Thought I'd take a few moments here to bring you an Island County Fair update – now that we're midway through its run. 

First of all, a big thank you and welcome to all who have stopped by our booth so far!  It's always such a kick to chat with my stampin' and craftin' friends – whether brand-new or long-time.  And I hope those of you who just met me for the first time will be sure to sign up for my emailed newsletter at the link at the left (btw, I PROMISE your email and contact information will not be used for any other purpose than updating you about SU news – so no worries about that!)  And if you didn't already get a catalog from me, I will extend my "Fair Special" offer through Saturday, August 23rd.  So if you stopped by my booth, thought about it a little, and have now decided you'd like your own catalog, please mention something about our booth that will remind me you were there – and ask for your special pricing! 

And the OTHER big news is that WE WON A RIBBON!  Woo Hoo!!!!  You many recall our disappointment at not getting any recognition the past two years in spite of having worked so specifically to align our booth with the Fair's theme each year.  In fact, I think along about this time last year I had decided I'd give it one more try and then give up promoting the theme altogether; it's a LOT of extra work! 

Well THIS year they paid attention – and we are now proudly displaying our "Best Use of Theme" ribbon!  Come on by and take a look; we're pretty darned jazzed!  Now, I suppose Becca and Shannon and I will have to have a little discussion about whose gonna maintain custody of it, lol! 

See you at the FAIR!  (Turner Building)

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…….!

I finally have my shift assignments for this year's Island County Fair! 

And it's super-easy to remember this year:  Opening (9:30 am) to about 1:00 pm-ish or so every day for all 4 days.  (Thursday – Sunday, Aug. 14 – 17.)  As usual, we'll be in the Turner (Commercial) Building – so come on by and check out what's NEW!  Hope to see you soon!

And for those of you who have pre-qualified for or pre-ordered your new catalog, I am in the process of distributing them over the next couple of days!  For the rest of you, you may check here to download a copy (not sure if Stampin' Up! will be making it available for online viewing right away; it's not available at the time of this post)….. or ask me how to get your very own copy.

And if you find yourself with an endless wishlist and/or think it might finally be time to take a step closer to the core of this awesome company, be sure to read about our 3 new $99 starter kits.  They're available for 2 months, but there are some VERY good reasons to act quick!  Ask me!

Oh!  I forgot I wanted to connect you to Shelli's new blog!  (Shelli Gardner, that is….. Stampin' Up!®'s Cofounder and CEO – and the very special lady we demonstrators admire so deeply!)  Please join me in following along with her thoughts about family, Stampin' Up!, creativity, and all things "So Shelli".  This should be a lot of fun! 

www.SoShelli.com

Wow!  What a whirlwind these past few weeks have been!  And the pace promises to keep up for at least the next couple of weeks, too. But I wanted to touch base and let y'all know I AM back from an absolutely AWESOME Convention, and right now I'm focused on that extra-special annual event I do for my hostesses every year: my Hostess Appreciation Party & Auction.  We'll gather for that on Saturday, and then next week you can find me at the Island County Fair. 

In the meantime, the new catalog goes into effect on Monday, August 11th, so if you haven't already confirmed that I have you on my "new catalog list" (as explained in my last newsletter), please feel free to double-check! 

I'll try to get some samples up within the next week or so – but as of yet, I haven't even looked at my Convention pictures myself!  Can you believe it?!?

And hold onto your seats!  There are some unbelieveably fantastic things in store coming your way from Stampin' Up! this fall.  You'll want to make SURE you've got a workshop scheduled – or at least get yourself invited to one!

Our Stamp Camp last Saturday was definitely a fun day!  We had 11 stampers join us to make a bright and happy set of 12 cards and coordinating presentation box.  Enthusiasm ran high, and I think most everyone thought our new “digs” at the Freeland Windermere building were the best we’ve ever had!  Here are a few shots of the fun:

Special thanks to all our stampers – as well as to our fab planning team, which included Aubrey, Becca, Michelle, and Jennifer!

I have been asked about the instructions for that fun framed art that appears on the front cover of the Decor Elements brochure.  And fortunately, that is the project that Stampin’ Up!® is featuring this month!  So click on the picture to view the instructions – and enjoy!

Someone asked me recently why she couldn’t find any classes available to register for.  Well, quite simply, my next month and a half are already VERY full (thanks in large part to the upcoming Stampin’ Up!® Convention, my annual Hostess Appreciation Party, and of course our Island County Fair booth), so I will not be doing any classes for the next month or so.  (I’ll still do workshops, though, so be sure you get to one of those!) 

My regular schedule will return with our September Stamp-a-Stacks, but I haven’t had a chance to get online registration open for those yet.  Soon, though (I hope)……. so stay tuned……

Stampin’ Up!® has never before put retiring items “on sale”, but this time they have decided to discount certain selected items!  Woo Hoo!  But remember, this discount will probably cause these items to disappear even FASTER than they normally would, so you MUST act quickly if you want to take advantage of this special!  Click the links below to see what’s included in this special offer:

• HodgePodge Hardware kits
• Other retiring things

Remember that this 25% discount applies only to certain selected retiring items – not to *everything* that is retiring.  And all retiring items are available only “while supplies last”, so don’t waste a minute getting in touch with me or your regular Stampin’ Up! demonstrator!