What Is It Like to Be A Stampin' Up! Demonstrator?

I often get questions about how it works to "be a demonstrator" and what that all means, so I wanted to share some answers to common questions here.

What are the benefits of becoming a demonstrator?
Besides the incredible savings on the stamps in the Starter Kit, you will also receive a full color magazine from Stampin' Up! each month. It is approximately 24 pages and includes MANY different stamping and business ideas.

You will also have access to the demonstrator section of the Stampin' Up! website. There is a LOT of information on the website, including information on getting bookings and workshop advice, recruiting, stamping techniques, business ideas, newsletter archives, monthly special flyers, and checklists and tracking forms for keeping your business organized.

One of my favorite things on the website is the Stamper's Showcase, where new samples are posted every day. You can even search by stamp set or keyword to help you find ideas with the stamps and supplies you already have.

Do you get free stamps?
Yes! The company has different promotions throughout the year where we can earn free stamps—even hostess sets!

And you can earn "Great Rewards" based on your quarterly sales. Great Rewards items include catalog merchandise as well as clothing, cameras, jewelry, CD players and more!)

What kind of training do you get?
You will get as much or as little training as you’d like. I am available for one-on-one training and am always just a phone call or email away.

I hold monthly group meetings in Mahomet, IL for everyone in my downline and combined group meetings four times a year in Champaign-Urbana, IL. These meetings are just like “workshops” for demonstrators. We have demonstrations, make and takes, and learn and share new ideas to grow our business. Plus you can participate in card swaps with other demonstrators. I also record our meetings on video and send DVDs to those who are long-distance and can’t attend in person. We also have a yahoo email group, which is a great way to share ideas and ask questions.

Stampin’ Up! holds an annual convention every year in Salt Lake City and one-day regional seminars throughout the year across the country. These events are great training for every level of demonstrator.

How much do you make? What is your discount?
Your commission is based on how much you sell (or purchase for yourself). You automatically get 20% off of every order you place—instantly! You then get a rebate commission every month depending on how much your sales were for the month, ranging 5-20%. You can also earn commission on your downline’s sales. (Your downline is anyone you recruit, and the people they recruit.)

New demonstrators can receive a 30% discount/instant income (instead of the normal 20%) on their first order of $150 if it’s placed within the first 45 days of their start date.

How much do you have to sell?
The minimum is $300 per calendar quarter. Your own purchases count towards your minimums. Plus, you can be your own hostess and earn the hostess benefits yourself. The company average for a workshop is $308, so you can meet the sales requirement by doing just one workshop per quarter – or by placing orders for yourself and your friends.

The first quarter that you join you do not have to meet any minimums. So if you sign up in July, August or September, you would not have to meet the minimum requirement until the October-November-December quarter, for example, and any orders you place from your start date til the end of December would count towards your quota.

Are there any penalties for dropping out?
Nope! If you decide being a demonstrator is not for you, simply do nothing. You will automatically go inactive when you no longer meet the minimum requirements. In the meantime, you can still enjoy all of the benefits shown above, plus you would have gotten your stamps from the Starter Kit at an incredible discount!
____________________________________

Sound like being a demonstrator might be for you??
Contact me for more information or to get started!
Or visit my website and sign up online!


217-586-7484
email: Meg@LovenStamps.com
web: www.LovenStamps.com

Nearly Here: the NEW catalog

It's so close!! TOMORROW is the start of the NEW Stampin' Up! Catalog!! You should be able to check it out if you visit my online ordering website (click "shop now" at the upper right), although you may want to wait until after noon (MT), as Stampin' Up! needs at least a little time to update for the new catalog.

What's a few more hours, right? :-) You're going to LOVE the new catalog!!

If you haven't pre-ordered your new catalog yet, it's not too late. You can preorder one for half price and receive a gift certificate good on July orders... check out the details.

Today is also the LAST day to order retiring items (stamps and accessories) from the outgoing catalog. Be sure to check my sale for details and place your order online today!

Glitter and Chocolate: what more is there?

This is a FABULOUS (anything glittery is fabulous) project that someone gave one of the Stampin Up! staff members at Convention last year. I had to take a picture! Not only does it include a huge bar of chocolate, but it also uses the Inspired By Nature stamp set, which I LOVE. This is one of the stamp sets that was on the Dormant List all spring, but back in the main catalog beginning July 1st!

If you want to recreate this project, here's what to do:
1. stamp the flower/grass image in Versamark ink
2. dump Heat N Stick powder over the image, very GENTLY tap off excess powder
3. heat briefly with the Embossing Heat Tool: heat only until the powder melts--don't overheat or the stickiness goes away
4. dump the Fine Cosmo Stampin' Glitter over the top, shake excess back into container
5. briefly reheat the Heat N Stick powder to set glitter
6. add chocolate bar...after you're done with the heat tool ;-)

Technique Tutorial Series: Scallop Border Punch Buckles

Technique Tutorial Series: Scallop Border Punch Buckles

The colors are the outgoing In Colors, available while supplies last through June 30th: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Pacific Point, and the Eastern Blooms stamp set flower is stamped in Tangerine Tango. The greeting is from the Heard From the Heart stamp set.

The little flower in the center is one of the new Filigree Brads (catty page 184), attached with Tombow Multiadhesive so the center is open.

The Scallop Edge Punch is a terrific tool--it's been incredibly popular all year--and I can see why!! This card showcases another fun way to use it.

Start with a 3x3" square of cardstock, and punch once in the center of each side, all the way around. You can tell you have the center if you look at the scallop on the punch itself--just center the cardstock and you're set.

Once you have all four sides punched, use scissors to trim off the top and the bottom edges as shown.
Cut a piece of the Baja Breeze cardstock to fit through the opening and you have a Scallop Edge buckle of sorts!

So Many Techniques, So Little Time

As I was cleaning up my Stamping Studio this week, I found a card that had been hiding for probably 2 years, and I love it! I think this was a Stamp Club with Meg card, and it's timeless. I love it as much today as when we made it for Stamp Club.

The card uses quite a few techniques, so buckle your seatbelt, and here we go!

1. Fold the Whisper White cardstock piece (5.5 x 8") in half first, then use the Tearing Edge to tear off the bottom edge of the card front. The Tearing Edge Tool makes it easy to create a perfect torn edge every time.
2. Stamp the Baroque Motifs swirl and the "kind" word on the front of the card in VersaMark ink and heat emboss with White Embossing Powder. Use a Stampin' Sponge to sponge ink over the embossed images in a swirling motion. The swirling motion helps to create a smoother layer of ink, without dark smudges. Also sponge up from the torn edge to darken the edge for better contrast against the inside of the white card.
3. Ink the medallion stamp from Baroque Motifs with your lighter ink color, then use the Rock N Roll technique to add a darker edge: roll the edge of the stamp onto a darker ink color, to pick up the dark ink along the borders. The higher the angle of your stamp, the narrower your border will be.
4. Add the Rhinestone Brad in a coordinating color (here, "Cool Squares") and attach it to the end of a piece of White Grosgrain Ribbon, to emphasize the white cardstock and the white embossing powder.
5. Finally, stamp the swirl inside your white card, and mount the whole card on a piece of matching cardstock (4.25 x 5.5").

All I Needed to Know I Learned At Summer Scrap Camp

The 2nd session of my Summer Scrap Camp for Kids meets today, and I'm looking forward to having everyone here!

Kids are the most enthusiastic scrapbookers I've ever met. They don't worry about "being behind" on their pictures, and they don't agonize over color choices. They just jump right in and enjoy what they're doing!

Probably we could all take a few lessons from the girls at Scrap Camp--I know I have made some changes myself!

Here are a few things that I've picked up from working with the girls:

• Keep the choices simple -- Too many colors, too many embellishments? Sticking to 2-3 colors per page and maybe some Designer Paper accents helps the design process go more quickly.
• Pages first, then pictures -- Once the picture goes on the page, it's easy to get distracted and harder to focus on the page creation. It seems much easier to design a fun page and then go back and add in the photo.
  
• Choose one or two favorite photos -- Every picture from an event doesn't need to be immortalized in a scrapbook page. Picking a favorite or two can successful summarize the occasion.

Stamp N Share DVDs EVERYWHERE

I think I should take out stock in Sony! Today's project is burning DVDs from my June LovenStampfuls Stamp & Share to send out to the demonstrators in my LovenStampfuls group who live far and wide.

Actually, a few are already in the mail!

I do this each month we have a demonstrator meeting, and I hear great feedback about how helpful the disks are. I love being able to support my long-distance demonstrators this way :-)

Don't forget that with the new catalog coming out on July 1st, this is a perfect time to join my demonstrator team, and purchase from the new catalog with your demonstrator discount, or even hold a party or two and earn some money to pay for your new Wish List!

Using Alphabet Stamps for Card Making

Do you ever wonder how to use your alphabet stamp sets for card-making? Here is a fun card that lets you take full advantage of those letter sets you have for scrapbooking, but don't seem to get out for cards.

THANKS card

Stamps
• Absolutely Fabulous stamp set
• Big Deal Alphabet stamp set
• Big Flowers stamp set (retiring June 30!)
• Classic Stripes background stamp

Paper
• Confetti White card stock
• Kiwi Kiss textured card stock
• Tangerine Tango textured card stock

Ink
• Kiwi Kiss Classic Stampin' Pad®
• Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad
• Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin’ Pad

Accessories
• Tangerine Tango 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon
• Silver brads
• Stampin’ Dimensionals®
• Staples

Stamper vs. the Clock: the Race is On!

Last Friday, as I was watching the weather and wondering if our Vacation Bible School picnic was going to have to move indoors, I suddenly decided that I wanted to make the 55+ Thank You notes that we are sending to our volunteers. (nothing like adding excitement at the last minute!)

So here's how it all went down:

1:55 pm: Emailed co-VBS leader to see how many notes we were going to need

2:00 pm: Looked through my "on hand" supplies to find something fun to use

2:05 pm: Decided the Wild About You set with the alligator is PERFECT for our Crocodile Dock theme! (soon to be retired!)

2:10 pm: Finished searching for my Wild About You set

2:15 pm: Designed a cute, but easy-to-duplicate, card

2:20 pm: Started cutting cardstock (Kiwi Kiss and Pacific Point, with Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper accents)
(cardstock and paper cut for 60 cards!)

2:35 pm: Laid out Kiwi Kiss cardstock pieces and stamped Kiwi Kiss alligators all over the fronts

2:55 pm: Still stamping (**TIP** for mass production, I didn't fold the cards in half before I started. I stamped them all flat, so that the cardstock wouldn't shift while I was speed-stamping)
(60 cards stamped!)

3:00 pm: Started to attach DSP strips to the Pacific Point cardstock strips (**TIP** for mass production, I lay out my strips in sets of 10, add SNAIL to all 10 strips, then attach all 10 strips)

3:10 pm: Back to stamping, packed supplies to move upstairs to the kitchen

3:20 pm: Handed out mini-muffins to Tucker

3:25 pm: Paused to check the weather radar for possible picnic-canceling cloud cover

3:32 pm: Break to clean up mini muffin mess from kitchen floor

3:35 pm: Still attaching DSP strips
(60 cards with Designer Series Paper strips attached!)

3:45 pm: Talked with Co-VBS Leader about threatening rain clouds, started stamping the "Wild About You" tags. (**TIP** for mass production I stamp and punch all the tags at once--rather than stamping one, punching one, attaching one, stamping one, punching one, attaching one, etc.
(20 cards finished!)

3:55 pm: Picked up more mini muffins from the kitchen floor... where are these coming from?!
(40 cards finished!)

4:00 pm: Made the call--our picnic is ON at the pool!

4:02 pm: Spread the word by posting to the church website.
(60 cards finished!)

4:01 pm: Decided to stamp matching envelopes (after all, I have a few extra minutes!)

4:07 pm: Story time break with the kids

4:30 pm: Back to the envelopes after story time... all DONE!!
Off to VBS!!

She who dies with the most stamps...

How does it go? She who dies with the most stamps, wins? :-)

Well I don't know if I'll have the most stamps, but I'm really excited about the box that arrived on my front porch yesterday!!

Yup, it's true, as demonstrators we have a chance to earn free stamp sets throughout the year, and I just got to order a whole bunch. I love going through the catalog and trying to find the most expensive stamp sets from my Wish List!

And oh yes, I've been working on my Wish List for the next catalog already... good thing I'll get some of those new stamp sets for free at Convention this summer! (and you know you can still sign up as a demonstrator and join me at Convention if you want ;-)

Don't forget to pre-order your New Catalog so you'll have it around July 1st!!

New Catalog Sneak Peek: get ready!

I was going to keep these under wraps, but I just can't keep them to myself any longer! I'm so excited about the new In Colors and this great new stamp set. The stamp set is called Razzle Dazzle and the colors are all from the new In Color collection, available for order beginning July 1st.

Check out the new In Colors: Rich Razzleberry, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay. And not appearing here, but still coming to the NEW catalog: Soft Suede and Melon Mambo. You're going to love them too!!

And the technique above? **Spotlighting** Rather than use my new In Color Markers (yup, it's true, they're coming!!) to color the whole center stamp, I just colored the top portion and then punched it out with my 1-3/8" Circle Punch. That circle is layered to match the background, where I stamped the same image in Dusty Durango on the Dusty Durango cardstock.

Cards for the Troops

I'm really excited about an upcoming event, and proud of Shirley Casey (one of my downline members) for putting it together, so I told her I'd put a note here, even though it's not my event :-)

Shirley is hosting a Card for the Troops event on Saturday, July 18 at 1:00 PM. Her Cards for the Troops event will take place at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, 905 S. Russell St., Champaign, and is open to the public. At the event you'll be making “Thank You” cards to send to the troops as well as making packages of cards the troops can use to send back to their loved ones. There is no fee to attend the event.

And some of the cards that we created at our last LovenStampfuls Mini Catalog Open House will also be included in the packages that Shirley is making. If you have other cards to donate, you're welcome to contact me!

NEW Catalog Pre-orders and Gift Certficates

It's coming very soon!! Yup, the fabulous NEW catalog! This year demonstrators have a special treat-- (shhh...) we had the chance to get our new catalog ALREADY! Just one more reason to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator (you know I can't resist adding that ;-)

So I can say with complete honestly that I'm REALLY excited about the new catalog!! New In Colors, new stamps, new accessories...it's all fabulous. And I'm thrilled with some of the brand-new products. Stampin' Up! is coming out with things that I never imagined!!

Guess what? YOU can get your copy as soon as they're available! I have catalogs shipping to me that should arrive around July 1st, and you can pre-order one for yourself now.

If you pre-order a catalog from me BY JULY 10th, it will be half price ($5--yay! cover price is $9.95) and you'll receive a Gift Certificate good for $5 off a $50 order placed with me in July. That shouldn't be too hard--when you have this catalog in your hands, you're going to want to place an order! So good news, your catalog will essentially be free.

Just use the button below to pay securely through PayPal. You can choose Priority Mail Shipping (Add $5--catalogs will ship as soon as they arrive here, right around July 1st) or choose to pick your catalog up at my house.

Don't forget that current Stamp Club With Meg members get their catalog for free!

Catalog Type

With Priority Shipping $10.00 For Pick-Up at Meg's $5.00

Or if you're attending my New Catalog Showcase Party on July 10th, you can pick your catalog up then (and use your Gift Certificate from the catalog Pre-order!)

Manhattan Flower Vellum Video Tutorial

Here is another gorgeous project using the Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder for the Big Shot. This Video Tutorial is actually one of the many that I create for my Stamps in the Mail Club members each month.

If you've never seen the Embossing Folders in action, definitely check this out! Also I have included a tip for using the Scallop Oval Punch and a tip on tying knots so that the "nice" side shows on your project.




Need more ideas for similar projects?

• I recently used this embossing folder on a gorgeous wedding invitation...
• And here's another idea for using the folder with regular Whisper White cardstock...

What do YOU do with Stampin' Up! packing paper?

If you've ever received a Stampin' Up! shipment via UPS, your box probably included a yard or two of the eco-friendly brown packing paper. Normally I take my packing paper to our local recycling center, but sometimes I save it for a special project.

In this case, not only did I save my paper for a month, but I asked other demonstrators to save paper for me! You see, the Vacation Bible School theme for our church this summer is "Crocodile Dock", and I thought the packing paper would make great swamp decorations.

Armed with at least 120 yards of brown packing paper (courtesy of Stampin' Up! boxes), we were able to cover walls, bulletin boards and faux swamp trees for VBS. We also twisted the paper to form some really cool vines that hang from the walls, fishing nets and ceilings.

The pre-crinkled paper was perfect for our swamp theme!

Check it all out--how many uses for brown packing paper do YOU see here?

Oh, and if you're in the Champaign, Illinois area, feel free to bring your kids by for VBS this week! We meet in the evenings -- 6 to 8 pm, and we would love to have you join us for even 1 night!

You can find details online here.

Window Sheet Beautlful Butterflies

So that Big Shot machine cuts 50 materials, right? So how about the Printed Window Sheets? Yup! No problem!

This is one of the cards my Stamps in the Mail Club members are making during June. We started in May, but you can still jump in as a Club Member! Drop me an email with questions.

Supplies:

• Stamps -- Oval All
• Paper -- Riding Hood Red, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Printed Window Sheets
• Ink -- Chocolate Chip
• Accessories -- Button Bouquet, Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Beautiful Butterflies Big Shot Die, Big Shot, Scallop Circle #2 Die, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch

**Cutting Tip** The card is sized at 4-1/4" x 4-1/4". That way I can make the most of my Designer Series Paper sheets. Since those are 12 x 12", I can cut the panel for the front at 4x4" and get 9 for each piece of paper.

Check out some of my other recent Big Shot projects...

How NOT To Use Your Big Shot

Ever notice that little ones are watching EVERYTHING we do? Do your kids mimic your working in the kitchen or talking on the phone?

Well I guess I've been putting my Big Shot Die-Cut machine into overtime use lately, because it's Tucker's favorite toy (can't say I blame him ;-)

But he's not picky about what he cranks through...



And yes, you can check out some of my other "real" video tutorials...

All Occasions, All Guy

Looking for a fun card for a guy occasion? Need a Father's Day card? I've got a fun one for you! You can do this card in any color--here I used Riding Hood Red (which will soon be retired).

For the shirt: 2x3” paper, fold down 1/2” at the top, fold corners in towards center. Punch hole where top of tie will stick through. Tie 1/2 knot in ribbon and feed through hole for tie.

For the suit: approx 3.5x4.5” paper, cut slit down center at top, fold back to make labels and cut triangles to finish. Cut slit for pocket and feed ribbon loop through.
Add buttons to finish (I used the Big Shot Buttons #5 Sizzlit here) and mount on card.

Decor Stencil Ceramic Tiles

This ceramic tile is one of my Stamp Club projects for this month. It's gorgeous, and much easier than it appears! Stampin' Up!'s Craft Ink lets you create endless varieties of decorative tiles to match any decor.

Try using Décor Stencils for large-format designs: Sponge Craft Ink through the stencil onto ceramic tile, then add Glassy Glaze Embossing Powder. Shake off excess powder and bake at 350’ for 10 minutes. Let cool.

The colors here are from my Soft Subtles Craft Spots--Mellow Moss, Perfect Plum and Pale Plum.


Or use rubber stamps and Craft Ink directly on your tile & add Glassy Glaze.

Looking for the stencils? They're at the very end of the Decor Elements Brochure.