Memory Journal - Living through COVID-19

A few weeks ago I was making Memory Journals for family and friends to jot down their thoughts and feelings about the pandemic.  While making these journals, I developed a list of thought provoking ideas and questions.  I updated the list today to include the states re-opening, Memorial Day, 4th of July, and, unfortunately, the riots.

If these questions can help you in creating a journal of this life-changing pandemic, feel free to use them.

Living through COVID-19

Coronavirus 2020

(updated July 2020)

2020 started off with an unforeseen tragedy -- COVID-19 aka Coronavirus

We, everyone who is alive in 2020, are living through a historical event that has not been seen for many, many years; decades in fact.  This is a great opportunity to put our thoughts and feelings down on paper for our descendents to read what we went through.

I am in the process of making Memory Journals, Thoughts and Feelings, for friends and family as well as a Junk Journal for myself.  Along with the journals, I have put together a list of questions and ideas that may start you thinking about what you, your family and friends and co-workers have been going through during the pandemic.  If I have left something out, please send me a message with your ideas/thoughts  and I will share the ones I receive in another post.  The following ideas/questions are not in any particular order.  I wrote them down as I thought of them, although I have tried to group some of them.  Not every thought/question will apply to everyone, they are here to engage your thoughts.

Items marked with "*" are new.

What:  Coronavirus Pandemic 2020 aka COVID-19

When:  January 2020 through ?  Did it really start in January 2020 or did it start earlier than anyone thought?

Cause of the virus:

Cure/Vaccine found?

*When you heard about the virus/pandemic, what were your thoughts?

How did you feel at the start of the virus?

Were you concerned?

Actions you took to keep from getting the virus?

When did you start becoming concerned?

What happened in the area where you live? What were your thoughts and feelings?

When did you become aware this was worse than the flu?

What actions were taken by the U.S. government? State government? Local government? What were your thoughts and feelings?

*When President Trump shut down travel from foreign countries, what did you think?  How did you feel?  Where were you?

How were you affected?

Were you able to keep working (was your job essential)?

Were you laid off?

Were you able to receive unemployment?

Were you able to get financial relief/help?

How did the shelter-in-place affect you?  Physically?  Mentally?

How did it affect family members? Loved ones? Friends? Co-workers?

What did you do to keep your spirits up? The spirits of your family? your friends?

What plans were placed on hold? canceled?

How did the virus change your life?

Did you or a loved one come down with the virus?

What were the symptoms/treatments?

Were you able to go to the grocery store, pharmacy, drug store, etc., for necessities?

*When were you able to go out freely?  Were the restrictions/conditions?

What would you suggest/recommend to future generations to "weather" a pandemic?

What would you have done differently? Why?

What do you think your local, state or federal government should have done differently?  Why?

What activities/games did you play?

Did you complete activities off your "honey-do list"?

Who did you keep in contact with?

What were your concerns?

Were you scared?

How did you cope with social distancing?

What did you think about the TP shortage? the hoarding?

What were/are your feelings when the pandemic was over? 

*Is it over?  Did a "second wave" occur?

*When you were able to go out freely, when did it happen?  What happened?  What did you experience?  What did others do?

*Did your state open up for Memorial Day?  4th of July?  What happened?  Did everyone adhere to the CDC guidelines?  If not, what happened?

*How many stages did your state go through when it reopened?

*Were your favorite stores? Restaurants? Bars? Beauty/barber shops reopened?

*Was social distancing required? Were masks required? If not at first, were they mandatory later?

*Were essential supplies easier to find?

*Did your town/state become a "hot spot"?  If so, what happened? Were any special places closed because of the virus?  What? When? Did they reopen at the same pace as your city/state?  Did they revert back to an early stage of the reopening?

*If/when businesses reopened, did everyone comply with the CDC guidelines? If not, what did people do? What were the consequences for their actions?

*When did you start doing "normal" things?  Going out to eat? Going to family functions? Going to the movies? Going out to a bar or nightclub? Go swimming?  Do something else?

*Did your local/state government shut businesses down a second time?  Which businesses?  Why?  How did you feel about the re-closures? 

*If you live in a gated community with a clubhouse, were activities discontinued?  When? Why? Did they reopen?  If so, were there restrictions?

*Did tourist areas in your area open?  Were they later reclosed?

*Did you travel outside your area? Did you have any trouble if you did?  Where did you go? When did you go? Were things different from how they were when you were there before?  How? Were there restrictions? Special needs?

*If you had a home-based business, like being a Tupperware representative, a jewelry representative or a Stampin'Up! Demonstrator, were you able to keep holding meetings, parties or classes?  If not, how did you reach out to your customers?  Did you hold on-line classes? Do YouTube videos? Or, what?  How did your customers react?  Did you start holding face-to-face meetings/classes again?  When?  How did you prepare for them?  How were they accepted by your customers?

*Did anything happen during the reopening of the country that caused you concern?  What? When? What were the consequences?

*When did you become aware of the Black Lives Matters movement?  What did you think of the riots? Defacing/tearing down of national monuments?  Taking over cities? Defunding the police?

*Do you think local/state governments took the right actions?  Why? Why not?  What could/should they have done?  Did the federal government take action?  Why? What actions were taken? What do you think should be done to stop the riots, killings, defunding the police, disbanding police forces, defacing/tearing down national monuments?

*Do you think the United States will come out of this chaotic time stronger?  How do you feel about what is happening within the United States? What do you feel should be done?

*What are your plans?  When do you feel the pandemic will be over?  Do you fear a second wave? How do you feel about others throughout the country not complying with the CDC recommendations?

*Have you reached out to your religious beliefs to help you through this time? Has it helped?

Making a Difference: COVID-19 Product Giveback

Stampin'Up! has created a great set of digital images that can be used for cardmaking, scrapbooking, putting on your blog, adding to your email, Facebook or Twitter accounts.


The cost is $12.00 U.S. and ALL proceeds will be donated.  Following are the two Non-Profit organizations you can choose from:

The World Health Organization’s COVID-Solidarity Response Fund
This fund supports the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, which includes:

• Tracking and understanding the spread of the virus.
• Ensuring patients get the care they need.
• Buying and shipping essential protective gear for frontline workers.
• Generating awareness for the general public on ways to prevent the spread of the disease.
• Accelerating efforts to develop vaccines, tests and treatments.

United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund 
This fund supports communities across the world struggling to cope with COVID-19. United Way is working to protect the most vulnerable by helping them access food, shelter, vital information, and more through United Way’s global network.


Click here to purchase your digital copy.

Card made with Retiring Designer Series Paper

I completed three of the cards I was not able to complete on Saturday at the Facebook Live Event my uplines hosted.  All three cards use the retiring Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper.

The first card base is made with Mossy Meadow cardstock (5-1/2"x8-1/2" folded at 4-1/4"). A Versamark ink pad was used to stamp the buds (from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set -- current) all over the front of the card and a 2"x 5-1/2" strip of Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper was added to the card front and edged with white ribbon inked (colored) with a Mossy Meadow maker applied with Multipurpose Liquid Glue.  The greeting (from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set) was stamped on Whisper White cardstock using a Black Memento ink pad, punched out with the retiring Pretty Label Punch and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Basic Rhinestones were added for some extra bling.

For the inside of the card a piece of Whisper White cardstock (3-1/4"x4") and a 2"x4" piece of matching Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper were attached using Snail Adhesive (retiring).  A piece of white ribbon inked with a Mossy Meadow marker was added over the seam where the two pieces of cardstock met. To add points of interest, three buds from a coordinating sheet of Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper were "fussy cut" and attached using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The base for Card Two was made with Basic Black cardstock (4-1/4"x11" folded at 5-1/2").  The buds were stamped using the bud stamp from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set (current) in Black Memento using the stamping off technique. Each bud was stamped off twice before being stamped on Whisper White cardstock (3"x4") and attached to the top of the card front using Snail Adhesive (retiring). Coordinating Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper was added under the Whisper White cardstock using Snail Adhesive. Black ribbon was added where over the seam where the two pieces of cardstock met using Multipurpose Liquid Glue. A small bow made with black ribbon was attached to the right side of the strip of ribbon using Glue Dots.  Flowers were cut out of Coordinating Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper and attached to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. The Greeting was stamped from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set in Black Memento Ink and punched out with the Tailored Tag Punch (current), the edges were sponged with Mossy Meadow ink with a Stampin' Sponge and attached using Snail Adhesive.  Retired Black Rhinestones were added for symmetry.

Using Black Memento ink, the abstract stamp from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set was stamped across the bottom of Whisper White cardstock (4-1/4"x4") and attached to the inside of the card using Snail Adhesive. A 1"x4" piece of coordinating Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper was attached below the Whisper White cardstock using Snail Adhesive. A strip of ribbon inked with a Mossy Meadow maker was attached across the seam using Multipurpose Liquid Glue.  A flower was cut out of a piece of coordinating paper from the Magnolia Lane Designers Series Paper and attached using Snail Adhesive.

Card Three using Basic Black cardstock for the base (4-1/4"x11", folded at 5-1/2").  Petal Pink cardstock (3"x4") was attached to the top of the base and Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper (2-1/4"x4") was attached under the Petal Pink cardstock using Snail Adhesive.  Ribbon inked with a Mossy Meadow marker was attached across the seam using Multipurpose Liquid Glue.  Flowers were fussy-cut from coordinating Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper. Two were attached to a piece of gold printed vellum (1-3/4"x 2-3/8" -- retired) using glue dots.  The vellum was attached to the card front using glue dots and the remaining flowers were attached using Stampin' Dimensionals.  Greeting was stamped in Black Memento Ink (from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set) on Whisper White cardstock, punched out using the retiring Pretty Label Punch and attached to the card front after a small piece of Mossy Meadow inked ribbon was added to the back of the greeting. Retired gold rhinestones were added for bling.

A 1-1/4"x4" piece of coordinating Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper was attached to the bottom of a piece of Whisper White cardstock (5-1/4"x4") using Snail Adhesive. A flower was fussy-cut from a coordinating piece of Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper and attached to the bottom using Snail Adhesive.  The piece of Whisper White cardstocked was adhered to the inside of the card using Snail Adhesive.

I hope you have enjoyed these cards as much as I enjoyed creating them.  Which one is your favorite?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon. Stay safe and hurry back.

Stampin'Up! Retired Products

On Saturday, June 25, 2020, a group of very talented Stampin'Up! Demonstrators hosted a Facebook Live Event for their downlines.  One of those downlines was me, Brenda!  Yeah!!!!

The Facebook Live Event had two purposes:  1) Showing us fellow downliners how to create a Facebook Live Event using retiring products; and, 2) Having fun while we do it.  We learned soooo many tips and tricks my head is spinning. We also were provided with several card ideas using the retiring products; i.e., retiring cardstock (In-Colors), retiring Designer Series Papers (DSPs), and retiring accessories.  Shown are three of the cards I created using retiring products.

Top:  During January-March each year Stampin'Up! hosts their biggest Sale-of-the-Year, SALE-A-BRATIONS.  During this three month period you can earn free product with every $50 you spend on products from the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog or the 2020 Mini Spring Catalog.

The top card was made using the Parisian Blossoms Designer Series Paper.  I cut the card base out of Balmy Blue (5-1/2"x8-1/2" folded in half at 4-1/4") and layered one design from the DSP on top (5-1/4"x4").  I cut several flowers from one sheet of the floral paper included in the package and attached them randomly on the card front.  I used a 6" piece of retired white ribbon and colored it using a Bermuda Bay marker and I colored two Basic Pearls using a Dark Bermuda Bay and one Basic Pearl using a Light Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blends.  The greeting (from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set -- current) was stamped in Black Memento Ink on a piece of Petal Pink cardstock using the Tailored Tag Punch and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals.



I love birds and I really love this package of Designer Series Paper called Bird Ballad found in the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog.  I am so sorry to see this lovely paper retire.

This note card was created using a 5"x7" piece of cardstock folded in half at 3-1/2" (or you can use one of the note cards cut to size from Stampin'Up!). I layered a piece of Petal Pink cardstock onto the Whisper White cardstock (4-3/4"x 3-1/4") and finished with a piece of Designer Series Paper from Bird Ballad (4-1/2"x3"). Again, I colored a 4" piece retired white ribbon with the Petal Pink Marker and attached it to a small piece of Designer Series Paper from Bird Ballad and stamped the greeting (from the Well Said stamp set -- current) with Memento Ink. I attached the greeting to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

My Sister-in-Law, El, loves bird even more than me.  I do believe she can name just about every bird you can find in North America, so, I will be sending this card to her.  (If you are reading this El, I hope you like it, lol.)





My final card used the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper, too.  The card base is 5-1/2"x8-1/2" folded at 4-1/4".  I took a 5"x3-1/2" piece of scrap cardstock and attached 5 strips of the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper (1"x3-1/2"), mixing and matching to the look I was going for.  The retired white ribbon was colored with the Petal Pink Marker and wrapped around the 5"x3-1/2" piece of card stock and tied with a button and attached to the card front using Snail Adhesive (retiring June 2, 2020).  The greeting (from the Well Said stamp set -- current) was stamped in Memento Black Ink on Petal Pink cardstock, punched out with the retiring Pretty Label Punch.

A big Shout Out to Cheri, Susan and Tonya for hosting this fantastic event and giving me the opportunity to showcase some of the retiring product from Stampin'Up!

Which card do you like the best?  Let me a comment and I will choose one lucky person to receive that card (sorry El if someone chooses your card and wins).

If you see a punch, Designer Series Paper, etc, you would like to order and do not have a Stampin'Up! Demonstrator, please leave me a comment with your contact information and I will contact you on how to order.  I would love to help you with all your stamping needs and share my love of stamping with you.



Stampin'Up!'s Last Chance Promotion

HURRY, HURRY -- Many items have already been sold out. 

If you have any of the items shown in the previous post on your Wish List, be sure to order them soon as you can, items are flying off the shelves and will be gone before you know it.


If you do not have a Demonstrator, leave me a comment below with your contact information and I will contact you within 24 hours.  I would love to become your Demonstrator and look forward to helping you with all your stamping needs.

Stampin'Up! Releases Retirement Lists

2019-2020 Annual Catalog Retirement List

is now Available

The 2019-2020 Annual Catalog will be retiring as of June 2, 2020 and Stampin'Up! has released the retirement list here.  Retiring products are available from now until June 2, 2020, WHILE supplies last.

The 2020 January - June Mini Catalog will be retiring as of June 2, 2020 and Stampin'Up! has released the retirement list here.  Retiring products are available from now until June 2, 2020, WHILE supplies last. 

I do not know how you feel about the products that are retiring, but I am sad for some of them to go.  BUT, I am excited about the new products that will be available in the new 2020-2021 Annual Catalog available June 3, 2020.  Be sure to contact your Stampin'Up! Demonstrator to request your copy of the new catalog.

If you currently do not have a Stampin'Up! Demonstrator, I would love to serve you. Please leave me a comment with your contact information and I will get in touch with you within 24 hours.

Be Safe and Happy Stamping!



Paper Pumpkin Cards

Paper Pumpkin

(older kits)

I received my April Paper Pumpkin Kit and went to work immediately. Then -- I started feeling a bit guilty that I have several older kits sitting around that I had not completed. 

Soooo, I pull out this kit for June 2019. Somewhere along the way, I lost the instructions so I created 10 alternate note cards:



After I completed the above kit, I started in on the April 2019 kit and completed it (by following the directions -- no alternates).  I really enjoyed completing this kit.  What do you think?

I'll be back tomorrow with my creations from the April 2020 Paper Pumpkin Kit.  Be sure to come back.

Take care, stay in and be safe.