I ♥ Free Stuff!!

Don't you just love free stuff? I do!!!

This year I earned three awards...wanna see? The first two sets, wheel and small stamp were convention stamps. The other two were from Recruiting (stamp set and a pin) and a Milestone award for $200,000 in career sale so far (stamp set, cash and a pin). I also received a personal yearly sales award pin.

Since BFF is one of my recruits, I asked her to walk across the stage with me.

The pin with 2 rubies is for career sales over $200,000.

Stampin' Up! does such a wonderful job when it comes to making their demonstrators feel loved and appreciated! We are rewarded with free stamps, pins, cash, prizes, award marches, recognition, flowers, and more. I love my job!!

Color Confections

This year Stampin' Up! had the MOST darling display they've EVER had in the Gathering Place. They set up this Color Confections display that looked like an old fashioned candy shop...only it was all made from paper!

They were back to back displays of delightful eye candy!!

The lighting was spectacular for looking at the displays but not so good for photographing them, so I apologize the pictures are a little yellow. This is the Halloween display. All kinds of colorful goodness with a Halloween theme. Cookie sheets laid vertically on the bottom shelf all displayed like edible yummies.

A trifle bowl of Mini Milk Cartons with bat punch embellishments.
They had free standing basket displays with each basket full of Stampin' Up! products made to look like old fashioned candy. Here are cello wrapped rolled up ribbon suckers and coordinating markers.

This was a birthday or party display. The 'cookies' in the trays are cardstock covered rolls of ribbon.

More 'cookies'. These were so darling!!!!!

These are DSP cones with cello wrapped stacks of 5-6 buttons made to look like Smarties. Super cute!

All of these chocolates and candies are made of cardstock and ribbon. I wanted to touch them all!!
A darling basket of the Standard Starter Kit.

All of these displays were over the top fabulous. I've really never seen anything so adorable before.

I love convention! I love to see the creative geniuses at work and Stampin' Up! does that well! I'm so happy to be a part of this company.

How about you? Would you like to join me at convention next July as a demonstrator? E-mail me at yasou@cableone,net.

Stampin' Up!'s Home Office

Before I share more convention FUN, I want to let you know about this fanrastic offer for Stampin' Up! Hostesses.

If you are in the Boise area, or even a couple hours away, schedule your next workshop with me by August 31 and earn an additional $25 in FREE Stampin' Up! merchandise, starting with a $350 workshop order!

Click HERE for $25 Hostess Bonus Offer!

If you host a $350 workshop, you'll receive:
A FREE Level 1 or Level 2 exclusive hostess only stamp set of your choice. To learn more, see pages 9 - 16 of the new catalog HERE.
Receive $65 in FREE Stampin' Up! product ($40 + $25)

Your workshop will include a personal demonstration, instruction and materials for a fabulous make-n-take project, lots of paper crafting tips and of course prizes! You provide the guests, I'll provide the entertainment!

Promotion dates: July 27-August 31, 2010
Details: Hostesses will receive an additional $25 in hostess free merchandise dollars when they hold a workshop totaling $350 (before shipping and tax) or more!

It's a perfect time to host a Stampin' Up! show. Free stuff and lots of fun!!

E-mail me at yasou@cableone.net to schedule your exciting event!!

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We toured the Home Office in Riverton, Utah again this year. Every year they change the rooms and it is more beautiful than the year before. I wish I had an ounce of this creativity when it comes to decorating with SU! products. I just love, love, love looking at the rooms.

I know it is hard to see, but they took my favorite Flower Fusion die-cut and created buds and flowers on this branch. It was such a beautiful tree!!

The wall was decorated with ribbons and tacks, where the ribbons intersected. They used clips and other decor items to hang photos. It was so simple and clever. Not even a bulletin board...the wall!!
The sewing room was so vintage and cool. I could stand there and stare at it forever...and I don't even know how to thread a needle! So many, many elements going on in here.

Close up of the body thingy...what are these called?? The Simply Adorned jewelry was just gorgeous displayed on it!

'My' room. Unfortunately Stampin' Up! has it in their home office, so I could only visit. I would love to have this space in my house!!

I'm probably caught on security camera, but I just had to sit in 'my' chair! I could do some serious creating in this environment...do you think they would ship it to me? All of it, even the floor and the wall and the pillow...ok, I'll compromise on the pillow. Ü

Although you should not store your SU! markers vertical, isn't this a darling display of tools with the chalkboard Decor Elements labels? I have some, they are still in the package...I'll get to them someday.
Touring through Demonstrator Support, there were lots of fun things to look at on the employees desks. This was a display on a filing cabinet...ya, they might be a few mints short. Ü The center sign says "What will your next event be called?" (or something like that) and the examples are Cards-n-Candy and Chics-n-Chocolate. I've never really named an event like that, have you?

How about this in your kitchen? Well, it kind of is. This beautiful water feature is in the middle of all the tables and chairs where the employees of Stampin' Up! eat lunch and take breaks. Simply beautiful and so tranquil!!

The production floor was fascinating. They were filling orders on the pick line, running the boxes along the conveyor belt then to the tape machine and onto shipping. This place was immaculate, there wasn't even a piece of paper on the floor! Very impressive...a little warm in there but very impressive!

Thank you Stampin' Up! for allowing us to look into your day to day activities. Ü

Friends, Friends, Friends!

The very best part of convention is the friends!! I have so much fun meeting up with old friends and making new friends and seeing other peoples friends. Ü

This is a not so great picture of us on the rock at the Riverton Home Office. The wind was so strong that day! We asked some unsuspecting man walking around the campus on his lunch hour to take a picture of us. He was a little surprised when 4 ladies ran up to him!! Left to right is me, Kim (BFF), Jacque and Denise.

As it turns out, Jacque and Denise are doorbell ditchers! One of them would hold the elevator while the other one knocked on the door, left a gift and ran! These are the three gifts they left, one each day. It was so fun and so thoughtful of them. Thank you!!

BFF and I met Jenn Picard on line and have been chatting for months. We made arrangements to meet at convention and she was everything we knew she would be and more! We had so much fun laughing and getting better acquainted! Jenn was an Artisian Award finalist this year (yeah Jenn!) and was traveling with her friend Natasha who was taking the photo. Left to right, Jenn, me, Linda (who I kept calling Carolyn! sorry Linda!), Lorri Heiling and Kim (BFF).

Jenn is from Canada and brought BFF and I each a box of Canadian goodies. The 'real' Smarties are to-die-for yummy!!

This is Melanie. She works for Stampin' Up!. Last year when I stamped for convention boards, Mel was the one putting the boards together and I got to meet her. You know how sometimes you just click with someone? Well Melanie and I have clicked!!! I just love her! I couldn't wait to see her at Leadership and again at convention this year. Melanie is THE seamstress for SU! You know all those fabric samples we saw at convention? Mels' works of art!

Perhaps you have heard me talk about Lorri Heiling...duh! like every other day!! Lorri actually wears a halo. I know you can't see it this the picture but this beautiful lady is an angel on earth. That's all I'm going to say because those of you who know her, know exactly what I'm talking about! It was so fabulous to meet up with her again!!
Lorri is an absolutely awesome stamper. Her creativity is amazing as you've seen on my blog and she always bring the bestest swaps !! These are her cards above and below is her I-don't-even-know-how-to-describe-how-darling-it-is Stampers Tool Box!!
You can see it closer on her blog HERE. The lipstick compact opens up to a circle Post-It note and mirror . That girl is OVER THE TOP!!! Yes Lorri, that was me yelling at YOU this time!! Love ya!

Not only did I get to re-meet Diana Gibbs (after our disastrous first impression on each other at Leadership), I got to hang with her and her BFF Tracy! We celebrated her surprise victory to Founders Circle (GO DI GO!!), hung out at Linda Hansen's event where she was the make-n-take designer and thoroughly enjoyed her Main Stage stamping demonstration which she aced! She was on fire this convention...maybe you can get a nap in now Di!! Ü hey MAMMa, hey Rhonda, hey Tracy!

My blog has brought me many, many wonderful blessing and people into my life... like this beautiful lady right here pictured with BFF and I, Sue. Sue and I made arrangements to meet at convention this year and I think I have a friend for life! I just loved every minute with her, and we kept having lots of them!!! We would probably have more if she would learn to text faster Ü Just kidding ya Sue!!

Sue brought me these beautiful gifts. Funny, but you don't see the chocolate here, do ya?? Thank you Sue and I sooo look forward to seeing you again!
I met lots of blog friends that I've not met before. This is a hand knit dish cloth from Debbie and a beautiful necklace from Jen. Thank you ladies for your kind gifts! The back of the necklace is a Scrabble game piece with the letter B on it. Jen, I'll bet you didn't even know that we play Scrabble at least 3 times a week here! My kids thought that was SO cool!!

I really love meeting blog friends. I appreciate you taking the time to tell me thank you and to share your feelings. It means so much!

Ok, that was a long post. More fun to share tomorrow!

I'm Home From Convention!

I'm home, re-energized, and the best kind of exhausted! I had a fabulous week at convention!

I have lots of pictures to sort and to share with you over the next week.

Before I left, my little Nicholas stamped me a picture and wrote Have Fun. He's such a thoughtful little guy, I just love him!

We arrived at the convention center about 8 am and look at all the people already in line for Memento Mall!!!Luckily BFF , Kim and I had VIP passes for the head of the line! Everyone who had at least one recruit within a certain time frame got a VIP pass. It saved us literally 2-3 hours of standing in line. Yeah!!!

After Memento Mall, we headed over to the Gathering Place. They had carnival type booths set up where you could win prizes. Here I won a package of Play Date Designer Series Paper. I was thrilled because I used up almost all of mine on convention gifts. Ü

They always have the cutest props for photos. The convention theme was Share What You Love and I'm sitting on giant rubber stamps!

Organized Swap Cards

These cards are for Linda Hansen's 'An Evening To Remember' event Friday night during convention. I'm so excited to see what this is all about...she has been working on it for months.

They are swapping in groups of 50, so I will turn these 50 in and have 50 new cards to enjoy when I'm done that night!!

Cardstock: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
Stamp Set: All Holidays {thank you}, Every Little Bit (school bus)
Accessories: Cork Sheets, Daffodil Delight 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon,1", 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" Circle Punches, Scallop Circle Punch, spiral Punch, Jumbo Wheel Dotted Lines, Circles #2 die-cut, paper clip