Christmas in July

I was busy the last couple of weeks designing projects and hosting my Christmas in July stamp camp. This year, I had to hold it on three evenings for my eager stampers. We had lots of fun stamping for Christmas in 90 degree weather! Because the new catalog just came out, I used all new Christmas sets for the stamp camp. There are so many fabulous stamp sets in the new catalog!!! Well, after the stamp camp, I still had some remaining pieces left, so I began playing with my older sets and created new samples using the designs from the stamp camp.

Here is a sample using one of my all-time favorites stamp sets - Loads of Love!

I'll be posting my Christmas in July samples on my gallery website today! I'll post the link here when I am finished!

Yappy Day Projects

I'm involved in a group called "VC Rocks" - Virtual Convention Rocks. I was introduced to this group the first year I couldn't actually go to Stampin' Up!'s convention. We share the excitement of the new catalog, participate in swaps and classes, and chit-chat about our stamping and other-than-stamping lives. One of opportunities you can participate in is a Roomie Swap. You send RAKs back and forth and then you send a Roomie Box at the end. My roomie this year is a Stampin' Up! demo who is also a vet. Now, I don't own any pets, but I am partial to dogs (my sister's family has had 2 Golden Retrievers - Casey who is in doggy heaven - and Colby who is just as sweet). The new Yappy Day set is one of my new favorites, and I thought it was a perfect theme for my Roomie Box.

Yesterday, I finalized some of the goodies for the Roomie Box. Here is a doggy scrapbook I made using Very Vanilla envelopes as the base. You can view more detailed instructions on my gallery website - http://www.stampwithjane.com/wowprojectsenviebook.html

Then I made some stamper treat bags with some stamping goodies inside:

Aren't those just adorable? I hope my roomie likes them!

Other Priorities

There is a big joke in my family. Actually, my mother-in-law said it first.

When my sister Margie visits from New Jersey, the world as we know it stops.

Now, keep in mind, that when my mother-in-law first said this, it wasn't very funny - it was meant to be a slam against me. Now, I have mellowed a bit and relish in this phrase.

Well, my sister and her family visited us last week...so my blog, gallery website, stamping, and everything else did halt a bit. Did you feel the world screech to a halt???

We gathered at my mom's house in Milwaukee all of last week and enjoyed being together. My sister even came to my book club meeting (a real treat). My nephew Matt wanted to do taste testing of various hamburger joints in Milwaukee. We tasted some of the best - Kopp's and Gilles. He was partial to Kopp's. One more place I would have loved to have taken him was Solly's (if you're ever in Milwaukee, you have to try this place), but time ran out.

During Margie's last visit, the sisters started a new tradition - going out on the town all by ourselves - no husbands, parents, or kids. This time we did it again and had a fabulous time, and we even did some business brainstorming (all captured on a cocktail napkin).

My sisters are just the best. We were good to one another as kids for the most part (Yes, Mary I am truly sorry about how I unintentionally duped you regarding the paper route), but as adults I consult them above everyone else and treasure them dearly.

Both of them are so passionate about their lives and their families. I wish I had daughters to see this cycle continue, but I am passing down this love of family to my three boys. They will be best friends forever too.