Hi Friends! Well, I have to tell ya, my Hostess Appreciation Dinner was this past weekend and it was an absolute BLAST! First and foremost, I need to thank the forty women who came out – in the pouring rain – to enjoy an evening of ‘Caribbean Fun’! This year’s dinner was a Caribbean themed event, to celebrate the Grand Vacation Western Caribbean Cruise that Stampin’ Up! will be sending my husband and I on! I’ll ‘officially’ have earned this trip May 31st and I am sooooo excited! It’s been one of my year long goals that I’ve worked really hard for so I’m thrilled to bits. And words can not express the gratitude I feel for my amazing, amazing customers and my equally amazing downline team, “The Serene Stampers”. Each of you make my journey as a full time Stampin’ Up! demonstrator so worthwhile and it’s a pleasure to serve each of you best I can. So THANK YOU again!
To show my appreciation, each year I hold this special event, just to spoil these wonderful gals. (Book a party with me, or join one of my monthly stamp groups so you can join us next year!) For my Hostess Appreciation Dinner, I always cook a full meal (I love to cook as much as I love to stamp!), and there are also lots of surprizes, gifts, games, make and takes and the big reveal of the new Stampin’ Up! catalogue (always a highlight). I also have a BOGO table where everyone has the opportunity to purchase items from my retired and collectable Stampin’ Up! items and the amount they purchase is the amount they can get for FREE out of either the current catalogue or the new one! Suffice to say, this has become VERY popular! I’ll have one more BOGO opportunity this year, at my New Catalogue Kick Off Party June 7th and YOU’RE invited! Click here for all the details and to RSVP your spot!
Back to the party! I had prizes for my top 5 customers from this past year (only those in attendance at the party were eligible). It was quite fun to reveal the winners with my own ‘Prize Patrol’ which is what Stampin’ Up! does at our Conventions. I made everyone a tropical flower wrist band and my top three customers had orange ribbons and that’s how they knew they won.
My top three customers were able to pick their prizes that I had on the table, which was all new product from the 2013-2014 Catalogue!!!
#1 – Pauline Reicker ~ New 2013-2015 Ink Color Ink Pad and Card Stock Collection
#2 – Karen Veno ~ Wildflower Meadow Stamp Set and Coordinating Embossing Folder
#3 – Stacey Galbraith ~ Mosaic Madness Stamp Set and Coordinating Punch
#4 – Darlene Veno ~ Whisper White Card Stock and Snail Adhesive Refill
#5 – Karen McKinley ~ Whisper White Card Stock and Snail Adhesive Refill
My incredible husband is always a big help and I couldn’t have pulled off this event without him. All the gals think the world of him too and though he may complain about being in a room with us crazy women, I really don’t think he minds a bit. He has a ton of fun too and it’s become a tradition the last few years that he is in charge of the games. (Some of you may remember the games from last year: pea in the can, knock the water bottle with your tennis ball/nylon hat, etc). Silly? Oh yeah. But FUN? Absolutely. I think we all laughed so much our sides hurt! And everyone received some great prizes too.
So here’s a little video I put together to share with you. Sorry it’s a bit choppy – there was a lot of footage to edit (and I had to save some for blackmailing purposes later…). So without further ado:
 |
| My invitations were made with “Raining Flowers” stamp set – retiring and only available a few more days! Click HERE to get yours! I also used a new stamp set from the 2013-2014 Catalogue that will soon make it’s debut! The stamp set I used is called “Sketched Birthday” (which I received for free at the 2013 Leadership Conference!) |
 |
| I used Dazzling Diamond glitter in the ‘band’ on the card. Gotta love bling! |
 |
| I use My Digital Studio for everything, including the inside of my invitations. To see the latest MDS downloads click HERE. |
 |
| This was the other make and take project I provided. It features the new Mosaic Madness Stamp Set and coordinating embossing folder AND punch, along with the new Really Good Greetings stamp set, which I love. Notice the pretty colours on this card? They’re all new! These are the 2013-2015 In Colours from Stampin’ Up! Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Baked Brown Sugar, Strawberry Slush and Coastal Cabana! Stampin’ Up! is sooo on trend – I see this colour scheme EVERYWHERE! Love it! |
 |
|
| I love these little owls! Lots of work, but fun to make and it was even more fun to give them to each of my guests!!! They’re perfect to add to a key chain or even to attach to a purse or beach bag. I used Crystal Effects to seal them. CUTE! |
 |
| I couldn’t figure out how to make the sunglasses. Hubby to the rescue! He used the smallest heart framelit and heart punch and then proceeded to make them all for me! Lord, I love that man. (See, he really DOES deserve to go on that cruise with me!) |
 |
| I made the flower wristbands with the Fancy Flower Punch, 1 1/4″ Scallop Circle Punch, 7/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, Blossom Punch, and Extra Large Oval Punch for the leaves. I just punched a hole in the center to pull through the ribbon, which has a French knot in the middle. I also put the flowers through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice and Polka Dot Embossing Folders for some texture. |
 |
| I was inspired to make the bikini owls from a card a saw on pinterest, made by Lori Heiling, and the tutorial for the flowers and coordinating boxes can be purchased here, courtesy Jo Dumbleton. I used another one of my favourite retiring stamp sets, Pursuit of Happiness, to stamp on the back of the key chain and ribbon topper (actually, hubby did all the stampin…) Also, a big thank you also to Chrissy, my sweet assistant, who I appreciate so very much! |
 |
| The DSP that I used is also new! It’s called Quatrefancy Specialty Designer Series Paper and it comes with the patterned window sheets that I used on the boxes too! This paper is so summery and gorgeous! You’ll be able to order your own soon too! Contact me if you’d like to receive a copy of the new 2013-2014 Stampin’ Up! Catalogue! |
 |
| Doors opened at 4pm and guests start arriving! |
 |
| First on the agenda – the popular BOGO table!! |
 |
| There’s something for everyone on my Buy One, Get One Free tables! |
 |
| Everyone loves an excuse to get together and have fun! These ladies are the best and have become more than customers to me ~ each is a dear friend that I feel so blessed to have in my life. All because of Stampin’ Up! |
 |
| Our little Rosey was on hand to welcome everyone at the party too! |
 |
| Kathy and Beth give Rosey some love! |
 |
| Caribbean Divas! |
 |
| These gals ROCK and I’m so glad they dressed up – it really added to the ambiance of the party! Can’t wait to start planning next year’s dinner – wonder what the theme will be (based on the next Grand Vacation location, maybe??) |
 |
| My buddy Annette won the best costume! She even went into Tim Horton’s dressed up to get her coffee! LOL This is why I love her – she dances to the rhythm of her own drum. My kinda gal! |
 |
| Last but not least: the food. Every good party needs yummy food! You can find the recipes I used posted on my recipe page – just click the recipe tab located at the top of my blog. |
So that’s what I’ve been up too, and why I’ve been MIA the last few days! I’m also planning my next big event on June 7th:
I hope you can come!
And remember, there’s only a few more days to left to order your favourite retiring products! To view everything that’s going and/or to place your order, click HERE.
HAPPY STAMPING!
Tina:
Thank you so much for sharing the video and the ideas for your Hostess appreciation Dinner! So many good ideas and I loved being able to watch the video I felt like I was there. You provided a FUN atmosphere for your customers and I know they felt so loved and appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to share and give us great ideas to help with our business!
Hi Whitney! You are so welcome! It's all about sharing, isn't it? My business has grown and flourished because of what I've learned from my Stampin' Sisters. I love our Stampin' Up! family and it makes me feel good when I can share something back! HAPPY STAMPING!