A Milestone Reached

WOW! I'm so very grateful right now...thanks to *YOU* (my dear, wonderful friends and customers!) I reached $200,000 in career sales with Stampin' Up! this week!!! It took me about 12 years to reach the first $100K and just 7 years to exceed this milestone. And guess what? I get a $2,000 bonus!! I just love what I do :)

Now I can't decide what to spend it on...a vacation with my husband? A new dining room set? A family trip? (Note that it's a VACATION when I go with my sweetheart and a TRIP if we take the kids: A bit of wisdom my father taught me)

So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for letting me be your creative coach and for thinking of me when you need supplies for scrapping, stamping, home decor, gifts and more. I recognize your loyalty (and God's hands) in this great blessing and want you to know I am humbled and grateful. I wish I could send you ALL a card, but this will have to do:

{Card created by Debbie Greuser...one of the dear demonstrators in my Stitched Stampers family} 

 If you would love being a part of my stampin' family and/or want to make a business out of sharing your creativity, you can join through March 31, 2011 for 15% off the Starter Kit AND get a Starter Kit Bonus Bundle (Color Coach, Simply Sent Card Kit and Stamp Set & Exclusive Punch!) FREE...Click Here for more information or to join today!
(P.S. My recruiting password is stampwithme)

Another Stamptacular Event!

There is something miraculous in putting ink to paper. I remember the first time I watched someone stamp a card and was WOWed by the entire process! Twenty years later, I'm still amazed at what you can do with a piece of card stock and an ink pad. That's me, above, at the Stamptacular event held in St. George at the beginning of March.

When stampers get together, we really love swapping...Kristi and Sally, two of the demonstrators in my Stitched Stampers family, are shown above as they swap some of the cute gifts they made during the demonstrator meeting. Kristi later demonstrated the cute box she swapped using the Movers and Shapers die for the Big Shot (just the right size to hold a giant candy bar!):

 Sally showed us how to create "One-Eyed-Monsters" (with a mint patty in the middle):

Later in the day, we added some customers...here is Jeni C (right) and her mom at the Stamp-a-Stack card class making the cupcake birthday cards! Mom loved the Big Shot (who wouldn't?)

Sometimes we get lost in the rhythm of stamping and you tune out the world! It's a great feeling to create something beautiful, and Murlynn and Stacy demonstrate the proper focus here:

Next is the Nevada contingency...a really fun group of ladies who came from Mesquite and Las Vegas with Kristi! They really exemplified that "Stamping is more fun with a friend" and we loved having them with us:

And finally, Anne, Shae and Tina create the card keeper...we'll be making this soon in Spanish Fork, so watch for that event TBA soon! Shae was one little creative gal who could draw beautifully :)

My only regret was that I didn't get a shot of Sue, the photographer...next time, next time...

Keepin' it simple...

Another Friday and time for another Clean & Simple Sketch!

And here's my version:

All supplies from Stampin' Up! (of course!). Colors: Pacific Point, Pear Pizazz, Real Red and Whisper White. Balloons from the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set and greeting from the Full of Life stamp set. Designer Series Paper: Celebrations. Have a great weekend!

Prepare to be amazed...

I can play the piano.

I'm not a concert pianist, but I can play the hymns at church and I can play some of the fun things I hear on the radio, too.

For the record...everything your mom told you about practicing is true: You WILL be glad she forced you to sit at the piano practicing scales while your friends ride their bikes past your window. It IS a life skill that you will be grateful for. And GUARANTEED, you WILL regret it if you give it up. THANKS, MOM for not letting me get away with it when I called you after you had baby #3 at the hospital on medication and tried to quit piano lessons!

As a college student, I continued to study piano with Lu Jennings (bless her soul in heaven, she was a wonderful and patient teacher), I still wasn't convinced that I would eventually be grateful for this talent. Then I had a nightmare/dream that I was attending an Air Supply Concert (I just gave away  my age) and the pianist died onstage, but as they say in show business, "The Show Must Go On" ...so in my dream concert, they asked if anyone could play the piano: I raised my hand and was called up to play for remainder of the concert. The nightmare started when I looked at the music and there were 6 flats AND 7 sharps! For non-musical types, that wouldn't happen...unless you are Debussy, whose music I only tried to tackle ONCE.

Once in a while, I'll be playing the piano and think to myself, "This is really incredible that I can look at black dots on the paper and my right hand can play one thing while my left hand is playing different notes!" And then I usually mess up whatever I'm playing because I'm over-thinking it. Which is why I admire the talents of those who CAN play the piano beautifully, and this is a young man you will want to watch for: Josh Wright.



Remember the name.

And if you can read this, thank a music teacher:

Lucky You

“I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, 

the more I have of it.” ~Thomas Jefferson

One of my favorite quotes from my sister (almost as profound as the honorable Mr. Jefferson) is, "I don't speak Whine-ese!" Of course, she was addressing her young daughter, but I think it would be an appropriate response for the current fad of "entitlement mentality" across the nation. And that's my soapbox for today, followed by a wee bit of creative luck (based on the Clean & Simple sketch 131):

My model today is Bernadette, the Stampin' Up! bear that I got at convention two years ago, and in case you can't read the small print on the tag, it says, "LUCKY YOU...and lucky me for knowing you." It's from the Afterthoughts stamp set (one you can choose free if you host a qualifying workshop!) and the shamrocks are from the Got Treats stamp set. The colors are Wild Wasabi and Certainly Celery, in fashion this week as we are about to celebrate St. Patty's Day!

I'm off to cut more card stock for my Stamp-a-Stack class tomorrow...may you make time to be creative over the weekend!

Plane & Simple

Here's a sneak peek at one of the cards you can make this Saturday at the Stamp-a-Stack class:

It uses a wonderful masculine/vintage set from the Occasions Mini Catalog (Plane & Simple) and you can make it into a Thank You or Happy Birthday card instead of a Father's Day card! So if you are low on greeting cards, this is your opportunity to prepare for those special occasions in your life...We'll also be making Birthday Cards, Feminine Cards (Mother's Day, Thank You, etc) and Wedding cards!

Stamp-a-Stack Class

Saturday, March 12 at 1 p.m.

Spanish Fork, UT 84660 

Create 16 cards (4 each of 4 different designs) for just $20! Bring own scissors & adhesive.

Betcha can't stop with just one...

I couldn't! This card sketch was so simple and fun that I couldn't just make ONE, so I created one for everyone who orders from my website in March :) Here is Clean & Simple Sketch #130:

And here are my cards

(love using the Sale-a-Bration Designer Series Paper, Ribbon and Buttons again!):

Don't forget that is the last month to earn Sale-a-Bration products free (like this paper or the ribbons and buttons...) with every $50 order you make!