Monday, April 30, 2012

E2C retreat recipes No 1 ... cranberry broccoli salad


After a number of requests here is the recipe ... more to come as we get them :-)



Cranberry Broccoli Salad

4 cups fresh broccoli florets
½ to ¾ cup cubed red onion
1 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
1/3 cup crumbled well cooked bacon
½ cup Roasted slivered almonds
½ cup Shaved Parmesan cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup thin cream
3T sugar

In a large salad bowl, combine the broccoli, onion, cranberries and bacon. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cream and sugar until smooth. Pour over the broccoli mixture with parmesan cheese and almonds, toss to combine.

Refrigerate until serving.

Serves 6

Recipe from www.tasteofhome.com and modified by Amanda Hall

Sunday, April 15, 2012

all the info you need ...




Hello hello to you!

Time is ticking away very quickly and it is less than two weeks until we all meet again! We hope you are SUPER excited and prepared for a fun filled, relaxing weekend.


In our email letter last year i said that we had planned THE BEST RETREAT EVER in 2011... well i'm sorry to say that i lied :(

2012 IS GOING TO BE THE BEST-EST, MOST AMAZING RETREAT EVER!

Lucky you attending!!! There are so many exciting, behind the scenes details coming together to bring you the best scrapping experience of your life!

As you are no doubt aware - we have 3 incredible South Australian teachers primed to inspire us! Please ensure you are ready for the classes that you are booked into. 

You will need to start thinking and preparing your class photos and requirements very soon.  Find all the details you need = photo sizes, colours and themes below. Please pay particular attention to the 'students need to bring own' sections.







second canvas size 20x25cm purchased from Cheap as Chips if you would like to create two in this class. (one canvas supplied in kit)




The classes and workshops are scheduled as following (at this stage)

Friday evening - Kate's Canvas Workshop
Saturday morning - Mardi's two layouts class
Saturday afternoon - Nat's layout class

Apologies that we say the same thing each year but again we will re- enforce some points :

1.  There will be 4 retailers attending our retreat and they will be 'onsite' for the entire weekend.  DON'T FORGET YOUR MONEY / PURSE / CARD / CHEQUE BOOK!

2. If you would like an iron on transfer for your t-shirt please remember to bring a black t-shirt. Transfers will be given to all in 2012.

3. The group photo last year looked fantastic with everyone in their black t-shirts. We are hoping most people will join in and bring a black shirt so we can have a similar 'group' appearance this year -  even if you don't want a transfer. This group photo has been planned for 10.30 am on Sunday.

4. Our e2c Masseuse Mandy will be available Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yes 3 days!! In more good news - she has brought along a friend Lynlee who will also offer massages. This year the girls will also have express mani, express pedi and a deep cleanse facial on the menu! Booking sheets will be circulating on Friday.

5. You will need to BYO esky and ice for your own BYO drinks (alcoholic or non) for the entire weekend. Ice will be available at the Nt Shields service station across the road to top up eskies as needed. Please note that there is no spare fridge space so personal drinks will be your own responsibility.  You will also need to bring your own wine glass / cocktail glass / cocktail ingredients. Blenders will be supplied. There will be a special 'eskie cubby' for all eskies which is near to your scrap area.

6. Make sure you have plenty of photos and projects to keep you busy for 2.5 entire days. Take much more than you think you could ever scrap and hopefully your creative mojo will floweth over!

7. Tea and coffee facilities will be available all day, evening and until the wee hours. Afternoon tea will also be supplied on Friday afternoon at 2.30pm.

8. A small selection of nibbles will also be available. If you have particular eating desires - bring them along for yourself to nibble on over the weekend.

9. Don't forget to pack bath towel, bedding and toiletries!!

10. There are 6 beds per room - 3 bunks. These have been allocated in 2012 - and we have tried very hard to accommodate everyone as they requested.

11. Arrival time is from midday on Friday the 27th.  No early callers please. Lunch is not provided on Friday but facilities are available to heat your lunch if needed.

12. The retreat will wrap up around 4pm on Sunday :( This is to ensure we have enough time to finalize retailer accounts, give us time to clean rooms and remove ourselves!

13. There will be a cuttlebug, sissix and some folders plus plenty of sewing machines set up at the retreat to borrow. If you would like to print journalling there will also be a printer / laptop. Please supply own paper/cardstock.


14. Please do not bring individual blow heaters. We do not think our power will cope. We are hoping to solve the dim lighting issue from last year and have a few ideas in place to make things brighter.

15. Those with sensitive backs/ bums you may want to bring along a pillow or cushion as the chairs can become a bit hard after a few hours and we would hate that          to interfere with your creative energy!

  16. The ladies travelling via planes please note that the airport is VERY close to the retreat location. (North Shields Lion's Park).



Please don't hesitate to contact us if there is any questions or concerns. We would be pleased to help in any way possible and strive to make this a great, fun time for everyone.


 Meredith, Val, Sue and Amanda,

first project for the retreat ... ???

So what is your plan for the retreat ...

are you working on a few layouts ?

are you doing a mini album?

are you concentrating on the classes?

or are you doing all of the above????

Let us know your plans!!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Getting excited ... ???

Don't keep calm and carry on. / Matt Jones

So over on Facebook the excitement is building but if you aren't a Facebooker then we don't want you to miss out on posting your excitement 

So leave us a message on how you are getting ready for the retreat!!

Even if you are on Facebook ... leave us a message :-)

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

a class question...

today i received an email asking about Kate Masons class and the size of the canvas.

In our promo ad you might have read that there were enough materials in the kit to make two canvases but only one was supplied.

If you would like to make full use of Kate and get a second canvas - the size is 20x25cm.

We have sourced ours from cheap as chips in Port Lincoln as Kate said that the cheaper canvases are as good as the pricey ones for this class.

Hope this helps.

Is anyone else getting excited? Not long to go now!