Stampin' Up! Grand Vacation - Allure of the Seas

Stampin' Up! Grand Vacation

As promised I am finally back to share some of our amazing trip to the Caribbean on the most amazing ship in the world - Allure of the Seas.

We left on the 1st May headed to Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. Stampin' Up! were so generous that we had an option of an extra buy-in cabin on the ship. I asked two of my best-friends, Mehgan and Kabrina. My poor husband had to put up with three giggling, laughing, excited girls, but he still had an amazing time! 

Mehgan, Kabrina and I enjoy a cocktail in Miami

Amazing husband and I.

 The day we leave to board the ship - you can see it in the background on the right.

Getting my travel wallet and name tag

Our cabin door - all decorated 'Stampin' Uppie!'

Our first stop - Haiti. Standing in front of this mammoth ship.

The port of Jamaica 

At the Myan Ruins in Cozumel, Mexico

The gorgeous beach at Cozumel

 

The Solarium Sundeck

Yes - it had it's very own Central Park!

And the cutest little cupcake shop - 'Cupcake Cupboard'

 Feeling star struck - a photo with Brian King from Atlanta USA. Brian is very tall and he graciously bent right down to get a 'selfie' with me!

Girls just wanna have fun!

The first formal night on the ship - we couldn't stop smiling!

And the boys get serious! 

 The last formal night with our friends. 

From left: Kabrina, Mehgan, Bruno Bertucci and wife Kylie from Melbourne, Daniel - aka amazing husband, Me, Shannean Moncrieff and her husband Woody from Cairns. We spent a lot of the trip together and it's our friends that really made the trip so much more enjoyable.

There's thousands of photos to share and so many memories from such an amazing trip. I am so grateful to Stampin' Up!, my customers, my family and friends, my team and everyone who has supported us to achieve this goal and earn the incentive trip that I cannot put it into words. Just thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and for believing in me. 

A huge thank you to my Mum, my Brothers and Sister-in-Laws for having our cherubs while we were away and for making it special for them too. We love you.

Thanks again,

Lou xo

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Just Add Ink - Colour Challenge!

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"Any hour spent with you is Happy Hour!"

We just arrived home from the Stampin' Up! Grand Vacation on the Allure of the Seas. If it's possible to have too much fun, then we had it!

The Just Add Ink challenge this week is a colour challenge. 

I made this card for my amazing husband, who continues to make me laugh everyday. We sipped cocktails and enjoyed the beautiful Caribbean weather together.

Here's a photo of us in Haiti standing in front of the ship. 

I will be back shortly to post more photos of our fabulous trip.

Thanks for stopping by,

Lou  xo

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Grand Vacation Swaps

Swap Time - Hello Sailor!
As most of you who follow my blog know, I am currently on the 2014 Stampin' Up! Grand Vacation. We are being absolutely spoilt on the Allure of the Seas, cruising the Caribbean!

At most events demonstrators take part in something called 'swaps'. We make multiples of one creation and then swap with other demonstrators, it's lots of fun.

I made my swap more like a keepsake or memento, so other demonstrators can scrapbook their adventures 'Project Life' style. And what's even better? Stampin' Up! and Project Life have joined forces! 

Here's the little keepsake box made with the envelope punch board:

And here are six 3x4" cards that will fit perfectly into the Project Life pocket pages:

I know six won't be enough to scrapbook our amazing journey, but hopefully it gives everyone some inspiration. I am hoping to see what some people come up with.

I used the stamp set from the Occasional Catalogue, 'Hello Sailor', which I think was perfectly suited for our trip.

Thanks again for stopping by,
Lou xo

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Today's The Day!

Louise is feeling: Excited!

Today is the day we board the Allure of the Seas for the Stampin' Up! Grand Vacation 2014 and I am feeling all the synonyms to the word 'excited'!

Meaning: excited / adjective

synonyms: thrilled, exhilarated, elevated, animated, enlivened, electrified, stirred, moved, delighted, exuberant, enraptured, intoxicated, feverish, enthusiastic, eager, high as a kite, fired up, tickled pink, full of beans, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, peppy, sparky.

I am not too sure how much internet access we will have once on board, so I wanted to make sure before we board that I posted some pictures of some little gifts I put together for some of my international stamping friends. They are just little packets of the best Australian biscuits ever - Tim Tams!  I used the the bags and tags from the Celebrations Basics Banner Kit and Calypso Coral add-on from page 30 in the Occasions Catalogue - it comes with so much in it to create really cute little gift tags and bags. I also used the gold sequin trim to just add some pretty bling!  Thanks for stopping by, Lou xo If you are interested to see the boat we are on I have found one of the best videos is actually from an Australian tv show - Getaway. It's not too long and shows all the most important parts!

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Just Add Ink - Photo Inspiration

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"Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful"

I love this weeks Just Add Ink Photo Inspiration created by Nikki. The gold and bold chevron pattern paired with the subtle soft pinks and blues just makes it so pretty.

As you read this today I am in Florida, about to board the Allure of the Seas, for the Stampin' Up! Grand Vacation! I am so excited and even more excited to be spending it with my amazing husband and two of my closest friends, Mehgan and Kabrina.

This card has been made for my very special friend Mehgan, who I met last year in Utah at the Stampin' Up! American Convention. You can read about our friendship >here<.

It just so happens that I am in Florida today with Mehgan and it's her birthday! I am so excited to have the opportunity to spend her birthday with her. I used the stamp saying 'Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful' because in a perfect world Mehgan would live next door instead of being on the other side of the world (Mehgan lives in Arizona.) However it is still wonderful because she is in my life!

Stamp Sets: Perfect Pennants (pg27 Occasions Catalogue), 

Secret Garden (pg94), Positively Chevron (pg126) 

Accessories: Versa Mark Pad, Gold Embossing Powder, Pearls, Seam Binding Ribbon

Colour Combination: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party, Gold

Thanks for stopping by.

Lou X

P.S - I will be updating my blog with my trip, however if you would like to follow the 'daily happenings' please pop over to my Facebook page and follow me - I would really love that! :) xx

 >FACEBOOK - LOUISE SHARP<

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