Cammie

Hello, fellow peeps! I'm Cammie Murphree; Cammie is short for Camellia, not really sure why my parents chose Camellia except that my father said he wouldn't be able to remember how to spell Penelope, so I became Cammie instead of Penny. I was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and haven't lived anywhere else. Knoxville is in east Tennessee about an hour from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My husband and I began dating in high school, dated for six years, and have been married for thirty-three years. We don't have children but tend to baby our two cats, Lucy and Gus.

I taught high school English for 30 years. In fact, this photo is one of my last school pictures. While it may be fun watching your children grow up through school photos, it's not so much fun watching myself grow old(er) in school photos. :) In May 2008, at age 53, I retired. While it was the right decision and I don't regret it, it was very difficult to leave and I shed some tears. When needed, I do some volunteer work at the school; recently I worked with some seniors who are at risk of not graduating,helping them with their research papers.

I've enjoyed different crafts for many years. When I was young, I did embroidery with my mother and grandmother. I also have done latch hook, macrame, needlepoint, cross-stitch, and stenciling although I did very little crafting during the last 10 years that I was working. After I retired, I was at a holiday sale, where a local company was selling brass stencils that you can use for dry embossing. Claire Brennan of Waltzingmouse has a post about these stencils and company here. As I was buying some of the stencils, the girl told me she was teaching a class at a LSS, so I went. I loved all the papers, embellishments, and gadgets to use. I became interested in stamping, started doing research on the internet, and discovered PTI in November 2008. I placed my first order last January and have had fun this past year buying supplies, organizing a small craft area in our study, spending time creating, visiting blogs, and meeting wonderfully warm and super talented people. Card making has truly been a new world to me this past year.

I also enjoy puttering in the garden and hiking in the mountains. And I love to read. I'm a slow reader of non-fiction, so often those nonfiction library books are due before before I've finished them. But I can lose myself and many hours in fiction and race through a novel. I'd love to know some of your recommendations for a good read. My husband and I hope to resume our travels around the US and abroad someday. But shorter trips around the eastern part of the country will do have to do for now.

I'm so inspired by your creations and so fortunate to be part of this group.