Stamp-a-stack

This past weekend I had seven ladies, including two newbies, come stamp these cards. They each made five of the five designs and seemed to enjoy their time away to do some stamping!

Monogram cards

As stated in an earlier post, these are the bags I made for my hostesses. They told me their favorite Stampin' Up!(R) color(s) and I made the bags and cards w/envelopes over the last week. I followed THIS tutorial...thanks Angie!

Hostess Appreciation

I hosted my very first Hostess Appreciation party today and we had fun! Even though all my hostesses were not able to attend, the ones that did enjoyed playing BINGO. Originally it was supposed to be a BUNCO, but I didn't have enough to play. Luckily, my upline gave me the BINGO idea and it worked well. Prizes were given for the following BINGO patterns: Diagonal, Railroad, Inside Frame, Outside Frame, Four Corners, and Full House. The ladies got to choose from a basket for some of the wins and the ones that won for Full House, Four Corners and Outside Frame got Stampin' Up!(R) bucks.

My variation on the flap card. The card is closed by a magnet.

After playing BINGO, the ladies made two make-and-take projects. The first one was a Pop Up card. When I saw THIS card, I knew I had to CASE it...thanks Dawn! Luckily, my newest downline, has been letting me borrow this stamp set. I really do like it!


The other project was a potpourri bag.


I made some appetizers and desserts. They included: sweet and sour meatballs, mushrooms, two dips in bread bowls, fruit salad, chocolate chip cookies, and (saving the best for last) Paula Deen's recipe for Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding. This one is worth trying! Let me know what you think!

When everyone completed the projects, I gave the hostesses their gift from me. Earlier in the week, I asked each of them their favorite Stampin' Up!(R) color(s). Based on that, I made them their own monogram cards and bag. These bags are so simple. Follow THIS tutorial to learn how to make them.

During this time, I thanked this wonderful group for all the fun I've had with them over the last few years. It's so sad that this year we will be moving, but I know I am leaving them in good hands (I mean you, Selena). Thanks, guys, for being the best stampers and choosing to stamp with me!

Some of the gang!

Two workshop projects

Yesterday was the last meeting of my very first Rotating Hostess Club. I had an awesome time with this group of ladies. I feel like we've become close and I enjoy spending time with them. It makes this "job" fun! Here are the two projects that were done:
PROJECT 1: 6x6 scrapook page

Recipe
Stamp set: Just B
Paper: Rose Red DSP, Regal Rose, Whisper White (WW)
Ink: Rose Red & Regal Rose
Accessories: Ice Brads, flower from Flower Fusion tin

Here I wanted to show how to take that 6x6 page and transfer it onto a 12x12 layout. All I did was add more Rose Red DSP and added two layers of paper - the Regal Rose & Whisper White. It's really not as intimidating as it looks!

Using the same stamp set, I did a boy page using Blue Bayou DSP & Soft Sky paper.

PROJECT 2: Card

Recipe
Stamp sets: Year after Year, For a Friend (hostess), Little Pieces
Paper: Confetti White, Tempting Turquoise, More Mustard, Real Red, East Coast Prep DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Various markers for coloring, Wild Wasabi double stitched ribbon, 1/2" circle punch

This is another look using the same stamp sets:

Scrapbook Class

The first layout the ladies did at my class was pretty simple. The only stamping was for the title. I enjoyed using the designer series paper and star punches. The stars were a huge hit! Again, I LOVE this website and her ideas. My inspiration can be found HERE.









For the photos I wanted to use, I had to change the layout from the class. Here is my final product (before journaling).
This second layout was inspired by THIS template. I may CASE her whole layout using the Jersey Shore DSP to go along with the rest of my son's birthday photos. We used the Embrace Life stamp set and Ginger Blossoms DSP. The title is "I love being your MOM." The single flower was cut out and SU! glitter was added. It's hard to tell in this photo.

Swaps for Convention

Okay, ladies, I'm a newbie when it comes to swapping. I only participated once before at another demonstrators scrapbook retreat, but I am sure that the swapping at Convention is MUCH more intense. Here's what I need from you:
1 - Can we start making swaps now even before the retired list is out?

2 - What kind of swaps go on at Convention?

3 - Your guess as to how many I should prepare. I know this is up to me, so what is your average?

4 - Any other advice here!

Drop me an email if that would be easier (aekilpatr@hotmail.com). Any information would be SO helpful to me!

I am going to convention!

I took the plunge, the Stampin' Up! Convention plunge! I am so excited that I decided to attend this year's celebration in Salt Lake City. The hubby is watching the kids for 5 days, 4 nights as I venture out to Utah to get motivated, inspired, and have some fun! This is the first time I've ever been to convention and I really do think this is what I need to do for my business. I haven't had that "official" training and it's time after three years! Here I come, SLC!