Good to Be Home!

Yesterday was a very long day as I travelled home from #InspireCreateShare2014, Stampin' Up!'s great annual Convention in Salt Lake City!  We flew from Salt Lake City to Seattle and got in about noon.  We picked up our vehicle, had some lunch and drove seven hours more to get home.  One hour of that was spent at the Sumas Border Crossing, waiting in line to be processed!  But it is so good to be home and now I have a whole new file of memories to go along with the event.

I thought I'd share a few photos of this wonderful time:
           

The Main Stage Decor!  WOW!

Our spacious hotel room !  So comfortable!

My roomies, Holly and Terry, and I on a day of  shopping and exploring!

Here are some of my favourite people: I miss them already!

Desiree, Tara and Amy

Amy again, and Becky, Melanie and Sarah! 

My fellow rising stars from 2013: Brian, Julie and Janet!

Holly and Terry again.


 

We got SO MUCH free stuff from Stampin' Up! this trip!  Just take a look at the loot:   

This photo has been altered to remove images of stamp sets that can't be shown until Sept.

There was a particular emphasis on the new Paper Pumpkin kits and we got a sneak peek of the July, August and September kits!  Let's just say that these are kits you will NOT want to miss!  You can sign up today at MyPaperPumpkin.

Here is the cute little shoulder bag we got.

We got our hot little hands on the new Holiday Catalogue which comes out on Sept. 2, but not only did we get the big reveal, as demonstrators, we got an early preorder at the Convention Store, which means we were able to purchase merchandise 2 weeks earlier than our fellow demonstrators who did not attend convention! Not only that, but we got to pay US prices! Yay!!

   

Some demonstrators went all out, total commitment to the company:

This year, I earned a Sales Award and here's my award photo:

Have you caught the flavour of Inspire, Create, Share 2014 yet?  Here's a final video from Stampin' Up! to sum up the week:

Want to go with me next year to join in all the fun?  Just become a member of my team, the Papercraft Cats, by clicking on Join My Team in the top menu and follow the prompts!  I can hardly wait to take you there!

#InspireCreateShare Swap Card

Well, what a whirlwind day yesterday!  We were up bright and early this morning and off to our first day of convention, #InspireCreateShare2014.  We had an exciting opening General Session where everyone was given a free stamp set right off the get go!  We were also all given the brand new Holiday Catalogue that we could not only not look at but also order from, right then and there, and take home with us!  Can you say "Fabulous!" ?

Today I have my first organized swap and here is the card that I will be swapping:

• This is a bit of an unorthodox colour palette, but I actually really like the way it turned out.  I've used Blackberry Bliss, Coastal Cabana, Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow!
• The images are from a lovely stamp set called An Open Heart.  I tried the little bird in all the colours of the palette and the Blackberry Bliss got him the most attention of all of them.  This was important, because the varied colours, shapes and images needed a strong focal point.
• The DSP I used is from the Park Lane collection for the Blackberry Bliss background and the 2013/15 In Colour Designer Series Paper Stacks.
• Lots of shape details here: scallops, ovals, rectangles and flags.  Finding balance in the variety was a matter of placement and colour and raising some layers on dimensionals.
• I love all the sentiments in this stamp set, and this one really communicates a strong empathy.  I've had so many occasions in my life where my heart ached for someone and there were just no words to communicate.

Thanks for hanging with me through my convention experience, though I have two more days to go.  I'll be back here again on Monday with a full recap of #InspireCreateShare2014!!

 Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today!


Product List

An Open Heart Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135002]	An Open Heart Wood-Mount Stamp Set [134999]	Park Lane Designer Series Paper [133694]	2013-2015 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack [130136]	Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133675]
Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131297]	Lost Lagoon 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133679]	Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133676]	Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [133645]
Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad [133642]	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [131175]	2014-2016 In Color Stampin' Write Markers [133654]	Lost Lagoon 3/8" Satin Stitched Ribbon [133672]	Basic Pearls Jewel Accents [119247]
Ovals Collection Framelits Dies [129381]	Scallop Edge Border Punch [119882]	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine [113439]	Paper Snips [103579]

Roomie Gifts at #InspireCreateShare for Stampin' Up!

 Another delightful tradition at Stampin' Up! Conventions is the tradition of Roomie Gifts.  It involves creating cute little gifts for your roommates.  They are not expensive gifts but fun and useful during convention and people usually get a little creative in the packaging.

This year I had some fun making little boxes to fit some Smarties (like chocolate M&M's for my American readers), some Excel gum, a little souvenir pin from Canada and a homemade bookmark.  I got the idea for the box from the boxes I made here.

I adjusted the dimensions of the red box in the picture above to change it from a square to a rectangle that would fit a Smarties box and was shallower so I could pack them all in my suitcase.

• I used the Flower Frenzy Bigz L die to create all the flowered embellishments for the belly bands on the boxes.  I'm sure going to get my money's worth out of that die!  I love that you can get so many great floral shapes in one swipe of the Big Shot!  Here I used Strawberry Slush, Smoky Slate and Whisper White cardstock.  
• The tops of the boxes were made using  6 1/2" x 4" pieces of Strawberry Slush DSP from the 2013-15 Designer Series Paper Stacks.  They were scored at 3/4" on all sides.  The bottoms were made from Strawberry Slush cardstock cut at 7" x 4 1/2" and scored at 1" on all sides.

 And speaking of boxes:

Win Free Stamp Sets, Big Shot Dies, Blendabilities and More!

I want you to know that inside each of these adorable containers is a pretty significant prize including a free stamp set, a free die for the Big Shot, free Blendabilities, etc.  And you could win one of these prizes simply by booking a private class with me before August 30 or by signing up to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator on my team.  Here's how to do it:

1. Each of these containers is made from a 6" x 6" square of 2013/15 In Colour Designer Series Paper Stack.  Choose one of the 5 colours:  Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding and Strawberry Slush.  Email me with the colour you want to pick, and some dates in July and August that you could do a private class with 5 or 6 of your friends (your house or mine)  OR follow the links on the top menu to Join My Team.

2.  I will email you back and let you know the prize you could win.  I will bring your prize with me when I go to do your private class or when you have completed the paperwork to become a demonstrator.

Sounds fun? (And Easy?)  The deadline for this contest is after I return home from Conventions on Monday July 21, 2014 at 12 midnight PDT.

 Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today!



Product List

2013-2015 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack [130136]	Strawberry Slush 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131295]	Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131202]	Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]	Flower Frenzy Bigz L Die [133728]
Fuse Fast Adhesive [129026]	Smoky Slate 3/4" Chevron Ribbon [131152]	Calypso Coral 3/4" Chevron Ribbon [130018]

Safe Arrival in Salt Lake City and a Swap Card

Good Morning, Salt Lake City!  We arrived safely and settled into our hotel rooms yesterday afternoon. We were delighted to see some fellow demonstrators that we only get to see at Stampin' Up! events and who will be rooming with us during convention.

 #InspireCreateShare2014 doesn't actually get started until tonight with Registration and Bag Pick Up (#lovethoseSUbags) and a special Paper Pumpkin Party.  During the day today we will be shopping and sight-seeing and enjoying some R&R which there will be absolutely no time for once convention gets started!

I thought I'd share with you one of my swap cards.  Swapping is a long-standing tradition with papercrafters and a part of the culture at Stampin' Up! conventions.  It works like a cookie exchange at Christmas.  You make gobs of cards of one or two different designs and then you trade them with others at convention and go home with a whole slew of different designs and ideas.  It helps you with class and technique ideas and it is a great way to meet other demos!  I'm not a huge fan.  I like the sharing part and meeting other demos, but I hate making 15 -20 copies of the same card.  I'd rather make 15 - 20 different cards than mass produce one design assembly line fashion, but once it's done, it's fun to take part in the excitement of it.

Some demos make 150 or more to swap, but I keep mine to a manageable 40 or so.  I often use the multiples of cards I created for class samples as swap cards as well.\

• This was a fun and relatively easy card to do for one of my swap designs.  It features a monochromatic colour palette of Island Indigo, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana and Pool Party.
• The stamp set I used is one I just took delivery of, Hello Darling.  I love that solid flower stamp on the background flag.  With all the different images, you can create some great collage backgrounds.  You can even design your own DSP with it.  It also coordinates well with the Lovely Lace embossing folder, although I didn't use that for this card.
• The Banners Collection framelits were an important tool to use for this design.  There is quite a large difference between the sizes so that one size doesn't necessarily make a good matte for the next smallest size.  To create the mattes, I cut the Whisper White cardstock narrower and shorter than the banner die I wanted to use to cut the matte.  I centered the Whisper White on either the Coastal Cabana or Island Indigo cardstock that would become the backing and then centered the Banner framelit over the two of them.  When they were run through the Big Shot, the Whisper White was slightly smaller, but had the same shaped 'V' notch as the backing and I just centered it on the coloured cardstock.
• The little bow is made from Pool Party 1/4" Cotton Ribbon.  It is lovely stuff, so soft and the colour is really saturated.

I made 12 of these for swapping and it didn't take me too long.  It's a fairly quick and easy design that you could try with your Hello Darling stamp set!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today!

Product List

Hello Darling Clear-Mount Stamp Set [133994]	Hello Darling Wood-Mount Stamp Set [133991]	Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]	Island Indigo 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock [122923]	Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131197]
Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131297]	Pool Party 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock [122924]	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad [126986]	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad [131171]	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [131175]
Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [126982]	Pool Party 1/4" Cotton Ribbon [134568]	Banners Framelits Dies [132173]	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine [113439]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]