Wrapping up the trip with day 5 and the departure day from the 2017 Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Thailand

Day 5 (Friday) was exciting as we got to pick up our swaps from the hospitality room. It's always very exciting to see which ones you get back and to photograph others. I will be sharing some of my favourite swaps over the next week. 

Other than that Friday was spent relaxing by the pool again (this resort was perfect for relaxation) before out final event. All we knew is we were going somewhere on a bus! When we were lining up we were given a printed card with all the details. We were off to a fabulous event at the Blue Elephant restaurant and cooking school which was under a big marquee in the grounds of an historical mansion. 

We were greeted with cold drinks and a beautiful flower bracelet, and the table centrepieces were breath-taking,

There were local handicraft and souvenir stalls, as well as Blue Elephant cooking school product (had to grab some green curry paste), There were also local people dressed in tradional costume with dancing and singing.

The food was amazing, Such a huge variety of local dishes. I particularly loved the yellow vegetable curry but of course I had to try everything. My absolute favourite dessert was the sticky mango rice. I loved how they served it too. I wish I had taken a photo. I brought a local cookbook at the airport and I cant wait until mango is seasonal again in Australia so I can make it at home.

It really was a lovely night of relaxing, eating and exploring the grounds and chatting. It was lovely to have Shelli and Sterling on our table for a while and be able to thank them in person for the trip. I love this photo of Shelli with Sam Hammond who stopped by to say hello to Shelli. It's been many years now since I have first met Shelli, over 9 I think, and I have been lucky enough to share many of these trips with her and Sterling. Underneath all the luxury of these trips though, just by being herself, Shelli has really impacted my life so positively. She is a wonderful woman with such fabulous values and is always so giving of her time, as is Sara and the whole Gardner family. I recall my husband (on the first trip he attended with me) being so blown away by how much the Corporate team mingled with us and appreciated us. We are lucky to be a part of this fabulous company.

I have many photos taken with global friends over our week in Thailand, but I have a special project in mind for them, so I will just share one for now. Again not fabulous light, but Alisa, Pam and I were happy to get a photo with Jill Olsen!

As we left the final event to go home, we were given a lovely elephant charm on a chain to remember our time in Thailand. As we got back to our rooms, we were also greeted with our final pillow gift. a beautiful boxed Thai ceramic jar (and more product!). 

The next day was departure day, and we headed to the airport in the afternoon for our flight back to Singapore (delayed, so I was able to fit in another foot massage!), and then an overnight flight back to Melbourne.  I think overnight flights are much like labour. The excitement makes you forget about how bad the last time was. It was worth it though for a fabulous trip, and our travel time was much reduced this time in comparison to US and Europe based trips. It's always lovely to be home though. Here is the sun rising on our flight into Melbourne.

If you are a demonstrator reading this, and wishing you too could make these trips, please believe YOU CAN! In my opinion, the people who make these trips don't have any secret methods or superpowers. We all start on the same points at the beginning of the earning year. It's just about goal setting, self belief, consistency and tracking. With no disrespect intended, I'm not one that believes you need to pay for any special training to achieve the trips. You already know what to do! It's just having the focus to put that into action over the year. You can do it! I believe in you. Use that time and money in your own business plan and watch those points climb!

I hope you have enjoyed my wrap up of the trip. Stay tuned for a couple of other trip related projects over the coming weeks and I promise to share some of the swaps along the way too.

Next up on the blog will be some alternate takes on my most pinned Christmas card from last year. 

Until then be crafty and happy,

Claire

(Disclaimer: less than 1% of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators make the Incentive Trip each year)

 

2017 Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Thailand: Day 3 and 4 Phang Nga Bay, Koh Panyee Floating Village and Rang Yai Island

Day 3: 

This was an epic day! A full day speedboat tour out on Phang Nga bay. 

We were transported to the pier in a  fleet of 20 buses, and loaded into speedboats (about 30 to a boat) for the start of our Island hopping. 

Our first stop was Koh Panyee Floating Village. It was beautiful scenery around and approaching the village, but I have to admit feeling a bit funny visiting so close to peoples homes and a school that was in classes. I hope the village benefits a lot from the tourism. One highlight though was the floating football pitch. It was fun to get a group photo of our speedboat group.

Next we went to a pontoon where those who wanted could canoe around some of the island coves. My youngest wasn't so keen so we stayed on the pontoon taking photographs.

We sailed past James Bond Island (where the Bond movie 'The Man with the Smoking Gun' featuring Roger Moore was filmed in the 70's) Our final stop was a beautiful little private island (called Rang Yei Island) where we had a buffet lunch under the shade of trees right on the waters edge. The water temperature was amazing and there were lots of deck chairs to just sit and admire the view. It was a fabulous relaxing afternoon.

We were all so exhausted by the time we got back to the pier and then back to the hotel. It was time for a swim, a room service dinner and a relaxing night. I tried the Penang Curry which definitely turned the chilli up a notch or two - wowsers! Still delicious though.

Our pillow gift tonight was a beautiful bag and 2 packs of new Designer Series Paper (which I can't reveal just yet :( ). I can show you the bag though. I love it!

Day 4 (Thursday) was another relaxation day for us. More time in the pool, lunch at the poolside restaurant (and then a huge Monsoon storm came in). In the afternoon I had another spa treatment. In the afternoon I had another spa treatment (Reflexology this time).

Late afternoon there was a Share Fair on where 6 demonstrators showcased product from the Holiday Catalogue (can't show you these pictures yet sorry :(

 

For dinner we caught the shuttle bus to do some souvenir shopping and have dinner outside the resort. Tonight's pillow gift was some more Holiday Catalogue product which I can show you next week.

Back  in a day or two with the final post. Until then, be happy!

Claire

(Disclaimer: less than 1% of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators make the Incentive Trip each year)

 

2017 Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Thailand: Day 1 and 2

Day 1:

The official event started on Day 1 with a buffet breakfast of everything you could imagine, including a Stampin' Up! carved melon. I loved the tropical fruits and noodles (not together!) but if was definitely the bacon for my boys!

After breakfast it was off in cute little shuttle buses with wooden benches (and no suspension!) off to the Latitude marquee in the main Laguna resort. More snacks and drinks and thankfully air conditioning, The event was very exciting as the 2017 Holiday Catalogue was launched and we saw stamping demonstrations and received lots of free product give-aways (can't show you any Holiday Catalogue images until the 28th)!  We were also very excited to find out that the location for the 2019 trip is a Greek Isles cruise (we already knew 2018 was an Alaska cruise). As we walked in, the Stampin' Up! Corporate Team / Board of Directors and each country Business Development Manager and their partners were waiting to clap us all into the marquee. Stampin' Up! always make us feel so appreciated.  It was fabulous to have Shelli and Sterling there and we made her cry with a standing ovation.

There were lots of hugs and I hung out with my partners in crime Alisa and Pam. We each had boys around the same age here, so it was great to see them getting to know each other during the week too, and to be able to help each other out with them.

After lunch we returned to a yummy boxed lunch - Thai style!

 

Next it was our first chance to check out the hospitality room. This is always a highlight on the Incentive Trip for me. It' where lounges are set up so we can mingle with fellow demonstrators and the Stampin' Up! representatives. They also spoil us with candy (with logo lollie bags so we can take some back to our room - the boys loved that), drinks fridge, snacks (my fave were the banana fritters with caramel sauce, but the Thai ice-creams on a stick were delicious too). Each day there is a bean bag game for free product giveaways and the items change each day! 

Time also to drop off my 25 global card swaps for collection later in the week (you receive 25 different ones back, and Stampin' Up! keep one to display at events). Here was my swap:

Many of the South Pacific girls also participate in their own 3x4" pocket memory keeping card swap. We just pick a colour theme, and otherwise theme it to the location. Here is mine, the groups and those who participated (Ann Craig is missing from the photo,

Monday afternoon / evening was an optional bus trip to Patong. Things turned a but crazy when we were delayed in a traffic jam for an hour waiting for a jack-knifed crane to be moved from the road, but I used it as a great opportunity to get to know the demonstrator sitting behind me. I love to get to know new people. Patong was quite an eye opener for me. Very touristy and somewhere that is good to see, but also good to retreat from. The boys were happy with some cheap shopping and I am glad for the experience, and especially enjoyed the varying sights out the window on the way there (including a few alarming sights of 3 people on scooters with children, sans helmet!). We were on Patong beach as the sunset which was really beautiful.

Tonight's pillow gift was our full day excursion on Wednesday, and a logo waterproof iPhone holder (they think of everything). Combined with the huge amount of product we got earlier in the day, we were very spoiled!

Day 2 was a rest day for us. We planned to not do too many excursions as it was our mid year school break and we really needed some rest and relaxation time. I love we are given that flexibility. There was sleeping in, lots of swimming, more visits to the hospitality room and my first visit to the onsite Angsana Spa. I love the plaque on the wall about the Angsana flower and what it represents.

Today's treatment was a lovely Javanese massage (my Myotherapist had suggested I avoid a Thai massage this trip as it might be a bit much for some treatment we are in the middle of). The treatment, atmosphere and therapist were all fabulous, and afterwards you get to enjoy a honey tea with fresh fruit.

 

This evening we headed out to dinner outside the resort with some Aussie friends who also had teenagers with them. Came home to another lovely pillow gift (can't show you yet as it was Holiday Catalogue product).

Stay tuned for day 3 and 4.

Claire

(Disclaimer: Less than 1% of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators earn the Incentive Trip each year)

2017 Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Thailand: Arrivals Day / Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort

Hey there. As many of you know, I have just returned from the 2017 Stampin' Up! Incentive trip to Thailand. I thought you might like to see and hear some more about it. I'll have to do it in a series of posts (I'll combine a few days) so as not to break the internet with too many photos. Today I'm posting a look at the resort, and the excitement of day 1.

The Angsana Laguna Resort at Bangtao Beach Phuket was really beautiful! It was around a lagoon, but also backed onto the beach, but in a gated resort complex about 30 minutes north of Patong beach, and about the same distance drive from Phuket International airport. My husband, myself and 2 boys flew in a day early. We were given a beautiful pool room that had a direct entrance into the pool. Here is the amazing view from my room balcony  (we had a climb down ladder straight into the pool from our balcony). We appreciated this as the weather was hot and humid. Most days around 30 with high humidity as it was Monsoon season. The showers when they came were brief and not too bad (everyone just carried on) except for a particularly full on one while we were eating lunch at the pool bar Friday. We were moved under-cover but the water polo game continued! The beach was lovely, and had a massage tent and security guards (great security at the resort), but there must have been some dangerous under-tow in the water as they had the beach closed. I swam every day in the pool though, so don't let hearing it's monsoon season put you off visiting this beautiful resort in July.

 

The pool was amazing and had a swim up pool bar (20m to swim from my balcony to the pool bar and they even had Stampin' Up! trip logo cups)! The fruit smoothies were delicious! The pool wound itself right around the resort and it was so fun to float around and say hello to all the other demonstrators and Stampin' Up! staff (Stampin' Up! had booked out the entire resort). Every afternoon in the main pool, a staff member got a water polo game happening and this was a huge hit with my boys and husband too! We had a few showers of rain, bit no thunder around so most people just stay in the pool. It passes very quickly and it stays hot and humid.

 

The other thing I loved about the resort (well other than the food, spa and comfy lounges everywhere) was the beautiful foliage everywhere. You know how I love my plants! Such beautiful and unusual plants in every shade of green and many other shades! There were beautiful Frangipani plants and Gardenia too, but only a few flowers this time of year. It was a really serene setting to un-wind. Each night, fresh lemongrass oil was put in the oil burner in our room too. Those little touches made it so relaxing.

The resort was especially beautiful at dusk when the lights reflected off the water.

 

 

The food was AMAZING! I had the best green chicken curry of my entire life from room service, and my boys and husband loved the pizza at the poolside restaurant. 

It was exciting seeing the event start to come to life on the Sunday afternoon. Signage started appearing around the resort, Stampin' Up! trip logo cups in the pool bar, beautiful name tags on our doors and a delivery of a tropical fruit basket, with cute embellished tag and (luckily) a description of what each food was and how to eat it!

Back soon with day 2 and 3!

Claire

 

Barcelona Project Life Album using Stampin' Up! Hello Lovely Card Collection & Accessory Pack

Hello friends. Today I have some Memory Keeping for you :)

Earlier this year my family and I were lucky enough to spend a week in Barcelona ahead of the Stampin' Up! Mediterranean Incentive Trip. I have to say Barcelona was never on my bucket list, but wow, what an amazing City! So vibrant and cultural and colourful. I loved it!

I started Stampin' Up! as a Scrapbooker, and memory keeping has been a huge part of my Stampin' Up! journey. I love using stamps in my memory keeping, and the colour coordination Stampin' Up! offers is fabulous for scrapbookers. I also love the pocket scrapbooking trend, so was excited when Stampin' Up! partnered with Becky Higgins to release an official suite of Project Life products.

I have used the Hello Lovely Project Life by Stampin' Up! card collection and accessory pack on this album, along with lots of memorabilia from my trip and a few word / quote stickers (you will notice I use these LOTS in memory keeping and I have a big stash!).

Here's a look at some pages of my album. For the cover page I just did a 12x12" layout and then clipped some travel documents on the back. The quote top left was from one of the pillow gifts we got on the Stampin' Up! trip. I really loved this quote. The cover page is going to cover both the Barcelona portion as well as the cruise portion of my trip, hence why we have the itinerary on the reverse.

Here's some of the pages (I completed 35 pages including the 2 cover pages). I loved all the beautiful plants and flowers in Barcelona. The balconies were beautiful and La Ramblas had so many flower, plant and seed stalls.

I ended up with lots of food pictures as food is a huge part of the journey in Spain!

Here's some close up peeks at some of the elements on my pages.

I hope you have enjoyed this peek inside my Barcelona Project Life album. I'll be starting on some European port photos soon, so stay tuned!

Claire

 

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