In fact it is  hard to believe how fast the past 11 years have flown by

My ELEVEN year old

(picking out some music while he waited for guests to arrive)

I created his invitations using My Digital Studio.  (You can download a free trial of this super program here)

The evening consisted of lots of music, lots of loud laughing and chatter, silly photos, dancing and happy faces!

I kept the “guest gifts” pretty simple.  It was mainly 11 and 12 year old boys who attended and I wasn’t sure how well “lolly bags” would go down with that age group.    Instead I covered chocolate bars in wrappers that I created in My Digital Studio and matched the design to the invitation.

I also purchased some large lolly-pops and kept the ‘decoration’ super simple.

My scallop circle punch is one of my ‘go to’ items especially for creating simple tags like thise above.   Please check out this punch and other punches in my online store here

I would loved to have made some ‘novelty’ party food but instead kept things pretty simple to appeal to the pre-teen age group.    The guests had savoury finger food, BBQ sausages in bread, pizza, soft drink, lollies and other nibblies.  I couldn’t resist making one small tray of ninjabread men just for a bit of  laugh.

The kids basically entertained themselves for the evening.  It was nice to sit back and just watch the kids enjoy themselves.  Most of the evening seemed to look like this….

The guests also had a bit of fun with our homemade “Photobooth”.  I snapped lots of crazy shots.  Here’s a small selection of shots…..

CAKE TIME!!!!

I purchased some novelty candles that kept lighting up again over and over that got quite a few laughs!  Jared tells me his party was “Seriously epic”

Phew- and that’s our household’s birthdays over for another year!

Click here to view the list of retiring stamp sets

Click here to view the list of retiring accessories

Please contact me if there is anything you would like to order before it is SOLD OUT.  Alternatively you may wish to shop online through my store (This is a great way to view all of the retiring products)

I arrived in Brisbane at what would have been 3am WA time and I got no more than 1 hour’s sleep on the plane after a journey that started at lunchtime the day before.    Fortunately there was lots of fun and inspiring stuff to keep me (mostly) awake for the day at our Leadership sessions.   On that first evening we had a special Manager’s Reception where we were treated to an absolutely divine meal and showered with lovely gifts.   Most of all I just enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with lots of lovely friends

(L-R Kathryn, Kylie, Claire, Genna, Me and Sue)

(I mentioned like-minded didn’t I?)

In the  days that followed we had inspiring presentations,  ’break-out classes’, opportunities to see NEW products up close, sessions in the main theatre, displays, memento mall, prize patrol (give aways) award presentations and even a live band and dancing at our ‘after party’.  I received a Leadership award.  It is always so lovely to congratulate other demonstrators on their awards too.   We were rapt to see sneak peeks of new products and even got our hands on the brand new 2013-2014 Catalogue.  (Don’t worry it won’t be long before I will be able to share it with my lovely customers and friends)

One of the highlights for me is seeing CEO and Co-Founder Shelli Gardner presenting on stage.  I always love her warmth and inspiring projects.   It is no wonder Stampin’ Up! has just moved from strength to strength in the past 25 years.  I left Convention inspired to “Be the Difference”.

I’m already looking forward to catching up with everyone next year

(Claire Daly and Me)

(Miriam Thomas, Kylie Bertucci, Sue Madex)

If you are interested in being part of the family and joining my team- please be sure to let me know miriamthomas@westnet.com.au  or 0419 947 047

Join my Team

While I had my Stamping gear out and in use I also  made a Little boy version too!

STAMP SETS USED ON THESE CARDS and available from my online store

“Baby Prints”

“Parlour Prints”

THREE of the colours used on these cards will be retiring at the end of next month- “Pretty in pink”, “Bashful Blue” and “Certainly Celery”  Be sure to snap up these colours before they retire!

Here’s one card I have made.   I’ve used some of the ‘Tea for two’  Designer Series paper and some stamped images. (Retiring colours Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery)

A simple change of colours and stamp sets…but still the same basic design and we have a different ‘look’ all together (Retiring colours- Not quite Navy, River Rock and Lucky Limeade)

and again….. (Retiring colour Bashful Blue)

On each of these cards I’ve used at least one of the colours that will be RETIRING at the end of the June.  Already some of the reinkers for these colours have sold out! If you would like to order some of these colours before they are gone forever….please contact me as soon as possible

STAMP SETS USED ON THE CARDS ABOVE (Not to scale)  These stamp sets are all available for sale.  You can contact me for more information OR order through my online store.

PAPILLON POTPOURRI (pg 115) Product code 123757 (w) 123758 (c)

FLOWERING FLOURISHES (pg 121) Product code 126365 (w) 126367 (c)

FROM MY HEART (page 139) Product code 126555 (w) 126557 (c)

DARING ADVENTURE (page 104) Product Code 122600 (w) 122602 (c)

PERFECTLY PRESERVED and matching FRAMELITS (Cannery Set) From Holiday catalogue

Product code 126690(w) 126692(c) Framelits Product code- 127822

I was going  through some photos the other day and stumbled across the following layout that I created for a Scrapbooking class some time ago.   I thought I had shared it on my blog but it appears that I haven’t….so here you go!

This is the sketch that was offered to participants.  People were able to use papers and colours that worked with their photos.

One of my sample layouts was of my son- This was actually last year’s School Swimming Carnival (2012) and we’ve already had this year’s School Carnival….oops! Time does pass rather quickly.  This photo from last year shows Jared and his good mate after the carnival.  Last year Jared was runner-up Champion Boy and this year he was awarded Champion Boy which he was rather chuffed about….I must get around to scrappin’ that photo too!    ( I must add that in the other photo in this layout I tried to capture my son swimming in our backyard pool.  He couldn’t resist  ’posing for the camera’- There’s no way he would stop and grin like that in an actual race! )

For this layout I used the International Bazaar Designer Series paper (pg 164 Product code 126920)

I also created a second layout that was a little more girly.  This is my precious daughter, Erin and my sweet Great- Niece (as in I’m her Great- Aunty not that she isn’t ‘great’ as well!)

I used the Floral District patterned paper for this layout (pg 163 Product code 126919)  The title was cut with the “Typeset Alphabet” Dies and my bigshot (pg 193 Product code 127553)

]]> http://www.creationsbymiriam.com/?feed=rss2&p=2474 0 http://www.creationsbymiriam.com/?p=2440 http://www.creationsbymiriam.com/?p=2440#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 02:46:30 +0000 admin http://www.creationsbymiriam.com/?p=2440  

I hope all the ladies enjoyed a lovely Mother’s Day yesterday.  I have a nice relaxing day.  My husband made me pancakes for breakfast and I received some lovely handmade cards, gifts, cuddles and kisses from the kids.  We popped in to visit my husband’s Mum and then had lunch with my Mum.  Here is the card I made for Mother’s Day……..

I really enjoyed playing with the “Dress up” Framelits.  They are so easy to use..but really effective.  I even took these dies and my bigshot into school and my Pre-Primary class made Mother’s Day cards using these framelits.

These framelits could obviously be used on a variety of different cards- for a variety of different occasions.  Just as an example, if you cut the dress a little longer it could be made into a Wedding gown.  Of course- a simple change of sentiment or patterned paper can change the ‘look’.

Erin enjoyed the afternoon with a group of really lovely young ladies.  They were beautifully behaved the entire time! What a gorgeous bunch!

Here is the invitation that went out to her guests (Created in “My Digital Studio”)

GETTING SPOILED ROTTEN!

A SNAPSHOT OF SOME OF THE DECORATIONS (Luke asked me why Dad and I hung up ‘lots of those things you use to wash yourself in the shower’….Hmmm I guess some of them looked a little like a ‘shower puff’)

The girls were invited into my ‘craft classroom’ (that I use for adult classes) for a bit of creative ‘girly time’.

Each guest made a bracelet, a little purse to carry the bracelet and an ice cream card.

They cut out the purses using a die and my Bigshot. Aren’t they cute!?  The ice cream on the front of the card was cut out of the shapes on the petal cone die.

I’m pretty sure they all enjoyed themselves and they all did such a wonderful job!

We got so distracted that we ‘almost’ ran out of time for the party food.  I had just enough time to throw the party food on the table before the parents arrived to collect their children.  Please excuse the photos….it was my intention to make it look ‘pretty’ but in the end it was just placed on the table randomly and the sun was in an awkward position to take decent photos.

The main food was of course- Ice Cream! All the girls were able to make their own ice cream Sundaes.  (I think a few were so ‘creative’ that they went home with a belly ache!) There were a variety of toppings to create their own ultimate Icecream Sundae! The other party food included cupcakes, sherbet cones, purple butterfly shaped biscuits, fairy floss, ice cream ‘cake pops’, marshmallows, popcorn, lolly teeth and other tasty treats!

THE CAKE

I must admit that I wasn’t entirely happy with how the cake turned out! I’m not one to make too much of a fuss of a birthday cake.  I am normally one to just  throw on some icing and lollies and hope for the best…..but I’m not sure I pulled it off this time! I just didn’t get the balance of colour right! I was hoping the chocolate on the icecream would be a deeper turquoise, the purple icing darkened over time and the pink wasn’t ‘pink enough’ (I used most of the food colouring on the red part of Adam’s cake the day before oops! )   At about 11pm I wasso disappointed that I was very close to starting up the oven to bake another cake and Jason convinced me that it would be crazt- reminding me that it only takes a moment to sing “Happy Birthday” and then the cake is cut into pieces!  No-one seemed to mind that I didn’t bake another cake.

ERIN BLOWING OUT THE CANDLES ( I can’t believe she is NINE!)

THE AFTERMATH

Each guest took home the items they had made, a bag of lollies (decorated by Erin using retire Stampin’ Up! papers that matched her theme perfectly) plus a small wrapped gift containing a journal and shower gel, lotion etc all wrapped up with gorgeous Stampin’ Up! ribbon.

It is our final family birthday this month (All 6 birthdays are within a 6 week period) – I must give some serious thought to what I’m going to do for Jared’s birthday in about 9 days time!

Firstly the invitation.  I created Adam’s invitation using MY DIGITAL STUDIO which is a Stampin’ Up! product for creating digital projects.

If you would like to try out this product- You can download a free trial from my online store.  Just click on the button that says ‘shop now’.  The full version is only $24.95 and includes lots of great content.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Anyway- back to the birthday party.  I didn’t use a lot of Stampin’ Up! products for Adam’s decorations but I can assure you that my Stampin’ Up! PAPER SNIPS got a good workout (It is great that my kids are now at an age where they are lots of help with the party preparations! Thanks for your help with all of the cutting!)

THE DECORATIONS

OPENING THE GIFTS….with a little bit of ‘assistance’.   Thanks so much to the party guests for all of the lovely gifts for Adam!

ENTERTAINMENT

The entertainment included an ‘off screen Angry Birds Game”- complete with a slingshot.  Erin blew up and tied lots of green balloons and Jared drew bad piggies faces faces on them

We also had a game where we popped “Goomba” balloons”, a  Mario pinata and “Pin the moustache on Mario” Game

TIME to “PIG OUT!”

(The labels for the food items were cut out using my Bigshot using the Petal cone die and Apothecary Accents Framelits)

TIME FOR CAKE

and finally……the PARTY FAVOURS

Call me crazy but I love all of the birthday party preparation.  I was even crazy enough to hold a party for Erin the following day.  Stay tuned for pictures!