Where Have I Been?

Yikes, it's been almost 3 weeks since I last posted to this blog!  Time flies when you're having fun, and fun is exactly what I've been having. 

Stampin' UP!'s annual On Stage Live (formerly known as "Convention") was held last week in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I, and three of my partners in stampin' crime, attended.  And what a great time we had!  Let's take a look:

We started by taking a tour of the home office in Riverton, Utah.  As soon as we hopped off the bus, we headed straight to "the Rock", in order to beat the hordes of demonstrators who would want their photo there.  This is Bonnie, Melanie, Tani and me, hangin' out at the entrance to the Stampin' UP! home.  Pretty impressive!

But inside:

We're standing in the main atrium, on the first floor (although you can see the second and third floors behind us) and we're right in front of a gorgeous waterfall!  Yes!  An indoor waterfall in the employee break room.  Who wouldn't be happy to eat here every day?

We got a tour to the second floor with Rett, an employee with whom my husband communicated when I was ill (and missed the last On Stage in San Diego).  Rett kindly asked me to call him when we arrived; we got to meet him and see the CEO's office and boardroom.  Lovely!

And what would a convention be without matching shirts?  Our team, the Ink Masters, had two days of matching T's--blue and pink.  And we got tons of compliments, as well as bumping into the demo who printed these for us, Tamra Davis, who spotted the shirts and introduced herself.

Bonnie and I got to attend a special dinner and luncheon - delicious and entertaining, and we also got a few perks (free t-shirt and stamps). 

And we got to cross one of Bonnie's "bucket list" items off her list:

Dinner at the Blue Iguana.  While waiting for our table we had a long conversation with another Stampin' UP! employee, Andrea.  She and I go way back, as I met her about 8 years ago and we keep bumping into each other every year.  So nice to see her.

And finally, getting to meet some of our "hero" demonstrators:

We've all followed Dawn Olchefske for years, and it was our pleasure/honor/thrill to see her in the hall and catch her for a photo!

Oh, and we also got to see the upcoming Occasions catalog, the Sale-a-Bration brochure and took home a number of new stamp sets!  Whoopie!  Can't wait to start sharing with you!

Wanna join us at our next On Stage?  The April session will be held in Las Vegas (ka-ching!) and then we are all planning to head to Orlando, Florida next November for the 30th Anniversary celebration!  How about becoming a demonstrator?  There are lots of reasons (discounts on all products, first to see new stuff, making friends from all over the world, and traveling with a great group of colleagues) and there is NO obligation once you have purchased your starter kit.  And did I mention the benefits of the starter kit?  Just $99 gets you $125 worth of product as well as business supplies to get you on your way to a business...but if you don't want a business, there is nothing more you have to do.  Just enjoy your Stampin' UP! products and the discounts!

Interested?  Click here to join.  And we'll see you in Vegas!

Sneak PEEK!

I was fortunate to attend the On Stage Stampin' UP! event in San Diego this past weekend.  Such fun!  There were four of us from my group:  Bonnie, Crystal, me and Tani:

We all won FREE stuff!  Can't get any better than that!  But we can't show you any of the images:

We had such fun hearing about brand new products to be released in January, and we all got a new stamp set, Beautiful Ride.  This hit my heart for a number of reasons:  (1) my first car was a VW Bug; (2) my son and his family just moved far away and the sentiments in this set are perfect; and (3) it's a BIG set of stamps that can be used for so many occasions!

I was sworn to secrecy until last night at 9:00 west coast time.  Now that that has passed, I'll show you my first sample:

Is that not the cutest?  Love (<3) this set!

I used Shimmery White card stock so I could paint my bug with an Aquapainter.  Shimmery White is the perfect white (as Watercolor Paper is more vanilla-colored); it's a heavy-weight and takes the water well.

I gave my bug a wash of watered-down Marina Mist, with Smoky Slate accents.

My luggage was fussy-cut and popped up on Dimensionals.

This sweet card is on it's way to my son and daughter-in-law and two grandsons; they have arrived safely in Maryland and spent their first night in their new home (without any furniture) after having their first dinner "picnic-style" on the floor.  They are in for a new adventure...

I hope you enjoyed my sneak peek at what's to come.



Don't forget - the current Holiday catalog is retiring soon; complete your wish list now!


 

And finally, here are this week's Weekly Deals!  Just in time for your Holiday card-making and home decorating:

	Season To Season Wreath Project Kit Item # 139645 Regular Price: $27.00 US/$33.25 CAN Discounted Price: $20.25 US/$24.94 CAN
	Season Of Cheer Cardstock Pack Item # 139591 Regular Price: $7.00 US/$8.75 CAN Discounted Price: $5.25 US/$6.56 CAN
	Snow Friends Framelits Dies Item # 139664 Regular Price: $27.00 US/$33.00 CAN Discounted Price: $20.25 US/$24.75 CAN
	Jolly Christmas Wood-Mount Stamp Set Item # 139873 Regular Price: $27.00 US/$33.00 CAN Discounted Price: $20.25 US/$24.75 CAN

All products can be purchased here.