French Memo Boards - Kids' Edition

Two years ago, we offered a very successful workshop on French Memo Boards.  One of the participants recently used her mad skillz to make gorgeous boards for two little boys!  

Julie combined clown fish patterned fabric on the board, with Zebra print fabric folded and stitched into 'ribbon' for the criss-cross memo holders.  Result; a place for the two boys who are living in close quarters to display their artwork neatly!

Coincidentally, today I watched Shirley Maclaine, Frank Sinatra, Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan in "Can Can" on an old movie channel.  Shirley's boudoir was decorated with a lovely green memo board, with green velvet ribbons festooned with ruffles on the edges and old postcards inserted under the ribbons.  The furniture was decorated in a matte gray paint that would have made Annie Sloan feel right at home.

August Already! Auction Action.

We are so grateful to those of you who have registered for Great Escape this year and in past years too.  As those of you who have attended GE in the past know, the auction is not only a fun activity but a way for us to support our GSEM camps.  In August, I start thinking about what I will donate to the auction.  Handmade items are greatly prized - last year I managed to win this beautiful landscape by "Pancho" which is the 'artist's name' of our own wonderful workshop presenter, Helen Garcia. (It's straight on the wall, my photography is crooked!) A storm is brewing over the desert, I imagine, and soon all the cactus will bloom with the fresh rain. (Kind of like my lawn these days.)

It looks great in my 'blue room.'  In fact, it's the only thing I've managed to put on the wall there where we iron (ok, I don't iron, my husband does.  So it was actually a present for him, right?  Sure, of course!)

Here are the auction guidelines.   Items should be hand crafted or exciting assemblages of useful, fun or beautiful themed 'baskets' with a value of at least $25.00.  If you are coming with a friend, you might consider assembling a spectacular basket together -  I once contributed a complete picnic set for two to which my dear friend Julie added a couple of bottles of wine and some other comestibles - et voila!  A great shower or engagement gift was born. 

Remember, the auction benefits GSEM camps.  Here's part of the explanation from the Great Escape Website.

Great Escape, by running a fund-raising auction each year, has raised and donated more than $14,250  most of which has been earmarked for Camp Wabasso.  The money was used by Girl Scouts, Eastern Massachusetts Council to provide new tables and windows in the Dining Hall, chairs, a new chair rack in the Lodge and to purchase mildew-resistant paint, a dehumidifier and a new stove for the basement of the Lodge, making it cozier and user-friendly.  Among other items, more than 25 new mattresses were purchased for the camp cots; all Wabasso Girl and Adult campers can be grateful for these clean and comfy mattresses!  In 2013, we donated money to help buy new ceiling fans/lights for the theatre so that it can be used more often.  In 2014, we donated $1500 towards restoration of the Adventure Course at Wabasso.  This year we are giving $3,500 towards outfitting all the winterized spaces with new stoves and buying new cross country skis.  When you participate in our Auctions or purchase our merchandise, you are helping to support our Council properties.

Great Escape Book Club

Registrations for Great Escape 2016 are closed, although we are compiling a waiting list.  If you missed signing up, you can email gsgreatescape@yahoo.com to join the waiting list.  We are excited that so many people want to join the fun this year!  I'll be blogging about things that might help participants, especially newbies, have a super time at the event.  So, check back as we countdown to what promises to be a super great event - 'as per usual' as my 5th grade teacher used to say.

This is the Great Escape Book Club's third year. You don't need to have read the book to participate in the discussion.  We are happy to have you join us to learn whether the book's worth reading!
  We meet before dinner on Saturday night. Our wonderful kitchen crew provides yummy appetizers, and cold and hot drinks are always on the hospitality table at GE.  We schedule the meeting for Christa's Lodge in case of blustery weather, but we hope to meet outside on the large lawn by the dining hall. BYO chair (a folding chair is a must for the weekend!)
In the dead of winter, Book Club leader Julie and I put our heads together to choose the book for the year.  Julie is a long-time member of two book clubs and she does a terrific job of facilitating our discussions.  I just read a lot!  Our criteria for choosing the book are pretty basic - is it good?  is it relevant to participants personally or in a GS context? It's a bonus if the book is useful in both areas of our lives, and I'm happy to tell you that this year, it is, or rather that they are!

This year's selection, Quiet, by Susan Cain, is one that we have had 'on the list' since the beginning of the book club.  Julie and I think Quiet is a fascinating explanation of aspects of group dynamics that have perplexed us for years! The author's TED talk is one of the most watched ever. The issuance this spring of Quiet Power, a version of the book for young people, put it over the top as a GE selection.

 I recommended Quiet Power to one of my Girl Scouts who was about to embark on her second destination.  The next day she emailed me to say she was half-way through and she was going to use some of the recommendations in the book on her trip! I bought a copy for two teenagers I know who recently lost their mother, in the hope that they might find the numerous coping strategies outlined in the book helpful in negotiating their new world.  I bought myself a copy as a aid in my work with older girl troops.

We hope to see you at our book club meeting!  For more on the books, see my original post on the selections.

SWAPS! A Girl Scout Tradition

Actually, it's a world wide Girl Guide and Scout Tradition that, when girls and adults meet other members of the movement, they offer to trade small, handmade tokens.  They may express a personal interest, an outdoor or scouting 'like' or skill, and they should have a name and contact information (even if it's just an impersonal email address) attached.  Here is a banner made by a participant in this summer's Girl Scout destinations Space Camp.

Not familiar with this concept?  GE committee member Kathy is offering a SWAPS workshop this year!

Wonderful One Hundred

Wow!  This is shaping up to be the most successful Great Escape ever!  We've already reached 100 participants.  This has been a goal for us - sort of a blue sky scenario. 

Although all the heated, indoor space is full, we have a few spaces in cabins and platform tents available.

What We Gave 2015

More people have signed up for Great Escape than ever before!  We are psyched that so many of us will be together this year to have a good time.  After Saturday dinner, we'll be having our amazing live auction - the proceeds benefit our GSEM camps, especially Camp Wabasso.

Last year we gave our largest single gift ever!  $3500.00 dollars - and we are thrilled.  It's earmarked for replacement stoves for the winterized camping spaces at Wabasso - up to 4 new stoves.

The rest is to be used to replace the nordic ski equipment that's available for troops/groups to rent at a very nominal fee.

When we decide what our gifts will be, we keep girls in mind.  If you've taken your girls to Wabasso in the winter you'll appreciate being able to cook efficiently and to introduce them to cross-country skiing at a nominal charge.

If you haven't - think about next year. 

Happy Fourth!

The GE committee thanks all the people who've registered already - more early birders than ever before!  Workshops are getting very, very full, so if you haven't registered yet, do it now.  Remember, on August 1st, the early bird price of $45 goes up.  Happy 4th of July!  Enjoy this beautiful day.