Wow! What a summer it's been! I can't even remember way back before the AWESOME Stampin' Up!® Convention, but I know *whatever* I was doing back then was keeping me so busy that I didn't even have time to make any swaps to take to Convention this year. I know I cut out cardstock for about 40 cards, figured maybe I could at least do a FEW, but that's as far as I got.
(Oh, yeah, now it's coming back….. I remember a training seminar in Renton one night, then a workshop in Oak Harbor the next, then Stamp Camp in Freeland the next day, and then some other things, and all of a sudden it was time to be packed and on our way to Salt Lake City!)
Well, I'm *supposed* to be busy at this moment right now, too. I'm *supposed* to be putting the finishing touches on our Island County Fair booth stuff. But I've been working on that all week so far, and I think I must have reached overload. So I took an hour to pop into a teleconference with Stampin' Up! (learning about the exciting online ordering system y'all will be able to do sometime this "fall" if you want to), and now I'm spending some time here.
Basically, I wanted to let you know that traffic seems to have settled down to a mild roar on the SU website - as compared to Monday, when not only did the online catalog function disappear rather unexpectedly (we've since learned that it's only temporary – until the new online ordering system comes up), but the new Fall/Winter 2008 Idea Book and Catalog went live, and every demonstrator in the US and Canada attempted to place her first order from it at the exact same minute, and a couple of new specials went into effect, and all kinds of other behind-the-scenes things were going on online, too. And stampers' computers everywhere were giving their owners absolute fits while the information highway into Stampin' Up! was quite the traffic jam! (Well, at least I know I'm associated with a popular company, lol!)
Anyway – so – with a little less chaos in cyberland today, I was able to put up a link to the brand-new catalog – in case you don't have your very own copy to sleep with yet. Now, before you click the link (in the left-hand column), you'll want to know that it's a very BIG file. If you're still on dial-up to reach the 'net, I don't advise you even bother to try it. But if you've got broadband, and an up-to-date version of Adobe Reader, and a fairly modern computer, go ahead and give it a try. The worst that can happen is your computer may choke; but on the other hand you MIGHT actually get the catalog downloaded! And man-oh-man, will you be in for a treat if you do! This catalog is simply GORGEOUS!
I am not going to go into all the details here (afterall, that's what our upcoming workshops are for, right?!?), but I will let you know that all the NEW stamp sets debuting in this catalog are DIE CUT! And that's the plan from now on, too! So assembling your stamps will get quicker and quicker – until eventually *someday*, trimming them before assembly will be a thing of the past! What a thrill it is to finally be able to share THAT piece of exciting news with you – after having been explaining "how to trim your stamps" for over 12 years, lol!
Ok, I suppose I've dilly-dallied long enough now, and I'd better get serious about getting back to work. But before I go – would you like to see some pictures from Convention??? Well, so would I – but would you believe I haven't even had time to look at my camera (and the pictures held within) since arriving home last week?!? Maybe NEXT week, lol…….!
