My Stampin' Story....Love What You Do

My Stampin Story starts about as far away from stamping and card making as possible...I was a scrapbooker who hadn't scrapped a page in over 2.5 years and I was obviously quite behind. I hadn't "made a card" since I was a kid for my parents, and I felt so overwhelmed, I didn't know how to get back into it. I knew that I needed a creative outlet, and I knew I needed to take the plunge. A friend of mine invited me to one of her monthly crops, and I decided to jump back in with both feet. At that crop, I was introduced to a handy little machine called a Cricut, and the next eight months or so passed by in an eBay-induced whirlwind. (whoopsie!)
I was a member of the Cricut Messageboards, and was always on the lookout for tips and tricks for my new toy. I kept hearing about Stampin' Up papers and how wonderfully they cut in the Cricut, and wait...there was matching ink, markers and ribbon? Well, that was too much for my little Organizational OCD brain to handle. Sign. Me. Up. Matchy-Matchy = Heaven. :D
I participated in a few online clubs with various demos on the messageboard, and ended up developing a great friendship with one in particular...this demonstrator eventually became my upline when I decided to bit the bullet this past January and sign up during Sale-A-Bration. We live on opposite sides of the country, and have never met in person, but she's become one of my dearest friends, along with my sidelines, who are also spread across the country. I love how a product can bring people across the country together, who never would have met otherwise.
As for being a Demonstrator, I really signed up with the fullest intentions of only being a hobby demo....someone who really is their own best customer and who doesn't focus on Stampin' Up as a business. Oddly though, at the same time I was signing on the dotted line, I started getting emails from friends and aquantances about card techniques and scrapbooking ideas. This was when I realized that I might be able to do something productive with my obsession/hobby. I hosted my first Open House at the end of January to introduce my friends and family to SU, and from that Open House, my monthly Sunday Scrappers technique class was born.
A mere six months later and I'm having a great time teaching classes and introducing new people to the joys of Stampin Up and their fantastic products. I make extra money to help out my famiily and to help fuel my obsession/hobby. ;) I originally purchased Stampin' Up products because of their quality and their customer service. I chose to become a demonstrator because I believe in those products and honestly think they're the best out there. I continue to love what I do as a Demonstrator because of the friendships I've made and because there is something so fulfilling about staring at a blank piece of cardstock and watching it come to life in front of your eyes. There's something even more fulfilling about teaching others how to discover that for themselves.