Be Back Soon

Well, the countdown officially has begun. The image at http://www.fiskateers.com/ that has been so familiar to me for the last two years is about to change.

It's hard to believe that a little over two years ago, I was sitting in a crop room of a local scrapbook store talking to two members of the Brains on Fire team. They were searching for the original Leads for the Fiskars Brand Warrior Program...later to be renamed the Fiskateers. The original four Leads will always hold a place dear in my heart. Stephenie, May, Cheryl and Holly have done a fabulous job bringing to life and building a community that has become my second family. These ladies have been a blessing in my life as well as the lives of many other Fiskateers around the world and for that I will always be grateful.

It's hard to believe that in just a few short hours, I along with 4,800+ Fiskateers around the world will hit the refresh button one last time on our favorite site and we will witness a brand new era. And with that one little key stroke, we will all see my wildest dreams become a reality... My life as a Lead Fiskateer will officially begin.

Meet & Greet Scheduled

I have my first official Lead Fiskateer Meet & Greet scheduled on July 5th & 6th at Scrapmania! in Hagerstown, MD.

On Saturday, July 5th, I'll be making an quick appearance from 2:00-4:00 during the all day crop.

On Sunday, July 6th, I'll be there for the official Meet & Greet from 2:00-4:00. During this time there will have a fun make-and-take, some yummy snacks, as well as some great Fiskars Brands door prizes every 15 minutes. At 3:00 pm there will be a group photo opportunity for all Fiskateers and Fiskars Certified Demonstrators in the surrounding area. So, be sure to bring your Fiskateer scissors and/or your Fiskars Certified Demonstrator name badge. And if that not enough fun for one day, at 4:00 pm I'll have a grand prize drawing...a basket full of Fiskars goodies! (winner must be present to win) Rumor has it that it includes a Threading Waters Border Punch as well as a few other surprises...shhhh...but don't tell anyone.

...Oh and did I mention that Scrapmania! will also be offering 25% off all Fiskars items the entire weekend...sweet!

For directions to Scrapmania! visit: http://myscrapmania.com/

So spread the news! Bring a friend or two! I hope to see you there!

Well, I'm back from Fiskars Headquarters. I've received calls and emails from several Fiskateers and the funny thing is that I keep getting the same little question... "Well, how was it?"

Wowsiers! I had an absolute blast! Like any serious scrapbooker, I had my camera in hand and it feels that I didn't put it down for one second. I wanted to capture as many memories as I could to scrap later.

The people at Fiskars HQ are absolutely amazing! Su, Chad and the entire Team were very hospitable. During this short visit to Madison, our schedule was packed full. We met and chatted with Fiskaneers, saw some CHA sneak peeks, served up a Fiscany Bistro to the staff, and even had a little time to do a little quilting and scrapbooking of course. Matter of fact, at the hotel that we stayed at, there was a private crop going on and the new Lead Fiskateers did what we do best...we made a surprise visit and RAKed some cool Fiskars scissors.

So, the new Lead Fiskateers (pictured above: Rebecca, Cheryl, with Su from Fiskars TV, Kelly Jo, Angela and me) did a lot of brainstorming for the upcoming term that officially starts on July 1st. If this past weekend is any clue to what will be happening over the next two years in the Fiskateer community, may I suggest that you lock your seat belts low and tight around your waist...it's going to be a wild ride!

I'm Off to Fiskars Headquarters!

After several long hours, as you can see, I'm FINALLY packed for my trip to Fiskars Headquarters in Madison, WI. Gee, I hope I haven't forgotten anything! I know the airlines are getting tight now about baggage, but these crates should definitely throw them a curve ball!

It's hard to believe that I'm now just counting down the hours. Tomorrow evening at this time, I'll be hanging out with Angela, Kelly, Rebecca and Cheryl as we gather to start our Lead Fiskateer training for the next two year term. Fiskars and the Brains on Fire gang has a packed schedule for us the next several days. But believe you me, we all can't wait to get started!

Want to chat with us and get a little sneak peak? We have a on-line chat planned this coming Monday, June 23 (6:30 Eastern, 5:30 Central, 3:30 Pacific). Here's the link:

www.fiskarscraft.com/prechat.aspx

I'm off to try to get some sleep...

Meet a Fiskateer Wiggle Worm

Back on April 22nd the Fiskateer community was introduced to the new Leads for the 2008-2010 term. The day that I received the call that I was selected to be one of the new Leads will be a day that I will always treasure.

The current Lead Fiskateers: Holly, May, Cheryl and Stephenie have been so inspiring over the past two years. I can't even begin to describe how each one of these extremely talented ladies have touched my life and the lives of so many scrapbookers across the world. Holly, May and Stephenie will soon be taking on a new role in the Fiskateer community...that of a Fiskars Legend. (Several weeks following the announcement of the new Leads, Stephenie accepted a full-time position as the Design and Consumer Education Manager at Fiskars.) Cheryl Walters will be returning as a Lead Fiskateer for the next two year term.

Later this week on Friday, I and the other Lead Fiskateers for the next term will be heading to the Fiskars Craft Division Headquarters in Madison for our official training. Joining Cheryl and me on this adventure is Angela Daniels, Kelly Jo Massicotte, Rebecca Peck. The last two months I've been a little quiet on the Fiskateer message board. That's because there's been a lot of prep work happening here at home. Soon, some of those projects will be revealed and and this creative adventure will officially begin.

So, I'm down to counting the days on one hand now. I'm so excited that even while writing this, I'm finding it very hard to sit still. Yes, it's official...

...I'm a wiggle worm.

Miserable High Temps

For the last week, the weather was in the high 90's. Matter of fact, it even hit over 102 in my hometown in Maryland. Not only was the thermometer at my local bank showing high temperatures, the thermometer that is usually stored in my medicine cabinet was working hard this week too. It's June and I caught a miserable cold. Can you believe it?

I'm feeling much better now, and all that's left is a faint dry cough. I'm so glad this little spell came and went as quick as it did. There are big things happening in my world in the upcoming week. I see an airplane in my future...eight days and counting!

There's your teaser for now. Check back later this weekend. (Remember...Mordecai has some prizes to give away in a previous post!)

Edit: Mordecai has selected her winners in her Birthday Favor RAK listed below. She thanks you for playing along.

Yikes! I've Got a Teenager!

Yes it's true. There are crazy cat people out there in the wild and wacky world...and I'm one of them. We celebrate our four-legged kids birthdays each year too.

Thirteen years ago today at 2:25 am, my spoiled little brat was born. She was the first born of a litter of four little girls. I'm told that she was sweet and silly and special from the moment she popped out...she like her people mommy was a breech birth.

People often ask me how I came up with her name, Mordecai. Well, actually I didn't. Long story short, her birth mother was a stray that was found hanging around a church in New Jersey. The searched high and low to find this cats owners, but no one came forward. So, one of the members of the church took her in and named her Queen Esther. When Queen Esther was taken to the vet, they discovered she was about to give birth to a litter any day. Upon the day of the arrival of the litter, she named the kittens one by one. The first born kitten she named Mordecai.

The owner of Queen Esther was a customer at my sisters health food store. Then forty-one days after her birth, she was delivered to me here in Maryland. The name she was given was a unique one, so I decided to keep it.

So today we celebrate the birthday of my little girl, Mordecai. May all your kitty wishes come true.

Want a party favor? I have two packs of Cloud 9 Design Cat Cardstock Alphabet Stickers to give away to two lucky Fiskateers. I'll draw the names on the morning of June 14th. So be sure to leave your Fiskateer number so I can get ahold of you!

This RAK is now closed. I've posted the winners names in the comments to this post.