Ok, I have to be honest here... When I was a child, I didn't dream that I'd make cards when I "grew up". I mean, really, who does? In fact, my childhood aspirations included being a Butcher (that is, until my Dad told me that I would have to cut the meat up, not just sell it), a Factory Worker (I still remember the picture on my wall of people working in a fruit cannery, because it just looked like so much fun!) or being a Teacher. So, how did I end up making cards? Well, like most good things in life, completely by accident... although, to quote Master Oogway from 'Kung Fu Panda', "There are no accidents".
At the heart of what I wanted to be, was actually what I wanted to do. I wanted to serve (not necessarily meat though), produce (I think I just wanted to make something that people wanted) and share (knowledge, ideas and support).
Being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator allows me to do all of these things!!!
But... how did I get here? Well, I'm happy you asked...
As a 'stay at home' Mum and with a husband (AKA Jeremy) who was always either at work or tinkering with/racing his motorbike, I was looking for something I could do for 'me time'. Fun Fact: my youngest is now 13 and I am yet to find that elusive 'me time'. I had noticed a Scrapbooking Shop in town, (Kalgoorlie, where we were living at the time) and just popped in one day. I decided there and then to book myself into a card making class on the weekend (I am NOT a spontaneous person - this was really not like me... at all!) in 2003, and as they say, the rest... is history.
Stamping supplies in Kalgoorlie were limited, but I soon found a huge range of products on e-bay and as fate would have it, (because... there are no accidents) I would purchase a cute little 'Stampin' Up!® set from e-bay. First inking and I was hooked, absolutely. At the time, Stampin' Up!® wasn't available in Australia, but being a determined and resourceful woman in the noughties... I managed to find someone who would 'bootleg' them into the country for me.
It's possible that I did get a bit 'carried away' with my first order, and I can still remember the cramping pain in my hand from cutting around all the rubber. (If you are new to stamping, you may not know that in the 'early' days, this was the only way you could get them, at least the only way you could get Stampin' Up!® stamps. You would have to cut away at the red rubber and peel backing off to attach them to the wood block.) So happy we don't have to do that any more!
By the time my Stampin' Up!® obsession had really begun, I had 2 babies. Knowing that I wanted more still, I decided not to sign up when we were able to in 2006. I just couldn't give it the time I would need to. But, here I am, 16 years later, all signed up and ready to go!