Jul 31, 2013 | family, Stampin' Up! Convention |
Whenever I go on a Stampin’ Up! related trip I make sure to bring a gift for my roommates. That is just one of the many fun things about these trips. This year I was a bit short on time due to a delay getting home from our trip to San Francisco so I went with something pretty last minute and simple for my convention roommates.
I decided to use the new Wood Mount Stamp cases – I bought full sized and half sized empty cases. I used the This & That Epic Day Designer Series paper for the covers – cut to size and insert inside the plastic cover. Then I filled the boxes – the large box was filled with snacks and the small box was filled with some little convention/workshop necessities – post it notes, paper clips, pencil, chap stick, tissues, etc. To finish the boxes I stamped and cut tags with the Chalk Talk stamp set and framelits and added some Chevron Ribbon to tie the tags too.
I also received cute gifts from my roommates – but I don’t have pictures of those to share yet – I’ll have to do that later.
I will start to share the story from our San Francisco trip.
I still haven’t shared this story on my blog – but I told a few other people this weekend and they all say it needs to be written down because they have never heard anything like it. So since it is long – I better break it up into parts.
Over 4th of July our family went to San Francisco to visit Kyle (he is working out there for the summer). We had a great time visiting and sight seeing – I’ll create some My Digital Studio Layouts to share about that trip later. Right now I was going to share about our adventure home. Everyone I’ve told has said to write this down and share because as the story went on and on it was just comical all the things that went wrong. So this is it because I just couldn’t make this stuff up and if you don’t care to read on then go ahead stop here.
First I’m going to back track to the day we arrived in San Francisco. As we came in to the airport first I said “I sure hope there is a runway under us because I sure do see a lot of water”. Then all of sudden we hit down on the runway – hard – hardest landing I have experienced. And so hard this happened –
The oxygen masks dropped out of one of the seats.
I’ve never had a landing so rough. So then a day or two later is when I read on Facebook about a plane crash at the San Francisco airport. Initially I wasn’t sure it was real but then quickly realized it was. And thoughts of our rough landing returned – along with the fact that we were in the back of the plane and I think we came in on that same runway. It really was too creepy. Such a terrible thing. But we had a few more days in the area before heading home. I just didn’t realize then how much that incident was going to impact our trip home. And really I think it impacted airports and people everywhere since two of the four runways at SFO were closed for a good week. I’m sure there are many other stories that people have of trying to return home or go somewhere during that time. In the big picture we made it home safe and sound eventually but during the journey I kept saying “you have got to be kidding me this can’t be real” and many times I really wanted to sit and cry and mostly I just wanted us all to be home and safe and secure.
So these are the thoughts that kept running through my head after we were all at home –
“You know you’re a mother when you ignore your fears, hold back your tears, power through your exhaustion, and overcome all the obstacles put in your way for the sake of your child.”
We were to fly home on Monday with a direct flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Atlanta (ATL) leaving around noon and home about 9 pm. On Sunday I received a phone call on my cell phone that said our flight had been cancelled. I think I listened to it 3 times expecting it to give me some instruction on what to do next – push 1 to talk to someone, call this number, do this or that – but nothing it just says your flight is cancelled. So now what was I supposed to do. Now normally I take my laptop on trips but this time I didn’t – so trying to look things up on my little cell phone was not fun. But I went to my Delta app and called the customer service number – the wait was over an hour so I opted for a call back instead of sitting on the line. They did call back and I explained that our flight was cancelled – honestly during this whole experience it seemed like some of the people I talked to didn’t have any idea that the plane had crashed – you would think working for the airline that would be something they would be aware of the moment it happened.
So we tried to figure out how to get home and since SFO was still cancelling flights and the runways were closed we thought it would be better to leave from another airport – options were San Jose and Oakland. We were closer to San Jose and that would be easier for Kyle to drop us off and return to work with out impacting his day too much. The airline rep would find something and then tell me what it was and then I’d say ok and then she say darn – it was gone already. Actually for the first part of the conversation she was talking to someone else – and was chewing gum – not at all a good customer service rep like our Stampin’ Up! ones are. So anyway every option she offered kept getting snatched by someone else before she could get it so it ended up that “the best she could do” was fly from San Jose to LAX to Cincinnati to Atlanta – eventually arriving home on Tuesday mid morning. UGH! Why did I pay extra for a direct flight??? So that is what she reserved for us and passed me off to a ticketing agent to get our actual tickets. Later I tried to go online to see if there were direct flights from San Jose to ATL – there is one leaving at around 11 pm and it was all sold out. And there were several leaving from LAX so we thought once we got to the airport we would try to talk to someone in person and try to get a more direct flight. The checked for us but all the flights were full and oversold due to the cancellations from San Francisco. So it was still our best option – plus the added problem is that there were 4 of us traveling which seemed to make it that much harder.
Ok that’s all the lead up to the story before we started the journey. I’ll continue next time so be sure to come back to hear what happened next.
Thanks for stopping by!
Jul 30, 2013 | Designer Series Paper, Embellishments, Stampin' Up! Convention, tools |
At the Stampin’ Up! Convention there are always lots of display boards. I think this year there were more than ever before. So many that I didn’t even have time to look at most of them. Part of the displays include Product Display Boards – these always showcase products from the catalog in a fun way – here are some from this year –
Accessories – including Designer Series paper, Ribbons, Candy Dots, buttons and more.
Color Coordination – this is one of the best things about Stampin’ Up! products – the color coordination! And look how pretty when they are displayed on a board like this.
Kits and This & That – fun new product lines in the catalog.
Stamps – new stamp sets are in every catalog. You can choose wood mount or clear mount plus we now have the photopolymer sets too. And the new stamp cases for the wood mount sets are awesome! I have been adding a package or two to every order so I can move my existing sets from the old boxes to the new ones.
Tools – lots of tools and the newest one is the Magnetic Platform for the Big Shot. It is so popular that what Stampin’ Up! predicted would be a 13 week supply sold out in only 3 weeks!! So if you are wondering why you don’t have yours or why you can’t order it right now that is the reason. They are filling all the backs orders as they get in a new supply and plan to be caught up hopefully in a month or so. I’m thinking wow – I wonder if it will be the #1 selling item for this year?
And now for a NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT!
Yes this was a surprise new product that they showed us at convention and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. It is an Envelope Punch Board – I can’t show you what it looks like yet – but this is what you can make.
66 Different Sizes of Envelopes!
I don’t know the exact date yet but when it is available I’ll let you know.
Have a great day!
Jul 29, 2013 | Cards, Simply Pressed Clay, Stamper's Club, Thank You |
Have you tried the new Simply Pressed Clay molds from Stampin’ Up! yet? I love them!
The set comes with two molds – one is Buttons and one is Blossoms – each one has three different designs on it. You use them with the Simply Pressed Clay – which is white molding clay. Look at this cute card that I made using the Buttons.
I really love this card! I made it as a swap card for our STARZ retreat prior to convention. And also used it for my stamp clubs in July. I colored the white clay using my reinker bottles – I made Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo clay and molded them into the button molds. Here are a few tips that I discovered while I worked with the clay and the molds.
- I pulled off a small amount of clay, stuck it in a small ziploc bag, added drops of reinker. Close the bag and knead the clay until the color is distributed. I wrote on the bag what color it was and kept it sealed until I was ready to use it. Alternately you could put gloves on your hands and knead the color in that way – you don’t want the ink all over your hands.
- The molds use far less clay than you think. I found it was better to fill each section of the mold with just enough clay to create a flat back – and don’t go over the edges – if you do then you’ll need to cut that away later. Especially with the buttons so that you can mold the holes you want just enough to fit inside.
- You can use the embossing buddy to add a little powder in the molds to help the clay release. But I prefer to use the freezer. Put the clay in the mold and then stick in the freezer for 10 -15 minutes pop out and set aside to dry completely over night. I actually found that when the mold was already cold it took less time in the freezer.
- I accidentally left one of my bags of colored clay slightly unsealed – which caused it to dry out just a bit – I decided to try to mold it anyway – and it actually molded very well and popped right out of the mold.
- Once you have your shape you do want to let it dry completely – I left mine to air dry over night.
- You could also create the shapes in white and then color with markers or the spritzer, a sponge or dab into the ink pad – this will add some variations of color.
That’s just a few ideas for you when using the clay.
If you want a little more detail on my card here you go –
- Card base is Chocolate Chip. I did add a layer of whisper white on the inside so it would be easier to read the message you add to the inside of the card.
- On the front is a layer of Whisper White. Stamp greeting in Chocolate Chip ink on front. I stamped the stem from Field Flowers in Pear Pizzazz ink on the card.
- Add stitching around the stem – I used the Paper Piercer, mat and template to add 6 holes – 3 on each side of the stem. Then string the Early Espresso Baker’s Twine through and tie in a bow.
- Punch flowers using the Pansy Punch from Gingham Garden Designer Series paper. Curl the petals with a bone folder and add to the stem with mini glue dots.
- Add the clay buttons to the centers of the flower. I used the Multi-purpose liquid glue and made sure the buttons were dry before adding them.
This is one of my favorite cards. Thanks for stopping by today.
You can buy the Simply Pressed Clay and Molds in my online store – CLICK HERE – along with all the other products I used on this card.
Jul 25, 2013 | Cards, Stampin' Up! Convention |
One of the fun things about convention – well most any Stampin’ Up! event – is the swapping! This year I did a few organized swaps – that is where a group of people get together and swap amongst themselves. And I did some general swapping – that is where you make whatever you want and just swap ideas with whomever you run into. I want to share my creations with you and here is the first one.
This card was for an organized swap with a group of ladies called the GoDiva’s and we swap with each other throughout the year at events and through the mail. I decided to do this quick easy card. Here are the details on it:
- Daffodil Delight card base
- Layer of Whisper White card stock – stamped with Tape It set – stamp one in Daffodil Delight and all the others in Smoky Slate
- Stamp a greeting on the Daffodil tape – I used “hello” from A Dozen Thoughts set – this photo only has one hello but on my swap cards I actually stamped twice so they all say “hello hello”.
- Stamp a flower from Flower Shop in Daffodil Delight ink on Daffodil Delight card stock and punch out with the coordinating Pansy punch. In the center add a silver mini brad. Then add the flower to the card with a Stampin’ Dimensional.
- It is quick and easy to make a bunch of these.
Here is a photo of the GoDiva’s swap group from Convention. The picture is from Robin Merriman and she is the organizer of this group. Thanks for letting me be part of the group!
I am on the left side – second from the left – second row.
Here are a few more pictures from Thursday –
Convention Theme – Be the Difference
t-shirt pick up
lots of people already and it was early in the morning before things were even close to getting started
We found Sandy Rule – Sandy, Cindy, Monika
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Jul 24, 2013 | Stampin' Up! Convention |
It was fun to arrive in Salt Lake City and see all the flags along the streets welcoming the Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators –
Many shops & restaurants also had welcome signs – I just didn’t get any pictures of those. On our first day in the city – Thursday – we went on a tour of the Stampin’ Up! corporate office which included a visit to the Stampin’ Up! rock –
Stampin’ Up! Corporate Headquarters in Riverton, Utah
Stampin’ Up! rock – Diane Squires, me (Monika) and Cindy Schuster
I have been to the home office in prior years and when we got inside the building – Oh My! – it was packed with demonstrators – there was a hug line that wrapped around the whole interior of the building waiting to tour through the Legacy Room – we opted not to wait in the line. So we toured the rest of the building – the inspiration and idea rooms, the warehouse and demonstrator support.
This is where your Stampin’ Up! orders start – with a box and a label and then they take a ride through the warehouse on a conveyor belt.
racks of Stampin’ Up! products as far as I could see – waiting to be picked and placed into boxes and sent to your door!
I have pictures on my camera (those are downloaded now to my computer), and on my iphone, plus pictures to grab from friends – so I’ll be posting more as I get everything organized and edited. This was just a start.
Have a great day!
The oxygen masks dropped out of one of the seats.
