Unfrogettable Stamping!

In the spotlight: Awash with Flowers

  At my stamp-a-stack last week I wanted to feature retiring stamp sets and accessories for all the cards.  I always like to find inspiration for color combinations in every day items and this Awash with Flowers card was inspired by a note pad that my Mom had by her phone....

   I love the whimsical color combination of basic gray, whisper white, basic black and real red, don't you?!  This two-step stamp set is so fun and it is available in both clear mount (#120549, $27.95) and wood mount (#1117062 , $39.95):

   Here are a few more samples to inspire you with this set:

There are just a few days left to get your hands on this fun and versatile stamp set... don't miss your chance to purchase it before it is gone!!

Leadership displays, part 1

There are always tons of displays with fabulous projects at Stampin' Up! events!  The displays were a little different this year in San Antonio... most of the cards and scrapbook pages were hung on clothes lines.  It was a little difficult snapping pictures because you had to take individual shots, but I wanted to share some of them with you.  Here is one of the displays in the room where we did our Make-n-Takes.

This was just one of several sessions... check out how many of us were stamping!  Rachel, Patty, Kristyne and I all worked together.  Below you will find some close-ups of some of my favorite projects on display featuring the Blossom Builders kit, Twitterpated DSP, Mixed Bunch and Loving Memories stamp sets and Blossom punch - all products that we used on our make-n-take projects.  Hope you find some inspiration here - these products can all be purchased from the Occasions mini catalog.  Enjoy!

And I saved the best one for last... one of our make-n-takes was an 8" x 8" scrapbook page.  Kristyne just so happened to have a beautiful photo of her baby girl Ava that she dropped onto the page.  It's as if the page was designed for this picture!

Thanks for visiting!  I'll be sharing even more samples with you in the coming days as I took photos of so many!!

Leadership highlights - fun with friends

I *love* going to the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference every January - it is a great time to de-stress from the Holidays, learn new ways to build my business and mentor my downline, get tons of great samples for the Occasions Mini catalog and Sale-a-Bration brochure and, most importantly for me, hang out with my friends from all over that I only get to see at these types of events.  I also look forward to making new demonstrator friends, too!  Here is a photo of the group that I was with for most of the trip: back row, left to right - my new friend Kristen Dutko-Grove from Northern Virginia (downline of Dawn's), Dawn Rapsas of New Jersey, me; front row, left to right - Patty Chenail of Connecticut, Rachel Yurkanin of Pennsylvania and Kristyne Brandt of Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada.

Here is a photo of our Sisters in Stamping design team (minus Jacque, who wasn't able to attend this year) with Rachel Yurkanin and Karla Anders.

Here I am at one of the General Sessions with Dawn Griffith, Dawn Rapsas, Kristyne Brandt and Patty Chenail. 

I just love Patty Bennett and always try to catch up with her at events.

And the same goes for Missy Shipman - one of the kindest and most positive women I know.

Rachel and I got a chance to take a picture with Robin Merriman, who was a roving reporter for the event for the Stampin' Up! Facebook page, during the Business Share Fair.

As I was trading my Angry Birds card I kept hearing that there was someone else at the event who was also trading one... I was bound and determined to find her.  Lo and behold I ended up sitting right next to her during one of the sessions - what are the chances of that with over 1,000 people there?!  This is Jennifer Turoff of New York and a picture of her trade.

Here is another new friend that I made, Angie Dimenna.  I was so impressed that she lives in the U.S. for part of the year and is a demonstrator who has a successful enough business to attend Leadership but also lives for part of the year in France and has a demonstratorship there as well.  Impressive!

And if you saw my post on Thursday you will have seen this photo of my new friend Brandy Cox of North Carolina.

This group shot also includes Katie Johnson, Barb Gornick and Robin (did not get her last name).

Here we are at Casa Rio - our group at dinner that night included Jamie Adcock, a new friend from Texas, along with Rachel, Dawn, Barb, Katie and Kristen.

And you know I had to include a picture of The Alamo from San Antonio... Dawn had bought us all tiaras earlier so here are the stamping Princesses!!

As you can see, I had such a wonderful time reconnecting with friends and making new ones!  You, too, can attend awesome events like this by becoming a demonstrator and building a business.  If you'd like to join my team, contact me to find out how!  The starter kit is on sale for $125 during Sale-a-Bration... there is no better time to join than NOW!!!

 

 

Greetings from San Antonio, TX!!

I apologize for neglecting my blog for the last few days, but I was busy holding my Diva Day event for my Top 3 downline on Saturday, a birthday party for my son on Sunday and getting ready for my trip to the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference in San Antonio, TX!!  I'm so happy to be here, hanging out with friends that I don't get to see very often.  The photo above is of a sign in the airport and the first of many that I will be taking over the next few days.

Nothing official is starting until tomorrow, so a couple of us (Dawn Rapsas - NJ, Rachel Yurkanin - PA, Kristyne Brandt - Winnepeg and me) went down to the Riverwalk area and walked around.  We heard about a great Italian restaurant so ended up at Luciano's and ate outside because the weather was so nice.

I had a yummy eggplant dish that was recommended by Heather Summers and she was right - it was so delicious!  But, I was only able to eat half of it because the portion was so big... guess what they say is right - things are bigger in Texas!!

Because we were sitting outside, there were a lot of birds coming around and this particular raven really wigged poor Kristyne out... so I had to get a picture for her.  Our waiter said that the birds come and get the sugar packets out of the containers on the table and eat them - it was really weird to see.  I love this picture - it's like he's posing for me!

I can't wait for tomorrow... check-in is at 9 am and then we head to our Make-n-Take session. Tomorrow evening is the Manager's Reception so it's going to be a full day.  I'll share pictures of my swaps with you tomorrow along with step-by-step instructions for the punch art one... be sure and check back! 

Thanks for visiting... have a great day!  And if you're here in San Antonio I hope to see you!!

Last day of Charlotte Regional sharing... I promise!

I hope you have enjoyed all of the photos I've shared from the Charlotte Regional so far - if you get the opportunity to attend one of these this fall, either as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator or the guest of one, I HIGHLY recommend it!  We were fortunate enough to have our CEO Shelli Gardner in attendance - she opened the morning session and presented a really cute Halloween project that she's making for all of her grandchildren.

This project features diecuts from the Big Shot Petal Cone and Perfect Pennants Bigz L dies as well as the Spiderweb impressions texturz folder and several punches.  Isn't it the cutest?

We also got to see presentations by Carrie Cudney, Donna Griffith and Shannon West and then all three came back out to present a demonstration on making Creativity Journals.  What you see above is a page from Shannon's journal.  The challenge was to put a photo of your favorite celebrity with a speech bubble telling you how creative you are...she happened to choose Shelli Gardner.  It was too funny, especially since Shelli was there at the Regional!

And last, but not least, I wanted to share this display board with you.... do you recognize the stamp set?  You shouldn't, because it's a never-before-seen stamp set that will be debuting in the Occasions Mini catalog in January, 2012!!!  Why am I showing you these projects?  Because you have the opportunity to get this set for FREE if you sign up as a new demonstrator on my team by September 2nd.  How great is that?!  I would love to share the opportunity with you - contact me to find out how fun it is to be a demonstrator... own your stamping business and name your hours!  Or sign up as a hobbyist and earn a discount on all of your Stampin' Up! purchases while getting the full support of being a demonstrator, including monthly issues of the Stampin' Success magazine, training through video tutorials, my monthly team meetings and more!!  You can choose from two different starter kits...

Want to learn more?  Be sure and check out my demonstrator website here.  Remember, in order to earn this set for FREE you have to join my team by September 2nd!!  Don't delay, contact me today...

Thanks for visiting!  I'll be back tomorrow with a sneak peek from the Holiday Mini for Fabulous Friday!!!

Rockin' my world!

We got a big surprise yesterday afternoon - an earthquake!  They are almost unheard of in Virginia, but the epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude earthquake was about 100 miles away from where we live.  When I lived in Japan as a child we had them frequently enough that we had earthquake drills at school but it has been a long time since I felt one!  I know for those of you who are on the West coast that they are not a big deal unless they are of a much higher magnitude, but it seriously put a hurting on the East coast for a while.  I heard from friends on Facebook as far away as Connecticut and South Carolina that they felt it, too!!

I have to tell you, the samples at the Charlotte Regional Workshop Wow demonstration booths featuring the new Simply Scored Scoring Tool that will be debuting in the Holiday Mini on September 1st were rockin' my world!  Aren't they amazing?!

I wanted to share some of the display boards with you, too, that were displayed  - here are the ones that feature our new In Colors.... enjoy!

Wisteria Wonder

Calypso Coral

Pool Party

Lucky Limeade

Island Indigo

 

Stampin' Up! Regional event in Charlotte, NC

I am sooooo excited!  Today I am at the Stampin' Up! Regional event in Charlotte, North Carolina.  It is only a 3-1/2 hour drive from Lynchburg and I am thrilled to have 13 of my downline members plus several guests attending, too.  These events are so much fun - there are tons of great ideas shared on stage by the Stampin' Up! staff as well as awesome display boards to inspire you, "Wow" ideas shared by demonstrators and fabulous make-n-takes.  My favorite part of attending these events, though, is the swapping of card fronts with other demonstrators. There is no easier and better way to get tons of ideas to share with my customers than by swapping.  Pictured above are the 60 card fronts that my daughter Amanda and I cranked out this week.  We had quite the assembly line going!  The two cards are essentially the same, just with different card stock backgrounds to match the two different pieces of DSP from the Spice Cake package that will be debuting on September 1st in the upcoming Holiday Mini catalog.  The leaves are from the Gently Falling stamp set (I am so thrilled to have earned both for FREE as a perk of being a Senior Manager) and the sentiment "Grateful" is from the Always Thankful stamp set - all are new products that you'll be able to purchase beginning on September 1st.  If you're a customer of mine, be on the lookout for this catalog to arrive in your mailboxes next week!!

Here are close-ups of the two cards - I hope people like my cards.. I tend to favor the clean and simple style that is easily duplicatable for my stampers and great for workshops.

These cards feature several of our punches (scallop trim border punch along with the scallop and large oval punches) as well as ribbon (pool party ruffled and more mustard dotted scallop) and the always fun color spritzer tool.  I also used my stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the leaves and matching detail stamp for the two-step stamping technique.  Isn't this a great color combination?  It's one I never would have put together on my own... I love taking colors from DSP!

I will be sharing photos and ideas over the next few days that I learn today... so be sure and stop back by!!

January Classes and Stamping Events

Don't miss your chance to purchase a Filled With Love bundle, including FREE bitty buttons!  Hurry - this promotion ends on January 24th...

I've recently updated my calendar of events for the next several months... here's what I've got planned for January.  Click on any of the links for further details about the event:

• Tuesday, January 4th – OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG 2011 starts
• Thursday, January 6^th – SU Little Debbies downline/demonstrator meeting
• Jan. 11 – 15th – I’ll be away at the Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference in Nashville, TN
• Friday, January 21st – Sale-a-Bration Kick-Off event, session #1 (RSVP please)
• Saturday, January 22nd – Sale-a-Bration Kick-Off event, session #2 (RSVP please)
• Monday, January 24th – Punch Club and class (RSVP please)
• Monday, January 24th - Filled with Love promotion ends
• Tuesday, January 25th – SALE-A-BRATION 2011 starts – earn FREE Stampin’ Up! products
• Tuesday, January 25th – Rachel’s private stamp-a-stack
• Thursday, January 27th – Monthly stamp-a-stack class (register by Jan. 21st)
• Sunday, January 30th – Mom & Me Valentine class (register by Jan. 15th)

If you would like more information on attending any of my classes please let me know.  I'd love to have you join us!!

Baltimore Regional highlights - part 2

I can't stress how much fun attending a Stampin' Up! Regional event is - you get to stamp, watch fabulous demonstrations and presentations, learn great business ideas and hang out with friends.  Here we are (Laurie Hansen and Terri Mongeon of Connecticut) during our 3 o'clock snack break - eating ice cream!  Of course lunch was a turkey sandwich and everyone was getting really sleepy by that time so it was a great way to stretch your legs and wake up!  Having a Starbucks in the Convention Center helped, too... anyone want a caramel macchiato?!

Bonnie Thurber came out and demonstrated this great Halloween luminary - I was inspired to create one of my own that I'll be using for my Wicked Cool Halloween class later this month.  I'll share those projects after I get them photographed!

Here is the display board for the Day of Gratitude stamp set that we received at Regionals - it was the set used for all of the make-n-takes.  I'd love to share pictures of those with you, but I opted to only make the 2 easiest ones so I could walk around and visit my friends instead... I know, I'm so bad!  I hardly ever get my make-n-takes done at these events - I'd rather socialize!

Shannon West demonstrated great ways to use our wheels and Donna Griffith showed a variety of products to make using only the items received in your Demonstrator Starter Kit.  Don't forget that anyone purchasing their starter kit from me to join my team by October 17th will receive both the Greenhouse Garden craft tote AND Eat Chocolate stamp set for FREE (see my post here for pictures and details).

Some of the workshop wow presentations included a bleach/smooch spritz technique, rock -n-roll with a twist, diorama cards, glitter with sticky pages and big shot dies (my friend Rachel's presentation) and others.  I'll have to post pictures of those tomorrow... I need to run out to a lunch meeting now.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Baltimore Regional highlights - part 1

I took a TON of photos at the Stampin' Up! Baltimore Regional event on Saturday and don't think I'll be able to fit them all in one post so you'll be getting some highlights each day for a few days.  Can I just say that it was soooo much fun spending the day with 499 other equally excited women and one of the BEST reasons I love being a demonstrator.  I was able to reconnect with friends from Utah, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Georgia!  Here I am with 4 of my team members - Kacey Dean, Delores Wilson, Sherri Gough and Lori Subosits. 

This is a group photo of everyone sitting at our table - we had a great location thanks to my friend and "Sister" Rachel Yurkanin who was a presenter and was able to save 2 tables right up front.  We represented the states of Virginia and Connecticut... from left to right, front row:  Laurie Hansen, Kacey Dean, Delores Wilson, Terri Mongeon, me; back row:  Karen Leveille, Sherri Gough and Lori Subosits.

Here I am with the awesome Bonnie Thurber, Director of Demonstrator Training with Stampin' Up!, whom I met when I attended Founders' Circle a few years ago and Robin Merriman - a fabulous demonstrator from Northern Virginia whom I also met at Founder's Circle.  Robin is someone I greatly admire and am proud to call my friend.  Our CEO Shelli Gardner had a new grandson born last week so Bonnie flew to Baltimore to lead the Regional in her place.  Bonnie is so funny and did a fantastic job!

Here is Connie Heisey - she is a demonstrator from Pennsylvania whom I met at Founder's Circle and she has a connection to my hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia, because 2 of her daughters are currently attending Liberty University.

This is a photo of Adrian Mondy of Georgia (center) and Terri Mongeon of Connecticut (left).  I met Adrian on the plane trip last year for Leadership - she was sitting in the row ahead of Sherri and me on the flight from Atlanta to Phoenix and attended the same shoe box swap that we did.  Terri and I met during the Managers' Reception at the Orlando Regional a few years ago and have run into each other at various SU! events.

Here I am with my BFF Rachel Yurkanin.  I was soooo proud of her, getting up on stage and doing a FABULOUS Workshop Wow presentation!  She was the rock star of the day, with people lined up to take pictures of her display materials.

See, doesn't she look great?!  What a natural, and funny too!!  She presented projects using the sticky pages being cut out with the Big Shot dies and being embellished with our beautiful glitter.  At one point Rachel demonstrated how you carefully "dump" the glitter on the sticky die cut and then flick off the excess.... Glenda Travelstead even quoted her during her Workshop Presentation.  It was great!

Here is a photo of me with my new friend Akemi Geary of Pennsylvania.  She purchased her ticket to the Regional from my downline Gaylyn Pantana who wasn't able to attend the Regional after all.  She is Japanese, so we had something wonderful in common besides our love of Stampin' Up!  She's also a super talented demonstrator and I'm proud to now be able to call her my friend!  Wait until I share her swaps with you - you'll be amazed!

 

So today I wanted to share all the pictures of my awesome demonstrator friends because I want everyone to know that being a demonstrator is *so* much more than getting your favorite products at a discount and having your own business.  It means you get to make friends from all over the country and attend these fantastic events!  And if you ever thought about signing up to become a demonstrator, NOW IS THE TIME!!!!  If you join my team now through October 17th, you'll receive your customizable starter kit - valued at $310 - PLUS a FREE exclusive 12 x 12 craft tote valued at $39.95 AND a not-yet-released stamp set called Eat Chocolate from the upcoming Occasions mini catalog (see photos below) all for just $175.00 plus 5% sales tax (you get free shipping on your starter kit!!).  HOW GREAT IS THAT?!  Call me to find out the benefits of joining MY team - including a monthly downline meeting with awesome presentations and make-n-takes, monthly group swaps, mentoring and business coaching, an exclusive yahoo group for communication and membership on a team of fantastic demonstrators!  Click here to view more details - want to join?  My recruiter authorization password is debstamps.  And even if you aren't local to Central Virginia, I'd love to have you on my team!  I have demonstrators that live outside the Washington, DC area, in northern California and Washington state.  I look forward to having you on board!!!!

Here are some photos from the display board of the Eat Chocolate stamp set - isn't it great?!  Stamping and chocolate - a match made in Heaven!  Please click on the photo if you want to see the individual projects a little better.

Tomorrow I'll share more pics from the actual event along with our awesome dinner and time in the Inner Harbor and then when I get a chance to take pictures of them, I'll share some of my favorite swaps that I received.