Wecome to my Happy Place!

Yes, you are here! My Happy Place. I know you are asking...why did I start a blog? I am not sure why myself. I have been browsing a few blogs lately and thought WOW! This is cool. I have gotten some great inspiration and joy from viewing and reading these blogs. So I thought if I can possibly give someone out there some inspiration and joy in finding their own 'happy place', well count me in! I have tried many times to start up a journal of some form. It never seems to last more than a week. I always get bored or just forget about it. I think I just get bored with myself and my own thoughts. So when I started seeing all these women and their Blogs about their stamping?! Well there is something that I could do. I think since it is about creating and helping others create, well that is something I definitely can do. I have definitely learned in the past year or so that I am at my happiest when I am being creative. And being able to share my passion with everyone and anyone willing to listen is even better!! So I should tell you how this all began...

It was about 2 years ago and my sister in law showed me something that some friends of hers had just taught her. It was called embossing. Well, she had me at 'heat gun'. I ran out and bought everything I needed to do my Christmas cards that year. All except the heat gun! Yup, I did 35+ cards using my stove burner. I will tell you that it can be done using a burner, but the heat gun that my hubby bought me that year was the best Christmas gift ever!! I guess it was about 6 months later when my sister in law then told me about Stampin' Up! and a group she was joining. I tagged along to the pre-workshop. We did 3 projects that evening and I was hooked. I signed up to join the group. There was a group of 10 ladies that would meet once a month. We would each take turns being the 'hostess' and earn free products. Well needless to say my stamping supplies grew rather quickly and so did my obsession. In July of this year I signed up to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator! My focus at this point is to teach all my family and close friends about stamping and hopefully get them as hook as I am ;0) I think we all need that something in our lives that brings us joy. I know that our children, family and friends do, but I am meaning something just for you. Whether it is stamping, painting, gardening, cooking, reading, running, writing...whatever it is we all need to find that something that brings us pure joy and the freedom to truely be you. Okay enough of the babbling...I have a cold and I am tired, so bare with me...and it's my blog...you don't like it leave ;0)

Okay before I go, here is a pic of one of my first cards I did. Well not the first, but the first that I took a pic of and that I was truely happy with. This was using one of my favorite techniques. Emboss Resist. Emboss with clear embossing powder on glossy paper. Then using sponges apply different colors of ink until you get the desired color combo you are looking for. Then buff with a tissue. Very fun!

I also just completed my very first Stamper's club of my own this week. Here are the projects that I taught my group of ladies. I stared with embossing as I know how exciting it is to new stampers! The first project was just to introduce the basics of embossing.

The second was an emboss resist project. The photo looks brown, but it is actually 'True Thyme' one of the new 'In Colors' from the 2006-2007 Stampin' Up! Catty.

And the final project was Dazzling Diamond Technique. This is another favorite of mine. It has lots of bling and just a very pretty technique. After you have stamped your desired image, cover the entire image with a versamark ink pad. Pour on Iridescent Ice and heat set with a heat tool. Pretty don't you think?

Well that's it for the first entry into my blog. Hope you enjoyed the tour ;0) I am hoping that I can show you some inspiring projects tomorrow. I was part of a OSW(one sheet wonder) swap that I should be receiving back tomorrow. I will post the pics as soon as I get them...stay tuned!