I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Billings, MT, about 2 hours east of Bozeman. I have a son and daughter that live there, as well as son-in-law and 2 grand dogs! We get over there to visit when we can and this weekend was packed full! On Friday night, we went to a fundraiser dinner for the Billings Studio Theater group which our daughter performed in. There's nothing quite so heart warming than seeing your kids live out their dreams, talents and fun! On Saturday night, we attended church at Faith Chapel where our son works. He happened to be in charge of sound this week and we spent the entire service in the sound booth... that was incredible!
On Saturday afternoon, my daughter hosted a Stampin'Up! party for her friends! I had not met most of these people before and really didn't know their interest or level of crafting ability. They were very enthusiastic and we had a ball. I thought I would share what I did, in hopes that it would help others host a party some day!
First, I got a head count from my daughter and then added 3 to that so I had plenty of supplies for all you came. I didn't want to be short! I set up the table with grid paper, a Valentine treat, a brown paper lunch bag for their finished cards, pens, Snail tape runners, dimensionals, etc. It's pretty safe to assume that no one will bring any supplies with them so you need to provide what they need. I also added a door prize sheet to gather their contact information. (This is very important in order to add them to your mailing list).
Next, I set up another table with some card samples to look at, catalogs, Sale-A-Bration brochures, Paper Pumpkin kit and brochures, etc. I had enough catalogs that anyone who wanted to take one could.
Next, we started stamping. I started with a simple card that only required stamping. I talked about how to ink up a stamp (tapping versus submerging into the ink pad) and they could practice on their grid paper or just go for it. We passed around each step and I purposely did this in a mellow, unrushed manner so no one would feel like there was pressure to hurry. I reminded them they could also flip their paper over if they made a "mistake" they couldn't live with. I also assured them that stamping is a learned art and there is a knack to it that is picked up with practice. Here's the first card they made. We used the "Sheltering Tree" stamp set and I talked about other color schemes or ideas that would work as well.
The second card I purposely stepped up by adding an embossing folder element and two punches. We used the "Hello Cupcake" set from Sale-A-Bration as well as the Grapefruit Grove foil paper.
I first had them stamp their cupcake and then we went through the rest of the steps. Of course, the embossing folder on foil paper was a huge hit! It gave the Big Shot some great attention as well.
The last card I tried to incorporate the Big Shot and used the "Hold On to Hope" bundle. This was a more complicated card, but by now, they were confident in their stamping and really enjoyed lining up the framelits and using the Big Shot. I think they saw the flow of stamping, cutting, assembling easily with this card.
We kept the atmosphere friendly, cheery and fun. We provided coffee, wine and other drinks, some mixed nuts and a little chocolate. It was such a fun afternoon and several of the women said they had stamped some in the past but this really piqued their interest in stamping again. They had no idea about the more recent innovations such as clear blocks to mount photopolymer stamps, embossing folders, framelits etc. They could readily see how fun this hobby is! I am hopeful that several will consider ordering but no matter, we had a great time and I shared what I love. (A quick note about cost - My daughter and I discussed whether or not there should be a class fee. Obviously, if the class was completely free, we probably would have made only the first card and I would have shown them examples of the other two and talked about it. She felt that these particular ladies wouldn't have any problem with a fee as they are used to that with paint parties, etc. so I had a $10 fee to help defray my costs.)
One of my Stampin'Up! goals this year is to throw more parties and try to increase my customer base that way. I have a couple more on my calendar in February and I'm excited about doing more of these. This was a perfect format for me and the guests!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah
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