I just returned from a four day visit to Phoenix Arizona (I live in Boise, Idaho) where I joined lots of extended family at a memorial service for my lovely cousin Barb. Friends and family came from all over the U.S. plus Switzerland. Barb was enjoying the gathering I’m sure from her special place in heaven. She was a “funs-ster” for sure. While in Phoenix I also, quietly, celebrated by 30th Anniversary as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. (more info about that ‘life’ tomorrow)
The evening before Barb’s memorial service MANY family members met at the home she’d shared with her husband of nearly 50 years, Dave. The table above is a gathering of first cousins. I hadn’t seen “that guy”, aka Kevin, standing next to me since he was about five years old! His mom, Penny, is on the far left. Then comes my brother Bob, cousin-in-law Donna, her hubby and Barb’s ‘baby’ brother Jeff, me, Kevin, my sister Janet and her hubby, Bob.
Yes I got no stamping done in Phoenix. But, yes I did bring home a load of (non-Stampin’ Up!) stamps that Barb had collected over the years. She was an avid cat lover so I brought home her extensive variety a cat stamps since we’ve had cats for years. My sister, also a stamper, took home another bunch of miscellaneous stamps and then our brother took home the ample remainder for this granddaughters to create with. It was an unexpected share of some of our cousin’s many treasures and collections.
One more adventurous thing I did in Phoenix, when going out to dinner with my sister, brother-in-law, and brother was to — just for the opportunity and adventure of it — dine on rattlesnake and cactus fries. Am I glad I did it? Definitely. You don’t get that opportunity every day. Would I do it again? Nope. It all seemed like fried “something”. I was hoping for more flavor or texture. But at least I went for it!
On April 16th, in the middle of the Arizona trip, I celebrated, mostly in my own mind, my 30th anniversary as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. What a memorable bunch of years for sure. One of my first stamp sets was a cute clown who was doing cartwheels. So cute. And now he’s apparently hiding because I can’t find him anywhere. Bummer. He’s hiding in my garage unfortunately.
Over my thirty years as a Demonstrator I haven’t missed one annual Convention/On Stage event. AND I got to attend the first International Convention in Brussels Belgium in 2015. Thanks to hubby spending his career as a mechanic for United Air Lines at San Francisco Airport, we can fly for almost free as international ‘stand-by’ passengers. It’s worth the occasional wait.
Sara Douglass, Stampin’ Up!’s CEO was in Brussels (below)
Then I met a new friend/roommate from South Carolina/The Hague, Teri. We clicked perfectly. (below)
And Bekka from the UK was an “old friend” whom I had met in our Salt Lake City convention the previous year. (below)
And finally my friend Jeanette from northern Germany. We had met previously when I was visiting our former exchange student in Altenholz (near Kiel), Germany several years earlier. Jeanette was one of the first German demonstrators when Stampin’ Up! expanded to Europe. (below)
I’m a bit infamous for coloring my hair using Stampin’ Up! ink pads at conventions! The coloring washes right out–our stamp pads are water based! And even the red pads are water based, trust me, they don’t wash right out! I learned that lesson the hard way. I’m with Laurie LaRose, my long time friend from Canada in the photo below.
Yes, there are male stampers and my friend Kevin here is one of the best. In fact he was the FIRST male demonstrator and joined Stampin’ Up! just a few months before I did.
I’ve met so many wonderful people over the years and had some amazing experiences. Thank you Stampin’ Up! I’ll be back shortly sharing some of the fun places I’ve been stamping over the years.
Thank you so much for popping in today. Please leave a comment below if you’re looking for a specific project or technique and I’ll do my best to help you out.
