Contact me: genna@thestampersmess.com 03 9705 2553 0438 062291
Being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is so much more than I thought it would or could be. I signed up to justify the time I wanted to spend being creative but couldn’t fit in around my busy life. And what I found is an endless array of people to meet and share my passion with. My solitary hobby is now the means of getting equal pleasure from learning, teaching and sharing the world of stamping.
And the rewards go far beyond allowing myself to indulge my passion. I get to share it with others and watch as they grow and develop in their skills. There’s nothing better than seeing someone get such joy from creations they didn’t know they were capable of. Add to that the friendships I’ve formed with customers and fellow demonstrators, the skills I’ve learnt, the cards, scrapbook pages, gift and keepsakes I’ve created and there simply is no looking back. I’m hooked for life!
MY STAMPIN’ UP! STORY
I grew up in the Dandenong Ranges outside of Melbourne but spent a large part of my early adult life roaming the world and/or living in the Northern hemisphere – mostly in London but with significant stints in New York as well. While backpacking in America I met a splendid English fellow and we promptly went on our first date to the Grand Canyon before travelling in opposite directions around the world. It was a fateful meeting and I am now wife to the awesome Alex (otherwise known as Wonder Husband) and mum to two loud and excitable Aussie/British boys, Zane & Devon. I’m also a freelance literary consultant. As comfortable as I was with these roles, in 2008 I realised I wanted and needed to add a creative outlet for myself and a way to earn money that wasn’t as concentration-heavy as my editing work. The perfect answer was to become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.
I’ve always loved papercraft in all its forms but never seemed to find the time to get much done. I did wonder how I would manage to add another string to my bow but in fact it’s been easier than I thought. Now that I’m a demonstrator I feel able to prioritise my creative work. This is what I do so I have to find time to do it! It’s amazing what you can find time for when you no longer see it as selfish time out!
An added bonus has been that indulging my creative passions has helped to finally put my dance with Post Natal Depression behind me. I was diagnosed when my second son was about 8 months old. At that point he hadn’t slept for more than two hours in one go, and my exhaustion and state of mind were noticed when I was in hospital having my gall bladder out.
About a year of treatment later, I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And that’s when I found Stampin’ Up! Unlike many people I didn’t discover Stampin’ Up! at a workshop or through friends – I was actively seeking out something that would fit my needs. As luck would have it, my lovely upline Tanja Westwood was holding an event that came up in an online search and the rest, as they say, is history.
THE BIGGEST REWARD
There is one thing about Stampin’ Up! that stands out for me above all else. One thing that I prize most highly about being a demonstrator. Something that never occurred to me before I signed up….
being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator opens up a whole new world of the most supportive, caring, generous and wonderful friends.
Without fail, every demonstrator I talk to is blown away by the friends they’ve made since becoming a demonstrator. Their uplines, downlines, team members, fellow demonstrators they’ve met at events or online, their customers, their stamp club members. All demonstrators have made lasting connections with people they would not have met otherwise. There is, without a doubt, an incredibly welcoming community ready to open its arms to new members.
This is not something I looked for when signing up but it is now part of my daily life. I love the interaction I have with the people I’ve met as a demonstrator and at times this has been my lifeline. I can’t imagine being without Stampin’ Up! or the wonderful people it’s introduced me to.
It was only after I’d joined that I understood why Stampin’ Up! have their ‘statement of the heart’:
“To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments… in this we make a difference!”
Stampin’ Up! The Stampers’ Mess Genna Gifford Melbourne craft business be your own boss rubber stamping scrabbooking workshop
About a year of treatment later, I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And that’s when I found Stampin’ Up! Unlike many people I didn’t discover Stampin’ Up! at a workshop or through friends – I was actively seeking out something that would fit my needs. As luck would have it, my lovely upline Tanja Westwood was holding an event that came up in an online search and the rest, as they say, is history.
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