Get Inked!

Back to the Convention report… 

Day 2 started early for me.  I like to wait in line well before the doors open for the morning General Session.  This is what the line looked like in front of me when I got there 40 minutes before the doors opened:

10 minutes before the doors opened, the line behind me looked like this:

General Sessions are always amazing!

Shelli, Stampin’ Up!s co-founder & CEO, (love her!) spoke to us first about dreams and dreaming big.  She shared with us a neat quote, “A ship is always safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”

Then Brent Steele, VP of Creative Services, (in his Stampin’ Up! bling) showed us some great ways to use paper.  Convention is the one place you are guaranteed to see guys stamp.  And they are so good!

Paula Hogan, director of product development, did some super cute things with our punches! I LOVE the cupcake picks!

Jill Kocherhans (training director) stamped in velvet & diamonds.   She taught us how to use our punches together with so many of our stamp sets to make amazing, easy projects.

When I was leaving the General Session, I met Thurl Bailey.  He is a former NBA star and is a terrific business man.  He has (or had?) a singing career after leaving the NBA (he sang for us all at a previous convention).  Anyway, he is now a part of a group of businessmen (& women) who advise Stampin’ Up! on business decisions.  He is a very nice man- and very tall!  The photo is blurry, sorry.

After lunch, I had classes.  At the first one, Linda Hansen (training event facilitator), gave us some tips on how to run our workshops.  She did some funny skits to show what not to do.  I’ve seen Linda present at each of my conventions and she is my favorite!

One of my other classes was about color.  Shannon West taught a few different watercoloring techniques, and also how to add color to the flowers in the “Pretties” kit!  You can use ink from the lid of an ink pad, or pastels.  It is SO easy to do!

 After the official convention classes were over, I went to the SplitCoast Stampers dinner and swap.  Dinner was great, and I got some really good swaps!  I even won some new District Ribbon Originals for a doorprize!

Now, who wants to go to Convention??  And there’s still two more days.