Note: My wife Rebecca is a very modest person and is going to kill me for making this post. I am so PROUD of the achievements she has made in her Stampin’ Up! business. This is my small way of letting her know. So here it goes….

It Began With a Trip.

This year, along with my wife Rebecca Bernzweig, I attended the Stampin’ Up! 2008 Convention in Salt Lake City UT. When Rebecca made the convention reservation, the confirmation said she should visit the awards booth on her arrival. She did not think much of this at the time since she knew that she had achieved some free stamp sets and the like over the course of the year. Little did she know what was in store for her.

We arrived at the convention center and from an upper level, saw thousands of excited people busily thumbing through the just released Stampin’ Up! 2008 Idea Book and Catalog. We then worked our way down and picked up our convention bags. Each bag was filled with neat things like: free rubber stamp sets, the new catalog, a Stampin’ Up! Pen (sorry, I am a guy and thought the pen was neat) and other goodies.

We then headed to the awards booth where a very nice man retrieved – MORE rubber stamp sets and some recognition pins for Rebecca to wear. The man then said that he had forgotten something and could we wait a moment. When he returned, he asked Rebecca “What are you doing in September because you have achieved the Founders Circle trip”. He then proceeded to hand her a beautiful (man speak: really neat) pink leather designer bag. I was really excited for her. She has worked so hard.

Here’s a picture of the Founders Circle bag.



What is founders Circle?

Founders Circle recognizes the top 100 demonstrators and other category achievers, for all their hard work over the past year. By hard work I mean helping their customers create, learn and enjoy the wonderful creations that can be made with Stampin’ Up! products. Who knew that helping people have fun rubber stamping and scrapbooking was work?

The Reward.

Rebecca and the other demonstrators will be attending a retreat with the co-founder of Stampin’ Up! Shelli Gardner. They will be relaxing, doing make and takes, sightseeing and making new friends. I heard there is shopping involved also. They will then visit the Stampin’ Up! manufacturing facility to see where rubber stamps are born.

Rebecca is Very Modest.

Rebecca does this business for just one reason. To help her customers enjoy a hobby where they can be so creative and step out of their everyday lives even if that is for a few short hours. She does not do it for the accolades but I once heard her say, “if they want to throw nice things my way for doing something I love, so be it”. Because of her modesty, she would hate for me to say where she placed in the top 100, so I won’t. Let’s just say she was less than #32 and more then #30.

Over the 11 years that Rebecca has been a demonstrator, I have seen her grow in many ways. From starting part time and doing rubber stamping workshops so she could show people that “anyone can be creative,” to her unselfish attitude of helping people with their stamping questions. These are people who, for one reason or another, will never be customers or who are already demonstrators (not even in her group) and who are just getting started. Rebecca now does this as her full time income.

Rebecca, I am very proud of you.

Daniel
HusbandofaStamper

P.S. If you think that being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator might enrich your life like it has Rebecca’s; you may want to read the article she wrote entitled “Becoming a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator” on her website.

P.P.S. The only thing I will probably get out of the Founders Circle trip is a bag of peanuts from her plane ride – if they even serve those anymore.