It was AWESOME!!!!!
As my good pal ;-) Lisa Bearnson would say
Scrapaganza Holland was just AWESOME!!! I'm literally in the door and haven't even looked at the 4 bags/cases I brought home (funny I'm sure I left with two haha!!!!). It was the bestest weekend ever- never stopped laughing and scrapping all weekend. From the moment we met up to go to the airport we were like giggling schoolgirls on a school tour...
When we arrived in Schippol airport we were like a group of Japanese tourists in the duty free shops, snapping photos of clogs and tulips for our scrap pages (teehee!!!)
We bumped into the other UK/French/German scrappers at the big red meeting point in the airport and the lovely Eveline directed us to our double decker bus where were transported to the hotel. Along the way I was really struck by how flat Holland is - you can see for miles. There were really pretty villages and fields of alliums all along the bicycle lined routes. The Dutch have a great healthy lifestyle - everyone cycles everywhere!
So we checked into Hotel Zuiderduin at Egmond en zee. We were starving after the journey so we pottered down to the local village area to grab a bite. It's a lovely seaside town - miles of white sandy coastline and little white wooden shops and bars.
After a lovely pizza and an even nicer Italian waiter :-) who insisted that we called back to see him later, we wandered down to the beach across the road. It was roasting and we just sat on the beach for 20 minutes taking in the views. Soon it was time to go to our first classes of the evening. I took two classes - Lida and Michelle's 'Sing a Song named life' - a really novel idea. Then it was Lisa Bearnson's 'All About Me'. She is an amazing presenter - she really communicates with her audience. It was the first scrapbooking 'lecture' of sorts I had attended and it was inspiring to see how she approaches her style. She is really generous with her time and stopped to meet, talk, sign and pose for photos with anyone who wanted to meet her. Joanne and I did our utmost to persuade her to come to Ireland - so watch this space!!!! haha!!!
Both classes were fantastic and I was amazed at the amount of kit we got. It's fantastic when they are sponsored by the US manufacturers! Afterwards we picked up our (generous!!!) goody bags and went to the crop and shop hall - OMG I thought I died and went to heaven! It wasn't the size of the shops but the quality of the materials they had - everything you could wish for. I felt I was in a supermarket sweep grabbing from this stand and that. At 11.30pm they threw us out of the crop room so we had no choice but to go to the bar!
Next day I had a really busy schedule -6 classes in all. I had 2 more of the 4 part class with Lida and Michelle. Again - another box of materials were handed out. Then I had a lovely tin album (Junkitz) 'If I had a heart..' and then a little mini album with Emily Adams 'Staggering possibilities'. I then took Lisa's second class 'My Simple Truth' where we did a BOM mini folder album and composed a poem about ourselves - loved it! She signed my copy of Creating Keepsakes (100th edition) so I was chuffed to bits!
We finished the classes with Dyan's perfect pearls class - loved the technique! Then it was party time. Scrapaganza are great at getting people involved. They had lots of games and entertainment lined up for us. At the raffle - we were sitting around the table and I announced that I was going to win the big shot (totally tongue in cheek). Next thing the guy calls my number out for...you've guessed it...THE BIG SHOT! I was thrilled to bits - apart from the bit where he disputed my ticket because it had one line under the number and he had two lines so he announced there was a problem and was there any one else in the hall with my number (em...eh ...Skarlet!!!!) I wanted to sit down disreetly but eventually he agreed the prize was mine and I got the ribbing of my life from the girls. Isobel said I had a pact with the devil! haha!
We had such a great night which finished up in the bar (quel surprise!) and lots of hilarious stories of bad interviews and interviewees we've all had. Joanne's and Annamarie's stories made us cry with laughter (...Interviewer-do you have a car? Interviewee - eh no but I'm in a draw for one!)...
So next day (Sunday) it was the fun part of packing and trying to work out how to get our stuff home without being screwed by the airlines in charges. I took another 3 classes (Lida and Michelle's part 4, Him and Her and Karen Burniston's wonderful 'Borderline'. The woman is an engineering genious with paper! Then I found out I came second in both of the competitions set by SAGA - a LO on your craft obsession and the mini album. Well chuffed I was!
Then it was a quick dash to the airport, a few scary moments when we thought we were going to be foiled for having too much hand luggage (ahem 15kg's in my case!) but phew we got checked in by a decent girl who threw a blind eye at our stuffed bags hidden behind the desk and our lop sided shoulders from carrying them. Then it was a quick bite to eat at the airport - more giggles and funny stories. We were still giddy going through security and the attendent took one look at my passport then my face then my passport then my face.... The only thing I could think of to say was 'Im tired! Ive been to Amsterdam for the weekend'. How we werent arrested with the giggles! Then Sharon gets pulled over for having a pokey tool and hammer in her hand luggage. The whole episode was priceless!
So then a sedate flight home where we all nearly slept as we were wrecked. And of course the best bit when you walk in at 11pm and the kids are standing there with hugs and kisses and requests for their presents! Definitely one of the best weekends I've had ever so thanks to all the girls for the memories! Roll on next time!
And here's my haul - well part of it. I have a shipment from Holland arriving any day soon...
XXX
