Teeny bit tardy. . .

I have had a whirlwind month - Stampin' Up! Convention 2011 was fantastic! A group of 14 of us travelled from the sunny north to the Victorian capital for five days of fun! We swapped, chatted, sang, danced and shopped our way through the event and helped the Victorian economy stay afloat- the energy and excitement this year was phenominal.

There is nothing better than gathering with friends and new acquaintances who speak the same language, love the same things and cherish the memories that are created in the midst of everything else. . . demonstrators from New Zealand, Australia and the USA shared, inspired and enthused each other at the Melbourne Convention Centre for three solid days.

We were wowed by how creative and talented a lot of our demonstrators are. The galz from the home office in Utah and the terrific team from Sydney Demonstrator Support were so excited and helpful - its great to catch up with people whom we only usually talk to on the phone.  Those girls are so energetic - Kate, Clare and Ana smiled, sang and entertained us all - who would have thought that had creative talent in manners other than papercrafting? I still find myself tapping my foot and humming the catchy convention themesong 'Share What You Love & Love What You Do' when I least expect it!

Rich Jutkins, the new President of Stampin' Up! came down under for the event and proved that he is a humble, grassroots kinda guy you could imagine sharing a beer and burger with, whilst discussing rugby league versus grid iron. Shelli as always was wonderful - that lady is able to generate enthusiasm about an out of date corn flake box! Her emphasis this year was on prioritising what is important to us as individuals and making sure that our choices are the right ones for us.  Her stories, suggestions and insights were heartfelt and moving.

It was great to get some sneak peeks at some of the up coming stamp sets, DSPs and colours - just one of the many advantages of being an independent demonstrator.  Momento Mall was great and the swaps were as always motivational.  Look out Canberra 2012 - if you would like to join me just let me know - the more the merrier??!!

So this is the reason for my absence and lack of blogging. . . I arrived home and my energy kind of zeroed out for a week.

I am only back in the saddle this week and am gearing up for the Romance Writers of Australia NQ Roadshow being held at the Cairns Colonial Club Resort this weekend.  It is going to be wonderful to spend some time with my critque partner Amanda, my 5DI'ed buddies Loveski, Cone Queen and Sage, my NQ Romance Writers Group members and the amazing and talented presenters this year Anne Gracie, Kelly Hunter, Barb Hannay and Helene Young.  We are so lucky to have attracted such inspiring mentors for the event.

So visit again soon.  I plan to upload the swaps I made to share at Convention.  Some of my favourite swaps that I received at Convention and also my May creations.  Class timetables will also be added in the next few days. Oh, BTW my friend Michelle who is a wizz at all things photoshop has helped me with my blog button so I will publish that soon too!

Sharing the love
Shanni xx

PS won some great prizes and recognition - I ranked 20th out of the top 25 Australian Demonstrators of the Year and placed second for recruiting but that's a whole other story. . .