The Memory Bee

Disney Dreams and French General Friends

I arrived in California last Friday bright and early in the morning (which means I left New York REALLY early in the morning!) Of course, by the time the shuttle got me from LAX to my hotel in Anaheim, it was later in the afternoon and just the right time to head over to Disney and peer through the fence like a little kid and wish I was inside!

No time for that today though, so I had a bite to eat at Tortilla Joes in Downtown Disney and headed off for a little shopping at South Coast Plaza with Michelle who had come up from San Diego for CHA.

On Saturday morning we made our way to Los Angeles to French General, Kaari Meng's store full of vintage finds, for classes, shopping, and making new friends!

Our first class was with Charlotte Lyons and Pam Garrison making sweet little pillows covered with buttons and bits of lace and embroidery and ribbon. A couple samples were passed to inspire us and then we were on our own to play and see what we could come up with...

Here's mine as I worked on it... I decided to keep it a rectangle and frame it someday. I'll eventually outline the heart with some kind of embrodery stitch and finish the inside of the heart with some final touches. I'll share a picture when I'm done.

and here are a couple other people's hearts-in-progress...

The best part of the day was getting to know Kaari and her mom and dad a little bit. We had a good time talking about France and sharing our love of the country. What delightful people!

In our second class with Michelle Jorgensen we covered a wooden box with paper and edged it with Dresden foil from Germany and made an arrangement in the shadowbox lid. I didn't photograph mine yet, but got a picture of a couple that we done by others in class...

I can't wait to finish mine and then I'll share it with you!

On Sunday night we returned to the store for a lovely soiree with the new friends we made! It was lovely to have chance to chat and see Kaari's new product line with EK Success. Very cool stuff!

California adventures ahead!

Once again the Craft and Hobby industry rolls out the new products for the first half of the year in Anaheim, California! It's exciting and fun and will make my mind swirl with ideas for new classes for later in the spring and summer! I love seeing all the products that the manufacturers have come out with and it's especially fun to see lots of friends in the industry and get to chat and catch up.

I fly out VERY early tomorrow morning... I get to Los Angeles by 10:30am so you know I'm leaving early! On Saturday Michelle and I are taking two classes at French General in Los Angeles. I'm excited to be a student for a day! I'll take lots of pictures! After the trade show, I'll be heading down to San Diego for classes the next weekend at Michelle's store Paper Tales. I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone there... a little birdie told me that there may be some who are coming from across the country for the classes!! We're going to have a great time in their new space and I've heard that there is a very special cupcake bar planned! Hope to see you there!

I've gotten all my work done here at home getting ready as much as I could for my upcoming classes in France! As soon as I get home from California, I'll be packing the kits and then they'll start their trip across the ocean. AND just a few days after I get home, Brandon and Alicia will be home for two weeks leave!! Can't wait to see them!!

Here's two of the new classes I designed for Version Scrap in France...

This first one is called the Altered Fabric Photo Album and I'm teaching it in Lyon (and will bring any extra kits to Paris!)

and the second one is the 7gypsies Memory Collector Portfolio that I'll be teaching in Paris. I'll let you know if I have any kits leftover!

"Snow much fun!"

I've used that title before on scrapbook layouts... pretty corny I'd say, but true this weekend! I made it in to Chicago just in time before a storm came through! About 650 flights were canceled at O'Hare on Friday, so I was really glad that I was on the first flight of the morning and safely there before the cancellations "snowballed"! The snow made it hard for a few people to make it to class Friday night but by Saturday we had a very full house and lots of creativity and fun! Once again I say a huge thank you to all the students for all their kindness... I am SO blessed. Thank you too to Claudia and LInda for their hospitality... they have a wonderful store and a great community there. I was so impressed by how friendly all the "regulars" are to the new people. It really is a special place! I can't wait to return next summer! :)

This week is going to be busy getting ready to leave for California on Friday! Can't wait to see everyone at CHA and in San Diego at Paper Tales!

Love...

Lots to love these days! But one of those things is NOT the snow! I was going to run errands today until I looked out the window and saw this!...

We've been so spoiled this year and this is our first real white-out type storm, so I guess I can't complain too much! I just need to fly to Chicago in the morning, so I hope I get out! I'm on an early flight so I have most of the day to get there. I'm looking forward to my first classes of 2012 at Creative Cuts and Crafts. Once again it's great to get to see lots of friends there!

This morning I found this "word art" on the table in the family room... I think two of my favorite sweethearts were watching a movie in there last night! Love is in the air! (Last Saturday he took her snowboarding for the first time... trying to find something fun to do in the snow!)

Another thing to love... I'm seeing lots of previews of new products that will debut at CHA (the Craft and Hobby trade show) next week! Yesterday was a live preview online for the new 7gypsies release. I loved what I saw and am so inspired for new classes later this spring! I especially loved the Trousseau collection that comes out in late April. I couldn't resist taking pictures of my computer screen during the preview! This is a picture of some of their inspirations for this collection:

LOVE!! Here's a couple of the papers...

I really love the new book covers with the window in them and the new journaling cards (and lots more!)

Paula Cheney made a gorgeous shadowbox using the 7gypsies 4x6 tray using pieces of this collection...

They give prizes during the preview and I was lucky enough to be the first one to answer a question correctly (What store was 7gypsies products first sold in? ... Memory Lane in AZ) and won a fabulous prize! I won a pack of each of the papers in the Trousseau collection and so you know I'll be dreaming of the class I'll create with it!

Do you like this new collection as much as I do?

Paris is ours

I have France on my mind these days! I've been designing my classes, working on instructions, ordering product, making reservations, and gearing up for two upcoming trips to France in March.

I can't wait to read this book I got for Christmas! Thirty-two writers reflect on their experinces in the city of Paris and how it changed them forever. I just finished reading Peter Mayle's book, "A Year in Provence," which I loved! It has inspired our next adventure...

I'll be flying to Lyon, France, the first weekend in March to teach at Version Scrap, and then I'll be going back a couple weeks later to explore Provence and the South of France with my husband before teaching in Paris. We are so excited to explore the villages and flea markets and the countryside of Provence! We have our plane tickets to Paris, our TGV tickets (the double decker high speed train) from Paris to Avignon, and our reservations at an enchanting apartment in Apt. Now all we need is to find a good rate on a rental car and to learn some French and we'll be all set!

I love the illustrations in the old book I found at Goodwill to help me!

Have any of you been to Provence and have some suggestions?

My London and Paris 2012

The sky is gray and it's freezing outside, but I'm dreaming and making plans for my upcoming ladies' shopping trip to London and Paris this April, and YOU can join me! Registration for the trip is open and all the information can be found on the trip blog which you can find by clicking here. You can either do London or Paris or both and make it an eleven day trip of a lifetime! Just like my annual shopping trip to New York City, this trip is sure to be filled with discoveries of the quaint shops and the flea markets of both cities. We'll spend some time seeing the sights, but also just sitting at cafes sipping our coffees and watching the people go by. Just a head's up though... you have to be able to walk a LOT... we'll have lots of ground to cover! Email me if you have any questions!

I LOVE the Eiffel Tower ornament that Michelle gave me for Christmas! Isn't it the sweetest thing?

And we have a winner of the J.Crew planner! I used the random number generator and Debbie R. was the winner. I've already emailed her and the planner is on it's way! Thank you for all your comments... I hope that all your dreams for the new year come true and that at the end of the year, you'll reflect on all the blessings that have come your way.

Happy new year!!

Just like most of you, I do a lot of reflecting this time of year... thinking about the events, challenges, and mostly the blessings of the last year and wondering about the year to come. I face the new year with a sense of anticipation and excitement, not knowing all that the year will bring but knowing that God is good and by my side makes every day something to look forward to!

(Do you like my 2012 album? It's a new class I designed over the last few days! More details at the end of this post!!)

2011:

• My travels took me on and off planes over 80 times last year. Teaching and traveling to South Africa and Paris, visiting Paris and London twice, criss-crossing the US several times from New York City to California to Texas to Florida and many places in between has been loads of fun. I truly love it. I love my students and the new and "old" friends and collegues that I have all because of this little thing called scrapbooking!
• Brandon and Alicia deployed to Iraq and thank God left Iraq safely. Please continue to pray for them as they spend the next 6 months in Kuwait. It's dismal and awful but relatively safe. I'll keep praying that nothing happens in Iraq or the Middle East that would require their units. I'd much rather have them bored and miserable than in harm's way!
• Jeremy got a job, although not the engineering job he needs, but it's a job. God also blessed him (and us!) by bringing Rebecca, his girlfriend, into our lives. Sooo thankful for her!
• Dave's job continued to keep him very busy! The Verizon strike in August was a bump in the road! We loved being able to travel together too!

2012:

• I'm looking forward to upcoming store visits and teaching across the country! If all goes as planned, I'll be taking four trips to Europe this year... France twice, England twice, and Italy.
• I'm planning two shopping trips for ladies... one to London and Paris in April and one to New York City next November. I LOVE sharing the places I love with others!
• Brandon and Alicia will be coming home for R&R hopefully in February and then finishing their deployment in June or July.
• Jeremy will hopefully find the electrical engineering job that he trained for and longs for. This may be the year he moves away when he finds that job! (Rebecca too? :)
• We're so thankful to all be healthy!

This year has had its difficulties... there have been nights that I've cried myself to sleep, kept a penny right at my side, prayed and tried not to worry, got stressed out and tired, but in the midst of it all, I can say that God answers prayer and that I trust Him.

Now about this new class! It's a chubby little 2012 album that we're going to make using a Melissa Francis calendar album, 6x6 page protectors, and darling October Afternoon products. The 36 pages of this album include a divider for each month, a pocket with a calendar printed on it for each month, and a page protector layout for each month. There are pockets and flaps and fold-outs and lots of different ideas for altering the page protectors to include several photos for each month.

I'll be teaching this class the first time on Friday night, January 20, at Creative Cuts and Crafts outside Chicago, and then again at Paper Tales in San Diego, the weekend of February 3 and 4. I don't sell the kits myself, so if you're interested in one, you can call those stores and order it. OR take a trip and come take the class at one of those stores! I'd love to see you there!!

As a thank you to all my blog readers and friends, I think we should start the new year with a present! I have a beautiful 2012 leather planner that J.Crew sent me, but I don't use a paper planner like this, and so I thought I'd give it away to one of you! Just leave a comment on this post and tell me what you're looking forward to most in 2012. I'll choose a name randomly on Tuesday, January 3, at 9pm EST.

Happy new year... may it be the best one yet!!