Hot Fun In the Summertime!

"Them summer days, those summer days...." Nobody does it like Sly and the Family Stone! You really can't help but feel good when you hear that song.

Whenever I hear it, the soothing melody reminds me to slow down and savor "them summer days" because "those summer days" seem to go by faster and faster the older I get.

Happy Independence Day! I hope it finds you and yours having a blast! There are so many ways to celebrate -- family reunions, block parties, cookouts, watching fireworks, lighting sparklers, and the list goes on. Whatever it is that you do, have fun doing it!

Although I enjoy celebrating just like everyone else, July 4th always reminds me that we're halfway through summer. Not like a sad thing, just a reminder to slow down and savor "them summer days, those summer days."

Last month, I shared a tropical travel themed album with you. This month, I thought I'd share a beach album that I made using Mud Puddles and the On the Boardwalk collection from one of my favorite paper craft companies, Graphic45. I hope you like it!

I added sea shells and glass elements to the cover to give it depth and add to the texture that the Mud Puddles gives. I used Glossy Accents on the swirls near the Glimmer Glass palm tree by Tattered Angels, which I heated with a heat tool to make it pliable.

The lace was sprayed with Glimmer Mist, the backs of the Glimmer Glass elements were colored with Copic Markers, and I added a crumpled ticket to add to the boardwalk theme.

I used a nautical mask with Glimmer Mist to create the effect above, prior to placing the Glimmer Glass on the paper with a brad.

I applied Peal Ex to the back of the seahorse prior to heating. And of course, there always has to be a little bling!

For a little something different, I sprayed the paper with water, crumpled it, opened and inked it with Distress Ink, and then sprayed it with Glimmer Mist.

Now that you're done looking, take a moment and listen to Sly and the Family Stone singing "Hot Fun in the Summertime."  Remember to slow down and savor "them summer days, those summer days."

Enjoy,