RBT Princess Jill Nolan attended her first Stampin’Up! workshop as a favor to a friend. Working on the first project, she discovered stamping was easy and it looked good! She got even more excited working on the second project and immediately began thinking about all of the possibilities. The evening was over and she wanted to order some things, but thought where do I start?! She decided to purchase a catalog and place her order the next day. On the hour long drive home, she was consumed with the possibilities of stamping as a hobby. A busy mom, working a full time job, Jill had little time for herself. She found stamping was something she could do. She wanted the entire catalog! She gathered friends together and started a group/club that met monthly. Those monthly gatherings couldn’t come soon enough. She was addicted! It became her hobby - HER time!
Her mom was in the group when it started, and enjoyed it as much as Jill. When she moved out of state, she continued to stamp and share her hobby with others becoming a demonstrator herself. Jill would absorb her mom’s Stampin’ Success magazine every month, and when her mom went to convention, she called Jill every night sharing updates and details. She encouraged her to become a demonstrator as well, then filled out her paperwork, and Jill signed up! That was five years ago! It hasn’t always been easy. The first few years were challenging, but with her mom’s encouragement and a positive attitude, things have turned around.
She gathers inspiration from working/stampin with friends. The ideas they come up with are great and lead to many more thoughts and inspirations for her own projects. Participating in swaps, pouring over the IBC and her favorite artist’s blogs provide additional sources for inspiration as well. Jill never gets tired of seeing the reactions and expressions of first time stampers. She’s remembering exactly how she felt that first time over eleven years ago. They don’t know where to begin, but she knows, and helps them enjoy the newness of stamping and not be overwhelmed, sharing tips and tricks such as: If you make a mistake – paper is magic, flip it over and try again. If you mess up again, one little piece of paper is cheap, try again, OR - re-ink your stamp pads regularly. A dry image is yucky, juicy image is better, AND – textured paper and sponging can make almost every project better (okay, bling too!). ‘I want them to know my role as their demonstrator. I tell them it’s my job to show them all the techniques and tools I can which will continue to keep them excited about our hobby. Experienced stampers are just as wonderful – they show me tips/tricks and they get excited about new techniques. It’s funny – I’ve found that all stampers appreciate and enjoy re-learning an old technique or revisiting the basics… it confirms their knowledge.’
She loves all things Stampin’Up! but probably her newest favorite is Designer Series Paper. She didn’t use it for a long time, thinking she could use her stamps and ink to create her own, but discovered that process could cost more than buying the designer paper. Now she uses DSP on just about everything. ‘I love cards… I’m not much of a scrapper. Snail Mail is my favorite thing! I love the holiday season… the majority of greeting cards received are home made. I’ve seen my stampers mind’s designing their holiday cards. I’ve seen their orders once they’ve created their project… when they arrive – I’m like a proud Mom… their work is so good! I know they are proud too, and I know they are receiving positive feedback from friends & family.’
Jill will tell you she sure has more to learn about business, and there is always more to learn about her hobby, but Stampin’Up! is an incredible company in every aspect, and she’s proud to represent Stampin’Up!
I’d say she does that very well!
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