2017 in Review......

As we get ready to welcome 2018 tonight I thought I'd stop by to say Happy New Year!  We are in a deep freeze here in the Northeast.....crazy cold (25-30 below wind chills - yikes!) even for winter lovers like us!  So we are staying in tonight and watching movies with the pups.  I plan to get back into my stamping routine tomorrow.

It was a great year for stamping.  Had a wonderful trip to Atlanta for World Cardmaking Day and I am so fortunate to be on three Design Teams (Freshly Made Sketches, Fusion, Stamp Review Crew) with some amazingly talented and oh-so-fun-to-be-around ladies!

The highlight of my stamping year was the email from Lydia Fiedler in January asking me to join the Dirty Dozen team at Splitcoast - wow I couldn't believe it!  Splitcoast is an amazing resource of techniques, inspiration, challenges and friendship. If you are not a member - join - now!  Dirty Dozen team members serve a six month term and create six cards on a specific theme every month.  If you are a member of Splitcoast you also get to see that gallery of over 70 incredible cards every month.  Because my term ended last summer I can share a few of those cards with you now - I picked my favorite from each of the six challenges I did.  


February's theme was "Food for Thought" so I used an apple and SU's Labeler Alphabet to create a punny sentiment with Concord & 9th's set You Are Enough.

March's Theme was Secret Garden and I created a Graffiti Garden using SU's Swirly Bird and Adventure Bound DSP and the set You from SSS.

                                               

April was all about Backgrounds so I used some diecuts from SSS and inked up a summery background with Distress Oxide Inks.

May's theme was my favorite - Hop To It!  Lots of rock and roll and jumping critters!  One of my cards was this street scene using SU's In the City and City Streets by Sunny Studio.  And what does this parade of VW bugs have to do with hopping?  It was all about trying to teach my daughter Erin how to drive a standard.......we hopped all over town for days and days and days!

                                       

June brought a Sunrise/Sunset theme.  SU's Everyday Hero provided the perfect skyline for a sunshine sentiment from My Sunshine by SSS.

July's theme was Relax - the perfect summer theme!  This card shows my favorite place to relax - lakeside in my Adirondack chair!  I used SU's Seasonal Layers Thinlits, Serene Scenery DSP and Lots of Love along with My Sunshine from SSS to create the scene.

It was an amazing six months sharing and learning from so many talented artists at Splitcoast. Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek! I am looking forward to another year of stamping fun in 2018.  Thanks to each and every one of you who read my blog - I have made some wonderful friends through blogging and stamping!  And special thanks to everyone who leaves a sweet comment - it means a lot!  Wishing you all a fabulous 2018!  Sending love from me and my wonderful supporting cast of characters.......The Big Guy, Miss Emma, Gram, Erin and the Pups......