Creating Keepsakes Convention - Kansas City

(don't ask about the hammer...it's a message for Alex Ann!)
Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

CKC - Kansas City was *crazy fun* !!!!

Of course, this is my "home show" now that I live in Kansas, so it was fun just for that reason. It's fun when you know you will see someone that you know. And I did see a few people I know from Kansas.
But, I met some new people, too.

First of all, there are all the wonderful women in my classes!
I swear I have never met anyone that wasn't nice since I have lived in Kansas and it was the same way at the CKC Convention! Such nice girls!

Classes were fantastically fun! I just so love teaching!!

The biggest *fun* and the biggest challenge were one in the same. Alex Ann and I worked this show together, just the two of us. (Remember, you met Alex Ann here.) Yes, we had 3 booths and I was in charge completely for the first time. (nervous, I was so nervous!) But, we had trouble finding local help, so Alex Ann and I were on our own. But, we still rocked it! (normally, we hire local women to help in the booth....but this time, we had no one respond to our adds looking for workers) So, AA and I both rose to the occasion and really made it work the best we could. And it was GREAT!
She and I make such a good team. We really work well together and
we just had the BEST time!!! We are like sisters of something. We laughed so, so much! I totally love that girl!!!!

So...one cool thing was that we had the BRAND NEW Glue Glider Pro adhesive gun by Glue Arts! This thing is highly sought! And if you haven't seen it... here it is! It's so stinkin' cute, isn't it?! And it's so easy, too. All the cartridges are interchangeable. To switch to a different type of adhesive, you just pop out the cartridge in the gun and pop in the desired one, lickety split!
How cool is that?!

So, on the first morning of the convention, I'm working in the booth when a lady asks me about the Glue Glider Pro. I turn around to find....
CATHY ZIELSKE!!!

Oh. My. HotDog!!!!!!

Cathy Z is asking me for advice/info about something!
WOWZA!!!!

So, after deeming her as ~famous and fantastic~ ...both of which she graciously denied....I told her everything I knew about the new GGPro and she decided she had to have one! (and why not, Scrapbooks 'n Stickers has them bundled w/ the gun, and one of each of the 3 refills for 20% off the total price!) So, Alex Ann took a picture w/ my Blackberry to document my awe! FYI...Cathy Z is so nice and completely down to earth! REALLY enjoyed meeting her!! Take her class some day so you can meet her too!

Another highlight of the KC trip was meeting this fantastic chick! Even better was that I didn't realize she was coming.....ps...isn't she the darn cutest thing you ever saw?! Yep, she is. Even cuter in person! And SO NICE!
So, this is Charlotte. I met her online at Scrapbook Nook message board. She is friends with my *bestest girl* amber and therefore, my friend by association. So, I am working, demo'ing Bind-It-All and this cutey-cute girl came over and said, "YOU must be Roxann!" (well, I looked at her and she looked familiar -- so I figured she must have been in my class....NOPE...it was Charlotte from Scrapbook Nook!) WOO HOO! I was so excited!!!
I was so happy to meet her...and she was so super nice! We are trying to get a time to get together to scrap...and I hope we do very soon!

The most nutso part of the show was that we had a shoplifter. Not just us, but us and 7 other vendors were victims, as well. They got 2 packs of $4 KaiserCraft brads from us. (good stuff, she chose to steal...but reprehensible behavior, to say the least!) So, I am working hard, but all of a sudden I am approached by the head of CK and he asks if I can come with him for a moment. I could tell he was serious, so I was inside sorta freaking out. Well, as I followed him down the aisle, I leaned forward and said, "Did I do something wrong?" He turned and said, "No, we have a shoplifter." Well, if you know me, I really started freaking out. I hate cheating and stealing and it makes my stomach hurt! I'm just such a goody goody, that anything like that gives me a serious stomachache. So, I got the pleasure of identifying our merchandise and then identifying the accused. Then, I had to give the police officers my personal information. And the whole time, the accused is sitting right there, handcuffed in a chair, not 4 feet from me. Showing absolutely NO remorse. Apparently, this wasn't her first time. All and all...a nerve wracking experience. But, it mad me MAD, really MAD.

I worked so hard and on Saturday night, my hands, feet and ankles were so swollen, they looked like this....OUCH!!! I couldn't even get my ring on! The signs of hard work and not enough water!

The big thing I learned this weekend was about this:
THE OFFICE

Obviously, I've heard of The Office. I've seen the commercials. And of course, Ike has seen it a few times and has told me how funny it was. Well, Alex Ann is a huge Office fan, so she was making jokes from the office, that I really didn't get since I have never seen it. So, after hearing her talk about it all week, and knowing that Ike likes it, I bought Season 1 of The Office on DVD and brought it home to him. (after all, his job has been very stressful,so I thought it would be good for him to laugh!) And we got addicted to it. Over then next 3 weeks we watched every season, every episode of The Office.
I thought since I'm just a mom, I figured I wouldn't be able to relate or think it was funny. I was wrong. This show is stinkin' hilarious! So, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! Rent it today and start the laugh marathon!

"That's what SHE said...."

Lately my life......

....has been over-the-top, out-of-control and generally way too busy.
And way too much "serious stuff" going on.


My somewhat cool blog has turned into a ghost town and I have highly neglected it. But, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. Know what I mean?!


So....how is everyone?! I miss your comments.
(of course, if I don't post...I deserve it!! Ha Ha Ha!!!)


So, I'm gonna try to play some "catch-up" today. Stay tuned!

Presidential Election 2008

I voted. Yes, I did.
I took photos. Yes, I did.
No matter which way the election was to go,
this was History in the making.
And I was part of it.
I hope you were, too.

What an awesome thing.

HALLOWEEN 2008

aka...

....why does Barbie dress so sleezy?!


Now, I am sure you are thinking, "What the heck?!"

Well, you'd understand if you've met my little angel. You see, when she had her 1st Halloween, she was only 10 months old. Of course, she had no choice, her Halloween outfit was completely up to her momma. (that's me)


Well, considering I had a bee costume that ALL 3 of her brothers had worn at one time or another, so of course, she HAD TO wear that. The problem? Well, it was clearly a boyish bee costume! (You see, it all started when Logan was a baby...he was called "busy bee" by my mom and my dad. So, when I saw the bee costume, I knew he had to have it.) Well, down thru the years, the costume was passed down.

So, I did what any crafty, scrapbooking mom would do.....I remade the costume and ramped it up a few notches to the girly side! Alterations included, ribbons added to both sleeves and, making them into a ruched look. Then, black lace which actually had a bee pattern weaved into it was added to the bottom of the legs. I sewed a tulle skirt that went around the costume and made a fantastic bee crown and my darling was the Princess Bee. (the direct descendant of the Queen Bee...ME!) Don't you just love her crown, bee antennae and her matching bracelet w/ bee charm?
(again...all made by me!)


Fast forward to Marinne's 2nd Halloween. She was 22 months old.


In the interest of being money start...I had purchased and adorable and
SUPER GIRLY good witch costume on clearance at W-Mart for like $3 on clearance! Yay me! So, as Halloween approached, I pulled it out to try it on the Princess and although, she was wiggly, I got it on her and it was perfect. (and Adorable!) But, she was very vocal, that she didn't like it. "No Mommy. No dress."


Well, GREAT..... (but I honestly thought she'd change her mind when she
saw her brothers dressing up and she'd go with it.

Well, GUESS AGAIN!


She refused to wear it....

No Mommy. No dress. NO THAT DRESS!


So, this is what she wore...and you can see...she was not happy, either way!


So, as Marinne's 3rd Halloween approached, I was really getting excited. Within the past year, she had really started showing a preference of PINK, PINK, PINK and GIRLY! So, I was really looking forward to costume shopping.


So, after checking out the offerings at every single store in town, we ended back up at W-Mart. I really loved all the beautiful, super girly costumes. I especially love the Fairy costumes, but she wouldn't have anything to do with them. Finally, she picks a costume that was smooshed up and even missing the paper that shows you "what it is" and declared, "This is the one I want to be!"

Well, I still don't know WHAT it was, but she did look cute! What was she anyway?

A Fairy?

A Butterfly?

I'm still not sure. But, she loved it! So, that's all that matters!

So...fast forward to this year.

We started looking at costumes as soon as they hit the stores.

And as the days went on, every time I went to ANY store with costumes, I'd take her and the boys to look. (well, Logan thinks he's too big...so, he was just along for the shopping!) And the bigger boys were quick to form their dress up opinions...but Marinne would commit to nothing!

Finally, about 10 days before Halloween....she made a choice.
It was a blue Princess Dress. The problem? It was 1 size too big. But, it was the only one and she really insisted that was the only one that would do. So, we bought it and I figured I'd just take it in so it would work.

Then, suddenly, 4 days before Halloween.....She no longer wanted to be a Princess!

She NOW wanted to be a Mermaid.
(she has been a bit obsessed with Mermaids and fish lately...I blame Barbie again. They have recently released some new Mermaid Barbies. And between that and the Dora Mermaid merchandise, specifically in the form of little girl panties...
she wants to be a mermaid.

So, we looked everywhere in town for a Mermaid outfit....with NO luck.
(all I could find were size 8-10 or bigger...Marinne wears 5T)

So, finally, after one last trip out....Marinne picks out a $30 Barbie Cheerleader outfit. It's Hot Pink and it's sparkly....what's not to love?!

Let me just tell you.....it should have been name Barbie the inappropriate cheerleader!

For heaven's sake, I had to get a size 4-6 because that's all they had.
(my point is...it was actually bigger than her actual size.)

Well, we took it home and tried it on my sweet little baby was showing off
WAY TOO MUCH SKIN!!

Like 3-4 inches of middriff!
So...my immediate job was to figure out what she'd be wearing under it.

And then, I had to decide how I was going to keep it ON her, because it was too big!

So...moving on to Halloween!

On Halloween Day, I decided to take Marinne Trick-Or-Treating at one of our local malls. So, when I went to dress Marinne in her cheerleader outfit....she wouldn't do it. Seriously! She kept telling me she was "scared" of it. Argh! So glad I spent that $30 on it!!! Ha ha! So, I said, "Ok, we don't have to go. And she brought her last years "unnamed" outfit and said, "I want to wear this"...so that's what she did!

Although, this has been in the dress up box for the past year and you can see that the headband, which she INSISTED she HAD TO wear...was no delapidated. So I took the remaining tulle pieces and tied them in the back of her hair and put the headband on w/ out the tulle ribbons on it! Little Stinker!!!!

We did this....but the mall was much smaller than I had thought...and it didn't take too long. For that matter...you can see that some of the "candy people" weren't being too friendly, so we got out of there!! (she looks grumpy, huh?)

So, then we went across the street and went Trick-Or-Treat at Daddy's tv station.

(mainly because I wanted her daddy to see
she was not wearing the $30 barbie outfit!)

I slipped daddy a lollipop to put in Miss M's Princess bucket!
(don't worry Big Daddy, I knew you wouldn't be prepared, so I got your back!)


On to the BIG NIGHT............

Who knew it was possible...at the last minute she decided to be the
Barbie Cheerleader! (I swear...this child is gonna kill me!) :) PS....nice cheezy smile!
(and since I took the pictures in the dark...I couldn't see her expression!)


And mommy did her part to return the inappropriate costume back to something appropriate for a 3 year old to wear on Halloween! Yay mommy!


Honey was a Star Wars Guy of some importance.
Don't ask me which one...I have no clue.
Something like an Imperial, Grand Storm Trooper something or other!All I know is that he's stinkin' cute!


Jensen recycled last years Ninja outfit.
(notice his hole in the knee of his pants....this has been a well-loved "dress-up" outfit)The only thing added was some new killer Ninja swords that were on his back!

I wonder how much longer he'll still want to dress up. He just turned 10.
Next year he'll be 11. (i know you can do math...i'm just talking to myself!) Anyway, last year Logan turned 11 and he determined he was "too big" to dress-up. But, he was also in 6th grade at 11. Jensen will be in 5th grade next year. I guess we'll see.

Speaking of Logan...he didn't dress up....and every single time I tried to snap his picture he zoomed away on his scooter that he spent a few days trickin' out with LCD lights so it would be lit while we went around T or T'ing. So, I have no pic. (stinker!)

Daddy came home from work early.....and in about 45 minutes hung orange lights in both trees, put up the spider web stuff, put "woody" aka Jason out on the porch and intalled the black light and the strobe lights w/ scary sounds on! Not bad for a quickie decorating job!

(Well..Woody was made last year. The boys and Big Daddy made him. He's made of 2x4's and old clothes, shoes and a hockey mask. He has a machete' but it fell. And this year a girl told me they weren't coming because they thought Woody was real! They were convinced he was gonna jump out and scare the fire out of them!

I love the random Trick-or-Treating picture....

And I had to include this one for a few reasons:
#1 - It's like the big brothers are one on each side of sister, protecting her.

#2 - It kills me how M is actually looking into the house like, "where are you?"

#3 - And lastly, click on the picture to make it big and notice the giant safety pin I used to hook M's skirt to her shirt, so it wouldn't fall off. Now, that's classy! :)

And I had to include of this one of the wicked decorations on this house around the corner from us....how cool is this?!?! Hope everyone had a FANTASTIC Halloween!!!!

The Projects

This is the result of the struggle.....the layout I did of my Momma.

I love it. The papers from the Melissa Frances Breast Cancer Page Kit are so
beautiful and combined with my feelings I put into the journaling, it was easy to
make it perfect. I loved her so very much and this layout was very hard to do.
But, I am so very glad I did it. Now that I've completed one, I want to do more.

But, emotionally, I was exhausted.

So, instead, I put together this sweet little "Think Pink" gift basket.
(supply lists for both projects are available at The Paper Mill Store Blog!)

I don't know anyone that has breast cancer right now, so if you know someone who is in a fight against breast cancer....leave me a comment and tell me how this person is special to you and I will draw a name on Friday. If I choose your name, I will send the basket to the person of your choice. (and it's filled with Milk Chocolate!!)
It might just be the right thing to brighten someone's day!

Finally, I'd like to thank all my loving friends who left me a comment or emailed me after my "Struggling..." post. You know each and every one of you are so important to me and you guys keep me inspired. You make me believe I can do anything.

Thank YOU!

Struggling.....

Right now I am struggling.

For my design team assignment, we are emphasizing breast cancer awareness.
We've teamed up with Melissa Frances and I have some of the most beautiful and fun papers,
ribbons, stickers, embellies and rub-ons to work with. But, they have a breast cancer theme.

And as much as I try to push myself to "think outside the box," all I can see is the "breast cancer'dness" of these products. I find myself sitting at my desk for hours, doing nothing but looking at the papers and thinking of my mom. (you see, the box, although beautiful was my emotional cop-out of not really scrappin' a picture that means something to me)

And the other line is called "thankful."
Well, I'm not thankful I lost my mom. I hate it.
The only thing I'm thankful for is that she didn't have to suffer longer than she did.

So, for now, I have sick kids.
A husband who is out of town.
And a deadline Friday for at least 2 more projects, a month-end report and lots to upload.
(usually, it's just not this hard.....)

And I'm struggling.......

A Beautiful Memento Box

What do you get when you take
WorldWin Cardstock from The Paper Mill Store.com,
add some patterned paper from the Melissa Frances Thankful collection
and use the Crafter's Companion to form it into something?!

THIS BEAUTIFUL MEMENTO BOX!!

So, if these photos make you want to see more...go to
The Paper Mill Store DT Blog
and get the step-by-step directions
to put this fantastic box together.

And once you've walked thru it once, step-by-step...
you'll want to make a million more boxes! It's just so fun!

My Tally for the Week....

2 kids w/ strep throat

1 kid w/ Fifth Disease

1 dog w/ vomiting and diarrhea

1 husband who claims he's getting sick

and me, who somehow pulled a muscle in my chest which is making me further believe in the statement, "better living thru pharmaceuticals!!" Thank goodness for pain meds!!

LIMO?!!!!!

....more like LAME-O!!!!!


So, Jensen had a birthday.
(can you believe he's 10?!)

And for the past 4 months, he's had one request for his birthday.
He's wanted to have his party in a LIMOUSINE and take all his friends to McDonalds in the LIMO and then they'd cruise up and down the street while they eat their food and chill out in the LIMO.

Well, the last time I rented a LIMO was before Jensen was born, so I really had no clue how much it cost, but I thought I might be able to rent one for about $150. And, that's about what I would have paid for his party, anyway, once it was all said and done. The money would have just been spent a little differently than a usual party.

So, I set out to find my baby his LIMO.

Well, as you guys know, I live in Kansas. And although, I live in a city in Kansas, it's not one of the huge ones. I mean, we don't even have an airport here. (which reduces my pool of LIMO options, because we have no "airport" limousines that may have been an option in a bigger city.)

So, I consult the phone book.
(there are just some things that nothing beats the yellow pages for)

Well, as you might guess, there is not that many to choose from, but there seems to be 3 companies and so I begin my phone calls.

The first company I call, answers...."Hello?"
(this was my first clue that this one might not work out...)

I say, "Um, is this xxxxx Limousine?!?"

"Uh, YES it is."

"Oh, ok...I thought I might have the wrong number."

Pause.

"You don't. What can I help you with?"

Well, I explained what I was looking for and he explained to me they have 2 LIMOs....one traditional, one stretch H2 Hummer.
And then he drops the bomb.
They rent for $135/hr or $145/hr.depending on which you choose.......
2 hour minimum....plus 20% tip to driver.

WHAT?!?!?!

That's a total cost of over $300!!!!!!

THAT was my reality check.

I asked if they ever considered renting the LIMO for less than 2 hours.
After all, the kid only wants to go to the McDonalds drive-thru and wants to eat...how long could that really take. I mean, does he really need to drive around for 2 hours? Well, I'm thinking we get the food, eat and then go to the house to open presents and have cake.

I was quickly told that WAS NOT an option.

Well, THANKS SO MUCH FOR CRUSHING A BOYS BIRTHDAY DREAM!

So, I call the next company.

And again, I am met with a similar scenario.

Then, I call the last company.
(I am starting to feel the desperation of a mother on a budget and the thought of having to see "that face" on my child and possible tears when I tell him that there is no way he'll be having his LIMO Party.)

So, this one, a woman answers.
And, I can tell she's on a cell phone. And she's at home.
AND I can hear loud, noisy kids in the background.

Ah, GOOD!, I think to myself. She's a MOTHER.
Someone who can understand my plight and what I have now come to believe are the unrealistic birthday wishes of a child.

So, I ask about her LIMO's and she gives me the list of the 2 she has and then begins to tell me the prices. Well, her LIMO's are a tiny bit better in price....$125/hr.....2 hr. minimum.....20% tip to driver.

Still....way out of budget!

I begin to explain my dilemma to her.

And she, calmly explains to me that there is no way she could do that.
After all...she says....even if you take the car out for an hour, not 2, I have to pay $100 to have it cleaned.

What exactly was she thinking we were gonna do in this LIMO
that would warrant a $100 cleaning bill?!?!?

So, I hang up...defeated.

For Heaven sakes Lady...have a heart.

Rent me the limo for an hour

and

HAND ME SOME STINKIN' ARMOUR ALL!!!
I'LL CLEAN YOUR LIMO MYSELF!!!

FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


At this point, I'm thinking...
"How can I call a funeral home and ask in a socially correct way
that if no one has died and their LIMO is just sitting there,
could I rent it for an hour for my child?"

But, in my mind, my fear is...all my birthday photos of the
LIMO will have xxxxxx Funeral Home on them.

Photoshop, anyone?!?!

Ha ha ha!

In the end, I gave my son a dose of "real life."

Me: "Sorry, sweetie. We can't afford it.
I know you're disappointed and I am, too.
But, we need to come up with another plan.
How about a bowling party?!"

Jensen: "I want Chuck-E-Cheese."

Well, FAN-Stinkin'-TASTIC.

Someone kill me now!
(Just run me over with a LIMO! I can give you the numbers!)

Seriously?

So...this is my life....

*a pre-teen who has a gnarly case of strep throat
(the pediatricians words, not mine)

*a 3 yr. old girl, who was woke up early due to all the excess unexpected noise due to situation with dog. (story to follow later in list) This girl came outside w/ no pants on (but carrying them) because she wanted to come outside w/ me and the dog. And now, who is sitting on her bed upset because the girls at the bus stop laughed at her for having no pants on.
(mind you, it's 48degrees outside)

* a kindy kid and a 3rd grader, both of who stayed up too late messing around and neither of which want to get up.

*a dog who is puking and has the big D, too!
(hence the 6am discovery of said fact and the following bath, crate cleaning and then disinfecting of everything within
a 30 yard vicinity of the dog and his crate!

*me, dry heaving, because I don't do icky animal anything
(this list includes, but is not exclusively limited to animal vomit, poop, eye boogers, slobber, snot or any animal smells. Seriously, a trip to the vets office, where the smell is concentrated can upset my stomach for a few hours!!)

*a cranky husband because he helped with the dog and now is running late to work and stressed because of this fact.

* the kindergartener just realized he left his backpack at home....running back from the school bus stop.... screaming, "mom, I forgot my backpack!" the whole way!
(I'm sure any neighbors who might be sleeping in really appreciated that!!)

*a headache, probably due to all listed above, but mostly
due to lack of sleep and stress

It's 8:19am....
...and I'm exhausted.

It's a glamorous life...but someone's gotta have it.

Don't be jealous!

Holy Crap!!!!

(is it wrong to say that on a Sunday?!)

So...you all know how much I admire the work of Emilie Ahern. To be honest, I can't even remember how I came across her work in the beginning, but once I started blog stalking her, I couldn't stop. Between her inspiring work and her awesome personality...."she had me at hello!" (remember what movie that's from?!) So, time passed, and as it did...I began to feel like I knew her. And I started leaving comments. And eventually, she left me comments on my blog.
And so began our online friendship.....

If you don't remember Emilie and I got to meet back in August at the CKC show in Valley Forge, PA. I knew we'd be friends. (read it here!) She was wearing the same shirt I own and had worn the day before we met! Kindred spirits, I tell ya!

So...imagine my surprise when I found THIS, this morning!
(although, she had sent me the pic of the LO a few days ago...
I had no idea it was going on THE BLOG!!)
So, color me happy!!

(Isn't it amazing this LO is Hybrid? It looks like it has so much dimension to me!)
That just goes to show you just how much talent Emilie has!

Thanks, Emilie for making my day! Your the sweetest!! :)

QuicKutz Silhouette FOR SALE!!!!

So....are you in the market for
a digital craft cutter?!

Up for sale is my
QuicKutz Silhouette!

I truly love this machine. The trouble is...when my laptop died, Big Daddy bought me a new one and it's a MAC. Well, the Silhouette is only MAC compatible with the use of Adobe Illustrator. And anyone who knows me KNOWS that I have the computer skills of a Raccoon! (do not ask me why I chose raccoon, but you get the point!) Point is...it's just sitting!

And that makes me sick.

This wonderful machine has been sitting in it's box unused for over 9 months! So, I've decided to sell it.

I have the original box and all packing material. I have all the manuals and cords and supplies that came with the machine. (shoot...I only used it less than 10 times, total.) I even have the little QK Pick-up tool, that helps you remove the shapes from the adhesive mat after you've cut them. (which I'll just throw in to be sweet!)

I paid $300 for this machine and it's been barely used.

If you are in the market for one or thinking of treating yourself, let me know ASAP. If not, it goes on ebay this weekend.......
(I just wanted to offer it to you guys first.....it's nice to get something used from someone you know and trust!!!!)

WANNA WIN A BIND IT ALL v2.0?!?!?!?

That's right, we are having a fantastic contest over at Scrapbooks 'n Stickers!

Join in on our scavenger hunt and fun challenges for the chance to win the BRAND NEW ~ PINK ~
Bind It All v2.0!!!!!!!

So, head on over to SNS.com for your chance to win the Pink BIA and a prize package worth over $100!!!!

Are you feeling lucky?!?!? Then, go to SNS.com NOW!!!!!

Look for new updates tomorrow!

I have so much stuff to catch you up on......

CKC- Hartford, CT

CKC - Hartford, CT
Oct. 1st - 5th, 2008
Scrapbooks 'n Stickers Booth


Hartford is so beautiful. I really am loving the New England states. They are really filled with so much beauty. As we were coming in for our landing, I couldn't help but snap a few pictures out the window of the airplane. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed because I had expected some better color, but after talking to the locals, I'm about 2-3 weeks too early for the really good color.


Once I was at the baggage claim, Aly was there waiting for me!
We hugged hello and went to hail a cab.
(geez, I feel so New Yorker!)

I had to snap this pic of Aly and I in the cab, because I've not been in a cab since I was a small child (and I don't have a picture of that, I just remember doing it once on the way home from the airport in Tulsa.)


The Scrapbooks 'n Stickers booth looked really nice. I am really in love with my Bind-It-All section. I seem to have it down to a fine art now. And more booth pictures....
Yummy Fancy Pants! And KaiserCraft....(with Aly and Alex Ann!)


After my class on Friday, Angie from Boxer was the next teacher in my room. So, I had to get her to take a photo with me!She's such a nice girl! She and her mother work and travel together and I've had the pleasure of getting to know them while traveling this year. Angie's teaching this dog bone chipboard album class that is just so stinkin' cute!!!

When I came out of my room after class (and wasn't in such a hurry) I noticed the fantastic view out the window in the upper floor of the convention center. I told you it was pretty! After that it was back to the booth to take on my role as the Bind-It-All Queen! Ha ha!

Well, during explaining the fantastic features of the Zutter Bind-It-All...I made some new friends. But, I can honestly say this story is abou the funniest thing that has ever happened during my demo-ing. These girls were thinking of getting a BIA and they wanted to know if it would punch a clipboard. (which of course is a wood) Well, I went and got a piece of clipboard and let them try it. Well, they were so impressed...they could not believe that it could cut it. So, she wanted to see if it was really hard.....and she cracked it in half!!! (But, she didn't mean to. It embarrassed her. It surprised me. And her best friend really gave her a hard time!! So, they decided to use the 2 halves as keychains. (after all, we've already punched the holes in it with the Bind-It-All!) So, we decided to take it all the way, adding Best to one half and Friends to the other half!! And of course, they broke off a piece for me to keep!!! Ha ha ha!
(Hi Nancy and Lisa!!!)

And then, they bought the Bind-It-All!!!!
(of course they did!!)


The next day before we left, we received
the sweetest thank you card from some ladies from the crop the night before....and look what is says on the inside...... ....ahhhh, how nice is that?!? Thanks, Ladies!!


Now, when I travel, I often don't have time to shop and when I do, I am often looking for something specific. Now, you know you are a scrapbooking sicko when you get super-excited over
your purchase at the convention and it's THIS!!!! Yep, it's an entire box of Kokuyo Dot 'n Roller refills!!
(I'm sick, I'll tell ya!!!!!!!!!)

So, that was my purchase 5 minutes before the show closed!!

The next morning, (Sunday) I caught my flight home. It was early, really early! And I got this shot before landing in DC. How pretty is this photo?!

And then, when I was on the ground in Washington, DC...I looked out the window at the airport to see the Washington Monument!(See it thru the fog?)
How cool is that?! I was so moved, I almost wanted to miss my flight home and go sightseeing instead! I've always wanted to go to Washington, DC and now I know I must go there someday!
And I really want to take my family to see it.

Anyway, Hartford was a blast, but I was glad to go home for 2 days before I started it all over again! I leave for the next CKC on Wednesday!

I'm off....

....to CKC-Hartford, CT!!!

This is me at Gate A-8 at the Kansas City Airport. This girl has the weight of the world on my shoulders. As much as I love my job, I am seriously wishing I was staying home today. There are just times where you feel like you need to be home. And this is one of them.

But, I will go. And I will do my job to the best of my ability. And I will have a great time. Because that is me. And how can I not have a great time doing what I do? I just wish I was going into this trip as the happy-go-lucky girl that I normally am.

If you can't tell....I am exhausted! I slept one hour last night.
Big Daddy might have slept a total of three. That is not enough!! Big stuff going on in our lives. Can't really go there yet. Have to be careful what we say. Because you never know who's reading.

I'm sorry for the cryptics. But, it's what I have to do. If your a friend who has my email address, shoot me an email and I'll fill you in.

For now, call me overwhelmed.....

xoxo~
roxann