Stamp Time Somewhere

Invisible

Not my normal type of post, but I saw this on my dear friend Stacy's blog and wanted to share.

Invisible.

Perspective: The Invisible Woman

It started to happen gradually¦ One day I was walking my son Jake to
school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when
the crossing guard said to him, “Who is that with you, young fella?”
“Nobody,” he shrugged.

Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we
crossed the street I thought, “Oh my goodness, nobody?”
I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to
my family - like “Turn the TV down, please” - and nothing would happen.
Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand
there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder,
“Would someone turn the TV down?” Nothing. Just the other night my husband
and I were out at a party. We’d been there for about three
hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from
work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I
whispered, “I’m
ready to go when you are.” He just kept right on talking. I’m invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way
one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone
and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, “Can’t you see I’m
on the phone?” Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on the phone,
or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the
corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can
you tie this? Can you open
this? Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a
clock to ask, “What time is it?”
I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?” I’m a
car to order, “Right around
5:30, please.” I was certain that these were the hands that once held
books and the eyes that studied history and the
mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the
peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She’s going¸ she’s going¸ she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip,
and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting
there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard
not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style
dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair
was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut
butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with
a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why
she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: “To Charlotte, with
admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I
could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no
record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see
finished They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of
God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man
who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a
workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and
asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that
will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it”
And the workman replied, “Because God sees.” I closed the book, feeling the
missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God
whispering to me, “I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make
every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve
done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to
notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t
see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease
that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own
self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep
the right perspective when I see myself as a
great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will
never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be
built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice
to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s
bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at 4 in the
morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and
presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine
or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if
there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You’re gonna love it
there.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re
doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will
marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Hau`oli la hanau!

This card is for my friend Jen's Birthday. Jen has one of the most rockin' blogs and I love her sense of humor. She is one of my best Bloggin Sistahs and I hope that she has a great birthday.

 She is also doing something really fun to celebrate her birthday...she is having little blog give aways all day. One of her challenges was to make her a card. SO I very quickly whipped this one up. I wanted something that made me think of her. Of course I think about Hawaii, and though I've never been,thinkiing about Hawaii makes me think of beautiful colorful flowers.

 

 I used all Stampin'Up! Supplies on this card. The base is Whisper White with a strip of Pink Passion at the bottom. I stamped the flowers from Fifth Avenue Floral in Summer Sun, Cameo Coral, and Pink Passion. I then traced them with a Watercolor pen to give them a soft look. A little Old Olive ink brushed into the background make me think of the lush greenery in Hawaii. I stamped the grass image from Inspired by Nature in Versamark and the sentiment from Fifth Ave in Basic Black. A wuick tie of my fave ribbon and Voila'! I hope she like it.

The last 2 weeks....

Have been packed with stamping parties, a visit from my mom, another baby shower, custom invitations, a birthday party (including making a cake),a Valentine birthday, a trip to Disneyland and a wedding...it's been fun but exhausting! So I don't have anything that I've stamed to show you, here are a few photos from the past few days...

(all pics can be viewed full size by clicking on them)

     

 

   

A Little Yummy

A Little Yummy treat box
Stamps: Yummy Sab Stamp Set	Paper: Card Stock Whisper White 8 1/2X11 Card Stock Pumpkin Pie 8 1/2X11 Card Stock Pink Pirouette 8 1/2 X 11 Card Stock Kiwi Kiss 8 1/2 X 11
Ink Classic Stampin Ink Refill Basic Gray Classic Stampin Pad Riding Hood Red Classic Stampin Pad Pacific Point	Accessories: Punch Handheld 1/16 Inch Circle Coluzzle Cutting System Starter Set Glue Dots Mini Brads Silver Punch 1/2 Inch Circle Stampin Dimensionals Ribbon Grosgrain Pumpkin Pie 1/4 Inch Clips Assortment
Instructions A Little Yummy treat box 1. Cut box from Kiwi Kiss card stock using Sizzix Big Shot die-cutting machine and Box #2 Bigz XL die. Stamp “A little yummy for your tummy” image in Kiwi Kiss ink on front of unassembled box. Assemble box. 2. Adhere Pumpkin Pie card stock (10-1/4" x 1/4") around box. 3. Stamp “A little yummy for your tummy” in Basic Gray ink on Pink Pirouette card stock. Cut out sentiment using Coluzzle Cutting System. Adhere oval to front of box using Stampin’ Dimensionals. Punch a hole in the box on each side of the oval using 1/16" Circle punch, and attach two Silver brads to box. 4. Tie Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon to clip from Clips assortment. Attach clip to front of box. Stamp heart image in Riding Hood Red ink on Whisper White card stock. Punch out heart using 1/2" Circle punch and adhere to clip and box.

On Facebook?

Become a fan of my blog!

Seriously....

Just click here...then click on the Become a Fan Button!

I can't wait to see you there.

I Love You Basket

Ok, this is too cute. But then again so is almost everything I've ever seen this woman do. This great project is from another Stampin'Up! Demonstrator and Artisan Award Winner MaryJo Albright. What do you think?

Love You Basket

Stamps A Happy Heart Ink Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad  Riding Hood Red Classic Stampin' Pad Paper Chocolate Chip card stock Pink Pirouette textured card stock Candy Lane Designer Series paper Accessories On Board Loads of Letters Chocolate Chip 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon Riding Hood Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon Linen thread Antique Brass Jumbo eyelets Crafters' Tool Kit Crimper Sizzix Big Shot Baskets & Blooms Bigz XL die Stamping sponges Crystal Effects Sticky Strip Small flat cellophane bag White sewing thread This is my last V-Day post.....now I'm off to celebrate my baby's 3rd birthday! I can't believe it!. The party was great, I'll post photos soon.

Love You Much

Here is another great Stampin'Up! scrapbook page. This sample is provided by Artisan Award winner Brenda Weaver. What I like about this is that it showcases a "Valentine" set in an everyday use. I love how she stamped right on the photo - how fun!

 

Here are the supplies used:

Love You Much page

Stamps Love You Much set Paper Basic Black card stock Pink Pirouette card stock Riding Hood Red card stock Bella Birds Designer Series paper Ink Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad Jet Black StazOn pad Basic Black Stampin' Write journaler Accessories White Uni-Ball Signo gel pen Button Bouquet Chateau Bella Rub-Ons Stampin' Dimensionals Crafters' Tool Kit

Fun and Simple Valentine Gift

I love being a Stampin'Up! Demonstrator, I don't think that it's any secret. One of the reasons is that I have access to some of the best project ideas! This one is a cute little gift by a Demonstrator by the name of Kim Meyers a Stampin'Up! Artisan Award winner.

 

Isn't it cute? I think these would be fun to make for coworkers or teachers. Here is a supply list.

Sticky Note Pad

Stamps Love You Much set Paper Close to Cocoa card stock Pink Pirouette card stock Riding Hood Red card stock Very Vanilla card stock Candy Lane Designer Series paper Ink Riding Hood Red Classic Stampin' Pad Accessories Riding Hood Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon Gold brads Trio Flower punch Word Window punch Pen Plastic picture frame Sticky notes

You can purchase any of the Stampin'Up! projects here. Then click on the SHOP NOW button.

I hope you enjoy the inspiration!

Quick and Easy Valentine card

 

See that little bit of text on the photo? Yup, it says "hand-stamped by Jeanna Bohanon" that's me! I know it has been a long time since I've posted a card that I made, so I figure I better start. This was a really easy card to make. It is Pretty in Pink cardstock and I just glued a ton of little hearts I punched out of Pretty in Pink to give this card a faux embossed look. A quick little banner sentiment and a few brads and Voila! Super easy.

What do you think?

Hilary's Baby Shower

A few weeks ago I had the privelege to help throw my good friend Hilary a baby shower. This will be her third boy, and he's quite the "surprise" as they thought they were done! Anyhow, she picked out some adorable baby monkey bedding so of course, I had to go with that theme. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the cake immediately, so that was easy - a banana flavored monkey cake - what else. Believe it or not, there were no resources for a Monkey Baby Shower! I look ed everywhere, all the stores, on-line, nothing! I made the favors a few days before but was freaking out about not being able to find matching tableware - until the day before then - DUH! Make it to match the favors! I used a few different punches and made myself some monkeys!!! I also stamped the little banana from Sock Monkey onto the napkins. I think they turned out really cute and I think that Hilary was really happy!

 

   

 

I think only a paper crafter would spend a few hours making little monkeys to glue onto paper cups that will see only a few minutes of use before being tossed.....I loved every moment!