July '04 Ridgecrest Retreat

Michelle, Thank you so much for hosting such a great weekend. I have to admit I came in not planning to participate in so many of the activities but your winning spirit and personality got us all involved. But not only did I have a lot of fun, I was also able to get a lot of scrapbooking done. It was a great experience, and I can't wait until February. Thanks again for a wonderful time.
Lisa
Greer, SC

Michelle does a great job with her retreats! I just returned from the Ridgecrest retreat and can't wait to go again. She has lots of giveaways, great classes, raffles and contests.
Susan
Cowpens, SC

Dear Michelle~
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your July Ridgecrest Scrapbooking Retreat. I have been on many retreats; including the "Big Name Brand", and I can honestly say that I have never been treated better. First of all, I never expected to receive a $25.00 SEI gift package upon my arrival. Then, you showered us with gifts, prizes and raffles throughout our stay. I tallied up all of my winnings and went home with at least $60.00 in merchandise!! Your decorations and themes were so much fun! It was nice to dress up as it somehow separated all of us from our everyday lives!
Your warm hospitality is absolutely the best part of your business and I am looking so forward to joining you again in February 2005! Thanks for a fun filled and relaxing weekend!
Brandi
Charlotte, NC
7/04

Thank you for the great retreat at Ridgecrest! I had such a great time croppin and participating in the activities, especially the raffles. The time away was wonderful. I look forward to croppin with you in the future.
Best Regards,
Aimee
Charlotte, NC

August '04 Valle Crucis

Michelle,
I can not thank you enough for all your hard work you did making sure that our retreat was the best ever. And that side kick of yours... what a hoot! Just love you both!  As busy as our lives can tend to be, its always nice to just stop and smell the flowers every once in a while. And that is exactly what I was able to do at your retreat! Having never been there before, I did not know what to expect. But let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. The beauty of the area, the relaxing atmosphere and the delicious food were amazing! I would not hesitate to come back again! Thank you so much for allowing me to come and have such a peaceful relaxing and fun filled weekend. I wish we could do it again this weekend and every weekend!
Much love,
Shelly
Rock Hill, SC

Hi Michelle! Just wanted to let you know what a great time I had at the August Valle Crucis retreat. The prizes and classes were excellent--I learned so much! I was so impressed with all the supplies you had available for sale. I thought I had come so prepared for all the layouts I wanted to complete, but just couldn't help myself from buying so many of the beautiful items you had there! Thanks so much for all your help--your retreat was excellent! I plan to make Valle Crucis an annual retreat, and am looking forward to Ridgecrest in February!
Vanessa,
Charlotte, NC

Hi Michelle- I'm back at work now but wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the retreat at Valle Crucis. It was such a nice respite from my hectic life. Everyone was wonderful and I did enjoy getting to know Jenny and Shelley. Thanks again. You put a lot of hard work into it and I wanted you to know that it showed up in everything we did. See you in November!
Donna
Lenoir, NC

Hi Michelle,
I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed this weekend. The food (as always at Valle Crucis) was wonderful but all the extra little goodies were great! Whoever made the Chocolate Chip Cookies - I loved them.
Now onto the really important stuff - Jen's class was A-One, I took the memory book class and have taken her idea of making it for my husband. I'm not finished but want to do something really special with it for him. His birthday is next week so I need to get hopping! Not only did we get great instructions, a wonderful teacher but she gave us loads of stuff to go with the book. Jen is so animated - I LOVE HER!
The door prizes were fun (only Martha and Cara are not allowed to join next year!) and the raffles added an extra punch to the weekend that I didn't expect. Your prizes for both were fantastic. The other ones I have been to either had little to no ticket door prizes or may a choice from stickers or a few die cuts. Your prizes were phenomenal (can't wait to use what I won!)!
I don't want to seem like a wet blanket but I wasn't into the dressing up - but that' just me. Of course me and Tama took the cheap route and bought a lea and some arm band tattoos that looked festive. It took us both 4 days to figure out how to get the tattoo off! (I had to wear a sweater to work the one day because I had a sleeveless shirt on - HA) I mean, if I have to pack extra clothes then that's less room for scrap stuff right - LOL. Funny, I pack one bag with clothes and toiletries and the rest of the car is loaded down with scrap stuff!
Michelle you were a lot of fun as was all the other ladies at the crop. Of course I sat down with Betty and "Janet" I think that's her name (the poor green pregnant girl) - they were a hoot! We loved meeting the color blocking queen Donna - always wondered how they do that! She is truly talented in her photography and scrapping! And a very special thanks to your husband! He helped us take down the heavy stuff - that was sooooo nice. And your children are adorable, made me miss mine! As always it was nice to talk to other ladies, spend a whole "girls weekend" together and learn so much. I love the Bazille papers, I just didn't know what they were. I had seen them before and showed them to Tama on the way up when we stopped at Memories in the Making.
Idea for fun stuff for another retreat - Girls Night - we could paint our toes (not our nails because that would just take too much time to dry and we need to scrap! - LOL) We could do facials and maybe the "magic hands" since our hands do get a good work out and paper dries them a little. I don't know what else to add - just an idea. We are talking about getting a group for the April crop at Valle cruces together.
Thank you so much for such a wonderful time! This was my 3rd crop weekend I've been in the past year and was by far the BEST retreat I've been on yet!
Talk soon
Maria from Raleigh

Hi Michelle, (et al -- [that one's for you, Shelly!]) I just wanted to say what an excellent experience last weekend was for me!!!! [And not just because I won the door prize -- the pressure's on now! ;-)] All you guys are wonderful and I am very lucky for having met all of you!!!! I also enjoyed seeing all the different styles of doing pages. I LOVED the classes that I took (Thanks, Jennie and Shelly!!!). Michelle -- You did a FABULOUS job!!! I really didn't know what to expect and was completely blown away by the spread -- both scrapping and FOOD!!!!! -- that you had ready for us!!! And the trinkets were great -- Oonagh was seriously bugging for a fan and has thanked me about a gazillion times for "getting it for her"! ;-) (Ed didn't understand the bandana on the ankle, but oh well........) The only way that I got so much accomplished this weekend was because of all of the supplies that you had available -- I truly could not have done it without you!!!! I'm bumming that I can't attend in November, but am already angling for February!!!!! I hope to see all y'all then!!!!
Take care,
Deirdre
Rock Hill, SC