On the Beach...really?

It's no secret that I'm not a sun worshipper. It only takes one look at my creepy pallor (or my alabaster beauty, depending on your opinion on skin that matches standard white cardstock. :)) to figure that I don't spend a lot of time in the outdoors, so these week's challenge was a bit of a...challenge. We're doing beach themed projects at For Fun Challenges.

The Paper Shelter is this week's sponsor, with the winner receiving the generous prize of a $15 gift certificate from their store. Chosing one of their stamps for the challenge was the easy part. They have the cutest cat and mouse stamps ever!

And, here's my card! Check out how happy that cat is! I even made the sun look flattering by going for my favorite...glitter. Even my friend Jen's husband, Alex, who suffers from glitterphobia would approve of this card because in this case I used self-stick glitter "paper" (it's actually a plastic sheet that's got a generous amount of the sparkly stuff smooshed between the sheet and a thick layer of adhesive. It's really handy for punching or die cutting. It's not the cheapest, but it goes a long way if you're careful to line up your cuts. The papers and glitter fishies are from an SEI kit club selection. I love their stuff! The crab was a wild card item...something that's been sitting on my work counter for quite a while, waiting for the right project to come along. Ahoy! Here it is.

Stop by this week annd play with us!

For Fun Challenge of the Week With Di's Digi Downloads

The challenge this week over at For Fun Challenges (where I'm a superstar. Well, okay, just a member of the design team, but that's kind of the same thing, isn't it?) is to use two different ribbons. I chose an adorable holiday image from our sponsor this week--Di's Digi Downloads, so I used some super sparkly ultra shiny ribbon I've been hoarding in my stash for just such an occasion. Could it *be* more festive? I doubt it! Ha!

Di's Digi Dowloads will be awarding this week's winner 5--count 'em!--5 digital stamps of your choice. Trust me, it's not easy to pick from all the images she has because they're all so adorable! Here are a few of my favorites.

Aww...kitty...butterfly...tiny tiny mouse... smothering...in...cuteness!

Okay, this one is so cute, I had to go purchase it just now. I couldn't go another day without setting my copics to these sleepy little animals.

And a favorite that isn't from the new releases...a classic, I suppose...I just get all fuzzy giggly seeing that adorable little hedgehog begging to be picked up and given a ride in the wheelbarrow with his little pal. Why don't hedgehogs come up to me like that when I'm in the yard? Okay, perhaps it's because they aren't native to the U.S.

Speaking of wee little guys, how about I end this post with a pic of one of my foster hamsters? Those are Scott's hands, by the way. Mine are significantly less hairy. The little fuzzy girl pictured is Jane. She looks like a little toasted marshmallow when she curls up to sleep, she loves treats, running in her wheel (she loves it so much she falls asleep in it sometimes!) and all sorts of little chew toys she can tear apart. She's a bitey girl, so she needs a home that's very understanding and enjoys interacting with her in a more hands-off way--enjoying her reaction to new cage setups, toys, treats, and talking with her, etc. If you think you might be interested in this girl with a few special needs, visit http://www.cpr-nc.org/

I *heart* Bugaboo Stamps.

I'm totally psyched that this week's sponsor over at For Fun Challenges is Bugaboo stamps, since I own an obscene number of their digital stamps and could easily stuff my hard drive full of even more. If you take a sec to visit their shop, you'll see that they have an absolutely obscene number of stamps available to keep you coloring ad infinitum.

First, let's check out my card for this week. The challenge is to use one additional fold beyond the usual single fold card.

 I chose to use two of my favorite images of "Deacon", a recurring Bugaboo character. You'll definitely be seeing more of him on my blog. I am such a digi hog, I have several Deacon stamps I haven't even had time to use yet. I decided to put him in a cemetery since this gothy dreamboat *happy sigh* is presenting us with a sweet long-stemmed skull on the card front. 

On the inside, say hello to a cute little Deacon with wings and a little heart. I left the middle panel blank since I like to write whole letters inside my cards, so I need a lot of space.

If you follow my blog, you've seen a lot of projects using Bugaboo Stamps already. Here are a few examples you may remember. I'm a big fan of their sweet little rottweilers:

And, of course, the Skelekins:

You can win some Bugaboo stamps of your own if you participate in this week's For Fun Challenge, and oh yes, you definitely want some. While you're clicking, don't miss this week's freebie stamp at the Bugaboo store! Be careful...if you're like me, you'll end up picking up a cartful of other stamps before you leave!

My card class homework and something really cool for the animals!

(I'm entering this card in the Clearly iStamp punch/die cut challenge this week. :))

I've been participating in Summer Card Camp 2011 (click the link for more info). Each week we're given a new color palette to work with. This week was not the easiest for me. It's a margarita green with oranges and peaches and bright pink and purple. So...I ran a little fast and loose with it and threw in some blue in an attempt to calm things down a bit. I wasn't sure what the heck I was going to do with these colors until I remembered the new colors of Stampin' Up embossing powder and some SEI paper I recently came into.

OMG! I was actually working with these colors and liking it. I would not have guessed.

Naturally, I had to sidestep peach, since it is my least favorite color by FAR, but orange on the other hand, I can handle!

And when it comes to orange kitties, well, who doesn't love a ginger cat?

Okay, I promised something really cool for the animals and that would be a new digi stamp set from one of my all-time favorite digi artists, Mo's Digital Pencil. She's selling this adorable dog set for just $1 *and* she's giving all the proceeds to Pet Orphans of Southern California. How great is that? Don't forget to check out Mo's other stamps while you're there. She does fabulous work!

And now, for no reason, a gratuitous dog butt:

Revco, caught in a moment of extreme laziness. Why sit on *top* of the couch, when you can just let your back end hang while you watch the neighbors across the street?

Let's Go British with Little Claire

It's challenge time at For Fun again, and this week it's all about using those cute little crochet flower embellishments. Our sponsor this week is our friend from across the pond (the Atlantic ocean is a hell of a pond!) is Little Claire who provided us with these wildly cute images. I chose to use her sweet elephant for my card.

Isn't he just...awwww? :) Be sure to run down to For Fun Challenges to join in their crocheted flower challenge this week.