Beyond Words

Happy Monday! I hope you've had a good weekend and are ready to face the new week with strength and determination.
I just returned home from Stampin' Up!®'s 30th Anniversary party called OnStage, held in Orlando FL. It was an absolutely incredible experience for which I struggle to find the words to adequately describe. As part of the celebration I was treated to a day at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival...

...followed by an unbelievable dessert reception, complete with party favours that included the soon-to-be-released Occasions and Sale-a-bration catalogues! Such an amazing day with some of my dearest stamping friends.

Then the main event started and it was one surprise after another, accompanied by the honour of being recognized for my accomplishments in the past year. It was utterly overwhelming as I crossed the stage several times and was showered with gifts and accolades from my peers. I am completely humbled at the way I have been blessed to share something I love while helping others enjoy creativity and make a difference in their lives. All I can say is thank you...to God for His unfailing faithfulness and to my family, customers and team for their unwavering support. I am blessed beyond measure.

Seeing my name on the board of top achieving demonstrators was so surreal!

You can't tell in this photo, but I was balling my eyes out...so overwhelming.

The best walk of the week was for earning the Greek Isles Incentive trip because I got to take it with my BFF Michelle Suit. I can't wait to cruise with her next summer! It was also humbling to learn that only 445 demonstrators (out of more than 53,000 world-wide) earned this trip.

Now coming down from such a high wasn't easy and I crashed with a loud thud as I realized that I have report cards due first thing Tuesday morning...back to reality! I do want to share a fun project with you, though, that I created using my Products of the Week for this week...

I'll be demonstrating this card as part of my Tuesday Live @ Five video over on my Facebook page this week. I love the pretty ombre tree from the Snow is Glistening stamp set and non-traditional colour-scheme. I used Pool Party, Mint Macaron and Highland Heather for my tree with Smokey Slate as the perfect neutral backdrop. Those pretty sparkly silver snowflakes were cut using the Snowfall Thinlits...so pretty and easy to make DIY embellishments for any holiday or winter project.

The sentiment is also from the Snow is Glistening set and is the perfect, subtle addition to the beautiful tree.

On the inside I couldn't resist stamping another tree and sentiment from the same set. This soft colour scheme makes me want to rethink my traditional Christmas decor!

I will have all of the details for how to make this beauty in tomorrow's video. If you miss it live be sure to catch it on my Facebook page for the rest of the week, on my YouTube channel next weekend or on the Video Tutorials tab above at the end of the week.

Thanks for stopping by...have a wonderful week!

Product List

Snow Is Glistening Photopolymer Stamp Set [149742] $27.00	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [147107] $10.25	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad [147106] $10.25	Highland Heather Classic Stampin' Pad [147103] $10.25
Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad [147113] $10.25	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $13.25	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272] $10.50	Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131202] $11.50
Silver Glimmer Paper [146960] $6.75	Big Shot [143263] $150.00	Snowfall Thinlits Dies [149692] $53.00	Farmhouse Framelits Dies [147922] $44.00
Swirls & Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [147923] $10.25	Silver & Pool Party Baker's Twine [147015] $5.50	Clear Faceted Gems [144142] $6.75

What. A. Weekend!

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was simply FABULOUS!! I and more than a dozen of my Stamping Symphony team attend Stampin' Up!'s OnStage event in London, ON. We were there to kick of the official celebration of Stampin' Up!'s 30th Anniversary and for the reveal of the upcoming Annual Catalogue, which goes live June 1st. As if that weren't enough excitement, I also did a presentation at the event that showcased one of the new bundles. This was the first time I've done anything like this and I was SOOO excited! I managed to keep it a secret from my team until they announced my name to go on stage! I had so much fun presenting and just can't say enough about the Stampin' Up! staff who helped run the event. They were amazing and the whole thing ran like clockwork. These photos are screenshots of a video one of my downline shot of the TV screen...not the best photo quality, but I think you can tell it's me ;)

Now that the spoiler advisory has been lifted, I thought I would share a couple of the projects I designed for my presentation. The stamp set I was asked to showcase is called Varied Vases and the coordinating punch is the Vases Builder punch. The stamp set is Mary Fish's Million Dollar Achiever set and it perfectly reflects her clean and simple style. For the first two projects I showcased I tried to channel my "inner Mary" and design cards that were clean and modern with a pop of colour...

One of the best things about this set is that it features two-step-stamping images. So if you're in the mood for a little colour therapy you can colour the outline images using Blends, an aqua painter, watercolor pencils or blender pens. On this card I used an aqua painter and my ink pads.

 
If you're in a hurry, the solid image stamps add instant colour quickly and easily. Gotta love versatility! Here I used Lemon Lime Twist on the vase and Melon Mambo on the flowers.

I even gave the inside a little love on this one but forgot to show it on stage...

I think this bundle will be popular with stampers of all experience levels because it features both images and sentiments, making it a great value. There are so many things you can do with it...I'll show more of my OnStage projects over the coming weeks as we count down to the new catalogue.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the Retiring Products List, which just dropped today. While there are lots of beloved favourites on there, not the least of which are SEVENTEEN outgoing  colours as part of the Colour Revamp, the new products and colours are SPECTACULAR and will make you forget all about your beloved Always Artichoke ;)

You can view the lists as a PDF by clicking the images below or visit my webstore to see (and order) the items you just have to have before they're gone. Remember that all items with the exception of stamp sets are available only while supplies last, so don't wait too long to pick up that Always Artichoke reinker and extra packs of card stock!

Click to view retiring Occasions Catalogue products.

Click to view retiring Annual Catalogue products.