The One with the CRAFT Retreat Blog Hop


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Welcome to the CRAFT: Creating Reflective Art for Transformation Blog Hop! This event is brought to you by the team at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, the premier source for inspiration to explore your inner world. I’ll be leading a creative and meaningful workshop, using some of the latest and greatest products from our generous sponsors, at this intimate, boutique event right on the beach in beautiful Santa Monica, CA, November 11-13, 2011. You’ll spend a magical weekend focused on embracing who you truly are and gaining the skills, techniques and tools to use our craft to understand yourself more deeply on an ongoing basis.

Are you just beginning at this blog? Make sure you begin at the SFTIO blog so you don't miss all sneaky peeks and your chance to win one of six kits! If you get lost, a list of all the stops on the hop is at the end of this post.

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Here's a description of the class I'll be teaching: This triptych artwork class - a 3 page series of separate layouts, will ask you to look in all directions... exploring the meaning of an important life event or experience before it occurred, during it, and after it happened. Sponsored by American Crafts, you'll get the chance to delve into your process in this personal workshop, while learning new and innovative ways to use products - new and the ones you have in your stash!

CRAFT:
Three full days of crafting, creativity and camaraderie for only $450 (or three consecutive monthly payments of $150 each.)

Spots are still available for this unique, pampering and heart-expanding getaway.
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Register now at the event blog HERE.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:
• 6 emotion-focused, technique-teaching personal workshops ~ All CRAFTers participate in every class. No need to choose ~ they're ALL yours in CRAFT’s ocean-view, beautifully styled, creative space
• 4 special Art & Soul experiences
• Scrumptious breakfasts & lunches from Hollywood hot spot Urth Caffe ~ Friday, Saturday & Sunday
• Sweets, treats & beverages all day long
• Transportation from The Ambrose to and from the Annenberg Beach House for all workshops and activities via the CRAFTy Cab
• Oodles of workshop supplies (you’ll just need to bring your basic tool kit – checklist to be provided later)
• A fabulous welcome gift, a CRAFTy tote filled with goodies, valuable giveaways and fun prizes!

*Lots more details on girls’ night out dinners, airport transportation, location, hotel and event venue and more are available HERE.

For questions, comments and special requests, please email event coordinator Paige Ramos at craftbeachretreat@gmail.com

The Dates: November 11-13, 2011
The Times: Workshops from 9-5 each day, broken into two sessions.

SPONSORS:
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WHY SHOULD YOU COME TO CRAFT?
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What really sets CRAFT apart is the unique mission of Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, kit club, inspiration source and online community. Thousands of participants all over the world have used SFTIO’s resources to explore their deepest emotions. They’ve lifted themselves and each other exploring Freedom, Gratitude, Anticipation and Wonder. They’ve faced their inner doubts and fears delving into Regret, Yearning, Loss and Vulnerability.
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SFTIO’s trademarked and industry-exclusive approach to artistic motivation is the heart and soul of what makes them unique. Their monthly inspiration page with hand-selected music, stock photography, quotations and deep journaling prompts elevates scrapbooking to an expressive art form where members are guided to truly explore their inner worlds. Clickfor links to past Inspiration Pages to see more.

SFTIO raises the bar even more by providing challenges using the prompts that add a design twist, teaching members to use ‘visual journaling’ – powerful symbolism – to combine right and left brain expression. The result? Meaningful, rich, pages and projects that reflect all of who you are, Inside and Out.

CRAFT workshops will incorporate a variety of tested, proven multimedia inspiration tools combined with the special talents and techniques of a stellar teaching staff, supported by Art Therapist Rita Coufal, PhD and Artist/Therapist Joy Mauldin.

Growth is a journey… not a destination. And it’s a most personal one…only you know what you need out of this experience. In the intimate, supportive setting SFTIO has created for you, you’ll have the opportunity to practice being more and more yourself. Their take on scrapbooking and creativity isn’t about a quick fix, or a set of ‘positive thinking’ reminders. It’s about a deeper approach, telling your truth – pretty or not, looking at both sides of the coin, and leaving the weekend together with the creative skills and tools to be more fully expressed in your life.

THE INSTRUCTORS:
While you’ll be learning amazing techniques, styles, tips and techniques in every workshop, these are not cookie-cutter sessions – you’ll be challenged to dig deep, learn about yourself and tailor your project to reflect who you are and who you want to be.

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American Crafts Design Team and Product Designer
Hambly Screen Prints Design Team

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Mixed Media Designer
Copic Certified Designer

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Creating Keepsakes Dream Team 2011
Lily Bee Design Team
Jillibean Soup Design Team

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Copy/Creative Editor for Northridge Publishing
American Crafts Blog Hostess/Design Team

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Founder and President, Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

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Creating Keepsakes Dream Team 2011
Prima Design Team

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
REGISTER NOW.

And now for a giveaway! SFTIO is giving away FIVE kits to FIVE lucky readers… make sure to leave a comment (before Noon Pacific Time on 9-15) on each blog you visit in the hop to increase your chance of winning. Tell us please, in your comment, what emotion you’d love to explore in your scrapbooking! Winners will be chosen from all blog comment entries and will be announced on 9-16 on the SFTIO blog.
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SFTIO: http://scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.blogspot.com
Stacy Cohen: http://stacycohen.blogspot.com
Linda Barber: http://milesofpaper.blogspot.com
Paige Ramos: http://thebumpyride.blogspot.com
Amy Tan: http://amytangerine.blogspot.com
Paige Evans: http://chrisandpaige.blogspot.com
Tammy Onderdonk Klass: http://createdreamlive.blogspot.com
Seven Gypsies: http://www.sevengypsies.blogspot.com
Ly T. Le: http://www.lytlescrapper.com
Melissa Elsner: http://theprofoundbrunette.blogspot.com
Jillibean Soup: http://www.jillibeansoup.typepad.com
Rita Barakat: http://letsembellish.blogspot.com
Lily Bee: http://lilybeedesign.blogspot.com
Kai Baldwin: http://www.enjoytheridetoday.blogspot.com
CRAFT Blog: http://craftbeachretreat.blogspot.com

For your next stop, make sure to check out Tammy Onderdonk Klass’s blog.

Good luck and we hope to see you at CRAFT!

The One with Duke's in Malibu


Monday, September 12, 2011

Amy and I worked at a Sweet 16 last Saturday night at Duke's in Malibu!
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Hooray for valet parking!
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Boo for not carrying cash to tip them... I'm so embarrassed!

Could this location BE any more perfect?
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Adding this to my Mary Ellen Bartley wannabe collection.
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Red velvet cupcake tower.
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I took a napkin as a souvenir.
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We just had to test out the photobooth that was printing photos for us to go in the birthday girl's scrapbook. Pretty sure the first picture of me on the top left is priceless. There wasn't a screen to see ourselves and no countdown m'kay?!?!
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The prepped pages, just waiting for the pictures to go in!
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I'm working at another event this Saturday and ANOTHER event the next Saturday (Amy is my hero for getting me all these fun gigs!), so I hope you're not sick of seeing all the recaps!

The One with Remembering 9/11 - 10 Years Later


Sunday, September 11, 2011

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I can still remember it as if it were yesterday - though it has now been an entire decade. It's amazing how easily the the mind can recall events of this magnitude with clarity and conciseness, though the years pass by with ever increasing haste.

It was a little before 7am and I was driving in my black 1983 Mazda RX-7 from the chapel where I attended early morning seminary to Eastlake High School in Samammish, WA. I was listening to KISS 106.1 on the radio and that's when I heard about the tragic events that were unfolding. It didn't make sense, I could barely understand what was being said, all the DJs were talking over each other. At school we were all rushed into our homeroom/advisory where we watched live footage on the TV of what is now referred to as "9-11". Shortly thereafter we were dismissed to class and I still had to take a math test. But the TV was always on. Always reminding us of the horror that was going on in New York. The tragedy. The calamity. The devastation.

I read this on my friend Lauren's blog - it's a poem written by her 16 year old brother, and it really moves me:

They Thought
They thought that fear would end our lives,
They thought they could take us with planes and knives

They thought that explosions would end liberty,
So they destroyed our buildings so deliberately.

They thought terror over freedom would prevail,
They thought it would, but to no avail.

For America is good, America is strong,
And we will fight for right, and sing our song:

"O'er the land of the Free, and the home of the Brave."

I hope we can all take a few minutes today to remember the fallen soldiers and their families and how much was sacrificed. Though there may be hatred and sadness in the world, there is also lots of love and happiness. Let's focus on the good. Our cup should always be half full.

The One with How's This for Random


Saturday, September 10, 2011

We've been busy over here! Working, scrapping, mommying, cleaning, visiting, running errands, the usual. Between this and that I've been playing around with my new camera and I must say, I'm in love. Here is a picture, unedited just cropped to size, with my old camera:
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And here's the same shot with my new camera, unedited just cropped to size:
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Drastic difference for the better! Yippee!

Here are some other pics of this and that from the past few days:

JOEY!
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He and Fox get along so great. Joey is so patient with Fox and lets the little booger grab him, pull him, and climb all over him.

Turns out Chris can easily make those finger invitations for me, so here they are in the beginning stages!
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Chris likes to hand me one and say, "I just gave you the finger." Ha ha ha... I can't wait to put them all together and give them out!

Vah-ses.
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Playing on the swing at the park.
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My little sister left for college at BYU Idaho this week. I'm so proud of her!
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My parents are now empty-nesters. I bet that's a majorly hard adjustment.

Whelp. That's all I've got for now!
Happy 09-10-11!

The One with My Monthly One Amazing Album Article


Thursday, September 8, 2011

On September 10th 2009, almost exactly two years ago, I blogged about all the albums that have been published in my monthly article in Scrapbook Trends called One Amazing Album. Today I'm going to catch up and post the albums published from November 2009 - November 2011! But first, a little bit about what this article is:

In December of 2006 I was asked to write a monthly column in Scrapbook Trends called One Amazing Album. Every month since then, as I'm looking through submissions if I see a mini album that particularly catches my eye, I email the submitter and ask if I can use her album for my article. A week or two later the album arrives in the mail and I hold onto it until my deadline which is the 20th of every month. After writing the article I email it to Kate who edits it and makes it sound good and then the album gets sent off to photography by Katie and Kristy to make it look good. A few months later, the album gets shipped back to the creator and the article magically appears in the magazine, thanks to Linda, Amy, and Jeri. It's always fun to see my face and name in print every month :) So, back to the point of this post, here are the intro pages from November 2009 - November 2011:

November 2009 - Party by Michelle Lanning
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December 2009 - Christmas '09 by Julie Overby
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January 2010 - Gift Card Album by Dedra Long
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February 2010 - Hugs & Kisses by Beatriz Jennings
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March 2010 - Everything I Do by Doris Sander
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April 2010 - I Can Cut & Sew by Kellee Conrad
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May 2010 - It's Nice to Have Someone by Cheryl Ametewee
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June 2010 - Be Carefree by Debbie VanMarter
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July 2010 - Time Together by Guiseppa Gubler
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August 2010 - My Summer Girls by Samantha Sibbet
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September 2010 - Thirty by 30 by Nancy Doren
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October 2010 - October 31 by Valerie Mangan
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November 2010 - Thanksgiving by Ann-Marie Morris
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December 2010 - Joy by Christine Middlecamp
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January 2011 - CHA-Razzi by Jenny Chesnick
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February 2011 - Weekend to Remember by Pamela Young
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March 2011 - Vintage Style by Lexi Bridges
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April 2011 - Spring Fest 2010 by Erika Stanton
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May 2011 - Our Story by Eva Pizarro
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June 2011 - Life is Beautiful by Liana Suwandi
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July 2011 - St. John USVI by Diane Payne
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August 2011 - The Early Years by Monique Liedtke
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September 2011 - Delightfully Ordinary by Amy Tan
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October 2011 - At the Patch by Leslie Ashe
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November 2011 - T is for Thankful by Jess Mutty
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All caught up and then some - November is going to press as we speak! And then I've got albums here in my desk just waiting to be written for January - April 2012. It's slightly confusing to work six months in the future and sing Christmas songs in July and summer songs in December :) But we do what we gotta do! This article is a blast for me to write every month, so hopefully I'll get to keep doing it for a looooong time!

The One with Today I...


Wednesday, September 7, 2011

I got this idea from Nancy Doren's blog:

Today I went to the bank, post office, Target, and to a friend's apartment to borrow a book.
Today I hoped to get everything on my "list of things to do today" checked off. Blogging is last on this list - so mission almost accomplished!
Today I dreamed of Fox's Halloween birthday party and all the things I want to do for it and how I'm going to make it come to pass.
Today I forgot to take the sunglasses that were sitting on top of my purse out before grabbing my purse so they fell behind the dryer and I had to move a bunch of stuff to retrieve them.
Today I heard a new single by Bush (Sound of Winter) which I totally dig. And I'm not really a Bush fan per-say except a few of their songs like Machine Head, Glycerine, Come Down, and that's about all I know. Perhaps I'll be their newest fan.
Today I read the intro to The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom: "The Hiding Place is a book you will not be able to put down... only when you have turned the last page will you realize that you have read more than a spellbinding adventure. You hold in your hand a book which will change your life forever!" I'm very intrigued and hope it lives up to its promise!
Today I watched Fox have a tantrum. And now you can watch it too :)

Today I broke the mirror hanging in my closet. 7 years of bad luck for me?!?
Today I said LYB! (love you bye)
Today I believed that miracles can and really do happen.
Today I felt optimistic, tired, excited, blessed, happy, loved.
Today I wondered what should I do while Chris is in Mexico for a few days in October? Drive to Utah? Play in Vegas? Stay home?
Today I bought Fox a really cool wooden activity cube. Hopefully he'll love to play with it as much as I love to look at it.
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Today I cleaned the stove. And I vacuumed. Cuz Joey is shedding his summer coat and there's hair e'rywhere.
Today I was me.

The One with Meet My New Best Friend


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Meet my new best friend, Niki:
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I've been wanting, no, NEEDING (one in the same right? haha) a really great camera for a really long time now. I blog like pretty much daily, should not my pictures be up to par? Granted, Adobe Photoshop Actions can make even the most ghastly picture beautiful with a click of a button. But one less button I have to push will save me seconds which adds up to minutes which adds up to hours and time = money. So anyways, I've been saving up for awhile now and today was the big purchase day.

I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful relationship :)
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Off to read the 82 page user's manual!
Paige Taylor Evans © // Quinn Creatives DESIGN