I'm trying to FLY

Have you heard of the Flylady? It's this website that helps people establish routines so they don't have CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). Well, we are full of CHAOS here. For a person that isn't tidy by nature, it takes a HUGE change to become a tidy person.

One of my biggest problems to being a tidy person is getting distracted.

Just now, I realized I hadn't downloaded my pictures yet and grabbed the camera and cord. Ok, so I'll be back with downloaded pictures so I'm not distracted again.

My kids went shopping---at Mama's stamp store!

So I'm trying to get organized for my open house this Sunday and I'm pricing my retired sets that will be for sale or Monica's Moolah. What's Monica's Moolah? A fancy way to say you get free stamps of equivelant price when you place an order at the open house.

Ok, so I'm pricing the sets.
Here's the conversation I had with my oldest:
R: Mama, what are you doing?
Me: Pricing sets for sale at my open house on Sunday.

R: Can I buy some?
Me: Do you have any money?

R: Sure, let me go get it.

She comes back with $30.00! Where in the world does a 71/2 old get $30.00?!

So she proceeds to go through all the sets, pricing some out; discarding some cause they are just words. Get this, she haggles with me!

I'm totally loving this as I love to get a good deal. Girl's learning fast and early!

Ok, so she has 5 sets that she'd like. I made her a good deal on several with the understanding that I can use them as needed in the future. She's cool with that and hands over her money. Yep, all $30.00!

Being the good mama I am and not wanting to crush her self-esteem or belief that she got a great deal, I took it and put it in my SU! bag----to buy more stamps.

She proceeds to show her siblings and here comes Baby girl with another set and $1.25.
Into the SU! bag the money goes and everyone is happy. The boy comes in and says he wants to buy his own stamps. Ok, no problem---you have any money?

He gets his money and chooses his set for $1.10. A lovely red rubber set with hearts. And he's beyond thrilled.

I'm thrilled too. They showed wonderful understanding that not everything is free. That I was planning on selling these sets for money, so they never questioned that they would get the sets for free. And they each haggled over the price! I'm so proud!

Of course I took a picture, but no cord to download so it will have to wait.

2009 Spring/Summer Idea Book and Catalog is here!

Wow!

I really like this catalog! New punches, new Sizzix stuff, new ribbon----makes a woman's heart flutter!

With Sale-a-bration right around the corner, it makes it even sweeter!

I'm working on my sample boards and club examples for my open house next week.

Registration is still open for the overnight retreat at Marmon Valley Farm in February. RSVP, $45.00 and your order for the goodie bag is due next week. Registration will remain open until Feb. 16, but your goodie bag wouldn't be available to use during the retreat unless the option of expediated shipping was used.

Feb. 20-21, 2009 Stamping/Scrapbooking Retreat

It's official! We are overnighting it!

I'm very excited about this retreat. I've always wanted to go on a scrapbooking weekend, but the price and coordinating my kids and husband for 2 1/2 days was just a bit too much. When a friend (Thanks, Shannon!) mentioned a scrapbooking overnight, I checked it out right away!

I worked out some details to offer a great get-away for a reasonable, affordable price.

Here are the details:

February 20-21, 2009

Marmon Valley Farms,
7754 State Route 292, Zanesfield, OH 43360
(just east of Bellefontaine, OH)
http://www.marmonvalley.com

$85.00 a person


Price includes:
* A $25.00 customized Stampin' Up! gift bag
* Demonstrations and make-n-takes
* Door prizes
* Use of my stamp sets, ink pads, punches and Big Shot and dies
* Chocolate and snacks
* Overnight cabin accommodations
* 3 farm-cooked meals by Marmon Valley staff
(dinner Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday)

$45.00 and SU! gift bag order due by January 26th.
Remainder due Feb. 16.

Checks sent to me. Contact me for my address.

My neighbor's card crank was a success!

It's been almost two weeks, but we had so much fun during Cheryl's Christmas card crank. There were 7 women and 4 designs, three cards each! I used two cards that I had already designed for the shoeboxes the week before and just cut more cs to make sure there was enough for everyone. Then I designed two more cards and cut the cs.
I ALWAYS forget something major when I do a workshop or class. That night was no different. I had wanted to show embossing, but forgot the sparkly powder, so we just used Dazzling Diamonds and the two-way glue pen. Worked great!

The three things I forgot or couldn't find in time for it to be used, so the same as being forgotten: dimensionals, the embossing powder and envelopes.
Yep, envelopes.
Ok, no problem, I just dropped them off a few days later.

Related, but non-stamping related story: Mitch was outside in the garage processing some apples. He said he needed about 10 minutes to finish up and clean up some. Ok, no problem, she lives next door.
He comes in and says he has a problem. Yep, about an inch wide and 1/4" deep gash on his finger problem. He was reaching in for the last apples and sliced his finger on a knife. What surprised me the most was that the knife was sharp enough to slice, not that he cut himself. Actually, this was the first time he cut himself all summer doing tomatoes and apples.
He should have gone to the ER but said all he needed was some bandaids and Neosporin. I think he added some apple wine to the prescription while I was gone, but who's to say? In the morning, he went to Urgent Care cause it hurt so badly. Learned something new---they can't stitch up a cut once it's been 8-12 hours. Uh, so they gave him some sticky strips to hold it together and directions to keep it as dry as possible.
It's been almost two weeks and he still has a fairly good gash, but it's beginning to close up a bit.

Ok, so we were trauma-free for a few days. Then on Tuesday night the kids were playing nicely in their room when R came screaming out saying that B lost his tooth. Here comes B all gushing and carrying on. Yep, there's a hole where his little tooth used to be.

Here's the story we got: The three were playing in their room. B was on the bed, the girls were on the other side of the room. B had a blanket in his mouth and he yanked on the blanket and the tooth just flew out.
Here's the story we believe actually happened: all the above is true, up until the part of B's tooth just flying out on it's own. We believe that B had the blanket in his mouth. We believe that B was pulling on the blanket. However, we also believe that the girls were playing tug of war with the blanket from the other side of the room, hence the tooth flying out.
We searched the room for 1/2 hour to no avail. It's still MIA. Having learned a lesson from R hiding her 1st tooth from the TF, the TF has since begun the rule of "No tooth, no money." So R wrote the Tooth Fairy a note so B wouldn't lose out on his 1st baby tooth money. Again, this speaks to R's guilt in the blanket situation.
Since the Tooth Fairy was drunk after a hockey game the first time she came to our house (thankfully she has a reliable assistant and designated driver!) and didn't have much cash on hand after paying the babysitter, 1st baby teeth go for $10.00. That's right, $10.00!
The Tooth Fairy's assistant has since sent us a note stating that subsequent teeth are worth much less.

This was the original idea for a shoebox card. However, the one we actually made has a More Mustard base, a B Burgandy mat, cream ribbon, and a different greeting since I am currently missing my HT stamp. We made this during this month's stamping playdate. Shannon, Stacey and Beth all made it over in the morning. Joanna came in the afternoon. Since everything was out and it's cold in my craft loft, I made up some of the card kits the other night while Mitch watched the game. I tied a few up with some ribbon and took them over to Lynn's today for our playdate.

Ok, I think that's enough for today. Whew!

Really----I've been here

Whoa, where has the time gone?
I seem to say that quite a bit lately. The days seem to speed by faster and faster. If the time goes this quickly now, how am I going to stay with it as I get older?

Anyway, I've been working on projects and I finally got them uploaded from my camera.

Let's see if I can catch up a bit. Here are some cookie cutter tags I made up last year for the kid's classes. The teachers requested no candy treats, so this is what I made up---the night before, of course!

We also made these at this month's Stampin' Playdate. The kids were able to choose their background cs, stamp on the image and put it all together. Super cute and quick

I participated in a PIF military spouse thank-you swap earlier this summer. I made this card folio with some cards to send to the lady I was assigned.

This is really quite easy to put together. It takes 6 12x12 sheets of cardstock. Score and fold at 4 inches. Rotate and score at 6". Fold up the 4" score, then turn over and fold in half. Using this cool binding tool I picked up at Staples a few years ago, punch each sheet. Stack all the punched sheets and add binding, close. Voila! Quick and easy project for a thoughtful gift.

Here are the examples for October's technique class. The focus was on glossy paper, so I did Wax paper resist and Polished Stone.

I also began a new program during my PMS Nights. I had a workshop for Shannon in early October and I got a great idea from one of the ladies (HI Helen!) to offer kits to make up the cards. Helen wanted to make cards, but she didn't have alot of supplies or money to order much. So I took the idea and made up 10 cards and the tag for the cookie cutters.



Shannon came over for the Stampin' Playdate and helped me work out the kinks in the boxes. I tried really hard not to use supplies on more than one card. However, I love my punches and dulpicated a few punches on two cards. Shannon said that people would just work that out, so I didn't stress over it. It worked out well. $1.50 a card with envelopes.
I'm going to be offering this as a class in November and December for holiday cards. That one will be a sign-up and prepay class, so I can make up the kits beforehand.



Here's another project I made up using directions found on SCS in the Resources section.

This advent calendar was made as a wedding shower gift for a good family friend. I wanted to make her something, but I did have a gift card in reserve if I didn't get it finished!

This uses a ton of supplies:
16x20" artist canvas
wedding favor tins from M's, JAs or Walmart
sticky strip, lots of sticky strip!
colored and patterned cardstock
ribbon
punches, Scallop, 1 3/8" circle, 1 1/4" circle, 5-petal flower
jumbo eyelets and crop-a-dile
alphabet and numbers (Quirky, retired)
choc chip, old olive and real red craft ink
clear embossing powder

I've been asked to do this as a class and if I was selling these. Honestly, with all the additional supplies, I'm not sure it would be cost-effective! But I'm pricing it out.

I'm off for a bit. I have more to post later!

I LOVE THIS CATTY!

I am absolutely stoked over the partnership of SU! and Sizzix!

Yesterday the Fall/Winter IBC went live at 12:00pm MT. I love this catty! I love that SU! is carrying the BIG SHOT with exclusive dies!
My first order should be here later this week or Monday.
I've been planning my class schedule so I can have them printed off for my vendor table this Friday. The coordinator for the event said they expect 300 people! I'm not sure I'll have enough brochures and catalogs! But I'll try!

Here are the classes/events I have scheduled so far (that I remember without my calendar!):
Sept. 14 PMS Night at Donato's on Norton Rd 5-10pm
Sept. 17 Stamping Playdate at my house 9-11am
Sept. 17 Bunches of Punches---Punch art my House 7pm
Sept. 22 Sept. Scrapbooking class at my house 7pm

Also on the calendar is the 60 cards from a Simply Scrappin' Kit, probably in October. We'll be using the new Holiday kit. Wrap up the holidays class: Gift wrapping, focusing on the holidays, but also ways to inexpensively gift wrap all year long.

I'm trying a new type of party. It's called a Tag Party. What makes this so interesting is each person invited tags a friend to bring along. I'm thinking there will be prizes for those who bring the most people tagged, for the taggee that traveled the farthest, mother-daughter tags....well, you get the idea. Of course we'll be making tags. Lots and lots of tags! This will be sometime in November, I think.

I have to decide if I'm going to try any craft shows this year. I might try to get into one near my mom's house that is really big every year.