Vicki Boutin

Amsterdam, Part one

Ok my friends, I am going to start with the highlights from Amsterdam even though chronologically Spain should really come first.  The reason for this...I do not have any of my pictures from Spain!  My friend Karen Burniston was nice enough to download my 4 cards!! to her laptop but now I need to wait for her to recoup from jet lag before I start bugging her for the pictures!  I'll give her a day or two! :)  I'm just generous like that.

My reason for traveling to Amsterdam, Spain and back to Amsterdam was for a huge event called Scrap-A-Ganza.  How did I find out about this SAG thing, you ask??  Well, it was all due to my very talented, Ranger using goddess Jen Starr.  I met Jen through Scrapfest(an equally wonderful scrap event with a truly Canadian flair!)  While chatting about all things scrappy she mentioned Scrap-A-Ganza and her lovely friend, Anka in Spain and the rest is history!

So...here are some photos from my first few days in Amsterdam.  I spent some time with Karen Burniston and her very charming husband, John exploring the city.  When the two of them embarked on their romantic pre-Scrap-A-Ganza holiday I am sure they had no intention of spending the first day with the whirlwind also known as Vicki but we had fun!  Well, I did anyway and I'm sure they are still trying to figure out what hit them!!!  Hee hee!  Here are some photos....

 

 

John and Karen Burniston...two parts of our lovely threesome!  Thanks for putting up with me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making the best of small spaces!!!  Loved the little gardens at the front doors!

 

Karen pointed this one out!  Grandpa Crossing!  Love it!  In Spain they had two school kids on the cross walk signs and the little girl had braids!  Love it!

 

 

This one...an angel smoking a doob...nice.

 

 

I never thought there would come a day that I would have to worry about keeping my candy stash and the kids candy stash separate!!!  Cannabis and hash lollies!!!  Good times!!!  :)  No doubt..."They make you smile!"

 

 

Love the narrow streets in Amsterdam!  They all look the same which didn't help when I tried to make my way back to the apartment only to find myself lost with no street address, cell phone, phone numbers etc.  I walked up and down the street I was staying on 3 times before I actually found the dang apartment!!!!!  I almost had to resort to asking if anyone knew "Heidi" and if they could bring my to her!!!  Heidi was my host by the way, not one of my imaginary friends!  :) 

There was a lot of graffiti in Amsterdam!  Some of it was fabulous!!!  I really liked this door well with all of the tags.

Along with the graffiti there are a billion bikes in Amsterdam!!!  It is just AWESOME!!!  Everyone rides a bike and there are not a ton of cars.  I am sure it is out of necessity because there is no where to park in this city but it sure does help the Dutch stay in shape!!  Pedestrian, beware!!!  And cyclists...beware of Karen Burniston and her little yellow bike smasher on four wheels!  She had a little mishap with car and cyclist on her way to retrieve Jen and I from the airport.  She assured us that he was ok...only a few bruises and a very foul temper resulted.

This is Amsterdam version of a minivan!!!  I saw a family of 5 on a bike!!!!!

This is Amsterdam's version of Speedy Muffler..."It's the Bicycle Repair Man!!!" 

 

 

When in Holland, one must sample a little "Cheese"!  Here I am posing for a little "Cheesy" tourist photo!  Gotta love it!!!  And you know I couldn't wait to climb in to the big wooden shoe!!!
 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful flowers everywhere!!!!

And a variety of other indulgences, as well!
 

These are a few pictures from my first day in Amsterdam!!!  Tomorrow I will share highlights from Scrap-A-Ganza and Scrapland as well as my boat cruise and time spent with Layle and Melodee!!!

Check back tomorrow!!!

Here I am !!!!!

Hello!!!!  I'm here!  Hope you all had a fabulous Father's Day!  I did laundry and ironed for hours this morning!!!  LOL!  That is what happens when you are gone for 12 days.  My darling spouse did a few loads while I was gone and definitely kept everything in order around here but I needed to tackle the ironing.  I am a freak when it comes to wrinkled clothes!  Add it to my very long list of pet peeves.

Sorry it has taken me a while to post since getting back.  My kiddos are still in school and we have been busy with class trips and extra-curricular activities all week and add to that....JET LAG.  It has been a long week adjusting to life.  So, with that little intro let's get down to business!  I HAD A GREAT TIME IN SPAIN AND AMSTERDAM!!!  I have so much to talk about!!  I think I may have to share my experiences and all of the highlights from my trip in installments!  We are in the middle of a huge thunder storm so here are a few quick pictures and I will post more tomorrow!

Ok!  More tomorrow and lots to talk about in addition to the photos!  Have to log off before the power goes out!!!  night!  Glad to be back!!!

Greeting from my lastnight in Amsterdam!!!!

It is midnight in Amsterdam and Layle just figured out how to sign on to the laptop in the apartment we are staying in!   I have had a week and a bit with no internet so it is kinda nice to check in.  My bags are all packed and I need to go to bed but I wanted to post a little "hi-de-ho!!"  Spain and Amsterdam have been WONDERFUL!!!!  Great weather the last few days, great people at all of the events and in my classes and wonderful roomies!!!!!  I will post pictures and give you all of the details after I get home!!!!  I leave tomorrow and get home in the afternoon.  Talk soon!!!!

On the Road Again!

I am all packed up and my flight leaves in a few hours for Amsterdam and then on to Spain and then back to Amsterdam!  I will be gone for almost two weeks.  So, if you are looking for me it may be awhile before I can respond. 

I did want to post the two layouts I will be teaching at Scrap-A-Ganza.

This one is called Heartfelt Memories and features Scrap Works and Queen and Co.

This second one is the Bling and Thingz class but I can't get on the site to find the proper name.  The class features Fancy Pants Designs and Stix 2 foils, glues and glitter.

Here are a list of the photo sizes required-

Heartfelt Memories

2- 14 cm x 8.9 cm (on horizontal and one vertical)

3- 6.4 cm x 6.4 cm

5- 3.8 cm x 3.8 cm

Glitter and Bling with Fancy Pants

2- 5.7 cm x 10.2 cm

1- 12.7 cm x 17.8 cm

I will also be at Scrapland in Amsterdam on Wednesday, June, 4th and there are still spots left to come and play!!!  the workshop will feature Sassafrass Lass, some stamping techniques and a few Ranger products.

Here are the pages I will be doing for that class...

I have my camera packed and can't wait to come home and share all of the stories I will be sure to have!  Be safe while I am gone!  Talk soon!

And the Winner is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!  I can not believe the number of people who posted for a chance to win the lovely, wrist candy from WinkLove Pink!!!!!  And to top it off...almost everything is gone!!!!!!  But do not fret my little pretties!  I just went to Jen's house and took pictures of a whole whack of GORGEOUS stuff!  Want to see a few??  I know you do!!!!

Here are just 3...there are lots more!  She just needs to get them on her Etsy shop.

Oh yeah!  I bet you want to know who won the bracelet I posted!!!!  Ok.  The winner's name was chosen randomly by my man Riley....

Congrats to.....

Funky, Fun, Colorful little lovelies, it doesn't get much better than this! Thanks for sharing her (and your!) talents with us!

Posted by: Shannon Lowe | May 22, 2008 at 09:46 PM

Email me your address Shannon and I will mail off your little lovely!!!!!!

Lisa, your prize will be going out this week too!  Gotta get my ducks in a row before I leave for Spain on Thursday.

Speaking of Spain!  I will be heading off on Thursday to teach at 1 World Scrapsin Valencia on Saturday and Sunday.  Very excited about this!!!!  Spain is beautiful and I can't wait to see Anke again and all of the new friends I will be making during my visit.

After Spain, it is back to Amsterdam where I will be teaching at Scraplandon Wednesday, June 4th.  I can't wait to see this store!  I hear it is something special and that the people are great!

I get a few days inbetween classes for siteseeing with my friend and partner in crime Jen Starr and Layle will be arriving in there too!  Big plans!!!  I am looking at the internet for things to do and see.  I think a boat cruise will be in the plans, a flower market,maybe a flea market and of course the red light district and some shopping!

The last and super huge leg of my trip to the Netherlands will be SCRAP-A-GANZAof course!!!!  It will be held from June 6th-8th and promises to be a TON of fun!!!  I hear that the attendees are a wild bunch who love to scrap and have a good time!  Sounds like my kind of people!!!  Can't wait!

I am taking my camera along and promise to take pictures and post them when I return!  I will be back a few more times this week before I go!

Congrats, again to Shannon!  And Jen to at WinkLovePink for her wonderful jewellery making talents!!!

WinkLovePink GIVEAWAY!!!!!! AND 25% off!!!! CLOSED-Winner drawn

 CLOSEDI have been talking about it for awhile now and I am excited to announce that my good friend Jen has opened her jewelery shop on Etsy!  It is called WinkLovePink and she has a few beautiful pieces available for sale!!!  I can't believe how cool the bracelets are!!  I gave one to my friend Layle and she loved it!  I happen to wear mine all of the time!  So colorful and fun!  Jen will be adding more as she makes and sells them.  I think the prices are quite good and the bead choices are beautiful! 

The best part!!!!!!!!!!!!??????? I will be giving this beauty away to one lucky blog poster!!!!! 

 

 

All you need to do....is post a comment here!  You know how it works!  So go to it!  And spread the word! 

Let's SWEETEN the DEAL!!!!!!  If you go to Jen' Shop and purchare one of her lil pretties you can get 25% off if you mention that you heard about it here!  This special will go Sunday June 1st!!!!!!!

We're back!!!!!

And it is freakin' cold here!!!!  I think I might turn right around and head back to Florida where the temperature was averaging 88 degrees!!!!  Yes, it was hot!  And oh so nice to get away with the kids and hubby! (and SIL, BIL, newphew and niece!!!)  We had a wonderful time and jammed our week with Disney, Sea World and Gatorland.  Add to that, the pool and a huge lazy river!!!  Good times were had by all!

We had such fun!!!!  The kids were so good, too.  I thought there would be some trouble with the heat but the promise of late night swims seemed to get us all through the sweltering days!  I wish I could say that it's good to be home but I much prefer relaxing in the sun to doing laundry and cleaning the house!  LOL!

I do have a few things to look forward to!  My classes at the Scrapping Turtle this coming weekend!  I am off to Spain on May 29th for a teaching weekend and then I will be teaching at Scrapland in Amsterdam on Wednesday, June 4th and then I wrap things up at  Scrap-A-Ganza on June 6-8!!  Lots of fun is sure to be had in the next few weeks!!! 

A few other upcoming classes for the fall include The Scrapbook Junkie in Webster, TX on Sept 19-20!!  The Paper and Co Show in Versailles, France on Oct 10-12 and there are others I will be dicussing in the coming weeks!  The fall is going to be a great time to come and hang out with me!  I have lots of plans for new classes!!

Off to bed now for some much needed rest!

The Winner is.....

Great pictures. Beautiful children!

Enjoy Disney!

Posted by: Lisa | May 07, 2008 at 01:01 AM

Congrats Lisa!!!  Email me your address and I will send out a pack of goodies!!!  It won't be until after I return from my Holiday but I will post a picture of the RAK before I mail it off!  Thanks to all who took the time to post.

Off to finish packing!  See you all in a week!!!

A Toy, a Turtle and a Treat!!!!**RAK CLOSED**

Hey!  Had a great weekend at Destination Create!  Taught three classes and hung out with friends.  It was a super weekend!  The event was so well done, I bet the ladies who were there will be planning for the next one!  Thanks to Patti, Elia and their team for a great time!  Thanks to Deanna as well for all of the camera/photography tips!

Camera tips...that brings me to something else I did this weekend.  I bought a new camera!!!!

I am now a Nikon user!  I think I have a ton to learn with this baby!  I am going to order a book that is specific to the D300 so I can learn just what this camera is capable of.  I bought a new lense, too.

It is 17-55mm F 2.8.  I have been playing around a bit.  Here are a few pics I took on the weekend...

I have a lot to learn!  Watched a video about the focus points so hopefully I will be able to get some good pics when we go to Disney next week!!!

Do you live near St. Jacobs, ON or do you feel up to a road trip???  I will be teaching these two classes...

at the Scrapping Turtle on Saturday, May 24th!!!!!  It is not the long weekend, if you were worried about the date.  I will be bring a bunch of prizes and good times with me that day!!!  I love the Turtle and St Jacobs is such a quaint little village!  If you want to come an play call the store to reserve your spot!

Because I have been a bad blogger lately....how about a GIVE AWAY!!!!!!!  You know the drill!  Just post on this thread and I will have Riley choose a name on Thursday afternoon!!  I will post a pic of the loot later today.  I have some good stuff to give to one of my blog friends!!!!

Off to buy some shorts!  It is going to be in the 90's next week in FLA!!!!  Yikes!

St. John's, Newfoundland was the Place to Be!

I'm back!!!  And , man did I have a GREAT time in NFLD!  The people were awesome, the classes went well and the "Rock" is a beautiful place...rain, mist, fog and all!!!

I took a few pictures but kicked myself for not bringing my good camera!  Want to know why??!!!!  I could have got better pictures of these...

Yes, folks those are icebergs!!!!!  ICEBERGS!!!  It was so cool to see them and beautiful too!!!  Do you know that polar bears sometimes make there way down on the icebergs???  Well, I thought that was super interesting!

The ladies who own the Paperie- Chris and Janna- were so hospitable and down right wonderful ladies!!  They drove me around and answered all of my questions...even the ridiculous ones!  Hee hee!  Like, for instance, when we were talking about the seal hunt.  I asked Chris if it was a sport because I couldn't see it being all that much of a challenge because seals don't move that fast.  After she was done laughing, she informed me that it isn't a sport (silly girl) it is a livelihood for a lot of islanders.  The seals are used for their meat and seal oil is used in vitamins and such.  I also learned that Seal Flipper is a huge treat this time of year!  Cod Tongue soup was also a crowd favourite!!! :)  Interesting, eh?

Another thing that I want to share about my visit to NFLD is that I often needed a translator!!  LOL!!  I discovered that people were indeed speaking English but using all of the letter in a word is optional and speaking rather quickly is very common!  Here are a few examples...

"Whatta ya at?"  translation "How are you?"

"Yes by'!" translation "Wow!" or "Really?!?!?"

"G'way by'!" translation "Get out of here!!!!"

And my favourite from dinner at Ches's fish and chips place on Sunday night...

"Lu, lu!!" translation "Look, look!"

Fun times my friends, fun times!!!!  On Saturday night we had a delicious dinner at The Gypsy Tea Room and then went to George Street for a drink.  If you ever visit St. John's then you must go and check out the wall to wall pubs, clubs and bars on George Street!!!!  What an experience!

I do have to talk about the classes I taught and the ladies I met!  Both groups on Saturday and Sunday were so eager to play with the Scenic Route goodies, Gel-a-tins stamps, Prism Cardstock and the Stix 2 foils, glues and things!  They were friendly, funny and they made me feel right at home!  In fact, I hope I can go back again next year!

In all, I had a most memorable time!  Chris and Janna were superb hosts!  Janet and Meghan, who work at the Paperie were super friendly and helped me out with kitting my classes- thanks for that!!!  The ladies who attended my classes made me so happy to be there teaching and talking about all of the things I love about scrapbooking.  Thanks to you all!  The past weekend is right up there on the best places to visit and share my love of paper crafting! And to the ladies who were thinking about coming down here in November fro the One of a Kind and a class...email me!!!!

I have lots to talk about this week...I have a few upcoming class events to share with you...more pictures from NFLD(please send me a few from the classes if any of the ladies with cameras are reading this)...and a giveaway later this week!  Hey!  Do you remember the bracelet that my friend made?!?!?!  Her etsy shop is almost ready!!!  So that means I will be giving away a bracelet next week to kick off the Etsy shop!  Watch for that!!!!

Off to bed now, my sweets!  Talk at ya soon!