Heidi's Night of Stamping

2/24/2008 01:33:00 AM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (0)






Phew! After 8 hours of New York State Teacher Certification Exams, I decided to "chill" (as my dad would say) by stamping. Tomorrow my meetup group in New York City will be gathering for a Stamp-a-Stack of 20 cards. http://rubberstamp.meetup.com/264/ All of the images are Stampin' Up! but most of the other supplies are from other companies. All happy and SPRING! New York City was hit by some snow which was really pretty. It inpired me to stamp some WARM WEATHER cards! I hope you enjoy them!

My Night of Scrapping

2/20/2008 09:54:00 PM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (2)

I LOVE scrapping but took quite some off from it for a number of reasons. Scrappin' was something I used to do to escape my far from perfect life. I haven't done much scrapbooking in the last three years. I had a GREAT day of shopping with one of my dearest friends, Paola, on Monday night. That adventure brought on a conversation with Marty about WHY I don't seem to sit and scrap anymore even though I "want" to. His thoughts were that it brings me back to a time in my life that I would like to keep in the past. BUT, that NOW it was time to capture the new memories that I have. Those that are amazing! I have Marty, a fabulous family, two nieces who are gifts from heaven, two furbabies, and more friends than I have ever had in my life.

SO, here it is the beginning of a new scrappin' life for me. I spent time tonight creating two pages about some of the inky times that I have had with my meetup group. The delicious products came from the February Kit from http://inspiremecardkits.com/ . Check them out! There kits are fresh and amazing.


PS2 Keys 2 Success Concert

2/16/2008 10:47:00 PM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (1)

Tonight, I had a musical experience that I simply can't compare to any other. As a musician since I was 10, I have had my share of concerts, etc. This evening, I shared in a musical journey that will impact me forever.


This evening students from the school where I teach, PS2X, in the South Bronx combined with students from The Rollings Middle School of the Arts from Summerville, South Carolina. The first obvious thing that you notice is how culturally diverse these two groups of children are. The magic happened when they sat at the piano and touched the keyboard. This concert was a true celebration of how music connects us regardless of race, religion or beliefs. It showed all of us that were there that music is a language of the soul and that if you allow it in, it can connect you to people that you have never met as well as those that you hold dear in your heart.



I was surrounded by the classical music of the children in the PS2 Keys 2 Success Program http://thekeys2success.org/ and the visitors from South Carolina. The audience jumped to their feet at a jaw-dropping performace by a young man named Lonnie Russell. We were dazzled by the magic of Christopher Yates. One moment that struck me was when the duet of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" was happening. A chilling singer named DeQuincy Attiberry was accompanied by a young pianoist named Peyton Lehew. The young man on the piano struggled at points in the piece but somehow the two young men connected in a way that not only got them through the piece but put tears in my eyes. Music is powerful, it moves us.



I had the honor tonight of watching the face of Tom Hall, the music teacher from my school that puts his heart and soul into this group of children. I listened to the music and watched the show but really observed Tom. It made me reflect on some recent conversations that I have had with him about teaching in the Bronx and why we do it. These are the moments that make that all make sense. He wore his heart on his sleeve and the kids tickled the ivories in his honor.


My night ended with a surprise interview! The reporter wanted my views on the concert. The impromptu interview caused me to stubble at times. How do you put such an experience into words? Until they interviewed one of my very own students, Chayonne Lewis. At a young 4th grade age, he spoke with pride about how the program changed him. How when he is put into difficult situations, the "Keys" force him to think about how he should handle things. He spoke about how he ran with the "wrong crowd" and how he now has friends that are in the "keys". I stood there with my chin on the floor and in my mind thought about how he said everything that I was thinking.



So, thank you Alexei Nichols, Raun, Chayonne, the Keys 2 Success and of course, Tom Hall, for an experience I will never forget. I know this is one that I will reflect upon with great pride and the comfort in knowing that music bonds us. It soothes the soul and makes you dance. It knows no color, no violence and can touch us in a way that is hard to put into words.



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Big Apple Team Meeting

2/16/2008 10:19:00 PM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (1)



Friday night was alive with sharing, crafting and team-builiding at Heidi's Stamping Mecca. Check out the link at http://rubberstamp.meetup.com/264/calendar/6885492/ Our team has been meeting once a month with the goal of improving our Stampin' Up! businesses. My biggest vision is to spread creativity to others and our team is on that path. We spend hours talking about our successes which included:
  • Heidi signing on 3 new recruits during February! I am also so excited to have such an amazing and GROWING team! I am looking forward to bonding and sharing with each of you.

  • Corris signing on Masika as a new member of our team. Corris is also using Stampin' Up! at her soapmaking meetup. This has been proving to be very successful.

  • Paola has been working hard to make her meetup group and website personal to her members. She is adding topics to the message boards and sending out personal emails.

  • Claudia is busy in Brooklyn! She has many events on her meetup calendar and has booked hotels for our stay this summer in Utah!

  • Masika is new to the team and spent time at the meeting getting to know the members as well as share and get insight on her ideas as she starts her business.

  • Melissa is also new to the team! We knew for quite some time that she would join us and I am SO thrilled to have her onboard. I am so excited to see what plans she has for SU!

If Stampin' Up! seems like a business that you would be interested in, please email me at fluteprincess619@yahoo.com I would be more than happy to help you to learn more about this amazing company.






GORGEOUS Pups!

2/13/2008 04:50:00 PM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (0)

My First Contribution to The Sampler

2/11/2008 09:44:00 PM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (0)



Finally! MUCH thanks for Eileen and Corris for pushing me to contribute to The Sampler. I am anxiously awaiting my very first Sampler to arrive at my door. Until then, I am trusting the wisdom of my two dear friends about the amazing collection of unique crafty items. Check out this link to see what I am talking about. http://www.homeofthesampler.com/ I have jumped in with both feet and prepared a simple yet very "Heidi" contribution to this awesome organization.

For both cards, I simply folded a piece of cardstock in half. One of my most favorite new stamp sets is Embrace Life. I used that set to stamp some very clean, simple and "zen" cards. I stamped my unique "Handstamped by Heidi" stamp on the back, put each one in a clear envelope, added a business card AND...they are ready to go. SO exciting!






Bag Ladies

2/10/2008 05:08:00 PM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (2)


Well, sort of...

Today, the Big Apple Stampers http://rubberstamp.meetup.com/264/had our Paper Bag Scrapbooks Meetup. We spent hours creating unique scrapbooks to keep or give as a gift. Eileen, Laurel, Paola, Loretta, Melissa and Heidi stamped, cut, glued, inked and scrapped all afternoon. This project can be made with simple paper bags, paper, glue, pictures and any embellishments that make you smile.

Eileen created a book for her wonderful pictures from several years of trips to Lake George.

Laurel attended her FIRST workshop and made a gorgeous book about her trip to France.

Melissa was unsure of what theme she wanted for her book. She created a book that could be used for either a baby or wedding using the simple elegance that Melissa uses in her projects. (I forgot to take Melissa's picture before she left. I will pass it along another time. Sorry, Melissa!)

Romance was in the air when Paola created an album for pictures of her sweetie, Hans, and her.

Loretta had a great time creating a book using some of Stampin' Up!'s new pattern papers. She said many times, "I LOVE this. I love this!"
I loved seeing everyone today and crafting with you. There isn't a whole lot better in life than a Sunday afternoon getting inky with friends!









Card Making at Paola's Meetup

2/10/2008 10:09:00 AM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (2)









My fabulous friend and downline, Paola, had a wonderful inky event at her home yesterday. Eileen, Marty, Paola and I had a super time making 6 very stunning and unique cards. http://scrapbook.meetup.com/1848/photos/
If you get a chance to check out her meetup, it is full of exciting photos, events and message on the message boards. She is also running a contest right now to win a FREE meetup event. I adore Paola and love her stamping energy.








Paper Bag Scrapbooks

2/08/2008 11:59:00 PM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (0)


Who would have thought that you could turn 5 or more of these white everyday lunch bags into a mini scrapbook?





On Sunday February 10, the Big Apple Stampers will be doing just that! http://rubberstamp.meetup.com/264/calendar/6946478/


Here are two examples that are both in the beginning stages.
Both use retired Stampin' Up! Simply Scrappin' Kits. BRAND new kits can be found in the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog!

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Welcome to the Mecca!

2/08/2008 10:14:00 PM / Posted by Heidi Bound / comments (0)


Mecca is described as:



  • A place that is regarded as the center of an activity or interest.

  • A place visited by many people.

My dear friend, Corris, describes my craft room as the Stampin' Mecca. I would have to agree that it is the center of activities such as stamping, scrapping, music, laughter, barking, soapmaking, and most importantly, friendship and love. It is truly a place visited by many people for all of those reasons. We were at one point all strangers until the common bond of crafting initially brought us all together. We have formed a sisterhood (and welcome two fine men-Marty and Michael and two furry pups) that embraces our love of creating and grows because of all of the personal differences that we bring to the Mecca.



As a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I am excited for another opportunity to share my crafting and teaching adventures in New York City as I grow with Marty, my family, the pups, friends, fellow crafters and colleagues. I promise to keep this updated with fresh ideas about crafting, education and daily events in the most amazing city on earth!

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