Song of My Heart Demonstrators

Game: Guess the Foreign Product Names

We played a fun (but surprisingly difficult) game at our virtual team meeting this month. I created a list of Stampin' Up product names in French and German, using the packaging and labels plus a visit to the "translated" section of the online store. The object was to guess which color, stamp set or tool it was in English.

This is a fun new take on guessing games. Feel free to copy and paste this list or make your own! Answers are below.

Identify the product by one of its foreign name translations!

Copy and paste this list into the comments and add your best guess. NO CHEATING!

1. Pate À Embosser (embellishment)
2. À La Verticale (stamp set)
3. Wassermelone (color name)
4. Schneidklingen Fur Paperschneider (tool)
5. Crayons Aquarelle (tool)
6. Rouge-Rouge (color name)
7. Mittlere Umschlage Vanille (accessory)
8. Tannegrun (color name)
9. Knopfe Ganz Gentleman (embellishment)
10. Prêts Pour Noël (stamp set)
11. Bijoux Classiques cristal du rhin (embellishment)
12. Punch À la Ananas (color name)
13. Kussrot (color name)
14. Adorable Marguerite (stamp set name)
15. Horizon de bruyeres (color name)

___________________________________

Answers:

1. Pate À Embosser (embellishment) --embossing paste
2. À La Verticale (stamp set) -- Vertical Greetings
3. Wassermelone (color name) --Melon Mambo
4. Schneidklingen Fur Paperschneider (tool) --Trimmer blades!
5. Crayons Aquarelle (tool) --Watercolor Pencils
6. Rouge-Rouge (color name) --Real Red
7. Mittlere Umschlage Vanille (accessory) --Vanilla Envelopes
8. Tannegrun (color name)-- Shaded Spruce
9. Knopfe Ganz Gentleman (embellishment) True Gentleman Buttons
10. Prêts Pour Noël (stamp set) Ready for Christmas
11. Bijoux Classiques cristal du rhin (embellishment) Basic rhinestones
12. Punch À la Ananas (color name) Pineapple Punch
13. Kussrot (color name) Lovely Lipstick
14. Adorable Marguerite (stamp set name) Delightful Daisy
15. Horizon de bruyeres (color name) Highland Heather

 

To make this game easier, choose only color names or only stamp sets, to narrow down the answering options. Too make it harder, omit the categories so they have to guess on the product even more. Have fun!

GAME: Random Task Wrapping Game

We played this game at our team meeting last night and had a lot of laughs! It requires a small amount of prep, a lot of wrapping paper, and 3-4 prizes. I used Sale-A-Bration and hostess freebies, but you can use any items of similar size and shape.

If you have ever played the Saran Wrap ball game, the concept is silimar, except that instead of taking off plastic wrap until the timer goes off, each player just removes one layer of wrapping paper. There are also conditions to keeping the prize you unwrap.

TO PREP:

• Wrap a stamp set in wrapping paper, three times. Make sure the tape for each layer is only stuck to that layer, so it won't rip into the next layer.
• Add another set and wrap that together with the original set. Wrap that again two or three times.
• Add additional sets as you go, varying the number of wrapping paper layers each time, so it can't be guessed. The more layers of paper, the more suspense and fun.
• Use as many different types of wrapping paper as you can. To avoid confusion over the layers, don't wrap twice in a row with the same paper pattern.
• You will end up with a large, bulky package about the size of a shoebox.

THEN:

• Prepare a small jar or basket with slips of paper on which are written random tasks. It's best if they are not TOO embarrassing, but you know your crowd.
• Suggestions: bark like a dog; sing a line of a song; share your celebrity crush; take a selfie with a duck face; give the person next to you a bear hug; quote a line from your favorite movie; tell us a knock-knock joke.

TO PLAY

• Pass the bundle around the room, with each person peeling off one layer of paper and then passing it on.
• When a player unwraps a gift, they can choose to keep it IF they are willing to perform the random task.
• If they chose not to, they can pass the whole bundle and the unwrapped gift to the next person, who then gets a random task to perform in order to keep it.
• If a person gets the gift more than once, they can decide to keep their original prize or trade it for the new prize--but they have to perform a new random task if they want the new set!

This is a fun way to randomly distribute door prizes for the meeting with a lot more flair than just drawing names. Use it for your Christmas party or just to shake things up during any given month. Good luck with your team gatherings!

Meeting Theme: That's so Random

Premise: a complete random event where everything is different from your typical meeting. Shake your teammates out of their complacency by reminding them of how they felt when they were new!

Do as many things as you can backwards, out of order, or in a goofy way. This will be the meeting they talk about all year!

Here's some ideas to spark the fun!

• Instead of names, write totally random nicknames on the nametags.
• Have random drawings at intervals throughout the evening. Have your helper set the timer so that even you don't know when you'll be surprised by a prize patrol. Have the prizes be bizarre things like a half-used pack of rhinestones, one sheet of every color cardstock, a sack full of scraps, or a bag full of ribbon bits no longer than two inches each.
• Set up the room completely differently than you normally do.
• If you usually finish with demonstrations, start with them. If you normally begin with stamping, do it at the end instead.
• Have a random speed drill or search challenge in between demonstrations.
• Have pop-up business tips at random moments in the evening, or every time the prize timer goes off.
• Play hot potato or the saran-wrap gifting ball, for random gifting of the door prize.
• Guess what's on a random page number of the catalog (this is hard!)
• Have a Random Acts of Kindness project for your team charity project for the month.
• Make the winner sing a line from a random song before they get their prize.
• Select random names from a bucket to share how they decided to join SU.
• Serve breakfast foods at night, if your meeting is typically in the evening.
• Play the Random Purse Items game (points if you have a safety pin, crayons, nail polish, etc.)
• Work on totally random holiday projects. National Donut Day, Christmas in July, Un-Birthday, belated birthdays, etc. All the ones you don't normally get to cover.
• Instead of a swap, have participants bring ten random sheets of paper. Exchange with others to go home with ten different sheets.
• Randomly pair up teams to stamp a simple notecard according to the sample, with their closest arms tied together with a bandana.
• Random product challenge--have them blindly draw from a bucket of scraps. They have one week to post a picture of a project on the team Facebook page, made with whatever they pulled out.

What other ideas do you have for a random, hilarious evening with your team? Do you have ideas for helping this translate to a virtual meeting? Please post in the comments below.

GAME: Spring Mini Catalog Drill

Here's a fun Catalog Drill game for your next team meeting. You can have them use a mini catalog to answer or make them guess, depending on how hard you want it to be to win. Keep score and have a great prize handy for the person who knows the most answers without looking!

1. How much is the Perennial Birthday Kit? ($27)
2. Let the Good Times Roll goes with what framelits? (Thrill Ride)
3. Which suite features courduroy ribbon and wooden buttons? (True Gentleman)
4. Quote the poem from the Love You Still stamp set (page 21)
5. What set contains this phrase: hang in there? (Hanging Garden)
6. Name all three image stamps in Fortunate to Know You (chopsticks, cookie, takeout box)
7. Birthday Wishes for You is a hostess set T/F (false)
8. What is the name of the suite with the black and white DSP? (Petal Passion)
9. What are the coordinating Framelits called for the Myths & Magic suite? (Magical Makes)
10. Which is cheaper: In The Trees or Hello Easter? (In the Trees)
11. Which set contains the phrase, because of you, I am me? (You're Inspiring)
12. Yay You is a hostess set T/F (true)
13. What is the name of the set that coordinates with the Mini Embroidery Hoops? (A Good Day)
14. What two new colors does embossing paste come in? (Shimmery White and Silver)
15. Apron Builder framelits go with which stamp set? (Apron of Love)
16. What set contains the phrase Wishing you a day filled with good things? (Picnic with You)
17. Which set has a snail stamp? (We Must Celebrate)
18. Name one item from the back carry-over page (page 55)
19. Which two suites come with Stampin' Spots? (Picture Perfect Party and Tutti Frutti)
20. How many times do you stamp the rabbit image in Sweet Little Something? (three)

Tie Breaker: Finish the stamp set name: Southern___________ (Serenade)

Enjoy your next team meeting as you have fun connecting and encouraging the people that have come into your life as a result of our fantastic hobby!

Event Idea: Paper Pumpkin Potluck

My team and I just shared our first Paper Pumpkin Potluck last night, and it was a smashing success. The idea was born from the fact that our unfinished Pumpkins were piling up and taking up a lot of space. We loved them, but if we didn't get to them immediately, they just weren't getting accomplished.

So, we scheduled a night to meet and work on them. It was SO fun... we weren't even halfway through when everyone started saying that we need to make it a regular event!

Here's a bunch of ideas and tips if you decide to hold this potluck party with your customers or team!

• use a Paper Pumpkin to make the invitations and party favors
• door prize draw for a pre-paid one-month Paper Pumpkin subscription
• dollar-store orange tablecloths and paper goods
• have people bring pumpkin desserts or make squash soup
• have everyone bring any alternate things they've done with past Paper Pumpkins

No-stress quick games to play:

• guess the number of candy corn pumpkins in a Mason jar
• Pumpkin Pong--orange ping-pong balls bounced into empty Paper Pumpkin boxes
• Pumpkin Ring Toss (twig wreath and a pumpkin with a long straight stem)
• 1-minute mini pumpkin decorating contest (provide Sharpies and googly eyes)
• PS--the mini pumpkins double as easy centerpieces!

To help the event run smoothly:

• provide Paper Pumpkin Grid Paper and a trash bag at each station
• provide a free Paper Pumpkin to any non-demo who comes as a guest, so they don't have to bring anything at all
• have extra clear blocks and scissors on hand since these are not included in the kits
• make pumpkin punch-art name tags OR use Paper Pumpkin logo stickers and a Sharpie for names

Extras for Uplines:

• this is a great time to gift your team with some of the Paper Pumpkin marketing resources, such as buttons, pens, flyers, postcards, reusable shopping bags, pop-up trash bins, logo grid paper and more. We have remarkable supporting products available for this line.
• train your team on the social media resources and shareable videos for Paper Pumpkin. Do they know where to find past kits? Do they know we can Cash N' Carry past kits? Do they know there are two different subscription options?
• print out the gift certificate to give everyone a visual reminder to promote these kits for fabulous Christmas gifts that keep on giving all year long.
• Be sure to invite former downlines to attend. This event would be a great way to remind them of the fun and friendship they have been missing during their time away from Stampin' Up.

I hope you are excited to plan a fun event like this with your team. Sharing meals together is a wonderful way to stay connected to friends, and a fun party-atmosphere provides a nice change from a regular monthly meeting format.

Dream BIG! And eat some pumpkin cheesecake for me.

Engagement Boosters: Stampin' Acronyms

Here's a great social media engagement game for your team Facebook page, shared with us by Stella McKay. This would be a wonderful chat to start any time you have a recent influx of newbies, such as Sale-A-Bration!

Post the following:

"Some of the Stampin' Up terms we "veterans" sling around are very confusing to those who haven't been around a while! Everyone post one SU acronym to help newbies understand our lingo. I'll draw a winner from everyone who contributes a new one! For example, DS = Demo Support... what other acronyms or nicknames do we use?"

Then don't forget to follow through and draw a name and mail a prize to the winner.

My team came up with not only the basics but some other great ones I never would have thought of! Can you think of more?

• CS=cardstock
• DSP=Designer Series Paper
• CASE=copy and share everything
• DBWS=Demonstrator Business Web Services
• TAMS=These Are My Stamps
• SOMH=Song of My Heart
• SC=Stampin' Connection
• CM & WM= cling mount, wood mount
• PP or MPP=My Paper Pumpkin
• SUO= project that uses Stampin' Up products only
• SUM=project that uses Stampin' Up products almost entirely
• MnT=Make n' Takes
• PLxSU+ Project Life by Stampin' Up
• EF=embossing folder
• EP=embossing powder
• SAB= Sale A Bration
• DSA=Direct Selling Association
• SCS= Splitcoast Stampers
• CAS=clean and simple
• OSW=one sheet wonder
• ISO= in search of
• NUM= new, unmounted
• NIP= new in the package
• Catty=catalog
• YT=YouTube
• IG=Instagram
• FB=Facebook

Group Effort Gift Wrapping Game

We just finished up this year's team Christmas party and had a ball. In addition to stamping and a hilarious Crafter's White Elephant gift exchange, we played this funny Group Effort Gift Wrapping game. 

PLAYERS: We played in teams of six. You could also do teams of four or even pairs.

TIME: It typically takes less than five minutes for this game. If you need a game that takes a little longer, have each team go individually instead of all the teams participating at once.

PREP: You'll need to provide the following for EACH team: brown paper sacks (enough for one for each person), a package of some kind (it's more fun if you choose something that is oddly-shaped, but empty boxes work as well), rolls of unopened gift wrap, scissors, tape, a self-stick bow, a gift tag and a pen or marker with a lid.

RULES:

1. Everyone on the team must participate in some way! Ask each other for help.
2. You can only use one hand for this project. You cannot use ANY other body part such as an elbow, wrist, hip, teeth, etc.
3. Everyone must wear a paper bag on their other hand so we can't cheat!
4. Present must be completely covered with wrapping paper and secured with tape.
5. Bow and tag must be firmly attached on the top of the package.
6. Tag must be addressed “To Santa, Love (your team name.)”
7. First team to completely wrap their package must stand and sing a Christmas song relating to their team name so I know you are the winners!

Here's a generic PDF of the rules, which you can place on each table with the supplies. ENJOY!

Download Group Effort Gift Wrap Game

Game: Conversation Hearts

Here's a cute game to play at your February workshops and events. All you need to do to prep is print this story and buy a bag or two of conversation hearts. Then, at the event, give everyone a handful of hearts and read the story aloud. Each time they have one of the sayings mentioned, they get a point. At the end of the story, the person with the most hearts wins. Easy!

Let's take a minute and SLOW DOWN...

LET'S TALK about getting things FOR KEEPS!

If you look through our catalog and it's TRUE LOVE,

ARE YOU WILLING to host a party

and get your COOL items for free? IT'S TRUE,

you can E-MAIL ME, CALL ME, or TEXT ME to pick a date.

Then at your party well have a GOOD TIME.

You may say NO WAY, GET REAL!

or I DON'T THINK SO... and that's OK!

But I wonder if you're ment to be apart of my DREAM TEAM?

TAKE A CHANCE or say NOT NOW,

either way LET'S BE FRIENDS.

I WANT YOU to enjoy stamping as much as I do,

because for me it's TRUE LOVE.

Be sure to ASK ME before the end of this awesome party!

Matching the Mixups Game

Sharing a fun little game I made up for my team meeting tonight, where you correctly match up the first and last words in 20 two-word stamp set names and see who is finished the fastest.

You are welcome to use the PDF files for your own use; however, if you are viewing this post at a later date, be aware that the stamps may have retired.

This game can be used to help demonstrators become familiar with a new catalog and you can let them use the book if you wish, disallowing use of the index, of course! A shorter version could be used with customers who are pretty familiar with the catalog, but I wouldn't suggest this one for new stampers.

Dream Big! And have fun with it. Download Set Name Mixup Game

Catalog Flashcards Game

As I write this, 'tis the season of team Christmas parties being held left and right. I'd like to share an easy, low-prep game that it might come in handy for your own downline parties this holiday and beyond. ENJOY!

To Prep: cut out photos of all the stamp sets from two mini catalogs (you'll need two, because the pages are printed back to back). Mount them on half sheets of cardstock and number them.

To Play: have everyone number a sheet of paper with the total number of flashcards you made, minus one (so if you have 22 stamp sets, have them number their sheets to 21.) Show the first card and have them write the name of the stamp set in the number one space. Show the flashcards at intervals of 15-20 seconds or so to keep things moving. Save one flashcard back in case you need to break a tie. Go back through the flashcards one more time to allow people to write down any additional answers.

To Win: List off the correct names and total the scores. The person with the most correct stamp set names wins! If there is a tie, use your remaining flashcard to break it.

To play in teams: do away with the numbered sheets and just have the first team to shout out the correct stamp set name win the point. Or alternate which team's turn it is to guess by consensus, and if they get their one allowed answer wrong, it goes to the other team to guess.

Variations: if you can't bring yourself to cut up a couple of catalogs, you can print the stamp set images from the online store. Make it harder by including lesser-known stamp sets that are only pictured on flyers or in kits.

Enjoy this game and the other challenge ideas here with your team. Fun meetings are so important for downline retention and team unity. I encourage you to incorporate some fun into your gatherings and enjoy the benefits.

Dream BIG, friends!