ScrapMap with Jim

Hi guys,

I haven’t blogged in a couple weeks because I’ve been working on our Scrapbook Explorer’s Club/ ScrapMap booth for CHA. It’s 30′ X 10′, and I am working on making it really unique and special. I have been painting, stapling greenery to lattice, building an imitation campfire, recording voiceovers for the website and finalizing everything that is going to be on the website.

Lots of work, but it is really coming together. For those of you who will be at the convention in Rosemont, Illinois, stop by and say hi. I’ll be there most of the time.

And by the way, we have four more trips that Jaci and I are finalizing so be sure you are watching this week as we announce each one. You are gonna love them!!!

Jim

For those of you who are going to CHA next month in Rosemont, Illinois, at our ScrapMap booth you can sign up for a free space on our Ultimate Scrapbooking Cruise. We will be located at BOOTH 2319

We are also launching our Scrapbook Explorer’s Club at CHA this year as well, and you will have an opportunity to see our brand new website for our new company and have an opportunity to meet BADGER BRAD in person!

So be sure you stop by and say hello and register for the free cruise!

See you there-
Jim

All of you who are signed up on the Ultimate Scrapbooking Cruise, you are not going to believe this!!! We have just discovered that the cruise line will offer us a FREE CRUISE for every six, full paying passengers who sign up in the month of June. And we are passing this savings directly onto all of you.

Here’s the scoop:
You must already be signed up on this cruise to qualify for this promotion. If you bring in six full paying participants, they are giving to you your accommodations (based on what kind of cabin your friends book), port charges, taxes, fuel costs and meals. All of this is based on double occupancy and INCLUDES ALL THE SCRAPBOOKING CLASSES AND EVENTS!!

This does not apply to existing reservations and is only valid in the month of June. If you have any questions, please call Jaci or myself.

I love this promotion, and I think there is a great opportunity to go for free! Be creative and think of ways you can spread the word. If you are a shop owner, you have all kinds of opportunities to spread the word. If you attend expos or conventions, you can hand out flyers with your name on it and tell people to mention you when they sign up. Go for it, what have you go to loose, right? How you promote this to get your FREE CRUISE is ultimately up to you!

As promised, I am announcing our Paris tour for next year. The dates are June 1-7, 2009. We will fly to Paris from New York City (we are adding a one day hotel package in NYC if you are interested), and staying in a great area of Paris.

We are not hotel hopping, we are staying in the same first-class hotel the entire time!!!

Our itinerary includes a boat ride on the River Seine, sightseeing to major attractions and places like the Louvre Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Sacre Coeur, Eiffel Tower, Monet’s Gardens and Home, and an optional tour to the Palace of Versailles.

All breakfasts and some dinners are included. We are finalizing the airfare at the moment (they just changed what we were holding because of the fuel increase costs), and we will have the flyer ready to send out on Monday.

If you would like to be one of the first to receive the flyer before anyone else does, please email me and let me know. We are only taking 30 people on this tour, no more! Can you imagine how much fun we are going to have with all the photography opportunities, visiting scrapbooking stores in Paris, and learning more about journaling from a class I’ll be teaching while we are on our tour?

The information will be available this Friday for everyone who is not on our waitlist for a flyer. So let me know, it doesn’t cost anything to get a flyer and look at the information.

Email me at: Jim@ScrapMap.com

merci beaucoup!!!

OK, here’s the scoop-  our sister company, Sew Many Places, is sponsoring an incredible once in a lifetime journey to Kenya this December.  We have 8 spaces left on this tour before we hit our 30 participants mark.

If any of you are interested, go to www.SewManyPlaces.com and click on the link.  Kaye England (who is an absolute riot) and I are your personal escorts.  You can read all the scoop about the trip on our website. 

Thought you might want to know about something extraodinary that we are offering.

Hi everyone-

Finally back into the groove after that really exciting Alaska cruise with Tim and company.  My head is reeling about all the things that happened.  If you went, I’m sure you know what I am talking about.

 Anyway, on Friday we are announcing information about our Paris tour for next year. We are only taking 30 people, so if you are interested be on the look out and get your deposit in as soon as possible.  This trip will sell out for sure!!  Fantastic shopping, great French food, incredible sightseeing, a river cruise on the Seine River, the Lourve Museum, an optional tour to the Palace of Versailles, a visit to Monet’s gardens and home and so much more.

You’ll be on photographer’s overload with all there is to see and do.

I’ll be personally escorting this tour, and I promise you, it will be one heck of a great time!

It was something that I had every intention of doing, but once we started our cruise in Seattle last week, I decided not to blog until I returned.

First, let me say a big and I do mean BIG thank you to everyone who participated on the cruise. I don’t need to tell you how much fun it was and how unbelievable the experience was. You all were an amazing group of people, and I would travel with any one of you again in the future—–you were a complete joy to be with.

Second, and obviously the most important is to thank our SUPERSTAR- Tim Holtz. What an incredible talent you are Tim- progressive, innovative and definitely one of the most creative talents I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with. Your classes were out of this world, not to mention the passion you put behind everything you do. Let me tell you folks, what you see is what you get……he’s the best in our industry hands down.

And it would be remiss of me if I didn’t thank Tim’s incredible staff-Mario, Sharon, Key Chain (Karen) and Michele. You all rocked the house with your unfailing hard work and devotion to keep all our participants happy. Thank you all very, very much.

Finally, I want to thank Jaci in my office for putting the entire event together before the cruise, and Steve from ScrapMap who assisted me during this event. You both totally stepped up to the plate, and everyone was very impressed with your kindness and hard work.

To all of you who didn’t participate, I really can’t say too much except that you missed one of the best creative events I’ve ever had the privilege to organize. If there is any opportunity to travel with Tim Holtz in the future or take one of his classes at a scrapbooking shop someplace around the country, don’t miss it! You’ll see a real gem of a guy who represents our industry with great style.

Just to let you know, we are looking at some exciting options for another trip with Tim in 2009, so keep checking back with my blog.

God bless all of you who were part of this extraordinary cruise event, and may the experience of our creative journey in Alaska with Tim Holtz be one of the special memories you keep close to your heart. I know I will!

Jim

Many of you have noticed when you call our office that we answer the phone “ScrapMap” and “Sew Many Places.”  Both of these companies are sister companies under the Travel Alliance, Inc. corporation.

If you have a moment, why not check out our quilting company and see if any of these trips interest you.  You don’t have to quilt to join the fun, and we are traveling all over the world with a lot of creative people.

Check it out:  www.SewManyPlaces.com

Thanks!

Hi everyone:

Jaci told me we only have 8 spots left on Heidi Swapp’s China tour for this coming fall.  If you are interested in joining us for this exotic adventure, be sure you call our office very soon.

I promise you, this is one trip you will be talking about the rest of your life.  I travel to China twice a year with groups, and I can tell you firsthand, it’s as incredible as you think it is going to be.

Hope you can join us!

Jim

It is just a matter of days before Steve and I head to Seattle for the beginning of our Scrapbooking Adventure with Tim Holtz.  Boxes have been packed and shipped, the reservations are all confirmed, and we have a FANTASTIC group of people who are joining us.

I’ll be blogging every day, so if you want to know what we are up to each day, be sure you are checking back here.

Can’t wait!

Jim