What I’m Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving to you! Here in the USA, today is Thanksgiving. I know it’s celebrated at different times in other countries, but whenever it’s celebrated – and even if it’s not – it’s always a good thing to take some time to think about the things you’re thankful for.

Of course, for me, it’s all the obvious things – my amazing husband, my kids, my parents, my friends, food, shelter, clothes, a family that loves me even when I’m unlovable. But then there are the less obvious things – the little things my obvious things do that bring me joy.

For example, there’s Mike. We’ll be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary next Tuesday. That’s hard to believe, because I don’t feel old enough to have been married 36 years. Mike has taught me so many things, and I’ve grown so much as a person because of him. (And I’m not just saying that because he blogged about me today.)

When I talked with him about becoming a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator, he was all in favor of it. He loved that I had another outlet for my creativity. So even though it doesn’t look professional in a Real Estate Brokerage/Electrical Contractor’s office, he is totally on board with me holding classes and displaying my cards and catalogs at the office.

Today, I was shopping with one of my other “top ten thankful for”s (Miss Amelia). She loves to go to the craft store that she calls “Hobbly Hobbly.” They have a section with animals, and she likes to look at the horses, unicorns, and dogs. Even if we can’t buy one, she wants to look and point out what she loves so we can “keep it in our minds” for later.

Insert Photo of Adorable Grand

I have to show you this. Amelia likes to pick out her own clothes these days. Of course, she loves to wear dresses – especially summer dresses. But today was not a summer day. It was chilly. So I suggested she wear leggings under her dress and add a jacket. She also wanted “pretty shoes,” which were her Barbie heels from my friend Joanne. Um – no. Maybe in the house, but not outside. So her final ensemble included a butterfly rainbow dress, pj bottoms, her Rainbow Dash jacket, Paw Patrol boots, and a tiara. It wasn’t what I would have chosen, but, oddly, it worked for her. She looked awesome and brought smiles to many faces.

Back to our Shopping Trip

I happened to find some beautiful duct tape at “Hobbly Hobbly.” I had been looking for something pretty to put on my Stamparatus® magnets so they would be easier to pick up. Washi tape is great, but it does tend to rip (those rare earth magnets are super strong), so duct tape is better.

After we checked out (with a unicorn and duct tape. I’m a pushover.), I took her home, then stopped by the office for a few minutes to duct tape my office Stamparatus® magnets. Lisa, our office administrator (another top ten on my thankful list!) was still there with her daughter. Claire, who is seven years old, was out of school today. I had forgotten, or we would have gone earlier to play; Amelia loves Claire.

Claire was curious about what I was doing, so I got some of my retired stamps off the shelf to show her how the Stamparatus® works. Of course, she wanted to stamp. And fortunately, I have retired stamps, a second set of stamp pads, markers, and some card stock at the office, so I suggested she make a card for a friend who has a birthday party coming up.

I’m fairly sure Claire’s friend doesn’t follow my blog, so I’m going to post Claire’s card. Remember, the stamp set is retired (it’s one of my favorites, so I may never sell it), but the ink and card stock is all current. Claire picked the colors and designed the card herself. Take a look.

How beautiful is that? Especially for a first time stamper! We wanted to stamp the flower in Jet Black Stazon, then color with markers, but the StazOn needed to be refilled. So – Plan B. She colored the petals in Gorgeous Grape and the stems and leaves with Garden Green. Because she used the Stamparatus®, she was able to add layers of color. So today, Claire learned to ink with markers and use the Stamparatus®. She was pretty good at breathing on the stamp to reactivate the ink, but she didn’t want to get too close and have purple lips. After I told her these were water based inks that would wash off, she mastered the technique.

Claire also learned to use the Blender Pens. She was awesome at that! She did a magnificent job of blending the colors without obliterating the outline.

The butterfly is inked with a Pear Pizzazz Stampin’ Write Marker, and the sentiment is Melon Mambo. But look at the inside.

This is another retired set, but I can’t remember the name of it. This design is total Claire. She inked with markers, and she decided to do the multi-color sentiments. I was so impressed and “wow”ed when I saw her end result. Remember, she’s seven, and although she has stamped random images, this is her first card.

I was very proud of her, and I encouraged her to sign the back with her name and the date. I also suggested she write, “You’d better not throw this away, because I worked really hard on it!” on the back. But she’s seven, and that’s a lot to write, especially with a marker. (And it’s a little threatening for a friend, so there’s that. Every now and then I got an eyebrow raise from Lisa and had to remember Claire’s friends are girls and they’re not like boys. Good practice for future years with Amelia.)

So another of my top ten things I’m thankful for – I can help a little girl be successful at creating a birthday card for a friend (or a pony card for her dad – which happened earlier this morning at home. Forgot to take a picture of Amelia’s masterpiece.).

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Hope you have a ton of things to be thankful for this year!