Open House

Today I'm backtracking a bit so I can get caught up on some posts that should have been out following my Open House launch of the new "Share the Fun" Annual Stampin' Up Catalogue.  I did so much to prepare for that event and I wanted to share it with those of you who were unable to attend.

Getting Ready:
One of the advantages of being a Stampin' Up! Demo is being able to pre-order new never before seen products from the upcoming catalogues.  So I began my preparations for my June 6 Open House with my pre-order.  I was totally stoked by the time the UPS guy came along and what fun I had unpacking this box of goodies!  Simply the best feeling!

Checking My Lists:
Whenever I get ready for an event I want to make sure I've covered all my bases.  Once I've set the date it's time to get my invitations out, organize my displays, design some Make N' Take projects and the list goes on.  Here are some pictures of the prep and finished layout.  

Upcoming Class Samples including:  Father's Day and Masculine Card Class, Christmas in July, Wedding Ensemble and Stampin' 101 information.  

This was the In Colour and Colour Collection station and showcased ink pads, re-inkers, markers and card stock.

This part of my display included new stamp sets, punches and samples including:  Sprinkles of Life, Floral Wings, Good Guy Greetings, You've Got This, Happy Birthday Everyone, Berry Basket Bigz L steel die, Tree Builder Punch, Banner Triple Punch and the Fringe Scissors.  Guests were encouraged to try out the punches and scissors.

This was a fun station, featuring the new Gift Bag Punch Board.  I made several different examples of how you can use this versatile punch to not only make gift bags but an assortment of boxes too.

 

My Make N' Take Table was well used during the day.

Make N' Take Samples featuring "You've Got It" and "Happy Birthday Everyone" stamp sets and new In Colours. 

Summer Banner:
I love making banners for my events.  As soon as I saw the new In Colours and the Sprinkles of Life stamp set I knew they would be a perfect combination for my Summer Time Banner. Here's a look at what I created. 

I like to use Lollies to show case stamps.  These lollies were made with an old DSP from 2008 called Bella Rose. This paper reminds me of summertime and country fares.  It worked perfectly with the Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush card stocks and inks I used for the stamping and backgrounds.  

Bella Rose DSP from 2008......I loved this paper and bought several packs so I simply couldn't let it go to waste.

When I'm making banners I like to set up an assembly line so I can see the progress of the banner as each step is completed. First I stencil the banners, then I assemble the lollies and I lay it all out in the order I want it to go in, then I add all the other stuff.  What fun!

Loving this Sprinkles of Life ice cream cone! 

Here's another one.  These were so much fun to make.  The paper doilies and glimmer paper added some pizzazz!

I've added all the bling and everything is still laid out on my long table, just waiting for the string and the final tweaks!

 

And here it is, ta da!  I had to show this in two separate photos because I couldn't get the picture large enough, but you get the idea. As soon as guests enter my craft room area they see the banner.

Colour Collections:
I had an awesome picture frame I'd bought at Costco last year and I had my husband mount it on a wall in my craft room that I'd designated as a display area.  The frame hung on the wall empty just waiting for inspiration. When I saw how beautiful the new In Colours were that inspiration hit like a lightening bolt. I quickly got to work creating a colour collection collage.

I simply love this wall display. Each piece is a little work of art and would make nice wall decor.  Having all the colours together makes it real easy to check out what's available, and knowing that this colour collection encompasses not only ink but cardstock, ribbon, markers, and accessories makes it even better for planning out a project.

I used the Bitty Butterfly punch to create this gathering of all the standard colour collections (Neutrals are featured on a separate frame).  It starts with the Brights Collection, followed by Regals and finally Subtles.  The larger butterflies were cut out with the Butterflies Thinlet Dies. 

Subtles Collection includes: Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Pool Party, Marina Mist, Wisteria Wonder and Crushed Curry. 

The Regals Collection includes:  Rose Red, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, Island Indigo,  Night of Navy, Perfect Plum, and Crushed Curry.

The Brights Collection includes:  Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, and Tempting Turquoise.

The Neutrals Collection includes:  Basic Black, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, Smoky Slate, Soft Suede, Whisper White and Very Vanilla.

2015-2017 In Colours include:  Cucumber Crush, Delightful Dijon, Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe and Watermelon Wonder.

2014-2016 In Colour Collection includes:  Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow and Tangelo Twist.  These In Colours will retire in 2016.

Don't these In Colours look fabulous together?  I used the Spiral Flower Originals Big Shot die to cut out all the roses.  This is a fantastic tool to have in your tool kit.  You can create beautiful bouquets, floral cards and home decor in minutes and have fun doing it, because it's so easy to use.  I rolled all the flowers while I was watching tv, that's how simple they are to make. Check out this link if you want to see how this steel cut die works.

Oh before I go I want to show you the Stampin' Up! Colour Collection 2013*-2017 Booklets I made for my customers who placed orders over $50.00 this year.  I got great reviews on this booklet. The cover design and ring were my idea but I'd like to give credit for the template for this project to Lee Convey.  The template was designed on the now retired MDS Studios program.  Thanks so much Lee. 

Each page shows a swatch of all the colours in that collection and it's name.  This little booklet is such a handy reference tool. If you place an on-line order  or workshop order with me for $50 or more you will receive one of these booklets too.

*I included the 2013-2015 In Colours for reference, even though they were retired a lot of my customers still want to use these colours in their projects.

Well that pretty much covers my open house. It was a lot of work getting ready for it but it was so worth it.  My customers got to see all the new stamp sets, co-ordinated colour products and tools, browse through the catalogues and ask lots of questions.  We had a lots of laughs and fun doing the make n' takes.  I hope you enjoyed seeing what I was up to.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens