be yourself: live with passion

is there life...

beyond the world of memory art?

I've had to ask myself that question a number of times in the past month and most days, the answer has been a definite "NO!". 

One of the reasons I haven't updated much on my blog is that while life has been incredibly busy, it's been more of the same...planning classes, teaching classes, planning kits, making kits, shipping kits, etc. and I seriously don't think that anyone is interested in reading about that several times a week.

On Saturday, I sort of strayed a little and had a girls only day with Sheri (from My Daughter's Wish), her mom Nancy and her daughter, Sierra.

We did some junking...this was some reciprocity for her taking me to Urban Ore in Berkeley where I found some treasures in old books, music, drawer pulls and bell chime hardware.  We had so much fun and I have to tell you that 6 year old Sierra is a champion junker.  She rooted through boxes and bins as enthusiastically as we did...and was rewarded with a whole bag of goodies for herself and her 3 year old sister, Sedona.  Both of the girls are amazingly creative and artistic...definitely in the genes!  It was definitely a productive junking day and got the creative juices flowing...big time.  Here are a few of my treasures.

After lunch at T.C. Eggington's, we took Sierra out to the barn where we board our horses.  All day, she had been looking forward to going "to the ranch" (as she put it) to ride Ashley's pony, Mimi.

What a total kick that was.  I think that Sheri and O.T. are sunk...Sierra definitely has a love affair with horses and based on our personal experience, it only intensifies with age.

Sierra had a good ride around the trail course and took Mimi over logs and dirt mounds...what a fun time.  She had a chance to groom Mimi and get a tour of the barn and meet the other horses, too.

It brought back memories of Ashley's early horsemanship days...and reminded me of some of the reasons that we all work so hard...to see the sheer pleasure on our children's faces when they are doing something they love...being able to provide amazing life experiences for our kids and know that they will be better people for it...wouldn't you agree?

It was a great day...always fun to be together with people who enjoy similar things.

And now, it's back to memory art and the creatologie kit for May...I think you're going to really like it!  Happy May!

sniff and sneeze!

I've been at home quite a bit these last few days...it's kit week so I've been busy sorting, stuffing, packaging, etc.  The front and back doors have been open and there is this amazing fragrance coming into our home...it almost smells like a perfume factory.

I popped outside with the camera to take a pic of the abundant jasmine crawling all over the side wall of our yard...in fact, it's taking over everything out there!

A couple of close sniffs later and I was sneezing like crazy!

What a shame that something that smells so good makes me feel so icky!  'Tis the season, I guess.

I have to show you a flower that won't bug your allergies...it's on a necklace that Ashley made and posted in her Etsy shop.  Absolutely love it and it won't make me sneeze!

She really is enjoying making jewelry and I'm enjoying some of the side benefits, too!

In keeping with the flower theme, did anyone happen to see the article in Romantic Country magazine about Rose Story Farm in California?  It's a 15 acre property with a collection of over 20,000 roses...amazing!  I'd definitely like to take a tour of the place sometime.  Apparently they do weddings there by a large pond and they float roses in the pond in whatever colors the bride and groom choose.  Ashley thinks it would be a great place for a wedding.  I told her that I would be happy to float some roses in our backyard pond when the time came...hmmm, for some reason, she didn't jump all over that.  We planted 3 new rose bushes this year and I'm looking forward to some healthy, happy blooming years to come!

Off to clean up the chaos...the postal service guy just finished loading up his truck...those boxes are gone but rest assured, there are still lots of boxes of product and odds and ends...where does it all come from? 

Hope you have a happy weekend...and, take time to smell the roses (or whatever flowers you have :))!

swimming in a sea...

of pink and brown!

It's all over the house...the satin, grosgrain, woven and stitched ribbons, the kraft chipboard albums, the buttons, beads, flowers, and crystals.  I am loving it...add a few splashes of green...here and there in the die cuts and accents...and I am smiling.

I'm getting ready to post some of the interior detail shots of the "special" album which is this month's kit...check out my creatologie blog for some little snippets.

There are still a few kits left...just in case you forgot to order yours...there's still a little time.

While I was creating my project, I actually added personal photos...as those of you who ordered previous kits and take my classes know, I very seldom add my photos or personalize the projects that I teach...well, on this one, I totally felt inspired to add my photos...a different concept for me, for sure.

Hope you all had a great weekend...and hope you have a great week!

local classes...

Next month starts a new quarter at Scrapbooks, Etc. and with the new schedule and newsletter comes a new class from me.

It's called Creative Genius Workshop.

It's all about projects and techniques...fun, messy, and innovative...no layouts but still based on memory art--your photos and memories.

Who should take these classes?

1.  If you've been in the store while I've been die cutting for out of state classes and asked when I was going to teach those projects locally, you should take these classes.  Some of the new projects I just started teaching around the country will be taught through the Creative Genius Workshop; others will be brand new projects (i.e., you will be the guinea pigs :)).

2.  If you've asked me when I'm going to start teaching projects similar to what I taught at Memory Lane and Ink It, you should take these classes.

3.  If you've been there, done that, and want more, you should take these classes.

4.  If you like preserving memories in a non-layout style, you should take these classes.

5.  If you want to awaken and grow your creative genius, you should take these classes!

The photo is a teaser/reminder that will be displayed at the store...I had so much fun making this! 

My first Creative Genius Workshop will be on May 16th, 10:30-2:00...we'll be doing the easel metal book...altering sheet metal and mesh and incorporating it into a fun and funky easel book.  Check the store to see the sample...there's also a preview of it on my blog.

Spaces are limited so call the store today to reserve your spot...480-854-2303...can't wait to see you there!

balance...

My life has been busy...more than I ever imagined it could be.   New projects, new classes, new kits, plus business obligations have definitely unbalanced the scales.  For me, one of the best ways to bring back the balance is to take time to enjoy the little moments that surround me every day, to find things that make me laugh, to hug someone...

Being in Northern California and teaching at My Daughter's Wish definitely provided me with lots of those moments.  There were so many fun and funny women in the classes...quite a few of them I had previously met when I taught at Wishfest last year.  I had such a great time with them all.

Sheri, owner of the store, graciously opened up her home to me...that was a total blast.  I felt totally welcomed into her family and it's a lively one to be sure.  I loved listening to her 6 year old daughter earnestly telling me a story and sitting on the floor of the playroom with her 3 year old daughter, playing blocks and listening to her chatter away in her high pitched voice...then there were the laughing moments when they covered me with fairy dust...glitter from head to toe.  I trailed glitter all over Sheri's house, into the bed, into the suitcase and now into my home.  Of course, I can't forget about all of the laughter that came from the clown, Sheri's six month old Great Dane puppy who thinks he's a lap dog.  Lots of laughter, lots of hugs, lots of fun.  Thanks, Sheri and OT, for your hospitality!

On the home front, how can you not laugh when you see this little group of pooplets...4 baby doves sunning themselves on the path by our pond.   The mamas carefully watched them from the overhead tree...the babies had all been clustered together but when they saw me and the camera, they started getting a little concerned and broke apart.

What a sight!

Then there's Fred...Mr. Peach Face!

He's totally enjoying the salmon and peach meal...check out the peach hanging from his face.  Charming!

I'm learning to live in the moment...to enjoy and savor the right here and now...to not spend countless hours dwelling on the past...to not focus on the future so much that I lose what's here today.

How do you find balance in your life?  What special moments have you recently savored? 

So much fun...

...is what I've had creating the project for April's creatologie kit, entitled SPECIAL!

Remembering the special people in my life is a good thing.

And using the special products in this 16 page album is also a good thing.

There are new papers from Basic Grey in beautiful shades of pink, green and brown...and these papers are accented by their beautiful flourishes and chipboard letters.

Today, I received the gorgeous border lace doilies...yesterday the fontwerks stamps came in...and oh, did I mention that there were custom labels created just for this kit?

Then, there's special velvet and chenille ribbon, strands of woven pearls, flowers and crackle paint...definitely special.

Here's one of the interior pages...thought you might enjoy seeing another peek of what's to come!

Thanks to all of you who ordered...it's great to see so many of you come back month after month...plus it's also great to see lots of new names as well.

There have also been some names that have come through my email...usually the day after the previous kits have sold out...wanting to know if that was really true and were there any more.  Um, no...really, once they're sold out, they're gone.  If you've put off ordering, you may want to make sure you reserve yours now...so that you can remember the special people in your life, enjoy the special products and end up with a full and complete special album.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...OR BUST!

I don't know what made me think of using that term today...maybe a little nostalgia about travel and the road trips we took from Philly to Chicago every summer during my childhood. 

You know, we certainly didn't have all of the forms of entertainment that traveling kids have today...I don't think we even had FM radio in that first car (I know I'm totally dating myself here :))), let alone the individual DVD players that each child has nowadays.

Anyway, to entertain myself, I used to track license plates to see where people were from...and I got the biggest kick out of the {whatever state} or bust signs posted in the back windows of the cars or Airstream campers.  I thought that the phrase was weird...still do...but the different states went on a list.  (See...I was a listmaker...even back then!)

Which brings me to the point of this post...finally.

On Friday morning, I'm heading to Northern California to teach a weekend of classes at My Daughter's Wish.  Last year, I taught there at the charity event called Wishfest...what a great time.  I met some really fabulous and talented women there and am excited to be going back...I hope to see a lot of them again.

I'll be teaching three classes...a flip easel book that features metal aging techniques (we'll be working with real copper sheets and mesh).  For those of you who ordered my creatologie kit last month, I wanted you to know that the easel is a different size and the techniques, colors and papers are totally different.  In addition to the metal techniques, we'll also be doing some texture painting...really fun.

The second class is a feminine book...I titled it "For Girls Only" because the colors are bright and it's filled with feminine touches...bling, flowers, satin ribbon and flourishes.  This would be a great girlfriends' book, or a Mother's Day book for your mom, or maybe daughter, daughter-in-law or granddaughter...

I'm looking forward to teaching this one a lot...it's shabby and fun...plus there are some unique painting techniques to liven up your pages.

The third project that I'll be teaching is a fun travel journal...for those of you who wanted to learn how to create a dos a dos book, this is your chance.  I've modified this one big time...it's a combo of honeycomb and dos a dos books with a clipboard cover.  Fabulous for storing travel momentos...plus a great way to highlight your trip.  Add to that some of the new Teresa Collins' and Jenni Bowlin papers, cool micro mini ball trim and unique accents...you won't want to miss this class.

Looking forward to the classes and my time with Sheri and her family!

Hope to see you there too!

Shakespeare said...

"What wound did ever heal but by degrees?"

Thank you so, so much for your kind words, for sharing your stories and for taking time out of your busy days to let us know you're thinking about us.  We appreciate you more than you will ever know.

And so the healing process begins.

It's a known fact that art and creativity are great therapy.  Yesterday, Ashley and I spent some time creating...she was making jewelry and I was working on April's creatologie kit.

I wanted to share the link to Ashley's Etsy shop with you...I'm so proud of her creative and entrepreneurial spirit.  It was a great boost to her confidence to sell a piece yesterday.  Yay for Ash!

We're taking it a day at a time...mornings are the toughest when I look at the spot where he always slept...on the floor by my side of the bed...the emptiness is just overwhelming.

We're grateful that all three of us were able to be there with him and for him...our lives are better for having him with us.

Thanks again...from the bottom of my heart.

grief...

...is like a shadow cast by a large cloud...but when you look at the cloud, there are rays of sunshine peeking through and those beams of light are our great memories.

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Thatcher.

He took a turn for the worse yesterday morning and we just knew what we had to do.

His recovery the day before allowed him to do some of his favorite things Monday evening--eating a bit of grilled salmon, running along the back wall, barking at the stranger at the door...and while he was resting on his wool rug in the family room yesterday, he was watching Babylon 5 with Ashley on her laptop (he was Ash's TV buddy and loved B5 for some reason).

We are grateful to God that He blessed us for almost 13 years with such an ideal dog.  He was definitely one of a kind.

Thatcher has been described by friends and family as a magnificent Bouvier, a teddy bear, a real gentleman, reliable and responsible, a caretaker and steady Eddie.  To me, Thatcher will always be "Mom's Boy".  He will be missed...and never forgotten.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, for your comments and emails...we appreciate them all.

the ups and downs of life...

This weekend was a real high.  My two classes at Paper and Metal Scrappers were awesome...so glad I brought extra kits!  It was so fun to have their customers pull into the parking lot wanting to know if we were on a field trip (while we were outside aging copper), getting excited about what we were doing and then signing up for the afternoon class or buying a kit to go!  There is so much enthusiasm in that store, starting with Brenda and Barb, the owners and then filtering down to the customers.  Love it...can't wait to go back later this year. 

Vern and Ashley (and the horses) ended up coming up there with me.  They took the horses on a trail ride that exhilarated and challenged all of them...a real high for them and a real sense of accomplishment as well.

Today, on the other hand, was definitely a down day.  Our almost 13 year old Bouvier, Thatcher, became suddenly disoriented this morning, started losing his balance and walking like a drunk, eventually couldn't walk and generally looked unwell.  By the time they reach that age, you know that each day is a gift and that it is inevitable that one day, you are going to have to make that very, very difficult decision.

After watching him for a little bit, we thought that today would have to be the day.   I have to tell you that I spent most of the morning crying, remembering the good times with him, hugging on him, etc.  We called Ashley at school and she came home early from classes.  One of us stayed with him all morning long and watched over him.

Eventually, he got up and went outside.  He began moving around a little more normally, was interested in our lunch food, and definitely had more energy and focus.  Right now, he's eating his dinner...with lots of enthusiasm.  We think that he may have had a stroke.  Our research indicated that dogs recover from strokes much faster than humans do...and he does seem to be recovering.  We're going to keep a close eye on him...and, for sure, we don't want him to be suffering or in pain.  We will appreciate the moments we have with him...what happened this morning was a certain reminder that life is fragile.