A gem for my "Happies" folder!

I was browsing e-mails this morning and ran across the sweetest email from my friend Jennifer B. that I just had to share...I hope she doesn't mind! :) What a wonderful thing to read on Thanksgiving. :)

Shannon, I just have to tell you....your blog is amazing and an inspiration! I always love dropping by and seeing what FUN things you have to say and what you have been doing. You are amazing! Your blog is like a fun girls novel and break from my crazy reality! Oh I wish I could be creative with words and artwork like you....just so darn cleaver! Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving. Take care, Jennifer

Thank you Jennifer!! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Happy Thanksgiving from Stampin' Buds!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of my loyal blog readers, team members, and online friends a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day is filled with many warm memories and some unexpected blessings with all of your family & friends. :)

I am heading to the gym this morning so that when I eat my 4000+ calorie meal today I won't feel so guilty...at least I hope it'll make me feel less guilty. LOL! Then its up to Seattle for the day to spend time with family and friends on my hubby's side. I'm extra thankful this year because my oldest daughter, Stephanie, doesn't have to work so she will be able to go up to Seattle with us and see family that she hasn't seen in a while...including her new little 2nd cousin. Yay! :)

~*Stampily Yours with Thanksgiving Blessings*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

From the heart of Charleston!

Today has been a very good day filled with lots of treats (we're making Pumpkin Spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for Thanksgiving tomorrow) and even some fun surprises... :)

My mailman delivered the most awesome thing today! A unexpected package from my dear friend Amy! I was so excited and had no idea what it could be so I ripped it open and found a cute little white box with a cupcake sticker on it! Yippee!! :)

Inside was a pink shirt from her local cupcake store in Charleston, SC! Woohoo! I LOVE IT!! Thank you so much Amy!! And as you can tell by the picture...it fits! Woohoo! :)

I couldn't resist picking up the phone and squealing my excitement in her ear! It was so fun to talk with her! It's been 1 1/2 months since I last saw her but we only have 1 1/2 months to go until we get to spend a few days together at the Close To My Heart album retreat in Salt Lake City, Utah...woohoo!!

As an added bonus to the surprise Amy sent me, check out this card she made...absolutely A D O R A B L E Amy!! I love it! And the msg inside...super duper sweet!!!! Thank you. You're the best!! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

My 7 days of THANKS countdown - #1!

I'm excited that this day has finally arrived! It's always thrilling to see what holds the #1 spot on a list, don't you agree? :) Well for me, I am Thankful for Blessings & Family! Lemme give you a glimpse...

Aaron is the love of my life. We met roller skating (of all places...lol!) when he was 16 and I was 15 and we instantly fell in love and started our journey together just 1 year later (yup, you read right...1 year later!). We've been together now for over 21 years and he has been everything I have ever wanted in my Prince Charming - Sweet, loving, kind, outgoing, sensitive, strong, encouraging, funny, and passionate. He is my protector and the rock that holds our family together. I am so blessed that God designed a plan for us to enjoy life together as kindred soulmates. :)

These are my girls. This picture was taken a couple of years ago when I was asked to do Artwork for the 2006 Spring Edition Close To My Heart catalog and this photo will always remain as one of my very favorite memories. :)
Stephanie is my oldest daughter. She is independent, headstrong, and traditional.
Becca is my middle daughter. She is sensitive, loving, and very funny.
Alyssa is my youngest daughter. She is active, shy, and responsible.
Each one of my girls brings joy to my life and I am so blessed that God has given me healthy, hearty, and loving girls to be proud of. :)

These are my parents. They are the most loving, generous, and thoughtful parents a girl could ever ask for and they are all mine...I don't have to share them with anyone since I am an only child...YAY! :) They are supportive, fun, and encouraging and I am very blessed to have been raised by the very best parents in the world. :)

This is Aaron's family at Christmas time last year. They are generous, hospitable people that are welcoming and warm. I am so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful, loving family that has strong beliefs in God and the importance of family. :)

What blesses you the most this Thanksgiving? ;)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

My 7 days of THANKS countdown - #2!

Out of excitement, I've been chomping at the bit to get to the last 2 days of this countdown and I can't believe we're finally here. Woohoo!! I'm excited about today's Thankful...the recognition of my AWESOME FRIENDS! :)

It is really cool to be sharing a few pictures of my friends with you this morning because over on another program I use, Facebook, I hit "100 Friends" in my friends list last night (meaning current friends and/or ones I have recently reconnected with from my past - Yay!)...so its almost like a little milestone in my life to see that I have more friends than I actually thought I did...lol. ;)

Friends are so important when it comes to a happy, healthy life and while I would love to show you pictures of ALL of my friends I know that it would be nearly impossible to do so since I don't have pictures for some of them...LOL! j/k ;)~ Anyways, here are just a few of my clostest friends that are currently an active part of my life. :)

Doyle and Teresa. Aaron met Teresa at LA WeightLoss last year when he signed up for their weight-loss program and then we got to know them as a family. Doyle and Teresa are very wonderful, full-hearted people. They are kind, loving, fun, and we love hanging out with them when life isn't so busy for both of us. :)

Monte and Irene. (Ok, I'm sure Irene isn't going to think this is the best picture but it was the only one I could find - LOL!) We met Monte and Irene on our first Close To My Heart Cruise to Alaska back in 2003. They are AWESOME to hang around with because they have the same sense of humor as us (dry? lol!) and know how to have a good time. They are funny, knowledgeable, entertaining, and great fun to be around. We don't have the opportunity to see them that often, even though they only live 2 hours from us, but when we are together its absolutely the best and like no time has past. :)

Stan and Amy. We've actually known them since the beginning of our Close To My Heart Cruises back in 2003 but only really started getting to know them within the past 3 years. They are an absolutely AMAZING couple. The way they interact with one another, the stories that they tell, the humorous side to their personalities, the way they talk about family and traditions, and the heart that explodes from them is just so much fun and comfortable to be around. I so wish we lived closer to them...it stinks having to wait for "cruise time" to try to pack all our fun into 1 week! *sigh*

Scot and Pam. We met them on the Close To My Heart Mexican Riviera Cruise in 2006 and then really got to know them well in Alaska 2007. I love these guys! They are so funny and fun to be around. They have a GREAT sense of humor, love to laugh, love to relax in the ship spa with us (LOL!), and have the funniest stories to tell! I so wish they lived closer to us, too, because I know we would see them all the time! Of course, that's only if Scot promises to keep his food on his plate and not stain my dry-clean only white slacks like he did in the Mediterranean...LOL!! ;)

Kent and Tina. They are some of our very first friends within Close To My Heart...as well as my direct upline! Kent and Tina are very heartfelt, encouraging, and loving people. They want to make you feel warm and welcome and are great at building you up and helping you to feel important. We were fortunate enough to tour London, Paris and Belguim with them in fall of 2008 and we throughly enjoyed the fun we had with them. :)

While I would like to show you more pictures of all my awesome friends it would be easier for you to log into Facebook to see all the great pictures and fun (look for Shannon Buck!)...I'd love to have you on my Friends list! :) Also, stay tuned tomorrow for my #1 Thankful. Have a great day!

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

My 7 days of THANKS countdown - #3!

Can you believe it? We're only a few short days out from Thanksgiving, wow!

The thing that I am most thankful for today, you ask? How about... Quirky Kid Comments - LOL! You now the ones...just something small and out of the blue that comes out of the mouths of your children when you least expect it and the moment always puts a smile on your face and a warm memory in your heart. :) Here are a few of my favorites...

• The other day Aaron was walking down that hall and made a comment to our youngest daughter Alyssa about the game she was playing on the Wii. I think he asked her how much money she had or something along those lines. She paused, looked up at him and said, "Well, I just paid off my Mortgage." and when I overheard this from the other room I had to bust out laughing...LOL! Have you ever heard of a 9 year old saying that to her parents?! LOL
  
• I love it when my girls sing lyrics from songs and totally botch the words...LOL. For example, my middle daughter, Becca, use to sing Alanis Morrisettes song "You Learn" by replacing the word "Learn" with the word "NERD"...LOL!! Alyssa would sing the song title "Move Along" by The All American Rejects as "Mow the lawn" - (she still gets angry when we sing it that way, too...hehehe!) And Stephanie, my oldest, use to sing "go BAllA" instead of "Go Paula" in one of Paula Abduls 90s hits...LOL! So of course, to this day, we sing all of these songs this way whenever they come on the radio. :)
• One time my parents, oldest daugher and I were in the car going somewhere and we were talking about fog on the coast. Stephanie went on to tell us this big story about how she heard on the news that on the other side of the water (off the Oregon Coast) there is a guy that has a fog machine and that is how fog is created and yadda yadda yadda. Um, yeah...LOL! Funnier, yet...she was like 18 when she told us this story. Hahaha!!
  

Anyways...I could go on with tons and tons more stories but I'll save them for another time. ;) I would love to hear some of the crazy quirks you have heard your kids bust out with, though. :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

We went inside the Vault!

Date night was as fun as usual this past weekend except we should've headed to Grand Station first to get a pool table because it was jam packed when we got there. Bummer! So we went and tried a new Martini place called The Vault instead! It was yummy and the descriptions of everything on their menu were absolutely hilarious!!

Aaron had the PB&J but unfortunately it's not listed on the online menu but the description cracked us up! Something about courduroy pants and turtlenecks...lol! He also had a...

~ G3 ~
"Lily is dancing on the table...again."

I had...
~ Violet, she's turning violet, Violet! ~
"Candy is Dandy but Liquor is Quicker!"
...and...
~ Pooh-Tini ~ (my favorite!)
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw, "I just wanted to be sure of you."

We also made our way over to Bartini's to have 1/2 price fondue...Woohoo! I ordered the Sweet Hereafter and look at the beautiful flower that the bartender floated in it for me. :)

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend with family and friends, too. :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

My 7 days of THANKS countdown - #4!

Isn't that the cutest little picture? :) I'm half tempted to pull out a sharpie and draw them on my fingers today, too. LOL

...OK, I'm excited to share today's Thoughtful with you since #4 is my very favorite number and today's thankful is one of my most very favorite things to do! That alone makes it very fitting to show off a "smile" as one of the things that I am most Thankful for, don't you agree? ;) Here's why...

I love to smile, plain and simple.
A smile is something that is free, you can give it out to anyone at any time and its also one of the most heartwarming gifts you can receive from someone...even a complete stranger. A smile can come in many shapes and styles and can be interpreted in many different ways: A caring smile from a family member, a heartwarming smile from a friend, a courteous smile from a stranger, and even an emoticon style smile on the computer to help bring emotion and expression to all your emails. Here are a few examples of some emoticons that you can use...

:)
:D
*smiles*
"smile"
*iSmile* (for MAC users...lol!)

A smile just makes everyone warm inside, wouldn't you agree? It helps to boost self esteem, it encourages confidence in others, and it helps to spread love and warmth wherever it is goes. :)

So your challenge today is to share 10 smiles with people today whether it be a family member, a friend, a stranger, or even in an email across the miles to let someone know that you are thinking about them. Then, take an inner note on how it makes you feel. Does it warm your heart? Does it put an extra pep in your step? ...Once you start yourself on the path of more smiles I promise that you won't want to quit. I mean come on...is it that often when you see me not wearing mine? *smile*

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

My 7 days of THANKS countdown - #5!

Happy Saturday morning blog readers! :)

I would say that its very appropriate of me to choose Close To My Heart as the thing I am most thankful for as we continue to count down my Thankfuls this week. Here's why...

Today is the big day of my yearly craft booth that I do at my daughters school and I have attached just a couple of pictures of the things I made. :) Each year I have high hopes for the next that I will get something done and have an AMAZING booth. Well, this year is no different...I was scramblin' at the last minute to get stuff made and while I don't have a lot to sell I'm just so glad to have the booth from year to year because it's a great lead generator for me when it comes to my business. (As for items to sell...well...lets just say that I'm such a PROcrastinator again this year! LOL)

Close To My Heart is such a WONDERFUL part of my life. Looking back to when I first started in this business I really didn't know what I was getting myself into or what I really needed in my life but over the past 8 years I've had a lot of time to reflect and ponder this business and what it has meant to me. I'm just so glad that I made the decision to became a part of this wonderful, WONDERFUL family. :)

Close To My Heart has...

• Helped me to become more outgoing
  
• Helped me to have more confidence in my abilities
• Helped me to make new friends that genuinely care about me :)
• Helped me to contribute to my family's income
• Helped me to be innovative and creative
  
• Given me the ability to set my own hours
• Given me the honor of empowering my team of incredible women to new heights
• Given me the opportunity to travel to places I never dreamed of going
• ...and the list goes on and on! :)
  

Close To My Heart has been such a huge blessing in my life and the others around me and I hope it continues for many years to come because I love it so much! :) This business really does touch hearts and change lives...and isn't that what life should really be all about?

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

My 7 days of THANKS Countdown - #6

#6 - I love experiencing each Season of the year.

First off, Close To My Heart has the most BEAUTIFUL stamp set called Four Seasons (B1319) but because my day was so filled with other things I, unfortunately, didn't have time to make something with that stamp set to illustrate the beauty of each Season. :( I'll try to do that soon, though, and share with you what I made...sound good? :)

Obviously it's FALL right now and we are heading into Thanksgiving...which is really what my "Thankful List" is all about. However, I love fall because the days are crisp here in the Northwest, the leaves are colorful - I especially like the fire-red trees...or Cranberry colored leaves if you are talking in Close To My Heart terms (LOL!), I love crackin' out the heavier blankets and the warmer jammies (like my new cupcake ones!), but mostly I love fall because its when Starbucks cracks out their festive red holiday cups to signal that the holidays are quickly approaching...*hehehe*. I know, CRAZY! But I just can't get enough of the Pumpkin Spice Lattes this time of year...its like cozying up with an old friend. ;)~ (So if any of you want to send me a Starbucks Gift Card for Christmas...LOL...I'm just saying.). ;)

Moving on into Winter...everything is bare. I think Winter is my least favorite of the seasons because anyone that knows me knows that I HATE to be cold. I do think, however, that if its going to get THAT cold we should at least have a foot of snow on the ground to show for it...LOL. But in the location where I live we just don't get enough by my standards. Oh well. At least its exciting when we do get some...and at least we got some on Christmas Day last year. That was very memorable.

Spring is a fun time of year because I love it when the Cherry Blossom trees are in full bloom and the weather is warming up. Spring is full of new life such as new baby animals, buds in bloom, and even romance and the opportunity for new "firsts". :) Spring is just such an inspiring time of the year and everyone seems to be a lot happier with life in general.

But Summer...Summer is my favorite season of all! I Love Summer because of all the hot weather around me, the endless summer days, BBQ's and picnics, the Caramel Frapps at Starbucks, flip-flops, sunbathing, and even my Birthday! :) Yup, Summer is the best season of them all. :)

Hope you're enjoying a wonderful Fall day. :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

My 7 days of THANKS Countdown - #7

I was out on my friend Amy's blog this morning and she issued a challenge to her readers to post the things that they are most thankful for during these final days that lead up to Thanksgiving 2008. What a great idea, Amy! Very creative! ;)

Here are the 7 things I'm most thankful for...

#7 - While this is going to sound like a funny thing to be thankful for I'm going to just go ahead and say it anyways...LOL...are you ready? I am thankful for Technology - I'm a techie girl after all - LOL. ;)~

*singing in my best Kip voice from the movie Napoleon Dynamite* ~ "I love technology - always and forever~" (I've even linked the YouTube video clip for you to check out...LOL!)

I just think that technology can be so amazing if used for the good in life. I mean think about it...computers can help you learn about amazing destinations, navigate around town or to far off countries, it can link family and friends through email, blogs, and so much more. But why just mention computers? Isn't it great having a phone that you can keep with you in case of an emergency...even though we tend to use it for so much more than that - lol! What about being able to Tivo your favorite television programs to watch in your spare time so that you can go out and enjoy LIFE the way it should be enjoyed!! How about amazing medical breakthroughs? ...there are just so many things to mention here and I could go on for hours but I think you're catching my drift right about now, right? :)

What are you most thankful for? Take a moment to pick the 7 things that you are thankful for. I'd love to hear from you! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Buns of Cinnamon or Steel? Hmmm!

Ok, as much as I would LOVE to choose a Cinnabon here, I think I'm going to go for the buns of steel instead...LOL! Here's the skinny...

For those of you that know me you know that its not very often that I take a giant step outside of my comfort zone and try something new...right? Well...

From time to time I've had family and friends tell me that I just need to get over my hangups and just try something new to see if I like it. That's what I'm basically doing with this whole exercise thing...And while that doesn't sound like a big leap to some, for me its HUGE since I've always hated to exercise! UGH!

I've started going to a place called Recreate-Fitness in downtown Portland. I took 2 sessions of personal training which were GREAT because I was taught some basic exercises and techniques. Then I was encouraged to just jump right into the class format to see how I do. This is a big deal for me - EEK! - because its going to put me into a situation where I am in a class setting, don't know anyone, have no clue how to do the exercises, and then to top it off I have to try to keep up with people that have been doing it for quite a while. Ouch!

I did my first class this morning and while I felt very uncomfortable and shy I really think I did well and the trainers kept saying that this was one of the hardest classes they have ever done. (oh sure, start the new girl out with a tough workout! LOL) I finished my circuit in about 35 minutes doing 15 reps of everything to everyone elses 25 reps. Not too bad...I think! I'm definitely glad that I did it because I always feel good when I've done something good for myself...but man I'm so sore...UGH! I can barely walk or sit because of all the squats we did. OWIE! *pout*

But there you go...I just wanted to put it into writing that I am moving forward with something new and outside of my comfort zone. I hope this makes you all happy (Gotta throw in the guilt trip until I learn to like it!). ROFL!! ;)~ I have my "before" shots all ready to show you but I think I'll wait a while and maybe post them after a month or two of working out...that way we might be able to see some fun results! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Aspen Page 1 and 2

I've been working hard on my Team Club projects all day! Why it takes me so long to create in comparison to other consultants absolutely baffles me but it does. I still have 3 cards to make but for now I wanted to go ahead and post the scrapbook pages. I used all CTMH products featuring the Aspen paper packet. I didn't add any pictures because I am in a huge time crunch this week with the upcoming craft bazaar at my daughters school that I haven't even made anything for yet. EEK! I do it every year because I have a great spot in the gym but I'm just never ready for it even though I basically have all year to plan...lol. Oh well...maybe next year? :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck~ :)~

The Quote Garden

Last week I started posting a few quotes on my twitter blog but since the twitter blog has a limited character allowance per post I decided to pull them and try to do something along the lines of a Quote of the Week. Cool idea, huh? Well, the more I thought about it I started thinking about all the great quotes out there and have decide to pull this idea as well (but maybe it could be beneficial to one of my readers?) and just post a link to my favorite quote site which is www.quotegarden.com. The perfect companion for when you're making your scrapbook pages but don't quite know what to say. I hope you like it. :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

I'm with David Johnson now?

Ok, first off...before I tell you all about David Johnson you have to check out these AWESOME shoes that I found out on 23rd (a fun shopping area in downtown Portland) today when we went for our weekly SUSHI SATURDAY event!! Aren't these the cutest shoes or what?! And only $20!! *Woohoo* I should've bought the black ones and the yellow ones, too, but why do I need the same shoes done over and over again in different colors when I can have a rainbow of different styles to choose from eventually? ;)

So anyways, last night we went out to Bartini's and Grand Central with our friends and had a GREAT time! :) I tried to stick to my secret tradition of trying as many martini's from the list of 100 that I could (and don't worry, I'm really trying to pace myself by only having a couple each time we go!) but quickly realized that there are a few on the list that I would NEVER EVER order...such as the ones that have coconut in them - YUCK! I'm also not a big fan of Irish Cream or ones that are similar in flavor. And the licorice one that Aaron ordered last night...ewww! Don't even get me started. LOL

So what did I order? Well, the one pictured here is the Thin Mint that tastes like a Girl Scout cookie milkshake, actually. Very Very Good...but I gave it to our friend Doyle because he really, really liked it. I also tried the Watermelon Cosmo which tasted like a Jolly Rancher...so good! The Caramel Appletini (suggested by my friend Melanie B. - it was YUMMY Melanie!!) and I also had a "Sweet Hereafter" which was more of a butterscotch concoction...so frickin' good!

Next we decided to head over to Grand Central to play some pool. I ordered a Peartini there...which was good but I've had way better at a place up in Seattle called Jak's.

My friend Teresa and I tried to team up against Aaron and Doyle to beat them at a game of pool. We gave them a run for their money but in the end they beat us 3 games to ZERO - Darn it! LOL We sure showed them, huh? LOL At least we had lots of fun doing it, though, and we both had some really great shots but in the end we just couldn't pull it out. Better luck next time I suppose...lol! ;)

At the end of the evening Aaron went up to pay our bar/pool tab and somehow the bartender had lost Aaron's drivers license! OOPSIE! Apparently the bartender had givin it to some other guy when he had came up to pay his tab so now all of a sudden I was no longer with my hubby Aaron...*gulp*...I was with a new guy named David Johnson?! LOL ...I must say, it all happened so quickly, too. *teehee*

The bad part in all of this was that Aaron was our "designated driver" for the evening and normally I would probably be a little freaked out about the situation but since I was so relaxed from all of the martinis and feeling pretty smiley and giggly I just kept laughing about it. LOL It was kind of fun to watch the bartender scramblin' around trying to make things right. PLUS, we didn't have to pay our pool tab so that was pretty cool, too. Can't complain there! By the time we got home, though, the bartender called to let us know that David came back in for his own license so all is good and as soon as we drive down to Grand Central to do the switcharoo this morning I will have Aaron back again. YAY!! ;)

(Oh...and no worries, Doyle, your incriminating pictures are on my computer but I'm being nice and not posting them for the world to see...yet! I'll keep them in my back pocket just in case I ever need to use them against you for anything. *hehehe*)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Talking openly about CTMH

Guess what? It was just announced this past Thursday that we are now officially allowed to talk about our Close to my Heart business' on our blogs - *Woohoo!* I always have tons to say about how amazing this company is an how important it is to me and now I can start sharing more of my thoughts and ideas with all of you a little bit more openly...isn't that great?! :)

There is a great promotion going on this month. If you would like to find out more about it, feel free to visit my Close To My Heart website at www.stampinbuds.myctmh.com. Plus, be sure to check out some of the great video tutorials in the CTMH TV section. Way cool!

Stay tuned for more great CTMH information to come...

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Grand Central

Ok, I could soooo easily get use to date night! LOL I'm lovin' it!

We had planned on going to this place called The Vault for Martinis and appetizers but when we got there the place was packed and there was no place to sit. No biggie! We'll try it another weekend. Instead, we ended up at a place called Grand Central.

It's a very cool place that we discovered only 2 weeks ago. It offers a bar, pool, and bowling so there is literally something fun to do for everyone...and the atmosphere is lively, too. I like that! We hit the pool tables for the evening and ended up playing for 2 hours. Way fun! I kicked butt for a while, too! *Woohoo Me* Well, at least I did well until I was on my 3rd corona for the evening...LOL. Man that went fast! ;) Then it all went downhill from there and Aaron ended up beating me something like 8 or 9 games to 5. *sigh* Oh well...better luck next time! ;)

Here are a couple more pictures to enjoy...

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Mmmm, homemade cupcakes!

Ok, so after getting all cozy in my new jammies last night my family decided to make home-made cupcakes using a new white cake recipe they found. Yum! They also came across a new frosting recipe, too. Double Yum! :)~~

So with the cupcake thing being the obvious theme of my day, yesterday, I couldn't resist posing for a close-up shot of the awesome tasting cupcakes with my ultra cool Cupcake Royal t-shirt that I was wearing. *teehee* Kinda funny, really, don't ya think? ;)~

Here is other picture from the evening that I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing, too - its my 3 bakers in our messy kitchen!! LOL They had a lot of fun creating and eating these awesome treats. I mean, come on, who in their right mind doesn't like a good cupcake once in a while? ;)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Cupcakes = Zen!

Yippee!! - While I was out shopping all by my little lonesome (Can you tell that I wish I had a friend to shop with? *pout*) at Bridgeport Village in Tualatin today I ventured into a neat little bath store called Zen and look what I found...

Cupcake PJ Pants!!!!! Woohoo!!

I am SO excited over these! I just couldn't leave them sitting on the table unpurchased, right? So I took them up to the register all giddy and made it a done deal. *hehehe* I think I'm going to wear them the rest of the night with my cool "Show Me Your Cupcakes" t-shirt from Cupcake Royale...and maybe someday I can even eat a pink frosted white cupcake in them, too. *dreaming of that day* ;)

OH...and I'll be sure to make a scrapbook page modeling my new duds when I get my hands on the hot new Cupcake stamp set we're getting...but shhhhh! Don't tell anyone I know about that, ok? *teehee* ;)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)

My car is official!

Ok, I finally did it! I put my "ad" on the back window of my car. Wow! It's only been sitting here for about 2 years now. Talk about a procrastinator! LOL It wasn't the easiest thing to put on but, well, at least its finally on. :) The only other thing I worry about is that no one will know what Close To My Heart is...lol. I figure that people can visit my website or even phone or text me for more information, though, right? :) Heck, I even put an apple sticker in the corner of my window since I'm such a MAC girl. Way cool! :)

I hope your day is going well. I'm currently in my Creation Station working on my Team Club Layout using the Aspen papers. Can't wait to show it off - hopefully within the next few days. YAY!

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)

What Not To Wear!

Check it out! When we went to the Washington Square Mall in Tigard, Oregon this weekend we had no idea that Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear was going to be there talking with the crowd about fashion tips. Very cool! It was funny because he made a comment about how he had recently flew in from Seattle to Portland and he couldn't get over how our cities are so sleek and awesome but how badly the airport people dressed. LOL Is he forgetting that "GRUNGE" originally started in the NorthWest? LOL


So, anyways, we snapped this quick little video (click on the picture) where if you listen closely you will here tip #1 for where your "GIRLS" should sit on your body. *teehee* Enjoy!

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Evensong Artwork

Lookie...I have some artwork to share! I can't say that its my best work but at least I am finally done and moving forward.

I'm actually working on a project right now for my 1x a year school craft booth...I can't wait to show you all what it is!! And as usual, I have less than 2 weeks to get my act together and fill my booth with SOMETHING. I'm such a PROcrastinator (not just an ametuer crastinator *hehehe*) when it comes to this booth every year. LOL

Anyways, this Evensong artwork uses all Close To My Heart products including Cranberry ink, New England Ivy ink, Cocoa ink, Cranberry Brads and Eyelets, New England Ivy Eyelets, Sparkles, and Twill Ribbon.

I hope you like it. Enjoy! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)

Sushi Saturday!

Yummy Yummy Yummy! I LOVE Sushi - especially on SUSHI SATURDAY! :)

We brought the camera with us this weekend to Sansai (my favorite Sushi restaurant in downtown Portland!) and took just a couple of pictures that I was hoping to scrapbook...but well, we kinda sat back in the back of the place so that we wouldn't look stupid snapping pictures...LOL! So, unfortunately, we didn't get that many good pictures so I decided to share it with you this way instead of on a layout. Bummer!! We'll have to take the camera back with us next week and give it another try by sitting more in the front of the restaurant where the lighting is TONS better.

...looking forward to the next SUSHI SATURDAY! Yay! ;)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)

My Favorite Places in Portland

My hubby took me on a side trip the other night to a Martini bar that we've been wanting to go to. Lucky for us it just happened to be Happy Hour...SCORE!! He had the "Oatmeal Cookie" Martini (Um, YUM!! It tasted just like a cookie!). I had the "Espresso & Cream" Martini made with Starbucks Coffee (It was good but too much chocolate for me) and then followed it up with a "Spicy Affair" (Ooooh so gooood!). It was infused with chili pepper spice and had lime and pear puree in it...the heat tingled my throat going down but I think I would definitely have it again. :P~~

The Martini's were so good, in fact, we decided to go back the next night! LOL I tried the Pear Martini (needs to be perfected...they need to add a cinnamon/sugar rim!), a Blackberry Lemondrop (Oh so good! A quick favorite!), a Peach Bliss (a house specialty...it was good but not great), and the French Kiss to top it off - YUM! (this one quickly tipped me over and sent me reeling into "schnockered-ville" - Ha!)

So...with all these fun new places we're finding around town I put up a new list on the right side of my blog to show off some of my favorite places around Portland! So far I am also showing off Sansai - my FAVORITE Sushi Bar where we hold our weekly "Sushi Saturday's"...and the other one is Recrete Fitness...the new gym I am joining next week. I'm sure its going to kick my butt BIGTIME but I'm excited to tone up my body and make it look even better. ;)

I hope you enjoy the list as it gets longer and longer...and maybe if you ever visit Portland you can check out some of these places and maybe run into me! (or just call me first and we can go play together!) :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)

Thank you Amy!

Thank you Amy M for the card you sent me and the SWEET SWEET note that you hand-wrote on the inside. It's beautiful and so special! I put it up on my fireplace mantel so that everytime I walk into the livingroom I will be reminded of this day and your amazing thoughtfulness. :)

I wanted to be sure to post your awesome card to my blog, too, so that everyone could see this beautiful handmade creation of yours. It was so much fun getting something handmade in the mail...so exciting and heartwarming! I'm sure my readers are thrilled to see something other than another "day in the life of Shannon Buck!" - LOL!

So again, thank you. I love it!

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

I'm going to the Album Retreat!

I made it completely official this morning! Yup! I bought my airfare and am headed to Salt Lake City, Utah mid January to attend the CTMH Consultants Annual Album Retreat. Woohoo! I snagged my retreat registration last week and now I'm on my way...literally. Yippee!!

As usual, I'm nervous to fly alone (anyone want to fly with me? *wink*) but once I get there the fun can begin! I'll be spending a great weekend making some INCREDIBLE pages and sharing moments with some of my favorite CTMH friends. What more could a girl ask for? Well, other than a shopping spree and a latte. LOL

But anyways, I'm excited and I just wanted to share my excitement with my readers. :) Hope you're having a wonderful day. :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Appreciation Tokens

So while I was out doing a little bit of shopping this weekend I came across something unique and instantly had a fun idea. Check it out...

It's hard to see it in this goofy picture but I found these great little tokens that you can hang on a necklace like a charm. On one side of the token it says "Super Customer Token" and on the other side it says "Redeem for a Super Special." Then, through the middle of it is a hole in the shape of a dragonfly...how adorable it that? :)

So anyways, here is my brilliant idea...
I have so much product sitting around my house just collecting dust. So, my idea is to start by mailing a handmade card and a token to 7 lucky customers thanking them for their orders. When they get the token in their hot little hands they can choose to keep it or they can mail it back to me by a certain date and I will send them a free gift. Easy peasy!

I'm not looking to make any money off of this...I'm looking at it more from the aspect of a Random Act of Kindness and as a way of connecting with people to see how they're doing. Unloading some of my overstocked items is also a perk...and one I'm sure no one is going to complain about. ;)

I'd love to know your thoughts on this so I want to encourage you to leave me a comment. I may even pick someone from my blog comments to receive one of the 7 lucky tokens that I will be handing out in November. Sound good? ;)~

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

A very full weekend...

What a busy weekend! From Halloween to the whole time change thing to "Sushi Saturday"and everything in between...what fun! :)

Aaron decided to take me out on a date Saturday night (Woohoo for me!). We went to the movies first and saw "Zach and Miri..." and surprisingly even with all of the language, content, and nudity...I really liked this movie. LOL But shhhhh! Don't tell anyone. People might get the wrong impression of me. ;)~ It was just so funny, and awkward, and did I say funny already? LOL :) We then went out to dinner at a place called Manzana's and then out to a bar/bowling alley/billiards place for a couple of drinks. We had a really nice time and I can't wait to do it again...maybe even with some friends? That could be WAY fun!

Then, on Sunday we decided to hop in the car and drive to Seattle to FINALLY check out my new little nephew that was born a couple of weeks ago. Awwww, isn't he so cute! He makes me want to have another baby...babies are absolutely the most precious creations in life! From the sounds of it he is sleeping pretty good and doing very well...he just looked absolutely adorable and I could've held onto him and snuggled with him all day. So sweet!

Now...I can't wait to see what happens this coming weekend. Hopefully lots more fun...I'm addicted. LOL

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~