Regionals!

Wow! 4 posts in one day. I am on a roll lol! This will be the last one for today. Have had a very full on week with stamp clubs, the fundraiser and then yesterday we had our annual Regional Training day for Stampin' Up! or Regionals as we call it. I had to get up at 6am!!!! I never get up at 6am! It was held at the Crown Promenade hotel which is one of the places in the city that I actually do know how to get to! Registration started at 8am with the session starting at 9am and everyone knows you have to get their early to get a good table lol! This year it was just as well as there were so many demonstrators there, it was a great turn out. I still remember the very first one we had in October 2006 when there were about 20 of us! It's always nice to see "the originals" again each year too. This year I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to make any swaps but I ended up making 21 and then another 15 for the girls in my team. I used the set Sip by Sip and the ones for my team had a chocolate on them. I forgot to photograph them but will make a couple more as I owe a few people one and I also like to have copies for my own samples. Can you guess what was the predominant colour??? That's right, Chocolate Chip! I even pulled myself right out of my comfort zone and used Designer Series Paper on them as well. I swapped my cards very quickly and received some beautiful ones in return.






You can actually see mine here on the display board, the one with the cups on it - I made one for SU to keep.

We received a new stamp set and matching wheel (including the handle and ink cartridge) that have not been released yet - they will be in our next mini catalogue and made 4 projects using that set. I am always amazed at the ideas SU come up with, I probably would have overlooked the set but now love it! We have also got some exciting new business tools that will be implemented - can't wait for those! I was overjoyed to see Bonnie Thurber again who had travelled out from the home office in Utah. Unfortunately Bonnie's luggage got delayed :-( Due to this, she was not able to demonstrate her planned projects but did an amazing job of improvising with items she had found in her hotel room - yes, you heard me right! She is such a warm and funny person - her business talks are the best with really useful and sound advice. As well as working for Stampin' Up! she is also a demonstrator herself so has "been there" so to speak and knows the challenges we sometimes face. I met Bonnie at the very first opportunity day in Melbourne on 8th April 2006 (of course I remember the date!) when Stampin' Up! first came to Australia. It was quite surreal as there weren't very many of us there and Shelli Gardner and her husband Sterling were there along with the late Dave Abbott our 1st General Manager, Bonnie and 1 other presenter - I can't really remember who as I was too starstruck at Shelli being there lol! I chatted quite a bit with Bonnie on the day (they were all so open!) and her and Dave sat at our table to do the make and takes. Bonnie also attended the first convention we had in Sydney a year later and after one of her business classes I stayed behind to ask a few questions with some concerns that I had and she gave me some wonderful advice that helped me so much and I definately would not be where I am today with my wonderful growing team of Gail Force Stampers if it were not for her! Yesterday I was so happy to be able to tell her this in person :-)