MIA, but BACK!!!!!

I know I was MIA for a LONNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG time....  I have been so busy with life, kids, the job, buying a house and a traveling husband that I could barely find time to sleep...  But life has calmed down considerably and I am enjoying the fruits of my new (2 years now) craft room...  I have been playing along with some of the challenges over on Splitcoast as well as getting some cards prepared for Mother's Day...  This is what I have been doing lately....  Grab a cup of coffee and browse through....  By the way, it's great to be back!!!!

 Brand new Rose Wonder Die/Stamp set.  This die is absolutely amazing and the cards I have seen made with them are just superb...  I can't wait to try a few more...

 

 I just picked this stamp up from Pleasanton, California a few weeks ago.  The stamp set came with the matching die to fussy cut.  I don't think you can tell from the photo but a few of the petals are actually cut out and popped up.  This is a really cool stamp/die combo...    And the details on the stamp are just awesome!!!!

This was a fun card to put together...  I love the look of inlaid dies cuts but this time I just cut out the hearts and placed DSP below the main panel.  I added a few smaller heart cut outs and tied the twine to the bottoms...  I am not big on hand drawn stitching but it looks super cute on this card...

 This is a card that I CASED for the Featured Stamper challenge over at Splitcoast a few weeks ago...  I absolutely love this new heart embossing folder.  The embossing is super crisp and deep...  I also miss the simply pressed clay from Stampin' Up!.  I am so glad that I got my few bags before it retired.  Little did I know that Michaels sells Martha Stewart clay as well...    I also made my "glitter twine" using Sparkle N Sprinkle Tear ific tape...  So much fun and so cute....

This new butterfly set from Stampin' Up! is nothing short of stunning...   As soon as I saw this set I placed my order immediately...  Would have been so much cheaper if I had only ordered this butterfly...  *cough cough*  I plan to use this set A LOT!!!!  The color combinations are truly endless...

 Thank you Beth for letting me borrow this beauty...  Lotus Blossoms was a Sale-A-Bration set last year and I missed out getting it...  So when I found out she had it, I knew I had to borrow it....  Luckily I found  set and should have it soon...  I am not sure why I chose the blues here but they pop and look amazing...  The small little pop of sequins just gives it that over the top wow...  Another set I plan to wear out using....

I saw this card on Pinterest a couple days ago and was wow'd.  I decided to play around today and see if I could make it...  The flowers are just amazing and they pop off the card.  This effect is created using clear embossing powder only.  Yup, that's it... Clear...  Stunning isn't it?

This is another variation of the previous card.  I changed the colors and made my main panel a lighter color.  I used white embossing powder instead of clear and I chose to sponge the centers for another "pop" factor.  I am really liking the way this one turned out...  

 Very simple Mother's Day card.  I used a couple different embossing folders, a gorgeous matching DSP, and one of my favorite blooms.  I love the simple, clean look of 1 color cards...  May have to rethink which card  I am sending my mom this year...  It's gonna be a hard decision...

Another simple card using the Lotus Blossom...  I feel like this card is missing something but not sure what..  I added some Mon Ami Gaby bling for some bling and used a gorgeous embossing folder behind my main image...

Simple, Elegant, Neutral....  I love this card!!!

 I happen to fall upon this new die set from Sizzix today.  I am sure it's not new, but new to me and I am in LOVE...  There are 4 "mixed media" dies in this set, one of which is going to be great for my Father's Day card, and the other 2 are just going to be so much fun to play with...  I can't wait...

 Same die cut as in the previous card, but also uses the Sizzix Ornate Labels die cuts here... Also new to me...  When you take so much time off from stamping your next move it to buy all the stuff that came out while you were "retired" and it ends up costing you big time...  *gulp*

 Any time a stamp has a matching punch or die, I am going to make that a go-to set.  I have always been one to "fussy" cut, but I have to tell you that matching dies have made my life so much easier.  Where were these 10 years ago?  I know, in time all good things come... I can't wait to see what we are crafting with in 10 more years...

This is all for today...  I am so glad I was able to catch up and get my cards uploaded...  Thank you so much for taking the time to sit back, relax, enjoy a cup of coffee and browse my blog...  If I have made 1 person smile today, then I have done my job here!!!