Weather or Not......?

Memorial Weekend, the Springfield, MA Rubber Stamp Convention in the midst of cleaning up after a horrible tornado hit the city, my nephew leaving his wife of one year and three week old baby for his fourth tour of duty - this time in Kuwait, leaves me feeling sad as I head home to Chicago knowing that there is little I can do to change the conditions of what was, what is, and wondering what is to come.

We will not be attending the convention this weekend as vendors in West Srpingfield, MA. We chose to head home after hearing the terrible news and being told by the hotel management to change our plans as the roads were closed at the time we called them on Thursday morning to see what the damage had amounted to. The Expo Center was not harmed and the parking lot was accessible south of the city but still, as I watched the National Guard called in and the Red Cross show up, I knew that this was not the time nor the place for Bugawumps to be.

So we made the decision to turn back in Erie, PA and support those of you in West Springfield, MA by making a donation to the Red Cross on behalf of our customers who were directly affected by the the tornado. We needed to help those who suffered the loss of their homes, business, family, or friends with something more than a rubber stamp sale. We felt the need to give our support with a donation to the Red Cross instead of making a profit this weekend. We felt the need to help someone else.

We have attended shows in areas that had been hard hit by hurricanes and tornadoes in the past, Virginia Beach, VA and Houston, TX to be exact and the results were not good. So instead we chose to take the loss and use the dollars we saved by making a donation that would truly do some good for those in need.

For those of you who were hoping to see us in West Springfield, MA - we apologize and are offering ALL our customers free shipping along with 10 percent of the sale to be donated to the Springfield,MA Tornado Red Cross Fund if you place an order by phone or mail from our web-catalog between Friday, June 3rd through Sunday, June 12th.

In the meantime, prayers go out to all who understand that help is on the way and we are with you in spirit, hope, and faith for a better tomorrow.

Laura Anne and Bella Boo, Hubby, too

The Morning After

The morning after a big event or holiday leaves me thankful for my days of quiet routine.

While I love the hustle and bustle and all the hoopla that goes with a holiday, I love my normal boring to some schedule of nothingness that keeps me busy and leaves time for creative thinking. I am glad that my family has a simplistic attitude towards these "non" holiday days.

Mother's Day to me is one of those odd days - you may disagree with me after you read this and I realize I am one of few who think like this but to me, we should celebrate those we love every day. If you need a day designated by others that tells you to to tell your parent you love them, something is really amiss.

How did I spend my day - well, my family sort of celebrated the day before which always makes me happier by having an easy dinner and celebrating two birthdays together. We each recieved our prospective cards and the gift of enjoying one another. Teriyaki burgers, sweet potato fries, fruit and a homemade cake....paper plates, not quite, but certainly not the good china.

On Sunday, my son and his wife took a nice walk and then worked in their backyard while our daughter and her husband went to see a movie. My mother spent it with one of my brothers and his daughter's extended family. My husband and I took our sweet Bella to a dog park and sat on bench as she ran like the wind chasing the other puppies through the dandelions and tall grasses. Easy.... thankful......blessed with the knowlegde that we love one another and don't need the hoopla to prove it to one another.

Some would find this boring, but on this sunny Monday morning, I know that life doesn't get better than this.

As you walk through your Monday, remembering your Sunday, feel blessed no matter how you spent it. You are lucky enough to be here, to be able to hug, to draw, to stamp, to create whatever you choose regardless of who dictates what day is what.

Happy "Women's" Day Everyday!

Laura Ann and Bella Boo

Uggghhhhhh - and I don't mean the Boots.

Boots Anyone? The rain in our area has me wondering if thigh high wading boots will be a necessary part of my wardrobe on a daily basis.

The rivers are flooding the plains, the retention basins are spilling over into the parking lots, and the wooded pathways are freely flowing over with the dark waters from the lagoons bringing with it birds we very rarely see the likes of, because they too, are seeking higher ground.

Add to that a moral dilema that has me disappointed in someone I helped and trusted and I feel more than a little bit blue today if not soggy as well.

Bella and I will traipse through these rough days in hopes that everything that seems murky, dark and damp will shimmer and glisten in the sun's rays when it decides to show its face.

In the meantime, I think I will pull out my Pan Pastels and color my world a bit brighter in hopes that waters will soon reside and we can both go out and play in our garden of delight.

Hang on everyone, the life raft will be along soon......I promise.....

Laura Anne and Bella Boo

Feeling Blessed!

We are home after a long but wonderful weekend at the "Adventures In Stamping" rubber stamp convention in Akron, OH. What a great crowd of ladies! Patient, kind, creative and inquisitive - always wanting to learn more about the art of rubber stamping and beyond. After 14 years of attending this show - our very first convention was in Independence, OH sponsored by "Wild Bill" and his delightful wife, Cindy Petal. We still feel "the love" from our first convention attendees. You are all like family to us. This is our second year carrying and promoting the creamiest of pastels - PAN PASTELS and the SOFFT TOOLS that go with them. We had all 80 colors and ran out of almost every color by 1 pm on Saturday....for those of you wondering we had 36 of each color color available. We figure that the northern portion of Ohio will look like a technicolor wonderland by the end of today if everyone who bought them opens them up and paints their little portion of the world in the next few hours. I am hoping that is a reality and not a dream as I know how much of what gets purchased at conventions never sees the light of day until I see you at next year's show asking me how to use it again! So my challenge for all our customers and convention attendees is to open your bags today ladies and start creating beautiful works of art! Thank you all Ladies for making us always feel at home and treating us like your family. We love seeing you and catching up on your families and telling you about ours as well. Until next year - color your worlds beautiful so we have even more to celebrate when come together again. Laura Anne, Bella Boo, and the Hubby too!

Every Day is Different

March- What a fun month. Every day is different!

One minute it is snowing, the next it is raining, then a rainbow appears out of nowhere.

Unexpected moments.....unexpected creativity....or just mass chaos?

Whatever your day has decided to be - let it unfold. Which is always better than folding the laundry!

Make sure that whatever happens today, you do something or share it with someone who makes you feel good about yourself.

The highs and lows of Spring, the highs and lows of life, the highs and lows of creativity swing in whatever direction we are pushed. So for today, I am going to push Bella and I towards "happy'.

How about You?

Swinging to our own beat,

Laura Anne and Bella Boo