Hi there!

Welcome to the Monday Musings!  Many of you send in questions, stamping related and not,  and I have tried to find the right format to share these things… and there isn't a perfect format, so I have decided to start doing these right here on the I Teach Stamping blog 🙂

These will include a bit of what to expect for the week, what is happening in our family, what projects are in progress – just updates so you know where we are with things.

The question I have been asked the most has been asking if I will make anymore public YouTube videos.  And the answer is YES!  Let me share some background with you all, and warning – it does go personal.

When I get behind or overwhelmed, the first thing to go off the to-do list is videos.  There are several reasons why.  First, and this is the second hardest reasons to type and share… I run this as a true business.  I love you all greatly and I hope you can feel that as I type.  We have to have this income, this is my job.  And YouTube videos don't bring in money the way that other activities do.  That's just the hard truth on it.  So when this one woman biz has other things that have to take priority, that's just what happens.  I run other programs that people are paying for or have already paid for, and I have to deliver on that.  I don't believe in getting paid for work not done or work not done well.  So Stamping Family has to be a priority, Papercrafting Triple Play has to get made, bow makers have to be shipped, etc.  The other thing is, and this is the hardest to type and share… two years ago I finished a hard goal of losing 70 lbs.  I felt amazing!  Then a year ago, I started really battling anxiety.  We don't know what started it, why it started, nothing.  But it was bad enough to start taking medication for it.  It seemed like every week we were trying something new as I am very sensitive to medications.  Making videos during that time was just unbearable.  As Stamping Family knows, there were many days I got up, made their videos and went back to bed, almost or sometimes in tears afterwards.  While so many things in our world were going great, I had never felt worse.  With all the medications, here came the weight, and that has sucked.  Truly sucked.  We do feel like the anxiety is managed at this point, which has been a blessing. It has been a long year to get to this point.  But I hate getting on camera with the weight gain.  I do it for the things I listed above, because I *have* to, Stamping Family truly is a family, and it has been amazing to walk through this with them.

This summer, I decided not to push and make the public videos.  Emily was off from school, Matt took some time off work, we took our first vacation in three years, we all needed a great family summer.  During this summer, I have truly felt the biggest change in me.  My business has become more managed as the anxiety is also managed.  We have spent more time together playing games, going to the local water park, reading books together, going on a trip of a lifetime, morning snuggles on the couch with Emily, cooking together as a family and more.

All of that to say, there will be videos coming to YouTube.

Emily heads back to school this week.  It's sad that our summer is coming to an end, but it's also time.  I am so excited for her as she enters her second year at this school.  Many of you have asked about the journey from public school to home school to private school, and I will share that all here with you for those that are still wanting to know about that.  While tuition payments are not fun, we joyfully make them each month.  It was not even a consideration to not keep her at her school this upcoming year.  She will be playing volleyball again with her practices having already started and the season starts on Thursday.  She has worked her booty off to be at the level that she is at.  From never playing before last year, like never held a volleyball until last year, we fully anticipate that she will be on the top team for middle school.  I learned so much from her this year with her dedication to trying something new while greatly missing a sport she loved doing for years.  Courage.  Determination.  Hard Work.  All those things.

WOW, we started the musing idea really deep this week.  But I wanted to rip off the bandaid and not hold back on the biggest issue me and my business face.

As for this week and what to expect…

There will be 2-3 new blog posts of projects headed your way.  Also information on the new paper share opportunity for the holiday catalog will be shared this week, so be sure to stay tuned so you don't miss that!

Stamping Family is getting a facelift!  We are wrapping up year number 6 (WOW!) and as we head into year 7 we are switching software and making some awesome improvements.  However the weekly videos continue, the inspirations continue, everything keeps moving along while all the coding and updates are being done in the background.  It is so amazing, I can't wait for you all to see it!!!   This past week there were videos shared in there on a different way of doing the spotlight technique and mixing embossing folders.  Now I get to excitedly wait and see what the members are doing with those ideas.  Seeing their creations is what fuels me and keeps me going into year number 7.

The September issue of Papercrafting Triple Play is in the works – and just a heads up, it's adorable!  I am blown away by the response to this program.  I had no idea how it would go over when it was launched in November of last year.  The idea for the triple play was to mix 3D projects with cards to create beautiful ensembles.   The templates were designed to work with most any supplies.  I use very few products in there because I want the projects – not the products – to be the star.  All of the issues are available at papercraftingclasses.com.

In just a few minutes, we head out for volleyball practice, while she is there I have a follow up with my eye doctor as I am struggling with my new progressive lenses – yay the joys of getting older!  Then it's off to the pediatrician for Emily's 13 year well check and school physical.  Then a trip to the mall to exchange jeans that fit her two weeks ago – she keeps growing!  And then to the grocery store before eating a quick dinner and then hopefully a quick dash to the water park for a couple of laps around the lazy river.

I hope that you have an amazing day and an amazing week!  I love creating, I love creating even more when I know that I create and share is helping you create and share.  That's what fills my bucket.  It truly is my heart!  XOXO, Meg