Woohoo!
Had my 2nd "official" demo! And, it was a success... not in sales or orders... but, in creative satisfaction!
THAT'S what's all about, right?
Here's the scoop. At the first demo (at Iron Mtn) where we had approx 28 attendees... I introduced the concept of unmounted stamps to some scrapbookers. They (my cabinmates) were enthralled! They loved the project we did and when we returned to the cabins asked for more! So-- I gave them all catalogs and they combined their orders to make it enough for a party. $100. which... because of StampFest allowed them DOUBLE all the hostess benefits, which they drew for.
Well- I offered to cut out their stamps for 'em.. IF they would come to my house and play with 'em.
Of course, they agreed to that! And, last night- the three eager stampers showed up and man! Did we have a great time!
I started off- by indexing and cutting their free Gift With Purchase (GWP) stamp. They had all ordered the heart swirl- so, we had a common stamp to begin with. As I indexed and cut- I explained that we were going to make four card fronts with one piece of 8.5x11 paper. I supplied that paper and some ink choices. They went to stamping their backgrounds... as we let them dry-- they all began the kind of laborious task of indexing and cutting out their stamps. Since there is a little thought to go along with it- it helped to have it reinforced.. and with your friends- it makes it less tedious! I supplied several pairs of utility scissors that I've collected over the years. There was a reason for that madness. I asked each of them to cut the "border" off their new stamp. Ugh. Using those scissors- even the nice new Ginghers one didn't make it any eaiser.. so, naturally it reinforced the need for using my Kai Gold scissors. Which I then handed over and said "Stop. Here, try THIS and see if it doesn't make a difference!" Natch- it did! And, so then we went along with the procedure of indexing, aligning and cutting.. and just took turns with the scissors.
That's now FIRST on their list of "next purchase to be made"!
Then... I had hoped that they might want to actually use some of their new stamps-- some did- some didn't... but- it gave me the opportunity to explain about conditioning rubber and why it didn't really make a hill of beans about being super fastidious about the stains on 'em. As they looked though the two dozen card fronts that I'd made (prior to their arrival) I further explained about the "hidden" value of stamps and inks. Using only a part of a stamp and repetitiously in order to give continuity to a project and by using a darker ink- and a 2nd generation you could get that "shadowed" touch that not only enhances the design- but, allows "more bang for the buck."
Well- then I brought out three of my stamp sets (in CD holders of course!) and they went to town. Some had bought brads with their orders, and as we were using the scraps from my scrap drawer-- couldn't match exactly to our color pallete-- I showed them how to: a.) change the color of a brad using ink, ep and a heat gun, and by sponging the ink lightly onto the "almost" right colored paper- it altered it enough to make it blend... again- more uses for those inks!! They wre thrilled!
I really enjoyed getting to have some new stampers to join me! I truly enjoyed getting the chance to allow them to use their OWN new stamps and cutting them out before leaving-- I'm thinking that they are much more likely to go home and set up shop in the living room rather than letting 'em sit in a bag until they "have some free time"... and- I know that they all went home with their catalogs and said they were taking 'em to bed- cuz they wanted to sleep with visions of Stamps!!
What did it cost? Inks and drinks. Two pieces of c/s each. 2 hours. Thankfully- my house cleaning lady was through here this week- so, the house was tidy! AND... no orders yet-- but, I'm betting they will be calling by this w/e!!
I'll keep ya posted.
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