CONVENTION HILIGHTS

Convention Highlights.......


OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!   Today was the last day of convention....Boo Hoo....BUT it was the best yet.

I took hundreds of pictures, yep hundreds....Here is one of me standing in front of one of the display boards with our Orange convention bag we receive free and filled with stamps and other goodies when we get to convention.  The package sticking up in my bag is a package of Play Date accents (pg 176 of the catalog) that I won for spinning a carnival wheel....

 All the cards on these display boards were sent in by fellow demonstrators each month over the past year for various contests.   Each board is a different base color and there are cards, scrapbook pages and 3D items on display.   Thousands of items on display as well as displays of the cards and items demonstrated throughout the 3 days of convention. 

I met with Shelli, instead of eating lunch.....She signed my book and the back of my t shirt and had my picture taken with her.   I also talked with her about the Ronald McDonald House and my experiences volunteering there.    I showed her the card I was given by two girls last month....SHE LOVED IT.

     Shelli and I

They announced that Regionals was going to be held in Baltimore, Maryland....Oct 1 and 2nd.   So if you are thinking of becoming a demonstrator.... NOW THE TIME!!!!  

At the end of today's convention Shelli said, sometimes we give away free product.....Well, how about the Hostess Level 2 set from the Holiday Mini (that we have seen used many times), AND Holiday DSP, AND coordinating ink pad AND chunky glitter.....Of course the place went wild.....Confetti dropped from the ceiling and everyone was screaming and cheering and applauding.  The Prize patrol came out handing out the Holiday bundles for us.  IT WAS AWESOME!!    What an AWESOME COMPANY!!!

LOOK

I can't wait to start using some of these new toys.  Heading home tomorrow after a magical week in Salt Lake City with Pre convention stamp camp, stamp camp with CSI NY (Cards stock  stamps and Ink), An Evening to Remember with Linda Hansen and Jaron Winder, and the wonderful, awesome, fantastic Convention, Shelli, Brent Steele, Pam Morgan, Carrie Cudney, Spencer Willis, the many stamping friends I haven't seen in a year, the new stamping friends I met and so much more.  Can you tell I have had a good time?????

More Convention Hilights

Yesterday was my Birthday and I had a Fantastic Day....General session in the early morning and I had participated in SU's Recruit Crew over the past several months and one of the perks......We we escorted into seating before they opened the doors, so I was sitting pretty close to see all the action.  

We watched some awesome demonstrations by SU staff members, Brent Steele and Pam Morgan using some new items from the upcoming Holiday Mini!!!! OMG were they awesome...

Took hundreds of pictures of cards on display at convention.....

Here is a picture of Linda and I.

In the evening, we attended a special event....An evening to Remember, with Linda Hansen.   She used to work at Stampin' Up! and was one of my favorite Convention/Regionals presenter.   It was held in the beautiful John Smith Building on the 9th floor!   The food was fantastic and of course we even did some stampin'.   Linda was a gracious hostess and even JaronWinder was there and he sang a song.   It was awesome. 

                                                                      Jaron and I

Carol and I went upstairs to the top floor where there is a rooftop garden restaurant  that is open... It was spectacular.   There were fellow demonstrators from Hanover  having dinner and we stopped to talk a few mins, they sang Happy Birthday to me.   FUN  FUN  We decided to take some pictures up on the top floor, then walk down a few blocks to a local Pub to meet some friends from NY and Idaho at a Pub.    While walking down the street, about 20 demos (that I didn't know) started singing Happy Birthday to me....FUN FUN FUN....Looking out the East window on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Building!!!!

Convention Hilights......

More highlights from CONVENTION, Salt Lake City, Utah....

This was a table with about 100 cards and 3d projects made during the shoe box swap....The swap was divided up into tables of 7 people and everyone at the table making one of each of the projects, so you came away with 6 projects.   WOW, what fun it was and this was the pre convention events!!!!

This picture gives just a glimpse of swapping at convention.....just a glimpse, the room is filled with thousands of demonstrators and most are swapping!!!!

I went to the back of the General session seating area and took this picture, trying to show you what it is like...BUT there is NO WAY I can show you how it feels.

Stampin' Up! closed their offices today, well I mean yesterday....They had almost all of the employees here at Convention, so they can experience Convention.....When we were walking down the hallway to the large gathering room, we kept hearing clapping and cheering and we didn't know what it was until we actually started to enter the room.   Everyone from the Home Office was standing on either side of the doorway, cheering and clapping for all of us as we entered.   What a Welcome!!!   What a Company!!!

Just before the Opening Ceremonies of convention started, I took this picture...most of the SU staff.

I WISH YOU ALL COULD BE HERE TOO!!!

Tomorrow, oh I mean today is my birthday and what could be better than being here at convention!!!, stamping, meeting friends I have made over the years at convention and meeting new friends too.

 

Convention Hghilights

Today is the official start of convention and hundreds, OK maybe a few thousand demonstrators are already at Convention center waiting for the doors to open!!! 

Last night, SU! had a fun 60's night....Lots of hippies, peace signs, long hair and Afros.   Check out Shelli and Sterling

There were demonstrations by some very talented demonstrators, prizes given by SU! of stamp sets, ribbon and more.   Hula hoop contest, twister contests, face painting and more.    It is so much fun here and I am so excited for the beginning of convention to start.

Below is a picture of one of the displays....and no that is not real chocolates....but they sure look good enough to eat!

This display was set up like a sweet shop.   These "candies" were made out of card stock, ribbons and pearls.  Don't they look Yummy!

Here is another display of Christmas items.  

Well it is off to Convention.....I will post some pictures of swap cards later today....

Late Night Stampers Pre convention Events

These ladies are all part of the HUGE family of Late Night Stampers and today was our Stamp Camp. Here is Lee Conrey, Carole'Anne Sluchinski and Sandi MacIver showing off their project. There were 8 projects in all and they were all fantastic. If was fun meeting these ladies after "talking" online with them. Tomorrow starts Convention with Convention bag pick up and frantic swapping will start. Meeting all these stampers from all over the country and stamping together is one of the best things about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator...

FUN AT RONALD McDONALD HOUSE

Here are some more pictures from my visit to Ronald McDonald house. I think they all had a good time!   Moms and Kids getting together, creating and having fun.

Ronald McDonald House Visit

This is what it is all about folks!!! Every month I travel to Baltimore's ROnald McDonald House and Stamp with the people staying at the house. It is so much fun to see everyone having a good time. These girls in this picture helped me set up all the tables with stamps ink and papers. Then, they made me a card! I will treasure it forever.

I have met some very special people while visiting the house. From the ladies at the front desk to the people serving dinner to the guests staying there....Poole and Kent Company, always has wonderful food, desserts and a HUGE HEART.

I encourage any demos reading, to contact their Lead Demonstrator for their local house. Any demos in Maryland who would like to go to the house with me, just leave me a comment.

Saturday Sketch Challenge from Stampin 411

This is my card for the Saturday Sketch Challenge from Stampin 411. I used the sketch and then picked out some cardstock and a stamp set and this is what I came up with. The card is Basic Gray with a layer of Not Quite Navy. The image is from the set from the Summer Mini, Watercolor Trio and I used baja breeze (my favorite color!!!!) marker and old olive markers to color directly onto the stamp....THEN I stamped it onto whisper white cardstock, I then "huffed" onto the stamp to remoisten it and stamped two more times. I stamped the small flower stamp on the Not quite Navy cardstock in Not quite Navy ink, but stamped off first so it wasn't so dark. I needed some ribbon to go with these colors, but don't have anything from the new catalog yet, so I took vanilla taffeta ribbon (thought I had the white!, geez) and using a sponge dauber and ink pad, colored the ribbon baja breeze...I stamped the greeting in basic gray ink. This card took just a few quick minutes to make, and was so easy too.   When I figure out how to link the blog that has the challenge, I will add that post too.    ENJOY  Your July 4th Weekend... 

IT's HERE

It's HERE!!!   The New Idea Book and Catalog......Oh my this catalog is Fantabulous....
Lots of ideas, new helpful charts, Oh so beautiful colors..... This book is chock full of ideas and fantastic new products.   Do you have yours????   No?   Members of my Stamp Club get theirs for FREE.   I also am selling them for $6.00 and you get a $5.00 off coupon with your first order of $25.00 or more.   SO, it really is only costing your a buck!   Another way to get one for yourself....Host a party, it is one of the many benefits of having some friends over for some stamping fun.  

I am having a FREE Stampin' Night.....Tomorrow (Oh, I mean tonight...) July 2nd from 6pm - 11pm.   Bring your projects you want to work on and your cardstock and adhesive.   I have plenty of stamps and inks to use as well as many tools.  
I will have plenty of snacks and drinks as well as a couple of pizzas to start the evening off.    Please contact me if you wish to join in the fun.

Thanks for visiting my blog and in the coming weeks I will be making some changes to it.  

Keep Cool, Stamp!!!

Carol  Valentine