November Hostess Draw

Taking a leaf out of my friend Leonie's book, I thought I would photograph the drawing of my November Hostess Draw. Each of my lovely hostesses in November received a little pink box containing 2 rolls of Stampin Up ribbon as well as a stamp. As an added bonus, these hostesses then went in the draw for a paper rack, cardstock pack and gorgeous Rose Red Ribbon Roll!

As it happened, I had 2 scouts on hand to assist me. Nicole and Christian (my two middle children) were getting ready for their Scout Christmas Concert tonight! You can see that Christian was looking very upright to begin with, but this deteriorated into uncontrolled hysterics when I asked Nicole to lift her chin as she looked as if she had 6 chins. This, as you can see, was pretty funny for a 9 year old boy. But I digress - the winner of the major prize is the lovely Janette Taylor!

Our Piano Christmas Tree

I thought I would share my first fully decorated tree this year. Our main tree, whilst assembled, is still waiting to be decorated. I really enjoy having a couple of different trees because I can decorate each to a particular theme. In the case of the piano tree (it sits on our piano!) I can decorate it in gold with an antique old world Christmas theme. I made the 8 cross stitch ornaments when life was not quite so busy (before I had 4 children) and I can't really imagine adding to it anytime soon. The book I took the designs from was called '101 Christmas Quickies' - such a poor choice of book title on so many levels, not least of all that there was nothing quick about making them! So isn't it handy that I have a smaller tree to put them on as on the bigger tree they are lost.

Clean & Simple Ski Slope DSP

This is one of my favourite photographs from my skating archive. Whilst studying at university in Melbourne one of my part time jobs was that of an Artistic Skating Coach. The highlight of each year was the Christmas Show, where we all had the chance to create routines to entertain family and friends as well as give all skaters the opportunity to participate and have fun. In 1990 I created a routine based on the story of the 'Fantastic Toy Shop', where toys came alive at night. Jenny and Daniel Nisi played the lead characters, Tina and Pepe, along with some other gorgeous children and one adult who played the Toy Shop Owner.

Now I have the pleasure of pulling that photo out of my skating box to preserve and present it as one of my Christmas Memories. Certainly not a complicated page, I really like the bright colours and clean lines, created with the addition of Ski Slope Designer Series Paper (DSP). The Double Striped Baja Breeze Grosgrain Ribbon and Corduroy Button add a touch of whimsy. Both the 'Ski Slope' DSP and the Cordoroy Buttons are in the Spring Mini Catalogue, which ends on November 30th.

Bravo Burgundy Christmas

With school holidays fast approaching and most of my Christmas Card Workshops completed, it's time to get some of my own projects done. The good news is that I hope to have a stream of great ideas that will inspire you to join me in making this one of the most creative and meaningful Christmas's yet. I have made a pact to hand make many of my presents and I also look forward to sharing those.

I have an 8x8 album which I am using just to scrapbook Christmas Photos taken over the years. The first page I have made is very simple and features a lovely photograph taken way back in 1995 during our Christmas Honeymoon, which included a visit to Disneyland. The Christmas Parade was nothing short of spectacular and I am so pleased that we went during this time. It was easy to choose the Bravo Burgundy background as this colour features prominently in the photograph as well as having a 'ye olde world' feeling. Of course I couldn't help using my 'So Swirly' Stampin Around Wheel which is definitely my most frequently used stamp by far! The Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon looks really classic with the burgundy, whilst the 'Ski Slope' Designer Series Paper adds a bit of colour and fun to lift the page. I also made a little favour box, which I have been demonstrating in my workshops using the same colour combination of Bravo Burgundy, Basic Grey and Whisper White. This little box is easily embellished using the 'Curly Label Punch Bundle' which includes a matching stamp set and hand held punch.

Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip

Yes, I was one of 31 lucky demonstrators from Australia and New Zealand to earn the 2009 Incentive Trip to Noosa - right here in my backyard! I guess I am about the last of the achieving demonstrators to post this event onto my blog, so many apologies for that. We had a fabulous time, however, you can imagine the work that went into my husband and I leaving 4 children for 5 days as well as the catching up afterwards. This of course would not have been possible without the irreplaceable, wonderful and kind Godmother to our children, Bronwyn. Bronwyn drove up from Sydney to care for 4 children aged 7 through to 12 - she is an Angel and Superhero. The photos I am posting are a small collection of my personal snaps and I have just noticed that other demonstrators have shared some more on line - never-mind, I have already collaged these and really I must just get on and put these up before I am lynched or it is simply too late!

Arriving at the Sheraton on Wednesday after lunch, my husband and I felt so strange - even the car trip up felt weird - where were the fights in the back seat & the 'are we there yet' statements? - if you've ever travelled in the car with kids, you'll know what I mean. Highlights of the first day were learning we had an ocean view room, finding a chocolate shop next door, the welcome dinner and our cute 'Tart and Tangy' Apron Gift for our cooking adventure the next day. Also exciting was that not only were Shelli, Sterling, Aaron and Karen there but Dave the VP of Stampin' Up/International Sales was also there with his lovely wife Jennifer on her first Australian trip.

Our first group activity was the following day, which was 'assisting' in preparing our own lunch with the guidance of chefs at Ricki's Restaurant on the Noosa River. Nicki and I were in charge of the pasta machine - between the two of us we had lots of laughs, inadvertently disassembling the machine and almost rolling gloved fingers through the rollers!

We were all divided into different teams, so some were on chocolate truffle duty, whilst the rest of us found their left overs in the kitchen afterwards! Licking the chocolate truffle bowl was certainly more appealing than eating left over uncooked pasta! I just love Robyn's hands! Have you noticed the cutlery - Stampin' Up! detail all the way!

This was my first attempt to have a decent photo taken with Shelli - a virtual impossibility I have discovered after 3 years! I really tried this time - I got that hair straightener out, but 2 hours later the humidity had done its worst and there I was all frizzy again - Leonie, what that new hair product again? I'm desperate! Shelli repositioned me between her and Sterling after this shot, but sadly a full on view was simply not flattering - made sense then that gourmet ice cream followed the make & take, which is where this photo was taken.

The farewell dinner was AMAZING and no one guessed what the evening had in store for us. From the secret destination (Cooroy) to the vintage cars to our final locale (The Plantation), every detail was taken care of. I had another go having a photo with Shelli - honestly we are lucky - in the US demonstrators line up for hours for their photo opportunity. Above I am with Karen Scott and Kim Gavarra and below is Sharon, Robyn and Kim.

Ben's Party

Turning 7 was a big event for Ben who has been dreaming and planning his ideal birthday party for months! Whilst we had a family party on the actual day, we had to wait till after school went back to organize his school friends party. I should say with 4 children, we do not do these types of birthday parties each year, which probably explains why Ben was so super excited about his big day this year. Ben's party was at Laser-force, which is a bit of a Brisbane icon as it is the original Laser-force from which many others sprung up around the world. The only sad thing is that it was developed from a disused roller skating rink, so if you know that I used to be a skater you would understand why I am sad about rinks closing.

Funny story about the cake. the girls and I chose a 'Flying Saucer Cake', which was always going to frustrate me as I had no chance of making it look as good as the photograph. The base started off quite well - I opted for a ready made sponge and covered it in blue fondant icing with stars to look like space. Next I had to carve a flying saucer out of sponge and elevate it using cake risers. This is where the problems begun because not only could we not make silver icing for the flying saucer but I learned that you cannot use cake risers on sponge as they tend to sink into the sponge especially during car travel. To cut a long story short, by the time we reached Laser-force the flying saucer had crash landed into the base! Whilst we did our best to prop it back into position, when we lit the candles on the base, one had angled itself under the upper layer and started to cause a fire at the perimeter of the craft - It was pretty funny really. Luckily the cake did not burn down and it stayed up long enough for happy birthday to be sung and the cake cut.

All the children had a great time, including the girls. I've never allowed toy guns at home, so the whole idea of Laser-force was a bit foreign to me. Afterwards the children played some of the arcade games including pin ball and air hockey - so much fun. I was so glad Ben had had his dream party as we could see from the look of his face that he was so so happy!

St Pauls Manly Market Day

Just over a year ago I was asked if I would contribute a stall/display at St Paul's Market Day. One of the lovely things that happened that day was that my friend and fellow demonstrator Jen met Jerry, one of the local parishioners, who then joined our 'Paper Angels' Group of Independent Stampin Up Demonstrators. This year Jen, Jerry and I worked together on the St Paul's Market Day. One of the absolute highlights of this day is the very professional 'sidewalk cafe' known as 'Pauls on Ernest', which serves everything from professional coffee, delicious gourmet breakfasts and delicious handmade cakes. Jerry went to so much effort making the fabulous table numbers, decorating them with stamping and messages inviting people to come and make a complimentary card with us.

St Pauls had a fabulous display of historic Christening Gowns which was very special as well as displays and a fashion parade of wedding gowns over the years. Other attractions included the local school band, Caprice Dancers and of course complimentary Stampin Up Make & Takes. I was able to snap some photos of Jerry and Jen showing how easy and fun stamping is. The wonderful thing was that we had a great range of people stop by and we really enjoyed sharing the cute little card we had all come up with for our make & take.

The rector of St Paul's, Canon Keith Colbert, is quite a character (clearly loved by all the parishioners) and has a way with words. In his welcome flyer he noted 'Fetes are occasions to buy goodies not usually available anywhere else. Proper Coconut Ice and Fudge, padded coat hangers and rag dolls, are not common in the shops, but what would life be without them?'  Indeed, there is something comforting about finding these traditional items, which like hand stamped cards, remind us of the enjoyment of simple pleasures. Thank you Jerry and Jen for all your hard work and inviting me along - it was a lovely morning.

August 2009 Class Schedule

Elizabeth Collett | Independent Demonstrator | Senior Manager | Stampin' Up! Australia

17 Mossvale Dve, Wakerley 4154 | 07 3348 9456 | 0448 896 001 | liz@danichbe.com

Welcome to my class selection for August, inspired by the beautiful new products available in our Spring Mini Catalogue. These classes are all held in my home studio, however, I am happy to run these classes in your home with a minimum of 6 participants.

These classes all include a generous materials pack, full colour instructions & morning/afternoon tea. Each class is strictly limited to 7 participants, so please do book early to avoid disappointment. It would be appreciated if you could either pay by direct deposit or credit card, to secure your booking and enable me to ensure your materials pack is available.

Please bring adhesives (snail, dimensionals, glue dots and sticky strip), scissors, bone folder and cutter to all classes.

If you are unable to come, but would like a class kit with instructions, I am happy to post it to you – please add $5 for postage irrespective of the number of kits ordered

If you are a 'Paper Angels Group' Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, you are also welcome to book a place in these classes. Simply provide your own materials. Cost will be $5. If you would like information on how to become a discount demonstrator, please contact me.

Paper Patchwork $25

Thursday 30^th July 10am till 12 midday

Saturday 1^st August 2 till 4pm

Create a striking 12x12 scrapbooking page, suitable as a framed page or addition to your family scrapbook. In this class you will learn 'easy to use' techniques to create scrapbooking pages inspired by patchwork, featuring the gorgeous Urban Garden and Urban Oasis Designer Series Papers.

Each participant will receive ½ pack of Urban Garden DSP, ½ pack of Urban Oasis DSP, 1 metre of Baja Breeze Wide Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon and Whisper White Cardstock. There will be enough left over DSP to create a further 5 patchwork pages!

Pink Flamingo Double Page Layout $35

Thursday 6^th August 10am till 1pm

Saturday 8^th August 2pm till 5pm

Make a bright, happy, double page layout using our stunning Pink Flamingo Designer Series paper. Learn how to make a cute journalling pocket and designer accents using Crystal Effects.

Each participant will receive a full pack of 'Pink Flamingo DSP, one 12x12 Riding Hood Red Cardstock, one A4 Riding Hood Red Cardstock, Summer Sun A4, exclusive white dotty voile, 2 x A4 Whisper White Cardstock, ½ pack of 'Flower' Designer Brads, 1/8 Ribbon Share of 'Dress Up' Ribbon Originals and 1 metre Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon.

Designing With Paper $60

Thursday 13^th August 10am till 2pm

Sunday 16^th August 2pm till 6pm

Learn how to use scrapbooking paper with flair! In this class you will make 2 gorgeous advanced patchwork scrapbooking pages, plus 2 stunning woven cards featuring our beautiful 'Summer Love' Rub Ons.

Each participant will receive a full pack of 'Walk in the Park' DSP, Baja Breeze Corduroy Buttons, 2 x Basic Gray 12x12, 2 x Whisper White A4, 2 x Baja Breeze A4, ½ pack of 'Summer Love' Rub Ons, and Taffeta Pink Ribbon.

Walk in the Park Scrapbook Page $30

Thursday 27^th August 10am till 12midday

Sunday 30^th August 2pm till 4pm

If you love 'pretty' then this layout class is for you. Combining prettty pink taffeta ribbon and designer buttons with the gorgeous 'Walk in the Park' Designer Series Paper, you will want to recreate this design time and time again.

Each participant will receive a ½ pack of 'Walk in the Park' DSP, pink taffeta ribbon, a designer button share and sheet of dimensionals. Thee will be plenty of left over material to complete another page.

'Walk in the Park' Designer Series Paper Coming Soon

Isn't this the most gorgeous scrapbooking paper ever? It is called 'Walk in the Park' and will be available to order from our Spring Mini Catalogue, which runs from August 1st till November 30th. I had a great time creating this page on a fabulous craft retreat, which Leonie organised last weekend at Tamborine Mountain. I was surprised how many pages I was able to achieve, however, I will put it down to Stampin' Up's Color Coordinated Products in combination with not having to do anything else (all meals etc were provided and very yummy they were too). The page features some photographs taken at Dreamworld a couple of years ago. I found it really easy to find photos to match this beautiful paper and because it is double sided, there are lots of choices.

Dichroic Glass Pendants

Dichroic Glass Pendants is another passion of mine, having been introduced by a fellow Paper Angels Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Fiona, who now lives in Townsville. We would have loved Fiona to be there and we look forward to her visits back to Brisbane. Kathy, Amanda, Olga, Allison, Jess, Ursula and myself had a lovely time creating some new pendants. Afterwards some of us headed down to Cafe la Mer. It was a bit cool down by the water but the cafe had a little stash of polar fleece blankets for us, one of which Amanda is modelling. All the girls made beautiful pendants, with mine looking quite amateurish next to all my fellow glass artists. I will try to load up some pictures of the pendants that we made. 

Cupcake Creations

Yes - it is possible - calorie free cupcakes! Visually spectacular, I suspect the taste factor may be lacking. Due to an odd set of circumstances, I have quite a lot of 'Close to Cocoa' Cardstock and had resigned myself to working through a lifetime stash! Luckily this wonderful project came to my attention and what does every dedicated crafter do when presented with a project like this - drop everything and make it of course! What gorgeous bomboneirres or simply a beautiful decoration. If you would like details on how to make these irresistible creations, please email me liz@danichbe.com

Urban Oasis Framed Scrapbooking Page

I cannot express how much I love both the Urban Garden and Urban Oasis Designer Series Papers - I still haven't yet been able to decide which is my favourite. Having created quite a few 'speedy' scrapbook projects lately, I thought it was time I exercised my creativity (not that speedy projects are not creative) and thought about how I could use these gorgeous papers not only as backgrounds, but also as raw materials for accents. For the time being I will simply wet your appetite with the image of the finished page & accent, but I promise I will try to take some step by step photos of how I created the large floral accent. Better still, stay tuned for my class program for June, which will feature a class designed around a half pack of Urban Oasis, including this very page. You might be interested to know that rub ons can be applied to fabic, which is what I have done on this page. I hope you enjoyed this post!

Why I love being a Stampin Up Demonstrator

In celebration of the New Demonstrator Offer in May, I thought that I would make a mini album using half a packet of the Petal Party Simply Scrappin Kit, which is included in the scrapbooking demonstrator Mini Starter Kit. 

Did you know that you can create more than 20 pages by simply adding some Whisper White Cardstock and ribbon? As a time poor individual, I decided on a formula with this album which also helped the album have some continuity. Basically I cut each sheet in the Simply Scrappin Kit into four, therfore creating 6 x 6 inch pages. I then cut 5 x 5 inch Whisper White mats for each page. Leftover strips of patterned DSP were then used to embellish the mats, with one corner rounded off using the corner rounder punch. I used an embossing buddy to remove the stick from the back of some of the self adhesive die cuts to then create dimensional accents with the assistance of foam dimensionals and paper clips. Finally Stampin' Up Ribbons complete the bright happy look. Having recently created albums for both my girls, I thought I would take the opportunity to scrapbook some of my Stampin' Up! photos to express why I love being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Enjoy!

Well somehow I accidentally deleted this photo when uploading the photos, so it is out of order. I couldn't go back and upload in sequence because it took me so long the first time - I think I can hear some of you laughing! This photo was taken at Convention this year where I was humbled to receive the 'Heart of Stampin' Up!'. This award is given to one demonstrator and is chosen by Stampin' Up! based on nominations made by other demonstrators.

  

One of the many things that I love about Stampin' Up! are the core principles that are the foundation of it's business. Integrity, Relationships, Balance, Personal Development, Positive Environment, Growth, Efficiency and Change ensure that people come before products. As you look through my little scrapbook, you will see lots of friendly people who love to create, share and help others. In this page I am pictured with Shelli Gardner, the Co Founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! at the 2008 Incentive Trip at Palm Cove.

Our Demonstrator Support team in Sydney is just awesome and are always available to answer my strange questions and give me ideas if I am stuck. Pictured above is Aaron Scott and his lovely wife Karen. Aaron is our Regional Business Development Manager based in the Sydney office.

Another thing that I love about Stampin' Up! is that demonstrators can run their business to suit their lifestyle and family committments. The quarterly minimum sales are achievable without conducting formal workshops. If you are busy, you can choose how much time you have available to run your Stampin' Up! business. Pictured are Bec and Amanda at the 2008 Convention in Brisbane. What you can't see from this photo is that they were both heavily pregnant at the time. When their bubs arrived, they were able to take time out and when they were ready started having some small classes and get togethers at their own homes.

Another great thing about being a demonstrator is that you get to meet fabulous people and introduce them to either a hobby or a job that they will love! Pictured is Gerane who is a demonstrtaor from Russell Island and Leonie, who is a demonstrator on Macleay Island.

I love being able to get together with fellow demonstrators at our monthly meetings and create new projects and catch up on their news.

Demonstrator Group Meetings give us the opportunity to create tools such as colour charts and other samples to share with our friends and customers.

Being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator means access to lots of ideas from other demonstrators in our group, events, regional training seminars and Convention. This is on top of the projects offered to us via the demonstrator web site and Impressions Monthly Demonstrator Magazine.

I just love going to the Stampin' Up! Conventions - I have been to 3 now! which by the way is all of them in Australia. From the very first Convention, I was taken aback at the professionalism and excitement of these events. Fantastic speakers, creative demonstrations, free stamp sets and the Awards Banquet are just some of the highlights.

I love that whilst Stampin' Up! have been in Australia for 3 years, they are securely established as a 20 year old business in the US. The US Home Office are extremely supportive of their Australian Demonstrators. Pictured second from the left is Pam Morgan, who has made many a trip to Australia from Utah. She has so much experience and is a great inspiration for both hobby and career demonstrators alike.

I love that our team of demonstrators, called Paper Angels, have such a team spirit and enjoy working together whether it is catching up with each other outside of formal get togethers or putting together a fund raiser event.

I love being a demonstrator for all the things I have learned and again the wonderful people I have met.

See I did say at the beginning of my journalling that it is the people that make Stampin' Up! wonderful. Mind you, the products are fantastic and we love those too - some things just speak for themselves!

I love the regional training sessions that welcome all types of demonstrators including discount, hobby and career demonstrators.

Ok I will finally mention some product. i just love the Style Watch, which you will find in the catalogue. Stampin' Up! do heaps of research to keep up with current trends in the papercraft industry, so that we have the most beautiful products to work with at the best price.

I love that Stampin' Up! products can be used for so much more than paper! See, a Stampin Around Wheel makes the most amazing fondant icing embosser. In fact pretty well all the products in the catalogue perform 'double duty' making them especially useful.

Our demonstrator group is able to run events, helping new demonstrators to get on their feet. I love that we can have fun, share our creative ideas with our customers and make a difference by engaging in charitable endeavours.

I love being able to give away prizes at our events with the generous assistance of Stampin' Up! as well as demonstrators from our group.

I love that we can then help others. The Mater Mother's Bereavement Program is one of the charitable endeavours that we are passionate about supporting and are now spreading our wings to create memory boxes at other hospitals. We have also raised funds for Cancer Research. Stampin' Up! Australia also raised over $77,000 for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal recently with the help of Australian demonstrators selling 10 stamp sets, with 50% of the reatil sales being donated - totally amazing!

I love that Stampin Up provides recognition for achieving various targets if that is your goal. There are opportunities to earn free product as well as other rewards. By the same token, Stampin' Up! very much honor, welcome and genuinely value hobby demonstrators.

I loved going on the Incentive Trip to Palm Cove in 2008 which is pictured above. There is no limit to the number of demonstrators that can go and Stampin' Up! have created 5 different pathways by which you can achieve this trip. This year I will be going to Noosa. Incentive Trip for 2010 is Hamilton Island - how exciting!

I love making friends with other demonstrators around Australia and Stampin' Up! Events give us the opportunity to meet demonstrators outside our group. 

I love Stampin' Up!s new tag line 'Inspire | Create | Share'. It sums up what demonstrators do.

The Final 7

No its not Australian Idol or Dancing with the Stars, final 7! It's my final 7 discontinued stamp sets that are for sale. I do in fact keep many stamps, especially words and quotes, however, I cannot demonstrate discontinued sets in workshops so some culling is required. This is great news for my customers, because I have further discounted these last 7 sets. If you would like to purchase any of these sets, please either email me liz@danichbe.com or phone me on 07 3348 9456 | 0448 896 001.

Finest Flourishes $20

Well Word Words $15

Be Happy $30

Bodacious Bouquet $30

Background Sampler $15

Everyday Flexible Phrases $40

Check out the 2008 2009 Catalogue for detail on the words

Expressive Flexible Phrases $40

Check out the 2008 2009 Catalogue for detail on the words