Stampin' and Scrappin' with Kim

Oldies But Goodies

Hey folks! Well, I have spent the last two days cataloging my stamp sets and finally facing the ugly task of tackling the retired list(s). It is a major shame to say that of my entire stamp collection, less than 18% remain in the 'active' category. Yes, it is UGLY folks, but this could be good news for you...

Please view the list below and see if there is something (or somethings) that tickle your fancy. There are well over 100 sets here - yes, that's them in the photo to the left.

When you purchase  just 3 (three) discounted stamp sets from my retired collection, you will receive a certificate for $10 worth of new, current SU merchandise! There is no limit - earn as many certificates as you like. Redeem your certificate the next time you make a purchase of $25 or more. So, in other words, you'll get $35 of new merchandise for just $25 (plus tax and shipping)!

This is just my way of saying thanks. It is very difficult for me to part with some of these stamp sets - I am emotionally attached to many of them. But when you buy my retired sets, you help me make room for new stamp sets - which I will become emotionally attached to as well. I can't wait to share some of them with you!

Happy shopping!

Download stamp_list.xls

Cleaning House

Well, I'm back home now. I have spent the last two days "putting life back together." And it has been a great experience. I finally "found" my bedroom again, after months of being buried under kids' junk, stray items, and things that needed to go into storage. We hung up some things on the wall that have been waiting patiently for their turn. Today, I spent several hours in my stamp studio organizing and cataloging my stamps. You know, sorting out retired sets, labeling things, etc.

What some of you may not realize is that we have only lived here in this house (and in this state) for 17 months. While we are remarkably "put together", we are still putting the finishing touches on our home. (Of course we all know that is a joke - if you own a house, you are NEVER done!) But anyway, after several months, it became apparant that my stamps, scrapbooks, crafts, etc. needed a place of their own. Leaving projects out on the dining room table was no longer an option with four kids. We actually need that table for eating on! So, this spring we started the daunting task of finishing off the two car garage and converting it into a stamp studio - which I kinda like to call the "aCROPolis". Sounds Greek. Sounds like the place you want to be if you are in the mood to 'crop'. Coming soon: "Friday night at the aCROPolis", just like Saturday night at the Apollo. Or was that Friday night???

Anyway, in order to complete the garage project, there were several steps. First task was to unpack any remaining boxes after the move. Three piles: Put Away, Give Away, Throw Away. Next was to relocate things that were no longer going to live in the garage (i.e., lawn mower, bicycles, etc.) These items were moved to some sheds in the yard. Next was to make the room a room, without permanently removing the garage. John framed and built a wall right in front of the garage door. The rails for the garage door are still visible overhead, as is the garage door opener, and overhead storage shelf. But, the garage door is no longer operable unless the wall is removed. After all that, we spackled and painted the entire garage. Barely Banana on the side walls, and the new wall is Tempting Turquoise, Cameo Coral, and Certainly Celery (colors sound familiar?). Final step: we installed wall to wall carpet. Tah dah! Now we have a room!

But WAIT! Not quite done yet. Did I mention that in order to lay carpet in a garage over a concrete floor, you need to empty the ENTIRE contents of the garage! This turned the inside of my house into a disaster worse than when we first moved in. But perhaps even more daunting then taking it all out, was putting it all back in. And this my friends is what I am up to now. The stuff is all in, but is undergoing the final stages of organization.

Hence the stamp cataloging that went on today. Check back later this week for a list of retired stamps available, along with special purchase incentives. Also, check back for posting of photos of my new workspace. I even bought two new tables for y'all to work on, but one of them has been kidnapped temporarily by my husband. We purchased a new desk for him to work on in his home office, but unfortunately, it is backordered until the end of August. Until then, he is using one of my new tables for his computer!

Well stamping friends, it has been a rewarding two days. It feels good to clean. It feels good to take stock of what you have, and count your blesssings! It feels real good to be that much closer to my dream of running a successful business, without having to put my entire family at an inconvenience everytime someone comes over to stamp. Hopefully, you will find your way over to the aCROPolis some time real soon!

Decisions, Decisions

Please help me title the scrapbook page to go with these pictures of my daughter with all the Cabbage Patch Kids. Submit your suggestions, and I will post the finished project. Submissions due by August 10th.

Today we took the kids to Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, GA to see where Cabbage Patch Kids are born. My daughter, Celeste (who turned 18 months today!) was totally enthralled with all the babies she saw there. She kept saying, "baby! baby!" in her own cute little baby voice. She kept picking them up and carrying them around - they were nearly as big as she was. My husband totally caved, and bought her her own baby:

If you ever are passing through that part of Georgia, it's a neat little place to stop. There is no charge for admission and there is an impressive display of babies (you're not allowed to call them "dolls" there), available for adoption. We got to witness a live "birth" in the cabbage patch. The doctor on duty delivered a baby girl and she was named Chelsea Grace by the kids in attendance.

When we left the hospital, we continued on about 15 minutes north and visited the Alpine village of Helen, GA. A quaint little Bavarian town, it's a great place to sample some German delicasies and browse the shops. Perhaps even take a ride down the river in a tube. Next time we'll be sure to bring our bathing suits!

Coca-Cola and Stampin' Up!

I'm writing to you today from the home of my friend Allison who lives in Georgia. We went to downtown Atlanta today with our families (2 husbands and 6 kids in tow!) and visited the World of Coke. In the entrance lobby, the words on the wall read,

"To refresh the world in body, and spirit. To inspire moments of optimism through our brands and our actions. To create value and make a difference everywhere we engage."

This statement caught my attention and reminded me of the spirit of Stampin' Up! We as demonstrators are also seeking to refresh the world by touching the body and spirit of our loved ones with our handmade cards and scrapbooks. We are inspiring moments of optimism in our children as they see the stories of their lives unfold on the pages of our family albums. Stampin' Up! products are a great value, as they have the power to make a difference in the lives that we touch. But Stampin' Up! is so much better than Coca-Cola, isn't it? Coke is swallowed in an instant, providing only temporary refreshment. Scrapbook pages last a lifetime. They refresh my soul everytime I open an album!

I spent the day today snapping photos of my children, my friend's children, and the sights that we saw. All the while, thinking of the eventual pages these would become in my family album. I look forward to sharing these layouts with you. Hmmm, I think I will gather some Real Red and Whisper White cardstock...

In the meantime, enjoy some of these photos. Those are my two boys in the brown shirts, my two girls in the pink outfits, with Chelsea, Justin, and of course husband John. Are there ever any pictures of me?

Back in Business!

Wow! I have a blog. I barely even know what a blog is. But I have one. It is really exciting, because I truly feel that I am on the cusp of something new here. There is new life blowing into my Stampin' Up! business after a long period of dormancy. A new baby and moving 500 miles will do that to you. But now my baby is turning 18 months, my next youngest is starting kindergarten, and my stamping studio is finally finished and in working condition.

Over the past few months I have begun to stamp some cards, and lately have been scrapbooking feverishly. My creative juices have once again begun to flow and I have experienced much joy and satisfaction at the works of my hands. But more than being the works of my hands, these creations are works of my heart. Stamping is so rewarding to both the creator and the recipient of the stamped item. It is a true blessing to make something for someone that communicates just how important you think that person is. Time is a precious commodity, and people just plain feel good when they know that you spent your time on them.

As of late, I have completed a scrapbook recording all the memories of our family vacation to Disney World in December 2006. All 58 glorious pages (12x12)! I look forward to posting some of those layouts by the end of the week. It has been a labor of love and a gift to my children, who would be hard pressed to forget any part of that trip. Working on this project has reminded me of how much I love to scrapbook, and how much I am yearning to share this passion again with others. Over the last 17 months that I have lived here in North Carolina, I have met dozens of people who stamp, scrapbook, and create in a wide variety of forms. Finding people like that in NYC was a much harder task. But here, I am encouraged to find good company to surround myself with. And if I had a dime for everytime I was asked if I held stamping classes, I would be rich already! But, dimes aside, I am ready to begin.

I have been brainstorming the last few nights and come up with several topics for card making and scrapbooking classes. Now the challenge is to put real calendar dates on those classes. BUT, you can be certain that they will be starting this AUGUST! The new Stampin' Up! catalog (which became available July 1st) is fantastic and full of exciting new projects. I can't wait to share them with you after I return from a mini-vacation with my family to visit some friends in Georgia (a stampin' friend!). We'll be back on 8/1.

So, please, stop by my site often and keep on encouraging me. Sometimes I wonder how I wil manage the many responsibilites I have before me, but as I always say, "you make time for the things that are important to you." If you keep on waiting for that time, you will find that it will NEVER come. So,as Nike says, "just do it!" I'm not perfect. My blog doesn't look like what I want it to yet. My sales are below what I want them to be. I still have piles of unscrapped photos, and stacks of project ideas. But you have to start somewhere, so I'll just begin. The rest of the details will fill themselves in.

Until we stamp again...