I was blessed to spend this past weekend with two wonderful women: Cheryl Lee and Nancy Forsberg. These two gals on my team are at the Silver Elite title. And this retreat is geared towards spoiling these leaders and to remind them about how special they are to me, their team members, and so many others.
This year we stayed at an Airbnb in the Highland Park area (an area of St. Paul) in Minnesota. We drove through snowy weather and arrived around noon on Friday. After unloading the car, we ventured out once more to pick up and bring back lunch from Panera.
Then we ate, unpacked, settled in, opened gifts (see below), and crafted with some new products. Friday’s make-n-takes included the newly released Light the Candles Card Kit from the Kits Collection. Because of the non-stop snow we stayed in the whole day and evening, I made tacos for dinner, and we watched a movie wrapped up in our new blankets.
We tried to stay awake. But we were all exhausted, in bed early, and slept hard and long that first night. Guess that meant we needed it.
On Saturday I prepared brunch (eggs, rolls, english muffins, and a mini yogurt bar), we completed more make-n-takes with the Home & Garden Bundle and the soon-to-be-available All Together Collection, and just hung out all day in the cute house enjoying each other’s company. (I’ll be sharing all these projects in the near future, so be sure you are subscribed to my blog posts.)
The day was sunny, but we stayed inside until dark so we could use the daylight for crafting. Saturday evening we visited the Highland Grill for dinner and then stopped to shop at Patina a bit afterwards. But it was super cold out. So that was it for exploring the area. And we headed back to the warm house to watch another movie before bed.
Sunday was “clean up day.” But we took our time, enjoyed more brunch from the day before, and just socialized. None of us were feeling too productive with any extra crafting or other work we brought. We DID take the time for this photo to show off the cards that Nancy and Cheryl had made Friday and Saturday.
This weekend really was a fun get-away. I adore and respect these gals so much. And it was an honor to spoil them.
The color combination I chose mimicked the Stampin’ Up! floral graphics which you can see on some of the gift items below. I also used my computer to print out the inside invitation and agenda.
Products I used… See below for a complete list of products linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Measurements
Basic White Cardstock
4-1/4” x 11″ scored parallel to short side at 5-1/2”
3-1/8″ x 3-3/8″ (inside layer)
4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ (post card)
Scrap for stamping and fussy-cutting the large flower
Granny Apple Green Cardstock
3-1/4″ x 3-1/2″ (inside layer)
Scrap for punching leaves
Vellum Cardstock
Scrap for punching leaves
Directions for the front of the card…
Stamp the Calypso Coral flower on the white scrap. Cut it out and use it to guide you for stamping the other flowers and leaves. Just don’t attach to the card until the other stamping is done.
Stamp the leaves and smaller flowers. Stamp the sentiment.
Press a clear block into the Coastal Cabana ink pad. Then use a wet Water Painter brush to pick up some of that ink. And tap the barrel of the Water Painter against a Bone Folder over the top of the card to catch some faint blue ink speckles.
Using Dimensionals add the larger pink flower and punched leaves.
Color a few pearls with the Blends Markers. Then add them to embellish the card.
Here are the gifts I gave Cheryl and Nancy. (See the floral design?! Too pretty.)
I purchased the navy plush, embroidered blankets through Tamra Davis from TaDa Moments. The gifts also included a set of 3 reusable SU Logo shopping bags,…
…Blue Adhesive Backed Gems and Rhinestones (that were clipped to the bags behind the gift tags which I stamped to match the invitations), note pads and sticker sheets inside mini floral folders, AND D-size etched clear blocks inside Mini Paper Pumpkin Boxes that I fancied up with more of the florals.
I plan to share the projects we made in the near future. In fact the Light the Candles cards will be in my next post along with my YouTube Live on Wednesday, January 19th. Thanks for stopping by!
OH! A bit of news for those of you who subscribe to Paper Pumpkin kits… The Kisses & Hugs Mini Treat Boxes, item #160147 (the optional add-on product for the January kit that just shipped) became available earlier than previously announced! Paired up with the Kisses & Hugs kit, subscribers can create stylish treat boxes to match the heart-shaped cards in the kit. These Kisses & Hugs Mini Treat Boxes are sold separately and only available to active Paper Pumpkin subscribers while supplies last.
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).
A BUNCH OF NEW PRODUCTS! A new catalog filled with new products is here! Click here to view the online version of this new publication. Click here to shop these new products online. Click here to learn how you can get your hands on this new catalog.
EARN FREE PRODUCTS DURING SALE-A-BRATION Earn free products by ordering, hosting, becoming a demonstrator or discount shopper, and more! Click here for the details.
WOULD YOU LIKE A TOUR? Click here to learn how you can get your hands on a virtual tour of the January-June 2022 Mini Catalog! You can earn or purchase the tour within a downloadable PDF containing photos, supply lists, and measurements for 11 featured projects, along with links to corresponding videos showing the awesomeness of several of the new products, details for the featured creative projects, and many other creative samples.
A PEEK AT FEBRUARY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Grab your binoculars, buckle up, and hop into our off-road truck—there’s so much to see on this safari! Answer the call of the wild—and your creativity—with the Safari Celebration Paper Pumpkin Kit. This playful, party-themed kit includes all the goodies and gear you need to create nine 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ cards —3 each of 3 designs—and coordinating envelopes in safari-inspired shapes and patterns you’ll go wild for! Make every occasion a celebration with this month’s amusing animals, beautiful botanicals, and celebratory sentiments. Leaf imagery coordinates with the new Artfully Composed Suite. Coordinating colors: Bumblebee, Fresh Freesia, Pear Pizzazz, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Succulent, Soft Suede. 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.
ALL STAR TUTORIALS 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 bundle of twelve January 2022 Sweet Talk Suite Tutorials which are now available! CLICK HEREfor more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials for Sale page to see the others that have been offered. The next one featuring the upcoming new Artfully Composed Suite will be available February 1st! AND all these tutorial bundles include links to instructional videos!
KITS COLLECTION BY STAMPIN’ UP!® Creativity made easy! A line of affordably priced, versatile all-inclusive kits. Click here for a short promotional video. Click here for more details. Click here to shop.
Many of us Stampin’ Up! demonstrators are in the midst of our yearly convention, the November 2021 OnStage@Home. So today I thought I’d share a few glimpses from this event, share a bit of what we’ve experienced so far, show off the gifts Stampin’ Up! sent to us attendees, share the gifts I sent to my team members, and tell you a bit of news about my rankings this year.
This event is still virtual, so here is my viewing area in my favorite spot of the house, my crafting room. This time I brought over my BIG screen, my desktop computer. So I had four devices in front of me which also included my laptop, iPad and iPhone.
Thursday night was all about celebrating each others achievements and introducing new products that will debut in January. We had a team Zoom (hosted by my upline, Susan Campfield) that started an hour before the SU event where we chatted and stamped. I believe there were over 60 of us online at once! And then many of us stayed on the Zoom while we also watched the event at the same time.
The bonus to that was not only did it feel more like we were in person together cheering for each other when names were announced, but we got to go through the new January-June 2022 Mini Catalog & Sale-a-Bration Brochure at the end of the SU presentations. It’s ALWAYS much more fun to look at a new catalog with other crazy, obsessed paper crafters!
Yesterday was the second day. And it was a full one…over 7 hours of more great content which also included even MORE new product presentations. Here are just a few peeks at what will be coming soon!
Flowering Fields Suite demonstrated by Jo Blackburn
Symbols of Fortune Suite demonstrated by Denise Cox
We have one more full day today. Fun, fun, fun!
Here are the gifts that Stampin’ Up! sent to all of us attendees (well,…all of us that registered to get the “swag.”) The swag included exclusive grid paper, a fun angle-bound notepad, a set of three OnStage pins, a set of six pencils, a fun tote bag, and the In The Moment Stamp Set (which will be available in the new mini). Stampin’ Up! also sent all the leader demonstrators a pair of magazine holders with a matching pen holder.
Speaking of gifts, it’s sort of a tradition for uplines to send goodies to their event-attending team members. So this time I reached out to Glenn at www.thecountrycardinal.com and he mass produced 80+ of these coasters for me. I sent him my design, and he printed them. Oh my goodness…I was so impressed when they arrived! In fact, because he lives “close enough,” he delivered them to my door! This may seem strange, but it’s all good when he is the father of one of my team members. (Ashley, the co-owner of www.thecountryhive.com is his daughter.)
Aren’t these just beautiful!?
For the packaging, I added each of these coasters to a cellophane bag along with a couple bags of guava tea, added a stamped and decorated topper, added a note on the back, and then inserted our team ribbon in the in-between space of the topper.
Products I used for the topper… See below for a list of products linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Measurements
Basic White Cardstock
4” x 6″ scored parallel to short side at 3”
Rainbow Glimmer Paper
3/4” x 4”
Granny Apple Green Cardstock
Scrap for die-cutting the leaves
Basic Black Cardstock
Scrap for die-cutting the butterfly
Here is a photo nearing the end in the assembly of these 80 gifts.
And here are my bins ready for the further packaging (inserting each of them into larger cello bags and then into bubble mailers). My postal carrier, Scott loves me. Hahaha!
I love these events! Joining together with my stamping friends in this way gives all of us so much energy and joy! It allows us to look forward at what’s to come. But it also allows us to look back.
And what a year it has been! Thank you to all of you who have helped me to get here. I’m BLOWN AWAY to be among the top achieving Stampin’ Up! demonstrators again this past 2020-21 year!
US rankings:
#6 in leadership
#6 in team building
#15 in sales
#9 overall out of 42,021
I truly love what I do. And I’m blessed that this passion has gotten me where I am today.
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).
NOVEMBER STARTER KIT OFFER November 4-30 you can get in on even more savings than usual! Get up to $125 worth of product (choose items already on your wish list) for just $75!! Plus this one-time deal also includes free shipping, free business supplies, and a bonus random past Paper Pumpkin kit! Click here to learn more about getting the awesome Starter Kit and joining in on the demonstrator side of things. Click here to purchase the Starter Kit.
SEASONAL SALE NOVEMBER 16-18 It’s around the corner!! Build up your collection of crafting basics—and prepare for another year of top-tier projects—with a steal of a deal on papercrafting products! The discounted products will be from the 2021-22 Annual Catalog and include 10% off cardstock, 15% off ink pads (excluding ink pad bundles and third-party pads), and 20% off dies.
ENTER EDEN’S GARDEN! Enter and explore Eden with the Eden’s Garden Collection! This delightful and desirable collection includes early-release products from the January–June 2022 Mini Catalog (a bundle of stamps and dies that’s blooming with beauty and bounty) plus exclusive products you can’t uncover anywhere else (a pack of paper patterned with green and gold, a set of specialty sheets for gift-giving and textured touches, and a sparkling set of gleaming gems)! Click here for the flyer containing images of the products and their details. Click here to shop.
A PEEK AT DECEMBER’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT If you’re a fan of fun, get a kick out of clever crafts, and can’t keep it together when you hear a classic knee-slapper, you’ll go bananas over this month’s cute ‘n’ quirky kit! The Lots of Pun Paper Pumpkin Kit includes enough egg-citing elements to create nine full-size cards (3 each of 3 designs). From giddy gingham to splatters and stripes, this playful Paper Pumpkin kit features a fun and fresh look with one-of-a-kind patterns and designs! Egg-cellent for any occasion, reason, or season throughout the year, the kit’s pun-packed stamp set provides completely customizable characters for a very versatile crafting experience. Pair each stamp with its matching die-cut snack, then mix up the faces and accessories for an absolutely adorable accent! Coordinating colors: Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, Poppy Parade. 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 December 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR TUTORIALS 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 bundle of twelve November 2021 Sweet Symmetry Suite Tutorials which are now available! CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials for Sale page to see the others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Bloom Where You’re Planted Suite will be available December 1st! AND all these tutorial bundles include links to instructional videos!
KITS COLLECTION BY STAMPIN’ UP!® Creativity made easy! A line of affordably priced, versatile all-inclusive kits… Click here for more details. Click here to shop.
It was called Leaders Summit last August. This year the Stampin’ Up! leadership conference was titled BackStage@Home. It was held this past weekend and was again an incredible virtual experience full of information, inspiration, motivation, fun, and more! Just like last year, Stampin’ Up! spoiled the attendees (demonstrators from all over the world) with a box of fun and colorful goodies.
I LOVE the Coastal Cabana folio and gem-topped pen!!
Susan Campfield, my upline (who is always so creative and generous) drove door-to-door the morning of the first day of the event to drop off a gift to each one of us attending. Check out all the goodies she gifted!
Isn’t the notebook and pencil so precious!?
I also got a gift bag full of treats with an incredible mini album from my team members, Nancy & Kayla. Click here for their 4-part video series on how to make that album. They are super creative and fun to watch.
My gifts (that I had my husband, Tim deliver directly to those in my team attending this event with me) were not as amazing, but still heartfelt. In fact I forgot to take a photo. It’s been quite busy here this August, and I feel like I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants lately.
Here are the details if you wish to recreate this card.
Products I used… See below for a complete list of products linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Measurements
Basic White Thick Cardstock
5-1/2” x 8-1/2” scored parallel to short side at 4-1/4”
Scraps for punching flowers (4 small and 1 large daisies)
Scrap for stamping and punching sentiment piece
Magenta Madness Cardstock
Scrap for punching sentiment layer
Expressions in Ink Designer Paper
3″ x 4″
Directions
Punch the daisies. Assemble three flowers from the five punched pieces by layering two together for the two smaller flowers and cutting the larger one in half and layering it to make a larger half-flower. Then add Multipurpose Liquid Glue to the center of the two smaller ones and allow to dry (may take overnight).
Add Gilded Leafing to the dried tacky glue flower centers. Then curl up the ends using a Bone Folder.
Stamp the sentiment and punch it out. Punch from the Magenta Madness Cardstock, cut the punched piece in half, then add the two pieces behind the stamped sentiment piece.
Add the designer paper to the card base, Add the sentiment layered piece using Dimensionals placed near the back center.
Add one of the small daisies in the lower right using a Dimensional. Add the large half flower tucked underneath the sentiment piece and this small flower using Seal. Add the other small flower tucked under the sentiment piece using Seal.
Then add a few gems (Pearls or In Color Jewels).
Enjoy these last couple days of August. And see you September 1st when I share my next project using the You’re A Peach Suite.
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).
NEW PRODUCTS ARE HERE! CLICK HERE to access the PDF of the new July-December 2021 Mini Catalog. CLICK HERE to access these new July-December 2021 Mini Catalog items in my online store. Enjoy shopping and seeing all the new ideas!
SALE-A-BRATION 2021 IS BACK – ROUND TWO This year Stampin’ Up! has split the annual Sale-A-Bration event in TWO seasons! The first season took place in January & February. And the second one is happening now… August 3 – September 30, 2021! Sale-A-Bration is one of the BEST times of the Stampin’ Up! Year. There are perks for those that purchase product, those that host parties (or purchase a lot of product), those that join the Stampin’ Up! family (purchase the Starter Kit), and those who are already demonstrators (including those that join early on during SAB). Click here for all the details.
A PEEK AT SEPTEMBER’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Hay, there! Experience everything the autumn season has to offer with the Haunts & Harvest Paper Pumpkin Kit! This month’s kit includes enough supplies to create 12 treat boxes—4 each of 3 designs. That means you can take your pick of apple, pumpkins, or jack-o-lantern treat boxes! Plus, the Paper Pumpkin box is designed to easily transform into a vintage wheelbarrow for you to display your harvest! Whether you’re thinking about crisp red apples or you’re ready to carve some spooky jack-o-lanterns (or both!), the Haunts & Harvest Paper Pumpkin Kit—designed in a vivid fall palette—is a hands-on crafting experience for all autumn lovers! Coordinating colors: Basic Black, Pale Papaya, Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Succulent. 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 TUTORIALS 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 bundle of twelve August 2021 Hand-Penned Suite Tutorials which are now available! CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials for Sale page to see the others that have been offered. The next one featuring the You’re a Peach Suite will be available September 1st! AND these tutorial bundles include links to instructional videos!
KITS COLLECTION BY STAMPIN’ UP!® A new line of affordably priced, versatile all-inclusive kits is here! Creativity made easy!Click here for more details.
I realize we are still waiting for this amazing Expressions in Ink designer paper to get back in stock (Stampin’ Up!® is forecasting the end of June), but I couldn’t wait to share with you the card I made which was inspired by a swap I got in Maui. I LOVED Terry Brinkmann’s swap card so much, because it is simple yet stunning. So it became the inspiration for my team’s “Top 10 in Sales” cards.
I paired up this paper with Jennifer Cotton’s “Million Dollar” Create with Friends Stamp Set in a set of cards that I shared back on May 14th. And I just had to use it again on today’s card. The sentiment pairings are just too perfect. Below are details if you’d like to make this card yourself.
PDF Tutorial…Click here to access and download a printable direction sheet.
Products I used… See below for a complete list of products linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Measurements:
Magenta Madness Cardstock: 4-1/4” x 11” scored parallel to short side at 4-1/4″
Basic White Cardstock: 4″ x 4-1/4″ & 2-1/4″ x 2-1/2″ Scrap
Gold Foil Sheets: ½” x 4”
Expressions in Ink Designer Paper: 1″ x 4″ & 3″ x 4″
2021-23 In Color Shimmer Vellum: Scraps for punching dragonflies
Directions:
Emboss Gold Foil piece and adhere along the left edge of the front of the card. Adhere larger designer paper piece so it overlaps the gold a bit. Adhere 4″ x 4-1/4″ Basic White to the inside. Then adhere smaller designer paper to the right.
Die-cut 3″ x 4″ Basic White for sentiment layer, then stamp words. Attach to the front with Dimensionals.
Punch a couple dragonflies. Adhere with Glue Dots. Embellish the front one with a coordinating jewel.
I bet this would look lovely with the other patterns in this designer paper pack too! Oh gosh,…now I have to make more. I’ll have to wait until after my Garage Sale, though. Today is day 3 of 4. And it’s been fun to see so many crafting goodies get new homes. A big thank you to everyone who came so far and who will be coming today and tomorrow.
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 SALE It’s time to say goodbye to retiring products from the January-June 2021 Mini Catalog. Click here for more information and to access the list of products leaving.
KITS COLLECTION BY STAMPIN’ UP!® A new line of affordably priced, versatile all-inclusive kits is here! Creativity made easy!Click here for more details.
UNITED THROUGH CREATIVITY Celebrate what makes us unique through what brings us together: creativity! In honor of the Stampin’ Up! value statement, “we care about people first”—and in the spirit of World Diversity Day— Stampin’ Up! created a collection of inclusive, multicultural, and multilingual craft elements. Click here to access this digital download so you can create away! Available through May 2, 2022.
A PEEK AT JULY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Life is full of big adventures that are best experienced together! This month’s The Adventure Begins Paper Pumpkin Kit helps you celebrate those exciting new chapters in the most creative of ways with enough supplies to create twelve motivating cards all featuring the exciting colors of nature. Send cards to your family and friends about to embark on a new journey and make connections while you explore and discover new levels of your creativity! Includes inspirational sentiments and adventure-themed imagery featuring these nature-inspired coordinating colors: Basic Black, Basic White, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Flirty Flamingo, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody, Night of Navy. 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 July 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR TUTORIALS 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 bundle of twelve June 2021 Sand & Sea Suite Tutorials which are now available! CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials for Sale page to see the others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Expressions in Ink Suite will be available July 1st! AND these tutorial bundles include links to instructional videos!
HEY CHICK & HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK Available February 2 – June 30, 2021 – The popular Hey Chick has returned to pair up with the Hey Birthday Chick stamp set in the current mini catalog!! And each with coordinating dies. Click here for a downloadable flyer. Click here to shop online.
Yesterday, some of the members of my Stampers With ART group who live near me gathered for a party at Cheryl Lee’s house. My sales milestone was the reason for the party. But after so much staying at home during this past year’s pandemic, we had the urge to gather just to see each other anyway. Thank you to all those that were able to show up. It was such a great time!
AND we were able to celebrate Cheryl, too! She just reached her $200,000 Sales Milestone last month. We surprised her with flowers and a few cards.
So since I’m on the topic of bragging about my fabulous team, below are their amazing cards from our latest swap. I’m blessed pretty much daily by the creativity that is shared in our Stampers With ART Community. And swap time is even more exciting, because the cards aren’t just in photos in our Facebook group. Receiving the actual cards made by fellow team members is a huge motivator to participate in the swaps.
Check out all these fabulous cards made with either new products in the 2021-22 Annual Catalog or products that carried over into this publication. (Click here to find links to the current catalogs.) Those that made each card are mentioned in the watermarks of the photos.
I hope these card ideas provided some creative inspiration for you! A big thank you to all of the crafters/creators! And a big thank you to my team for the party, for the celebrations in other ways this past month, AND just for making our group a wonderful place to be.
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 SALE It’s time to say goodbye to retiring products from the January-June 2021 Mini Catalog. Click here for more information and to access the list of products leaving.
KITS COLLECTION BY STAMPIN’ UP!® A new line of affordably priced, versatile all-inclusive kits is here! Creativity made easy!Click here for more details.
UNITED THROUGH CREATIVITY Celebrate what makes us unique through what brings us together: creativity! In honor of the Stampin’ Up! value statement, “we care about people first”—and in the spirit of World Diversity Day— Stampin’ Up! created a collection of inclusive, multicultural, and multilingual craft elements. Click here to access this digital download so you can create away! Available through May 2, 2022.
A NEW CATALOG IS HERE! If you do not have another demonstrator (or are not a demonstrator yourself), click here to fill out a catalog request form. If you live close enough (I am located in Andover, MN) to pick one up, contact me so we can make arrangements. By saving me on shipping costs, I will let you pick a goodie from the gift basket too.
CONNECT, CRAFT & COLLECT
Stampin’ Up! is gifting an extra $25 in Stampin’ Rewards to all orders that reach the $250+ mark May 4 – June 14! This is the perfect perk for those who host parties or those who place large individual orders. Click here for more details.
A PEEK AT JULY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Life is full of big adventures that are best experienced together! This month’s The Adventure Begins Paper Pumpkin Kit helps you celebrate those exciting new chapters in the most creative of ways with enough supplies to create twelve motivating cards all featuring the exciting colors of nature. Send cards to your family and friends about to embark on a new journey and make connections while you explore and discover new levels of your creativity! Includes inspirational sentiments and adventure-themed imagery featuring these nature-inspired coordinating colors: Basic Black, Basic White, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Flirty Flamingo, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody, Night of Navy. 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 July 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR TUTORIALS 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 bundle of twelve June 2021 Sand & Sea Suite Tutorials which are now available! CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials for Sale page to see the others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Expressions in Ink Suite will be available July 1st! AND these tutorial bundles include links to instructional videos!
HEY CHICK & HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK Available February 2 – June 30, 2021 – The popular Hey Chick has returned to pair up with the Hey Birthday Chick stamp set in the current mini catalog!! And each with coordinating dies. Click here for a downloadable flyer. Click here to shop online.
I just got back from our trip to Maui, the 2021 Stampin’ Up! Incentive Trip. This time I took my husband and our two boys. This was the third incentive trip that Nick and Luke have been on with us, and we all had such an amazing time.
*Disclaimer: Earning the incentive trip is something less than 1% of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators achieve.
With the pandemic came many aspects that made this trip a very unique one. The COVID testing requirements before coming into Hawaii made many of us travelers nervous. There were many achievers who cashed out of the trip instead of attending because of the uncertainties AND because of travel restrictions. And it was sad not to see so many of my friends that I love and miss so much. But it was good to catch up with the many that DID end up coming. And it was so wonderful to be able to share this vacation with my family.
Here we are at the airport. Nick on the left is now 15-1/2. And Luke on the right is 14-1/4 (It’s amazing how much they’ve grown since I started blogging in 2013!). We left the morning of the 15th and arrived in Maui in the late afternoon. And with the five hour time difference, it felt more like 10 o’clock at night for us when it was only 5 PM. So we had quite a few nights of early to bed and early to rise.
Here we are after arriving, checking out our stunning view and beautiful room. Stampin’ Up! really makes sure we are pampered.
(Oh! Be sure to CLICK HERE to see photos of the gifts, goodies, prizes and swaps I received and shared in my Wednesday, May 26th post. Looking through all those photos will REALLY give you a good idea of how well we were treated. I’ve been on many trips, but I’m blown away each and every time.) And yes, that bathroom was incredible!
I think I woke by 4 AM on Sunday the 16th which really wasn’t bad when you consider it was 9 AM in Minnesota. Hahaha! Because we were awake early, we explored the resort a bit. This photo was taken in the lobby area of the resort.
This was where we sat the night before enjoying a whole bunch of food from Stampin’ Up!’s Grab n Go Dinner.
And this was the beautiful beach!
Then we attended the Welcome Brunch hosted by SU and were fed well! If I remember correctly, I had an omelet and some fresh tropical fruit. We were seated with Hattie Nelson and her husband Steve, and Janet Wakeland and her husband Doug. I love these ladies!
I also met up and chatted with so many others. Here I am with the sweet Jan Farring.
And in this photo I’m with Lexi Carlson, Sandy Carlson, and my upline Susan Campfield (the gal I purchased the Starter Kit through 21-1/2 years ago).
SU gifted all achievers and their one guest a spa treatment of their choice. So Tim and I went off to get massages in the early afternoon. Our kids spent time at the pool during this time and had enough sun by the time we were done, so I took in some pool time – hung out with Natalie & John Travis and Lorri & Dan Heiling, and then took over Natalie’s chair when she had to leave.
My guys and I ended that day by going over to explore the Shops at Wailea (just a short walk from the resort), getting dinner and eating it outside the stores, and walking back only to fall asleep early again.
Tuesday began with our first of two Stampin’ Up! gifted excursions. This one was the Raft & Snorkel Excursion. We rode across some impressive waves, snorkeled in the Molokini Crater and another beach area, and saw colorful fish, beautiful coral, and swam up close and personal with a large Sea Turtle!
That evening we went to dinner with Elaine and Adam Schader at Nalu’s South Shore Grill in Kihei. The food was wonderful! And the company was even better.
Tuesday the 18th brought more achieving demonstrators (those who either earned one of the two year’s worth of trips or cashed out of one if they earned both). So we took it easy that day and hung out by the pool. Many others did the same thing, and it was such a fun and social day. (You can see Monika, her hubby Braton, Kay, her hubby Steve, Natalie right next to me, and Elaine (who was excited because her kids were flying in that day to join them).
In the late afternoon I met up with my new friend Faith who was also was vacationing in Maui that week. She came to our resort lobby! Too fun. I also hung out in the lobby afterwards a bit to say hello to Cheryl Hamilton (a fellow demonstrator from Hawaii) and several on her team who came bearing gifts (I shared the ones I got on May 26th)! What a fun surprise!
And then that evening we gathered outdoors for the Aloha Carnival to socialize and taste some fun foods.
We took to the beach at 7 AM Wednesday morning to get a good spot in the front row. We stayed there for the most of the early part of the day because the weather and water was wonderful! Tim and Nick did some paddle boarding and Nick practiced his flipping.
Later that day I visited the Hospitality Room to spin for a prize and take photos of sample cards.
And then that evening we went to eat dinner at the Pint & Cork at the Shops at Wailea.
Thursday morning we went on our 2nd of two excursions. This one was the Waterfalls and Rainforest Hike in East Maui. We were struggling in the morning with what shoes to wear, and I’m glad the guide told my boys to NOT wear their nice tennis shoes and put on their water shoes instead, because we got VERY muddy, wet and dirty. But oh, was it fun! I’m glad we invested in those waterproof cellphone pouches, too. I didn’t bring my phone into the water during the snorkeling like my boys did, but I definitely made use of this phone holder on THIS rainy excursion. Look at how lush everything is! And what was even more fun is it was just the Schader family and ours in our group.
See that sign? Yep…we crossed it on foot by aiming our toes into the flow.
The colors of the flowers and vegetation were so bright. Thankfully my husband took some great flower photos, because I failed in that area.
This was the first waterfall we came to. And guess what? Many of us jumped in including me! I’m so proud of myself. I came up coughing because water went up my nose, but this 52-year-old did it! LOL
And this was the second waterfall. For this one, we all just waded in and swam! It was amazing. And our guide got us to every waterfall faster than the other groups. So we got to experience most of this fun adventure with very few extra people around.
That evening my husband Tim was pretty worn out because he pulled some muscles in his rib area (we are thinking during the snorkeling excursion). So he relaxed in the room a lot when we got back. And Nick, Luke and I went exploring through the resort shops. We ended up getting our dinner at one of them and ate it next to the beach so we could catch the sunset (which we had kept missing all the other nights).
What a fantastic ending to a fun day.
By the way, though he didn’t feel good for several days, Tim had it checked out with the doctor when we cam home and is fine now.
Friday started out with an early spot at the beach again. But the wind picked up and it got a bit cloudy. So we didn’t stay there long. Susan Campfield took this photo of my hubby and me before she took off for her spa appointment.
After leaving the windy beach, I spent some time checking out all the swaps on display in the hospitality room and grabbed my swapped out cards after spinning the wheel for a prize (we got to do this five different days). Click here to see gifts and prizes AND the swap cards I got and all of them on display.
Susan came to our room so she and I could do a Facebook Live with our team members. It was so fun to connect and share all our swaps and goodies.
And then Tim and I joined Scott Nielsen (“finance guy” at Stampin’ Up! as he puts it), his wife Pamela, Bonnie O’Neill (fellow demonstrator), and her husband Brian for dinner that evening at Tommy Bahamas. We had lots of fun and the food was excellent!
Our last full day was one more chance to catch the sun. So we got a decent spot poolside by the volleyball net and spent a good part of the day there, going down the slides and snorkeling near the beach where we saw even more colorful fish and another huge turtle that swam right under us!
We couldn’t agree on lunch. So Nick and I dined in the restaurant overlooking the pool. And Tim and Luke had food delivered to them down at the pool. We didn’t sit together, but we could see each other and waved a few times.
The last event before needing to pack and head out the next day was the Luau. The theme was “white out” which means everyone was to wear white. Before heading in, a bunch of us current and former members of the Paper Pumpkin Advisor group gathered to chat and take a group photo.
And then we joined all the others for a magnificent evening. I was so relaxed by the end of my vacation that I didn’t take many photos. But it was wonderful and so much fun. (Tim took this photo of Susan and me before the sun went down.)
We got flowers added to our hair if we wanted. We were served a multi-course dinner. And we were entertained by talented dancers, musicians, story-tellers, and fire-dancers.
Sunday gave us one last opportunity to connect during breakfast.
Above I’m with Marissa Alvarez. And below I’m with Natalie Travis and April Lopez.
This trip was so healing in so many ways and it really filled my heart. I needed it. And my family needed it. Thanks to all of you who support me in my Stampin’ Up! business…team members, customers, friends, fellow demos, SU employees and staff, subscribers, viewers, and my dear friends and family members. I’m so grateful.
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Rachel Tessman
Independent Demonstrator 763-502-6813
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2024 Incentive Trip Achiever (My 19th trip earned will be Disney World in 2025!)
