Retreat Recap, Part One

Phew. Hello my slightly abandoned blog readers. I have quite a lot going on right now.
Let's start with Thursday night:

Hello Keith Urban! He was with Sugarland at the Verizon Center. It was an AWESOME show with GREAT friends! I almost didn't notice in the pain-in-the-arse night track work on the metro that delayed us arriving home in a timely fashion.

Friday morning I departed for a three-day REMARKABLE retreat in Harrisburg, PA. Three days, almost 100 ladies and cardstock and glitter galore! Yes, it was amazing and I didn't get much sleep and I want to shout from the rooftop all the amazing ideas and techniques that are running though my tiny little brain. Oooohh, you should join my team so you can go with me in April to the NEXT remarkable retreat.


Before I left, I made these great tags for all my bags. And when I say all, I MEAN ALL. How do you pack for three days of stamping? I had no idea! I had 5 bags plus one suitcase. I originally wanted to laminate identification cards but didn't like the idea of not being able to update the cards. I mean, Baja Breeze is soooooo last catalog! HAHAHA. These cards are fantastic and I love them!! They are protective baseball card holders for collectors. They are rigid but economical. I used a bit of ribbon to tie the tags to my bags. On the back I quickly wrote my cell phone number in case someone picked up my bag by accident (100 ladies = lots of bags!). The one for my suitcase also had my address . Trust me, I made these in minutes. Literally, minutes.


The first element to any great team or Stampin' Up! meeting are swaps. Swaps are card fronts (5-1/2" x 4-1/4") made with the intent of giving them away! For each one you give away, you get another in return. As the creator, you make one layout and bulk assemble 35 other cards. In return, you obtain samples using color combos you wouldn't have thought of, new techniques you've not tried or cards with stamps sets you (gasp!) don't own! In this particular event the swaps were organized and in groups of 36. I made my cards ahead of time and I decided to participate in two diffent swaps. There were no other guidelines! I made 36 of this card, and let me tell you, not something I'd recommend. Holy cow what was I thinking? It was a labor intensive card. The second card I swapped, you've seen before, you just didn't know it! It was this holiday card from the upcoming mini!

Sweet Deets (all supplies Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: En Français, Note to Self, Razzle Dazzle, Sanded, Warm Words
Ink: Mellow Moss, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Versamark
Cardstock: Kraft, Mellow Moss, Soft Suede, Whisper White
Accessories: Clear EP, ½” Soft Suede Polka Dot Grosgrain (reverse side showing), 3/8” Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon, Paper Piercer and Mat Pack
Techniques: Faux Tearing, Emboss Resist

Friday night we had a Christmas Party. There were decorations (look how cool Dasher looks - it's a large decor element on canvas with glitter!) and we sang carols (SU! style!) and had a gift exchange. The gift was to be $5-$10 and something handmade. Here's what I wrapped for the exchange: A blank bag tag (as described above), the gable box you saw HERE filled with chocolate, and a glass jar with I decorated with a decor element vinyl flower and filled with more chocolate. Don't blame me, the foil was a great purple color and looked amazing in the jar. I reshot this photo about 8 times trying to get the color to show up well without getting a glare! (The things I do for my readers!).

Ok, I have much, much, much more to share. But I need sleep sleep sleep first.

Hugs,
SHERRI