Stamping On The Bayou

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Follow me by clicking this link! You'll receive exclusive tweets from me about projects, classes, camps, and stampin' news! The first 5 people to follow me after this message posts will receive $5 off their next Stampin' Up! merchandise order from me!

Stamping on the Bayou Anniversary!

 
A few more ideas for Halloween treats and these are super easy! For the sucker project, you need the Sweet Centers stamp set, the 1 3/4" circle punch, and Pop Up glue dots. A very talented demonstrator, whose name escapes me, shared these pumpkin boxes on her blog. We made them for club last month and also for Trish's workshop. The pumpkin was made with the Wide Oval punch. Punch 5 ovals from the Pumpkin Pie card stock and sponge the edges of each with Pumpkin Pie Classic ink. You start in the middle and alternate each oval behind the first to create your pumpkin. Punch the stem using Soft Suede card stock and the Modern Label punch and cut in half. Embellish with a leaf and sentiment. Attach to any size card stock box.

It has been 2 years today that I launched the Stamping on the Bayou blog! Wow, time sure flies when you are having fun! I have re-dedicated myself to making this a great resource for your stampin', scrappin', and paper crafting projects. if you haven't already done so, please take a moment to sign up for my mailing list on the top left of the blog for even more crafting inspiration.

The New Catalog is HERE!!!

Well, it goes LIVE today!! I'm so excited to share the Spring/Summer Idea Book & Catalog with you. My kids have dentist appointments today, so I won't be able to post links on this blog until later today. But, my Stampin' Up! site will be updated automatically. Check it out at www.nickolechiasson.stampinup.net ! Stampin' Up! is unveiling it at noon (MT). So if you are in the Central Time zone (like me), that would be at 1pm. I do have hard copies of the catalog too - join me for my Open Houses this week to get your hands on one! Today is the first, from 5pm - 8pm and the second is Friday, January 23rd from 2pm - 4pm at my home.

Stampin' Up! sale announced!

I feel like a kid at Christmas!!! Stampin' Up! will be announcing a sale next week and I am brimming with anticipation! Demonstrators don't even know what the sale will be about!!! Make sure to check back next week so you'll be ready. You'll be able to take advantage of this awesome sale placing orders through me or shop 24/7 online! If you haven't tried online ordering yet, click the Online Ordering link on the top right of this site. This will take you to my Stampin' Up! site. There, click on the Shop Now button. You can find anything you need right there at your fingertips. If you have any problems, remember I'm a call or email away.I challenge you to check it out and tell me what you think. The first 5 people to leave a comment on this post by Thursday, November 20th will receive a handstamped card in the mail. (Make sure I have your mailing address!)

Share What You Love 24/7

Online Ordering is here and it is freakin' awesome! You can now order online from me anytime you want... I know some of you are up to all hours of the night, now you can shop with me! It is totally cool and easy. It certainly doesn't replace me and all my vast knowledge (HEEHEE) of tips and techniques, but it can help you when you are in a bind. Now, we don't have the capability YET (fingers crossed) to have workshops online, so this will be customer direct to you. But, you can get hostess rewards by placing orders over $150 and you will be prompted to take advantage of specials and promotions offered by Stampin' Up! As you click through products, Stampin' Up! will also offer suggestions of items that will go with what you are looking at, totally cool! All you have to do is click on the icon on my right sidebar (see below).

 

This link will bring you to my Stampin' Up! website home page. At the top right, under my name, you will find a button that says "Shop Now". Click on that button and start shopping! You will need to create a customer account during the process. Please be assured that all of your information will be kept private and confidential. I hope this adds another level of customer service to you. As always if you have questions, or comments, please let me know. Check it out... the first person to place an online order with me will receive $10 off any class or "On the Go" kit I offer before November 30, 2008.

It's here...

The new Fall-Winter Idea Book & Catalog is here! There are so many new sets and accessories to choose from, I don't know what to get first. To view, click the photo on the left side of my blog. This is a .pdf file so it may take a while to download. Or, if you just need that hard copy, you can come to my New Catalog Open House this Friday, August 15th from 2 to 8pm. I'd love for you to join me and bring a friend. You can RSVP by leaving me a comment on this post.

That's so Shelli...

The CEO and Co-founder of Stampin' Up! started a new blog on Monday. It is called so Shelli and I definitely want you to check it out from time to time. She will definitely inspire your creativity. You'll also get an inside look into the "heart" of Stampin' Up! and why I love this company. I encourage you to leave her comments. Although she has said she may not be able to reply to all comments, I am confident she does read them. Leave me a comment on this post and let me know what you think.

Discontinued Accessories

To see a list of discontinued accessories from the Spring-Summer Collection 08, please contact me and provide your email address. I will send you the list.

Public Service Announcement - Inky Mess

Another demonstrator emailed this to me this weekend. I thought it was hilarious! Although this particular situtation has never happened to me, I can certainly relate. I'm not sure who this is, but I bet I could spot her in a short sleeve shirt.

Just remember, always replace the lid to your StazOn ink pad when you are finished.

We all knew this to be true...

A fellow demonstrator, Anne Brown, found this article. We all knew it to be true, but here is proof.

The Therapeutic Value of Scrapbooking

By: Kathy Johnson, COTA

I have been a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for 16 years and have worked with many different types of physical disabilities and clients with mental illness. When I started scrapbooking 8 years ago, I never realized what a therapeutic value it could have on my life. As the years have gone by I have also recognized the therapeutic values scrapbooking can have for those many different types of physical disabilities and those with mental illness. I have discovered that Scrapbooking has many qualities that can help restore an overall sense of well being, accomplishment, and self-worth, as well as help with physical deficits. Taking photos of loved ones and creating a scrapbook not only showcases familiar photos, but can also display feelings and memorabilia. It is not only the actual “scrapbooking” of pictures, but the memories the pictures reveal, that can be of great value.

I made a 25th Wedding Anniversary album for my parents and which included photos from their childhood as well as photos from the time since they were married. What I learned from rummaging through all these old photos was an invaluable lesson in family heritage. There were places they had been, and family members I did not know and events that were unknown to me until I sorted through these photos and interviewed my parents. The end result was a wonderful memento of their lives and a keepsake we could all cherish and share for generations to come.

Individuals with depression can find comfort in scrapbooking memories from the past. Using the scrapbooking task as a way to help individuals with mental illness stay on task, follow directions and reinforce the need to complete a project are all valuable Life Skills they will need to be productive individuals in the community. Many with mental illness have a sense of hopelessness and low self worth. Scrapbooking can provide these individuals with a great sense of accomplishment.

The physical benefits of scrapbooking became evident to me while working with a young brain injured individual in Rehab. This person used the cropping tools to increase her fine motor skills, as well as the photos to help with memory recall of loved ones and others from her life. Cutting with scissors or a paper trimmer and handwriting journaling helps build good fine motor skills as does using shapes and stencils. Visual/perceptual skills are also utilized with the activity.

Following directions of the therapist or using an idea book help with organizing thoughts and following verbal and written instruction. The organization skills needed to complete a scrapbooking page can assist a head injured individual with the skills needed in many aspects of their life, from Activities of Daily Living to work skills for returning to employment. The step by step tasks of building a scrapbook page allow the individual to process information and put the steps together to form a completed task. Then putting all the pages together to form a completed scrapbook reinforces the idea of task completion and the overall understanding of getting an end product from their labor of love.

Overall the craft of scrapbooking can be therapeutic to all of us in some way. The companies that create scrapbooking supplies and tools are often coming out with easier and less complex ways to create scrapbooks. Someone with limited hand motion or cognitive skills can learn to master this wonderful craft with minimal guidance. I highly recommend scrapbooking as a therapeutic tool for anyone and hope that if you know someone who would reap its benefits, you will pass your love of this art form on to them.

Kathy Johnson, COTA

Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and

Crop

Camp

Coordinator

About the Author: Kathy is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and avid scrapbooker for the past 8 years.