We got back to the hotel and said our goodbyes…sniff…it has been a WONDERFUL event…a BIG thank you to Stampin’ Up! for making it so…

What a huge privilege and honor to spend time with so many wonderful demonstrators and staff – if you are a demonstrator, work hard and you can get here too – it is achievable and SO worth working for…

Back to my room and this is what was waiting for me on my bed…a final pillow gift…

Isn’t that box just GORGEOUS?  Wow…what a beautiful way to package a gift…and did you know that there is a Die available to make these boxes?

It is called the Blossom Box Bigz L Die and you can find it on pg 221 of the Catalog – I have just ordered mine so that I can make some cool Holiday gift boxes – it would also be perfect for making boxes to house Thanksgiving & Christmas place setting treats too!

It was made using DSP from Beau Chateau and a piece of beautiful Satin Vanilla Ribbon on the top…LOVE how elegant it looks…

So I opened it up and check out what was inside…

A GORGEOUS bag charm…WOW!!! It is chock full of beautiful Simply Adorned Pink, Clear & Vanilla Pearl Baubles along with Trinket Crowns and a BEAUTIFUL pink personalised tea cup & saucer at the end…

I know that a few ladies are planning to turn theirs into bracelets so that they can wear them often, but I think I’m going to keep mine as a cool bag charm…

You can find those Simply Adorned items on pg 200 and you can make beautiful gifts using them…I must admit I had never thought to put this many together on a chain and what a WOW gift it makes!!!

That’s all from Founders Circle 2011 – it has been an amazing time and it was wonderful catching up with old friends and making new friends…now it’s time to go home and give everyone hugs and get back to the real world…like laundry, grocery shopping and cooking dinner!  Ah well…the memories live on…THANK YOU STAMPIN” UP!

So onto the last evening at Founders Circle…all we knew was that it was going to be a fun event and we had to meet in the Hotel Lobby at 3.50 pm…

We boarded buses with our teams and off we went…after driving for around 15 minutes we drove down a little road by a golf course and suddenly one of my eagle eyed team mates noticed a Stampin’ Up! box on one of the putting greens…what in the world?!

Yes, we arrived at the Club House and were greeted by a huge line of golf carts – we were to go on a Golf Cart Scramble around 9 holes of the course!!!

At each hole we would find a game to complete…now this was going to be BIG fun!!!

Sooo off we went, 2 per cart…and at each putting green a sign greeted us…

This game was fun – we had to see how far we could hit a Marshmallow!!!  Well I have never played golf in my life (fortunately 3 ladies on our team were GREAT players so they really boosted our team points!) but after 6 (!) attempts I finally hit mine some distance…here is the FUN Barb Mullikin attempting her shot…she is in the same golfing league as me LOL!!!

Here we are in a convoy riding around a little off road section of the golf course…check out that BEAUTIFUL bright blue sky…wow…

Here was another stop on the way…the wonderful Laurie Krauss is the featured golfer here…we had to attempt to hit one of 5 products laid out and if we did, we won it…

My strategy (!) was to see if I could hit the biggest one…we were supposed to do it in just 1 hit…but our very kind host let me have 3 tries after which I managed it LOL – I won a Card Keeper!!!

The weirdest game had to be this one…you had to choose one member of your team who had to eat a HUGE marshmallow and drink a tea cup full of water as fast as they could…

Now Barb literally leaped at the chance to do this and here she is…she did it in 30 seconds!!!  And check out the details even on a golf course…that is a tablecloth made with Beau Chateau Fabric!!!

And back to more beautiful golf course scenery…isn’t it just amazing?

We mostly drove behind or in front of Barb…and she made me giggle…check out this next photo – I love the fact that in the back of her golf cart you can see a pack of DSP and her pink handbag…how many times do you see that on a golf course?!

And here she is again…laughing away…I looked back at one point and saw her with camera in hand veering off the path!!!

And check out the little furry friends we encountered along the way…they were everywhere!!!

Finally we finished our Scramble and headed back to the Club House for a delicious dinner with our team members…and to await the results of how we did on the games…

Here was our team table center piece…

And we each had a fun place setting…a trophy filled with the new In Color Markers!

And here is a team photo of The Cup & Saucers…

Dinner was delicious, the company was amazing and when it came time for the results…out of 17 teams…we came 2ND!!!  Not that we were competitive or anything…but we WHOOPED it up!!!  And we each won a Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin’ Kit!

Then it was back on the buses and off to the hotel to say some final goodbyes…would there be a pillow gift tonight?

Last day of Founders Circle…sniff…it’s been SO much fun and I’ve had such a great time and been spoiled rotten…

The last day was filled with chatting with friends, shopping, eating, make & takes…sound familiar?!  What a great way to spend the days!!!

After breakfast I wandered to the Gathering Place where this sign greeted us…

So the Final Event is at 4 pm…all we could get out of the staff (and believe me, we tried hard to find out!!!) was that it was going to be LOTS of fun…mmm…

Well, I decided to go and investigate what the day’s goodies were and here was the choice…

And check them out…YUM…how on earth do you chose?!  They ALL looked SO good…

I just couldn’t decide and so wandered over to make my last make & take of the event…a beautiful Banner.

I didn’t get to finish mine (due to too much talking and eating – imagine that LOL!) but here are a couple of photos of the finished item on the display board…the eagle eyed amongst you are going to love this…

This is my favorite part of the banner…check out that BIG tea cup…hehehehe…

It’s a brand new stamp…and it’s just BIG & GORGEOUS!!!

Notice that blue piece right at the back?  Mmm…whatever could that be?!  Well, that shape is again on this part of the banner…but this time you can see it in all it’s glory…

Yep, that beautiful red shape is made using a brand new Die…tee hee…it’s STUNNINGLY intricate and beautiful!!!

Phew…after all the work I was doing (!) I decided I had to make a decision on the fruit tart…I am very partial to soft summer fruits and so it just had to be the Raspberry Tart…

It looks like art and almost too good to eat…almost…

And so then I went on to play my last Plinko of the event…

And won a Stack of In Color Designer Series Papers – how cool is that?  Here is a photo of ALL the items I won whilst playing Plinko here…LOVE them all…

Although quite how I am going to fit everything in my suitcase is another story…but that is a GOOD problem to have!!!  I hear that there are ladies trotting off to Target to purchase new suitcases to pack all their goodies into!!!  Fortunately I packed light but even my suitcase is going to be stuffed full…

And next comes the Final Evening Event…surprising and fun!

So onto the evening’s events at Founders Circle, Day 3…

Remember that pillow gift last evening, of the filled popcorn container?  Well, amongst candy were nestled these gems…

I could hardly believe it – inside that gorgeous card was an invitation to go to Tuacahn Amphitheater to see The Little Mermaid!!!  I squealed!!!

I didn’t get to go there last time and could hardly believe I was going this time – it is a beautiful open air theater nestled in a canyon – talk about WOW!

And so we got onto the buses and headed out…after giving us all a big box of popcorn and some water…the Stampin’ Up! events staff really do think of everything…and then we arrived…

This is what greets you in the foyer – absolutely stunning scenery…

Here is a banner outside of the theater…check out those beautiful costumes…

And onto finding our seats which were of course in a fabulous position…here is a view from my seat down towards the stage – what an amazing sight – the whole thing is outdoors against the most amazing backdrop of Snow Canyon…and during the show water flows down from the creek bed at the back onto the stage…and rain falls from the bars across the stage…

And check out the view looking to the side of the theater from my seat…unbelievable…beautiful red cliffs…

I have never seen a theater like it!!!  And so the performance began once the sun went down…

We weren’t allowed to take photos during the performance but let’s just say that it was as amazing as the surroundings!  And we did have some flashes of lightning over those cliffs but fortunately the storms stayed away this time!

It was a 3 hour show and at the end, we were all tired, happy and ready for bed…and so we headed back to the hotel…

I got back to my room and look what awaited me…hehehehe…yet another pillow gift…

This box is a Small Die Storage Box – on Day 1 we got the larger Medium Box – I didn’t have any before receiving these, but when I saw them was wowed – how have I managed so long without them?!

They are very sturdy, lined and beautiful – and see that Stampin’ Up! added a band of DSP & ribbon around the lid?  You could do this to co-ordinate the boxes with the colors & theme in your crafting space…

I know I am going to be getting some more and if you are interested in finding out more about them, you can find them on pg 226 of the Catalog.

So, what was inside the box? I opened the lid and…ta dah…

Found this very cute apron made of the very beautiful Beau Chateau Designer Fabric that you can find on pg 196 – it also came complete with a beautiful removable flower that had been die cut and layered many times…

What an absolutely fantastic day I had…and then we are onto Day 4, sadly the last full day of Founders Circle where a FUN activity was enjoyed by all!

Come back tomorrow to find out what we did…

Sooo onto Day 3…the tour of Kanab was on this day but like a few other demonstrators, I decided that I needed a day to just hang out and relax – we’ve had one busy year and I wanted to spend the day with my Kindle plus chatting & stamping with some new friends…

Don’t get me wrong, the trip to Kanab is just FABULOUS – you get to see how the stamps are made, see Shelli’s apartment, have a amazing picnic lunch in the park and do some shopping…I did that last time I was lucky enough to come here but this time, just needed to have some downtime.

And so I woke up and went down for breakfast around 8, after the buses had left…and sat on a table having breakfast with some amazing ladies…it was like a rotating table because ladies came and went…I think I was there for 2 hours chatting and eating!!!

Then I decided to venture into the Gathering Place to check out today’s goodies…and did they ever look good…here is the choice…

I am continually amazed by these little touches…that frame & stand alone is just gorgeous!

And so then I decided to do my second make n take and here it is…it is a beautiful envelope made from a notecard that has a pull-out insert…

The eagle eyed amongst you will see that it is made using brand new, not yet released Designer Series Papers and stamps…hehehehe…and they are just GORGEOUS!!!

Recognise that orange doily under the stamped image? That shape is simply snipped out from the edge of one of the die cut sheets in Flirtacious Specialty that you can find on pg 183 of the catalog – I had not thought to do this before with those die cut sheets but now I am going to be making lots of cards like this…

After all the energy that I used to make this, I decided to refuel and have one of those delicious items from the pastry case…and this is what I chose…

All I can say is…DIVINE!!!  I then plinko’d and won a roll of Scallop Dots Ribbon – one of my favs!

Then I decided to go out for a walk to work off my lemon bar…this is the view just from the hotel parking lot…even this is amazing to me…the beauty of the surroundings…

And whilst outside I decided to take some photos to show you more of the lengths that Stampin’ Up! goes to, to make this event unbelievable…

They even decorate the windows using some custom themed Decor Elements – this year’s theme is a Tea Party and check out these windows…

I just love those squirrels…recognise the stamp set that they are also in?  It is Pendant Park on pg 79!

And then…well…a spot of lunch and down to the pool area to read my book…and what an amazing place to go to relax…

Ahhh…what a day!!!

So what about that pillow gift from last evening?  Check back in a while to find out what was inside…

So onto the evening’s events at Founders Circle Day 2…

We had to meet downstairs at 8 pm for the Business Share and the BIG swap…

When the doors were opened we were all handed this BEAUTIFUL journal and pen to jot down notes…

We found our seats and then promptly popped over to where they stash the goodies and had water with strawberries floating in it and BIG slices of cake…check out these beauties…YUM!!!

For an hour we swapped business ideas which is just amazing…and then Shelli spoke with us…and as you can see, we are all in our pajamas for this evenings events…FUN!!!

And then it was our turn to surprise Shelli…it is a big birthday for her this year and we showered her with a little real life banner and everyone brought an extra card to give to her…cute!!!

And then onto the swap…can you imagine swapping with 125 demonstrators?!  What a feat of organisation!

This is my swap…it uses the fabulous Builder Stocking Punch, Snow Burst Embossing Folder, sparkly Silver Glimmer Paper, Quilted Cherry Cobbler Ribbon and cute Jingle Bells that you can find in the Holiday Mini Catalog…

Imagine making 125 of these babies…lets just say it’s going to be a while before I tie those little bells onto twine again!!!

And so we swapped…and what fun it was…we even swapped with Shelli!  I will be posting photos of some of those fabulous cards I received in the next few weeks…

And then we were all exhausted and headed for bed…and here awaiting our return was this evening’s pillow gift…

Want to know what’s in it?  Aside from what you can see, there was one COOL surprise in there for us…

Check back tomorrow to find out what that was and for the details of what we did on Day 3…

So onto Day 2 of Founders Circle…we wake up and eat a yummy breakfast…and then wander on down to the Gathering Place…

Which has been magically transformed overnight into a big space complete with comfy sofas, candy and delicious bakery goods…

And check out the sofas…see those pillows? Made using Stampin’ Up!’s fabric…aren’t they cute?  And in the center of the sofas are coffee tables filled with candies and beautiful flowers…yum…

And there are carts and displays LADEN with even more candy in big glass jars…and for my two sweet girls…yes, I am bringing some home for you 

So onto playing Plinko where I won a roll of Ruffled Ribbon and then I got down to ‘work’…hehehehe…some beautiful Make ‘n Takes that use some brand new DSP, the Stamp Set we received in our pillow gift Box last evening and a brand new FABULOUS Die for the Big Shot…which we also received in that box…

Whilst I am not able to show you that Die and Stamp Set, I can show you the card I made using them…now it’s tough working, so I ‘had’ to have one of the yummy goodies in the display case today…check out that Yogurt Parfait next to my card…which do you look at first?  They are both so pretty!!!

Whilst doing my make n takes I was chuckling to myself…it’s so surreal…to the right of me is a table where the uber talented Diana Gibbs is showing Angie Juda and Stella MacKay watercoloring techniques…

And then Shelli popped over to our table and sat down for a chat…how fabulous is that?  And what a lovely lady…

(PS – I hope you dont mind me using your photo Stella-lady – I’ll check in with you later!)

Phew…after all that hard work I decided to pop back to my room to chill out and just had to take 2 delicious chocolate eclairs with me…

Can you tell that this week has quite a big food theme?!  LOL!!!

So onto Day 2 in the evening…check back in a while for that instalment…

So after we checked into the hotel, had lunch and unpacked, we all made our way down into the Gathering Place…

And this is what greeted us…a BEAUTIFUL display complete with yummy cakes and the lovely Kelli Sue serving them to us…

And the attention to detail continues to wow me…there is even a cute blackboard telling us what the day’s treats are…

Check out those cupcakes…I chose a Raspberry Lemon flavored one and it was the best cupcake I have ever eaten…

We had a welcome get to know you game and we had to find other members of our teams…the team I am in is called the Cups & Saucers – and there are lots of others including The Brits (shouldn’t I have been on that team?!)…

When we found the other members of our team we got a prize…and then we got to play Plinko…and so I came away with a pack of Beau Chateau Side Notes and a Houndstooth Embossing Folder…how cool is that?!

And then onto dinner…oh my what a sight when we were allowed into the room…absolutely stunning…and here is my place setting…

See that tea cup full of roses?  We got to take them away with us…how cute is that?!

And here is our team’s table centerpiece…

And check out this DELICIOUS dinner…yummy tenderloin steak & veggies…

And the dessert?  OH MY that was unbelievable…it tasted as good as it looks…believe me, I was full but just HAD to have some…

After dinner we took a team photo…we will get together with our team throughout Founders Circle for fun activities…this is a bunch of FUN ladies…

And then we retired to our rooms very tired but very very happy…and check out what was waiting on my bed…a fabulous pillow gift!!!  Every night Stampin’ Up! leave us a gift on our beds…how cute is that?!

When I opened it I just SQUEALED with delight -you will find out what is inside it on Day 2 – it is heavy & stuffed full of new goodies including a brand new stamp set not yet released…hehehehe…and I absolutely LOVE it!!!

Day 2 is coming up later…be sure to check back…

OK so I am running VERY late but slowly catching up!!!

This past couple of weeks has been a whirlwind of activity – the neighborhood next to ours was evacuated due to wildfires and we thought we might have to go too…thankfully not…but unfortunately lots of the surrounding area has been affected…

I also had a whole lot of work to do before I came to Founders Circle including making 130 swaps which takes a long time…and they have to be good ones too as Shelli swaps with us…how cool is that?

So today & tomorrow I have free time to catch you all up with what’s going on here at Fabulous Founders Circle…

Day One – arrival day – Part 1…

The night before I was busy packing…and look who wanted to come with me…

Isn’t he cute?  But I hear he’s being a bit naughty at home…chuckle…!!!

So this is the hotel we are staying in – check out those red cliffs behind – my room looks over them and it is just gorgeous…

Now you won’t believe how all out Stampin’ Up! goes for this event…check out the hotel front doors…they even decorate the glass with beautiful themed decor elements…

It is just amazing…and every year there is a theme…this year’s theme is a Tea Party and just check out the beautiful decor elements on the glass below…

Isnt that attention to detail just amazing?!

Sooo I checked in and after lunch made my way to my room – we all get the fabulous treat of a room each – and look what we all have on our doors…

A beautiful personalized name plate…isn’t is gorgeous?  I love those ribbons and how they tied them all together…

And the last thing that delighted me on arrival – and if you are from Texas you will understand this…it was RAINING!!!

And I just had to go outside and stand in it for a little bit…it’s been sooo long since I’ve seen any of the wet stuff!!!

So that’s all from the arrival bit of Day One – check back in a little while for Part 2 of day one…

Today features a cute sparkly card that uses some brand new products featured in the Holiday Mini Catalog…

And these products are all amongst my favorites in that Mini…see that sparkly Silver Glimmer Paper, the cute little silver Jingle Bell and the fabulous Stocking Builder Punch?  They are all in there!

And this card is a great one to make if you are on a budget this Holiday season…read on for details plus info about this week’s Festive Blog Candy…

If you are on a budget, right now this is just the type of Holiday card that you can make a bunch of for a low cost – why?

• you can get 8 of these card bases out of one sheet of 12×12 cardstock!
• there is no Designer Series Paper – the focus of the card is that beautiful stocking
• once you purchase the Stocking Builder Punch you have it for ever
• with careful punch placement you get LOTS of stocking trimmings out of one sheet of Silver Glimmer Paper
• you get 48 Jingle Bells for just $2.95!
• the Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine costs just $2.95 for 25 yards!
• you can use any sentiment stamp that you already have in your stamping stash

How’s that for a budget priced holiday card idea?!

I love how this card turned out – my card base is simply a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock sized 3″ x 6″…

To get 8 card bases out of one sheet of 12×12 cardstock simply slice that cardstock in half at 6″ – then place one of those pieces into your paper trimmer with the longest edge along the top, and cut at every 3″ – repeat for the other pieces and there you have 8 card bases!

I then added a mat of Old Olive & another of Whisper White and  I stamped my sentiment using a stamp from the set Holiday Happiness that you can find on pg 34 of the main Catalog…

That cute stocking? Punched out of Cherry Cobbler cardstock using that new fabulous Stocking Builder Punch that you can find on pg 34 of the Holiday Mini – and that gorgeous sparkly trim?  Punched out of the GORGEOUS new Silver Glimmer Paper that you can find on pg 41 of that mini…I added the stocking trim using a Dimensional to make it pop off the card…

That new Silver Glimmer Paper is just stunning – that paper glitters so beautifully and the best bit is that no glitter falls off of it when you cut it – it’s gorgeous and you only need a little piece of it to turn your card into a WOW card.

For finishing touches I added a cute Jingle Bell that you can find on pg 30 of that Mini – and let me tell you they are BARGAIN priced – you get a pot of 48 of them for just $2.95!!!  I threaded it onto a piece of Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine and tied a bow…

You can get envelopes to fit this size of card – Mini Envelopes – that you can find on pg 182 of the main Catalog.  And you could also use this sized card for a gift tag for your holiday gifts – how cute would that be?

This is a Card Kit that I am including for FREE with my Holiday Mini Catalogs!

If you DO NOT currently have a Demonstrator and would like a copy of this Catalog including this FREE card kit and some FREE samples of papers & ribbons, please email me by clicking HERE and I will get a package out in the mail to you.

If you DO have a Demonstrator, please contact them for your copy of this fabulous Mini Catalog.

Not got a paper copy and want to see it right now?  You can click on the picture of it below to view it online…

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR NEW HOLIDAY MINI GOODIES ONLINE!

QUICK NOTE FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR MY 32 CARDS USING A SIMPLY SCRAPPIN’ KIT…

I have had camera woes this week – my camera is not working properly and thus I have been unable to take the photos I need (fortunately I made & photographed the card featured today last week)…

I am in search of a replacement this weekend and hope to have everything up and sorted by Monday – apologies for the delay and thank you for your patience!