Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance;
they make the latitudes and longitudes.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Wow, what a fun time we had on our cruise. We loved reading all the sweet comments from all our cruise travelers.  Thank you, everyone, who helped get the word out, left us kind words, and just took time to sail with us. We made it from East to West and back again, and our vessel is anchored back at the home port, here . . . for now.

Our Catty Cruise Crew will be on furlough for a few months. But, good news, me hearties. The links to our Catty Cruise II are not going away, so you can still relive the adventures of the cruise over and over. And, we’re already making preparations for our next voyage.

On 01/29/10 our Catty Cruise Crew will highlight the bounty of treasures from both the Occasions Mini Catalog AND Sale-a-bration. Ye’d have to be a belly-crawling wharf rat to turn down a porthole peek – it’s going to be amazing.   Meanwhile, you just never know what crazy hi-jinks those sea dogs might be up to while they’re on furlough . . . so be sure to bookmark this site and come back and visit us from time to time.

The Catty Cruise has weighed anchor. Our 11 amazing paper craft artists (Cruise Stewards) are  pushing off shore and heading West. You just won’t believe the view along this cruise as our Stewards highlight the newest products from the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini Catalog.

You can start our cruise (blog hop) by clicking on any one of the sites below. There’s no real start or end, because you’ll eventually link back to where ever you joined the cruise. As you move along the cruise, you’ll travel across the United States from East to West. You can even start in the middle, go Westward and end up back on the East Coast. It’s a cruise, after all, and we just wanted to show off our compass skills.

So, jump in, the water’s great!

• Kriss Huells, Stamp with Kriss
• Wendy Janson, It’s All About Stamping
• Lynn Weiss, L W Designs
• Connie Collins, Constantly Stamping
• Kay Kalthoff, Stamping to Share
• Vicki Burdick, Its a Stamp Thing
• Angie Tieman, Schwooo
• Linda McClain, LMac’s Catered Crop
• LeeAnn Greff, Flowerbug’s Inkspot
• Brooke Stockman, Designs by Brooke
• Becky Roberts, Inking Idaho

“Avast belay, yo ho, heave to,

A-pirating we go

And if we’re parted by a shot

We’re sure to meet below!”

“Yo ho, yo ho, the pirate life,

The flag o’skull and bones

A merry hour, a hempen rope

And ‘hey’ for Davy Jones!”

Peter, Wendy and Captain Hook

Arrr, we couldn’t miss the fun of “National Talk Like a Pirate Day” har at Catty Cruise.

So ye be wantin’ t’ go to sea an’ ye don’t be wantin’ t’ end up in Davy Jones’ Locker. Then ye best be learnin’ t’ be talkin’ like the rest of us buccaneers.

• Here’s a great pirate-speak translator. Just type what you want to say into the box, and it will translate it into pirate speak. You can even translate your website/blog, Here.
• Here’s the “Official Site for Talk Like a Pirate Day.”
• I’d love to drop anchor in your lagoon. Get the kids away from the computer screen before you read the top ten pirate pick up lines (they’re hilarious!).

Aye, mark your calendar fer September 26 when the Catty Cruise weighs anchor again. Or else, ye’ll ne’er get me buried booty!

As you may have read earlier this week, we asked our Stewards to share their favorite all-time projects. Connie Collins from Constantly Stamping said picking her favorite was easy.

My favorite project of all time was my “HOME” décor project. My husband was serving in Iraq at the time. That was probably the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life. I used my stamping as my outlet to help cope with the stress I was going through at the time. I actually made this project for my personal use in my stamping area.

I loved the finished project so much that I decided to take a chance and do a second one to send in to Stampin’ Up! for one of the monthly contests. I don’t think I have ever been more excited in my “stamping” life than when I got that call from Stampin’ Up! telling me that my project had been chosen. I was even more surprised when I received my “On Stage/Stampin’ Success”* and found they had used the idea on the cover of that month’s issue. Winning that monthly contest, along with some encouragement from my best friend and downline, Nancy Brown, gave me the courage and confidence to start my blog.

*Stampin’ Success and On Stage were monthly publications published by Stampin’ Up! for their demonstrators. They’ve been combined into one monthly magazine, Stampin’ Success. It’s jammed full of beautiful projects like Connie’s as well as instructions for new techniques or new ways to use the products.

Wow, we’re so thankful Connie entered that contest because without it and the confidence it gave her to start her blog, we might never have had a chance to enjoy her beautiful work. And, of course, words can’t properly express our gratitude to her and her family for their sacrifices while her husband was in Iraq. You can read Connie’s original post about getting the news of her contest win here: Recent Contest Winner.

Inquiring minds what to know.

We asked our Catty Cruise Stewards to pick and share their favorite all-time project with all of us. Hold on to your seats – buckle yourself in, because we think we have among the most talented paper crafters in all the seven seas.  They’re going to knock you overboard with their projects.

Lee Ann Greff from Flowerbug’s Inkspot sent us these beauties.

Lee Ann said this is one of her favorites because it’s so soft & pretty – almost Victorian.  “It was actually an original idea of mine in how to use and layer the Top Note die cut.” Lee Ann never had a die cutting machine/system before and she was apprehensive about adding it to her supplies. Wow, she really mastered it right out of the box. “And hard to believe, but we’ve had the Big Shot and Sizzix products available to us Demo’s for one year now!  I am absolutely thrilled they added these to our catalog.” Lee Ann gave some great tips for making these gems here: Big Shot Top Note.

This one is so much fun because it’s so very different from the soft Victorian card. It’s so bright and cheery.  Lee Ann says: “Love the primary colors which can be hard to use together.  I love our new polka dot ribbons – they add so much to a project.  And I think these Sweet Treat cups are so fun to work with!”

Lee Ann gives you all the details and the supplies she used to make this adorable card here: Holiday Mini Sneak Peak.

Oh, cruisers, this last project of Lee Ann’s is just a taste of the products from the new mini catalog the next cruise will be highlighting. Lee Ann and our other cruise Stewards have already started playing with their new toys so you’ll want to check their blogs on the right and be sure to come back on September 25 when the Catty Cruise weighs anchor again.

Many of our Cruise Stewards got to attend the national Stampin’ Up! Convention in Utah last week and had an amazing time. Some of the Catty Girls were meeting for the very first time, at least in person. Here’s Brooke Stockman, Connie Collins and Becky Roberts. Looks like Nancy Riley made it, too. Rumor has it Linda Heller, Lee Ann Greff, Kriss Huels, and Kay Kalthoff, were also there. And, like Nancy, Lori Heiling popped up in unlikely places.

We know our cruise stewards rock the crafting world, but how fun it is when other folks recognize them, too. I mean, really, if it had been the Oscars, we’d be saying our Cruise Stewards took a clean sweep of all the awards:

• the very coveted Artisan Award;
• Artisan Award finalists;
• Rising Stars;
• Demonstrators of the Year;
• top awards for recruiting, sales, and downline promotions;
• prestigious Founders Circle;
• and even the best homemade (and hilarious) commercial.

One of the most fun things about convention is viewing the fabulous displays of project samples.Yep, we’re busting our buttons with pride that one our Stewards was chosen by Stampin’ Up! to make samples for the display boards – and her samples are amazing!

Here’s Connie, Becky and Brooke, again, along with Angie Tieman. And, if you look very closely, there’s Linda McClain “hanging” out with Becky.

Luckily for all of us, the Catty Girls are blogging about the convention and posting the projects that helped make them part of Stampin’ Up! history. Check out our Stewards’ blogs (see sidebar on the right) for more details and to see their gorgeous, jaw-dropping projects.

Oh, and even more fun for all of us, the Cruise Stewards have started receiving their pre-order goodies for the upcoming holiday mini catalog and are playing with their new toys for the next Catty Cruise. The girls learned some new tricks and twists at the convention they’re anxious to share with everyone.

We are so very proud of our Stewards. Congratulations!

Red sails in the sunset, way out on the sea
Oh, carry my loved one home safely to me.

– Nat King Cole

Our Catty Cruise is sailing off to the sunset. Weren’t those projects just amazing?

Good news, me hearties. The links are not going away, so you can still relive the adventures of the cruise over and over.

Ay, and there’s even more good news. The Catty Cruise will sail again on September 25, 2009. Meanwhile, while the crew is on furlough, here at the home port we’ll be giving you profiles of our Stewards, offering a few Q&A sessions with valuable crafting information, and featuring our Stewards’ art. So, as we say in our Southern ports, ya’ll come back now.

Thanks you all for your sweet comments here and on our Stewards’ blogs. We look forward to sailing with you again soon.

The maiden voyage of the Catty Cruise is now  full steam ahead, smooth sailing to beautiful ports of call. If you haven’t embarked yet, you’re missing the bounty of amazing projects. You will simply not believe all the amazing things our 12 Stewards have made. Seriously, there’s jewelry, basket and basket charms, framed art, milk cartons, suit cases, and, of course, scrapbook pages and cards . . . just to name a few.

You can start our cruise (blog hop) by clicking on any one of the sites below or on the side bar to the right. There’s no real start or end, because you’ll eventually link back to where ever you joined the cruise.

So, jump in, the water’s great!

• Angie Tieman, Schwooo
• Becky Roberts, Inking Idaho
• Brooke Stockman, Designs by Brooke
• Connie Collins, Constantly Stamping
• Vicki Burdick, Its a Stamp Thing
• LeAnne Pugliese, Wee Inklings
• LeeAnn Greff, Flowerbug’s Inkspot
• Linda Heller, Where the Rubber Hits the Road
• Linda McClain, LMac’s Catered Crop
• Lynn Weiss, L W Designs
• Nancy Riley, iSTAMP
• Tracy Harp, Inky Doodles

Still hugging the shore? Here’s another porthole, sneak peak of what you might be missing.

Oh, the cargo is packed . . . the deck chairs are being wiped off for you to lounge in and enjoy the cruise  . . . we’re weighing anchor tonight (midnight, Central Standard Time)!

Here’s your line-up of cruise Stewards tonight. Oh, and there’s no real stopping and starting point – you can embark at any one of these ports of call.

• Angie Tieman, Schwooo
• Becky Roberts, Inking Idaho
• Brooke Stockman, Designs by Brooke
• Connie Collins, Constantly Stamping
• Vicki Burdick, Its a Stamp Thing
• LeAnne Pugliese, Wee Inklings
• LeeAnn Greff, Flowerbug’s Inkspot
• Linda Heller, Where the Rubber Hits the Road
• Linda McClain, LMac’s Catered Crop
• Lynn Weiss, L W Designs
• Nancy Riley, iSTAMP
• Tracy Harp, Inky Doodles

Oh, and because we’re just so stinkin’ excited . . . here’s a little port-hole sneak peak. Maybe you’ll recognize this project on your cruise tomorrow night.

That’s it . . . more to come

Wow, where did the month of June go? We’re counting the days until we weigh anchor and begin our voyage on the Catty Cruise beginning July 25. Meanwhile, your Stewards and Boatswain Catty Cruise crew have been playing with the toys from the new catalog.

Check out Connie Collins  Water Lilly using the Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper and Daisey Big Shot Die. Her color combinations, Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plumb, Barely Banana, and Old Olive, are stunning!

Lee Ann Greff also made an amazing project with the new colors, Razzleberry Lemonade paper and the Daisey Big Shot Die.  Go take a peek at her Butterfly Box.

You won’t believe that the background on Vickie Burdick’s card comes from the same Razzleberry Lemonade paper. This card is so stunning and has such a gentle beauty. And, guess what, it also uses the Daisey die.

All of these fabulous stampers used the designer paper and Big Shot die, but what amazingly different and beautiful projects they made.

Be sure you don’t miss the boat. Mark on your calendars, bookmark their sites and join these three and all the other cruise members on July 25. Meanwhile, be sure to visit all the cruise members by following their links on the side bar.