A Magic Carpet Ride!

This is a copy of my post to my 'Happy Stamper' Blog. A long post but a 'brief' description of 'WHAT HAPPENED' at Paper Arts A Thon. Thank you to Marianne, Dave, Charlene, Paul and Stampin' Stud who came in at meal times to help out!

If I was asked to describe our first Paper Arts A Thon, this is the best description. The 24-hour event was pure magic and everything went so smoothly it MUST have been a carpet ride.

Bonnie, Holly, Jackie and I were at the Fire Hall at 8:00 am to finish off any last minute preparations. It seemed propitious that Elaine was our first Paper Artist to arrive. None of us had met Elaine before as she had heard about the event at Michael’s. When Elaine registered back in April she was pleasantly surprised to find out Paper Arts A Thon was a fundraiser for Arthritis as she is an Arthritis sufferer and that the day of the event was the 26th May as that is her birthday.
Shortly after Elaine arrived everyone started rolling in. It was so much fun greeting old friends and meeting new ones. Everyone was thrilled with their goody bags and excited to get the day underway. After ‘teary’ speeches from Holly and I, we turned the mike over to Jackie. We knew she would lift everyone’s spirit and get us all in the mood for the PARTY! She asked that everyone stand and introduce themselves, telling where they were from and how they got to attend Paper Arts A Thon. Bonnie then got the fun ‘job’ of drawing for a few door prizes!
By now you are thinking she is going to give us every little detail and how long will this post be? I won’t do that to you. I’ll just skip ahead touching on the high points and ‘surprises’.
While everyone got down to creating their own projects and participating in the Make N Takes, Jackie and Bonnie started counting the pledge sheet totals with Terry (Holly’s husband) nearby to post the totals on the ‘Thermometer’ he had created. Terry kept saying, “Can I go post another number now?” which told us he shared in our excitement. It didn’t take us long to see where this was headed, straight to the TOP and when the girls gave me their total, I nearly passed out, I had to grab the kitchen counter for support. We were in such shock over the total they decided to count it again in case there was a mistake but no, the total from the pledge sheets was $7578.00 and the Hearn’s needed to raise $7800.
Okay, if I keep posting like this, I will have a post a mile long, so I think I will just post in point form some highlights.
-the donations for the Silent Auction table, all were fabulous but there were a couple of last minute surprises. A boat trip (glad you won Alex but I wish I had the foresight to start bidding sooner). A collector’s print of Sable Island horses that was used for a postage stamp.
-Cranky pants, I won’t forget those Cranky pants wrapped around, heads, necks, Amy wearing them and pulled up to her arm pits and Angie flinging them outside, even good natured Terry got to wear them.
-Karaoke! I warned those girls that I could not sing but they made me do it! I have now discovered there is another ‘person’ living inside me and to tell you the truth ‘she’ scares me. On May 26th as one person described it, I went from a Karaoke virgin to a Karaoke slut!
-Elaine waltzing across the floor in her ‘Beautiful Sparkly Birthday’ crown.
-Alice, how can I every forget the kindness of Alice, who put together certificates for Holly, Bonnie, Jackie and myself, along with cards that best suited us, for everyone to sign.
-Our Belly Dancer. At 2:00 am we had everyone close their eyes and we turned out the lights. When the lights came on standing before them was the most beautiful Belly Dancer you have ever seen. With beauty and grace she danced up a storm. The room was electric with energy. This recharged us for the remainder of the night. After her beautiful dance she passed out scarves and coined skirts for a few brave souls to try their hand or hips at Belly Dancing. Our sweet Holly took to this like a duck to water and wore that coined skirt for HOURS (slightly embellished here for you Sandra).
-THE PARAMEDIC! Now if you were a participant you would know that Jackie had been sending out emails to everyone and in a couple of them she mentioned ‘scent sensitivity’ as she suffers from this and although she is a single Mom still didn’t want a handsome Paramedic showing up to rescue her. Well, Terry heard about this and arranged for, you guessed it, a VERY GOOD LOOKING paramedic dressed in full gear, to come in to see Jackie. The stage for this couldn’t have been better; she was at the front of the room before everyone when he stepped up behind her, and the look on her face was priceless when she turned to see him there!
-HEADS OR TAILS. Taryn you truly rocked! They loved ‘ya and I do to! Thanks heaps!
-EGG ROLLS. What could egg rolls have to do with Paper Arts A Thon? Pam (who owns the Bead Store) and her husband Charlie arrived sometime after midnight with a huge bag of hot egg rolls for EVERYONE! I tell you the truth when I say; they were the BEST egg rolls I have ever eaten. The look on everyone’s faces was pure heaven. Terry just could not believe that ANYONE would show up in the middle of night like that with EGGROLLS!
-Just as I DREAMED, there sat Karen and the gals from New Brunswick. Karen sharing stamps and ideas with Jill. Amy scrapping beside them. Angie nearby making everyone laugh. Michelle making new friends. Josee and the gang keeping the creative juices going. Debbie always nearby with hugs. Gayle wired but present. Kathryn pulling it together at the last minute so she could share the experience with us. The Two Much Girls, Melissa, so glad you could make it, Ria, Paulette and Alex. Holly’s friends Gail and Millie. Always there for you, Kaye and her friend Cathy. The J J’s, Jenny-Jane and Jocelyn, along with a couple of P’s (Pam and Pam) not to be forgotten Heather (after all she is the one to have called me the Karaoke ----). Bea, so very talented Bea, sharing a table with Alice, Jaime and Elaine (half marathoners). Newfound friends and kindred spirits, Margaret, Trina, Angie and Iris.
As the wee hours rolled in we decided it best (for safety reasons) to do the final draws and make our closing remarks early. We were all worried about the Wonderful Women (Sandra, Linda, Angie, Roberta, Nancy, Pam, Joy and Karen) making the long drive home to NB. The final total, after proceeds from the Silent Auction, Make N Takes and Draws was added up, came to over $9600.00. Unbelievable in some ways but when I think of the generosity, love and spirit in the Kingston Fire Hall on the 26th and 27th of May I am not surprised!
Even before the 26th of May I was describing Paper Arts A Thon as one of the best experiences of my life! I can never fully explain what ‘happened’ on the 26th and 27th of May but I feel in many ways that we (Holly, Jackie, Bonnie and myself) were merely a vessel for all good things to come to Paper Arts A Thon. THANK YOU again, Holly, for giving me the opportunity to take part in a LIFE CHANGING experience!