Convention 2012 Wrap Up

I have been gone for a while.  I was with family for a while and then at Stampin' Up! Annual Convention for a week.  I am headed out again for another family vacation tomorrow, but I thought I would get in a quick post about how awesome convention was. 

The theme this year was I Am...  I am lots of things, but here is a list of what I learned at this years convention:

• I am a Leader - or not a bad leader thanks to Brian Pilling
• I am Having Fun - along with Shannon West
• I am a Pattern Mixing Pro - thanks to Carrie Cudney (and Jen Campbell)
• I am Doing Business My Way - with the support of Bonnie Thurber
• I am Savvy - according to Donna Griffith
• I am Earning the Incentive Trip - at least trying with the help of Karen Hauley
• I am Reaching Out - with encouragement from Emily Montoya
• I am in the Hispanic Market - with support from Sandra Manwill
• I am Starting Out - and revamping with ideas from Emily Montoya
• I am Making Money - with the help from Pam Morgan
• I am Open for Business - thanks to Carrie Cudney

We did some great make & take projects.  The pictures you see are those.  We got lots of free stuff!  My sister asked me, "How much do you think you got for free?"  I did a rough total and believe me, it was well worth the price I paid to register... 9 stamp sets, 3 packs of DSP, ribbon, rhinestones, dahlias, brads, adhesive, super cute bag, catalogs, training, motivation, 3 packs of fabric, projects to make and take home, ideas out the wazoo, and friendships galore!

If you want to join me next year for the 25th Anniversary of Stampin' Up! you had better get going.  There is a fabulous promotion in August if you sign up.  In addition to the great deal on the starter kit for $99 you also get a fun halloween project kit.  We saw it together at convention and I loved it.  Its a Spooktacular Promo!  ;)

Get pumped for some ideas for holiday cards coming up.  I am working on Fall and Winter projects right now. 

Happy Stamping!

Martha

Stamp to the Max July Blog Hop

Welcome to the Stamp to the Max July Blog Hop!  I am so happy you are joining us.  Even though the new catalog came out June 1st, we decided that since it was a new year with Stampin' Up! that we would start off this month with a blog hop having to do with products from the new catalog.  We have all had a chance to order from it now and it is fun to see what different people are choosing for their must haves on the first orders of the year.
 

The card I am showing you today is a fun and summery (yes, I just made that word part of the English language).  It uses the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set and the Floral District DSP.  I knew that I wanted to use a different color combo than normal for the Floral District DSP so I whipped out my handy dandy Color Coach after I had picked the DSP sheet I wanted to use.  I looked up Daffodil Delight to see what it suggested.  The Color Coach actually suggests using Old Olive and Night of Navy....but I wanted a little more bright and some new colors.  I went with similar counter parts and used Gumball Green and Midnight Muse.  Those are two of the new In Colors for this year and they are great!

Notice that I stamped the bird image twice and then cut out the wings and layered them for a multicolor dimensional look.  I also added a rhinstone to its eye for some bling.  I used some of the new Stitched ribbon in Midnight Muse for the final touch.

Are you wondering what I used for the cute little circle behind the bird?  That is the new Delicate Doilies Sizzlit die.  It makes the 3 cutest doilies you have ever seen.  The one I used is the middle size and I covered up all the punched out pieces with the Whisper White circle only letting the outer edge show.  Also notice the cute edge on the bottom?  That is part of the new Finishing Touches Edgelits Dies.

All supplies can be found in my online store 24/7.  And right now if you place a $50 order (before tax and shipping) you can get the Reason to Smile stamp set for just $5!  It is a great two step stamp set that I will show you samples for this week.  The order number for the clear mount set is 131275 or in wood it is 131274.  This is only available during the month of July.

I hope you enjoyed the project for today. You are now hopping on over to Kim's blog where I know you will not be disappointed! She is amazing. 

Martha Haddock - www.stampinmartha.blogspot.com (you are here)

Kim Stewart - www.kimberskrafts.blogspot.com

Sharon Loring - www.stampingingthewind.com

Edie Bunting - www.ediestamps.blogspot.com

Elizabeth Harris - www.elizabethloves2stamp.com

Supplies Used:

• Ink: Midnight Muse (#126860), Daffodil Delight (#126944), Gumball Green (#126861)
• Stamps: Betsys Blossoms (clear #126006, wood #126004), Friendly Phrases (clear #126151, wood #126149)
• Paper: Whisper White (#100730), Gumball Green (#126840), Midnight Muse (#126843), Floral District DSP (#126919)
• Accessories: Midnight Muse Stitched Ribbon (#126847), Rhinestones (#119246)
• Tools: Big Shot (#113439), Delicate Doilies Sizzlit (#126999), Finishing Touches Edgelits Die (#127010), 1 3/4" Circle Punch (#119850), Paper Snips (#103579), Dimensionals (#104430), SNAIL (#104332), Color Coach (#120148)

Happy Stamping!

Martha