Wednesday, July 24, 2013

It's a Summertime Picnic with the Hero Hostesses

This is your first stop on Day 3 of our Hero Hostess Summer Picnic Blog Hop. If you'd like to start at the very beginning click HERE to go to the Hero Arts blog.


The Hero Hostesses are sharing some summery cards and our favorite summer picnic recipes. I hope you will have fun, be inspired and find some new recipes to try this summer. And don't forget to leave comments on all the blogs because the wonderful folks at Hero Arts will be awarding a prize to three randomly chosen commenters.  The more comments you leave, the better your chance to win!

If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Hero Arts Club Blog HERE. Also, please report broken links to: blog@heroarts.com.

Now it's picnic time!
For me flying a kite is a requisite summer picnic activity! My father-in-law loves to fly kites. He enjoyed building his own kites. Watching his family flying them always made him happy. What could be better than to lay back in the soft green grass at the park or lean back in a beach chair and watch a kite lazily floating on the breeze?

To make this card I started by blending Salty Ocean and Mowed Lawn Distress inks on a piece of white cardstock to look like a landscape. Next I spritzed some Perfect Pearls water on the Dots cling background and stamped just with the water. The Distress ink reacts to the water creating a sparkly dot pattern.

For the kites, I added Hero Arts Mid-Tone Shadow inks directly to my white cardstock. I made a section of Butter Bar and another of Pale Tomato. Once the ink dried I stamped the Kite image from Picnic in Versamark ink once on each color and white heat-embossed them. I cut them out and spritzed a bit more of the Perfect Pearls water over them.

To assemble the card I used cream colored crochet thread for the kite strings and Lawn Trimmings twine to tie to the kite tails.


close up of the shimmery effect of the Perfect Pearls in water.

To make the pearly spray: In a small mister bottle place about a 1/4 tsp of Perfect Pearls powder, then fill 3/4 full with water. Replace the spray lid and tighten it before shaking the mixture well. Now you are ready to make sparkly magic! (See inlinkz list below for the products I used.)


A favorite family recipe for all summer gatherings is Fruit Pizza. For years my sister and I would make dueling fruit pizzas. She is an excellent cook, everything she makes is delicious. Me, not so much but my fruit pizza is always a winner! Our fruit pizzas are very different. Hers has a soft nutty cake-like crust and a filling based on pudding. Mine on the other hand has a sugar cookie crust with a cream cheese and whipped cream filling. She serves hers in a beautiful cut crystal round serving platter; I serve mine in the pizza pan I made it in. If you've been following along with my blog posts about my sister and I none of this will be any surprise to you. It will come as no surprise either that no matter which pizza graced the dessert table there was never even a crumb left behind!

So here's my recipe for a fun summer dessert!

(you can right-click on the recipe to save it if you'd like)



Now it's my pleasure to send you on to a dear friend of mine who is not only a talented and decorated card-maker, she's a fabulous cook as well! 
I know you will enjoy your visit with Virginia!

Here's the products and supplies I used to make "Life's a Picnic":





blessings,
nancy

145 comments:

  1. Nancy, I love your fab summery card and the inspiration behind it! Your shimmery inked background is absolutely gorgeous and I love the cute and detailed kites against it! Thanks for your recipe for summer fruit pizza - it looks and sounds delicious!

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  2. nancy, I love your kites!! And the story behind the fun your family has flying kites makes it more special. So many little details. I can relate to the sister differences, too!! Your fruit pizza looks nummy!! I've had fun on this picnic with you!!

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  3. I so enjoyed flying kites with you today, Nancy, and loved your idea for your card! My Dad was so eager to make kites with our boys when they were little, too, and that is one of my favorite memories. I have made your fruit pizza many times also, and I agree, never a crumb is left!

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  4. Love the kites. They are fantastic and the Perfect Pearls spray just sets them aglow. Love the card.


    I haven't had a fruit pizza in years! Oh, NOW I have to make one, no two...

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  5. Gorgeous kites on a blended background! Simply summery!

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  6. I just love your card... so breezy and the kites are beautiful. Tks for the great recipe I will definitely have to try this at our next picnic it looks very refreshing.

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  7. I love that recipe, Nanc! So perfect for a summer picnic! And your card is awesome! Love the technique you used to create the background and your kites look fantastic with the shimmer! So fun hopping with you this week! :)

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  8. I love the background and the added effects of the perfect pearls!

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  9. What a cute card. So festive. Great job.
    Candy Meyers

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  10. I love your kites card, and thanks for the perfect pearls spray instructions!

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  11. Love that background, Nancy! The kites just pop off the page...beautiful! :)

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  12. Gorgeous bright colours, and love the tags on the kite strings - very cool!

    This is a "must do" recipe - Thank you :)

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  13. I love flying kites too! Great card and recipe, either way you make and serve it, sounds yummy to me!

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  14. Your card is really perfect for summer. We had fun at the beach earlier this summer watching all the kites overhead, and actually flying a few as well! Also, I wanted to mention that I loved the way you made the background and will definitely use that idea.

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  15. Loving your kites! Fabulous card!!

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  16. brilliant using the perfect pearls in that way! i've used plain water for that technique, but never even thought about using any other type of mist! kudos on your creative mind!

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  17. Just love the shimmery dots! Thanks for such a fun card idea.

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  18. I love the fun background and the kites!

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  19. Great card and great recipe! Love that kite stamp. :-)

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  20. The background with Perfect Pearl looks AMAZING!! I love your kite design, Nancy! So perfect for a picnic! The fruit pizza looks absolutely delicious! So glad to be in the blog hop with you! HUGS!

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  21. Your card is gorgeous. Such wonderful colors and amazing details. Your fruit pizza sounds so good.

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  22. Love the kites, they are so cute! Thanks for the recipe!

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  23. Love the card, simply gorgeous!

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  24. Love the shimmery dots on your great summer card! Love the crochet thread for the kite strings too.

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  25. Love the kits and the sparkle!! And, that fruit pizza sounds so yummy, I think I will try it this weekend.

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  26. Love this card! A fantastic summer card!

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  27. Love the card and the fruit pizza too! Thanks for sharing both, yum

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  28. The card is amazing! I have been wanting to go kite flying since last summer and your card has made me want to do it even more so.

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  29. LOVE those sweet little kites with the handmade tails, and the background! TFS!

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  30. love the kites but most of all the knots you put on the kite wire :-) you are a very patient person

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  31. Love the shimmery background on your card. The fruit pizza looks very yummy.

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  32. This is absolutely adorable - love the ties on the strings!

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  33. Such a cute card--love the kites :)
    Thanks for sharing!

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  34. What a fun card! I love how you created the background and the sparkle you gave it too

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  35. Absolutely GORGEOUS background!!!! I too love to fly kites!!! :)

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  36. Fruit pizza looks so yummy!
    And your card is so cute! I love the background you created! And what a need idea to decorate the kites with the crochet thread!

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  37. Beautiful background! Love the kite strings! Thanks for sharing your card and recipe; both look great!

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  38. outstanding card - the pearly dots send it over the top in quality!

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  39. Fruit pizza remains my favourite dessert, along with cheesecake. It is so, so delicious!!

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  40. That's a pretty summer landscape.
    (I never heard of fruit pizza before!)

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  41. Nancy your card is beautiful, fabulous colours and so summery. I also love the sound of your fruit pizza just perfect for a summer picnic!

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  42. Love the kites and summer fruit pizza is one of my all time faves!

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  43. The background of your card is perfect with the embossed kites and the pizza looks so appetising!

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  44. What a fun & bright card! Thanks for sharing the stamping technique. ;-)

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  45. Your card is awesome--love the background and love the way the kites pop with color. Great job.

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  46. I'm singing LET'S GO FLY a Kit today!
    And who can resist any kind of PIZZA?!

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  47. Those distress ink colors are a perfect blue and green to go fly a kite aren't they. So lovely.
    Thanks for the fruit pizza recipe. Looks delicious.

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  48. The kites are darling! So much color with the blue and green. I have both of those colors and I am going to case this card!

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  49. What a fab bg you have created ,loved the technique ,Wonderful card depicting summer !

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  50. Kites are the epitome of happy, and beautiful days! Thanks for sharing!

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  51. What a perfect summer card! You can almost feel the breeze lifting the kites! Wonderful job. I LOVE fruit pizza! My recipe is like yours.

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  52. Sweet story about kite flying, lovely card and delicious recipe! Can certainly understand why there wouldn't be any fruit pizza left regardless of the recipe. : )

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  53. Such a sweet summer scene, love those fun kites, beautiful inking on your card too!

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  54. Love the background and the fun kites!

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  55. Oh fruit pizza how creative is that! Yummy!
    Love the card with bold summer colour!

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  56. Beautiful summer card and delicious recipe!! Many thanks for sharing!!

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  57. Oh, I love the kite card! The idea of misting perfect pearls onto a background stamp and stamping on distress ink is one I'm going to try.

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  58. Awe I love your card!! Those kites are so cute!! And I love the background with the water on the stamp technique!! Love the way it turns out and reacts with distress ink!! Hmm that Fruit Pizza sounds delicious!! I will def have to try it out!! Thx for sharing!!

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  59. Love your summery scene! Next time I'll try your water stamping technique! And your fruit pizza sounds divine! Hope you are enjoying CHA!

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  60. You chose a terrific theme for the picnic Nancy, and the shimmering details glow so brightly in your design. The fruit pizza looks fabulous and I just might have to give it a try sooner rather than later! So great to see how you put your stamp on this hostess hop!

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  61. Awesome card!!! I love the stamped polka dot background!!

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  62. Thanks for sharing the technique using Perfect Pearls for the polka dots. Very cute card. Love the recipe too.

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  63. This is darling, Nancy - love all the bright, bold, cheery colors! AND Fruit pizza - gotta try this - looks yummy :)

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  64. Love your happy, summery card, Nancy!

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  65. Love that background ... feels like a lovely summer day.

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  66. You did that with Perfect Pearls...? I MUST get some of that! Wonderful card that captures the essence of summer.
    <3 J

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  67. Very pretty card.
    The kites are so
    cute and thanks for
    all the instructions.
    Carla from Utah

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  68. How cool--love the background but I really like the way you made the kites. I've never thought of stamping and embossing after I inked an item.

    Love the recipe, too-yum!

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  69. That card is beautiful! (And the sugar cookie fruit pizza is my family's favorite!)

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  70. I love how you used all of your inking and blending techniques on this card...so fun and so, very pretty!

    Thanks so much for the step-by-step instructions for your card, and for the recipe!

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  71. what a pretty card.. loving all the color and fun image..

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  72. The technique you used for the kites sounds like fun.

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  73. Great summer card, Nancy! Love the colors and kites. Your fruit pizza looks so yummy. I'm going to try it.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  74. What a great job! Love the shimmer which reminds of the effect of sunshine.
    Great recipe, too!

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  75. Love how you used the inks to add color--beautiful!

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  76. Cool idea with e Pearly dots. Pizza sounds good too.

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  77. Gorgeous card with great inking..and that pizza sounds delish!

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  78. I love this card! Everything from the blended Distress Ink landscape background to the white embossing of the kites to the Perfect Pearl dot pattern - fabulous job!

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  79. LOVE this! The background is fabulous and the kites are great!

    And the fruit pizza looks delicious!

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  80. Your card looks really great. I love all the different techniques you did with it. Thanks for sharing them! That fruit pie looks very interesting.

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  81. Nancy, what a sweet scene...I can just see those lovely kites blowing in the wind! Lovely colors, and grear recipe, too!

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  82. What a fun card! Will try the recipe soon.

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  83. I love those two colours of distress stain and they look so summery on your lovely card. Your recipe sounds yummy. i have had desert pizza that had chocolate on it but I've never thought of a fruit one!

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  84. Wonderful card, from beautiful memories. I love the blended background and texture. The kites look like they're flying across it. Yummy looking recipe - a must try. Thanks! Thank you for the chance to win. :-)

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  85. oohhhh look at the shimmer!!! Love the kites and the background!

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  86. awesome summery card and i can't wait to make your fruit pizza!

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  87. Cute card. Love the kites.

    craftymom205 at yahoo dot com

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  88. Fantastic card love the bright summer colours. Your fruit pizza looks incredible.

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  89. I love the kites and the use of the distress inks for landscape. thanks for the great ideas!

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  90. Nancy, Fantastic summer card! I love your background technique! Thanks for both the spray recipe and the fruit pizza recipe, I'll have to try them both!

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  91. Love the card and thanks for the perfect pearls tips. Your fruit pizza recipe looks amazing! Thanks for sharing

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  92. Your kites & background are just gorgeous, Nancy! Really looks like summer!

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  93. Love the kites! Nothing like a big pizza cookie...yum!

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  94. I love the background! The kites are icing on the cake!

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  95. Love the card - never thought to stamp on distress inks with water definitely want to try that!

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  96. I love this card! Great recipe too :)

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  97. This looks great! you are so tempting me to buy some more distress inks!

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  98. Love the simplicity of this and the colours. Sure am going to try the recipe too. Thanks for sharing.

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  99. Hi there Nancy...what an adorable card. Love the water dots on your background. Everything looks so sparkly. Your recipe looks very yummy

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  100. Eye candy card and yummy snack..It can not get any better than this.. can it? love your card and the colors you chose. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  101. Your background for the kites is gorgeous. I will have to try that. I appreciate the directions.

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  102. What a great idea! Pearlized water on the stamp to create the background. Such a cool card.

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  103. Fruit pizza sounds so interesting! All the recipes thus far sound delicious ... I love the techniques on your card - particularly the beautiful dotty and blended background. Very innovative! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  104. Love how you did the blingy dot background!

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  105. Thanks for sharing your pretty,summery card.

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  106. Very cute kites! And I love that your card idea was inspired by a family story.

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  107. Love the colours and the kite tails Nancy!

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  108. Your kites are so cute Nancy! Great card and recipe!

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  109. This is a fun and bright summery card Nancy!

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  110. Just love your darling kite card, Nancy! That background looks amazing - will have to try the stamping with perfect pearl mist! What a yummy recipe - perfect for a picnic! So fun hopping with you this week!!

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  111. Love the kites, how joyful! Haven't had fruit pizza in a long time, thanks for the memory.

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  112. Love your card and the wonderful bright colors. Your recipe looks fab, too! :)

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  113. Love the shimmer on your card!! And love that fruit pizza recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  114. I do not know which is yummier your dessert recipe or kite card.

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  115. we love flying kites too! not fancy ones but simple ones! beautiful blending of colors on your kites!

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  116. Love the card. Such cool techniques--thanks for describing them so well. I'd never be able to figure out how you did all that. The fruit pizza sounds delicious!

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  117. First I love the card and the kites on it. I forget that background stamps can be used for so many different things, like on kites for instance. And the summertime fruit pizza looks and sounds Delicious!! Thanks for sharing and for inspiring.

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  118. What a happy card! I love the dotty background for your fun kites :)

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  119. I love how you did this whole card, it makes me rethink how to do backgrounds.

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  120. Just beautiful. Love the colours they are so me, I love bright and vibrant. Wonderful use of the stamps

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  121. Love the background and shimmer to your card. Also love pizza but even better when it is made with fruit.

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  122. What an awesome summery card! I love the shimmery background with the perfecta pearls. The fruit pizza looks delicious!

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  123. What an awesome summery card! I love the shimmery background with the perfecta pearls. The fruit pizza looks delicious!

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  124. A lovely summer card, I love those bright colored kites. Great inking. :-)

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  125. Brilliant kites! Love the beautiful background and that touch of sparkle is wonderful. Love how your card invokes wonderful memories! That fruit pie looks like just my speed and delicious!

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  126. The card is gorgeous! What a brilliant idea. And the recipe treat...just a perfect choice. Thank you.

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  127. Love your kites on the card. I'm going o be trying your recipe too.

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  128. How I love those kites! Wonderful card! and fabulous recipe!!!

    Susan

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  129. Your card is so cute. My husband and I use to fly kites and enjoyed it. The colors are so vibrant. Thanks for sharing the card and your recipe.

    Linda D.

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  130. Yummy summer fruit pizza! Love your card!

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  131. I love the shimmery kites and the rich colors used on your card.

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  132. Love the background on this card. Your recipe will be one I try, thanks for sharing.

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Thanks for your comments, I love hearing from you!