I Double Dog Dare You Summer Breeze

I Double Dog Dare You Summer Breeze

We have a new group to take crafting to a our limit which we are proudly calling I Double Dog Dare You. I am Double Dog Daring you for our first challenge which we are calling Summer Breeze. Ok, granted, I know the heat hats soared to new heights this summer in some areas but let's have some sweet thoughts of our "Happy Place". Now again, just as a reminder, the only limit to our wonderful creative group will be their creativity!

See the curtains hangin' in the window in the evenin' on a Friday night

A little light a-shinin' through the window lets me know everything is alright

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

blowing through the jasmine in my mind

See the paper layin' on the sidewalk a little music from the house next door

So I walked on up to the doorstep through the screen and across the floor

Sweet days of summer the jasmine's in bloom

July is dressed up and playing her tune

And I come home from a hard day's work and you're waiting there not a care in the world

See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen food cookin' and the plates for two

Feel the arms that reach out to hold me in the evening when the day is through

Summer Breeze Lyrics by Seals and Croft

We have a super creative group of ladies that are participating this month as this will be a monthly challenge where the players may change but the creativity is phenomenal:

Participant Blog Addies for Summer Breeze

1. Lynne Kirsch ~ http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com
2. Kimberly Pate ~ http://scrappingrookie.blogspot.com
3. Shelly Lynn ~ http://kccroppers.blogspot.com
4. Lucy ~ http://www.love2createitall.com
5. Lisa Peters ~ http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/
6. Edwina Brown~ http://edwinascreations.blogspot.com/
7. Anita Cannon~ http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com
8. Miriam - http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com
9. Janet Smith ~ http://www.ladyluvbug.blogspot.com/
10. Jenny~ http://cccjalessi.blogspot.com/

If you have come to visit me today, I'm honored but I wouldn't want you to miss a single creative spot and would want you to start at the beginning which is Lynne at http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/. You should have arrived from my creative accomplice <insert previous blog addie here>

Now, to showcase my creativity, I have for you today a summer themed card!

 I sued the Luau Cricut cartridge for this card. I also inked the coconut with my CTMH ink pad, added the little details with the edge of the ink pad, and used Stickles to add some shimmer! A little bling in the corners, but tried to keep it simple.

This card was inspired by the thought of sitting out by the pool, with the warm breeze, sipping on a tropical drink, just realxing in the sun, with friends. Perhaps a little day vacation away from the mounds of dirty laundry, sink full of dirty dishes, and all of the screaming kids!

With all this being said, sadly, I must let you know I am the last in this this hop!

Stay tuned for next month for I Double Dog Dare YOU on August 25th. If you want to particpate, let either Lynne Kirsch at hercraftiness@gmail.com or Kimberly Pate at KPKre8tions@gmail.com where we are going to be challenging your creativity mojo where the only limit is yourself with a theme of "First Readers"

CallyAnn's S'more's Birthday Hop

Hi and thanks so much for joining me and my wonderful friends in celebrating my Birthday! You are not going to want to miss a single thing. I have some AWESOME sponsors too.

Smores Stamp from Nikki Schiltz calmes (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ppbncraftyinspirations/)

$20 GC from Scraptastical Kreations (https://www.facebook.com/groups/112862138837753/)

A Set of handmade paper Flowers from Shannon Leffew Keith ( www.etsy.com/shop/shannleffew2)

A Bow Maker and Bundle of Crinkle Ribbon form 3 Girl Jam (https://www.facebook.com/pages/3-Girl-JAM/129045323859706)

 $5 GC to Creative Kuts (https://www.facebook.com/groups/381667938541774/)

...and you never know, there might be more throughout the blogs!

Ok so what you need to do is comment on each blog and say HI to each sponsor on Facebook. They are so awesome for doing this that they need a shout out! You will have until July 28th to comment and I will pick the winners on July 28th so make sure you come back and check!

Here's my card! I did a black card so that all of the details would pop!

 I made a S'more with bits and pieces from the Create A Criter cart. I also added 2 pieces of chocolate because I LOVE me some chocolate!! The marshmallow looks like it's been toasted and hot, melting the chocolate!

 Had to throw he name "S'more" in there, thought this was a cute way!

Here is a complete list of the line up:
CallyAnn-http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com
Anita~~ http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com
Jenny~ http://cccjalessi.blogspot.com/
Sandra- http://365daysofcricut.blogspot.com/
Jennifer ~ http://wunderscreations.blogspot.com
Patty~ http://creativediva98.blogspot.com
Cheryl~http://creativekuts.blogspot.com/
Miriam ~ http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com
Nicolette- http://beyondscrapin.blogspot.com
Rachelle-http://creationsbyrachelle.blogspot.com
Pam L - http://mzlavr2.blogspot.com/
Sandra D- http://papercraftingnut.blogspot.com/
Cindy-http://cindyrehaume.blogspot.com/
Kimberly- http://kreationsbykimberlyrae.com/blog
JulieK-http://3girljam.blogspot.com/


Please make sure to visit each blog to be eligible for the Candy! Thanks agin for joining and Happy Hopping! Please head to Sandra- http://365daysofcricut.blogspot.com/

Keira's

Welcome To Keira’s Double-Digit Birthday Crafting Bash!

Oh, the dilemma of it all, what to get a talented gal such as Keira who is going to be 10 for her birthday!!!!! I know what, let's have a blog hop for her .....

Keira has sooo many talents and likes such as:
she will be going in the 5th grade, loves dogs and cats, loves to garden, is a competitive gymnast, but more importantly, she is the best crafting partner Lisa Woodward could have! At 9, she can use a cricut independently, and with SCAL and CCR. She likes to paper piece and scrapbook and loves making cards for everyone~and everything!!!! Hallmark may not have a card for “Sorry my Golden Retriever ate your shoe at my sleepover” but Keira sure does! Keira crafts along side Lisa, working on her own projects, and with helping Lisa with hers. Now, bear in mind that Keira is not a "kid" crafter so to speak but her skills go way beyond pipe cleaners and pom poms!

We have a talented group of crafters to help Keira celebrate her birthday and know she will be hopping along as part of her "surprise" .....

Our complete line-up is:
Day 1
1. Lisa W.~ http://mycraftyspaces.blogspot.com
2. Kimberly ~ http://scrappingrookie.blogspot.com
3. Lynne ~ http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
4. Miriam - http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com
5. Christine ~ http://customcreativeexpressions.blogspot.com/
6. Rachelle~http://creationsbyrachelle.blogspot.com
7. Daisy- http://tsunamirosedesigns.blogspot.com
8. Shawnee ~ http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com
9. Jenny~ http://cccjalessi.blogspot.com.
Day 2
10. Lisa ~ http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/
11. Edwina ~ http://edwinascreations.blogspot.com/
12. Kristy - http://scraptasticalkreations.blogspot.com
13. Maria - http://JoyfulStamper.blogspot.com
14. Jamie ~ http://craftygirl21.blogspot.com/
15.Lori ~ http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/
16. Sarah - http://simplyshaddock.blogspot.com
17. Natasha - http://craftingwithnatasha.blogspot.com/
18, jackie-http://jackrabbitscrappin.blogspot.com/
19. Erica http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com
20. Theresa http://scrappinginheels.blogspot.com/

If you're just visiting me today, I'm thrilled but wouldn't want you to miss a single birthday wish to this special 10 year old!!!! The hop begins with Lisa. If you have arrived from Shawnee ~ http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com then you are most definitely following the cake crumbs and the birthday banners and streamers!!!

Here's the card I made for Keira.

It's not too childish, but not grown up either.

I've added some mulberry flowers, and Stickles for a little shimmer.

Hope she likes it!!

Time to cut the cake…..WAIT….this is a blog hop party, there’s no cake….there’s CANDY! We have some awesome sponsors for this blog hop who are offering some great prizes!







have as an awesome sponsor Scrapping with Lisa Designs (http://scrappingwithlisadesigns.com)! Lisa Peters has donated $20 worth of her original files as a prize for another lucky winner! To be eligible for this prize, please follow and comment on each blog in our hop and also follow Scrapping with Lisa Designs Design Team blog page at http://scrappingwithlisadesignsdt.blogspot.com/, and “Like” the Scrapping with Lisa’s Designs Fan Page so you get updates and inspiration for Lisa’s great files.




Our next fantastical Sponsor is Kristy with Scraptastical Kreations. Kristy has donated a $15 gift certificate to her online store at http://www.scraptasticalkreations.com/. To be eligible for this prize drawing, please like Scraptasitical Kreations’ Fan Page on Facebook, and become a follower of her blog at http://scraptasticalkreations.blogspot.com and comment on each blog posting in our hop.




The amazingly talented Daisy Collins of “I Love Sketches by Tsunami Rose” has donated a $10 gift certificate to her store (http://www.zibbet.com/tsunamirose) and a copy of “I Love Sketches By Tsunami Rose” sketches from the month of July! In addition to leaving blog love for all of our participants and following their blogs, please follow http://tsunamirosedesigns.blogspot.com for updates and inspiration for Daisy’s sketches and visit and like her fan page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/106370486155916/.






The creatively diverse Christine Jones of Custom Creative Expressions (http://www.customcreativeexpressions.com/Shop-Online.html) will be creating a personalized tumbler for another lucky winner! Perfect for a gift, or those crafting happy hours! To qualify for this great prize, please leave comments and follow our participating bloggers!




After a long afternoon of crafting, deadline rushes for orders and posts, what would be better than a prize package from SimplySilverton-a soap and paperworks company? This prize pack will include 2-4oz. handmade luxury soap, a 5 oz. body souffle’, 8 oz of scented massage oil, and a pound of bath salt soak. To be eligible, please show your blog love to our participants by leaving comments and following their blogs, and also visiting and liking their page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/SimplySilverton-a-soap-and-paperworks-company-llc/218576901486847.

And…..

Our Blog Hostess, Lisa Woodward would like to say “Thank You” for celebrating this wonderful event with us!. She is offering one lucky winner a $50 prize pack of crafting supplies, embellishments, goodies and bling. In order to be eligible for this prize, please follow and comment on each blog post in our hop.

(All winners will be chosen from eligible entries at random. I will post the winners NLT Sunday, July 22nd, 12 midnight, EST. All entries through Saturday at midnight will be considered eligible.)

Well, we hope you have enjoyed the birthday wishes we have prepared thus far….please join us tomorrow for Day 2 of Keira's Crafting Birthday Bash, starting with Lisa ~ http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/ as she continues the wishes for a wonderful double digit birthday for Keira!! You can just imagine how thrilled she is as she is grinning "ear-to-ear" with all of her birthday wishes!

If you too would like to send a special card or crafting wish the address to mail to is:

Keira Woodward
3448 Valley Creek Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32312

Welcome to INKED -- I love the artwork that is being used in tattoos and its amazing how many people are getting tattoos now-a-days and its not just for bikers or marines anymore! This hop then is dedicated to the beautiful artwork whether you have a tattoo or not . . .

"I got my first tattoo in 2000 and its of Winnie the Pooh floating upwards with 3 balloons on my upper thigh. I want to get another tattoo and hopefully it will be this year of angel wings with a quilt square in the center with my little angel's name above the wings.

We all get tattoos for various reasons. I have noticed that women that with breast cancer that have their breast removed are now a large group of getting tattoos. When my lump was first found and of course with all the concern -- I thought and still feel that if and when my breast would be removed, I want to have a glorious tattoo of a peacock!!!!." ~ Lynn

The art of tattoo can be anything as simple as a name or as beutiful as a peacock and there is always a story behind a tattoo.

This blog hop is dedicated to the stories and the artwork behind a tattoo. If you happen to visit today at my blop, I appreciate the visit but I would love for you to appreciate all the wonderful projects that are being displayed today and would want you to stop at the first inking with Lynne at http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com. If you arrived from visiting Miriam ~ http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com , then you are on the right artful path of inking!!!!

I was a single mom for 9 years, so ALL of my tattoos have to do with my daughter Stephanie. I designed them all, and do NOT regret a single one!! I felt at the time, I needed to make up for the absence of her biological father, who left when I told him I was pregnant, and had only seen her for 2 seconds when she was a week old, never to return. SO.... when I say single, I MEAN single. Not a penny from him for child support. I worked 3 part time jobs just to pay rent and keep food on the table. So, anytime I got birthday money, or tax returns, I splurged on us both. I would get a tat, and she wanted Disneyland annual passes. Each one of my tats represent a time in my life that was hard, but worth every tear, every drop of sweat, and every broken dream I ever had.

 Each of these are like little stories I can share with people, about triumph and how God can make anything possible. That bad part in my life was because of the choices "I" was making. All I wanted was a better life for my daughter. She was my priority for a long time, but realized that my focus needed to be on God, and what his plan for me.  Once that happened and I came to Christ, our lives got better and better.  Each tattoo is a story that can be told to anyone who asks about them. I am thankful for them in a way that, I can share my hard times, and hopefully give someone a boost when they are down, letting them kow that anything is possible when you trust in the Lord.

My daughter is 16 now, almost 17, getting ready to graduate high school in Jan. She's homeschooled and is flying through her work so she can get it over with!! She really is amazing, beautiful, and my one and only. God placed a wonderful God fearing man in my life and I do have 2 sons now that I'm married,  but her, being my only girl, will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart! All that we went through together really paid off. We made it, and we made it together with the Lord's help!

Here's pictures of my INK!!

This one is my most favorite EVER!!! Some of you may have seen the T.V. show on TLC called Miami Ink.... Kat Von D was the girl who did this tattoo before she got big, and got her own show called LA Ink. She was just 19 years old when she did this tattoo on me. It's a portrait of my daughter when she was 5, with fairy wings.

This is on the outside of my right arm. SM is for my daughter's name, Stephanie Michelle. All the way around my arm is the Celtic Tree of Life. It starts in a little planter on the underside of my arm. ( my daughter is half Irish)
                                                                    

Underside                                                  Outside     

This one means "Beautiful November's Child" in Greek. ( she was born in November and we are part Greek) I added 2 Whinnie the Pooh Butterflies to it a few years later, one representing me, and the other, my daughter. ( on my lower back, now called a "Tramp Stamp".... but....whatever!! LOL)

This one is on the outside of my left arm. It's and Ancient Japanese character meaning " Ultimate Love" It's Purple, my favorite color, but the meaning was for the undying love for my baby girl.

This was my very first tattoo. It's a butterfly I designed, and within the lines, my daughters initials are hidden. Kinda hard to tell, but they're there! I love butterflies, to me, they represent freedom. They are light, beautiful, and free! :) That describes us!

NOW... On to my project!!

This is the layout I did for this project. My thought was how I felt back then when I was getting my art work done. I was a "Rock-a-Billy" chick, and so...... this layout was born.

First page. I added sewn mats, lots of mulberry flowers, ribbon, gold safety pin with a charm and a little bling.

Close up of the smaller sewn mat.

Larger sewn mat. Lacey corners are pockets for the photo, flowers and bling in the opposite corners.

Second page. More flowers, same materials as the first page.

Angled view so you can see the layers and dimensions.....

Bottom part is a pocket for 3 decorated tags....

Close up of 3 sewn tags.

I had a blast doing this blog hop, I hope you had a blast, checking out all of our projects!!

Thank you for finishing up with me. I've included the full line up below, just incase you came here first, you can start at the top and work your way back down the line.

Thanks for stopping today and visiting our tribute to inking with the glorious artwork behind tattoos!


Now, you are on your way to Laura's awesome work..... www.lauraleesdream.blogspot.com

Full line up below incase you came here first, you can start at Lynne's and work your way all the down the list!

1. Lynne - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
2. Kimberly ~ http://scrappingrookie.blogspot.com
3. Anita~ http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com
4. Miriam ~ http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com/
5. Jenny ~ http://cccjalessi.blogspot.com/
6. Laura- www.lauraleesdream.blogspot.com
7. Rhonda ~ http://craftingwithblue.blogspot.com
8. Daisy - http://tsunamirosedesigns.blogspot.com/

Welcome to our 4th of July Blog Hop! What comes to mind, when you think of the 4th of July? Being with family, barbeques, picnics, and fireworks? That's what comes to my mind. But, few know the actual reason we are celebrating this holiday. We know it has something to do with America, the flag, and independence. On July 4, 1776, United States of America declared its independence from Britain. So today is America’s Birthday! Happy Birthday, America!
Today we have a lot of wonderful, talented women wanting to celebrate this holiday, with you. In case you get lost and want to start at the beginning, go to Pamela’s blog http://kraftykatstampstudio.blogspot.com

1. Pamela ~ http://kraftykatstampstudio.blogspot.com
2. Colleen ~ http://www.cbcscrapbooking.blogspot.com
3. Nancy ~ http://alwaysastorycreationsbynancy.blogspot.com/
4. Lisa W. ~ http://mycraftyspaces.blogspot.com
5. Cathie W.~http://cathiescafe-scraphappy.blogspot.com/
6. Jenny ~ http://cccjalessi.blogspot.com/
7. Miriam ~ http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com
8. CallyAnn- http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com
9. Jennifer ~ http://wunderscreations.blogspot.com
10. Janet ~ http://www.ladyluvbug.blogspot.com

And we are giving away some really exciting 4th of July Candy! Kristy from Scraptastical Kreations http://scraptasticalkreations.com has offered to give one lucky winner a $15 Gift Certificate to her store! All you have to do is visit every blog in this hop and leave a comment.
If you arrived from Cathie W.~http://cathiescafe-scraphappy.blogspot.com/  then you are on the right track.


O.K. So, I got a few patriotic cuts from some friends, and decided to use some of them. I made a sign for my front door to celebrate our freedom as Americans. Here's what it looks like!

 LOL!!! Was even using my flag scissors..... they're my everyday ones!! ;)

 Rundown of names... wanna give credit where credit is due! Miriam Meserve made the sparkly fireworks, Wanda Sanchez made the adorable ice cream cone, and Carolyn Mc Cravy made the " Precious Freedom" and the 4th of July cuts. I made the dog tag, to also give credit to all of our American soldiers, past, and present, who put their lives on the line everyday, for OUR freedom!

Here's the sign on my front door!

Lucky me.... this is what my boys were doing while I was getting my crafting done!! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Now I must send you to Miriam ~ http://miriamscreations.blogspot.com
Remember, to win the blog candy, you must visit every ladies blog and leave a comment.
Have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!