Happy 10th Anniversary Stampin Up! CANADA!!

Yes, that's right, April marks the 10th year that Stampin Up! has been in Canada...and I'm so thankful...it was about 10 years ago that I gave birth to a 7 year old daughter and so my life changed forever in lots of ways. One was learning all about being tied down more, particularly since my husband worked shiftwork. I remember him encouraging me to learn to take some time for myself in those early years and me not feeling like I could possibly do that...well a couple of years later he came home from a shopping trip to Costco with a scrapbook kit for me...he knew that I had wanted to start scrapbooking but never seemed to find the time, and that, is where papercrafting started for me. On nights when he was working, after I got my living dolly all tucked into bed, I would sneak into the computer room and pour whatever creativity I had into a scrapbook page. It would take me all of my time just to finish a page! When I look back now, those pages were not all that good, but they are precious because they are full of memories of my new little family and of a valuable lesson I learned: ...to be a good wife and mother I have to also take care of myself and with the way God wired my heart, CREATING is a wonderful way to do that!

Flash forward a few more months and a member of my Bible study invited me to a Stampin Up workshop, and to be truthful I hadn't ever heard of Stampin UP and wasn't even sure I wanted to stamp, but it was a night out with the girls and my hubby had it off so could take care of our daughter, so I was SO there! I remember that first workshop well, the demonstrator demonstrated some techniques (emboss resist really impressed me) and then led us through a make and take and I learned that I could create a card in a few minutes (rather than a scrapbook page that took me a few hours). I was hooked...I could now find new ways to create with smaller bits of time that I had! I booked my first workshop that night...and after that I joined a monthly Stampin' Club and then ultimately about a year and a half ago became a demonstrator myself...and guess who my upline is? ...that's right that first demonstrator at my first workshop (Shawna, you still inspire me!)

As a demonstrator I have an excuse to create all the time, and I'm so thankful that I get to share it all with you. Who knows what I would have done if I hadn't been introduced to Stampin UP, but one thing is for sure, I know my life is enriched for the fact that I was...so a BIG happy 10th anniversary to Stampin' Up in CANADA...I'm so glad you came!!:)

______________________________________

**Just a reminder that I will be placing an order on Saturday (Apr 21st) after my Summer Smooches workshop, so be sure to contact me if you have anything you want to order, and don't forget, the summer smooches preview items are only available until April 30th AND see my previous post for the link to the retiring stamps list...those stampsets are only available until May 31st!