In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.

I remember growing up and feeling emotions that were so conflicting.  I knew the sacrifices that my mother made raising six children alone.  Still, I was pained with jealousy of not fitting in.  I didn't have the name brand clothes or money in my pocket.  I felt jilted and at times even angry.  It wasn't until I became a Mother myself that I truly understood sacrifice.  I realized that my mother may not have given me material things but she gave me a heart filled with unconditional love.  I would not be the person I am today without her guidance and acceptance - her unconditional love.  People tell me that they are amazed at my giving heart and how they can't believe how I "do it all".  What they don't understand is that my zest to love everyone and my need to help everyone is my mother speaking through me.  This past year my mother became ill and called me to come over and call an ambulance for her.  She was having difficulty breathing.  As I watched the ambulance pull away from her driveway I knew that I could not move forward should she not return home with me.  She did have an overnight stay at the hospital and returned home on Oxygen.  I dared not leave her side in fear of losing her.  I know that the Lord blessed me when he gave me her as my mother and that the trials He put us through were so we could truly understand and communicate our love for one another.  My mother is my best friend, my confidante, my lifeline.  I honor her today and every day! 

Garden from the Heart play!

Even with all of the loads of laundry, housework and dust layers, I managed to remain relaxed most of today!  The stress from having deadlines and research papers was absent and it felt so good.  Though the break between semesters is only two short weeks ...I am going to enjoy every minute of it.  I decided to clean up some craft piles and my excitement of having stamps in my hand with no "must do" overwhelmed me and I found myself sitting down and making a few cards!  I am not sure where I found this card but I loved it and wanted to play around with it.  Here is what I came up with!  (If you are my inspiration please send me a note so I can give you credit!!)

 Though each card looks similar, each one is a bit different.   I love the color combination:  Barely Banana and Perfectly Plum.  The stamp set is Garden from the Heart!  Anyone that loves gardening is going to just fall in love with this set!
    
Thanks for visiting!
     Samantha

Stampin' Up Bird Punch - a must for all crafters!

It done .... another semester of school behind me and the end that much closer!  What a tough semester.  So many unexpected curve balls.  I've managed to remain intact for the most part.  It is sad to sit back and reflect on the last few months.  I see how much life and its effect on my emotional well being has inhibited my creativity.  I hope to find myself back in the swing of things ... and soon with my first Convention trip around the corner.  I am worried that I will not be able to complete my card swaps and 3d's before it's time since we won't know what is in the new catalog.  How do you all do it? Do you have any pointers to share?

I am not sure who I cased this card from.  I have so many images saved on my computer.  Since this is my first year as a demonstrator I just saved photos all in one file.  I will begin labeling with names so that I am able to give proper credit where it is due. 

                                   Ink:  Rich Razzleberry is definitely a favorite of mine!
                                   XL Bird Punch - so many ways to use this punch.  I love the tulips and just simply punching adding to a card and finishing with a sentiment!


Thanks for stopping by!                           

Stampin' Up blog is back ...

 




















I have to apologize for being MIA lately.  I was working on my blog trying to figure out how in the world all you bloggers add links to your sidebars.  In doing so, my blog disappeared.  I decided to log on and was prepared to start from scratch when... voila!  My blog is here!  I am not sure I am going to attempt to add links until my sister Marie is feeling better and I can beg her to help me out!
I woke up early on Monday morning and decided the house was quiet and it would be the perfect time to whip up a card or two.  I made the first card and thought "wow, that's plain" so I played around with the Beary Best stamp set and tried a couple of different layers.
This is my final week of courses - definitely stressed to the max trying to get finals done.  I have two weeks off and then it's back for Summer Semester.  I applied for a waiver for the Internship requirements and would appreciate prayers that the college accepts my application.  I really want to graduate in December and have put every ounce of energy I could into getting there!
I hope all is well with my fellow bloggers!  I will catch up on blog posts soon!
Best,
  Samantha

Inspiration

Did you ever have something so unbelievable happen to you that you can not seem to figure what is real and what is not?  I was having a pretty rough Monday morning - the youngest two daycare children were super fussy throwing off our preschool time so the four and five year olds were running amuck.  My phone rang just as I was getting the 7 month old to sleep the phone rang.  I cursed under my breath at the timing of the phone.  Barely audible, the answer machine was mumbling something about Fox44 news.  I continued with the day and it wasn't long before the phone rang again ...ugggg, the school telling me I need to go pick up my son that he was being sent home for the day ... I finally managed to catch my breath at one point and remembered that I had a message on the machine.  I hit the play button, "Hello, this message is for Samantha Ovitt.  This is Dave Rawson with Fox 44 news and we have good news for you.  You are the lucky winner of Fox 44  Simon Says American Idol contest ..."  I laughed, jotted down the number and was preparing to call back.  "Not funny today", I thought.  I quickly dialed the number and got an answering machine.  "This is Samantha Ovitt calling back and I want to know Is This Legit???".  As I was preparing to hang up - still moody and looking for an outlet.  "Hello, hello?  This is Dave."  I won't bore you with the rest of the conversation ... I will say that I hung up the phone feeling a bit uneasy.  I had just won two tickets to a live viewing of American Idol on May 25th - all expense paid!  I called my husband at work still shaking.  He said, "you're taking Sayde right?"  I paused, and he said "I wouldn't have it any other way".  Sayde is one of our five children who just celebrated her 16th birthday.  I have so many days where I question where we stand in his life and moments like this tell me that we are right where we need to be!  I made this frame for him today - I printed the lyrics to You're the Inspiration and added some photo's, ribbon and gems (all Stampin' Up products).  I hid this in is desk area so that when he opened the doors to access his computer it would be there for him.  My way of saying thank you for all you do and all you are.

     

A Gracious Heart ...

My 'Award'

I remember the first time I met her. My friend Deanna asked me if I wanted to attend a craft night with her. I had become a CTMH consultant and thought this would be a great outlet to learn some new techniques. I received a sincere welcome when I walked in the door and new I was embarking on something amazing. The chatter and laughter was such a lift to my over-stressed spirit. That was a year and a half ago and the hostess is now my Stampin’ UP upline and a very dear friend.


When I first made ‘the switch’ to Stampin’ Up last July I laughed at how new demonstrators called their uplines their “mother” and the other members of the team their sisters. I have a clear understanding now. Stampin’ Up is so much more than crafting … it is truly a family in every essence of the word. Michelle Deslandes is more than my upline. She is the bound that holds us all together. She is inspiration with a passion that lifts our discouraged hearts.

This week Michelle held a monthly demonstrator meeting during which she presented her downline with ‘awards’. It touched me beyond depth. She made us individualized bracelets (from the SU collection of course!) and each bracelet had one charm recognizing our accomplishments. For every recruit and every promotion we receive a charm … mine had two! I hope that she knows how much she is appreciated – not for the ‘gift’ but for letting us know she is there for each and every one of us … to guide us and help us reach our goals!

We made these cards under her guidance and then shared some show and tell and a card front swap. My “sisters” gave me permission to post their work on my blog so I will be sharing their amazing talent with all of you!

To My Me-Shel ... "You have turned my morning into joyful dancing."   ~ PSALM 30:11-12

Here is the card I made for the Swap!

Re-entry into the craft world and Reflection

Almost ready to run from the daily responsibilities of life ... I sat down last night and decided that time for me was as valuable as time for everyone else.  So I made a card and felt this heavy weight being lifted ... now I understand what it is all about!   I've been busy with work, school and caring for my mom and I've neglected my blog which is something I hold very dear and have challenged myself to get to 100 followers in 2010.  After my daughters Sweet 16 tomorrow and a weekend getaway with her a few of her friends I hope to return refreshed and ready to take on that goal!

Thought For The Day
Make the Most of Where You Are
By Author Unknown Wherever you are, be there fully.
For where you are is where you can most effectively act and live.

If you're constantly wishing that you were somewhere else, you diminish the opportunities for where you are now.
When your thoughts are in another place or time, your actions lose much of their effectiveness.

It's great to dream, to plan, to aspire, to reach for new and improved circumstances.
And yet the way to successfully do that is by being the best you can be in the place where you now find yourself.

It's great to keep yourself focused on an ambitious goal.
And that focus is the most effective when it is crafted from the perspective of where you are now.

To successfully travel the path from here to there, you must start with being fully here.
The more you give your attention and energy to making the most of where you are, the more quickly you'll move along that path.

There is much to be accomplished, much to be lived in every place and in every moment.
Be there fully for all of them, and life will be rich indeed.
~ ~ ~ ~ 

Happy Crafting!
    ~Samantha