I'm still here! And summer highlights...

Hello, friends. Have you missed my posts? I know I have. I've been traveling and hosting all summer that I had to take a break from blogging. After a busy June and July traveling, hosting guests and doing outreach camps, my family and I went to visit the US to celebrate (though belatedly) my in-laws' 50th anniversary. I was away from my craft table pretty much all summer, but being with dear friends and family made it worth it :). I had hoped I would have time to do some work while in the US, but we don't go there often and always have more friends and family to see than we have days there.

I have missed creating and blogging, but I hope I'll get back on track quickly. I find that when I take a long break from anything, it takes me a while to get used to it again. My card today is something I made for my NinaB Designs blog hop that I had planned on Aug 15th, but an uncle passed away during that time that I had to postpone it. We will still have one in the near future, so don't worry :). This is a little preview.

I used my Spellbinders' Sewing Elements dies, which coordinate well with my The Craft's Meow's Sew Lovely and Sew Happy stamp sets. The papers are Crate Paper.

I used my usual favorite embellishments like seam binding and lace (from Ribbon Carousel), button and twine.

Here are some highlights of our summer. Our girls' introduction to professional baseball. Atlanta Braves vs the Padres. The Braves won!

Bible Camp in Pag, Croatia

English Camp

Visiting Vienna, Austria with some dear friends

Conference at the Aegean Sea, Greece (photo courtesy of Rich Hall Photography)

So how was your summer?

 

Birthday Greetings

It was my turn on the Want2Scrap blog a couple of days ago and I shared a card there that I'm showing you now. I used some new products that I've had for a while, but just didn't have time to use till now. I used Want2Scrap Fancy Waves Border Bling and Baby Bling Silver Rhinestones with Cosmo Cricket papers and American Crafts Rosette embellishment.

The sentiment is stamped using The Craft's Meow's Stitched Sentiments set and Clearsnap Vivid Brick ink. Here's a close up of this quick and easy card.

I hope you are enjoying the last weeks of summer!

Want2Scrap Products used:

Wants2Scrap Manilla tags

Baby Bling Pearls White - 100 Count - 2.5mm

Cross Promo Products used:
The Craft's Meow's Stitched Sentiments set 
Clearsnap Vivid Brick Ink

GlueArts Adhesive Squares™ Brand Adhesives-PermaTac

GlueArts U-Cut-It® 4x4

The Craft's Meow and Want2Scrap Blog Hop

Hello, friends! I'm writing this post from GA. It's so good to finally make it here, after a long trip. We're settling in, catching up with our family and friends, and enjoying all things American. One of my most favorite aspects of the US is how diverse we are culturally! You notice it as soon as you land because people of all colors, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds greet you immediately! I just love that! I'll share more about our US adventures later, because I know you're here to see my project for The Craft's Meow and Want2Scrap blog hop. :)

I am so excited to be able to combine two of my favorite companies into one hop! It's no secret how much I love both. If you came here from the talented Karen Taylor's blog, then you're at the right spot. If not, please check the list of participants on the TCM blog or Want2Scrap blog. You can also check these company blogs for more info on the giveaways!

My card for today uses my Love Dwells Here stamp set. I stamped it with inks that match my Graphi45 Little Darlings papers. The house and heart were die cut using my Spellbinders Home Sweet Home dies.

I embellished my card using Want2Scrap's Nestabling Scalloped Hearts Silver Rhinestones around my sentiment. I also highlighted the bottom part with a row of Sleek Strips Silver Rhinestones- Self Adhesive bling.   And finally, I dabbed white pigment ink on a chipboard key, from W2S Card Size Antique Keys w/hardware - Chipboard, and used it as a charm hanging from my bow. It adds just the perfect touch for my home-y card :).

The deadline for leaving comments to win is Sunday, Aug 12^th. Winners will be announced on the TCM/W2S blogs by Tue, Aug 14^th

Your next stop on the hop is my dear friend Amy Tsuruta, the CAS queen-extraordinaire! Thank you for joining us on this hop. I hope you will find a lot of new ideas to try on your next project!

Quick Water Bottle Tags

As I've shared earlier, I'm having a super busy summer full of outreach opportunities from teaching ESL to hosting youth camps. My family and I have also been hosting many friends from America who help us with these events. As has been tradition, I put together a snack basket for our guests to welcome them in our home.

With the help of some staple Want2Scrap products, I created these quick tags for the water bottles I leave in our guest room. I stamped the Penny Black poppy stamp in Clearsnap Vivid Brick red ink on to the Wants2Scrap Manilla tags. I punched out the turquoise butterflies that match the twine and embellished them with Want2Scrap Baby Bling Pearls White - 100 Count - 2.5mm. I attached the butterflies using the GlueArts Adhesive Squares™ Brand Adhesives-PermaTac.

I wrote a personal note on the back of the tags and here they are making plain water bottles a little fancier. :)

I also include some small packs of munchies like nuts, crackers and, of course, chocolates in the basket!

How about you? What kind of gifts do you put together for your guests? I'd like to know more ideas on making our friends welcome in our home. Thank you for joining me today, friends!

Want2Scrap Products used:

Wants2Scrap Manilla tags

Baby Bling Pearls White - 100 Count - 2.5mm

Cross Promo Products used:

Clearsnap Vivid Brick red ink

GlueArts Adhesive Squares™ Brand Adhesives-PermaTac