It has been a few days since we got home from Convention, and my head is still spinning. In a good way! This was my fourth Stampin' Up! convention, and far and away the best one ever. We were truly spoilt, from the moment we checked in and were given our gorgeous convention bag (complete with brand new stamp sets) right through to the last session (when ALL 500 attendees were given more gifts a la Oprah-style).

A group of us were staying together in apartments near the Convention Centre, and we had a ball. My roommates, Juliana and Mel, and I had lots of fun leaving little pillow gifts for each other every day.

These girls are incredibly creative, so every day it was like my birthday! The AMAZING 'Create' frame above was made by Mel. It totally sums up what we all love to do, and features the Tiny Tags stamp set and matching Jewelry Tag punch. 

Love the detail…

Team member Tracy Penn and I put on a little stamping session for all the girls on the first night, just for fun. We were so excited about Convention starting that we were like school kids on a sleepover!

Here's Tracy's gorgeous make & take card, featuring the Nature Walk stamp set and Botanical Gazette designer series paper. So beautiful!

Inspirational Sessions

The sessions kicked off with a bang on day 1, and the WOWs didn't stop all weekend.

We saw sooo many amazing projects, and the presentations were truly awe-inspiring. Some of the sessions were on the 'main stage', with footage projected on a huge screen behind the presenter. Other sessions were held in smaller break-out rooms. Some of the presenters were from Stampin' Up!'s home office in Utah, USA, and others were our home-grown demonstrators and staff from here in Australia or New Zealand.

There were lots of laughs (especially the 'Win It In A Minute' game show – stamping style) and of course plenty of shopping at Memento Mall.

Managers Reception

Those of us who were Managers and above were treated to a wonderful Reception on the Thursday night, where we got to mingle and chat with the gorgeous Shelli Gardner, CEO and co-founder of Stampin' Up! Such a gracious, friendly and talented woman.

Tracy, Shelli Gardner, Simone (that's me) and Juliana, after Shelli gave us a lovely gift at Managers Reception.

Awards Night

Convention finished off with our Awards & Recognition Banquet… a delicious meal followed by the presentation of annual awards.

I was overwhelmed to learn I came 1st in the Leadership Award category! Wow – I still can't believe it. I was presented with a stunning Michael Kors chronograph watch, and look even the box was embellished Stampin' Up! style.

I've been wearing the watch and every time I look at it I think of certain people who are very special to me. Afterall, the Leadership Award is really  a reflection of the hugely talented and successful girls in our group, the EurekaStampers. We include hobbyists and business demonstrators – and everything in between – but importantly we have fostered an overwhelmingly positive environment where we can each find our own perfect fit. Thank you girls. xx

I was still reeling from that, and the Sales Award which I also received, when the Demonstrator of the Year awards were announced. At check-in I had received a pin so I knew I was somewhere in the Top 25. But you really could have knocked me down with a feather when I was named 7th place Demonstrator of the Year.

The best bit was finding out that two of my downline also achieved a Top 10 spot, with Tracy Penn in 6th place and Maureen Crameri in 10th. These girls, along with my roommate Juliana, achieved numerous other awards too. They are fabulous, creative and very talented women, as are all the girls in my group (can you tell I'm a bit biased) and are absolutely all winners in my eyes.

Thanks to my upline Janine Rawlins for this photo of Maureen, Janine, Shelli Gardner, Tracy and myself during the Awards Night. Janine was also named as one of the Top 25 Demonstrators of the Year!

All too soon Convention was over, but we've already made plans for attending Convention in 2012 – in Canberra! And we'd LOVE you to join us. With the great news that you no longer need an ABN to join as a demonstrator, it is certainly a quick and painless process. I never imagined when I joined for the discount on my craft supplies that nearly 4 years later this would be my full time job. And that's what I love about Stampin' Up! – it can be as little or as much as you want it to be!

One thing I can say after seeing lots and lots of sneak peeks over the past few days, is that we have a LOT to look forward to!

And now I've got this fabulous stack of brand new yet-to-be-released stamps to mount and get inky. Oh, and in case you're wondering…inside the blue boxes are the most divine yummy chocolates that all the award achievers received on Awards Night.

Thanks for sharing in my recap of Stampin' Up! Convention 2011, and for letting me share what I love.

Happy stamping,