Feeling Like I Climbed a Mountain!

Mountains, Outdoor Adventures, Stampin' Up!, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Winter

Feeling Like I Climbed a Mountain!

Have you ever had that feeling where you want to shout from the mountain tops?

I kinda have that feeling.

While I’ve never actually climbed a mountain, I bet it would be exhilarating. That’s the feeling I have!

Seriously… there has been so many great things happening it makes my cheeks hurt.

I’ve been promising an update so let me get right to it…

and I have a card… with a mountain.

Forgive the long post but I wanted to capture all the feelings…

Cultivating & Nurturing Friendships

One of the greatest assets to being a military spouse has been meeting great people in all the areas we’ve lived. The downside is moving away.

Along the journey of moving comes incredible friendships. Stampin’ Up! has been an amazing vehicle and opportunity for me to meet so many great people.

In late October I gathered with 5 other friends on a week long cruise. Believe it or not it was a stamping cruise put together by another demonstrator.

We had a ball on this trip. Beautiful sites, lots of stamping and a chance to nurture friendships after being apart for so long.

My favorite time on the ship was gathering for dinner. Our conversations were intimate, giggly (like teenagers) and occasionally inappropriate. Really this was a cherished time. Complete girlfriend time- uninterrupted.

Time for Onstage

After the cruise a few of us were meeting again in Atlanta just days later. Here we gathered for a Stampin’ Up! conference called OnStage. My friend Cathy flew home with me to Pensacola after the cruise and then we drove to Atlanta.

Cathy and I have done MANY road trips together. We could have made the movie Thelma & Louise. No road trip can be completed without hot boiled peanuts. It’s always the first stop… and nothing better than catching the guy along the roadside for HOT boiled peanuts.

You might be completely grossed out… but you have to try them. Oh so GOOD.

It was a little reunion again to be with friends and our friend Deb was able to get all 4 of us into this incredible suite. Typically we do not stay in anything fancy fancy so this was a real treat.

It was SO great… they left chocolates on our bed AND I had my own bathrobe. I kinda felt like a queen for a day.

Does it get any better than this? Robe, chocolate…. smiling?

This is what I call feeling completely joyful.

There is nothing that says happy like this picture…

No one is looking in the right direction… big eyes… small eyes… and as always… my mouth is open. I love them.

Our time in Atlanta was action packed.

Presentations Galore

Brian King asked me to present at his amazing World Card Making Day and I had a ball there. This team of demonstrators put on a remarkable event and I could listen to Brian ALL DAY LONG. He is definitely that person who can light up a room in a second and fill your cup with so much joy.

My presentation went well except for few things…

I laughed A LOT!
I always forget the names of the products I use.
My facial expressions caught in photos leave much to be desired!

Who knows what I was talking about or thinking… but I promise I was having fun.

The next day was PACKED. We had a full day of the conference which was so fun to see friends from all over and some I have been friends with online but had not had the pleasure of meeting in person yet.

One of the best parts of that day was meeting up with my friend Allison Barber. You may remember after Russ had his stroke a very special young lady made these amazing cookies and sold them to raise money for Russ. He used that money to buy his cane.

Honestly, this story always brings me to tears and gives me goosebumps. This special young lady is named Annie, and her mama is Allison. While I would have loved to meet Annie, I was so grateful to hug her mama, Allison. Annie brought Russ a bag full of cookies for me to bring back. All homemade and I tried not to eat them all. Her heart is so big and so inspiring.

The day really was packed with so many great stories. I was honored to be offered another year as Artisan Team Member. It’s quite humbling to be asked and this past year has been incredible. It’s definitely stretched my creativity. I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for the new team.

The next BIG deal….

At the end of the day Stampin’ Up! revealed the Top 100 Demonstrators in the WORLD…. and I heard my name called.

After going across the stage and taking in the energy of the moment I had a huge feeling of elation.

I quickly thought about all that happened this past year. This number represents my TEAM. It represents lifting each other up during struggling times, learning and stretching our creativity to share with others, working outside of our comfort zones and most importantly loving each other through all of the roller coasters. That’s my TEAM! They are amazing. These are ordinary women doing extraordinary things. It’s about sharing the passion of stamping and cultivating friendships along the way. Again, my heart is full.

Another Presentation

After we left the conference there was one more presentation left for the evening. My friends Cindy and Monika put together a small gathering where three Artisans presented a few projects. We were also blessed to have two of the Stampin’ Up! concept artists in attendance for a question and answer time.

Cindy and Monika had the most beautiful set up and the make n takes were amazing. One look around the room and you knew this was a successful event. Everyone was happy as could be.

By the time we got back to our hotel my robe was waiting. I couldn’t wait to wear it one last time. We ended our evening sitting around the floor looking at swaps and enjoying our time together.

Parting Ways

The next morning was full of goodbyes to a few of our friends. I hate goodbyes and especially after having so much fun.

We put two of our besties on a plane and Cathy and I set out for the long ride home and another full week of playing in my craft room. There is something to be said about spending quality time with your friends.

I feel like my heart is full and ready to tackle the next big things set in front of me.

The week felt like it came to an abrupt end. It was time to put Cathy on a plane and saying goodbye was gut wrenching.

I tried hard not to be mopey. I couldn’t help it and needed a day to gather myself.

Time to Get Busy!

Of course the night I put Cathy on the plane I started sneezing which then led to a nice giant ugly cold. Thankfully I’m on the mend but thought for sure I was dying for two days. Funny how a little cold can make you MISERABLE. I’m sure I ran myself down during the 3 weeks of fun but I have no regrets.

The best part about the last 3 weeks was nurturing new and old friendships. It’s the best feeling in the world.

Mountain Adventure

I wanted to share a fun card I made while she was here. The mountains were totally fitting for my post today because I really feel like I could shout from the top of the mountain how blessed I am to have all the beautiful people in my life. That includes YOU too. Those of you who take the time to read my silliness, and continue to support me and love me. I’m shouting from the mountain…. I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!!!!!!

I pulled out the cutest stamp set called Mountain Adventure from the Holiday Catalog. I’m in love with the smaller images like the cabin and beautiful little trees. Great opportunities with this stamp set.

Tips & Tricks

Stamp the mountain on Watercolor Paper and use and color images with the Aqua Painter.
Mica Flakes were added to the tops of the mountains to create snow.
I used the Outdoor Adventures Framelits to die cut the two mountains behind the mountain image. Love this Framelit set.
The greeting was stamped and then die cut using the Stitched Shapes Framelits.