I'm Just a girl

Something really cool that's new to share!

 

Who doesn't LOVE a group of friends with the same interest? Today i am excited my dear friend April has included me in a new adventure she is on...

The website looks amazing...The people involved are stellar...April is so excited to be involved and so I am excited to share her news with YOU! Paper Coterie is generously doing a great give-away to all the girls that read my blog!

when you join them on May 4th, during the Open House Event, all of my readers will get:

no.1  $40 credit to spend that day (they only pay for shipping)
no. 2  An inspire-y message from Dr. Brene Brown that most of us 
can use; who doesn't love to be inspired by Brene... She amazes me!
no. 3  All new content and inspiring ideas; LOVE this!

Pretty great stuff for a Friday!

Also...

Over on the Spark blog we are doing a give-away...

A little LOVE from Rhonna...

Really check it out!

I love sharing great new things! Especially with all of you!

I hope you have a GREAT weekend! Wow it will be May like in a day or two!

What the heck!

kiss kiss

m

things i love Wednesday...

How did it get to be Wednesday already?

seriously?

Monday got away from me...

i guess so did Tuesday...

i have been busy...

what's new?

busy is what i do...

working at my new job...

{can't wait to talk about it!}

spending time with my kids...
Easter Sunday...

spending time with Family...
My Dad & Mom...

and the people i love...
Jaden...

unpacking boxes of Girls' Paperie product...

{ i have gotten a lot of e-mails about the product not being available! Alot of it is SOLD OUT the Girls' Loft has Jubilee in April's kit and in May it will be Kitch & June will be Vintage Whimsy you can pre-order kits and get April's now if you're looking...I will be doing some on-line stuff with the classes i have been teaching at stores...}

working on an on-line class...

{details to come}

planning Spark...

{hope you are coming,teachers will be announced May 1st!}

planning a move from the cottage to a colorful condo...

{can't wait to have a 2 car garage, someone to take care of my yard, a pool, and feel safer}

more to come on this...

things i am excited about...

things i love...

waiting for Spring to REALLY arrive...

yesterday it snowed, rained, snowed again and the wind blew like a mother...

then the sun came out, the skies were blue...

Utah in the spring can be a little skitz...

today i have a press check on one of the new lines...

love press checks...

love the smell of new paper being printed...

excited about some really great things in my future...

today is going to be another busy great day...

just the way i love it...

happy Wednesday...

kiss kiss

m

 

 

 

sometimes you have to retreat...

This week i did something for myself...

i took 5 glorious days out of my busy life and spent them with girlfriends...

it was exactly what i needed...

time away from my crazy busy happy life...

time with dear sweet sisters...

we had a ball...

it started Friday night, Christy arrived late in the evening...

we talked until dawn...

Saturday we picked up Julie...

we had a big breakfast...

we shopped...

we had a wonderful massage...

we shopped some more...

had a great dinner...

and talked until dawn...

Sunday morning Chrissy, Jeanne & Jamie arrived...

we drove up to the cabin we rented in Nibley, Utah...

up against the beautiful snow capped mountains...

away from our crazy busy lives...

just us...

Melody and Maria arrived in the late afternoon from Boise...

we went into town and bought some groceries...

{a lot of junk food}

we cought up with one another...

we laughed, we cried, we talked until dawn...

Monday we spent the day in our jammies...

eating, talking, laughing, and created art...

Tuesday we got up got dressed and we went into Logan...

We shopped...

We ate at the historical Blue Bird Cafe...

We did an informal photo shoot... 

We thrifted, antiqued, and we met Jayme and Loralee for dinner...

We laughed, we cried, we talked until dawn...

Wednesday we said our goodbyes...

We hugged, we laughed and we cried...

my Girlfriends have become such an important part of my life...

i feel so blessed to have taken the time to do this for me...

i am grateful to the friendships that i have...

for the support that my friends give me...

the joy they bring into my life...

taking 5 days to retreat was just what i needed...

it felt good...

it feels good to be home...

back in the cottage...

back to work...

back to my crazy busy life...

hope you have something wonderful planned for this Easter weekend...

the sun is shining today...

happy...

i plan on de-junking my studio for Earth Day...

if you haven't checked the Spark blog lately do...

lots of changes...lots of posts and inspiration...

today a Girls' Paperie Give-away!

happy Friday!

kiss kiss

m

 

friendship...

 
 This morning i woke up early...

i of course went to bed late...

the birds were chirping loudly...

as first i was miffed...

but then i remembered...

Spring...

and i was happy...

i woke with an unbelievable feeling of gratitude for the friendships i have in my life...
i am overwhelmed by it this morning...

last night before i went to bed i was texting back and forth with a very dear friend...

we were talking about how lucky we were to have a friendship like ours...

a rare gift...

i do believe that to be true...

in the last year it has been my friends who have gotten me through... 

not a day goes by that one of my friends is there for me...

today i am preparing for some of my friends to come and have a sleepy...

{sleep-over}

Christy has organized a few days away from the world, just girlfriend time...

i can't begin to tell you how great this is for me...

i feel so grateful for the friendships i have...

i know that i am blessed...

in so many ways...

Monday on the flight home from South Africa i had LOTS of time to think...

i watched a movie or two...

{like 10}

one was a movie about sisters...

i have 2 sisters...

i love my sisters...

but the women i call my friends have become that...

my sisters...

{Tim & Mario are bros...}

wink!

in the movie the older sister gets married and the younger sister reads a poem...

the poem stuck in my heart...

i sat there sobbing...

{poor dude next to me}

but it resinated with me...

i am blessed to have so many amazing women in my life...

i get to meet them and connect with them through my job...

amazing...

i am grateful that i have a handful of {true}

the friends that are there for me...

love me unconditionally...

most of them live far away...

but they are always with me...

{in my heart}

so this morning, when i woke early in the dark, listening to the birds...

i was reminded of this sweet poem...

to all of my sisters out there...

you are in my heart...

i am grateful...

kiss kiss

m

 
i carry your heart with me
{i carry it in my heart}
i am never without it
{anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling}
i fear no fate
{for you are my fate, my sweet}
i want no world
{for beautiful you are my world,my true}
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows
{here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide}
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart
{i carry it in my heart}

                                e.e.Cummings

 

home from an amazing life journey...

i am home...

after 13 days away...

over 80 travel hours...

it feels good...

but like i have said before...

i leave a part of my heart in South Africa...

it is a special place for me...

the first time i stepped foot in South Africa in 2006 i knew i would return...

some places are just like that...

they take hold of your heart...

not only is it the country, it's the people...

this trip was no different...

i met so many wonderful, kind women...

i was reunited with some of the women i met on my very first trip...

in a word the trip was amazing...

everything about it...

we started out in Johannesburg...

taught a huge group of delightful, excited women...

the venue was beautiful...

Glenda and her team worked for hours, days months to make it special for each delegate...

{student}

In JoBurg we ate some great food...

we did some shopping...

we did a lot of laughing...

catching up...

Then we were off to Port Elizabeth...

and we drove to Kichaka...

magic...

it's the only word i can use to describe it...

the lodge is so beautiful...

serene...

private...

stunning...

i love it there...

we were greeted by hippos at the watering pool...

amazing to watch and hear...

my hut in kachika was like out of a romantic novel...

dark woods...

white linens...

flowy curtains...

private pool...

outdoor shower...

thatched roof...

really?

this time at Kachaka we spent more time at the resort it's self...

sitting by the pool...

by the fire...

on the decks...

in our huts... 

the game drives were amazing...

we saw it all...

Jeffery our guide was a stud...

his tracker Stembele was a rocker...

we got so close to the animals this time around...

Jeffery was the man...

no fear...

we saw Zebra, Elephant, Giraffe, Cheetah, Lion, Rhino, Hippo and of course everything else...

after a few days of rest and relaxation we headed back to Port Elizabeth to fly to Cape Towne...

Cape Towne is beautiful...

by the water...

we ate...

we shopped...

we went on a tour of a winery... 

we ate great cheese...

we stayed at Spier Estates... 

the venue for the Cape Towne group...

again beautiful rooms...

beautiful venue...
 

great group of women... 

we ate in a tree at Moya...

had our faces painted...

talked about the last 2 weeks...

ate great food...

laughed...

listened to music...

amazing...

then we said our goodbyes...

to South Africa...

to Glenda's team of wonderful ladies...

tears were shed...

pieces of our hearts were left...

hoping to return one day...

i love South Africa...

i love the memories i have created there...

grateful...

blessed...

humbled...

it's good to be home...

from another amazing life journey...

kiss kiss

m

Thank you Johannesburg!

i can't begin to tell you how amazing it has been to be back in JoBurg...

what an amazing few days!

                                                                                                {out my hotel window this morning}

the event Glenda puts on is amazing...
every detail is paid... 

the women are so kind and gracious here!

it was so good to see some of the women that i taught the very first time i was in South Africa!

i absolutely love love love it here...

yesterday {saturday} Tim and I taught all day, 2 large sessions of classes...

it was a LONG day...

but the girls were excited...and loved every minute of the classes and being together!

Today was a day of rest...

we went to Glenda & Gary's home for a Braai...Authentic South African BBQ

Gary is a master on the grill...

it was amazing!

the food was incredible...

the men battled the rain but it was worth it!

their home was lovely...

it was so nice to just relax with friends and eat an delicious meal... 

i am having the time of my life...

it is so great to be teaching with Tim...

Tomorrow we leave for Kichaka...

one of the most amazing places on Earth...

i am so excited...

i pinch myself even at the thought...

who knew?

a girl like me...

in South Africa...

going to a world class resort on a 4 day game drive...

it takes my breath away...

and this is my second time...

really?

i hope i can even sleep...

a girl from Utah...

who makes pretty paper...

crazy...

really?

wow...

goodnight from Johannesburg...

thank you for a lovely stay...

you are deep in my heart...

i will be back one day...

i hope...

kiss kiss

m

 

 

Change...

Hello from beautiful South Africa...

Today i am blogging with a heavy heart...

the word is out...

The Girls' Paperie is no more...

for well over a year now i have designed and loved every minute under the Advantus umbrella designing The Girls' Paperie...

This experience has been amazing...

I have grown in so many ways...

The last year has  been filled with a lot of fabulous opportunities like being here in South Africa...

and so many more...

designing my own lines has been a dream come true...

i love designing beautiful paper...

i have said it a million times...

i am a scrapbooker...

i will always be a scrapbooker...

i am also a designer who loves beautiful paper and i love making it...

in the last few years doors have closed...

new ones have opened...

and after a lot of thought and prayer I find that i need to shut one door and open another...

Right now i am not able to tell you what i am up to...

but know this...

i am designing paper...

beautiful paper...

i will be at CHA Summer...

with a brand new company i am so excited to be part of from the ground up...

i love the scrapbooking ...

i love the industry...

i feel so grateful to be part of it...

i want to thank Advantus for an amazing year...

i love everyone there that i had the pleasure of working with...

i want to thank Tim for being such a great mentor to me while at The Girls' Paperie...

i look forward to an amazing future in the Scrapbooking world...

i will continue to teach with The Girls' Paperie until July...

i look forward to meeting more of you and sharing my passion for scrapbooking...

i hope you follow me into my next journey in this crazy life of mine...

kiss kiss

m