birth to graduation...

in a short

eighteen

years...

.

...sarah and i went

to a graduation party today

for a young man

we've had the pleasure

of knowing

since birth

as i was creating this card

in his school colors

i couldn't help

but remember

that just yesterday

or so it seems

we were hosting a baby shower

for his parents

on our deck

one beautiful spring evening

back in

nineteen ninety three

it's funny

 how we all look a little older

on the outside

yet inside

little seems to change

our friendship

carries from year to year

perhaps we are a bit wiser

definitely

 grateful for our time

together

love is in the air...

it's been a

whirlwind

of activity...

.

...in the creative corner

a valentine's countdown

fourteen days of surprises

from one adorable guy

to his darling girl

how fun it is

to be the mom

of this romantic man

young love

isn't it grand

so full of fun

chocolate, jewelry, good luck charms

red hots, socks and picture frames

i wonder what comes tomorrow

the fourteenth day of the

month of love

land of the free...

home of the brave

so grateful

for the men...

.

...and women

and their families

who sacrifice so much

for our freedom

thank you

 we appreciate your

committment and concern

for our independence

i feel so lucky

on this fourth of july

to be able to openly display

my appreciation

by combining two

mediums that bring

 me such pleasure

fabric and paper

threads and stamps

hoping you too

have a creatively blessed day

riverton, utah

for ten years now

i have been receiving

boxes from this address...

.

it is so thrilling to finally

see where they come from

this beautiful building

is bursting with creativity

and now i can understand why

nestled in the valley

 between all these gorgeous

snow covered mountains...

we did not go inside today

i know shelli is in australia

so no chance

 of meeting her this trip

sarah and i are having so much fun

i wouldn't be surprised

if we don't return one july

for a stampin' up! convention

do you roly poly?...

i personally crave # 47

the nut & honey wrap...

.

full of cream cheese,

raisins, sunflower seeds,

 cashews, baby spinach, plum tomatoes,

carrots, alfalfa sprouts,

with spicy honey mustard

my husband likes the smoked turkey

sarah prefers the roasted turkey and swiss

the boys stick with the

 roasted beef & provolone

suffice it to say the ely family

 loves roly poly

when it came time for our grand opening

of the quilt store

we didn't even have to debate the menu

roly poly was a must

so what does this have to do

with creativity you ask

jenny watson

a stampin'up manager

name a 2010 rising star

she's in my same downline

and she and her husband

 just happen to own

the very roly poly

i am addicted to

i just learned that this week

small world indeed

congratulations jenny!!!

if you are in northeast ohio

head on over to golden gate on mayfield

try the frozen yogurt too

it's soooo good

oh where, oh where...

is the catalog

with this stamp set...

.

each time a new stampin' up!

catalog comes out

i study it

page by page

over and over again

often memorizing the content

until i need it

that is

to find a sample

of the just so perfect stamp set

that i need

right this minute

then i can never

remember which

catalog to go to

sigh...

switching gears...

i have been having so much fun...

.

... with fabric and the store

i have not had much time

for stampin'

i was so behind in the

birthday club

i belong to

sorry gals

i needed to do a quick

catch up

in the interest of time

i chose one of my favorite designs

utilizing new colors

i love the 2011 in colors

poppy parade

peach parfait

and pear pizzazz

sounds like a lucious drink

it's always a relaxing night

when i can create with paper and ink

big boxes = burnt dinner

oh happy day

two boxes

were waiting...

.

for me when i walked

into the kitchen

last night

i quickly carried them

into my creative room
ran upstairs to

start dinner

then went back to open my boxes

big mistake

i immediately

became so engrossed

in the new

fun stuff

i forgot about dinner...

...until i hear

my youngest son scream

the hash browns

are on fire

yikes

i'm surprised the smoke detector

didn't sound

i quickly put the pan outside

in the grill

to cool off

best go to plan b

next time

the family is going to hide

my boxes

until after dinner

new ink...

with all the

hustle and bustle

of the new store...

.

i have been neglecting

my stampin' up!

stash

in an earlier post

i shared the much talked about

color renovation

a complete shake up

of the color palette

i love when new colors

are introduced

gives new life to my creativity

i had yet to order in

any new colors

so today i got busy

organizing

to see just what i needed

i can't wait for the box to arrive

i think i will first pair

marina mist

and early espresso

might even throw in

some cherry cobbler

just for fun

honest...the train derailed

plain and simple

i hate excuses

so now what...

i'd been working for weeks

to get this special birthday gift finished

i ordered a new album

in plenty of time

yet it was not here

on the day i expected it

this has never happened before

then i opened my email

Dear Joyce ,

We are writing regarding your recent order 11146181. We wanted to inform you that, on Friday morning, June 11th, a train moving through Nebraska was derailed due to bad weather affecting roughly 1,000 Stampin’ Up! packages. Your order was on the train. We have been advised; however, that this order has been recovered and is back in transit. We apologize that we were not able to provide you with an update sooner. The tracking number for the order should provide you with an updated estimated delivery date. If, when you receive your order, items are damaged, please let us know so that we can send replacements. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Stampin' Up!®

now that's a new one

as you can see

thankfully the box arrived

in perfect condition

your book is on it's way karen

it wasn't my fault

honest

funny though

there is a page

with a reference on it

about a train

remember the night you and sarah spent in the hotel

next to the train tracks

happy(belated)25th birthday!!!

small delay...

i had to move aside

the fruitcake

to make room...

.

...for a special project

wait did i just say fruitcake

oh well

see i did just give another

little hint

but in the meantime

i am working

on a very special project

for a very special gal

who will soon be having

a

century birthday

well not a full century

but we still celebrate

them in

fractional terms

i had to distort the image a tad

don't want to give it away too soon

although i think she may be

on the high seas this week

celebrating

in grand style

a flower for a shower...

somewhere...

there is a rule book

that states...

.

crate & barrel

boxes must not be

wrapped

yet somehow the creative soul in me

sees the black and white

screaming for some

color

as soon as i saw today's invitation

i had a vision

using stampin'ups! exclusive

bigz xl die flower folds

in cameo coral, pumpkin pie and ruby red

adorned with centers in summer sun

with leaves and stems in

garden green

so cute

i could not stop at just one

so i made a trio for

the bride-to-be

inside

bright and sunny yellow trimmed

dinnerware

from her registry

i wonder if she realizes they match

her shining personality

i have another treat for her from c&b

it will be coming a bit later

best wishes to beth and aaron

new color rings...

the stampin'up!

2010 color renovation

is significant

.

i've touched on it before

the night before the expo

i had a brainstorm

to make up a few color rings
of the new top 40
i make them 2 by 3

the size of my business card

i label each one by color name

then slip them on a ring

you can get 10 completed rings

per sheet of paper

easy peasy

last minute thought

first item discussed at the expo

by a very grateful stamper

with a little help...

...from my friends

i must give credit

where it's due

.

to seven

very talented ladies

in the we bee stamping team

lead by linda bauwin

their creativity was showcased

in my display

at the business expo

you can read more about it here and here

although the purpose was to

announce the opening of our new quilt store

i never like to pass up an

opportunity to also feature the

products of stampin'up

so i pulled from my swap samples and

birthday club cards

those which matched our color palette

kudos and many thanks to

leigh amburgey, carolyn close, mary ann dietz,

megan hillyer, mary jo marshall, shana gaff

and denise young

summer mini swap...

i love the...

mini catalogs

from stampin'up!

.

they are full of fresh new

products and ideas

the 2010 summer mini

is just that

i shared the card

i created for our swap

today i share the cards i received

so many great ones

i can never pick a best

there are some stand outs

like the one that is actually standing

look on the top left corner

it is a 3-d invitation

for a summer gathering

very cleverly created by

shana gaff

happy grad,,,

the 2010 Stampin'Up!

summer mini catalog

is out...

.

i love to participate in
new catalog swaps
i create 25 of the same
and in return acquire
25 different cards designed by
25 incredibly talented women in our
we bee stamping line lead by linda bauwin
my featured stamp is called
happy grad
i could not resist the urge
to select a scarlet and gray color theme
in honor of my soon to be
2010 OSU grad

the message to stamp is outstanding...

happy graduation

make a difference

live the dream

relish the adventure

conquer the unknown

make your mark

stand strong

in with the new...

softer and muted

on trend

includes...

.

the 2010 color of the year...

turquoise

the new line up will have

40 core colors

25 from the former color families

10 hip and fashion forward

returns from in color lines

and 5 brand spanking

new debuts

out with the old...

yes, it is true

it's time

to say goodbye...

.

to some of my favorites

color is such a

fickle thing

in one year...

...out the next

it's big this go around

shelli and crew

have termed it

a color renovation

although shocking to some

i rather enjoy the

freshness

of change

like fine wine...

the deep beauty

and the

richness of tone

.

elegant eggplant and perfect plum
have kept their place
and will be permanently
joined by
in tone color
rich razzleberry
to complete a perfect trio

parting is such...

...sweet sorrow

i just can't imagine

life without you...

.

goodbye

orchid opulence, lovely lilac

almost amethyst

and my treasured favorite

...lavendar lace

it will be so hard letting go...