Tuesday, May 17, 2011

STAMPIN' UP! CONVENTION - MELBOURNE 2011

Hi folks!  I'm back home from Convention, still coming down from the high ... and trying to catch up on sleep!  I had a fabulous time, catching up with lots of dear friends and totally immersing myself in all the excitement.  The enthusiasm of Stampin' Up! staff, and other demonstrators, is so infectious; Convention really is a magic time.  This year we were treated to LOTS of sneak peeks, of new product that will come out in our new catalogue in September ..... but, I won't be sharing them with you until much closer to the time - you'll just have to be patient!  I promise you won't be disappointed.

I would like to share with you, though, a few photos.  I have so many to go through, that it'll take me a little while, but I wanted to show you at least a little of the fun.

My four nights staying in Melbourne were spent sharing an apartment with Sue and Judy.  Both of them gave me lovely gifts.  Judy gave us each a sampler of some gorgeous SU! papers that are not available in Australia (yet ... I'm hopeful they will be).  Sue had made some gorgeous little "Convention Survival Kits" for her team members, and thoughtfully made extras for Judy and me.  Take a look at the cute decorated Mini Lunch Sack, and the contents:






I finally got to meet, in person, my gorgeous friend Nikki.  She is such a creative, warm and funny person; I'm looking forward to more frequent catch-ups with her, now that we know how close to one another we live!  Take a look at this stunning gift she gave me (Chamomile & Grapefruit Soy Melts), presented in a typical Nikki way .....


Is it not divine??!!  Even the paper bag containing my gift was stamped beautifully (it just got a little scrunched in my bag, so a photo wouldn't do it justice).


At Convention, lots of demonstrators attending take part in swapping, of card fronts or other little items made using Stampin' Up! products.  It's a fabulous way to share ideas and techniques, and I have to say that the beauty of the swaps this year just blew me away.  It was pretty cool to share 3 days with 450 creative women!  Here is the swap that I made (only made it to 60 before I was unable to go on - I was thoroughly sick of the sight of it!):


... and here are the swaps I came home with:



All of my class attendees (and anyone else who'd like to come visit!) will get to look through these, to fully appreciate them 'in real life'.


I have lots more to share, but this will have to do, as the first instalment!  It's good to be home (I missed my boys), but I have so many happy memories from this year's Convention.  I look forward to sharing more with you in coming days!

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a great time at Convention Christine! I'll see you in Canberra ;)

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  2. Sounds like it was a blast! We had a team catch up on Friday night at Docklands, it was awesome to catch up with everyone!!

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  3. So good to catch up with you again, Christine. Love your pics and your gorgeous swap.

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  4. Christine your "swap card" looks gorgeous. Anyone you swapped it with was very lucky! Glad you had a great time. Look forward to seeing and hearing all about it via your blog! Cheers Donna Zammit :)

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  5. It was so so so lovely to finally meet you Christine - as brief and as busy as it was!
    Did I give you one of my swaps? If not, I'd really like to send you one!

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  6. It all sounds wonderful and your swap is beautiful. So glad you had such a great time...despite the logistical challenges of getting away from home :) xx

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  7. Hi Christine, I just wanted you to know that I came across a card you created on your old blog (http://christineblain.typepad.com/happy_heart_cards/2009/11/its-a-party-hearty-parade.html) from Nov. 2009 and loved the layout! I used it for one of my card making nights: http://stuckonstampin.blogspot.com/2011/05/card-making-night-may.html. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. It was so nice to finally meet you Christine, and yes hopefully next time we'll have more time. This card is gorgeous, I'm sorry I didn't get to swap with you.
    xox

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  9. It was so great to meet you at Convention and I loved your swap!

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  10. It was so great to catch up with you finally, albiet briefly, but as we are close by, getting together will be a cinch, we dont have to wait till Canberra..:0)
    Thank you for your beautiful swap and kind words. I have very much enjoyed reading your convention posts and seeing your pic's. XXX

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  11. oohhh I'm so jealous it looks like you had an amazing time!!!!

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  12. Hee hee I got to see your swap in person when Kim came to visit on the weekend. Lovely, lovely, lovely!

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