Tonight I wanted to share a little story as well as a fun project. A few months ago I came to a crossroads in my stamping journey; my stamping clubs were both ending due to oversaturation of product. It was simply time to quit buying so much and just use the stash! One chapter was closing, or at least drastically changing, and I wasn't sure what would happen next. Within a few days, Ellen Hutson called me and asked if I might be interested in working with her to try help in a couple of areas that she was simply running short of time to cover. Have you ever heard that little saying that when God shuts a door He opens a window? Well, I've always liked Ellen for her genuine kindness, and that sounded like an open window to me! I said yes, and it has blossomed from there. Ellen and Karen Lockhart have been a huge help and encouragement over the past few months, and they have given me great advice and introduced me to other people who have also been a blessing. I have learned much over the past few months, and I have definitely been stretched from time to time. But it has been good. (And my stamping friends still come over to play with my toys!) I still enjoy my old toys, but new ones are fun too. They all get used!
Back to the story, I met Mish Wooderson and Trudee Sauer for the first time at Summer CHA. Ellen told us to be on the lookout for cool ideas that we might want to make kits from. One of my favorite project-oriented booths was the 7-Gypsies booth. Although I had one of the 7-Gypsies naked bracelets in a drawer at home, I hadn't thought of a way to use it yet. When Karen came out with her Millinery stamps, it occurred to me that these images were small enough to fit perfectly in the bracelet links! I spent a couple of days fiddling with the naked bracelet until I came up with a bracelet that I really liked using a rose stamp and some Cosmo Cricket Gretel paper. I found that even though my wrist is pretty large, I didn't need all eight links, so I used my extra link as a little necklace charm. (You could also use it as a fabulous embellishment on a card though--whatever you wish. Ü) I wrote detailed instructions so that you wouldn't have to undo a couple of things the way I did the first time, and I included step by step pictures in it so that they would be simple to follow. (I included coloring instructions and color suggestions for both Copic markers [used above] and Prismacolor pencils.) If you're interested in seeing this kit that Ellen is carrying, you will find it here.
In case you're worried, my blog is NOT becoming a sales site. I am not gifted in business things, and I have no aspirations along those lines. :-) I just like to make things. My goal is to share and teach.
We have an exciting day ahead: my sister has already been on a plane for several hours and should arrive in Green Bay from South Korea Tuesday afternoon--woohoo! My son can't wait to see his Auntie (who spoils him terribly, I might add). Auntie will live with us for a few weeks while her husband finishes up his deployment there. I received my backordered Stem Silhouettes set this evening, so I'll try to get something made with that tomorrow after I get home. My son has already brought me a card with specific instructions that I was to post it on my blog. (He said that it was his best card ever!) I'll get that posted tomorrow too. Thanks for visiting me in blogland. I hope you have a lovely day!
