Finally Back and Creating...a little.

Howdy!  I'm  back from vacation and finally had a chance to get a little creative.  We had such a fabulous trip!  To  be honest I wasn't as excited about going to Gettysburg as I was about just GOING.  I'm not much into history.  It's not my "thing."  I have to say though that I LOVED it.  I think history class would be so much more exciting if you could have a sense of what it was really all about. What it sounded like, felt like, LOOKED like.   At least for me.  I'm so glad that my husband planned this trip.  It was so beautiful and emotional.  Funny thing....Hershey, PA ended up being the least favorite part of the trip.  Who would have thought, huh?  We did indulge in the MOST divine cookie I have ever eaten.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter!  There is nothing better for me:)  

It took all 4 of us to eat this because it was so big and rich.

Speaking of eating, if you ever are near Ortanna, PA you MUST go eat at this fabulous restaurant.  

It is called Hickory Bridge Farm and it's very close to Gettysburg.  Wow!  The food was so amazing!  It's all home cooked and the ambiance of the place is the perfect touch.  I will tell you it is a bit pricey, but you will leave feeling very full and happy.  When I say full, I mean FULL!

In fact you may look like this....

Just warning you:)  They also have an old fashioned candy counter and a barn full of antiques to check out.  

This place was one of my most favorite parts of our trip. Really, GO to this place.  It is so worth it.

Ok, I guess you came here for a card, right!?  Well, you're in luck.  I have TWO!

My nephew and niece are coming to spend next week with us and it will be the only time I see my niece before her birthday.  So I made her this using a slightly altered version of the SFYTT this week.  I am also entering this into TPE challenge to use Pink and Black.  I do have to point out that my coloring of this image isn't so great.  I got some Prism card stock for Copics and I guess that Bazzill has bought them out or something.  Anyways, it's NOT the same and I find blending to be very difficult.  So, I'm still searching for the Copic  friendly card stock that works for me.  I think I'm going to try PTI.  Anyone have any suggestions?

Because I wasn't overly thrilled with this card I had to make another one with that lovely "Strawberry Jam" paper from Fly A Kite Collection.  Dots!  I love dots!

This card started out using a Twisted Sketch.  Um... it became a bit altered.  I rearranged this thing in so many ways and then realized that I needed that black panel to be crooked.  That was it!  My life is in such chaos lately that perfectly straight and defined was just too much for my brain to grasp.  Chaotic and crazy?  Now, THAT  I'm in touch with. ( As I type this there are 4 kids running around screaming...need I say more?)

Speaking of crazy.  What do you think of the "flower?"  That was just me playing around with crepe paper, ribbon and a glue gun.  I kind of like that wonky thing.  I literally just crumpled and glued, glued and crumpled.  There is no rhyme or reason to it.  Oh, how I love the freedom of crafting:D.

This is also for TPE challenge and Allsorts Embossing Challenge.  At Stamp Something we are to do something vintage and add flowers.  This is a bit vintage, I think. I'm also entering this into the Pile It On Challenge. Do something fancy, cool or extravagant on the top of your card.  I'm thinking that wonky flower may qualify.  I also think I need to try that paper that the challenge is talking about.  One last challenge to enter...the CCEE challenge is a summer card with flowers.

That's it for me today.  I hope to have something else this week, but I honestly won't be posting much in July, I'm afraid.  The next 3 weeks are FULL of a family activities.  I will be back in full force in August.  I have a few exciting announcements that I will share soon.

In the meantime, I hope you are all having a great summer!  I also apologize for not visiting your blogs like I would like.  Summer...it's so busy.  Goes to fast and too slow.  Remembering the sound of silence...ahhh!





What's In It:
Stamps: Jolinne  Birthday Balloon MFT
Ink: black memento
Paper: Strawberry Jam, berry sorbet, black, white 
Other: rub on, berry sorbet satin ribbon, oval punch, horizontal punch, nesties, copics, sewing machine

Stamps: Verve Plain Jane and All About You, Hearts and Hugs by HA, Elegant Flourishes by Clear Dollar Stamps
Ink:  Versafine Black, antique linen, PTI cream
Paper: Strawberry Jam, black textured, vellum
Other: crepe paper, tattered angels postcards, satin ribbon, black pearl, EK success border punch, Copic R22