It's been a long summer break...

Yes, it' s been a long, hot, summer break for me. And, I do appreciate your patience with my absence. During this time, I've sold my home, made a move, cut my hair, lost a little weight, spent time with family and enjoyed my close friendships. I appreciate the e-mails from faithful followers awaiting my return. With school resuming, maybe everyone will have more time to return to stamping, scrapbooking and any other neglected hobbies.

One of my pleasant surprises over the summer, was to be selected for the Design Team of FireCracker Designs by Pamela rubber stamps. Being on a design team has been a desire of mine for several years, so it's very exciting to be selected. Pam and the others have been a joy to start working with as they show this "newbie" the ropes of being on a team. If you haven't visited her site, please do so as she has a pre-order stamp set shown now.

This card was one of my submissions for the Design Team Contest. The background papers are from Basic Grey. I stamped the collage style stamp onto glossy CS with Black Stazon ink and sponged coordinating colors of other inks to match my patterned papers. I added a few rhinestones and stickles to the main image. The background stamp, paper piercing tool and ribbon is from SU!. The brad is from K & C Company.

I want to thank everyone, again, for being my friend during this difficult summer. If possible, I would send each of you this card. I hope to be spending more time with you in the future. Please spread the word, "I'm back"!