A New Chapter

Today was my last day at my day job. I have worked for a science and technology company for almost 7 years as a technical communicator. Today I said goodbye to the workforce and changed my title from "working mom" to "stay-at-home mom".

This was a hard decision to make, but I'm confident with my decision and do not have any regrets. 

Three and half years ago, after having the Booger, I decided to go back to work. It was necessary for me to go back to work at that time. I was going crazy at home. I felt like I had lost my identity after having the Booger. Going back to work helped me to feel like I restored my identity and sanity. But what was necessary three years ago is no longer valid now. I don't find my identity in work as much as I used to. My job doesn't fulfill me as much as it used to.

Please don't get me wrong. I had an amazing job. The people I worked with were great. I got to work on some fun projects. I learned new programs and improved my HTML and website skills. My managers were caring and flexible. These were some of the many aspects that made it so hard to make this decision.  

So after months and months of thinking and praying about quitting my job, my husband and I made the decision that it would be in our family's best interest if I quit my job. And that brings us to today. I gave my notice to my manager weeks ago, but today solidifies the decision.

This afternoon, I finished clearing off my desk and headed out to turn in all my separation paperwork. As I closed the door to my office, I thought, "Wow, I'm literally closing the door on a chapter to my life."

And then I pretty much cried all afternoon. Even though I'm excited and confident with my change, I am mourning the end of this chapter. 

So what's next? I don't really know. 

What I do know is that I do want to spend more time with the Booger. I do know that I want to eliminate the craziness that came with both my husband and me working. I do know that I want to spend more time teaching stamping and paper crafting. 

Other than that, it's going to be all trial and error. Maybe I'll love being a stay-at-home mom and never look back. Maybe I'll go crazy in a few months and demand to find another job. Maybe I'll go back to school  - photography always has interested me. I could go back and get my Masters in Technical Communication. I do love the TC field. Maybe I'll become an awesome Stampin' Up! demonstrator and never look back to going back to a 9 to 5 job, but just do what I love: papercrafting. Maybe I will decide to homeschool Sybella ( I doubt it, but who knows).  I feel like the sky is the limit right now. I'm so fortunate to be in this position. I am so fortunate to have a husband that recognized my discontentment with my job and supports me chasing an undefined dream and "trying" to be a stay-at-home mom, even after my first attempt was a complete disaster.

So stay tuned! Hopefully, I'll be able to increase my blog posts. Oh, and if you have any advice for this newbie SAHM, I'm all ears.

Happy Stampin',
~Cita 

Lovely Ladybugs Day

Have I told you lately that I love being part of Stampin' Up!?
Let me tell you now: I love being part of Stampin' Up!

One of the many reasons I love this company is the people. I have met so many wonderful people since becoming a demonstrator, many who I now comfortably call my friends. The group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators I belong to is called Ladybug Ink. Think of it as my immediate Stampin' Up! family. Every so often, my upline, Amber, rewards several Ladybugs who met certain requirements during a performance period. I qualified this past period and got to partake in Lovely Ladybugs Day, and it indeed was a lovely Ladybug day. Complete with a scrumptious lunch, make-and-takes, and gifts, Amber provided an amazing morning.  Here's a little glimpse of my morning.

Here's the beautiful centerpiece at the table. These sunflowers are from Amber's garden.

Our lovely place setting. The placemat is an actual 12x12 piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock. I was super careful not to soil the placemat.

We each received a a little gift. Inside this cute little bag was a set of washi tape that we later used for one of our make-and-takes. 

At each place setting was this elegant "Lovely Ladybug" frame. You may not recognize the lovely ladybug from any set that Stampin' Up! sells. This is because Amber drew and carved this stamp using Stampin' Up!'s new Undefined Kit. I was surprised when Amber sent us all home with this cute frame.

I love how Amber used the new Bow die to make the wrap around for this setting. See that lemon? That is another stamp she hand-carved using the Undefined Kit.

 Dessert part 1. Can you say yummy?

I thought this was so cute and clever. Amber gave us these simple mason jars to use as our cups. To spruce up the cup a little, she wrapped a strip of washi tape around the jar.

And the glass is now completely full with delicious hand-squeezed lemonade. 

Dessert part 2. Amber's husband made these decadent lemon bars. I was so tempted to walk off with more that I could munch on later. 

After we finished stuffing our bellies, we got to stamp! 

Here's a bookmark we made. See the gold button on the flower? That's actually a white button that we dipped in gold embossing powder and heat embossed. 

This is a pouch made out of a simple 6x6 piece of DSP. See the gold splatter marks all over the black polka dot paper? We used the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and embossed skid marks and splatter all over the paper. I think it's a nice touch.

This card is a "shaker card"; shake it and the butterflies, hearts, and flowers shake behind the window sheet. The window sheet is adhered to the card base using the washi tape.

This was our last make-and-take: a decorated notebook. Amber found these notebooks at a big craft store. We added the chevron ribbon and the Lovely Ladybug tag.

 I am definitely motivated to try to earn another invite to Lovely Ladybugs day again. Join my team of Ladybug stampers and you can also earn a lovely day like this. Contact me to see how you can join Stampin' Up! for only $100.

Happy Stampin'!
~Cita

Ladybug Ink Blog Hop: Holiday Catalog Style

It's time for the blog hop again. This month we are featuring projects made from the Holiday catalog. My project features the Christmas Messages stamp set from the Holiday catalog, along with the newly released Circle Card Thinlets Die.

I love the new Thinlets die and how they help make such cute and fun flip cards.

Next up on the blog hop is Cassie.

Enjoy your day and Happy Stampin'!

~Cita

Ruth Norton http://ruthsstampingcorner.blogspot.com

Amber Wilson http://amberladybugink.blogspot.com/

Nichole Gonzales Jaramillo http://nicholesu.blogspot.com/

Kay Jantz http://ktmyldyandlife.blogspot.com/

Liz Kay http://www.kraftasticmrskay.blogspot.com/

You are here: Camelita Wasson http://carmenacita.blogspot.com/

Cassie Rogers http://lucyslovelies.blogspot.com/

Michelle Carrion http://www.ilovecrafttime.blogspot.com/

The Joys of Washi Tape

I. Love. Washi Tape. When it started to become trendy in the crafting world I did a hidden eye roll as I thought the idea of decorative tape was silly. Just take some DSP and apply with scotch tape, wa-la makeshift washi tape.  I shall confess that I mocked washi tape at first. No more. I apologize washi tape. Please forgive me. Let me use your awesome-ness to grace my cards and make creating easier.

At convention, Stampin' Up! so graciously gave us six rolls of washi tape from the Holiday Mini catalog. I took my cute little rolls of washi tape home and decided to give it a try on a card. I had already started to use it in my This N That books, but not on cards. The above card was the outcome. I loved how easy it was to string the strips of washi tape across the card to create a layered DSP look. Had I used actual DSP, this card would have been a little more time consuming. Think about trying to cut all those little pieces of DSP, laying them out, adhering them one by one, and then trimming the sides. Use washi tape, it's much easier.

Stampin' Tips:

• Colors scheme: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Whisper White (The best Christmas Card color combo ever)
• Stamp Sets: Gorgeous Grunge, Christmas Messages
• Accessories: Season of Style Designer Washi Tape, Cherry Cobbler Twine, Apothecary Accents Framelits
• When placing the washi tape, don't worry about cutting the strip of tape to be exact. Wrap the excess tape around the back of the card. 
• Use the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set to provide a background in the bottom right-hand corner. I used Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler ink. 
• Cut a Cherry Cobbler piece from the Apothecary Accent framelits. Then cut a 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" piece of Whisper White cardstock to line the accent and stamp the Christmas greeting on. Tie a piece of Cherry Cobbler twine around and seal with a bow. 

Have you tried using washi tape? What projects have you used them on? If you haven't given washi tape a chance, I highly recommend giving it some time. I do believe you will like washi tape. 

Happy Stampin' 

~Cita 

Holiday Single Stamps

Stampin' Up! recently released a new, holiday-themed collection of single stamps. These stamps are perfect for budget conscious stampers or those who just want that one special Christmas stamp. (It's so weird to already be thinking about Christmas in August.)

There are eight different stamps to choose from, six of which coordinate with the Framelits dies or punches.  These stamps are only available in clear-mount.

Be Merry Clear-Mount Stamp ($8.95, 134767)

A Gift For You Clear-Mount Stamp ($4.95,  134765)

Cheers Clear-Mount Stamp ($5.95, 134769)

Christmas Star Clear-Mount Stamp ($9.94, 134813)

Joy and Love Clear-Mount Stamp ($6.95, 134771)

Magical Season Clear-Mount Stamp ($5.95, 134777)

Prince of Peace Clear-Mount Stamp ($6.95, 134811)

Wonderful Blessing Clear-Mount Stamp ($8.95, 134779)

Aren't these stamps beautiful? Visit my website and place your order. These stamps will only be available until January 31, 2014. 

Happy Stampin', 

~Cita