Card Monday-Lagoon Birthday Card

It’s been a while since I posted a card for Card Monday!

But today, I have a special one.

My nephew is fascinated with a pop-up card I made my parents, and always wants to see it when he visits their house.

His birthday is next week, so I thought I would make him his very own card.

He is still a little guy, so whether or not the card survives, is up for grabs.

But I had fun making it, and I know he will enjoy it, so that is all that matters! 🙂

Here is my card:

Supplies: Patterned Paper (Watercolor Wishes, Knit Picky), Dies (Platform Pop-Up, Mountain Borders, Palm Trees, Shadow Box Ocean Add-On, Pool Party), and Stamps (Merry Mice, Really High Five, Elphie Selfie, You Are Sublime, Pool Party): Lawn Fawn; Grey Card Stock: American Crafts; Spectrum Noir Markers: BT5, BT7, BT9, GG4, BG4, BG6, BG7, BG9, TN6, TB1, TB8, TB9; Other: Brown Card Stock

I like how this turned out, and I really need to make more pop-up cards-they are so fun!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Lawn Fawnatics: 3D Card or Project

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Bright and Cheerful

Cut It Up: Under the Sea

Layout-Oh These Views

I am sharing yet another layout with this gorgeous Vicki Boutin paper. Yes, that makes THREE with this paper, and I would probably make even more if I had more of the paper. I love it, and I didn’t even get around to using the B side, which I also love!

Anyway, I made this one for a challenge over at A Cherry on Top to take a favorite layout and scraplift it.

Here is my layout:

Supplies: Paper: Vicki Boutin; Letters, Puffy Stickers: Elle’s Studio; Other: Card Stock, Vellum

Another easy layout, and I love how it looks.

You may think I am crazy for using the same paper so many times to make similar layouts, but to be honest, no one will probably ever notice as all of the pictures I used are separated by several years and they are going in totally different albums.

And, even if they weren’t I would still probably do it anyway. 🙂

Hope you are enjoying all of my layouts each week. I sure have had a lot of fun making them.

Have a great day!

Book Review-How To Hatch a Reader

How To Hatch a Reader is a children’s book written by Kari Ann Gonzalez and illustrated by Rachel Suzanne.

Summary: A little girl decides to help her chickens learn to read.

My Thoughts: This book is pretty cute. The girl does her very best to provide the chickens with all the right tools to make them readers-with adorable results.

With plenty of humor and fun illustrations, this charming book is perfect to share with children who are just learning to read, and I would definitely recommend it.

I would like to thank Gnome Road Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

Please note: This book will be released on August 15, 2023.

Ally’s Angels August Challenge

It’s time for another challenge at Ally’s Angels!

Our theme for August is as always-Anything Goes.

I am still having a lot of fun with my new shoreline builder die set, and this time I decided to create a nighttime scene with a giant moon.

Here is my card:

Supplies: Stamp: Lawn Fawn; Dies: Lawn Fawn (Stitched Rectangles, Stitched Hillsides), Honey Bee (Shoreline Builder); Stencil: Lawn Fawn; Distress Ink: Gathered Twigs; Black Soot, Frayed Burlap; Distress Oxide Inks: Antique Linen, Prize Ribbon

Well, that’s it from me today.

I hope you enjoyed this card and are inspired to join us for this month’s challenge. You have until September 9th, so there’s plenty of time!

Scrapbook BINGO and NSD #6!

Hello!

Today I am sharing the last of the layouts I made for interNational Scrapbook Day. I made a total of six layouts, and combined challenges from various sites while making them.

This layout was for the following challenges:
A Cherry On Top Vacation/Summer
Paige Evans NSD Facebook challenge #4: Use Punches
April BINGO challenge to be inspired by this amazing layout by Cassie Flora at Paper Issues

Here is my layout:

Supplies: Patterned Paper: Paige Evans; Puffy Hearts, Dots, and Circle: Elle’s Studio; Tiny Star Stickers: Funny Sticker World; Heart Stickers: Color Seal; Other: White Card Stock, Square Punch

This was a tough page for me to do as this is a design I have never attempted before, but I wanted to do it for BINGO!

I do love this funny picture though.

Well, that’s the last layout from BINGO and NSD. I am so pleased with how many layouts I was able to make-FOURTEEN!

Amazing!

That’s it from me-have a great day!

Book Review-Lethal Range

Lethal Range is a contemporary thriller written by Ryan Steck. It is the second book in the Matthew Redd Thriller series. This book could be read on its own, but I wouldn’t recommend it as I think you would miss too much of the context from the first book.

Summary: Matthew Redd just wants to settle down with his new wife and son, but he has unfinished business with an elusive billionaire who is on the run.

It’s time to catch the fugitive and return to his struggling ranch.

But when his past comes back to haunt him, he finds danger much closer to home in the form of a biker gang out for revenge. Can he protect everything and everyone dear to him? Or will this shootout be his last?

My Thoughts: I liked this book. There is a ton of action, a good mystery, plenty of suspense, epic bad guys, and I really like how the author portrayed the tight bonds Matthew has with his friends.

I did think it got pretty unrealistic towards the end of the story, however. The fight scenes were great, but there were so many of them, it was a little much to say that Matthew could have survived even half of them, even if he was the best fighter in the universe and had all the luck in the world.

That said, I did still enjoy the book, and anyone who loves lots of action will probably enjoy it as well. Readers might just need to ignore some things that were more on the unbelievable side to get through the book.

There is definitely a lot more material to explore in this series, and I am looking forward to reading more of the books as they come out.

I would like to thank Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for this review. Thank you!

*Please note: This book will be released on August 8, 2023.

Aloha Friday Challenge Design Team!

I am excited to announce I am part of the design team for the newly relaunched Aloha Friday Challenge!

For the month of August, our challenge was to create a card with the theme: Vacation Mode.

I just purchased some new goodies that were perfect for this theme and had a lot of fun with this one!

Here is my card:

Supplies: Patterned Paper: Echo Park; Sentiment Stamps: Lawn Fawn; Dies: Elle’s Studio (Stitched Rectangle), Lawn Fawn (Stitched Hillsides), Honey Bee (Shoreline Scene Builder); Inks: Distress Gathered Twigs, Distress Oxide Antique Linen, Distress Oxide Kitsch Flamingo; Other: Black Card Stock

I absolutely love this pink paper from Echo Park. I may or may not have purchased two sheets. And then another six. 🙂

It makes the perfect sunset background for this card. I did add a little bit of pink ink around the outside edge but that was it.

I also did some ink blending to create my sand and die cut my beach elements with black card stock to make the background pop.

I really like how this one turned out, and I hope it encourages you to join us at the Aloha Friday Challenge blog this month!

The Paper Funday Challenge #56

Hello everyone!

I am excited to be sharing my August project for The Paper Funday Challenges Design Team!

The August challenge is as always Anything Goes, and our twist theme for this month is: The Great Outdoors.

We are sponsored this month by Pattie’s Creations and Star Stampz.

This month I decided to go with the twist, as I have been having all sorts of fun playing with a new die set from Honey Bee.

And, since it is my birthday today, I decided to make a birthday card! 🙂

Here is my card:

Supplies: Patterned paper: Lawn Fawn (the water); Stamp: Lawn Fawn; Dies: Lawn Fawn (Stitched Rectangle), Honey Bee (Shoreline Builder); Distress Ink: Gathered Twigs, Black Soot; Distress Oxide Ink: Antique Linen, Prize Ribbon, Abandoned Coral

This shoreline die set is so much fun to use, and I am really enjoying it!

Well, that’s it for me today.

I hope you are inspired to create, and we would love to have you join us at this month’s challenge!

July Books

Today I am sharing the books I read in July.

Here are my reading goals for 2023:
1. Read 250 books. This includes the books I read to the kids, audiobooks, and anything I read for myself. 115 DONE
2. Read twelve (new to me) classics/award-winners. 4 DONE
3. Read twelve self-help/education books. 10 DONE
4. Re-read thirty books. There are so many good books I have been meaning to re-read, so this is my goal to help with that! 11 DONE

A few formatting notes:
1. I have inserted pictures as well as Amazon links to the books I enjoyed most for the month so that it is easier to read more about each book if you are interested. Hopefully, your local library system will carry most of these.
2. If I completed a more detailed review of any of these books, I included a review link after my comments.
3. If a book is not available yet, you will see the publication date in parenthesis after my comments.
4. I have rated each book using a bold numbered star after each comment.

The rating system is as follows:
*5-This book was so good, I either bought it, or think it is worth buying. I am pretty picky about the books I buy, so this is as good as it gets!
*4-This book was worth reading, but not necessarily worth buying-look for these books at your local library
*3-This book was just OK. I wouldn’t need to read it again.
*2-Don’t bother
*1-There probably won’t be any of these, because if it was THIS bad, I wouldn’t finish it. 🙂

Wow. I have really been slowing down on the reading this summer. That’s OK though. Fall is coming!

Here is what I read in July:

1. Wedding at Sea (Muir Harbor #3) by Melissa Tagg-very good! *4 REVIEW
2. Fugitive in Hiding (Range River Bounty Hunters #4) by Jenna Knight-just OK *2 REVIEW

3. Pixels and Paint by Kristi Ann Hunter-SO good! Can’t wait for the next one! *5 REVIEW

4. The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh-fantastic!!!! I want to buy a hard copy of this one. *5
5. Key Lime Pie Murder (Hannah Swenson #9) by Dianne Fluke (audiobook)-good *4
6. Candy Cane Murder (Hannah Swenson #9.5) by Dianne Fluke (audiobook)-good *4
7. Run to the Finish by Amanda Brooks-it was OK. I learned some new things, but it wasn’t my favorite *3
8. Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swenson #10) by Dianne Fluke-OK *3

This month I read zero books to the kids, and I read/listened to eight books just for me.  I read zero picture books to myself for review.

For the year, I have read nineteen books to the kids and sixty-six books just for me. I’ve also read thirty picture books to myself for review.

That’s it for today. I will share my August books the first Tuesday in September!