Swap to Hop Blog Hop - Softball Monkey Easel Card

It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made both SUMMER and winter.

Psalm 74 : 17

Your goodness is as high as the mountains.
    Your justice is as deep as the great ocean.
Lord, you protect both people and ANIMALS.

Psalm 36 : 6

Welcome to the “Swap to Hop Blog Hop” with Scrappin’ Sista Swaps. Today the swappers are bringing you some very special projects created using the cuts we exchanged during our Summer Animal Cut Swap.

If you've hopped along from Jenny’s spot, www.crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com,  then you are in the right place!!  If you are just joining me from your dashboard, or reading this via eMail, please be sure to CLICK HERE to start at the beginning with Jessica's blog. That way you’ll be able to get in on all the fun!!!

The little Summer Animal that I was to use to make my project for this Hop is this little Monkey throwing a softball, which was originally created by Julia Truitt, using the Cricut ‘Create a Critter’ and ‘Everyday Paperdolls’ cartridges. 

 Upon receiving this little guy in my envelope along with the others, I was immediately inspired to make a birthday card for a Dear Friend.   Although he has faced some tremendous health problems for many years, he still enjoys playing softball regularly on his local ‘retired Navy’ team in connection with the USS Hornet!  I thought this Little Monkey might cheer him up – and I included a pad of Post-its in the design of the Easel Card, so it would also be ‘useful’!

Card front - closed

I utilized the colors in my color scheme that Julia had used for the Monkey.  I used Kraft paper for the base of the card for an ‘earthy’ feel.  I used a lattice cut-file piece of silver cardstock (Tag 425 Cherry Blossom from www.mypapercrafting.com  - I'm on the Design Team there!) to represent the chain-link back-stop fence behind the pitcher.  I just MUST have Blossoms (- get it ??!!  *giggle*) on all of my projects, so I added the branch from the same cut-file to represent a small tree budding with tiny red flowers - without making it too feminine.  I made the flowers from ¼” punched circles and then ‘poked’ on a foam mat with my medium-point embossing tool.  Tiny dots of silver ink are in the centers.  I used punched pine branches (MS) and scraps from the punches to make grass and bushes from deep green polka-dot paper.  I searched on Google for an appropriate quote to use, printed it on white and matted it with red. 

Card - inside

I cut a slit in a piece of black cardstock and slid the Post-its ‘backing paper’ into it, to keep it in place.  (A new pad can be put into the slit later.)  I adhered the black cardstock mat to the card base.  I added some of the silver ‘negative pieces’ from the back-stop fence to the edges – representing the ‘softball diamond.’  I also added 3 diamond-shaped red gems to the bottom edge.  The inside sentiment, ‘Happy Birthday!,’ is my own hand-calligraphy.

Here is the file I used - I cut it with my Silhouette CAMEO/SCAL3 -

I’ll be anxious to send this to my Friend when it’s his birthday in the near future.  I hope he likes it.  ;-}

And what’s a blog hop without treats!  Candy Crush is not the only place to find candy!!! There are goodies sprinkled throughout the blog hop.  Be sure to stop at all the stops and leave some love on each stop.  To be eligible for any of the drawings, you must follow the blog hostess’s rules, as well as Comment on each stop.  We will check!

Here’s the line-up in case you get lost along the way -

1. Jess B. - http://thatzuneek.blogspot.com 

2. Shalana - http://scrappinwithshalana.blogspot.com 

3. Sher- www.patternsbysher.blogspot.com 

4. Jenny - www.crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com   

5. Lynden - http://aneleganttouch-lynden.blogspot.com   

6. Evelyn - http://mylittlecraftblog.wordpress.com 

7. Christel - http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com

FYI...  Scrappin’ Swaps will be starting back up with full force real soon.  We’re looking for a few Admins to help manage the monthly swaps.  If you are interested in serving on this dynamic team, please send an eMail to:    askscrappinsista@hotmail.com   and put Scrappin’ Sista Swaps Admin  in the subject line.  Be on the lookout for the future swaps coming up.  We always PUSH the envelope and challenge you to expand your creativity.

I have a Giveaway here for one of you Lucky Visitors!  If You do these three things –

* Visit EACH participating Blog and leave a Comment – (Be sure to leave ME your eMail, so I can contact you should you win -)

**Follow Me here by eMail and -

*** LIKE my FB Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Elegant-Touch-/162889457132788

I will have Rafflecopter chose one of you to receive a set of 5 Cuttlebug Border Embossing Folders!

Front of package -

Back of package -

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed our ‘eye candy.’  Hop on over to Evelyn at http://mylittlecraftblog.wordpress.com   to see her amazing project!

Be sure to come back here often as I showcase other Paper Crafted Projects and Photo Digital Restorations that I make – several days each week.  Sign up to receive my Posts so you’ll know when I’ve posted something – usually 3 to 4 times weekly.

Check out my Tabs in the Header above to see what else I do and can do for you!  Let me know if you have questions on anything here – or if I can do anything for You!  Have a Great Week!  See you again soon!

B’ Bye!  Bye!  B’Bye!   Bye!

(You can take the Gal out of the Sky, but You can’t take the Sky out of the Gal!)  ;-}