Come out!  Come out!  Wherever you are!

I finally found my way back to my blog!  Oh how I have missed blogging with my cyber friends.  I am determined to figure out this blog posting thing so as I may join in future blog hops. I joined an amazing yahoo group VC Rocks and want to share some of my creations.  In a final plea for help I purchased a book written by Heather Wright - Porto titled Beginning Google Blogger.  My fear of 'all that techy stuff'' is being tossed in the can and I am ready for this challenge!!

I have been doing a bit of crafting.  My upline, Michelle Bushey Deslandes, shared a really cute card at our Cards for Cancer benefit and I couldn't leave it alone.  I had to play with the color combination until I came up with the "just right" look.  My winning combo:  Cajun Craze and I Dig You!!  Such an easy card to put together don't you think?

 As is was crafting and visiting with my sister who is in Vermont from Virginia, I needed a 'girlie' card for her to send back to a special little girl at home.  I remember seeing lots of ideas to make a cheerleader girl using punches.  Though I wasn't sure exactly what punches were used I did manage to put one together using her favorite color purple.  I can't wait to have time to play around with this idea some more soon!

 Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  

    ~Samie

 

I love my amazing daughter

Graduation Announce for my daughter

Just yesterday I was holding her on my lap and singing lullaby's in her ear as she gazed at me with the unconditional love shared between a mother and daughter.  As I sat amongst stacks of Stampin' Up card stock I found myself wandering through time ... we have shared so much over the past 18 years.  I fight the tears as I think about the changes we are in for as my daughter prepares for her High School graduation.  I have been trying to get her invitations made (not easy working with card stock and ink when you have a tear escape every now and again!)  I hope she treasures them as they were made from the heart!

We've been spoiled ...

Inspired by Connie Babbert and Barb Mulikin

The weather in Vermont has been record breaking ... reaching near 80 this past week!  I found myself drawn to the outdoor sun.  We just finished a few short weeks of making some yummy syrup in the backyard sugar shack (the season cut short by the unusual weather).  I found myself slacking in preparation for a scheduled Stampin' Up workshop (Yup, it's tomorrow) ... tonight I pulled some supplies off the shelf and enjoyed some time putting together some card kits.  I made this adorable tootsie pop bouquet inspired by Cindy Vinson.  I love the Mixed Bunch stamp set and punch offered by Stampin' Up in their current mini catalog!  There is so much that you can do with it...


Now it wouldn't be right to talk about Vermont syrup making without sharing some of the fun with you.  It is such a priceless experience to share with your children and I can not wait to take the pictures from our season in the backyard sugar shack!

 Here I am with my first jar of pure Vermont maple syrup!  For those who do not know ... it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup ... and we do it all by hand from tapping trees, to gathering sap right down to the boil and draw!



Below you will see the stages of boiling sap - a truly amazing picture captured!

And of course I had to share a tapped tree!

 

 

Cards for Cancer Benefit

Cards for Cancer Benefit

Come join the fun in creating 12 all occasion cards on Sunday, May 6th!

Your $25 registration fee will include:
 A $10 donation to the American Cancer Society
Card Kit supplies
Lunch
Door prizes
Demonstrator support
  ... and MORE!

 We will have ordering and booking specials plus you will each receive a donation card for you to honor someone for that day and it will be sent to the American Cancer Society along with your $10 donation.

Wow all that for a low cost of $25!!

The deadline for the registration is April 20th. If you would like to know more about the Cards For Cancer Benefit please contact me at ovittfam@comcast.net!

I hope you can join this wonderful cause!  See you soon!

Let's Get Organized!

I feel so great now that I am back in the crafting mode.  Though I still have daily pain from my rotator cuff and tonotomy surgery, I am working hard in physical therapy and moving forward every day.  A week ago I gave some weekly planners to my top group of ladies, each customized with Field Flowers stamped in their favorite Stampin' Up colors.  I received so many compliments back that today I disassembled a monthly planner and customized it for myself.  I only wish that my photo abilities were much greater as the planner is so pretty up close!  Now when I am sitting in a meeting and we are looking at dates to schedule follow-ups or pulling out my planner to schedule a workshop I have an easy way to mention what I do!!  

                             

Recipe:  CS and Ink- very vanilla, artichoke, razzleberry, wisteria wonder, pool party, cherry cobble, garden green, concord crush

Stamps:  Field Flowers

Enjoy!

First workshop ...

It's a CASE success!

I spent many weeks sitting at the computer drooling over photo's of craft projects waiting patiently for my shoulder to heal.  I read everyone's emails talking up Leadership.  It felt as though I would never be able to dust off my Stampin' Up supplies and put them to use.  It took just one visit to Tami White's blog to motivate me to get my arm working again!  Though I have been a demonstrator for a little over two years, I had never tried the water color technique.  Tami posted a tutorial on her blog stampwithTami.com.  It was a love connection!  I decided to bring this to my first workshop of 2012 and it was a huge success!!  I wrote a thank you to Tami thanking her for inspiring me.  Now understand, I am just a little, never heard of demonstrator in a very tiny town in Northern Vermont.  I struggle just to stay active and if I have half a dozen workshops a year I am happy.  Can you imagine my reaction when I received a response from Tami White, the #1 Demonstrator of 2011!!  For someone of her statue to take the time to send me a message meant so much to me!  I'm ready to tackle 2012!!
~Samantha

Back in the Ink again!

Hello Stamping World!
     Happy belated New Year!  Yes, I have finally ended my hiatus from the crafting world.  After nine weeks of recovery (I had rotator cuff surgery on November 23rd) I am slowly beginning to stamp again.  To get motivated, I have pulled a few cards from a file and CASEd them.  I forgot how relaxing stamping can be.  I'm excited to try all of the new products that have been drizzling in from the mini.  

     I have a workshop booked for next weekend and am nervous about putting something together that quickly... I am thinking about water coloring an image and framing it with the new framelits die.  No idea for the second card LOL.  These women are not newcomers to the stamping world so I will have to 'put my game on'! 
      I hope the new year brings much love, happiness and success to all of you in cyber world!
Kudos,


     Samantha