Opening Day of Convention!

All ready for the first official day of Convention! All dressed up and ready to go!  I just love Salt Lake City....the mornings are so warm and crisp.  Even though it got to 100degrees every day it didn't seem like it.  There's no humidity so it's like our 80 degrees in Wisconsin :)

Here's just a "few" of the crazy stampers!  It's so awesome that we have such a connection to get together through Stampin' Up! to share and create together!

This is a view from our seats.  We usually sit in the same spot every year and it's great!  This year the stage was EXTRA AWESOME!  It showcased our colors, special designs and had an interchanging screen (2 panels just outside the center panel) that showcased photos that the great Stampin' Up! photographers took through out the event. 

Here's my picture up on the interchanging screen!  This picture was taken at the Paper Pumkpin Open House the night before.   I think it was when I was looking at the flip books we made during the open house.

 And....now presenting SHELLI GARDENER!!!  I just love love love it when Shelli presents.  Her passion and creativity is overwhelming.    I'll have more to share about presentations in a few later blogs.

Here's a sign outside a restaurant on our walk home.   It seems all fun until you get closer.  

  HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Pre-Convention Paper Pumpkin Gathering

Look at this cute bag!   I just love the surprise of what the cool bag will be from Stampin' Up!  I love that they're always in our exclusive colors....This one is REAL RED!

At first I didn't like the bag.  I mean, I couldn't put my stamp sets in there or my swaps.  I was a little disappointed.  BUT THEN for awards night, when I didn't want to have a big bag, this was PERFECT.  I was able to put my catalog, agenda, and my camera in my bag.  And the outside zippered pocket was great to put my phone in.  It's amazing how your perception changes when you look at things in a different angle.

Here are some creative little escapes that Stampin' Up! had on display.  They're displaying how easy it is to have a great little get together with your monthly paper pumpkin kits.  Isn't this cute?!?!

I just love this home decor here as well.  Here's another setting that you could do with your monthly paper pumpkin kits.

Here are some lovely samples of cards that were made using elements from past paper pumpkin kits and mashed with current items in our catalog.  Are they so stinkin' cute?!?!  

If you're interested in Paper Pumpkin, click here for half off deals!  You can start with this deal and if you love it you can purchase a subscription.  If you're interested in a subscription, please let me know and we can enter it as a show and you'll get FREE product as well!

Finishing up SWAPS as usual (July 16th)

It wouldn't be CONVENTION if you didn't still have swaps to do once you got to your hotel!!!  I was quietly working on my swaps for a 3x3 Love Notes Swap while my roommate slept her morning away.

You have to get crafty when doing swaps in bed!  I used the lid from my 12x12 keeper to tape together the pieces so they wouldn't get lost.

Next it was time to color.  I used one blendability marker at a time and just went through all the flowers.  I had my sample there all nice and ready to check the details.  I JUST LOVE THESE MARKERS!!!

After my swaps were finished and my other two roommates were back from shopping, we went to get MANIS and PEDIS!!!   OH MY GOODNESS....these chairs were awesome!  My back was massaged and I also did the deluxe mani and pedi so I got a nice rub down too!

My color choices were almost a nuetral BLING....OF COURSE it NEEDS TO BE BLINGY!!!    So I wanted colors that would match other outfits I was wearing.  I just loved the glittery mauve color and then the shimmery golden brown hues.  I did the STYLISH thing (or at least what I was told was stylish) and had the one finger and one toe painted a different color.  I REALLY LOVED the way they turned out.  And I never pamper my feet this way!

After our Pedicure and Manicures we were off to supper with a group of friends I met last year.  Barbara Welch....SHE'S AWESOME!!...and her group of girls and some others have been meeting at the Blue Iguana for 7 years now on the night before convention.  I was awesome enough to get asked to the gathering and I invited my roommates.  This drink (unfortunately) was the only alcoholic beverage I had.  But LOOK below at the awesome glass!  MMMM....strawberry daiquiri with whipped cream and a cherry :)

OH and of course treats!   Barbara makes the neatest little treats!  Holly got a pillow box owl....ISN"T IT SO STINKIN' CUTE?!?!  I just love the versatility of the Stampin' Up! products!

Here I am outside of the Blue Iguana....alright everybody now "Strike A Pose!"  I know....I'm sexy and I know it :)

You could share in this fun with me too!  I will be attending convention next year to celebrate my 10 year anniversary with Stampin' Up!   I hopefully will also have my first milestone of selling $100,000 during my career.   I know that doesn't seem like much but the first few years of me selling, I was the only one buying :)  I started out as a hobby demonstrator which means I signed up to get the discount.  Eventually I found people who loved to stamp and scrap and loved my books so I started promoting my business even more.  Currently I have a 12 month rolling sales of over $10,000 and hope to increase that this year.

Check out some of the benefits by being a DEMONSTRATOR!!!

HELLO MR. OWL

I received this stamp set some time ago.  I believe it was at Leadership in Houston, TX in January.   It just didn't inspire me.  I held onto it (of course since I knew it would be in this catalog) but just never did anything with it.  For my Catalog Extravaganza, where I only use new items from the new catalog as my focal points, I HAD TO USE IT!  I hadn't gotten around to placing a preorder...I can't believe it either.  So I had to use the items on my shelves that I had earned or received ahead of time from the catalog debut.  SO out came the "SO VERY HAPPY" stamp set.

I looked online for a few ideas and found one that I like and TWEEKED it.  I just wasn't having any luck with this set....not really sure why.  I think I may have just been stubborn in my own mind and just couldn't get past that.  But here's the finished card, which I LOVE!  Mr. Owl sure does look nice all colored blue.

The 13-15 In Colors got a make over too.  They're now offering this wonderful thick baker's twine in all those colors!  It's perfect for this banner to keep more thickness but not too much at the top.   I double knotted mine so that the "tassels" would go straight up instead of off to the sides.

And of course Mr. Owl.  I just used regular markers to color him in.  Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, and Pumkpin Pie were the colors I used.  I wanted to keep him the focal point and just add flare around him to make him stand out even more.  The banners behind the tag in the middle bring out just enough color.  And those banners were easy to make...just some Designer Series Paper...which is all on sale right now!

To see other images from this stamp set CLICK HERE

Buy 3 Get 1 FREE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER

Salt Lake City So FAR :)

I'm going to be blogging about my adventures in Salt Lake City at the Stampin' Up! Convention.  Well my story is going to go a little backwards at first, but you can handle that....right?!?!

I love FLYING to Salt Lake City.  The views from the sky are amazing!  The city seems to be situated right in the middle of the mountains.  It's like a nice little area just for us to be crazy stampin' fools!  Everywhere you look you see peaks and sunshine!  The only hard thing about flying in is when you get over the mountains at first.  You always have turbulence.  It doesn't matter how clear the sky is or isn't.  The air just has to move somewhere and when you're caught in the middle...you go too.  But no worries...I didn't get sick :)

This view is at the airport.  We arrived early so we had to wait for another plane to leave before we could get to our gate.  What a gorgeous view?!?

This is a view when we started making our descent into Salt Lake.  I'm like a little kid sometimes watching all the things move and then feeling how it affects the plane.  These small panels that are raised start making the plane reduce speed for landing.

I'm not sure when I took this picture but I just love how you see several sets of peaks off in the distance (towards the left side of the picture).  It just shows how large these mountain chains really are.

And of course, at the MSP airport....AND I WAS TOO EARLY FOR A&W :(   Maybe when I get back!!

If you're interested in being a demonstrator and going to convention and all these other fun places I get to go, check out my website for more information and give me a call!!

STAMPIN' UP DEMO INFO HERE!!!

Oh Baby Oh....Hello Baby

I'm super impressed with this wonderful stamp set!  The new baby set, Something for Baby, is a 12 piece set!  WOW!  And to make it even better, there's FRAMELITS!!  (Yes YES this means we don't have to cut any pieces out by hand!!!)  And BETTER YET....it's a BUNDLE...so you're savings are AWESOME!!!

I wanted to keep this card simple and showcase the elements in the stamp set.  I LOVE THE ONESIE so I had to use that.  This set makes it really easy to stamp and cut out.  You get a great solid image.

I tried to keep this card pretty neutral so it could be used at a boy, girl, or undecided party.  It's also nice to have neutral cards in stock so you don't have to go out and buy one once someone has a baby that you didn't know the gender ahead of time.

Something For Baby Bundle

Hostess EXCLUSIVE....OOOOHHH AAAHHHH!!!

I have to admit...lately the hostess sets haven't really tripped my trigger....but this one I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!  It's called Bloom with Hope.   How wonderful?  It's a combination set (which for me is a set with words and images).  As you can see the flowers are "sketched" which I absolutely love!

The set is so large, it comes in two containers!  I got mine for only $17 HOSTESS DOLLARS!

If you haven't seen the new catty....well this is quite a surprise for you!  We now carry awesome alcohol based markers which are called BLENDABILITIES!!!   You need to stamp with a certain ink pad and then you can color it in.  WOW!!  It's so easy to do!

See how well the colors blend together???

The colors work best on our whisper white ultrasmooth cardstock.  But it will look a little messy on the back.  That's okay....looks kind of interesting too!

Here's one of the sayings in this wonderful stamp set.  The rhinestones add just a little bling to bring your eye to the saying on this simple card.

Look at this simple card.  With the lovely blendabilities and flower, this card really does stand out!

TO CHECK OUT THE BLENDABILITIES

There's also a small video on how to use them!!!

MY NEW FAVORITE STAMP SET!!!!

"WORK OF ART" is awesome.  If you haven't seen the new catalog yet, this is a must see!  

 BUY IT HERE!!! WORK OF ART

I saw this design somewhere....can't seem to find where....so thanks for the idea.

I received this set for FREE (makes it so much sweeter!!) at the Catalog Premiere event in Milwaukee.  The only thing I don't like about this set is that it's so large....with the wood blocks, it's hard to fit back in there! Work of Art is an 11 piece set!  Talk about variety!

Just a sneak at what the finished card may look like.  My work station is quite overhauled with tools and a variety of other things at times.  As you can see from this picture I have some new blendabilities, some paper from last catalog, pen, and misc other items.

Here's my color palette.   Bermuda Bay, Smoky Slate, Blackberry Bliss, and Natural White.  The Bermuda Bay and Smoky Slate hues are crisp and cool while the Blackberry Bliss brings in a little warmth.

I HATE HATE HATE BOWS!   I like to add my bows afterwards.  I do it like two "bunny ears."  You take two loops next to each other and tie them in a knot.  Perfect bow (of course you have to play with the tails a little bit).  Then you adhere the bow with a glue dot and BAM-  perfect bow!

FINALLY....THE FINISHED CARD!   This was probably the simpliest card at my stamp camp last Wednesday night.  You just used the large zig zag stamp and ink it up...stamp at full strength at the top and then just stamp again and again and again to get the faded look.   I hope you like it!

LEINENKUGEL'S LODGE & TOUR

Look at that beautiful sky....what a perfect day to stop at the Leiney Lodge!!!  We were on our way back from Cheteck with the camper and decided after we passed a billboard that we should stop!  So off the highway we went, through town, and found the Lodge.  It was larger than I thought it would be and it was a good thing we went on a Sunday so I could park the truck and camper in the "employee" lot of the factory.

Once arriving at the Lodge, we signed up for a factory tour.  And of course, we got our wristbands so we could "sample" the loot!  Like Brian said, "My heaven!"

I wasn't tall enough to get a picture of the whole sign on the side of the factory....but you get it :)

You were able to sample one brew before you went on the tour.  The kids were happy since they were able to get soda....and soda....and more soda.   And for those of you who know, Brian was able to sample a lot....since I can't!  For sampling, you're able to pick 4 different ones and the 5th one is the special on tap.

The first stop on the tour was to show the creek that separates the lodge and the factory.  Jeremiah wanted me to write down the name of this "creek" so he could suggest to the boy scout troop that this would be a good canoeing adventure creek.  It was more than a creek to me!!!

This part of the tour they were showing what goes into beer...which grains.  I stood off under the walkway for some shade and also so I wasn't by the HOPPS :)

 This picture shows the first Spring that they used for brewing.  It's also the oldest structure on the property.  Since the well went dry, they started using the city water which is from the same source as this spring well was.  Water is the key ingredient in beer!

 During our tour, this little deer made it's way from the back of the factory to the front.  The tour guide said that it often comes to eat the "spent" grains.  It sure did know it's way around the factory too!

Many groups were on the tour at the same time in different locations of the property.  Very well organized and very informative....probably more than I ever needed to know!  

After the tour, the boys of course were hungry.  We got them a "German" pretzel...and as you can see....it's the size of Alex's head!  They chowed it down quickly! 

Brian was still in HEAVEN as he was still sampling the beer!  Jeremiah had to show his cup too!

What do they say about drinking and texting?!?!?  LOL  DON'T DO IT BRIAN!

Even though Brian was the only one who could "drink" everyone had a good time and we got to see some history that we've driven past so many times.  Now we need to find the Mike's Hard Lemonade factory!!!