{Palm Cove Group Photo}

I was very privileged and blessed to be able to go on an all-expenses paid trip to Palm Cove, Australia last week with Stampin' Up! Unlike convention, which was packed full of stamping, scrapbooking, and business ideas and helps, this was trip for mostly relaxing and fun. Jared and I really made the most of our time with no children!

Well, this is the only photo I could scab off of the group ones that have been shared on the net. I might have to send some girls in Australia some chocolates to get a copy of their pics as ours are locked on Jared's phone at the moment.

This was a group photo taken after we had our make and take session. What a fun group of ladies this was! One of the wonderful things about this job is all the women I get to meet along the way.

Thank you all so much for helping me get on this trip, all my customers, hostesses, and stamp club members. If you are considering joining my team as a demonstrator yourself, this all-expenses paid trip is just one of the many, many incentives and perks for the job!

{Showered with Gifts}

Every day brought a new surprise gift in our rooms. (And roomS is right - we had a three bedroom 2 bath suite!!). I saved the little cards and tags, of course, to show you. So very simple, yet so very beautiful. Really, ladies, if you use beautiful images and beautiful colours, it's easy to create works of art!

I also fell in love with the RIBBON! do you see that?! It's ultra-wide Old Olive ribbon! I'll be hording that, for sure. I might wear it . . . So I asked Aaron, the Australia/New Zealand manager if that was coming, and he said no, it was just a nice ribbon they found to use. I might share a bit of this with my stamp club ladies in the future, but you might have to send me bribes for it.

{Palm Cove Make & Takes}

I KNOW I must be the very last Aus/NZ demonstrator to publish something about the trip on her blog!! I am about 4 hours at the gym these days in the final weeks before Nationals, so time is limited and precious. And on top of that, neither Jared nor myself can figure out how to get the photos off his phone. Yes, he DOES work for Microsoft . . . . . .

So these are the projects I got to make on the trip with Shelli Gardner, co founder of Stampin' Up!. We were so thrilled to know that we were the first demonstrators to see and use this particular set, Ocean Commotion. Not even the USA has had this one yet. It's nice to know we get a few special privileges here and there, isn't it, New Zealand?

You can look forward to this set and those papers in the next mini catalogue, coming in December.

{Wanted Happy Birthday}

This card is one that Shelli Gardner, the co-founder of Stampin' Up!, presented to SU demonstrators at our annual convention last April. The entire Boho West series in the current catalogue is really fun and rich, and this project is a quick one that features some of that great style. And let's face it - most guys prefer a simple, straightforward look anyway! If you have a husband who notices when you get a haircut, consider yourself lucky!!

This project featured the Wanted set, one that is much more versatile than might initially appear. I just love the large medallion in this set and the way it works perfectly with the scallop punch. I've also used the Outlaw paper series, perfect for those masculine stamping projects.

A neat technique with this card is setting those new jumbo eyelets. If you have not yet tried the crop-o-dile, it's time you did! People are always so surprised at how EASY it is to set an eyelet using this tool. And the feature that sold me is that it will punch through chipboard and thin metal. Altered tins, here we come!

To order your crop-o-dile, please email me at mail@stamphappy.co.nz

{Father's Day Chocolates}

This is another project inspired by Shelli Gardner herself! I changed it up just a little bit to accomodate the supplies that I own, but still basically her idea presented to us at the annual Stampin' Up! convention in April in Brisbane.

The idea of the pull-up pouch has been around for donkey's years, and it's a good little template to tuck away in your repetoire! Simply resize it easily to fit whatever you are wrapping up - easy peasy. I've used the Jersey Shore designer series papers here, which features a fun colour combination. Using designer papers makes the colour choice for your projects really easy!

I've also used a big favourite set - one of my best sellers - called All in the Family. This is a super set for scrapbook pages! I've also used the two coordinating sets, Family Phrases and the Accessory set for the words and the flowers. It's a cutie!!

I've also used the small star punch for the added dimension. All projects need 3D - that's one of the things that makes a huge difference between ho-hum and wow! Mention this post to me with your order of the small star punch and I will include a sheet of 100 dimensionals with your order! mail@stamphappy.co.nz