Carol

Hello, Carol here. Get a cuppa (tea/coffee) and sit a spell while I tell you a little or lot about myself. 

Tell us about yourself, family:
I was born and raised in Chicago, IL. Moved to the Northwest Suburbs as a teenager and thought I had died! What was a 'city girl' doing in the 'sticks'? Time passed and one does learn to adjust to their surroundings. The farms disappeared and the city came out to the suburbs. Just had to learn to drive everywhere. Met my future husband our senior year at high school but would not marry until six years later. We've been happily married going on 36 years this coming October. I was a Medical Records Technician (no computers then!) until we started having children. Became a SAHM & raised 3 children, two girls and one boy. They are all married but no grandchildren yet! My husband was retired for two years when he was offered a consulting job out in Colorado. And 'westward ho' became a reality! But I'll tell you, if I thought moving to the suburbs of Chicago was 'going to the ends of the earth', it did not compare with this move. I now live in the foothills of Colorado. Oh there is civilization and it is very pretty here and I have acclimated after four years. 
I just have to drive 20/30 minutes to the nearest grocery store.  I'm SO thankful for having Internet. It is how I stay connected with my family, friends and love of stamping. We also have two, 12 yr. old, German Short-haired dogs, Beau and Luke. Yes, they were named for the 'Dukes of Hazard'. We even owned an orange Charger at one time! On moving out here, I retired from the 9 to 5 rat race. Instead, I volunteer my time at a private non-profit organization in our county. It's called the Douglas/Elbert Task Force. We provide immediate emergency help to individuals and families on the brink of homelessness. They have a food bank and thrift store open to the public. I work in the office and the store. The store is where I bring my cards to sell that help in a small way to buy food to stock the shelves at the food bank. 

How did you get into stamping? 
I actually started stamping while a teenager. I would write letters to friends and stamp cute little critters in the margins. With having children, came the beginnings of scrapbooking. It wasn't until a neighbor invited me to her first demo stamp party that I really began to collect sets of stamps with serious projects to make. Well, after several years, my neighbor made me realize I should become a SU demonstrator to get the discount. I  mean for 'Pete's sake' she was borrowing sets from me to use in her business! So for six years I enjoyed working for this company. I had a customer base and while in IL, I would also bring my stamps in for the kids in the before and after-school daycare program I ran for our school district. But there were more changes in the wind coming for me. Back in 2007, I signed up for PTI's very first stamp release. I was curious about this new type of clear stamp. It took me until this past September 2009 to quit SU and turn entirely to clear stamps. I do not regret the change. 


What other things do you like to do in your free time?
I love to bake! And what a challenge at 7000 ft that can be. Another hobby of mine is gardening. I love being in the dirt with my hands. Only where I live now it is a beach! Sand everywhere. So my DH built me raised garden beds last year and this helped so much. I'm a bird lover too which takes us on hikes. Something new I will be venturing into is landscape quilting. I also love embroidery, cross-stitching and photography. I have a new camera and maybe I'll get a picture of that old bear this year to share with you. He just loves to visit us and check out the bird feeders if I've forgotten to take them in each night.


There you have it. A bit of history and info about me. I love being a part of this Peeps group. We are from so many different corners of the earth and our love of crafting and Papertrey Ink has brought us together!