NOTE: This is all Stampin' Up! related, so if you're not a demonstrator or not attending the annual Convention at the end of the July, feel free to ignore this entry. :)

I was only a SU! demonstrator for about a year and a half. (Read this entry to learn why I eventually resigned). While I was a demonstrator, I attended one convention as a demonstrator. However it was not my very first convention--not at all! :)

I was hired at Stampin' Up! as a graphic designer back in 2005 and have attended every annual convention since, mostly as an employee. When it was held in Salt Lake, more employees were able to attend and help in the classes, etc. Plus, we got to see some of the great presentations. When I heard that last year's convention would be in Denver, I knew I wanted to go but that the company would only be taking a small number of employees with them. Anyway, Convention is awesome! And I didn't want to miss out on it. Truthfully, it's one of the main reasons I signed up as a demonstrator!

Last year's convention was awesome. Seeing it from a demonstrator perspective was completely different, and yet, very familiar. Attending Convention for the first time in that aspect really merged demonstrator and employee for me in my mind. I realized that while I live and breathe Stampin' Up! 9 hours a day in the office, there are thousands of demonstrators who breathe Stampin' Up! at home every day.

We're a lot more alike than you might think. :)

Anyhow, all that aside, I wanted to share with you all what I learned at Convention last year and some tips to make the 2008 Convention the best ever. These are just my personal opinions. I think it goes without saying, that these are just my thoughts.

1. Wear comfortable shoes - Believe it or not, there is a LOT of walking. Not only will you be walking to and from the Salt Palace Convention Center and to and from classes, you will do a lot of standing, too... Standing in line to buy items in the Memento Mall, standing in line (hopefully super short like last year) to receive your Convention bag, standing in the hallways and rooms while you swap cards, standing in line to have your photo taken with Shelli... etc. Believe me. You'll thank yourself for wearing comfortable shoes. On the other hand, you'll see some women wearing high heels... What? I don't get that. Why torture yourself? Really!. ;)

2. Bring a sweater - Convention centers are known for being on the colder side. It's better than arriving sweating with "pit stains", though, right?

3. Don't stress over your swaps - Seriously, some people get all worked up over the swaps. I have a totally laid back approach when it comes to swaps and it worked really well for me last year. Bring only as many as you want to take home. Seriously. And make only as many as you can handle without pulling your hair out.

In fact, get a number in your head right now of how many you want to swap. Got it? Okay, now realistically, can you do that many? Especially since you only have two weeks left to do them? Have you ordered the supplies? Do you have the time to stamp and assemble them all? I took only 75 swaps last year and I was perfectly content. Don't be afraid to run out of swaps. Ask if you can take pictures, instead. Speaking of...

4. Bring a camera - There are plenty of opportunities to take pictures. Don't be afraid to strap your camera to your wrist and have it accessible at all times.

5. Plan ahead for networking - You're going to meet some outstanding demonstrators with awesome attitudes and memorable stories of their own. You will want to keep in contact with them. Plan ahead to write down or store their contact info.

6. Sit back and enjoy General Session presentations - Nearly everything you will see on stage during General Sessions will be available on the demonstrator website after Convention (at least in the past it has been). So, sit back and relax and just enjoy the technique and Workshop Wow presentations. No need to flash a photo of everything you like--you will have the opportunity to take pictures up close and personal after the presenters have a chance to post their projects outside of Main Stage on the bulletin boards.

Above all, just sit back and enjoy the entire convention! It's going to be awesome. The employees at the home office that have been planning and preparing for this all year are excited to see you and share with you their enthusiasm. I know just a small amount of what will be happening and let me just say this... You will be amazed at what's in store for you. It truly is an informative, entertaining, and incredible show. :)

Now, if the many emails I've received over the weekend since I changed my banner at the top of the page are any indication, this is the question you're all wondering: Will I be at Convention this year? Yes. :)

I'll be working as an employee so I'll have my "worker hat" on, but please feel free to come and say hello. I'd love to get my picture taken with you and perhaps after Convention, I'll assemble a collage of all the pictures of me standing with my readers. You gals are the best and I want to see your smiling faces! :)

That being said, I'm afraid I won't be bringing any card swaps with me. However, please come and show me what you've been working on! :)

I made a difficult phone call last night. I called Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Support so I could resign my position as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.

But by no means am I leaving Stampin' Up! completely. Here's the story so far. And I'm just going to go at this with all honesty and hope that you all will understand why I haven't ever addressed much of this previously.

After I graduated from college in 2005, I was hired by Stampin' Up! to be a graphic designer. I mostly worked on the catalog and other projects specifically for foreign markets (Australia was my "baby" -- one of the reasons why Dave Abbott's passing really affected me). After working there for a year and coming to love the company and products so much, I decided to become a demonstrator and signed up under a good friend at work, Erica. In fact, one of the main reasons I signed up was so that I could attend the convention in Denver as a demonstrator instead of an employee.

Yep, I work at Stampin' Up! Some of you have put two and two together and figured this out (at least from some of the comments you've left), but I've never confirmed or denied working at Stampin' Up! because I absolutely loved the anonymity of just being a regular demonstrator, ya know? In many ways, I'm just another papercrafter with an obsession for anything paper or inky. :)

About a year ago, I transferred departments within the company and became a product designer. I now get to design patterned paper, scrapbooking kits, and other items. I don't get to "play" with product at work, so I stamp and create cards in my spare time at home.

Anyway, this change in positions is one of the reasons I left the American Crafts design team. Even though all work for AC was done at my home in my spare time, it was a conflict of interest to be designing product for one company and then having a standing contract with another company. I love both American Crafts and Stampin' Up!, but as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and employee, I knew I would have to let the ACDT go. :( Sarah (ACDT guru) knew about this and knew that I would be resigning from the team at the end of my contract. I always made it a point to be upfront and honest with both AC and SU!

At the same time, I'm living at home and trying to save up for a place of my own (the current housing/mortgage market isn't exactly in my favor, ya know?). After being a demonstrator for over a year, and evaluating my finances, it was more financially responsible to let my demonstratorship go. I will still have the opportunity to purchase Stampin' Up! product at a slight discount because I am an employee, but will no longer have the other expenses of maintaining a small business.

So, that's the story so far. Where do we go from here? It's mostly going to be the same, but just as a heads up...

This is still a papercrafting blog. I am still going to post here and use products from SU! and other companies. I will still have videos and tutorials. However, this is a blog that happens in my spare time and is a hobby. I have rarely talked about work in the past, and I will continue to rarely mention it. I like to leave the office behind each night when I drive home. My co-workers are my friends, though, so sometimes they will be mentioned or will make an appearance in a photo or two.

I'm sure this is a given, but this is not an "official Stampin' Up! blog" or anything like that. I do not speak for the company. I will never speak for the company. As far as my little space on the web is concerned, it's just me. :)

I spoke with my card club girls a couple weeks ago about this and we decided as a group to continue with our card club. But it will be less formal (was it ever really formal?). Mostly just a group getting together each month to make a couple cards. This format is similar to a card club that my sister in Minnesota is in right now, where each month the group meets at someone's house and they make cards. Each person pays for their supplies and they go home with a few cards each month.

I guess the only reason I felt the need to tell you all this is because Stampin' Up! is such a large part of my life. And by resigning as a demonstrator, I'm not leaving it behind. I'm just doing what's best for me.

Sorry 'bout the novel. I'll be back to the regular cards and such tomorrow. :)

Hi all! I'm in the middle of prepping for stamp club tomorrow... Man, this project is really supply intensive! I've been cutting card stock and paper all night! I guess this is what I get for procrastinating. :)

Yes, in the picture that's a stack of recipe cards. 392 cards to be exact. There are 14 people in my club. I cut out every one of those recipe cards with a paper trimmer. I'm an idiot. I should have paid a small neighbor child to do it. My arm hurts.

Okay, enough complaining. At least I'm almost done. I just have to collate all the cards into the boxes (I'm going to do that tomorrow at lunch... Lauren, you said you'd help, right?) and also pack up all my things, and then I'm set!

I'm going to try to get some pictures of my cute stamp club girls tomorrow night so ya'll can see what we're up to. Hopefully they won't be shy. :)



---------

Winners! Yeah! I decided to draw three names. The winners are:

Coral Faust who commented at 9:40 am this morning.
Jeanelle who commented at 10:20 pm last night
Liz in IL who commented at 12:27 pm this afternoon

Thanks, ladies! If you haven't already, you should receive an email from me. Just reply with your mailing address and I'll get the CDs out to you.

And thanks to all of you who commented. What a response! Wow! And just for a CD... I'm so thrilled!

November and December is such a crazy, busy time, isn't it? That's why my monthly stamp club only meets once during those two months. On the first Thursday of December, we get together and have a fun night to make a project that is a bit more time and resource consuming. It's my Merry Christmas to them! :)

This year, we're making recipe boxes complete with recipes inside from each member of our stamp club. :)

The tin I chose for the project is the Maya Road Coffee Break tin. I needed 15 of them, so I completely wiped out the 13 that TwoPeas had, and then I bought 2 on Ebay. I'm not sure of any other stores that have them available, but I bought them a few weeks ago, so maybe some stores have re-stocked. :)

Tip on covering the tin... A 1" circle punch is the perfect size to punch out an opening for the latch on the front of the box. Just find the center of the strip of patterned paper, and then punch a half circle. :)

Each recipe card is 6" x 2-5/8", so I formatted the recipes on my computer, printed out the cards, and then trimmed them to the correct size. Not too hard.

Anyhow, on to the pictures...

Great Recipes Box - Tin: Maya Road; Simple Serifs Mini Alphabet stamp set, Apple Cider Designer Series Paper, Close to Cocoa and Naturals White card stock, Chocolate Chip ink, Really Rust marker, and Chocolate chip wide grosgrain: Stampin' Up!

Hi all! Tomorrow night is my monthly stamp club. The hostess this month (Hi Kelli!) requested the candy bar sliders that we made at a stamp camp last spring. My stamp club girls weren't able to come to the camp, so these sliders are new to them. Also, I don't own any specific Halloween sets, so Holiday Blitz once again saved me. I've used this set more than any other set I own! :)

(You can find instructions for the candy bar sliders here).

We're also making a small 3x3 card. Kelli requested a card that she can attach to wedding gifts, but I made the card a bit more generic so that it can be used on many different things, including wedding gifts.

Here's a tip for workshop projects for all you demonstrators: I originally designed this card to have the heart/circle stamped directly on the white band of card stock. However, it was difiicult to get the stamp perfectly centered, and I knew it would be a struggle and irritation for all my club girls to do the same. So, I decided to pop the image off the band by stamping it separately, punching it out, and then adhering it with a Stampin' Dimensional. All in all, I think I like it a bit better that way anyway. :)

Anyway, I'm off to bed. I'm still catching up on sleep after the trip. 'Night all!

Happy Halloween - All supplies from Stampin' Up! All Holidays and Holiday Blitz stamp sets; Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, and vellum card stock; Creepy Crawly Designer Series Paper; Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive markers; Jet Black StazOn ink; Basic Black grosgrain; 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" circle punches; crimper. Heart 3x3 - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Holiday Blitz stamp set; Purely Pomegranate, So Saffron, and Whisper White card stock; Old Olive Prints Designer Series Paper; Scallop Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, and Corner Rounder punches.

So I returned from St. George late Saturday night. It was a whirlwind trip, but so very worth it! I rode down with my upline, her upline, and a couple side-lines (yes, Melanie, I'm sure we're SU! related somehow, right?). Anyway, it was a fun trip! Plus, we got to watch episodes of The Office and You've Got Mail on the way down! Of course, it was on my little iPod screen so the screen was pretty small, but still... give me some John Krasinski (my television boyfriend--see a great photo of him in this entry) or some Tom Hanks and I'm a happy girl. :)

Here are some pictures from the event of Saturday. This is an annual event organized by Jill Olsen, who is so nice and personable! She designed most of the projects we made, too! I don't have pictures of the projects yet because I was too busy making them, but below are some card swaps and other displays that were there. Just some of my favorites. Forgive me if your card is here--I didn't catch any names! I didn't make any swaps, so I just took pictures. If your card is here, please leave a comment tell us which one is yours!

Also, big shout outs to the readers I met (I think there were six of you)! I kept running into Robyn everywhere! And I believe you can see her and Sasha in one of the photos! Hi girls!

BTW, the first photo is of me and my upline, Erica. Our "slumber party" at the hotel ended with me braiding her hair, so I had to take a picture of how it turned out! Hi Erica!

(Yes, a scrapbook page! Can't you believe it! I haven't scrapped in SO long!)

Every September, my SU! upline holds a large training in St. George. Last year was my first opportunity to go and I'd only been a demonstrator for one month! This year I'll be going but with a bit more experience. :)

This weekend is the training and I should have started planning sooner! Not only is the get-together like a mini Convention, but there are contests as well! Last year I didn't know about the contests until I was there and almost entered a scrapbook one until I found out that I couldn't keep my entry. Hm. Well, okay.

So this time I wanted to plan ahead and possibly re-create a layout to enter into the contest. No such luck! I don't have time! I spent a long time last night and a then tonight when I got home, fretting over this little page. I just couldn't figure out how I wanted it!

Over all, I'm happy with how it turned out, though. :) What do you think? I don't think I can part with this one, even if I were to win a contest.

2nd Grader - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Polka Dots and Petals, Simple Serif Mini Alphabet, and Typeset Numbers sets; Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Kraft, Taken with Teal, Rose Red, and Whisper White card stock; Chocolate Chip and Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pads; VersaMark; Chocolate Chip and Taken with Teal markers; On Board Lots of Letters; Winter White detail embossing powder; Sherbet Ribbon Originals; paper piercer and mat; uni-ball Signo gel pen; Metal Edge tag.

When I first started my stamp club over a year ago, I always felt bad for the girls who couldn't make it to our stamp nights. So, a few months ago I started preparing a "make-up bag" each month that is passed around to each person who did not have the chance to make the projects. Generally the bag is passed around pretty quick, too. I guess it helps that all but one of my stamp club members are my co-workers and I see them almost every day. BTW, the one who's not my co-worker is the wife of a co-worker--hi, Laura! :)

This is what I do...

When I prep for stamp club, I always cut enough card stock for each person (I have 14 in my club right now), plus one set for me to demonstrate with. Whoever can't make it that night, I set aside their materials for the make-up bag.

The make-up bag consists of:

- Stamps used in the projects (not the whole set, just the specific stamps)
- Inks (I will use Stampin' Spots whenever possible, but sometimes I will include a regular stamp pad)
- Pre-cut card stock and ribbon
- Instructions with photos and a list of all supplies included in the bag (so each person can make sure all materials are returned)

I just finished prepping the bag for my August club. It's worked pretty well for the past few months and even though it's a bit more work, it's completely worth it to me. Catch a glimpse of the instruction sheet for August here. You can see the contents for August below, plus the bag it all goes in. I love gift bags, so I always have a cute new gift bag each month. This month's make-up bag was found at Hallmark:

Some of you might remember the file folder book Taylor made a while back (see it here). I loved it so much I tried to make one of my own... except I adapted it to be smaller and use less patterned paper. Easier and quicker to make. :)

I'm planning for my stamp club girls to make this file folder tag book this month, and then possibly recycling it for a class in October. One of my hostesses requested a class, so she'll be hosting and doing all the inviting, including showing photos of the tag book around to generate some interest. Hopefully this is along the lines of what she was thinking of for the class. Her only requirement was that it cost less than $5 to make.

I'll post scoring and cutting instructions tomorrow. :)



BTW, I'm off to Minnesota tomorrow to visit my sister and go to ScrapFest! Super excited! I'll be posting updates while I'm there, though.

I joined a card swap group for SU! demonstrators and I'm a total slacker. I put off making all the cards until the very last minute. But I finished! I mailed them off this afternoon.

Here are the three swaps I did. The first two were using only Stampin' Up! products, and the third was a little bit of some fun things I recently acquired that were just screaming SCREAMING to be used. Isn't that Scenic Route paper delicious! (Thanks, Colleen)

Merry Christmas - All supplies from Stampin' Up! All Holidays, Merry & Bright, and Three For You sets; Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Wild Wasabi card stock; watercolor paper; Wild Wasabi Classic pad; Jet Black StazOn; Watercolor Wonder Crayons; AquaPainter; Real Red Wide Grosgrain; 1-3/8", 1-1/4". and 3/16" Corner Rounder punches.

Merry Christmas - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Season of Joy and Background Basics sets; Basic Gray, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, and Whisper White card stock; Apple Cider DSP; Regal Rose Classic Stampin' Pad; VersaMark pad; 1-3/8" Circle and Scallop Circle punches; Buttons Fresh Favorites I ; Crafter's Tool Kit (needle); thread.

Thanks For Making Me Smile - Small Sayings set, Close to Cocoa Classic pad, and Taupe grosgrain (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (Scenic Route); felt flower and brad (American Crafts).

This month's stamp club projects are getting designed very late! Stamp club is on Wednesday night and I just got around to creating them tonight!

A big thanks goes out to Kelly Lunceford (atomicbutterfly) for the cute gift card and holder she sent in the mail! I picked up some things for her at Convention, and this is her thank you. Now I get to thank her for her thank you! :) I used her card as inspiration for the gift card holders we're making at club this month. :)

Here's Kelly's:



And here's mine (including a view of the inside):

Make a Wish Gift Card Holder - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Big Bold Birthday, Three for You sets; Certainly Celery, Whisper White, and Wild Wasabi card stock; Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, and Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pads; So Saffron Stampin' Write Marker; Regal Rose wide grosgrain.

The second card we'll be making at club this month was inspired by one of the make-and-takes at Convention a month ago. I modified the colors and the stamp sets, but it's basically the same layout. :)

Friend Card - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Background Sampler, Fundamental Phrases, Polka Dots and Petals, and Three For You sets; Certainly Celery, Kraft, So Saffron, Soft Sky, and Whisper White card stock; Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, and So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pads; Chocolate Chip Craft Stampin' Pad; VersaMark; On Board Chipboard; button; staples.

So a few of you (read: a lot) have noticed that a few of my cards are in the September issue of Stampin' Success (the magazine for Demonstrators). :) I was one of the lucky ones to "test drive" the new Demonstrator Business Web Site. Let me tell you, it's awesome! Ya'll are going to love it!

Yesterday, I got my goodie box from Northridge Media (I have things in both Cards Magazine and Scrapbook Trends). Lots of fun things to create with, including some AWESOME paper from Creative Imaginations. Check it: cherries, skulls and cross bones, edgy stickers. So cool! I'm pretty sure all of it was made with a teenager in mind, but I love it anyway!

Here's a card I made with the cherry patterned paper.

You Rock - Patterned paper: Creative Imaginations; stamps (Well-Worn Alphabet, Rough Edges Alphabet, Straight Up Alphabet and Numbers, Three For You), ink, embossing powder, eyelets, ribbon, and card stock: Stampin' Up!.

I also had a workshop this afternoon. The hostess is an avid photographer and requested card with photos. I wasn't sure what to do because I haven't put pictures on cards before, so I asked around and someone suggested I try photos on this card. Renae, you're a genius!

Here's how the photo card turned out. I used photos from a shoot I did for my good friend Melissa (see some shots here). This is her little guy who is so HUGE now compared to when these photos were taken.

Baby Card - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Polka Dots and Petals stamp set; Pumpkin Pie and Soft Sky card stock; VersaMark ink; Old Olive Prints Designer Series Paper; 1-1/4" square punch; Certainly Celery wide grosgrain.

Well, I made it home from Denver! It was a wild ride at Convention and definitely a tiring one, too. But so worth it! I feel motivated and ready to step up my business.

Just a couple ideas that I picked up that I want to try:

- Monthly Classes. The topic will change each month (i.e. designing simple cards using patterned paper, or watercoloring).
- Monthly "Stamps By Mail" Kits - This is to reach customers that have moved away or who I don't see regularly.
- National Card Making Day - Sort of a stamp camp where attendees will make over 20 holiday cards and a decorative box using Simply Scrappin' kits.

Before going to the Awards Night on Saturday, we (the roommates and I) brainstormed some big ideas in order to achieve our goal of earning the incentive trip in 2009 - a trip to Hawaii! I'd love to go to the Hawaii and these are just a few of the ways I will get there. :)

Now let's look at the swap I made for my Convention roommates. I made this 5x5 book before leaving for Denver and I haven't had a chance to fill in all the journaling, but here are some shots of the book:

After a long day of classes and presentations (with AWESOME workshop wow demonstrations from different demonstrators), we headed out to find something to eat. We ducked into La Fondue just before the clouds opened up a down pour!

Inside the restaurant we were all dry and enjoyed such a fabulous meal! Definitely not cheap (about $30 per person), but worth it. Three cheese fondue, then salads, then meat main course, and then chocolate fondue. With the chocolate, we dipped--get this!--strawberries, marshmallows, cheesecake, pineapple, kiwi, Snickers candy bars, pound cake, and bananas. YUM!

Okay, Denver has some really great food! :)

All you second session demonstrators, check out La Fondue. Get a reservation though. We lucked out and came a bit before the dinner crowd, but I'm sure there would have been a very long wait once all those with reservations arrived. We saw four or five SU! demonstrator groups arrive while we were eating (the window next to our table faced the street).

All in all, an awesome day! My SCS-found roommates are great! No issues or problems and we're already talking about meeting up at the next convention. :)

BTW, during the main stage presentations they invited all those who have achieved outstanding recruiting or sales achievements up on stage for "marches". It was so motivating to watch demonstrators with $20K to $100K in personal annual sales walk across that stage! There was just one demonstrator in the highest category at this session (I'm sure there will be more at the second session), but it was amazing to think that you can get to that level of success!

If Convention is one thing, it's motivating. :)

'Nite all!

Just some photos tonight... I'm so tired. But it's a good tired. :)

The Line For Main Stage - We arrived about 40 minutes before they allowed us inside Main Stage to save seats. The front of the lines are at the black curtains.

The Boards - All the boards are arranged by the main color of each sample. Demonstrators can stand a few feet away to take photos of the projects.

Lunch - Thousands of demonstrators eating lunch! I still can't believe they fit so many people in one place, all sitting down at large round tables.

Free Product! - Kanani won $75 worth of free stuff just for filling out a survey and entering her name in a drawing! :)

Okay, so the funniest thing of the night was walking to the Convention Center... and seeing a bunch of crazy stampin' ladies in pajamas!

Seriously, though, it was a lot of fun. Four straight hours of stamping! I think I got up to walk around just twice (to get more mini glue dots from the supplies table and to switch out a defective Crop-A-Dile... it had a piece of card stock inside the setter... weird!). It felt like a stamp camp or something like that. I finished all seven projects with about 15 minutes to spare and I was stamping fast! All of you second session ladies are in for a wild night!

Cheesecake Factory? Raspberry Lemon Cream Cheesecake. Yum.

And some photos...

Me and Kanani - Okay, so I absolutely LOVE this shirt! I bought it from Johnny Cupcakes... seriously, people. Go by his stuff. :)

Get Your Swap On! - Lots of demonstrators swapping during hte Pajama Party.

Stamp! Stamp! Stamp! - 7 completed projects in 4 hours? Totally can be done.

Clouds and Stars - Hanging from the ceiling are clouds and stars!

We arrived yesterday afternoon to the sweltering heat of Denver! No big problems except for the fact that the air conditioning doesn't work in our hotel room! We've called down to the front desk a few times and apparently they have to have the engineer manually turn the AC up. Ridiculous!

Anyway, we made our way over to the Colorado Convention Center this morning to check-in and get our bags. Hardly any line and we got our bags right away. In the past the lines at check-in were really long, but this year they changed the check-in process and now we check-in online and then just pick up our bags. Super easy! The SU! workers behind the counters seemed very happy with how fast things were moving.

After getting our bags, we braved the line to get into Memento Mall (where SU! merchandise and little goodies can be purchased). There was a really long line, but it wasn't too bad because we got to swap while in line! I only took half of my swaps, but they were gone before I got to the door of Memento Mall!

On a side note, the cupcake swap card seemed to be a favorite. Those went the fastest.

I did go to the Make Technology Work For You class. The new Demonstrator Business Web Site is wonderful! I will definitely be getting one as soon as the new web sites are rolled out.

Anyway, I'll leave you with some photos from the morning. We're off to the Cheesecake Factory in a couple hours for an early dinner. After that, we'll head back to the Convention Center for the Pajama Party!

Two of my Convention "Roommates" - Kanani and Becky (kbot5 and ArticStampQueen at SCS).

Check-in/Bag Pick-up - Shiloh Wilsted helps a demonstrator at the bag pick-up. The lines were extra short. All you had to do was hand your bag voucher to the SU! worker and they'd hand you a bag!

The Gathering Place - Lots of boards with sample cards on them, plus many tables to sit down at--perfect for mounting the three stamp sets we received in our bags!

Internet Café - The Technology class took place in the Internet Café. I heard there were no more seats in the class, but during my class at 11:30 there were many MANY empty seats.

I'm off to Convention! I leave for the airport in about 30 minutes! AHH!! I can't believe it's here already!

First of all, thanks for all the comments about the new design! You're all too cute!

As of the time I am writing this, there have been 29 responses (discounting my one comment--I can't exactly win, right?). So, using random.org, I have selected a winner for my little giveaway. Number 7, SueB! Susie, send me an email at kristina at kwernerdesign.com (sorry about the weird email address--just take out the 'at' and put in a real @ symbol... it cuts down on spam mail).

Also, today I completed 3 full sets of swaps for Convention! Whoa, I'm tired. ;) As before, if you are going to Convention, please DO NOT use these designs for your own swaps. I know most of you wouldn't even think to do that, but I have to cover all my bases, right?

I've also been tagged to tell ya'll seven things about myself:

1. Music currently listening to: Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack, Volume II
2. Latest book checked out from the library: Sew What! Skirts
3. I almost was an English major in college (after yesterday's misspellings and unclear writing, let's just be glad I decided to go into art instead. ;)
4. Favorite snack: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
5. I was super blond as a child... then suddenly I was brunette.
6. Sometimes I sit on a fit ball (exercise ball, body ball, whatever you want to call it) when I'm sitting at my computer. At home. They've banned them in my office at work. ;)
7. I've owned a digital camera since April 2000. Currently, I have over 27 GB of photos on my external hard drive.

And on to the cards...

Happy Birthday - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Background Basics, Big Bold Birthday and Eat Cake sets; Dotted background stamp; Apricot Appeal, Naturals White, and Wild Wasabi card stock; Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, and Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin’ Pads; Apricot Appeal Stampin’ Write Marker; Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain; sewing machine.

Merry Christmas - All supplies from Stampin' Up! All Holidays and Sparkling Holiday sets; All about Christmas jumbo wheel; Basic Gray, Ruby Red, Soft Sky, and Whisper White card stock; Ruby Red and Soft Sky Classic Stampin’ Pads; Wild Wasabi double stitched grosgrain.

YEAH! My boxes of new stuff came today! I ordered WAY too much... let me tell ya!

Anyway, the first thing I did was break out the things for my Convention swaps. I planned out all my swaps, down to the last detail. You should have seen me trying to estimate how much ribbon I would need! Anyway, here's my first swap for Convention.

NOTE: I don't think I really need to say this, but...

If you are going to Convention, please DO NOT case this card to use as your own, even if you note that I was the original designer. I'd really like to keep this swap to just me. Thanks!

On the other hand, if you're not going to Convention, or if you are and want to use this as inspiration for a workshop or something, feel free!

I'm off to mount some more stamps...

Happy Birthday Card - All supplies from Stampin' Up! All Holidays, Polka Dot, and Holiday Blitz sets; Pumpkin Pie, Purely Pomegrante, Soft Sky, and Whisper White card stock; Pumpkin Pie, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky, and Wild Wasabi classic ink; Wild Wasabi double stitched grosgrain.

I've started my Convention swaps! I'll get back to the sewing machine tidbit of information, but first for those that don't know, the Stampin' Up! Convention for demonstrators starts in three weeks! AHH!! It's a tradition at these events that a lot of card swapping takes place.

GET YOUR SWAP ON!

When I went to the Salt Lake Regional Training, I didn't prepare any swaps and I was totally left out. This time I am most certainly going prepared. I have 100 swaps planned--25 each of 4 designs. Well, I'm still waiting on my new catalog sets to arrive, so I can't do everything yet, but I've starting cutting the card stock I have and stamping what I can.

So the sewing machine... You have to know this right up front: I haven't even touched a sewing machine since 7th grade home economics class. I made a really bad looking hot pad. Anyway, I really wanted to try sewing on of my sets of swaps for Convention.

Sewing has always been my mom and older sister's thing.. Well, watch out ladies! Here I come!

My mom's too sweet too me... She dug out her sewing machine (she quilts by hand so the sewing machine hasn't seen the light of day for who knows how long), and re-taught everything to me. I was really dreading it, but it wasn't too bad. I actually sewed around 28 card pieces (3-1/4 x 4-1/2) in about 50 minutes. Not too bad for a beginner, eh?

Sorry, no pictures of the swap progress yet. But I'll be sure to share the finished products with you here. In the meantime, here's a card I made during my family reunion this weekend. Imagine me and my two cousins and my cousin's boyfriend sitting around a table in a cabin, surrounded by the plethora of supplies I brought with me (one must never leave the house without at least a little bit of scrapping supplies--come on now!), and each of us creating some cards. Totally lots of fun. :)

Anyway, here's one of the cards I made:

Love Card - Card stock: Stampin' Up!; patterned paper: SEI and Sassafras Lass; rubons: American Crafts; ribbon: Scenic Route; pen: Uniball Signo white gel pen.

I have a few "homework" assignment over the next few weeks. I have two workshops before the end of June, plus my regular card club. So I'm attempting new techniques, or techniques I don't often go to when I'm making a card.

My Stampin' Pastels have never been used! Can you believe that? I got them in my starter kit when I signed up as a demonstrator, but have never used them. This afternoon, I broke off the shrink wrap and tried a few things, one of which worked out.

The card below uses Groovy Guava card stock and ink--a new Stampin' Up! In Color for 2007. Currently, it's only available to customers. Look for it in the July catalog if you want to buy it. It's such a luscious color... yum! Guava is right!

Congratulations - All supplies from Stampin' Up!: Touch of Nature and Hugs & Wishes stamp sets; Blush Blossom, Bravo Burgundy, Groovy Guava, and Very Vanilla card stock; Groovy Guava classic ink; Blush Blossom and Bravo Burgundy Stampin' Write Markers; VersaMark; color spritzer; Stampin' Pastels (Bravo Burgundy, Certainly Celery, So Saffron); gel pen, apricot grosgrain.

Hostess Coaching is what SU! encourages all demonstrators to do. Basically, hostess coaching is helping your workshop hostess have the best workshop possible, and also making them feel special and to thank them for helping your business thrive.

I've never been big on hostess coaching, but I'm trying to do better. I have a workshop this afternoon and I've been really trying to help her out as much as possible. I've been in contact with her over the phone as well as going to her home once to talk over the types of projects she wants to do. I really hope this helps her get better sales and in turn helps me out.

In the past, I would give my hostesses all the cards I demonstrate and then a few other small goodies. This time, I decided to make her something special as well. This is a box I folded, decorated, and filled with small cards. I hope she likes it. I've seen instructions for this box in numerous places in the internet. I'll find some directions and post them here.

And this is one of the cards we'll be making as a group:

I decided to make the mini pocket books for my monthly stamp club this month. I've given each person the option of the theme for their book: My Mom is the Best Because... or All About Me.

There are four journaling tags in the book so I've created a journaling prompts worksheet for them to use either before they come or while their making their books. Hopefully, that will enable them to go home with a completed book. See the worksheet here.

I made the mom book last night and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I just hope that it won't take too long to make. It wasn't too long when I made it, but I wasn't having to share supplies, ya know? I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes.

Also, how do all you SU! demonstrators feel about using retired product? There just isn't the right ribbon for this project unless I use the Flirty ribbon from the Winter Mini Catalog (which is no longer). I have enough for everyone to complete the project, but they will not be able to order it. Granted, nearly every one of them ordered it back during the sales period when it was available so they could go home and use it. But, how do you feel about that?

My Mom Mini Pocket Book - All supplies from Stampin' Up!: Big Blooms, Polka Dots & Paisleys, Typeset Alphabet, and Background Sample stamp sets; Regal Rose, So Saffron, Cool Carribean, and Raken with Teal classic ink; Old Olive and Naturals White card stock; Petals and Paisleys Designer Series Paper; Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker; Flirty Ribbon Originals; Corner Rounder and Ticket Corner Punches; silver brads; Coluzzle; Light Pink Stampin' Emboss Powder; clear button.

I attended the Stampin' Up! Regional Training in Salt Lake yesterday. So much fun! I met some great people, inluding some SCS people (allenjeni and atomicbutterfly). Don't worry, girls, I won't post your pictures here! :)

It was so great to meet them and put faces with names!

We learned some awesome techniques and I just couldn't wait to try them out. This is my first card using some of them. It features heat embossing on buttons, fraying grosgrain ribbon, and using small circles to create a scalloped edge. LOVE it!

Happy Birthday Card Supplies - Card stock (Chocolate Chip, Cool Carrbbean, Old Olive), stamps, stamping ink (Whisper White, Old Olive and Cool Carribean), eyelets, ribbon, embossing powder: Stampin' Up!; buttons: American Crafts.

(First off, please excuse the blurry photo below... I didn't realize it was blurry until I went to upload it. And frankly, today I'm being a bit lazy. My cold is back with a vengeance and my head feels about 5-feet wide).

For the first time ever, all 12 members of my stamp club will be at our meeting tonight! :) In fact, three of them are bringing friends so it will really be a party!

This month's card club projects feature the 5-in-1 Card Cover Template. Each person will make a large envelope and card, and a mini envelope and card. Hopefully, everyone won't have to wait too long for the supplies because I gave them a choice as to what patterned paper from the Spring Mini Catalog to use.

The breakdown is like this: 6 for Au Chocolate, 6 for Notations, and 3 for Petals & Paisleys. Each card uses different supplies so there won't be any crossover. I purposely planned it that way because the hostess is setting up 3 different tables--one for each patterned paper. I hope it goes smoothly.

(BTW, in the first picture, I didn't include the Au Chocolate envelope because I'll be demonstrating how to use the template using that paper).

AHH!! One of my customers ordered 2 packs of Vanilla Pocket Notes and I only ordered one! She called me last Saturday and made me aware of the problem, but it's past time for ordering from the Winter Mini. I've called SU! but there's nothing they can do.

Does anyone out there have VV Pocket Notes they could sell to me? You'd totally be helping me out and I'd love you forever and ever!

UPDATE: A lovely person on SCS has some pocket notes she's willing to part with. Heaven bless her! Thanks for all your help, everyone!

I had such a great workshop month in February that I'm kind of sad that I don't have any workshops planned outside of my monthly club for March. So, I've decided to have a Stamp-a-Stack! For those that don't know what that is, it's a workshop except the guests that come make numerous cards instead of just one or a couple. They pay a small fee and get to just come and make multiple cards of the same designs. In this case, they'll be making 10 cards.

I had a few people ask about me having one so I thought it was about time I tried it. :)

These are a couple of the cards I have planned for the Stamp-a-Stack. I included pictures of these two and a third on the invitations I'll be mailing out today.

Hi all! This is just a quick check-in to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. :)

Just busy.

Sick (cold/flu) - YUCK!

Tired (not sleeping well on part of the fact that I can hardly breathe)

But I do have some great news! For those not familiar with being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, when you sign up you are challenged to achieve some specific sales goals. If you do, you can receive up to 6 stamp sets of any price free! I was really working toward those goals, and met the first one back in November (sales of $1800 for September-November) and received 2 stamp sets. I had until the end of February (tomorrow) to reach the second sales goal (sales of $3000 for December-February). And as of this morning, I met my goal!

I had a successful workshop on Saturday (even though I was super sick and losing my voice) and that pushed me over the $3000 mark. :)

Here's to 4 more free stamp sets! And then because most of my sales happened during Sell-A-Bration, I'll get another 2 sets! Hello! I'm hoping I can save at least the 4 sets until the new catalog in July.

Ahhh... not having to fork out more money to feed my habit... priceless.

This month's card club projects. I based the first one off the card I made last week at the crop. I just adapted the supplies used to supplies that are avaiable for purchase right now (previous card used supplies from the the Spring Mini Catalog which is available March 1). :)

When I first became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I wanted to make thank you cards to include with every order. That is, until I realized that most orders are shipped to the hostess' home and then she delivers them to her guests. I would never be able to slip the thank you notes into the customers' bags. I was sort of sad about that.

I suppose I could give the hostesses cards to include when they separate the orders into the bags, but most of time I don't see the hostess again, I just follow-up with a phone call.

Anyway, I was so excited to be the hostess for the stamp camps orders from about a week ago. I got to make cards to include with the orders! I was the hostess, so I got to assemble the bags!

This is the card I included with all their orders. I wrote a short note inside and mentioned that the card was made with NEW product from the SU! Spring Mini Catalog. I left my contact information inside as well. :)

Today's workshop is a card-focused workshop. In fact, my sister is the host and only one of her friends is coming. That means this will be a very informal workshop where everyone will make all three cards. I like workshops like this because it's almost like we're all just getting together to make some cards.

A lot less pressure. :)

I'm also focusing on chipboard and the many things you can do with it. First up is a card using chipboard that's "painted" with craft ink. Simply just rub the craft ink over the chipboard and let dry. This card in particular was offered in a kit to demonstrators last summer and I'm just now getting around to using it.

Next, is a card using chipboard as a template. In the On Board Accents chipboard, there is a square piece of chipboard with four circles cut out. I used it as a template to make a four-circle window card. [See this tutorial on how to make a one-circle window card without chipboard].

The last card we'll make uses the circles that were removed from the square chipboard template used in the Best Fishes card. This time, we'll cover the circle chipboard with patterned paper and sand the edges a bit. To adhere the paper to the chipboard, we'll be using a regular glue stick. As long as you let it dry completely, it works just fine. :)

Anyhow, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I might check in tomorrow with a new card or two (let's hope, right?!). :)

I had my second Sell-A-Bration workshop last night (if you don't count my regular card club meeting). Four people showed up and I didn't get any sales. Oh, well. I made cute stuff. :)

Here's the card everyone made as the Make & Take. I also demonstrated a couple scrapbook pages that I've done in the past but this group hadn't seen.

Supplies - All supplies are from Stampin' Up!; Carte Postale set; Pale Plum and Very Vanilla cardstock; Chocolate Chip Classic ink; Enchanté Designer Series Paper; chocolate grosgrain, dimensionals.

The image above is the card my stamp club members will be making this Thursday at our meeting. I based this card off scrapperaddict's card (found here). I had to modify it so that it would be easier to make. And so here's a quick tutorial...

Circle Window with Frame

1. Gather your supplies:

pencil
1-1/4" Circle Punch
1-3/8" Circle Punch
Stampin' Dimensionals (or foam tape)
Card stock cut in the following sizes:

3-1/2" x 4-5/8" (Cocoa color)
3" x 4-1/8" (Celery color)
2-7/8" x 4" (Patterned tan color)
2-1/2"x 2-1/2" (white square with stamped image)

2. Take the 1-1/4" Circle Punch (the smaller one) and position it on the celery card stock. Punch. If you're using a SU! punch, the card stock is size perfectly to be flush against the inside of the punch and you'll get a precisely centered circle.



3. Place a small amount of adhesive (just for placement during the next step) on the celery card stock, and gently press the patterned tan card stock on top. Carefully turn over and trace the punched circle.



4. Separate the tan and celery pieces. Center the 1-3/8" Circle Punch (the larger one) over the traced circle on the tan card stock. Punch.



5. Adhere the tan patterned piece over the celery.

6. Prepare your white square card stock by placing foam mounts on each corner.



7. With the image still facing up, take the punched card stock pieces and carefully place over stamped image, centering it in the window.



8. Turn over and place two foam mounts on bottom corners. Also apply adhsive on the white card stock.



9. Turn over and position over cocoa card stock. Press down to adhere.

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to invite any and all of you to a Stampin' Up! Stamp Camp that I'm helping to prepare! It will be happening on Saturday, February 3 in Sandy, Utah.

Cost: $25 ($10 will go toward an order that day)
You will make 5 different projects. All supplies are provided and are pre-designed, pre-cut, and pre-scored.

If anyone is interested in attending, please email me and I will send you more information. :)

The five projects we will be doing (I only designed the first one--the other four are from other demonstrators in my group):

You will make just one of these:

NOTE:Instruction for the candy bar slider can be found here. :)

As promised, here are the projects I made last night at my workshop...

I had my first SU! Sell-A-Bration workshop last night. I've only done a small number of workshops outside of my monthly club since I became a demonstrator last August, but I took a different approach this time...

In the past, I've absolutely hated all the business stuff I have to cover, especially when presenting to experienced scappers. It just takes SO long and that's not really why I'm there. I'm there to teach new techniques, show product, and answer questions, right? So this time I took this approach:

Cut to the chase. I introduced myself and went right into the projects. While I was demonstrating them, I mentioned some of the important things like mounting stamps and the way Sell-A-Bration and mini catalogs works. Just general information they need to know to order. I was hoping that my general enthusiasm would make up the difference.

And it did! My workshop closed at over $500 and I got two bookings! I'm so happy with the outcome.

I'll come back tonight and post the projects I made (a scrapbook page and a card).

PHOTO REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION

Another card using the new Polka Dots and Paisley stamp set. Enjoy!