Welcome to Palm Cove

This is the Far Horizons Restuarant, which is part of Angsana Spa Resort, where I have just returned from spending 5 days - well, not in the restuarant but in Palm Cove! One of 25 Australians and New Zealanders to achieve the Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip, I was treated a most memorable time. As I do not have a lap top, I was not able to update my blog whilst on the trip, however, I will now upload updates over the next 5 days featuring highlights of each day.

Upon arrival at Angsana, we were welcomed with iced tea and steaming towels.

This is the suite that my friend Robyn and I shared. We each had king size beds and our own bathrooms and the living area was huge.

On our first night we had a Welcome Dinner at the Far Horizons Restuarant. It was a spectacular BBQ, followed by a bowls party at the Marlin Coast Bowls Club. We all found out we are pretty hopeless bowlers, but we had a lot of fun.

Good Things

I just love the elegant combination you can achieve with coordinated cardstock and inks from Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue and Very Vanilla team beautifully with the new Designer Series Paper 'Le Jardin'. Baroque Motifs (112380 $39.95) is the perfect stamp set to create backgrounds and accents to complete the picture. The card is a gatefold style with belly band, whilst the pillow gift box was cut from a template.

Images © Stampin' Up!

Our team of Demonstrators are a multitalented group and I thought I would share the fabulous floral arrangement that I commissioned from Ursula to match my Hurricane Lamp. Personally, I could no sooner do this than fly, and I was amazed to see how Ursula put it together. Ursula is in fact a Florist, and whilst she does not have a shop front, she will make arrangements for all occaisions to order. You can get in contact with Ursula by linking to her Stampin' Up! blog 'Stampin with U' listed in my links.

Complimentary Make & Take Duo

Event : 2008/2009 Open House Catalogue Launch
Time : Sunday 4th May 2 – 6pm
Place : 17 Mossvale Drive, Wakerley 4154

Good Things to Do

Complete the Complimentary Mother’s Day Card and Gift Box
Additional Word Stamps will be available as an alternative to the Mother’s Day Stamp

Enjoy a delicious afternoon tea

Chat with other Paper Craft Enthusiasts

View newly created Scrapbooking, Card and Beyond the Page Samples

Secure your personal copy of the new catalogue

Hear about the New Ribbon Club

RSVPs by return email or phone would be appreciated


Elizabeth Collett

Independent Demonstrator Senior Manager Stampin’ Up! Australia

07 3348 9456 0448 896 001 liz@nb.com.au http://www.craftclassroom.blogspot.com/

17 Mossvale Dve, Wakerley , Queensland , 4154

Convention 2008

Stampin' Up! held their annual Convention on the 11th and 12th of April in Brisbane at The Convention and Exhibition Centre, Southbank. Approximately 280 demonstrators around Australia attended, with 13 demonstrators from Paper Angels representing our demonstrator group. In the US between 5 and 7 thousand demonstrators attend Convention, so we are really lucky in Australia as we are still small enough to be able to have an Awards Dinner as well as chatting to Shelli Gardner (Co Founder and CEO) and Aaron Scott (Australian Manager). Pictured L>R are Helen, Jenny, Belinda, Colleen, Loren, Kathy, Aaron, Shelli, Liz, Julie, Amanda, Kate, Orrell, Bec and Ursula.

Upon arriving at Convention, we all received our registration bag, which included 2 stamp sets 'Fast and Fun Notes' and 'Happiness'. We used these stamp sets to create some fabulous make & take projects and are looking forward to sharing these with our hostesses and customers. Pictured during our first workshop, after the general session; are Amanda, Colleen and Bec.

Helen, Kathy, Loren and Julie

Jenny, Belinda, Ursula, and Kate

With Southbank at our doorstep, a few of us stayed back for a Chinese meal. Afterwards myself, Helen, Kathy and Bec; stayed back for some extra training.

Swapping is a huge part of Convention. Demonstrators make a quantity of cards, which they then swap with other demonstrators. This is a great way to meet more people and share ideas. Seen here is Kate busy swapping her cards with other demonstrators.

Kathy and I made some Dichroic Glass pendants for Paper Angels Demonstrators, as a momento of attending Convention. We also gave these pendants as gifts to the US presenters, including Shelli, and also to Bernadette Gamo from our Sydney Office.

Pam Morgan loved her pendant and chose to wear it at the Saturday night Awards dinner as incredibly it perfectly matched with the jacket she had chosen to wear.

Loren and Julie

Bec and Amanda

Julie, Helen, Ursula and Colleen

Shelli at the Saturday evening Awards Evening

Kathy and Simon

Bec and Matt

Ursula and Amanda

Colleen and Patrick

Orrell and Kate

Belinda and Jenny

Congratulations to Helen Muller from Griffith on the outstanding effort of receiving a sales award at Convention. Helen had the opportunity to be recognised accross stage as well as being awarded a special pin and free stamp set - always love those free stamp sets!

Helen and Shelli

Congratulations also to our wonderful Kathy Van Gool, who was amongst the first demonstrators to join 'Paper Angels'. Kathy received an award for recruiting and is pictured here with Shelli. Well Done! Kathy also walked accross stage and received a pin and free stamp set.

Lastly, I will mention my awards because I know I will get a 'dressing down' from our group members if I do not! I received a sales and recruiting award as well as qualifying for the Incentive Trip to Palm Cove in August. Additionally, I was named one of the top 25 'Demonstrators of the Year' for the second year running, which was a great thrill. In the above photo, you will find me on the left of my friend Robyn Lawnton, who is dressed in white slacks.

'Lively Leaves' Leaving

'Gone - flitted away,

Taken from the night and the sun

From the day!

Gone, and a cloud in my heart.'

Alfred Tennyson

Continuing with my March theme of showcasing retiring stamp sets, we bid farewell on March 31st to 'Lively Leaves' (108861 $29.95 AUD), which may be found on page 86 of the 2007/2008 Australian Idea Book & Catalogue. This is a great little set, with individual stamps 'standing alone as in the above sample or used as a two step stamping technique. I really like this stamp set, beacause it works for either male or female cards. In fact the card featured above was made by myself, at the request of my husband as he required some thank you cards that he could send.

The card base is simply Chocolate Chip, with two thirds of the front face torn off. I have then mounted a Confetti White liner stamped with leaves overlayed with vellum paper, under the torn flap. I find that the vellum overlay works well to soften stamped images. Circle of Friendship (108767 $33.95AUD), which is not being retired has been used to stamp a jumbo brad.

If you would like any further information on these projects, or would like to order these stamp sets, please contact me at liz@nb.com.au or alternately phone me on 07 3348 9456 or 0448 896 001. I am offering 2 special bonuses to customers who spend $100 this month, so don't miss out on your last opportunity to secure retiring sets.

Images © Stampin' Up!

Goodbye 'Mixed Bouquet'

'How lucky I am to have something

that makes saying goodbye so hard'

Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

Fortunately we do not have to say goodbye to chocolate, however, we must farewell two beautiful stamps on March 31st to make way for new catalogue stamp sets and accessories. Mixed Bouquet (108871 $68.95AUD) and Bouquet Jumbo Wheel (105750 $15.95 AUD) are both to be found on page 74 of the 2007/2008 Australian Idea Book & Catalogue. I am particularly fond of these stamps and have used them at many workshops, including my February workshops where we made a 'Pull Treat Pouch'. This project was inspired by a workshop by Beate Johns on Split Coast Stampers Web Site www.splitcoaststampers.com and altered to accomodate our Australian Darrel Lea chocolate bars and the stamps sets that I had available. It was great fun making this project as it was quite straightforward, requiring no template, with a fantastic result. The only hard part was making sure workshop participants did not eat their chocolate bar, before completing the project!

Images @ Stampin' Up!

Farewell 'Flower Fest'

'Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending'

Lazurus Long

Whilst we look forward to the release of our new Australian 2008/2009 Catalogue in April, we must also say farewell to a huge number of stamp sets and accessories that we love. Stampin' Up! have released the 'retired list', which may be viewed on www.stampinup.com . These items will not be availble after the 31st of March and in fact are only available whilst stocks last.

I have featured two retiring stamp sets in the matching scrapbook page and card above. 'Flower Fest' (108812 $69.95 AUD) includes 12 coordinated floral and leaf stamps and may be found on page 71 of the 2007/2008 catalogue. 'Simple Sayings 11' (108911 $39.95 AUD), includes 4 very useful word stamps perfect for both cards and scrapbooking, and may be found on page 114 of the 2007/2008 catalogue.

Featured cardstock and ink colours are Not Quite Navy, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Confetti White and Whisper White. I have stamped the background flower with Rose Red Ink on Regal Rose Cardstock, followed by the flower outline in embossed white craft ink. I have then smothered 2 of the flowers in Versamark Ink, covered entirely with clear embossing powder and used a heat gun to achieve the glassy surface. This technique provides texture and variation on the scrapbook page.

If you would like any further information on these projects, or would like to order these stamp sets, please contact me at liz@nb.com.au or alternately phone me on 07 3348 9456 or 0448 896 001. I am offering 2 special bonuses to customers who spend $100 this month, so don't miss out on your last opportunity to secure retiring sets.

Images © Stampin' Up!