Looking back on Convention-Day 1

I'm back!! 

I had SUCH good intentions of posting on my blog every night of Convention...but add very long days and very short nights...plus a hotel where you could only get free wi-fi in the lobby...well, you get it!

So, here is my look back at the first day of Convention.  I can't really even begin to explain want a Stampin' Up! convention is like....you really need to be there to truly "get it".  I've been hearing about Convention for YEARS and I didn't get it....well, I got it now!!

The first day was filled with LOTS of fantastic info and (the BEST part) a SNEAK PEAK at the NEW HOLIDAY MINI!!  All I can say is...Oh.my.gosh.  I'm not allowed to show you the catalogs (which I have ready and waiting for you on September 1st!) or the product in them...but, trust me.....you will LOOOOVVVVEEEE it!  I'm planning my classes now!!

BUT, before we get into all of that, let's start at the beginning...shall we?

The theme of this years event was "GROW"...an entire seeds, planting, growing your garden theme.  Here's what Main Stage looked like

And, of course, it wouldn't be Convention with out a Theme Song (I'm hoping to find a digital download to share with you, it's actually quite a catchy song...and it's still in my head!)

The song kinda had an "islandy" vibe to it...should have figured it would be some sort of foreshadowing for a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT later in the week!

The stage changed color constantly...it was so cool!

After Shelly (Gardner..Stampin' Up! Founder and Grand PooBa) they went right into what we were all hoping to see....NEW PRODUCT!

Box by box they unvieled items from the new Holiday Mini!

As I mentioned, I am not allowed to show you the new product...but that doesn't mean I can't show you some projects used WITH the product!! It's kinda like playing "I Spy"...

Hmmm....see any new Fall items in this beautiful display?

Maybe this will help...a little closer. Hey, is that NEW FABRIC I see??

And if you're thinking about Fall...you're thinking about Halloween!

The Christmas Items are just Fantastic...here's a VERY SMALL sneak peak

Wait, how did they make those CUTE STOCKINGS....with that NEW FABRIC??

At the end of the "unveiling" of the boxes...there was just ONE MORE...

You KNOW if Shelly is on stage...it MUST be a big deal! What was under here is a BIG PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT that I can't talk about just yet.  Let's just say it's something you've been asking for  scores of times!

Here's one last hint....after the product announcement we all ran back to Momento Mall to purchase the bag that was designed for it!

Momento Mall Display

There she is in all her handmade goodness! What would fit perfectly in that bag?? And where have I seen that fabric before...hmmmm

But the NEW product that I am just GIDDY about is what creates these:

Get those Christmas Wish Lists ready....you are going to WANT to have the product that does this on your list...

Plus I know you'll want it to make those Holiday gifts as well!

Oh, did I mention the GIVE AWAYS yet??

e all got an ENTIRE PACK of the new Holiday Mini..which is GREAT so we can share them right away come September 1st!  But them we found out that we were all going home with a "Workshop in a Bag"!  Complete with a Hostess Gift Project, a card to demonstrate and enough supplies to make a third Make and Take with our guests!!

Here's a picture of the super cute Tag holder with mini tags for our Hostess Gift!!! Do you LOVE IT?? The first person who books a workshop with me in either July or August is going to get this!!! Contact me if you want to be that lucky person!!

We also got a Simply Sent Kit along with the Stamp Set to go with it!!  I've been dying to play with these...now I have them! Yeah!

Here's a sample board showcasing the line...

.

Wow.  

Okay, I have to show you one more project for tonight.  As soon as I laid my eyes on this holiday project, I KNEW that I would HAVE to make it....and I knew YOU would want to make it too!!

So, here's a sneak peak at an upcoming Holiday Project that I'll be offering sometime this Fall...

(Hold on to your hat!! And see if you can find all the new product that you'll be able to play with!)

I LOVE THIS!!!

So, that is Day One is a VERY small nutshell....I haven't even started to show you pictures from the Demo Resource Center....stay tuned for those tomorrow!

Convention Check In Day!

Wow. 

That's pretty much all the energy I have to explain today right now...but, wow.

I knew that Convention was fun, I knew that people loved to go...but I truly had no idea what I was in for.  And today is ONLY CHECK IN DAY.  Yup, the real meat and potatoes starts tomorrow for the 2,000-3,000 of us that are lucky enough to be here.

(Just a note: I am running on about 2 hours of sleep right now and going on a 15 hours day.  So, enjoy the pictures, but excuse me if my comments are incoherent!)

We were up around 6:00am this morning (after finally falling asleep close to 3ish) to get in line for Check In Day.  Today was JAM PACKED with activities....

Everyone starting to line up outside Salt Palace for Convention

First stop...Memento Mall!

This is pretty much where you get the opportunity to get your hands on some really cool, exclusive Stampin' Up! toys as well as some fantastic business tools.  Wanna See?

MDS branded laptop skins and mouse pads

Umbrellas (got one!)

ADORABLE lunch bags and mugs (got them too!)

...and a TON  of other stuff...some, of which I can't show you, because they will be HOSTESS GIFTS, DOWNLINE/NEW RECRUIT GIFTS and of, course, something for Mom!! (Speaking of which, MOM, you NEED to sign up to be a Demonstrator...you NEED to see this!)

Here is my very full bag of some VERY fun things!! Woo Hoo!!

Next Stop...Bag Pick Up & Awards Booth!

One of the exciting things of Convention is that you find out if you've won yearly awards, get ADDITIONAL free stamp sets, and find out if you've won the Incentive Trip (which is Disney this year).  This was a big deal for a bunch of members on my team...THREE won the incentive trip and Aly, my upline, (once again) got Founder's Circle (Top 100 demonstrator). This is a BIG deal...and comes with some BIG

bonuses and free gifts...plus a super cool purse!!

Aly finding out she got Founder's Circle

(I want to be her some day!!)

Now, time to get our BAGS!!

Check out our bags!!! We get these for FREE for attending and they are FILLED with all sort of fabulous things!

See all these stamp sets?? Mine. Free. In the bag.  Yep, I'm a happy camper!!!

(on a side note, while we were waiting in line for Memento Mall there was a video playing of one of the Make N Takes we'll be doing....You are going to DIE when we see how fabulous they are!!! I can't wait to make ours!!! (Saturday, I think)

Okay, back to the bag...

If you know me, you know that I LOVE office supplies. Especially pretty ones!! Check out this awesome binder!! Why it's super cool? They entire Stampin' Up! catalog was disassembled and printed out to find in our pretty binder with all the pretty tabs to separate the catalog sections.  LOVE IT! 

A quick stop for lunch at Olive Garden, and then we hopped on a bus and left for the Stampin' Up! home office tour in Riverton, Utah.

Could there not be a more beautiful place to work??

We got to tour the beautiful and impeccable clean building and got to see the distribution center, meet the Demonstrator Support Reps, and my most favorite thing....

(Warning:  Be prepared to have your socks knocked off)

There is a part of the building called the Legacy Room...a place of inspiration and some amazing creativity at Stampin' Up!

Paper Crafted Yumminess!

I could just eat these all up!

How cute are these??

Table Place Setting

My dream workstation

You know the Stencils we carry?? Check this out!! Makes me want to get out that stipple brush!

Vintage Fabulousness

So, we get back from Riverton and our day is hardly over yet!!

Stampin' Up! put on a "Garden Party" for us tonight. The whole theme and name of Convention is "Grow" with the whole garden/plant theme

The Gathering Place

There was a contest to see how had the best sun hat, here's a couple fun ones!

How cute are they??

During the whole thing there were games, prize patrols, and a TON of product demonstrations that we would watch.  SO much creativity everywhere.

And, that, my friends is the end to Check In Day. 

 I can't even begin to explain what today has meant to me. I am lucky and fortunate to have been able to come this year. Without Mom's help getting me here and Mike's help watching my four little ones while I'm gone...I could not have been here.  If you are a demonstrator...you NEED to come to convention if you haven't already.  If you aren't an demonstrator, but want to be apart of this fantastic experience, you NEED sign up just for nothing else but having the opportunity to be here.  Speaking of being a new Demonstrator, you HAVE to see the Christmas kit you get for joining in July (they have it on display and I almost FELL OVER when I say it..that picture online does in NO justice...

This sucker is BIG and it's BEAUTIFUL!!

 If you want one, contact me and I can give you all the details once I get back!

  I can't even imagine what's in store for us tomorrow and for the rest of the week.  Stay tuned & I'll show you!!

Convention Swaps

One day to go!! 

Four members of the Heartfelt Stampers Team and I are leaving for the airport at 4:00 tomorrow to head out to Salt Lake City for the 2011 Stampin' Up! Convention!!  I still have lots of packing to do, getting the kids schedule all organized for hubby while I am gone...and, of course, finishing up my swaps to take with me!

My goal was to bring 150 swaps with me...I am quickly learning that that will probably NOT happen. So, I am just going with "whatever I have done" by tomorrow afternoon. I'm at about 50 so far...so maybe 75?  We'll see!!

So here, is what I will be swapping...

I decided to go kinda mixy/matchy and focus on the decorative papers and minimal stamping (for speed of making my swaps as well as effect!)

I don't enjoy mass producing my cards (frankly, I get bored) so I decided to do three different cards to keep my interest over the past few days...

Here's each of them:

This one uses  the NEW in color Wisteria Wonder cardstock, paper from the Hostess Designer Series Paper...Cheerful Treat, First Edition DSP, Whisper White cardstock, Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon, Concord Crush ink and that FABULOUS new stamp set, Delicate Doilies.  I also used the 2 1/2" circle punch and the scallop border punch. And don't forget the "bling" using the Basic Rhinestones

This card is my homage to the sadly gone, Kraft cardstock...oh, how I miss you!! BUT, Crumb Cake is my new "go to" so I knew I needed to use it for some cute swap cards!  

This is also paper from Cheerful Treat, some Whisper White Craft Ink, Basic Black grosgrain ribbon, Basic Black & Lucky Limeade ink (my new favorite!) and some random stamps--the park bench & white border  is from the Pendant Park Set and "friend" is from the Fabulous Phrases set. Love the colors...love the feel!

And here is swap #3...

I think this is my favorite! 

Again, paper from Cheerful Treat (just LOVE it...SO worth being a hostess to get this paper!) Some Very Vanilla Seam Binding,  more First Edition DSP, and the sweet little single stamp, Tiny Teacup.  I used that border at the bottom of the card with the same stamp from Pendant Park. It just seems to work with everything!  You can also see that I used some punches as well...the 2 3/8 scallop circle and the 1 3/4" scallop punch

Now, the design are done in place...now just need to keep making more, and more, and more....

When you ready my next post I will be on an airplane to Salt Lake City!

I hope you can come along from the ride

 (at least in blog land!!)

While you're waiting...

....are you waiting to see all my pictures from the Stampin' Up! Convention in a mere TWO DAYS??  Yes, I am excited, and I CAN'T WAIT to share some of my fantastic experience with you!!

As you are reading this blog entry, I can tell you that I am feverishly working on my SWAPS for Convention. 

What are those, you ask? Well, you know that Silly Band craze that all our kids were apart of....they have silly bands....they trade for other kid's silly bands....they find different kids with silly bands they want and then trade.  Get the picture?  It's the same thing. But just substitute adult women (and Men!) for the kids and change the bands into cards!  I can't wait to start swapping...lots of great ideas, lots of ideas to share with my customers...and it's just fun to see how creative other people can be!

Speaking of which, I wanted to share some cards and items that another very creative friend and Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, Christine Luce, created for our monthly Team Time meeting.  Get ready to whip out your credit card and place an online order for one of SU! most fun and versatile set you'll be DYING to get your hands on....

Pennant Parade & the Petite Pennants Builder Punch!

Let's just jump right in...

Can you see the cute little pennants on top of the cupcakes!! You just adhere them to some toothpicks and Viola! instant classroom cuteness for all the school birthday parties!

...And with birthday parties, you need cards...

(you can use baker's twine to "string" your pennants all in a row!)

...and, of course, you need Birthday Invitations...

Don't forget the Party Favors...

...Or the Gift!

And then, of course, you need to SCRAPBOOK that special day...



Now, wait one minute here...DO NOT  think that this is just another "Birthday Stamp Set". Nope!  Just flip those uber cute pennants around

And....

Party Hats!

Or...how about...

A Flower!

And don't let me forget...

Christmas Trees!!

(sorry, Blogger isn't cooperating with my photo download on this one!)

So, if I convinced you that you cannot live without this set, just head over to my online store and click yourself away to Pennant Bliss!!

Hey, I'll be online and mobile the whole time I'm away....have a question about Convention, want me to take a picture of something specific or maybe samples of a special card or something?? Leave me a comment letting me know what you'd like to know or see!

Tomorrow I should have pictures of my Convention Swaps available for you to see...