Incentive Trip Swap

What's this? A card?? An actual card on my blog? Your eyes are not deceiving you, there is actually some stamping on here for a change, a trend that I am hoping to continue! This was my swap on Incentive Trip - a Christmas card in non-traditional colours (Pool Party and Pear Pizzazz on a Crumb Cake base) with baubles made using the Blossom Petals Builder Punch. I've incorporated lots of little details on this card; Music Notes along the bottom, the Lace Ribbon Border punch, Seam Binding Ribbon, "Fine Flourish" stamped under the words, a swirl from "Creative Elements" coloured with a Blender Pen and I also embossed my 'baubles' in the Big Shot.
Swapping is always a highlight on the Trip, and this time was no exception. I received some gorgeous creations, which have been oohed and aahed over in my recent classes.

Fiji Catch-Up

As you can see, more blogging just didn't happen in Fiji, and then it has been all go since we arrived home, with team meetings, classes (and fitting in a new-nephew cuddle too!) and this is the first chance I have had to get back on here. I thought I'd do a Fiji Catch-up for those who are interested.

Fiji Incentive Trip - Day 4
We just chilled out by the pool on our final day, had a leisurely breakfast and lunch and one last spin of the wheel (Denim Jean ribbon for me!). Here I am with our hard-working organisers, Kellie-Sue and Angie:

That evening everyone in the group met together for drinks and nibblies at the Final Night Dinner. We were entertained by amazing Fire Dancers on the Beach:

and then ate some delicious food in some very special company:

Sadly we were missing Kim Gavarra from our table, who was sick in bed with a tummy bug :o(
We heard all about Shelli and Sage's Sky-Diving adventure (check out Shelli's Blog). We were also entertained by a local children's choir and there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

Incentive Trips always go far too quickly, so it was nice this time to wave everyone off and stay on an extra week.
One last Pillow Gift, a traditional wooden Kava Bowl and some Kava:

Our extra week in Fiji with the kids was thoroughly enjoyable. We switched resorts to an apartment, which just gave us a bit more space. The kids travelled as unaccompanied minors and we met them at Nadi Airport. Their flight went smoothly and they were very blase about it all (it was just us parents who were nervous!). We took the kids jet-skiing, para-sailing, out for an Island-hopping Cruise and a day of snorkeling (Teresa and Tanya hosted us on "their" island), and we also visited a local village, farms and school. We also managed to fit in plenty of time by the beach and pool. We all had a ball and the kids have already expressed a desire to go back one day.

Fiji Incentive Trip - Day 3

Just what the doctor ordered – a leisurely breakfast outdoors, next to the waterlilies, followed by swapping and stamping with friends, what more could you want? And then for morning tea some scones with jam and cream...it just kept getting better!
We had no plans for the rest of the day, other than to check out the pool and have a wander around. We bumped into Ness and Simon and shared a leisurely cocktail and lunch:

then we wandered in to Port Denarau to check out the shops. After that we cooled off in the pool and just soaked in the “Fiji magic”. Time to spin the wheel again, and today’s gift was the best one ever – a gorgeous Baja Breeze cardigan. LOVE it! I wore it to dinner at SALT – the poolside restaurant. New cardi, strawberry daiquiri and spiced coconut curry. Fabulous!
To cap it all off, not one but TWO pressies tonight - one for me and one for Dave. Lovely “Pure Fiji” body products. Dave was very excited to get his first ever Incentive Trip gift:

 

Fiji Incentive Trip - Day 2

Day 2 started bright and early...we had to be in the Hotel foyer at 5:15am to pick up our breakfast boxes and get on our bus. I think most of us snoozed our way along the coast and through villages and sugar cane fields to the Jungle Region of Fiji. We had to change to smaller 4WD mini buses to take us along unsealed roads even further into the jungle. We stopped along the way for home-baked banana cake and juice.
We arrived at our destination (the middle of nowhere!) for instruction on river-rafting and then a short (but steep!) trek through the jungle to the river.


Trekking through the jungle with our hard hats and oars

There were 4 of us per boat and we each had our own guide. Our guide was Peter, from the local village. It was amazing hearing his stories about his life and culture and also about local tales and legends. Fijians are such gentle, friendly people with very big hearts.

Looking glamorous in lifejackets and hard hats!

We passed through amazing scenery, deep rock chasms, waterfalls and down some roaring rapids but also along still, calm waters. There was lots of laughing as the guides all joked with eachother, and we all joined in splashing and bashing other rafts. We had a bit of a delay along the way when one of the rafts sprung a leak, and all of its passengers had to be re-distributed among the other rafts!
It started raining at around lunch time so we had lunch under the shelter of an enormous cave. After some much-needed food, we kept rowing our way down the river to our next stop, the “free massage waterfall”. A few of us stood under it (we were so saturated by this time, with all the splashing games and the rain, that staying dry really wasn’t an option!). I had a go:

Do I look like I’m enjoying my massage?? LOL It was so LOUD and stinging under that that I couldn’t even look up! The end of the river rafting was at another local village. We were able to get changed into dry clothes, have a warm drink and visit with the villagers who had made us home-baked cakes. Then it was the long bus ride home (and more snoozing for many people!), although we did play some Stampin’ trivia and have a Lucky Prize draw too (Baja Breeze Seam Binding ribbon and Crowns Trinkets were the prizes). It was an amazing experience, and one that I will never forget.
We arrived back at the Sofitel just after 8pm, rather exhausted and starving too. We spun the Wheel (Well Worn DSP for me!) and loaded up on peanut butter and pretzel m&ms and then our raft buddies Teresa and Tanya were happy to share some room service. We helped them finish their swaps and then our beds were calling us!
Another Pillow Gift – supplies for our Make-and-Take session the next morning! In a gorgeous Big Shot Die Container. Inside were lots of supplies from our upcoming Summer Mini. I can’t show them to you, but I will just say I LOVE it…best make-and-take supplies EVER!

 

Fiji Incentive Trip - Day 1

Well it has been a jam-packed 3 days and blogging just hasn’t been possible until now (you'll see why when you read on!). So you’ll be getting a whole lot of Fiji updates now in one go. This will be a long one, so grab a cuppa before you start reading! I’m not sure how well photos will upload, as the Internet connection here is not the most reliable or fast, and is also not cheap either!

Day 1
Almost a full day travelling... We left home at 7am and arrived in Fiji at 5:30pm. It’s always part of the fun, seeing everyone at the airport and getting excited together…although this year we were missing our IT buddies Jayne and Jo :o(
After our flight, we were greeted at Nadi airport by a blast of heat and humidity and some friendly faces holding a Stampin’ Up! sign. They placed a ceramic necklace around our necks and gave us refreshing (and very welcome!) damp towels and cold water.

Here I am, arriving at Nadi airport with Teresa and Tanya and our friendly Fijian welcoming committee

We are staying on Denarau Island at the 5 star Sofitel Resort. Our room has a gorgeous view of the gardens and ocean:

After we were shown to our room, we had just enough time to visit the Hospitality Room to pick up some ‘candy’, check out the NEW Summer Mini (coming in December) and spin the wheel (Beau Chateau DSP for me!), unpack and have a quick shower and change when there was a knock on the door. We had been told that we all had to be in our room at 6:45pm, but had no idea what was in store. This is what greeted us when we opened the door:

We collected a couple of other surprised stampers on our way and were led to a cocktail lounge. It was lovely to sip cold fruity drinks and catch up with everyone. We were treated to a display of native dancing and then followed the drum beats to dinner.

It was a traditional Fijian Buffet with all sorts of amazing food to try. There was a Fijian band playing throughout dinner, and at our tables were hand-painted Fijian art with our names on them, done by a local artist. Mine was a fish in beautiful blues and gold. I think I’ll be framing this when I get home!
We knew that Shelli had celebrated a ‘big’ birthday the day before, so we presented her with some special jewellery made by Linda's guest, the clever Denielle, and we had the Fijian band play Happy Birthday while we all sang along.
It was a great night, but we’d had a long day and knowing that we had a VERY early start the next day, we headed off to bed. In our room was this gorgeous Beach bag, perfect for our Day 2 activity:

My personalised Fijian art and Beach Bag gift

Countdown to Fiji

I know it's been pretty quiet around here. We head off to Fiji tomorrow for the Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip, and I've been racing around trying to get everything done. There are 18 of us (plus our guests) on this year's trip and I can't wait to catch up with old friends and make some new ones too. In the mean time, I have to get the kids all organised (my Mum and Dad are spoiling looking after them while we are away) but then they are joining us in Fiji for a week after the Stampin' Up! trip. It's the first time we've extended the trip and the first time the kids have joined us too, so that will be fun. They'll be flying solo though, which is a bit scary for this mother hen!
I'm hoping to update you all while I'm over there, so stay tuned for that (and lots of comments please so I know someone is interested! LOL)
Here's what I'm really going to miss while I'm away:

Little Leo, now 8 weeks old, full of smiles, and with plenty to say (most of it ending in "ooo")

Garage Sale!

A friend of mine is having a GINORMOUS Clean out...I've been to her place recently and she is being absolutely ruthless. I thought all you Crafty people local to Sydney might want to take advantage of her ruthlessness and grab a bargain for yourselves, so here are the details:

GARAGE SALE
HUGE variety of paper crafts (ex shop stock)
+ primary school book resources
+ heaps and heaps more!

Saturday 22nd October, 9am to 12 noon

29 Aylward Ave, Quakers Hill NSW

Simply Stockings Promotion!

During October, purchase this pair of coordinating Christmas products early--before the debut of the 2011 Summer Mini Catalogue:
• Stitched Stocking Set
• Stocking Tag Punch

It gets even better... Get them both for FREE when you host a $450 workshop OR place a group or individual order for $450!

This stamp set and co-ordinating punch are perfect for making quick tags, cards and gifts for Christmas. View them HERE

If you would like to book a workshop or order the stamp set or punch, just email me

125798 Stitched Stocking Wood-Mount Set $53.95
123784 Stitched Stocking Clear-Mount Set $42.95
124095 Stocking Tag Punch $33.95

But hurry....this offer is valid from 1st-31st October only!

Mini Christmas Pudding Box

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here and put you all out of your misery with some instructions and a winner. I'm really enjoying the School holidays but it has been making it difficult to get much done!

Yes, you only need 3 punches to make this cute little Pudding Box - the 1 3/8" (3.5cm) Circle, the Cupcake Builder and the Jewellery Tag. Thanks for all your comments via the blog and email, and well done to everyone who guessed correctly. I put all the correct entries (I counted it as correct even if you had the wrong sized circle) and Jacob drew out a winner...Marilyn! Send me an email Marilyn and I'll send some goodies on their way to you!


Here are the full instructions for the whole project:
To make the little box (I made mine to fit a Ferrero Rocher Chocolate) take an 8.5 x 8.5cm piece of cardstock (I used Soft Suede) and score 2.5cm on all 4 sides. Snip 2 of the short score lines on opposite sides, and fold up to make a box. Glue sides in place and attach a handle 1.5 x 13cm.

I made a pudding to decorate the front and back, but you could make it one-sided if you prefer.
Using Very Vanilla cardstock, punch out the Cupcake Builder shapes. Use the cupcake top as custard, and use the piece that you punched the shapes out of as a stencil. Punch a 1 3/8" circle from Soft Suede cardstock. Sponge Soft Suede ink through the 3 holes to make "raisins" in your pudding. Punch 3 holly berries from Cherry Cobbler cardstock using the Cupcake Builder Punch.
Using scissors, cut a rough leaf shape from Garden Green cardstock (make it a bit larger than you need). Use the round end of the Jewellery Tag punch to take "bites" from your leaf, making it look like a Holly Leaf. To make it a bit less fiddly, I made a temporary paper "handle" for my leaf while I was punching it.

For the tag, I used the word "merry" from the Pennant Parade stamp set.

Here's a larger version:
The same technique applies, but I've used the 2 1/2" Circle, the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle, and the Itty Bitty Shapes punches.

The box is 14.5 x 14.5cm, scored at 4.5cm and the handle is made from the Lace Ribbon Border punch.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Time for some Blog Candy!

Edited to add: Would it help if I told you that I have only used 3 punches?

It's been ages since I did a give away, and it's also been ages since I promised attendees at Stampin' Up!'s Sydney Regional Training Day that I would post the instructions for making these Mini Pudding Boxes, so I've decided to combine the two!

Post a comment listing all of the punches that I used to make this cute Mini Pudding Box. It's tiny...that's a Ferrero Rocher Chocolate sitting in there. All of the punches are in our current catalogue.

If there's more than one correct guess, I'll put the names in a hat to draw out a winner. The winner will receive a lovely bundle of retired goodies. I can only post to Australia, but you are still welcome to guess if you are from elsewhere.

It's school holidays, so I'm off to enjoy a Farmstay with some friends and their families.
I'll be back on Friday to let you know the winner, so you have until then to rack your brains! Good luck!

Launch Party gifts

I always like to give a thank you goody-bag at my launch parties...who doesn't like to receive a bag of treats?? This year I had mini tote bags with a hand-made tag and inside were a few fun bits and pieces. My 2 favourites were the Malteser box and In Color bookmark.
Here's a front view of the Malteser box, decorated with the Button Buddies stamp set and a Big Shot Die button:
The ribbon holds the front flap shut. Here's a side view. The Maltesers sit in a hole cut with the Modern Label punch:
And inside...yummy!

To make these I started with a 26.5 x 7cm piece of cardstock (you can get 3 from an A4 sheet)
and scored at 7, 9.5, 16.5, 19, 21.5 and 24cm.

My second favourite item was the In Color bookmarks. I made both of these projects (40 of each) at Stamp Camp. I like having some production-line work to get on with at events like that. Late on the Friday night, I had almost finished all 40 bookmarks but my bed was calling me, so I decided to call it quits and finish the next day. When I sat down at my table the next morning they were all finished for me with a note stamped "love from the in color fairy". How sweet is that?

Here are the bookmarks:

The top edge is folded, and it opens up and there is a magnet inside so it stays in place in your book.

Hopefully all the ladies at my Launch Party liked their gifts...I'm sure all the Maltesers are long gone!

A Special Concert for a Worthy Cause

Attention all music lovers! If you live in the Sydney area and are looking for a way to spend next Sunday afternoon, read on, and please spread the word!
This is a cause very close to my heart (my son Jacob has Haemophilia). If you can't make it to the concert, you can still make a donation. Just visit HFNSW and click on "Make a Donation" (top right of screen). Every little bit helps! Thank you.

The Haemophilia Foundation of New South Wales is delighted to be supported by the Riverside Theatre at the concert event, ‘Expressions of Identity’. A generous portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the Haemophilia Foundation of NSW which will help support the needs of people with congenital bleeding disorders, such as Haemophilia and Von Willebrand disease.

To show your support, please attend the concert by purchasing your tickets online, using the special promotion code ‘RED’. Only tickets purchased using the special promotion code will benefit the Haemophilia Foundation.

About the concert: The SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra members are aged 12-24, and travel from as far afield as Wollongong and Newcastle to the SBS Radio and Television studios every Friday night to rehearse in preparation for their concerts. In this concert, the Orchestra will present a program which accents the importance of personal and cultural identity. Works by Jean Sibelius, Ernest Bloch, Dvorak and Brahms are highlighted.

The Concert features invited soloists James Eccles (viola) and Sally Walker (Flute) and Conductor Geoffrey Gartner, all three are emerging musical talents, now embarked on professional careers in Australia and Internationally.

Concert details

Date: Sunday 25 September, 3:00pm
Location: Riverside Theatre, Parramatta
Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta
Purchase Tickets: https://boxoffice.riversideparramatta.com.au/
or phone 02 8839 3399 (remember to use the promotion code to benefit the Haemophilia Foundation) Promotion Code: RED
Thank you for your support!

Time for some Shares

Although I know you would all like to get ALL the new accessories in the Catalogue, sometimes budgets don't stretch quite that far. Here's a way to get your hands on a sampling of all the new brads and ribbons in the new Catalogue. Each Share is divided amongst 8 people, so you get 1/4 pack of brads, or 1/8 roll of ribbon. If you join all 6 Shares, you'll save $4.80 (that's an 8% saving!)


DESIGNER PRINTED In Color Brads Assortment (p 143) $3.80
10 brads (2 ea in 5 colours)

GLIMMER BRADS ASSORTMENT (p143) $10.00
40 brads (2 ea in 20 colours)

3/8” In Color RUFFLED RIBBON (p 138) $12.00
5 colours, approx 1.1m of each colour
Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder

3/8” DENIM JEAN RIBBON (p 138) $3.50
2 colours, approx 1.1m of each colour Artichoke, Blue

1/2” SCALLOP DOTS RIBBON (p139) $19.00
10 colours, approx 1.1m of each colour
Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip, Elegant Eggplant, Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, More Mustard, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Tangerine Tango

1/2” SEAM BINDING RIBBON (p 139) $11.50
7 colours, approx 1.1m of each colour
Always Artichoke, Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Rose Red, Very Vanilla

OR All 6 Shares for $55 (reg $59.80)

If you were to purchase all of these items individually, it would cost $438.43 (ouch!)

Email me with your Share selections, and to sort out payment. I accept payment by Cash, Direct Deposit or cheque. Stampin' Up!'s 5% Shipping & Handling Charge is included in the Share price, but if you need your shares mailed out to you postage will be at actual cost (I will use the most cost-effective method).
The Closing Date for Shares is 30th September, 2011

Launch Party Make-and-Takes

Goodness me, it's been busy around here (as you can probably tell from my lack of blog posts!). It's just been one thing after another, with Stamp Camp, and my Launch Party, and then I presented at Stampin' Up!'s Sydney Regional Training Day last weekend. In amongst all that has been lots of family stuff happening too (and lots of cuddles with my new nephew...6 weeks old now!)
I thought you might like to see the make-and-takes from my Launch Party. They needed to be nice and simple, so 40 people could all make them, but I wanted to show off our lovely new In Colors and some of my favourite new products too.
Here's Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade and Calypso Coral strutting their stuff, along with Pennant Parade and Perfectly Penned:

And Delicate Doilies looking lovely with Island Indigo and Pool Party (helped along by So Saffron). I love the Lace Ribbon Border Punch too:
Everyone seemed to like the cards they made, and already everyone seems to love this batch of In Colors much more than last year's.

I'll be back (soon!) to show you some of the bits and pieces that they got in their goody bags this year!

P.S. To those of you who have been wondering if they've missed my latest newsletter...no, you haven't! I'm running just a tad late but am working on it now! You can subscribe over there ---->

Sweets from a Sweet

At our recent Stamp Camp, I gave out a few exceptional awards. One was for the "Most Amazing Chocolate Truffles in the Known Universe". They were made by Manda, and you really have to have a lookie HERE. She has even shared the (wickedly easy) recipe with us. Make sure you follow it to the letter...I'm sure it won't turn out right unless you "chuck" and "squish" them! ROFL
Manda is such a sweetie, so it really was appropriate that she brought along the sweetest dessert imaginable.... I actually think I have a little crush on her (ssshh don't tell anyone!) I think I wish she could be my Mum!
P.S. Make sure you check out the rest of her Blog and the gorgeous handmade goodies in her online store too!