Wednesday 18 February 2015

My Grandma's Teacups Scrapbooking and Craft Supplies: 40 Years of Awesome -Party Pictures

Thank you to everyone that helped to make my 40th Birthday celebration an amazing success. Though it was perhaps a bit unorthodox I have to admit that it was my ideal day. Not only did I get to celebrate with all of my online community during a live FB event, I also had a chance to have an old fashioned tea party with a few of my closest girls.



There are so many people that helped to make my day so special and I want to thank each of you for celebrating with me.

Special thanks to Frosted 'N" Fancy for doing an amazing job recreating a cake I fell in love with on Pinterest.





Thank you to Yvonne's OG Cafe for providing us with the yummiest green and red teas I have ever tasted.


Thank you to Sara Kirby at Imagine Photography for the incredible photos that document this milestone.

Thank you Belleville Bakery for bailing me out on short notice with beautiful fresh sandwiches and treats.

When I look back and reflect on what has occurred in the last 40 years of my life I am humbled. I have met so many wonderful people and experienced so many things that I never could have imagined. I look forward to sharing another 40 years with all of you.

All my love,

Tracy

Tuesday 17 February 2015

My Grandma's Teacups Scrapbooking and Craft Supplies: Giveaway Time- Scrapfest Kitchener VIP Marketplace Passes


Several years ago I went to my first major scrapbooking expo. My girlfriend and I bought tickets from our local scrapbooking store Sweet Sentiments Scrapbooking to hop on the bus with the best bunch of women you could ever want to travel with. The ride to Kitchener flew by as we created cards to donate to charity upon arrival. The entire group was alive with the excitement of what might be at the show.

When we arrived at the arena we were greeted at the door by some fabulous organisers and Lisa Sales Furtney, founder of Scrapfest Canada. She helped us all get oriented as to where the marketplace was and where to go for classes.

When we entered the marketplace we were stunned by the amazing array of vendors and products. Every booth was decorated and displaying the latest products that we poor crafters in Belleville had only seen in our copy of Canadian Scrapbooker. We were able to try new tools and different types of media. We were hooked. In hindsight we should have purchased our boatloads of paper after we had made our rounds of the marketplace and finished our classes as scrapbook paper weighs allot after several hours of lugging it.

It seems nearly every booth had  a make and take project that we could complete for free. So many in fact that we had to choose just our favourites to complete or we would have missed our class.

One of the absolute highlights for me was having the opportunity to take a class with Vicki Boutin. She is such a talented papercrafter and I have been a huge fan of her work for several years. Having an opportunity to spend time discussing scrapbooking with her was like sitting at the feet of Michelangelo as he painted the Sistine Chapel. It was inspiring beyond anything I had done before and really drove my interest in scrapbooking.

Scrapfest became our annual pilgrimage. Without even having to talk about it we automatically cleared our calendars to be there each year. After the first year we began driving to Scrapfest and the journey became part of the adventure. Scrapfest then came to Oshawa and we revelled in having yet another day to set aside to explore the pastime that had become such a big part of our lives.

I still have my pink Scrapfest Shirt from that first year. Its faded and a bit unsightly but I will never part with it. Each time I bring it out I am flooded with the happy memories and sometimes nearly scandalous escapades Rebecca and I had at Scrapfest. I have not been back to Scrapfest since the Oshawa Scrapfest in 2011. Rebecca was killed in an accident a couple weeks after the event. Each year I watch the updates flood in about Scrapfest and I long to be there. To be able to tap into some of that vast creative energy that flows there. This year may be my year....

Lisa Sales Furtney was wonderful enough to offer two sets of VIP Marketplace Tickets for the April 2015 Show in Kitchener, Ontario. So, four lucky My Grandma's Teacups fans are going to be going to SCRAPFEST.



a Rafflecopter giveaway