Only 24 hours left to get this great set – and then it’s gone forever!!

Check out a ton of great samples made with this set at -

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=23222

Get the Reason to Smile Set-up to a $20.95 value-for just $5 when you spend $50 on any Stampin' Up! products.

Description	$5 Items
Reason to Smile Wood-Mount	131274*
Reason to Smile Clear-Mount	131275*

• DETAILS -
• Spend $50 on any current Stampin' Up! products to get the exclusive Reason to Smile Set for just $5 (excludes S&H and tax)
• Email me your order by 9:00 PM PT on July 31,2012 or order through my website (www.stampingwithmaureen.stampinup.net ) by 10:50 PM PT on July 31, 2012
• There is a limit of one (1) set per customer.
• You will not be automatically prompted to enter the $5 Item Number for a qualifying purchase. So be sure to enter the item codes from the table above.
• The Reason to Smile Set is exclusive to this promotion and will not be available after July 31, 2012.

BONUS: Stampin’ Up! has announced the next incentive trip is to the Western Caribbean and I plan to be on that ship. So many of you helped me in the past to earn the trip to Hawaii – and this year I just fell a little short – so I’m not going to let that happen again. Next June 30th – plan to be a part of my Caribbean Celebration Party – anyone who orders from me now through June 30, 2013 will be invited – BUT, order over $500 in merchandise from me during that time period and you’ll get a special reward - a FREE stamp set of your choice from our catalog. That’s just the beginning – there will be more awards as your puchases go up!! Today is a great time to start by ordering your $50 in merchandise and getting this stamp set FREE!!

Shoebox Swap Night

So it's become a tradition for our group to do a SHOEBOX SWAP* at convention each year.  It's optional and this year seven of us participated.  So here's my disclaimer- this shoebox swap was done late at night (not as late as last year, because I think we did it near midnight last year), but it was late, and after four straight nights of little sleep - so if we look a little out of it that is why :)  But these ladies were troopers and the cards we made were amazing!!  Here they are with the creations they had us make. 

Christel

Heidi

Julie

Lois

Maria

Maureen

Sandy

 These cards were so stinkin' adorable -- thanks ladies for great card!!!  

*For those of you who don't know what a shoebox swap is - you make one sample, and the a kit for everyone in the group to make the same card as your sample.  Then you pack the sample, the kids and all materials needed to make the project in a box.  You all sit at a table and you pass the box, make the card in it, then pass it to the next person - until you've all completed them all.  So much fun!!!  Thanks ladies for a fun night and a great bunch of cards.  ~Maureen

Our Team Got Awards......

Convention is always fun ---- but this year was great --- we got a lot of prizes and awards.  Heidi and I both got to walk to recruiting and leadership awards.

 Here I am walking the stage for 15 years!

Then of course, Heidi made the top ten to make it on the Artisan Design Team for the coming year - how amazing is that - and well deserved!

 Next - five of my downline team were able to walk for their 5 year anniversaries -

 Sandy, Maria, Heidi, Julie and Diane - all celebrated five years with SU!

and finally Heidi got to walk the stage for earning the Hilton Head get-away trip this September.  She and hubby Aaron have never had a real honeymoon - so I am so happy the two of them will be able to get away on this trip.

Our group was also winners when it came to this year's PRIZE PATROL - with five of the 11 of us winning great prizes.  What a wonderful experience convention is.  Can't wait to go back next year!!

Here's our entire group of Crazy Stamping Ladies that attended convention.  Back left to right: Heidi, Sandy, Lois, Julie, Maria, Shawna and Toni.  Front left to right: Christel, Jacqui, Me and Diane.  Thanks ladies for a marvelous time!! ~Maureen

Roommate gifts.....

As promised - today I am sharing the rest of the roommate gifts we exchanged at Convention.  Here is Christel with her gift to us -

 This cute little mini comp book and pen -

 and it was wrapped in this adorable paper packaging.

Next are the hats that Heidi decorated for each of us to wear -

Here's a close-up of the one I chose - the winds in SLC kept blowing it off my head - but I love it and can't wait to wear it here when I work in the yard.

Here is Julie with the adorable little coin purse she made for each of us.

She made them in a variety of fabrics to match our personalities :) and on hers she added the charm with pictures of her cute little daughters.

Lois made us these great little fold up albums to add memories from our convention trip -

 It's shown open but folds up tri-fold style and the belly band keeps it all together.

Maria us each these stinkin' cute butterfly houses -

She covered wooden birdhouses with our papers, and added the butterfly - she also threw in a antibacterial hand sanitizer to keep the germs away.

Last, but not least Sandy made us each these felt notebook covers and inside a cute little notebook and pocket for our receipts.

 Here is a close up of her's - each had our monogrammed initial on it.

How great and creative are all of those!  I really enjoy our roommate exchanges - can't wait to see what we come up with next  year.  I'm planning already :)   Stop back soon ~Maureen

Downline gift for Convention

Today I want to share the little gift I gave my downline that attended convention this year.  I found these cute little pedicure sets at Michael's and added a set of earplugs for those who were in rooms where someone (no names mentioned :) might snore. I loved the color of the items in it and so ---

I decorated them all up with our "Reason to Smile" set* and added a tag with each of their initials.  Here is the group of them getting ready to go in my suitcase.

And here is a close-up of one of them.  Aren't they cute!?!  and practical.

We exchanged the roommate gifts when we got to the hotel.  Here I am holding one of the gifts I made - stop back tomorrow and I'll share all the goodies I got from my roommates.  We just exchanged among the 7 of us sharing two rooms - although I made one for each of my 11 downline attending.  They are a wonderful and fun group of ladies.  Think about joining my team and joining us in Salt Lake City next year July 18-20.  You can find full details in the link at the top of my blog, and of course feel free to contact me!

 On a completely different note, I wanted to show you this beautiful picture of the begonia my Secret Sister gave me awhile back.  It was so beautiful and I took this picture just a couple days before convention - but - I forgot to ask hubby to water it while I was gone, and when I came home it was no more.  I meant to take a picture of all of the stems and blossoms limp and falling off - but didn't have the heart. So now I'm on going to try and get another - as it so brightened my kitchen.  Oh well - that will teach me to go away :)

 

*NOTE - you can purchase the "Reason to Smile" stamp set for just $5.00 this month with a $50.00 purchase - contact me now to place your order, as of August 1 - this limited time set will be gone! 

 

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/stampingwithmaureen/

~Maureen

Convention 2012

We're back from an amazing time at the SU Convention in Salt Lake City.  Myself and 10 other Crazy Stamping Ladies were part of 3500 Stampin' Up! demonstrators who were at Convention - over the next few days I'll be sharing highlights, projects and fun form this year's convention with you!!  If you're interested in joining us there next July 18-20 - contact me now for information on becoming a demonstrator and a Crazy Stamping Lady!  ~Maureen

This year's theme "I Am" - focused on each of us and our uniqueness as SU demonstrators!

Here's the group of ladies getting ready to go in for the Mainstage presentations.

This is the amazing bag they gave us this year - I think it is my all time favorite - and I have a bunch of them.

Here are some Crazy Stamping Ladies - getting ready to head to the convention center in our new hats from Heidi!

Shelly Gardner on stage!

Part of our group - me, Heidi, Christel, Diane, Lois, Julie - Sandy and Maria are down at the end and hard to see.

Parks and Rec Class

Thought I'd share a few more of the cards we made in this last round of Parks and Rec classes - the first one uses the Ronald McDonald charities sets - It is so fresh and bright and cute.  It's similar to my shoebox swap card we'll be making at Convention - so watch for a picture of that when I get back.

This next card has a lot of dimension to it.  The flower is made by punching scallops out of the brown paper that comes in our Stampin' Up!  orders - that's right - I'm GREEN by reusing it.  I just attached the layers together with a brad, scrunched them and sponged the edges.  I really like the look.  Here is from the top so you can see the dimension of it.

And here it is from the front.

The last card uses one of my favorite masculine sets "Open Seas" - we did a type of collage background, then popped the ship up on top.

Stop back soon for more stamping ideas.  ~Maureen

Happy Birthday to me!!

I'm off at the Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City - and even though I'm away from family - I get to celebrate with a bunch of my wonderful Stamping friends!!  See you all when I get back!!  ~Maureen

Downline Appreciation

At my luncheon for  my ladies recently, they were all welcomed at their seats with one of these new spritzers from Stampin' Up!

I demoed how to make your own glittery colors of spritz using our SU exclusive reinkers.  Hopefully you can see the little paper flower above on the tube is spritzed with Real Red.  Thanks to Dawn Griffith who did a great video of how to do this on her blog here -

Here are a few of the spritzers I made in this nifty little test tube holder I found online - how great is that!!  Then right before we ate each of the ladies got to put together a sampler ring of all of our current embossing folders.  Each color of CS was embossed with a different folder.

Here is a set all assembled with a cover sheet and the back sheet lists all the folders and the order numbers.  This is a great tool to use at workshops to show all the great embossing you can do with our Big Shot! 

See you all soon!! ~Maureen