stamps... rubber style

So, because it's a big part of who I am, I'm going to talk about stamps. Not those increasingly expensive stickers you put on envelopes, I'm talking rubber stuck to foam, stuck to wood, pounced into some ink and stamped onto paper making pretty things! During the last week of July, I got to go to the Stampin' Up! convention in Salt Lake City. I know it's inconvenient for the other demonstrators all over the country, but I'm super grateful they hold it in Salt Lake every year from now on. It's the only way I'd be able to go! Here are some photos from that event:

These are my new friends, Rachelle and Zola, a mother-daughter team from the Palm Springs area. Randomly, on the first day of convention I ended up standing by them on the way into the make-n-takes class. I was attending convention all by myself, so it was fun to strike up conversations with total strangers (I know, very out of character for me!) and how lucky I am that I struck up one with these two lovely ladies! Rachelle has 6 boys (and I thought I was busy!), is LDS like me, and has been a demonstrator for 10 years! She made her mom sign up so she could bring her to convention every year! In this picture, they are holding up the projects we made the first day. I had so much fun with them during make-n-takes, that I hunted them down the next day during lunch. It's a good thing Rachelle is tall and I was able to spot her in a crowd of 6,000 women! I spent the remainder of convention meeting up with them, making this convention so much more fun!!! Can't wait to see them there next year!

This is Rachelle and I super excited about getting some free stamps from UPS! I've always loved seeing that beautiful brown truck pull into my neighborhood, but now I have an even deeper appreciation for my Mr. Brown! He gave me free stamps... he'll forever hold a special place in my heart!

At convention, I set a goal to start TWO stamp clubs (I already had one a little over halfway full). A stamp club is a group of stampers that all agree to spend a certain amount at each other's parties, allowing everyone to earn free hostess benefits, without all the work of typical in-home workshops. We get together and make 3 items (usually all cards) and eat yummy treats. I was able to fill up a "stamper 10" where we agree to spend $15 each month. Well, we had our first party this last Saturday and we had almost everybody there! I know this isn't everybody's "thing", but I think it is SO MUCH FUN!!!!! In fact, I told myself that I would keep being a demonstrator as long as I was still having fun, and here I am, 6+ years later. Here are the cards we made with the ingredients to make them.

first card: I cased this from a girl named Robin Tufts. I don't know her, but she made this pretty card! We used some new In-colors (Kiwi kiss, riding hood red, pink pirouette), the bella rose designer paper, a stamp set called 'wonderful words', and my favorite new toy, the scallop edge punch.

second card: This I copied from a lady named Mary Brown. I changed the colors though. This card uses Baja breeze (another new color) and white vellum cardstock. We stamped the grass and flowers from 'Inspired by nature' in versamark, embossed the flowers with white embossing powder with some glitter mixed in, used some silver brads in the corners, created our own key tag using the small oval punch, and tied it on with some white grosgrain ribbon. I LOVE this new silhouette style of stamping. So many cool techniques!

third card: idea from Dena Griffin. I took her design and changed the colors. This card uses Pumpkin pie, whisper white, and summer picnic DS paper, the 'Classic Backgrounds' and 'it's your birthday' stamp sets, bashful blue and old olive ink, old olive poly-twill ribbon, and the large star punch. I love how SU! (stampin' up!) designs stamps that you can use with their punches!

If anyone is dying to get their hands on the tools to make these cards, you can check out my demonstrator website www.dianacroshaw.stampinup.net to see the full catalog. Coming soon (but I don't know when), you'll be able to order directly from my website if you want to place a customer order. Later!