One of the best things about the entire convention this year was being invited to attend the Artisan Award dinner. This was a private dinner for the Artisan Award winners and a few VIP's from the home office. We all met in the lobby of the Convention Center and walked over to Hotel Monaco's Bambara Restaurant about a block away. We took a brief moment to have our picture taken together before heading out.
Standing (Left to Right): Amy Yingling (SU concept artist and Art Dept. Manager), Jenn Picard, Sandra Farrell, Amy Swartz (VP of Sales and Marketing-yes, she's expecting a baby girl), Heather Summers, Heather Klump, Heidi King, Cheryl LeFore, Melody Hyde (SU concept artist), and Laura Mellinger. Seated/Knealing (Left to Right): Summer Stone, Connie Collins (that's me!), Heather Summers, and Shelli Gardner (Co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!). Not pictured are Amy Swartz's husband and Shelli's husband, Sterling.
When we arrived at the restaurant there were handcrafted place cards, menus, and a very special gift awaiting each of us. (My little gift bag got a little beat up on the flight home.) Here's a closer look at the menu and that gorgeous paper flower. The person who made these must have spent hours on them. (Be sure to click on the photos to get a closer look...they are amazing.) You can only imagine that I just about fainted with excitement when I found out I was seated next to Shelli. I don't know how I got that honor, but let me tell you, I was thrilled.
During the appetizer Shelli asked us each to tell a little about ourselves and our Artisan Award experience. That's about the time the tears began to flow. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room by the time the main course arrived. Each story was so inspiring and time after time we heard how much hard work, dedication, and determination went into winning the award. Amy Yingling, Melody Hyde, Amy Swartz, Shelli, and even Sterling also shared what it was like to be a part of such a wonderful company like Stampin' Up!
As the evening drew to a close, Shelli asked us all to open our gift bags. Look at what was inside...a custom Artisan Award stamp for each of the winners! I have to admit, I heard that last year's winners received one just like this, but I was afraid to get my hopes up. At the end of the evening we had organized an Artisan Award swap. The concept artists asked if they could join the swap, to which we gleefully said "YES". We had already planned on making enough swaps for each other as well as Melody, Amy, Amy, and Shelli...but it was a super thrill to get a swap from the concept artists as well. We also included a swap for Laura Thomas (Shelli's personal assistant). Laura did a fabulous job of organizing the dinner, so we wanted to do something special for her as well.
Here's one last picture to share...this is me with Shelli Gardner. Shelli is such a wonderful lady and so genuinely sweet. I know that I have said this over and over, but it was such a thrill to get to know her better.
That's all for now. Next time I will share all about the swap and maybe even show you a few pictures (wink).
