You've Come a Long Way, Baby....

So I'm into my third week really as the East Coast shipper for Operation Write Home and I can honestly say that, thanks to helping with "stuffing and stamping" for a year or so and great (patient) training from Dixie, I'm not overwhelmed at all, am loving being "busy" again after two years of retirement and especially for such a worthwhile cause. My husband was in the Navy in the early '70s, stationed in the Indian Ocean with liberty in places like Bangladesh, Ceylon and India - far from home for long periods with very little way to even keep in contact with loved ones. What a blessing greeting cards delivered to their vessel to send back home would have been! So he's my box builder, post office runner and happy to donate his time so others can keep in touch.

Two years ago I had "sort of" made a greeting card because I am first a scrapbooker and knew nothing of rubber stamps, embossing or even a bone folder! It was hard to pick one of my "best" first efforts (because they were so few and far between) but by February 2010, I did know how to use stamp and this was "good" for me.....

Hanging out at an LSS with ladies making cards for OWH inspired me to become a cardmaker but it was a huge learning curve...a year later, though, thanks to Stampin' Up and patient friends, I was graduating from card elementary school...

This past year I began selling Stampin' Up! really as a hobby and became a Certified Copic Designer which were a big boost to the creative juices, but I am still learning so much, loving it all and am truly amazed at the creativity of all the women I've met here in North Carolina and every day through their cards while I'm sorting cards for our heros but I feel like I'm startin' to catch up because I was only slightly intimidated when I found out I was going to be a "Featured Cardmaker.

Being creative for such a good cause is the best of both worlds and although my creative time will be curtailed a bit for the next couple of years, it will be fun making cards for my contacts and the OWH challenges!