Minneapolis OnStage 2019

Bright and early we arrived at the Convention Center ready to craft! We checked in and received our welcoming bag and goodies inside! And then at 9am, the fun started!

Throughout the day, there were multiple prize patrols. I wont the all-new Genuine Gems stamp set!

All the presentations were amazing and I wrote down a ton of good ideas. But my favorite part of the day is the make n takes! We ended up making five different cards featuring four new stamp sets and the upcoming Hugs from Shelli Paper Pumpkin! My favorite was the Bird Ballad suite. We colored those wonderful birds with some Stampin’ Blends! (At the end of the day, Pam got to take home that Bird Ballad Stamp Set)

Because of the switch over, we didn’t get to play with the new dies associated with the Come Sail Away Suite. I ended up not finishing this card all the way. I want to change it up a bit at home.

Right in the middle of crafting!

And on to the other super fun thing at OnStage, the display boards! You can see the products involved in each suite, plus some example cards for a few.

In May, everyone will be able to order the new Everything is Rosy Suite. Check out these gorgeous example cards we saw:

The To A Wild Rose stamp set and coordinating dies didn’t wow me at first glance, but then the designer (and stamper) Mary Ellen Byer did a live demonstration and I seriously fell for the bundle!

By the end of the day, we parceled out all of the goodies and each took home a bag! Along with the all-attendee stamp set, Daisy Lane, I got all this stuff! (The ink pads will replace my still good, but old style case pads.)

I took the picture above, got my bag packed, and then they announced one more all-attendee gift!!! What?!?!?! Was not expecting that! Everyone got the Mosaic Mood DSP! I was planning on getting that entire suite for part of my preorder and now I don’t have to buy the paper and can instead buy a different DSP pack!

The next OnStage is November 14th - 16th. The closest Local to me is Lansing, Michigan. We’ll see if I can make it! Until then, we have a new catalog launching in June, a new suite of products available in May, new Stampin’ Storage available now, a special Hugs from Shelli Paper Pumpkin kit in May (I’ve already ordered mine!), and all the retiring and carrying over products to play with. Let’s get crafting!

Tobe's Birthday Stampin' Up! Specials

Every birthday, I want to share the Stampin’ Up! love. So, I created my own specials to feature this month. Keep in mind that these specials are through me directly; they are not sponsored by Stampin’ Up! To order, follow the directions on the graphic or contact me directly. tobe.buffenbarger@gmail.com

2017 Annual Catalog Swaps

Every catalog launch my demo group and the SSINK design team do a card swap. I love getting some great cards featuring stamps sets and products I don't own. Here's this year's batch of cards!

1st row: Sumaira Qureshi; Nichole Loe @ Scrappy Stamps & Ink; Pamela Wu @ Stinky Tofu; Merit Brown @ MB Squared Stamps

2nd row: Pamela Wu @ Stinky Tofu; Diana Eichfeld @ Stampin' Fun with Diana; Cheryl Hamilton; Stacey Lane @ A Work of Carte

3rd row: Susan Schultz; Carla Branton; Jennifer Stone; Kathy Thisted @ Stamp-a-Blog

4th row: Shirley Griffith; Jennifer Blomquist @ Northwest Stamper; Cathey Autrey @ Maine Mountain Stamper; Christine Szekeres

5th row: Jennifer Gregorsky @ Jenny G Paper Crafts

Spring Stampin' Up! Bingo

Last Saturday, I hosted my first every Stampin' Up! Bingo Party! And it was awesome! I had seven ladies join me for a fun afternoon of games, crafting, snacks, and socializing. I created prize packs for eight rounds of bingo. Each round's prize was valued at between $10 and $20 dollars. For example, Round one's prize was a pack of 2016-2018 In Color Cardstock and the coordinating Markers. Another round included the Summer Sorbet Stamp Set and Rich Razzlberry Ombre Ink Pad. Almost all of the ladies won a round. And those that didn't got to pick from my extra prize stash (mostly retired items, but still great products). Along with Bingo, I created two different make n take cards. Everyone followed my basic design for the dragonfly card, but they went all different directions with the Scenic Sayings card. I love the variety of cards that were made. The event was so much fun, I think I'll schedule another Bingo party for August or so. Just in time for the Holiday Catalog!

Serious Bingo-ing

So much concentration!

Make n take #1: Dragonfly Dreams

• Stamps: Dragonfly Dreams
• Inks: Sweet Sugarplum
• Cardstock: 2016-2018 In Color DSP; Copper Foil; Sweet Sugarplum; Whisper White
• Accessories: 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes
• Tools: Detailed Dragonfly Framelits

Make n Take #2: Scenic Sayings

• Stamps: Scenic Sayings
• Inks: Island Indigo
• Cardstock: Serene Scenery DSP; Bermuda Bay; Island Indigo; Gold Foil; Whisper White
• Accessories: Mini Paperclips; Organza Ribbon
• Tools: 

Sara and Cindy's variations

Jan, Melissa, and Molly's variations

Yoli and Dorothy's variations

Unite and Excite Event Summary

On Sunday, I had the privilege of attending one of Stampin' Up's 24 Unite and Excite Events held across the country.  This was a demo only event aimed at getting current demos to network, share ideas, and get excited about products. Our "local" event was in Livermore, CA (about an hour away from me) at the beautiful Garre Winery.  Two friend demos and I carpooled up stopping for brunch before at the Black Bear Cafe in Milipitas.

After arriving at the location (gorgeous!), we signed in and found a table.

We checked out some of the display boards and the candy bar.  We grabbed some snacks from the food spread (yum yum!). 

And then we headed over to the make and take table.  Our leader decided to use the Gratitude for Days kit.  I actually bought this kit for use at our next parent's group social.  I am going to modify the kit to create a pocket for each child.  Then, we are going to have the opportunity to write why we're grateful for each child.  It'll be the perfect addition to a scrapbook or memory wall.  We finished our make and take and socialized with a few other demos before the event started.

The event itself consisted of a few speakers discussing topics supplied by SU.  We heard about making the most of promotions, getting new customers, and kits.  We also participated in answering a few discussion questions with our fellow demos. I learned a fair amount of tips from the speakers and the discussions.  It was great getting acquaintaned with some of my fellow local demos and sharing ideas.

It was a Stampin' Up event so of course we had Prize Patrol.  And I actually won a great new holiday catalog stamp set: For All Things.

The last thing we did was the big card swap.  I decided to participate and ended up making 50 card fronts.  I got some great cards back that I will be highlighting in a few blog posts starting tomorrow.

Overall, I think this was a great event.  I got a lot of tips and ideas from other demonstrators.  I received some great card swaps.  I loved having a day out with two good friends.  And I appreciate the prizes we received.  Can't wait until SU has another event in my area!