I hope all of you are having a fabulous New Year’s Day. Yesterday was a day of decisions. Some were difficult, others were easy. I guess it’s like dealing with good and bad news so I’ll share the difficult with you first. I’m sure you have all noticed the decrease in my blog posts. To put it simply I’m feeling burnt out. Each month I try to come up with fabulous projects to share with you and to teach in classes. When I put so much pressure upon myself I find it hard to concentrate and be motivated. I’ve looked at the reasons I started stamping and why I continue to do it. I stamp because I love creating something and when I create something I love I want to share it with the world. I want to return to that feeling of creating to create because I want to, not because I feel I have to. That leads into my difficult decision. I’ve talked it over with my family and they are supportive of my decision. I’ve decided to pull back from the business side of stamping and just stamp for fun and my own pleasure. I will continue on with Stampin’ Up! because I love their products and I love the direction they are going. That being said I am not going to be teaching as many classes as I have in the past. I am going to continue on to keep stamping a part of my hobby. Over the last few years I’ve tried to do it all. I’ve focused on selling stamps and accessories, teaching classes, getting my work published and selling my handmade creations. I made the decision that I can’t do it all. Therefore it’s time to simplify. In doing so I’m sure that my creativity will return as I refocus my path. You can still buy the same great Stampin’ Up! products through me or my Demonstrator website. Speaking of have you seen the new mini catalogs? The Occasions mini, Sale-a-Bration mini and Decor Elements mini are up on my website. You can view them here. Please note that these catalogs do not go live until January 5th. Besides all of the new items Stampin’ Up! now has a new punch style and new Clear Mount rubber stamps. These are the same great rubber stamps that you love, but you can now use clear acrylic blocks to mount them! What a space saver! I am also going to refocus my blog a bit. I’m going to continue to share with you the creations I made. I am also going to be adding and e-commerce page to my site so that I can sell some of the items I have made over the year as well as offer kits to you when I have the time.
Now that I’ve talked about the new focus of my stamping life, I have a new focus for my personal life. Instead of making a New Year’s Resolution I’ve decided to pick a word for the year. The word I chose is Blessing. I plan to look at the everyday blessings in my life. The definition of blessing is something promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity. Today I have seen many blessings already. I woke up to a cold 10 degree day but I am blessed to be comfortable and warm in my home. I am blessed to have peace with the decisions I have made. I am blessed to be able to find ways to spend more time with my family and I feel that my decisions will allow that.
I hope your 2010 is filled with daily blessings and that you will continue to enjoy the creations I post for you. Until then I’m enjoying a 3 day weekend with my husband and kids. See you Monday!
igotstamps 
Good for you Jenn! I did this same thing not to long ago and it has totally freed me from feeling like I “have” to stamp to feeling like I can’t wait to stamp! I hope you have a wonderful 2010 and that it is all you want it to be! 🙂
All the best to you in your decision. It sounds like your blessings are off to a solid start! I’m glad you’ll still be sharing your fabulous projects! Happy New Year!
What a great decision! Stamping should be something you love to do, not something you have to do. Your life and family are far more important. They are your BLESSING. While I’ll miss having you update your blog on a daily basis, I’ll know that you are doing what you need to do. Happy New Year Jenn!
Oh, my friend, Jen. I could’ve written this post myself, I swear. I’m feeling exactly the same way. I hope I can come to the same peaceful decisions that you have. Good luck, lady, and I’ll keep visiting you!!
xo Brandi
You already know that you’ve made the right decision because you’re feeling at peace with your new path. This has been my focus for the two years that I’ve been a demo. I’ve done occasional stamp camps and find them exhausting and not much fun for me. I much prefer stamping when I want to, out of love for my friends and family members, and you will, too. You are so wise to count your blessings, and this decision is the first of many good ones. Happy New Year!
Oh sweetie !!! I know EXACTLY how you feel !!! I completely understand and respect your decision. You are making the RIGHT decision….FAMILY FIRST !!! You are so talented and I know whatever direction you take you will be BLESSED !!! It’s way too hard to keep all the balls up in the air and when exhaustion hits we have to step back from even good things in order to do what is best !! I’m so proud of you….you are a wonderful wife and mother and I know you have made the best decision !!
Love ya lots !
Corinne
Jenn,
While I have totally missed your posts and am sure I will miss your regular creations, I can completely understand. I have been a demo for 7 years and earned the SU cruise twice. After my second one, I decided to take a step back from the business end of it. I continue to be a demo, do clubs and classes, but I seldom do workshops outside of my home–though I have 2 coming up this week. I am actually nervous since I haven’t done regular workshops, per say, in about 3 years. I don’t think you will regret your decision. The nice thing is, you can always pick up the business portion as you see fit. I wish you the best with your decision and know that you won’t regret it.
You have been very thoughtful this New Years. I love your idea of blessings each day of the year. I always try to be thankful for the little and big things in my life. Blessings each day sounds like a wonderful, fulfilling idea. Happy New Year!
Trish