Beach Bum - TPE Orange & Fab n Funky Sketch challenges

I could not W*A*I*T to play with this new rubber stamp set I got from My Favorite Things, I simply adore the Pure Innocence line by Heather Ellis, and this little cutie was crying out to me to be paper-pieced. Truth be told, it's really the main reason I chose her out of all of the adorable PI images! Her bathing suit is just so paper-piece-able! hee hee So anyway, I made this card with 2 challenges in mind:

The Pink Elephant - use ORANGE as a focal point

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges - sketch challenge

I used SU! Pumpkin Pie cardstock and DP in Pumpkin Pie with some Brilliant Blue and Garden Green. I colored her hair and skin with Prismacolor colored pencils blended with Gamsol and used the SU! Pumpkin Pie marker on the heart in her hair and for the sentiment. Sand castle is stamped on SU! Sahara Sand cardstock.

So I'm thinking about buying a new camera and so far, the Canon Rebel seems to be top on my list. I use my camera mostly for taking pictures of my cards and artwork, and also for taking pics of friends and family. However, I was also considering taking a photography course - I just love the camera and would love to learn more about how to use the funky settings, etc. So do any of you have any advice or suggestions? What do you use and why do you like it? I'd love to hear from you. :)

So today is our big bash - I pretty much got everything ready last night, so all I have to do now is get a ton of ice, shower and wait for people to show up. Hope you all have a great Sunday. Peace.