A {Big} Thankyou

Well to say we were surprised just doesn't quite cover it really! Amazed, blown away, gob-smacked...the list of adjectives still doesn't even come close!

 On Monday, Lin decided late in the afternoon to come down to PA World HQ to watch and be an extra pair of hands as the bookings came in for the ArtsyCrafts event with Tim Holtz.    but not to be left out, and with eyes sparkling....Queen Linda E asked to come, and so did our MVK (most valuable kitter-upperer) Karen ask too...YES COME ON DOWN, we said....Let's have a party!!! And so Jo Firth-Young was informed of the evening's plans and so she joined in (Essex Lynn was ...again...on holiday, so she missed out - sure she's having fun in Cuba, or Bangkok or wherever she is - we can't keep up).

Watching the clock, we counted down a bit like New Year's eve and the madness kicked off, well its like a mad house here 99% of the time anyway, but by the end of the night Linda E was yelling at Mr PA (Mark) to pull finger and sort the printer out.... and various other quips ...just to keep him in line of course......actually...I should probably have recorded them as audio boos then I could play them to Mark every time he gets out of line!!

So I need to say thankyou. Thankyou to all the PA HQ helpers - our ArtsyCrafts team is fantastic, we all enjoy each other's company soooo much, they are a delight to be with - and ever so slightly mad.

Thank you to all the people trying to book the event, for playing by the rules and not putting more than 2 tickets in the basket, thankyou for recognising that the website was under pressure and was groaning along like some old fashioned steamp-punked antiquity, but being patient anyway, thank you for ringing up all excited about your tickets, thankyou for not yelling at us while waiting for confirmation, and thankyou for supporting this event, and of course thank you to Tim Holtz for agreeing to come to teach a totally fab, looooong master-class like no other he has done here before. We are chuffed to bits. We are amazed to say we have people not only people coming from England, but also from France, Holland, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia and the USA. How utterly fantastic is that!

We feel honoured, excited and thrilled to be able to bring you such as wonderful event. I saw a totally on the button comment on Kaz's blog this morning from another Linda:

I'm excited for you - I just met and took classes from Lord Tim in Ohio this summer. Even as AWESOME as you think he and the class is gonna be ............it's BETTER than that! TOTALLY COOL, if I had the $ I'd fly to UK to take the class - you are one lucky princess. And Mario is just as cute, sweet and kind as he can be!!!!!!!!!

...and boy is she right. A Tim class is special, You will have your expectations totally exceeded. A whole lot of loveliness happens in Tim's classes that you just are never quite prepared for. Plus there is the small matter of a totally hilarious class with Lin and I and all our weird and wonderful terminology .... that is a bonus that we will enjoy, and I know you will too!

I'd just like to finish by saying our website cart providers are very sorry for the problems you experienced at checkout. We spoke to the boss at length, and he said they should have set us up on our own server for the booking period. I am also sorry to the other 200 shops hosted on the same server who also experienced really bad access to their shops for the 40 odd minutes it took for you guys to snaffle up those spaces in class. Lucky we weren't hosted on one of the many other servers that has 600 shops sharing space.

Now I am off to offer a few places that have become available to peeps on the wait list. Next week, when I have all the spreadsheets tickety-boo, and the lists 'final' I will email everyone. I have another surprise for you ALL that you will LOVE. not sayin now. But it's a bonus that you should be pleased to get. That is all I am saying.

Come join me on twitter @paperartsy for evenings of slightly looney chatter - my way to wind down...

Leandra (and Lin and the team)