A Night to Remember

I know the title sounds like a sappy prom theme, but last Friday's Artisan dinner was a night to remember. All ten of the artisan award winners were invited to a dinner with Shelli Gardner, the co-founder of Stampin' Up!, her husband Sterling, Brent Steele, VP of Creative Services, and his wife, as well as two SU! concept artists. We ate at Cucina Toscano in downtown Salt Lake, and the table was beautifully set with handmade menus and place cards which coordinated with our original handmade invitations. The conversation that evening was totally fun and inspiring. Each of us received a personalized stamp which Brent Steele designed himself. The night before at the awards ceremony we each received a gorgeous bracelet, except for Richard. He was given a super nice watch.

FREE STAMPS!

You have to love how well Stampin' Up! puts on a convention. They pay perfect attention to all the details. When you first arrive you receive a tote bag filled with goodies in which they keep adding more as the convention continues. You can see a peak at the super cute vinyl messenger styled bag we received this year and some of the gifts. I also came home with DSP, glass glitter, pins, an ink pad, and great memories. Pictured in the other photo are two sideline friends. On my right is my super fun and great friend Kaylene. She lives in Qatar and comes a long way for convention. We always room together and talk all night--too fun. On my left is Erin who lives about 45 minutes south of me. She is so sweet and I love chatting with her.

My Vintage Swap

So, I decided to try something new this year at Convention. I joined an organized swap. All I had to do was to make 12 of the same vintage styled full sized cards. I totally would do it again. All of the swaps I received were very nicely made. My favorite touch on this card, which is the one I made for the swap, is the pink scallop trim edged with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I used the napkin ring piece on the Perfect Setting table die in my Big Shot for the scallop trim.

Convention Eye Candy

I am here at the Stampin' Up! Convention and they know how to put on a show. Here is just a spec on the tip of iceberg of the eye candy they have displayed. As a total candy freak I am in heaven. They have the most amazing sweet shoppe on display and it is all hand made with stamp supplies.

SWAP

I am leaving today for Convention! I am most excited to see my super awesome friends that I only get to see a couple times a year. I am also looking forward to meeting the other Artisan Awards winners, a little nervous, but excited. I am taking several swaps with me for different events. Pictured in this post is one of my swaps; this one is for my upline's dinner exchange. This card is so cool in person. The stamped image comes from a new set called Going Green. I painted the leaves in with vanilla craft re-inker and a blender pen. It gives a soft look and becomes quite opaque. This technique is great for achieving a coverage of a lighter color ink on dark cardstock.

DON'T FORGET our Artisan Award Winning Entries blog hop starting August 2nd!

Lovin' Decor Elements

I have always enjoyed getting decor elements and putting them on walls, mirrors, canvases, glass bowls and such. I put them where ever and I have no problem thinking of them as just a temporary decoration. When the season is over or I am just tired of the look I change things up with a new decor element. This project was quick and fun. I think it turned out super cool. The bird coordinates perfectly with the Always stamp set. I believe the added bling is the just the right touch to finish the tray.

ANNOUNCEMENT - Stop by to see the 2010-11 Stampin' Up! Artisan Award winning projects for a 2 week blog hop! Starts Monday, August 2nd, at 10AM EDT.

Just Playin' Around

That's right, just playin' around around and around. The flower on this card was made using the Table Setting XL Bigz die. I cut out the spiral piece on the die from cardstock and then softend the cardstock using a bone folder to break down the fibers. Then I started to carefully spin the piece around on itself. I occasionally added a glue dot to hold the flower in shape To finish the flower I added a large silver brad and a squirt of Aqua Net hairspray and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. For the textural background I embossed a piece of Greenhouse Gala dsp in the Vintage Wallpaper folder. For an added punch of style I took my sanding block and rubbed across the top.

In CASE You Didn't Notice

I love to create cards and what not, but every now and again I totally enjoy casing another crafter's work. This card I have shown today is a very close CASE to a card made by Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Amy O'Neill. I changed up the color combo and simplified the details, but for the most part she was the inspiration for this card. I have used the new Greenhouse Gala dsp, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizazz, and Crumb Cake cardstocks, and the Friends Never Fade stamp set.

Blog Candy Winner

September 11, 2001, permanently left a mark on American history and the hearts of its people. Stampin' Up!'s God Bless America Special Edition stamp was $6.95 plus shipping and handling. One hundred percent of the purchase price was contributed to The September 11th Fund. Back in 2002 the amount donated was over 1.1 million dollars.

So, the answer to my blog candy question is...God Bless America Special Edition and was correctly answered by many, but Alexandria is the winner of my first blog candy offer. She has won a stampin' girls best friend, Dazzling Diamonds glitter and a pack of Rhinestones.