Life's a breeze

is one of those FUN sets that I'll be really sad to see go - it's perfect for embellishing beach scrap book layouts.

But it's making way for the new & the new is FABULOUS (I was very lucky to see the new IB+C in real life yesterday as my demonstrator copy arrived for me).

This was a fabulous swap I received at Convention in May so I'd better share it with you before the set is retired for real. Created by Cheryl O'Bree from Australia. My apologies Cheryl I seemed to have chopped the RHS of the card off when taking it's piccie.

Stamps: Priceless, Life's a Breeze, Cheep Talk
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, melon Mambo, Old Olive
Paper: As for ink; plus Whisper White
Other: Bold brights brads, turquoise grosgrain ribbon, crimper, Crop-a-dile

I haven't disappeared but sure feels like it

Just been overseas to Darling Harbour again for another conference - this time all things microbiological - very intellectual but it's great to be home to the cats & my bed. Have a class tomorrow night & then training from SU! on Saturday so will report back real soon with some stampin' stuff from me.

Here's another one of my favourite demo swaps - this is from one of my Aussie blogging friend Diane Barnes who's work I admire greatly. She's made this fabulous voucher/gift card holder using the top note die - just love it & gone to CASE this one for real - thanks Di.

Keep warm all - winter has arrived with a vengeance here!

Fabulous Pendant Park swaps

I was really lucky to win this stamp set at convention as it was on my wish-list & then in my bag of goodies I received 2 fabulous swaps created with this set.

From Nicki Turner who's chosen her colours to match the Haiku DSP. I meet Nicki on the hotel computers late one night - yes think we're both a bit addicted to our PC ;-)

From Lynda Whitefield - just love her brayering - this is stunning!

Thank you both - they're fabulous!

More top picks

Reaching into my convention bag & pulling out some of my favourite swaps I received from Aussie demos, it sure brings back some good memories.

From Jayne Mercer - simple elegance with one of my favourite stamp set's at the moment Bird on a Branch

From Sonia Garbutt in Queensland - just love this baby card using Fox and Friends - such a versatile set.

From Pam Jorgensen - a really cute baby card using the scallop circle Bigz die - how clever is this.

From Kerry O'Hanlon - now I don't like dogs or punch art in real life but do love this - isn't he cute.

Thank you all they're fabulous - I wonder what I'll pull out next time - I do know there's some more goodies in that bag!

Into my big bag & tonights draw's winners are...

Just wanting to share some more fabulous demo swaps I received at convention. It's a bit like Christmas putting my hand into the bag & seeing what I pull out.

From Leanne Dixon a very classy Fifth Avenue Floral card with metallic silver & glossy white card stock.

From Nicki Tidbold  last year Nicki's gorgeous "masculine card" would have been in my top 5 favourites & yes she's done it again - All a Flutter is so beautifully coloured in - she's used watercolour paper to get this kind of blending - stunning!

From Meegan Dale a small "onesie" on a card & dry embossed with the perfect polka dots embossing folder.

From Kim Smiley from Queensland - maybe my nicest Vintage Vogue swap - love it - simple but so effective. Kim was staying in the same apartment complex as myself  last year & sure enough we ran into her early with her very good friend Vicki Were from CHCH at Paddy's Market!

Thanks ladies for swapping with me & I wonder what my hand will pull out next time I pull some out of the bag...

More fabulous swaps

I have about 20 favourite swaps that I adore so I'll share them over the upcoming weeks - I grabbed 3 from the bag & here's tonight selection:

Firstly from our honorary team-mate Judith Hutchinson from Paraparaumu, NZ -  my Judy found Judith and as she was alone she became part of our team for the convention - I've got a lovely picture of the 2 of us showing of our free stamps at the awards ceremony. She's made a lovely colourful cupcake card & has made her frosting really sparkly - it sure looks good enough to eat!

The 2nd card is from Skip Siegmann all the way from Yangebup, Western Australia & Skip was one of the first Aussie demos we ran into on our 2nd day in Sydney - so pretty amazing to end up swapping with her - I had a 1:6 chance of swapping with anyone as I made about 80 & there was approx 480 registered but not everyone swaps - but the majority do . She's used her Big Shot & punched out a few shapes - simple, quick & really effective.

Sharon Turnbull from Caloundra, Queensland created this lovely patchwork Top Note card using Bella Rose DSP, Vintage Vogue flowers & a Big Shot leaf - how lovely is this!

I'm thinking Paraparumu is looking quite easy after these 2 Aussie place names!

Thank you all I love them.

Creative Inkers demo swaps part 3

This is the final of my swaps with my big team so I have the last 4 to share with you.

From our own Queen of Sponge - Paula Dobson - who's been very PC with the green and gold for Aussie & the black fern for NZ - combined with a spring card. The fern she's used is part of the Level 1 hostess set Organic Grace which you could earn for FREE by having a workshop with a few of your friends. Click HERE if you'd like to know more about hosting a workshop.

Then isn't this sweet June & Lorraine Abbott from Ashburton have made very special G n T cards - how did they know it was my favourite tipple?? They've used Tart and Tangy plus Cheers to You & have stamped the cocktail glass onto vellum - very clever. The alphabet set is Schoolbook Serif

Patrice Halliday-Larsen has made an incredibly cute easel card using Bugs & Kisses - I just adore it! She's also stamped the dragonfly wings onto vellum.

Last but not least Pauline McCardle from Napier & Up2 Scrap elite design team member for 2010 made Tangerine Tango "girly"

Tune back in tomorrow night for some more of my favourite convention swaps.

Creative Inkers demo swaps part 2

The 2nd of 3 parts revealing some more awesome swaps I received from my team mates

From the incredibly talented Delys Cram - isn't this just adorable!

Heather Stewart did a lovely set of kiwi birds - I was lucky to receive one of the four designs (I thought mine was a tui but now I see it doesn't have a white tuft under his chin - maybe it's a wood pigeon?) -  she's modified the extra large bird punch to create these - fabulous. Clever Judy - of course it's a fantail!

And from our own ATC expert Barbara Bicknell a wee tag for SU! convention 2010 - complete with gold embossed All a Flutter butterfly.

Sensational & inspirational swaps again. Thank you all.

Creative Inkers demo swaps Part 1

Well I started the ball off last night with my own downline's swaps so the next stop on my favourite swaps is the rest of the bigger team - my upline Jacque's team AKA Creative Inkers had 37 of her team at convention. So if I take out the 5 of us from my team there still were 33 to swap with from "the big team" but I only managed 10 but always a very high standard - we do swaps good! They're so amazing I'll spread them across 3 days

So I'll start of at the top & Jacque Pedersen's swap; a 6x6" scrapbook layout in Jacque colours (banana, pink & chocolate), she's made a fabulous embellishment with vellum & the scallop circle punch, Very Vintage vogue wheel, sponging, ribbon, glitter (a no-no says me for a real scrapbook page) and DSP & ribbon - what a lot of work & truly sensational!

Michelle Cave has also outdone herself - she is the queen of acetate cards & she's stamped the same embellishment as Jacque has above all over the window sheet in Craft White ink, top note dies & flowers from Vintage Vogue as well - also amazing.

Juliette Riddell's bookmark with it's own holder - one word - also SENSATIONAL! and again Vintage Vogue - this is a sensational set & available in our Autumn-Winter mini catalogue in clear or wood mounted.

The WOW paperKRafters swaps

The perfect place to start with my favourite swaps from Convention is of course with my fabulous downline. For 3/4 it was their first convention & doing about 80 swaps - wow it is a lot of work but when you get so many fabulous cards & ideas in return it is so worthwhile.

From Judy Beetson; she's used Priceless and teamed it with the Very Vintage jumbo wheel in Mellow Moss (which is about to retire) & Elegant Eggplant.

And inside the card - too nice not to share!

From Donna Blackmore - she's really done something funky with one of the stamps from Circle Circus. Her trademark is there Crystal Effects and dazzling diamonds glitter & for those of you that know Donna in real life she sure does like her BLING.

She's used everyone's favourite new in-colour Rich Razzleberry & teamed it with Mellow Moss.

Sally Williams has also used Rich Razzleberry & the Very Vintage jumbo wheel plus the flowers from Vintage Vogue - what a fabulous 6x6" scrapbook page. Wheel stamps make it really easy to make a quick border plus a few stamped images for embellishments - so easy.

From Debbie Lamb a Vintage Vogue card in Tangerine Tango & Old Olive, love the ribbon ruffling. A very classy card - which is Debbie's trademark.

The last post.........

about Convention 2010.

Just wanted to share the fabulous pictures of us in our finery & the food :-) Tomorrow I'll start on my favourite swaps I received.

My fabulous team mates (we're the WOW paperKRafters and there were 5 of us attending):

With the bigger team (the Creative Inkers - there were 37 of us present but obviously not all in this picture):

Me receiving a congratulatory kiss from Shelli on stage:

The special bag with my free stamp set for my sales award in 2009-10:

And the fabulous gift tag up close - the flower stamp is from Good Friend:

Myself with Judith who was a kiwi demo without a team mate - so my Judy adopted her & she became one of us for the meeting and yes that's my certificate to say I was placed 7th in NZ!

The table setting - these were real tulips:

Tui with Jacque (my upline) - Tui took me under her wing when I first started doing classes at Jacque's - I still remember her kindness & it was so lovely to see her - she now lives with her family in Perth. My convention demo swap card was a CASE of a card that Tui's sister Anne taught me as well - so that was kinda funny.

The first course:

The main:

No pictures of the dessert - assuming I was too busy scoffing it - so that's my snapshots of my 4 days in Sydney - can't wait until we do it again in Melbourne next year.UPDATE: Christine Tuff has kindly sent me one - it tasted scrummy - not sure if the picture does it justice.

I'd love there to be a few more WOW team mates with us next year - now is definitely the time to join as the starter kit is reduced by 20% to $299 for Stampin' supplies of nearly $700. Plus I'm running a recruit basket that you could win which is approximately $110 - so if you'd like to know more check out my FAQs & contact me for a no obligation information booklet or just for a chat about this great opportunity.

I still can't believe how someone who signed up 3 years ago to get the discount for herself ended up being placed no. 7 in her 2nd year as a demonstrator (& I do this part time) & the Manager of the best & friendliest team in NZ (from one very unbiased team leader) .

So catch you tomorrow for the reveal of those sensational swaps I received.