Winners!

I just wanted to congratulate the people who won the contest in the back of Paper, Scissors, Death:

Stacy C. from Minnesota won the Grand Prize of a weekend stay in St. Louis, plus dinner with me and a stash of scrapbook supplies!

Debbie F. from Tennesee won the Second Prize of a Premium Photo Album from Snapfish!

Molly F. from Minnesota won the Third Prize of a Mrs. Grossman's Stickers Gift Pack!

Hurrah for all of you!

I'd also like to "give it up" to the winners of the 2008 Best of British Scrapbooking Contest:

Kim Tomlinson, Overall Winner
Jane Knight, Best New Talent
Sarah Bond, Best New Talent
Jo-Anne Cavanagh, Best of British
Juli Kirk, Best of British
Michell Jackson-Mogford, Best of British

These winners were announced in the December issue of ScrapBook inspirations Magazine.

Arirang and St. Pat's and Box O'Books!

May Peace and Prosperity Come to All of Us

On February 26, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra played a concert in Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Philharmonic President and Executive Director Zarin Mehta wrote “this is an excellent occasion to expose North Korea to one of the greatest cultural performances in the world, and it would promote unprecedented openness on the part of the North Korean regime.”

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to travel the world. I can honestly say that when we have the chance to meet other people from other cultures, we quit thinking of ourselves as “us” and “them.” Once we are face-to-face, we smile, we laugh, and on some deep level, we connect with others, even if we don’t speak the same language. To me, that’s the saddest thing about where we are today as a country: It’s no longer safe for us Americans to travel as we once could.

About that Encore...

I thought you might like to know more about one part of the concert that’s been under-reported. The performance concluded with a final encore of the traditional North and South Korean folk song "Arirang." I remember the song from my visit to Korea in 1986. Here are some of the words:

“Arirang, Arirang, O Arirang/The Pass of Arirang is long and arduous,/But you will climb to the hilltop,/ Where the sun will always shine./The times we live in are most trying,/ To this thousand miles of river and mountains/May peace and prosperity come.”

That’s a scrapbook page of me with some nice ladies I met on my visit. I was told that as Korean men were marched away to death camps by the Chinese, they sang Arirang. I’ve sung it since to Koreans—and they always tear up. Maybe it’s my voice! But more likely, it’s that they know I paid attention. I heard something that made an impression on me, and I have remembered it all these years. A song of longing for peace and prosperity in the face of tragedy and war. What could be more appropriate?

You can hear the whole concert at http://nyphil.org/about/virtualtours/0708/korea/index.cfm

St. Patrick's Day Project with Mrs. Grossman's Stickers

And in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a fun recycling project using Mrs. Grossman’s Stickers. Save a plastic container from a restaurant or grocery store. (Mine had dip in the center and veggies around the outside.) Choose a container that’s more “rubbery” than brittle! Clean and dry it well. Add the stickers--I selected the cute leprechan and clovers. Coat the stickers with clear nail polish. (Buy clear nail polish at the Dollar Store for this.) Voila! You’ll have a fun container for treats. Because of the nail polish, the container can be washed carefully by hand and re-used. This is really great for taking treats to a get-together or for a bake sale. I put shamrock cookies around the outside and Jelly Bellies in the center. You know, it's all about the presentation.

Box O'Books Contest Ends Next Monday!

I added two more books to the box this weekend. And after seeing how cute those Mrs. Grossman's Stickers are, how can you resist this fun contest? Remember...you must sign in on this blog to be entered. That means filling in the boxes to the right that ask to add you to our mailing list. Now...what will we do with your address? You might receive a newsletter from us...but you can opt out of that when it comes if you wish. Or you might receive a notice if we're doing a signing. That's it. Not big stuff. (We aren't sophisticated enough to do BIG stuff!)

You Can Get LUCKY...Really LUCKY!

I think I live a charmed life. Really I do. And now my good fortune can rub off on you. (Uh, that rhymed, didn’t it?)

You—or a friend— can enter our Box O’Books Contest with a value of more than $150 (yes, I added another book over the weekend)—but there’s more. The lovely folks at Mrs. Grossman’s Stickers have offered another prize: A selection of their stickers with a $50 Retail Value. So now we have two contests with two super prizes, and all you have to do is sign in to this blog before March 17, 2008 which is St. Patrick’s Day. On March 18, 2008, we’ll draw choose two email addresses from the folks signed in, and notify you whether you’ve won the Box O’Books or the Mrs. Grossman’s Stickers. You’ll have 48 hours to respond, and then we’ll move on to another person signed in.

So tell all your friends! They can sign up, too, and maybe they’ll share.

Meanwhile, what can you do with stickers? Glad you asked…

1. Decorate a card like the one here. If you go to http://www.mrsgrossmans.com/stickerideas/ you’ll see the card, and instructions, as well as a link to templates you can use to make your own version of the card.

2. Decorate kids’ lunch bags or any plain gift bag. You can buy solid colored gift bags at WalMart or dollar stores and jazz them up with stickers.

3. Decorate a thin strip of cardstock--say 2" x 6" or 2" x 7"-- punch a hole in one end and thread ribbon through that, and use it as a bookmark.

I’ll share other ideas next week. Meanwhile, tell your friends about the contest. I truly believe that sharing makes all of us more lucky!