Archive for the ‘Stampin Up Cruise’ Category:
Orlando: Meet Stampin’ Up!
I’m still here! Yes, we did make it home from Orlando, and between the inspiration from the Stampin’ Up! trip and the fabulous fun at Disney and Legoland and Harry Potter World… well, I can hardly contain all the crafty ideas!
Here are a few more pictures from our trip, just to finish up the fun:
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
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Walt Disney World: meet Stampin’ Up!
Each year Stampin’ Up! gives us a chance to earn a fabulous trip to somewhere in the world. Last year, we cruised to Alaska. A couple of years before that, we cruised the Mexican Riviera. Next year is Fiji!
In 10 years of being a Demonstrator, I’ve earned 10 trips. But out of all of them, I have no doubt that Disney World is the most “magical place on earth”.
Here are a few pictures from our first day:
Stampin’ Up! put us up at the Boardwalk Inn, a hotel themed on the era of seaside boardwalk fairs. The rooms are gorgeous and the Boardwalk with street entertainers and shops and restaurants is right out front!
Stampin’ Up! also treats us to pillow gifts during our stay, and the first arrived on arrival day: a Mickey bag filled with snacks! Perfect for a trip that includes kids (big & small 
The first morning we were up and getting ready to go at 5:30 am, which is 4:30 am at home. But really, you can tell we are all pretty excited to see the Magic Kingdom!
And decked out, too. Can you spot the hidden Mickeys in the room? (check the mirror frames!)
We had breakfast all together before heading over to the park. And while Disney is full of unexpected surprises and wonders, Stampin’ Up! still adds their touch! Here were the pennant centerpieces from the breakfast tables!
Our first view of Cinderella’s castle as we walk up Main Street before the park opens to the public (more Stampin’ Up! Magic):
So many fun rides and shows, but when you’re not big enough for a driver’s license, the Tomorrowland Speedway holds great appeal:
That evening Stampin’ Up! surprised us with another fun pillow gift: a set of insulated cups and a golf hat.
After a yummy dinner at Kouzzina’s (the restaurant of Cat Cora, the Food Network’s only female Iron Chef), we stopped on the boardwalk for a charicature.
And then bed! Fun days, with more adventures to come. Next stop: EPCOT!
Happy Stamping!
Meg
Sweets for the Sweet: from Alaska
When I mentioned our cruise to Alaska last week and shared a card that Pam Morgan had demonstrated on stage, I didn’t mention that we also got to do Make N Takes on the ship! Stamping in a huge cruise ship dining room is always a lot of fun, and the projects this spring were gorgeous. This card using the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set is a sweet one for any occasion.
Plus have you noticed how popular pinwheels have become this year? They’re everywhere! The Sweets for the Sweet stamp set has a pinwheel included–very handy.
This card also uses all the new In Colors from this year: Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral, Pool Party and Island Indigo. If you don’t have these new colors yet, you can order online or you might check out my August Stamps in the Mail Club, since the new In Color Markers are included with the August Kit.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Hello from Alaska
No, I’m not in Alaska again (that was in May for the Stampin’ Up! cruise) but this card was shown on the cruise by Pam Morgan, and I loved it so much that I had to make my own to show. Pam used the My Friend stamp set (see other samples) and Watercolor Wonder Crayons (did you see my recent Video Tutorial?).
One of my favorite tricks was how Pam used the Top Note die for Big Shot and cut it in half to make the frame for the top and bottom of this card. That ‘split’ theme also stretched to the delicate scallop edge Pam added in Rich Razzleberry at the top and bottom.
She started with a strip of card stock cut with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch (see it online) and trimmed it down the center to make two pieces. One piece decorates the top of the main panel and the 2nd piece is at the bottom. Great idea–thanks Pam!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Hello Doilie! Stamping for musical theater
After giving us a fabulous week on the Stampin Up cruise to Alaska, the staff members who were responsible for the event surprised us one more time… with a Thank You card in the mail!
This is my re-creation of the card they sent, with a new greeting. My Stamp Club members and several of my recent workshop guests have been eagerly awaiting the chance to make this gorgeous card for themselves.
I have to admit that I’d been putting it off, because the card looks so complicated. Guess what? It’s not hard at all! Just goes to show that what might look really impressive doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s all that hard to make!
So if you’re interested in joining us for Stamp Club on August 10th, let me know! We meet at my Stamping Studio in Mahomet, IL from 10 am til noon, or 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
We will be making this card along with another project: an easel card using the Enameled Rainbows technique!
Happy Stamping!
Meg
Pennants, Pennants Everywhere: perfect for cards, too
If you’ve been on my blog in the last week, you’ve probably seen quite a few pennant projects. But then again, if you’ve been at a department store or big-box store in the last week, you’ve probably seen pennants in their decor sections, too. They’re super-popular, and you see them everywhere!
This card was shown on stage during the Stampin’ Up! Cruise to Alaska this spring (fabulous trip!). I loved it so much that I had to create my own to share. The card features the My Friend stamp set (see it online) as well as the Petite Pennant Builder Punch (see it online). The little pennants make me so happy that I am featuring them in my Stamps in the Mail Club, beginning this month (learn more).
Like the background at the top? I do, too! It’s done with the new Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate (see it online). If you haven’t learned how to use the Letterpress Plates, definitely check out my Video Tutorial. Here are a few tips:
- I find that they work best with colored card stock (since it’s heavier weight than the Whisper White)
- I like to use either Versamark Ink or Craft Ink with the plates
- Plus I also find that using the Premium Crease Pad as the top layer, instead of a regular Cutting Plate, gives me a better impression
Oh! And I nearly forgot–the Designer Series Paper here is Pocketful of Posies (see it online). This is a terrific ‘funky’ paper with a bunch of great patterns and colors.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stampin On Ice: Chilly Waters in Alaska
Did you see my first round of photos from our recent Stampin’ Up! Cruise to Alaska? (see the first post here) The story continues, as we woke up one morning to an ocean dotted with ice cubes…icebergs! Here is the view up the Tracy Arm Fjord, and yes, that’s a GLACIER at the end of the photo!
The icebergs in the water around us ranged from tiny to the size of a city bus–and that’s just the part we could see above the water. The colors of the ice ranged from dirty white to snow white to glowing blue–almost as if the icebergs were lighted from inside. Very cool! Sometimes it almost looked like the ship was floating in a giant Diet Coke with ice.
In Juneau we also got off the ship and headed up closer to an ice field, throwing our share of rocks into the lake.
The next day our stop was in Skagway, Alaksa. We took a great bus tour up the Klondike Highway and through little towns like Carcross. We crossed over into the Yukon Territory (our Canadian friends were excited to have visited another of the Territories). The mountain lakes were absolutely breathtaking, and Tucker enjoyed the chance to tromp in the snow.
Here’s another shot of us throwing rocks in a lake… seems to have been a continuing theme! The water was REALLY cold though–hard to keep your fingers under for more than 10-15 seconds.
We even caught some glimpses of wildlife along the way, like this cute fuzzy black bear by the side of the road. Yes, I realize that he’s probably not as sweet up close and personal as he seems from the safety of the van, but still, you have to admit the cute factor.
The highlight for the kids though, was the visit to the Husky puppies and the dog sled rides. Is this a look of pure joy, or what? “Mom, can I have one? Please??”
No, she can’t have one. But they definitely were cute! We even got to ride on one of the dog sleds, which for the ‘summer’ is a modified golf cart with bench seats. The dogs sure loved running, and the dogs we saw were real athletes, competing in the winter Iditarod Race: over 1000 miles in 9-15 days. Pulling the tourist sleds gives them a chance to stay fit and train during their non-racing months.
The pools were halfway through our dog sled ride, giving the dogs a chance to catch a drink and cool off a bit.
Back in the US, we took the White Pass Railroad back to Skagway. More gorgeous scenery, and a chance to learn more about the gold miners who flocked to Skagway in 1897 and then had to hike the 33 mile Chilkoot Trail to where the gold actually was found. The train ride was much easier than hauling 2000 pounds of gear up 33 miles of trail. Thankfully.
And certainly back on the ship the food was much more plentiful and easy to come by!
We tried our own version of panning for gold, back in the Stampin’ Up! Hospitality Suite:
Each day the kids had the chance to ‘pan for prizes’ in a tub of 30,000 Stampin’ Up! buttons. There were 2 large red buttons, and the kids had to find one to win a prize. Abby and Tucker reminded us each day to head down so they wouldn’t miss their treats! One day the prize was Silly Bands, another day a little sack of ‘gold’ bubblegum, another day a gold-wrapped chocolate coin. Stampin’ Up! did a great job looking out for the kids on this trip!
Don’t worry, I’m not quite finished with the trip… still have to cover our Make N Take projects (think “sneak peek”!) and more.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamping Where? Alaska? On a Cruise?
That’s right, one of the great perks of being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is the chance to earn a fabulous all-expenses paid trip for 2 each year. The past trips have been fabulous (check them out) but this year’s cruise to Alaska tops them all in my book.
Here is the beginning of my photo journal for this trip. Stampin’ Up! sent us on an 8 day cruise from Seattle to Alaska and back, with stops in Ketchikan, AK, Juneau, AK, Skagway, AK and Victoria, BC, plus a cruise up the Tracy Arm Fjord to see the Tracy Arm Glacier.
First we had to get on the ship though…
What to do on the ship? Well, for our first Sea Day, we had a session complete with demos from the NEW Stampin’ Up! Catalog (due out July 1st). Want to hear more about those? As a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator you can get Sneak Peeks starting June 1st!
We also did some swimming in the saltwater pool. Very warm water, and fun to be swimming in front of snow-capped mountains!
We also visited the Stampin’ Up! Hospitality Suite, complete with a Prize Wheel to spin each day, fun ‘panning for gold’ activities for the kids (more on that later) and close-ups of the samples from the stamping session on stage. I know, I know… you want to see those pictures. But you’ll have to wait just a little bit longer!
There are a couple of nights set as Formal Nights on the ship. It’s fun to dress up a few times and have a fabulous dinner followed by a nice show. Abby especially loved the shows this year: a magician, a comedian, a pair of aerialists and song & dance production numbers.
Our first port day was in Ketchikan, Alaska. We decided to go on a family sea kayaking excursion during our visit. The weather was in the 50′s but not raining, so perfect for a kayak trip in paddle jackets and spray skirts.
Tucker got to paddle a little, but in between paddles he kept us up to date on the water temperature (cold) and entertained with songs (“jingle bells, Batman smells…”).
We saw LOTS of wildlife, including seals, a sea lion (probably hunting for the seals), at least 20 bald eagles, and several different types of starfish: sea stars, ochre stars & sun stars. We even got to hold some of them (squishy, smells like garlic).
We also took in a Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan, and made sure Abby got to do some shopping. Somehow Abby was sure that shopping was a main focus in each port. She must get that from her father… I’m sure it’s not me…
Anyway, more tomorrow! And thanks AGAIN to Stampin’ Up! for a fabulous trip!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
More Stampin’ Up! Cruise Highlights, more scrapbooking ideas!
I mentioned last week that I’m really having fun with scrapbooking my Caribbean Cruise photos with My Digital Studio (MDS). Here are a few more highlights:
This page will be the front of my 12×12″ bound scrapbook — yup, with MDS you can print the front of your album with anything you want. So here I’m making this page the front of my book as well as my opening page. It was an especially easy page. I started with the 9 picture layout that is included with the Photo Templates that come with MDS. Then I added a photo to each box, and in the center I added a .jpg of the cruise logo. Anything you have as a .jpg file can be treated as a photo in MDS. Very handy!
Here’s another page–I’m making one of these pages for each day. These will make it easy for me to divide each section and see which adventure occurred on which island (or sea day). The ‘day’ is written in the Rough Type Alphabet (a new digital download, or the ‘real life’ stamp set in the Summer Mini Catalog). The numbers are from the new digital download Scoreboard digital set.
Since our first full day on ship was a free day (no ports–just floating at sea), it felt like we had lots of time to relax! Among our favorites of the day… playing games with my friend Meg Daves and her husband, playing the piano on the Deck 14 lounge and getting soft-serve strawberry yogurt. Yum! The background paper for this page is from the Sweet Pea Designer Pack digital download.
And that night was our first Formal Night. We don’t get too many chances to get really dressed up at home, so it’s fun to pull out our fancy clothes. Okay, you caught me… it’s really an excuse to go shopping for fun dresses that I’d never get to wear at home And on the scrapbook page I used more Sweet Pea Designer Paper as well as the new Satin Ribbon digital download. We’re here with some of our dinner table mates–my upline Kim Peck and her husband Tim, and Susan LaCroix and her hubby Al.
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
My Digital Studio (118108)
Extra Digital Downloads: Rough Type Alphabet (121066), Satin Ribbons (121063), Corduroy Buttons (120170), Textured Cardstock (120168), Jersey Alphabet (122263), Scallop Border Trim Punch (122136), Spring Shades Designer Series Paper (120172), Sweet Pea Designer Pack
