspired card and this one was created for the current challenge over a the MUSE Card Making Club.   This week's MUSE card was created by Karen M and I'm sharing it here, hoping you'll also join the fun!!

Karen's Muse Card

My Card

 I really loved the design of Karen's card and took that as my inspiration for this card!!  I started with a simply "Carnation" card base from Hero Arts and then added this cute little flower pattered paper, which is from Echo Park's Bundle of Joy, one of my favorites, even though I have yet to use it create a baby ard.  I cut two matching strips to add on each side and then using an oval die to cut out my Sentiment, which is actually a digital sentiment, I recently added to my stash.  I love to print a full page of digi sentiments and then use assorted dies to cut them out.  I then adhered it to some more matching paper from the same pad, and also used that same shade to punch two little butterflies!   I hope you like it, because I think it's one of my favorite cards this week.  Very feminine in these soft pastel shades.    I know many people LOVE the colors of Fall, but me...not so much...I'm such a Spring and Summer girl and tend to love Pastels or bright vibrant colors!!    Browns and earthy shades are not really in my comfort zone, but I do admire those who can create with them and make stunning cards!!

  And now it's time to feed the dogs their dinner and Scout is at my feet not so patiently waiting for me to get up and go down to the kitchen and fill his dish!  He LOVES to eat, as does Zeva, who is so cute and tiny.   Scout on the other side has put on weight, due to age, his seizure medication and his slower activity level.   I'm trying hard to get him back down, but BOY is it hard, since the meds, make him very hungry and thirsty.

  Thanks for stopping by and come back anytime!   Have a wonderful Saturday and Happy Crafting!

A love for Card Classes...

  ....after a very busy and hectic Summer, I was super excited to be starting back to some of my favorite card classes, both online and at my LSS.  My first was on Tuesday and that was the monthly Card Club which is offered by my LSS "Absolutely Everything".   I haven't been since April, (when I adopted little Skye), but was excited to start back this is my first month.  It also was a great time to start, as September's theme is Christmas and it's a great way to get started on your Christmas Cards and also find all kinds of new inspiration!!  Love it.

    We actually work on ten cards in each session and most time, I never finish anything in class.  I like to take things home and put my cards together at home, because I often like to make them 'my own' and may change things around a bit.  I focus on working on the fun "techniques" while I am at the store and making sure I can easily finish.  I also find that I always end up finding something I really love that has me shopping for new stamps, dies or paper!!  Of course, this class was not exception and my absolute favorite card was this one --

  Although this is a very simply card I feel in love the design and also the colors that "Kate" our teacher and the store owner has used on her card.  Ranger's gorgeous distress ink in Peacock Feathers.   The line of pine trees is new this year and is by Impression Obsession and you can bet it's a stamp I bought that day!!   We actually used quite a few new dies and stamps by IO and the more the use this line, the more I love it.  I also picked up a few of their new dies!   I love this so much that I make try it in other colors and it may be one of the few times I re-create a card exactly the same!!

    And these are the other cards that feature dies and elements, also from Obsession Impression's newest Holiday Line, along with some dies and designs from Memory Box....my first and favorite company when it comes to the adorable small stamps and intricate dies!!

   As far as I can remember, Memory Box was actually the very first company to start introducing the smaller intricate dies to the market and they are all wonderful.  I own more than I can count and I have never been disappointed in how well the cut and how adorable they are too!  

   This next card is nothing like the class card, but the sweet little tree and the Merry Die cut were elements in our class packet.  I simply didn't love the cards they were used on, so I made this my own and have also now added the "Merry" die to my Memory Box Collection.

   The  card above is also one I changed quite a bit, but I sure do love the combination of using the tree stamp (Snowy Evergreens) along with the Joy stamp, both from Memory Box and stamped in two different Shadow Inks shades by Hero Arts.   I added the twine, the red star and totally changed the design, (after I had an Oops moment with the card from class).

   We also created the next three cards, which again feature quite a few die cuts, along with some embossing and pretty patterned papers and/or some very cool and unique inking and embossing ideas!  Fun, Fun, Fun!

   My second class of the week is called "Insider" and it's another of the fantastic online classes offered by Kristina Werner and Jennifer McGuire over at the awesome online classroom.   This is a short little class, but jam packed full of awesome ideas of how to show off the "inside" of your cards.  There are so many amazing guest designers and I've been blown away at how much content is in this class and all for only $12...how cool is that!  If you struggle with ideas for the inside of your cards...this is one class you should NOT miss....plus, how can you pass it up for the price!  It's good...actually another of my favorites !!  

    The only hard part has been for me to find extra time, between the pups, my LSS class and such to actually work on some cards from the class.   I love so many of the new ideas that I did not know where to begin, but decided today to start with a fun little "Hugs" card that was inspired by a card that Kelly Rasmussen shared in class today!  Although her card looks nothing like mine, the idea of cropping of part of the right hand side of the card and adding to that from the inside, intrigued me and since I knew I could probably make a card fairly quickly, I focused on her idea today!   I have to tell you that I love so many and that some of my favorites were also shared by Shari Carroll, Laura Bassen and Julie Ebersole, just to mention a few.  If you like to add gift cards and money to cards, this class will also show you all kinds of fun and unique ways to do that.  And it's not all about the inside....Jennifer teaches some great watercoloring and there is so much more, not to mention all the great little tips and hints.

    This is the card that I created based on Kellys' fantastic idea....thank you Kelly --

   

  I love the CAS style of this card, but I also love the idea of adding the sentiment down the side, so that it shows from the front, as well as the inside.  The best part is that I put this together, basically with things laying on my desk after making the other cards.  I used green and black leftovers from my scrap bin and the black hearts I already had punched in a bag.  I've been making extras every time I use a die cut or  punch and then have things ready to quickly make cards!  A tip I learned from one of the classes!!

 And speaking of classes, I am SUPER excited and already enrolled in a new Silhouette Class that Kerri Bradford is offering on her blog in November.  This class is like a dream class for me and it's funny because I posted in the forums in the last class, that I would LOVE to see her offer a class designed specifically for cardmakers...and my wish came true.  That is exactly what she is doing and I can hardly wait to start.  I also have lots of my online friends all signed up, because we all love our Silhouettes, and want to put them to use even more in our cardmaking.   The class is called "Hello There" -- and you can sign up HERE!!  If you enroll early, like we have, then you'll also get in the discounted price of $25, which is a great price for Kerri's Classes.   I also totally enjoy her classes and have taken all her Silhouette classes!!  In their class you'll learn to create ten different cards and envelopes to match and it will all be in time to make some for the Holidays too! Yippee!!!

  If you are a huge Tim Holtz Fan and one of those who already took his fantastic Creative Chemisty 101 Class over at the Online Card Classroom, you'll be want to be sure to follow-up with Creative Chemistry 102, which Tim is offering in October!   NOTE:  There is a Prerequisite to take this class, you must also have enrolled in the first class, which Tim hosted last fall!    The good news is you have time to take it now and even if you don't finish in time, or even start it later, as long as you are enrolled, you can enroll in this one too!   I have also taken one of Tim's classes "LIVE" in person, when he was last at my LSS, and I'm always amazed at how much I learn.  They are very much technique classes and in this one it's ALL new and will focus on using some the newest Ranger Products.  I'm sure, as in the past, we'll create several tags in a variety of creative ways.   That class starts on October 7th, but as long as you have enrolled in 101, you're all set to sign up now!!  For more details, please head on over to the Online Card Classroom, where you can read about ALL the classes you can take, including this and so many others!   If you love to create, these classes are wonderful.  I love them and always looks forward to what's next!!  I am also very excited, as I dread cold weather and knowing it's coming I'm thrilled to have all these fun activities lined up!  

   Well this has been a long post, but it's been a while since my last post.  I've had a great week back in my creative mode and it's also been so fun now having Little Zeva in our family.  Having her here with her sister, Skye has been so much fun.  I can see now that this was the best decision I could have made and that Skye really needed a playmate closer to her age.  Scout is very content having extra peace and quiet while the two girls play like crazy...they are so full of energy and play hard, but once they do, they are content to take a nice nap, which has been awesome for me too!  I could NOT be happier to have adopted her into our home and I'm so happy that she is doing so well.  I feel like I've already had her much longer than only one week, and I love her so much!!  I know that having three dogs is a challenge, but since mine are all small dogs, it's better for me.  All three are getting along great and it was so nice to go to class on Tuesday and come home and find them all very happy to see me.  They didn't make a mess, they were all find and there were not accidents.  Yippee!    I do believe in my heart that this was meant to be and I'm so happy that I finally adopted Zeva and that Skye now has her own sister as her special playmate and forever little friend!   Stay tuned for some new pictures very soon, including all three, if I can ever get them all to be still for one moment!! 

 In the meantime, have a fabulous Friday and as always -- Happy Crafting!!

A new addition to our family...

...And no it's not a Grandbaby, but some day sooner than later, I hope that will be a post I can make.  In this case it's another adorable Furbaby, who we adopted on Friday!  She is Zeva and she is the sister to Skye, my little Chiweenie, who we adopted in April.   Ironically, when I first put in my application to adopt one of the puppies from Furever Dachshund Rescue, I had planned to adopt Zeva, (we kept her name), however at that time, there was already another application in on her.  So, I then quickly changed mine to adopt Skye (formerly known as Abby), since she was the only other girl in the litter and she came to live with us back in April.   I continued to follow all the pups and was surprised when Zeva was back up for adoption a few weeks later (apparently the application fell through??), but I continued to watch and had always wanted to keep in touch with whomever adopted any of the siblings.  The boys were all adopted over the next few months, yet this sweet little girl, (the runt of the litter), never found her Furever home.   And for all those months, I wished that so much that I could take her too, but having Fibro and raising a little Puppy, was a HUGE challenge for me, as my followers know.  But, Skye was so worth it and has now turned into a wonderful little girl, who I adore as much as big brother Scout.

    Last week, Little Paws Dachshund Rescue, who I also support and love, was approved to start adopting out dogs in Massachusetts and I was very excited at the thought of being one of their first Foster Moms here in our State.  My application had been approved and I knew I might even have a Foster coming as soon as October...!!  Yippee!  I had thought this would be perfect for me...and I had intended to Foster older dogs to make it easier on me....well that ALL changed last Thursday, when I received an updated Newsletter from FDR and noticed that Zeva, had her named change to Aziva, but right away I knew it was still that same little girl and quickly realized that I had to adopt her.  There was NO way I could start to Foster knowing this sweet girl (Skye's sister) was the only pup form the litter that had never found her home.  It had pulled on my heartstrings for months and something told me it was time to look into this more.  I started by emailing FDR and said I wanted to adopt her...I even filled out a new application and then wrote to her Foster Mom to introduce myself and find out more about her.  I was thrilled to find out that Arleen offered to bring her up to my home the very next day for a meet and greet and we all decided that if she got along well with Scout and Skye then I would adopt her too!

    Introducing little Zeva (formerly Ziva), who joined our family that very day - Friday, September 20th, with incidentally was the 9 month birthday of she and Skye...how perfect is that.  There is not doubt in my mind that something magical played a part in this and this was meant to be...and I could not be happier!!

Zeva....!!

Morning on Day Two!!

Precious Zeva

Getting ready for our first walk

Friday Afternoon

The Sisters....

Skye (larger in back) and

Zeva our wonderful new Chiweenie!

   As you can guess the meeting went fabulous...the girls were off playing in a matter of minutes and Scoutie, basically checked out her and was watched as she and Skye jumped and ran and played!!  I am so thrilled for the care that Arleen (her Foster Mom) has provided for her, all this time.  Zeva has been with Arleen, since April and I'm so grateful that she felt confident I was the right person to adopt her.   I'm sure this was hard, and Arleen was a bit teary when she and Mike left, but she was so happy that the sisters were re-united and already doing so well!!    She's an amazing lady and has a special love for dogs....even greater than I.   She is still fostering two others, for FDR and has already brought another Doxie to her new home too.   She also has her own dogs and was up to seven at one point, including the Fosters.   I greatly admire her strength and courage to let them go, and I'm not sure I could do that.  That also played a part in my decision to adopt her.  I had a feeling that once I had a Foster Dog in my home, I would NEVER be able to let go, and would be a Foster Failure.  And deep in my heart, feeling that way, I knew I had to take Zeva and I'm so happy and thrilled that it's all going well!   The girls LOVE to play and are very very good together. Zeva is also fully trained and is not any problem in that area.  Yippee!!   She may be little and was the runt of the litter, but she can hold her own easily and is used to being with other dogs.   Scout, I think is thrilled to has time to nap more and not having Skye urging him to play, when he'd rather rest.  He also has special alone time with me and we talk him on his own private walks now, which is loves.  The girls are much faster and do well together and Scout is very pleased to not walk as HIS pace and have more time to investigate!!

   Today is our third day and everything is going smoothly.  Zeva, like Skye is a bit more timid around the guys, but is warming up....she has not been raised with men in her home, but she did love, Arleen's BF Mike.  She LOVES to eat and is almost as fast as Scout.  Skye is slower and they both would eat her food too, if I was not right here to watch!  She's also up a bit early for me and likes to be up a bit later at night, but we will all adjust.  She also is quite adorable, yet looks more like a Doxie than Skye.  Her ears stay down and are more like Scout's but are also super cute. She's also a bit darker than Skye and does not have the little white stripe on her head, but otherwise, they look very much alike!!   They both seem very happy with each other and do play well, but also battle for toys and she is strong....and a lot of fun!  Like Skye she came right to me from day one and seems very happy...very lovable and I hope she'll LOVE it her, a much as Skye and Scout, because I already LOVE her and want them all to be well-loved and very happy for a long long time!!

   Stay tuned for more pics and hoping to get ALL three of them together in one photo, which so far has not worked out!  They are all so fast and keep on moving!!  :)

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

  Wow, am I ever behind on my blog...!    It's been such a busy and fun Summer and even this week, we still have been having some wonderful Summer-like days, but I have a feeling they will all be over soon!  

  With Fall coming soon, I'm very excited to be back to spending more time creating and have already enrolled in two new classes that will be hosted by Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner over in their Online Card Classroom.  The first class starts on September 25th and is called the "Insider" and it will focus on all kinds of fun and creative ideas for the "Inside" of your cards!!  You can find MORE details and sign up at the Main Classroom page, which is HERE!

  And if you love Tim Holtz and you took his first "Creative Chemistry 101" class, then you'll be thrilled to know that he's offering "Creative Chemistry 102" in the Online Card Classroom in October, and this is an Exclusive class open ONLY to those to have taken or are now taking the CC101 class, which you still enroll in.   I took that class last year and it's a wonderful technique class.  I've also met Tim and had the opportunity to take a LIVE class with him at my LSS and I totally enjoy his teaching style and how much you learn.  While I do admit that I'm not a fan of the same colors and style that he creates in, I do LOVE techniques and that's why I'm already signed up for this new version too.  More details can be found on the classroom site.  

    

   Right now I'm just finishing up another fantastic Silhouette Class that is being offered and taught by Kerri Bradford on her site HERE!!   It's been an amazing class and I've learned all kinds of wonderful new tips and really am loving that I am learning to to edit my store bought designs and also now create my own.   This latest class is an Intermediate Class and Kerri suggest that you have taken at least ONE of her beginner classes, which I have already completed!   Much like other online classes, Kerri classes are "forever" classes and you can go back anytime and re-fresh your memory on how to do certain tasks.  You'll always have access to the PDF files and the Videos too.   This latest class is called -- Design Secrets and you'll truly learn a lot of wonderful hints and tips on how to do things, I'll be you never even knew you could do with your Silhouette!  I'm loving it and like all her previous classes, it's been fabulous.  SHe is amazing when it comes to the Silhouette and teaches in way that makes it easy to follow along.  She also gives you a nice variety of "freebies" to use with each of the tasks.   I totally LOVE taking classes online and LOVE that I can go back to ANY of them at any time!!  

   Needless to say, between the classes and raising my little Puppy, I have had another busy couple of weeks.   I am still working on some new "Dachshund-themed" cards for Little Paws Dachshund Rescue and was thrilled to learn that "Fabre" raised almost $1,400 in here huge yard sale!   Yippee!!  I was very excited to donate lots of craft goodies and it also helped me to clean out my stash!     Here are some of the new cards that will be donated in the next batch for the Etsy Store!!

    And that brings me back to some more creative time and I have finally had time to play in some of my favorite challenges!  Yippee!!  I started with this week's new Cas(E) This Sketch Challenge and I am also included a copy of the the Sketch Card for this week.   Being that I'm so loving my Silhouette "Design Secrets"  Class, I used it to create this my very own"Print and Cut" card design based on this week's Case image.    It went together pretty well and I was excited to put my new class tips to work!      

CTS # 45/Inspiration

My Card

    I was really excited that this worked out, like I hope!  I started by finding to leafy vine type designs that I liked and then first draw a rectangle in the size of a A2 card   I then added a black border and placed account with the vines to create my design.  I filled them in with black and then began my search for butterflies  I chose three different styles from my library and filled two with dark purple and one with a pattern design I had added to my library.  I also had this fun sentiment in my collection and edited it to turn the star purple!!   One it was all printed, I simply cut it down and mounted it onto a black cardbase!

  Next is a new card I also created today and this one was inspired by this week's CASology Challenge where the Cue Card is "Silhouette"

   And I again put my Silhouette "Cameo" to good use once again and used it to cut this cute little "Black Cat" in a Silhouette image and then added too little Googly eyes to make it more of a fun little card!!

  My next card today was inspired by this week's new MUSE Card Challenge and this adorable "Home" themed card that was created by Therese!

Therese's Muse Card

My Card

  For my little home, I decided to go with the theme of a little Dachshund and created a cute little Dog House, (his home), again using my Silhouette!  I edited the image and added a little red heart, which has been coated with Crystal Lacquer.  I also cut the cute little Puppy and then colored on a few spots, with a Black Wink of Stella Glitter Marker.  His little collar was made from twine and I hand drew on two little eyes.  My little "Sentiment" is from a older set a CTMH Stamps and was perfect for this card!!  Hope you like it!!  

  And my final card today is a very simple card I creating with one of Hero Art's Digital Watercolor Flower images.   These have always been a favorite and I love that you can very quickly create a fun and easy card!!  Hero has recently changed how some of the older digital images are sold.  Instead of buying individual images, they have grouped the onto these wonderful CD's.   This particular CD contains 150 different digital floral images, in a wonderful array or colors and designs and you get them all for $15, which is a great value!    I think I may even add to CD to my wish list, so that I have them all and have back up to those which I already own!

   Phew....that was long, but I had a lot to catch up on, as you can see!   As much as I do NOT like winter or cold weather, I do enjoy Fall and after having such a hot and humid Summer, the nice refreshing air feels nice, although the last week has been all over...from a frost warning one night, to an Extreme Heat Advisory just two days ago!   One day, you almost want to turn on the heat to take the chill out of the air and the next day, the AC's are running on high!   Welcome to New England and our crazy weather!!

  A special hello from Skye, who finally can sit at my feet while I create, without stealing my craft supplies from under my desk!  She's growing so fast and when I took Scout for his Physical this week, I was shocked to find that she now weighs 18 pounds and is not even 9 months.  The Vet did say that it's very likely that she's very close to full grown, as that is typical of small breeds.  She may fill in a bit more, but won't likely get much taller.  She also told me to start weaning her off of Puppy food and move her on to an adult food.  It's amazing how different a dog's age is compared to ours.  At her age now, according to the Farmer's Almanac Dog Age Calculator, she is close to being  the equivalent of a 13 year old..(oh no a teen in the house again)...LOL!!   Just kidding, she's turned out to be quite a wonderful  young lady!!  Love her to pieces -- just like Scout!!

Stamptacular September....

....Now that my puppy Skye is growing into a nice little girl, I am very excited to start spending a lot more time in my Craft Room and also can't wait to get back to "Card Camp" at my LSS as well as a new online class that I'm taking, which starts tomorrow.

     This will be another awesome "Silhouette Class" taught by Kerri Bradford over on her blog HERE!! It's called Design Secrets and is one of the many classes she has offered, but is the newest and this will also be the first time I start the day it goes Live!!  WooHoo!!  I have had the pleasure of taking three of Kerri's other Silhouette classes and have learned so much from her.  She is one very talented designer and also is a Whiz on that machine, which is such a benefit for me.  I also love that I can go back and review any of my previous classes and have been dong that a bit lately to refresh myself.  This is an Intermediate class and she has suggested that you take at least one of her beginner classes before you start this one, which I think will be fabulous.

   I also headed out to my LSS on Saturday for the big "Bag Lady" Sale which is a special sale that happens anytime there are five Saturdays in a month.   They offer a special large tote/shopping bag that you buy in advance or the day of the sale, and then everything you can fit in your bag on that day is 20% off, which is awesome.  I picked up a nice new selection of Memory Box Dies, a couple new Hero Arts Stamps, some new Wink of Stella Glitter Markers and even hit the amazing back room sale, where I found even more Fantastic deals.  Imagine paying on 50 cents for Hero Arts Cling Background Stamps, or a set of 10 cards and envelopes..!  Like I said....amazing sale!!!    But, after my huge purge and donation to Little Paws Dachshund for their huge Yard Sale, I'm also being far more careful in my craft purchases and only buying product I know I absolutely LOVE and will use and that's exactly what I did.   I also took advantage of the wonderful Credit that Brian and Meghan (my son and daughter in law), added to my store account for a birthday gift.  They were very generous and I had enough to sign up for 3 months of Card Club, and still had extra shopping money!   Love you too and I'm very thankful for your gift!  I'm so lucky to have such caring kids.

   Today, I had another fabulous little Spree at Simon Says Stamp where there released a wonderful new selecting of their Exclusive Dies and Stamps as part of a huge event "STAMPtember" which they are hosting all month.  I've now learned that on top of loving Hero Products one of my next favorite lines are their Exclusive Stamps and Dies and I know that Kristina Werner creates many and they are fantastic.   I'm also very hopeful that Shari Carroll will be adding more of her designs now that she has joined the SSS team!!  If you would like to see all the new goodies just released today, you can go HERE to the blog and even download this amazing PDF, which shows all the new goodies!

    Needless to say, I enjoyed spending almost all the rest of my Birthday money, between this and another little spree last week for more Hero goodies at A2Z Scrapbooking, which is my favorite Etsy Store and also my first go to place for ANY Hero Product, because they always share a promo code which saves money!  Thank you Elizabeth for you wonderful service and excellent products!  I totally appreciate that you ship super fast and always have a code to help save money!!   If you are looking to add some new Hero Goodies to your stash, I can highly recommend this store and suggest you shop soon, while all the new products are in stock.  You can currently save 13% off using the Promo Code- Christmas13.

    I am finally back at my craft desk again and have a few new cards to share today.  The first was created for the currently challenge at at Cas(E) This Sketch and I'm very happy to be back to some of my challenges and hope I can continue.   This is a copy of the "Sketch" for the currently challenge, which you can find HERE.

And this is my take on the Sketch!!

   A very CAS style card that was created using two brand new Banner Dies that I just bought from PTI.  I love that you receive two in the set and also love that I finally found a banner die that I love.  I thought it would be perfect for this sketch and hope you will too!   The "Sentiment" and little stars are actually from a cute little Stamp Set by Lawn Fawn!!

    My next Challenge card was inspired by this week's card over at the Muse Cardmaking Club, where you'll find this card, which was created by the current MUSE - Lori Tecler!

Lori's Inspiration Card

My Card

   This was another very CAS style card and was fun and easy to make.  I simply started with a Hero Arts Pool Pre-Folder Card and then cut some patterned paper from Amuse into the shape I wanted for the card.  I then used a set of Butterfly dies and cut them on the white side of the left over patterned paper.  I used the patterned side for the overlay on the large one and colored the little one to match with my Copics.  I used the same Sentiment as Lori and punched it out with a SU Punch, that I love.  I created the side border with two pieces of ribbon (white and teal) that I adhered together with score tape.  I then added clear bling and was done!!

    I have two more cute little dog cards to share, these like all the other "Dog Themed" cards will be donated to Little Paws Dachshund Rescue!  I'm so excited to be helping out this wonderful group and in time, I'm planning to become a new Foster Mom for the group!   Isn't that excited, I sure think so!  

   I had fun paper-piecing this cute little one and if you look carefully you might noticed that this little Dachshund Digital image is the exact same one that I have as part of my Watermark.  I am very grateful that the artist who drew him, allowed me to have him become part of my Watermark.  He's also going to be featured on a new "card stamp" I am having created that I used on the back of my cards.  If you would like to buy him for your digi collection, you'll find him in this wonderful little ETSY Store - PaperAdditions!

  And that's it for now....I'm actually wiped out and ready to call it a day, but it sure has been a nice one and I can't wait to start my new class tomorrow!!   Back to school for me too!!