Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop

Hello, and welcome to the Stampin' Addicts' Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Preview Blog Hop!  Sorry I was late getting my post up, but it's been a rough week with dad falling off the back bank while trimming bushes on Monday (nearly 6 hours in the ER), then my hubby getting sick with a really nasty sore throat which required 2 doctor visits this week and an MRI today, and then our oldest daughter's yearly cardio checkup (good news there - the doctor didn't hear or see the abnormal heart beat that was detected last year - yay!).  So, it's late, but here it is, my post for our blog hop!

You may have arrived here via Heidi's stop on the hop where she featured cute projects using the new set Travel Log.  Weren't the card, scrapbook page and journal cute?

I don't know about you, but masculine-themed cards and projects are difficult for me.  That's why I decided to feature the set Best Dad Ever for my stop on the blog hop. 

Two of my blog hop projects were inspired by our very own Sarah Wills, stop number 5 on our hop this weekend.  I was looking through the many FREE tutorials she has posted on her blog a while back and thought that two would be perfect for my projects.  The first is a cute and super simple to make mug.  I made a tag to go along with it.

Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Designer Series Paper:  Nautical Expedition, Elegant Soiree
Stamp Set:  Best Dad Ever
Ink:  Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories:  Two Tags Die, Early Espresso/White, Cherry Cobbler/White Baker's Twine, Antique Brad, Medium Treat Bag, Circle Punches

My second Sarah-inspired project is a coupon book.  I made one modification to the cover as I wanted to have a little bit of a spine for my coupon book.  There are 8 coupons for my girls to fill out for their dad - hugs, shoulder rub, clean my room... we'll see what else they come up with.

Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper:  Elegant Soiree
Stamp Set:  Best Dad Ever
Ink:  Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, Marina Mist
Accessories:  Paper Piercer, Coupon Template, Sticky Strip

My final project is actually the first one I created.  It's a card front I created for a Stampin' Addicts swap that Paula recently hosted.  When I saw the Summer Mini catalog, I knew I wanted to make one of those cute origami aloha shirts as the tie image from my stamp set was the perfect size for one.  I played around with a few until I got it sized the way I wanted, and this is what I ended up with:

Card Stock:  Not Quite Navy, Whisper White 
Designer Series Paper:  Blueberry Crisp
Stamp Set:  Best Dad Ever
Ink:  Basic Gray, Not Quite Navy 
Accessories:  Paper Piercer, Scallop Trim Border, Silver Brads

I hope you enjoyed my stop on the blog hop!  Your next stop is Adriana's blog where she is featuring the cute set Proud Peacock.  I loved the striking black and yellow card she made!