davebrethauer

Buffalo Stamps and Stuff

As you can tell from the photos, Sharon really rolled out the welcome mat for me at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff. Located in Buffalo, New York, this beautiful store is stocked to the ceiling with stamping and scrapbook supplies. I met Martie first off, a fellow Northwesterner like myself, and she helped me setup all of the necessary supplies for classes. Dimitra came in next with Blueberry Buckle, Coconut Rum Pound Cake, Lemon Poppyseed Cake, Plum Pound Cake AND Cinnabon Coffe Cake! All homebaked! She knows how to throw a stamp class! I also met Debbie - who had been running some poppystamps classes using pencils and copic markets. You can see her beautiful work above. She really makes the poppystamps images come alive! I loved meeting everyone there - lots of super Memory Box fans - including Ayoka who gave me so many compliments I thought about bringing her along with me!! It was a mad dash to the car afterwards as a severe storm moved in (which ended up doing some damage in the area). I'm used to the gentle Seattle drizzle, not Northeast downpours! No matter though, rainy days are perfect for some colored pencil and watercolor work!

Stampin and Scrappin Time

Kathy at Stampin and Scrappin Time in Bridgeport, New York (near Syracuse) has been promoting Memory Box like crazy this year. I was thankful that they arranged some rainy weather for me (I was starting to feel homesick!). The best seller of the day was definitely our new snowglobe stamp D1407. See the photo above for a look at some very busy papercrafters as they painted in the snowglobe! Thanks to everyone (including owner Annabelle) and former owner Sherry (Sherry and Kathy took both of my classes!). The well laid out store with a roomy class space was fun to teach in - and the pizza next door was terrific! Oh, and thanks for the "Memory" cake!

Recipe Cards and Creative students

Here are some pictures of recipe cards from one of Anna's classes - she managed to make each category fit with one of our penguin images! Also, a fun group shot of everyone in one of the colored pencil sessions!

The Creative Corner

The Creative Corner, located in the rural town of Wurtsboro, New York, is owned by the delightful Anna Seniw. I drove from southern New Jersey to this little village, located in the Catskills and taught 3 workshops in Anna's cozy store. Her customers baked blueberry bars, zuchinni bread and other treats for all to enjoy - I think the food on this tour is the best I've ever had! Anna has lots of classes at her store and manages to stock a wide variety of products. I've been curious about her store - for even as "out in the country" as the store is, Anna orders a lot of our stuff! I think it's because she's created a devoted Memory Box following! I saw my friend Korkie - whom I met in Connecticut a few years ago, which was a treat in itself. I even had some long distance travellers - who had driven 3+ hours to come to the class - a testament to their devotion as papercrafters! I had a wonderful time at the Creative Corner -check it out if you are in the area!

The Philly 5

O first met the Philly 5 last year when I taught classes at the Queens Ink in Maryland. From left to right, Bev, Lydia, Sue, Pat and Margarita. This group of crafters travels near and far to stores and they are always hysterical in class. It was fun seeing them - and Lydia gave me her seal of approval.

One Little Spark

One Little Spark is located in the southern part of New Jersey in the coastal town of Tuckerton. Pat Thorpe, who is one of the members of the Memory Box Design Team, owns the shop and runs it with her husband Lee. Pat is from Kentucky and all of her Southern charm is on display in this beautifully kept stamp store and huge teaching room - she filled 38 spots for me! Pat made homemade cupcakes, decorated the water bottles and even printed out "order menus" for customers lunches. Check outvthe beautiful cupcake toppers she made with our image! I saw some familiar faces again - one student made cupcakes too, banana cupcakes with a dollop of pastry cream on top (mmm). The classes were fun - lots of creativity and laughter in the room. I feel like I've gotten to know a lot of people on the trip. The area is quite beautiful and I was tempted to go to the beach to cool off after a long hot day. I think I'll bring the family back sometime for a trip to the shore. Heading back to the hotel, I asked for directions to the hotel and learened I had to take the "jughandle" to turn around - a New York/New Jersey term meaning a turnaround. I'll add this to my list of local words and phrases - extra jimmies on my donut, a drink of water from the bubbled, etc.

The Great American Stamp Store

It's always a treat to see Judy and Jamie, the mother and daughter team that own the Great American Stamp Store in Westport, Connecticut. I taught two classes in their store - making it my 5th visit I think! Judy and Jamie are masters at samples and classes and are an encyclopedia of knowledge on all the products available in the industry. Stop by and check out their well merchandised space - and check out all their Memory Box products. The picture above is our scripted bird - one of the projects we do in our watercolor class.

Beautiful Impressions

Beautiful Impressions, located in picturesque Westbrook, Connecticut is in an old Victorian house right near the seashore. Terri, the owner serves up stamping ideas and bowls of Buck's French Ice Cream. This stamp store is the only store I've been to where you can get your stamping fix and sugar fix in one convenient stop! The rooms of the house are filled with tons of samples and a great selection of product - and I taught 2 classes in the upstairs classroom. I met Donna, whose friend Pam had suggested that Memory Box create a Flickr account for Memory Box fans to upload their card ideas (our Design Team has an account ready - look for us on Flickr). Another student who had taken my class last year told us how she had won first prize in a painting contest in Plainville, Connecticut - I'd like to take credit but I am sure that her natural talent was what captured the win. Afterwards, Terri packed me a pint of the Best Hazelnut Gelato I've ever had and I went back to my room at the Captain Stannard Bed and Breakfast (this B&B is beautiful and I wholeheartedly recommend it if you have a stay planned in the Westbrook area). I hung out on the beautiful backporch, unwinding from the day with some ice cream.

Stamp and Scrap Nest

After an early Saturday morning 3 hour drive from Concord to Simsbury, CT I arrived at Stamp and Scrap Nest. What can I say, Susan and her staff, Sharon, Pat, Denise and Cathie made this a truly memorable weekend of workshops. 68 spots filled for classes. Help with passing out supplies. Valet service with my car! A special dinner Saturday evening with everyone to get to know each other better. Cathie had arranged for us to set up the Saturday classes in the air conditioned comfort of her church - the First Church of Christ, founded in 1697! This is the biggest space I ever taught in - we could even do ballroom dancing in between sessions! I felt like I was moving from the east wing of the building to the west wing of the building as I moved across the class space! Cathie, in addition to being the church administrator, coordinates a group if 30-90 ladies that meet twice a month to produce holiday, get well and birthday cards for shut-ins and nursing home residents. She tells me that most of the stamps and papers are from Memory Box. She has been asked to help produce greeting cards for the local hospice - and so the ripples are widening as she works to create handmade greeting cards for people who really appreciate it. Sharon and Pat helped immeasurably as I conducted the classes - and we all enjoyed Sharons Citrus cookies (lemon, lime and orange) in addition to sandwiches, salads and baguettes. I saw lots of familiar faces - one student had taken my classes 3 times now! Of course Denise was on hand to help too, restocking merchandise from my rental car and getting things checked into the store (remind me next time to rent a trailer!). The store has lots of ideas and classes - check out the flower card made from re-purposed hymnals from the church! Thanks to everyone for a fun, fun weekend in the "country".

Art Plus

Karen welcomed me at Art Plus, which she has owned since 1993, located in beautiful Concord, New Hampshire. The upstairs space was where I taught 24 students the afternoon and evening workshops - a nice work area with a big window that showcased the impressive evening rainstorm (I asked if the window was tinted because I hadn't ever seen storm clouds that color before!). The locals told me that around here if you don't like the weather you just have to wait an hour and you'll get something different. Art Plus is stocked with lots of art supplies-paints, brushes, pencils and balances it out with stamps and beautiful papers. Karen's dad Pete is on hand to do the custom framing (perfect for showcasing your stamped masterpieces). Karen made me a Cornbread Zuchinni Quiche with fresh tomatoes from her garden (she started her tomatoes indoors early). I can't believe the hospitality of New England! Check out Art Plus' website (artplusnh.com) for a cute video of Karen's son Griffin, who has been known to offer his 5-year old guidance to customers!