Thought you would love to see some of the magic that happens at the Stampin' Up! National Convention each year in Salt Lake City! Though I had to take a pass on going this year, I'm living vicariously though my downline team!
Check out this video that opened Convention 2012 this year! It includes corporate employees as well as the company Vice-President, Rich Jutkins and CEO, Shelli Gardner.
Yes, Stampin' Up! is just that fun and amazing! Hope you enjoyed!
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Today was our last day of the Stampin' Up! convention. The morning began with a wonderful speaker and continued on with great presentations and the traditional game show.
Ok, so I was really nervous to be going on stage in front of all of the Stampin' Up! demonstrators. Eek.
So here we are in our first round. From left to right: Jen from IL, Lynn from CA, Chris, Mary from Canada and myself. Yes, I was the captain.
By the time this picture was taken, I think I was past my nerves and my ultra-competitiveness kicked in. I WANTED TO WIN!
Here is my first head to head question. The question: "Name something made from paper that is sold in the catalog?" I said "Cards" because I didn't let him finish the question. He only got to: "Name something made from paper... Oops, I got a little buzzer happy.
But we won this round! On to round 2 and we are guaranteed $100 Stampin' Up! shopping spree.
I just thought this was a good picture of Chris and myself. ;0)
This is our second round for the championship! This gives you and idea of how Stampin' Up! goes all out for every event they do. A complete game show set.
Well...WE WON THIS ROUND TWO! So now we had a $200 shopping spree and were headed to the speed round for an extra $50.
We picked Chris to go first and Mary to go second. Mary got sent backstage into isolation so she couldn't hear Chris' answers.
Well, Chris was our game show rock star. We needed to add 200 points between both gals to get the additional $50 and Chris got 211 on her own! Yes, all five of us walked away with a new stamp set and a $250 shopping spree. I need to go shopping!
Woot Woot!
Well, convention is all done. Although it is a little sad as Chris and I have had a wonderful time, I am very excited to get back home to my men (both big and small) and get back to my business.
I have a meeting with my downline on Monday. I can't wait to share all the fun and inspiration with my gals! If you live close and are interested in becoming a demonstrator, CONTACT ME and I will give you the meeting place details. We would love to have you!
Thanks for following all the fun this week!
Stampin’ In His Name,
Jill
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Another wonderful day at Convention! I love Stampin' Up!
Here is what a typical morning looks like at 7:30AM as we wait for the doors to open for general session. But it goes quick and is worth the hour of great dance music.
Stampin' Up! has You Crews roaming around convention giving out special experiences: moving you to the front row by the stage, moving you from the back of the line to the front, giving out free product.
I will be honest, Chris and I were pouting a little this morning as we danced and the gals in the row in front of us got "You Crewed" to the front row by the stage. She and I never win anything. BUT NOT TODAY!!!!
About 20 minutes later, we got "You Crewed"! What did we get.......we are going to be game show contestants tomorrow during the closing session! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. If you don't know - this is an awesome thing! I just have to say that I am extremely nervous about being on stage in front of all these people. We will be playing Demonstrator Duel - a Stampin' Up! version of Family Feud. And I'm the team captain!! Eek!!!! But we are so stoked! We know we already get a free stamp set tomorrow and are guaranteed a Stampin' Up! shopping spree. But the amount of our spree will depend on how well our team does. There are four teams. I will let you know tomorrow! HOW COOL IS THAT!??
So after we found out all the details about tomorrow, we headed to lunch. During our lunch time, SUDSOL (demonstrator yahoo group) had our gathering and swap. This was the card that I It was great to meet all the women that I talk to and get help from online. This was the card that I swapped. The layout comes from a Splitcoast Sketch challenge but I am unsure of the challenge number.
Our afternoon consisted of Make And Takes and more classes. This is just half of the make and take tables. We started here and then moved to another group of tables around the corner for a second group of projects. Lots of fun projects!
REMINDERS:
Don't' forget about my Convention Online Ordering Special. It ends this Sunday, August 9th. See all the details HERE.
Also, my Opportunity Night is coming up this Thursday, August 13th. If you are interested in joining me and this wonderful company, come out! You can see all the details HERE! Please RSVP if you plan to attend so I can have enough project supplies for everyone. You don't want to miss out on the great starter kit specials that are happening only until August 31st. Whether you join for the discount, the fun or the extra income - Stampin' Up! and I have a place for you.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend.
Stampin’ In His Name,
Jill
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Busy day today. It's midnight and I need to go to bed, but I did load pictures from today on my Facebook page if you want to go see them HERE!
Lots of fun, dancing, new product demonstrations and a Stampin' Up! Build-A-Bear bear complete with a little Stampin' Up! apron and a rubber stamp in her hand. I now have one of my own! She just needs a name - any suggestions?
Awards and Entertainment was tonight and it was nice seeing demonstrators recognized for their accomplishments. Plus the Tonic Sol Fa, the entertainment, was great.
Off to bed. Tomorrow is Make and Take Day and my swap with SUDSOL. I will post my swap card tomorrow.
Sorry for the short post. Thanks for stopping by.
Stampin’ In His Name,
Jill
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Here is the front of the Stampin' Up! Corporate headquarters in Riverton, UT. It is all stone and very pretty. What you see are the offices and behind this is huge distribution center.
OK, so I really debated blogging this picture as the winds were really blowing as you can see by my hair. These are the entry doors.
I rode down to Riverton with Patty Bennett and Joy. Thanks for having me Patty! It was a nice afternoon getting to know these ladies.
This is what you see as you first walk in the front doors. It is the atrium area and just behind that rail looks over onto the fountain. Would you believe that the gal at the front desk was crafting with the Big Shot. Now that is my kind of job!
This is what you see when you look over that railing. This fountain is surrounded by tables and chairs and is where the employees eat their lunches.
Stampin' Up! also has a Legacy Room that shows the history of the company as well and display rooms featuring our products in the decor. This is also one of the display cases in the Legacy Room that shows how stamp sets go from the concept stage of sketches (left) to the making of the plates that press our the rubber images.
Another great room is the Ideas Room. I would guess this is where the employees gather to come up with all the great products and promotions that Stampin' Up! offers. You have comfortable couches and a piano. There are even huge bean bag chairs over there in the distance.
This is an area to craft and create in. The shelves hold some Stampin' Up! product to use to get your MOJO flowing.
This room also has a foosball table, ping pong table and air hockey. On the far side you see a separate conference room. Today the walls were lined with butcher paper and demonstrators were scribbling ideas all over the walls. The biggest idea I saw written was "Chocolate Chip Brads". Someone wants Chocolate Chip brads. We will have to wait and see if that idea on the wall turns up in future catalogs.
You leave out of the Idea Room and enter into the Distribution Center on a walk way that overlooks the area from above.
In this particular area, the employees are being cued as to what size box needs to be created for the order, applying a bar coded label that identifies each order and placing the boxes on the conveyor belt. You can see the belt in the left side of the picture carrying the boxes away to begin filling them with Stampin' Up! products!
Here is a look over to the left. Lots of racks, these go three or four rows deep, all full of catalog and demonstrator supply merchandise. The gray ramp you see in the center is the conveyor belt that carries the boxes away after they are full and ready to be closed up. See that spot in the bottom left corner where the two gals are standing...the next picture is a close up of that area.
Here is that area. In the bottom, center of the picture you can see the conveyor belt full of boxes. The boxes roll along the belt stopping in front of bins of product. If the light for that product lights up when the box is in front of it, the employee puts that number of product in the box and sends it on its way. Yes, this center is completely automated.
You want to know why Stampin' Up! has the best shipping times around??? It is because they have high production goals and they exceed them.
This is the tracking sheet for Tuesday, August 4th in the Distribution Center. They track it hourly. The left column is the goal for boxes and the right is how many boxes they actually packed. See 10 am to 11am?? 9,592 boxes were packed in one hour. Stampin' Up! shipped out 88,727 boxes on just Tuesday alone! That is one busy place with a great shipping and accuracy rate!
Here are just some of the cubicles in the Demonstrator Support Center. This is who I call when I have a question. And I have to say that they are the nicest people around. I'm sure their work environment helps a lot. See all those creative projects lining the walls of the cubicles? You can't help but be inspired to work hard!
I hope these shots give you a better idea of Stampin' Up! and what a wonderful company I am a part of. This is the business end too! Just wait to see the pictures that I share with you the next three days! That will be the fun side!
I need to go to sleep. Doors open at 7:30am tomorrow and I have some dancing to do! Yes, there is D.J. music for the 30 minutes before our opening sessions at 8am!
Good Night.
Stampin’ In His Name,
Jill
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It is Check In Day at the Stampin' Up! Convention. So when Chris and I "door busted" the Momento Mall at 7:30 AM this morning, this is what we found. Wow, a few hundred other demonstrators had the same idea as us. But we quickly went from the back of the line to the middle as hundreds filed in behind us as we waited the 1 1/2 hours for the Momento Mall to open.
Part of the fun on convention is all of the wonderful demonstrators you meet and see the fun they are having. While waiting in line, these two gals passed by to swap and I took their picture. It is their first convention - can you figure out how I know? Hint: Their shirts say "Convention Virgins". Their names are Cheryl Schleeta and Melody Martin (I may not have read the handwriting correctly so I'm sorry if I got your names wrong). Thanks ladies - love the crowns!
These two ladies brought along their Build-A-Bears decked out in Stampin' Up! attire. The little Stampin' Up! apron and convention logo t-shirt were just too cute! Pssst....Stampin' Up! will be featuring an entire line of Build-A-Bear themed paper crafting products in our Holiday Mini Catalog that goes live September 1st.
You also see amazing creativity here. This was such a cute way to decorate a name badge lanyard that I had to take a picture. I had never thought to use my Filigree brads for this! Fun!
So, what did we buy once we got into the Momento Mall and began shopping???
First were these reusable shopping bags in great Stampin' Up! colors and prints. There was a limit of four of each pattern and you should have seen this things flying off the racks. Stampin' Up! employees were refilling the racks as fast as they could.
I just had to buy one of these for myself. It is the cutest zip up sweatshirt with our Razzle Dazzle stamp set images embroidered in the front and sleeve in colors to match our Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper. The hood is also lined with a print from the paper and has a Stampin' Up! logo on it. Can't wait to wear this! I will likely have to wait until I get back home as it is about 95 degrees here each day.
Here is a cute cosmetic case all all the fillers: emery boards, lotion, compact mirror and nail care kit all in Stampin' Up! colors and patterns. I bought this for Kathy Clark in NH. I'm her convention buying buddy. She is a demo that couldn't come this year. They are coming your way Kathy!
And finally, after we shopped, we went over and picked up our convention bag.
It features the three colors of the convention theme and is reversible. Inside were our four stamp sets and 1 wheel that we will be using in our make and takes tomorrow.
I have a picture of Chris and I shopping but we can't get it downloaded from Chris' camera. Hopefully, later.
Oh, I forgot. I also brought swap cards for my downline Nina. Hi Nina! This is me swapping her cards while in line for the Momento Mall. I've got great card samples for you Nina.
OK, I am off. I have to be back over at the convention center in about 30 minutes to meet my carpool group to head to the corporate headquarters.
Let me know what you think of all of the goodies!
Thanks so much!
Stampin’ In His Name,
Jill
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Here Chris and I are today at our Stamp Camp hosted again by Sherrill Graff of Late Night Stampers. We made 8 amazing projects that took us 3 1/2 hours. But, I am keeping the projects under wraps as I will be doing classes with them this Fall for sure! Sorry.
This table features the projects were made at our Shoebox Swap yesterday along with other items that people brought to share.
This table has a display board of some amazing cards plus the projects from yesterday afternoon's shoe box swap projects. Too Cute!
Ok, I cant' stand it - I wanted to share this picture with you. This is just one of the hallways in the Salt Palace Convention center all decked out with the Convention theme. And notice - it's empty! Chris and I were the only ones in the building. I call it the Lull Before The Storm. ;0) Hopefully, Stampin' Up! doesn't mind me posting this picture. I will take another one for you tomorrow when it is full of 7,000 demonstrators.
Our itinerary for tomorrow: "door bust" the Momento Mall (Convention Gift Shop) at 7am. We may just be standing outside the doors of the Convention Center. ;0) Then pick up our convention bags, check out all the display boards and Check In Day activities. Then I will leave at 2:30pm to head to the Stampin' Up! corporate headquarters in Riverton, UT with a group of sweet demonstrators who are including me in their carpool - I don't know anyone except for on-line communication. Thanks for inviting me Patty. I'm going so I can blog it for you! Woot Woot!
Ok, I must go. I need to try and work on my newsletter tonight. I'm trying to fit some work in while we are playing.
Thanks for visiting. Stop by again tomorrow for Check In Day chaos and pictures of my SU! corporate headquarters tour. It will be late as we are having dinner on our way back to Salt Lake.
Stampin’ In His Name,
Jill
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Thought I would show you the gift I gave Chris when we got here. I went with a purple theme as that is Chris' favorite color.
I included an altered composition notebook and RSVP pen so she could take notes, sticky notes, purple Sharpie, gum, Stampin' Up! water bottle (with Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses inside) and a tag for her convention bag. I actually made the tag myself! But, I have to say that my packaging of the whole gift didn't come together as I had hoped.
So I thought I would share some of the fun ways Stampin' Up! decorates for convention. These are the columns outside the front of the Salt Palace Convention Center. They are wrapped with nylon banners that show the convention theme: Inspire, Create, Share.
Here are the main entry doors - those are some seriously big Decor Elements!
Plus all the businesses around town have clings on their windows welcoming Stampin' Up! demonstrators to Salt Lake. Wow, I almost feel like royalty. ;0)
OK, I will admit that we walked through the convention center last night and took pictures. But, I don't think I should post those now so I will wait until later in the week. It was just fun to be there seeing it all coming together yet completely empty. It won't be empty tomorrow!
OK, I better go. I need to work on the August newsletter so I can get it out to you this week. Are you on my email list? If not, you can sign up in the top left hand column. Then we have a stamp camp this afternoon. Yea, more stamping! I will share that fun with you later tonight.
If you are wishing you were here, you can be next year. Join my team of demonstrators now for just $85! Click HERE for all the details.
Stampin’ In His Name,
Jill
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This morning Chris and I attended a shoebox swap organized by Sherrill Graff of Late Night Stampers. We were to bring a project and enough supplied for 5 people to make our project. I had to finish up my sample last night and this was my mess on the desk in our hotel room! Yes, I can "total" a table anywhere that I go!
Here is my final project. I actually used this project for as one of the make and takes at my New Catalog Open Houses last week. I just added an additional black mat on the back of the card for this event.
Project Supplies:
Stamps: The More The Merrier
Paper: Basic Black and Whisper White card stock and Crushed Curry textured card stock
Ink: StazOn Jet Black and Rich Razzleberry ink pads and Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango and Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry polka dot ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Small Oval Punch, Modern Label Punch, Silver Brads
Click HERE to order Stampin' Up! supplies 24/7!
Here is the group as we were finishing up our projects
Here is Chris and my shoebox swap group. From Left going clockwise: Sharon from Kansas, Chris, Me, Yvonne from Atlanta, Kelly from Germany (APO), Stacie from Tennessee. These ladies were so much fun to stamp with. Thank you so much for your creativity!
Here is Chris' beautiful shoebox swap card. Sorry for the poor picture quality - I took this on the floor next to the window in our room. ;0)
This card has so much texture and fun to it! See that beautiful embossing?? That is the new Finial Press Embossing Folder for the Big Shot. I now need to get me one of those!Thanks Chris! The colors are Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa and Sage Shadow. They are absolutely stunning!
I am a little nervous about going through convention this week with complete access to my Stampin' Up! online ordering system. This could get expensive!
OK, I'm off. We are heading out to jump on the local rail system to see if we can find some fruit for our fridge for the week. Say that three times fast!
Stay tuned tomorrow - I will share with you the gift package I made for Chris, my roomie, downline and friend! Also, we are going to a Stamp Camp in the afternoon, so I will have fun things to share with you tomorrow evening.
Thanks for stopping by.
Jill
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