I'm Back

Italy was simply AMAZING!!! It was so nice to be able to get away from everything and enjoy the Italian life. The trip itself went really well and I met a lot of great people. I only ran into 2 issues and funny enough they were Canadian related. First off I left Toronto Pearson Airport via Air Transit with half a suitcase full in order to make some nice purchases. However, upon checking in the lady tried to tell me my suitcase weighed 39KG which is over the limit. Air Transit only allows 30KG. I told her that was impossible as my suitcase was empty. She proceeded to tell me, not so nicely, “Can’t you read the scale”. I opened my suitcase showed her, and said it was impossible. However, despite half a suitcase full she still made me empty it. Now at this time my brother had already left the airport. So there I was left with an arm full of my possessions that I was allowed to carry onto the aircraft but couldn’t leave in my suitcase.

My second incident was the fact that I had no money access once I got to Rome. Before leaving Canada I had called Visa, and went into my bank to let them know I was travelling in Europe. This was to ensure I would be able to access my money. Both Visa and my bank said no problem. My Scotia bank branch even gave me a second debit card to hide, so if my first one was lost or stole I would still have access to my account. Well despite the fact that Scotia bank is worldwide all the banks were telling me I wasn’t allowed to make International Withdrawals. (Side note** Just got off the phone with the Customer Service Representative of Scotia bank, as I filed a complaint against the bank, she can’t see why I couldn’t access my funds, and she is going to take further steps to rectify the situation.). So there I was in Rome, Italy without any money. Now I owe 70 Euros to a gentleman who paid for all my entry fees into the sites we visited. I felt horrible not having money. It was very uncomfortable.

Since I had no money I wasn’t able to make many purchases. I ran out of my Euros I purchased in Canada quickly. So when I left Italy my suitcase was the same as when I left. Scared Italy would make me pay for my overweight bag. I asked everyone if I could check in first, and if I had any problems would someone be willing to pay for my overweight bag and I would repay them once I got back to Canada. Anyways, I checked in…put my bag on the scale…and what did the scale say…a whole whopping 16kg. What the heck!!! I was soooooo mad. How could my bag weight 16kg in Italy…when a few more items had been added? But leaving Canada it was supposedly 39KG. To any avail I am home now safe and sound.

Onto better notes. Before I left Canada I went and stayed with my brother in Toronto for a few days. He was so kind and generous that he was willing to drive up to Markham so I could go to the Stamping Bella store. It is such a tiny store, but so much easier to look around than online. While I was there I overheard a conversation between two ladies. Apparently the other day this women they both knew had been into the store to make a few purchases. Get this….she spent $1500.00. Yes, in one sitting, going through the till. I think she must have purchased one of everything. LOL. Thank goodness I only spent 93.65.

Here is what I purchased. Some cute stamps, spellbinders, cuttlebug template, EZ mount, and sentiments.

We also made a trip to a local stamping store where I picked up a few bargains.
My brother also took me to an Oriental Paper Store. It has such amazing things. However, I wasn’t sure how to incorporate the gorgeous paper into my work that I only purchased two little squares. However, I did point out a few things that would be great for Christmas.

Cookies, Cookies, who loves cookies???


While we were searching for the local stamping store we stopped into Sweet Flour Bake Shop.
"Warm delicious cookies, your way in just minutes! At Sweet Flour Bake Shop we pay tribute to the cookie. There is nothing quite like a cookie just out of the oven -- simple goodness that makes you stop to savour the moment. It starts with the highest quality ingredients and ends with a warm, delicious, freshly baked cookie created for you in just minutes. The made-to-order cookie is just a morsel of what Sweet Flour offers. There is something to suit everyone’s taste, including customizable muffin tops, cookie sandwiches and house-made granola. Choose from a selection of gourmet dough and over 20 mix-ins, more than 15,000 cookie combinations can be created! $2.50 CDN" Click on the link to see all the possible combinations. Those of you that live in the toronto area. the address is 2352 Bloor Street W. Toronto. It is a good thing I don't live in tronto I would be at the store daily. There is nothing better than a warm, just baked cookie. And it only takes 2 mins.