We All Need a Little Time Away

Several years ago some friends and I were discussing the idea of going away and having a crafting weekend. Well, that finally happened! When we first started talking about it, we tossed around the idea of getting a hotel, but after attending Lorri Heiling's Cozy Crafty Retreat last September, I was inspired to find a house similar to the cabin we stayed in. That search took me to The Raggedy Inn in Ramona, CA! Everything was perfect. The place was perfect for a small group of 10, the weather was perfect, and the mix of friends was perfect! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend!

Just a couple of the fun pillow gifts given to each attendee at the retreat (I wish I had thought to take pictures of all of them... they were cute - if I do say so myself. LOL!).

Every retreat needs a swag bag! This one was summer/luau-themed, complete with Bunch of Blossoms stamp set and Blossom Builder punch.

Margo shared her husband Lynn... who kept our bellies full with amazing catered meals.

Of course the only picture I took of the food is the one below... we had a luau lunch with crabwiches, fruity beach balls, sea shell pasta, tropical veggietation with seaweed dip, and sea snail bites. YUM!

We even had a tropical "mocktail" (not pictured, but oh so tasty)!

There was enough time for everyone to work on their make-and-takes, swaps, and any other projects they brought. All make-and-take supplies were kept in sand pails.

Pinterest and other Stampin' Up! demonstrators offered much inspiration for our make and takes. This card was CASEd (copy and share everything) from Lyssa Zwolanek. She is so talented! 

The ladies were having fun and working hard... okay, not so hard. But they were working.

 

  

But there is always time for selfies... especially with your sister.

Yes, we had to take a group picture... and yes, we had to use props.

Of course, no retreat would be complete without swapping. These are just a few...

So many great cards - lots of inspiration! 

And no retreat would be complete without time for some R&R and hanging out with your sister and/or BFF! 

Yes, even Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy were hanging out. There were quite a few... which is why the house is called the Raggedy Inn. 

There were so many great moments from the retreat, but my favorite was actually having time to work on my own cards. Aside from my swaps, I made cards for all of the hubbies whose wives came to the retreat. I know it was a sacrifice for the guys to give them up for a weekend, so this was a way for me to let them know how much I appreciate it.

RemARKably Creative - Something New!

I'm excited to be participating in the RemARKably Creative Blog Tour this month - a first for me. Ever. I've never joined a blog hop before, but have admired the talents of many bloggers and hoppers, and I've always wanted to... so I thought I would give it a try.

Everything's coming up... no, not roses... Daisies! I'm in love with the new Delightful Daisy Suite (available June 1) and how versatile it is. It's funny... when I sit down to create a card I have a certain vision, but as I start playing with different colors and elements, I tend to go in a different direction.

The colors in the Delightful Daisy Designer Series Paper are Daffodil Delight and Old Olive, but I tried a couple of different yellows and greens to bring out the different hues of the paper. I settled on Always Artichoke as a nice complement to the Old Olive, but found the Daffodil Delight complements itself.

As soon as I finally decided on my colors, everything else just sort of fell into place. And this is what the finished card looks like!

The center of the daisy doesn't show up very well in the above picture, so I had to include a close-up!

Fun, isn't it? Nothing a little Wink of Stella and Fine Tip Glue Pen can't make prettier!

Before you hop on to the next blog, I'd love it if you would please take a moment to leave me a comment.

Thank you!

A Sneak Peek from the New Catalog!

This is an exciting time of year in the Stampin' Up! world! There are about three weeks left before the new annual catalog comes out, and there are some AMAZING things in that catalog! As a taste of what's to come, Stampin' Up! has a new bundle available before the June 1 launch! Check out the Eastern Palace Suite bundles!

Although I purchased the Premier bundle, I decided to make a few cards using the starter bundle! Check out these quick and easy cards...

I love how quick and easy these cards are - the Very Vanilla notecards make it super simple! But beware... the Eastern Beauty stamp set is highly addictive... there are so many pieces that you will no doubt find fun ways to use them!

If you order either of these bundles, I will give you a free one-on-one class! If you're not local, I will send you a PDF for the instructions on how to make not only these cards, but ones made with the premier bundle as well (pictures to be posted soon)! Visit my online store to get bundle details or place an order today.

Let's Celebrate Sale-a-Bration - and a New Blog Post!

I've been a bad blogger. I've ignored this page for too long, and now I'm ready to get back into it! Starting with the end of Sale-a-Bration... it's so sad... but stick with me, because it's about to get happy!

Stampin' Up! has released seven new items for the final stretch of Sale-a-Bration! If you haven't taken advantage of Sale-a-Bration yet, you're missing out! Earn a FREE gift for every $50 in product you order. And what's even better... I am offering FREE shipping on top of the Sale-a-Bration item! Yes, for every $50+ order you place between now and March 31, I will take care of your shipping costs. If you place an order directly with me, I will deduct it from your order. If you place an order online using host code T3FTP7J4, a check will be mailed to you when the order ships.



You can see all of the first release and second release by clicking on the links here, or to the right of my blog post.

Happy looking, happy shopping, and happy creating!