Online sales, in-home workshops and the home-based business opportunity with Stampin' Up! crafting products

Today comes the good stuff. Sneak Peeks of some of the upcoming new products from the Occasion and Sale-a-Bration catalogs which will be available beginning January 3rd.

First of all I am starting with my favorite set which I showed you yesterday. In case you missed it, it is called Wonderful Romance and the suite is called Floral Romance.

I love everything in this suite! The embossing folder is beautiful and just look at those framelits. The one on the far right creates such a beautiful die cut edge. The DSP pack is part regular paper and part printed vellum. Here’s a close up of the card:

This is the All my Love Suite which has 2 stamp sets and coordinating dies. The ribbons are gorgeous and next to them are epoxy heart droplets in 3 sizes. And they can be colored with any of the Stampin’ Blends.

Next up is the Happiness Blooms Suite with such bright colors. There’s another great embossing folder and the enamel dots come in 3 sizes and 5 colors.

This suite has that gingham DSP that I am in love with. 5 colors! The white ribbon is white burlap. And there is a new butterfly stamp set with a coordinating punch. It’s on my shopping list.

Notice the new adhesive backed sequins. Half of them are flowers. Again, 5 colors.

For those who are always wanting more masculine sets, this may be one for your list. It’s called Geared Up Garage and has some pretty cool framelits. See that one on the far right? It’s gears, a bunch of gears.

Now here are some random photos I took while there. I didn’t capture the entire boards for these but the samples are great.

Sweetest Thing Stamp Set

Needlepoint Nook

Very excited for this. Rectangle stitched framelits.

Some of the Sale-a-Bration products. The organdy ribbons come as a combo pack of 5 colors. The two black looking squares are actually 2 new foil papers. A combo pack of Grapefruit Grove and Lovely Lipstick. And the bottom “Post” cards are from a kit. This is just part of what will be available.

So while I can’t show you everything from the 2 catalogs this sneak peak should get you excited for it. I have already begun my shopping list. How about you?

I suppose expecting up to 8000 demonstrators registering for OnStage was part of the reason they held it in Orlando. I heard that there were about 7000 there and from all over the world. When you have that many it gets pretty crowded and noisy at times.

I’d say try to find me but that would be like looking for the needle in a haystack! And this isn’t even all of the crowd.

Handling that many people and their needs is easier with converted restrooms! #urinals

I was so happy to have these downline demonstrators and friends there with me. It was the first OnStage for four of them. Here with Connie Chandler, Judy Shapley, Karen Knox, Betty Herring, and Carol Hall.

I just recently named my downline team Indian River Stampers and used this in my gifts for them.

The tag was for their convention bag since there were thousands that all looked alike and the copper tea tin was full of snacks.

Everyone gets a numbered pin in their convention bag which is used for Prize Patrol. Over the 3 days everyone will win a stamp set but they are not all the same.

Carol and Betty with their Prize Patrol stamps.

Colette and Judy with their new set.

Karen, Laura, and Christina just won Prize Patrol.

And finally on the last day we won Prize Patrol. And I must say it was worth the wait. It is my favorite stamp set in the occasions catalog. Here I am with Diane Baxter, Connie Chandler, Mary Wesche, Mickey Roberts, and Suzy Flores.

So of course there are framelits that coordinate with the set and the most beautiful DSP. I will showcase that tomorrow.

There were several times during the 3 days that there were all attendee give-aways. This tool case was one of them.

Catherine Harwood and Debbie Easley were my roommates and none of us even snored! At least no one said I did!

After lunch one day we had some free time and it was fun just chatting with my team. One of the things I enjoyed the most while there.

2004 – the year I signed up as a demonstrator. There were boards with photos and information for each of the 30 years.

There are several recognitions during OnStage. Some are simply “stand and wave” while others are a walk across the stage. I was surprised that I had earned 3 of the stand & wave’s and 2 walks. I was most proud to have reached $200,000 in my career sales thanks to my many loyal customers. You may think a walk across the stage isn’t much of a recognition but it’s surprising how exciting and special it makes you feel. And it did come with a nice monetary bonus.

The 2nd walk was for reaching 15 years as a demonstrator. Sandy Mitchell, who did the all day retreat with me, and I joined the same year so we decided to walk out together.

As I mentioned before, this is a good opportunity to meet new people and I met this gal who just happens to be named Beth AND she is from Iowa! I grew up in Iowa for those who may not know that. Small world isn’t it! We had such a lovely chat.

The doors to the main stage presentations with all 7000 of us open at set times but people get in line up to an hour before to get in first and get a good seat. This particular morning top demonstrator from Canada, Genevieve Ko, hadn’t finished her 50 swaps and they needed to be done by that afternoon. So I sat down and helped her. It was a good way to pass the time and that’s what stampers do, support each other.

This is the group from that swap. All 150 of us. It was a closed swap with 3 groups of 50 people. I am in the 2nd row on the right. We are all members of Rhonda Wade’s Creating Success group. She is one of the top demonstrators in the US and just reached 1 million in career sales. That is almost hard to believe that anyone can sell that much. But there are a few now who have. And when they do they get $10,000 plus a trip to the home office in Utah and they get to create a new stamp set with the help of the concept artists. When their stamp set is put into the catalog it is marked with a special emblem and their name. Look for them in the catalogs.

I can’t believe that I didn’t take a photo of my swap. I will have to try to borrow one to get the photo. After making 50 full cards I was tired of it. (smile)

I couldn’t miss out on getting a photo with Rhonda.

She was the inspiration for even trying to do an all day retreat.

All of the goodies I received. Woohoo!

The event ended with all of the Gardner family up on the stage.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for part 3 where I will be showing you much of the new products that will be available in January.

Most of you know that I was in Orlando last week for the 30th anniversary OnStage celebration Wednesday through Saturday. Old habits are hard to break and I still call it convention. Either way, it is always fun to get away, see old friends and meet new ones. It started out on Wednesday for those of us who are titled Silver Elite and above. There is always a special event for those who have reached that title and this year it was admission to Epcot with a fun get together that evening for music, karaoke, and the most amazing dessert bar. It was unbelievably hot that day and unfortunately the heat got to me and I didn’t feel like eating any of the dessert. Oh well, calories saved.

By this time I had pretty much melted from the heat but couldn’t miss getting another photo with co-founder Shelli Gardner. She must have stayed out of the sun and heat as she looked great.

Another great perk of going to Centre Stage is that they gave us the upcoming Occasions  and Sale-a-Bration catalogs. My shopping list is already way too long! You’re going to love it!

I really should have taken a photo when I first got this catalog. As you can see I have worn it out with looking through it so often already.

You know that during Sale-a-Bration there is always a special for anyone who joins and becomes a demonstrator. And this time there are 2 different options for signing up. The 2nd option includes this “gotta have it” tote.

Of course I will have more information on this as we get closer to Sale-a-Bration which begins January 3rd and runs through the end of March.

We also received a stamp set and a bone folder that night. We stayed for the fireworks and then caught the bus back to our hotel.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for part 2. I will share more photos and info.