Scrapfest 2013 - My Day with Teresa Collins

Today was an AMAZING day!  It started very early . . . much earlier than I normally get up on a Sunday, but it was SO WORTH IT!

Let me back track a little.  A few weeks ago I saw a call go out on a crafting group I am in asking if there was anyone going to ScrapFest that would be willing to help at a workshop.  I responded that I lived in Bloomington, MN . . . just minutes away from the Mall of America . . . and that I would be more than happy to help out in any way that I could.

Later that day I received a message from Teresa Collins . . . yes, THE Teresa Collins.  Next thing I knew I was being asked to come and help out in both of her workshops at ScrapFest, and we were exchanging cell phone numbers.  Teresa mentioned that she was flying in at 6am the day of the workshop, then she had to get to the hotel, check in and drop off her stuff and head over to the mall to get ready for the workshops.  I thought to myself  "there is no way her room will be ready at that time in the morning . . .  where is she going to leave her stuff?"  So I asked her if she wanted me to pick her up at the airport so she would not need to bother with a cab.  She was so cute . . . she said "I couldn't ask you to do that!"  

I said "You didn't ask . . . I offered"

You should have seen me on Friday . . . OMG!  I need to get my car washed!  TERESA COLLINS is going to be in my car!

Oh, and I wanted to give Teresa a little gift, so I made this bag for her

I used a scrap of bridal trim from The Buckle Boutique and then cut a T out of the black 

Dazzling Diamond Rhinestone Sticker Sheets.  

I filled it with M&M's, a bottle of water and some other little treats.

So back to today

I got up at 5am so I could be all ready to go, and left my house at 6am since we live just a few minutes away.  I picked Teresa up and she was so nice and friendly . . . she has had such a crazy week between HSN, her Inspiration Unlimited retreat and then traveling her for ScrapFest.  I would not have been able to do it all.  I would have been exhausted!

We went over to the hotel and she was not able to check in, so I suggested we go out to breakfast instead of her just sitting at the hotel.  It was really nice to just sit and talk with her for a couple of hours over lunch.  We shared a lot of stories about our families and being mothers.

Then I asked if she needed to get ready . . . change clothes and freshen up.  She said yes, so I told her she we could go to my house since I lived just a couple of blocks away.

OMG . . . DID I JUST INVITE TERESA COLLINS TO MY HOUSE!?!?!?!?

I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE CLEANED YESTERDAY!

So, I made her swear not to look at the mess of my house . . . she laughed and you could tell she just really appreciated the offer.  We got to my house just as my daughter and husband were leaving to go to my daughter's hockey game, so they did get to meet Teresa for a minute.

Once Teresa was ready we had some time before we needed to get back to the mall, so we just sat at my kitchen table taking.  We did go into my craft room for a while and she saw some of my projects that were in progress on my craft area.  

Then it was time to head to the mall.

I was able to meet some of the Archiver's staff and we all helped get the tables ready for the workshops

I really like that Teresa does not just stay up on the stage . . . she walks around in the crowd to see what people are doing, interacting with them and encouraging inspiration and creativity/

You don't feel like you are just a person in her class . . . you feel like she really cares about what you are doing and WHY you are doing it.  She reminds people that we are the historians for our families.  We are documenting our families and their lives and these will be things that they can treasure for years to come.

After the second workshop Teresa took myself and the three other ladies that came to help at the workshops out to eat.  She didn't need to do this . . . she could have thanked us and just gone back to her hotel . . . but you could tell she really wanted to show that she appreciated our time.

During this time she listened to our stories and asked us about our families.  Again, wonderful memories and dreams were shared . . . and you could tell she actually cared about our lives and what we had to say.

Thank you Teresa!  

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day here in Minnesota.  I am honored to say that I have spent a day with Teresa Collins and she is really is as warm, friendly and kind as she appears to be.