The Birthday Fiesta Cactus was calling my name for this weeks Can You Case It? Challenge #128 and since it’s Sunday… I’m over at the Can You Case It? Challenge Blog for the Weekly Challenge!   Come on over and check out this weeks sketch challenge as well as the Design Team submissions.  The challenge starts today and ends on Friday, July 15th @ Noon PST.

 Can You Case It? Sketch #128

 Birthday Fiesta Fun

Our vacation as a family has officially come to an end!  We finished out this past week spending time at the lake with my parents in Northern Minnesota.  The end of our vacation did come to a bit of a sad ending as we said farewell to my parents dog, Josie, a very sweet Black Lab / Border Collie Mix.  

We guesstimate that Josie was around 14 years old.  My parents adopted her when she was about 2 years old and she really was my dad’s dog.  Her death was tragic in one sense but we don’t think she really suffered and she was already struggling with a variety of health issues.  We knew she didn’t have much longer with us but her death was still much sooner than expected.  My dad also blames himself for her death.  Josie will be missed and I know that our son already misses her.

4th of July Celebrations

While we mourned the loss of Josie on the 4th of July, we still took time to celebrate by participating in the campground Golf Cart Parade then the fireworks in the evening.  The Golf Cart parade was lots of fun with a good number of people participating.  I really thought we had clinched one of the three top spots especially when I had my son give hugs and kisses to all the judges but it wasn’t enough!  

Since we are in Northern Minnesota now, a trip to Itasca State Park was a must again this year.  Caleb enjoys visiting the Mississippi headwaters and it was fun having Mike along to experience the Headwaters with Caleb.  Mike realized that this was the first time he had been to Minnesota with Caleb so it has been well over 6 1/2 years since Mike last visited Minnesota.

Mall of America

On Friday, we enjoyed a day at the Mall of America taking in the rides at Nickelodeon Amusement Park.  Caleb is proving to be a Rollercoaster fiend… This boy LOVES rollercoasters much to my husbands chagrin.  We did manage to get him on some other rides including the Flume which he decided he also loved.  This year he also liked the Character Meet & Greets.

Fiesta Birthday Fun

Now, with a mixed bag of activities this week I managed to squeeze in some crafty time with the Birthday Fiesta stamp set and this weeks Can You Case It? Sketch.  This is really a great sketch perfect for showcasing some fun, bright Designer Series Paper.  My card showcases the Cactus from the Birthday Fiesta Stamp Set along with the coordinating Festive Birthday Designer Series Paper.  

The card was fun to make.  I love the fun, bright colors as I used Emerald Envy, Tempting Turquoise and Crushed Curry.  The Emerald Envy really shines with this card and the Crushed Curry is perfect for the inside of the card.  Use your favorite Designer Series Paper!  Anyone can easily recreate this card, so come play along! 

Birthday Fiesta Cactus Card Recipe:

• Card base is created using Emerald Envy Cardstock.
• Stamp the Sentiment in the upper left corner of the Whisper White card front.  I used the Fiesta Birthday Stamp Set.
• Measure and cut your Designer Series Paper to fit just below the sentiment.  
• For added dimension, add a contrasting strip of card stock just peeking out above the designer series paper. Again, I used Festive Birthday Designer Series Paper.
• Add the accent in the upper right corner.  The cactus is from the Fiesta Birthday Stamp Set and cut out using the coordinating Fiesta Time Framelits.

Can You Case It Sketch Challenge

Here is this weeks Can You Case It? challenge featuring a Color Challenge.  If you are having a mental creative block, challenges are a great way to kickstart your creative juices.  Why not visit Can You Case It?, create a card inspired by this weeks Color Sketch and post to the blog!

To purchase the products used on this beautiful project, visit my 24/7 Stampin’ Up! store by clicking HERE!  For your convenience, I’ve also included a supply list at the end of this blog post – just click on any of the items to be taken directly to my 24/7 Stampin’ Up! store to purchase the products used.  

I also invite you to pin my creations to Pinterest and to share your thoughts or questions by leaving me a comment.  I love hearing from all my readers – word of mouth is one of the greatest forms of flattery.  Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest!

Sunny Stampin’ & Scrappin’!

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