Category Archives: Stampin’ Up! Convention

Stampin’ Up! OnStage@Home

OnStage Banner

This is what I am doing today and Saturday, going to the Stampin’ Up! Convention, now called OnStage@Home! Well, it wouldn’t normally be called @Home, but just like everything else in the world, Stampin’ Up! had to change OnStage to a virtual event. I don’t really mind because I probably wouldn’t have traveled to it so now I can “almost” be there! It won’t be quite the same as attending a live Stampin’ Up! event because those are the best! So much fun and creativity you can’t even imagine until you go!

The event began last night with lots of Demonstrator recognitions and some stamping, of course. But in a way, it began a little while ago when my Swag Box arrived! You can’t tell in the photo but this is a large box!

OnStage Box 2020

And inside…..

OnStage Box Inside

And wait until you see the bag! I really like it!! The colors are all so bright and happy!

OnStage Bag

And inside the bag was a cute popsicle print lining with a new stamp set, a multicolor pen, and pins. And in the rest of the box was new Grid Paper (I can’t stamp without Grid Paper!), several notebooks and a page of stickers to decorate the notebook pages.

OnStage Goodies

Then there was another package too with some new Spring Mini products that they will use in stamping demonstrations during OnStage@Home. The Spring Mini Catalog will be called the January-June 2021 Mini Catalog. We’ll be finding out about a lot of the new products in the Spring Mini and also Sale-A-Bration.

I haven’t even made all my Christmas cards yet and now we’ll be looking forward to the new spring products!! This month I’ll actually be ordering the new catalogs for my customers for January! Time flies!

If you want to become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator so you can attend events like this (hopefully in person in the near future!), just check out the information HERE and let me know if you have any questions!

Stampin’ Up! 2015 Convention Highlights

I’m back from ten days of vacation, but don’t quite have my feet back on the ground yet! After spending several days in St. Louis visiting family and a couple friends and eating some of our favorite foods, we went to beautiful Michigan for several days visiting very kind friends who invited us to experience summer there and stay at their lake house. This was our second visit because we loved it so much the first time! Besides the beautiful, relaxing views of their smaller lake, Lake Michigan was stunning, having colors of blues just like the ocean! The scenery was beautiful, lots of interesting wineries, cute small towns along the way, and water everywhere!

While I was away, though, Stampin’ Up! was holding their convention in Salt Lake City. Obviously I wasn’t there this year, but I have attended many previous years and always thought it was one of the most fun things I have ever experienced! What could be more fun than to be with thousands of people who enjoy the same craft you do and be inspired by the presentations on stage of new products, creative ideas, displays of phenomenal projects by Stampin’ Up! employees and Demonstrators!

While I catch up on life again and recent Stampin’ Up! news, I am posting this video of Stampin’  Up! Convention 2015 highlights! It opens with Demonstrators visiting the Home Office in Riverton, Utah. You can get a taste throughout the video of the culture of Stampin’ Up! and the fun of being a Demonstrator! And maybe you will decide to join the Stampin’ Up! family and be a Demonstrator, too!

This was a unique year, with Shelli Gardner, Founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!, not in attendance as she and her husband are serving a mission in Hawaii for a year. But her daughter Sara Douglass, from accounts I have seen, served admirably in her place. So that is who you see on stage rather than Shelli!

Click HERE to read about joining the fun and then let me know if you have any questions!

Stampin’ Up! Inspire.Create.Share.2014 Convention Highlights

I almost felt like I was at the Stampin’ Up! Convention, now referred to as Inspire.Create.Share.2014, the last few days because of the live streaming they did every day. I initially thought they would show only a few minutes, but they were quite generous with the convention time they showed. It was really great for those of us who did not go this year. Really great!! Yesterday afternoon they streamed the entire Closing Session and it did not disappoint. Sara Douglass showed how the kits can be used as is and also with alternate ideas. I can’t wait to get my hands on the holiday ones! Shelli also stamped and showed samples and ideas for easy get-togethers or parties to make things that people need and use. It’s always hard to believe that Convention is REALLY coming to an end, it would be nice to live in that happy Stampin’ Up! world a little longer!

If this looks like so much fun to you, you might be interested in being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator too! Stampin’ Up! is making it easier and easier to be a demonstrator so you don’t need to worry it will take too much time or that you have to be a creative person in order to do Stampin’ Up! Find out more about being a Demonstrator HERE. Then contact me to answer your questions or get more information!

Enjoy the highlights video!

 

Stampin’ Up! Convention – Inspire.Create.Share.2014 – From Home!

InspireCreateShare 2014

I may not be attending the annual Stampin’ Up! Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah this year, but I’m trying to keep up with every tidbit of it that I can find from home!  Thank goodness for the internet! Stampin’ Up! even had a live stream yesterday morning of the opening of Convention (this year called Inspire.Create.Share.2014) and a good part of the first General Session. I was beyond thrilled that they broadcast more than a few minutes of it! My live stream worked great until it got to Becky Higgins of Project Life being interviewed by Shelli Gardner, then it konked out! I can’t wait until they live stream another segment of Convention this morning! It really is just like being there, except my feet don’t hurt! Of course my feet wouldn’t have hurt yesterday morning yet, but there is a great amount of walking all over that convention center and to and from the hotel.

Often the Stampin’ Up! convention begins with many Stampin’ Up! employees standing just inside the doors when the demonstrators enter. It’s a thrill to be greeted by all of them, it makes us feel like celebrities! But this year, the employees, by department, were part of the opening on stage which looked fun! Looked like some fireworks on stage, too! Real fireworks!

Shelli Gardner came out, tissue in hand. She often gets emotional on stage during her presentations, part of her charm, and it’s not hard to feel emotional about Stampin’ Up! She barely got started in her remarks when everyone in the audience got a free stamp!

Pam Morgan gave her presentation about the Holiday Catalog! I think most people are saying this is the best catalog ever, which I know we said last year and probably the year before that! This year’s Holiday Catalog will have lots of Sizzix products in it, so be sure you have a Big Shot (and next month will be a good time to order one!). Lots of packaging products and ideas for the holidays, kits for making cards, more stamp sets with sentiments for the front of the card AND the inside! More of the photopolymer stamps for easy alignment, Project Life, and builder sets. The beautiful photopolymer stamp set Endless Wishes, that sold out quickly last fall when photopolymer stamps were new, will be reissued. There will be gift wrap, ribbon, a gift box punch board, more Project Life for the holidays, beautiful papers, and more, of course!

Also, the most recent demonstrator to reach $1 million in sales, Connie Heisey, was brought up on stage by Shelli to be recognized! She had previously been invited to the Home Office to spend the day and celebrate this amazing milestone! While on stage, the “delivery man” wheeled out about four Stampin’ Up! boxes (you can barely see him leaving behind Connie) (wish I’d gotten a better photo of him!) as Shelli told Connie she would be receiving EVERYTHING in the Holiday Catalog! Then there was a poof of confetti to celebrate this amazing milestone!

Connie Million Dollars

Here are some more of the photos I took of my laptop screen while I watched the live stream yesterday! Didn’t think of doing it from the beginning!

Pam Morgan on stage

Holiday Catalog Package

Holiday Catalog packages

Peace on Earth Bag

Shelli Gardner and Becky Higgins

In the afternoon and evening there were classes and additional demonstrations, which, from what I read online, sounded like they were terrific!

I know that at the Paper Pumpkin party the night before, demos got to make one item in the September Paper Pumpkin kit. It looked pretty cute to me! And apparently they got to view some other months’ kits, with a guard nearby, so no one would take photos! But they say the Paper Pumpkin kits just keep getting better so if you would like a Stampin’ Up! Paper Pumpkin papercrafting kit to come to you in the mail each month, remember the special going on! Save 50% on the first two months, for new subscribers only, by using the code: HALFOFF2 

Subscribe HERE for Paper Pumpkin!

And now I have to go check on the time for the live stream from Convention!

Start Your Stampin’ Up! Business and Go To Convention 2014 Free!

Stampin' Up! Convention 2014 Recruits Free

Want to be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, get in on all this fun, and make some extra money all at the same time?! Here is an enticement Stampin’ Up! offered yesterday at Leadership 2014 here in Houston, Texas. Start your own business selling Stampin’ Up! products for making cards, scrapbooks, photo albums, gifts, digital products, all kind of things. Whether you would like a little extra cash or want to make this your full-time business, there is a place for everyone in Stampin’ Up! Sometimes you don’t even know where it will take you, as evidenced by a demonstrator recognized at Leadership for having a million dollars in sales! She signed up with Stampin’ Up! with no intention whatsoever of selling and look what happened!!

I don’t have all the details yet, but if you sign up and join my team between now and the time Convention registration closes, you can attend Convention as a new recruit without paying the registration fee. (Of course there is travel, hotel and meals on your own!) I think everyone should attend a Stampin’ Up! event AT LEAST once, if not all of them!, because you have to feel the energy and the genuineness of the company in person, all led by Shelli Gardner, Co-Founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!, everyone’s best friend! That’s how she makes you feel anyway when you are any part of Stampin’ Up!

The new name they are giving the Stampin’ Up! Convention is “Inspire.Create.Share” because they said Convention is so much more than “convening”! There is lots of inspiration and creating that goes on and we all love to share what we do and what we love about Stampin’ Up!

Stampin' Up! Convention 2014 Inspire.Create.Share

Salt Lake City is so excited about having our convention there that they asked Stampin’ Up! to share some of their famous saltwater taffy with all of us at Leadership!

Stampin' Up! Convention Saltwater Taffy

Would you just like some information on becoming a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator? You can think about it and decide if this is the right thing for you at the right time. You just purchase the Starter Kit, which is fully customizable these days, and is a great value in itself. You don’t even have to know anything about stamping or business. I can help you get started myself plus refer you to Stampin’ Up! and other resources. Stampin’ Up! will even be opening an online “Stamping University” in a few days as part of their training section with lots of information and videos.

Becoming a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator can be a fun experience and even a profitable one! Think about it and contact me at Karen@KarenStamps.com if you would like to discuss any questions!

Projects on Display at the Stampin’ Up! Convention

I can’t get enough of these photos I took of the display boards at the Stampin’ Up! Convention! Such creative projects and cards!  It’s amazing!  You should be able to click on each photo to enlarge.

USA MapImages copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Honeycomb Embossed Friend CardImages copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Designer Paper bits and pieces on a scrapbook page

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013 

Altered Printer's Tray

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Altered Tin Mailbox

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Decorated Round Boxes

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Convention display projects

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Dressy Paper Projects

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Fall leaf garland

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Lego Scrapbook page

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make Fun Holiday Banners

I think one of the many hits at the Stampin’ Up! Convention was seeing the making of the holiday banners offered in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog and variations using the kits. Shelli Gardner’s daughter Sara fascinated all of us with her holiday banners made from kits and the extra projects she also made. It was one of those products that I didn’t necessarily think I was interested in from the catalog until I saw her demonstrate them at Convention. They were in my first order home from Convention!

Build a Banner Simply Created Kit

You can purchase this Build a Banner Simply Created Kit  and receive the canvas banners with grommets, the stencils with the designs and lower-case alphabet, jute twine, stencil mask and spritzer. In the spritzer you mix 70% rubbing alcohol and reinker and spritz VERY lightly and from a distance with the stencil on the banner.  When I saw it demonstrated I thought that surely wasn’t enough color to show up, but it was! The moisture will pool on the stencil so you have to be careful lifting the stencil off. Some demonstrators have found using a spray adhesive on the back of the stencils help hold them in place better.

Canvas Banner Spritzed with Reinker

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013 Here Sara used Gumball Green for the chevrons and Coastal Cabana I believe for the letter.

Using Sponge Dauber to ink up stencil

Here’s another technique you can use. Dip a Sponge Dauber into ink and apply to stencil. This method may work better than spritzing but might take a little longer. Sara only colored some of the dots so it wasn’t a big job to fill in all the dots.

Banner with Sponge Dauber Dots

Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

I haven’t been able to play with my banner kits yet but hopefully soon!  You can purchase extra banners in the Banner Simply Created Kit depending on your project, or if you don’t want the stencils you could just buy these banners. Then if you would like to jazz up your banner without making everything yourself, purchase the Halloween Banner Simply Created Accessory Kit or the Christmas Banner Simply Created Accessory Kit.

Check out these banner kits in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog and see if you are up for a new kind of project made easy with these kits!

Shop online at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE.

Stampin’ Up! Convention Make & Takes

This year at the Stampin’ Up! Convention Make & Takes were just ONE of the many activities we could choose from to do.  Since I usually get frazzled at Make & Takes, I chose to do mine at home and partake of the other demonstrations and things going on, as well as taking pictures of the display boards.

We always get stamp sets at Convention with which to do the Make & Takes.  This year we received the “Hello, Lovely” Stamp Set, Gorgeous Grungeand the Ronald McDonald set, Tag It. With each purchase of the Tag It stamp set, Stampin’ Up! donates $3 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Here are the packets we received with all the materials to make the projects!

Stampin' Up! Make & Takes

And here are the projects completed!

Tag a Bag Gift Bag

You can trim and score the Tag a Bag Gift Bags in order to make them stand up rather than just be flat. This one has a tag made from the Tag It stamp set and the Tag a Bag Accessory Kit plus some of the new Coastal Cabana Ruffle Stretch TrimYou can make lots of cute little gift bags with these tags and bags and buy them as a bundle.

Hello Lovely Card

This was a fun card made with the Hello Lovely Stamp Set plus the Gorgeous Grunge Stamp Set.  The Gorgeous Grunge stamp set reminds me of the stamp set we had long ago, I think it was called “Itty Bitty” – something.  It was very handy for just adding a bit of texture or interest when you needed it.  This card and envelope also has a bit of Epic Day Washi Tape on them. And the little Baker’s Twine thread in the Vintage Button was dyed by holding the twine down on the ink pad with a piece of sponge and then pulling the twine through. Not sure I would want to bother doing this very often, but if you need a certain color, you can do that.

And here are several note cards and envelopes that go in the cute gift bag.

You Make Me Happy Notecards and Envelopes

 

You Make Me Happy Notecards

 

You Make Me Happy Notecard Gift Bag

And here’s an easy box to make with the Tag a Bag Gift Box.

Tag a Bag Box

These boxes are going to be so good to keep on hand for those little gifts and things when you need something special.

For these or any other great Stampin’ Up! stamping supplies, please shop with me at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Display Boards at the Stampin’ Up! Convention

One of my favorite parts of any Stampin’ Up! Convention is looking at all the display boards with projects galore! Here are just a FEW photos of where I started photographing cards and projects on the display boards.  Yes, the paper and some embellishments might be retired but they are still fun to look at and perhaps you already have those materials and can duplicate some of these or get ideas for using new papers and products! Click on the pictures to enlarge.

All images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2013

Stampin' Up! Convention Cards on Display

Stampin' Up! Convention Cards on Display

Swallowtail Stamp Set Butterfly Card

Beautiful Swallowtail

Beautiful Dress with Champagne Glimmer Paper and Core'dinations Card Stock and Dress Up Framelits

Beautiful Dress with Champagne Glimmer Paper and Core’dinations Card Stock and Dress Up FramelitsPunch Art OwlCute punch art owl!Stampin' Up! Display Boards at Convention

All Cute Projects!

Stampin' Up! Display Boards at Convention

Close-up of hanging wordsDecorate your flip flops

Cute Flip Flops!

Dress Up Framelits art in a frame

Cute framed paper art

Use Stampin' Up! Buttons to decorate box

Cute way to decorate top of a box!

If this is getting you in a stamping mood, you can order more stamping and scrapping supplies at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

A Fun Visit to the Stampin’ Up! Home Office

The first day of Convention, Stampin’ Up! provided buses for us to ride out to Riverton, Utah to tour the home office.  It was about a 25-minute ride and oh so beautiful out there! I could turn in a circle and see mountains everywhere! No wonder they picked that spot for the home office! This is where the offices are and the Distribution Center where our orders are packed.  However, the stamps are manufactured a few hours away at Kanab, Utah.

After being greeted by some Stampin’ Up! employees when we got off the bus, we went inside!

Stampin' Up! Home Office Tour

 the history of Stampin' Up!

In the Legacy Room, the History of Stampin’ Up!

Covering walls with designer paperUsing (retired) First Edition Designer Paper to cover the walls

Decorate your wall with die cut flowers

Decorate your wall with die cut flowers

Books covered with designer paper

Books covered with designer paper

Getting the Stampin' Up! boxes ready to pack

Getting the Stampin’ Up! boxes ready to pack

Stampin' Up! Distribution Center

Stampin’ Up! Distribution Center

Stampin' Up! Distribution Center

Where our orders get packed!

The Stampin' Up! Rock

The Stampin’ Up! Rock

And I still have plenty of photos I would love to show you that I took at this place! I have to figure out how to make a gallery of photos! But at least this gives you an idea of the home base of Stampin’ Up! and what a lovely work enviroment they have. I also have photos of “The Idea Room”, a large room with bean bag chairs, a piano, games, stamping supplies, and one room where all the walls are those dry erase boards, I suppose for brainstorming.  Of course demonstrators had fun writing all kinds of messages all over the walls!

Writing messages in the Idea Room

Writing messages in the Idea Room

Writing on the Board in the Idea Room

Writing on the Board in the Idea Room

Even if you’re not a demonstrator, if you’re on vacation in the Salt Lake City area, you might call Stampin’ Up! and see if you could pay a visit to see the beautiful home office in Riverton, UT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New from Stampin’ Up!: Undefined Stamp Carving Kit

Undefined Stamp Carving Kit from Stampin' Up!

One of the big surprises at the Stampin’ Up! Convention was this new concept:  carve your own stamp!! My reaction, and I’m sure many others was, why would we want to do that?!  But once Shannon West finished her presentation of this new kit, we were all anxious to try it! There was a place to try it out at Convention, but unfortunately there was too much to do and I didn’t get a chance to do this.

You can sketch your idea (use one provided in the kit if you want!) and transfer it to the rubber. Then use your tools in the kit to carve out the design!  Mount it on your wood block or on to cling foam if you want to use clear-mount (cling foam available separately).

Click on the flyer below to read all about it!

Undefined Stamp Carving Kit Flyer

Here are some of Shannon’s ideas of things she might want to carve into a stamp! 🙂

Carve Your Own Stamp Ideas

And here is what an actual carved stamp looks like!

Undefined Stamp Carving Kit

 After seeing some of the old historical photos of Shelli when she started the company, Shannon chose one of Shelli Gardner to make into a stamp!

Carved Stamp of Shelli Gardner

Haven’t I told you inspiration for your projects can come from anywhere?  Here Shannon chose one of her favorite things, Diet Coke, for an idea for a carved stamp with the Undefined Stamp Carving Kit.

Soda Can Inspiration

And here is a collection of carved stamps Shannon made herself that she showed us while on stage at Convention! I think she joked that someone called it her breakfast set!  Those are bacon, eggs, and donuts, plus the diet Coke!

Undefined Stamp Carving Kit customized

And here’s another card she made!

Undefined Stamp Carving Kit Stamps

The Undefined Stamp Carving Kit is already available to you! There’s also a refill kit, as you surely will want more!

Watch the video you will find on the store page!

 Just click HERE to see it and order it in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Stampin’ Up! 2013 Convention Highlights Video

Stampin’ Up! has posted the 2013 Convention highlight reel!  I hope you enjoy while I continue getting my feet back down on the ground after such a fun time at Convention!

And I’m editing this post to add that the theme song singer, who Shelli introduced as “Ryan from The Voice” is Ryan Innes, a contestant on “The Voice” TV show! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIKGHEZzuC0

 

Stampin’ Up! 2013 Convention Closes with a Bang!

All good things must come to an end, they say, and certainly the 2013 Stampin’ Up! Convention did with a bang!  Yes, real bangs!  Fireworks and confetti! Of course my camera battery died at the exact moment, but with a quick change, I was able to get a tiny video of the sparkle and glimmer!

Glitter and Confetti at end of Stampin’ Up! Convention

(Don’t know how to add a video in this new blog but hopefully this works.) (nothing great, but something!)

Today was travel day and it seemed to take all day since I was up extremely early in order to perhaps beat the other 5000 or so demos leaving today. It actually went fine, I was just SO tired and carrying my heavy SU backpack from Convention with my laptop, a one bag of swaps to look at, catalogs, snacks, etc. It’s fun having something to visibly identify you as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator because we can easily pick out other demos to chat with and also other people are wanting to know who we all are with the matching bags!  That’s a great opportunity to share with them the fun job we have as demonstrators and tell them about stamping.  My flight from Salt Lake City to Denver was really fun as I got to sit with two other very friendly demos and we just chatted the whole way about Convention and Stampin’ Up!  I felt a little sorry for the people in the row in front of us who probably wondered if we would ever be quiet! After a two-hour layover in Denver I finally made it back to Houston by 4:00.  It’s always sad to leave the last event of Convention after all the long anticipation and say goodbye to all the other demos.

We barely had any free time after things got rolling with Convention so I haven’t even looked at my swaps yet!  Can you believe that?  Downloading all my photos was extremely time-consuming (not sure if the hotel internet was slow or if I wasn’t doing something right) (or else the internet was saying ‘Are you kidding me??!  All these photos??’) so I really didn’t get to post more on my blog.  But I’ll try to catch up this week.

In a nutshell, Shelli’s daughter Sara presented on stage yesterday.  She was wonderful.  She has her mother’s personality and smile and the projects she showed were great.  They also had the anniversary marches across the stage so I got to walk across for being a demo for ten years! In the last general session Bonnie Thurber from Stampin’ Up!, always a favorite, had us laughing our heads off with her fun demonstration and comments!  In the past, sometimes she would sing at Convention but we didn’t get that treat this year.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Shelli presented the Heart of Stampin’ Up! award to a demo who I remember from when I was new to Stampin’ Up!.  That award is always a touching one and never fails to bring Shelli to tears just reading the nominations.

 We also got to see the “commercials” some demos created.  This year they were so good they had to give out a fourth place award. I thought 4th place was so good  I couldn’t imagine any others being better, but it was fun to watch all of them and what talent by these demonstrators to come up with these videos!  They each won a shopping spree!

The last group of Prize Patrol winners won EVERY stamp set in the upcoming Holiday Catalog….maybe consolation prize for being the last ones!  All of us got the Yippee-Skippee stamp set as one last party favor!

There’s so much more to tell but it’s time for bed!

Stampin’ Up! Home Office Tour

Not enough time to tell you every last detail right now!

Took a bus ride out to Riverton, UT to the Stampin’ Up! Home Office!

Stampin' Up! Home Office

 

So fun!  Some employees were there to greet us as we got off the bus!

Stampin' Up! Home Office

 

In the Atrium

IMG_0516

 

Just one photo of one of the beautiful displays!  Got more!

IMG_0524

 

Do you know Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators will stand in line for half an hour to get their picture taken by a rock??  Well, it is the Stampin’ Up! rock!  Can’t find the photos now but I’ll catch up later!

First General Session at 5:00 was fabulous!  Guess who even won the second Prize Patrol??  Get yourself some of the Modern Medley Designer Series Paper and gold embossing powder!  Pam Morgan of SU says it will be the hot thing!  She used the “Grunge” stamp set….can’t think of the correct name.  Got beautiful backpacks too!  Broke the world record for most greeting cards mailed from one location!  I stood in line for an hour to mail my card but now I’m part of a world record! Special offer coming on My Paper Pumpkin.  Stay tuned! So much going on, so fun, so fun!!!

 

First Day of the 2013 Stampin’ Up! Convention

The schedule for the Stampin’ Up! Convention this year is rather different.  I’m not sure I have it all straight in my head yet.  But I do know first thing today is a bus tour out to Riverton to see the Stampin’ Up! Home Office!  I have been there before several years ago and it is a wonderful place (would Stampin’ Up! have an office that wasn’t wonderful??!) so I’m anxious to see it again.  As I remember, there were several rooms to walk through and see stamping ideas and even some Stampin’ Up! history.  The first General Session will begin about 5:30 pm tonight.  The excitement will be palpable!  Just flying in yesterday we were getting more excited the closer we got and when I got to my hotel I thought, “OH, it’s just across the street over there!  So close!”  So much excitement that will happen and so many memories we will all make!  My trip here was fun because I met one demo I already knew a little bit and enjoyed her company, plus we met two other ladies who were fun to be with as we ate lunch together in the Denver airport and rode the shuttle together over to the hotel.

For Convention I always like to take my own notebook, even though they give us a workbook of sorts, but I like to decorate the cover and have plenty of writing and drawing space.  So this is what I came up with close to the last minute!

Convention 2013 Notebook

And since all 5800 of us will get the same bag, it’s a good idea to make some kind of tag that hopefully helps you keep track of your own bag.  Here’s the one I made, not knowing what the bag will look like!

Convention Bag Tag

That’s all I know so far!  Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/karenstamps and especially my Facebook business page www.facebook.com/stampingwithkaren.  I’ll try to remember to post there now and then.