The Arty Farty Tea Party 20th June 2009

Please come along and help raise money for the Cancer Council Australian in conjunction with Australia's Biggest Morning Tea....

I have been touched by loved ones dealing with cancer in my life several times.. And this is my way to give back to those who have lost the battle, those who are still fighting, and those who have been blessed to WIN the battle!!!

My love and heart goes out to you all!!! May that love warm your heart and bring you joy and happiness as my association with you all has bought to me!!!

Love Ursula xxx

Click this address to donate
http://qld.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=100922

FLYER For "The Arty Farty Tea Party" Double Click on picture to view larger

I would like to say a special thanks Marelle Taylor for her BEAUTIFUL art work that was a PERFECT match to my 2 little girls at the Tea Party Photo... to see her inspirational Card click HERE or Click on her name to be taken to her site.


My Story....

From the very tender age of 14 I learned about the disease Cancer. I learned how hard the fight against Cancer can be. My mother was diagnosed with a Brain Tumour. My Mother was an extraordinary ARTIST… All that she placed her hands upon became a 'work of art'…. After learning that a possible side affect of having an operation to remove the Tumour could be paralysis, she decided that was too high a risk. Loosing her mobility in her hands would be too much of a loss for her. She would no longer be able to do the things she thrived on, or to earn a living to support us. Her Tumuor was benign.. She managed it with extensive Natural Health alternatives, and managed it well!! Until she forgot to have a 6 month check up because she was working too hard to make ends meet. We ended up taking her to the hospital to get a CT scan. She was becoming more and more frail right before my eyes. When the scans were developed we were instructed to go straight to the RBH. I was 17 and recently acquired my driver’s licence. I had to drive from Redcliffe Hospital to the RBH in lunch time traffic… With Busses and Trucks on either side of me, Tears in my eyes and no knowledge of exactly how to get the RBH I was scared frightened and alone… My precious Mother whom I loved so much was in pain… She could no longer comprehend or respond to my questions for directions. I had to Stop and ask strangers on the side of the road for directions through my tears… My Mother was rushed into surgery. They operated that day. When they received the analysis of the tumour they said it was a very aggressive one. That they could not get it all… That once the tumour grew it would grow fast.. They told us she could have 3 days, 3 Weeks, 3 Months or 3 years… They did not know… Mum lived for 18 months after the opp. She underwent radium therapy and 2 months before I turned 19 she passed on..

My Husbands Maternal Grandmother (Nan) died of Stomach Cancer in 2000… Very soon after nursing her only Son (Uncle Barry) who died of Lung Cancer. We were blessed to live close to her and help look after her in her last few months.

My Father died in 2006 from kidney cancer that had metastasized and spread into his lungs. Sadly it was a very short fight…

My husband was diagnosed in 2005 with Severe Aplastic Anemia a pre-cancerous autoimmune disease that has no "cure" and we have been told by several Doctors and Specialists that it is worse than Leukemia.. if you can call any disease "worse" than others! He is still fighting the battle 3 years on. You can read more about his battle on my blog … Click HERE

During my husband’s fight his Paternal Grandmother (Granny) passed on in 2007. She had fought against bowel Cancer years earlier…

This year My father’s latest wife phoned us recently to talk to the kids and she told me that she has been diagnosed with Cervical Cancer…

I have several friends who have had breast cancer, Cervical Cancer, Bone Cancer, Skin Cancer and may other types of Cancers…

Has my life been changed by others battle?
Definitely…
This is why I would like to support the Australian Cancer Council in raising funds for research and developments in Cancer treatments and discoveries. I want to help with the education and support of Cancer Patients. This is my small part… that I am able to give back to all of the beautiful and dear ones who have been ‘touched’ by Cancer.

Dying Pearls Tutorial

I have been meaning to post this for at least 8 months!!!! And by popular demand I am now getting to it!!!! Thanks to Bec.. for the heads up & the questions regarding the process today.. Thanks again to Bec for being my Motivation!!! It's all about sharing great ideas!!! And getting it out there for all to use!!!!

How it all came about....
In our PaperANGEL team meetings we are asked to help out every now and then with the make-n-take sessions... Weather it be to do a short demo of something, help instruct the make-n-take tables... Sometimes we get the easy way out and Liz comes up with the idea... and others (the brave ones- like Bec!!!) come up with their own!!! AMAZING... Some of us give a few minute spiel on classes that have worked or that we are creating... It is a wonderful thing to belong to a team that involves the individual... I believe it makes for a greater feeling of ownership and pride in each member of our team..

Because they are VALUED!!! ... Also I happen to think is only fair we each take turns... As we have so many lovely wonderful talented demonstrators.. Who individually are so ingenious!!! And it takes a little pressure off Liz... so she can enjoy some of the meetings too!!! ;)

Anyway... I have strayed a little... back to the story...

I was STRESSED (a little).... I knew MY TURN would come.. soon... arghhhhh.... RUN HIDE!!!

And well... Do you ever get the feeling that you really have nothing to teach all these wonderfully talented demonstrators??? ... (sounds a little like the Ladies that demoed on main stage at convention!! I feel their pain.. even if it is only in front of 20... I have had a glimmer.. Demoing in front of 450 talented demonstrators... ARGHHHH... I will be running fast... and hiding!!!.. if ever I am asked to do something big like that)... Well that was me... so I did the normal thing in preparation for my inevitable turn... Chewed my nails a bit... I stressed a bit... Researched a bit... and felt like nothing was happening.. I was drawing a total blank... for quite some time...

Then; magically one day a memory from my childhood POPPED into my head... (Thank goodness)

My Mum was a Costume Jewellery Designer and I remembered that she used to dye pearls... With that memory I wondered if I could dye our pearls from our pretties kit? . After all I was getting a bit board with the white and cream pearls.. as lovely as they are.. well I just wanted a change.... you know colour my world... with colour!!! So I did some experimenting...

Then when I thought I had it... I told a couple of people.. and B4 you knew it Liz asked me to take part in one of PaperANGELS make-n-take sessions in our meting... Of course this may have had something to do with my total secrecy in 'the process'.... I wanted to keep it to myself.. I wanted it to be FRESH... NEW and INSPIRING... When I finally unveiled 'The Secret'... (Can you tell I like DRAMA??? Suspense is a great thing.. It makes life exciting.. and surprising.... hehe.. and... I get a bit of a kick out of being a tiny bit evil!!!)

Anyway... I am so grateful for an ingenious Mother!!! Who not only still inspires me even though she passed away when I was 18... but also that she taught me well to "HAVE A GO"....

Muwah (*blows kiss skyward) I Love you Mum...

Damm it now I am crying.... as mum would say.. "You big B.... sook!!! "

Ok so.... on with the tute...

Materials needed..
Pretties Kit.. (of course....), re-inker, microwaveable small cup, paper towels, rubber glove, small funnel, Microwave & pliers or tweezers.

I find egg cups, small par fee bowls or tea light candle cups are the best... The smaller the better as you will use less ink.

First you take the pearls out that you would like to colour..... and... place them in your (microwaveable) cup...

Squeeze in some of your chosen re-inker... enough to totally submerge the pearls... (note:- you do need to choose from our stronger colours... Light ones are not pigmented enough to change the pearls...)

Place cup with pearls in microwave for 10 seconds... being sure that it does not bubble over..

(It gets very messy when it boils over!!!)
Be sure to keep listening all the time to ensure it does not bubble & crack too much because you can blister the pearl.. What you want to achieve is for the resin to expand enough to let in some of the colour... Heat is a great way to expand resin and make it more porous...


* You may want to repeat that process once or twice more.. If it bubbles and cracks you need to stop the microwave even if time is not up.. .. allow it to cool a little.. one or 2 mins.. and then put it back in for the remaining of that 10 seconds...

Lay out a paper towel with a plastic bag underneath.. or put paper towel on the sink so that if it soaks through the towel the clean up is easier...

Take glass with peals out of the microwave.. (it may be hot... so you may need a oven mitt or a tea towel... Protect those CRAFTY hands they are precious!!!) Allow the pearls to cool in the dye.. You can do it over night or it can be for 10 mins.. this all depends on how the ink takes to the pearl... All colours are different in this process.. so ‘trial and error’ is needed...

While they are cooling you can remove the dropper part in your re-inker and poor the remaining ink back into your container using a funnel... (The heating process will not change the colour... However it will make the consistency a little thicker... but I find that that does not matter.. so far I have not noticed changes in the re-inkers ability to re-ink my stamp pads.. If you were worried about it changing the integrity of your re-inker….. perhaps buy one or two darker re-inkers and dedicate them to your pearl dying... OR add a few drops of water)

When cool take your tweezers or pliers... and remove the pearls from the cup.... (a rubber glove comes in handy for this process.. because you can make a mess dropping the pearl back in the cup..)... Place the pearls on the paper towelling... then dab the excess colour off.. you can also rinse it under water.. both will work...

And whalah.. you have a dyed pearl... As you can see it is a subtle difference...Due to the fact that our re-inkers are water based... (if you want stronger colours you could try using fabric dye.. but that is not Stampin Up stuff....; )

I've only put this in the microwave for 10 seconds and allowed it to cool for maybe 10 mins......

The first two pearls are our cream and white ones from our pretties kit.. the one I am pointing to is the Chocolate Chip died one..

Now if the colour is not dark enough you can repeat the process one or two times more.. It may make a difference... again it is all 'trial and error..'.

* If you do not have a microwave.. You may achieve the same result using a baya-maire set up...

Have some boiling water in a saucepan with the cup and pearls in the water...

You need to boil the water so it is bubbling well...

Then you need to boil the pearl in the cup for at least 20 mins.. you may need to top up the water in that 20 mins as the water will turn into steam and will evaporate... do not let it boil dry.. as you will wreck your pearl... burn the bottom of your saucepan... and may (touch wood that it never happens) burn the house down!!! I do not want to be responsible for that!!! Sooooooooo PLEASE keep a close eye on it...!!!

And here is the finished product..attached to my card that I whipped up for this tute tonight...

This is the techniques card I taught in our PaperANGELS meeting all those many months ago.. with some left over and experimental pearls that I have dyed....

As you can see I BOILED the pink ones a bit too much...They blistered... . (Trial and ERROR)... I used Rose Red re-inker... Then the full round pearls at back close to the card I have used Elegant Eggplant.. again you can do it a couple of times to get it darker... and I think (from my really BAD memory) the one on the card was Night of Navy re-inker.... the 2 in the front that got too much light from my cameras flash are the Chocolate Chip ones I just dyed...

Enjoy Experimenting... xxxx

Ps... Oh yeah and the Demonstrator who told us about her pearl dying 'accident' or rather dicovery... Some people have mentioned that they can't remember how she did it... (sorry I can not for the life of me remember her name!!! I took so many notes in her class too!!! How BAD is that??) How she said she achieved it was to leave the pearl in the reinker for a week or so... and it came out a supprise colour... not much like the inker she left it in..

Display boards From Convention

I did not realise how much work people put into these wonderful tutorials and information sessions.. Until I started to crop the photos so that I could put each up individually... When you are sitting in the audience trying to soak in the information and watching the demos... Well it all happens so fast because of "the magic of television" and "here's one I prepared earlier"... I'm waiting for the stake knives to be brought out.. heheh... I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all the wonderful demonstrators that gladly shared their Time talent and ideas!!! You's are all inspirations... (love the english??? yous... bahh haah haah)

I learned so much form Convention and was so inspired!!! I really want to just sit and create non stop for a month... Of course that is not possible... you need to eat and sleep.. take kids to school... cook and clean... You know do all those hum drum things you used to enjoy b4 you became obsessed with paper Crafts...

With all the information that was shared with us and all the demos and displays.... well you would have to be mute and blind to not have learned something... We learned... how to use tools properly, some different techniques, new ideas on how to run your workshops... Little tips that make them more interesting and exciting for your hostess... We learned some more about our great business tools on the web site, some catch phrases, and selling information.. We laughed we cried we jumped for joy. We clapped & cheered, wolf whistled, ohhed and arhed... we got embarrassed (more on that later) and recognised... Some received free stamp sets... (not me... NEXT year they will be mine... yes they will) Some of us were followed around by the camera man!!! some call that stalking.. but when you do crazy things and wear a Halo.. well that's kind of asking for it!!!.... All in all it was a fabulous time...

But wait there's more..... No steak Knives still... ... heheheh

I highly recommend to all demonstrators (hobbyist to career demos) to start putting some money away each week.... about $15 per week should build a really nice nest egg for next years convention in Sydney...That will give you a bit of spending money too!!! Start stashing!!! take it off your profits of your Workshops...

Conventions Swaps Recieved

I have taken group photos of the swaps that I receive... I spent a whole day last week trying to separate all the display board photos form convention... I got really tired of cropping!! so these are going to be all together.. If there is anything you like just double click and save the photo on your computer.. then you can crop them....

Swapping is fun... It's great to get new ideas... and receive cards that may have a different colour combo than you would use.. or cute ideas for hostess gifts etc.. Enjoy looking..

Brought to you by all the wonderful Demonstrators I (and Liz) swapped with at Australia/Canberra 2009 Celebrate Convention... With out them I'd have one design times 75!!!! Thank you all!!!

Convention Announcements

I have copied the information below directly from our Stampin' UP! Demonstrator web site.. It is information that is for both my team and customers... a few things like Catalogue dates and 3 mini catalogues this year (*yeah.. jumps for joy) I am sure both my Team and Customers will be excited to along with me... Enjoy.. Love Ursula

The following announcements were made at Convention 2009.

Change in Catalogue Strategy

During her address in the first general session, Shelli announced that the catalogue launch date would change from April to September, beginning September 2010. "This means that the catalogue you now hold in your hands will be effective through September 2010, or about 17 months," Shelli explained. During the sales period of the current catalogue, Stampin' Up! will also release three mini catalogues to provide new products and hostess sets. Then, a new catalogue will be available in September 2010. Watch for more information in the coming weeks.

This new catalogue strategy allows Stampin' Up! to

• release new products closer to the time they are released in the United States;
• keep all product offerings, including In Colors, accessories, and stamp sets, more closely linked to our offering in the US;
• help demonstrators offer popular products in a more timely fashion.

Although Shelli didn't announce this, the dates for Sale-A-Bration next year have also been adjusted. Sale-A-Bration will run from 25 January through 31 March.

Watch for more detailed information about the catalogue transition and strategy on the Demonstrator Web Site.

Update on Backorder Situation

During her remarks in the first session, Shelli also noted that the backorder situation has been a top priority. "Backorders will always be a part of any sales business because it's impossible to always forecast, order, and ship perfectly," she noted. "However, we are well aware that the volume of backorders we have had recently is absolutely unacceptable."

Shelli announced several short-term fixes and long-term fixes, including the following:

• Stampin' Up! has air freighted a large quantity of products to arrive last week.
• In addition, a large container with product is en route to Australia, which will alleviate the immediate concern.
• Stampin' Up! is creating a "safety stock" of all products in each international country, which means each country will have extra inventory, over and above what we expect to sell.
• Stampin' Up! will also be shipping containers of product more frequently to each country.
• Finally, Stampin' Up! will monitor even more closely the forecast and sales numbers and will respond immediately to products that look like they may go into backorder status.

Demonstrator Product Review Board

In his remarks, Aaron announced the creation of an anonymous demonstrator product review board. This group of demonstrators from Australia and New Zealand will be a great asset to us in identifying and providing popular products in the future and helping us ensure the accuracy of forecasts, products, and catalogues.

Move in Office Location

Aaron also summarized the growth that Stampin' Up! has experienced in the Australia and New Zealand area, including growing from four staff members to seven. This growth has necessitated a change in office location, as well. Effective in July, the Stampin' Up! office will move from our current location in Botany to a new facility. Watch the Demonstrator Web Site for more information regarding the change in contact information.

Dates for Upcoming Events

The dates and location for next year's convention was announced. In the awards session, Shelli encouraged all demonstrators to mark 21-22 May on their calendar and plan on attending Convention 2010, which will be held in Sydney!

The 2010 Incentive Trip location was also announced. It will take place on Hamilton Island. Watch for further details and exact dates on the Demonstrator Web Site.

In addition, regionals and field trainings were announced for the following locations:

Australia Regionals

• Perth
• Brisbane
• Sydney
• Melbourne

Australia Field Trainings

• Adelaide
• Hobart
• Canberra
• Cairns

Specific dates and venues will be announced soon, so watch for more detailed information on the Demonstrator Web Site.