Support cancer research and join in the fun

1pm – 3pm

Old Marong Shire Hall

(parking at rear)

Cnr Calder Hwy and Alternate Calder Hwy, Marong

$25.00   includes Devonshire Tea and all materials to make THREE projects on the day (card, gift box and 6×6 scrap page)

All proceeds will be donated to Conquer Cancer

Contact: Judith Wakeham on 03 5435 2500

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I'm so excited to be supporting a wonderful lady in her efforts to raise funds for cancer research. I met Judith a few years ago through my Stampin' Up! workshops, and was inspired when she told me about her latest endeavour. Judith's niece is participating in the 2012 Ride to Conquer Cancer in Perth later this year but she is legally blind, so Judith is going to be her guide as they ride throughout the scenic Western Australia countryside. Wow! To help her raise funds to meet her goal we are having a stamping day… details above. It's THIS SATURDAY so if you'd like to join us please contact Judith on the number listed above. And if you would like to donate in any small way to Judith's efforts just click HERE.

Happy stamping,

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the special events at Convention each year is the Managers Reception. And this year Stampin' Up! took it to a whole new level.

A bus collected us from the Convention Centre after the sessions finished on Day 2 and took us to our mystery destination. We were told to bring photo ID and have no sharp tools or weapons on us! 🙂 Being Canberra, our nation's capital and home to many many government buildings, we had a good guess as to where we were going but it was a real treat to end up at Parliament House. Our function was in the Mural Hall, beneath the flagpole mast!

By daylight:

Boarding the bus to the 'mystery destination'

Back entrance. Beautiful at night:

We went through security and collected our pass (bags x-rayed, etc):

Managers Reception:

Each attendee received a handmade keepsake and a yet-to-be-released stamp set. Gorgeous, on both counts!

Thanks Stampin' Up for a great night.

I'll be back soon to share some gorgeous Convention swaps.

Wishing my fellow Aussies a lovely Queens Birthday long weekend.

Tags: Convention, managers reception

I've come home from Convention simply buzzing with ideas and soooo many projects to share with you. Want to catch up for a fun Papercraft Party?

Some dates still available for June and July so you can take advantage of the extra hostess dollars.

For more info and to work out dates, contact me via email and I'll call you back.

Not quite ready for an in-person get together? Why not pass the catalogue around to your crafty friends and pool your orders. If the total combined orders come to at least $650 you'll get the full $190 in freebies. Woohooo.

Also this month….

A limited edition stamp set for FREE with a purchase of $125.

Or buy it separately so you don't miss out.

For more info click HERE.

Happy stamping,

Home from Canberra and the bags are (mostly) unpacked. Wow – what an amazing few days we had for our annual Stampin' Up! convention.

I don't think Canberra knew what hit it when nearly 500 Stampin' Up! demonstrators from Australia and New Zealand descended on the Convention Centre.

We had sneak peeks of new products that'll be hitting our catalogues in a few months, as well as fabulous and inspirational 'Workshop Wows' from fellow demonstrators.

We were treated to fascinating guest speakers that were not only informative but entertaining as well. (Note: if you ever get the opportunity to hear Michael McQueen speak, take it! I have a new-found understanding of my Gen Z son after that one!). There were make & takes (of course!) and I even finished a couple of projects this year which must be a record for me.

As always, it was a pleasure to be in the company of Shelli Gardner and the other fabulous Stampin' Up! team members who made the trek over here. 

One of the treats at Convention is attending the Managers Reception, and this year it was taken to a whole new level. Check back for tomorrow's post to read all about that.

Of course, the best part of attending Convention is catching up with old and new friends and getting to know fellow team members from all over the country.

The Convention experience finished on Saturday night with the Awards night. We are so lucky that we have a sitdown dinner at our Convention, which always includes delicious food and this year was no exception.

After dinner we returned to the Main Stage for the Awards presentation, and to celebrate the achievements of many demonstrators.

We also heard announcements such as the venue of next year's Convention (sunny Brisbane – woohoo) and the next destination of the Incentive Trip (now called 'Grand Vacation'). Can you imagine how thrilled beyond belief we were to learn that next year it'll be to Salt Lake City, Utah. The home of Stampin' Up!.

And not only that, it will be a combined trip with achieving demonstrators from Germany, France and the UK. Oh. Wow. We'll also have the opportunity to attend the US Convention, which will be a celebration of Stampin' Up!s 25th Anniversary. Ok, that's big.

I was so proud to celebrate the achievements of 3 team members who were all in the Top 25 Demonstrators of the Year. Such amazing women, all of them. Congrats to Maureen (13th), Juliana (9th) and Tracy (10th). I cheered on as the girls walked the stage many times for a variety of awards. Lots of happy tears.

I came #6 in the Demonstrator of the Year, and #2 for the Leadership Award. A very big thank you to Stampin' Up! for the Leadership Award gift – a gorgeous watch which I'll treasure forever. Even the packaging was stunning!

During the night I was given lovely flowers, yummy choccies and certificates for the the annual $30K+ sales award, $100K Milestone sales award and Incentive Trip Achiever. Can't wait to head to Broome later this year with a great bunch of demonstrators. And to top off an amazing night, we learned that one of our team members came third place in the Rising Star award, which recognises the efforts of demo's in their first year. Well done, Nicole!

A very humble and grateful THANK YOU to my wonderful customers, stamp club girls, stamping friends, team members and of course family. Your support and encouragement means more than any award.

Phew. Well it sure was an action-filled few days… no wonder it took a couple of days to recover. Nothing was quite as good as the huge cuddles I got from the kids when we got back to Melbourne though. Arms flung around my neck and big squeezes –  nothing beats that.

Happy stamping,

P.S.  If my computer doesn't have a meltdown from all the photos, I'll be back tomorrow with highlights from the Managers Reception. Then I'll follow up with a separate post on swaps. So much to share…

Tags: 2012, canberra, Convention

We're here in Canberra, one day into Convention. Having a truly awesome time. I'll be sure to fill you in on all the details in a couple of days but before Day 2 kicks off I just had to stop by and let you know about 3 super-exciting developments.

1. As of next month the Diagonal Score Plate will be available in Australia. This is a handy plate that fits on your Simply Scored board to make custom envelopes, boxes and more. Woohoo. $20.95.

2. Spend $125 during June and get a gorgeous stamp set for FREE! I was lucky enough to get my hands on it in May and must say it's Fabulous. For more details click HERE. 

3. During June and July, host a $650+ workshop (or catalogue party, or individual order) and get $190 in hostess benefits instead of $100. Not a misprint! You really do get an extra $90 in hostess benefits, as well as a half price item. 

Ok, better fly…

Happy stamping,

Simone

PS sorry no pretty pics in this post – haven't posted from my iPad before and wasnt really planning to post while away but I know some of my stamping buddies will be doing a huge HAPPY dance with this news, so couldn't wait another minute to tell you. Xx

Tags: Canberra convention 2012

Dream Journal

Stampin' Up! On Board Journal, Beautiful Butterflies die, Scallop Square die, On Board Sheets (Chipboard), Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Trinket Keys, Ruffled Ribbons, Sweet Shop DSP (Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue), Calypso Coral & Lucky Limeade textured cardstock, Jelly Bean Brads (Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue)

• TIP: Adhere DSP (Designer Series Paper) to chipboard before running it through the Big Shot. I use the Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets as my method of choice. Very easy to use. More details and instructions on p155 of the Australian/NZ Idea Book & Catalogue.

Message from Simone:

I'll be at Stampin' Up!'s annual Convention for the rest of the week, but you can still contact me on my mobile or via email. I may just take a little longer to get back to you. 

Also, there's still time to get a FREE pack of gorgeous patterned 12×12 DSP every month for 2012. Yes seriously. BUT you must join Stampin' Up! before the end of May which is…. almost here! I still can't believe this amazing offer. You can also get one free pack when your order 3! More info here.

Happy stamping,

Tags: Beautiful Butterflies, On Board Journal