A New Beginning Begins….Now!

Well, here it is – just barely 2015.  We sit on the very tippy edge of a whole new year – a year to re-invent ourselves. Right?  Maybe “re-invent” is too strong a word.  Makes me think of my usual resolutions – lose weight, get fit, be uber-organized, stop procrastinating, be a better wife/friend/woman/person….the list seems long, because it is.  And pretty much overwhelming and unobtainable.  Doomed to failure – again!  So, this year – I’m going to “tweak” myself….eat a little better at every meal (but the occasional snack’s still okay, right?!?), walk to the barn and take the stairs when I can, put stuff away when I get it out, make a schedule and try to do things when I can….well, you get the drift.  Little things.  Doable things.  And – I’ve also decided to do something new and fun this year.  I’ve started a new business.  And – I’ve started to blog.  “To blog”.  Is that actually a verb?!?

You’ve found yourself at my very first blog post.  Future posts will be centered around that new business I mentioned – I’ve thrown my hat in the ring and I’m now an official Stampin’ Up! Independent Demonstrator.  I had to do it – out of sheer financial desperation – and to help DH be more resigned to the increasingly regular payments to Stampin’ Up! he was seeing in the checking account.  Now – it’s a “business”, right?  Spreadsheets and taxes and all that fun stuff.  Makes it more legitimate in his eyes, I’m suppose.  In truth – I just want to play with the fun toys and stamp and create homemade cards to send to my friends and give as gifts.  If there’s a little income on the side – well, that’s okay, too!

I mentioned I was also new to blogging.  As such, I am – frankly – not even sure how this will end up looking on my shiny new website.  But, I’m going to slog on and tell you a little about myself right quick and then we’ll move on from that, okay?  Consider yourself my guinea pig!  ;0

I live in Fayetteville, GA with my husband, Wayne, two completely rotten miniature panthers (okay – they’re really Domestic Shorthair cats, but…they THINK they’re panthers, so….) – Katy and Leo, one spoiled lab mix – Buck, and three horses.  I didn’t mention that they’re spoiled – but, yea, they are.  Cerah and Cady are Haflingers – mom and daughter, actually.  And Bo is a National Show Horse.  We call him the Whole-linger.  Kind of a play on words….well, maybe you have to see him to understand….

That’s him – on the left.  He’s about twice the size of the girls and is pretty convinced he’s the lead Stallion, the Main Man, the Quarterback to their Cheerleaders….if truth be told, they totally rule the pasture (but they let him think he’s all that and a bag of chips!). They’re a fun group – and they love being waited on and fed and loved on – and they LOVE peppermints!  A LOT!

My life has encompassed a career in the Air Force, a follow-on (and ongoing) military support job, and a stint as a Pampered Chef consultant.  I’m an aviator, a teacher, a horse trainer, a would-be-chef, a reluctant housekeeper, a Square-Foot Gardener, a prepper (okay – I own a dehydrator and have managed to grow and dry enough food to last about a week when the zombie apocalypse comes….), a card-maker, a reader-of-novels, and (let’s face it) a couch potato.  I’m not one of those people who claim “I just don’t watch TV” or “I just can’t sit around doing nothing” or “I just have to stay busy”.  Nope.  I like watching “my shows”.  Preferably on the DVR without any commercials.  So – I didn’t pick crafting to give my overly busy hands something to do, or to take up my evenings.  I picked it purely because I love the “stuff” that goes with and into it, and I love the end results that I can make with just some paper and ink and a little bling.

So, with that, let’s talk about Stampin’ Up! and what you can expect to find as I get this website developed.  I have a wonderful mentor, Amy Koenders, who became my demonstrator when I first stumbled upon the company.  She’s helped me immensely and I hope to model my business after hers.  If you’d like to pop over to her site, here’s the link:  www.stampwithamyk.com  She’s been doing this a lot longer than I have, and her site is really awesome – you’ll have a lot of fun over there, I promise!  As I get rolling alone, I’ll be posting cards with “recipes” to make them yourself.  You can feel free to CASE them (this is a new term I’ve learned – Copy and Share Everything! – and it seems like a really good idea) as they are or use them as a jumping off point to make them creatively your own.  Amy does such a good job of posting a new (and rockin’!!) card every day.  It’s going to be my goal – but I’ll ask you to be patient with me as I get spun up.  Did I mention that full time outside job?  It still takes up the preponderance of my days and – when I’m TDY – my nights!  So it may take me a while to reach that level.

I’ll also be posting links to other demonstrators who are creating beautiful projects.  And, of course, a link to Stampin’ Up itself, where you can see even more great ideas and browse and shop to your heart’s content!

So – there it is in a nutshell for you.  I hope to see you back here regular-like.  Watch and help me grow! 😉