Ann Sandles and a late TUSAL

Wow, I can't believe that it's been so long since I updated my blog!  It sure has been a busy few weeks though!  A few weeks ago I visited my best friend Jen for a long weekend of laughs, camping and whatever we happened to feel like doing!  We even took her camper and went out to the Portland coast for a night.

Here I am at the coast with her pup who seems to think our shoes looked like fun toys!  You can see that it was very windy and we were glad we started into the wind instead of going for a long walk and having to fight the wind the whole way back! 

While traveling I worked on the strawberries in Ann Sandles.  I was able to get the border done (I left the "hats" off the tops of the strawberries) and also the house so all that is left is the A&E section.  I am thinking of making one of the dogs look like Sage since I've already strayed away from it being a true reproduction. 

And, even though I'm super late in doing so I'm still going to post my August TUSAL.  It's not too late to jump into TUSAL 2012, just go to this post in order to sign up and play along! 

I'm afraid that you won't see much change in the level of thread in the jar for next month as I haven't stitched at all since I took this picture a week ago.  Just too busy with other things I guess!

And, not that it's bad that I've been too busy, it's all been fun!  I've completed a few home improvement projects that were on my list, spent time with friends and I have my grandpa here for a visit now.  It sure is nice to have him be able to come out to visit!

The other thing that I've been busy with is Sage.  Not that it will come as a surprise to anyone but we have been super busy and our latest adventure finds us as new members of the Dog Scouts of America.  I'm sure some of you reading this may wonder what the heck that is.  Well, I will admit that I did too when I first heard about it.  I meaning earning badges with your dog?  Well, why not?  I don't have kids to do girl and boy scouts with so why not join an organization that promotes positive training and allows you to get recognition for teaching your dog new things.  Plus it is really fun!!  We've already passed 5 agility badges and last night I heard that we passed her merit badge test to become an official dog scout and add the DSA after her name.  The best part about dog scouts is spending time with other people who are into doing fun things with their dogs!  I'll post more soon about this, either here or over on my dog blog. 

So, that's what I've been up to lately!  I hope to get Ann Sandles done in the next couple weeks so I can start something new! 

 

Liebster Award

I've been awarded the Liebster Blog award from my friend Mary.  Thank you Mary!!!

The Liebster Award

Liebster is a German word, meaning "favorite, dearest or beloved," and the Liebster is awarded by bloggers to other, newer bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers, to spread the word and help them gain wider recognition. The award comes with four conditions that each recipient must satisfy when accepting:

1. Choose 5 up-and-coming blogs (with less than 200 followers) to award the Liebster to.


2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.


3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.


4. Share 5 random facts about yourself that people don't know about you.

Many of the blogs I read regularly have either already posted their Liebster award or have been named by others.  Heck, my Mom has even posted her Liebster award post!  So, I've tried to pick blogs that haven't yet received it or haven't posted yet, it was hard to choose, I have so many favorites!  The 5 blogs I've chosen are:

1. Natalia at Stitching 4 Joy (I just LOVE the stitch wallets she makes!)


2. Melinda at Merry Wind Farm (I love her house, horses and stitching!)


3. Dona at Bele Chere Needlework (I can't wait to see her completed Sarah Elizabeth Brooke!)


4. Cindy at Never Enough Thyme (I love her gardens and Maine Coon Cat!)


5. Riverspitter (I don't know how many followers she has but OMG, she finished Dutch Beauty!)
    

Now the hard part. Five random facts people don't know about me (at least I don't think people know these about me).

1. I am going to take a rug hooking class later this month!  This is breaking news as I just signed up yesterday but it's something I've wanted to try for awhile now!


2. I grew up with a Sheltie and really enjoy the quirky nature of hearding breeds


3. I was inspired to try Dog Agility with Sage after reading the book "Dogged Pursuit" - a story of a man in the Chicago area who does agility with his rescue Sheltie with not so steller results.  A fun book that I could relate to and even though his results weren't great it sounded like a lot of fun!!


4. I am trying my hand at composting for my garden.  The first time I put eggshells in the bin the Sage guarded it so I've since learned that eggshells are great but I need to rinse them first.  Oops!


5. I have more stash than I could stitch in my lifetime.  Oh wait, maybe you already assumed that.  :)  Thanks for reading!

Stampin' Up! Convention 2011

I'm home from this year's Stampin' Up! Convention, here I am with two of my group, downline Trina in the middle and one of my uplines, Glenda on the left.  The opening night of convention we had a garden party so everyone in our group (there were 28 of us) made coordinating hats and wore them, we got a lot of compliments!  It was great to be back in Salt Lake sharing stamping with friends and getting inspired to create great things! 

This year at convention they did something different and gave each convention attendee a three ring binder with the catalog in it, it was great!  And, in true Stampin' Up! style it was a beautiful binder with coordinating tabs!  You can see photos of this cute binder below.  The first photo is of the binder cover when it's closed and then the photo below that is of the inside of the binder with the catalog inside! 

In the second photo there is a smaller notebook sitting on the binder flap, this is one of the notebooks that I made for my downline who attended convention this year.  For those who know me, I always make a notebook of some sort for my girls who come with me to convention and this year was only different because the journals that I usually use had been discontinued.  :(  So, I went with composition notebooks instead and covered them with Designer Series paper.  This year the DSP I used was Paisley Petals (122367) and then I accented it with a little Baja Breeze seam binding (122331)  and  a mini vintage tag (118763) that each person could personalize with the year, their intials, a stamp, button or whatever they wanted.  I think they turned out cute, I just wish that I had thought to take a photo of the other two designs before I gave them all away.  Oh well!  I made a bunch of them this year and it was so fun to give them away and see them get used! 

Adorable Gift Bags

 Every year I get together monthly with a few friends for our Book club.  We've read a lot of great books and really have a fun time talking to the point that every time we meet someone has to remind us to talk about the book for 10 minutes since we go off on so many different topics!  In fact, we have so much fun that we take months off from reading books to celebrate birthdays at a spa day. 

This year I wanted to do something fun and special for the girls, so I made up little gift bags using the Christmas Cocoa specialty paper and wrapped their gifts in them.  This uses the Delightful Decorations stamp set and Ornament punch too and all of these items will be unavailable after January 4th, 2010.  But, they're so cute that I had to at least share the photos with you!  Enjoy!

I'm Back!

I'm back from my AWESOME all expense paid cruise to Bermuda thanks to Stampin' Up!  It was a great trip full of friends, sneak peaks, island fun and yes, we did some stamping!  I'll have lots more to share with you soon, but need to get caught up on my laundry!  :)  Thanks to all who took advantage of my cruise sale (it actually runs through today)!  Hope to see you at a workshop or stamp camp soon! 

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Wow, what a difference a day makes!  Yesterday it was 75 degrees out here in Colorado and this morning I drove to work in the snow.  Of course, it had all melted by the time I drove home from work tonight!  I hear that is how the weather is like out here and it's kind of fun!

This picture was from a few days ago and is the crocus up in my sister's yard.  She also has daffodils blooming and it's really nice to see flowers and green after a long winter!   

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!  this is a card that I received from my friend and downline Nadine for Easter.  Thanks Nadine!!

This card is made using the set Never Ending Joy and the colors Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Certainly Celery.  I think Nadine did a great job on this card!!   

I hope you and your family has a happy Easter! 

I've Been Tagged!

So, I've been tagged in a game of Blogger tag by my friend Josee in Canada!  Here's a link to her blog in case you'd like to check it out:  http://stampingjo.com/.

Part of Blogger tag is to list 7 random facts about yourself so here goes:

1. I am a major cheesehead and am sad that Brett Favre is leaving the game of football - thanks for many great years Brett!!



2. In elementary school I had the nickname Greenbean for this green one piece outfit that I wore to a party once.  Let me tell you, I was one fashionable chick!



3. I am a Stampin' Up Demonstrator (which you  know if you visit my site regularly) and will be going on my second cruise with SU! in a week!  WOO HOO!!!



4. Exactly one month ago I moved to Colorado!  I've thought about this move for several years and just finally decided to go for it! 



5. I hope to someday, maybe summer of 2009 climb Long's Peak here Colorado.  I'd love to climb a substantial mountain, and it's one of Colorado's "fourteeners"!  Right now I'm still getting used to the altitude though! 



6. I love animals and it's been great taking my sister's dog for walks several times a week - so much more fun than walking by yourself.



7. And, last but not least, I love my downline - they are an awesome group of talented, creative and amazing women!  We have so much fun when we get together and I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of them again for Convention this summer! 

Next, you tag other bloggers, so here you go girls... TAG, YOU'RE IT...

• Diane, my friend and downline: http://www.stampwithdiane.blogspot.com/



• Liz, another friend and downline: http://paperandpaws.blogspot.com/



• Jill, a downline in Florida: http://jillybean.typepad.com/weblog/



• Cammy, a downline in Rhode Island: http://jillybean.typepad.com/weblog/



• Sally, a downline in Indiana: http://sallysstampingbug.blogspot.com/



• Andrea, a stampin' friend from Canada: http://andreawalford.com/



• Kristine, a friend from college: http://k-squared-adventures.blogspot.com/

Great Rub-On Card and More!

"...dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!"  That is part of one of my favorite lines from the classic movie Ghostbusters.  And, right now it's true!  Several people have emailed me recently to find out how things are going here in Colorado and I have to say that I absolutely love it here!  Aside from the dryness and needing to drink a ton more water, the weather is warm and sunny and the view is spectacular! 

I'm staying with my sister for the time being until I find a place here and that's where the above quote comes in.  My cats and her dog, so far everyone is afraid of each other, it's kind of funny actually.  Cats are naturally curious so they're checking out the dog who growls at them but we think he's a little afraid of them too.  I'm really hoping to get some cute pictures of them together at some point so I can scrap their introduction to each other.  So far though everyone is behaving well and just avoiding each other. 

To keep this somewhat stamping related, check out this great card that my friend Kim gave me at my going away party.  Isn't awesome!?!  I think I carried it around most of the night and showed it to everyone at the party!  It's super easy, and is just made using the Sale-A-Bration rub-ons, Flower Fusion and colored brads on a cardstock base.  Super easy and classy!  Thanks Kim for the awesome card!!

Colorado or Bust!

Well, it was a very long drive but we made it to Colorado!  If you subscribe to my newsletter then you know that I moved very recently to the Denver area!  I'm now out in Colorado, a place that I've always wanted to live so now it's a dream come true to actually be here! 

I love stamping and have brought my stamping business with me out west and am offering $10 in product to anyone who refers a purchasing customer to me out in Colorado to help me get up and running out here.  If you know someone who is into scrapbooking and/or stamping in the Denver metro area then refer them to me and when they make a purchase, hostess a workshop or become a demonstrator then you benefit! 

And, no matter where in the US you live, you can still be a part of my AWESOME Way Out West Stampers group!  We have such fun stamping, swaping and sharing that no matter where you live there are great ways to get involved!  And, with the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Starter Kit at such an awesome deal right now at just $159 plus tax for up to $316 in product, now is a great time for me to help you get your business or hobby started!  Just email me for more information!