We've just grown by two (tiny) feet...

What a beautiful day! We are so OVER THE TOP EXCITED to tell you that Amy had her baby yesterday!

Here's the info from her husband Greg:

Renee Amelie Norman was born 10/15/2010 at 7:35pm, via c-section. She weighed 4 lbs and 15.8 ounces, and was 18.2" long. She's nice and healthy and already curious. Mama Amy is doing fine, though exhausted from the 24-hour effort (we checked in at 7:30 Thursday night). We're just incredibly happy.





Amy and Greg...we are all SO VERY HAPPY for you! Enjoy your little bundle of joy and know that we can't wait to meet little Miss Renee :)

Linda

I've been meaning to do this for a couple weeks now, but I think I'm still in denial :)

Our very lovely Linda has left us! She's got some nerve, right?!?!

Her husband recently retired, so Linda thought it was time for her to retire as well. They are ready to travel and enjoy the next chapter of their lives.

Linda was a great addition to our staff...always going the extra mile when helping customers and treating the store as if it were her own. She would take home the couch cushions and clean them, bring in her floor steamer for the bathroom and make sure we were fully stocked with sodas for the crop room. Linda always wore a smile on her face and interacted with customers in a way that would make any store owner proud. (The picture above was taken on Black Friday, 2007. After a really CRAZY morning, she's still smiling!)

So...while we're all sad that she's not a part of our team any longer, we're happy that she still loves to scrapbook and will be joining us on most Fridays as a cropper! (If you want to stop by and say hi, that's where she'll be!)

Thank you Linda for being with us from the very beginning...we appreciate YOU and are GRATEFUL for all the good times we've shared.

Thankfully, there's no good-bye...just see ya later!

Happy Tuesday!

Way to go USSNEWCO! You get an A :) And, Narda...well...you get an A for effort!!

The first one, who wishes flat tires on people, is none other than BARRY! (His answers actually made me laugh out loud.) This picture was taken during our staff crop when Barry was creating one of his fabulous Christmas ornaments. His talent is simply ah-mazing! If you've never taken one of his card classes, you should!!

Next up...our very own xylophone player...JANICE! Here she is with her always-helping-around-the-store husband Donny. And, for those who don't know, Janice is my mother...together, we own this crazy little place called Beach Scrapbooks :)

And, last but certainly not least...ME! This is my beautiful family at Busch Garden's Christmas Town last month (freezing our butts off I might add)...my husband Jason and our two kids, Colby and Marisa.

The staff person who wasn't featured here is Elizabeth. (She was visiting her mother out of town and NOT on the computer - what a concept!!) But, we still love her, and she's a great addition to our team :)

So, there ya have it. Personally, I think we have the most fabulous staff around - they are a group of men and women who not only work at a scrapbook store, but have a passion for their hobby and love sharing it with YOU!

Be on the lookout...I'll post CHA pictures tonight or tomorrow morning. We're going out to dinner with Kris from Silhouette tonight...did you see that they just released IRON ON heat transfer material? SWEET! Check it out on their blog.

Have a WONDERFUL Tuesday!

Flat tires, tap dancing and cats with claws

Good Sunday morning from SUNNY California! The rains have finally stopped and the view of the snow covered mountains in the distance is beautiful :) We are off to start the first official day of CHA - VERY exciting! I will tell you that we've seen some great stuff so far...more on that tomorrow morning.

But...let's get right to the staff guesses. Narda, one of these days you are going to get them right!! Maybe today??

The answers are...#1...SUSAN. She and her lovely husband Brent are shown below. (ack! get a room!)



The answer to #2 is...LINDA! Here she is at Christmas with her husband Nick, their son AJ and their little family friend Diego.























Now...on to the LAST day of fun, useless staff trivia. I know, you're sad. But, c'mon people...I've got CHA pictures to show you!!!

Leave me some love (otherwise known as comments) and see if you can get these right. I will give you one clue...ONE person on our staff did not answer the questions...which means they are not on here. I'll let you figure out who that is (and, they have a good excuse which I'll share with you tomorrow). :)

Happy guessing!

Oh...one more thing...new Graphic 45 is here!!!

#1
If you could have one super power, what would it be? Be able to wish flat tires on people that drive badly. I have always wanted to sap the car so when they got home, they would have 4 flat ties in their driveway!!!!!
What are your favorite TV shows? Currantly, CHUCK on Monday Nights, Older Show THE PRETENDER
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Australia
Three people, dead or alive, that you would invite over for dinner? Doris Day, Marie Osmond and Alice Faye
What two food items could you eat every single day? Spagetti and Chicken Tenders
When you’re 80, what do you hope to be doing? Be CRANKY (its payback time)!
What is the worst invention you've seen in your lifetime? The Computer

#2
What is your favorite drink? Chocolate Milk
If you could have one super power, what would it be? to fly
What is your favorite TV show? Psych
What is one thing people don't know about you? I won a singing contest when I was a teenager
What do you want to be doing when you're 80? Breathing...on my own.
Did you ever learn to play any instruments? Piano, clarinet and the xylophone
What two things would you like to learn? To play the violin and tap dance (not necessarily together)

#3
If you could have one super power, what would it be? The power to heal
What website or blog do you visit everyday? www.dictionary.com
What makes you laugh out loud? When people trip. I laugh especially hard when they fall. Not nice, I know. But funny!
What should you be famous for? Singing. Loudly!
What was the last book you ready? The Shack
What scares you? Cats. Especially the ones with claws.
What are two everyday things you could not live without? My phone and my toothbrush.

whaaaaaat?!?

Only 3 guesses from yesterday?!?

C'mon...I know you can do better!

Let's see if we can get 10 comments...then I'll post the answers :)

Graveyards and the Vatican

Ooooh...gotcha! The clues from yesterday were about...

...Jody! I think she should break out the hula skirt for National Scrapbook Day!!

Here she is, shown below, with her husband Don, her father, her grandson and her son. Four generations!

Today, I am blogging from rainy Anaheim, California where the winter craft trade show (CHA) is getting ready to start. Over the next week, we'll be taking lots of pictures and sharing some of them with you on this blog. So...in order to make room...we're going to give you clues on TWO staff members today...and...the rest of them tomorrow. Get your thinking cap on!

Here are the next two staff members...can you guess who?!?

#1...
What two things are on your bucket list? to go to a major league football game and Australia
What scares you? Children of the Corn Movie
What is the worst job you’ve ever had? Mowing a graveyard
What is your favorite book? Jimmy Buffet books.... all of them
When you were a teenager, what did you think you’d be doing by now? Pretty much exactly what I'm doing
Are you an early bird or a night owl? Night owl
Name one fact that most people don’t know about you. I would love to take singing lessons

#2...
Are you an early bird or night owl? Whoooo loves you - of course a night owl....
What are your favorite tv shows? Love Project Runway and Criminal Minds ( opposite ends of the spectrum)
What is the best invention? The microwave - you can bake potatoes, heat water and defrost food - who needs a stove.
Did you ever play a musical instrument? No musical instrument but I was in a Drum and Bugle Corp and twirlled flags and guns.
What is the next place I want to go on vacation? I would love to visit Rome and the Vatican even though I am not Catholic.
What two things would you like to learn? I would love to whistle and waltz
When I am 80 I want to be - scrapping with my friends, drinking wine and talking about the grandkids.

There ya have it! Leave us a comment and see if you're right!

Happy Thursday :)

Hawaiian Dancing and American Idol

Now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging!

The clues from Friday were....not me....but I DID play the clarinet!...they were from...Melissa! As you can see from the picture below, Melissa and her husband Lance are very serious people...and a bit uptight ;-)



Now, on to the next one. (And, just so you know, there will be a twist starting tomorrow...so...be sure to check back!)

What two things scare you? Snakes & Heights
What two things would you like to learn? Flower Arranging and how not to procrastinate
What would make your life easier? A housekeeper
What are your favorite TV shows? So you think you can dance; American Idol; CSI Miami
What was your first car? 1967 Mustang
Name one fact that most people don’t know about you. I danced Hawaiian for ten years
Where did you go on your last vacation? Florida

Ooooh....think ya know? Leave a comment!

Elvis Presley and Buck Teeth

Ah-ha! Gotcha! Yesterday's questions were answered by our newest addition, Tina! She's one of our fabulous instructors :) Here she is, shown below with her family during a trip to Busch Gardens. (and, just for the record, I would NEVER go bungee jumping...I'm way too chicken!!)



Ready for the next one? Here ya go!

What did your childhood bedroom look like? Hot pink carpet, hot pink walls, hot pink bedspread with lime green accents.
Would you ever or have you ever been bunging jumping? No…and no.
What two things scare you? I am scared of sharks and zombies.
Three people, dead or alive, that you would invite over for dinner? Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen and Tina Fey
What two food items could you eat every single day? Cheese and pasta
Are you an early bird or a night owl? Both. I stay up late and get up early.
Did you ever play a musical instrument? The clarinet. It fit beautifully under my buck teeth.

Leave us a comment :)

☼ Who's up next? ☼

Okay, you guys are GOOD! MOST of you were correct with your MICHELLE guesses :) Here she is, pictured below with her adorable family...husband Tom and children Stephanie and Jonathan.

Now...let's move on to one that may be a little harder...are you ready?

Where were you born? San Diego, California
What websites/blogs do you visit daily? Tim Holtz, Beach Scrapbooks
Would you ever or have you ever been bunging jumping? yes, did it at the Del Mar Fair, for a dare!
Would you rather go to Disneyland or Hawaii? Disneyland
What two things scare you? Being alone, getting pregnant
What are two everyday things you could not live without? My Silhouette & coffee
What is your favorite holiday and why? I love Halloween just because of all the decorations and being able to dress up like someone else!

Oooohhhh....think ya know?!? Leave a comment!

Who can it be now ♫ ♪ ♫ ?!?

Okay, so maybe Amy was waaaay too easy! You ALL got it right...and thanks for the song, Courtney (now I'm gonna have it stuck in my head all day!!). Here she is, pictured above with her wonderful husband Greg :)

So, let's try one that is a little bit harder. Can you guess? Leave a comment and see if you're right! (I'll give you one hint...it's NOT me, because I am only 29!!)

What is your most memorable birthday? My 30th.....because my mom threw me a huge surprise party!
What is your favorite holiday and why? Christmas.....to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas and spending time with family.
What is the last book you read? Twilight!
What websites/blogs do you visit daily? Beach Scrapbooks & Facebook
What makes you laugh out loud? My Children
What are your favorite TV shows? Survivor & Castle
What is your most prized possession? My family

Staff

As we start off this New Year (unofficially pronounced twenty-ten by me), we thought we'd have a little fun :)

How well do you know our staff?

This week, we'll be revealing some clues that may or may not surprise you! Here's how we'll play. I'll post the answers to 7 questions that our staff has answered. Then...you leave a comment as to who you think I'm describing. Easy enough? (And, for all you blog lurkers, please - for the love of all good things - PLEASE comment so that I'm not playing this game by myself!!!)

Just to help you along...here is a picture of our fabulous staff taken at our last staff meeting (which was at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning - ugh!). From left to right...Jen, Michelle, Melissa (glasses), Susan (black shirt), Janice (next to Melissa), Jody (white shirt), Amy and Linda (grey shirt).


Who's missing, you ask? Our fabulous instructors...Barry, Elizabeth and Tina. Don't worry though...you'll see pictures of them as we play :) (Yes, this means that they are playing too!)

Okay...READY? Here we go!

Where were you born? the OLD Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News, VA
What did your childhood bedroom look like? Yellow, yellow, yellow!!
What is the worst job you’ve ever had? taking phone orders at Pizza Hut
What was your most memorable birthday? my 32nd because my husband and I spent the day at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk
What was your first car? a brand new silver Saturn SL that I bought myself
Are you an early bird or a night owl? night owl
Did you ever play a musical instrument? the guitar since I was 12

Think you know??? I'll post the answer tomorrow morning :)

Inspired Artist Workshop 2009

Last Wednesday, Janice, Melissa, Courtney, Susan and I left for Donna Downey's Inspired Artist Workshop in Concord, NC. She asked us to be part of her iCrew, a.k.a. Teacher's Assistants, for this 3 day event. Who could say no? So off we went...5 gals, a minivan and a box of Oreos.

*We all had an amazing week...lots of POSITIVE energy, AMAZING creativity and INSPIRING new friends
*We met some of the industry greats...Jenni Bowlin, Heather Bailey, Cathy Zielske, Lance Anderson, Kelly Rae Roberts, Theresa Collins, Sue Edmonson, Carol Wingert, Jennifer Stewart, Margie Romney-Aslett, and more. Way more. Some we've met before, others we got to meet for the first time. And, I can honestly say that crafters are the nicest people in the world...even the "celebrities":)
*We are INSPIRED, RENEWED and ready to be CREATIVE! Ask any one of us about it...we'd be glad to tell you how fabulous it really was.
*Next year will be her 3rd annual workshop. Interested in going? We are!