One of the daily joys of working at Anna Griffin Inc. is seeing the faces of the kids in our day care. For those of us that work more than the typical 8-5, we get babysitting duties from time to time. Here’s what happens….

Busy, busy crafters…

This is hard work…

Ahhhh… just another day at the office.

My friend Nancy Hill of Die Cuts With A View and I were together last week in London for QVC. She had an awesome Today’s Special Value scrapbook kit. Check it out on QVC UK.

This was my side of the studio - notice how behind I am - there’s nothing there.

It took an entire conference room to hold all of the products we were showing! Here’s a cute photo of Dawn Bibby - the UK Queen of Crafts who came by to say hello.

I want to give a BIG Thanks to Hilary and Patrick (pictured here) who prepare Nancy and I to go on air. They really make us look good!

I have been traveling so much that I have not been able to get back to my new favorite “thing to do!” I feel like a human FedEx package. I’ve been to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Philadelphia and London in nineteen days. New York is next up this week - whew, I am really looking forward to being home at the end of this month!

As promised in my last post on QVC, here are some photos from those experiences…

Have you ever wondered what the studio looks like “before” the show? I took this photo 3 hours before my show on May 2nd. If you could have seen the panic… no walls, no tables - we were stressed to say the least.

Ashley and Tracey improvise on the floor while I take photos! Is this as glamorous as you thought it would be?

Almost show time … this is the stuff you don’t get to see during the show. I love watching the tapes because the shots are close up and it all looks so beautiful - the ugly gets trimmed away.

High above the cameras are windows. These ladies are on the QVC Studio Tour. It’s so nice when they wave and are excited to see us down below.

Not my best angle…

Note the hand held camera guy - that’s how we get those beautiful close ups!

The day would not be complete without a photo of Leah Williams and I. She is one of my favorite hosts on QVC. In fact, she was the host of my very first show 5 years ago. How appropriate that we did the anniversary show together!

Greetings from QVC!

I am so excited to be celebrating the 5th Anniversary of my show - Anna Griffin Elegant Crafting. For those of you at work - you can still tune in at 11:00 am eastern and watch on your computer - www.qvc.com

I’ll post more when I get home!

Oooooh I LOVED this sofa so much I had to buy it for my family room. I lucked out one rainy afternoon in Destin, Florida when I happened upon this very theatrical antiques shop called Antiques on Holiday. It is an original ratchet sofa from England, which means that the sides can be extended down by the tassel pulls on the corners so you can stretch out. So cool…

This ottoman HAD to be added to my collection as well. I just can’t get enough of these beautiful antique textiles. I think this makes the 4th one in my house…can I ever stop???

I just returned from a sourcing trip to China and I thought you might like to see some of the world’s most beautiful culinary creations at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. Each time I stay here, I absolutely marvel at what these talented pastry chefs can create. If you notice, the ribbon at the bottom says Ferragamo - what a retro statement!

Being in the wedding business, I have seen wedding dresses made out of paper many times, but never out of sugar. In case you are wondering about marzipan (I had to look it up as soon as I got home!)

I have never seen so many designer stores in one place as I have in Hong Kong. You can’t walk a block without peering into the window of Chanel, Prada or Gucci. I was totally amazed that there was a building dedicated to Armani - not just the clothes, but concept stores for Armani Chocolates and Armani Flowers.

Gratitude… I want to sincerely thank all of the people that have reached out to me and my family since my Mom died. Your kindness and support has helped so much. I am amazed at your creativity, your cards have been incredible (both handmade and otherwise!). My Dad has always said to “give people their flowers while they are living.” I thought that I would share one of the arrangements I received with YOU.

Thank you to my dear friends, Colleen and Neil.

Imagine my surprise when this arrived from my sweet friend Darlene! Her recipe for a “cheer you up tote” was just what my family and I needed.

Thank you to ALL of you. I promise to try and picture all of the original cards at a later date, but for now, please know how much I appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Sallie Griffin 1940-2008

Life will never be the same without my Mom. When she died suddenly at the end of March, my already crazy world turned upside down. I wanted to pay tribute to her here by posting some of her most glamorous pictures - she would want it that way…

My Mom was an artist for over 35 years. I know her love of art and her talent was passed on to me. She reminded me of this in every letter she sent…

My parents minister, Rev. Dr. Tom Steagald, held the most inspiring service for her. I thought you might like to read an excerpt from it.

“What is our impression, today, of this dear, demanding, sweet, curt, sharp-tongued, soft-hearted, gifted, giving outrageous woman?

There are so many impressions we could share, so many things for all of us to remember, so many pictures we could paint. Nor have I even scratched the surface. Pity the poor preacher this afternoon: trying to give you Sallie whole is like trying to summarize the encyclopedia. It is impossible. There was just so much of her. “

“I have a friend who is an artist. A real artist. The artist’s life is not always easy, and like many others whose minds are unquiet with an artist’s imagination, my friend can sometimes zoom very high only to plunge just as low. In between there are bounces and banks, turns and loops. Not everyone likes roller coasters, so my friend sometimes has to ride it out more or less alone. Still, there’s the art.

Few of us really appreciate real artists or their work, and a bad attitude often attends to our incredulity. My Dad once assured me that his preschool scribblings were better than any painting Picasso ever painted. Dad never quite understood that Picasso was not the one on trial.

Real artists, no matter their medium, in effect construct avenues into the deeper meaning of things the rest of us engage more or less superficially. Artists know that there are truths hiding everywhere for the discovering; they can help us find some of them if we have the courage (and patience) to follow (along).”

My Mom loved to see her pictures used in my craft projects. I think this one made her the most proud. She really loved it when I showed her pictures on QVC. She was beautiful in body and in spirit.

She was my biggest fan and my loudest cheerleader.

She will be dearly missed.