Awesome Motivation to use my Echo Park Stash!!!

I know that you have gone into your LSS and just fallen in love with a line of paper, gotten the paper, had a million ideas, but then....the paper never gets used because you are waiting for just the right project for this perfect paper. For me, that is what happened with Echo Park!! So now, in an effort to use my awesome Echo Park papers on some great projects, I am submitting some projects for their Fresh Faces monthly design call!

First, I created an 8.5 x 11 layout from their Sweet Summertime Collection. I had this great pic of my agility dogs, Foster & Lexi, that was just screaming for the happy colors of this collection!

So I cut down a piece of Flower Garden, using the gorgeous orange side. Next, I matted the photo on the blue side of Pinwheels, leaving 1/4" border around the photo. This collection has a great page of pinwheels, and I wanted to incorporate those on my page, so I cut a few out. I had laid the picture out on the page, and decided to add a pop of white and color by creating a banner out of Flower Garden and Whimsy Stripe, and color twine. I freehand cut some triangles out of both sheets. Lay the triangles down in a row, points down, on your non-stick craft sheet. Apply your adhesive in a thin line along the top of the triangle, and lay the twine on top, and press to adhere. Then, I added some Ranger Rock Candy stickles to the pinwheels (very hard to see in the photos)

and added them to the banner.

I really love the letter stickers from the Alpha Sticker sheet too. Cute, bright, and so easy to use and create a great title. I just eyeballed the layout of the stickers, starting with the border stickers. I lined those up with the edge of the page, and adhered one on top of the other. For the letters, I cut each one out of the sheet with the backing still on & arranged them above the borders with the pin wheel. Then I went back and adhered each one. The last bit was the great journaling card from the Journal Card Paper. I added an extra pinwheel with a pop up glue dot, added a cute heart sticker on top of that, and adhered it to the page with craft glue dots.

Next, I altered a wood picture frame with papers from the Walk in the Park Collection.

I painted the frame off white, so that the back and sides would be finished. Then, as orange is one of my go to colors of the moments, I covered the front of whole frame with Playground. I grabbed these 2 great patterned papers, the other side of Playground & the blue side of Blissful Days Border, trimmed and layered them over the top. I believe that they were scraps from some previous cuts I had done, so at the time they looked good, so I didn't measure them and just cut them the length of the frame. (I went back and they are 3.5" and 1 3/4" wide respectively, and cut the length of the frame.)Use an exacto knife to cut out the hole for the picture. I inked all of the edges with Ranger Vintage Photo Distress Ink. On the Blissful Days Border sheet, there were these great little flags. I decided to cut them out and make a banner with them using twine (same method as I described above on the layout), and adhered that in the corner. Last, but not least, I used Tim Holtz Large Rosette die and Mother Nature paper to make the Rosette flower. I adhered one of the great cutouts from the Element Card paper to it.

I had all of these scraps from the above projects, these cute little green cards, and these next 2 cards just came together.

For the Happy Birthday card, I just layered the 2 scraps from Playground (Walk in the Park), adhered the balloon sticker from a Walk in the Park Element Stickers, and cut out and adhered the sentiment from Element Card Paper with pop up glue dots. Simple and just too cute!! (I did no measuring or cutting on this one...so lucky! But the dimensions of the card are : 5.5" x 4.25", and the scraps: 3.5" x 5.5" & 1.75" x 5.5")

The same process for the Thank you card, except that I added the extra Rosette (Mother Nature paper) that I made for the picture frame, and didn't use. (Card dimensions: 5.5" x 4.25" and the paper ( Walk in the Park Blissful Days Border) is 2.25" x 5.5")

I think I may make a couple more and give the set as a gift :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!!! Please go check out Echo Park's brand new collections!!!

Supplies: All papers, stickers, or embellishments on these projects is either from Sweet Summertime or Walk in the Park Collections from Echo Park. Honeydew Twine from The Twinery. Tim Holtz Rosette Die, Ranger Vintage photo Distress Ink, Glossy Accents, Glue Dots - Craft and Pop Up, Antique White Acrylic Paint

So I Decided 1 Card Wasn't Enough....

1 card just wasn't going to cut it for the Moxie Fab Challenge, so here is my 2nd entry. Just a little Thank You card.

I used Hero Arts Thank You Cling Stamp to create this card. First I stamped it 3 times on to cream card stock. I also stamped it once on a piece of Memory Box paper. On the first image, I just cut out the center of the frame, and then colored the rest using Copic markers. On the second image I just colored the flowers as I did on the first image and cut them out. On the 3rd image, I colored the flowers but just cut out the center most part of each flower. On the image on the patterned paper I just cut out the center with the sentiment and colored the stem and leaves on that center piece with Copics.

Lastly, I adhered the 1st image to the cream card, then the center of the image, and lastly adhered the flowers with 3-D foam squares to give the card some depth.

Thanks for looking...again!!

Creating a Moxie Fab card for the Stamp It! Challenge

I haven't posted anything crafty in a long time, so here is a birthday card that I created for my Aunt's birthday this month!! It also fit the challenge theme on Moxie Fab World's Stamp It! Challenge which closes today:) For the challenge, stamping needs to be the predominant feature of the card.

I started with a Kraft card and stamped the background with embossing ink, and covered that in clear embossing powder. Heating that up created the background in the darker brown on the kraft.

Then I stamped the Hero Arts birthday stamp on 3 different Memory Box papers and cut them out. I mixed and matched and adhered them to the card using Glue Dots.

Lastly I finished the edge of the card with some navy blue ribbon.

Thanks for looking :)

Supplies: Kraft card, Hero Arts Birthday Gift & Flower Burst Card stamps, Ranger Embossing Ink & Clear Embossing Powder, Patterned Paper from Memory Box, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Glue Dots Craft Dots

June Vacation Part 2: Washington, DC Day 1

Last Sunday we left Roanoke and took the Skyline Drive up to DC!! So beautiful!!! We stopped a bunch of times at different overlooks. It made for a relaxing drive up to DC.

Monday was a crazy, non stop day! We started out in the Air & Space Museum for the morning. We flew a F-18 Simulator, looked at so many amazing exhibits, and saw the IMAX movie To Fly!

Next we headed over to the National Archives to see the original Bill of Rights, Constitution, and Declaration of Independence. It was really surprising to see how much all of the documents have faded!! Mike, Aunt Barbara, & I all went down to the research area, and got signed up to research in the archives. We didn't have a whole lot of time to look though....we will definitely be heading back there on our next trip to DC!

Then we all met up at the White House! I guess I always thought it would look bigger in person. Maybe if we weren't so far away! lol I think we will plan ahead next time and get the signed up to take an actual tour. ( You have to do it 4-6 months in advance) Apparently, the Obamas were entertaining, so you see the snipers on the roof, and this officer with the big gun cleverly hidden in a black bag. There is no way you could guess what was in the bag...no way at all!! (lol)

From there we headed over to the WWII memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. I really liked the Lincoln Memorial. I hated that they were renovating the Reflecting Pool:( Ugly!!! Then we all went and had dinner at Miewah's Chinese Restaurant, all 14 or so of us!

DC is just amazing! I can't believe I never made the trip before:)

June Vacation Part 1: The Wedding in Roanoke

So we left on Thursday to start our trip to Roanoke, VA for our niece, Lauren's, wedding to Daniel. We stopped in Knoxville for the night, and finished up the trip on Friday. The ride up through Tennessee and Virginia was beautiful!!! So Friday night we went to the rehearsal dinner at Sundara near Roanoke. It is a gorgeous bed 'n breakfast! The dinner was wonderful and it was great to meet Daniel's family. Dan's family went all out, and it was great!!

On Saturday, we squeezed in a drive down part of the Blue Ridge Parkway! Beautiful!! The weather was so nice, in the 70's and sunny! In June!! (I don't even think the lows in Memphis this time of year get near 70! lol) We saw Uncle Joe and Arlena, and Uncle Fred and Aunt Connie at a couple of the overlooks too!! Thanks to Uncle Joe for taking a couple of the pics too:)

Blue Ridge Parkway

Mike & I at our first overlook

Uncle Joe & Arlena at the 2nd Overlook on the Parkway

Best part of Saturday was of course the wedding!! It went so smoothly, the weather was perfect, and Lauren looked absolutely beautiful!! The reception was wonderful and the music by the quartet was wonderful!! So were the tunes later by Chelsea's boyfriend, Matt! Lots of dancing, and fun!! Highlights were the dance stylings of the groom, Dan, and our nephew, Owen!! The send off for the bride and groom was something I have not seen before, and I can't wait to see the photographer's pics...everyone had these huge sparklers as they came down and went out!! Scott & Peg looked so happy, and they did a wonderful job with the wedding!

Mike & Mom

Mike & I

Dan & Lauren

Dan & Lauren cutting the cake

Last event in Roanoke was the family breakfast on Sunday at The Roanoker. Nice, laid back, wonderful way to see everyone before we all headed out in different directions! And a Happy 23rd Birthday for Kristen too:)

For anyone that we missed before we left, it was wonderful to see you, and we will have to do it again soon!!!

Part 2...Washington, DC!! So excited!

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY FOSTER!!!!!

Foster is now 10 years old!!! I really can't believe it!! For the last 10 years, he has brought a smile to my face each and every day. Oh, he has tipped his fair share of trash cans, doused himself in mud,but all done with the goofiest grin so that you can't stay mad for long. He has introduced me to many people, pups, and my favorite sport of agility. Here is wishing the sweetest, goofiest, and much loved pup a Happy Happy Birthday!!! May there be many, many more :)

Foster & I in July 2001, the day I picked him up :)

Foster & I in Nov 2009 after he got his PAX title

March 2011

Happy 5th Birthday Lexi!!!!

I can't believe Lexi is already 5 years old!!! She has been a wonderful addition to our family and became exactly what we wanted when we got her...Foster's best friend! Those two are like 2 peas in a pod:) She has been great fun to train and has taught me so much as each of our pups have.

Lexi & Foster playing - March 2011

Lexi - 2006 (about 6 months old)

Lexi - March 2011

Happy Birthday Lexi !!! (And Happy Birthday to her litter mates Blue, Jean, & Parker!!)

Lexi's 1st NADAC Trial!

Last weekend was Lexi's first NADAC trial, and she was amazing:) She ran 11 times, qualifying and placing in 9 of those runs!!! That is unheard of for us! I was so proud that she was running fast, and having fun!

We played a lot of new games like Hoopers, Weavers, Tunnelers, and Chances! Hoopers is all about handling skills. It reminds of Snookers because you have to plan your own course. We had never run under a Hoop before, but she picked it up really quickly @ the practice hoop before our first run! Hoops can appear in any course (except Jumpers I think) I found out, so she got really good at them by the end of the weekend:)

Weavers has 3 sets of 6 weaves in Novice, plus tunnels and hoops! Very fast and even though weaves aren't really Lexi's thing, she did great! Plus got lots of practice on weaves.

Tunnelers is my new favorite game! So fast and so fun! It is all tunnels!! 13 of them. One weird thing about tunnelers is that it is the same for every level, but you only compete with people at the same level as you. Every venue should have tunnelers:)

Chances was the one class that I figured would be tough. It is all about distance work! That is something that Lexi and I need to work more on:) BUT Lexi surprised me and did amazing! Especially on the 1st course on Saturday! It was a send from a tunnel to the dogwalk, and the dogwalk was at least 10' away! In other venues, novice sends are about 1/2 that distance and don't usually involve a contact... She ran that course like she read the course map before her run! She did great! I wish I had taped it!!!! Here is the map of the course by Matt McCarter:

On Sunday, she did just as well!!! Amazing girl is always surprising me:) Hope you enjoy the video of some of her runs!!

http://youtu.be/IYBxPZOLqdc

I am so grateful for the opportunity to run Lexi at a show, and boost her confidence when running at a trial!! She really looked like she was having just as much fun as I was!!

Fun with Foster last weekend!

Last weekend Foster & I had a great time running together again at the NADAC trial in Huntsville, AL!! It has been a while since we have competed since he can no longer jump the 20" height in AKC. So we started back in NADAC where he can jump 16".

I haven't done a NADAC show since 2005, I think! There just aren't that many NADAC shows in our area:( The games they have are SO much fun!

We did Jumpers, Weavers, Tunnelers, and Hoopers! He had 5 runs and Q'd and placed in 4!! Tunnelers is a little tough to make time, but it is really fun to play! 13 tunnels...that's it! No jumps, no weaves, no contacts....just tunnels!!! How fun!!!

Here are a couple of Foster's run from this weekend:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGablFZmMD0

Lexi went too and had an amazing weekend!! I will post more about her weekend and some videos later!!

So I spent most of this week in Phoenix, AZ for training for work. I was excited to go because I had never been to Arizona, and I wasn't disappointed! It was beautiful! So different from here, but just gorgeous!!

Kristin, a girl that I work with, and I went hiking on a short trail right at sunrise on Wednesday before the training began. So here are some beautiful pics that I took :)

Congrats to Carol & Luke who finished 6th in the 24" Height at the AKC National Agility Championships!!!!! An incredible achievement at their first Championships!!!!

So glad to get home tonight to Mike and the pups!! Got a little practice in tonight before the show with Lexi tomorrow. Then the rest of the weekend is dedicated to the herding trial that Mike and Bailey are competing in!

Have a good weekend!!!

Where Did Spring Go?

It has been dreary, cold, and raining all day! So I am getting around to posting the pictures from the other day when it was much warmer and sunnier, in hopes that it will entice Mother Nature to bring back that weather soon!!

SO Happy It's Spring!!

Just give me the ball!! :)

Pretty girl keeping watch!

Synchronized back rubs in the yard:)

Missed Challenge, and a little dog training....

So I missed getting the EWV Make Art Challenge #4 done:( Oops! I think I will still make the idea I had this weekend, when I work on Challenge #5! So maybe an artsy post this weekend!

Lexi and I had a blast at agility class last night. We were really working well together. I set up a good test for our Crate Games at class...had Lexi hop into a crate near the start line and left the door open, then walked out past the start jump of the course, and released her. She did great and didn't break until I released her to run:)She loves her Crate!!!

Tonight, since the yard is still a mushy mess after all the rain, we just worked on putting 2 front feet on a balance disc, and starting to rotate around it with the back feet. Just 10 minutes of training:) Foster had it made!! Put a little cheese in front of him and watch him work:) Lexi is finally moving a few inches once she gets two feet on the disc, but only until she turns so much that she has to move her 2 front feet:) lol Bailey isn't quite to turning on the disc...she is too excited and can only keep 2 feet on the disc for short spurts before she gets so excited and wiggles herself off! When a pup wasn't working they were sent to their crate, and watched with the door open.(More Crate Game training:) )

So I need to make a video illustrating what we got from Susan Garrett's 5 minute Recall class that we took at the end of last year. If I post one by Monday, then I can take part in her next 5 minute recall class for free:) I need to see if I have any before videos of Lexi in agility because I think one of byproducts of doing the 5 minute recall training with her, was improved confidence and trust in working with me. That resulted in more confidence when we were running on the agility course. I think that is going to be the basis for my video. Off to look for some footage to use!!

Have a Great Night:)

EWV Make Art Challenge #3

So I just finished my challenge entry...due at midnight tonight, so 1.5 hours to spare! Pretty good for me! The base of the hanging is just square chipboard covered in paper from Memory Box. (LOVE all of their 6x6 papers!!!) All of the stamps including the heart and the house are Wendy Vecchi Studio 490. The "jewelry" piece on the heart is a ribbon slide from Maya Road. The heart and the house are grunge paper covered in distress inks. (Lipstick stain, peeled paint, and dried marigold. ) Throw in a little tissue tape, some ribbon from my stash and there you have it!! I may end up adding a picture of Mike & I in the middle....


Challenge #4 should be announced tomorrow! Join in over at the EWV Yahoo Group!!