2014 Stampin' Up Occasions Catalog

Let me start out by saying that the new 2014 Stampin' Up Occasions Catalog went live for EVERYONE today and there are some really great products and product bundles that you are going to seriously have to check out. I'm going to share my top 14 for 2014. I would love to hear what your favorites are.

As promised, I do have a picture of my finished product. In case your just joining me, I originally made this sign for a friend in England as she was getting ready to leave us. She's been a great friend and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

School here and all over Minnesota has already been cancelled for Monday due to the extreme temperatures they are predicting. I heard at one point that we are suppose to hit -50* with windchill. BRRRRR!!!! So stay warm and don't forget...Enjoy and Keep on Craftin'!

My finished sign

In no particular order, here are my 14 favorites from the 2014 Stampin' Up Occasions Catalog:

Hello!

Let me just say that if it could snow at about 60 degrees, my life would be perfect. I absolutely LOVE snow, but I hate the cold that comes with it :( This morning it was -4* with a high of 0* and currently at 10:00p it is -18*. I grew up in MN where this is typical weather, but I've definitely been out of my element too long, because this cold is hard to deal with. This is perfect weather for me to grab a coffee (or hot chocolate depending on my mood), my iPad & a nice warm blanket and snuggle up on the couch and browse the new Stampin' Up Occasions Catalog.

Today I didn't get much done. Everything is down in the basement and it was so cold down there that after I got done painting the wood for a friends sign, I felt like my toes were going to fall off. So I grabbed my iPad and blanket and headed upstairs. I made this sign for a friend as a going away gift, but I did it on some cheap canvas and for some reason it didn't stick. So as a surprise I'm redoing it for her on wood. I'm super excited to see it done.

So as I sign off I leave you with a picture of what I did accomplish and a promise that I will post a pic of the finished product (hopefully tomorrow). Enjoy and Keep on Craftin'!

The board before I painted

The board after I painted

Happy New Year!

Well, here it is 2014 and we are already off to a good start. Hubby retired from the Air Force earlier in 2013, and we are now in Iowa. He started a new job in November with Winnebago Industries and he's basically doing the same thing there that he was doing in the Air Force (Logistics). The only downer is the drive. He has to commute approximately 45 minutes each way. We are currently looking for a house somewhere in between his family and his job.

We had to pack up everything back in August and until we find a home, the Air Force has put all our belongings into storage. We did pack a UA (Unaccompanied Shipment), but since we are limited on weight, I still couldn't bring everything :( An Unaccompanied Shipment is a small shipment the military gives you that is usually shipped faster than your HHG (Household Goods). Since you are only allotted 500lbs, most people pack their bedding, some clothes, some dishes or whatever they deem necessary to tide them over at their new house until their HHG shows up. Since we knew we would be staying with his family, we opted to pack stuff to keep us busy rather than dishes LOL. Also, since I have my own Home Business, I was also allotted 500lbs. to keep my business going. I packed up some of the newer stamp sets I bought, my computer, my Silhouette Cameo, vinyl and some odds and ends. Yet, I still feel like I didn't bring anything LOL. I miss all my stuff so much!

I've done a few cards here and there, but for the most part my creativity is a bit stifled due to the move. I also made some signs for family and friends for Christmas. They all really liked them, which makes me happy, because I do love what I do. Now that the Holidays are over, I'm going to focus on making some card sets and signs to sell. We'll see how things go, so wish me luck. I will post some pics of the signs and cards I've done. Check out my Facebook Page Vagabond Stampin'...Enjoy and Keep On Craftin'!

Sign I made for my Hubby

Final Card I made for my Groomer in England

Birthday Card for my Niece S

Birthday Card for my Niece R

Tri Fold Card I designed on my Silhouette

Sign I made for a friend

Family Signs I made for Christmas

More Signs I made for Christmas
(In case you can't read it, the red on the Grandchildren says "Make Life Grand")

Hello Everyone!
It's been awhile since I've posted anything, and I am going to try to get better at posting more. I have been busy with Card Club here in England, a Card Swap group from the States, being a Key Spouse for my Squadron, Treasurer for the Middle School and trying to keep up with the house and family. Whew! Just typing that made me tired...how do I manage to make it through the day?!? LOL

Alot has happened since my last post. I will Highlight some of the majors. The first one is that my son "graduated" and is now in Middle School. How did that happen?? Seems like just yesterday he was the cutest little 2yr old making me laugh.

The Middle School Treasurer had to leave, due to her husband getting orders. Since two of the three Board Members knew me from the Intermediate School, they asked me to step in. These ladies are great! They are easy to get along with and we always have fun and laugh when we get together.

I joined the ranks of the Key Spouses for my Squadron. Usually in our Squadron a Key Spouse is assigned to whatever flight her husband works in. Since my flight already has 3, I asked if I could help out with another flight. I got paired up with a wonderful lady named Beth Ann in Fuels. I really like this group of ladies as well. Everyone is relaxed and love to get together and have fun. We did a Kids Halloween party and we did the Mad Scientist Lab (You remember as a kid and you would put your hand in the box and feel a brain which was really jello LOL). Apparently my Werewolf Vomit almost made a child vomit. I felt bad for the kid, but at the same time couldn't stop laughing. It was just banana pudding with peas and carrots :) We did the same boxes for the single Airmen. Once a month we get together and people donate food for the airman so they get a "home cooked" meal. For the Airmen we did "Nassty" Foods. One lady made ribs and then put little smokies underneath for a skeleton and another person did strips of cheese on her Mummy Meatloaf. There were some creative minds at work there too. And to end the night we gave the Airmen a pinata filled with candy and the small bottles of liquor.

Then in Sept my husband left on a Short Notice/Open Ended Deployment. For those of you who are not military, this means that he got 30 minutes notice to get ready to leave for his destination and we don't have date for his return. That means our plans to spend Thanksgiving, mine and CJ's B-days and Christmas at home with family aren't going to happen. While this makes us sad, we have learned to "roll with it". I was at the Middle School when he got the call, so we raced to the other base and made it in time for CJ to day goodbye to his Dad. My son has been GREAT since his dad left. He helps me clean and has even started helping me make dinner :)

Today I had Card Club with the local girls. Our Hostess wanted to learn how to do a suspension card. I gave them the base of the card and then let them go to it. These girls are SOOOO creative! We also did a Christmas Card Swap and since 3 of us have B-days this month, we did a Birthday Card Competition. Unfortunately I didn't get pictures of the B-day cards :( But I did get some of the girls suspension cards and the swaps.

That's all for now. Sorry for the long post, but I hope you enjoyed it and the pictures.

Boxes I made for Kids:

All the Boxes:

Pumpkins from the Local Pumpkin Patch:

My Suspension Card:

The Girls Suspension Cards:

My Card for Card Swap:

The Girls Card Swaps:

And last but certainly not least...My friend Dayna make me this ornament :)