Regionals in Telford - plus a rare team pic!

 

Wow, what a weekend! We travelled down to Telford for Stampin’ Up!® Regional Training on Saturday morning, as it’s really not that far away. Four of us in one car, meeting up with others when we got there – well, that’s no mean feat in a vast convention centre packed with 300+ demonstrators! To be fair, it was such a big venue (Telford International Centre) that it didn’t feel crowded at all, which was surprising.

When I think that the first Convention I attended in 2010 had around 300 demonstrators in attendance, and now we can gather a crowd that big just for a training day, it makes me realise just how far we’ve come. I can't even believe how big my own team has grown - and was delighted to gather so many together for the training day, meeting some of them for the very first time. Here we are - yes, some of us have our eyes closed, some of us aren't even looking but at least we're all together... it was like wading through treacle trying to get everyone together in one go! Especially with the addition of our special guest - all aproned up for the ladies, yes it's Chris from Demo Support, without whom most demonstrators wouldn't be able to function properly. 

How far we’ve come was one of the topics of one of the presentations, showing us facts and figures about Stampin’ Up!’s growth in Europe. The info I jotted down is upstairs and I’m really too tired to fetch it, so you’ll have to settle for the fact the figures are very impressive.

We also experienced business training from various presenters, including very brave demonstrators! And there were some gorgeous demonstrations of products which are soon heading our way in the new Annual Catalogue. It’s always exciting to see new products being used for the first time.

We were lucky to hear some very exciting announcements, too – and rest assured I’ll share the info as soon as I’m allowed!

There were Make & Takes, which naturally I didn’t finish because I was too busy nattering. Chatting is a big part of the day as it’s an opportunity to catch up with your own team members and demonstrator friends we’ve made along the way. Swapping is a big part of the day – I didn’t have time to swap this year but the nature of Stampin’ Up!® means I didn’t come home empty-handed as several generous souls gave me one of their swaps anyway, which was very kind of them.

Talking of kindness... some of us had decided to make a night of it and stay over in Telford on the Saturday evening to celebrate my birthday. And I was surprised and delighted to be showered with cards, presents and even a beautiful chocolate fudge cake. So we ate cake, drank wine and yes, even crafted thanks to the forethought of Sue, Alison, Alison and Donna who had brought along little projects for us to create on the hotel bed! When I’ve found those I’ll show them to you. Meanwhile, here’s the Make & Take I did manage during the day; a little box made from the Two Tags die, filled with tiny cards. It uses the Clockworks stamp set which I don’t have so it was fun to get to have a play!

Stamps: Clockworks, One in a Million

Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Whisper White

Paper: First Edition DSP

Ink: Calypso Coral, Gumball Green, Pool Party

Accessories: ¾” circle punch, Fancy Flower punch, In Color dahlias, Two Tags die

All products by Stampin' Up!®