Convention 2011: So many ideas, need to get stamping!

By the third day of the Stampin’ Up! Convention, it sounds like everyone is starting to get itchy fingers that need to pick up a stamp and start creating based on all the fabulous ideas we’ve seen!  Every time we look up at a screen or sit down in a class, there’s another project that we “need” to make for ourselves.

The new It’s A Wrap Occasions stamp set (see it online) made the top of my new Wish List… good thing it was waiting for me already at home, having just been ordered the week before Convention!

We also saw this super-clever Thanksgiving Turkey by Stampin’ Up!’s own Carrie Cudney.  The body is created from the Heart Sweet Treat Cups (see them online) and the rest of the turkey feathers and features were done with the Build a Blossom stamp set (see it online) and the Blossom Petals Punch (see it online).

And here’s another of her clever ideas using Sweet Treat Cups for a Christmas favor.

As part of the Main Stage session, there were several more groups honored with a chance to walk across the stage.  The awards on Day 3 were the Milestone Awards — the ones that you earn no matter how long it takes you (for sales milestones) or how active you are as a demonstrator (for years milestones).  Here’s a picture of 8 of our Green Hat Girls marching across the stage for their 5 Year Milestone.  I don’t have a picture, but I also marched for crossing my $300,000 in Career Sales milestone this year!

After that, SANTA visited us demonstrators, and brought with him a new stamp set from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog, plus a disk of My Digital Studio downloads — yay for Santa!

And the stamp set Santa brought is the new Hostess Set from the Holiday Mini Catalog… you’re going to love it!  I can’t show it to you yet, but check back on September 1st for the unveiling. Or if you want the true Sneak Peek, you can always take advantage of the $99 Demonstrator Starter Kit and join my Stampin’ Up! family.  As a demonstrator, you can even SHOP from the Holiday Mini Catalog on August 1st–hardly any waiting at all!

After Santa we all said goodbye–to head back to our hotel for our Annual Post-Convention Pizza and chance to see all the swap cards everyone had received.  Have you ever seen a pizza this big?  I swear they were 3 feet across!  Okay, maybe not quite 3 feet, but not too much smaller!

So many swaps… I’d guess there were close to 10,000 card fronts to look through.  We were all joking about how many cards a demonstrator can look at in one evening before her eyes begin to glaze over.  But the pizza was great, the swaps were gorgeous and the friendships and time spent together are the best.

Here’s our whole group (minus a couple of ladies who had to leave early) of Green Hat Girls at Convention this year!  (that’s me in the checkered dress at the bottom right)

If you’ve enjoyed reading about the Stampin’ Up! Convention this week, you’ll want to start picturing yourself enjoying it with us NEXT year!  The dates are July 18-21, 2012, and the chance to attend Convention is only one fabulous perk of being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.  I’d love to have you join our Stampin’ family!

Don’t forget about the special $99 Starter Kit available only til the end of July (valued at $185+), plus you’ll receive the Christmas Keepsake Box Kit: stamps, ink, embellishments and directions–ready to stamp! ($40+ value).  You can drop me a note with any questions, or if you’re ready to sign up, you can use this link and click “join now” on the right side of the screen.  You can even watch a little video clip about Stampin’ Up!.

Thanks for touring the Stampin’ Up! Convention with me this year!

Happy Stamping!

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!