Hanging in there....

.... Just wanted to let you all know that I had hoped to be back online by now and feeling much better.  I actually had a fairly good day on Saturday and most of yesterday and then today it's WHAM, back to feeling horrible, with zero energy -- can't seem to get a thing done!

     Thankfully, Hubby is home and working on my future new "craft space" and also taking care of the pups, another thing he'll be doing once I head to California -- only 17 more days, but at this point I really need to FEEL much better than this or my trip would be awful and I did not wait all to this to go away and be sick the whole time -- Bleck!

       

       The good news, is that I know this won't last forever and I'm not about to ever this this darn illness win.  If things are not better tomorrow, I'm definitely going to see my doctor to make sure there is nothing new going on and hopefully he'll have some ideas of how I can end this flare!   Having good health is such a blessing and I have now learned to cherish each and every day when I wake up and totally feel good!  

       Thankfully, I did make a few cards, when I was feeling better, and I'm sharing them below.  Not a lot of the normal details, but you can feel free to ask me about any, by leaving me a message. I also want to invite you to our brand new "Fall/Christmas" themed Challenge being hosted for the month of September over on the a2z Scrapbooking Blog.  You'll find some new inspiration from the team and we've all been excited to be trying out some of the latest new products from the Hero Arts Christmas Release!!

       Here are the cards that I did finish, and you'll find they all were created in a Christmas theme and most feature lots of fun goodies from the a2z Store, including some of the latest new Christmas products!!   Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a Happy Labor Day, for those celebrating here in the U.S.

        The first two cards were created with some of the fabulous Hero Arts Digital Kits, you can now find over in the store!  

Featuring K5948

Merry Christmas Tree

And a fun little card I created

with these Christmas Cuties

from

Lili of the Valley

on a fun watercolor background!

   And that's it for today!   Hope you all are enjoying a nice Monday and for those who are here in the U.S. hope you had an extra special nice long weekend.   See you all again soon!!

It's almost over.....

....and not only is it almost the end of August, it's also very close to the deadline for submitting your projects to our "Encouragement" challenge over at the a2z Scrapbooking Blog.

     I have a fun little sneak peak of my card to share here and then invite you to hope on over to the Challenge blog for more details and also to check out all the fabulous inspiration the Design Team has shared with us all month.

    For me, who LOVES summer it's never easy seeing it quickly coming to and end, but I do hope we still have lots of wonderful weather ahead.   The only exciting thing about September being so close it that it's only a matter of days now before I'll be off to San Diego to visit my son and daughter (in law), and I have been thinking about this trip for months.  I miss them so much and only seeing them a couple of times each year is really hard for this Mom who adores her sons.   And now with Alex, also living out on his own, we are truly empty-nesters.   I am very happy that I adopted my three little fur-babies to keep me busy and help take away some of the lonely times, without the kids!   

   After I get back from California, I am also looking forward to moving into my new craft room and hoping that Hubby will be working on the painting and such, while I am away!   After that, our next project will be to turn this room into an upstairs den and a little Doggie Room!    I want to pull up the carpets and add some new flooring, paint and then add a little Daybed,  a small TV and a little sleeping area for the dogs.  It's also where I'll keep their toys and such and will pretty much be their "new room".  It'll be a long project, as I'm very limited on doing painting and such, and Hubby can only get so much done on the weekends.  Luckily, it's not any type of major renovation, simply a fresh coat of paint in each room, and re-decorating.  Moving ALL my craft things and re-organizing every thing, will be the biggest project, but I can take my time and that's exactly what I plan to do.  It's a long cold winter here in New England, so I have lots of indoor time ahead and really want to have my space MUCH more organized than it is now.  It's also the perfect time for me to do a Major purge and I plan to donate everything I can to the two Dachshund Rescue Groups who brought Skye and Zeva into our lives!   Anything they can't sell or use, I'll donate to a day care for somewhere I know it'll be put to good use!  

   Okay...now that I have rambled on...hope I didn't bore you, I want to also offer you my Design Team Promo Code for any shopping you may want to do over at the a2z Scrapbooking Store.   This code will save you 15% off your total order of $25 and up (excluding shipping), and can also be used on our new "Digital Files", the new Christmas Release and even on the SALE items.  Simply fill up your cart and be sure to enter the promo code - LISAH15 - during the checkout process.  NOTE:  The 15% off will automatically be deducted, once your order meets the requirements.  Have fun shopping and don't forget to enter the challenge for your chance to win a $25.00 gift card for more shopping at a2z!!   Thanks for stopping by and I'll be looking for your projects over on the challenge blog -- Good Luck!!  

Big NEWS!!!

  Today, we are very happy to announce that Hero Arts and the a2z Scrapbooking Store, have combined talents are are now hosting a Digital Blog Hop -- which starts today, over on the Hero Blog!!

   Be sure to check out all the fabulous projects that have been shared by the Hero Arts Designers, as well as some of the Design Team at a2z!   I'm so excited that the a2z Scrapbooking Store, will be now be the Exclusive seller of Hero's fabulous Digital Line and have already enjoyed with with some of their wonderful design kits.    Here area a few of the cards I have recently created with some of my favorites, all of which are available now at the a2z Store and the best part is that they are instant downloads....just think, you can purchase one now and be making cards with it this afternoon!   And you can also us my Design Team promo code to save 15% off of any order of $25 and up an that does include the Digital Line too!   All you need to do is enter my code  - LISAH15 -  during the check out process and it will automatically deduct the 15% as soon as your order total reaches $25 (excluding shipping).

  

 

   And don't forget that you still have time to enter our August Challenge, where the theme is this month is "Encouragement", for another change to win a $25.00 gift certificate to shop at the a2z Store.  You can find all the details on the a2z Scrapbooking Blog and everyone is welcome to play.  Just be sure that you project fits the theme and includes at least one Hero Arts Stamp or Digital product, as the main image.  All the rules and requirements are also found here!    Hurry on over and play today --!!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I also wanted to let you know that I'm taking off a couple of days as I have been over-doing things there and have kind of put myself into a little Fibro flare!   I had all these great plans of getting my new craft room ready to be painted and I did too much, I should now better and now am suffering a bit.  But, as always I know this too shall pass, as long as I take a bit of time to rest my body and relax and that's exactly what I plan to do for the next few days.

    I know I'll miss some challenges and that's always something I love, but I also have some appointments this week and that too will be a great way to relax!   I'm having wonderful Mani/Pedi tomorrow and  will actually be heading to my LSS on Thursday to take the second series in the Gelli Plate workshop and then on Friday -- I'm having my hair cut into a new style.....!

     I also really want to totally enjoy this week, since it's pretty much the last official week of Summer, with Labor Day coming so quickly!   I'll be back by the weekend and will have a fun post for you then, so stay tuned!!  Wishing you all a great week!!

     My rest won't be quite this wonderful, but I can dream..........................

 

      

Hero's New Christmas Release available NOW.....!!

   I am so excited to share the news that the brand new Hero Arts Christmas Release is now available over at the a2z Scrapbooking Store.  I headed there bright and early this morning to pick out some new goodies to add to my Christmas stash and want to invite you to shop with me.  If you would like to use my DT Promo Code,  - LISAH15 - all you need to do is purchase a minimum of $25.00 in products (excluding shipping), then enter the CODE during the checkout process to save 15% on your entire order.   And that includes our sale items, the brand new Christmas release and all the new digital products too!   Hurry on over for the best selection....!!

  Just go HERE to find the newest products ready to ship right out to you!  I already picked up a couple of my new favorites and I'm sure those goodies will sell out fast, but do not worry, a few things are still on back order from Hero, so please check back daily, as we continue to add new products from the release and re-stock those that sell out super fast!!

   We are also adding new Digital products daily, are now carrying the very popular Wink of Stella and Wink of Luna Markers, just in time for your Christmas Cards.   And for those who love to create with their Silhouette, we are also now carrying accessory items to go along with the new digital line.  We have mats, blades and tools and we'll also happy order any special items you want or need.  Please let up know and we'll be happy to add new items!!

   In the meantime, I'm going to now finish up my morning chores, take the dogs out and then will be back to work on new cards.

   There is also a new Hero Arts Scramble today and it will be hosted over at the Hero Arts Flickr Group, starting at 4:30 pm EDT!   I'll be playing along and hope to see you there!!

   UPDATE:    Just finished playing in Cat's really fun and creative Scramble and thought I would stop by to share the cards I made, as well as a few more I created during the day, after I finished a little shopping over at the a2z Store.

    I'll start with the two cards that I created for Cat's Scramble and will also share a copy of the three cards and photo inspiration that she shared with us today, as there theme.  You can read more on her instructions and the details over on the Flickr Group in her post HERE!!

Cat's Cards and Our Inspiration Photo

My Cards -- Card One

I picked my stamp and colors, based

on the colors/design of Cat's little bag.

  I started with a piece of Watercolor Paper and then applied Ranger's Distress Inks, Broken China and Tumbled glass directly to an acrylic block, then heavily misted that with a mist of Perfect Pearls.  I then stamped that Inked block onto my Watercolor Paper and heat set it to dry and added a second layer and again used my embossing gun to dry it.  Next, I took my "Starbursts" Stamp and inked it with Versarmark and stamped that onto the blue background and then embossed it with White Embossing Powder.   I cut a black frame to go around the image, which was another theme I saw in Cat's designs.  I added that to a nice wood-grain card base and then chose the Sentiment, and this is when I had a major OOPS and totally "wrecked" the card, by smearing the sentiment "big time"....I was very disappointed, but knew I did not have time to start all over and so I re-stamped the same sentiment onto another piece of white cardstock and then popped it up on top of my mistake.  I can see now it's a bit Crooked, so I'll still have work to try and salvage this card!   It's also so heartbreaking when your final step ends up making your card a disaster.  

 Card Two

This time I chose to use

Cat's card Design as my Inspiration!

  For this card I started with Hero's Everything Flowers background stamp and used a variety of Distress Inks to ink up the entire stamp.  I again misted it with a mix of Perfect Pearls and heat set it to dry.   I then created my card base with some Black Layering Paper and took the now stamped piece and it it down to fit across the card.  I added a black mat to the floral strip and adhered that directly onto some white cardstock and then stamped on my Sentiment, using the Stamp set that Cat has used on her cards, which is Messages with Flourish, one of my favorite sentiment sets.  I finished off this card by added some black enamel dots.   Oh and speaking of Enamel Dots, my Design Teammate Barb, has a great tutorial today over on the a2z Scrapbookign Blog on how you can "make your own enamel dots", simply by melting beads! I already made one batch using Pony Beads that I bought from JoAnn's and today I found some really pretty Perler Beads on Etsy that I've now ordered to bake some smaller dots!   So easy and a great money saver too!  My thanks to Barb for sharing her "recipe" with me and also linking me to some great You Tube Videos.  

    My next card is another challenge inspired card and this one was created for the current challenge over at "Cas(E) This Sketch".  I'm also sharing this week's sketch and hope it will inspire you to play along!!

CTS # 89

My Card

  This card was really fun to create and I actually used my Silhouette to cute the little "Sentiment" banner and also the background piece, which is actually a patterned paper design that I used as a "Fill" that I had in my "pattern" folder and I thought it would go great with this Pool Card base!   I also then decided to add an image and chose this stamp from Hero Arts, "Flowers On a Stem" which is another on I love and have used many times.  Today I stamped it with Silver Shadow Ink and then simply highlighted the flowers and leaves with some Copic Markers that matched the background!   

  And I'm slowing adding to my Christmas Card stash and today I designed two more digital cards using some more of the wonderful Hero Digital images from a2z.  The first one is another adorable little bird, from the "Feathered Friends" set that I used earlier in the week.  Today, I totally changed the colors again and this time picked a pretty blue background paper to make this sweet card. I even found I had some blue enamel dots that worked perfectly for his pretty Blue Eyes!!  

  That brings me to my final card for today and it too is another very fun and easy card that I created with another set, this one is the "Swirl Christmas Set" and it's another set full of a wonderful variety of images making it very easy to quick create your own Digital/Hybrid Cards!   I love how this one turned out and it's all done in a very bold black and white theme.  I simply added the printed section to a Black Hero Note card and then embellished with enamel dots and sequins. 

     I'll have lots of new Christmas cards to share over the new few months, as I love to make all of my own and it takes a long time to create them all.  I always like to add some new stamps sets each year too and now can hardly wait for my new Hero Arts Goodies to arrive.   Plus, I know they'll be more added to the store as they continue to come in from Hero!  Yippee!!

Uber Cool!!!

    Oh what a JOY it is to be back in my craft room today making card again.   It's been such a crazy and busy week and despite planning to work on cards every day, for one reason or another, it simply did not happen, until today.

    I'm so happy to be here to share my latest cards, most of which were inspired by some of my favorite challenges.  I just love challenges and for me, it's not only a great way to practice trying out new craft items, it's also a great way to come up with new ideas, that you might not other every try.

   And my first card today, is pretty much a card, I think fits into that category perfectly.  It's a card that was created for the current challenge over at "Addicted to CAS", where are theme for this week is "Geometric", which is also very much on trend.

    Another card that I made a while back, (for Hubby's' Birthday) was also partly this inspiration for this card, and you can see that card HERE!   I started using the same punched "Strip of Chevrons" going down the left side of my card and then continued to add a variety of geometric shapes, using punches and stamps from my stash, include this awesome border set by My Favorite Things, the "Uber Cool" sentiment from Paper Smooches and two punches, hexagon and the chevron border punch, both favorites of mine from Stampin' Up.   I started with a "Tide" card-base and did all my punches and stamping in black Hero Ink.  To finish off my card and add some sparked, I coated all the black shapes with a clear Wink of Stella Glitter Marker, which we are now selling over at the a2z Scrapbooking Store, along with all the fabulous Hero Products.  

   And speaking of new items at the a2z Store, the brand new Christmas Release "Handmade for Christmas" from Hero Arts is currently in route to the store and we hope it will all be available for ordering starting this Saturday!!  ...Yes, you heard me right, as long as the order arrives, as expected, you can shop early at a2z Etsy Store, starting this Saturday!  WOOHOO!   Just two more days and I don't know about you, but I sure am excited about that news!    There are some items on back order from Hero and not everyone will arrive in the first shipment, but you'll find a great selection and we are happy to share this fun news!       Please stay tuned for more updates this weekend.   Remember you can also save money by using my special Design Team Promo Code!  Just add $25.00 (or more) in product to your shopping cart,  (excluding shipping) and you'll be eligible to take 15% off your total order when you enter my code -- LISAH15 !   I'll have an update as soon as the items are available and I too, already have my wish list ready, so I'll be there with you shopping early!  Woohoo!!

    With Christmas on my mind, I am now the early stages of making the my cards for this year and my new two cards are two adorable little Christmas cards that I created today, using one of my new favorite Hero Arts Digital Kits, this one is DK029 is available now!   It's called "Feathered Friends" and is a wonderful little kit.  I addition to this kit, we also have more, in the Christmas/Winter Theme, which you can buy and download instantly to start creating your Holiday and Christmas Cards.  You'll find them all in the new "Digital" section of the store HERE!!

  For my first card, I chose to use the sweet little bird with the ornament, along with the Merry Christmas Sentiment and the Red digital background paper, all included in the set.   The stripped background is also a Hero Arts Digital, called "Earth Background" papers,  one that hope to have available in the store soon.   I always own several of Hero's  Digital Kits and looks forward to adding even more, as they arrive in the store!   What I love most about using Digital Images is that you can also combine them with tradition stamping to make these very easy and fun "Hybrid Cards".  Once I had this design done, I use Microsoft Word to create all my digital cards, I printed it out on some white cardstock, and then layered it own to a Hero Wet Cement Notecard.  I then added a black Gem to give his little eye more dimension and added another sparkling gem to the ornament.  

  And this is the second card, where I used the bird holding the star.   On both of these cards I used the pre-colored images, but all the images also come in Black and White, so that you can color in them anyway you want.  For this card, I used the same Merry Christmas sentiment, but changed my background by using three different digi background papers -- Red, Green and the Red and White Striped!.  I also created my card base using Hero's Pine Layering Paper, which matched really well with my finished card.    I used a Wink of Stella Marker to add some extra sparkle to the star and also to the legs of this adorable guy!   NOTE:   We also are now carrying the Gold and Silver Wink of Luna Markers in the store too and they are fabulous to use on dark backgrounds!!   

   Next, I have a card that has me back into more summer like colors and it's the card I created for this week's MUSE Challenge.   I am happy to share a copy of the Muse Card, which was created by Marion Vagg.

Muse Challenge # 84

My Card

    The main two elements I chose to use from Marion's card was the zig-zag patterned background and the pretty butterfly die cut in the center.  I also wanted to use pretty pastel colors and started by first picked out a piece of Pink Polka Dotted Cardstock, from the Let's Polka  Lawn Fawn Set.   My next goal was to create my card and initially I thought I might use a zig-zag die and cut it several times, into a white card-base, then then I came up with the idea for using my fabulous new Silhouette Cameo to design my own card and did so buying this "Circles and Zags" file from the Silhouette Store and altering it to change it from a single layer "Project Life" style card, into a standard A2 size card.   Note:  I have been absolutely thrilled with my brand new Cameo and the awesome "Lightning Deal" bundle that I bought from Amazon last week.   It was only $199 (with Free 2 Day Shipping), for this Bundle shown below!  And, having this new machine which works so well, I'm 100% certain now that my original definitely as a "lemon" and even MORE disappointed that Silhouette did stand behind it.   I really wish there was another machine the was compatible with all the accessories and files that I own, but since there isn't, I'm simply thrilled to have found this deal.   If you are in the market for a Cameo, I highly suggest you go to Amazon daily and check the prices, and hope you'll find a Lightning deal too.  I am so grateful for the gals in the Facebook Silhouette Group who posted these deal. Well worth some patience and a little wait!!   Thank you Amazon!!

My Silhouette Cameo / Starter Bundle

Silhouette Store "Circles & Zags" Cut File

  Once I had my new card designed, I cut it from White Cardstock, and scored it down the middle on my Scor-Buddy to make it a pre-folded card.  I then adhered the "Pink and White" paper to the inside behind the zigs/zags and using a new die set from SSS, added a little background area for my Butterfly, which I created from two Memory Box dies.    I cut a little label shape, added a simple sentiment, stamped in Pink and had my card done!  

  And my final card of the day was a cute little card that was inspired and created for the current challenge over at CASology, where the cue card this week is "Java", and whenever I hear the word Java the very first thing that comes to my mind is Coffee and how it's the very first thing I start off my day with each and every morning, right after the pups start eating their breakfast.  

  This card also was created with the help of my Cameo and two new Silhouette files that I picked up on the online store.  I found two different styles of coffee mugs, and really loved this one with the heart, but also loved the "steam" from another file, so I took the two and combined them to make my own little cup of morning "Java".   I cut them from white cardstock and then used my Hero Arts Shadow Inks, to color each piece.  The mug was colored with Soft Pool, the steam with Wet cement, and the heart was colored with Raspberry Jam and then coated with a clear Wink of Stella Marker.  I created my card-base with Mixed Pool Layering Paper, and die cut the black Frame with my the same new set from SSS.  The sentiment, "Oh Happy Day" seemed to fit perfectly and is a set by the same name, from Avery Elle.

  And that's it for today...and boy am I now tired after typing this very long post, which I admit, took me a LONG time with lots of breaks in between.  It was so FUN to be at my desk and I'm also especially excited about my move into my new room soon.   I did pick out a few paint samples this week, but didn't love either of them.  I was not sure what color I wanted to add to the basic "Black and White" themed room, but I have finally decided that it's definitely going to be shades of "Purple".....which I am sure is NOT a major shock to most of you!   It will be a light shade, more like a very subtle lavender and I'll be picking  up two more samples at Ace tomorrow.   I had thought I would go with white trim, but after painting some of the trim white yesterday, I just don't LOVE it, and because my IKEA furniture is a bit of an off white color, I have to be very careful about using white.  If it's to bright it could make my furniture look creamy or have a hint of yellow and that is NOT what I want.   Plus, we have already replaced the baseboard trim in that room to go with the rest of the house, which is pretty much  a pine that we leave natural and paint with 3-4 coats of Poly to keep it very easy to clean.  I prefer trim be a wood tone and since we have pine floors in that room, it makes since to have it match.  Plus, that way you do NOT have to paint it when you can the room color, you simply can leave it alone or freshen it up with a new coat of poly.    But, we will have to paint the window trim and the doors etc., since they are painted now...if only wish they have been left alone too!  But, they were painted before we bought this house, so we continue to paint them or replace, when needed!   The color names of the samples I pick up tomorrow are called -- "First Dance" and "Purple Essence".