Stamping friends are the best and these girls are super fun. This is an 8 1/2 x 11 scrapbook page that I made for one of my convention displays when I was demonstrating the distressing kit.  I distressed the top piece of designer paper using the sanding block. I used the Tickets and Tags Scrappin' Kit found on pg189 for this layout.  The pics are from Leadership this past January in Nashville. We had such a great time.

Here are a couple more samples from the Leadership display boards……these both use the stamp set Take a Spin from the Stampin Up Occasions mini catalog. This is such a cute and versatile set to use for almost any occasion.

Here are a few more samples from Leadership. The first one is using one of my favorite new stamp sets. It is the Nature Walk set from the Occasions mini. These first 2 cards are from my friend Cindy's swaps so I am not sure who made them. Let me know if you are the creator and I will be happy to add your name here.

You just can't go wrong with the new cupcake punch in the Occasions mini. It is so cute no matter how you use it. I love it with the springtime paper.

My friend Kimberly Van Diepen was one of the presenters at Leadership for showing how to use trinkets and this is one of her samples I took a picture of that was posted on the display boards. She is super creative. I wish I could bottle up her creative juices and give them to myself! LOL!

This year's Leadership conference was in Nashville and it was so much fun. I love going to see all the great things that Stampin Up has planned for us but more than anything else,  I love spending time with my friends from all over the country that I don't get to see very often.

This is a pic from inside the Gaylord Opryland hotel where we stayed. It was GORGEOUS! and so big. I think it was by far the biggest hotel I have ever been in.

Our first night out was Manager's Reception at the Wild Horse Saloon. It was really fun. Stampin Up reserved the whole place for us and we had dinner, line dancing and socializing. I am best at the socializing and eating. I am definitely not a dancer. These are just a few pics of me and some friends (BJ, Cheryl and Leasa).

That is me and BJ.

This is Leasa, me and Cheryl. I had to keep my hat on since I wore it long enough to get hat head…no taking it off after that. Stampin Up gave everyone the cowboy hats.  They even decorated them with our ribbon and antique brads. You can't see them because my head is not tilted down enough.

This is all of us at the Leadership conference. Tami's flight was delayed because of snow in Boston and she had just joined us.

This is us at dinner at the Irish Pub on our last night. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone.

This is all of us with some of our downline too. My downwline is Debbie in the back row, 2nd from left. This was her first leadership and she had a great time.

Ok, so I had to throw in something that had to do with stamping so here is a really cute bag that someone had made using the Stampin Up designer fabric collection. I just loved it! I wish I could make something this pretty but I am just not that talented in the sewing dept.

I have so many pictures to share! I got a new camera for Christmas and I couldn’t wait to try it out….too bad it doesn’t have a button on there to make you look thinner!

 This is me and my friend and sideline Debbie Naylor. She also lives in VA but about 3 hours away. I wish she was closer so we could hang out more!

Here are Kimberly, Dena, me, and Max saying goodbye right as Leadership ended. It is always hard when Stampin Up events end because I love spending time with my friends from all of the country that I have met through Stampin Up. I love meeting new friends every time I go to one of these events and then you can’t wait to see them all again next time! At least the Stampin Up Hawaii trip is only 2 months away…..better start that diet today!

One last hug from Kimberly…..

Here are more swaps from Leadership!

This one was made by my new friend Maxine Conrad who is a SAM (service account manager) at Stampin Up. She is from England and kept us laughing the whole time. She is hysterical!

This one I got from Joann Wiemers. The lid of the cupcake opens up into the inside of the card.

I just LOVE this new rooster set. It is a hostess set so I am sure lots of people will be booking parties to get one of these! This one was made by Carolyn Shelby.  She did a great job!

I thought I would share a few more Leadership pics and some swaps that  I got.

This is Dawn Rapsas, me and Jackie Craig hanging out before classes started.

This is me and my wonderful downline Sue getting ready to eat lunch.

This is my awesome friend Kimberly Van Diepen. She keeps me laughing hysterically every time I am around her. I wish I had half of her energy.

This is me and Robin Merriman…. she is such a sweetheart!

This is me, Kimberly, Maxine (who is a SAM at Stampin UP – she hung out with us all night and had a blast!) and of course Shelli. After we got this picture, there was a long line of people waiting to get photos with Shelli so we lucked out catching her just in time.

 Leadership Swaps!!!

This one was made by my good friend Debbie Naylor…..I just love these colors together.

This one was made by Daryl Micciche. I am so sad this set is not in the catalog!!! What were they thinking? This is one of my favorite sets (and my customers love it too)……maybe it will make it to the next one.

This one was made by Mary Beth Ada…. I don’t know why it is a little blurry but I don’t have time to take the picture over. I am still trying to catch up on laundry between posts. My family didn’t happen to get anything done while I was gone……

  And last but certainly not least is my favorite swap made by my good friend Kimberly Van Diepen. This will be one of my stamp club projects this month. It is made with the Big SHot petal card die and is actually a little pouch to put some candy or a gift in.

I am back from Leadership and boy was it a blast! Here are just a few of the pics that I took!This is us waiting in line to get our bags and catalogs! That is Denise, me, Kimberly and my roomie Terri. The new catalog is sooooooo awesome! My favorite new thing is the Big Shot textured embossing plates and I also love the new circle cutter…..you can cut a ton of different sized circles in a snap. There are also some textured designer series papers that look yummy! You are going to love it!

Here are the guys just waiting to give them to us!

This is a group of us having a great time at the Manager’s Reception at Universal Studios. Stampin Up really outdid themselves this year! They rented the park for us and we got the whole thing to ourselves and had an awesome buffet dinner and we got to ride the rides, play arcade games, etc. It was a blast! We also got a free stamp set from the new catalog!! I will post that tomorrow!

This is a cool swap my friend Kimberly got. I thought it was adorable!

This is my friend Kimberly holding an adorable gift that someone in front of us in line had. I can’t wait to make some of these!