Stampin' Up! Day

Yesterday afternoon I was scheduled to speak at an entrepreneurial forum in Kanab. The meeting was held at our manufacturing facility. In typical fashion, I was running a bit late, so Sterling and I raced down to Kanab to get here in time.

When we arrived, I noticed that several of our employees were there; they had stayed after their shifts were over to attend. The meeting began with an unexpected surprise—an official declaration signed by the governor of Utah making yesterday (September 24) officially Stampin’ Up!—Rural Entrepreneurship Day!

I was absolutely unprepared for and, I have to admit, a little uncomfortable with the honor. But I was also humbled and pleased, not necessarily that anything I’ve done was being complimented but that the accomplishments of our employees were being noticed!

After the hoopla, the meeting continued on as planned—I presented the Stampin’ Up! story, answered questions, and enjoyed sharing with others all that Stampin’ Up! offers people. And although the official Stampin’ Up!—Rural Entrepreneurship Day is now over, it was nice that our Stampin’ Up! family received this distinction.

Two Busy Days

As Founder’s Circle ended and everyone headed home, I told the Advisory Board members (who were heading to Salt Lake City for our annual Advisory Board retreat before going home) to get a good night’s sleep on Sunday. “We’ll be working your tushees off during the retreat!” I warned them.

They laughed; I don’t think they took me seriously. But they know I meant it now—they are going home tired! I hope their families will forgive us for spending all their energy! We definitely worked them, but the last two days have been full of energy, great feedback, wonderful ideas, and lots of discussion. I’m impressed with the diversity of this board, yet the unity as well. They aren’t afraid to share their opinions, but they also respect others’ opinions, even then they aren’t the same. And everyone seemed willing to listen and learn.

Of course, I know you know that everything we discussed is confidential, so I’m sure you won’t ask any of the board members about topics discussed during the retreat—thanks for respecting that.

While the entire last two days has been delightful, a few things stand out as highlights for me. An Advisory Board tradition is to have a “My Favorite Things” night on Monday, when we put on cozy pajamas, gather together, and share our favorite things. It’s a great way to get to know each other!

For the first time, I hosted this activity at my own home this year. I don’t know why we haven’t done it before! After a full day of meetings, the ladies stopped by their hotel on their way to our house, put on their pajamas, and then headed our way. Sterling fixed a tasty dinner (Dutch Oven potatoes, baked beans, barbecue chicken, and a few other yummies), then we settled in for the sharing.

I loved having demonstrators in our home. I wish I could do it more often, but there’s never really a small enough group to make it feasible.

And tonight was great too—our last dinner at the Roof Restaurant in the Joseph Smith Building in downtown Salt Lake City. (Hmmm, does it mean anything that my two highlights involved food? Smile) This is also a tradition. We reserve the Library Room in the restaurant, where 16 of us can gather around a round table and, because of the outstanding acoustics, talk at a normal volume and hear what anyone around the table is saying. It’s a delicious buffet dinner, wonderful ambience, and fabulous conversation.

And the conversation never stopped—the entire two days! Constant dialogue back and forth, with board members asking us questions and answering our questions. They weren’t ever bored (or if they were, they hid it well!), and they showed wonderful energy. This year is going to be a great Advisory Board!

Now I’m heading off to bed, because I’m just as tired as they are!

Blooming in St. George

I just returned home from Founder’s Circle, one of my favorite events ever! (Do I say that about every event!) But I really mean it!

Founder’s Circle is a smaller event, only about 120 demonstrators, with an informal atmosphere, lots of free time, cute pillow gifts that tied into the gardening blooming theme, and a few activities designed to reward and pamper our top-performing demonstrators. And to top things off, it all takes place in southern Utah, one of my favorite places in the world!

This year was extra special, because Sara came with me (after not attending for two years)! It was wonderful to have her there—we split up and talked to as many different demonstrators as we could, then we huddled together at the end of the evening, looking through the Founder’s Circle yearbook (a handy little book that has everyone’s photo in it) and sharing what we’d learned about each demonstrator. I think between the two of us we talked to just about everyone!

I enjoyed every single day! The first full day (Thursday) I actually went shopping, one of my favorite activities but not something I would normally do at Founder’s Circle because my focus is on the demonstrators. But when I walked into the Gathering Place that first day, a group of demonstrators invited me to go with them, and I jumped at the chance. I figured it was a win-win! We tried on clothes, shared opinions about what looked great and not-so-great, and had a ball!

Friday  most of the group went to Kanab, where we toured our manufacturing facility—love this trip and the opportunity to show off our roots. Many of the demonstrators had been there before, although almost one-third of our group this year were first-timers, a fact I find inspiring and exciting!

Friday ended with the pajama party and business share, with a card swap. For the first time ever this year, I actually had my swaps done on time and got to participate! (Usually I end up sticking my cards in a basket on the last day and telling everyone to grab one.) It was fabulous to stand in the line and give a card and receive a card from everyone—loved it!

Saturday was another free day, ending with a wonderful final dinner, held at the Ledges, a charming restaurant on the edge of the golf course. Dinner was delicious, the sunset was breathtaking, and everyone got to release real-live butterflies (part of the garden theme of the entire event). Although the butterflies didn’t all take off in graceful flight like we had planned (I think they were a little stunned at being let free), it was still a memorable experience.

Although many of the demonstrators planned outings (shopping, spa, the Grand Canyon, Zion Park, Aida, etc.), I spent much of my time at the hotel, hanging out in the Gathering Place or the dining area (no surprise there, right?)

The Gathering Place is the hub, the center of all the Founder’s Circle activities. It’s in a large, bright room, with natural light streaming in, full of energy and excitement. There were plenty of sofas and chairs and pillows (all decorated in Designer Series paper designs!—everyone wanted to buy them) to relax on, more treats than anyone could possibly imagine, a My Digital Studio computer corner, and plenty of tables for stamping.

If I wasn’t there, you could probably find me in the nearby dining area. If you went kind of late to breakfast and chatted long enough, you could be first for lunch! (I know, because I did it!).

I was particularly impressed this year with the way demonstrators made new friendships, while playing catch-up with old friends as well. Everyone seemed to be warm and welcoming, whether we were eating, stamping, riding on the bus, whatever. And I loved the opportunity to spend some rare face-to-face time with some of my favorite people in the world!

So that’s my Founder’s Circle report. I’m sure it’s not as detailed as some. I imagine there are a few blogs out there with lots more photos and minute-by-minute happenings! I hope everyone else enjoyed their time in southern Utah as much as I did!

Questions--part 2

Here are the rest!

Do any of your children play musical instruments?

All of our girls took music lessons of some sort, but I don’t think any of them would claim to playing any instrument very well any more. Most of the girls have a piano in their home and sometimes will sit down and plunk away at it; I think most of them wish they had taken piano lessons longer than they did.

How do you line up the stencil so it stays straight?

One of the reasons I love stenciling is because I don’t think it has to line up perfectly straight! That’s the beauty of it. But I do try to make it look as good as possible (although I certainly don’t worry a lot about it). All I do is measure from the baseboard, and then eyeball it. . .

I did a stenciling tutorial that is online that might answer your stenciling questions as well. Click here to check it out!

I’d love to send Shalae a “Welcome to Georgia” card—can I send it to the home office? And I’d love to send Leslie a Get Well card; where do I sent that? And Can I send you a letter?

You can send any of these to my attention at the home office (12907 South 3600 West, Riverton, UT  84065).

Any correspondence directed to me may take a few weeks before I get to it—my schedule has me out of the office for a week or two at a time, and even when I receive my mail, I can take a few days to read it. I don’t respond to everything I receive either, so if you’re needing a direct response to a question or problem, be sure to contact our Contact Center (1-800-Stamp-Up!)

I was looking at your family photo in the catalog, and noticed that Seth was listed twice and Cooper isn’t there at all. Is this a typo?

Yep! Where were you when I was proofing the family photo catalog page!? We did correct this on reprints of the catalog, and I’ve determined to take a little more time when I’m proofing next time!

Will demonstrators who didn’t attend convention get a chance to purchase items from the Memento Mall?

We do sometimes have leftover Memento Mall items available for sale to our demonstrators while supplies last. Items that sold out (some clothing items, the Stampin’ Up! bear, etc.) will not be available. Our goal is not to have any leftover items at the mall; we work to offer Memento Mall items that are popular and affordable and that demonstrators love! There need to be some perks that are available only to those who attend convention; it makes convention special and fun! The Memento Mall is one of those perks. . . .sorry.

As a side note, several of you offered some suggestions for making the Memento Mall line shorter. I have forwarded those to the appropriate department as well! Thanks for sharing your ideas!

How did your girls feel/deal with having Shelli Gardner, the CEO and co-founder of Stampin' Up!, as their mom? How do they feel about you spending so much time on the business when they were younger?

I don’t think the girls really think of me as the CEO and co-founder of a company; I’m just their mom. They certainly don’t treat me in any special way. . . you know what I mean. I’m just “Mom."

I’ve mentioned before that one of my few regrets is that I didn’t have a better balance between family and Stampin’ Up! in the early years—I continue to work to try to make that a better balance today.

Earlier on, the girls would occasionally express resentment about the time I was spending at work. However, they all realize now what a tremendous blessing Stampin’ Up! has been in our lives, as well as the lives of people all over the world. They are grateful for the blessings we enjoy, and for the opportunity to make a difference in other people’s lives too.

Three Months' Worth of Questions! (part 1)

It’s been a long time (I was surprised how long!) since I’ve answered questions, so I figured it was about time! These are questions you asked in June, July, and August (whew!). Just a reminder, I don’t answer all questions, and any comments or questions regarding new products or images, I pass on to the appropriate department.

 If you do have a new product or stamp set image suggestion, you may want to send that suggestion straight to the appropriate department yourself. Since you can see I take quite a while to get to these questions, it’s probably much quicker for you to go that route—plus you know it’s being seen! You can do that by going to the Demonstrator Web Site>Contact Us>Suggestion Box, then scrolling down to the Stamp Set or Product link.

Now on to the questions! (Note: I’ve broken them up into two sections because there are so many, and I’ve arranged for these to post while I’m in southern Utah for our annual Founder’s Circle event. This way you have something to read, and I’ll post about the Founder’s Circle when I get back.)

What happens to stamp sets that are not sold?

For the most part, we “build on demand,” or manufacture stamp sets as they are needed. Because we manufacture the sets ourselves, we’re able to stay on top of the inventory pretty well most of the time. That means that there aren’t a lot of retired stamp sets left over.

On those occasions when there are, we sell the leftover stamp sets to employees or, depending on the quantity, disassemble them, dispose of the rubber, and restock the blocks and playcon boxes for future use.

Every time I load stuff on my cart, it gets dumped within a few minutes. Some sites keep your carts for days at a time. Is this something you can change?

I turned this one over to our IT gurus, who had the following answer: In an effort to provide the safest online experience possible, we have implemented a timeout of approximately 30 minutes for inactivity across all secured sessions (30 minutes is approximate and some users may experience slightly longer or shorter times). These timeouts occur on the online store, the Online IDA, the demonstrator website, and other secure locations on stampinup.com.

Are you followed by your own hired paparazzi? Or are you all just camera happy? (You all look so good in photos. . . )

I smiled when I read this one because you don’t see all the photos we take! We are a camera happy family—we take A LOT of photos. And you see only the ones that are “allowable.” It’s not uncommon for one of the kids to see a photo, grimace, and say, “You’re not putting THAT on the blog, are you?” So suffice it to say that there are photos that I reserve for my personal scrapbook (which I will someday get to!).

Please repost Sara’s Texas sheet cake recipe.

Here you go! Happy eating!

Texas Sheetcake (from Sara)

Note: I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. It is a Douglass family birthday tradition (and any other time I feel like chocolate). All of the daughter-in-laws have the recipe and all of our cakes turn out a little differently, don't ask me why. So I'll try to be as detailed as possible.

Grease (Crisco) and flour a sheetcake pan (my sheetcake pan is 12"x16"x1"), set aside.

In mixer:
(I have a Bosch, can't live without it!)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

In a saucepan:
Melt 2 cubes (1 cup) of butter (For me there is no substituting, has to be butter!)
1 cup water
4 Tbs. cocoa (leveled)

I whisk this until it comes to a slight boil, and then pour into mixer with the dry ingredients. Mix well. At this point I turn my oven on to 350. When my MIL told me how to make it, she said not to preheat; just turn the oven on right before you put the cake in. I'm a rebel, so I turn it on sooner.

Add:

1/2 cup sour cream (Again, I only go for the good stuff... There is no 'low fat' in this recipe!)

Mix:
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda

Mix well on high for a couple minutes and then pour into sheetcake pan.

Place on center rack in oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes. (Tip: My MIL bakes for only 20 min, that's it...the end. Take it out. BUT, I check it by lightly tapping the center of the cake with my finger to see if it bounces back slightly, then I know it's done. This last cake I baked for 2 minutes extra.)

Frosting
Note: Make this while the cake is baking, because you need to pour it on right after the cake comes out of the oven.

Mixer:
1/2 bag powdered sugar (I'm sorry I don't have an exact measurement. Start with less and add as you mix.)
1 tsp. vanilla

Saucepan:
Melt 2 cubes (1 cup) butter (yes, there really is 1 whole lovely POUND of butter in this yummy cake!)
Then whisk in 4 Tbs. cocoa (leveled)  

(The recipe calls for 6 Tbs. of canned milk, I just use what's in the fridge.)

This time, DON'T boil. Just melt everything together until smooth on low heat. Add to mixer.

This is key (at least for me because I don't want my frosting to be too runny or too thick): when the frosting is done, I can dip my finger in, lift up, and it starts to run, but only a little. If it looks like a dangling icesicle, it's perfect. Also, if it's too thick you can add a little milk to thin it out.

When the cake is done, pour frosting on top (leave the cake in the pan) and spread out. (It may drip over the side of the pan, that's my Dad's favorite!!)

What is your favorite herbal tea? Do you have your own blend?

I do have an herbal tea that I love (and I only drink herbal tea). I order it by the case because I can’t seem to find it in any store. It’s Choice Organic Tea, and I love the Licorice Peppermint flavor. You don’t have to sweeten it at all (some teas are so bitter that you can’t gag them down unless you add a little something), but this one is just right—my favorite tea of all time!

What do you personally do with retired items? Do you continue to use them or do you pass them on somewhere? Do you ever use products that are not Stampin’ Up!?

My goal is to show—and use—what we currently sell. I do maintain an archive that contains one set of all the sets we’ve done, but I rarely use any of them. In fact, every time we have a new catalog come out, someone (my daughter, assistant, me, whoever) goes through my stamp studio and takes out all the old stuff and restocks it with current inventory.

It’s hard to get everything, and there have been a few times when I’ve slipped up and used something that was retired, but I work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.

I do occasionally use products that are not offered by Stampin’ Up!—usually noncompetitive product.

I researched Clearsnap and was surprised to find that they sell products that compete with Stampin’ Up! How can you own two companies that sell competing products?

When Sterling and I were considering purchasing Clearsnap, we were interested in acquiring a manufacturing company that provided the capabilities for Stampin’ Up! to bring to market innovative, exclusive products much more quickly than Stampin’ Up! could do alone. Clearsnap is a smaller, more nimble company that allows Stampin’ Up! to explore some exciting options going forward. This relationship benefits Stampin’ Up! as a whole, which of course means it benefits our demonstrators’ businesses as well.

Someone also asked if I own EK Success. Not sure where that rumor started, but I don’t. . .

How is your dad doing?

Dad is doing fabulously, and thanks for asking. He has a revamped wardrobe—he’s a Velcro man now! His wife and a daughter-in-law have sewn Velcro on his shirt and pants so he can dress himself. They also took the buttons and sewed them on the outside of his shirts (he has always worn button-down shirts, never T-shirt or polos), so they look like they’re buttoned. He has a great sense of humor about it. . .

Who is your sounding board? Sterling? Your daughters?  There has to be someone you vent to. . . .

Often it’s whoever is around at the moment! (smile) Of course, my sweetheart Sterling and my girls are my most frequent and trusted confidants, but I’ve been known to bend the ear of whoever will listen when a thought, idea, or suggestion strikes!

Do all the stamps in the catalog have your stamp of approval? Are there some images that you personally don’t like but you include because marketing research indicates there’s a desire/need for those types of products?

You’ve got it right! Not every stamp set is one that I personally like or will use (wouldn’t it be boring if they were!). We do have talented and experienced people who examine market trends and wants (and read our suggestion folder!) and make those decisions, and I trust them to make sure that we offer a diverse line that has something for everyone!

One day I’ve love to see your scrapbooks . . . .  

Did you hear me laugh? I’m so far behind, it’s not even funny! Someday I hope to get on top of my scrapbooking, but I’m not sure when. . .

Do you waterski or boat on Powell? What canyons have you visited? Do you fish?

I personally boat, although most of the kids and Sterling ski and/or waveboard. In the last couple of years, I’ve had some major landings that bruised me enough that I hurt every time I coughed for weeks; it even hurt when Sterling gave me a hug! That’s just too high a price to pay, so I’ve decided that it’s not worth it for me personally. I love those hugs too much!

We’ve been all over Powell, and we’ve visited several different canyons.

I personally don’t fish (although I do eat fish), but we have some sons-in-law and grandchildren who do. When I was a little girl, I watched my brothers fish, and it would kill me to see the little fish squirm with a hook in its mouth. I’ve never really gotten over that. . .

Will convention ever change locations or dates (I like July much better than August)?

It’s not in our plans right now to move the location from Salt Lake City, for many reasons; I’ll mention just a couple. First, because our costs (both staff and shipping) are lower, we can invest more in convention activities that have a direct positive effect on you.

And second, when it’s so close, more staff are able to participate, come and meet our demonstrators, feel the energy, and (like our demonstrators) get re-energized and excited about a new year.  We think that connection between demonstrators and staff is very meaningful and significant!

As for the dates, personally I prefer July over August too! However, there are some demonstrators who like it in August because their July calendar is so full! It’s like everything, I guess—thousands of demonstrators have thousands of different preferences!

There is a very large (HUGE!) outdoor show every year here in Salt Lake City that gets first dibs at the Salt Palace because they are so big! We have to work around them, but our first priority is always a convention date in July.