Since I haven't had the chance to stamp anything yet, I thought I'd post a few photos of the gifts Stampin' Up! left in our rooms while we were in Hawaii. This week, I'll get back to some regular posts.
Here was the fabulous bag that we got on Monday night. Jeff also got a bag that was red & black - a great gym bag. I think he'll actually use it!!!
Here was the basket our make & take supplies came in. I didn't take a photo of the inside, but there were 6 or 7 ink pads, a marker, a roll of sticky strip, a container of 5/16" brads (which is great, since mine are almost gone!), and a brand new stamp set!!
On Tuesday night, we had another surprise, and inside was FOOD!!! Here it was all wrapped up, and then opened up.
And of course, there was more, but I didn't take photos of it all. On Wednesday night, we all got sarongs made by a local Hawaiian, and on Thursday (our last night) we all got silver necklaces that read "aloha" that was also made by a local Hawaiian.
All in all it was a great trip!! Thanks to all my awesome customers and thanks to Stampin' Up! (And I hope everyone enjoyed the little special while I was gone!!!)
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This morning we did make & takes, and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to show what we made, so you'll have to check back for that, but here is a picture of me, my upline, Tina, and my sideline friends, Amy & Diana getting ready to stamp our hearts out.
I have "mastered" a way of getting my make & takes done at Stampin' Up! events (which I may have shared before), but what I like to do is divide all the projects up so that each person just creates several of the same project - this way it all gets done. Well, it usually works out great, but this time one project was so involved, I gave up! (And yes, it was the one I was working on!!) But anyway, it was fun!!
After make & takes, Jeff & I ordered some gluten free pizzas and enjoyed a very yummy lunch at the Orchid Marketplace. (Last night at dinner, we called ahead and got gluten-free bread, too!!! I love when I can feel "human.")
Then as we were reading our books between the ocean and the pool, we saw all these whales performing for us. Here are two pictures, although the scene was way more spectacular than these pictures show.
It was a pretty awesome sight. I only had my little point & shoot camera, so I probably could have gotten a closer shot with my other one, but oh well. And what I really should have done is have my camera on video. Well, maybe next time... By the way, I think that island you can faintly see in the distance would be Maui.
We arrived on the Big Island yesterday, and enjoyed a fun Stampin' Up! reception last night. We ran into lots of old friends from all over the country and it's great to see them!!! That's one of the weird things about being a demo - some of your best Stampin' Up! friends live hours & hours away, so I do enjoy spending time with them on these trips. I took a couple photos last night, but none came out too well.
But this morning, I was up early enough to take this photo:
We don't have an ocen view room this time (and I thought we were supposed to, but it's okay - we really don't spend much ANY time in our room anyway), but we do have a great view of the mountains, and we just watched the sunrise while laying in bed. So, all in all, it's not too bad!!!! :)
So, as soon as we got on the plane last Thursday, I started to miss my kids. It's better now, I think, but I still think about them every single minute. So, here is a scrapbook page I completed recently from when we surprised the kids with a trip to the local circus. They were SO excited and can't wait to go back next year!!
Hope you enjoyed today's sample!! I'll be back to post more in a day or 2 (or 3)!!!
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Aloha!! I'm sitting in my hotel room in Maui right now!! Here is a photo of the view out our window.
Nice, huh? This morning we saw some whales swimming around in the ocean, too. It was very cool!!
If you are on my mailing list, you already know I am in Hawaii and I hope you enjoy and are able to take advantage of the special I sent out. If you aren't on my list, you should go sign up now, so you can check it out. I'll send a reminder out next week, so you can ALL be in the loop - but you have to be on my list to be in the know!!!
So, while we are away both our girls got invited to a collective FIVE birthday parties. The night before I left, I made up a few of these cards for the girls.
I had to make it super simple, but I of course wanted it to be girly, so I used the Big, Bold Birthday Stamp set, and the popular combo of Pretty in Pink & Chocolate Chip, and of course threw in a little Dazzling Diamonds, because even as young as 4 years old, a girl likes diamonds!!! I guess I probably could have used a Stamp-a-ma-jig to make the cupcake a little straighter, but I don't think anyone will mind. (I know I wouldn't mind if my real cupcake was a little lopsided!!)
Hope you enjoyed today's sample!! Come back often during the next week. I'll be posting more pictures from Hawaii, the Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip, and some more scrapbook samples, too!!! Ahola!!
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When we were down in Turks & Caicos, I checked out the website of the photographer that Melissa & Eric used and noticed they had a blog. It looked like they would post a few pictures on it after an event that they had photographed. So when I got home, I added their blog to my bloglines list, so I would get the update when they had a new post.
So, today there was an update and I went to check it out. It wasn't wedding pictures, but it was of Melissa & Eric. I didn't know this, but I guess a few days before the rest of the family flew down, they met up with the photographer for a photo shoot. My favorite is the one above, but there's more (a lot more!). Here is the link to check out them out. From a wanna-be photographer's point of view, I have total artistic photography/camera envy. Plus Melissa & Eric are so darn cute, their pictures of course are awesome!!! (Okay, some are kind of funny - I think Eric secretly wants to be an Abercrombie model. Just kidding!!!) I really can't wait to see the wedding ones now!!!! I hope they post one with my girls in it!!
So, in short, if you are planning a wedding in Turks & Caicos, I would contact Tropical Imaging for your photography!! I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed!
I'm off on vacation again. My brother-in-law Eric is getting married. He & his fiancee Melissa selected a destination wedding in Turks & Caicos, so we are off!!! I'll be back Sunday but of course I had to post a "While I'm Away" Special!! So if you are not on my mailing list, go & sign up now, so you can see what the special is!!!
Today was our free day in Lake Powell and we chose the Slot Canyon Hummer Adventure Tour. What a wild trip!!! It was our driver, Nick's, first day on the job and you should have seen some of what he had to do! He was awesome and the trip was great. Rather than bore you with the details, here are a few pictures:
The hummer ride lasted about 45 minutes from our Resort in Lake Powell and went through a Navajo Indian Reservation. These hummers are the only people permitted on the reservation, so the ride was beautiful, and in some places a little tricky!!! After the drive, we parked a hiked a short way to the entrance of the slot canyon. "Created by the force of water and wind, both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon are well-known "slot canyons." Water running through the desert’s sedimentary rock carved into the colorful striations until the sandstone seemed to flow and ripple as it twisted various directions. As you walk through the narrow “slot,” you may feel as though you are in a cave but glancing up, you will see the roof is open to the sky." My pictures really don't do it justice as it was way more beautiful than these show.
We head back home tomorrow, and hopefully I'll post a few more pictures from the trip once they are downloaded. Leave me a comment & let me know you stopped by!
I'll be on an early morning flight to Arizona tomorrow for the Founder's Circle trip. I hope you are on my mailing list, because you will be getting a special surprise in your email boxes tomorrow morning!!
If you aren't on my mailing list - what are you waiting for???? Go to the box in the upper left corner and sign up!! You'll still be able to participate!!!
Have a great week - I'll be back Monday, just in time for our Stampin' Up! Opportunity Night!!! Enjoy the surprise!!
I thought I would post a few pictures from the Stampin' Up! cruise. My favorite part was by far the Panama Canal. This is not something I had ever thought much about or ever thought I would visit, but oh my God - what an experience!!! I took over 400 pictures in the course of the week, and over 150 were just going through the canal. Here are a few:
We got up at 5:45 to get the full experience. This is a shot of our ship approaching the canal.
There was a cruise ship in front of us, so we got to watch them go through the canal just ahead of us. Here they are entering the first lock.
These two shots show the cruise ship inside the first lock. The first picture is shortly after the doors closed, and the second is after the water had raised it up to the level of the next lock - approximately 28 feet. These two pictures were taken just 12 minutes apart. Notice in the second shot the ship is already leaving the lock.
These brave guys come out to each & every ship in a rowboat & tie the ship up to the mules that pull it through the canal.
Here is a shot of one of the mules. I believe there were 8 of them hooked up to our ship. These mules not only pull but also guide the ship through the canal, as the ship does not proceed through the locks under her own power.
After we went through the first lock, we decided to move away from the very front of the ship to let other people take pictures & experience it from the front. This shot is from our verandah looking toward the back of the ship. Notice how small the gap is between the ship and the edge of the canal.
Here is how small the gap is. This is looking straight down into the water.
Twelve hours later, we watched the sun set as we left Panama en-route back to Ft. Lauderdale.
So, today there was an update and I went to check it out. It wasn't wedding pictures, but it was of Melissa & Eric. I didn't know this, but I guess a few days before the rest of the family flew down, they met up with the photographer for a photo shoot. My favorite is the one above, but there's more (a lot more!). Here is the 
