Stamping On The Bayou

Meeting of the Minds

Tonight my team's business builders are getting together for our first quarterly Southern Ink Summit! This is the notebook I've created for each one of them to take notes. Isn't it lovely?

I covered a junior legal pad (5 x 7) with card stock and dressed it up in beautiful spring colors. I'm on a vintage kick now, so I used the Vintage Vogue (117690) stamp set and the Very Vintage (117693) jumbo wheel from the Occasions Mini catalog.

 
So true!!! I love this business and the best part about it is that my customers are also my friends!

I'm so excited to share the business side of things with these awesome ladies. The first topic will be the awesome career plan that Stampin' Up! offers. Stampin' Up! is an amazing company that really wants its demonstrators to succeed!

Demonstrators enjoy many benefits, including

• Product discount. Demonstrators get a 20% discount on all Stampin' Up! products, including stamp sets, paper, and accessories. It's a great way to support your love of stamping and paper crafting. 
• Extra income. You'll earn extra income based on your sales and recruiting--how much extra income is up to you. Maybe you just want enough income to pay the electric bill every month, or maybe your goal is bigger--the monthly payment for your new car--it's up to you! See the Compensation Table for more information.
• Flexible schedule. This is your business, so you can put as much (or as little) time into it as you'd like! 
• Support from Stampin' Up! We love our demonstrators and it shows through our demonstrator support materials, including a monthly magazine, workshop ideas, and audio and video trainings on all kinds of topics on our Demonstrator Web Site.

To learn more about Stampin' Up! as a company, click here or contact me. SaleABration is the best time to sign up as a demonstrator - you get a discount on the Starter Kit AND a FREE stamp set of your choice! I LOVE what I do and I'd LOVE to share it with YOU!

Become a Demonstrator

It is a great day to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!! "Why?" you may ask. Here are my top 5 reasons!

5. Stampin' Up! is a stable, 20 year old company that stands by it's mission statement, called the Statement of the Heart - "To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments... in this we make a difference!" It is very tough in this day and age for a company to care so much about the people that make them what they are.

4. Stamping is my therapy and I would go crazy without something I can call my own. I love to create cards, scrapbook pages, decor and MORE! I receive an awesome discount on my products AND I am compensated based on my performance each month.

3. The business side of Stampin' Up! allows me to use my business degree. I control my own business with lots of support from the company and other demonstrators! I can determine what my schedule is and how much I want to work based on my goals. Do I want to earn $$$ to pay a bill or for a special treat for myself? Do I want to earn the incentive trip that Stampin' Up! offers demonstrators each year? Do I want to be a TOP 100 demonstrator? Or, do I just want to be able to support my own stamping hobby? Your level of commitment is based on what your goals are.

2. Access to Stampin' Up!'s events, trainings, demonstrator website, publications, and MORE! I love to create things on my own, but I am also one of the best creative copiers there is! The creative talent that I have access to as a demonstrator is truly awesome and second to none!

1. Most importantly, I have met and become friends with some awesome ladies. Many of which I never would have met if it weren't for Stampin' Up! I really feel like I belong to a community that shares and cares. Not only am I talking about fellow demonstrators, but also my customers. They inspire me every day. My customers are my friends and I love sharing this hobby with them and seeing the lights in their eyes shine when they have created something from the heart!

So, if you need any of these things in your life, I urge you to contact me to discuss how becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator may be the best thing you ever decide to do! Or, I welcome you to attend my team meeting this Tuesday, November 10th at 6:30 to see what it's all about.

Luau on the Bayou Mini Convention

I was so sad when I found out I couldn't attend Stampin' Up!'s annual convention August 5-8 in Salt Lake City. Our schools started in South Louisiana on August 7th and I just couldn't leave my children. Several other "sister" demonstrators were in the same predicament so we decided to host our own mini convention and called it Luau on the Bayou! We had a blast at a condo in Houma, LA!

Our mini convention was complete with swapping (Monique & Michele)...

 

(Dale & Catherine)

 

displays (created by all participants!)...

 

Make & Takes (Robin & Ann)...

 

classes (Monique and Tiffany)...

 

Workshop WOW's (More Decor from Michele Martin)...

a message from Shelli Gardner, CEO and Co-founder of Stampin' Up! (web message from the demo site)...

 

 and Awards (me and Michele)!

 

We had so much fun! If you would like to attend a team event like this, contact me now! You can start your own business NOW for only $85!

Southern Style Stampin'

I have a quarterly event that I do for my team of demonstrators who meet certain criteria. My team is called Southern Ink, so in keeping with the southern style, I named this event, GRITS Days. Now GRITS normally stands for Girls Raised In The South. If you haven't seen GRITS books or merchandise, you can click here. They are a hoot, especially if you are from the south! Anyway, back to my story, I use the acronym this way... Girls Really Inspired To Stamp! We have a great time stamping for ourselves! Sometimes, that is hard to do when this is your job! Can you believe we get paid to have FUN? If you would like to learn more about becoming a demonstrator and joining my team contact me.

This card was cased from another demonstrator, Julie Davison. The ric rack element was made with the new Scallop Edge punch.

Stampin' Supplies: Heard From the Heart* stamp set; Pink Pirouette*, Riding Hood Red*, Whisper White cardstock; Bella Rose dsp*; Scallop Edge punch*; Button Bouquet button*; Natural Hemp twine

*New to Fall Winter Idea Book & Catalog 2008.

We made this beautiful Chopstick Memory Book. This was a project shown at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference in January. It looks complicated, but is really easy once you know what you are doing. I'll be posting a tutorial soon.

Stampin' Supplies: Embrace Life stamp set; Kraft, Old Olive, Cameo Coral cardstock; Watercolor Paper; Ginger Blossom dsp; StazOn; Old Olive, Cameo Coral Classic Ink; Aqua Painter; White Taffeta Ribbon; disposable bamboo chopsticks.

This was my sample for the Decor Elements project. The others used their initials, you know we all monogram things in the south! This is one of the Baroque Medallions on a piece of tile. I use mine as a large coaster for my cold beverage pitchers, iced tea... it's a southern thing!

This project was so fun! Thanks to Jackie Topa for the inspiration. You can make this Stationery Box at a stamp camp on August 24th, more details to come.

I used the Tie the Knot Simply Scrappin' and the Pretties kit for the majority of my sample. I will wait to see what Stampin' Up! shows us at convention before I decide the stamp camp supplies will be.

GRITS Days

This past Saturday, I hosted an event for my team of demonstrators called GRITS Days. My team is called Southern Ink so as a play on Girls Raised In The South (GRITS), I named this event Girls Really Inspired To Stamp! The demonstrator had to meet at least 1 of 3 requirements to attend the event for free. I host this event quarterly and it consists of 6 projects of varying difficulty. We had a blast stampin' for ourselves and sharing other projects we've been working on. Would you like to learn more about joining my team? Contact me and I would be happy to share all the wonderful opportunities you can receive.

See the fun we had stampin'! In attendance we Michele Martin, Monique Fick, Darla Boudreaux, Paula Schouest, Lana Chiasson, Ann Savoie, and Dawn Theriot. We made some great projects! The purse will be featured in an upcoming camp for Mother's Day. See the next post for more details!