Ahhh, the summertime. For some, it's the time of relaxation and kicking back. For others -- particularly those in the crafting industry -- the season is filled with new releases. Close To My Heart unveils its new products next week; Stampin' Up had its convention last week, and this week, there's the summer reveals at the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) show in Las Vegas! 
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| A swing card I made using KDS papers (Journeys), along with Cricut Artiste and Art Philosophy cartridges. Sentiment by Close to My Heart. Ink: CTMH Lagoon |
We had neighborhood carnivals mostly to benefit Jerry's Kids where there were bean bag tosses, sack races and watermelon eating contests. We dug into blueberry pies with our hands tied behind our backs, staining our cheeks but we really didn't care. Hot dogs charred on the grill, and visits to Linvilla Orchards where we held a family membership in the swimming pool and where there was the highest high dive e-v-e-r. Slip-and-slides matting our grass, running through the sprinkler, bee stings, the sound of Cicada, pesky mosquitoes and catching fireflies -- that is what summer meant to me as a kid.  | |
| Here's me (center) at the recent Close to My Heart Conven- tion, becoming an Honorary Canadian CTMH team member, with my Honorary Canadian Upline Darla Haverstock (left), and my Honorary Canadian Sideline Michelle Stewart (right). I'm squeezing Michelle a little tighter, hoping some of her talent and luck rubs off -- because at this year's CTMH Convention in Orlando, Michelle was named the 2013 "Rising Star of the Year", and won nifty prizes including $1,000, a trophy and the adoration of her peers (like me!!). Congratulations, Michelle!! |
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| So many croppers, so little time. This photo was lifted from an Internet search. YES, there are a lot of people out there who love to scrapbook and play with paper, just like us! |
I have been honored to be one of the original members of the Krazy Crafting Crew (KCC) which came together to virtually craft together and to show our projects in monthly blog hops. Well, about a year ago at this time of year, the group became "official" with its name, thanks to our founder, Lissa Marie. 
For this card, I used a beautiful paper from the GCD Studios' Kathy Davis Scatter Joy line called "Journeys." I stamped the cardstock with a sentiment from Close To My Heart called "Card Chatter - Birthday". The dragonfly was fussy-cut from another of Kathy Davis' papers in the same collection (shown at right). These papers are distributed exclusively at Joann Stores nationwide and online. I drew the dragonfly's flight path, and dabbled the centers of the flowers using CTMH's Stardust GLITZ. 