On Sunday we held the Hamilton Extravaganza. We hold this event three times a year to share our creativity and showcase new products that Stampin' Up! releases. It is run by ten demonstrators who teach five gorgeous paper craft projects. This time we had Easter, wedding, birthday and all-occasions projects. In addition to all the crafting done by the 60+ crafters who attended, there was also a fun, festive atmosphere with prize draws, displays and lots of socialising with like-minded people.

All guests are seated at tables and the demonstrators come to you! That's right, you just sit back and enjoy your crafting day! For each of my guests I made a pretty gift bag using the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits and Sale-A-Bration Best Year Ever DSP, and filled them with a yummy Easter treat.

Stamps: Chalk Talk (wood: 130631, clear: 130634). Ink: Yellow Citrus ColorBox Chalk Ink (138093), White Stampin' Chalk Marker (132133). Card/Paper: Calypso Coral (124392), Chalkboard Paper (137786), Best Year Ever DSP (SAB 138633), Window Sheets (114323). Accessories: Tea Lace Paper Doilies (129399), Clothespins (133764), Pearl Basic Jewels (119247), Linen Thread (104199). Tools: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine (113439), Magnetic Platform (130658), Mini Treat Bags Thinlit Dies (137547), Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755).

The pegged name tags are Chalkboard Paper stamped with a Chalk Talk stamp in Yellow Citrus ColorBox Chalk Ink. The names are hand-written using the Chalk Marker...

For my door-prize contribution I created one of the Happy Easter Bunny treat boxes from my workshops and filled it with more Easter treats...

Here's some of the other demonstrators' gifts for the prize draws...

And now to share the projects we were taught at the Extravaganza...

In this first project, Bev and Kirstie the paired the fabulous Sale-A-Bration Big Day stamp set with the Birthday Bash Specialty DSP - love the colours and gold flecks in the paper! This is a fun card to create and receive. Here's the card front...

And when you pull up on the tag the card front lifts up to reveal another message...

I love the versatility of the Sale-A-Bration Irresistibly Yours Specialty DSP. This paper has glossy white patterns, which is perfect for colouring. For this project, Christine and Sarah had the option to colour the DSP using a brayer in either Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry or Bermuda Bay inks. Mine is in Melon Mambo and beautifully finished with the stamps and dies from the Butterfly Basics Bundle...

These are pocket cards with a pull-out insert for writing your message...

This colour neutral wedding card is very elegant and soft. Rayleen and Irene were inspired by the Something Borrowed DSP and added stamped images from For the New Two, Petal Potpourri, Flower Shop, Petite Petals and Kinda Eclectic. I especially love the fibres from the White Jute Ribbon and Linen Thread tucked under the flower...

Inside this lovely card is a popup wedding cake!

Jacque and Andrea managed to showcase the very large and very beautiful Sheltering Tree stamp set with their project. This amazing bundle of note cards and envelopes show how versatile this stamp set is!

And the final project was taught by Alicia and myself. We used the cute Happy Easter Bunny stamp with a fun embossing folder/water colouring technique to create a pretty Easter Egg box. We finished the box with a faux-suede bow, created using the Bow Builder Punch...

FYI, if you order your Easter stamps within the next week, they will be here in time!

The day was a-ma-zing! We all had such a great time. The next Hamilton Extravaganza is July 2015, plus watch out for a brand-new Wellington Extravaganza! If you want to know when registrations open for these events then stay informed by clicking This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to sign up for my email updates.