still me

ready for monday.

Today was our last Sunday in Beijing… Eric spoke last week, and I was asked to speak today. It was a little bit hard to get through, but I was so thankful for the chance to share my thoughts and feelings…I think that the best part of giving a talk is preparing for it. It gave me a chance to really look at the things I have learned and gained throughout the last year and ½.  It was a COLD, COLD day in Beijing today, and we had planned to take a family photo after church, but man, it was cold, and there were even snow flurries.  

As usual, i LOVE having visitors! and i feel so lucky that my dear friend Jodi could come and stay this last week. she has been an awesome help, and it's been so fun to show Beijing off to her. Last night we went shopping at the Hong Qiao Market, and we bought a bunch of purses and watches and scarves to SHARE with the unfortunate that can't actually COME HERE! ... i hate knowing i won't have access to all the fun! not that i need anything, i just like KNOWING that if i want it, it's there! LOL... silly girl. Our friends the Mackays came too, and we made it into a big 'extravaganza' as is everything you set out to do here (nothing is simple! lol). we ate at our favorite restaurant, and GORGED. hmmmmm good food.

I had to get everything off my desktop computer that I would need during the transition, and turn my computer off, and take it all down. We are guessing 4-6 weeks before we’ll see the stuff that we are shipping by boat back home. We have  moving company coming tomorrow to help us get packed up and move us through customs. When we came here, we just loaded a container ourselves, and sent it over, and eric was able to deal with customs here… getting everything out of the country is a different story. We have to basically pay a moving company to verify all our contents, then they process it through customs. I am so totally not sure what to expect when they arrive in the morning. I am anticipating a flurry of activity.

 

I made a couple of little videos today. We are busy preparing for our ‘Easter’ Celebration (above is a little sneak peek!!)  at House of 3, so I was making a video for that. Our new content will all be up on April 1st!  if you aren't signed up for our newsletter, you be sure to do so! we'll be sending out daily ideas/inspiration, you won't want to miss. we have a few other surprises, so don't miss out!
 I had been making some thank you cards, so I thought I’d make a little video of the QUICKEST card ever! I have SO many people to THANK, and so I was making a few little cards- since I don’t have any envelopes, and all my stuff is packed up, it’s super minimal, and totally exactly what I needed right now.  Maybe it will come in handy for you some time! (if you need some Jewel Brads or some FLOWERS (on clearance, i love the WHITE too! shipped right to your door! wink!)
I also have been wanting to make a video about how the purse clip works, since it’s hard to describe if you have never seen one… so check that out as well! The purse clip retails for $6.99 and you can get one HERE!
I am going to get a few zzzzzz’s before tomorrow’s big day!
I LOVE Monday.
Here is the quick little cards:

and here is a little video explaining what the heck the PURSE CLIP is: good night!

goodbye Daystar...

Just wanted to quickly share a few photos from the kid’s last of school… Jodi and I went in for a few hours… goodbye parties, lunch, and some performances in Colton and Cory’s class. Quite frankly, it was a bit heart breaking… the kids have totally grown and progressed so much in this environment.. their teachers and friends are all so sad to see them leave! Here is a little peak into their classrooms, as well as a look at the outside of the school.

this is q's class.. 'lower elementary' grades 1-3

'circle time'... they sang Q a going away song, and gave her this book... she was so touched, and filled with her little mixed emotions. i can tell that she loves these people, and at the same time is SO excited to go back to her old friends, and old school...

This is Colton and Cory's english teacher...'Aunt Suzy' (they call their teachers Aunt or Uncle, as it's chinese tradition). This is a woman that none of them will EVER forget. she is stunning.

Colton and Cory's 'upper elementary' class rom - grade 4-6

getting their books... quite a glimpse into their frienships and schoolmates... loved it!

This place has been such a blessing. Eric and I went to parent teacher conf. yesterday. We met w/ the Chinese and English teachers, it was quite emotional for me, as I heard about how hard the kids have been working, what their improvement has been and how they have grown and changed. It also made me SO happy and SO grateful that they have had the time they have, and this experience. While I was sad…as we were walking to the car, looking back- my heart was just bursting with gratitude for the whole thing. Each one of the kids’ class mates and teachers wrote them good-bye letters, and they made them into books. They are the sweetest things.

Ok, today is a day full of packing and organizing. I’ve gotta get off the computer! wish us luck!

it's her lucky day!

who could use a little comic relief?

So, do you think this stuff really works? I am trying anything!

I think that what we really need is a little comic relief..  my sweet friend Chanel forwarded this to me this morning, and I got a good chuckle:

One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book. 



Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, 'Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?'




'Reading a book,' she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that obvious?') 





'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her. 


 




'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading' 




 
'Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.  I'll have to take you in and write you up.' 
 




'For reading a book,' she replies, 



'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her again,


'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading' 




'Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.  I'll have to take you in and write you up.' 





'If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault,' says the woman. 




'But I haven't even touched you,' says the game warden. 



'That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.' 
 




'Have a nice day ma'am,' and he left. 

 





MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think. 
 
 
 
 
Send this to four women who are thinkers. 


LOVE IT!! funny huh!

This made me laugh too!… I have rec’d several emails telling me that I look like Alexis Grace- from American Idol (the one that got the boot last week)… i got this in an email from Rebekah with our photos attached… I thought it was funny! (this photo of me is 5 years old - man,  i have really aged since then!)

 What do you think? long lost sisters? Maybe I should consider the PINK! I thought she was pretty awesome, so I was sad that she was off the show…I can’t wait for Cathy Zielskie’s facebook commentary of the show. If you aren’t a facebook friend of Cathy, you have to add her, and join in as she hosts the show from Facebook! It is the funniest thing ever… and I LOVE it, cause I read it all before I get to see it 12 hours later! Jump in and add your thoughts and comments! It’s SOOO FUN! the idols this season ROCK, and I am LOVING it. we are all addicted in our house, except Eric who thinks we are total dorks! Today is my kids’ last day at their school… I am taking in treats, and we are having a ‘going away’ party… the ‘going away’ parties are killing me. I just feel my heartbreak every time. I mean, (gulp)… it’s not likely that we will ever see these people, who have been such a blessing and influence in our lives again. UGH. My kids have had amazing teachers, and supports. I can’t even believe the growth, and maturity they have gained in 7 months. (deep breaths).

My sweet friend Jodi is here… we have been friends for years, and she works for US Airways, so she just jaunted here to help pack up. we went to the market last night to buy her a purse (she got a really cute shiny pink one!), and go to my favorite jewelry lady… and man, I am going to miss this place. Because see, you can get fabulous purses like THIS!!! I have a hot pink one, but this yellow is SO fab..

Who wants it!?

yep, in celebration, and because I am HERE, and soon, I won’t be… I am giving this cute thing away!  Leave me a comment, and I will pick a winner in 24 hours! GOOD LUCK….

i sit, i sleep!

i have been sitting here typing, and i keep falling asleep. i am pooped. ...

C O N G R A T S to:

I love the soft colors. I pictured some scrapbook layouts of my daughter when she was little & then I thought about some of my garden pictures too. Love those popping butterflies!
Posted by: Jenny | March 21, 2009 at 05:22 AM

Those papers would be perfect for my new baby that is due to arrive on April 18th! Love the patterns and the soft colors!!
Posted by: Karalyn | March 21, 2009 at 08:14 AM

heidi, these are marvellous. I would do baby or ballet pictures of my grand-daughters. All these pînk leotards.... and the butterflies, of yes... Pick me, pick me I never win anything!
Posted by: Louise Dubord | March 21, 2009 at 09:53 AM

Ok - if I win these SO BEAUTIFUL prizes, not to mention the totally awesome purse clip that I have needed all my life as I never put my purse down! I PROMISE to scrap the pictures of my daughter (6 yrs old) doing my hair in the bleachers while watching her older brothers play basketball! Products are perfect for this girly girl of mine! I have been in such a rut lately that this would surely get me out with a big SMILE!
Posted by: Dawn Reynolds | March 23, 2009 at 07:33 AM

Perfect for the memories we created today - it was "Gotcha" Day, the day we celebrate the adoption our two girls!! We spent the day walking and enjoying this beautiful Spring weather and celebrating the creation of our family! Thanks for inspiring.
Posted by: Wendy O. | March 21, 2009 at 09:51 PM

PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH YOUR INFO!!

i thank you all for your comments! it sounds like ALL OF YOU need this paper! i was moved and inspired by so many of yoU! i love that about scrapbookers... meaning in everything you do! the way you look at the world, so full of intention and appreciation!... thanks again for playing!

I am feeling HIGHLY stressed, and relying on so many things to come together, and trying not to push the PANIC button. Today was a really productive Monday! … and I feel good about all that i got done, but feeling overwhelmed by what still needs to happen!  We did a bunch of purging, and packing today. I keep trying to figure out what to take on the plane, and what to pack, and where in the boat shipment. Trying to do a better job documenting.
Tonight we had a delish dinner with friends, and then everyone threw us a ‘going away’ party. we reserved one of the gyms at the school and everyone brought a dessert to share, and the kids just played, and ran around.. while the adults stood around and visited. It was SO nice to be surrounded by all of our friends here, and it made us feel SO loved, and even more sad to be leaving. 

I just opened an email from my dad… and he shared an expression with me that he saw over the door of a  youth hostel:

"Gott gibt uns die Nusse, aber er beisst sie nicht auf."

Translation:
God gives us nuts, but he doesn't bite them open for us.

i had to laugh, but agree that the saying is true!... i find it SO ironic, that i was so scared and stressed and worried  as i was leaving AZ 18 months ago- i never would have thought i'd be so sad to leave! i have been trying to focus on the things i am SO grateful for in all this! , and i have everything to be thankful for. Especially life long, world-wide friends.
 I just totally fell asleep as I was blogging, I need to get to bed…
Congrats to the winners!!!
I’m not done GIVING  yet… so check back!

SPRING is LUCKY!

Almost overnight, the buds have been popping, and the little leaves and flowers have been emerging. It’s perfect timing for my ‘Fresh and Free’ collection GIVE! The vibe is really pretty feminine… and i love it! love the colors… today’s give away includes:

2 of each of the papers… including the border sheet, which is my favorite!
1 of the blue/green alphabet chipboard books
1 of the matchy-match Fresh and Free stickers
1 of the black and white alphabet stickers
and..
the purse clip, which you will LOVE LOVE.

supplies:
Free Spirit paper
Fresh and Free borders
love notes stickers
Invisibles DOT letter stickers
chandelier crystals
verb stickers
dot overaly
dots paper
droplets paper

did this the first time i had even a print out of this paper!
supplies:
Sing song paper
Bird flourish
Fresh free stickers
Ghost ornate frames
Glossy chipboard letters

i LOVE this paper, how the butterflies pop up! you can curl the edges, and ink.. and do cool colors under..
really cute for a card too!

Free paper
Chipboard alpha (white)

this one is a work-in-progress..  i need to take the photos.

i used:
Fresh and free borders

Sing song paper
Free spirit paper
Clear stamp alpha
invisibles chipboard frames: i added some pink acrylic paint to this along w/ some ribbon and a flower!

so.. now that hopefully  you are feeling inspired...leave me a comment about what memory you have that would be perfect for these papers!! and i will be selecting 5 winners Monday...
Have a wonderful and creative weekend!

i will leave you with this little SNEAK peek into what we are working on over at House of 3!!
have you started thinking about Easter?

WHO feels luckY!?

c o n g r a t s   f r i e n d s !!
Ok, the winning comments have been selected:
girls please EMAIL ME!!

Oh yay more prizes, these are awesome papers! I would love to use them to scrapbook my sisters wedding in St Lucia with all my family, it was the most fun vacation/wedding! It was in 2007 but I am that far behind on photos!! lol
Posted by: hannah | March 18, 2009 at 10:20 PM

My son's 13th Bday is over the summer, here in sunny AZ. I am working on a book of just the stories of what he has said over the years. I havent found the right colors to represent him, but I think I have found them!!!
Posted by: Gretchen McDowell | March 19, 2009 at 06:04 AM

i live in KANSAS, so no beach pictures, but, my 16yr old son is a lifeguard & my girls are on the swim team...so LOTS of summer fun in KS, believe it or not :)
Posted by: annemade | March 19, 2009 at 07:56 AM

I have been drooling over everything in you catalog, trying to be patient until it all hits the stores. This line is perfect for our water park pictures, and there are plenty of those!
Posted by: Mandi | March 19, 2009 at 11:58 AM

I love the fresh colors of this collection! These would be perfect for all of the pictures this So. Cal beach lover has waiting to go on my layouts! Especially can't wait to scrapbook our recent trip to sunny Florida! Thanks for all of the inspiration!
Posted by: christina | March 19, 2009 at 09:10 PM

feeling a little inspired myself... Last night I put the finishing touches on this layout.. I started it like 2 weeks ago, and it must have gotten shuffled under a mound of stuff-  I unearthed it and felt inspired to complete. I just love this photo of Colton- this is another from our trip to Australia.

 

Supplies:
Paper : summer sun borders,  flowering vine (carefree), summer dress,
•    the dot corner is off the 'sing song paper' (fresh and free)
Stickers: “this is fun” is summer sun stickers and “boogie” b&w alpha stickers
Journaling spots: arrows and days
Rub ons: fun: outlines, serious: habitat
Chipboard: ‘ride’: chipboard alphabet booklet
Masks: vine, circle mega mask
Stamps: tim holtz (stampers anonymous) calendar  skeleton/birds/swirl
Ink: broken china distress ink

I just have to share a couple fun photos from today. Eric and I were out the door bright and early – off to the fabric market. Now that we are leaving, of course I feel this panic to get various projects completed and opportunities seized. I will MISS the fabric market..

I will miss the Jin Bei! this is our van.. we sold it today…which is a huge blessing, and also sorta sad! We have grown so attached to it! we can squeeze A LOT of people (and bikes) in it. it’s trekked ALL OVER this town. No radio, no shocks… no DVD player…a few seatbelts and clearly, huge image factor!

We will NOT miss the traffic… this was inhibiting the flow of traffic this morning.. (this photo was actually taken just out by our house... there were 3 big loads of hay being pulled by mules)    I think that it was the most congested that it’s been in a long time, and there was a couple tense moments when trying to park…lol.

This is what eric and I had for lunch.. noodles and dumplings. It was delish, and cheap. They serve it up on these plates covered with plastic bags so they don’t have to wash. We were easily the only foreigners dining in what I call the ‘fabric market food court’.

I am SO into buttons at the moment. It was a button buying trip today. SOO fun. I will also tell you  that I am working on CE surprises… and I am SO excited about that too!

As I said.. I will MISS the fabric market..

Enjoy your weekend!
Check back tomorrow to see what I am giving away NEXT!!
(here is a peek)



ps: i just got an email from Blue Bazaar...they are featuring my new releases this month! they have some really cute samples up! THANKS to the Australia girls!  i LOVE all your creativity!.

a little more LUCK!

It’s a SUNNY day here in Beijing! I am loving the warming of the weather. I actually walked out of the house without a jacket last night, and didn’t feel a chill! That is so nice.

As promised, here is another chance for 5 LUCKY winners! Today, I have a bunch of the NEW releases from CHA… the ‘SUMMER SUN’ collection.

 Since i have a HUGE stack of ‘summer sunny’ kind of photos thanks to our Australia trip over Christmas, this has been a fav, and I am completely OUT of every shred of it. it’s fUN stuff!  The PRIZE package today includes 2 of each paper (all 6 doubled sided designs) and the border sheets. Now the cool thing about these papers are the ‘built in embellishments’… some are die cut right out of the paper and some are included on the tear off flap. I LOVE that!.
You also get the matchy-match stickers, and the black and white letter stickers- and while these may not seem NEW, they are a ‘back-by-popular-demand’ product. I am also throwing in the fabulous NEW chipboard letter booklet. There are about a million letters, lots of different fonts, and sizes and the look is unique. They are a thin-chipboard, self-adhesive.. and fun to mix and match.. you can see them more upclose on the layouts I posted a couple days ago (eric and Capri on the beach). They come in 2 colors, but I am sending the blue/green ones w/ this set.   The winners will also get a purse clip!

these papers are also available for purchase HERE:
the borders sheets of all the sets are my favorite... there is so much you can do with them!

this Palm Tree paper is one of my favs of the set.

in this paper, the "sun" pops up.

you can check this all out in my CHA winter catalog...

So leave me a comment telling me what memories YOU have that would look PERFECT on these papers!
 and it's Q's turn to pick the LUCKY numbers!
good luck!

winners

I want to sincerely thank you for your comments today in response to my question: ‘what makes you feel lucky?’…….i have just gone through and read every response, and I am feeling lifted, strengthened and reminded…I love the positivity and gratitude that I could feel from each and every comment. It was just seriously exactly what I needed! Thank you.. for being heartfelt, and candid. It was inspiring for me. really.
I have been sitting here watching American Idol, and Cory picked 5 numbers between 1-388 and these are the winners:

I don't know what makes me lucky. I wish I did because maybe I would finally get chosen to go to Creative Escape. Maybe next year....right? I have told myself that for three years now. Anywho... I would certainly consider myself lucky if I won this drawing.
Posted by: sher | March 17, 2009 at 08:47 AM

Today I had the best LUCK! After three years of searching I finally found an area rug for my living room :) So trivial I know, but I don't think it is a coincidence that it happened on St. Patrick's day AND I'm Irish, lol.
Posted by: Kim | March 17, 2009 at 10:28 AM

I'm lucky because my husband and kids are all healthy, I'm losing weight, and my scrap stash is great (if I could only get my hands on the new stuff!!)
Posted by: KrisB | March 17, 2009 at 12:40 PM

I don't believe in Luck either, but being lucky is truly being blessed. I had a rough 6 months with my health and now I am well and getting healthy. God has blessed me and I am "lucky" to be alive and well, with a fantastic husband, three teen boys who are growing and maturing. We have each other and plenty in life. That's lucky.
Posted by: Shirley | March 17, 2009 at 01:11 PM

I'm lucky for my scar! I know weird, but last year I had a 95% chance of having cancer(let me tell you, that was the scariest thing to happen to me). I ended up being one of those 5% that was given a sec.chance. Up until that time, I really took life for granted. Now everday when I look at my scar,it is a reminder of
HOW LUCKY I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: linda king | March 17, 2009 at 02:46 PM

If you are listed, please email me HERE, and I will have the GOODS sent direct to yoU!

I’ll be back tomorrow with another Heidi Swapp new product giveaway! …so keep your eye out.

......tomorrow i'll be giving 5 LUCKY winners some 'summer SUN' goods...

FOR TODAY... check this out... in CELEBRATION of House of 3's  Shutterfly Birthday book (created by Rhonna) .. and i love the title "40 is the new 20". go to the "Create" section of the House of 3 website to enter to WIN a 12" hardbound book from Shutterfly!  ($75 value).

and in response to SO many requests... check out the WHOLE YEAR of House of 3 Calendars...for digital and for hybrid. i am LOVING them.  this is just a little 'mini calendar' i printed out today... just to stick on my computer monitor...

lucky YOU!

Well, in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, (which I am pretty sure they don’t celebrate here) I have bee feeling bad that I forgot to put a little green food coloring in the pancakes this morning.. when I was little, we’d wake up to green milk, have green pancakes, and even green jell-o! but I did wear a green shirt today, does that count for anything!?

Well, in celebration of this  LUCKY day! i have a couple  LUCKY things to share!
First… check out this: do you want a FUN ‘lucky’ background (just like this one I am sporting)… for a few days? It’s available here to the first 100 people to download it… also, try just printing it out.. makes a super cute ‘lucky you’ card. It’s a fun time to tell people how LUCKY you feel to have them in your life, and would even be a fun one to have on a scrapbook page.  I even created a couple ‘lucky’ brushes that are  available today ONLY free to the first 100 downloads… you can see them here too! (it’s what I used for my blog banner and you can see them on my background as well… would be fun to have around as well! 3 handwritten words, and a ‘lucky’ definition! (i also used these frames for my blog banner)

EDITED: *** that was FAST, the 100 downloads are GONE! if you still want the LUCKY background you can purchase it here for .99$! and these cute brushes can be purchased here:

 

We are getting  ready to release some new content in addition to this and this that are new at House of 3. Mostly we are all working on some FUN for Easter! We are planning to help you be all ready for an awesome Easter celebration…before the ‘day before’. (typical of me).

One of the GOOD things about moving back home is that quite frankly, my scrapbook ‘stash’ is SLIM pickin’s. I mean, it’s bad. Today I was digging through my scrap drawer to try to find some fuchsia cardstock! And I had NO LUCK! And just a good ‘lime’ colored cardstock… or ANY paper… monochromatic… ? NOTHING! Man, (grrrr). Ok, so that is good news! And I had to postpone my shipment of my NEW ‘heidi swapp’ CHA goodies… which means, that I only have 2 sheets of each paper, and a couple meager chipboard invisibles and I do have the stamps. But I tell you what.. I am LOW. I am having to get REALLY creative. (what can you do w/ white cardstock! LOL).
ANYWAY, I thought that I’d pick a few LUCKY winners today… I have put together a couple ‘prize’ packages.. and if you are a winner, it might mean that you will get your goodies to play with before I do!! (yikes).

Today I am giving 5 LUCKY winners:

The ENTIRE invisibles collection:
2 of ALL the papers,  The chipboard Sheets, The chipboard ornate frames, the chipboard shapes that have birds, hearts, butterflies, stars… the works!, the 2 different alphabet sets (dots and gridlines) AND, since it just makes it FUN to use with the invisibles, I am throwing in a BRACKETS mega mask! 
you can see the collection in my NEW winter CHA catalog on-line...
but the chipboard looks something like this:

and the papers look something like this:

I LOVE to use ANY color of the TIM HOLTZ distress inks w/ this… here is a page I did, and posted a while back using the invisibles AND the Bracket mega mask…
We’ll be playing with this stuff when I come to Edmonton for the ‘All Day’ workshop! and in Houston at By Design Scrapbooks. You will LOVE this stuff… it’s exciting to try.

This is what the Invisibles paper looks like when i used the braket frame mega mask, and some Broken China Distress ink... (pls forgive the bad lighting!)




you might notice some Grunge board, and some verb stickers, and some ghost wings, and these stickers...
and some Bling



And I thought I would throw in a ‘bag clip’… because I think this is the coolest thing… it’s designed to hold your purse, or your scrapbook tool bag.. or whatever- just off the edge of the table. It’s perfect for a crop, and then out to lunch!  So cute! It just folds up and takes up no room at all! You have to see it to believe it!

Just leave me a comment and tell me what makes you ‘lucky’.. (for the record, I don’t believe in LUCK except in FARKLE… what I really mean is ‘blessed’!) today is a good day to reflect on our awesome blessings… I hope that you are feelin’ lucky today! I know that I am.

(last night FHE ... eating Girl Scout Cookies smashed in icecream (thanks EM) and playing Farkle)
I was feeling PRETTY LUCKY to be eating Girl Scout Cookies (thin mints are my fav! i like them frozen)
oh, and CONGRATS to all you LUCKY GIRLS coming to Creative Escape!! if you haven't heard, don't give up hope! keep your fingers crossed!