Country BBQ

More than a month ago, Amy (our vice president of marketing) asked if I would be willing to look at our new Country Living Summer BBQ/Picnic Kit and—if I liked it—use it for a summer activity and mention it on the blog for a little added exposure. Of course, I was fine with that. I love reasons to get together with family and friends, and a BBQ sounded like a grand idea!

So I took a look at the kit, and it really is a fun collection of products pull together a BBQ or picnic quickly and easily! While I knew as soon as I saw it that I would definitely use it, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, and I didn’t take the time to plan the BBQ. Before I knew it, summer had arrived (or at least it feels like it!).

Fortunately, I was coming down to Kanab for our Employee Appreciation Breakfast (I wrote about our Riverton one last week—and this one was just as enjoyable! I love the hardworking, dedicated people who work here, and I love the opportunity to thank them, even on a small scale, for all that they do!), so I decided to throw together a family BBQ. I called up my sister Leslie and asked if she would host it at her house. She was more than willing. Then when she mentioned it to our other sister Vonna, she offered her house as well—and because it has a swimming pool (which is a huge plus for the kids) that’s where we ended up.

We had kabobs, and everyone brought a salad. We had a fairly impromptu party—it was a blast. I was grateful for the motivation to plan the party. We get together often as a family (those of you who read my blog regularly know that), but I can never get too much of being with people I love!

And I have to tell you how fun it was to have the projects from the Country Living Kit to tie everything together. Everyone received an invitation, which kind of set the stage. And the table tents, napkins, and bowl liners created a festive atmosphere—it made it feel a little more special than just an ordinary BBQ. Creating everything was so quick and easy—everything we needed was in the kit! (Well, other than the staples for the napkin rings.) 

One item—the blitz box—was a kind of a fun origami project. We used it for chips. I’m departing from my usual approach and providing a pattern for that, because it was kind of different. I got the pattern from a good friend. (But don’t start expecting patterns and instructions for everything I post!) It works perfectly as a holder for any dry munchies, such as popcorn, cookies, chips, nuts, etc.

 

Like I said, the entire evening was a ball; no one wanted to leave! We really do enjoy being together.

 

When I got back to the apartment in Kanab, I still had quite a few supplies left that I hadn’t used. I had very minimal addition product available (glitter, ribbon, paper scraps, etc), but I decided to see what I could create.

I used a leftover skewer and coaster to create this little holiday decoration flag. You could stick this in a flower arrangement or vase or planter or anything else you had in your normal home décor to turn it into a holiday decoration. It was so quick to make, and yet it adds a fun little patriotic touch.

A Savannah Weekend

I spent Memorial weekend in Savannah, Georgia! It was a whirlwind few days, spent searching for a home for Shalae and Jon, who will be moving there later this summer for Jon to go to graduate school. In between looking at houses, however, we did manage to sneak in a few hours of sightseeing.

We flew into Savannah on Thursday evening and spent most of Friday and Saturday checking out houses. By Saturday afternoon, we’d found a home that we felt good about, so we decided to check out the city a bit.

We ate at Six Pence Pub, a popular restaurant with locals and tourists alike. The food was tasty comfort food, and the outdoor atmosphere was delightful.

We walked down River Street, watching boats go by, listening to the street music, and enjoying the charm.

We grabbed a treat at Leopold’s Ice Cream parlor, another popular spot. There’s a lot of history in Savannah, and we would have loved to do one of the walking tours, but we didn’t have time. We’ll go back, though, probably several times over the next two years, and we’ll definitely explore more of the city and its history!

On Sunday we went to the ward that Jon and Shalae and their family will be attending. The people lived up to the reputation of southern hospitality—they were a warm, friendly group.

 

After church, we took a drive to Hilton Head Island. We weren’t dressed for swimming, but the walk on the beach was very pleasant.

Afterward, we headed back to Savannah where we did a little more walking around a city square and fountain before enjoying a delicious dinner at Elizabeth’s, a delightful restaurant located in an old Victorian house.

After sitting on the house decision for the weekend, Jon and Shalae still felt great about the house we’d found on Saturday, so they signed the rental contract. We spent the rest of Monday (before we flew home) at the house, which is situated in one of Savannah’s suburbs.

Both Shalae and I are type A personalities, so we were busy arranging furniture in our minds and figuring out where kids would sleep and where pictures would hang. Every once in awhile one of us would call a timeout—it takes a lot of mental energy to be so detail-oriented!

Our husbands humored us and took lots of measurements and photos and probably rolled their eyes when we weren’t looking, but it was wonderful to come home with our mission accomplished. Shalae and Jon have peace of mind knowing where they will be living in a few short months, and I love being able to picture this little family going to school and church and grocery shopping and playing in their yard.

A Sweet Treat

Yesterday was a sweet day at Stampin’ Up! Every year for as long as I can remember (clear back to when we were in Kanab), Stampin’ Up! executives have cooked breakfast for employees. It’s a tasty breakfast (eggs, French toast, ham or bacon, and milk or juice), but even more important than the free breakfast is the opportunity we have to interact with the people who make things happen for our demonstrators and express our appreciation.

Yesterday was our employee appreciation breakfast, and once again, I loved every minute as I talked to most, if not all, of our home office employees. (The breakfast for our Kanab facility is scheduled for next week.) It was fun to serve these wonderful people breakfast, chat with them when I could, and thank them for all they do.

After breakfast, I announced our Heart of Stampin’ Up! employee winners. This is an award we’ve given for the last four years, and it serves the same purpose as the Heart of Stampin’ Up! award that we give to demonstrators every year at convention—it recognizes an employee (or two or three) who goes the second mile in reaching out and serving and who works hard to make a difference.

Employees are nominated for this award by their coworkers, and I make the choice. This year was particularly difficult. Many employees were nominated, and I spent quite a while reading and re-reading the nominations. Every single employee who was nominated was worthy of the award, and it was hard!

Ultimately, I chose three employees here in the home office—Jason, Pam, and Terrill.

Jason has been with Stampin’ Up! 11 years and works in the warehouse and is amazing! He’s a great worker, and I’m so grateful for all he’s done, and continues to do, for us. We’re lucky to have him!

Pam is currently an executive assistant, but she’s also worked in Demonstrator Support and is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. She’s committed to doing whatever it takes to get the job done, including the small things that so often make people smile and feel cared about.

Terrill is our human resources contact with our distribution center, and our DC workers love him! He translates for all our meetings and gatherings, and is able to communicate so well our concern for all our employees! He is extremely well liked and respected.

Each of these employees received a hug from me (fun for me!) and probably more fun for them, gifts cards for dinner and a movie. I particularly liked the gift card holder that they received, and I wanted to show it off as well. I thought you might like it!

As I drove away from work yesterday, I thought—as I almost always do—“I sure love what I do!” And yesterday in particular, I also thought, “And I sure love the people I do it with!” How blessed I am to work with and for such wonderful individuals!

Simply Beautiful

Sterling and I received a card after Grandpa Great died from Jill, a good friend and coworker. She’s sent me several cards in the past, and every single one of them has always impressed me with how beautiful—and simple—they are.

I have a friend celebrating a birthday this weekend, and I wanted to make her a packet of cards, so I decided to make those cards beautifully simple. I tend to like textures and dimension and accents, so most of what I create is beautiful (I hope!) but somewhat complicated. I wanted to challenge myself to simplify. 

I used Jill’s card as a template. She had used Cool Caribbean and True Thyme (In Colors from last year), so I went with current colors (Almost Amethyst, Elegant Eggplant, and Very Vanilla), and worked from there. This photo doesn’t do the card justice at all—it was truly beautiful!

   While the challenge I’d given myself was enjoyable, I discovered that I flat out couldn’t do it! Once I’d folded, and stamped, and adhered, I just couldn’t stop. I simply had to add one (and sometimes two or three) final finishing touches! I smiled when I’d get to the simple place—and then couldn’t leave the card alone.

So here’s one of the cards I ended up with. Even though it’s not as simple as I had intended, I think my friend will appreciate her gift. Who can’t use cards? And I have a new appreciation for the skill it takes to create simple beauty!

Signature Collection Sharing

I know it’s a little late, but I wanted to share a few projects I showed during my Main Stage presentation at the Australia convention. My assignment for the convention was to demonstrate products from the Shelli Signature Collection, an assignment I accepted with enthusiasm.

People had suggested I have a signature line of products for quite awhile, but I resisted. I don’t understand why people would be particularly interested in products that were my favorites. However, I noticed more and more people who had their own “lines,” and I realized it would be kind of fun to share with you the things that inspired and excited me. So I finally agreed to launch the line.

I announced my signature collection last year, and it’s been fun to develop it. Some of the products I’ve been involved with from inception; others I’ve seen at some point during development and fallen in love with. There’s no specific thing I’m looking for—I know it when I see it.

Most of you know I love things with a vintage look and feel, so some of the products have that. However, I also look for things that make creating quick, easy, and fun, and I’ve chosen several products that help do that. Sometimes colors jump out at me, or glitter, or dimension, or texture—it’s impossible to define my signature line, because I’m working to make it broad and versatile.

One thing’s for sure, though. When I see something that goes into my collection, I smile or get excited as my creativity starts flowing and I start imagining everything I can do with that particular product.

These projects feature a couple of stamp sets I’ve chosen (A Rustic Rooster and Friends 24/7), as well as the coordinating wheel to the Friends set (Friendly Words). I had lots of fun sharing them with our Australian demonstrators. I hope you enjoy them too!