Stampin' Up! Convention - Day 4 ~July 24, 2010

Hi there My Stamping Friends,

Just a final post about the Stampin' Up! Convention 2010. We started off the morning with a special treat of Shelli and her daughter Sara on stage talking all about the Stampin' Up! fabric. Yup, you heard me.....Stampin' Up! fabric. It MATCHES our designer series paper. How cool is that. You can use it as fabric or put it on cards or scrapbook pages. Its sooooo cool in real life. Can't wait to show it to you!


Here is a cute Christmas tree that they showed to us. It is made from bits of ripped fabric and makes a great tree ornament.

Here I am with my friend Robin Merriman on the left (who was chosen to serve again on the company's National Advisory Board; a group of only 8 demonstrators company-wide. I'm so happy for you my friend!) and my new friend Kimberly Van Diepen on the right. Kimberly moved relatively close to me and sounds like so much fun. Hopefully we'll get to stamp together soon.

Our final dinner was at a Brazilian Steakhouse. YUMMO!!! Mandy and I totally skipped the salad bar and went straight for a taste of every piece of meat they offered. It was a great way to try some new items and I really liked most of them (those that know me are surprised by what I just wrote). This photo has (L to R) Jackie, Julie, Dina, Mandy standing up in pink, Amanda, the server, then me, Kasey and Cathy. It was so much fun Ladies. Thanks!!

Here is my last view before heading home. It was a great trip but I'm ready to see my 4 little munchkins and my darlin hubby. Missed them all terribly.

Finally, I'll finish off with some photos of cards that I saw on the sample boards or from swaps. I have no idea who made these cards so if it was you just let me know and I'll give you credit.

This card was made with our decor stencil Folk Flowers and the Oval All stamp set. Great job.

This cheery card uses our Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper, Friends Never Fade stamp set and our Square Lattice embossing folder with the Big Shot.

Check out this beautiful lanter that I saw. Just fantastic.

This card uses the Big Shot, the Daisies #2 flowers Die, the Build a Brad and our Inspired by Nature stamp set to name a few things.

I LOVE this one because we are about to take a family celebration trip to Hawaii and I was thinking of making a few of these and handing them out while I am there.

I hope you all have a great Stamping day.

Rose-Ellen

Stampin' Up! Convention Day 3~ Friday, July 23, 2010

Hi there My Stamping Friends,

Well, I guess I didn't hit the right buttons to post my last two Convention Posts while I was on vacation. So, here they are now ......

My day started off with Breakfast with Shelli Gardner (the Co-Founder of Stampin' Up!) because I was part of a group called the Recruit Crew and I recruited during a certain challenge time period. I also got early entry into the general session today because I recruited. Wahoo!!




After our General Session we broke for lunch and then it was time for the Make and Takes. They are always fantastic and this year was no exception. I'll post photos of those over the next few weeks. This is a photo of about half the people in the room during this Make and Take Session.


The next photos are from some presentations on Main Stage. The photos don't do them justice. The necklace is stunning and the tags are so fun.




The event for tonight was called An Evening to Remember with Linda Hansen and it really was an evening to remember. The room was packed with 200+ people working on Make and Takes (created by Linda Hansen and the very talented Diana Gibbs), catching up with special guests Jaron and Lori (former Stampin' Up! employees) , swapping, socializing and eating a delicious dinner.





I got to finally meet Diana Gibbs. I've been following her blog for quite a while and she is so funny and super super talented.





Here is a photo of the group that put this evening together.....and a few of us that helped out that evening. I wish I could 'tag'people here like I can on Facebook (if I CAN, please let me know how and I'll get do that!).





We finished up the evening with a photo from the observation deck for the Morman Temple. It was a beautiful evening outside and the setting sun behind the temple, and a great group of girls, make for a great photo. This group is Amy, Me, Jackie, Amanda, Mandy and Kasey.




As I've been doing, I'm finishing up with a few photos of cards I saw on the dispaly boards that I loved. I don't know who made them so if they are yours let me know and I'll give you credit here.

Have a fantastic Day!!

Rose-Ellen

Tax Free Shopping in Virginia ~ Aug 6th through 8th

Hi there My Stamping Friends!!

I'm writing to let you know that the state of Virginia is having a sales tax holiday for school supplies up to $20.00 per item August 6 – 8. Because school supply items are included in this sales tax holiday, the below list of items will be tax free during the holiday period. Please note that you MUST place your order with Stampin’ Up! during the tax holiday period in order to receive these items tax free.

I will be travelling on Aug 7th and will only have spotty access to e-mails. If you want to place an order you can do it through my website www.roseelleneastman.stampinup.com but if you have no access to get to my website, you can send me an e-mail for me to place an order on August 8th.

The following items are tax-exempt during the Virginia sales tax holiday:

Item # Description Price
104331 SNAIL Adhesive Refill $4.50
103305 Dotto $12.95
100902 Dotto Refill $6.50
104045 Anywhere Glue Stick $3.95
104294 Sticky Strip $6.95
104430 Stampin' Dimensionals $3.95
103683 Mini Glue Dots $4.95
103579 Paper Snips $9.95
103179 Craft & Rubber Scissors $19.95
101879 Watercolor Pencils $19.95
105021 White Uni-Ball Signo Gel Pen $3.95
102845 Blender Pens $9.95
Various Stampin’ Write Markers (individual) $3.50
119801 Many Marvelous Markers In Color $14.95
119802 Watercolor Wonder Crayons Subtles $16.95
119803 Watercolor Wonder Crayons Regals $16.95
119804 Watercolor Wonder Crayons Brights $16.95
119805 Watercolor Wonder Crayons Neutrals $16.95
105394 Basic Black Stampin’ Write Journaler $3.50
110755 Multipurpose Liquid Glue $3.95
120963 Stampin’ Pastels New Color Kit $14.95

Hope you're having a fantastic week!!
Rose-Ellen

EXTRA EXTRA Hostess Benefits in August

Extra! Extra! Stampin' Up! hostesses get extra hostess awards July 27-August 31, in addition to the already fantastic hostess benefits!

From July 27 to August 31, Stampin' Up! hostesses can earn an EXTRA $25 to use toward
Stampin' Up! products of their choice when they host a workshop totaling $350 or more!

“I earned a ton of free stuff last time I hosted a workshop,” says Katie Krafter of Kingman, Kansas. “But now I can earn even more! I’m so excited!”
Stampin’ Up! is offering this amazing opportunity to all hostesses for a limited time. “This is a great time to host a workshop,” notes Sallie Stamper, a demonstrator from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. “These extra hostess benefits are spectacular—and the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog just came out with tons of new stamp sets and products to choose from!”

This extra benefit is included along with the standard hostess benefits they receive when they host a workshop. The standard hostess benefits include

•A free 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog worth $9.95!
•Free stamp sets only available to hostesses (with qualifying orders; select from the products on pages 10-16 of the Idea Book & Catalog)!
•Free Stampin' Up! products of your choice!

Workshop total (before S&H) Free merchandise+Extra hostess awards = Free merchandise

$350 - $399 $40 + $25= $65
$400 - $449 $45 + $25= $70
$450 - $499 $50 + $25= $75
$500 - $549 $60 + $25= $85

This extra hostess benefit is only being offered for a limited time, so contact your demonstrator TODAY to schedule a workshop!

Stampin' Up! Convention - Day 2 Thursday, July 22, 2010

Day 2 of convention started out very early with the Running of the Stampers!! My friend Amanda had the great idea to have us dress like we were running with the bulls, so we played along and had a great time with it (even if I did feel like a crazy pizza delivery guy - guess that is my New Yorker showing through.) Dina fit right in with her Canadian lei/headband that she made using the Big Shot and the Island Floral die. It was so awesome. Maybe I'll make some for my girls for our trip to Hawaii in a few weeks.

Moving right along, we had an opening ceremony complete with our own Stampin' Up! theme song modeled after Miley Cyrus' song Party in the USA. Shelli Gardner came out and spoke to us about enjoying the FULL demonstrator experience (fun, creativity, flexibility and control, rewards and recognition and finally relationships). She is a very inspiring and motivational speaker.

We also had some Stampin' Up! staff as well as demonstrator presentations. Here are some things I learned:

This was called a 'circle' card. I know what you're thinking....its not a circle....and you're right. It is circular in its 'style' however. This card is meant for you to recycle by reusing. Inside the card they attached one of our mini square envelopes (3-1/8th x 3-1/8th) with the flap cut off. They put a few 3x3 pieces of cardstock and held them together with a piece from our Clips Assortment. This enables someone to write a note to thier friend and the friend can then save that note and reuse the card by writing a note on another piece of cardstock and passing the card along. What a 'green' idea.

For me, this next idea from Diana Gibbs, is one of my Ah-Haaaa moments. I love the idea of using one of our Clear Mount Blocks as a palate, for so many reasons. I love showing people how to use the Watercolor Crayons but passing them around to each person to use at a Make and Take can be time consuming. This way several people can use the crayons at once directly from the Clear Mount Block. Thanks for sharing that idea Diana!!

This next idea was shown to us by Stampin' Up! employee Bonnie Thurber. She is fantastically funny, very talented and is such a joy to watch. She taught us how to make this Party in a Box. It is a cardstock box that comes with a few invitations and envelopes, cupcake wrappers made with the Big Shot and Perfect Setting die, and handmade coordinating party toothpicks. Its held together with a bellyband and ribbon decoration. Another great thing about this box is that when you've used up all the party supplies, you can reuse the box for giving away cookies or some other delicious treat. Yummy!!!

I had to share this idea from Heather Summers as well because I LOVE thinking outside the box and figuring out other uses for our products. You might not see it at first, but the tulips on this card were made with our new two-step owl punch. The petals are the owl turned upside down. The green cardstock below the petals was made with the owl's vest and the leaves are trimmed from the owl's body. You might not be able to see it in this photo, but the flower vase is the ornament punch turned upside down and the letters 'ick' were spotlighted by using the jewelry tag punch. Very creative!!

I could show you photos of demonstrations all day but I'm sure you'd get bored.....Nah...I know you wouldn't get bored, but I've got to move on. If you'd like to come to Convention next July or the Leadership Conference with me, let me know and we can chat about how you can sign up to be a demonstrator with my team. Or if you want more information RSVP to attend one of my opportunity nights. A link to my calendar is located on the front page of my blog.

So, the evening event was the Awards Night. A few of my friends were told that they achieved the Founders Circle (which means you are one of the top 100 demonstrators in the company) but they aren't told where they rank in that top 100 until their names are announced at the award ceremony.

This is my wonderful friend Mandy Grant, who was in the top 100 for the first time. She was so nervous and I have to admit I was nervous right along with her. I'm so proud to say that she is demo #57 (out of something like 40,000+ demonstrators)!! Congrats Mandy!!

Another good friend, Stella MacKay, not only made it to Demo # 43, she was also asked to sit on the Advisory Board (a group of 8 demonstrators chosen to assist the company with decisions that affect demonstrators as a whole). Congrats to Stella!! I'm so so so happy for you.

Below is a new friend that just moved to this area about a month ago. She has moved several times over the course of her Stampin' Up! career and has to keep rebuilding her business. She does it very well and this year was awarded the #1 Demonstrator of the Year!! Congrats to Kimberly. Well Done!!

And last but certainly not least. I'm so happy for my friend Robin Merriman who was asked to return to the Advisory Board for a second term. They surely know her value to the company and to the demonstrators. I'm so happy for you Robin. Congratulations!!

I'm going to finish my daily posts with a few cards that stuck in my mind from today (in no particular order). Again, I don't know who made these cards so if they are yours please let me know and I will give you credit here.

This one uses Circle Circus and the reverse spotlighting technique. I love how the pumpkin cardstock pops out from behind.

This is a great card for any black tie event. The hearts cut with the Full Heart punch are such a nice way to represent love and its just fantastic the way they represent a tuxedo and wedding dress as well.

I really liked the way this stamping friend used the jewelry tag punch for the fence post and the Big Shot machine and Little Leaves Sizzlits die. But most of all I enjoyed the yellow ribbon tied 'round the old oak tree. This is a very thoughtful and creative way to tell our military members that we miss them and love them.

This cake was on the Stampin' Up! Artisan Awards display. Can you believe this delicious looking treat is made of paper? Check out those flowers!

I'll end with a nice, simple, stylish Thank You card made with our So Many Thanks stamp from the a la carte section of our Idea Book and Catalog. This stamper also used the Big Shot and the Finial Press Embossing Folder. If you didn't know by now, I can tell you that I'm a Big Shot junkie and this creation is just beautiful!!

Hope you have a fantastic day full of stamping mojo!

Rose-Ellen

Convention - Day 1 Flower Power Party and Card Samples

Hi there My Stamping Friends,

Convention Day 1 finished off with a groovy Flower Power Party that Stampin' Up! hosted. Here are a few shots so you can feel like you were there right along with us. If you want to attend convention next year, join my team and we can travel together or meet up there.

This is a shot of just a few of the people that were celebrating with us that night. The costumes ran the gammut as you can tell.


Here are Lyn and Janna; demo friends from home.



This is a shot of me, Dale and Tim from the Corporate Team, and of course Dina Anker.

Julie and I enjoying some hula-hoop action. Julie is actually a very good hoola-hooper (is that a verb??).

I even got to take a photo with Shelli and Sterling. They are sooooo groovy!!

At the end of my convention notes, I'm going to post a few of the cards I saw on the sample boards. I don't know who stamped them, so if they are yours just let me know and I'll give you credit.

I love the background masking on this one.

Check out this top note ribbon quilt card. Very Cool!!

I LOVE the rain on this card. What a great addition.

Clean, simple and quick. Very much my style.

Someone spent a lot of time cutting out these monkey and hanging them on vines made of ribbon. I just love it.

Hope you have a great Stampin' Day,

Rose-Ellen

Convention Day 1 - Wed July 21, 2010

YAHOO!!! I made it to Salt Lake City, UT last night for the annual Stampin' Up! convention and after very little sleep I was up bright and early to get in line to pick up my convention bag and hit the Momento Mall for some exclusive Stampin' Up goodies. I saw lots of my friends in line and got to catch up with a bunch of people I haven't seen in a while.





Dina AnkerLyn Collins and Janna Unterzuber
Kristyne BrandtLinda Heller and her friends (sorry I didn't catch your names)
And of course, Stella MacKay

Once we got inside we saw what the bags looked like this year. They feel like they are made with rainslicker fabric so I won't feel uncomfortable putting my fantastic bag to use when its drizzling.

After a little shopping at Momento Mall I got to take a peek at the demonstrator idea area. This year Stampin' Up! called it the Sweet Shoppe I beleive and it was AMAZING!! All of these confections were made with Stampin' Up! products. The brownies were paper, the cupcakes were adorned with pearls and rhinestones, the lollipops were dipped in dazzling diamonds, the candy buttons were glitter brads (hint hint) and the rolls of candy were actually buttons....I could go on and on. It was just amazing!!

I don't want to risk losing this post so I'll create another post with a few card samples from the boards and some photos from the groovy Flower Power party.

Hope you're having a great day too!

Rose-Ellen

Guess there is a limit...

..to the amount of characters that I can post via text message (I'll be more concise next time so hey don't get truncated again) but there is apparently no limit to the photos that I can take while I'm at Convention2010. I'll definately post more when I get back to the hotel.

Don't forget that you can follow me on Twitter @REEastman. I can post photos there and you can join for FREE!

Have a great day!
Rose-Ellen

r!
Rose-Ellen

icker fabric. Sooooo cool.

Do you want to see constant updates? follow me on Twitter @REEastman . It's so easy to join and it's FREE too.

Until late

The t-shirts are so cute and come in cherry cobbler and regal rose. The orange bag is the bag we received for attending convention and feels like rainsl

Hi there My Stamping Friends,

Dina made it into momento mall first and came out to show us some of the goodies.

Having a great time....

...checking out all the yummy looking paper confections at the
Stampin' Up! Convention. Yes, these ARE made of paper!! I'll post more
photos when I get back to the hotel.

NEW CATALOGS ARE HERE plus Color Renovation - Retrofit Kits

Hi there My Stamping Friends,

THE NEW CATALOG IS HERE!! WAHOO!! If you've reserved a copy with me or if you are one of my club members, or an upcoming hostess, you can contact me to arrange to get the new catalog in your hot little hands. Meanwhile I'll be posting information about my New Catalog Open House. At that time, you can come by to get your catalog, check out some new products from the catalog, purchase some of my retired stamp sets, chat with other stampers about your favorite new items in the catalog, nibble on some appetizers, enjoy a beverage, see some upcoming projects, join a stamp club (I have a few openings), schedule a date to hostess your own event, and complete a Make & Take.

I don't have any creations to post today because I'm just getting back into town from a wonderful mini vacation with my darlin hubby and our girls. We visited my sister and her family and my Dad and had a fantastic time!! However, I am going to stamp for a while tonight so I'll have some items to post over the next few days so keep checking back (or click on the button to follow me). Oh, I don't think I've mentioned it, but I'm posting things on Twitter too. You can follow me there @ REEastman

So, on to my other news.......Do you have lots of Stampin' Up! colors and want to update your Stampin' Write markers, Watercolor Crayons, Stampin' Pastels, Ink Pads and Cardstock without having to buy a complete new set? Here is your opportunity! Stampin' Up! is offering Color Renovation Color Kits. You can update your colors without having to purchase a whole new set of markers, crayons, pastels, etc. Check out the flyer below and contact me if I can answer any questions for you.

We're having record high temperatures in my area. Hope you're staying cool where you are!

Rose-Ellen