Bobbi's Paper Trail

Monday, November 18, 2024

Personal Update & Stamp Camp Cards

Hello and welcome! I wanted to give you a brief update on Dale's stroke. Unfortunately, he is not yet back at home. Several issues with his health and recovery did not allow that. His progress started to decline and after several tests and more tests, and a stay at the Neuro ICU at a hospital pretty far from our hometown, it has been determined that while he did not suffer another stroke, he had a blood infection and a UTI that caused the decline. He is now out of ICU and we are trying to get him back to a skilled nursing facility closer to home. The drive to the hospital is very stressful for me, and since he has to be at a skilled nursing center anyway, we're opting to bring him back here. The waiting is hard, but everything is in God's timing, and I just have to be patient. He will provide. Thank you for all your prayers, cards and well wishes. We both appreciate it very much.

Now, on to some happier news. I still meet with my friends every week for lunch and crafting. We bring something to work on and if we've made anything extra, we like to have "show and tell". I remember "show and tell" from my grammar school days, and it was always a favorite part of school. It was nice to see what other kids brought and would tell us all about it.

Here's Debbie's card:

Debbie recently joined my team here in Jefferson City, Mo and had never used our blending brushes before. She chose the Forever Forest stamp set & dies, the So Sincere and the Go To Greetings stamp set. It's great when you can combine different supplies to create one beautiful card. Inks used are Balmy Blue, Shaded Spruce, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso. I especially love that her blending is a little uneven, and it creates the look of soft clouds in that beautiful blue sky. What a nice card!

Her granddaughter Jasmine made this card and she's just 14 years old. I love it when a young person gets excited about making things. She too, had not used the blending brushes before and I love how her colors mix in like it's a sunset.

Jasmine chose the Forever Forest stamp set, the Mountain Air stamp set and the Bee My Valentine stamp set. She also chose Adventurous Sky dies and the inside of her card was made using leftover pieces of our April 2024 Paper Pumpkin kit called Delicate Wings. The fact that Jasmine used parts of several different supplies, and even a Paper Pumpkin kit is amazing! Great job, Jasmine!

Here's the inside of her card. I'm pretty sure she drew those flight lines too! 😍

I love it when a design comes together just by using what we have on hand and combining different elements. Very creative, ladies!

I will try to be better at posting and I thank you for your patience as I navigate Dale's health with my Stampin' Up! business. Thanksgiving is going to be different this year, but I am forever grateful that God is watching over Dale and that he is still here with us.

Enjoy your day and happy stamping!

Product List

Forever Forest Bundle

[162058]

$56.50

Mountain Air Photopolymer Stamp Set

[151610]

$20.00

Bee My Valentine Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[162547]

$21.00

Adventurous Sky Bundle (English)

[163447]

$53.00

So Sincere Cling Stamp Set (English)

[162283]

$24.00

Go To Greetings Cling Stamp Set (English)

[158763]

$24.00

Basic White 12 X12 (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock

[159231]

$9.50

Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad

[147105]

$9.00

Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad

[147088]

$9.00

Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad

[147116]

$9.00

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

[147114]

$9.00

Sweet Sorbet Classic Stampin' Pad

[159216]

$9.00

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

[147086]

$9.00

Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad

[147094]

$9.00

Highland Heather Classic Stampin' Pad

[147103]

$9.00

3-Month Prepaid Paper Pumpkin Subscription

[137859]

$71.00

Delicate Wings Paper Pumpkin Refill

[164395]

$11.50

Add All to Cart

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

I Apologize....

Hello my friends. Today I feel I should apologize for not posting to my blog since October 10th. As my last post stated, I was getting ready to go on a crafting cruise with 70 other people to sail in the Caribbean. Unfortunately, that did not happen. As I was packing that night, to leave on October 11th, my dear husband Dale had a stroke. Off to the emergency room, and 4 hours later he was pretty much back to normal. He had a mini stroke, and although they kept him for further testing, he had a much larger stroke while still in the hospital. To say that things have been hectic is an understatement. He is now at a local rehab facility and he's learning to speak clearly again, and to use his right hand that has become numb. Unfortunately, he has lost all vision in his right eye, with limited vision in his left. I think this has been the hardest part for him. That, and he gets frustrated when he can't think of the right words to explain things. It's heartbreaking to see.

God is great though. I thank Him every day that I was still home and not already on the cruise, like I should have been. Hurricane Milton delayed all flights, some got cancelled, and the cruise ship did not leave until Saturday. Had I not been home when this happened, I have no idea what I would have come home to. God works in mysterious ways! He knows all. There's a possibility that Dale can come home next week, with limited activities and home health care. Our lives are changed for sure, and now I will be a caregiver. That's ok though; we do what we need to do.

My Stampin' Up! business is not going anywhere though. I suspect I will need it now more than ever. I seem to find solace in my craft room, with all my lovely supplies. Creating is a great way to chill out and just "be", so I am looking forward to spending more time doing what I love.

Having said that, I wanted to also let you know that today, my online store has been stocked with new products I'm sure you will love. Just click on the "shop" button and check out the Online Exclusives. Remember, if you place an order using my current host code (in red on the side bar), you will receive a FREE GIFT! There is no minimum order required for the free gift. You just have to use my current host code.

Thanks for stopping by today! Let me know what your favorites are. I would love to hear from you.

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Sailing Away (from Hurricane Milton)

Today I am flying from St Louis, Mo to Orlando to meet friends from Arizona, Georgia and New Mexico. We are sailing on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines "Adventure of the Seas" into the Southern Caribbean. When I tell you the effort to get there was more stress than I've had in a while, that's an understatement. Due to Hurricane Milton slamming the state of Florida, most of our flights were cancelled and no other flights were available for me. I had to change from American Airlines to Southwest and drive 2 hours into St Louis to catch that flight. I am so blessed to have two friends that offered to drive me to the airport in St Louis. Thank you Debbie and Brad !

This cruise has been planned for over a year. We are sailing with 60 other stampers and Patty Bennett, a Stampin' Up! demonstrator from California. Her website is Patty Stamps - Patty Bennett, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator since 1995 and let me tell you, she's amazing! I met Patty a few years ago at my first Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. She's so gracious and friendly. It will be a pleasure to craft and dine with her and her family. Of course, there are plenty more other people we will meet, and we are all looking forward to having a blast.

While I'm away, our sailing days will be packed with plenty to do. I won't have internet access until my feet are planted on the ground, so if you need to reach me by phone or text, please leave me a message and I will return your call when I'm on shore. If you have questions about joining, I will be returning on October 20th, in plenty of time to help you. Don't forget! You can join my team this month and choose $ 155 in product for just $ 99! Check it all out on the JOIN link on right side-bar.

I thought I would share a couple of cards I recently made using some of our kits. Our kits are on sale this month, so if you like any of these, be sure to place your orders and use my host code (shown on the right) at checkout. I want you to get a FREE GIFT from me so be sure to use that host code.

Blossom Wishes Kit:

By Your Side Kit:

Card Keeper Kit (NEW)

Christmas Ornaments Kit:

Christmas Wishes Kit:

Hello Hollyhocks Kit:

Your Day to Shine Kit:

Expressions of Kindness Kit:

Forever Friends Kit:

These are just a few of the kits we offer. Did you know that you can stretch your kit to make more cards than the kit calls for? If your card bases have a design on the front and back, just cut those in half or to a 4 x 5-1/4 size and adhere them to card bases you can make from supplies you have on hand. With a stamp set, a few embellishments and stretching your kit, it becomes an even better value! There's always supplies left over in our kits, so it's easy to stretch that kit into something more.

Thanks for stopping by today. Check out the online catalogs on the right-side bar and be sure to check out our Online Exclusives and Kits section in my online store.

I'm off to the sea!

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

October News!

This month keeps getting better and better! Stampin' Up! just announced a special 3 day stamp sale! Starting October 7 - 9 ONLY, all stamp sets in the Annual Catalog are discounted 15%! The sale does not include bundles, but any single stamp set in the Annual Catalog is fair game. This sale doesn't happen very often, so if you've had your eye on a stamp or two, now is the time to order. You can click on the Annual Catalog link on the right-side bar. I am also giving away a FREE GIFT to anyone who places an order this month. There is no limit to the order amount, but you must use my HOST CODE at checkout.

Kits are all on sale too this month!

Upcoming Paper Pumpkin Kits - Pretty Awesome!

You won’t want to miss this month’s Paper Pumpkin Kit! This kit will help you craft some seriously cool projects. Make sure to sign up by October 10 to get yours!

Check out the fabulous dies that you can get as an add-on too! Get them before they're gone! These dies coordinate with our October, November and December Paper Pumpkin kits!

Click below to get the Paper Pumpkin Kit Details:

CLICK HERE FOR PAPER PUMPKIN KIT DETAILS

Ready to subscribe? Click the Red Paper Pumpkin subscription image before October 10th so you don't miss out on the October Kit.

JOIN MY TEAM!

If you have ever thought of joining my team as a hobby demonstrator (that's someone who joins for the FUN and EXCITEMENT while getting up to a 25% discount on great products). Now is the time to do so. This month, you'll get to choose $ 155 in product for just $ 99! You'll get a free Paper Pumpkin kit, and FREE SHIPPING too. You get to choose anything you want (up to $ 155) from any current catalog or Online Exclusives items and you'll be a part of my Desert Inkspirations team.

Check out the JOIN link to the right and read all about it. Questions? Don't hesitate to contact me. I'll be leaving on a cruise this Thursday, but you can contact me before then or send me an email and I'll respond when I have internet access, usually on "land" days. I'll be returning October 20th.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a chance to check out all the goodies for October. In the meantime, happy stamping.

Saturday, October 5, 2024

World Cardmaking Day

Hello and happy Saturday!

Did you know that today is World Cardmaking Day? That's right; a day for papercrafting fun! Stampin' Up! held an online event for anyone who wanted to attend today, and you didn't have to be a demonstrator. Our CEO, Sara Douglas showed us how to make 5 cards using supplies that didn't have to be stamped! These cards are great when you need a quick card for a birthday, thinking of you or any other occasion. Here's the cards we made today:

With just a few supplies we were able to make these five cards, and it took less time than you would think. The Calming Creek Cards & Envelope Pack comes with 5 card bases and envelopes but want to know a secret? They are the same design on the front and back, so it's easy to stretch these into 10 cards instead of 5. Just cut them in half or to 4 x 5-1/4 inches and add them to your own card bases made from cardstock you have on hand.

I've listed all the supplies below and you can add all of these to your shopping cart if you wish. The ephemera packs contain enough materials to make many more cards too! I used some embellishments from my stash to add a little texture and interest.

If you would like to place an order today, be sure to copy down my HOST CODE and enter it at checkout and I will send you a FREE GIFT! My HOST CODE can be found to the right side of this page in red.

Enjoy your weekend! And happy cardmaking day!

Product List