Hope you are ready for a long read as I have lots of fun stuff to tell you about the recent Regionals last Saturday, and you know I love to tell a story!
Considering we had guests till 1am that the morning before, and I was back up at 5am to finish off some projects, I did really well. I think it was the adrenaline either from excitement….then again maybe fear for my upcoming presentation!
Anyway I got all organized and headed up to the Convention Centre in Perth bright and early actually I was the first one there apart from the SU team. So i managed to help them set up and do the registration of the guests. It was great to see lots of familiar faces, and names etc,…. and to meet some of my on-line buddies Sarah-Jane and Kelly Winstanley. Hey gals!
It was so great to see Aaron (SU General Manager for Australia) who we spent lots of time with at the Incentive Trip again, and to also meet Derek and Donna who came down from the US head office. They were really great, and Derek is a crack up!
We got off to a great start with Aaron stamping on stage, and then Donna giving us her stamping tips as well. Then onto making some of the make and takes which were just beautiful! We all recieved the Live Your Dream stamp set that will be released in the Summer mini, December 1st. I think it is a beautiful set and can’t wait to really give it a bashing.
These are the projects that we made on the day:
Cute hey! We made a 6 x 6 scrapbook page, a groovy little Love Notes card holder, a matchbox card, and another long notes card. It was great to use the Afternoon tea papers that match the set, and they are coming our way too! Gotta love getting new products that we haven’t seen before!!! YAY!
We all got to run around and do swaps too with other demonstrators, which is always fun. I, thanks to Monnie moo, because she convinced me and came over one night to work on them together! I managed to get about 25 swaps made the week before, and here is a picture of mine:
Here I have used the stamp set that we recieved at the Incentive Trip that is also going to be released in the Summer mini, called Ocean Commotion. I love it! So I thought it would be fun to use this as no one else has it (apart from the IT gals). I used Pumpkin pie for the base and stamped the swirls up accross the centre. Then using a large silver metal edge tag, I layered a scallop punch in Bayou, then a 1 3/8 punch of Soft sky. I stamped the fish in Pumpkin pie, cut him out and popped him up with dimentionals. Accross the top I used Double stitches Bayou ribbon, that I then hung the metal edge tag off with some twine. Lastly I added the greeting from the One of a kind stamp set with Bayou ink. I hope everyone liked them!
After lunch I had the pleasure of doing a WOW presentation……well I did say pleasure, but at first I had the jitters!!! Once I got going though they couldn’t shut me up and I went over time!! hehehe. I just had so much to share. What fun that was!
I really wasn’t too sure what to present as i totally know there are lots of beautiful stampers out there and they have lots of wonderful tools like other people’s blogs and Splitcoast stampers as well. So thinking of something new was a little bit daunting.
I thought to myself what is it that I use all the time that I can share with others……..well thinking I did, and I have to tell ya how i came about what to do!
The Saturday before I went to my most Favourite Book store….. Koorong! I love that place, because I love books. I never fail to come back with two shopping bags full of goodies. I came home that day and went to load my new books onto the book shelf to get to later……I love knowing I have books to read, and won’t run out!!! Well I did that and then had a little step back to look at my book shelf and what do I see???? THIS!!!
Yep that is my bookshelf that has been totally grown out of!! See all the piles of books climbing the wall! LOL! I have been promised a new bookshelf for a couple of years, but we just haven’t made it a priority, and I just keep buying books! Books are such a fantastic hobby don’t you think? You learn things, get entertained, and don’t talk and drive everyone crazy whilst you are reading…….see I can justify anything. Oh and besides Tiarne loves to read, so i can pass these onto her too!
Later that day I just happened to be sitting on the edge of my bed (not too sure why??!!) and I glance over to see this on my bedside cabinet:
Hmmm more books and quite the stack!
BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE!!!
This is my little stash beside my bed on the floor between my bed and the cabinet!!!
Can you believe it. I have some serious reading to do!!! Well actually I think I am like three chapters in on 75% of these books so they are a working progress.
Seeing all these books got me a thinking (yes dangerous at times!) and i thought to myself if someone asked me to list my top 10 books, I would pick…..hmm well first would be my Bible for sure, cause if I didn’t have that to keep me going, and on the straight and narrow, I would be doomed, not only here but eternally. THEN I thought hey I think it would have to be the Stampin’Up Idea book and Catalog, cuz I view it each and every day, and it is such a wonderful TOOL….Hmm maybe, just maybe I could show how fabulous this book really is…..!!!
So I didn’t quite get to listing the other 8 top books of mine, I was away with an idea and that is just what I needed……Good thing I did go to Koorong and busy another….(I am not going to tell you) amount of books….see justification is a fine art!
So my presentation was all about using the Catty to your advantage. I am a person that is stretched for time, as I am sure you can imagine with 4 young kids, and a hubby too I might add. I don’t have a lot of time to be sitting in front of the computer scanning all the wonderful projects on Splitcoast or other peoples’ blog (although I do keep up with my fav’s) so when I sit down to make a project I will work out what type of card, which stamp set, and colours……THEN I will pick up my catty and plan a Sketch. Yep using what I see I can gather great ideas to run with.
So I showed everyone what I was waffling on about, and I think you will be amazed too, just how easy this is!!!
I have taken some pictures of the catty so the photos aren’t brilliant but you get the idea.
First I showed everyone this page and asked if they could tell where the layout was from in the catalog….??? Can you tell?
From this sample used to show the Boatloads of love Stamp set on page 45of the catty!
Then I went on to explain that when you see a feature you like from something in the catty, use it!!!
This card on the right has that gorgeous little button cut into the side of the card, and I think that is a great feature. By the way this is the samples used in the catty on page 31 to show the Peaceful Wishes stamp set. I have taken this sketch to produce a Love note, Card, and Scrapbooking page.
Here is the love note. I have used Pomegranite, Pretty in pink, and Close to Cocoa cardstock and stamp pads. The colouring isn’t perfect and it drives me nuts but I didn’t have time to re-do it before hand. But you get the idea anyway with the button, brads and ribbon etc. I have used the Fun & Fast notes stamp set also.
Then this is the card, again with the same layout. I used Bayou for the base and added some DS paper from the Spring Break paper pack. I coloured the octopus from the Fishy friends stamp set with my aquapainter and stamp pads. This time I used a jumbo eyelet instead of a button, and some double stitched bayou ribbon, and antique brass brads.
And here is my Scrapbook page using the same layout. I have used Chocolate chip for the base which is rolled with the rough edges jumbo roller with Chocolate ink, then adding some Bashful blue paper from the Summer picnic paper pack. I added a large clear button that I packed with the same paper, and then two jumbo eyelets on the left. Lastly I added some wide grosgrain ribbon knotted off with some twine.
Now here is a little Love Note Sample that is on page 43 of the catty. I am not super keen on this sample, but is probably because it has yellow on it, and you all know I hate yellow! So once again I have made a Love note, Card and a scrapbook page following the sketch above.
Here is the little love note…..colours are better hey! I used Bayou for the base then textured Guava for the large circle. I have then scallop punched Bayou and then added the circles on top. The stamped image is from teh Wishing you the best stamp set. I also added some copper brads, and some detail around the edges with my white gel pen, and ah yeah some paper piercing too.
This is the card which is 12 cm x 12cm square. I used Pomegranite for the base, adding some Berry bliss paper for the circle. I cut a larger circle of pomegranite cardstock and then layed a whole stack of little circles around the underside to create the scalloped edge. The centre stamped image is from One of a kind stamp set and I have punched out little holes, and then thread pretty in pink satin ribbon through it lastly adding a pink rhinestone brad in the centre.
And here is my scrapbook page. I used textured Certainly celery cardstock for the base, adding some detail around the edges with a rose red marker. The DS paper is from the Petals and Prints DS paper pack. I again punched lots of little circle and underlayed them under the Pretty in pink circle. Finally adding the paper piercing, rhinestone brads and journaling to finish it off. This photo is of my oldest daughter Tiarne, and it is almost a year ago already!!! YIKES!
Next I want to show you how a very very simple sketch can work for you. This image in the catalog is from page 60 and would have to be one of the simplest in the whole catalog!!! Well that’s my opinion. Here is the catty picture
I worked with the card on the right….
Here are three different samples I made following that sketch, all different but the same layout.
Once again working with the colours from last weeks colour challenge, Regal rose, Certainly celery, and Apricot appeal. I stamped some of the swirls along the bottom with regal rose ink. I stamped the Apricot cardstock with the Canvas background stamp. The butterfly is from the Priceless stamp set which I stamped and cut out, popping it up with some dimensionals. I added some wide grosgrain celery ribbon, celery brads, and paper piercing for features.
This one I turned into a Christmas card. I used the Season’s of Joy stamp set with Pomegranite, Artichock and River rock colours. The River rock strip is actually paper from the Holiday Harmony paper pack. I used the flower stamp, and have stamped it with Pomegranite ink, and added lots of glitter for bling. The ribbon is the wide Satin Pomegranite ribbon, and I used antique brass brads at the top.
For this card I have again used the Ocean Commotion stamp set. I used Bayou cardstock for the base which I also stamped the swirls along the bottom. I stamped the Celery cardstock with the stamp from Polka dots and Paisley stamp set. I have stamped the seahore, cut it out and again mounted it with dimensionals, adding a little bit of glitter for bling. I then added some double stitches ribbon in Bayou, and celery brads at the top.
Next I showed how you can again copy a sketch, but it can go different ways. For this one I showed the long card sample from page 21 of the catty. Here is the image…..sorry it is a bit blurry!
And here is my first sample
See how it is the exact same layout I have just used totally different colours and products. What did I use? Well the base is Soft sky stamped with the Tres’Chic background stamp.I have added white cardstock at the top which had been torn, then a big piece of Pumpkin pie prints DS paper with some soft sky double stitched ribbon. I then added the other two strips, being Bayou, and Celery with the greeting stamped and embossed on the celery cardstock. The large flower is from the Fabulous flowers stamp set, stamped in the 3 different colours and cut out, mounted and blinged up with lots of sparkly glitter, and a half pearl in the centre. I added two more half pearls at the bottom to finish it off.
Now I have turned the sketch around and made the long card horizontal. I used Pretty in pink cardstock for the base stamped with the Fine Lace background stamp. Then I added the white strip with Berry bliss DS paper in Close to cocoa. Next a small strip of Pomegranite, and a another strip of Chocolate chip cardstock which I have stamped the word “forever” in white ink, which is from the Wonderful words stamp set. I stamped the one heart with Chocolate chip ink onto white cardstock, and the other I stamped with Versamark and then embossed it with white embossing powder. I added the wide Satin ribbon and the half pearl to finish it off.
Pheew are you still with me…….this is a mammoth post, but I hope you are getting a little glimce of what I was trying to get at. It really is to show you that you can use what is right beside you for inpsiration rather than spend copious amount surfing splitcoast or the net!!! I always like to tell myself to…”Create don’t Procrastinate”! That way i use time wisely and get something done 
Last of all here is a couple of pictures of me in action on Saturday…..just for fun. Thanks to Monnie Moo and her fandangled camera again!
Blabbering away
A shot from a distance….
And here is a shot of Aaron Scott (general manager) and Donna Grifith from the Home office whilst they were viewing my presentation……..hmm maybe by the looks on their faces, I wasn’t too boring after all! Thanks for the picture Mon…!
Well that is all folks! I hope I have shown you a little of what a FAB-O day we had on Saturday. Thanks to Stampin’Up for coming to Perth and for picking me to do a workshop WOW, that was great fun!
I will be back later for the new Challenge!
Cindy
