I’ve been missing in action for 8 weeks, but I’m back now. I started a new job at the beginning of June and I love it; I’m actually excited to go to work and get things done and the people are really nice. They are also very kind; after the third day in my new job, my mother had a stroke and there was no problem with me jumping on a plane and flying to the UK. Tragically my mother died a few days after my brother and I got there and then there was the funeral to arrange and masses of other things to do. It seems to take a while to organise a funeral in the UK and it was on a Friday at which point I’d been in the UK for two weeks. I didn’t feel that I could leave my father immediately after the funeral and my boss had no issues with me taking another week. Really good people. Exciting work. And a 15-20 minute commute. It doesn’t get much better than that. Of course a new job is exhausting and with the effort of that and the mourning, I just didn’t feel like making cards because it  allows for too much time to think. And I was just too tired. And Mum loved my cards and so not being able to share them with her is hard. But last weekend I went to a weekend crop and had a great time reconnecting with my fellow cardmakers and scrapbookers and of course making cards. And today would be my mother’s 77th birthday so it seems a good day to restart my blog. And with the new annual catalogue that came out a month ago and the holiday one available in a month (although as a demonstrator I can order this coming week) there are a lot of new exciting products to play with. Perhaps I could actually send my brother in law a birthday card, it’s only a month late. At least my friend Jen’s card is only a week or so late.

So here’s today’s card:

This is using the Stampin’ Up! set Watercolor Wings that is in the new annual catalogue. I didn’t do anything clever to get all the colours on it – it’s a three step stamp. So I did the first in crushed curry and then the second stamp using pumpkin pie and the final stamp just does the edges of the wings and that’s in melon mambo. A really beautiful effect and very easy. The set also includes a stamp for the body which I’ve done in memento black ink. The sentiment comes from the same set as well. I matted my piece of very vanilla with a thin amount of black to make it pop and coordinate with the butterfly body. This is then put onto a melon mambo card base. I used last year’s backgrounds DSP to line the envelope – I already have a lot of them cut. When I need an envelope liner I cut 8 at a time so that I have spares.

Happy carding and see you tomorrow,

Liz