Summer Camp Week 3 Day 5 - Home....and Home Stretches...

Suddenly, it’s Friday, our holidays are over (sort of…more on that for another post J), and the week has been a whoosh-of-a-fast one!!  Actually, plenty accomplished (do substantial hours in the car count as any sort of ‘did it’ feat?) that include:

Leaving Bend, after dragging me out, kicking and screaming, and 12 hours later arriving at my in-laws’ in Kelowna where we spent another heat-infused Tuesday. My mother-in-law was an outstanding hostess, as always, ensuring we were dined and wined exceptionally well.  My father-in-law, the poor dear, has been living in a seniors’ care home for just over a year (sad+++), however, he looks great and our visits with him were as wonderful as they can be. He continues to recognize us and even if we’re not always sure what the conversations are about, he’s still able to chat up a storm!  Our trip also coincided with the season of ripe cherries, peaches, pears; love those orchards!! And maybe I snuck in a wee spree to the sweet scrapbooking store, Ever After, where a couple of Memory Box dies were calling my name. Must heed those calls…

Wednesday, we re-packed and headed for home, to significantly cooler temperatures and an ‘empty’ house!  My brother’s family, with in-laws in tow, had fallen behind schedule with their holiday excursion, as the two little ones were dealing with colds in the earlier part of the week.  They did manage to escape city-life yesterday, picking up on the ‘second stage’ of their trip, where they’re staying at a water-slide + indoor playground hotel in Banff, a mere 10 miles from our place.  Yipppeee!! While I missed having them here, having them near is a 100% fantastic alternative.  

Thursday:  Highlight of yesterday is pretty obvious: trip to Banff, time with the kids!  The candy store was a hit; huge, gigantic hit!  Leaving a couple of sugar-rushed little cutie-patooties with their mom and dad, as well as grammy and grampy , to deal with was toooo funny (snicker x 1,000!!). 

Friday: trip to Calgary with my husband to run a couple of errands, back home now for a brief stop (post opportunity), then to Banff for my kidlet play time…

On to the cards I made yesterday:  oh, but they were a challenge, from the colours (light/dark brown, light/dark purple, aqua) to the sketches!  On one hand, excellent to do the ‘stretch’; on the other, hmmm….toughies indeed!  Bonus on both though:  using new stuff! On stage – a  couple of L’il Inkers yummies:  chevron die (need more practice, but oh, the possibilities…), connected circles + diamond stamps, as well as…drum roll….new distress markers, which I used to colour on the diamond stamps in the second card.  Colour. Huff. Stamp.  Lovely ease; still, need more practice, as I’m definitely a novice stamper…then on to using them to watercolour, because I have H20 brushes now, too!  New products means only one thing: more crafting must happen!! And I’m definitely game!!

Anyway…here they are:

(inspired by Sarah Moerman, whose cards featured a cut die-cut background for  a 

fun look; not sure mine constitutes 'fun' but it was certainly a new direction...

Some forgotten patterned paper found; distress markers for the stamps (slightly crooked...grrrr) and a bit of playing with the thanks die..

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