Sale-A-Bration is such a fun time of year!  Spend $50 (before taxes and shipping) and choose one of the free options from the 2019 Sale-A-Bration Catalog!  There are 11 options available.  Which one is your favorite?

And when you spend $100 (before tax and shipping), you can choose two $50 options above
​or one of these two options below. Which one is your favorite?  

Also, note on page 2 where it says, "Watch for another set of exclusive free items coming February 15!"  That's when I renew my 12 month Paper Pumpkin subscription...and get to choose 4 free items!   

Starting with the 2019 Occasions Catalog, Stampin' Up! is introducing Cling stamps to replace Clear stamps.   If you have used our clear stamps before, you know they tend to fall off the clear blocks.   Now, with the addition of Cling stamps, you can put the sticker on with no worries the stamp will fall off!  Just be sure to follow these step-by-step instructions on how to assemble Cling stamps.  Once they are assembled, I suggest using the YouPick Tool to peel the stamps out of your case.  Here's a Facebook Live video I did to show my new Cling stamps.  Or check out the videos below to learn more!  

In November 2018, I made the trip down to Orlando to be a part of the 30th anniversary party for Stampin' Up!  Ten IN Stampers made the trip, by far the greatest number of team members to join in on the fun!  Without planning it, there were 3 others on my flight!  Once we arrived in Orlando, we rented a car and 11 of us stayed at Barb's vacation house, a Vintage Rose Stamper who graciously allowed us to stay for free!  The next day I was able to attend CenterStage with my upline, Chris, which was held at Epcot.  We got to taste food from around the world since the International Food & Wine Festival was going on, plus attend a private reception for Stampin' Up! leaders with yummy donuts and karaoke. The main event started Thursday and included make & takes, prize patrols, all-attendee giveaways, and lots of free time to eat and enjoy the sun.  After the high energy packed event, I made a solo road trip down to Naples to see my best friend and college roommate.  It was a fun-filled seven days and I can't wait to see where my next Stampin' Up! event takes me!

Have you tried the Big Shot Embossing Mats yet?  They are new as of June, and a fun way to get more milage out of your dies!  Check out the video below to see the dies in action!

​We used them at the VIP Club this month where we made three cards.  The first card used the Springtime Impressions Thinlits dies.  The second card used the new Blizzard Thinlit die from the Holiday Catalog.  And the third card used the Puzzle Pieces Thinlits.  ​

When you purchase them, they come with three components: a hard white plate, a ticker rubber grey mat, and a thinner rubber blue mat.  I cut up the directions from the packaging and slipped them into a clear mount stamp case, then labeled it along the spine to store in a tub with my other Big Shot accessories.  ​Such a fun addition to add to crafting!  Happy embossing!

I heard I would be spoiled on this trip, but I am still amazed and grateful.  In addition to the free flight and cruise for two, I received $289 in product, plus the 5 logo gifts.  Several have asked me what my favorite part was of the trip.  It would have to be combining my favorite things together: my husband, traveling, eating, and Stampin' Up!  I mean how many times can you go see the world and then come home to gifts?  Like the tooth fairy, but much better!  

As we were waiting at the airport to fly out of Seattle, I saw Shelli and Sterling Gardner, the founder and her husband.  I just had to go and say thank you.  I told her this was my first trip and, with a tear in my eye, how thankful I was for the opportunity.  She said she hopes this is just the first of many.  I told her I was sad not to earn Greece, but I would be working towards Maui!  As expected, she was as sweet as could be!  

I am truly grateful for all Stampin' Up! has done for me and my family.  I am so thankful to have a meaningful hobby that lets me meet new people, do something creative, and encourage others through cards.  I love having a business that makes a difference, and enables me to travel and be a part of something fun!  The next event I am traveling to is Orlando, Florida this November for the 30th anniversary celebration for Stampin' Up!  It's not too late to join the IN Stampers and come with us!  We even have a free place to stay!

Thanks to my parents who watched my boys while I was gone, to my husband Nicholas for letting me have the "endless parade of stampers" every month, to my upline Chris for motivating me and encouraging me to earn this trip, to my IN Stampers team who are always there to stamp and be a part of the fun, and to all my friends and customers who help support this crazy habit of mine.  And if you have never stamped before and want to try it, I promise you won't regret it!  Plus, with all these goodies, I plan to offer 5 extra classes this fall, in addition to the five I offer each month!  

And thanks for reading my blog...for those who commented, stay tuned this week for a drawing for a free stamp set!  Happy stamping!

Before arriving at our final port of Victoria, British Columbia, we grabbed breakfast and headed to Base Camp. I spun the wheel and won some Bermuda Bay Mini Striped Ribbon!  When we got off the ship at 9:30, we explored Victoria for about 3 hours.  We walked along Salish Sea to Fisherman's Wharf, up Government Street to Bastion Square, through Fan Tan Alley to Chinatown, over to Beacon Hill Park, and then along Waterfront Trail back to the port at Ogden Point.  The landscape and weather was beautiful, 82 degrees, sunny, with a light wind.  

At 12:45, we boarded a bus for our last excursion to go zip lining at AdrenaLINE in Sooke, BC.  After a 45 minute bus ride, we put on our safety gear and then took an ATV ride up to the top of the peak.  There were 8 zip lines, the longest was 1000 feet, the tallest was 150 feet high, and the fast was 42 mph!  I had never gone zip lining before, so it was a fun experience to check off the bucket list!  We didn't take any video when we were there, but here is a video I found on YouTube showing the zip lines we did.  We were 11 minutes late getting back to the boat, so thankfully we booked the excursion through Royal Caribbean so the boat wouldn't leave without us!

Sadly, it was time to pack and get ready for our last dinner in the Sapphire Dining Room.  We continued to eat with our new friends from New Zealand.  The last dinner was maybe my favorite: caprese salad, chicken marsala, and tiramisu.  I came back to find my last pillow gift: the Dashing Deer bundle and a map to scratch off all of the places we've traveled.  Where to next?  

On day 6, we finally slept in until 7:45.  After breakfast in Windjammer, I headed to Base Camp.  My spin of the wheel earned me a beautiful sheer black ribbon with glitter embedded into it, which we will for sure be using on a Halloween card in an upcoming class!  It was also the day to pick up our swaps!  If you didn't see the video of the ones I received, you can view it here.  But below are pictures of ALL the swaps created by the 400+ demonstrators hung up on display boards.  My favorite was the Alaska card made using the A Little Wild stamp set and the Lined Alphabet stamp set. Since I didn't receive this one personally, I am not sure who made it!  

At 11:00, Stampin' Up! hosted a Share Fair, where 8 demonstrators were chosen to have a table displaying projects they made and products they used to create them.  My favorite was the table of Amy Combs, a demonstrator from California.  She made an adorable Christmas banner which I plan to C.A.S.E. and offer as a class this fall.  In case you didn't know, CASE means to Copy And Share Everything.

After a relaxing day of reading, sitting in the hot tub, and eating, we attended a few more shows after dinner.  The first one was Battle of the Sexes.  The host would ask for a number of male participants and an equal number of female participants, but when you volunteered, you didn't know what the challenge would be.  Of all the game shows, this one interested me most, but I probably wouldn't have volunteered until a stranger behind me wearing the same jacket as me said, let's go represent Stampin' Up!  I couldn't say no!  So I went on stage with a demonstrator who turned out to be a new friend, Lori Mueller.  We were told our challenge would be to tie a string around our waist, with a pen hanging from the back.  We had to run to the end of the stage and squat down so the pen dipped into a water bottle, pull it out and run back to tag the next in line.  I was the last of the four girls, and when the guys jumped out to a big lead, I was expecting to not to have to go at all.  But then the third in line for the guys proved quite terrible at this "skill," so we were able to catch up and I helped the girls beat the guys in this challenge.  After 5 challenges total, the girls won!  

The next game show was called The Quest and I don't think I ever laughed so hard!  The room was divided into 6 sections and the host gave us a "quest" and the first section to produce his request won that challenge. (Think: find someone in your section who has dentures and bring them to the stage!  Someone took theirs out and threw them to the team captain who didn't catch them, so they went skidding across the floor!).  And to top the night off, I returned to another Pillow Gift, the Making Christmas Bright bundle from the upcoming Holiday Catalog!  

We set our alarm at 5:15 to sit outside on the balcony as we entered Tracy Arm Fjord, a "long narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier."  At 6:30 we had a quick breakfast, and headed to the deck for about four hours as we traveled the inlet.  Once we reached the end of the passageway, the boat slowly rotated for about 40 minutes so we could take pictures from all angles, before heading back out.  We saw several seals, otters, bald eagles, a whale, and even a few mountain goats.  It was truly breathtaking!

After taking in all the views, we spent the day hitting all of the activities on the boat.  I first stopped by Base Camp and won a pack of cards used for pocket scrapbooking (I can't wait to start my Alaska scrapbook!).  After lunch, we went to a Love & Marriage Game Show, and while Nicholas wanted to participate, I am so glad we didn't!  At 2:00, we went "Spirit of the Seasons," an ice skating spectacular.  It really was much better than I anticipated!  At 3:00, we went to a Rock the Room Game Show.  At 7:00, we went to a Magic Show by Leo Ward which was quite entertaining, seeing wedding rings disappear and $1 bills turn into $20s.  

Dinner was formal night again.  We had sat by ourselves for the past several nights at an 8 person table, so we were thankful when we were approached by three sisters who were also at a table by themselves to see if they could join us.  After introductions, I recognized Jackie Noble from hearing her name called several times to walk across the stage at Stampin' Up! events.  She is one of the top five demonstrators in New Zealand and I was thankful to chat business for a bit and learn from another achiever.  After dinner, I discovered a wireless speaker (and some red ribbon) as my Pillow Gift.  What songs would you add to make the perfect playlist for crafting?   

After breakfast, I headed straight to Base Camp and this time I won a 12x12 pack of paper from the Holiday Catalog.  We arrived in Skagway at 10am and immediately boarded a bus for our excursion.  We headed to Alaska 360 where we signed up for a sled dog demonstration.  I knew nothing about the Iditarod, so it was fascinating to learn about how to qualify for the race, what equipment they wear, how they train, and what is involved to cross the finish line.  If you know me, you know I did not participate in the 40 below experience!  We saw the dogs take a quick race around a rock track.  Then, we got to hold puppies who were two weeks old.  As you can imagine, Nicholas has been asking lately for a pet, more so than normal.  

After the demonstration, we boarded a bus for a tour up to Klondike Summit.  We actually crossed into Canada briefly, so coming back we got to take our picture in front of the "Welcome to Alaska" sign.  At the top we saw great views, waterfalls, and the White Pass & Yukon Railway train.  

Once back in town, we did some souvenir shipping and ate some crab & spinach dip at Skagway Brewing Co. We arrived back on the ship in time for a showing of Black Panther at the Palace Theater.  We then went to dinner (eggplant appetizer, Tandoori chicken salad, chocolate pear mousse) and went straight to bed (using my new Pillow Gift, a blanket to keep us warm the next day while cruising!).