Hi there!! Well, today is the official kick-off of all of Papertrey's anniversary festivities! For the next 10 days, we'll be having all sorts of fun! So much is in store for you to enjoy....there will be contests and awesome prizes, (in true Papertrey fashion, of course!), exciting announcements and as always, your first peeks at February's product release. It's going to be a FUN 10 days!!
Each day, you'll want to be sure to visit Nichole Heady's blog to see all of the latest news, contest details, etc. For today, Nichole has asked each of us on the Design Team to share some of our favorites with you.....our favorite project from 2011, our top five favorite products and even some favorite memories of our time with PTI.
I counted them up and discovered that I created over 350 projects for Papertrey in 2011 so choosing a favorite was sort of like choosing a favorite child! Ha. In all actuality, there were 9 or 10 that really stuck out to me as favorites but in the end, I went with the one you see at the top of this post. I love that little flower background, I love the colors, I love the fluffy flower and leaves and that it's all piled up on a cutie-patootie tag.
TOP FIVE FAVORITES
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As for favorite products, again, you can see my list above. The mat stack 4 die is a favorite simply because it goes with EVERYthing! I reach for it again and again and it never gets old. The Rosie Posie stamp set is a favorite because those flowers just inspire me to create with them like no others. They speak to me. They are sooo right up my alley. :) Chocolate baker's twine made the list because it's another one of those staples that goes with so much and even though twine may be small, sometimes it's the perfect little tidbit to finish a project off with just the right amount of detail.
Raspberry Fizz buttons made my list because.....well.......have you SEEN them? They're the absolute fizziest!! They're the perfect bright pink and sorting thru that particular little button jar makes my heart happy. It's the little things, you know? :) And last on my top five list is rustic cream card stock. It's more interesting than vintage cream with it's little flecks of this and that.....and yet, it's perfect on nearly any project. I love it so.
MEMORIES
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It's hard to believe that I'm coming up on four years with Papertrey this summer. I've immensely enjoyed my time with Papertrey and look forward to many more years to come. I consider myself to be so blessed to be able to work from home, working with products -- and PEOPLE -- I love, getting to design my own products, seeing my product ideas come to fruition and turn into real life products that lots of you have used and love.....it all makes me so happy and so fulfilled. And for that, I am extremely grateful.
I've had a lot of fun times with Papertrey over the last few years.....there are lots of fun memories of crazy behind-the-scenes moments that make me smile and some of those memories literally make me laugh out loud, to this day! Like the time Mishie and I were on an airplane two rows behind a REALLY drunk lady who was sitting on her knees in her chair, facing backward (!) toward us during the flight....and the whole time, I kept thinking, "Just don't make eye contact. Just don't make eye contact." But there was Mishie, chatting (chatting!) with Ms. Drunko-skunko, while I was hoping she wasn't going to hurt us! Hahahaha! Or there was the year I roomed with Heather at CHA and my feet hurt so bad when I climbed into my bed that night that I told Heather the blankets were too heavy and they hurt my feet......only to be reminded of that exact conversation a year later when I was rooming with Mishie also at CHA and my feet hurt so bad when I climbed into my bed that night, I told Mishie the blankets were too heavy and they hurt my feet. I'd completely forgotten that I said that the year before, but the next morning at breakfast, we were all laughing and joking and Mishie told Heather that I'd said that the night before and Heather said, "That's what she said last year!" LOL! I'll also never forget meeting Betsy for the first time and realizing that while she's every bit as polite and sweet and quiet as I kind of pictured in my head, she also has this awesome sense of humor and totally made me laugh over and over. I love the girls on the design team. I love that we have history together. I love that we have fun memories together. And even though I haven't met all of them in person, they are all dears and I am grateful to call them "friend".
THANK YOU
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Thru Papertrey, I've also had the opportunity to meet lots of customers and you, my dear blog readers, who have encouraged me and poured joy and happiness and love into my life. It's those moments....those times when I connect with one of you either in real life, or via the comments section on my blog, or thru email.....it's those moments that remind me of why I do what I do. Thank you for your encouragement over the years. Being on a design team is not always easy. It's wonderful, to be sure, but it's not always easy and I can't tell you how much it means when you take the time to say something nice....to share an encouraging word. I can't tell you how much a kind word can mean or how far it can go. It makes a difference. YOU make a difference to me, and I thank you for all the ways you've blessed me over these last few years.
I also have to say a huge thank you to Jane, Julie & Nichole -- Papertrey's owners -- who have given me many wonderful opportunities. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I'll be back tomorrow with another something fun to share....I hope you'll join me. In the meantime, be sure to head to Nichole's blog to see what you can do to enter today's contest -- the prize is the entire collection of the design team's favorites!!!
Much love,
