I just returned from the Stampin’ Up! Convention. This year’s theme was “Be The Difference“. This Convention was quite a bit different than last year’s. There were 5800 people there including Demonstrators from Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
This was my 5th Anniversary as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and the 2nd Convention I have attended.
I came home with 6 Stamp sets, a set of Framelits, the Tag a Bag Gift Boxes, and 1 Goodie Kit from the Holiday Catalog. There were also came home with the supplies for 6 Make & Takes. I did finish one there so I just have 5 to finish this week. I will be posting them as I complete them. There were also 25 project demonstrations in the General Sessions.
It was a great learning experience teaching us different ways to run our business and be successful. There was also a Service Project to make Birthday Kits for children who are in the Primary Children’s Hospital on their birthday. We also set a Guiness World Record of the most Handmade Cards sent from the same place in a 3 hour period. There were two officials from Guiness World Records there to verify that each card was handmade, was written inside, and had an addressed envelope with postage. I don’t remember if they ever told us how many cards were mailed. I will have to find out.
We also had a visit from Ronald McDonald. Stampin’ Up! has a special stamp set each year (Tag It) and donates $3 from each stamp set sold to the Ronald McDonald House Charities which house families of seriously ill children when they need to be in the hospital. We stayed in one when my son had heart surgery. It was really great to have a home-like atmosphere to go to at the end of the day. Stampin’ Up! also donates to many other good causes each year.
There were many display boards with cards and other paper crafting projects. There were also some 3D Projects displayed. There was a section for each suite in the Holiday Catalog so I now have lots of ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas projects.
There was a Product Center where some of the new products from the Annual and Holiday Catalogs were demonstrated and we learned how to use them. I am SO EXCITED for the Holiday Catalog to go live on August 1st! August 1st is also the day when the Holiday Catalog becomes interactive. There are little red boxes with and “!”. They work with your Smart Phone like a QR code. There is an app called Layars to scan the little red box next to an item and a short video will play. You can also use the interactive feature on your computer by going to http://stampinup.com/showmehow.
A few NEW Products were announced. Undefined is a stamp carving kit so you can make your own stamps. It is available now.
Coming Soon: Card Thinlits in Circle and Label versions. There will also be an Envelope maker. I cannot remember the name of it, but it looks FUN and easy to use.
Do you want to join in the fun next July? Contact me about joining My Creative Corner Crafters!
Happy Times!
Nendy
