I hosted my 8th Annual Silver Elite Retreat the weekend of January 17-19 and once again was blessed that all my achieving team members (those in my Stampers With ART group at the Silver Elite title or higher) were able to spend those days here in my home in Andover, MN. My husband and my boys left the house all to us during those 3 days. Nick stayed at a friend’s house. And Tim and Luke spent the weekend with my parents up at their lake home (which is why you don’t see my mom in these photos this year – yes, we all missed her).
Vy Tran flew in from Houston Thursday late afternoon and treated Tim, Luke and I (Nick was unable to make it) to dinner at a new restaurant in Maple Grove called Grackle (such a nice “treat” before the boys left the next day). The food was amazing! In fact this experience made Luke decide to have his birthday dinner here on Feb. 7th.
On Friday morning after a relaxing breakfast and time to chat and catch up even more, Vy and I ran a couple errands to get some food: take ‘n’ bake pizzas from Papa Murphy’s and mini bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. We also picked up Cheryl Lee.
Then Nancy Forsberg and Kayla Cory drove over and joined Vy, Cheryl and me at my home soon after we got back, and we were all back together again!
We got settled in and visited for awhile. My guys packed up and left. And then I presented my gifts to them. You may recognize the bags from last year’s retreat photos (I had a few left over 😁).
It was so fun to watch them open up and check out all the goodies. I gifted them each a Balance Pad (great for overall health) and explained all the ways they could use them. And to continue the theme of balance, I also gifted them an organizer/goal setting booklet with printouts that I purchased from TidyPlans.
I also gifted them their make-n-take pre-cut materials and some consumable products from the Wildflower Birthday Suite to make my planned out cards. They received the Brightest Birthday Kits Collection Kit too (another make-n-take project), blank dice with labels to make a fun card-creating game, a glittery pen, a mechanical pencil etched with “Silver Elite Retreat January 2025”, an eraser, and a D-Block etched with their name in a decorative box.
The boxes with the blocks are ones I’ve collected whenever Stampin’ Up! sends me a pin of achievement, so it was nice to repurpose them as they were much too nice to just throw out. I used papers from the Wildflower Birthday pack to cover portions of the box, stamped Hooray from the Birthday Celebrations Stamp Set onto a die-cut circle (from the Spotlight On Nature Dies), and added ephemera from the Wildflower Birthday pack. Then I cut the foam insert with my Hobby Blade attachment for my Take Your Pick Tool to fit the block within.
Here are all the boxes from above.
Here they are from a slight angle to show you how they latch shut.
And here are everyone’s pretty blocks. I’m so proud of all these women for what they have achieved in their businesses!
Then Cheryl gifted each of us one of these adorable snowmen treat holders.
And Vy gave us each a pair of “friendship” socks. (The hands are magnetic!)
We had Papa Murphy’s Pizza for dinner and then we stamped with our prepared make-n-take materials to create some fun fold & interactive cards with the products from the Wildflower Birthday Suite. I will share my versions of these cards this Wednesday during my Live Online Paper Crafting Class. That video will also be connected to my Wednesday blog post where I’ll also share photos of some of the variations these gals created.
By the way a HUGE shout out to Cheryl Lee. She was my first team member to promote to the level of Silver Elite and has attended each and every one of these retreats. ❤️
Nancy & Kayla are a mom/daughter team. It’s always fun to watch them create together and see how these two heads work as one.
On Saturday after a casual morning of sleeping in a bit and yummy breakfast, we ventured out in the elements to check out a local vendor/craft fair. I was impressed with the variety of items being offered there at the booths. There are SOOoo many ways to be creative!!
We got back and relaxed and chatted while I whipped up my chicken salad for lunch. Vy was super enthusiastic about conducting science experiments in the cold weather. Our high temp that afternoon was about 5 degrees. But it was windy! So after we ate lunch, we went outside. And I have to say it felt like we were at the south pole while we were blowing bubbles! Vy must have brought a bit of Texas warmth with her. She was the only one who didn’t wimp out. I think she was out there for about 30 minutes straight. (I DID join her the next evening. Sunday night after the event was over we both went out to blow more bubbles, throw boiling water into the air, and make snow angels. And I lasted without complaint. But we had snow pants on and bundled up better.)
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening indoors chatting and sharing, relaxing, eating tacos for dinner (a tradition now as we’ve had that meal for every one of the 8 retreats since we first started these in February of 2018), and making more cards. This time we played with our Brightest Birthday kits. I will share my altered creations this Friday during another Live Online Paper Crafting Class. That video will also be connected to my Friday blog post where I’ll also share photos of some of the variations these gals came up with.
On the final day, Sunday our plan was to drive to Medina, MN together to attend the annual Stamp Share For Leaders event. But the forecast of VERY cold weather (it only reached -2 degrees for a high on THAT day) caused a lot of cancellations. So the in-person event itself was cancelled and changed to a virtual one. We stayed indoors to join in on Zoom. Vy was a presenter and did a fantastic job sharing various ways to promote the Friendly Seagulls Sale-a-Bration Freebie Stamp Set. It was fun to see her creative ideas.
I shared images of this card a couple days ago, but I wanted to share here in this post as well…These are the stamped invitations for this event I had sent to Vy, Cheryl, and Nancy & Kayla. I used products we didn’t end up using in our make-n-takes (normally I try to make everything coordinate), but at the time I sent them I didn’t have a plan in place for what we were creating at the retreat.
BTW, you can visit Cheryl Lee at Stamping Upstairs, Vy Tran at Crafting Daily Dose, and Nancy & Kayla at Stamping BAE. As always, it was a fantasic weekend! Thanks for checking in to see what I had to share today.
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
LAST CHANCE PRODUCTS There is now a new section called Last Chance Products in the Online Store and it includes all retiring products from any online releases and any catalogs. All of these items are available while supplies last.
DESIGNER PAPER RETURNS WITH FRESH NEW COLORS! Stampin’ Up! is offering three previously released Designer Series Papers with fresh, new colors – some of our best-selling colors! The products debuted in the Online Exclusives section of the Online Store on December 3rd and are available while supplies last. Click here for the downloadable flyer. Click here and scroll down for a bit more detail.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES NEWS– MORE NEW ITEMS WERE ADDED 1/7/25 You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog or publication. So be sure to visit this link to shop today. New items were just released January 7th. AND… every 2 months you’ll see even MORE added. (All Online Exclusives products are always available while supplies last.)
A PEEK AT FEBRUARY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Hello Spring: Plant the seeds of happiness with these lovely garden-inspired cards! Makes 9 cards: 3 of 3 designs. The kit also includes precut pieces with bronze foil and unique spring-themed envelopes. And it pairs well with the Grow with Love Bundle (item 164804). Coordinating colors: Basic Beige, Bubble Bath, Lemon Lime Twist, Lost Lagoon, Old Olive, Petunia Pop (Classic Stampin’ Spot). Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the January – March kits. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Spring Is in the Air Dies (#166237) — made available December 11th and only while supplies last! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by February 10th for this next kit.
KITS COLLECTION: THANK YOU KINDLY, BRIGHTEST BIRTHDAY, AND BIRTHDAY BASHKITS ADDED These are the kits that were most recently added to the Kits Collection! Click here and scroll down for more details.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our January 2025 Marbled Elegance Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. Click here for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Storybook Moments Suite from the Jan-Apr 2025 Mini Catalog and will be available February 1st.
It’s been quite the week with Stampin’ Up!® happenings! 1. Our demonstrator leadership conference, BackStage 2024 took place this past weekend online. It was fantastic! (I’ve shared a few photos below.)
2. There is another SU event (OnStage 2025) taking place this next March in Raleigh, NC. Registration opened up on Tuesday and sold out within about five hours. Several of my team members (and many other demonstrators) didn’t get in and are now on the “wait list.” So we are crossing our fingers that SU is able to open up more spots soon. 3. Also on Tuesday afternoon, Stampin’ Up! announced all the top achieving demonstrators in all their markets across the world. And I was blown away to find out I was #5 overall in the US!!!*
I’m posting now because it was a hectic week AND I really WAS feeling overwhelmed with emotion. It’s shocking to find things like this out. I DO really love what I do. I’m passionate about my career and put my all into it. But wow…#5. That IS mind-blowing to me.
Thank you! This is not something that someone achieves without the support of MANYmany others. I’m grateful to my family, my customers, my subscribers and viewers, those who like, comment and share my posts and videos, fellow demonstrators that collaborate and share and assist, the employees of Stampin’ Up!, my assistants, AND my Stampers With ART Stars team members. (I hope I didn’t leave anyone out.)
I celebrated all this and my dad’s birthday with my parents on Wednesday night at one of my favorite local restaurants, Margie’s.
And I received flowers from my upline Susan Campfield who also ranked high this year… #11!!! I am thrilled for her and so grateful for her strong example of leadership and her support through all these years.
She also had cookies delivered to me and to Nancy & Kayla (who also attend this virtual BackStage) as a surprise gift to eat and enjoy during the event. Mine were gluten free! How nice is that?
Here are a few other photos from the last couple days.
I watched & participated at times from my laptop in our main room of the house (which I still absolutely love…remember we had it remodeled a little over a year ago?) and at other times in my craft room (which you can see to the right of my face in this photo). It was nice to move from spot to spot not only for the change of scenery, but to get my legs moving. Hahaha!
CEO, Sara Douglass kicked off the event with a wonderful motivational message. More details of the upcoming new rewards program and details/stats of the company were shared. Many demonstrator presenters shared information and tips for how they run their successful businesses. New products including kits and scrapbooking items were revealed. We were inspired by motivational speaker and author, Tara Renze. And I have even more recorded training sessions to watch in the coming days because I couldn’t fit it all in in two days. But already I have lots of notes and gained a ton of information and useful tips and ideas to put into practice.
I also participated in Zoom networking sessions to connect and share with fellow demonstrators. I was wonderful to see and chat with so many. Even Shelli Gardner, the co-founder of Stampin’ Up! joined in.
Virtual events are different than gathering in person. That’s for sure. I am sad I couldn’t spend more time and visit with those people that I know. But I made a few new connections. I saved money and time by not investing in a plane ticket or hotel. And virtual allows more people to participate.
Plus, I was able to multi task and work on my team gratitude cards during the event!!
Check out my 11/6/24 post to see one of these cards being made from start to finish. They are almost done. My hubby is going to help me with the final steps so I can get them out into tomorrow’s mail.
I forgot to mention that SU gifted EVERY demonstrator who registered for this event a brand new Kindle!! I’ve never owned one. So I’m excited.
I’m looking forward to spending time in person with team members and other fellow demonstrators at next year’s BackStage which will be at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas November 10-13!
*Disclaimer: Obtaining these rankings and levels is something less than 1% of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators achieve.
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
THE COUNTRY HIVE’S NOVEMBER SUPER SALE The Country Hive is hosting a month-long Super Sale this November 2024. For 11/1-11/10, Buy 3, Get 1 FREE on the Letter Buddy Tool (available in many colors)! No code necessary. Please add 4 to your cart to reflect discount. Not valid on previous purchases.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES NEWS– NEW ITEMS ARE HERE! You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog or publication. So be sure to visit this link to shop today. New items were just released November 5th. AND… every 2 months you’ll see even MORE added. (All Online Exclusives products are always available while supplies last.)
A PEEK AT NOVEMBER’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Filled With Joy: Celebrate Christmas with adorable stockings and gift tags! Makes 8 projects: 8 stockings with 8 gift tags. The kit also includes precut paper pieces, safety pins, and specialty gold foil. And it all comes delivered to you in a unique designer box. Coordinating colors: Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party, Poppy Parade (Classic Stampin’ Spot), Shaded Spruce, Very Vanilla. Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the October-December kits. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Merry Tags & More Dies (#165639) — made available September 11th and only while supplies last! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by November 10th for this next kit.
KITS COLLECTION: ALPINE AIR & A LOOK BACKKITS ADDED These are the kits that were most recently added to the Kits Collection! Click here and scroll down for more details.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our November 2024 Nests of Winter Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. Click here for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Regal Winter Suite from the September-December 2024 Mini Catalog will be available December 1st.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE Stampin’ Up! is striving to make a difference by donating to organizations throughout the world that work to benefit children’s literacy. And you can help. When you purchase the Sentimental Christmas Designer Paper (also shown on pages 4 & 5 of the Sept-Dec 2024 Mini Catalog), Stampin’ Up! will donate $3. We hope you’ll join us in making a difference this holiday season.
CTMH BRANDED PRODUCTS CLEARANCE SALE Save 30% all Close To My Heart branded products while supplies last. (Sale excludes any Stampin’ Up! scrapbooking products outside of the CTMH product category in the online store.)
If you watched my Online Paper Crafting Class this week, you saw me put together Double Pocket Cards with the Pocket Thoughts Dies, the Season of Elegance Specialty Paper, and the Peaceful Seasons Stamps & Dies.** I also shared in that instructional video peeks at some hand-crafted gifts I received from two recent events. Today I’m sharing photos of those event gifts AND photos and simple instructions for the gifts I put together and passed out at the second event.
**Products that I’m listing in this post are shown below and are currently linked to my online store.
My upline, Susan Campfield hosted a Leader event at her home in late September. Due to last minute transportation changes at our house, I couldn’t make it. So the next day she drove over and dropped off all my gifts and goodies.
Besides a beautiful pot of flowers, she gave me a pretty clipboard with a notebook and pen, a pair of warm slippers, and the flatware I would’ve used at the event within a cute holder she made with the Pocket Thoughts Dies, Season of Elegance Paper, and Autumn Expressions Stamps & Dies.
She also gifted me a pack of Gold Foil, a pack of that Season of Elegance Designer Paper, a bottle of Multipurpose Liquid Glue, a pack of Iridescent Foil Gems, a pack of 3×3 Flip Flaps, my own set of Pocket Thoughts Dies (I didn’t have these yet!), and all the consumables I would need for the three make-n-take projects that were created at the event.
Here is how those three projects came together.
The cocoa holder is similar to the flatware holder: two of the largest pocket dies are connected like a thin box. The card has the medium pocket die on the front that holds a gift card. The gift card pulls out because the bow is attached to a paper hook.
And the reindeer bag is made with two of the smallest pockets connected to a 1″ wide strip. Below are the back sides of the containers and the inside of the card.
Then last weekend (well…actually last Wednesday through Sunday) I attended a crafting retreat in Little Falls, Minnesota with some of my friends who are also fellow Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. I didn’t do any scrapbooking like I had originally intended to, but I got a lot of other things accomplished.
We did a gift exchange, too! Here are all the creative gifts and gift packaging I went home with!
Cheryl Lee gave the cute little candy box with the melting snowman image. Teri Zupancich gave a spiral notebook and an autumn pillow box with candy (both fancied up with autumn leaves), and some Zup’s Seasoning from her family’s store in Ely, MN. Mary Marohl gave me a covered clipboard with a notepad and pen. Kayla Cory & Nancy Forsberg gave the green DSP bag of candy and the Halloween book box with Glue Dots inside. They also gave me the candle in the coordinating decorated box (a gift they were going to give me at Susan’s event). Vicki Spicer gave the 3D printed green take out box character, the light green post it holder with stencil, the sticky note tape rolls and dispenser, and an anti static powder tool. And Marciene Ingram gave the baby Frankenstein treat holder with candy and the easel sticky note holder with birds and a calendar.
I created wrapped labels (with “love notes”) with the Christmas Labels Stamps and Dies and gave out pairs of warm socks to everyone. I wrapped 9 pairs and let everyone choose the socks they wanted.
I used the Textured Metallic Specialty Paper in either copper, gold, or tungsten for the main label layer and band. Then I paired this metallic color with the socks and added a coordinating color of cardstock underneath for the band and the hidden note.
For the bling I used embellishments from the Faceted Gems Trio Pack. I colored some with Blends Markers for more coordination.
Here is another set of photos of these same socks so you can see which ones I decorated with the same metallic foil.
Looking at them this way, you can get a better peek at the details. The scrolls on the sides of the bands come from what gets cut out of the label when die-cutting.
As you can see from the notes, I hadn’t been on a retreat with these gals for some time… since March of 2020! COVID hit that exact weekend (I remember calling my husband to tell him to pick up canned foods and toilet paper), and then weekends in the following years were very busy with both my two boys in high school and all their activities.
I hope you enjoyed all these creative ideas. Thanks for stopping by to see what I had to share today.
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
CTMH BRANDED PRODUCTS CLEARANCE SALE Save 30% all Close To My Heart branded products while supplies last. (Sale excludes any Stampin’ Up! scrapbooking products outside of the CTMH product category in the online store.)
KITS COLLECTION OCTOBER SALE Save up to 30% off on all your favorite Kits Collection kits October 1–31! Our kits come with everything you need to create. Click here and scroll down for more details.
OCTOBER STARTER KIT SPECIAL Would you like to get future Stampin’ Up!® products at a discount? Would you like to order products earlier than others? Purchasing the Starter Kit gains you these perks… and more! From October 1–31, anyone who purchases the Starter Kit will get $30 more in free product. Choose up to $155 USD worth of products for just $99 USD plus tax. Click here and scroll down for more details.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES NEWS– NEW ITEMS ARE COMING! You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog or publication. So be sure to visit this link to shop today. Then on November 5th, you’ll be seeing even MORE added. Click here for images, videos, and a downloadable flyer of a sampler of what’s to come. (All Online Exclusives products are always available while supplies last.)
A PEEK AT NOVEMBER’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Filled With Joy: Celebrate Christmas with adorable stockings and gift tags! Makes 8 projects: 8 stockings with 8 gift tags. The kit also includes precut paper pieces, safety pins, and specialty gold foil. And it all comes delivered to you in a unique designer box. Coordinating colors: Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party, Poppy Parade (Classic Stampin’ Spot), Shaded Spruce, Very Vanilla. Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the October-December kits. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Merry Tags & More Dies (#165639) — made available September 11th and only while supplies last! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by November 10th for this next kit.
SCRAPBOOKING PRODUCTS ARE HERE! Meet the September 2024 Scrapbooking Brochure—full of scrapbooking products that coordinate with the mini catalog and some online-only suites! Stickers, Two-Toned Cardstock, and Workshop Kits are the first items in this new line. And this is just the beginning. Too fun! Stay tuned. View the brochure online from my Catalogs Page. Shop these products in my online store.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE Stampin’ Up! is striving to make a difference by donating to organizations throughout the world that work to benefit children’s literacy. And you can help. When you purchase the Sentimental Christmas Designer Paper (also shown on pages 4 & 5 of the Sept-Dec 2024 Mini Catalog), Stampin’ Up! will donate $3. We hope you’ll join us in making a difference this holiday season.
KITS COLLECTION: ALPINE AIR & A LOOK BACKKITS ADDED These are the kits that were most recently added to the Kits Collection! Click here and scroll down for more details.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our October 2024 Splendid Autumn Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. Click here for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Nest of Winter Suite from the September-December 2024 Mini Catalog will be available November 1st.
I have lots of things to share today! I’m going to show you lots of creative ideas, demonstrate a make-n-take project that I created for a recent August team event (using the Changing Leaves stamps, dies, embossing folder, AND other coordinating Stampin’ Up!® products), show off “card candy” that my Stampers With ART team members created and swapped out at this event, show you more cards that were created at this event with Kits Collection kits by those who attended in person, and introduce you to new products that are debuting September 4th in the new mini catalog. Phew! Are you ready?
I just showed live on YouTube and on Facebook about 2 hours ago how to create my make-n-take project, all of the card candy, and my new products. I also slipped in a few other tips, card ideas and products. And now I’m sharing that video here in my blog post. Be sure to watch the video by clicking here (or you can just click on this image below if you are already on my blog post), scroll through the close-up photos that follow, check out the measurements & products list below for the make-n-take card candy I designed, and then let me know if you have any questions.
Products I used… See below for a complete list of products linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Click here to access and download a printable “measurements & supplies” sheet.
Measurements…
Early Espresso Cardstock
Granny Apple Green Cardstock
2” x 5-1/2”
Scrap for creating leaves
Basic White Cardstock
1-7/8” x 4-1/4”
Country Woods Designer Paper
1” x 1-7/8”
Iridescent Striped Trim
Here are photos of the finished card candy pieces I designed for the event’s make-n-take project.
And here are the card candy pieces that were created and swapped at this August 2024 Stampers With ART event. Take a look at all the creativity! And be sure to watch the video so you can see how easy these can be turned into cards. Those that made each card are mentioned in the watermarks of the photos. (By the way, I do NOT have a supply list or measurements for each of these. That would take me way too much time. I am sharing them to inspire your creativity and to show all the talent.) A big thank you to all of the crafters/creators!
Besides swapping card candy, we enjoyed food and conversation, and we got creative with a few kits from the Kits Collection. Lori, Marciene, Kristie and Shannon (our special guest and Demonstrator Development Manager from Stampin’ Up!’s home office) created with the Expressions of Kindness Kit.
Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards – including a discount on future products! Signing up for the kit now allows you to pre-order from the Sept-Dec 2024 Mini Catalog being released in September.
Here are a couple photos from my visit with my sister to see our parents at their lake home.
You can see my set up for the live broadcasts. My dad assures me that the wi-fi speed will be improving soon. So hopefully someday soon I’ll be able to have longer stays up there and still do lives without any issues. (Crossing my fingers.)
I hope you enjoyed what I shared today!
Winners: After live winners from last week’s live… Debbie Renfro Standefer & lynnettemalovrh6514 This week’s live winners… Rhonda Kelly & Sharon Groves
Congratulations to these individuals!! If your name is above, be sure to reach out to me at stampyourartout@comcast.net to claim your prize.
Tune into my events on my Facebook Page to see notices of my upcoming Lives. Or subscribe to my YouTube channel. And then click on the bell next to the subscribe button and set notifications to “all” so you can get updates when I share and when I go live. My next Live will be on Wednesday, August 21 at 11 AM Central Time. I hope you can join me!
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
AUGUST 2024 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SALE August 6-31, 2024 you can enjoy a 15% discount on select Designer Series Paper packs from our 2024-2025 Annual Catalog! This is a great time to stock up and save on gorgeous paper so you have artistic and versatile paper designs on hand for your next projects! Click here for more details. Click here to shop.
BONUS DAYS! EARN IN JULY & REDEEM IN AUGUST! It’s now time to take those Bonus Days coupons that you earned in July and redeem them on your August order/s! You will want to redeem all of them between August 1–31! Click here for the details. Click here to shop.
CLOSE TO MY HEART PRODUCT RELEASES As former Makers and Close To My Heart® customers continue with the transition to Stampin’ Up!, we’re happy to share that Stampin’ Up! is releasing a limited supply of Close To My Heart products in our online store available to those who purchased CTMH products in the past. More arrived July 3rd. Yay!! You can also view online publications of these product releases by visiting my catalogs page. But keep in mind the CTMH section of the online store will always be the most accurate when it comes to product availability.
NEWONLINE EXCLUSIVESHAVE ARRIVED Lots of new products released in July into the Online Exclusives section of the Online Store. You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog or publication. So be sure to visit this link to shop today. (All Online Exclusives products are always available while supplies last.)
KITS COLLECTION: HAUNTED HOME & CHRISTMAS WISHESKITS ADDED These are the kits that were most recently added to the Kits Collection! Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT SEPTEMBER’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Autumn Abundance: Share your love for all things autumn with this kit! Makes 9 cards (3 each of 3 designs) & includes printed cards and coordinating envelopes. The kit also includes laser cut card fronts, a whimsical watercolor ephemera pack, and embellishments. Coordinating colors: Cajun Craze (Classic Stampin’ Spot), Crushed Curry, Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla, Wild Wheat. Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the July-September kits. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Every Celebration Dies (#164991) — made available June 11th and only while supplies last! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by September 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our August 2024 Mediterranean Blooms Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Unbounded Beauty Suite from the 2024-25 Annual Catalog will be available September 1st.
STAMP YOUR ART OUT LOGO MERCHANDISE Be sure to check out my line of Stamp Your Art Out logo merchandise! From the menu at the top choose SHOP > TUTORIALS, LOGO ITEMS & MORE > LOGO ITEMS. Or just click here. Many of the items have more than one color option. Thanks for shopping!
For the past couple weeks I’ve been creating and preparing for two big team events. Creative Connections is a yearly event organized and put on by our Stamp Share for Leaders group. It’s well attended with several hundred Stampin’ Up! demonstrators who take part both virtually and in person in Medina MN. In fact, reps from Stampin’ Up!’s home office fly in to be guest presenters each year. This year we had Shannon West and Kevin Lunt attend. It’s a big deal and an amazing event!
This year I decided to piggy back that large event and give my team members an extended opportunity to meet up with each other. So I hosted my first annual Card Candy & Sweets Swap at my home the evening before where I served dinner. Those who came provided sweets (dessert), and we had fun with games, creative activities, and swapping.
A few even came early to help me set up the creative projects, the decorations, and the food. (Thank you Tricia, Nancy, Theresa, and Lailoni!)
And then the event officially began around 5:30. Each person decorated and put on their name tag, got their dinner, and partnered up for a get-to-know-you game.
Here are Kayla Cory, Shannon West (from Stampin’ Up! who flew in from Utah & also presented the next day on stage at Creative Connections), Theresa Gloe, and Nancy Kuebler.
Here are Nancy McKenzie (who traveled 3-1/2 hours to attend both events), Kristie Strum, Cheryl Lee, and Cayla Callies.
This photo shows Brenda Georgi, Nancy Forsberg, Marciene Ingram, and Tricia Josephs.
And here are JoAnn Pollock, Candace Johnson, Lori Callies, and Lailoni Kusumoto.
After dinner, we got creative with kits. We split into four groups. Each group picked a Kits Collection kit. Two groups at a time created at the island in the kitchen (I’ll share these creations on my blog very soon) while the other two groups had time to relax and…
…make some card candy in my studio.
We swapped “card candy” creations (I’ll also share these on my blog very soon). And we ended with sweets. Each person who came brought something sweet to share. It was quite the dessert bar!
Then on Sunday we gathered in Medina MN. This four hour event was jam-packed with creative demonstrations! Card ideas and other stamped samples were on display on the outskirts of the big room. Some demonstrators swapped cards with each other. Some got silly in the photo booth. And of course there was a ton of networking, photo taking, laughter, and joy.
My upline, Susan Campfield is one of the lead organizers of the event. She works closely with Terri Gaines and Amy Rich to make this event seem flawless. Not only do they run the event and handle all the details that no one ever even thinks about, but each of them do a featured presention on stage, too!
I partnered with Susan in her presentation where we featured the “hidden gems” in the new layout of the annual catalog. We had a lot of fun creating and preparing for this, and our live presentation went well! I can’t wait to show you all those projects in upcoming blog posts (yes, another reason to stay tuned).
Here we are with Shannon West and Kevin Lunt.
I was very bad at getting photos of the swapping, display boards, presentations, etc. on Sunday. And I don’t have any photos to share of Susan and me demonstrating (nor of our projects we shared). Sheesh! But I captured pictures of those in my team that came to this event. I love these people so much. I have the best team ever!
Here are all the in person attendees altogether for our Stampers With ART Stars group photo.
And this last photo includes all those in my team AND those in Susan Campfield’s group that attended in person.
What an amazing weekend!
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
AUGUST 2024 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SALE August 6-31, 2024 you can enjoy a 15% discount on select Designer Series Paper packs from our 2024-2025 Annual Catalog! This is a great time to stock up and save on gorgeous paper so you have artistic and versatile paper designs on hand for your next projects! Click here for more details.
BONUS DAYS! EARN IN JULY & REDEEM IN AUGUST! It’s now time to take those Bonus Days coupons that you earned in July and redeem them on your August order/s! You can redeem all of them between August 1–31!
CLOSE TO MY HEART PRODUCT RELEASES As former Makers and Close To My Heart® customers continue with the transition to Stampin’ Up!, we’re happy to share that Stampin’ Up! is releasing a limited supply of Close To My Heart products in our online store available to those who purchased CTMH products in the past. More arrived July 3rd. Yay!! You can also view online publications of these product releases by visiting my catalogs page. But keep in mind the CTMH section of the online store will always be the most accurate when it comes to product availability.
NEWONLINE EXCLUSIVESHAVE ARRIVED Lots of new products just released into the Online Exclusives section of the Online Store. You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog or publication. So be sure to visit this link to shop today. (All Online Exclusives products are always available while supplies last.)
KITS COLLECTION: CIRCUS CELEBRATION & GARDEN OF THANKSKITS ADDED These are the kits that were most recently added to the Kits Collection! Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT AUGUST’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Time for Cake: Bring on a birthday bash with elegant birthday cards made with rose gold details! Makes 9 cards (3 each of 3 designs) & includes printed cards and coordinating envelopes. The kit also includes printed labels, embellishments and rose gold cord. PLUS…Get a FREE additional stamp set! Coordinating colors: Moody Mauve, Night of Navy (Classic Stampin’ Spot), Petal Pink, Pecan Pie, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wheat. Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the July-September kits. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Every Celebration Dies (#164991) — made available June 11th and only while supplies last! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by August 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our August 2024 Mediterranean Blooms Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Unbounded Beauty Suite from the 2024-25 Annual Catalog will be available September 1st.
STAMP YOUR ART OUT LOGO MERCHANDISE Be sure to check out my line of Stamp Your Art Out logo merchandise! From the menu at the top choose SHOP > TUTORIALS, LOGO ITEMS & MORE > LOGO ITEMS. Or just click here. Many of the items have more than one color option. Thanks for shopping!
To those of you celebrating, happy Mother’s Day! I have a fun and unique idea for you today that is sure to bring a smile (if not laughter).
My friend Lisa Marshall gave me a gift in March when we were at OnStage in Houston. And part of that gift (mini tongs with silicone hands) brought me such a huge smile that I wanted to pass it along to others.
The colors were nice and bright and most of the colors paired well with the colors in the Flowering Zinnias Designer Paper. So I used my circle punches to make some tags and tied them on with some silver trim…the zinnia flower on one side, a printed note on the other.
I added these tags to several of the tongs. And for the ones that didn’t coordinate with the flowers of the zinnias, I used images from the Unbounded Beauty and Mediterranean Blooms paper packs.
(See below for a list of products used linked to where you can find them in my online store.)
I also made and gave out another version of this gift for a few specific demonstrator friends (those I team up with or who assist me in my business, those who are generous with their gifts to me, etc…). For those individuals, I bought little boxes of tiny circle label stickers.
I wrapped them each with cardstock (black on the bottom and back and white at the top and front) and added a message on the inside against the white…
…and coordinating panels of designer paper on the outside against the black. I stamped the top with “hugs” from the Layering Leaves Stamp Set and added my logo sticker for a bit of unique personalization.
Measurements
Basic Black Cardstock
2-1/2” x 5″ scored parallel to short side at 2-3/4″ and 3-1/2”
Basic White Cardstock
2-1/2” x 5″ scored parallel to short side at 2-3/4″ and 3-1/2”
Designer Paper
1-1/4” x 2-1/2”
2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″
Printed note on the inside
2-1/2″ x just under 2-3/4″
Then I held the wrap closed around each box with the hand-shaped mini tongs which I secured with coordinating colored rubber bands…
…so that the hands looked like they were grasping the little boxes. 🤣
They were so cute and silly.
A few of the stickers that coordinated with the aqua colored tongs were wrapped with the Unbounded Beauty paper. The packaging was goofy, but those tongs brought a lot of smiles.
So if you are looking for something unique, I hope what I shared inspired you.
*Disclaimer: Earning the incentive trip is something very few Stampin’ Up! demonstrators achieve—less than 1%, in fact! I was so excited to be among those that attended this one at the Xcaret Mexico Resort. And I am so grateful for all the support I get from you…my team members, customers, subscribers, viewers, friends, family, etc. Hugs!! And a big thank you!
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
IN COLOR STARTER KIT SPECIAL Stampin’ Up! has a fabulous Starter Kit offer for May 2024. Choose $125 worth of product for just $99 + tax. But also enjoy the gift of four new 2024-26 In Color products shown in this flyer (a value of $82) for FREE. Click this link to purchase this amazing Starter Kit, and begin the fun of being on the demonstrator side of things! Click here for more details on this promotion.
THE2024-25 ANNUAL CATALOG IS HERE! New products (stamp sets, dies, embossing folders, punches, papers, ephemera, embellishments, ribbons, colors, etc…) just debuted with the release of the 2024-25 Annual Catalog! How fun!! Shop the online store. And see the digital version of this new publication in my Catalogs section of my website.
KITS COLLECTION: CITY SIGHTS & HELLO HOLLYHOCKS KITS ADDED These are the kits that were most recently added to the Kits Collection! Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT MAY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT The Best There Is: Make cards for Father’s Day and more to express your gratitude and admiration! Makes 9 cards (3 each of 3 designs) & includes coordinating envelopes. The kit also includes precut paper accent pieces & labels AND woodgrain textures & masculine earthy tones. Plus it coordinates with the Country Woods Designer Series Paper (item 163393). Coordinating colors: Wild Wheat, Pool Party, Misty Moonlight (Classic Stampin’ Spot), Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Basic Beige. Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the April-June kits. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Thanks & Beyond Dies (#164397) — made available March 11th and only while supplies last! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by May 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our May 2024 Country Woods Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Take To The Sky Suite from the 2024-25 Annual Catalog will be available June 1st.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES NEWS– NEW ITEMS ARE HERE! You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog or publication. So be sure to visit this link to shop today. All Online Exclusives products are available while supplies last.
Stamp Your Art Out!
Rachel Tessman
Independent Demonstrator 763-502-6813
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