The Stamp Lady

Wow!  It is hard to believe that it has been five months since my last posting.   So much has been happening that the blog got pushed to the background for way too long.

This winter was tough.  The weather in January was terrible and it forced me to reschedule then cancel the Stampers Club gathering.  I then tried twice to offer a New Catalog Open House with only one person attending each event.

In February one of our cats, Rascal, got sick, again.  With the first round of this illness last November, we learned that the cat weighed 26.5 pounds, making him severely overweight.  He has been on a diet for months, and trust me, cats don’t understand diets, making it quite challenging to deal with feeding time for him and the other two cats.   Thankfully, the illness is not too serious and very treatable.   However, it caused a lot of disruption for several weeks, especially after the cat peed on the bed (due to the illness) ruining an electric blanket and a foam mattress topper.   My husband and I didn’t sleep well for weeks while I searched local stores and online for replacements.  All of the cats are now banned from the bedroom, permanently.

During March and April there were many shows at Chenery Auditorium that I needed to work.  More recently, we have been preparing the Auditorium for the next phase of major renovations.  If you drive by, you can see the construction company preparing outside for the huge transformation that will take place inside.  The work begins 2 days after the last program in June and will continue through the fall programs until sometime next March.  I truly enjoy my continued involvement in theatre but during some months it takes up a lot of my time and energy.

This winter I also got more proactive in trying to improve my health.   I went through a few months of physical therapy for both my neck and my knees to try to live more pain-free and drug-free.  Over a year ago, I started going to an aqua aerobics class and continue to be pretty consistent with participating three times per week.

Then in May, Rascal had round three of his illness.  Ugh!  On the bright side, he has lost 2 pounds.  With a few more pounds gone, we shouldn’t have to worry about him getting sick again.  We hope!

I realize this spring that my husband and I have not done any real home improvement projects in about three years.  Some of them are way overdue.  One of my priority changes is to spend more time on the house and with my hubby.

WHEW!  No wonder I haven’t found much time for all my stamp-related activities!  But don’t fret, I still love stamping and sharing.

The Stampers Club has met each month and is scheduled  to continue through this November (new folks are welcome to join anytime, hint, hint).  With this group of ladies I share tons of techniques and ideas, they make many fun projects, and each gal gets a turn as hostess, earning lots of free goodies.  One of my favorites new toys, I mean tools, is the Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine which I have featured in several projects.   I plan to share pictures of past club projects in upcoming postings.

What about classes and other stamping events?  Between the weather (a big factor), working at Chenery Auditorium, and my continuing limited energy, it was too difficult during the past few months to add any more activities.  But as the season at Chenery ends for the summer and the weather continues to improve, I am excited to offer more events.

I also decided several months ago that I will not be attending the Stampin’ Up! Convention this summer.  After eight conventions in a row, I need a break financially and time-wise.  While I know that I will miss out on many cool things, I also won’t need to spend weeks preparing swaps and planning the trip.  This should leave more time for planning events for you.

Since I am just getting back into the blog, I have a lot of updating to do on the Special page, adding samples and events, and more.  It will take some time but I hope to stay more in touch throughout the summer.

While you may not hear from me often, I am around and always happy to hear from you.  As always, you are welcome to call or email me with questions.

Happy Stamping!

Shannon