Wow...Where Have I Been?

Hello my friends....such a long time since I have posted anything, I hope that I haven't been forgotten!?!?

When I finished my post the end of April with the last of my design team commitments I knew that I would be using some of my new found time to play and work  around home but had no idea that it would be so long before I made another card, how did I ever make it? It has been a busy two months with Rick and I both doing some traveling and projects around our home.

 We shot in one of the largest sporting clay shoots this past May in South Carolina. What a wonderful time we had, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. I finished 5th in my class in one of my events and was so happy with my small trophy. As there were 1145+ shooters competing I felt very happy to have finished where I did in the overall numbers. Rick has been to Argentina on a hunting trip which went very well with lots of new pictures and memories of a new country. 

I hope this Spring has been a great time for all of you.

This past weekend I finally got back in my stamp room and created a couple of cards.

I went looking for a bit of inspiration and found this great sketch at Fusion and their Fusion Hypothesis 13: 

As you can see I used both the sketch and the inspiration of the birds. Paper pieced flowers, Silhouette Cameo and distress inks created this card.... Using the new stamp set "Simply Sketched" by Stampin' Up I stamped the image in Versafine vintage sepia on my frame which was cut with the Cameo, I again stamped the flowers on scraps of K&Co paper which I fussy cut and placed on the label with foam dots. The bird is from the same set and after cutting it out I colored it with my distress inks. 

Here is a closer view:

I used the part of my flower that I cut from the edge of the label to decorate the inside. How much fun to finally get started back and create something with this great challenge.

Check out  the great team's creations at Fusion and hopefully join in yourself.

Just a last bit of newness to my blog....I created my new blog header using digital elements that I purchased from Optic Illusions . Kate creates some beautiful things, please take a look around and say hi to her.

So happy to be back in blogland and I hope to visit with you all soon.

hugs......

Card Details:

Paper: Stampin' Up river rock, textured white, K&Co scraps

Stamps: SU  Simply Sketched

Other: Versafine vintage sepia, distress inks, Silhouette Cameo--frame and banner, Queen & Co rhinestones

CAS with Kraft!

Happy Sunday afternoon....we are getting wonderful rain showers here and I am spending the afternoon in my stamping room listening to it fall and enjoying every minute of it.

I went looking and decided to play in a couple of challenges that I have not played in forever, Flourishes Timeless Tuesday where they are requesting Kraft in your project 

and 

The Paper Players CAS with the addition of paper piecing.

I love paper piecing and decided to give it a try with Flourishes set "Poppy Patch" designed by Marcella Hawley using some of my new papers from Creative Imaginations pack 

"Orchard Harvest".  These are also some of Spellbinders new dies "Orchard Harvest Tags and Accents". I knew when looking at them at the craft show they would be a staple in my die collection.

Can't wait to show you the gorgeous leaves and pear die in this set.

I stamped some of the poppy pods for the inside, paper piecing one of those and adding a dash of color on the other two.

Be sure and check out these two challenges and give them a try! 

Now off to see what else I can get into, lol.

hugs to you all.....