Our weekend stamping retreats are so relaxing, fun and inspiring! This one coming up is extra special because of the timing of the brand new Stampin' Up! Annual catalogue.

Be among the first in Australia to receive your hard copy of the catalogue, play with new products and receive new goodies in your retreat welcome pack.

The retreats at Adekate are very well catered for - you definitely won't go hungry!! If you have dietary requirements, please let us know, we will try to work with you!

Rooms are cosy and clean with heating. You can opt to share a room with friends (tee up 2-3 of you to come together), or get to know new people. There is the option of a single room if you really don't wish to share.

Time is running out to sign up, as Michelle and I need to be able to plan to order the new products and goodies for you, on the demonstrator pre-order which starts Tuesday week. So we need your firm commitment today and deposit of $100 by the end of the day on Anzac Day (next Tuesday).

Read more here.

Or jump on the Facebook event and click "Going" so we can get in touch!

The retiring products list has thrown everyone into a spin, but there are some great Christmas sets that are carrying over from our current catalogue into the new one, and on top of that, some of the favourites from our Holiday Catalogue are reappearing too. This is so good for our advance planning!

Here's a couple of projects I did using a non-Christmas set, and just decorating them with a few bits to make them for the Festive Season.

The cute racoon is from Foxy Friends stamp set which will be in the new catalogue.

See how I have popped the "Hardwood" layer up with dimensionals to make it look like a frame and the little raccoon's head is on the inside, but his body is outside.

This is the inside of the card. The vine leaves are also from Foxy Friends stamp set.

I'm looking forward to seeing what new Christmas paper we get in the new catalogue but in the meantime I'll be happy to use bits and pieces like this!

Have you started yet? Comment below and let us know what you are making.

Happy Easter to You!

Hope you  have a safe and enjoyable day with your families no matter where you are and what you are doing.

In my "We Create Wednesday" class this week, we created some pretty Easter projects.

We decorated the mini egg cartons by spritzing with Mint Macaron Ink Refill, and wrapping with Sweet Sugar Plum Patterns Paper from the In Colour Paper Stack.

The little bunny stamp is from the Made With Love stamp set, the gorgeous greeting stamp is from Suite Sentiments stamp set, the little lamb is from Barnyard Babies and the "eggs" are upside down balloons with the knot cut off, from the fun stamp set, Balloon Adventures.

These were all really quick, easy projects and next time Easter falls right at the end of the school holidays, projects similar to these would be great to make with the kids when you start to hear, "Mum, I'm bored!"

Have an awesome day and stay safe!

I had an amazing time in Sydney last weekend for the Stampin' Up! On Stage event.

As a member of Stampin' Up!s Global Events Council, I have been preparing for the event since December, and went up to Sydney a day or two before to meet the corporate team and help with all the setting up and preparing displays.

Those of you who know me well, know that Tony and I love volunteering - it's our way of giving back to all the events and organisations we have benefited from. And since I have had such an amazing journey with Stampin' Up! for over 9 years, when they invited me to be on the Global Events Council, it was my pleasure to say "Yes please!" and be able to be behind the scenes helping make sure these fabulous events can go ahead and run smoothly so everyone in the Stampin' Up! family can continue to enjoy them.

One of my jobs for this On Stage was to prepare a presentation of a new Product Suite coming in the new Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue which is released on June 1st 2017. A few weeks before the event I received some products in the mail, along with some points to cover in a brief talk about the features of the products.

I prepared some samples and wrote my talk, which I rehearsed a couple of times with the event staff.

A few of my team members couldn't attend the event, and I wanted my stamping friends to be able to see what I did too, so even though it's not exactly word for word what I presented in Sydney, here's a little video (which I recorded on Facebook Live the other night) so you can see what I did.

At the end of my presentation I put my samples (and a few extras) up on the display boards for everyone to photograph. Here's my own happy snap of the display board!

Over the next week, I'll add a few more photos of all the projects so you can see them better!

If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and are planning to attend an On Stage event in future, can I encourage you, if you are physically able to, please put your hand up to help out, either on the day before with setting up, during the day of the event, or at the end of the day with packing up. It's such a fun and rewarding experience.

If you're not a demonstrator but you love the sound of attending one of these events and seeing all the sneak peaks of upcoming catalogues, the next event is in November 2017.  You need to be a demonstrator to attend, and tickets sell out really fast, so plan on joining up well before November. Talk to me (or your demonstrator) about it today.

Or  JUST JOIN NOW

Hello Again!

Just back from a busy, busy weekend (and exciting - did I tell you how exciting??) weekend in Sydney with all my Stampin' Up! buddies, and it's time for Making Merry Monday #3!

Last week I promised to give you the links for my Christmas Pinterest boards. Are you a Pinterest user? Luckily, I don't think you need an account to look at the boards. But the good news if you don't have an account is, a) it's free, and b) you can use your Facebook account to login so you don't have to remember another password!

Here is my CHRISTMAS PROJECTS board.

Here's a little board where I have started collecting cute Packaging Ideas.

And here's a few happy snaps from my 2016 Christmas in July event.  Look out for the 2017 event - details will be coming out soon!

Hi there, on a gorgeous sunny (freezing cold) Melbourne morning.

The sunrise this morning was stunning - but at 5 degrees in the Yarra Valley, it needed to be! It looks like an awesome gardening day, and I definitely have gardening to do, but it may not be very high up my list of priorities this morning considering my hubby arrives back from Tassie off the boat this morning, and I go to Sydney for Stampin' Up!'s On Stage event on Thursday . . . poor garden might have to wait!

However! 

I did make a promise to myself that Christmas Card making wouldn't be put off until November this year! So welcome to my second Making Merry Monday post to get us inspired and revved up!

I had a team stamping day on Friday and one of my savvy team members was productively colouring a stack of "Merry Mice" images she had stamped in preparation for her Christmas Card production line. Merry Mice was a super cute stamp set that was available in the 2016 Holiday Catalogue. You can't buy them anymore, but did you know there is a massive stack of other products from the Holiday Catalogue still available on the Stampin' Up! Website!

Here are some of them.

Product List

Basket Of Wishes Photopolymer Stamp Set

[142200]

$30.00

Christmas Stockings Thinlits Dies

[141841]

$50.00

Hang Your Stocking Photopolymer Stamp Set

[142114]

$37.00

Cookie Cutter Christmas Photopolymer Stamp Set

[142043]

$37.00

Cookie Cutter Builder Punch

[140396]

$31.00

Detailed Santa Thinlits Dies

[141836]

$41.00

Glamper Greetings Photopolymer Stamp Set

[142202]

$45.00

Father Christmas Clear-Mount Stamp Set

[142125]

$35.00

Holly Berry Happiness Photopolymer Stamp Set

[142061]

$30.00

Holly Berry Builder Punch

[141843]

$31.00

Paisleys & Posies Photopolymer Stamp Set

[142196]

$37.00

Paisley Framelits Dies

[141849]

$49.00

Santa's Sleigh Photopolymer Stamp Set

[142057]

$37.00

Santa's Sleigh Dies Thinlits

[140278]

$50.00

Seasonal Bells Clear-Mount Stamp Set

[142107]

$33.00

Bell Punch

[141846]

$31.00

Christmas Pines Photopolymer Stamp Set

[142049]

$61.00

Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies

[141851]

$45.25 

I love that some of these favourites are still available to buy now, because I know what I was like last year, and I really need to get a good start now on making Christmas cards for 2017. Next Monday I'll share with you the links to my Christmas Project boards on Pinterest to get you inspired, but in the meantime, please let me know if you have started creating your cards for 2017 and what products you are working with.

And if you haven't started, perhaps take a second look at the cute stamp sets and cutting tools that are still available and see if some of them inspire you! Clicking on any of the images above will take you direct to my online shop where you can order them for yourself.

Happy creating!

Related articles

Christmas in July Event

Christmas in July - Blog Hop

Awesomely Artistic - ESAD Blog Hop