Busy But Happy and Some Cards!

Hi there!

Long time, no see! It's hard for me to believe it's been almost a month since I've shared anything here on my blog. Life has been so busy with a whole lot of different things going on but it's all good! 

I've been getting crafty too and continue to make cards but I just never seem to have the time to sit down and share them here.

I'm hoping that changes because my hubby and I have been making plans for retiring at the end of this year. We are both so excited for this new chapter in our lives and are really looking forward to not working anymore! That means lots more time for crafting . . . . . and blogging too - YAY!

The house needs remodeling so we just starting that process by looking at what needs to be changed and what we can leave the way it is. We want to be able to sell it in the next couple of years. We are also starting to look into renting a place in Florida during the winter months each year, which we would start doing in the winter of 2016/2017. 

I've also been working hard running the Simon Says Stamp Flickr group. I love seeing the cards shared there and am really enjoying taking care of their challenges every other week. If you've never played in one before, I encourage you to join in! You can check out the latest one here. It just started today. It's a watercolor challenge and you have two weeks to play!

I was also recently at a crafty retreat in Ohio with some of the most amazing women! I made a few cards but mostly walked around in awe of all the talent. We had such a wonderful time! We laughed until we had tears running down our faces and our stomachs hurt! If you want to see some of my photos from that special weekend, you can check them out on my Instagram page. 

I do have a few cards to share with you too. The first three were created at the retreat. Copic markers were used on the first two and watercolors on the third.

And this last one was also made using watercolors. I wanted to create a fun, colorful, watercolor background and add some flowers, rain and a springtime sentiment. I'll be entering this into the Mixed Media Monthly challenge #11, which is, "April Showers."

 

The floral stamps/dies, sentiment and raindrops were all created using Simon Says Stamp products, which I've listed at the end of this post. The background was created using a mix of Distress Inks and water. I also used embossing paste for the raindrops. Hey! This would work well for the newest Flickr challenge! Lol! :)

Okay that's it for me today. I'm off to work. It'll be a busy two days with Easter coming up on Sunday. The floral department looks and smells amazing right now! I'll be spending Sunday with my family at my brother's house and am looking forward to seeing all my sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend! ♥

Simon Says Stamp: Abby's Spring Showers stamp set, Raindrops Stencil, Watercolor Flowers stamp and die set.
Distress Inks: Spiced Marmalade, Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry 
Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste