Our Letterboxing Journal

Using the same process used for the Good to Dream Journal, I made a second journal for our family to use for our new family hobby, letter boxing. What is letter boxing? Letter boxing is a unique hobby that combines old fashioned treasure hunting with ... rubber stamps! A great hobby for a stamping enthusiast. Gets me out in the sunshine instead of being hunched over a desk with ink on my fingers. :0) More information about our letter boxing trip will follow, but first, a few details about the journal and a sneak peek of things to come from Stampin' Up!™

I used some retired paper, Good Morning Sunshine designer series paper, as well as current card stocks, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla. I know, I know, don't tempt you with beautiful designer series papers that you can no longer have, especially ones featuring a retired in-color. The nerve of me! :0) There's a method to my madness. I wanted to share our letter boxing adventure, but I also wanted to let you know about a great new product coming soon from Stampin' Up! Available to you beginning TODAY! Many of you will have the latest holiday mini and on the last page, you will find My Digital Studio. This is a digital scrap booking software. It will have images from current stamp sets and you'll be allowed to expand the package as more stamp sets and colors are introduced. One of the more exciting features is that the software will also include some of your favorite retired in-colors, including Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango... YEA! It's a fun software for those who like the look of a scrapbook page/album but aren't into all the work. And like any other scrapbook page, once you have it printed, you can add custom touches and embellishments to your heart's desire. So, don't be discouraged if you are missing the recently retired in-colors, there is a way to have them again! I just received my copy last night and I've already decided a cute book for Liam.

Now, back to letterboxing, I'll give an overview of the hobby here, but for more detailed explanations visit: http://www.atlasquest.com/ and http://www.letterboxing.org/index.php. Basically, a person hides a small plastic waterproof box along a trail. The box is well hidden such that if you are not looking for it, you won't find it. In order to find it, you must log into a site similar to those noted and find the clues for the box. Each box contains a log book and a unique stamp, often one carved by the person planting the box.

Once you have your clues, you head out to the trail with your own log book and personal rubber stamp in hand. You follow the clues until you find the box. Once you find the box, you carefully remove it from it's hiding spot. In the box's log book, you stamp your own stamp, date it and add any personal comment. Then, using the stamp in the box, you stamp your own log book. You can also register your find on one or more of the websites noted. Then, you carefully put the contents back in the box and return it to its original hiding place.

We discovered letter boxing after a friend of mine showed me an article in a local newspaper. It's such an affordable hobby for a family and it gets us out in the great outdoors. And you don't need much to get started, just a rubber stamp and a "trail name." You can have one stamp for the entire family or one for each member of the family.

Our first adventure was over Labor Day weekend. We made our book that morning and picked our destination, Bothell Bunnies here in Bothell. The trail is nearby and easy to find. The box was named for the colony of tame bunnies you'll see along the trail (cared for my employees in the nearby business park). The kids had a great time and I got 30-40 minutes of exercise. The trail is also a nice place for a walk or bike ride so I'm sure we'll go back again. Here we are on our first adventure.

The kids had so much fun, we planned our next two hunts. One near our church and another near the Space Needle.

Check out letter boxing, you might find a hobby you'll be surprised you enjoy. Plus, it'll give you an excuse to buy some stamps if you ever decide to start planting your own letter boxes.

God Bless & Happy Stamping!

Happy Birthday Tessa!

Today I do not have a stamping post, but I do have a birthday cake post! I just finished Tessa's birthday cake and had to share it with you.

Tomorrow Tessa will be 5 years old! Although we will have a party for her in September so she can invite school friends, we are having small party with family and our godsons this afternoon.



She's been waiting for months to turn 5 so that she can climb the 32 foot rock wall at the YMCA. She's been watching her sisters and I climb for the last several months, so she has been counting the days until she can climb. Today is the day! We are headed to the rock wall to climb and then after, we'll have burgers and hot dogs, and of course, birthday cake.

Usually I only make theme cakes for their parties with all their friends, but since she is climbing the rock wall for the first time, we decided to make a rock wall cake.

Here is one picture of Tessa with her cake. I made the wall out of chocolate rice krispy treats and M&Ms for hand holds. I did the colors of the routes that are marked on the wall- blue, orange, red and green. I surrounded the wall with crushed cookies to look like the shredded tires they use for the soft landing. The little climber is sculpted using modeling chocolate. The climbing ropes are also made of modeling chocolate. My friend Shawna is a cake baker/decorator and made the suggestion that I make my own modeling chocolate and it worked wonders! The frosting is simple homemade butter cream frosting. We used orange for the sentiment and on the bottom because orange is her favorite color. She's climbing the blue route because that is the first route she wants to try this afternoon.

God Bless, Happy Stamping and Happy Baking!

Locks of Love

I had to take a minute to share some non-stamping news. My 2nd oldest daughter, Phoebe, grows her hair out every 1.5-2 years so that she can have it cut and donated to Locks of Love. She did this for the first time when she was 3 years old after an older girl at church did the same thing. Our oldest daughter also decided to do the same thing and made her first donation a couple of years ago. And, last weekend, they both went with their dad to make another donation. This is Phoebe's third time donating her hair (and only her 4th haircut ever) and Isabel's second time. Phoebe's inspiration has also trickled down to our youngest daughter, Tessa, who is about 2 more inches away from her first donation.

Here are the photos of Isabel and Phoebe before and after their donations: