BLOWING THE DUST OFF

I have been staring at this blog for an entire year now.  Wanting to post. . . but just not doing it.  Not sure what was holding me back. . . .other than work, family, and day to day life.  I feel for this blog like I do my craft room.  The desire is strong, but time is just not on my side.  Or maybe it's fear.  Fear of starting again, and then not following through.  Hmmm. . . .maybe a little of both.
BUT. . . . . . . . . . . .  Today is the day to blow off the dust and begin again.  I make no promises.  I may post and then fall away.  I hope not. . . but let's be honest. . . . .my track record of keep this blog going is not stellar.
I also blew some dust from my craft room.  I had to take a few steps back and chill out so I could recover from a bout of walking pneumonia.  I'm also not good at being sick.  I'm especially not good at the doctors idea of "resting".  HaHaHa!  I failed at that BIG time!  After my family got my attention, I decided the best way to "rest" was in my craft room.  OH MY STARS!!!. . . . my stamping skills are rusty at best.  I had to resort to Pinterest for ideas, and thank goodness for Kristina Werner and her blog (http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog ). . .  .otherwise I would have just sat there and thumbed through all my papers and stared at all my stamping / scrapping goodies. . . .especially my own products. . . .SHEESH!
I started slow. . . but start I did.  I gathered ideas from here and there, changed them a bit to fit my needs and the products I had. . . .but you know. . . . it was fun.  It was really FUN!  I felt my stress melt, I was distracted from work, I wanted to do more cards.  I really enjoyed that time.  So I'm going to be brave and share what I did those few days.
These are all cards I made for friends.  We gather once a month to have lunch, share our lives, and love on each other.  So since it was our holiday lunch. . . .holiday cards is what I made. . .+ one birthday card.

My weapon of choice for this card was Shimmerz Paints Inklingz in Blue My Mind.  This color is so surprising.  It looks green when you first open it, but once you add water. . . the magic happens.  It turns this glorious turquoise blue with gold shimmer.  I just used watercolor paper and Blue My Mind Inkz to create my background.  Add some Miner Miner 49er to some die cut snowflakes and BAM!. . . . . .a card was being born.

This happy little snowman is full of Creameez, Spun Sugar Dazzlerz on his body, and a splash of glitter around the window.  I love this stamp.  He makes me smile!

This card is totally the genius of Kristina Werner.  The only change I made was to use Shimmerz Inklingz in Green Pastures, The Holly & The Ivy, and Miner Miner 49er.  The only other change I made was to use gold washi tape instead of gold paper for the border.  Kristina has a wonderful blog. . .go check it out.  I'm sure she will inspire you as well.

Lastly the Birthday card.  Anyone who knows me. . . knows that I LOVE my doxie's.  Daisy and Lily both bring me so much joy.  So what could be more perfect than to use this adorable doxie stamp (stamp and inspiration came from Newtons Nook).  I colored it with my Copic markers, but added some Shimmerz Inklingz in Me & Blue, Naughty & Nice, and Greener Pastures to add some hi-lights to that adorable little sweater.  THEN. . . . I added a handwritten message inside that said, "I HOPE YOUR DAY IS A WIENER".  Hahaha! I cracked myself up on that one.  

I had such a great time.  I'm glad my family made me stop and "rest".  I hope to "rest" again really soon. . . .and . . . I really hope to keep blogging. . . . keep creating. .. and not just working.  Life really is more than work. 

Be sure to see all the fabulous work on the Shimmerz Blog (www.shimmerzpaints.blogspot.com) What an incredibly talented group of ladies we have on our design teams.  They are sure to inspire you!!!  

AND. . . you can get all the products and colors I used on my cards at www.shimmerzpaints.com