Scrap Fest Recap

I am home from Scrap Fest and what a fantastic event it was! I have to admit I am pretty tired! Long days, lots of talking, lots of fun, lots of energy, and just plain lots of time involved in paper crafting! So let me give you a little recap of my time at the Mall of America and Scrap Fest!

I arrived on Thursday and did a bit of shopping first. Later that day it was off to dinner with Michelle (Paper Crafting friend) and we had the nicest time catching up. It had been 2 years since we met at CHA Summer in Chicago and I was so excited Michelle had contacted me since she lives in the area! We had a wonderful dinner and a good amount of time finding out what each other has been up to!

Next it was off to meet up with Julie and Lindsay from Cosmo Cricket. They had just finished the vendor meeting and we were meeting to check into the hotel followed by booth set up later that evening. We didn't get to bed until 1:00 am and then it was up again Friday morning at 6:00 am to begin make and takes and teaching classes.

I taught the Happy Days Frame class and Julie taught a layout class. We both love teaching and Lindsay loves coming along to help. Now if I could just find a way to keep that microphone in my hands instead of his!

Make and takes at the event go from 9:00-5:00 and then after that we were off to the crop around town at the Eden Prairie Archiver's location. Each year Cosmo Cricket sponsors a Crop at the event and it is always a blast! Was a great group again this year and I always enjoy going around and talking to everyone and seeing what they are working on. Julie had a class planned for the crop and I assisted with that while Lindsay handled the fun, games, and prizes.

Saturday brought more make and takes, and we actually did not have a crop on Saturday night. Originally we planned to have dinner and play board games in our room that night but after dinner we were all beat and went back to the room to sleep!

Sunday starts at 11:00 so we were able to relax a bit before beginning classes and make and takes again.

I have to say that it is so much fun going to this event each year. Although I am in touch with Julie and Lindsay year round, this is the one chance I have to actually spend time with them and it is always so much fun! I have also met so many people at this event that return year after year and always stop to say hello. I also meet new people each round and hope that I will see them again the following year.

Special thanks to Sandra who dropped off a bag of very healthy treats on Friday. They were great to have in the booth to keep our energy levels up. Tami also deserves a thanks for the great goodie bag she dropped off on Sunday. It is so sweet of those folks to think of the manufacturers at Scrap Fest and know how many hours are put in to the event and how little time we have to eat along the way. Knowing so many care is wonderful and heartwarming. We also had others who dropped off fortunes or pieces of candy, or just stopped to chat and say hello.

I must admit I am really dragging today. But for me it is all worth it because for an entire 3 days I am involved with fellow crafters doing what we all love and are passionate about. So for the many of you I met and got a minute or two to chat with, thanks so much for taking the time to connect. I loved meeting and talking to each person along the way and I hope to see all of you again next year!