The Stampin’ Pretty Pals Farewell Blog Hop

Welcome to the Stampin’ Pretty Pals June hop! This month, we are bidding a “Fond Farewell” to some of our old friends…the 30 retiring colors of Stampin’ Up!’s Color Renovation!  If you’ve hopped over from Debbie Pierce’s Stampin’ Sunshine blog, I’m stop number 6 on the hop and I am so glad you hopped in! I will help you “hop” from blog to blog as you search for inspirational paper-crafting ideas from the Stampin’ Pretty Pals! Should you hop off course, simply click on any of the links in the PALS HOP LINE-UP at the end of today’s post and you’ll be back on track!
In honor of the retiring colors, we are also offering BLOG CANDY at every stop on the hop! If you visit each of the 17 Stampin’ Pretty Pals and leave a comment to their specific posted question, you will have not one, but 17, chances to WIN great Stampin’ Up! goodies!

The retirees whom I will be honoring at today’s “Retirement Party”  are the retiring colors, Pale Plum and Going Gray, as well as one of our retiring embellishments, Basic Gray 3/8” Taffeta Ribbon. But in case you are feeling a little sad about our retirees, you are also getting a sneak peek at Artistic Etchings, one of the stamp sets which will be available for purchase July 1st. Because I know that you are anxious to continue hopping along, it’s time for…

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Team up sets with a common theme! One of my favorite background stamps, En Francais, was the perfect choice to pair with the “Eiffel Tower” image from the new set, Artistic Etchings. Inking the background with a subtle ink, such as Pale Plum, does not detract from the focal image. “Merci” from Chic Boutique develops the theme even more! Oo la la!
  • Cabochons? Oui, s’il vous plait! (Here in Iowa, we refer to them as Half-Back Pearls from the Pretties Kit.) Don’t they add a touch of femininity to the left side of the card? I adhered them quickly and easily with a drop of Crystal Effects.
  • Impress your boss with embossing! And how about a wee sneak peek at one of Stampin’ Up!’s two new Textured Impressions Embossing Folders? “Merci” was stamped onto Very Vanilla card stock with Basic Gray ink and then zipped through the Big Shot die cutting machine with my newest acquisition, the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder. You know me and embossing folders…can’t live without ’em. And they add texture so quickly!
  • Glitz and Glam: I know that some people have kissed the Blarney Stone, but I have “smooched” the Eiffel Tower…with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz. And being the smooching fool that I am, I smooched the background and the Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, too. Don’t you love that subtle sparkle?
  • And doesn’t Pale Plum look so lovely with textured Going Gray card stock? This has been one of my favorite color combinations…and there is still time to order before it is all gone!
I hope that you have enjoyed today’s “Fond Farewell” card, and that you are having a blast with the Farewell Blog Hop.  And as I stated earlier, if you visit all of our “hoppers” and leave a comment, you will have 17 chances to win 17 different sets of Blog Candy!  Yummy…and naturally calorie free!
Doesn’t this package of 8-1/2″ x 11″ Handsome Hunter card stock look positively delicious with these Summer Sun Corduroy Buttons (24 total—full package)!  Of course, you will need ribbon for embellishment, so I am including a brand, spankin’ new roll of one of my retiring faves…5/8″ Brocade Blue Grosgrain.  Oh…and how about a stamp set, too?  This Candy Package includes an unmounted set, Spring Song!  Once again, all of these are brand new and retiring! How fun!
For your chance to win all the above goodies, please leave me a comment at the end of this post by 3:00 PM CST, Friday, June 11th, at which time I’ll choose a random winner. In keeping with the Hop guidelines, shipping will be within the United States only. Within in your comment, please answer this question: What retiring stamp set on the Last Chance List will you miss the most? My answer to this is, as if  you could not guess, Spring Song, 115074 on page 102 of the Idea Book and Catalog. I’ll announce the winner of my blog candy package here on The Stampin’ Schach on Sunday, June 13th, 2010. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me after their name is announced.
Before you leave, here is a Spring Song retrospective!

More inspiring ideas and another great blog candy package awaits you at Melanie Collin’s Oops a Daisy Blog, stop number 7 on the Pals Farewell Blog Hop! Hop over to see Melanie’s wonderfully creative ideas! Thanks for “hopping” by!  And remember, if you ever have a question about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, never hesitate to email me! And if you would like to receive email updates each time I post, don’t forget to sign up on the upper left side-bar! Until next time…

Lost? Here is the complete Pals Farewell Hop Line-up!

1. Liz Hughes
2. Gina Shaw
3. Barbara Furlong
4. Nina Dee
5. Debbie Pierce
6. Ann Schach
7. Melanie Collins
8. Kim Lampone
9. Mike Funke
10. Regina Mangum
11. Linda Callahan
12. Anne Eicher
13. Mary Fish
14. Carla Bazhenow
15. Joanna Munster
16. Margaret Moody
17. Martha Stewart

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7!
Stamp Sets:  Artistic Etchings (Available July 1), Chic Boutique (113744), En Francais (109521);  Ink:  Pale Plum (102732), Going Gray (103274), Basic Gray (109120);  Card Stock:  Pale Plum (101658), Going Gray (108693—Neutrals Textured assorted), Very Vanilla (101650);  Tools:  Big Shot (113439),  Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder (Available July 1), Large Oval Punch (107305)—reconfiguring, Scallop Oval Punch (114889)—reconfiguring, Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402);  Glitz and Glam: Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz (118772),  Pretties Kit (109114)—reconfiguring, Basic Grey 3/8″ Taffeta Ribbon (109064) *Items in red are retiring or are being reconfigured

Post from the Past…and a Farewell Blog Hop

Mark your calendars and help us bid a “Fond Farewell” to Stampin’ Up!’s 30 retiring colors! Join us for a PALS HOP on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 as we go live at 5:00 AM CST.  We will be showing off our paper crafting skills with inspirational ideas showcasing our retirees! In honor of our “Fond Farewell”, we are giving away tons of BLOG CANDY!  Each member of the Hop will be offering chances to win their own personal Blog Candy.  That’s right…you will have 17 chances to win! Mark your calendar now! You really don’t want to miss out this month!

And to get our farewell started a wee bit early, how about looking back at a card posted August 30, 2009?

This card featured the stamp set, Perfect Chemistry (IBC Page 151  #114383  $21.95).  This 12 stamp set consists of  images suitable for baby, wedding, birthday, thanks, surprise, congrats, hello, cheers, happy, holidays, hugs & kisses, and celebration cards!  For this particular card, I stamped all of the images in Jet Black StazOn, except for those phrases which I wished to highlight. These were stamped in Real Red.  This set is perfect for making cards for your scientifically minded friends. What chemist could resist The Periodic Table? As a former chemistry teacher, I certainly could not!  This card was just perfect for two former students of mine. To read their story and to see the original post, CLICK HERE.  To see all of this year’s retirees, I have provided the links below.  Have fun checking out to see if any “must-haves” are listed!

Click Here to Visit the Last Chance List
Click Here to Visit the Last Chance Accessory List (updated June 4, 2010)

And don’t forget that with Stampin’ Up!s $99 Starter Kit promotion, there has never been a more perfect time to join The Schach Pack as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator.  I would love to help you foster your creative skills as well as help you set your business goals.  Email Me today, and we will set the process in motion, or simply visit this page to sign-up on-line!  My recruiting password is stampinschach.  Trust me…I have the new catalog in hand and it is filled with fantastic new items.  I have a Wish List a mile long.  Becoming a demonstrator gets you more bang for your buck, as you can take advantage of your demonstrator discount AND you can also receive 30% off your first order.  Do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

And speaking of the new catalog…if you do not currently have a demonstrator, I will gladly supply the first ten (10)  people who email me with a FREE copy of the new Idea Book and Catalog,  just as soon as they become available for distribution.  I will even pay shipping.  I would love to become your Stampin’ Up! “Go-to Gal”!  Until next time… 

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7!

The End and a New Beginning

The day dawned gray and dreary as I awakened for my last day of teaching.  Somehow it seemed to fit my mood. My daily routine varied little from what it was 34 years ago.  Wash my face, brush my teeth, put on make-up.  Dress, eat breakfast, and head out the door by 7:15.  As I pulled into my parking space, a drizzle began to fall, as if the heavens could feel my sadness and were crying with me.  This was not a normal day.  My students were either exempt from taking semester tests or else they qualified to take them early.  I was left with too much “alone” time…too much time to reflect upon all the changes which had occurred during my tenure at West Burlington High School.

I grew up here.  You could guess the decades from my school pictures in the yearbook.  There were the long, straight hair years, followed by the “big hair” and shoulder pads era.  During my twilight years, I traded in “high maintenance” for quick and easy.  I started my career teaching in suits and high heels, and ended in casual slacks and sensible shoes.  As a child of  the ’60’s and ’70’s however, I never did trade in my eyeliner. 
Teaching was never a job to me.  It was a way of life. I had a gift of inspiring students to achieve to the highest of their abilities.  They enjoyed my classes, and I enjoyed them. I taught future doctors, lawyers, nurses, factory workers, policemen, firemen, teachers, mothers and fathers. I  buried eight students, and it was never easy.  I touched their lives and they touched mine. And this was why it was time for me to retire.  I wanted to leave while I still enjoyed it.  I did not want to leave my profession filled with bitterness or hatred, nor did I want to dread going to “work” every day.
Amazingly, as the day progressed, the sun peeked through the clouds, and my reflections turned toward what the future holds in store for me.  At the beginning of each school year, I always had my students list their goals.  “Research shows us that if we write down our goals, we are more likely to achieve them,” I would tell them.  So this afternoon, after the books were stored and the room cleaned for my successor, I wrote down my goals for post-retirement.  Many of them revolve around my creative passion.  I am so looking forward to having the time to design and make cards.  And I would love to belong to another design team after my time with the Dirty Dozen comes to an end.  Some of my goals are business related, such as adding to my Stampin’ Up! downline.  I love the friendship that has evolved with many of my group.  Of course, the teacher in me wants to serve as a mentor to them. I would so love to teach design and technique classes on a regular basis, as well as hold many more workshops.  And of course, there is the all-important goal of spending more time with my son and husband.
As I took one last look around my empty classroom this afternoon, I realized that as one life ends, a new one begins.  What I have learned these past 34 years are lessons that I can take with me into the future.  They have shaped and molded me into the person I am today.  And as my fellow teachers embraced me, as we said our final good-byes, as we shed our collective tears, I knew that I would be OK.  This was not the end, it was a new beginning, a new adventure, a new page in my new life…a life free to create and inspire. 
Starting tomorrow, my new life begins.  I have a PPA card to design, next Tuesday’s Pals Blog Hop and Blog Candy to prepare for, and a Dirty Dozen gallery just waiting for me to upload my cards.  And did I mention a huge box full of my Stampin’ Up! pre-order goodies just calling out my name?   So it’s off to bed after a day which has been an emotional rollercoaster.  Until next time…