Is it Fourth of July or Christmas in July?

The swap I am sharing with you today has a story behind it.  See, my super, amazing friend Erin Kyle came to stay with me for a week or so, at the beginning of July, all the way from British Columbia.  She help me with my convention swaps as well as a number of other things around my house.  She kept me focused and helped me figure out exactly what I was going to do for each swap. As a former Demonstrator, she knows swaps.  That's actually how we met: swapping. 

So when it came time to make my lip balm holders for Smallish-3D swap, I knew we could whip these together really quickly and easily.  I went to my box that holds all my alterable stuff and pulled out the lip balms.  I had just the right amount of cute blue ones with a red Santa on the front.  Perfect for the swap.

We decided that Pacific Point was the closest blue to match and of course, Real Red to match the Santa.  And Whisper White to match the snow flakes too.  I pulled out some Real Red Designer Series Paper that I had and asked her stripes, or polka dots?  She answered, "Stripes. Because it reminds me of Candy Canes."

And we went to work on these boxes.  It wasn't until I was applying the Real Red DSP to the Whisper White card stock and then putting it on the Pacific Point box that it hit me.  These weren't Christmas lip balm holders at all.  They were Fourth of July! We put the snow flake on them anyway to make them look a little more Christmassy, but really, they would be perfect for the Fourth of July if you put a start on the front instead. 

Colors: Pacific Point, Real Red, and Whisper White.  Stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits.  Punches: 3/4"& 1" circle punches. Accessories: Brights Designer Patterns Pack, Simply Scored Board, Real Red Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Rhinestone Jewels.

You'd think working on them the day after the Fourth of July we would have figured it out sooner.  I suppose that is what I get for having a Canadian help me with my swaps. :)  Totally kidding.  I love Erin and all my Canadian friends.

If you are wondering how I made the box, I used the same directions as the ones I made last fall  that looked a lot more Christmassy.

Today's convention share is about Memento Mall.  Every year, Stampin' Up! has a marketplace set up during convention for demonstrators to buy exclusive items with the Stampin' Up! logo.  These range from business tools to apparel and small premium items to share with our customers. Here is what I picked up at Memento Mall this year:

The only thing missing is a Card Tree that I haven't gotten out of the box yet. At the top, there are reusable shopping bags that I give to my customers when they place an especially nice order.  Then moving clockwise there are a stack of sticky notes and the tops, a blouse and a tee-shirt.  Pens and a pad of wish lists come next.  Those round things are cookie stamps and above them are some cookie cutters.  That cute flowery thing on the bottom left is a tape measure.  I can never have too many of them!  Especially if they are cute!  Believe it or not, I didn't buy nearly as much for me as I usually do. But I did buy a lot for my good friend Rhonda.  I should have taken a picture of her loot before I mailed it off to her. :) 

Next week, I'll show you some pictures of the sample boards at convention.  Be sure to check back then!