Cut 'n Paste

Paradise Found

I am currently on holiday in Italy and enjoying the food, culture and antiques! I have been taking notes and look forward to sharing my discoveries with you when I get home. In the meantime, here are a few of the things we've seen...

Back home from Sweden

I returned home early this week after a whirlwind trip to Sweden for the Sweden Scrap Happening. It was pretty cold, but there was only a dusting of snow on the ground, which (I was told) is much less than normal for this time of year.

This was the convention center where my hotel room and the event was located. I loved the bright yellow buildings. So crisp and colorful! The building on the left had my room in it, and the one on the right, in the back of the photo, had more hotel rooms and the dinning hall. When I took this photo I had my back to the building which had the shop and workshop rooms in it. 

I had the pleasure to teach to two different sets of ladies (and one creative guy!). A special thank you to each student for being so creative and such a pleasure to teach. I felt very welcomed and accepted.

Here is one group of students watching a demonstration:

 
The 'upstairs' group with their finished albums:

The 'downstairs' group, also with their finished albums:


I wish to also publicly thank my host Katarina, who took such good care of me and made me feel so comfortable. Thank you for hosting such a smooth running event Katarina. It was a delight to be a part of your first Scrap Happening!
(Sorry that this photo is so blurry)

I had a wonderful time, and can't wait to go back sometime!

Hugs...

Workshop in Sweden

I am happy to announce that I will be teaching a fun filled scrapbook workshop in Sweden Feb 25-26 at the Sweden Scrap Happening. Scandinavia has been such a welcoming market to the Melissa Frances brand, so we were delighted when the invitation came to come in person and teach. I can't wait to get to know my host better and meet her customers, whom I hope will become friends by the end of the weekend!

Here's a little bit about the class: We will be using the Melissa Frances yearly calendar mini album as our base and embellish it using products from our 5th Avenue and brand new C'est la Vie Collections. We'll talk about the best way to make a durable covering for chipboard bases, what mica is and how to use it, along with tips and tricks that Carolyn has picked up in her 12 years of scrapbooking. Class will also contain products from American Crafts and Bazzill.

Please note that the real project will be slightly different from the promo image seen above as we will be using some of the new products just released at CHA in the workshop!

Winter Escape

HAPPY NEW YEAR friends!!

Rick and I returned last weekend from a wonderfully relaxing Caribbean cruise. We, along with some friends, left on New Year's eve and headed out to Ft. Lauderdale, FL to catch our Celebrity ship. We had beautiful weather and had a blast. We arrived home to snow, which made our escape in the sun all the sweeter.



Since our return home we've both been busy catching up at work. I am looking ahead to Thursday, Jan 26th when I will be leaving to attend the CHA trade show in California. Within the next few days I will be sharing the new products we will be releasing from Melissa Frances with you. I can hardly wait!!

My Chandelier

Last week I participated in the burning house project hosted by Paula, and I thought it might be fun to share with you the back story of my chandelier, which is my favorite item in my house.

For the past few years, I have had the pleasure to head to France several times, and love to shop the flea markets and brocants for treasures. For as long as I've gone, I have searched for the perfect chandlelier to put above my farmhouse table in my eating area. One that wasn't too big as our ceilings are only 8 ft. high, but not so small as to get lost in the space. I wanted it to have that vintage look (no mass-produced look please!) with a distinctly European flair.

For 3 years I looked, never finding something that was the perfect size and price. It seemed like something was always wrong. Then, last year we were in Turin, Italy when we walked into an Antique shop. The lovely shop keeper didn't speak English, and I don't speak Italian, however we both spoke passably good French. So we had a lovely visit and I bought some brooches and pendants for jewelry making. As I was getting ready to leave the shop, I asked her, in passing, about one of the chandeliers she had hanging in the shop. As she started talking about it, my heart sunk as I made out 1930 (which I assumed was the price). It was only as she continued speaking that I realized that she was telling me about the providence of the light and not it's price. Surprisingly, she named a price which I found to be fair and after Rick saw the look on my face, he said "let's buy it".

I was so nervous about getting it home in one piece, but the shopkeeper offered to box it up safely, and she did a fabulous job. It came home in checked luggage with the airline and believe it or not, not one crystal broke on the journey home ☺
 The shop owner and me • In front of the store

Panama Recap

I arrived home from teaching late Thursday evening, and finally have a few more photos for you!

I stayed with my host and her family at their apartment, which was right in the heart of Panama City, only 2 blocks from the waterfront. The view above was taken looking left from the balcony of the apartment. I was seriously not excepting the city to be as beautiful as it was, and I feel in love with the beauty of it.

I had the pleasure to teach four workshops, and unfortunately only took about 3 pictures (some scrapbooker I am, eh?). This one was from the Hodge-Podge Album workshop and unfortunately, some students had already left to go home.

 
A HUGE thank you to Telma (the gal on the far right of this photo) who was my translator for all four classes. And to each of the students, thank you for coming to spend some time with me, it was a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to doing it again...soon!

Panama!

As I sit in the airport, waiting for my flight(s) which will take me home, I am so thankful for the short time I was able to spend in Panama. It was a wonderful experience and my students were SO nice!

After 3 flights, including the red-eye express, I arrived in Panama on Sunday, Sept. 18 for teaching at A Krear. Monday was a turn around day for me, and after a leisurely sleep in, followed by breakfast served to me in my room (what a luxury), my host took me to see the Panama Canal!
 
 
(Sandra - my host, me and Manuela (Sandra's daughter))
 
I will recap my workshops once I get home. For now, I must head out to catch my flight!

The Monastery of the Twelve Apostles

 
Still making our way around the Sea of Galilee on July 4th, our next stop was The Monastery of the Twelve Apostles. This Greek Orthodox church was the most ornate of the churches we visited that day, with a stunning mosaic ceiling. This spot seemed to be a favorite of tour groups as it was packed during our visit. This made for very few photos showing much more than the ceiling as the crowds made most other photos pretty unspectacular.

One of the things I found most intriguing at this church was how near the alter at the front of the church there was a piece of fabric where people had affixed photos of their loved ones, notes, and some pretty amazing jewelry. I didn't (and still don't) understand why they were doing this...if anyone knows, please fill me in☺
 
  
 

Capernaum

(Rick and I at the entrance to the Ancient Ruins of Capernaum)
 (At the most spectacular portion of the city, the "White Synagogue".)

Our next stop was the Ancient City of Capernaum, which is said to have been the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew, James, John and the tax collector Matthew. 

Upon entering the village, we had to pay an admission fee, and I was also instructed to cover up as I was wearing a sleeveless sundress. I had brought a shawl as I knew there would be some places where I would have to do so, but let me tell you, this cold-lovin' girl, while doing as asked, was not overly cheerful about obligeing them as it was 35° C in the blistering sun.

We were really lucky to hit the village in between a few bus loads of tourist groups, so we had good chuncks of time when we could set our camera(s) up with the tripods and try to get a few pictures of us together. Our favorite part of the townwas the "White Synagogue".  Built in the fourth or 5th century it is a stunning piece of antiquity.
 
 

The Church of the Beatitudes

 (The church as you walk up the path from the parking lot)

This week I'd like to share with you a few more of the adventures Rick and I had while in the North of Israel. I have had so little time since coming home to edit photos, etc. so I do apologize that it's taken me this long to continue our trip recap.

On July 4th Rick and I set out from our home base in Safed to visit some of the Historical sights in Galilee relating to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Our first stop was the Church of the Beatitudes.  We made it there just before the church closed for a mid-day break. This meant that we only had about 10 minutes to look our fill.

The church, built in the 1930s, was built on the traditional sight where Christ delivered the "Sermon on the Mount". While the outside of the church was nice, the inside was a little too modern/deco for my taste. However, there was no denying that the location was beautiful. 
 (The facade of the church)
 (A beautiful song book on display in the sanctuary)
 (Rick and I behind the church with the Sea of Galilee in the background.)