Summer Update and some challenges!

Hello!

I'm popping in with a few cards I've made lately, while getting to squeeze in a limited amount of crafty time. I, also, thought I'd share some of the fun, crazy, busy summer I'm having since I haven't been sharing as many cards the past four weeks! It's fun and I wouldn't change it for anything, but I also miss my routine. (I'm such an introverted nerd!)  8-)

First up is a card I made this afternoon while the kiddos were playing at a friends house. I had a whole THREE hours to myself! I loved it. I tried to squeeze in several solitary activities.

I wanted to play along with Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge this week:


I used my Paper Smooches favorite stamp - Green Thumb.

 

I colored my hanging garden tools with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens and totally cheated. I didn't use water or watercolor paper, just used them as straight markers being careful not to mess up the paper or make my stamped image bleed. I'm sorta "in between" markers right now. My Spectrum Noir markers have all been adopted into a new home and I have very few Copic markers at this point. I've never colored very much, but have found an increasing interest in it and hope to expand my collection of coloring mediums since I'm enjoying it so much lately. After coloring everything in and hand marking my "shadows", I masked off each image and stamped a very light background for the "wall" using Latte pigment ink by Amuse Studio and the "Envelope Pattern" background stamp for Hero Arts. The strings are hand-drawn using a journaling pen.

 

I'm also playing along with the "Anything Goes" Challenge over at 613 Avenue Create, with the optional Create Your Own Challenge twist. I used A2 size, Encouragement for Event, and Burlap for the trend.

 

I have a second Paper Smooches card for the SPARKS challenge. I love playing with the fun PS images and coloring them, especially my favorite set "Sugar Rush" (See what I did there? They are all "my favorite".) 8-)

 

 

 

These were also colored with my ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Pens. But I did the real deal with Watercolor paper and a watercolor brush. These markers are so fun to use. I just stamped the popsicles in an arc similar to a rainbow and used rainbow colors. I'm a sucker for the rainbow combination!

My last card is some MFT fun. My new favorite supply enabler. When I find myself getting "bored", I just try some new goodies and go from there. I wonder if I'm drawn to the shopping as much as (or more than) the crafting. Insert shameful face here ____. Yikes. Let's keep it our little secret.

 

This one was made with all MFT products and Distress Inks in Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade, and Worn Lipstick, a combination I fell in love with after seeing it in an Online Card Class session by Laura Bassen. I didn't come up with it by myself. Snap.

I sponged the inks onto the Circles Background stamp for the card base and used that same ink combination over the Diagonal stripes stencil in the background of the Jumbo Stitched Fishtail Banner. I diecut the donut, icing, and sprinkles using the Donuts & Sprinkles stamp set. This set was also used for the sentiment. It was a sweet little card for a birthday party Miss Priss attended.

 

I'm playing along with Curtain Call's "Celebrate" challenge, Inkspirational's "Grunge" challenge, and 613 Avenue Create's "Anything Goes" challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

Now that the card share business is taken care of, I thought I'd share some photos that show what I've been up to this past month. 8-)

 

Lots of family time this summer!

 

 BD was off for two weeks of shutdown and we did some work around the house, took the kids to the movies, grilled out, and did alot of nothing! (The cats love having us here to be at their beck & call!) 

 

A visit to a specialist revealed Little Man, most likely, does not have allergies like he's been treated for since he was 2 - BUT he was diagnosed with asthma and is now on a daily inhaler.

 

Each kid chose a week-long day camp to attend at their school (Baseball for Little Man and Art for Miss Priss) and we've had two visits already back home with the cousins.

 

I have enjoyed a lot  of reading time and keep my Kindle or a book nearby every night. I've broke some of my "records" for amount of books read in a month already this year! 8-)

 

 

I've been doing alot of painting - both on the walls and nails! :) I keep up my manicure weekly and now that's extended to painting my Bestie's nails once a week and Miss Priss's, as well.

 

One of our "shutdown" tasks was freshening up some paint in the house and I mastered the skill of "cutting in" with this round. (SO much better than taping everything off!)

And, last but not least, is the garden! I've tackled some new fun this summer in the "pickling" department. I've made two rounds of Refrigerator Pickles in the past two weeks and they were a huge hit around the house. Just for BD, I've mastered another Refrigerator Pickling recipe for Banana Peppers. He LOVES it. I planted 5 Banana Pepper plants just for the sole purpose of pickling them for him and he was so excited. I even like them. :)

 

This particular jar of pickles went to our next door neighbor who is so generous to share garden goodies with us. She brings me extra plants and I'm always up for sticking them in my garden with a laissez-faire "Why-not?" mentality. Ha! As a result, the garden is overloaded and if I keep it up, BD is going to make us another box next summer. :)

 

My sweet little "Thanks So Mulch" tag was made using more Paper Smooches fun! I used the Green Thumb stamp set, dies and PrismaColor Pencils to color the sweet little vegetable images. After die-cutting them, I placed them to make a wreath of garden sweets. The sentiment is a combination from Green Thumb and Sentiment Sampler sets. It's one of my favorite projects I've made all summer! 8-)

 

Well -- that's all for me tonight. Thanks for hanging with the super long post! I was excited about the idea of sharing what I've been up to, since I've been absent this month. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are, despite the fact that it is flying by us!

 

THanks so much for stopping by to visit!

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

 

I Peter 1:3-4 NKJV (New King James Version)

 

      Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

 



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