e2c behind the scenes by Amanda.

THURSDAY.

Woke early and went to gym…feeling very excited and impatient i went through the motions wanting the session to hurry up and end so i could go home, get the kids ready for school, pack the final bits into the car and get ready myself and GO.

It was the slowest 45 minutes of my life but when it was over i zoomed home to ready myself for the busy day ahead.

Not long and i was whizzing up the road to pick up the first of our guest teachers, Natalie May who was patiently sitting at the airport waiting for a ride. I had only met Nat once, very briefly as an adult but had known her for years on Essential Baby website. Unbelievably we had also played together as kids while our mums talked 'hairdresser' chatter a very long time ago.

Never the less as soon as we got together it was like old mates. Nat is the most hilarious, dry, quick witty person i know…i just loved laughing with her. Her personality is large as life.

We squeezed (literally) her suitcases into the car and flew down the road to meet up with John and Greg who were unpacking trestles. Before long Sue arrived and we were into it. After MUCH table shuffling and jiggling about they were up and the bones of the retreat was taking place.

Leonie and her crew arrived to set up Scrapworkz, then Brigette and Karen from Shabby Chic Shack rocked up and there was much unpacking and decorating of stores…and not so much gnashing of teeth lol.

When Meredith arrived after a hard day's work there was a cry of joy and all hands were on deck.

We all worked like trojans and was so thankful for Nat's hard work moving heavy trestle tables and really knuckling down just like any other member of our team.

Time flew and before we knew it, it was time to pick up Mel and Bev from WA and Mardi Winen, another of our inspiring teachers. Mel Forbes had been our guest teacher in 2010 and flew in early to help set up with her mate Bev. It is such a buzz for us to think that our past guests actually WANT to come back again…particularly when they fly in from the other side of Australia!

Mel is such a special friend, we have a wonderful bond from our EB days and she is always honest and kind. I feel very privileged to call her a friend.

While i hugged Mel and said hello to Bev i noticed this tiny little woman standing behind them. I knew immediately that it was Mardi and was so EXCITED to meet her. This lady has been one of my scrapping idols for so long and i actually felt like i was having trouble stringing two words together to form sentences properly (i know Nat looked at me weirdly a few times that afternoon!!)

Little did i know at that stage that she would be the most beautiful person - inside and out, someone who i wished i had sat next to at the retreat and hot damn i wish i had her wardrobe and wore funky clothes like she can!!

We all went back to the shed and i was delighted to see that they were at the tail end of hanging up the pom poms… because i really sucked at being gentle with the tissue paper and ended up ripping all the ones i tried to help with.

Everyone pitched in sorting the shed out, and it was really starting to take shape. Lindy and Leah from Cummins Sheoak Craft Cottage arrived and unpacked too.

Andrew and Michelle - our two super helpers also arrived around this time - and boy oh boy were we glad to see them. These guys travel from Sydney to help us with set up, pack up and all things in between. Who would think that we need a man at these retreats --- but Andrew has been the most amazing addition we have done. It has decreased Meredith, Sue, my, and all the kitchen staff stress and workload dramatically. Quite often over the weekend we would hear 'ask Andrew' 'Andrew's done it already' and even 'that guy is amazing!'. We couldn't do it without those two guys  - what incredible supports.

After a little personal tidy up we all went out for tea together and had lots of laughs over our meal at the Marina. Swedish cookbooks and unusual plugs come to mind…

After a quick stock up of wine we went back to pack goodie bags and a finish off a few kit items. We all enjoyed a few drinks, lots of laughs and a semi late night which seemed like a great idea at the time but not so much the next day….

FRIDAY.

I am sure i groaned loudly when the sunlight hit my eyelids, i heard that bloody door bang and i realised that i had to get up and function properly. After a refreshing (?!) cold shower I went over to the shed to meet with our third teacher to arrive - Kate Mason.

Now Kate has also been one of my heroes for so long - her scrapbooking was always so beautiful and i loved her blend of art while maintaining white space. I would often find myself drooling over both Kate and Mardi's layouts in magazines so what a thrill to have them both (BOTH!!) within arm's reach!!

Kate was exactly as i imagined - such a creative soul and so kind and caring. Her gorgeous nature really shone from inside out - such calm and beauty. Within minutes she was pitching in, helping get things ready for the midday onslaught of e2c attendees.


Before we could blink it was 1145 and we had our traditional 'drinks' which are usually met with great enthusiasm - however not everyone was thrilled at the prospect of sipping champagne this morning…

Then it was busy busy busy with everyone arriving, giving out mugs, lanyards, showing people to their rooms and tables. Lots of "WOW"s as people came into the shed which was great to hear!

Everyone settled into their seat and within minutes the empty shed was filled with busy scrapbookers going hammer and tongs.

Mel, Kim and Leanne were busy in the kitchen preparing our yummy beef or chicken yiros - the smells coming from that area were delicious! Also food wise we had the most scrummy afternoon tea supplied by Carrie - ohmygosh it looked fantastic and was so decadent to nibble on.

After our yiros tea we were keen to start Kate's canvas class. This was mind blowing - just so different and i had not ever done anything so 'mixed media' before. I couldn't believe how incredible the canvases were looking using paper napkins of all things!?! There were so many enthusiastic class participants who left with their mojo flowing - it was the perfect class to kickstart our weekend. Thanks Kate :)

After class we had many hours of free scrap time - which everyone seemed to make the most of!




SATURDAY.


It seemed I had only just closed my eyes and it was time to get up again. Mardi was buzzing around getting bits ready for her class and we were off and into another class. As i said before, Mardi is one of my scrap gods, so i was pinching myself the whole time as i couldn't believe i was in a MARDI WINEN class!! Her blend of colour, preservation of white space and eclectic style is just awesome. I just loved the layouts that i made with Mardi's class - in fact i love any layouts that i do in ANY class because it seems so luxurious to not have to think at all… just place it all how the teacher says. I do enjoy doing classes for the non thinking / stressing to make layouts. My table neighbours - Tatum and Lauren - know that i scrap at a painfully slow snails pace so they can attest to the fact that churning two layouts out in 2 hours is wonderful!!

Val was super busy in the kitchen chopping and making lunch with our superman Andrew helping as well (Mardi nicknamed him 'McGyver' which i think may stick!)

After a scrummy lunch with our bread items from our local 5 loaves bakery, it was time for Nat's class. She had already had a busy morning sorting out her spray booths and making sure everything was in tip top ready condition.I was a bit bummed to find out that my kit had been given to someone else so i was unable to do the class… but I listened to Nat's rundown and tips which were brilliant. I really wanted to have a play with that spray gesso too… There was so much enthusiasm and it was fabulous walking around seeing all the different variations. Her use of inks, stamps and stencils were so inspiring!

The rest of the afternoon was free scrap time.

Before long, more delicious smells were coming out of the kitchen and we knew Kym, Mel, Leanne and Andrew were cooking up a storm again. On tonights menu - steaks with an amazing array of salads. There were so many moans of delight coming out of that dining room, it made everyones mouth water who were patiently waiting for their turn to eat.

After filling our tummies to almost bursting we had dessert to try and get through : with some artistic flair from the kitchen cooks!

YUM.

So then it was onto our massive prize table - which we decided last minute to go with modern technology with a random number generator. It sounded brilliant but ended up being a big mistake.  After a little while we noticed the same numbers coming up twice which was really embarrassing…. thankfully Tiff quickly suggested a way to finish the lucky numbers off so as everyone could go home with a prize. I think next year we will go back to our written numbers drawn out of a hat! Apologies to all as that was a long drawn out affair which went even longer than normal. Very embarrassing!

After our huge prize draw there was more free time to scrap and we stayed up into the wee hours of the night / early morning making the most of our last night at e2c.

SUNDAY.

A lot less sleep under the belt this morning (makes me wonder how much sleep we really need to function properly?!) but up and breakfasted ready for our group photos taken by Mum.

Back in for a quick scrap before lunch, free time after lunch and then before we knew it everyone was packing up around us. This is the time i really hate the most.. it means that it is all over, that everyone is about to leave. I always feel so sad and flat on the Sunday knowing that all the joy of e2c is over.

Thankfully many hands make light work and everyone helped wonderfully to turn our creative haven back into a boring old shed again.

It was soon time to take Kate back to the airport. After a few sad moments in the kitchen we dashed out to the car...to realise that my car keys were inside the shed in my handbag still….argh! I ran inside, grabbed them and ran back to the car. Popped the key in the ignition, turned them on…. and nothing.

 A FLAT BATTERY!!

I was absolutely panicking and mortified with embarrassment. I ran inside again and asked everyone to drop what they were doing to help me out of this pickle! Sue was able to load Kate's cases into her car and soon she was whizzing off to the airport with me waving and apologising very red faced. To meet one of your scrap idols and then have her leave with this terrible memory of you is just so embarrassing!

After pack up, Sue, Meredith, Nat, Mel, Mardi, Bev, Michelle and Andrew went out for dinner. While it was a 'celebration that it was all over' type of dinner, it was also a 'so sad to say goodbye to friends' sort of dinner. And yes there were tears and promises that we would see each other again soon.

I have to say that i am always amazed at how much of a bond we get with our special guest teachers. With Mel Forbes, with Tatum Woodroofe, Michelle Dyson, Lou Nelson and with Fran Tynan. I honestly thought we had just been lucky and that we could never ever hope to get teachers that fit in with our group as well as our past girls.

 I was wrong - totally wrong.

Our 'get to know you' session on Thursday was brilliant with Nat and Mardi - and we all felt like we had known them for years. When Kate arrived on Friday, there was also an immediate connection. It's just such a privilege to have worked together with these ladies compiling kits and emails back and forward and we all feel really grateful for their easygoing nature. We certainly couldn't handle any diva -ish behaviour - that's not e2c style - and thankfully we have not had one teacher who has been high maintenance at all. Quite the opposite... being only too happy to help us every step of the way.

Thank you to our wonderful teachers! From the very first email we received when you all agreed to be our teachers (and let me tell you that Meredith, Sue and I squealed our excitement in unison in response) we knew that you would be awesome.

And thank you to everyone who was able to come along to e2c 2012 and make it such a wonderful experience.

I'm wondering if everyone is free this weekend to do it all again?!