
One of the good things about driving to Phoenix was that we got stop where we wanted to on the way there and back and we got to go mall and restaurant hopping while we were there. We stopped at Tod's on the way to town (and on the way back) and got to pet his shy, very cute dog (and as we mentioned before, ate lots of brownies).
And, we got to stop at Biscuit Heaven both ways, too:

And shortly before the little car accident, we stood in front of mannequins and wondered if we'd gone back in time or what:
The 80's are back and 80's Arizona style is the 80's style we remember. Had these mannequins been in LA, they'd be wearing shrugs and Uggs with their mini-skirts and leggings. See how I took a pictures of mannequins in a mall? Well, the other difference here is that had this been in LA, the store manager would've called her district manager and insisted I fill out a form about why I was taking a picture of a mannequin. It always cracks me up that in a city known for movie and tv show making, people taking pictures is considered suspect. Whatever.
Right here would be a picture of us with Roben-Marie Smith but because we're us, we were teaching in a room that had the most rebellious air conditioning system. There was no way that unit was gonna be lumped into the Arizona is a dry heat category and instead gave us the wettest air EVER. The journal pages were soggy and we were soggy. Roben-Marie, however, looked really cute because she wasn't in that room for long. Roben-Marie also reinforced our belief that some of the nicest people live in Florida. She has great rubber stamps, go see some.
And here is where we'd show you a picture of Crafty Chica but for some odd reason, my camera started taking only blurry photos. Very annoying. Trust us, we chatted with her and she's cute and funny and you'd really like her.
Here we all are at the Mother of All Book Signings. That's Josie, Tonia, Tena, Carol, Karen, and Me. Can you tell which two of these women are the sisters? I think it is me and Carol and someone is playing a joke on us. In fact, since I think Carol and I really are sisters (and Tena and Karen are sisters), I am sure she will not mind me stealing* this image she so lovingly created to illustrate who is really related.
*Stealing is not nice unless what you're stealing includes a picture of yourself.
We had a great time meeting lots of fun people at Art Unraveled and Barnes & Noble. We're also glad to be home for a bit after traveling so much last month. Our last class of the year is at Art & Soul Portland in October. We'd love to meet YOU there. Tonia Davenport is also teaching her too-cool-for words Alternative Presentation class there. If you make art and want to display it in frames that are also works of art, you must take her class. You can see some of her amazing work in Somerset Home.
Carol and Tena teach classes in Arizona and you can spend a fun day with them at Creative Escape in September.
Josie Cirincione teaches at Stampotique in Phoenix and she knows good food - a winning combination if you ask us.