Stampin' with Kristin

Annual Catalog Premiere!

It's an exciting day for Stampin' Up! demonstrators around the US and Canada.  Why?  Because Stampin' Up! has reserved movie theaters around the country so that we can see the new 2014-2015 Annual Catalog together - at the same time - via webcast live from Long Beach, California!  This is the first time Stampin' Up! has offered this type of an event and I'm so excited.  I've had the opportunity to get my hands on a catalog for the first time with other demonstrators.  It's so fun to slowly page through the catalog with a group of stamping enthusiasts.  I'm thrilled that some of the members of my Stamp Sorority team will have that opportunity later tonight!

When this posts, I'll actually be flying high over the US - on my way to the live event in Long Beach, California tonight.  Several members of my team will be driving a couple of hours south to Baltimore, Maryland to watch it live on screen.  They'll get to go home with a swag bag...and their copy of the catalog!

Even though I can't be with them, I wanted to make a little gift for each of them.  I do this whenever any of my team attends a Stampin' Up! event.  For tonight's premiere, I put together a little box of "must haves" - chocolate, Swedish fish, a pen, a nail file, a pack of Post-It Note flags, and a little "Wish List/Idea Booklet" that I made. 

I'm ready, too!  I bought my gown for my walk down the Red Carpet!  Stay tuned for photos!  I'll post as much as I can to my Facebook page.  I'll also share photos on here when I can.

Stamp Sorority 2013 Annual Christmas Party

Wow!  It's a winter wonderland out there and I LOVE it!!!  I'm always asking for a blizzard - so I'm in heaven!  I even see more snow in our forecast this week.  YAY!  However, while I'm excited, I do hope everyone is safe.  Mike is traveling home from a weekend in Utah and was diverted to Pittsburgh before being allowed to fly on home to Philly.  He made it to Philly but I insisted he stay at the hotel at the airport instead of drive home.  Luckily I booked him the room at 1:00 yesterday afternoon - long before we realized how bad it would get - just in case.  And, it's a good thing I did!  It was only a couple of hours later that every hotel around the airport was sold out (at least those of the Marriott variety).

Anyway....last week I hosted my downline's annual Christmas Party and it was A LOT of fun.  We snacked, swapped cards, and some of us even exchanged Secret Santa gifts - oh...and I had every product out of the upcoming Occasions Catalog and Sale-a-Bration Catalog on display for them to see.  As you know, it's always SO much better to look at and touch the actual products.  Of course I snapped lots of pictures...check them out!

It was a "covered dish" party and I asked everyone to bring an appetizer or dessert.  WOW!  Everything was so good - and there were LOTS of gluten-free options, too!

This next picture is one of my favorites - can you see the dining room table in there?  That's where all of the Occasions Products are displayed?  You can't see it?  Oh...I'm sorry!!!  I can't show pictures of the products until January!  But, I'm sure I'll be posting pictures of samples made with the products later this month.

By the way...the party is NOT in my house - it's at my grandmother's house - that should explain the wallpaper!!! 

Next was the gift exchange.  The gifts always blow me away!  These gals are SO talented and think out of the box!  This first picture is of Lynn as she opens her gift from Darlene.  Darlene made beautiful jewelry (earrings, necklace, and bracelet) out of rolled up Winter Frost DSP.

I didn't really get pictures of others opening gifts - most of them are blurry.  I brought a real camera but left the memory card at home.  So, I was forced to use my phone.

This next photo is a picture of the pin that Nancy made for Jen.  I LOVE those flowers!  It's absolutely gorgeous!!!  Even the packaging on so many of these gifts was beautiful!

Next up is a recipe board Patty Jo made for Darlene.  I love that she stamped and embellished each of the postcards - those didn't come that way!

This next gift was made by Shelly for Nancy.  It's a tool holder made from old Stampin' Up! catalogs.  And there's even a spot for Post-It notes!  What a great idea! 

Next is a desk set that Ellen made for Shelly.  She stamped an "S" on every page of the note pad.  I love the paperclips and magnets, too!

The final picture I'm sharing today is a wreath made by April for Ellen.  I love her little snowmen heads.  I might have to case those for some Christmas tags!

I'll be posting more from the party over the next day or so!  I'll share the AMAZING swaps, several more gifts, and the favors I made for everyone!

Fall Diva Banner

Are you ready for more samples?  I have more to share!  Today I'm sharing the Fall Banner my Stamp Sorority Divas made last Wednesday night.  You know who my Stamp Sorority Divas are, right?  They are the top-performing demonstrators on my team from last quarter.  Each quarter I celebrate their successes - recruiting, sales, promotions - with dinner and stamping.  One of my Divas is a bit more vocal when it comes to requests than others - and I think it was a good thing this month!  She dictated the menu (which was entirely gluten-free) and the project.

First we had dinner - an easy, summer ham dinner with potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, and deviled eggs.  They all seemed to enjoy it (and I enjoyed it because it was easier than my usual diva meals).

Next came the stamping.  I typically design a few cards featuring something new.  This time, I asked for requests.  Several of them were over stamping on Monday night to make our convention Make & Takes (which I'll post later).  I asked for requests for a Diva Night project.  Patty Jo quickly requested to try out the stencils and banners.  She only really wanted to try one.  But, why stop at one, right???  We should make an ENTIRE banner! I had all of the supplies in a box and pulled it up on the table and revelead our stamping project.  I received a mix of emotions from excitement to fear (maybe).  How on earth would we make that banner in one night!  It's easier than you think - especially when all of the supplies are prepared for you!

I had an obscene amount of Sweater Weather DSP on hand (somehow I had 4 packs) so I decided to make the base of the banner out of DSP.  They're each 5x7 with a notch out of the bottom.  I find it easier to see the stenciled letter on a solid background, so I layered a 3" strip of coordinating cardstock over each and sponged Chocolate Chip classic ink to make the letters. The cardstock colors are Soft Sky, Tangerine Tango, Sahara Sand, and Crushed Curry.  Inspired by the two banner kits in the catalog, I made rosettes out of the Sweater Weather DSP.  Here's where it got tricky.  The banners in the kit are 2"x16" scored ever 3/8".  Sweater Weather DSP is only 12" long.  So, all four had to be pieced together.  When they're together, you can't even tell the DSP has bee pieced together.  We then layered Naturals Designer Buttons, stamped images and ribbon to embellish.

To celebrate five successfully created banners (created in 2 hours), we then headed out for ice cream at the Elmer Twist (featuring gluten-free ice cream cones)!  They all said they loved making one BIG project instead of a few cards.  It was pretty much unanimous that they wouldn't have made these banners on their own - but were thrilled to have one to display.  So, I'm already dreaming up my next Diva Night BIG project!

Here's a list of all of the supplies I used to create the banner:

- Sweater Weather DSP
- Soft Sky, Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla Cardstock
- Tangerine Tango and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
- Tangerine Tango and Crushed Curry Stampin' Write Markers
- Circles Collection Framelits (for the 2" cirlce on the "f" and "l")
- Magnificent Maple Stamp
- Truly Grateful Stamp Set
- 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch
- 1/2" Circle Punch
- Simply Scored Tool
- Naturals Designer Buttons
- Linen Thread
- Jumbo Sticky Rounds
- 7/8" Cotton Ribbon
- Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon
- 7/16" Natural Trim Ribbon
- Soft Sky Seam Binding
- 1-1/4" Burlap Ribbon
- Jute Twine (available in the Banner Simply Created Kits)
- Stencils from the Build a Banner Simply Created Kit

Stamp Sorority 2013-2015 In Color Swap

Today I wanted to share with you nine fabulous cards that were swapped at my Stamp Sorority Gathering earlier in the week.  Each month we swap cards and they get better and better every month.  It probably also helps that we have a swap contest!  For the first time, we decided to do a themed swap - and I love this idea!  This month's theme (if you haven't figured it out from the title) was to use the 2013-2015 In Colors. 

Personally, I think the 2013-2015 in colors are the best so far!  I love how they work so well together.  I think they're especially on trend this year.  Pistachio Pudding is still growing on me.  But, I cannot get enough Coastal Cabana or Strawberry Slush!!!  If you're not in love yet, these cards may push you over the edge!

This first card was created by Hallie (I think).  She didn't sign the card but I'm fairly certain she created it.
When you pull up on the flowers, the message is revealed from inside the pot.

The next card was created by Shelly.  Shelly demonstrated one of our techniques this month - the Masking Tape Technique.  It's SUPER COOL!  I'll have to do a video on it in the very near future.  I wasn't familiar with the technique, but apparently it's all over out there!  And, this happens on occasion, but our second technique demonstrator this month, Gail, also demonstrated the same technique.  They may not love when this happens, but I do!  It's always fun and interesting to hear the different tips that they have to share. 

This next card was created by Lynn.  I'm not sure if her inspiration was the June My Paper Pumpkin kit or not, but it's the same idea.  Super cute.  And, it's totally my style right now - clean and simple!  Don't you love how she layered some punched out hexagons AND punched some out of the whisper white layer as well?  Great idea!

Darlene's card is next.  Both hers and Shelly's feature gold/champagne glitter and/or embossing powder.  I hear that's totally on trend right now and it looks GREAT with the in colors.  Darlene's use of both the glitter and embossing powder is super sharp and really adds to this card.

This next card was created by Jill.  I have to be honest, I had no idea this stamp set was still current!  I saw a couple of cards at convention made with the stamp set and I was annoyed with them for using a retired set.  I was wrong.  It's current.  AND, I love how Jill created a fun background using a variety of in colors.

This next card was created by Linda.  Like Lynn, she too used punches to create windows in her whisper white cardstock layer.  I like how she used different incolors in the window and added a little washi tape as well.  Very adorable!

Next up is Jane's card.  I think her pinwheel of in colors is SO fun!  I think it's a great birthday card!  It's also a great way to use up scraps.

Next up is Jen's card which features the Regarding Dahlia's stamp.  I love how she layered the Dahlia over the dictionary background stamp.  That Dahlia works for almost any occasion.  I also love her layering of punches and dies.  Cute card!

Last but certainly not least is Patty Jo's creation.  I guess you would consider her background the quilt tecnique.  She pieced toegether the in colors and whisper white then ran it through the big shot.  I like how she stamped on the In Color DSP Stack and punched it out to add interest.

If you're wondering where MY card is, I actually shared it a few days ago.  You can click here to view it and read more about my Stamp Sorority Gathering in July.

Stamp Sorority Annual Awards Night

Last night was my first ever downline Awards Night!  I've celebrated the success of my downline in a variety of different ways over the past few years.  But, this year I decided to do it all at one - at my month downline gathering.  We still swapped cards, made a Make & Take, snacked on desserts, learned a couple of new techniques, and won door prizes - all of the activities we do every month.  BUT, we took some time to recognize accomplishements, too!

I think my favorite recognition was celebrating the first 5-year anniversary I've had in my downline!  Stephanie was the first demonstrator to join my team and she's still active today!  We also celebrated lifetime sales, recruiting, promotions, annual sales, and my top five demonstrators.  I gave away a stack of rhinestones, in-color card stock, designer series paper, and gift certificates for products and stamp sets for the achievements.  Each achiever also received a handstamped "congrats" card from me.

This first picture shows some of the prizes they won from Rhinestones to Free Stamp Sets!

This first card was the congrats card I stamped and gave to every achiever.  You may recognize the layout of the card.  I cased it from one I received at convention from Anne Granger.  I'd commented a few days ago that I'd be casing her layout - I just didn't realize it would be so soon!!!  But, when I was working on Christmas Cards last weekend, I noticed the Congratulations stamp and knew I had to use it!

This next card was the Make & Take for the night. 
(Inspired by a card by Anita Haines.)

Here's the card I swapped with everyone last night.  Our theme was 2013-2015 In Colors.  And, since I was pretty tapped out from designing cards this past weekend, I also cased this card exactly from a swap card I received from Mary Haugen at convention.

Finally, at all of our gatherings we have snacks, but when I received this month's My Paper Pumpkin kit, I knew we'd have cake, too!  This month's kit provided three AMAZING background stamps and a couple of banner kits.  When I opened it I immediately knew that I needed a cake on which to put it for my Awards Night.

Fun at the Stampin' Up! Home Office

WOW!!!  I'm on my way home from Salt Lake City from one of the most exciting Stampin' Up! events ever.  As you probably know, I attended a very exclusive home office regional conference which doubled as a New Catalog Launch Party.  The excitement was intense!  Getting to Utah wasn't fun (I can't wait until USAirways adds the non-stop later this spring from Philly to SLC).  I didn't get in to Utah until 2am on Saturday morning and we woke up around 6am to get ready for the regional.  By the time I picked up my luggage, got my rental car, drove down to the hotel, and got to sleep, I only got 3 hours of sleep.

Saturday morning was pure giddiness.  That's the only way I can describe it.  Starting on Friday night I saw many of the SU employees posting that they were SO looking forward to going to work on a Saturday morning.  Many of them worked 15 hours or more.  I talked to several who said that many of the home office employees wanted to "work" on Saturday, but they didn't have capacity for them.  Wouldn't you love to work for a company where you begged to come to work on a Saturday???

Anyway....starting around 7:15 we started lining up outside of the GORGEOUS home office.  It's set in a valley between snowcovered mountains.  Very picturesque.  The doors opened at 8am, we got checked in, and made our way downstairs to wait in another line (swapping the whole time) at the doors of the warehouse.  I'd been wondering where they'd put 375 of us.  I'm sure none of you would be surprised if I told you that I (along with my sideline, Ilina Crouse) were first in line.  We got some of the best seats in the house!  Front row, center!  It was such a fun, intimate environment.  We could see boxes of products piled high in the warehouse just behind the stage.  We were sitting under the conveyor belts that carry your orders through the warehouse before being shipped out.  And, from the very beginning, we were teased with brand new products. 

Much of the content of the regional was exactly as we saw in Baltimore, but the projects featured more new products than we saw in Baltimore.  That's as much as I can say at this point (sorry).  There were SO MANY Prize Patrols - including three all-attendee giveaways.  We think we counted 9 or 10 Prize Patrols for 10 people each meaning 25% of those in attendance got bonus prizes.  And, these were BETTER than regular regional prizes, in my opinion, and not just because they were brand new products.  And, yes, I think I'm safe to say, all of the prize patrols contained brand new products!  The final prize patrol was the new catalog!  But, none of us really sat to look through it.  As soon as it was given to us, they pulled back the side curtains and it was time to shop!  We had the opportunity to buy some of the new products DAYS before other demonstrators.  AND, we didn't have to pay shipping!  I can't tell you what we were allowed to purchase.  

But, let's back up a little bit because there were a couple of other FUN things that happened throughout the day.  One that was particularly special for me.  Unlike regular regional conferences, the presentations weren't done at tables.  We sat "theater-style" in rows of chairs in the warehouse.  Make and Takes were in the Atrium at round tables.  Seriously...what a gorgeous area.  I always love visiting the home office and seeing the atrium. 

During our first round of Make and Takes (which were just like the regular regional make & takes but used new stamp sets), we were chatting with some of the other ladies at our table.  I hadn't really looked up.  We were focused on stamping (yes, I was actually making the make and takes).  But, by listening to one of the conversations, I realized that one of the people at our table wasn't a demonstrator, but a member of the media attending the event.  She told us that she was from a "local magazine".  I giggle because that "local magazine" is probably the most popular paper crafting magazine in the industry.  I immediately recognized her - Stacy Croninger from PaperCrafts Magazine. 

I'd met Stacy on a couple of occasions.  She plays a HUGE part in my Stampin' Up! history.  Why?  Because she introduced me to Stampin' Up!  I've told the story before...back in 2006 I was attending a scrapbooking convention and decided to take a rubber stamping class to see what all of the hype was about.  I'd never stamped before in my life.  The class was taught by Stacy.  The products were all Stampin' Up!  I immediately fell in love with the quality of the products and raced home to buy some - only to discover they were a direct sales company.  I rather reluctantly looked up a local demonstrator and contacted her, but she never called me back.  A couple of weeks went by and I kinda forgot about Stampin' Up! until my aunt invited me to a Stampin' Up! party telling me that I didn't have to buy a thing.  Well, I was elated!  Here was my chance.  I was the "dream customer".  I had my wish list ready and even had friends who were ready to attend my own workshop (even before I met the demonstrator).  That's where I met my dear friend, Claire, who introduced me to the benefits of joining Stampin' Up!  I signed up almost immediately.  My life has never been the same.  Well, a few months later, I flew to Portland, Oregon for another scrapbooking convention hosted by the same company that hosted the one where I discovered Stampin' Up!  This time I signed up for MANY card-making/stamping classes - some with Stacy Croninger.  At one of the classes, I spoke with her and let her know that I'd joined Stampin' Up! because of her.  I thanked her for the class and introducing me to SU - however, I'm not sure how much she really had to do with the fact that SU was providing the products.  Fast forward to today and there I sat, at the same table with the person who introduced me to Stampin' Up!  And, she remembered me!  She said that she thought I looked familiar when I walked up to the table.  Seriously - it's such a VERY SMALL WORLD.  At lunch I asked her what she thought of the event.  She's attended our conferences before.  But, she said it was especially fun for her to watch all of our excitement as they unveiled new products.  She also loved that Stampin' Up! showed us how to use the products in our business.  It wasn't just about stamping.

Well, it was a long and tiring day.  I really wish I could share more, but I'm not really allowed.  I loved the small size and the ability to chat with SO MANY of the home office staff.  I visited a couple of times with Shelli, chatted with her daughter Sara, and visited with so many of the friends I'd met from the free vacations I've earned.  Even though I'd seen several of them the week before, I loved chatting more with Holly, Shannon, and Brian.  I visited a little with Pam and Bonnie.  I think I had the opportunity to catch up with more SU staff in Riverton than I do at an entire convention.  It was such an intimate event and they loved having us in their "home" - they all said that.  And, I know they all loved the opportunity to sleep in their own beds last night! 

We were obviously itching to get our hands on the new catalog.  I think we saw the cover in the first 5 minutes of the regional.  The presenters shared pages and products in all of their presentations.  I knew exactly why they waited until the very end to give us the catalog - they knew darn well that we wouldn't pay attention to a single thing after that.  But, I think most of us immediately tucked that catalog safely away for later because it was time to shop.  I was anxious to see how they'd set up the "shop till you drop" portion.  They simply opened the black curtains to our left and in we went!  If there's anything more exciting than getting the new catalog, it's having the opportunity to buy products 6 weeks before they're available to customers.

The area was lined with boxes of new (and some retiring) products.  It wasn't as pretty as Memento Mall (it didn't have to be) but it was very much the same.  We were handed shopping baskets and let loose.  It was fun to just walk along and drop the products in our baskets.  It got VERY heavy.  Then we checked out.  Again, just like Memento Mall, we lined up at the registers/computers with SU staff EXCITED to see us (and be working on a Saturday).  I thanked the gal checking me out for giving up her Saturday.  And, she too said that employees were practically BEGGING to work at the regional.  Seriuosly, I need a job there.  I tried to limit my purchases knowing that I had only about 70 pounds of room in my suitcases (I took two - one that was filled with bubble wrap on the way out).  I purchased a "sampling" of everything so I could play as soon as I got home but I know I'll have a VERY long list of things to purchase in the very near future.

Ha ha....wouldn't you just LOVE to know what's in those bags!!!  I took this picture a couple of times making sure you couldn't make out what was inside. 

Of course Ilina and I stopped at "the rock" outside of the home office for a photo op as we were leaving.  But, our day wasn't quite done just yet.  We met up with some friends, other demonstrators, and even some home office employees for dinner at a local restaurant where we all compared how much we had spent!  We were all so tired but the energy level was still very high.

After dinner, Ilina and I returned to our hotel where we put on our jammies and FINALLY paged through the beautiful, brand new Annual Catalog.  I cannot wait to share it with you!  It's SO gorgeous and I just want to recreate just about every single sample inside.  But, can I just say, that nothing compares to experiencing a new catalog with a friend for the first time.  And, I've been very lucky over the years to do just that - there in Riverton, or in Disney World, or in Alaska, or even at conventions and leadership conferences when they used to unveil the catalogs at those events.  It's just fun to ooh and ahh with a friend and anxiously discover that your favorite products have stuck around for another year or the surprise of something new and exciting.

Do you want to see the catalog this week?  All demonstrators have the opportunity to see the catalog and purchase some of the new products starting April 24th.  AND, if you join Stampin' Up! you can get 30% off of your first purchase of $150 or more (and trust me, that's not hard to do).  You'll enjoy at least a 20% discount on all of your purchases after that.  AND...as a demonstrator, you can attend fun events like the one I attended yesterday.  Right now, anyone who joins Stampin' Up! can choose any $155 products they want and only pay $99 (with FREE shipping).  Why not join the fun?

A Great Day at Baltimore Regionals!

Each year Stampin' Up! holds several regional, one-day conferences around the US and Canada.  I try to get to one every year.  This year Stampin' Up! held one of them in Baltimore, MD.  It was a wonderful day of swapping, sharing, and inspiration!  850 demonstrators and their guests were in attendance.  I was thrilled that three of my team were able to join in the fun.

We were all hoping, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see any of the new products that we've been hearing about recently that will be in the next Annual Catalog starting June 1st.  The regionals all follow the same agenda.  And, they've already announced that they'll be sharing the new products with 375 lucky demonstrators who will be attending a very special regional conference at the Stampin' Up! home office next Saturday.  Of course I'm one of the lucky 375 who will be attending!!!  BUT, my expectations were WRONG!  Stampin' Up! shared ALL KINDS of new products from the new in colors (LOVE LOVE LOVE them) to new patterned paper and stamp sets and tools and accessories.  They shared some items that other demonstrators haven't seen yet.  It was a fun surprise.  I REALLY wish I could share more with you, but it's against SU policy to post much more than that for a few more days.  AND, if you've ever thought about joining SU, there will be a special promotion starting tomorrow which is a GOOD ONE!!!  They shared the details with the 850 of us - other demonstrators don't even know yet!  So, be sure to stay tuned tomorrow!

Finally, I was honored and surprised to be called by my dear friend, Holly, who works in the training department of Stampin' Up!  She called me last Tuesday and asked if I'd be willing to be up on stage in a short panel talking about what I'm doing new, how I'm meeting new customers, and what I've been doing to make a difference this year.  I sure hope that some of the brief things I shared were a help or inspired some of the demonstrators in attendance.

Here are just some of the highlights of the day....

Pictured below (from left to right) are Lynn, Annie, and Patty Jo.  I love this picture because they're sooo happy!  Why?  Because Stampin' Up! had just given everyone in attendance a free pack of Print Poetry DSP from the Spring Catalog.  They later gave everyone in attendance a free stamp set (in our choice of wood or clear mount).

I try to give some sort of gift to the demonstrators on my team when they make the investment to attend events like this one.  For Baltimore, I used My Digital Studio to create personalized journals for each of them.  Don't tell them, but it took about 30 seconds!  I used a template that comes delivered with the software and just added their names!

Of course there was swapping.  There's always swapping at any Stampin' Up!-related event.  I made 50 swaps and here's a peek at what I received back!  These will be displayed at some of my events in May and June.  I'll be sharing my swap later in the week.  I gave away all of my swaps and didn't get a blog-worthy photo of it.  I'm making the same swap for the home office regional next week.

At each regional conference, Shelli goes through all of the submitted swap cards and chooses her favorites.  The designer of each of her favorites receives a $50 Stampin' Up! shopping spree.  With 850 guests and demonstrators in attendance, chances of winning are slim.  But, we all clapped and cheered when Lynn's card was one that Shelli LOVED!!!  They were GORGEOUS and were very time-consuming to make.   Here's Lynn with her Congrats envelope from Shelli and her winning swap card!

Finally, what stamping event would be complete without Make & Takes?!?!?  Here's Patty Jo with one of the adorable Make & Takes that everyone made yesterday.  It's a tablet!

Stamp Sorority Holiday Party

My team of demonstrators, the Stamp Sorority, gathered together last Tuesday night for our annual holiday party!  I was thrilled so many of them could attend.  I definitely missed seeing those who couldn't.  We did a covered dish "meal", followed by sharing, and stamping.  It was a nice, relaxed evening!  I even remembered to snap some pictures of the festivities so I could share the evening with all of you!

In these first two photos, my team gathered around to snap photos of some of the swaps I collected at the Leadership Conference last month.  If you were at my Open House, these were the cards displayed on my card trees.  The second picture is the food that everyone brought.  We had meatballs, mac & cheese, spinach dip, soup, a casserole, cookies, bark, apple tarts, monkey bread, chocolate/candy-covered apples, and carrot cake cupcakes.  I think I covered it all!

 

These next two photos are of some of the secret sister gifts that were made and exchanged.  In the photo on the left, Lynn is checking out the amazing amount of work that Darlene put into a potted flower arrangement - all made from paper, of course!  In the photo on the right Patty Jo is admiring the beautiful ornament that Gail recreated from the cover of last year's Holiday Catalog.  Gail also made the box that Darlene is examining.

 

In the next set of photos, Gail is showing off the fabric ornaments that Patty Jo made her!  There were a crazy amount of pins used to hold them together.  The photo on the right is close-up of the flower arrangement that Darlene made Lynn.

 

The photo on the left is the ornament and box that Gail made for Patty Jo.  The photo on the right is the clipboard idea board that Lynn made for Darlene.  She also made a fabric-covered adhesive holder as well!  Super cute!

 

In the final set of photos are the fabric ornaments that Patty Jo made for Gail.  The next photo is a blur of activity as everyone makes the card that Claire (the demonstrator I joined under) brought for everyone to make. 

 

Happy Holidays from Stampin' Up!

I wanted to you to enjoy the fun holiday greeting I received from Stampin' Up! tonight.  It's super cute.  I may be a bit biased since I know just about every one of the employees featured.  I've already watched it a half dozen times (no joke) and I giggle and cry a little every time.  It's videos like this that make me want to sell everything and move to Utah!

Stamp Sorority Swaps

I'm a little late getting these posted, but I wanted to make sure I shared last month's Stamp Sorority Swaps. Each month demonstrators on my team get together to swap, share, stamp, and learn a couple of new techniques.  We've got quite the collection of techniques!  I think we've been learning two techniques per meeting for almost two years!  Swapping is always a fun, completely optional, event at my downline meetings - or any Stampin' Up! event for that matter!  If you're interested in attending one of my downline meetings, let me know!  We'd love to have you sit in on one to see what it's all about.

Now, with all of that said, I'll share the swaps.  Unfortunately, I can't share mine - I've given them all away as part of my Christmas Card distribution this year!

Stamp Sorority Swap Cards!

Each month I gather together with members of my team of demonstrators.  I look forward to spending the evening with these gals every month.  We start our "meeting" with stamping.  I design a Make & Take for everyone to make while they arrives.  After everyone's made their project, we chat about what everyone has been up to, updates from Stampin Up!, and anything else that's on our minds.  We round out the evening with a few of my favorites - Swap contest, Technique Demonstrations, and Door Prizes!  I wanted to share with you this month's swaps!

Jane's creation:

Darlene's creation:

Gail's creation:

Patty Jo's creation:

Lynn's creation:

Jill's creation:

My creation (cased from Glenda Travelstead):

Where it all began...

Today I'm scrapbooking.  Wow.  I know.  That's something I never do.  But, I ran across some photos that I just had to share....my very first (and only) Stampin' Up! workshop that I hosted before becoming a demonstrator!  I don't remember taking these photos, but there they were in a folder buried on an external hard drive!  I cried a little when I found them.

My workshop was on World Cardmaking Day back in October 2006.  And there, at the head of the table sits Claire - the demonstrator that night.  Claire, did you have any idea how big this would get?!?!?  We'll probably laugh at this post in another 4 or 5 years...I wonder how things will change.

Stamp Sorority Incentive Trip - Stampin' Down the Shore

I recently held a contest for my entire downline (the demonstrators who are in my group).  They earned "points" for various achievements: sales, recruiting, and their own promotions in Stampin' Up!  I awarded the top three a weekend getaway trip to Ocean City, NJ.  There they'd enjoy pampering and stamping and could spend the time however they liked.  They could walk the boardwalk, read, nap, stamp, or anything else their heart desired!  I would provide the food and pillow gifts!

Unfortunately, one of the girls couldn't make it so it was just the three of us.  Tanya, we missed you!  But, Kristin, Annie, and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!  Annie chose to work on some scallop circle flowers for wedding favors for her daughter's wedding.  I think she made 80-90!  She made a big dent on the 150 or so she has to make by next month!  Kristin worked on some projects for her own downline then jumped into playing with the new products from the Summer Mini Catalog.  I shipped them overnight so that they'd have the opportunity to play with them this weekend!  I chose to work on my next big customer mailing - my Spring/Summer Class Schedule for 250 of my customers.  And, I decided to be an overachiever, and stamped a little 3x3 "love note" to tuck inside of each schedule showing off several of the new products in the Summer Mini - inside is a note telling about my Open House Special.  I always have some sort of promotion running at my three open houses each year.

Their first meal was dinner on Friday night.  I made them a homemade Baked Penne recipe that I absolutely love!  I served it with Garlic Bread, Tossed Salad, and some Red Wine.  For dessert we enjoyed Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberries and Whipped Cream.  Of course there was other snacking throughout the evening!  Annie turned in before midnight.  But, I was on a mission to finish my 250 cards!  And, Kristin was kind enough to stay up with me until 1am to get them done!

For breakfast on Saturday, I made them french toast with Challah bread (is that how you spell it)?  Served with a side of bacon.  I gave them the option to have fresh fruit and eggs, but that's all they wanted!  There was more flower-making, card-making, and lots of folding for me!  Kristin also asked me to show her how to make a 5x5 pocket scrapbook using the new Simply Scrappin' Kit in the Summer Mini.  So, we had our own little class and made a scrapbook!  Annie made her flowers but took notes.  Be on the lookout for the project on my blog!  It's actually one of my August classes!

For lunch I treated them to whatever they wanted from the market across the street, Boyar's Market.  They make FANTASTIC EVERYTHING!  It's a cute little store.  Annie and I had Rueben's and Kristin had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich which was heavenly!  Annie headed home shortly after lunch - she had a dinner to attend that night.  And, Kristin headed home around 3pm - she had her first downline meeting of her own that evening. 

They both LOVED having some time without distractions from kids, husbands, etc to get some stuff done.  One of them had a really hard time not helping me cook, clean, and wash dishes!!!  I had to keep kicking her out of the kitchen!  This weekend was for them.  And I look forward to the next Stamp Sorority Incentive Trip!  You can be on my team, too!  Simply click here for more information about joining Stampin' Up! and my team.  I'd love to have you join us!

Here are a few more photos from the weekend:

Our weekend Stamping Space. 

A close-up of the punches.  A few are missing (the new ones) since I'm not allowed to post photos of them.  But, both Annie and Kristin (and me) LOVE the new builder punches!!  I can't wait for you to try them, too!

I didn't bring many stamps with me with the exception of a few that they requested and all of the Summer Mini Stamps (the ones that are turned on their sides)!

In true Stampin' Up! fashion, we needed pillow gifts!  I stopped by Bath & Body Works and picked up some items to help them feel pampered this weekend!  I even met a fan of Stampin' Up! at the Bath & Body Works while I was shopping!

Just a sampling of Annie's flowers.

Some of Kristin's projects.

My pile of supplies for the weekend project.

My 250 completed "love notes".

Diva Night

Oh what a fun evening we had last night!  Claire drove down from Philly to reward me and seven of my downline members for our outstanding performance last quarter!  She calls it "Diva Night".  And, boy, are we (me) Divas!!!  Claire picked up REAL Philly Cheese Steaks for dinner and I provided an ice cream sundae bar for dessert.  It was SO much fun walking through the grocery store picking out ice cream toppings!  I didn't look at price tags or nutrional information once!  Between dinner and dessert, Claire designed some adorable projects for us to make - they were projects from a recent Faux Aligator class she's been teaching recently!  They are SO much better in person!  No worries, I'll have them out on display for awhile!

Here are some additional photos of the night (I remembered to take photos - woo hoo!):

Claire's describing how to make the projects - look at the smiles on those faces!  It's a rare occasion that we, as demonstrators, get to sit back and let someone else do the designing!  So, it's a REAL treat!  Thanks momma Claire!

Megan and April working on their projects!

Annie, Stephanie, and Lynn stamping the hearts out! 

April, Kristin (version 2), and Jill.  You'll notice that Kristin REALLY loves sticking her tongue out.  What's up with that?!?!?  By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTIN!!!!

Momma Claire sitting back and relaxing!  THANKS CLAIRE!!!!!

Diving in for some ice cream!

Check out the size of that sundae!!!

Megan and her sundae.