Sunny Flower Shop / NAC #60

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having a good week so far. I don't know about where you live but it's been cold, wet and dreary here in the DMV. But this week's card is bright and cheery. I got the Flower Shop stamp set a few months ago and I can't believe this is the first time I've inked it up. I really love that there's a coordinating punch. It made getting the flowers cut out so easy. This week the Nacho's have a color challenge and though those are generally my least favorite, I was so excited to see this combo. Check out today's card and let me know what you think-

Ooooohhhh! I had so much fun making this card! I used the new Deco Labels Framelets to make a frame for my sentiment and popped both up with dimensionals. It seemed like it needed a little something so I got out my Perfect Polka Dots and Fancy Fan Embossing Folders. Sometimes I wonder what I would do without my embossing folders. Whenever I feel like I'm missing something, that's usually what it is. :) Here's the colors for this week's challenge-

What a Great Combo!!!

It's hard to tell but I used my Blender Pens and ink pads to add just a slight wash of color. I couldn't find my Dazzling Diamonds in all the packing but I did find my Iridescent Ice and added that for just a little bling.

Sorry for the Ginormous Pics but I wanted you to see the shine

I had to have a pretty inside too, so here's what I came up with-

 What do you think? I love the sentiments on this card and the fonts. Know what I love even more? I got them for FREE at Convention. Love Stampin' Up!!!

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today's card and I hope it inspires you to break out a set you've been waiting to play with. Most of all I hope it inspires you to play along with us this week! If you have questions, don't forget to leave me a message and I'll be sure to get back to you.

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the Rain.

Be Safe,
SHan

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Halloween Treat Holder / NAC #58

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having a good week so far and I'm so glad you took the time to stop by and see me today. :) It's Tuesday and you know I love them because I get to share a new challenge with you. This week's challenge, at Nacho Average Challenges, is a color challenge and even though I don't normally like those very much I was super excited about this week's combo. It's just in time for Halloween and I have a big team meeting coming up in 2 weeks and was looking for something to make. So if I'm ruing the surprise for any of you, sorry about that, just pretend to be surprised ok? I think this is also going to be my Halloween Treat for the people at work.  Here's this week's project-

How cute is this!?! And you are not going to believe how Super-Simple it was to make. Can you guess the colors? They are perfect for Halloween projects! Make sure to read on for tips on how to make this.

Even though I'm still not convinced about Summer Starfruit on its own, put it with certain colors and it's amazing!

I got to use my New Envelope Punch Board and I have to say I'm in LOVE!!! I literally made the envelope for this in about a minute. It uses a 5x5 piece of cardstock and you start at 2 inches for your first score. This size envelope is perfect for gift cards too, but unless it's a Serious amount on the gift card, I'm going to be just as happy with some Chocolate. I will say that I made a few of these before I decided on the final one above. 

Here's the first one-

Cute, but it still needed a little something. So after a few tries with different embossing folders and glitters I ended up with the Polka Dot EF. It gave it a little something without being too much. I put the envelope folded up in the EF and ran it through my Big-Shot and it embossed everything. I was afraid it wouldn't work but it did. Make sure that you stamp and glitter your images first though or you won't get good coverage when you stamp. The spiders are from the new PhotoPolymer set Bite Me. Love that Name! I stamped them with VersaMark and then used our Heat and Stick powder and  new Black glitter. The Striped paper is from our New Halloween Witches Brew DSP and it's Tombowed on to my envelope. I colored the Trick or Treat tag from Tags 4 You in with my Stampin' Write Markers and punched it out with my new Label Bracket Punch and popped it up with a Dimensional. I got the stamp set Free at Convention and it has 5 stamps that you can use from Fall through Valentine's Day.

Well that's all I have for you today, I sure hope you liked today's project and I hope it inspires you to play along with the Nacho's and to get busy on your gift holders for the upcoming holidays. If you have any questions about today's project, be sure to leave me a message below and I'll be sure to get back to you.

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated. Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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A Wishy-Washi Thank-You :) / NAC #55

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having a good week! I have a bright a sunny card for you today.

I don't know where you are, but not only has it been a little overcast here in the DMV, but yesterday we had a very sad day with the mass shooting at the Navy Yard. So even though this card was made a few weeks back for a different occasion, it really fits for today's post. By the way, if you get a moment and you believe in the power of prayer or at least the power of goodwill, if you get a chance to send some good thoughts and positive energy to the families of those that lost love ones up here and those who will be struggling to go to work now due to this tragedy, I'm sure it would be much appreciated by all.

Do you ever find it funny how you get inspiration for your cards or projects? This week at Nacho Average Challenges  we have a sketch challenge, and as soon as I saw this week's sketch I knew what I wanted to use right off the bat. YEA!!! I just didn't know how I was going to get there? *Facepalm* But I persevered and I'm so excited with the end result. Here's what I came up with-

Can I just tell you that I did a little happy dance when I finished with this card? Yep! *HappyDance* 

Ok- that was after I conceded that I wasn't going to be able to easily add the gift card under the embossed framelet piece. But really, it didn't take me long to give that little bit up, then I danced around. I originally wanted to lift the flap up and have the gift card underneath, but in the end it wouldn't have laid nice enough so I'm happier with it like this. Many of you know I'm trying to sell my house. Well, I have some really good neighbors that built their house at the same time that I did 11 years ago. While I've been a single mom, the husband has often helped to shovel my sidewalk in the winter or mow my yard in the summer. I would go out to do it and just find it already done. So I got them a Gift card so they can go out to a nice dinner. They have a sweet little girl that I've watched grow up, and there's enough on the card for her to go too, but I'll offer to watch her so they can have a date night.

Here's the sketch we were using-

Sorry about the blurry photo, somehow I think I missed the newest upload. :(

When I first saw this sketch I knew I wanted to use Washi tape. Isn't funny how that works? Not DSP, not ribbons or embellishments, Washi right off the bat. Then I just had to figure out the rest of it. I have to say it actually came together pretty quick especially since my stamp room is in the closet.  I used my Gingham Garden Washi and DSP in addition to my Perfect PolkaDots and Plenty of Petals Embossing Folders. I created the whole card sitting on the floor of one of my spare bedrooms in about 30 minutes. LOVE when that happens. Normally I have a pretty inside to show you but I forgot to get pictures. More pretty washi inside though.  

Well that's all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope it brings a little sunshine and cheer into your day. What I really hope though is that it makes you want to pull out your supplies and play along with us Nachos. We can't wait to see what you come up with! If you have questions about today's card, or just want to give me a little digital love, feel free to leave me a message below and I'll be sure to get back to you. Your comments make my day!

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. you are very appreciated! Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the Rain.

Be Safe-

Shan

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Oh Hello - NAC #27 / My Challenge #54

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Hey y'all. Hope you're having a fabulous weekend. I don't know about you but these short weeks really throw me for a loop. It just doesn't seem like Saturday although I did really enjoy sleeping in today! I was cleaning up around the house when I realized I still needed to make my card and post it for this week's Nacho Average Challenge. ACK!!!! Good news is I knew exactly what I wanted to make so I got right to it. Even better news is that it turned out just like I had envisioned it. It seems like lately that hasn't been happening a lot so I was pretty excited about this. I couldn't miss posting because I haven't missed one of their challenges yet. Hard to believe they're on #27 already! If you haven't joined in on one of their challenges, hop on over and check them out and then make sure to follow them so you get their challenges each week. They have some Amazingly talented ladies on their DT. I love seeing what they've created each week and they always leave the nicest comments. Don't forget to check them out, just finish here first ok. :)

Here's my card for this week's challenge-

What do you think? C&S is definitely not my norm, but that's one reason I love doing challenges so much. They can really force you to step out of your comfort zone. If you noticed the title of today's challenge I have decided to keep doing at least one challenge each week. That was something I challenged myself to last year and I'm going to continue with it this year as well.

Here's the sketch I was working with-

My only alteration to the layout was to add an additional layer. This card is still really flat and, believe it or not, no Dimensionals were used in the making of this card. If you know me, you know that's very unusual. This would mail really easily and probably without any additional charges.

I started with a base of So Saffron. My color palate was inspired from the DSP I was working with. It's from our new Tea Time Collection and it's Fabulous! I can't wait to make more cards with this collection. I added a layer of Whisper White c/s that I ran through the Big Shot with my Perfect Polka Dot E.F. and Tombowed a 2 x 4 piece of the DSP onto this. I added some Baja Breeze Seam Binding to cover the seam and then added a bow which I secured with a Mini-Glue Dot. I actually adhered the back of my tag, which I hand cut, to my DSP so it won't go anywhere. Here's a closer look at my tag. Are you wondering why it just says "Oh"-

Because the rest of the sentiment is on the inside. I thought that added a little extra interest to the card front. This is from the Oh Hello stamp set that's new in our Spring Catalog. Love that set. I always think they can't make me want it all and then I almost always do! The words were masked and then inked with a Marina Mist Stampin Write Marker.

Here's the inside-

I almost never leave the inside without a sentiment, but I was kind of in a "Note-card" kind of mood and thought I would leave the inside blank so there would be plenty of room to write. Of course just because there's no sentiment doesn't mean it has to be plain. You know I like to have pretty insides so I stamped the flower from the same set. I colored the stamp in with Marina Mist and Wild Wasabi markers and then used my Blender Pens and Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery ink pads to finish the coloring. A little love from Tink and my card was finished. Here's a closer look-

It's so pretty and shimmery in person.

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked it and I hope it inspires you to create something new and fun and maybe a little out of your comfort zone. If you liked today's card or have questions about it I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a comment below. I love hearing from you and your comments really make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card I've put those buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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Snowman Tic-Tac Holders / Secret Santa Ideas End of the Week Technique # 59

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Hey y'all. Just a quick post tonight. I'm a week behind on my EWT's so I'm throwing an extra one in. These Tic-Tac Holders are all over the place but of course when I went to look up directions I saw a few different ones that I liked, with different measurements & different decorations so I just kind combined to make my own.

We're doing a 12 Days of Christmas/Secret Santa gift exchange at my work and I though this would be a nice little stocking stuffer. I'm happy to say I've also done a few other projects that I will be posting soon with  tutorials too.

Here's today's project-

Ok, so I'm a little disappointed that the picture came out so washed out, but you can get the idea and unfortunately, I'm too tired to get back up and take some more. :( Sorry.

Here's what you need for this project- Cardstock in your choice of colors. I used Bashful Blue and Whisper White, Ribbon- I used our stitched ribbon in White. Circle Punches in the following sizes- 1 1/4, 1, and 3/4. Corner Rounder Punch, Perfect Polka Dots E. F., Big Shot, Stamp Set of your choice for the background, Pumpkin Pie Stampin Write Marker, Pearls and Black Sharpie Marker. Oh and of course a pack of Tic-Tacs. :)

Here's how you make your project-
1- I Started with a base of Bashful Blue Cardstock cut to 3 x 4 7/16 and rounded the edges. I know this is an odd measurement but I took one that was from another blog and when I scored it, the front & back weren't even (so you know the OCD in me made me change it). Score this at 1 15/16 & 2 13/16.
2- Cut your Whisper White c/s at 1 3/4 x 2 13/16 and round two edges.
3- Stamp your background. I chose to use the smallest snowflake from the Snowflake Soiree set. I stamped it in Marina Mist 3 times full strength and 3 times stamping off once.
4- Adhere the ribbon to your base. I did this 2 different ways, once under my W.W. piece and once over it (simply because I had already adhered my W.W. c/s to my base. Adhering it under your W.W. piece is much easier.
5- Adhere your W.W. c/s and then using your 1 1/4 Circle punch, punch your circle near the bottom of your W.W. piece.
6- Punch a 1" circle from a scrap piece of c W.W. c/s and run it through your Big Shot in your Perfect Polka Dot E.F. Adhere this to your c/s, slightly overlapping your punched c.s base. Add 3 medium pearls to this for buttons. You can color them with a black Sharpie while they are still on the adhesive page.
7- Punch a 3/4" W.W. Circle from scrap c/s. Color the small pearls that are attached in a row for the eyes and mouth and once they are dry, attach them to this piece. Using your Pumpkin Pie Marker draw a little triangle for the carrot nose. This piece gets attached with a Dimensional.
8- Apply a line of Sticky Strip in the middle of your two score lines and use this to attach the c/s to your Tic-Tac container. and tie your ribbon in a bow or knot.
9- Smile when you see your finished product and smile even bigger when you think of the joy it will bring it's recipient. :) That part just never gets old!

That's all I have for you tonight. I hope you like it and I hope it inspires you to try something new. This is a quick and easy project that is sure to bring a smile to someone's face. It's also quick to make and you could easily make a large batch for your office friends in no time at all. If you like today's project or have questions about it, I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a comment in the space below. I love hearing from you and your comments really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin it, I've put those buttons on my b log for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the Storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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Go Ahead & Cry / NAC #20 ? My Challenge #47

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Hey y'all. Happy Wednesday! Boy, here I was thinking I was doing good because it was only Tuesday and then I realized I'm a day behind because of the Holiday. Oh well, at least I'm getting to post. I hope you're having a great week so far. I'm almost situated in my new job, so hopefully things will be getting a little more back to normal. For those that have followed me for a while now, I'm finally out of my boot, hopefully for good and trying to get back to exercising. I started at a new gym tonight and managed a 30 minute walk run 15/15 and am still able to walk so I'm thinking that's a good thing. :) Thanks for all the thoughts, prayers and well wishes you sent my way!

I'm so excited about today's card! You know I love those fabulous ladies over at Nacho Average Challenge and I make sure to get their challenge in every week. (Some times earlier than later, lol) They've got a color challenge this week and you know how I feel about them, but I'm very happy with how my card turned out. I love when people give measurements for their cards especially ones with lots of layers so guess what?  I have them for you and will put them at the end of the post. Why? Because that's just the kind of friend I am. :) It took me 2 hours to make this card and the bulk of that was trying to figure out the layer measurements. :( Here's what I came up with-

Sympathy Card featuring Lean On Me Stamp Set

Here are the colors I had to work with-

 

Summer Starfruit is still not one of my favorite colors, but I have to say it's growing on me. I think it works best with strong, really saturated colors and Midnight Muse is one of my favorites to pair it with! I started with a base of Midnight Muse. To that I added a layer of Summer Starfruit that I ran through my Big Shot in my new Argyle  Embossing Folder. Love all that fabulous texture! One of the nice things about that folder is how nice it really looks on either sid, embossed or de-bossed. Next came a layer of Baja Breeze that was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Folder. These three layers were all Tombowed together.

My next layer is Midnight Muse and I used one of my scalloped border punches to add detail to the one end. I stamped my image on Naturals White with Black Staz-On and used my Blender Pens and Classic Ink Pads to color it in. I love all the color variations you can get with that technique! Here's a close-up view-

 I wrapped my Midnight Muse Striped Ribbon around the Naturals White layer and secured it with SNAIL. I then secured this to the Midnight Muse layer with Tombow. This panel was adhered with Dimensionals and the front of my card was done. Yea! :)

Here's the inside-

Inside of Sympathy Card with Everything Eleanor and Teeny Tiny Wishes

I used Teeny Tiny Wishes for my sentiment and stamped it in Midnight Muse. Here's a close-up of my pretty little flower because you know I think the inside should be pretty too!

I stamped this in Midnight Muse as well and then colored it in with some Baja Breeze. A little love from Tink finished it off.

Before I forget, Here's the card measurements-
The base is a standard  base of 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 scored and folded at 4 1/4.
Summer Starfruit- 4 1/2 x 3 1/4
Baja Breeze- 4 1/2 x 2 1/4
Midnight Muse- 3 1/2 x 2 1/4 and then cut with punch
Naturals White- 3 x 2
Hope this helps! :)

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked it and I hope the fabulous ladies over at NAC like it too! If you liked today's card or have questions about it, I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a comment below. If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card I've put those buttons here for you. Friends and Followers are always welcome too!

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to visit my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope you make it by again soon. Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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End of the Week Technique #51 - Easel Cards / Domestic Violence Awareness

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday. I hope you're having an Amazing week and gearing up for the weekend. Just one more day, woo-hoo. :)

I'm a little disappointed in my self that we are 11 days into the month of October and I haven't done a "Purple Post" yet. Most of you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know though, that it is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month? I bet most of you will answer "No" to that question. It's unfortunate that two of the biggest health concerns for women fall on the same month. It's a tragedy that one gets all the attention and the other very little. Football players wear pink, the White House gets bathed in pink lights, there are Nationally known walks and runs all in pink, but none of this happens in purple. One reason Domestic Violence is such an epidemic in not only our country but world-wide is that more people don't talk about it. The silence of it's victims and of the communities it's victims live in only contributes to the strength of this scourge. It's time to remember that Love Does Not Hurt! Please keep this in mind not only this month but throughout the year. We can only stop this epidemic of pain and suffering by shining a light on it. If you know someone that is in an abusive relationship, be it physical, emotional, financial or any other type, please let them know you care and are not willing to let them continue on alone.

Ok, off my soap-box-, although I can't promise that you won't hear it again. :) Today's card is an easel card. I did one of these way back when I first began my blog, just in a different shape, so it's been a while. I thought it was time to do another one and to do one in a shape I thought went well with the month. Here's today's card-

I used the Bigz Butterflies Die and my Big Shot to make this and it came together so quickly. Although this particular style easel card will stay open on it's own (the butterfly wings catch on the notched section) I chose to add a stop as well. I had wanted to add a purple ribbon, but the stamp I have would have been too big. :(

Here's a little bit different angle-

Sorry for the "huge" picture I wanted to show some of the detail.

I used Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White c/s and Wisteria Wonder Classic ink to sponge the edges of the c/s and Elegant Eggplant ink to stamp the sentiment. The sentiment was cut out with the Word Window Punch, sponged with Wisteria Wonder and then edged with a little love from Tink in the form of Dazzling Diamonds. It was then adhered with Dimensionals to make a lovely sentiment and an additional stand. The butterfly wasn't originally sparkly, but I felt it needed just a little something extra so Tink gave it a little love as well and I think that was just the right touch. Since the c/s is so light, an additional greeting could be written on the back of the base piece.

For today's technique you will need the following- Embossing tool (I used my Big Shot), Butterflies Die, scoring tool (I used my Simply Scored Tool) Embellishments as desired (I used the Perfect Polka Dots E.F., Word Window Punch, Dimensionals, Two-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds and a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes).

Although you can make an easel card in any shape and without the aid of a die, I chose the butterfly die, because of the symbolism of butterflies. To me the change they go through is similar to the change/rebirth someone emerging from an abusive relationship goes through.

Here's what you will do-

1- Cut and score your c/s in the size you will need for your particular shape. Mine c/s was approximately 8 x 3 1/2 scored to form a 4 x 3 1/2 piece of c/s. I placed this over my butterfly die with the folded edge just below the top of the wings so that when I ran it through my Big Shot I ended up with 1 cut out piece of c/s instead of 2. Next you will need to decide where to score your top piece. I simply scored across the center where there was already a notch in the design.

Ooooh, sorry that's blurry!

2- Fold and re-enforce your score line down-wards.

3- Cut out another piece of c/s using the same design but this time cut out the entire image.

4- Adhere your new cut-out image to the bottom portion of your scored c/s. I used Tombow to adhere my two pieces together. 

*Tip* apply the adhesive to your scored piece of c/s and not your top cut-out image. If you apply adhesive to the top image and you apply extra it could later get stuck to the area above the score line and then your card will not function correctly.

5- If needed by your design add an element to the base of your card to act as a "stop" to keep your card open.

6- Optional - Embellish as desired. You will likely want to do this before doing your final adhering. I ran my top piece of c/s through the Perfect Polka Dots E.F. for a little added texture and also did my sponging after the fact. (You live and You learn and then you embellish just a little more!)

7- Smile when you see your finished project and smile even more when you think about the smile that it will bring to it's recipients face. (This really is the best part)

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today' technique and card and I hope it inspires you to try something new today. There are many different types of easel cards and I will be trying more including some that don't include dies, but to be honest, I've been so busy with different issues this past week I didn't have the time to figure out a design from scratch. Hopefully I will be able to do this soon. I love hearing from you, so if you liked today's card or technique or have questions, I hope you'll leave me a message below. I read them all and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome and thoroughly appreciated! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Please also remember that Love Does Not Hurt-

Be Safe,

Shan

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Scentsational Challenges / My Challenge 37 & 38 NAC #10/CCMCHOL12-01

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Hey y'all. Hope you're having a great weekend so far. I've got a post for you today because I'm a little late getting my card ready for the Nacho Average Challenge's weekly challenge. I haven't missed one yet, so I have to hurry up and get it posted.

If you've been following me for any length of time you know about my best friend Jason. He lives in Yuma and was here for a 2 week class earlier in the year. Well, he's coming back tomorrow for another 2 week class and I could't be more excited! I spend as much time catching up with him as possible so I try to get all my cards and projects done in advance. I try to get as many challenges done ahead of time too, so I don't have to worry about doing them while he's here. Today's card is for two challenges so I'm counting it for this week's challenge and next week's too. Since one challenge ends tonight and one ends next week I think that's a good compromise. :)

I don't know about you but I love our stamp sets that have coordinating framelets. It makes it so much easier to create really cool projects!I I 'm also loving Nacho Average Challenge's (NAC) weekly challenges. Of course I love the sketch challenges more than the color challenges and of course this weeks challenge is a color challenge. This color challenge was actually the hardest one for me yet. I just couldn't figure out what I was going to do with it. Of course, once I did I still had to figure out what I was going to do with it. I had an idea for how I wanted to use the stamp set, I just had to come up with a layout. Luckily I found a cute one over at Create with Connie and Mary and I was able to get started.

Here's what I came up with-

Holiday card featuring
Scentsational Season and Holiday Framelets

 Here are the two challenges I used-

(You're not going to believe this but I am re-writing this because I forgot to preview it and then when I went back to preview it I hit the wrong button and said revert to draft instead of view and lost the rest of it. AUGH!!!!!)
 So let's try again. I kind of feel this cards a win-win. I get to count it for two challenges (as well as my personal challenge) and the layout makes it fit my Clean & Simple card of the week. :) Love when things work out like that. Although the layout is C&S, there's a lot going on with this card.

I started with a base of Very Vanilla. I ran it through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. The Early Espresso flag is embossed with the Lacey Brocade Embossing Folder. My cup o'hot chocolate is colored in Wild Wasabi and Early Espresso. My candy cane is stamped in Raspberry Ripple. I used the fabulous Holiday Framelets to cut them both out. I then used my Versa Marker and Clear Embossing Powder to make both of them all nice and shiny. I should have emobssed it with one of my scented powders but I forgot. :( I cut a small slit in the E.E. part of my mug and then slid my candy cane down inside and secured it with Dimensionals. The steam image is stamped in Whisper White Craft Ink and heat embossed with White Embossing Powder. My mug and candy cane are adhered to my embossed flag with lots of Dimensionals and it makes it look like the steam was rising from the cup. :)

Here's the inside-

Inside of Holiday card featuring
Scentsational Holiday and Greetings of the Season.

My sentiment is from Greetings of the Season and is stamped in E.E. I love the combination of fonts on that sentiment. It's hard to tell, but I let Tink have her way with my Candy Cane and it's all sparkly and yummy looking.

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked it and I hope the fab D.T. members like it too! I love hearing form you so if you liked today's card or have questions or comments about it, I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a comment. I read them all and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are every appreciated! I hope you'll stop back by soon to see the new stuff I have waiting for you. Till next time- 

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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Double Embossed Evergreen Center Step Card (Wow, That's A Mouthfull) / NAC#9

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Hey y'all. Happy Friday! I hope you're getting ready to enjoy the long Holiday weekend. I plan on kicking back and relaxing as much as possible and hopefully my stooopid arches will continue to heal and I'll be able to run again or at least walk reasonably well. I am going to Jimmy Buffet Saturday night, but other than that my weekends wide open. Wanna come stamp and play!?!

I've been trying to figure out for the last few days what I wanted to do with the sketch over at Nacho Average Challenge's site this week. I've done all of their challenges so I wanted to make sure to get this one done too. It seemed like a pretty C&S sketch, but you know how I am with C&S! HAHAHA!!! Well I kept batting around ideas and had finally decided on the set I thought I wanted to use, I just had to figure out the rest of it.

Well, then inspiration struck! I won't tell you where I was and what I was doing when it struck, but it struck and I was so excited to get to the studio and get started. I got downstairs and discovered it was going to work. Woo-Hoo! *Happy Dance* Then all I had to do was figure out just  how I was going to do it. It's almost never just Clean & Simple or even Easy with me, but then you most likely already knew that. :)

Here's today's card- Sorry for the Ginormous Picture, I had to get it this big so you could see all the details.

Merry Christmas Center Step Card featuring
Evergreen Stamp set 

AUGH!!! I really wish you could see this in person. It's definitely one of those that when you finish it you say, "Wow! I made that!!!" You can't see the Gold Embossed lettering in that picture so here's another view (a little smaller) but this time you can't see the dry embossing. UGH!

Merry Christmas Center Step Card featuring
Evergreen Stamp set 

Here's the sketch I was using from NAC

I was thinking about a card I wanted to make for my baby brothers with the monster set and how I had been thinking of a step card and it hit me that a "center step card" would leave a middle section that was set apart from the sides and it reminded me of the sketch.

Oooohhhh, I was ready to get cracking. Just one problem, I had never made a center-step card. Yep, over a year of blogging, 246 posts and not one center step card. Well off to You-Tube for a little tutorial help. I got the measurements, went to the studio and got started. Luckily, I've learned to practice on old colored cardstock that I won't miss. I got it right on the first try. However, it wasn't going to fit in a regular envelope. Now I don't mind making envelopes, in theory, but I want a card I can mail or that someone else can mail with out any hassles. Time to try again. Now, I've told you guys this before. There's two kinds of math I can do easily. Tip Math and Medic/Nurse Math. I can't even keep my checkbook balanced without the app. *SMH* Let me just reassure you, this was not one either one of those kinds of math. I persevered though and after 2 more attempts had a center step card that would fit in a standard envelope. *Yea!*

Could I just be happy and leave it at that? Of course not! I didn't want to add DSP to the side panels because I really wanted my center panel to be the star. I couldn't however just leave the sides blank. I decided to try and Dry Emboss them. Now I'm sure someone, somewhere has done this before. I'm sure I can't be the first one to do it (although that would be really Super Cool!) but I've never seen it done before. It took me two more sample cards and multiple attempts on the first  three pieces too before I was able to get it right. I even took pictures, but of course I didn't remember to take them until after I had perfected it, but still you'll get the idea.

First off , the measurements for this card so it will fit a standard envelope and the Embossing Folders- I will make a Center Step Card a EWT and take step by step pictures next time.

1- Cut your c/s (I used Night of Navy) - 4 1/4" x 11"
2- Measure in 1" from both long sides and cut from 1" (up from the bottom ) to 6 1/2". This will give you the cuts that will become your center panel.
3- Score your outer scores. On the long sides score (from the outside edge to your cut lines) at 1", 2" and 6 1/2" (I used my Simply Scored for this)
4- Score your inner score. On the long edge score the center  at 5 1/2" from one cut line to the next.
5- The easiest way to fold is this. Lift your center panel up slightly and "Mountain Fold" on your 5 1/2" score line. "Mountain Fold" at both of your 6 1/2" score lines. "Valley Fold" at both 2" score lines and finish off with "Mountain Folds" on both of your 1" lines.

Now your card is folded. Take your first Embossing Folder, I used Petals-a-Plenty and place it so it's under your center panel and sandwiched over your two side pieces. Make your regular "sandwich" and run it through your Big Shot. I had mine with no tabs just the platform. Here's what it will look like-

Disregard the Embossed Center Panel. Like I said I went back and took pictures
 after I knew it had worked, but didn't want to run another piece of c/s through at that point.

You will have beautifully embossed side panels. I guess you could leave it with just the side panels done, but I wanted just a little something more. I know what you're thinking, "Shan trying to do something "More"? No way!?!" Yes-WAY!!!

Take your second Embossing Folder, I used Perfect Polka Dots, and place your center panel inside of it extending it fully across both side panels. Yes, this will flattened the embossing on your side panels a little but trust me when I say it makes for a very nice "subtle" embossed pattern and it also allows for your center panel to really be your focal point. You're going to need to add some shims to the bottom portion of your card. Ok, technically you don't but I found if when I didn't, and the card was "standing open" you could see the embossing was "bolder" in the very bottom of the side panels. It was just enough to bother me. If it doesn't bother you,  no worries, if it does this is how I fixed it.

See my samples. I told you old c/s. One is Pixie Pink and I'm not sure what the other is  Gable Green maybe.

I took the bottom one inch off a previous sample and slid it in from the bottom of the card behind the front bottom panel. I then took the green sample card (I forgot to stop cutting at 1" and cut all the way to the end of the c/s. This is another reason why you practice on old c/s.) and used it as a shim. When the card is "closed you will have 4 layers of c/s. Place this over the top of your bottom 1" section of c/s. As you can see that brings it up to the same height as the Embossing Folder. Build your sandwich as you normally would (for me No tabs, cutting plate under and over c/s and embossing folder) and run it through your Big Shot. This will allow you to emboss your center panel and get that inner lower portion of the side panels pretty close to the appearance on the top. If it's still a little too embossed for your tastes, you can also take your bone folder and carefully burnish just a little.

Look at the pretty Polka Dot Embossing on the center panel and the soft lightly embossed appearance on the side panel.

For my focal point I used my Crumb Cake Classic Ink Pad. I inked up my stamp and stamped off once before stamping the image onto my Naturals White Cardstock. I then inked up the words with my VersaMark pad and using my SAMJ (of course) stamped my second image. Gold Embossing Powder was added and set with my Heat Tool. The N.W. panel was adhered to an Always Artichoke panel with Dimensionals and then this whole panel was adhered to the center panel with more Dimensionals. Here are the Measurements for the center panel. Always Artichoke 3 3/8" x 3 7/8". Naturals White 3 3/4 x 3 1/4.

I had to move the "banner" portion of the sketch down so you could read all the words but otherwise I think I captured the sketch in a fun, unique way. I embossed the greeting Merry Christmas,  from Greeting of the Season, and adhered it in the same manner to the bottom front panel. The measurements for that piece are A.A. 7/8" x 1 3/8 and N.W. 3/4" x 3 1/5". Oh I also sponged the edges of the A.A. and N.W. pieces of c/s. I used Crumb Cake on the N.W. and it almost has a golden hue to it like the heat embossed areas. :)

I didn't even think of putting anything inside to write on. Hope you'll forgive me for that. After two hours of working on this card I honestly thought it was through. I think though that I will probably just add a piece of c/s to the back for a holiday note. I really wish you could see this card in person. It's just Wow!

Well, that's all I have for you today, but I guess since it was packed full with pictures and info, maybe you won't mind that I forgot something. I hope you liked it and I hope it inspires you to try something new, maybe a new card style or a challenge or better yet, do both! There's still time to play along with this challenge. If you have questions or comments about today's card, I  hope you'll take a moment to leave me a message. I love hearing from you, read them all and they really do make my day. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope you have a safe and happy holiday weekend, filled with lots of time for Family, Friends and of course Creativity. Hope to see you back here soon. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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A Clean & Simple Easy Events Mistletoe Card

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having a great week so far. Not feeling too good today so just a quick post.

Most of you know that Clean & Simple, (C&S) or Even Quick & Easy cards are not ones that seem to come to me very easily...but I am trying. In keeping with my goal of a C&S card each week, here is this week's offering-

C&S Christmas Card featuring
Easy Events Stamp Set

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. Whenever I see this stamp it always seems like it should be hanging instead of reaching across the stamp like it does. So, I fixed it! Lol! I colored the stamp with my  Stampin Write Markers in Soft Suede, Garden Green and Real Red, omitting the greeting and stamped it on a piece of Whisper White c/s. I then used my Blender Pens and Garden Green Classic Ink Pad to color in the leaves. I added a little Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details and set it aside to dry. 

*Tip*- When using Dazzling Details, if at all possible do this portion of your project at the beginning because it will require drying time.

I used a base of Riding Hood Red simply because that was the only color red ribbon I had at the time. Even though it's not as vibrant as the Garden Green it still coordinates wonderfully. That's one of the things I love about SU products. They all coordinate so beautifully together. I topped this with a piece of Whisper White c/s that I ran through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, which I adhered with Tombow. 

Once my Dazzling Details was dry I attached a small Riding Hood Red Ribbon to the top of my branch with a Mini-Glue Dot. This panel was mounted with Tombow to my Garden Green layer and this panel was then adhered with Dimensionals. Here's a closer look-

 Didn't it turn out pretty? How simple to make this and hope for a sweet kiss from your special someone? Guess everyone knows where my mind is. HAHAHAHA

Here's the inside-

Inside of Christmas Card featuring
Easy Events

I stamped the image a second time without re-inking it, to give a lighter image to the inside of my card. Doing that makes for a nice effect and it means I don't have to re-color the whole image. Yeah, I'm lazy like that. Why do it twice when once will suffice. Hey lookie there...I'm a poet and didn't know it! HAHAHA, ok, so I'm probably the only one laughing right now, but then I'm silly like that. The sentiment is from the same stamp as the mistletoe image. I stamped it in Garden Green. Oh, and as you can probably tell, I let Tink have just a little fun to brighten up the inside of my card.

Just because I need something else to smile about and wanted you to be able to smile some more too, (Yeah, I'ma Great Friend like that) here's a picture of my little studio assistant/fur-baby, Bitty Kitty, helping out in the Stampin Studio-

Bitty Kitty Studio Assistant Extraordinaire

Isn't it sweet how she's holding down my light box so nothing happens to it? Yeah, she's a great helper when she's not head-butting me, and chattering at me to remind me that it's dinner time... an hour in advance just so I don't forget!

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked my C&S Christmas Card and that it inspires you to make some C&S of your own. If you liked today's card or have any questions, I'd love it if you dropped me a line. I read all of my comments and they really do make my day. If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card I've put the buttons here on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. You are very appreciated! I hope you'll come back soon to see what I've got in store for you. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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A Soft, Shimmery, Thank-You and a Challenge / NAC #4

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Hey y'all. Happy Humpday! I hope you've had a fabulous week so far. Just two more days until the weekend. Woo-Hoo!!!

*Disclaimer*- Today's post is a little wordier than normal, but full of pretty pictures. I hope it at least makes you smile if not full-on belly laugh. :)

Have you ever gone somewhere and expected one thing and ended up with something totally different? Most of us have had this happen at one time or another. Often times, unfortunately, our "something different" is not something that makes us very happy. I recently had an experience though, that while not really "happiness inducing" at least had me laughing a Great deal. In fact it was so pleasant I decided to make a Thank You card for the people involved.

It just so happens that I was also able to incorporate Nacho Average Challenge's Color Challenge for the week. Most of you know I'm not a fan of the color challenges as they leave me feeling very inadequate, but I think I did ok this week. Thanks to NAC for another great color combo! I don't normally look at the DT samples prior to making my challenge cards, because I don't want my card to come out looking like theirs. It's a good thing I did though, because I had thought of summery ice-cream cones and well, apparently great minds do think alike (lol) because one of the DT members had the same thought. How embarrassed would I have been to have submitted a card so similar!?! Very, would be the correct answer. So I had to come up with a new idea. I thought about some yummy cupcakes, but I recently did a card with a cupcake for another challenge and I wanted something new. What to do, what to do....you know what to do here, come on say it with me in your best Pooh Bear voice...Think, Think, Think, Think.... I would use my new Butterfly set, Papillion  Potpourri. I've seen lots of cards with this set recently but I hadn't had a chance to use either the stamp set or the punch, so I was pretty excited. I've seen lots of people layer the punched out, stamped butterflies over a butterfly that was stamped onto c/s. But just the other day I saw one where the punched butterflies were layered over a butterfly punched out of coordinating cardstock. Genius! It looked so pretty. The stamper had colored her butterflies in with daubers for a really pretty effect. Well,  let me just tell you that I tried searching my reader feed with the "search" function and by going back through all of my recent feeds and couldn't find that card anywhere! I wanted to link to her card. I must have hit upon it off of one of my feed's websites. :'( So if that was your card, or you know whose card it was, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

Any-whoo, back to my story.... I had to take last Friday off to do paperwork for my stolen vehicle which was of course recovered the next day...After I used a day of vacation running around to complete the darn paperwork!!!!! While I was out at the end of the day, no really it was after 5, I stopped by my dental office to give them a down-payment on some dental work I needed done. Fun, right!?! Not!!!! Well, they tell me "The doctor's free now, do you want to just go ahead and get it done?" Well, the it was a root-canal and a crown. Uh-No!!!! I don't ever "want" that done, and somethings you want to give yourself a chance to prepare for.  Especially since even though my new dentist seemed really nice, what did I really know about how uncomfortable she was about to make me? So, why is it that the words "Sure" came tumbling from lips? Ruh-Roh! Can I just tell you that I left there almost 3 hours later and my cheeks hurt! What in the world do "Cheeks", have to do with a Root Canal and a Crown. Well we were all laughing so hard they couldn't help but hurt. My dentist was having such a good time, she said she wanted to "Send me candy, so we could do it again real soon!" Uh, thanks doc, but I'll be good with just a Hi! So long story short, that's why I needed a Thank-You card for my  unexpectedly happy "something different". My dentist is Amazing! Although I don't "want" to need another Root-Canal, if she's the one doing it, I won't be apprehensive. The only thing she needs remedial training in is "How to understand what your patient is saying when you have both hands and instruments in her mouth." Other than that, she and the entire office as well are the Best!!!

Here's today's card-

Thank You Card featuring
Papillion Potpourri and Curly Cute

Here was the challenge-

What pretty, soft, colors! I felt pretty confident about this challenge even with my initial idea null and void. I started with a base of So Saffron. I topped this with a Whisper White panel that I ran through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots E.F. Layered onto that were the Pink Pirouette and Certainly Celery layers. Because of the width of the three butterflies I couldn't fit a So Saffron layer on so I sponged the edges of the W.W. panel with some So Saffron for the illusion of another layer. :) The P.P. layer and C.C layers were Tombowed together and then raised up with Dimensionals. The W.W. layer was also elevated with Dimensionals. Oh and I stamped my sentiment prior to embossing. Much easier that way.

Here's a closer image of the focal point-

I wish you could see how pretty this is in person! I used my Copic Style Water-coloring Technique shown here. Although it's difficult to see because I then let Tink have her way with the inside portions of the wings.
You can still see some of the shadowing and color variations in these close-ups-

I tried to get them to line up across the screen but they wouldn't, not even small. :( Can you see the color variations. I made it darker at the black lines and softened it out from there. I left the very outer portion of the wings, the little scalloped portions, full strength. The bodies are colored in a light wash of Soft Suede. I stamped them in Black Staz-On on watercolor paper, punched them out, colored them, and then Tink made my studio a mess. :) I gave a slight crease to the center so the wings would come up and then attached them to the coordinating colored Butterflies beneath them with a Mini-Glue Dot.

Here's the inside-

I used the sentiment from Kindness Matters. I liked the thought and how even though it's from a different set than the sentiment on the front, the font is similar with the little curls. I inked up different butterflies from the same set by coloring them in with my Stampin Write Markers and the  let Tink have some more fun. :)

Here's a close-up of one of the beautiful babies-

I. Love. This. Card. I really wish it showed better. This is another one of those cards where you look at it and think "Wow! I made that!?!" And the best part is that this was so simple even beginners will be able to make beautiful reproductions. Love when that happens! :)

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today's card and that it inspires you to create something beautiful today. Don't forget to check out the Nacho Average Challenges' site. They are really doing a great job with their new challenge site. This challenge is open until Saturday night at midnight. I hope to see your fabulous creations there.

I love hearing from you, so if you have comments or questions about today's card, leave me a comment or feel free to e-mail me. I read all of my comments and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons here on my site for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope you'll stop back by soon. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It

A Daydream and A Challenge - SSC #265 / My challenge #31

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having a great day and that your week is progressing nicely. It's overcast here in the DMV with calls for storms today. I hope it's sunny wherever you are. :) I have another challenge card for you today. It's over with my favorite peeps at Stamping 411.  I hope you'll take a minute to check them out. They always have great sketches and great cards.

Here's today's card-

Card featuring
 DayDream Medallions set and A Paper Ribbon

I'm so happy with how this card turned out and it's full of sneak peeks for you.  The black border is one of our new edgelets, isn't it fabulous!?! The Real Red center strip is embossed with one of our new Embossing Folders. Both will be available in just 7 short days. The stamp set is all new and it's called Daydream Medallions. I had hoped to play with it at convention. When I found out I wasn't going to be able to go, it was one of the first sets on my wish-list. I also used the Floral Framelets that coordinates with it.

Here's a closer look-

Each layer of the focal point was stamped and then Heat Embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. They were then cut out with the coordinating framelet and popped up with Dimensionals. I needed a ribbon for the sketch and didn't have any in Real Red, so I decided to make my own out of Real Red c/s. This is the first time I have tried this and I have to say I loved how it turned out. Sorry I didn't take step by step pictures, but it's pretty easy. Will do this again soon as a EWT with step by step pics.

Here's what you need- card stock in color of your choice, paper cutter, bone folder and adhesive of your choice. (of course I used Tombow)

Here's what you do-

1- Cut your c/s in the width you'd like your ribbon to be. I used 1/4 inch x 11 1/2 for the entire bow.
2- Fold your c/s loosely into a circle to find out how big you would like your bow to be. I think my bottom bow was about 6" long. Snip it to this length.
3- Take your bone folder and run the edge over and under the strip of c/s almost like you are curling ribbon. This will make the c/s soft and pliable.
4- Fold one end in to the center of the strip and secure it with adhesive. Do this with the other side as well, This will give you the two side loops.
5- Add as many additional smaller loops onto the top of this one, securing each with adhesive.
6- Take another strip and wrap it snugly around the center, securing on the bottom with more adhesive.
7- If you'd like you can take additional pieces and attach them to the underside at an angle like the "tails" of the ribbon, like I did. Cut the ends either at an angle or in banner fashion, and attach to your project. I used Mini-Glue Dots.

Here's the inspiration sketch-

To be  honest, when I first saw this I thought of a big Holiday Ornament. However, I didn't want to just make a holiday card, so I chose to interpret it as a wreath, but in all honesty will probably use this design again later this year as a Christmas Card.

Here's the inside-

I chose to make this a Thank You card and I love the striking combination of Black, White and Red. I think it works well for a masculine as well as feminine card. What do you think? Surprisingly, there is no glitter on this card. *Gasp* I let the shine from my embossing take the center stage.

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked it and I hope it inspires you to get all your supplies and play along. If you liked it and would like to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my blog for your convenience. If you liked it and have just a moment to drop me a quick line, you'd make my day! I love hearing from you and read all of my comments. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are so appreciated! I hope you'll come back soon to see all the fun new things I've been working on for you! Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the Rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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