stamp & cruise

Supply List

With just around two weeks left, you are probably beginning to pack your supply bag. (I have trouble doing this too soon because I still want to use my stuff up until when I have to leave!)

Here is the final supply list, however, if there are certain tools you love to use, make sure you bring those too!

FINAL Supply List:

PLEASE NOTE:  Initial all of your supplies to avoid any confusion!

Adhesive- bring you favorite. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to adhesive. Bring enough for at least 30 or more projects.  We figure you will need at least one entire tape cartridge per day.  So plan on bringing 2 full cartridges (just in case a cartridge breaks) and eight refills.  If you plan on doing any open stamping, you will want to bring even more than that.  The last thing you want to do is run out of adhesive while you're in the middle of the ocean!

Rubber cutting scissors- Gina K. and Stampingbella stamps are rubber and Gina K. Designs sets will need to be trimmed.

Paper snips- for detail cutting

Small papercutter

Black Ink Memento Pad

Paper piercer and pad

Corner Rounder Punch

foam dimensionals

white pigment pad

mini glue dots

mini stapler

Ruler

Pencil

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Optional supplies-
Ink pads in colors
More adhesive
Card stock
Ribbon, Buttons, Brads
Punches
Coloring tools

There will be a place for open stamping that seats about 20-24 people at a time for those of you who would like to stamp your own projects. You will be receiving plenty of new stamps but you many want to bring an assortment of supplies that you can use for your independent stamping time. There will only be stamping supplies available during stamping class time.

Make sure you bring extra card stock for your own projects. You can always pre-cut cards and bring extra white and colored card stock to create projects.

Remember, this bag must be checked as you can not bring any scissors or cutting tools on the plane.

 

We can't stress enough about the adhesive. Everyone is different. Some people use a tiny dot on each corner, other cover every square inch of card stock. Only you know how you like to use it so bring enough for your own personal style. :)(That's just one of those things that you can't do without.)

We're getting closer and closer to our cruise!! Are you excited! Woo-hoo!

 

Hugs,

Gina K.

A few good beach reads...

After Gina's post yesterday, it got me to thinking that I needed to figure out which of my books in my *not-yet-read" stack I want to bring for the beach.  I love to read on vacation, especially the beach.  I thought it would be fun for all of us to share what some of our favorite beach reads have been.  That way everyone will know that whatever it is that makes the final cut into the beach bag will be a page turner!  Here are a few of my favorites!

That Camden Summer by LaVryle Spencer.  A historic novel set on the coast of Maine.  A woman returns to her hometown as a single mom with a whole brood of children, unparalleled strength and determination, paired with a sense of humor and easy-going parenting style.  All of which did not fit into the standard footprint of women in those times.  Awesome page turner, especially if you enjoy books with a historical setting. 

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Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand.  Set in Nantucket (what can I say, I love New England coastal communities!) this is an incredibly suspenseful romance with MANY twists and turns.  I read it in 2 days, it was THAT good.  The story line is all about a luxurious high class restaurant open only during the summer and all of the behind the scenes stories of the people that work there and the wealth of the community.  Can't recommend it highly enough!

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 The Beach Club, another one by Elin Hilderbrand.  Also set in Nantucket, it is a story about a ritzy Beach Club drenched with local history.  Suspenseful romance with many surprises revealed throughout to keep you on your toes!  I actually read this before Blue Bistro, and a bit of the story line and characters are carried over from one to the other.  Fantastic beach read.

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Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart.  This memoir follows two young women during their memorable summer of 1945.  Set in Manhattan, they get a summer job working at THE Tiffany's- they were the first female floor sales pages, delivering packages to the repair and shipping department, for $20 a week.  The book talks about their busy social lives paired with the amazing people they met through their work at Tiffany's, such as Judy Garland & Marlene Dietrich.  For those that are a fan of this time period, this book encapsulates everything that made the World War II era so memorable.

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So those are a few of my favorites.  I would LOVE to hear any suggestions that you can make so I can decide what to pack!  I'm always looking for suggestions in that department!  See you at the beach!

 

Private Paradise

A couple of years ago, Tom and I planned a family vacation that took us aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas. It was our very first cruise ever and it was a vacation I will never forget. I couldn't believe how huge that ship was! It was like a floating city!

One of my favorite Royal Caribbean ports is Labadee. Known as Royal Caribbean's private island, Labadee is packed full of fun. One thing that is cool about this port is that the ship docks off shore and you take a tender in to the small dock. The tender boats go back and forth all day so you can always go back to the ship whenever you want.

 

Right on the shore is a huge floating water park with things to slide down, jump on and float upon. This is great for people who bring their kids or for those of us who are just big kids at heart.

The water at Labadee is pristine turquoise, perfect for a little snorkeling.

For lunch, they have a huge buffet that is brought off the ship and set up on the beach in a huge pavillion for all the Royal Caribbean cruisers to enjoy. Labadee was one of the more relaxing ports for me. We didn't do any planned excursions that day, just relaxed on the beach.

They are some Labadee excursions that you can do and you'll find those in your ticket booklet or on Royal Caribbean's website. But if you're looking for a place to just plop down on the beach and read a good book, swim  little in the calm, crystal clear water, or sleep in the Caribbean sun,  Labadee will be one of your favorites too! Just remember your suncreen!

Hugs, Gina K.

It's MYYYYYY TURNNNNN!!!!

Hiya cruising sistahs!

I know you haven't heard from me in a looooong time.. It is now my turn to tell you a little bit about what is going on in Bellaland regarding the upcoming cruise! We are SOOOO excited... and I mean SOOOOOO excited over here.  We have created production lines preparing for the cards.. we have goodies and papers and stamps everywhere... 

wait til you see your goodie bags from all 3 companies! Not to be beaten.  We have created a wonderful array of stamps which you will "flip" over (we hope) and Nicky's projects for the cards are absolutely incredible.  She has outdone herself (if possible)!

 

Here are a few pictures of what is happening here at bellaland including preparation for the classes on the cruise, goodies, stamps.. 

well, just EVERYTHING!

    

Now I was told by Nichole and Gina that I can tell you a little bit about the most amazing activity we thought up for the cruise.  This is going to be amazingly fun and hopefully you will love this idea as much as we do.  We have been racking our brains trying to figure out what we should do as a "COMBINED" project  that will bring all the cruising sistahs even closer together :).  We will be uniting and providing a week long project which will take place on the cruise.  It is going to be called the Stamp and Cruise Bead Bonanza...(name may be changed..LOL).. So basically on the first night of the meet and greet we will present you with a ball chain necklace and a name tag for you to embellish.. you will also be given a "starter pack" of beads... as the week progresses, throughout classes, on the deck, at mealtime, off the ship.. you will have opportunities to "earn" beads.. these beads in turn will earn lots of prizes at the end of the cruise as well as little prizes throughout the week!  Now this is a good hint.. learn as much as you can from the 4 hostesses.. through our blogs, our banter, our chitchat.. another intention of ours on the cruise is to "unite" 

everyone and just try to get to know eachother a little better.. after all, we are all here for the same reason! to meet ME of course.. 

(LOL.. just kiddinK).. so if you are sitting next to someone you don't know.. why not ask their names, a little about them etc.. that information may earn you a bead!! (hint hint)...  Another project we would like to introduce in conjunction with the bead bonanza is a bead/ charm swap.  Why not bring something from your home town and trade.. a favorite symbol, a hangtag made by you that has a hole and will fit on this chain?  shrinky dinks with a hole? charms? ANYTHING.. cuz ya nevah know... maybe ORIGINALITY of a necklace will earn some extra beads!  Games will be introduced and we are Sure to have a BEADING BLAST!  At least I know I will :).

 

So get your beading caps on.. ahem, I mean THINKING caps on... read the above post between the lines, and you are sure to make this bead bonanza the most fun!

 

So won't you join the bead/charm swap?

 

We are so excited

and we just can't hide it

we're about to lose control and we think we like it~ pointer sisters

 

yes, you may have to memorize that song to earn a bead..LOL

 

Mwah to da sistahs who will be saiiiilinnnngg and swappping and learning about their new friends (oh and song lyrics) 

Em

 

Preparing a scrapbook to go...

If you are anything like me, as a scrapbooker I always have the best intentions of preserving the memories of a trip as soon as I return home. 

And then you walk through the front door. 

There's unpacking.  Getting caught up on laundry.  Returning phone calls and answering email.  The transition period of getting back into a routine.  And then slowly but surely, the vividness of the details of your amazing trip start to fade away. 

Time gets away from you and that preservation you had hoped to do is lost in the shuffle of life.

Knowing that this stamp + cruise will be AMAZING, I want to capture as much of the excitement as I can while I am still in the *moment*.

Ali Edwards did the most amazing article in the March 2005 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.  It was all about scrapbooking on the road.  (You just have to read this article if you haven't seen it before.  It is AWESOME!)  Organizing just a few supplies and a plan to bring WITH you on your trip, and at the end of each day, having fun jotting down events of the day.  Incorporating bits and pieces of memorabilia from the activities you've done or things you've seen. 

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I just LOVE this concept and I am in the process of putting together my very own *Scrapbook on the Boat* kit. 

I replaced Ali's distressed oval stamp with our circular border stamp from Spooky Sweets II, just because I'm more of a clean lines kind of gal.  I made my own 7x5 album with my Bind-It-All.  I also die-cut a few tags and other bits & pieces to use throughout the book. 

I am really excited about the prospect of coming home with a completed book, highlighting the cruise and being able to look at it often as a reminder of an amazing week with an amazing group of stampers! 

I'd love to hear if after reading, whether or not you have plans to put together your very own "Scrapbook on the Boat" kit and what you're putting in yours!

Caribbean sunset or a sneak peek?

The excitement is building here at Gina K. Designs.

Today marks one month until sailing! Are you as excited as I am!

The girls are busy packing all of these brand new, never before seen stamp sets- just for you. You will be the first to get these sets as none of them will be in our October release. What else do we have in store for you? Um, you'll have to wait for that.

Look at this picture- what do you see? Is this a beautiful shot of a Caribbean sunset or a sneak peek of one of the Gina K. Designs cruise stamp sets? I'll never tell, not yet anyway...

Talk to you soon!
Hugs,
Gina K.

The Countdown has begun!

It's hard to believe that the boat will pulling out in just about a month!  That's basically four weeks away!  I am SO incredibly excited for this AMAZING stamping adventure that we will be going on together!!!!  As are Emily, Nicky & Gina! 

We know the big day is rapidly approaching because of what's going on around here!
-We now have scheduled weekly conference calls between all four of us, keeping each other updated on all the tasks that are accomplished and discussing all the last minute details.
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-Boxes have started arriving like CRAZY.  We at Papertrey got all of the stamps in yesterday that will be going in goodie bags for all attendants.  Stacks and stacks and stacks!  (If you are going on the cruise, keep in mind not to purchase anything from the October release!  Most of it will be in your goodie bag for FREE!!!!)

-I am in the preliminary stages of preparing all of the classes & projects that Papertey will be hosting.  You all will be in stamper's heaven with all of the amazing projects you will create and things you will learn between the three companies!

-My order arrived of all the boxes & bags required to package all of the make-and-take class kits and such!  Seeing it all laid out reminds me that I have a lot of kits to put together.  150 stampers x 10 projects... equals 1,500 class kits!  In regards to what you have to expect...that's JUST the numbers from Papertrey!  Multiply that times three once you include the other two companies!  You all are a bunch of lucky stampers!

-Schedules have been revised & rewritten and we *think* we finally have the final draft.  We have thought of everything while planning your stamping activities and scheduling is so important to insure everyone has a great time! 

So are you getting as excited as I am as the big day approaches?  What are you looking forward to most about the trip?  Wahooo!!!  Let the countdown begin!!!!!!

FAQ

--->Is there a price break for family members going but not participating in the stamping aspect of the cruise?

YES!  Non-stamping family members receive a $100 discount each!  Cruise One said they will adjust your balance due if you already booked and have non-stampers in your party.

--->Did you know that the link to Splitcoast Stampers on the Cruise One web page says SpaceCoast Stampers?

YES!  A few hundred of you and all your closest friends let us know of the error!  It was a small typo which will be corrected this weekend by Cruise One.

--->How will we know if we are one of the first 100 stampers to register?

You can email or call Cruise One to inquire as to whether you made it into this group or not.

---> Is there a special logo that I can use to add to the side bar of my blog to let everybody know that I am going on the cruise?

Ask and you shall receive! 

• -30 make and take projects
• -Freebies & giveaways galore!
• -Hundreds of dollars in free stamps
• -New stamp releases debuted on board!
• -Classes by Nichole, Gina & Emily

Nichole from Papertrey Ink

"This cruise is sure to be the ultimate stamping experience!  A variety of styles & products presented by the people that know their mediums best.  If I wasn't going as an instructor, I would be going as a guest!"

~Nichole