I'm back....well kinda??

....and so happy to be feeling a bit better ~  It's a joy to be showing you my two latest cards and even more fun to be back at my craft desk again.  

     It seems that my Fibromyalgia and Degenerative Joint Disease have really decided to kick my butt this year!  Grrrrr!   And if they alone are not bad enough to deal with,  I found out recently that I need to have hip replacement surgery, oh JOY!   Not !  Nope that was not happy news for me and it took a few days to sink in.  Since then, I have had time to accept it and my surgery is now scheduled to be done in late February.   I figured it was best to try and wait until the worst of winter is over, so that when I can get out and starting walking again, it will be in the nicer Spring weather....the last thing I'd need to go out and fall in the snow and ice....!   I also had a Cortisone injection last week and thought it would be helpful, which is was for about a day, but then again, we've had nothing but miserable cold, gray, damp and wet weather, so I need to give it time.  The one day I did feel relief was the one sunny and milder day we had -- I am hopeful once we get out of the miserable weather pattern, things will be better...even if only for a short time!  I'll take any good days I can get.

     And speaking of some good news, I was totally thrilled when my son (Brian), emailed me to say he was coming "Home" for a visit in February, just before my surgery.   Yippee!  I am so excited about that and can hardly wait for him to be here --- I only WISH  Meghan could come too, but with them and their crazy and very hectic life, she can't.  But, she will be flying through this Spring before she heads off to Milan, Italy to study for for that Semester.  She's a super girl, so talented and bright, currently pursuing her Masters in Design and Architecture.  Love that girl, as much as if she were my very own daughter, she's an wonderful daughter in law, for sure!  When it comes to my Sons and their "Girls", I am truly very blessed.

    But, when it comes to my health, that is NOT the case...it's life for me to live with a chronic illness and something I've long learned to deal with, I just hate when it takes away any of the GOOD Stuff in life and this time, it forced me to have to leave the a2z Scrapbookign Design Team, which was something I really had a hard time giving up.   I already miss it a lot and also really miss the daily interaction with our team, but I know it's for the best and maybe in time, I can go back to being part of that team again.   Today, I actually have a card I made especially for their December Challenge, where the theme is all about "Watercoloring" one of my favorite techniques to use in card-making.

   This is my card for the challenge and it features a sweet little Hero Stamp- Pen and Ink Christmas Tree, that I picked up this past weekend, at my LSS.  They had a big sale on all the Christmas products and had bundled up some cute little kits.  I loved this one, which also came with white card bases and some Gold Delicata Ink.

  This was really and easy and fun card to make.  I started by inking up the tree stamp with Versamark ink and then added some of my favorite "Liquid Platinum" embossing powder and heat set the tree.  I then used my little Hero Watercolors Wheel along with an Aqua Pen to add lots of green and blue colors around my tree.  I also misted on some "Perfect Pearls" mist and again heat set it all to try.  My Winter Wishes sentiment is also from Hero and from this "Stamp/Die Set".   Once that piece was nice and die cut it into a banner shape, using this wonderful die set from My Favorite Things.  I then created by background panel using some Snow layering paper and a new snowflake themed embossing folder, I also found at my LSS on Sunday.  I created my card base with some blue "glitter" cardstock and then added on my layers.  To finish off this card I added on an assortment of pearls and gems, also from Hero Arts!  Yes, I do LOVE Hero Arts and buy almost ALL my Hero Goodies from the a2z Store -- it's the best!

    Oh and speaking of Sunday at my LSS, I took a super fun Memory Box card making class.  Loved the cards we made, and only WISH I had remembered to take some pics, before I mailed them out. OOPS!   My craft photography station is currently "non existent" since we have painters here working on that room, it will be my new upstairs den and my "recovery" space, after I have my surgery!  Needless to say, between just moving to my new room, and not having it done yet, then having all this health crap going on...things are a bit messy here for me...but things could always be worse, so I'm trying to ignore the disaster for now!   I do, however, have this picture that was in the store Newsletter!   In person, these cards are so MUCH prettier.....!  Love them!

   I also had an awesome day on Saturday and was very excited to take part in the Scramble that Natalie hosted that afternoon.   She had a great theme, where we were asked to use some of our favorite "Older" Hero Stamps to create a new "Christmas/Holiday" card.   I admit that I have a LOT of favorites and the stamp I chose, "Shari's Tree #3" is not very old, but I love it and knew it would make a fun card....easy too, which was perfect for me.

  Here is my card and it was one I loved making...I colored with my Copics and a Wink of Stella and then simply added it to some pretty layers, all on a matching card base.  My final touch was adding the die cut "Love" sentiment and a sweet "Itty bitty bow".   These little bows always receive lots of compliments and requests to know where I find them.   I buy them from "The Paper Temptress", a great store where I also shop for all my Copic Coloring cardstock and a wonderful variety of other fabulous designer cardstocks.    It's a store I highly and happily recommend, if you are shopping there, tell Patricia, the owner, that I sent you.

     Oh, and the best news EVER --- I won that Scramble that afternoon and won a $25 gift card to another of my favorite online stores -- Simon Says Stamp!!!  I was so excited and since that had been the first card I manged to make in days, it was such a blast to also be the lucky winner!  Thank you Natalie for the fun Scramble and the super prize!  Perfect for me!  No doubt, I'll spend it in days....!  I am a huge fan of the SSS Exclusive Line and will be happy to have this for my next purchase!   YAY!!

     And speaking of Simon Says Stamp, I am also entering this "Love" card to their latest "Christmas/Holiday" challenge, over on their Wednesday Challenge blog.  (just in the nick of time)!

    That's it for today!!   I am looking forward to the next couple of months hopefully flying by, so that I can have this surgery, recovery and get back outside in some warm Spring Sunshine!   I can hardly wait for that day to be here!  Come on Spring!!