Hi, There, Stampers!
This month marks my 15th Year as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. And what a 15 years it has been! As I think about this time period, I realize that there are so many times that just being involved with the Stampin’ Up! community has added some life experiences that I’d never have had otherwise.
Meeting People
I’m not that much of a “people person.” I’m somewhat introverted and truly enjoy sitting in my crafting room crafting away. But today as I work on cards, I find that I tend to think of the people I’ve met through Stampin’ Up! I wonder, “is this something Donna would like?”; “this is like the card that Connie made a few years back”; “this would be the perfect birthday card for Pam”; “I’ll bet Deb would like some directions for this fun fold.” So, as I sit and craft by myself, I’m surrounded by my Stampin’ Up! friends.
While many of my Stampin’ Up! friends are “just” online friends, we still keep in touch with cards sent back and forth. I have pen pals, including one in Germany and one in Canada. But I also have had wonderful in-person experiences. Several of my Stampin’ Up! friends have visited me over the years. And I’ve met dozens of new friends in my travels. Read on.
Traveling a Bit and Learning a Lot
I doubt that I ever would have visited Salt Lake City, Utah, had it not been for Stampin’ Up! I signed up as a Demonstrator in February 2008, and almost immediately started to trying to figure out how I could arrange to go to what was then an annual Stampin’ Up! Convention. I did manage to get there that summer. And I have no doubt that the 2008 Convention experience, as well as my experiences at several more Salt Lake City conventions over the next 5 years, resulted in my staying on as a demonstrator for so long. Again, the people I met made a difference. I still have a solid connection with many sister demonstrators that I met at those conventions. Once just recently visited me for a couple of days and we had a blast.
Have a I mentioned my customers and downline? Now that is a group that helps keep me going, too. At this point, all of them live in other states. But with the internet, e-mails and even snail mail, we stay in touch quite nicely!
And it’s not just the people that make Stampin’ Up! events special. Lessons I learned from the presentations have stuck with me for all these years. Every time I tie a bow, I think of that long ago convention presentation that changed the way I handle ribbon.
Getting Help From Other Demonstrators When Tragedy Struck
In 2018, the lava from the Kilauea Volcano destroyed our home on Hawai’i’s Big Island. I was able to rescue only some of my Stampin’ Up! supplies. Within a day two other Hawai’i demonstrators I’d never met reached out to me to see what they could do to help. They both took me under their wings that summer and made sure that I knew I had friends in Hawai’i. Another friend from the east coast worked with a larger nationwide group of demonstrators to help replace supplies that I’d lost to the lava. Without the care and concern of my sister demonstrators, I would probably not have lasted as a demonstrator that year.
Being Welcomed to a New State
When we moved to Florida just over a year ago, we knew no one. So one of the first things that I did was to find out if there was a group of Florida demonstrators online. Sure enough, there was the Sunshine SU Demos group on Facebook. I asked to join the group and they welcomed me with lots of nice comments, including letting me know about an event that was being held fairly soon after I arrived. I’ve now been to a couple of the Florida group’s events and will be attending one in April. I’m so looking forward to visiting with these fun and creative women again (no men in the group that I’ve met yet).
Going Forward
Yes, I’m still sitting here in my craft room by myself, working on my projects – and my writing about them. I truly enjoy that. But I’m also still a member of a worldwide group of people with whom I stay in touch, share my projects, chat online, and occasionally visit in person. I love what I do. I can’t imagine ever giving up being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator.
Could This Be You?
OK, I hope you never have to have the tragedy we had. But all of the positives of being a part of the Stampin’ Up! community are a great reason to join us.
There’s a quote from the current Stampin’ Up! annual catalog that I’d like to share. CEO, Sara Douglass, when asked what inspires her, said, “I’m always amazed and inspired by our demonstrators – they make Stampin’ Up! such a wonderful community to be a part of.” I’m so happy to be a part of it.
If you’re interested in being a part of this, just click here to get started. Oh, and for just one more day, you get to choose $175 worth of Stampin’ Up! products for only $99. Here’s more information about the current promotion. Click it to see a larger picture.
Happy Stamping!
