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Archive for the ‘events’ Category:
A Howlin’ Halloween for Pets & Kids
Wow, Halloween is nearly here!! I don’t know about you, but we are very much looking forward to Halloween at our house. Since the kids start talking about their costume possibilities around June 3rd, we have a lot of lead-up time.
This Thursday we have a fun event here in Mahomet, Illinois: the Howlin’ Halloween Trick or Treat Party for Kids & Pets! You can bring your kids & pets to this fun evening (5 to 7 pm) and let them wander around the booths for craft projects & treats. Probably the craft projects are more for the kids, but you never know 
I’ll be there with my Stampin’ Up! booth, and I hope to see you! Here are the dog treats I’m working on: (These Milkbones are huge! Small dog owners can break them up, right?)
I used the Two Tags die for the Big Shot (did you see me use it yesterday, too?) and punched a piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock. The stamp set is Wicked Cool. These are so simple! Just diecut, stamp, punch, add a ribbon and you’re set!
Here are the masses of doggie treats in production.
Hope to see you on Thursday afternoon — be sure to bring a donation for Mahomet Helping Hands or something for one of the local animal charities!
***BLOG CANDY ALERT!!*** Do you have a doggie at home that could use a Howlin’ Halloween Treat? Leave me a Halloween comment on this post about your pooch and I’ll do a virtual drawing on November 1st and send the winner a Wicked Cool dog treat.
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Subscribe to the comments for this postHelp for Halloween Parties: Batty For You
Do you have parties or meetings in the next couple of weeks? If you’re taking a snack, why not make it special?
These little toothpicks took me about 20 minutes to stamp and assemble for a women’s club meeting last evening. Yes, of course a few friends teased me about my Martha-Stewart-ness, but it was worthwhile. It’s not as if my kids have these toothpicks in their school lunches every day, right? Although I do have a few left picks over now…
Really, aren’t they sweet? Super simple too! Just punch, layer, add Stampin’ Dimensionals and stick the toothpick onto one of the dimensionals between the card stock layers.
Here are the supplies you need:
- 1-3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch (the smaller one–119854)
- 1-3/8″ Circle Punch
- 1-1/4″ Circle Punch
- Batty for You stamp set
- Ink pads in Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive
- Card stock in Basic Black, Whisper White & Pumpkin Pie
- Stampin’ Dimensionals
Did you see the pumpkin in the background, too? I can’t believe I haven’t blogged about it yet! So here goes… the spider is from the Decor Elements Spooky Thing (I have a spider on my cell phone too!). And the black jewels are Stampin’ Up!, too–I even have a Video Tutorial on how to get them from the backing paper to your project without losing the perfect swirls.
Whew… so many fun ideas, and Halloween is coming! Don’t miss the other Halloween ideas that I’ve posted recently. And if you’re feeling short on time to place an order and get Halloween supplies, remember that you CAN expedite shipping and receive your order within a day or two. Or start thinking now–all these ideas can be adapted easily for Christmas!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Simply Adorned Ornament Boutique
I’ve been having a great time playing with the largest of the Simply Adorned Charm sizes–the 1-1/2 x 2″ charm. Here are a variety of seasonal charm inserts:
Thanks to my friend Jan Wakeland for inspiring the Halloween insert. She had a great collection of these at the Founder’s Circle Retreat in September!
You can make these for pretty much any occasion–this is the one Jan made to match her yellow outfit. Isn’t it cute?
Check out how great this charm size looks with her great outfit and the other chains she was wearing that day.
If you’re an Illini fan, you’ll like the colors on the orange & blue charm above.
These sweet inserts (or the smaller ones that go with the 20% discounted Simply Adorned Bundle) can match any occasion or theme.
If you’re in the Central Illinois area on Friday, October 22nd, you’ll want to join me for my “Here Come the Holidays” party! The event is free to attend, and if you’d like you can also sign up for the Simply Adorned Ornament Boutique. At the Boutique (during the main Open House event) you’ll make all 4 inserts for this charm size. Cost is $10 for the Simply Adorned Boutique, and can be applied towards your purchase of a charm that evening. (check the details and RSVP online)
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Don’t miss the Holiday Bundle Specials! Gift ideas for yourself or a friend, priced at 20% off! Shop online through my website now.
Hand Stamped for Hand Knit Creations
No, I’m not going to teach you to knit, although I did once start an informal knitting circle during a Kindermusik class. We moms have to find something to do while the kids dance and sing, right?
Whether you knit already and want to get stamping, or you stamp already and want to try knitting, you’re going to LOVE the new Hand Knit stamp set from Stampin’ Up!.
Now you can STAMP a custom hand knit creation! You can either order the stamp set online through my website (Hand Knit: 117012) or you can sign up for my Hand Knit Class or “TO GO” Kit.
We had a great time yesterday making all these projects at the Klose Knit Yarn Shop in Urbana, Illinois. Here are some of my stamping friends. Can you see how proud they are of what they’ve created? 
If you’d like to make a set of these projects at home, it’s easy! You can order a Class Kit “To Go” through my website (click here for details)
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Wii Bowling with Stampin’ Up!
I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but with 4 hours before our first official event on Saturday, I did NOT go hiking, climbing or rappelling! (Okay, I did go for a short run.)
Saturday morning was the perfect time to complete our Founder’s Circle Make N Take projects–and they were SO sweet! You are going to LOVE this new stamp set, even if you have to wait until January to get it. (don’t forget, you can get the Eat Chocolate stamp set now, if you’d like to sign up as a new demonstrator!)
The cupcake stamps are cute, but the new cupcake paper piecing punch is even better! Really–we’re talking sliced bread here! I can’t show you the actual product until it is released, but you can see how it works from the samples.
After stamping, it was time to get ready for the surprise final event. I couldn’t have packed a more fitting outfit–my Donna Reed checked dress was perfect for the Fabulous 50′s theme! Thanks to Stampin’ Up! for picking the theme!
We loaded onto buses and headed for the final destination… which turned out to be a Fabulous 50′s theme cookout, along with bowling… Wii style!
Check out the table settings–we each had a placemat with a Chalkboard Decor Element applied, complete with our names and team names added.
After lunch, we grabbed the Wii controllers and started bowling!
We were excited to have Shelli Gardner (cofounder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!) on our team for the day.
After the bowling party, we were free to head back to our hotel. Waiting for us on our beds was one final pillow gift — a gorgeous brown cardigan stitched with a ruffle of 1-1/4″ Striped Grosgrain Early Espresso Ribbon. The detail even included the placket stitched with Victoria Crochet Trim. Fun to see the Stampin’ Up! ribbons on clothing–you can bet I’ll be wearing this sweater often this fall!
Since the rest of the evening was free, you know me… I couldn’t just do nothing, so my friend Glenda Travelstead and I organized a trip to Tuacahn, a red rock open air theater just outside St. George. The show playing that night was Crazy For You, the comedy story of a 1930′s effort to save a dying small town theater.
Think Gershwin and tap dancing, and you pretty much have it down. Lots of fun though–the theater setting was gorgeous as always (natural red rocks with stars above us).
After the show we headed back to our ‘home’ for the week and pretty much collapsed from exhaustion. Between Fabulous 50′s events from Stampin’ Up! and visiting with friends new and old and rock climbing and canyoneering and hiking, the Founder’s Circle 2010 week was probably my favorite Founder’s Circle trip ever.
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Like Stamps? Like Chocolate? How about Chocolate Stamps? When you join the LovenStampfuls group with me by October 3rd, you get the Sneak Peek Eat Chocolate stamp set as a FREE bonus with your kit! Plus you’ll get the Greenhouse Gala Tote, too! Check out the details online.
24 Hours: Stamping, Swapping, Sharing
Attending the Founder’s Circle Retreat is a fabulous treat–and since I love being there so much, I like to make the most of my time. Which translates vaguely to, “skip the sleep, there are fun things to be doing!”
On this 3rd day of Founder’s Circle, we rose early to attend a Stampin’ Up! Half-Day Regional Event. These events are offered all over the country, and they’re a great way to pick up a few hours of demonstrator training for business ideas and stamping techniques. One of the great attractions is the Idea Boards. Do you think we want pictures of those?
We also got to stamp a set of Make N Take projects using the Day of Gratitude stamp set from the Holiday Mini Catalog. Yes, it’s the stamp set I used on my Founder’s Circle Swaps (more on those later!).
After lunch (yummy Mexican buffet in the hotel), we set off for another outdoor adventure. Because really, if you have a couple of hours, don’t you want to get outside? Possibly not, but several of us did, so off we went!
This time our trip was to go Canyoneering in Yankee Doodle Canyon, just outside of Zion National Park. With 10 in our group, we spent several hours descending the canyon, including 6 rappel spots (wearing a harness and dropping into the canyon suspended by a rope) and several more opportunities to scramble over short drops and around puddles.
The views were endless and the narrow canyon glowed with reflected light on the red rocks. Plus the company couldn’t have been better! At one point our guides had us squish into this depression in the rock for a photo opportunity.
We may not look all that fabulous in our helmets, but you can bet we were having a good time!
Our group arrived back just in time to take a really quick shower, grab a piece of pizza and then head in for the Business Share & Card Swap Event. Of course the evening was a Pajama Party, so comfy slippers and jammies were everywhere. Stampin’ Up! provided us with Fabulous 50′s style refreshments: bottles of soda and fresh popcorn.
After the Business Share we lined up in the hallways with our card swaps (we had to bring 135 of them!) and got ready to swap. If you’ve never participated in an organized swap like this… well, it’s a hoot! Pretty much we form a long line and then the line snakes back on itself so that everyone has a chance to trade cards with everyone else.
Check out the swaps! Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing some of my favorites as close-ups in the next few weeks!
As if that didn’t fill up the day with enough treats, Stampin’ Up! had gifts waiting for us on our pillows, back in our rooms. The box went with the Fabulous 50′s theme–the gift was packed in a cute pizza delivery box! We each received a bright pink and black bowling shirt, along with a cryptic note that we should bring it, along with our team scarves from the first night, to the “mystery” finale event on Saturday.
So much fun, packed into a single day. It’s no wonder that we come home from Founder’s Circle and need a nap!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Founder’s Circle: Hiking and Cupcakes
On Day 2 of the Stampin’ Up! Founder’s Circle Retreat, we decided to start off with a hiking trip at Cedar Breaks National Monument, near Cedar City.
I learned (gotta love wikipedia) that the amphitheater canyon is about 3 miles across and 2000 feet deep, and that the rim we hiked started at about 10,000 feet above sea level.
For a girl from the midwest, where the elevation is 764 feet, or 770 feet with corn, this was a pretty high altitude. The views were breathtaking though, and well worth the several hours of hiking today.
You’ll notice how far back from the edge I’m standing though… I didn’t think I needed to get any closer to the drop!
We also hiked to nearby Alpine Lake, an incredibly gorgeous spring lake with the clearest water I’ve ever seen for a small lake. You could see right down to the bottom. The aspen trees were beginning to turn yellow and some of the foliage near the ground had already turned. The combination of greens and yellows seems like it would make a fabulous inspiration for a stamped card!
Back at the Stampin’ Up! retreat headquarters, a few of us headed off for a yummy dinner. We were fortunate to have Shelli Gardner (CEO of Stampin’ Up!) and two of her daughters, Sara and Shalae, join us for the meal. Founder’s Circle is a great opportunity to spend time with our demonstrator friends, but it’s also a great chance to get to know some of the Stampin’ Up! staff family, too.
When we finally got back to our rooms for the night, there was a fabulous gift waiting for us on our pillows — a gorgeous hand-stamped Simply Adorned necklace, complete with a bauble (check out the Holiday Mini Catalog!) and charm.
Plus the packaging was too cute!! Isn’t that cupcake sweet? What a yummy looking confection!
The cupcake top was created from ribbons, with an edging of glitter along the striped pink ribbon and a “cherry” button on the top.
The cupcake actually hinged open to make a box (see how that works?).
And the charm inside is perfect. I’ll have to pick something black or red to wear tomorrow so I’ll match!
I can’t wait to see what Stampin’ Up! has in store for us tomorrow! But for now, I’m definitely off to bed!!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Welcome to Founder’s Circle: Stampin’ Up! goes retro
Did you see my rock climbing post? Well after getting back from climbing, Stampin’ Up! had transformed the mild-mannered Marriott hotel in St. George, Utah into a retro Founder’s Circle mecca, complete with door plaques made from actual retro vinyl albums! (is “vinyl albums” redundant? I have to admit that records were headed out when I was little)
Stampin’ Up! starts the mood off with fun welcome signs (so of course we have to stop to take a photo… gotta get those scrapbook pages started!). Some of the windows in the lobbies were even covered with special Decor Elements featuring images from Stampin’ Up! stamp sets like Totally Tess.
Once inside, the ‘meet & greet’ room was set up as a candy shop, complete with gorgeous candy apples. And yummy, too. Actually, so yummy that I didn’t remember to get a picture before mine disappeared!
At the Welcome Dinner, our table decorations carried on the ‘retro’ theme with rhinestone cat-eye glasses for everyone and vintage LP covers as placemats.
And talk about ‘attention to detail’! Check out the pastry decorations on the entree from dinner… yes, that’s actually a pastry “SU” for Stampin’ Up!
Okay, I must be off to bed or I’ll be too sleepy to remember to take photos tomorrow! It’s been a fabulous day, beginning with rock climbing and ending with chances to catch up with demonstrator friends from years past and meet new demonstrator friends for the first time. Stay tuned for more tomorrow!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Rock Climbing with Stampin’ Up!
You might have seen back on Monday, but I’m posting from out of town this week–coming to you from St. George, Utah, rather than from central Illinois.
And no, Stampin’ Up! didn’t actually take us rock climbing… but since Stampin’ Up! was sending us to this fabulous place, and since southern Utah looks nothing like central Illinois, it was time to get outdoors!
Though it had been awhile since my last rock climbing adventure, I couldn’t wait to get into my harness and onto a wall.
We headed to Prophesy Wall, just outside St. George. Over the course of the morning my friend Lynsay Mahon and I climbed 6 routes for over 400 feet total, including our first multi-pitch climb! Yahoo! And if that doesn’t mean anything to you (rock climbing mumbo-jumbo), no worries–it was just pretty darn awesome, and a little bit intimidating.
Do you see Lynsay at the top of this route? See how little she looks? (yes, that’s a person that looks like a little ant up there) That’s because it’s a REALLY tall cliff. And see the rope snaking up the wall? The rock behind that rope is where we had to climb to reach the top.
Stampin’ Up! invited us out here for the Founder’s Circle Trip, and one of my favorite things about FC is that we have time to do whatever strikes US as fun. Sometimes it’s shopping, or maybe spa treatments, or in this case it’s rock climbing and rappelling. But no matter what we choose to do in our free moments, a huge THANK YOU to Stampin’ Up! for the opportunity to be here!
Be sure to keep your eye out for more outdoor adventures around St. George this week, in addition to the fabulous Stampin’ Up! activites and surprises!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Founder’s Circle or Bust: 135 Swap Cards are Ready
I’m nearly ready!! This week I’m off to St. George, Utah for the Stampin’ Up! Founder’s Circle Retreat. Each year Stampin’ Up! invites the top 100 Demonstrators for a 5-day all-expenses paid trip to relax and refresh. This year I was fortunate to be named as the #13 Demonstrator of the Year, out of more than 40,000 demonstrators. And I’m really excited to be heading to beautiful Southern Utah this week!
Keep an eye out–I’ll be posting highlights from the trip each day. In addition to the Stampin’ Up! activities, I have plans to do some hiking and rock climbing (did you see my pictures from last year?)
I admit that I’m not quite as organized as last year, when I started my scrapbook with My Digital Studio before I even left (check that out). But I do have this year’s swaps ready to go! I used the Felt Pad Technique that I shared last week.
If you’d like to check out past Founder’s Circle highlights that I’ve posted on my blog, here are some posts from Founder’s Circle 2009 and Founder’s Circle 2008. My blog wasn’t around for the Founder’s Circle 2007 trip, so I’ll have to save those pictures for future posts.
So off to St. George this week..I’m sure this year will be just as fabulous as in the past, and I look forward to sharing my photos!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: Day of Gratitude (120835 wood or 121148 clear mount)
Ink : Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Old Olive
Paper : Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Autumn Spice Designer Series Specialty Paper
Accessories : Gold Brads, Tasteful Trim Big Shot Die (120893), Big Shot Die Cut Machine (113439), Designer Label Punch
