We arrived home last night after a week's vacation in California visiting our daughter and son-in-law. The weather was a little hotter most of the time than we have experienced there before but still not quite as bad as the always tropical Houston! And the mountains and scenery are always gorgeous!

I always like the window seat on the plane so I can look out and hopefully see something interesting. I actually wish there was a little map of the plane flying so I could see what state or area we are flying over at all times. On the way out to Burbank, we changed planes in Denver, and as I looked out the window, the scenery below was just spectacular! I took pictures from the plane hoping we could figure out where we were or if we were actually flying over the Grand Canyon. (We're typically on the wrong side of the plane if the pilot announces something to see out the window!)

We did spot a dam and some water. As it turned out, it was the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell behind it! And… as it turned out, the top Stampin' Up! Demonstrators who were rewarded with a free trip called Founder's Circle from Stampin' Up! to St. George, Utah had gone on a float trip in the same area just the day before! Stampin' Up! really knows how to treat demonstrators (and everyone!) the right way so all Stampin' Up! events are always top-notch! But for these top demonstrators, this Founder's Circle trip is always spectacular! From reading some of their blogs, they first visited Kanab, UT where the Stampin' Up! manufacturing facility is loated and had lunch with the employees. Then they took a bus to begin this 3-hour float trip which looked really amazing. If we had just flown one day earlier, perhaps we could have seen their tiny rafts (tiny from the air!) floating down the Colorado River!  :) 

Glen Canyon Dam

Glen Canyon Dam in center.The Founder's Circle float trip was in canyon below that.

Dam in the very lower left and looking back at Lake Powell

Glen Canyon Dam with bridge in front of it

Wiggly canyon going down to lower left is where they floated

These photos really do not do justice to seeing these views yourself from the plane. It's almost spiritual to fly over this kind of scenery that seemed to go on and on and on.  Just magnificent!  Now that my husband and I have compared our photos from the air to Google maps and photos on some of the demos' blogs, he thinks we need to do this float trip!

You can read about the whole Founder's Circle experience on Shelli Gardner's blog!

And if you think you'd like to be a part of a company that rewards hard work by top achievers like this, then check out some more information about Stampin' Up! Even if you don't reach this level, you will certainly enjoy being part of the Stampin' Up! family from the moment you join!

Sunday, Sept. 16th, is the last day to get this adorable kit for Halloween when you sign up to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator! If you would like to make some extra money for the holidays, if you need some extra money for some bills, if you want a stash of money for yourself….or if you just plain want to enjoy being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator….then take advantage of this offer!  Of course, any day is a good day to sign up to be part of the Stampin' Up! family, kit or no kit!  But this is just an extra fun perk!  One of many, as you will discover, being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator gives you flexibility to have a business and run it the way that works best for you and your family.

For more information on this promotion, click here and then scroll way down!

For general information about becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and starting your new business, please look at my Stampin' Up! website here. You'll find information about choosing $125 in product for your Starter Kit which only costs $99! You'll also receive some business supplies to get you started and your kit ships for free!  You Halloween project kit will also ship with your Starter Kit.

Email me if you have any questions.

When you're ready (anytime) just sign up online here!  Once on the page, just click the "JOIN NOW" button on the left.  No password required. It will ask you to read and agree to the Demonstrator Agreement, then choose and purchase your Starter Kit. Stampin' Up! will then email you your Demonstrator number and information to get into the Demo website!  Once you choose your kit, it only takes minutes!

Stampin' Up! always offers one of the best opportunities to start your own business and realize your goals that you set for yourself.

To become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and start your own business, all you have to do is purchase the customizable Starter Kit.  You choose $125 worth of product of your choice and pay only $99! Choose from the annual Stampin' Up! Catalog or the current Holiday Catalog.  Choose traditional stamping products or digital…or both!  It's your choice with this new Starter Kit!  Plus you will also receive a Business Pack valued at around $50 to help you get your business off to the start you want.

As an added bonus during August, a new demonstrator would also receive the above pictured Howl-o-ween Project Kit and Printer's Tray.  Due to the great response, Stampin' Up! has decided to extend this special offer until Sept. 16! If you're not into Halloween, use the printer's tray for Christmas or just any project!  Have fun with creativity! This kit will ship with your Starter Kit.

Should you become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator just to get this cute kit?  Probably not. But if joining Stampin' Up! was something you've been considering, starting your own business to make some extra money for your family, earning some extra money for the holidays, finding a new outlet for your creativity, finding something new for this time in your life….then go ahead and join and just for a fun extra, get this fabulous Spooktacular project!  I guarantee you will always treasure it as a reminder of the day you became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator!!

For more information about becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, check out the information from Stampin' Up! here. And after doing your own research for a preview, please contact me and ask me any questions you have.

If you are reading my blog, you must have an interest in papercrafting and creating, and you can probably tell how much I enjoy and love Stampin' Up! and the opportunities this company provides.  When the time is right for you and your family, it is easy to sign up online….you don't even have to mail in papers and wait…although you can…but if you sign up online you can become a demonstrator in minutes!

Think about it and let me know how I can help!

Make the decision to start your own stamping and scrapbooking business and also receive this Spooktacular Project Kit Offer….an extra bonus besides the joy, the fun, the extra money, the opportunity of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. 

Join the fun by joining Stampin' Up! and start earning some extra cash for whatever your needs and desires are. Maybe it's not about the cash, but about trying something new, new opportunities for personal growth, making new friends, forming new relationships, enjoying what you do.  Everyone can have their own reason for joining Stampin' Up! Check it out here!

• Customize your own Starter Kit by choosing $125 in product for only $99.
• Also receive a business pack with your Starter Kit valued at $65
• Receive the Howl-o-ween Printer's Tray plus all the necessary supplies except ink.

There are many perks and benefits to being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, not the least of which it is your own business with great potential if you choose to work at it.

You can contact me for more information or ask any questions you have, and when you are ready, you can easily sign up online HERE (just click the Join The Fun button on the left).  

If you've already read all the material and are ready for the Online Demonstrator Agreement (IDA), just click on the link below!

Join Now!

While you can join Stampin' Up! any time, this special Spooktacular Offer with the free Howl-a-ween Printer's Tray only lasts until August 31!  Don't wait until the last minute!

Look what I found! Some OLD Stampin' Up! stamped candles! The other day I did a little "cleaning" in my front bedroom where I stash all my retired stamping products and all my unfinished craft projects and materials from before my Stampin' Up! days. I found these candles in a drawer, but what is interesting are the old Stampin' Up! images from back when I became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

The fruit images are from a stamp set called "Citrus & Such" and stamped with the old Spectrum ink pads, which were a strip of several colors of ink so you could get a multi-colored image. The flower on the candle in the middle was perhaps in my Starter Kit when I signed up, "Fresh Flowers". Not much choice, if any, back then of what you got in your Starter Kit! The last candle has a heart from "Love Always" and the bottom border is a wheel called "Love Swirls". I think my upline made that one for me.

And just a couple more nostalgic items:  a small tin bucket stamped with a variety of stamps and an old jar, painted, and then stamped with Fresh Flowers. I think my stamping, and everyone's, has come a long way in ten years!

I'm sure any demonstrator or stamper who has been around Stampin' Up! for awhile will recognize these old images!  I think maybe the first stamp sets you start out with become near and dear to your heart forever!

To start your journey with Stampin' Up!, check out the fully customizable and affordable Starter Kit for only $99!

Click on image above to enlarge.

If you have been thinking that maybe it would be fun to be a new Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, now is your time! This offer has been going on this month of June, but now the deadline is approaching! The last day is Saturday, June 30, 2012.

Sign up online to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator to start your own business and be a part of Stampin' Up! I don't think you will regret it!

• For only $99, get a customized Starter Kit with $125 worth of great Stampin' Up! products.
• A pack of business supplies valued at $65.
• BONUS

Becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is easy, only takes a few minutes online! You will receive your Demonstrator number right away in an email.  Then just wait for your Starter Kit to arrive. You can start planning how you would like to run your business and spread the word to your friends and family!

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Please look HERE for information on becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.
 

If you were a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator today, it would be so exciting your head would be spinning!

• You would be waking up and rushing to your computer to check the Sneak Peeks of new product from the new upcoming catalog and planning what to order soon this month so you have new samples to show your customers….and so you get your hands on new stamps, ink, paper and accessories at the earliest possible moment! Because demonstrators can.
• If you had built a successful Stampin' Up! business, you would already be on the Disney Incentive Trip, compliments of Stampin' Up!, having the time of your life with other demonstrators and Stampin' Up! employees…and of course Mickey! Perhaps you would already be working on earning the incentive trip of a lifetime to Fiji! Because demonstrators can earn free trips and go to Stampin' Up! events like Convention and Leadership…and more.
• You would be checking out all the details of the new Stampin' Up! Starter Kit to share with those who would like to start a business for themselves by becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

This new kit will be available later this morning and signing up online at my website HERE has been made easier than ever.

You may choose the products that YOU want, but if you would like some suggestions, Stampin' Up! has a list you can use.

Contact me with any questions!  Just ask! Email me at Karen@Karenstamps.com.

Have your own business started TODAY!  Imagine the possibilities of doing something you love!

Registration for the 2012 Stampin' Up! Convention opened today and Stampin' Up! shared this video of the 2011 Convention highlights! Since I had just posted about considering becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I thought I would share this video right away so you can get a taste of the indescribable experience of attending Convention! (Believe me, this is only a taste….you can't imagine the real fun and creativity you will experience there.) You might want to go press that "Join Now" button right away! Use your tax refund to pay for your kit!