A Stamping New Year’s Resolution

I try really hard to keep this blog strictly stamping related, ie. not much mention of my family/life unless there’s stamping involved.  Although I’m not posting any pictures with this post I believe the post still holds true to my unwritten rule.

As I was designing some scrapbook pages for Monday’s club tonight (yes, I’ll try to post a picture tomorrow!) I couldn’t help but think of my DD#2 (the pages definitely lean toward a child theme).  She just turned 4 and she has loved stamping ever since I can remember.  She got into my stuff just like the other two did (well, the youngest still does – where’s my Old Olive marker cap, baby boy???) but she is still very interested in all the stuff behind my desk now in a proactive way versus a destructive way! LOL  My older daughter enjoys stamping as well but she doesn’t have a desire to stamp nearly as much as my 4 year old does. 

So anyway, while I was stamping I was thinking I really need to let my 4 year old stamp more often.  She asks me A LOT if she can make whatever I’m making, if she can have a baggie (I bag up all my cards individually for workshops and always have leftovers that I store in my laterals) to stamp a card for whomever, if she can sit on my lap while I stamp, etc., etc.  And a lot of times I get silently frustrated by this because I’m trying TO WORK and I know most times in her eyes it looks like I’m playing and why shouldn’t she be able to do so as well?!  Sometimes I say yes, and she pulls out a baggie, the stamps, a blender pen, a few ink pads, a tape runner, some dimensionals, and always the bone folder (LOL), and creates away; and she’s actually good (relatively speaking for a 4 year old)!!  But probably more often than not I say ‘not right now’ or ‘mommy’s working’ or ‘go pull something out of your own craft closet.’

But tonight I was thinking I just need to let ‘it’ go more and just let her stamp more and here’s why. 
I LOVE that:
- she had the biggest grin on her face while opening her birthday card this year.
- she slept with said birthday card for two nights.
- she thinks I stamp everything she sees on the computer screen (although she’s  realizing lately that this isn’t true and I really do tell her no, mommy didn’t make it!).
- she knows the UPS truck and airplane by sight and has for a LONG time.
- she knows the SU! logo and used to point and say ‘Stampin’ Up!’ very excitedly whenever she saw it.
- she wants to help me separate my orders whenever possible.
- she loves to help bag the projects, set up the tables and chairs, put out the stampin’ scrubs, adhesives, packets, etc.
- she’s very close with several of my stamping customers/friends and gets excited when it’s their night to stamp at our home.
- she knew which Christmas cards were handstamped and which ones weren’t just by looking at the envelopes.
- she wanted to open all the aforementioned handstamped cards first!
- she’ll often yell down the stairs (to where we stamp) “Mommy, can I come give you a hug?” which translated means “Mommy, can I come see what all your stampers and you are doing??”  LOL
- I know I can always count on her for an honest opinion of my creations.
- I look forward to showing her my creations and getting her reactions.  (side note: Yesterday’s reaction was super cute.  I showed her the card I made for Kristina’s challenge and asked her if  I had showed it to her already.  Her reply was ‘no, can I have it?’  I said, ‘no, Mommy’s going to keep it for a bit.’ Her response: "who are you giving it to?’  I said I wasn’t sure yet and she said ‘well, in a few days if you haven’t given it to anyone can I have it?’)
- she knows nearly every tool SU! makes, what they’re for, how to use them, and often explains things to her older sister!
- there’s someone in the house who appreciates what I do!

So, with all that said, I think my first (and possibly only) New Year’s Resolution should be to let her stamp more and not allow her to lose her enthusiasm for stamping, which is a wonderful activity we can be doing together for years and years to come.  Thanks for letting me get that out there and I promise the next post will have a handstamped picture for you all!