INKin' All Night! with Rhonda

Team 'shoe box swap' was a blast!

Hi!

Last night was my team gathering for the month of September (yes, a couple of days early due to the holiday and other things) and we had a blast!  This month was a 'shoe box swap' gathering where each person that was attending (swapping) designed a card and brought everything for 8 others to make their card, and brought another 11 finished samples to trade with the rest of the swappers whose card you didn't get to physically make that night.  So you made 1 card design and then went home with 20 different cards!  Well in our case actually 19 because 1 person didn't make it to the gathering.

To be really quick, here is what I prepared for the shoe box swap!  It is a combination of a couple of things that I've seen floating around stampersland.  The swap theme for the night was FALL or HALLOWEEN and could be either a card or a 3D item.

 

Enjoy!  I'll be back to share some more with you later!
Rhonda

Bonus Card for my swappers!

Hi!

Welcome back friends and fellow stamping enthusiasts! 

I've been busy stamping and unfortunately there a couple things I can't show you just yet -  as they are for our upcoming SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER annual all day stamping event!  So those of you that live in the Phoenix East Valley area, please email me << inkinallnight@cox.net >> if you are interested in a fun filled stamping day!  We have limited seating and are already 70% full!  The date is Saturday, September 18th from 9a - 4p and is open to demonstrators and guests, available to any skill level!  I met with my girls Diana and Marlene on Monday and all I can tell you is WOWZA, we each worked on designs and we were each like Oh, then the next one AH, and then WOW, and we can hardly wait to show them to you BUT we don't want to spoil the surprise for those that are attending!  I promise you will see everything after the event!

I also stamped and created my swap card for a Holiday Mini Catalog swap that I joined ... but I failed to take a picture of my swap card before I sent it off.  So I'll just have to show you that card in a week or so when I get them back!  sorry!

I also spent a day crafting with my good friend Mary's daughter (my daughter #3 as we call her) as she is getting ready to head off to NAU for college and she wanted to have some personalized items to decorate her dorm room.  We made a custom bulletin board and coordinating file folders and stuff to go with the colors of her new bedding.  I can hardly believe she is in college ... but as she is daughter #3, lucky for me I don't have to pay for her tuition since she's really only mine in our hearts!  And par for the week, NOPE I totally forgot to take a picture of her stuff either!

And my dear friend Debbie (hey there!!) came over Friday morning and we were going to stamp together since she is finally retired from the schools now!  We've been "gonna stamp" for years ... yeah right!  Well she came over and we got her going on her swap card (for the swap I'm hosting) but I didn't seem to be too productive that morning.  But I did play with an idea for my bonus card --- but scratched that idea in the end and then started playing with ideas for my upcoming TEAM Shoe Box Swap that's in a week but didn't get it quite finished just yet.  You'll see it sometime soon though!!

But I can show you what I have been working on today!  I host a Mini Catalog Swap for my "INKin' All Night!" demonstrator team and my "Adopted INKers" demonstrator team and each time I offer a BONUS CARD for those that join that get their swap cards in a week before the due date!  So those that get their cards to my little o house (in the desert) by tonight will recieve this card from me!

Supplies:

new HOLIDAY MINI stamp set:  Frech Foliage & Falling Leaves from the main IB&C for the greeting

inks are: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso & Marina Mist  (color combo from the new Color Coach)

Direct to Paper & Collage Style Stamping on the main card panel which is Very Vanilla
 
Wheeling (leaves w/ the Texture Jumbo Wheel) and die cut with Big Shot and Leaves #2 die

Texturz Plate on the Top Espresso Panel and the flip side of the plate on the Cajun Leaves

Build A Brads with the 1/2" cirlce punch

The tag is from the SU Sizzlit Lots of Tags set

Ribbons are the 3/8" Vanilla & 1/8" Espresso Taffeta

The giant scallop border is from the new XL Trim die

 

And here are a couple of other shots for you ... just playing around to see if you can see the detail in the leaves with the close up shot ...

 

and trying to get a shot of the build a brad which seem to get over looked too often!

Anyhow!!  Hope you enjoy the swap card and have a great day stamping!

Hugs,
Rhonda

and the rest of the story (SWAPS)

Hello!

Growing up we used to always hear that line on the radio, as Paul Harvey (right?) would say ... "and now for the rest of the story" ... anyways, and now on to the rest of the swaps!  I couldn't help but bundle these last samples together since they are all Halloween and so color coordianted!  Do Enjoy!

handstamped by: Lori B

handstamped by: Kathy B

handstamped by: Courtney J

I hope you have enjoyed these swap cards!  I'm sure glad that I made swaps cards so that I have one to keep of each of these hot little cards!  Next month we are having a SHOE BOX SWAP at our meeting!!  So not only do we get great ideas from each other, we get to make each others cards!  A great time, very social and the business side of the meeting comes in by sharing and showcasing different products with each other via our cards!  Tips and Tricks of how to do something usually come about in converstation as well -- these are very fun nights and I am incorporating one SBS each quarter into our yearly calendar of team meetings!

Come on by tomorrow to see what else is new!
Happy stamping!
Rhonda

and MORE meeting swap cards

Hello again!

I'm back and ready to share with you a few more of the awesome swap cards from our INKin All Night! team meeting last week! 

handstamped by: Theresa L

handstamped by: Monica L

handstamped by: Marjori M   

Being a demonstrator for over 13 years is amazing and a huge blessing in my life.  When I originally bought my kit to get started as a pure hobbiest, only ordering for myself and neighbor at the time ... all I wanted was the discount and a direct way to get SU products!  Way back then it never occured to me that I would have an amazing team (love you gals), make tons of new friends & some of which I know will be lifelong friends with even if we aren't connected by stamping, and that I would still be enjoying it this many years later!  I have never missed a Stampin' Up! convention and I've only missed one Leadership Event (when my grandma passed away).  I look forward to these corporate events to rejuvenate me, to inspire me, to motivate me, and to remind me of just what a pure JOY that stamping is to me.  During the year I look forward to my team meetings where we gather to share stamping, friendships, swaps, product demonstrations, business ideas and so much more!  Many thanks to my team and to the demonstrators that take time out of their busy schedules to attend!  Love You!!

If you are thinking about becoming a demonstrator, I'd love to have you join my team!  If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me without any obligation -- email me at inkinallnight@cox.net and I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have!

And there's still more for tomorrow!  So come on back and see you then!
Rhonda

Meeting Swap Cards

Hi stamping friends!

Today I want to share with you a few of the swap cards that were swapped at my August Team Meeting last week.  Each month we have a themed swap and it's optional to particiapte but always a great idea!  For August the theme was ANYTHING BRAND NEW from the new 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog!  It's always a fun swap because everyone is excited to get new fresh fun samples that showcase brand new stamp sets!  Yes we still love the stamp sets from prior years that make it into the next IB&C but it's like getting to sample new recipes!!  Always yummy!!  Fun to see what each other bought first too!

In no particular order ... <click on any image to view it larger>

handstamped by:  Elizabeth M

 
handstamped by: Lynda G

 
 handstamped by: Debbie G 

 
handstamped by:  Kitty R 

Come back tomorrow for some more!!  Thanks for stopping by!
Rhonda

Team Meeting Pics

Hi!

Well, I know it's been a week!!!  Sheesh where does the time go?  I spent most of last week enjoying my last few days of summer with my two adorable girls!  We went back to school shopping on Tuesday and Wednesday and I had a very fun & productive meeting with Diana and Marlene on Friday as we planned the details of our upcoming September to Remember Stamping Event!  Next thing you know the last weekend of summer (well not summer weather-wise in sunny HOT arizona, but back to school summer-wise) was over and it was time to send the girls off to the 1st day of school.  Rachel in 8th grade and Nicole in 11th grade ... !! yikes

We had a very nice meeting last week and it was great to be surrounded by long time stamping friends and downline and to meet new members too & too welcome back long-timers that have rejoined recently! 

For the meeting, here's what I did to get ready!  I decided to show the new stamps and products that I purchased with my 1st order from the new catalog.  Several ribbons but not all of them, only a few new DSPs, earned a few new hostess sets plus our pre-order buys too, and there's some awesome new punches too!

I always set up a table at the "post-convention" meeting to show what we received at convention, our make-n-takes, momento mall items, and I even got all of my swaps cards (that fit) up on my display boards too! 

 
  my display boards

 
   these are the sets and make-n-takes

 
   momento mall items we could purchase

And for this meeting I typically have a passdown of information that was shared at convention but since there were not any huge annoucements, we had more free time! So I planned a make-n-take and a simple door prize question to go with it ... just to add a bit of business in there too!

 

This is a "simple but cute" totally demonstratable card for a workshop, class, open house or any other event!  It is a 4"x4" square card and features new products like -- in color poly twill ribbon!  new larger scallop circle punch!  new Greenhouse Gala designer series paper!  new L1 Hostess stamp set! and some new colors from the Color Rennovation!

For the door prize, I asked a business question - - - "how much does this card cost to make"?  Our lucky winner was a brand new demonstrator (hey Kitty!) who was attending her very first team meeting!  Most everyone guessed way under the actual price and only a few were over.  It was actually kind of funny because everyone knows that I do the "math" for all of our large group events to make sure we stay on budget and so it was funny to see who could "approximate" on the spot!  I hope they enjoyed a peek into my brainy side .. but hopefully it also helped them to see that cards can be quite affordable!

So are you wondering?  What's your guess?  Leave me a comment!! 

Happy Stamping, see you again tomorrow!
Rhonda

Ready for my team meeting!

Well, I am back from convention and ready to get started again!  The week was so much fun!  I enjoyed spending the week with friends from all over the states and Canada too!  We have such a good time when we are just sitting around our rooms or in the Gathering Place, taking pictures of SO MANY samples, attending classes and shopping in memento mall, all kinds of things to do and lots to see  ---- and it's ALL Stampin' Up!, pretty much all of it, maybe a little side trip to Brighton Jewelry and a martini or two ...

Once I returned home Nicole had her wisdom teeth removed on Monday, so that's how I spent the early part of the week -- rotating between her and taking Rachel to dance and unpacking!  By midweek Nicole was doing better and was able to hop over to the high school and pick up her schedule for her JR year (insert wide eyes, chin falling to floor, OMG how did that happen already) and get her books too.  Rachel gets her teacher assignment for 8th grade this Wednesday... she is eagerly awaiting to find out which pod she is in and which friends are with her!  She still has some dance auditions this week, as well as most of the studio dance regular classes have begun starting today as well... so it's only a matter of time before they are back into full swing with all day school and all night activities!!

I spent some time over the weekend getting some swaps made for my team meeting tonight!  I had a fun day with girlfriends on Sunda as a couple of us met up for lunch and to gab!  Sunday was just a fabulous day - gotta love it when you have one those kinds of days where everything just keeps getting better and better as the day goes along!

So here we are, and it's already today!  Got just a few minutes to show you a quick picture of my swap card for tonight!  Took my inspiration for layout right from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog!  Just changed the colors and papers to suit what I had on hand --- Basic ingredients are the new CHERRY COBBLER ink and cardstock, Basic Black (can't go wrong), and Very Vanilla to coordinate with the new NEWSPRINT DSP, some black grosgrain ribbon, XL Flower Punch, new ribbon scallop punch and a couple circle punches too!  Sorry for the sizing of the picute, I will try again but my editor is somehow not working with me right now to crop and save the photo...   UGH!

Lots of samples to share with you from my convention swaps!  I have taken all the pictures, and got those up on a display board for my team to see tonight, as well as a convention table display and a table of some of the new things I've added to my stamping collection of supplies from the new catalog!

They don't even know it, but I also prepared a simple make-n-take for those that RSVP'd ahead of time!  But I best hit save for now and be ready, otherwise they'll be knocking and I'll still be typing!

Hugs, and thanks for stopping by!  I will work tomorrow on some more posts for this week, so keep checking back!

Rhonda