Stampin' with Kristin

Leadership Day 3

Wow!  What an incredible Leadership Conference.  Stampin' Up! surprised and delighted us for three straight days.  Our third day started with a General Session.  During the Leadership Conference, the CFO speaks about the state of the company.  It's generally a rather dry presentation.  How exciting can numbers really be...even if they are all positive results?!?!?  Well, this year, the theme was "+One".  Each presenter tried to add something new.  This year, our CFO, Scott Nielsen didn't just present the numbers.  He stamped while doing it!!!  Notice the Big Shot up there on the right side of the table?  Well, he decided to personalize his, and renamed it the "Big Scott".  His stamping skills were not stellar.  He admitted that he had a lot of help with his projects.  But, he did a phenomenal job.

As has become the tradition at all Stampin' Up! events, one Prize Patrol hands out free products to EVERYONE.  It's usually in the last General Session.  So, we were all surprised and delighted when they told us to put our buttons away.  We were all getting Red Glimmer Paper, Glitter Brads, and Champange Glass Glitter!!!  WOO HOO!!!  Thank you Stampin' Up!

We had a morning class which was packed full of fun ideas for My Digital Studio (presented by my favorite employee - Holly Linford), Color, Stamps, and Fabric.  Why is Holly my favorite?  We worked closely together to prepare for my convention presentation.  It was WONDERFUL to visit with so many of my SU employee friends who I haven't seen in MONTHS.

We then broke for lunch where we enjoyed what might have been the BEST salad I've ever eaten in my whole entire life!  Kristin v2 was still talking about this salad today.  I even ate the whole thing and I hate salad!  Oh yes, and did I mention, this lunch was FREE?  Stampin' Up! treats us well - and the service at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel was amazing.  A great mix!  For dessert we enjoyed some sort of Twix Tart thing.

After lunch we enjoyed a couple more classes.  However, right in the middle of our second class, Shelli walked out on stage.  Why is that strange?  Shelli doesn't show up on stage during presentations.  But, since this year was about +One and surprises and delights, she decided to give away some free stamp sets!  I wasn't a lucky winner, but some other lucky people were!

Next was the final General Session (but not the closing event).  It started with the highlight video from Founder's Circle.  And, boy, did I cry!  It was fun to relive those moments.  I even showed up in the video a couple of times!  And, there's a picture of me making stamps!!!!  It was so fun to watch. 

Bonnie Thurber presented on the Sew Suite line of products in the mini - oh gosh, she's a favorite of mine as well!  Okay, so maybe there's a tie between Holly and Bonnie!  I'm not a fan of the Sew Suite product line.  I've said that from the begining.....until now.  Gosh darn it, the projects were SO stinkin' cute!  But, her +One (I think) was that she invited one of the 2010 Artisan Award Winners, Richard Garay, to present on stage with her.  I don't think I've ever seen an SU demonstrator present on stage during a General Session.  Richard is TALENTED!  He's the first male Artisan Award winner.  What's an Artisan Award?  Out of HUNDREDS of demonstrators, 10 are chosen as Artisan Award winners.  They must submit several cards, 3d projects, and scrapbook pages.  Their entries blow me away every year.  And, we all LOVE watching a man stamp!  Richard came out on stage wearing an apron and an iron!  My photo of him is blurry, but I just had to post it!  AND, how lucky was he that he got to announce a prize patrol!  He was wearing the fun apron because he got to give away 8 of them to 8 lucky demonstrators!

But, Stampin' Up! was not done yet!  There was an AWESOME special given to everyone in attendance.  I'm not going to post it here.  It is amazing and brought tears to my eyes.  AND, there was time for one more prize patrol.....for EVERYONE!!!  We ALL received the Something to Celebrate Level 2 Hostess Set from the Occasions Mini catalog, a package of Designer Big Buttons, fabric, and the So Much to Sale-a-Brate Digital Content CD!  OH MY GOSH!!!!  I think I brought home 3 free stamp sets, glimmer brads, glitter paper, designer buttons, glass glitter, MDS content CD, and fabric....and we haven't even gotten to the Make and Takes.

During each presentation over the last few days, the presenters teased us with the Make & Take projects.  They looked AWESOME!  Normally I'm not a huge fan of the Make & Takes, but this year's were over-the-top!  Below is a photo of everything that came in our Make & Take boxes.  Insane, right?

During the Make & Take evening, prizes and awards were given out.  Eight lucky demonstrators found a certificate for a free stamp set of their choice.  Out of the 1000 demonstrators in attendance, Kristin v2 found a certificate!  She's SO excited (and rightfully so).  Here are four of us (Mary Ellen, me, Kristin v2, and Claire) posing together during Make & Takes...

Want to see what we made?  Well, I didn't finish them all.  The projects were a DVD case, a flower pin, a Simply Adorned Charm with three inserts AND three different chains/cords, a card, and an MDS card.  I didn't finish 2 of the inserts or the card.  The supplies included a package of Trinket Keys, a Trinket Crown, a Bauble, a 34" Simply Adorned Chain, and a 1-1/2" x 2" Simply Adorned Charm!  We used the Clearly For You Stamp Set to complete our projects.  So, here the projects I completed...

 

 

I'm home now.  We had an EARLY flight this morning and I was home before lunch!  My head is spinning with ideas!  I sure hope I can keep track of them all.  I hope you'll stop by my Open House later this month to see these projects and the swaps I received this week.  They're AMAZING!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leadership - Day 2

What an incredibly LONG day!!!  It's LATE.  So, I can't promise that there will be a lot of detail in tonight's post.  But, here we go!!!  (Pictures are at the bottom of this post.)

This year's Leadership conference was very different from previous events.  The day began with a continental breakfast and LOTS of swapping.  I received some of the most gorgeous swap cards EVER.  I can't wait for you to all see them at my open house at the end of the month!  It was fun visiting with so many of my Founder's Circle friends, friends I've met at various events, friends I've bonded with through Facebook, and making new friends.

Our first class was a business share which was a lot of fun!  I love getting tips from other successful demonstrators and I took feverish notes.  I could have sat there all day, but there were more classes to attend.  We broke for lunch - which was on our own.  That doesn't sound like a problem, but we waited in line for AN HOUR to get a slice of pizza.  And, I really don't think I'm exagerating.  We had been warned the day before.  I enjoyed lunch with Kristin, Claire, and Michelle.  But, I was meeting up with my convention friend from a few years ago, Maggie.  I've enjoyed celebrating her successes over the past couple of years! 

Then, finally, after lunch was our first General Session.  BIG announcements and changes were promised this year so we were all VERY excited.  I won't go into all of the details.  If you're a demonstrator, the information is posted on the demonstrator website.  But, I have to say, I don't think there are ANY negatives to the changes.  Some help demonstrators more than others, but as a whole, it's GREAT!!!  Shelli shared some great projects.  And, for the first time ever at a Leadership event, there was a recognition parade!  They recognized anyone who promoted this year (July 2010 until now).  Most of the demonstrators in attendance walked across stage.  I was SO very proud of my downline, Kristin Allcorn, for marching in her very first parade.  I know how awesome it is to walk across that stage!  Michelle Zindorf and I walked across together for promoting to Manager this year.  We were even dressed alike!

We had to more classes and then headed to dinner.  Dinner was provided by SU tonight and it was YUMMY.  More very bad desserts (cheesecake tonight).  I think I walked off the calories today in this resort!  I enjoyed dinner with my gang and Mary Ellen.  I learned that she's always first in line.  (Although, I know one year when she wasn't - the year I was first!  Ha Ha!)  She was first in line this afternoon for General Session.  And, I could tell that it was torture for her to not know where the line was forming for Memento Mall tonight.  I was not excited about Memento Mall this year - maybe because I'm on a budget.  This year they let us in by color!  We each wore a pin with an SU color.  AND, believe or not, Mary Ellen's, mine, AND Kristin's colors were called first!  So, we were some of the first demonstrators to shop.  There were some gorgeous items in there this year. 

So, here's a summary of our day in photos!

Kristin, me, Claire, and Michelle "on stage"....

 

Here's a photo of Mary Ellen and I "on stage"...

Mary Ellen saved us seats on the FRONT ROW!

 

Here's Michelle and I marching across stage for promoting!

 

Here's a photo of Maxine Conrad and Kristin.  Max is a demonstrator and an employee of Stampin' Up!  She's actually going to be joining us in March for a Saturday stamp gathering!!!  I can't wait!

 

Because I have earned the Alaska Incentive trip, I have a "SAM".  And, everyone who has a SAM gets a awesome gift from the SAMs at Leadership.  Here's the cute planner that they gave us this year.  It matches our purse!

 

And, last but not least, here's my favorite Memento Mall purchase of the night.  A matching wallet!!!  What a beautiful collection!!!

 

So, there should be some stamping tomorrow (maybe).  We do our Make & Takes in the evening.  But, it's midnight now and it's time for bed!
 

 

Leadership 2011 - We've Arrived

Yes folks, that's righ!  We made it through the snow and ice without any problem!  Our flight wasn't until noon but I was up at 6am to dig out my car and check on our flight.  We left the house at 8am.  We found lots of snow covered roads but they were definitely passable.  We made it to the airport in under an hour!  There was no line at security.  I was even lucky enough for "special screening".  I told them to enjoy the show!!!!  We got a great parking space.  We grabbed a soda.  And, we sat down to finish Kristin's swaps.  No, I'm  not talking in the third person.  Kristin Allcorn and Claire Lawrence are travelling with me this year!  We called Claire....and she hadn't even left home yet!  I monitored our flight as it flew up from Baltimore.  We ran into a couple of other demonstrators on our teeny tiny flight.  And we landed right on time!  Amazing!  All of that stress and worrying for absolutely nothing!  Whew!

We pulled up to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and it is GINORMOUS!  We checked in, visited with friends, and then proceeded to get lost on our way to our room.  This place is crazy!  About 30 minutes later...and I am NOT exaggerating, we found our room.  The hotel was flooded earlier in the year and has been beautifully renovated!

We unpacked and ventured back out to find a snack.  The only thing on the agenda tonight was Manager's Reception.  It was the first year I was eligible to attend.  We all speculated about its location but I don't think I heard anyone guess it right.  At 4:30 we wandered over to the meeting location and were given fun straw cowboy hats!  I visited with all kinds of friends I'd met at Founder's Circle.  I learned that 600 demonstrators were going to Managers Reception and 1000 of us were at Leadership.  Around 5:15 we started loading into the busses.

We started driving toward the city when the bus driver told us where we were headed - The Wild Horse Saloon.  It was a fun evening.  We heard a group called Brother Trouble with "added attraction" Dave Robbins.  Quite a few demonstrators joined in line dancing.  We enjoyed a WONDERFUl buffet dinner.  After more visiting we headed back to the hotel.  When we got off of the bus we were handed a fun package that contained a TOP SECRET stamp set from an upcoming catalog.  But then we received the BEST gift - a GORGEOUS bag!  It was an unexpected surprise.  It's the bag everyone will get tomorrow.  It looks like a Vera Bradley bag!

So, I guess you'd like to see some photos, huh?  Here are a few.....

The hotel interior...

Michelle Zindorf and I at Managers Reception.  Don't you love our hats?

Claire and I at Managers Reception....

Talking to the cow...

The Wild Horse Saloon...

A top secret stamp set....

THE BAG!

Vintage: Plane and Simple

I'm not sure where you are, but it's a winter wonderland here in Southern New Jersey!  I had a Valentine Card class this morning, but we postponed my afternoon Valentine Class.  So, I have a wonderful, free day to sit and stamp.  I'm excited because I just finished making 96 of these cards as my swaps for the Stampin' Up! Leadership conference next week in Nashville!  I'm relieved that they're all finished!  Two of my demonstrator friends are coming over tomorrow to work on theirs.  I can't wait to swap these cards and get a great variety of samples to share with you at my Open House later this month!

When I sat down to design this card, I wanted to do something a bit different.  Masculine cards are not the most common swap cards at any event!  And, I'm in love with the vintage look.  So, I grabbed one of the stamp sets that I immediately liked when I saw the new catalog - Plane and Simple.  This card was inspired by a card we made in my Very Valentine class.  But the Valentine version used DSP.  I made my own DSP with a variety of stamps from the Plane and Simple Stamp Set and Artistic Etchings.  I stamped in Basic Black, Soft Suede, and Crumb Cake on sheets of 12x12 Very Vanilla Card Stock.  After I had made my own DSP, I cut it into strips of 1.5" x 3.75".  I mounted those strips on Basic Black Card Stock and Crumb Cake Card Stock.

For the sentiment, I chose the "Journey" definition from Define Your Life.  I thought it was appropriate with the images of goggles, airplanes, and a compass.  I stamped the definition in Basic Black on Very Vanilla, punched it out with my Decorative Label punch, and sponged the edges with Crumb Cake with a sponge dauber.

I cut, crumped, and adhered strips of Basic Black DSP from the Neutrals DSP stack and strips of DSP from the First Edition DSP collection found in the new mini.  The First Edition DSP is an awesome deal!  You get 24 sheets of "words" for $11.95.  It's a bit thinner than our DSP or card stock - and I like that!!!  It's like using real pages from a book on your projects without having to destroy a book!