We are always in New York for the National Stationery Show this time of year. It was a week like no other for Celebrity spotting! First, it was Katie Couric in the lobby of the Javits Center on Saturday. On Sunday morning, I got to meet Dina Manzo…

from the Real Housewives of New Jersey. She came by our booth because she used our invitations for her wedding! She was shopping for an upcoming family wedding and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to get to talk with her about her show. You all know what a big reality TV fan I am! She was very gracious to indulge me asking her twenty million questions. Love her!

Monday I met Johnathon Adler! I went up to him and introduced myself and told him what a big fan I was. He said I was sweet. I didn’t have the nerve to ask for a picture… I wish I had done that! I love that he was just walking the show, like any other normal person.

Tuesday, I met April Cornell!

We were buying from the same dealer at the Surtex show. It pays to read peoples badges! She was lovely - what a kindred spirit!

You would think that my streak ended there, but no! Al Roker was on my flight home and I got to chat with him on the jetway. He is in Atlanta this week doing a thing with the Weather Channel.

I’ve always had a keen eye for spotting the famous, but this week I think I hit the jackpot! Sorry for the bad photos, but a bad photo is better than no photo!

I wanted to give a big heartfelt thanks to all of you that read, posted and gave me your feedback on my QVC posting. I sincerely appreciate your warm wishes and encouragement! We’ve taken your suggestions and have made some immediate improvements.

On our website, you can now go to the Craft Gallery, click on the Flora Collection and Peyton Collection and see 4-5 scrapbook projects for these paper groups. We are working on posting more for each group. You can also check our gallery on www.scrapbook.com for ideas.

If you have not signed up for our email newsletter, please do that. We send out regular announcements about all things Anna Griffin, so make sure that you sign up to be “in the know!”

I just returned from QVC London and I am preparing for my QVC US show on Thursday. Thank you all in advance for watching, we have some really great stuff in the line up! It’s the last opportunity you will have to buy a lot of these items, so get ready! (Especially if you want the tote bag and organizer…)

Another big thank you to all those QVC customers that bought the handmade greeting card kit I had on last Friday. I loved being part of the Breast Cancer Awareness show. It felt good to do something for a great cause!

Talk to you after the show! - Anna

To everyone who crafts that reads this blog - I need your help!

My 6th Anniversary on QVC is coming up on May 7th. Time passes so quickly and the thrill of live television still gets me nervous!

People say that they love watching me on QVC because there is such a wide variety of products offered. We design and manufacture many of the items shown exclusively for them. Here’s where you come in…

As a viewer, what do you think I could do differently?

What’s your feedback on the product mix? As a designer, I want to continue to bring you great stuff!

How do we compare to the other craft shows?

How do our shows compare to craft shows on other channels?

I am commited to delivering the best show I can for QVC! Thank you for your help and I really appreciate you watching!

Sorry that it’s been a while since my last post because this is the first week of 2009 that I have been in the office the whole week. Traveling is the name of the game this year and I am hoping that it will start to pay off because “all work and no play” is not my motto!

I’ve captured some fun things over the last 2 months to share. First up is the one, beautiful snow day we had in Atlanta. I had to run out and snap a picture of my house and then run back in to get under the covers.

I got a spa gift certificate for Christmas and spent a heavenly afternoon at Atlanta’s newest place of pampering 29 Spa.  Lydia Mondavi (yes, of the wine Mondavi’s) unveiled this incredible place at The Mansion on Peachtree.

The only spa in Atlanta to be rated Mobil Four Star, 29 Spa features 14 treatment rooms and provides an extensive selection of personalized spa services and treatments and of course a glass of wine as you luxuriate.

I went to New York for a few meetings and spent Valentines Day soaking up the excitement of the city. I love that Target took over Times Square - it really is design for all!

These giant flowers are made from beautiful metallic papers - so inspiring! They grace the walls of the Kate’s Paperie headquarters.

These pretty petals were waiting for me when I checked into the hotel. What an extravagance for just a few days. I was spoiled for the weekend! We had dinner at Adour, the new Alain Ducasse restaurant. And of course there was some shopping at Henri Bendel…

Oh my goodness…check out those fingernails…(this picture was Paul’s idea). A little out of character for me, I must say, but it was memorable and fun. Our new Peyton Collection is the perfect scrapbook paper for this!

It’s been 15 years since my first booth in the temporaries of the Atlanta Gift Show. We’ve now come full circle and opened our first permanent showroom in Americasmart! We’ve been frantically working towards the January 6th launch and I’d thought I’d share a few photos of it with you.

We have such exciting new products coming out this year - new bags in leopard and zebra print along with lunch bags and cosmetic bags. I LOVE bags! Can you tell?

Finding all of the antique display pieces was a challenge, but you know me, I love shopping for them! The effect is elegant and romantic, just like our products!

This old post office box is perfect for displaying our imprintable invitations. You can see I still have a lot to do to get it ready…

The scrapbooking and craft section isn’t complete yet, but I will post pictures once it’s done!

Come visit if you are in town for the show - Americasmart, Building 2, Suite 806. May this be the start of a successful and prosperous year for all of us!

Two turkeys out shopping before Thanksgiving…

This is my favorite holiday of all! While I expect it to be sad without my Mom, I am very present to the abundance around me.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving! Love, Anna

I just got back from the International Quilt Market in Houston where we debuted 6 new and exciting fabric collections with Windham Fabrics.

Whew - after 7 straight weeks of travel, the happy quilters were a blessing to me. I think the quilt industry has the friendliest and most enthusiastic buyers of all the markets we participate in!

I got to go this year for the first time in 2 years. I am usually in China at the end of October, working on new products.

I love antiques and I thought it would be fun to showcase each new collection with an antique chair that represented the essence of each group. While quilting fabric has to be backed before it can be used for upholstery, these chairs came out great!

This is the Flora Collection - it’s all antique engravings of plant life and there is even a garden plan thrown in for a geometric mix.

Fiona - the “star” collection is a fun, fabulous group based on a 1930’s French watercolor floral pattern. It’s part contemporary, part old world and a whole lot of pizazz.

Millicent - the sweetheart of the bunch, is made up of Lilacs and roses, lace, and small traditional quilting patterns in a pink/gold group, a lilac and grey group and a grey/black group.

The Aurora Collection, started out as a new interpretation of Turkey reds, but it morphed into this beautiful, traditional home decor line. What I mean by that is the scale of the patterns is so large, it will remind you of upholstery fabric instead of quilting fabric!

Darcey - our modern geometric group is all about black and white with pops of color like lime green and red. You’ll find a very contemporary statement in this group with quatrefoil & chevron patterns mixed with organic floral silhouettes.

Last, but not least is Riley - a fun, bouncing circus with crazy paisleys and candy stripes. It’s great for kids and tweens with a color scheme that is bright and happy.

Here’s a cute photo of Jackie Clark and I. Check out her great patterns by clicking here on her name.

Market wouldn’t be complete without sample spree - it was my first experience of the frenzied shopping night that so many people look forward to all year.

A football field of amazing products at wholesale prices. Yes - everyone got in on the action, designers, manufacturers and even the public came. The was no recession in this room

If you’ve like more information on our quilting fabrics, you can go to the Windham Fabric website - www.windhamfabrics.com

I have to share my latest find!…

This beautiful NEW book that is a must have for all ribbon lovers! Hot off the press, Ribbon the Art of Adornment, is so completing inspiring and just in time for holiday gift giving. Nicholas Kniel - who owns the most fabulous ribbon store in the South had a book launch party last Friday. Holley and I got to mix and mingle with all of the Atlanta Ribbon elite…here are some fun photos I snapped!

This is actually a cake! We didn’t stick around long enough to see it cut… I don’t think I could have stood the agony of watching such a beautiful creation be eaten.

I like how the ribbon displays were recreated from the book. If you LOVE ribbon like I do, you have to check it out!

I’m off to QVC today for my last craft hour of the year! I’ve got a show made up of entirely NEW products. The best of them all is our new Craft Storage line that you are going to love!

In case you haven’t signed up for our newsletter, I’ve included a copy of this weeks QVC sneak peek. You can sign up now - annagriffin.com/rsvp.html

Enjoy and wish me luck!

I don’t know where the summer went! I’ve been having those kinds of months that fly by and I know I will wake up in October thinking that it must be August. Busy is an understatement when trying to describe how things are going both personally and professionally.

August, always a banner month, brought my 42nd birthday, my sister’s 40th birthday and about six trips to places around the globe. I celebrated my fifth year anniversary on QVC UK in London, where we had cake and champagne on air - that’s my kind of show!

I did get to take a wonderful vacation with friends to my house in Seaside, Florida. It’s an idyllic place, perfect for relaxation, good food and great books. I’ve added some pictures below to keep you in that summertime frame of mind as we venture into fall!

If you have ever been to an Emerald Coast beach, you know that the white sand is like sugar and that Seaside is one of its crown jewels.

This is my house…sadly, it’s now for sale. I thought I would be able to spend more time here than I have. My dream was to create a beach retreat for scrapbooking and fill the house with product for those who rented it.

It has just become more work that I need it to be…

I love the house because it has the most beautiful light. You enter and immediately feel at ease. I hope that we will be able to shoot next year’s products here. Speaking of products, we spent an entire week here in April sitting on the beach next to one the Vera Bradley families - what a small world.

There are 2 living rooms, which makes it ideal for hosting large families.

The master bedroom - I had so much fun outfitting all of the bedrooms in Pine Cone Hill bedding. They are truly my favorite — because of all the patterns mix like scrapbooking!

The carriage house is a house unto itself but acts as a 4th bedroom and bath generally rented with the main house.

This is the view from the 3rd floor, it looks out over all of Seaside. I wish I was there right now! Just in case you want to go there…The cottage names are Seawynds and Cloud Nine - here’s the link www.cottagerentalagency.com

Make a note on your calendars to watch QVC this month - September 23rd at 9:00am is QVC US and September 30th at 1:00am and 5:00pm is QVC UK…I’ll be posting a sneak peek at the products soon!