Daydreaming...

...of a time in the not-so-distant future.  A time when my house is all back in order, and there aren't stacks of books for me to trip over trying to get to the phone.  

And when I remember to write the complete blog before it posts!  

This week's sketch on Stamping Challenges was this:  

and my take on it was this: 

Stampy stuff:  Stamps:  Daydream Medallions Cardstock:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White Inks:  Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight Accessories:  Brights Buttons, Melon Mambo dotted ribbon, Daffodil Delight seam binding, Big Shot, Floral Framelits

Quick and easy, which was perfect for me this week while my stamp room is emptied out!  

I hope you get a chance to come over to Stamping Challenges and play along with us this week!  

Until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Just Believe...

...and everything will be just fine!  

This is a great week for stampers everywhere, because the Stampin' Up retiring lists are here.  This means that stampers everywhere are either celebrating, "'Lovely as a Tree' made it again!", or commiserating, "Really?!?  You are taking away 'Elements of Style' and 'Tea Shoppe'?"  

My personal thoughts?  This is one of my favorite times of the stamping year because I get the chance to say goodbye to some of my favorites, like Just Believe, by making something I love with them a few more times.  And, really, let's be honest...we get to keep the stamps!  I think sometimes people forget that retiring a stamp set isn't like retiring from something like the mob.  They don't just "disappear" one night while we are all out for dinner.  We still get to play with them whenever we want, for as long as we want.  

So I took the sketch from Stamping Challenges this week:  

...and made this:

Stampy Stuff:  Stamps:  Just Believe, Cardstock:  Summer Starfruit, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Print Poetry DSP, Ink:  Island Indigo, Whisper White Craft ink, Accessories:  Linen Thread, Designer Natural buttons, Bitty Banners Framelits, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Big Shot

Believe it or not, this is card you can make in under 10 minutes, start to finish.  

I hope that you will take the time to check out the retiring list at my online store, and if you order be sure to enter the hostess code 2RTKV69E to get a chance to win the hostess benefits for all online orders that are placed using this code.  The beauty of it?  Your order ships straight to you!  No waiting for everyone else, so you can get those great retiring papers, accessories, and other goodies you want and not have to hope they aren't all gone before the order closes.  I am going to keep this event open until May 6th, and once I close it I will notify the winner of the amount of free hostess dollars they have to shop with.  

Thanks for stopping by this week!  I hope that you will take the time to make something that makes you happy this week, then share the happiness with someone around you.  And, if you feel so inclined, leave me a comment here on the blog.  I love knowing that real live people (other than my mom and husband) take the time to pop in and see what I am saying about them...er...cards.  

Be sure to stay tuned here for information regarding my big open house at the end of the month!  I would love to see you here to pick up your new catalog and enjoy a fun evening with some great people.  

Until next time, Happy Stamping!  

Kim

Retiring Lists are here!

Want to see what won't be here anymore after June 2nd?  Then go to my website by clicking here, then click onto the banner that you see above to see the list.  You can order online, and enter the hostess code 2RTKV69E to place your order today and get a chance at hostess benefits.  Your order will go in without delay, and once the combined orders make it to hostess level I will pick one person from those that entered orders to get the hostess benefits!  

If the page doesn't load right away, please check it again.  There are a lot of people checking this out today so the servers are a bit slow!  As always, you can call or email me if you have any questions, and until next time, Happy Stamping!  

Kim  

From class to challenge...

...just like that!

Today, good readers, I am going to share a secret with you about how I approach almost all, some of our challenge cards.  Our design team has a deadline each week of Tuesday to get our cards completed, photographed, edited, and uploaded so that our amazing team of webmistresses can do their magic and put them all together for you to enjoy.  I know that the deadline is Tuesday, and the sketches are typically put up in batches, which means that I have seen this week's sketch for no less than 4 weeks now.  

Now, knowing all of this, the thing that would make the most sense would be that I would have my card done well in advance of this deadline.  That way, I can shoot my pictures in the really good northern light that comes into my stamp room, have a leisurely cup of coffee while I edit my photo, and then do an easy-peasy load to the group's page and just wait for everyone to tell me that it is a cute card and how much they love ME it.  

What really happens is more like this:  

I have my sketch, this week it is a single-layer so all you really see is the design element of the card against my white background.   

I wait until after the news on Tuesday night and think, "Hey, self, maybe you had better churn out the card you have to have linked up in an hour-and-a-half or else suffer the ridicule and shame of your friends calling to make sure you haven't been abducted by aliens."  (Or, even worse, that your stamps haven't been abducted by aliens.  Shudder.)

I then come into my stamp room and start trying to figure it out.  That is when I notice that I have a perfectly good, almost up-to-the-sketch ready card from my ombre technique class sitting right on my table.  (Insert heavenly choir singing and my Ott light shining down on the card as if it was divinely lit.)  

Stamp:  Just Thinking Cardstock:  Basic Gray, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer paper Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo Accessories:  Canvas, Organza Ribbon, Smooch Spritz

At 11 p.m. this card did not have the ribbon or butterfly on it.  At 11:03 it did.  It involved me pulling up the canvas that I lovingly glued down earlier, and then propping it up on a bunch of dimensionals, but y'all were worth it.  Not just one, not two, but three whole minutes of extra "work".  That's me, problem solver, people pleaser.  

The point is, sometimes you just have to put down what you are working on, walk away for a bit, and then come back to it to dress it up and get what you wanted out of it.  And when that happens, I promise that you will hear those choirs singing in your head, too!  

I hope that you will take the time to play along with us at Stamping Challenges this week. We love seeing your cards, reading your stories, and letting you know how much we love that you took the time to share your vision with us!  So, until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Look Honey! It's the...

...leaning tower of our mailbox.

Awesome, no?  I know that secretly, really deep down you all wish you had a leaning mailbox like mine, with a faded cedar slat missing off of one side.  You don't have to admit you are jealous, I understand.  Oh, and the dead lantana around it?  Yeah, that is a specialty of mine, killing plants that are designed to live in Texas.  It's a gift really.  

Let me give you a little history of this mailbox, because it is our 3rd one since we moved into our home, and the first of our home improvements that we are doing this spring.  

We live on the corner of Brodie and Accomac, so about every 2-3 years we get someone who meanders off the road and takes out our mailbox.  Our first one got all dented up by a tow truck that was trying to do a 50-point turn between our house and the neighbor across the street.  Our second one got obliterated by someone that I can only assume was being chased by Vikings in Lamborghinis because he couldn't stop to say he was sorry, let alone be bothered with paying for a replacement.  

Part of me hopes that the Vikings caught him a bit down the street.  

And this one?  I think (again, best guess here), that a mailbox elf came along and just kept rocking it back and forth on its rebar base until it ended up constantly tilted to the side.  It sort of looks like a pound-puppy that just heard a strange noise at the neighbor's house, with its little head all tilted like that.  

So, what to do when you have a fun house mailbox?

This:  

Point to mention...my postman delivered my mail yesterday.  Into this box.  As you see it right now, laying at the end of my driveway.  I don't know if I should give him serious props or ask that he be drug tested, but I'm going to err on the side of thanks that I even got mail yesterday.  

Right now, a very talented stone-cutter is working diligently in my front yard giving me a new, sturdy, GORGEOUS mailbox:  

The part that is covered in that tangerine colored tape (Come on y'all, this is a stamping blog...you didn't think I was going to say "orange", did you?) are the house numbers on cast stone.  

And, after a day of working, I now have this in my yard: 

Can I hear a "WooHoo!"?  No more sad little tilted-head puppy, we now have a strong stone sentinel standing watch at the end of the driveway, and hopefully the pizza guy will be able to see our house numbers now.  We like our cheese thermo-nuclear hot around here.  

Enjoy your weekend, and go stamp a card for someone.  That always makes opening your mailbox a lot more fun!  

So, What's Up?

You know, a little this and that.  Or, I should say "This and That".

Actually, we have a TON going on at Chateau Williams' these days.  After years of wanting to do a lot of stuff to the house, this is the year.  More accurately, these are the two months.  While part of me is excited ("YES!  New paint!  New deck!  New stone mailbox that hopefully won't get run over!"), part of me is less than thrilled ("Oh, we have to empty out my stamp room, don't we?  The deck work is going to take about 10 days, during which time I have to walk my wild dog on a leash?").  I am going to just keep telling myself how absolutely worth it all of this will be once it is done.  I'm pretty sure I can convince myself, too. 

Now, onto a card!  I took the challenge design from Stamping Challenges which was this:  

And pulled out a couple of stamps and some goodies from the new "This and That" kit and came up with this:  

Stamping Stuff:  Stamps--Quint Essential Flower, Collage Curios; Cardstock--Pool Party, Whisper White, This and That Epic Day DSP; Ink--Calypso Coral, River Rock, Pool Party;  Accessories--Scalloped Circle punch, This and That washi tape

Pretty quick and easy, which is what I was going for this week.  I'm pretty sure I'll be leaning toward "quick and easy" a LOT in the next few weeks, especially when my house is in the middle of the chaos that proceeds the finished product.  You may want to be on the lookout for me in South Austin, because while we are in remodeling mode here I am likely to be hiding in the local house of coffee worship (St. Arbucks) enjoying a latte and some stamping away from the wonderful crews that will be here.  

And, I promise that there will be plenty of before and after pictures, with more than one amusing story to share.  Mostly amusing for you, dear readers.  I think I'll probably be able to laugh about them one day, but if Mr. Murphy is correct I'm guessing there will be some hiccups along the path.  

Stamp something that makes you happy, and be sure to share it with us at Stamping Challenges!  Until next time...

Kim

Spinning Round and Round

Welcome back, happy stampers!  I have had a spinning round-and-round kind of month, and not in the busy fun way, but in the extreme vertigo that won't stop way.  The good news is, all of my spinning feeling is because there is a minuscule little something in my ear, just floating around in there.  I never realized that one little out of place piece of whatever it is could wreak so much havoc on a girl.  The second bit of good news is, it will fix itself.  Always a plus!  It is when the doctor looks at you and starts scribbling down the name of a brain surgeon that things start taking a downhill turn, and since that hasn't been the case yet I'll count that as a blessing towards me. 

The bad news?  

There is not a thing I can do to hasten the process.  

So, I spin.  

Appropriately enough, this week's challenge was full of spinning circles to play with:

I took the sketch, rolled with it (you see what I did there?) and came up with this: 

Stamp set:  Easy Events

Cardstock: Gumball Green, Very Vanilla, Summer Starfruit, Print Poetry DSP

Ink: Gumball Green, Primrose Petals

Accessories: Summer Starfruit stitched ribbon, Designer Builder Brads, Big Shot with circle nesting dies

Not bad for someone who had to plant her feet on the floor to make sure it didn't move, right?  

Now, for some news to make everyone feel better.  This weekend, from April 6th-8th, Stampin' Up is giving free shipping on every order, no matter what the size.  Want to order a SNAIL refill?  NO SHIPPING!  Need a pack of Pretty in Pink cardstock (it is retiring!)...NO SHIPPING!  Anything you want, no matter how big or small is included.  So, pop over to my webstore, click on Products>Shop Now, and enjoy a weekend of free shipping for anything you want.  Oh, and anyone who orders will get a super-cute card from me as a big "thank you"!  

So check out the the specials, make something pretty, and until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Is it summer yet?



Let's start with me saying that you might want to read the title of this post twice, because I don't exactly enjoy the paint-peeling heat of summers in Austin.  However, I am actually growing weary of the cold these past few weeks.  I have completely given up on the mystical day or two that we call "spring" around these parts.  It seems to me that you will see tulips poke their little heads up on a Monday, and by Friday they are either frozen to death or have wilted under the scorching summer sun.  Spring in Austin is like an alien sighting, you probably have heard someone say that they have seen it, but they are few and far between, and you never really trust them about it.  

 

So, for me to say that I am ready for summer should give you an indication that we really do need some relief around here.  And rain.  We can always use more rain. 

 

To put myself in more of a summer mood I took the sketch this week from Stamping Challenges and made it bright and sunny.  Take a look:

 

 

 

Stamps:  Papillion Potpourri, Itty Bitty Banners

Card Stock:  Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Summer Smooches DSP

Ink:  Daffodil Delight

Accessories:  Bitty Banners Framelits (with Big Shot), Brights Designer Buttons, Linen Thread 

 

I love how the buttons look like LifeSavers candy across the card!  And the colors are so bright and happy that they make me feel like summer is just around the corner.  (Because, remember, this is Texas...so it is.)  I don't want any of you to be surprised is next week I am writing to you all saying how hot it is already, or hoping that my air conditioner can keep up.  And, I hope that you if live in Central Texas that we all get to enjoy a few days of spring before the scorching sun comes down on us.  So get outside, take some bluebonnet pictures, and then stamp something happy for a friend.  You won't regret it! 

Until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

A Nod to Paula Deen

Hi Everyone!  

I know you have heard it before, but inspiration can come from absolutely anywhere when you are playing with your paper.  This week, my inspiration came from my favorite southern lady, Paula Deen.  

Paula and I could be soul-mates.  She cooks the kind of food that I remember growing up with, made with love in a kitchen filled with aunts and cousins and love and laughter.  I have to tell you, my mom was one of nine kids, and when we would visit my little sweet grandma in Prentiss, Mississippi everyone would come over.  Never mind that grandma's house was probably 1000 square feet, not counting the screened in porches.  Never mind that there were enough cousins running around to fill a school bus.  

We didn't care, because we were family.  

Also, our moms kicked us all outside, locked the doors, and told us not to come back in until dinner time or if one of the cousins had bleeding that would not stop.  (OK, I may be exaggerating just a bit, but truly as long as the garden hose was working and the plum trees were bearing fruit there really was not any need for us to be inside the house.)

So, back to Miss Paula.  (In case my momma is reading, I know to show respect to my elders!)  I noticed this week that the graphics in between segments of Paula's show have changed, and the colors are a beautiful, cool blue with a deep purple.  I knew immediately that those were Pool Party and Rich Razzleberry, and those two colors are my favorites so I had to put them together.  

I took this week's sketch over at Stamping Challenges and made my card with the colors from Paula's show:

 Stuff I used:  Stamps:  Pretty Petites  Cardstock:  Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer paper  Ink:  Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry  Accessories:  Petite Curly Label punch, 1 1/4" Scalloped Circle punch, Sycamore Street buttons and ribbon, Pool Party baker's twine

Who knows, I may just stamp an envelope and mail this down to Savannah, with my thanks to Paula for reminding me of the lesson that my mom, grandma, and aunts taught me:  a home-cooked meal is more than just nourishment for your family, but a reminder to them of how much you love them.  

Go cook something yummy for you family, then make a card for someone, and until next time, Happy Stamping! 

Kim

Excuse me...

...but, is that my trash can in your yard?  Five houses down?  

If you don't live in Texas, let me tell you, it has been a tad windy this week.  With "a tad" meaning that I fully expected at any minute on Monday to look out my window and see Dorothy and her little dog flying by, minus the tornado.  We had gusts of over 50 mph the entire day.  This made life interesting in all sorts of ways.  Like the fact that my garbage can ended up 5 houses down from mine, and my favorite tree in my backyard is now stacked and sorted on my firewood rack.  

At least it had the decency to just lay down and not blow into anything when it went.  

I decided that this week I would pull out one of my favorite vintage sets for our Stamping Challenges sketch, here: 

I paired it up with Raspberry Ripple, Old Olive, and Pretty in Pink to make this:

I started with embossing the flourish image with Raspberry Ripple ink and Clear embossing powder down the left side and onto the bottom to take place of the element on the left of the sketch.  The medallion was stamped on Whisper White, with some Early Espresso ink sponged on the edges.  My favorite part of this card is the flower.  I stamped it using the Raspberry Ripple on vellum card stock, then I heat embossed it with Clear embossing powder.  I mixed some Frost White shimmer paint with my Pretty in Pink reinker and painted in the flower to make it shimmer.  

Finally, the Celebrate from "Feeling Sentimental" and a couple of pearls finished it off.  

I feel much less wind-blown now.  

I hope that you will take the time to play along with us this week!  And, feel free to leave me a comment to tell me what your favorite set to stamp with is.  Have a great week, and until next time, Happy Stamping! 

Kim

It's the Most Wonderful Time...

...of the year.  

Well, for me at least.  Now, I know that many of you would say, "Hey, Kim, that song is about Christmas, and that is the most wonderful time of the year."  Truly, I do agree, and no one loves all of Christmas more than I do.  However, for those of you who do not dwell in allergy-ridden Central Texas, just go with me on this little adventure for a minute and I will explain.  

Christmas is amazing, but it is hard to appreciate all the beauty and wonder of a season when you are sneezing.  And, thanks to our version of cedar (which is actually Mountain Juniper...stop giving REAL cedar trees a bad rap!), I spend the greater part of December through February sneezing non-stop.  I can't see because my eyes are so watery that I look as though I am in mourning.  I walk around chewing anti-histamines like most people enjoy Tic-Tacs. 

So I look forward to the end of cedar season they way most kids look forward to Christmas morning...with wild abandon and the hope that the cedar-killing fairies will come along and just make the pollination stop.  Make.  It.  Stop.  

I figured that if I did happen to catch one of those little fairies I would want to give her a thank you card for making my home town the beautiful city that I love instead of the yellow-pollen filled gauntlet that it has been for the past three months.  

I started with this week's sketch over at Stamping Challenges: 

then I pulled out the "Oh, Hello" stamp set and made this:  

If you want to make your own little thank you cards, here is a list of the supplies I used for my card, which you can find in my online store:

Stamps:  Oh, Hello (130730)*
Cardstock: Very Vanilla (101650), So Saffron (105118), Calypso Coral (122925)
Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (129311)*
Ink: Calypso Coral (126983)
Accessories:  5/8" Flower Trim (126869)*, Honeycomb embossing folder (129378)*, Natural 7/16" Trim Ribbon (129287)*
Items with an * are in the Spring Mini Catalog.

Let me know what you are thankful for this year, and feel free to play along with us at Stamping Challenges!  I love to see what everyone is making.  Until next challenge, have a great week and Happy Stamping!  

Kim

Look Kids, Big Ben!

If you have known me for any amount of time, you know that I enjoy a good laugh as often as possible.  I have been the cause of many laughs, some intentional (like during every Stampin' Up trip I take), and some not (like when I trip over my shadow and fall in public places).  

One of my weaknesses is pretty much any of the National Lampoon "Vacation" movies.  I loved when poor old Clark took the family to Europe and got stuck in a roundabout, or as we call them, traffic circles, in downtown London.  As he kept going around and around he would call out to his kids, "Look Kids, Big Ben!  The Tower of London!", like some poor tour guide who was stuck in a nightmare. 

So, what does this have to do with this week's Stamping Challenge?  Let me make the connection for you.  I don't do heights.

Really, I don't.

I am convinced that my innate clumsiness coupled with the Laws of Gravity multiplied by anything taller than my natural height of 5'5" equals certain death, or at the very least, another fractured ankle.  This means that while I love the idea of Ferris wheels, you won't ever see me on The London Eye.  As beautiful as it is, I know my limitations.  So, rather than have a panic attack trying to ride one, I just decided to stamp a death trap, er...Ferris wheel, instead.

I started with this week's sketch, here: 

And grabbed my Sale-a-Bration set, "Feeling Sentimental", and came up with this:  

Everything I used:  Stamp Set--Feeling Sentimental, Card stock--Soft Suede, Summer Starfruit, Rich Razzleberry, Sycamore Street DSP, Ink--Soft Suede, Extas--Sycamore Street buttons, linen thread, Adorning Accents edgelits, Needlepoint Border embossing folders

Nice and pretty, and safe, too!  I can attest that my feet never had to leave the ground, and I did not require the use of pharmaceutical interventions to be able to enjoy this little Ferris wheel.

I hope you enjoy this card, and that my tales have brought an intentional laugh to you today.  Now, go make your own pretty card and load it up to the Stamping Challenges website, and leave me a comment to let me know you decided to play along this week.  Until next time, Happy Stamping! 

Mirror, Mirror

 

Hi Stampers!

 

 

Have you ever wished for a magic mirror like the one the Evil Queen in "Snow White" had?  You know, just go up to the mirror, ask it a question, and it gives you an answer with a little mini-movie right there?  While I admit I think I would love one I know I would abuse it.  My day would probably sound like this:

 

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, where are my keys for once and all?"

 

"Oh smart mirror, hanging there, take the pollen out of the air."

 

And, every now and then:

 

"Mirror, mirror, you're really spiffy.  Show me a card in a jiffy!"

 

POOF!

 

I wish it were always that easy, but I have to say that sketches make it easier.  Here is this week's sketch from Stamping Challenges: 



 

And here is how I flipped it:



Stamp Set:  Moving Forward, Cardstock:  Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White, Print Poetry,  Inks:  Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals, Basic Gray, Old Olive markers, Accessories:  Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon

 

 

So, now it is your turn.  Hop over to Stamping Challenges and take a turn at our Sketch of the Week.  You never know how it will motivate you, and remember, you can copy it directly or show us your take on the sketch.  The biggest rule is to have fun with it! 

Have a great weekend, stampers, and until next time, Happy Stamping!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Ooo La La!

Hi Stampers! 

I was feeling a little French this week when I designed my card for Stamping Challenges.  Our sketch for February 1st was this:

I have been just waiting for a chance to play with the new Collage Curios set a little more in-depth, so I put on my beret, grabbed a croissant, and did this:

Stamp Set:  Collage Curios  Cardstock:  Marina Mist, Whisper White, Gumball Green, Print Poetry designer series pack, Silver glimmer paper  

Inks: Marina Mist, Midnight Muse Classic pads and markers

Accessories:  Gumball Green ribbon, Framed Tulips embossing folder, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" scalloped circle punch, Island Indigo baker's twine

I love the color combo of the Marina Mist with the Gumball Green.  It reminds me of the beach.  And since I am embracing being En Francais this week, I'll pretend I am taking off for St. Tropez tomorrow, instead of running errands and packing lunches.  So, if you see me around town with a big pair of Chanel sunglasses on make sure to say "Bonjour!".  I promise I will give you a kiss on each cheek!  

Have a great week, stampers!  Go make something pretty and be sure to share it for a chance to win our challenge this week (just click the link to Stamping Challenges at the top of the post).  Until next week, Happy Stamping and au revoir! 

New Sketch Challenge!

Hi Stampers! 

I hope you all have been following along with the great new Stamping Challenges website that myself and my upline, sideline, and even a couple of downline members are all team members on. Every week a new sketch is posted, and you can see each team member's take on it, as well as play along with us!  I encourage you to go over there and check it out.  (New sketches post each Friday!)  

Our sketch for this week was this:  

I usually like to play around and change them up, but this week I wanted to stick pretty close to the original, mostly because I was already excited about playing with new Spring Catalog and Sale-a-Bration items.  I have been really leaning toward some softer colors lately, so this was my take on the sketch: 

Supplies:  Stamp Sets:  Papillon Potpourri (item 123757 wood, 123759 clear), 

               Vintage Verses (Sale-a-bration catalog 129633 wood, 129636 clear)

Cardstock and Paper:  Very Vanilla (item 101650), Island Indigo (122923), 

More Amore Specialty Designer Series Paper (129309--Spring Mini Catalog)

Inks and Accessories:  Pool Party Classic ink (126982), Island Indigo (126986), 5/8" Flower Trim (126869--Spring Mini Catalog), Adorning Accents Edgelits (125595), 

Elegant Butterfly Punch (127526)

I love the fact that the flower trim takes color so easily, so it lets you customize your flowers to fit your card!  I sponged the centers with some Pool Party, then lightly added some Island Indigo to the outside petals to kick them up a little bit.  I can't wait to play with these even more this weekend!  

I hope that you get to spend some time creating something pretty, and please play along with our challenge!  We love to see what your take on the sketch is, and who knows?  You could be our weekly winner or an honorable mention! So take time to make something pretty, you'll be glad you did. 

Until next time, Happy Stamping! 

Kim

Oh, Hello!

I am back from Leadership!  Every year it is one event that I look forward to more than any other one, because I know that I get to cram an entire year of fun into a little less than a week.  The problem this year is that I went with pneumonia, so I got to do all that with about 1/3 the lung capacity of a Capuchin monkey.  I have to say that the hypoxia really brings out the "thrill" in "thrill rides", but more about that later.  

First, a little about my favorite class this year:  "How Social Media Makes a Difference", taught by the every fabulous Shannon West.  Shannon, if you happen to stumble on my blog, this little painting from Cafe Tu Tu Tango in Orlando spoke to me, as I am sure it will to you: 

I bet you didn't know that about me.  ;-) 

So, back to the class.  Shannon did a great job explaining how in this amazing world of social media that it is so much easier to reach out to others and share all of our craftiness, which is a HUGE goal for me this year.  So, if you haven't done it already, head over to Facebook and like my business page, "Stamparama" (more about my page name later this week!), so that you can stay up to date on my new projects, fun classes, and just everything to do with my day-to-day fun with Stampin' Up!  Thanks as always, Shannon...it was so much fun!  

Now, to the fun stuff...Manager's Reception at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Here I am with my girls at the front of the line waiting to board the buses.  On my right is Lydia, and on my left is our favorite Canadian, Sue.  I can't tell you a single thing we laughed about all week long.  They made me take some kind of Las Vegas type oath as we entered our condo.  And, if I broke it, Sue would stop bringing me Coffee Crisps, and I would be sad forever.  I can say that Lydia has some kind of super-human strength when you are riding the Tower of Terror with her.  I was at zero-gravity and she somehow gained the density of a neutron star as she grabbed me and held on for dear life.  I still have little Lydia paw-prints in my arm to prove it. 

But, I know the reason you came here today is the card from our weekly Stamping Challenges site, so here it is:

 (Stamps) Oh, Hello  (Cardstock) So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla

(inks) So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Pretty in Pink (DSP) Tea for Two (accessories) Two Tags die, Hearts a Flutter framelits, Scallop Circle punch, Antique Brads

I have to say that I am enjoying our challenges more and more every week because I am taking the time to stamp something that is just for me.  And, for someone else, because my personal challenge is to sit down tomorrow, write a great note in this card, and ACTUALLY SEND IT TO SOMEONE, the way it is intended to be.  Because, when you get down to it, I didn't join Stampin' Up ever intending to go on a great trip, or to attend amazing classes, or even laugh until I cry while my friend digs into my arm on the ride in Florida.  

I started stamping because I had just left my career and didn't know how I was going to meet any new friends.  I didn't know how I was going to fill the (few) unoccupied hours while I was home with a toddler.  I wasn't sure exactly who I was without my ambulance and uniforms and title.  And because of a few stamps, I have friends that I will have forever, on top of a business that I love.  So I hope that you all know how much I love each of you, and how much I love saying "Hello" every time you come to my home.  Thank you for being the biggest part of my "job".  Now, go stamp something for someone! 

It's a Beautiful Day...

...in the Orlando area!  Yesterday was pretty spectacular as well.  Lydia, Sue and I went to Disney Hollywood Studios and had a blast.  Some of the highlights were riding the Tower of Terror, the Rock & Roller coaster, and lunch at the Sci-fi cafe.  

I will be adding the funniest picture ever of us on the Tower of Terror.  We posed with our Stampin' Up catalogs and a card to show the world that we think that the new Spring Catalog is way more exciting than free-falling 10 stories!  

I do have to admit that I feel a little bad, because I may or may not have told Lydia that I hated her right before we started to drop.  She knows I don't really hate her, but in that nanosecond something took hold of my soul and I had no control.  The funniest part was after the picture was taken Lydia just kept on holding her catalog.  I had to slap her and tell her to help hold me, because both of our bodies were at zero-gravity and we were flying up out of our seats.  

Thank goodness for safety restraints, or that might have ended badly!  

The other thing I love about Disney (besides being able to be scared while knowing you really are safe) is the attention to detail in everything that you see in the park.  This beautiful statue was in the courtyard garden heading into the "hotel".   

The final highlight of my day at Disney was this:

We were in one of the shops when I found this little pretty!  I have a soft spot for pretty purses, but I only own one "real" (i.e. pricey) bag.  When I saw this one I petted it for a little while and then made a phone call to the hubby to chat about it.  He didn't even hesitate before telling me to go ahead and get it for myself.  Between that and the fact that he fixed my slow draining sink in the bathroom, I am nominating him for Husband of the Year.  

Well, we are off to enjoy today!  We are checking in, getting our goodies, and then tonight it is off to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!  I promise I will raise a glass of butter-beer and have a chocolate frog for all of you!  Have a beautiful day, no matter where you are, and I'll see you all again soon!

Kim  

A Little Birdie Told Me...

That I am having fun in Orlando this week!

How could I not be? 

 

I arrived yesterday afternoon and after getting checked in and cooled down (you read that right...it was 80 degrees when I landed!) I went out to an amazing dinner with my girlfriends.  We sat and ate and laughed for quite some time, then back to the hotel to sit and talk and laugh some more. 

 

Luckily, before I left I finished my card for StampingChallenges.com and got it ready to share with you:

 

Supplies:  (Stamp set) For the Birds, (cardstock) Marina Mist, Crumb Cake, Watercolor paper, Summer Smooches DSP, (ink) Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, (Accessories) Natural trim ribbon

 

 

So, I hope that a little birdie will bring you some fun this week!  And, don't forget that while I am in Orlando I will be posting updates every night about everything that is going on so keep checking back.  You can also enjoy some great shopping at my online store by clicking here.  Have a beautiful day, and until next time, Happy Stamping!

 

Kim

New Year, new card!

Hi Stampers! 

 

Can you believe another year is now here?  Me neither!  It seems like 2012 absolutely flew by and now we are on to 2013.  I have to say, growing up in the 80's and watching all the classic movies (Back to the Future, anyone?) that I am slightly disappointed. 

 

Where is my flying car?  Where is my hover-skateboard?  It seems to me that a lot of promises were made in the theaters of my youth that our best and brightest minds have not followed through on.  Don't even get me started on the lack of our ability to go visit other galaxies, either.  I'm really not that hard to please. 

 

But, if I did have a flying car I guess one of the first places I would take it would be to Paris.  I would fly it right up to the Eiffel Tower, hop out and grab a tasty French snack and then just sit back and enjoy the beauty.  I guess since there is a serious lack of scientists working on my issue I will just have to enjoy Paris with my stamps instead:



 

Supplies:  (stamp set) Artistic Etchings, (cardstock) Wisteria Wonder, Pink Pirouette, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, (ink) Pink Pirouette, Wisteria Wonder, (accessories) Cherry Cobbler seam binding, dotted ribbon punch, scalloped oval punch, small oval punch, dotted embossing folder

 

So, what futuristic items from your childhood are you still waiting anxiously for?  At least we don't have to wait for great stamps! 

 

Have a Happy New Year, and make sure to go to my website and check out the great new catalog and specials!  Until next time, Happy Stamping!

 

Kim