Hello stampers! How are your Christmas preparations going? I have finished with classes but now the baking, the cooking and the catching up with friends begins. Not to mention last minute gift buying. Yes, I cram it all into the week before Christmas.

Yesterday I had lunch with a very good friend and she surprised me with the most thoughtful gift. It totally captures the essence of who I am and what I do. I also love pillows, so this was truly perfect. It will have a place of honour in my home forever.

The word on the pillow is “gezellig”. It is a Dutch word that is hard to define in the English language, in fact it made the list of most difficult to define words! In essence it means a feeling of coziness, of comfort of being warm and welcome. When a place is gezellig you want to be there. It also includes having fun and enjoying camaraderie.Even though we are only days away from Christmas, take a moment to listen to what is going on in January. Clubs start right away and the dates for those were in the last newsletter. A new club is also going to start and if you usually get three sale-a-bration items between January and March then you will want to join this club to maximize your benefits. The club is called “Sale-a-bration Club on Steroids”. The reason? There are only three people in this club, you meet three times and you make three free cards each time. You also commit to spending $66.66 but this will also give you a free sale-a-bration item. Each member gets a turn to receive hostess benefits so you can also get those great hostess sets or put your hostess benefits towards the purchase of the best kit ever, the starter kit!!

The other fun event in January is the Bingo Party on Friday January 13 at 7pm. Tickets to this event are $25. Everyone, yes, everyone wins a prize. We also make four fun and very easy stamping projects. You will get to play with brand new product and the prizes are also all from the new Occasions and Sale-a-bration catalogs. Space is limited to 22 people and 6 of those spots are already gone.The projects that we make at the Bingo Party are totally stress free and they give you a chance to get your hands on brand new product. What a great way to find out what you love. Here is the second of four projects:One last word about the starter kit. There is always so much confusion about this amazing deal and I would like to clarify. The starter kit costs $135. No tax, no shipping. You get to pick out whatever products you want in this kit. Stampin’Up! and I both hope that you will want to share your love of stamping with others once your kit arrives and so they include a box of eight catalogs, eight Occasions catalogs and 50 order forms. But you can also just get the kit for your own discount. Yes, by getting the kit you also get the privilege of a 20% discount on all your purchases and you can get hostess benefits if your own order is over $200. AND starting January 4 you get to pick out two free stamp sets as a bonus, any price!! I am also offering a day of crafting at a beautiful cottage if you join my team. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I LOVE telling people about this great opportunity. Disclaimer: be prepared to have this ordinary looking cardboard box totally change your life. My life has become so much richer and exciting in so many ways. I have met all of you! I have met and become friends with demonstrators all over the world and I have traveled to so many beautiful places, for free. Wow. And I get to do what I love. Every day. And I get paid for doing it. Yes, I love my job.

Well, my kitchen is a disaster, so I should get back to it, but I wanted to take a moment to connect with you. Have a super rest of your day.