*New Year!*

As I finished up making my 2016 Christmas cards, I was thinking about how much I was enjoying creating again.  Years ago, I would stamp many days of the week, for at least a little bit.  I made cards just because I wanted to make cards.  Then I started making cards only when I needed cards (plus Christmas cards).  And in the last couple of years, I have only really made Christmas cards.

So I decided that I would make an effort to make more cards.

I put a call out on FaceBook to my family and friends, inviting them to send me their address and birthdate if they wanted to get a handmade card from me.  I did this last year and then we decided to do the big house renovation and my craft space became a make-shift living room.  So instead of making new cards, I used cards from my stash to send out.  While there are still a few cards in my stash, most are cards I wouldn't want to send out.

So last week, I sat down to start creating.  I have some great new stamps and the new inks from Catherine Pooler and I decided to pull them out and see what I could come up with.

For this card I used an old embossing folder and some Dew Drops that I haven't pulled out in forever along with the new Catherine Pooler ink in Pool Party and a stamp from My Favorite Things.  I used my Misti to ensure that my greeting was exactly where I wanted it.  I also used my Perfect Layers Tool to cut that orange layer.

As of the day I am posting this card, I have made a total of 5 cards in two different times sitting in my crafty space... fingers crossed I stay motivated to keep this up!