We have a blog candy winner!!!!  The Random Number generator picked number 193 out of 392 entries, from the post on August 19th, and that entry is:

Mary Strauser who left this comment “Great tutorial. I love trying your tutorials. Wish I could do my braying the way you do. I have tried different things and nothing works for me.  My favorite stamps is lovely as a tree or delight in life
thanks for giving me the chance to win that set.”                             

Mary, please e-mail your address to mzindorf@aim.com so I can pop this in the mail to you.  Congratulations!!!

Thanks to everyone who played along.   I wish I had blog candy for each of you.

Until my next post. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hugs,

Michelle

Good Morning!  I just got the word, I’m scheduled to teach Brayer workshops in Austin, Texas on September 20th & 21st.   I can’t wait to meet you Texans!  I know there are a lot of you too.  So if your interested contact: Lisa Itatani at litatani@pacbell.net or flatfishpaperarts.blogspot.com

Lydia from Texas will be hosting me. Visit her blog which is too funny at www.understandblue.blogspot.com

Also, there are a couple of spots left for the Dayton, Ohio Brayer workshops on September 6th.  Here is a great link to that workshop info with pictures of the projects:  http://marcopaper.com/classzindorf.htm

For more workshop dates and places check out the workshop calendar at the top of this blog.

Also, I really need to share a little something special.  I received this picture from a very proud Grandmother.  Her soon to be eight year old grandson, Noah created this using one of my tutorials.  His Grandmother is not the only one proud!  Way to go Noah!!!

I promise to have a tutorial up tomorrow morning along with the blog candy winner for this week.

Until my next post. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face!

Hugs,

Michelle

 I very much wish I could send blog candy to each and everyone of you who left a comment telling me what brought you to stamping.  I am amazed by the heartfelt stories and just how stamping has touch so many lives.  A few things I found out from your comments are:

1. There is a tremendous amount of scrapbookers out there that stamp.   I may have to do some scrapbook page tutorials in the future.  Although I haven’t scrapbooked in a very long time.  This might be the kick in the pants that I needed to start again. 

2.  I am definitely not alone when it comes to using stamping as a stress reliever/therapy of sorts. 

3.  There are a great number of you that has or had a major illness and stamping has been or is a big help in getting you through it.

4.  You are all my friends!  Much love and hugs to each and everyone of you!!!!

    And the winner of the Studio G Stamps out of a whopping 493 entries is ……………………………………………

Congratulations to Nancy T, who left me this comment:

“Like many others, I started out scrapbooking and originally tried to convince myself that I was not going to get into cardmaking. That thought didn’t last long. I found that card making and stamping are such a great stress reliever for me. I am a chronic pain patient and this is great therapy for me. I can do a card in a short period of time or I can spend hours on cards, depending on my mood, my pain threshold level. Especially now with all the great card ideas that you share, I’m even more excited about stamping. Thanks for always sharing your incredible talent with us!”

Nancy T, you will need to e-mail to your address to mzindorf@aim.com so I can mail out your stamps. 

Thanks again everyone for sharing with me your stories and letting me get to know you a bit better!

Alrighty then, I’m officially off on vacation!  I’ll be back to ramble and share more stamping in 9 days!   For those of you who are signed up for my California workshops, I will see you next weekend.  I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU!

Michelle

Times Up and we already have a winner!!!!

Do to some work commitments I was unable to stamp this morning. :(   I really enjoyed last weeks comments letting me know where you are from.   Knowing about my readers helps to motivate me to continue sharing with you.   My Word! there are a lot of you readers out there!  My blog gets around 2,000 to 3,000 clicks a day and there are about 1,300 of you subscribed to this blog by e-mail.  The shear numbers freak me out a little, lol.

This week I want all of you to share with me, please what brought you to stamping?  In return I have some BLOG CANDY to give you a chance at!

So to enter for a chance to win these 16 Studio G, Series 6 stamp packs with a bonus Valentine pack, please leave me a comment on this post telling me what brought you to stamping.  If you are getting this blog update by e-mail you will need to click this link to leave a comment on this blog post:    http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/07/24/blog-candy-and-getting-to-know-you/

I will use a random number generator to pick the winner on the morning of Saturday, July 26th.

I will start by saying, my friend Claire Sharkey asked me to come along with her to a stamping workshop.  I didn’t care about rubber stamps and wasn’t all that interested, but I wanted to spend time with my friend, Claire, so I went along.  Next thing I know, I’m ordering my very first Stampin’ Up stamp set “Frosty”.  That was back in 2001. 

I almost felt guilty for stamping at first, because I like to paint with watercolors and pastels and there I was just stamping the images instead of drawing them.  But my stamping in time became more artist in nature and more satisfying too.  I know you don’t believe it, but I can pretty quickly do a scene now with stamps and ink.  Now I say quickly, but quickly to me is 1 hour.  I like the creative process and why rush it.  :)   My paintings with pastel can take me, literally months to complete, so 1 hour to accomplish a scene seems super quick.

Alright, that is my beginning in stamping, what is yours?

Sadly, there is no time for stamping today.  A quick ditty this morning is all I have time for. . . .. . .

A lady and her co-workers go to a bar after a hard days work to unwind.  As she is sitting there the most gorgeous man she has ever seen walked in.  She couldn’t help but take little glances at him out of the corner of her eye.  Much to her disbelief he walked over to her and said “for twenty dollars I’ll do any thing you ask me to do”.  She thought for a moment, reached down and got a twenty out of her purse and said “Clean my house”, lol.

 That’s how I’m feeling today.  Much to do in way of housework.  We are having a birthday party for my Grand Daughter this weekend and I have a messy house to get ready for company.

There are so many comments on yesterday’s post, I’m so very amazed!  I would love to know where everyone is from.  Give me a shout out today by commenting on this post telling me were you live.  I’ll start by telling you I’m from West Alexandria, Ohio.

If you are getting my blog updates by e-mail and you want to comment, please click this link to take you to my blog:   http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/07/17/no-stamping-for-me-today/

 Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow, Friday, I will be announcing the winner of yesterday’s blog candy.

May your day be a peaceful and relaxing one. 

Until my next post.. . . . . . .

Hugs,

Michelle