Ah Vegas the city of lights....

Vegas the city that never sleeps - here are some Vegas facts for you - Just in case you ever wondered!

Number of slot machines in the city 197,144

Annual visitors to Las Vegas, in millions 36.7

Number of conventions hosted annually 3749

Amount in miles of lighted neon tubing on the Strip and Downtown 15,000

Year first casino was licensed 1931

Annual state gaming revenue, in billions of dollars 9 (that is a whole wack of cash!)

I just thougth those were some interesting if not somewhat random facts I found about Vegas. It is a place like no other, and one very interesting place to people watch. People from all walks of life, young, old ( I can not believe the number of stroller's people are pushing!) All that is interesting but we are here to work, and work we do - today we were in classes from 8 am - 6:30 pm. Our brains are full of tons of great stuff - here are a few photos from our day!



Di & Ali Edwards Jesica Sprague Pam @ FAO Swatrz
(Digi Dynamo!)



and to close.... the wraper of the Dove chocolate today " Smile and you will sleep soundly today"

I do not think there will be any trouble there tonight.

Good night all.

Talk to you soon ( photos tomorrow???? we will see what is coming and let you know)

Don't fall over... or faint!

I would not want any of you to fall over because it is only 8:30 and I have already sent the INKLING! That is one for the history books for sure - you better make note of it because the likely hood of it happening again is slim to none! You see it is a rare occasion that it is quiet enough in the house at this time of night for me to concentrate and get my thoughts together, but tonight for some reason the girls were getting ready for tomorrow!
Lining up books, paper, pens..... I am doing the happy dance here on the eve of the first day of school.

What a better time to tell you a little about what will be happening at our FALL CLASS KICK OFF this Saturday at the store....
If you are shopping / checking out the classes / working in the SCRAPLOFT (booked for private parties!) you will be enjoying

25% off all purchases (excluding class fees)
Save 10% off all class fees
Receive a FREE COPY of Rebecca Cooper's book - REAL LIFE SCRAPBOOKING if you spend $100. ( shop early there are limited copies available)
Meet TIM - Master of "SCRAPPY HOUR" and have a chance to do a FREE MAKE & TAKE
(What is "SCRAPPY HOUR" It is our new monthly scrapping adventure that will happen on the last Saturday of each month from 10:30 - 11:30 Each month we will feature a new product, technique or give you new tips for your old stash...... It will be an adventure to remember!)

Best of all - Class samples for the FALL CLASSES will be available for you to see!

We are looking forward to a great Day - hope to see you there!

FALL KICK OFF

We will be kicking off FALL in a big way at Remember Me

Next Saturday (September 8th) from 9:30 - 5:30

Class Schedule

Samples to view

Savings on class registration

Make & Take

Discounts & Savings throughout the store

Prize draw

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend

September 1st

Sometimes we simply make life more difficult / stressful than we need to. Every once in a while as I wander through my blog reading I come across something that truly makes me think, THIS was one such entry. Melody Ross founder of Chatterbox inc, and current creative director is one of the most down to earth bloggers I read. Her "Today's to-do list" hit home with me I hope you will all enjoy it too.
I would add a few more to the list to choose from - clean, say NO if needed, LIVE!

It really can be that simple if we want it to be. We simply have to learn to say NO and stick to it.
Think on it a minute - let me know what you think.....
Happy September 1st!
Di

Lessons from Chocolate . . .

I love DOVE promises their rich flavour and smooth texture do a little happy dance on my taste buds each time I pop one into my mouth. Unfortunately for me (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) they are only available in the USA. Thankfully we are only 40 minutes from the border, and Mary visits often enough to keep a little stash at the office. A little chocolate can go a long way in changing ones outlook on life. Especially these little gems!

Now I am a little particular about my chocolate, I has to be dark! Some may call me a chocolate snob. Oh well, it is a risk I am willing to take! Mind you I will eat milk chocolate, given no other options, it is not my preference. Sometimes a girl just has to do what a girl has to do! This chocolate preference was solidified when I heard that recent studies show there are health benefits to dark chocolate, which is the perfect justification for my little vice. All this aside the main reason I love DOVE promise is quite simple - there is a little message on each wrapper. Some are quite silly, others are quite insightful none the less each time I open one of these little treats I anticipate the little promise enclosed in the red or gold foil. For a while I kept the wrappers and just read them because they put a smile on my face.

Simple things in life!

It has crossed my mind on occasion that there could be a mini album waiting to hatch here too. Simply because everything in life deserves at least a page right? (NOT - more on that next post!) However I do believe that there is inspiration around every corner - this was just one little corner. I can see the album in the theater of my mind, one promise per page, with our without photos. It could be a mini album dedicated to eating chocolate, the history of chocolate, the process of making chocolate. . it certainly has possibilities for sure.

Simple lessons, simple inspiration!

Why do we make life so hard?

We really can learn lessons from chocolate as funny as it sounds.

Yesterday's promise read " Watch the Sun come up"
Others that have made me smile
"Create with abandon"
"The Best things in life are Chocolate"
"Exercise your heart today"
"Go against the grain"
"Eat Chocolate before bed to sweeten your dreams"
"Dance even if someone is watching"

Little nuggets that just make me smile, and take a pause in the middle of my day to think of something totally random.

It is just simple fun!

I think we all need more of that in our lives.

More class photos

Classes

Upcoming class photos

MOM & ME - Teacher appreciation album in a tin!

This is an adorable way to say thank you to your teacher and a perfect Mom and child (or Grandma, Aunt, Uncle....) to do together. The mini accordian album fits perfectly into the decorated tin. Everything you need to create this unique one of a kind project is included in the kit (except adhesive). Cost $18.00

Saturday June 23

1:00 - 3:00

Teacher: Pam

CARDS! CARDS! CARDS!

This class is the best value on the market! All supplies (except adhesive) are supplied to create these lovely "Thinking of You" themed cards. You will stamp, tear paper, punch, ink, colour, use

brads and layer paper as you make these 4 Cards! All for $10.00.

Sunday June 24th

1:30 - 3:30

Teacher: Rae

SUMMER LAYOUT - Splash -

Create this lovely 2 page spread suitable for any theme - sample shows lake fun photos - use 6 full size 4 x 6 photos on this page layout that has been scraplifted from the current issue of Canadian Scrapbooker - learn how easy it is to use magazines as inspiration. Ribbon, uttee, chipboard, ink, paint, flowers, pattern paper & cardstock will all be used! Please bring 6 4 x 6 photos of like summer theme with you to class.

June 27th

6:30 - 8:30

$18.00

Teacher: Pam

OH CANADA
Let your Canadian pride show!

Create this great 2 page layout with a bit of a twist - not traditional colours for this patriotic page adds to it's charm! Play with Chipboard, incorporate stickers and pattern paper to create this amazing project!
July 5th, 2007

6:30 -8:30

Teacher: Pam

Gratitude - an overwhelming sense!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The response to our call for postage paid cards is so huge - I have gotten 3 large packages in the mail this week from BC & Beyond! Customers are binding together with workmates and collecting - in a few short days Chris M and friends, Sylvia, May, Jennifer & Kyndra from BC Transmission Corp brought in a pile. Kensington school in Burnaby worked together and dropped off almost 1300! A friend in Oklahoma (Hi Teri!) told me she is sending a huge box our way!

Tonight Karen C told me how her and her daughter were sitting in a garage waiting for new tires to be put on their van, while waiting they went through every magazine in the joint! Every day we receive new cards, one or 2 at a time, or 100's it does not matter because every SINGLE card brought in brings us closer to a cure! Every card marks a step in the right direction!

It is amazing to me to see how a community - our community of scrapbooking - can work together and do such an amazing job! Give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it!

Keep them coming! We are now well over 6000! Pretty cool for just a few months of collecting!

Tears of gratitude and blessing....

When you wake up in the morning do you ever ask yourself

"Self what is today going to be like?" Or "Self what are we going to do today?"

Some mornings as I am just waking up, listening to the rain (come on I live in Vancouver - it happens allot) or feeling the sun shine through the crack in the curtains (Yes that happens sometimes too!) I think, O.K. God what is going to happen today?

Some days are simply routine, get up, get ready for work, make sure the girls are up and doing what they need to be doing, take Ashlynn to school, off to work... then at 2:30 begin the whole list in reverse, making sure the girls are doing their homework, get dinner ready. . . The same regular thing. Then there are moments in the middle of the day - when you get your socks blessed off and you literally stand there wondering if it truly happened. I had one such moment today - I am still in awe and feeling warmed to the center of my soul.

Today looked as if it would be a fairly regular day for the most part. I knew there was a "challenge" to deal with when I arrived at the store involving a Visa machine that was down for several hours the previous day. A challenge here and there at the store is nothing out of the ordinary routine that is for sure...

Then it happened, one of those moments . . . you know the ones you have to pinch yourself to make sure you are not dreaming... a little something that literally made me cry tears of gratitude and blessing.... right in the middle of the store! This literally made my day! And continues to warm my soul - way down deep on so many levels.

A number of INKLINGS ago I wrote about my first camera, a brownie Hawkeye, it was a gift from my Grandma, and how much I wish I still had that camera. I have many good memories of adventures with Grandma and the camera. Sweet Sweet childhood memories. Today as I was working in the store a sweet customer ( I am feeling totally awful I am drawing a total blank on her name, Oh it makes me so very mad at myself when I do this!) came in carrying a blue bag and came directly to the counter, I thought cool, more postage paid cards to add to our stash...

No way, this is way cooler... she looks at me, hands me the bag and says I have a little gift for you.... I'm thinking oh that is so nice, she made my day before I even opened the bag. OH MY - I actually squealed and tears of blessing and gratitude sprang to my eyes when I put my hand in the bag and pulled out MY CAMERA! (Tears are springing again!) It could have been my original Hawkeye - the exact model - it felt the same, looked the same and everything.... How cool is that?

It still makes me smile and warms me to the deep recesses of my soul. First that she would think of me, second that she would remember reading my little story, third that she would ask her husband to pass along the 'extra' Hawkeye that they had gotten at an auction.... What a day! One truly blessed day!

My soul is blessed down right to the core!

THANK YOU! from the bottom of my heart for thinking of me. For making the time to bring it in, for being a blessing. It truly is in the little moments of life like this that make life so full!

WOW!