Convention 2013 - Be the Difference

Convention this year was to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Stampin' Up!.  The stage included giant "25s" on both sides and colorful banners that were digital and could change colors.

 

Over 5,800 demonstrators attended this year.  Everything and every place a crowded....to say the least.  To find each other, we used bright umbrellas.  I found these umbrellas at a local craft store.  They were intended for kids but they worked out wonderfully...

 

 

The Frog and The Duck became cornerstone to many folks finding each other.  We had so much fun with them...

 

Stampin' Up! also qualified to become part of the Guinness World Record with the most greeting cards sent from the same location.  We qualified with ~2800 cards sent!  Below is a photo of Darlene and I after we sent our off...

Another feature of the party on Thursday night included Sheet Climbers....

And a live band...the Spazmatics....what a great team of nerds...  Between the band (playing tunes from the 1980's) and the group of guys dancing with us, a great time was had by all!!!

Ad let's not forget GREAT cupcakes!!!

 

Many Blessings...

Cathy

Convention 2013 - Be the Difference

Today is all about groups....and photos.

As part of Stampin' Up!, we all belong to "uplines" or those that brought us into the Stampin' Up! family.  The first photo is of the Prismatics group and all the uplines and downlines.  Carol Bartle led the effort for this photo.  Carol is on the back row, third from the left.

 This photo is our group - Sharon, Darlene, Jan, Me and Karen.

 And when two or more are gathered....we shall eat!!!  This photo is from our dinner at Olive Garden.

 

This photo is taken the last day during General Session.  Sure will miss our Canadian friends...

 

And our last meal together...at A.J. Wong's Asian Bistro.  A great restaurant!

I feel blessed to have the opportunity to meet these women.  Sharon I know from home; Darlene I met last year...and our new friends Jan and Karen!

Stampin' Up! was started 25 years ago by two sisters...one seeking opportunities to earn money and the other seeking interaction with other people....  Both succeeded and we continue to benefit from their effort.  To many more years and meeting new friends....

Many Blessings....
Cathy

Convention 2013 - Be the Difference

I went to the Stampin' Up! Convention 2012 by myself and I found some new friends!  I roomed with 3 people I had never met and we had a blast!  I've kept in touch with a couple of them.

This year, I went to Convention and roomed with last year's roommate - Darlene.

 

While we were taking these photos, we met a couple of Canadians who were also attending.  They were so kind to take this photo of Darlene and I.  We in turn took their photos.  We found out that they were headed out to Riverton to see the home office.  Since the lines were so horrible, I found myself asking if we could ride along.  They agreed and off we went...

 

 When we arrived...thanks to GPS in my phone...we went out to get our photos taken on the Stampin' Up! rocks which border the entrance to the headquarters.  There wasn't much of a line when we arrived but by the time we left, the line was very long....glad we did this first!!!

 

 We spent the rest of Convention with Karen and Jan, our new found friends.  They were a blast!!!

I hope to keep in touch with them and meet them again at the next Convention!!!

Many Blessings....
Cathy

Convention 2013 - Be the Difference

Whew....got home yesterday afternoon from Stampin' Up! Convention 2013 and I was exhausted.  I took another day of leave to catch up!  I thought I would share a couple of photos depicting some of the fun we had!

This year's theme was "Be the Difference."  

The photo below is in the Stampin' Up! Headquarters in Riverton, UT.  The bottom floor lobby has a beautiful, peaceful centerpiece.  Tables encircle this area for employees to take lunch or breaks.

The Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, UT was decked out with banners emblazed with the logo for this year's Convention.

Stampin' Up! has supported the Ronald McDonald Home Charities (RMHC) for many years.  Each year, a stamp set is chosen and $3 from the sale of each stamp set is given to RMHC.  Ronald made an appearance at Convention this year!  I'm a sucker for a photo op with a character....

 Stampin' Up! supports many different causes.  A service project was included this year where we each had the opportunity to put a banner together for children spending their birthdays in the Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City. 

 We then took the banner and added it to a box that included a stamp, marker, and paper.

We added a notepad...

 A sticker signed with a name...

 Sealed the box with a Happy Birthday sticker and added it a shipping box...ready to be taken to the hospital....

What a great opportunity to do something for those kids who aren't having a very good birthday....  I love that Stampin' Up! is a big proponent of doing good for others....

Check back tomorrow for more photos...

Many Blessings....
Cathy