Uno

This is my submission for the Caardvarks 10 Day 10K Contest, which started yesterday! The first day's challenge (which needed to be completed by midnight last night) was to use ONE stamp on the front of your card. Not so tough, uh?

I really wanted to do a card in a shape other than a rectangle, so I chose to make it oval. The minute I put the GORGEOUS paper on the front of the card (it's by Pink Martini Designs, which I got at Verve), I instantly thought it looked like an easter egg. Not cool. And it wasn't because of the paper, it was because of the shape! Totally not cool to have a card look like an easter egg in July! But, I kept moving forward because I didn't want to start all over again!!

I took a coordinating piece of Pink Martini paper and glued it to the inside back panel and then cut around the card with my scallop scissors. Here's a tip for you. If you ever make either a round card or an oval card, cut off a small portion of the back panel (straight across) so the card will stand up straight and not roll. Next, I covered a piece of chipboard with another Pink Martini pattern and placed a sentiment inside it. Two jeweled brads flank either side of the chipboard. Lastly, I added a few flowers and ribbon loops to the front of the card in colors that coordinated with the paper!

Today's Caardvarks 10 Day 10K challenge is to make TWO cards using the same supplies, but that are of different designs! It's not too late to join in the fun, there are LOTS of prizes you can win, so get going on your TWO CARD creations right now! I actually made two cards yesterday that are different but using the same supplies, so I might be slightly ahead of the game. I just need to decide if I want to use them or challenge myself again today and do another set. Mmmmm, decisions!

I wanted to share a few photos of our 4th of July celebration. The first is my ONLY fireworks shot that turned out! Grrrr. I'm always on the quest for a great fireworks picture, but alas, this year it escaped me again! Oh well. I didn't use a tripod and I didn't use a timer, so really, what can I expect? Nothing. Which is exactly what I got:)!!!!

The second shot is of the grilled pizza appetizer we made on the 4th! OMG, I love grilled pizza. We discovered this idea a few summers ago. There isn't anything more delish or more impressive to serve your friends on a hot summer day! It is SO simple, really! The pizza we made on the 4th had these ingredients....olive oil, spinach, green onions, sauteed mushrooms, parmesean and mozzarella! Last night, (we had some left over crust from the day before) we had alfredo sauce, chicken, green onions, sauteed mushrooms, parmesean and mozzarella on our crust! Yum, yum, YUMMY! All I do is make pizza crust in my bread maker. You roll out the crust really thin on a piece of wax paper (to make the transfer to the grill easier), olive oil the top, flip the crust onto the grill, then olive oil the other side (the side that's not being grilled), wait till it starts to bubble, then flip it over and grill the other side. It doesn't take more than a few minutes to grill up, so you've got to have all your ingredients right there ready to go because you don't want to burn the crust. Once you've turned the pizza, you can start applying all your ingredients. After you put the mozzarella on, turn the burners off, and close the grill cover. This allows the cheese to melt without having the crust burn. Oh my word, grilled pizza ROCKS! You've got to try this!!!!

Well, I'm going to go have a little breakfast and then I'm going to stamp some more. Not much on the agenda for today. I do have some great news for all of you following my MIL's illness....it looks like she'll be COMING HOME either today or tomorrow! Yippee! We are so excited to get her out of the hospital and into the comfort of her own home. Thanks to all of you for all the prayers and RAKs. She was tickled to receive all those beautiful cards and well wishes!

Hugs,
Amy