a few of my favorite things...

pretty small packages sitting in a row...
getting my kits ready for the Everyday Gratitude class I am teaching this week at the Bertram Inn.
very excited.

 sneak peek of November Work In Progress...
i have dived into yet another mini album...if you follow here long you know how i can be about those. (insert obsessive). November's gallery will be live tomorrow.

 mouse. paper. scissors. give.
i have to promote this class.
especially since today is the last day to register.
i have learned so much from both jessica and heidi in these class formats.
timeless application of digital+hybrid.
it's like a marriage made in heaven.
let me know if you will be attending as well.

RhonnaDesigns.
now you know that is one of my favorite things...
so here is the latest.
newsletter about ready to go out...are you signed up?
go here and do that.
right under the balloon.
do you see it?
there will be a free printable download.
there will be a discount off of products from her shop.
and there will be some new digital goodness to check out.
but you won't know if you don't go...(i just made that up).

i think that is it for now.
check back for more of that WIP mini album.
it is one of my new favorites.

have a lovely day!

spark no.3...continued

photos merely attempt to translate the joy of spark.
the people.
the artisans.
the friends.
the spirit.
did i say joy?

 friends reuniting.
affirming one another in their art.
this is nancy with canela. my swap gift was from her. she makes jewelry.
see her page on facebook...and you will see the design she gave to me.
love.

 margie.
what else can i say about the heart and soul behind spark?
ama.zing.
that's what she is.
her love. joy. enthusiasm for the creative life is more than contagious.
it is life changing.

mindy gledhill.

not as though i knew what to expect from these days in utah.

but mendy was a complete serendipity!

her art talk sparked me immediately.

completely took over my heart from the moment she started speaking into us.

she spoke into our existance as artist from her perspective as artist.

again. amazed. it's just my word.

the view from class.

emily falconbridge.
mother earth, as margie calls her.
beauty personified.
sweet spirit.
eager to teach and share her love.
see here for nancy's interpretation of me felting.
this will not be my new art by any stretch of the imagination.
but the practice of stretching myself over the weekend started here.

donna downey.
amazing (sung in an angelic way)
mixed media queen.
with a teaching style that evoked such a love for her art.
she worked the room showing us technique and affirming and inspiring.
her class lit all of us.

pan pastels.

i am hooked for life.


jen jensen.
sadly she does not have a blog.
a facebook page.
or a twitter account.
imagine that?
she simply creates.
imagine that?
beauty personified, she is.
junk journal extraordinaire.
i loved this class.
and could have sat in her presence all day working the vintage book.
she alone was worth the registration fee.

this technique will now find it's way into alot of my work.
i just know it.

april meeker.
she is heart and soul.
her story alone would inspire.
she took a moment after class and shared her heart.
i think i'm in love.
she is living inspiration.
eager to continue to follow her and her journey.

she taught this girl how to carve a stamp.
it's a bit addicting, i might add.
and a craft i am eager to share with my girls.

amy tan.
goes to show you one can never judge from a tweet what a person is made of.
she is sweetness personified.
with the best american-dream come true success story.
you just had to be at spark to here the details.
reverse applique is her art.
we all swooned over the pursuit.

rhonna farrer.
creative soul.
never ending inspiration.
joy and affirmation felt simply by being in her presence.

if you know me even a little...
you know i am always taking photos of food.
the creativity that went into our lunches and dinner was over the top.
this is what i love about the creative spirit.
it infiltrates every are of one's life...
if you are willing to allow.
work?
yes.
it takes work.
but we have been working since the garden.
work is divine.
adding beauty and creativity to that work allows for joy and peace to be apart of every piece of our life.
a life well lived.

this is not the end of the story.
it is only the beginning.
the rival of what happened here to what was already occurring in my life.
an unpacking.
an assessing of life.
it is all coming together.
and now i can move forward, with eyes wide open, ready to see and embrace what is next on this journey.
i hope you will join me.

spark no.3 - pt. 2

good morning sweet friends...

Part of the Spark experience was beholding all things beautiful. We must see beauty before we can speak beauty. The stage was set for our hearts to receive all that was to be received  by way of the embellishment of the lovingly and handmade decorations that filled us with delight.

doilies.
paper flowers.
swaths of fabric.
hand wrapped wreaths.
rosettes.
delighting the senses with ooohhhs and aaahhhs.

the entrance alone would have set my heart to flame. hanging lampshades encased with vintage book text. 

simple.

elegant.

sweet.

and oh so doable.

that too is part of the Spark experience...

revealing to one through site and sound what is doable in the heart. What can be re-kindled (in my case) and set to life. Whether it was through song, decoration, instruction, or the simplicity of spoken word, this whole experience set to light what was doable in one's life in the pursuit of beauty.

I can remembering stepping inside of the venue and the hum of excitement. Friends re-uniting. Firsthand greeting and making acquaintance. Welcome greetings from Margie and April. The beauty of the name tags! The gathering into groups that would walk us through together during the course of the weekend.

reminders set throughout the space.

table decorations.
paper.
tissue.
books.
stamps.
love.

paper chandeliers.
fabric.
tissue.
trim.
the simplicity of lovliness.

a spark indeed was already lit.

I am profoundly grateful for the spark that was rekindled in my soul throughout this encounter.
Could Margie and April and all the ladies involved had known the transforming power they were to wield over me?
or is that indeed the why of their own inspiration?
the heart. soul. sweat. tears. and perhaps even blood that made this event the powerhouse that it was.
can they know the depth of what they poured into heart. soul. mind.?
and this just from the beautification of an empty room.
that beautification must go forth into all our lives and permeate the way we live. think. give.

tomorrow...the people. the classes.
thank you for joining me here today.

spark no.3

There is so much to tell about my four days in Utah attending Spark No.3. One could be...well actually IS, overwhelmed on many levels as to the creativity incited to near hysteria while attending Spark. The enthusiasm was contagious, the art projects stimulating, the sista's inspiring, the decor simply gorgeous, the new friends wonderful. And the instructors and hostess...outta this world!

Putting it all into words and photos is a bit foreboding...so let's start from the beginning...shall we?

my dear lizzie.

my dear lizzy boutique and bistro is one of those experiences that as you walk in you stop. the jaw drops. and one stands gaping at all the eye has to behold. one has entered all that is beautiful. we daughter's of eve always endeavoring for beauty...well here is one place that will never disappoint. the textures. the merchandise. the music. the shopkeepers. all beautiful. it is no wonder Spark the Event was born here. opportune enough to visit and not come away inspired...ah...then you really do need a spark. as this was our first stop, a sort of mecca for all spark attendees, the tone was officially set for all that was to be experienced when spark was attended.

spark sista's. once a partaker of spark, all belong to the sisterhood. the connection with these women was immediate. no one was a stranger. everyone belonged. creative types get it. and that indeed was what was encountered.

nancy wyatt. she was already a sista. we are members of rhonnaDESIGNS creative team. she is to blame for lighting a fire within and helping me to see my way to Spark. and i will forever be thankful. she will never fully know the way that she helped create for me. she has believed in me for several years. sometimes we need others to see for us...she. she did just that. appreciating forever when women genuinely and authentically encourage one another to uncover their gifts and give them wings to fly to places they were not themselves sure of. nancy...blessed me beyond measure. i am forever grateful.

and that was just the very first day...spark was not to begin until the next.

nancy was also responsible for hosting a dinner to bring all the new attendees together the evening before Spark opened. again...women creatives accepting and befriending one another immediately in a way that is not found in many places. we all swapped handmade gifts with one another. (you may peek at that tomorrow). we laughed. chatted. ate. drank. and began a new journey into creative newness that would stay in our hearts for long after the event.

i hope you will join me this week as i relive the Spark...i hope, mostly, and above all, that you might be inspired to be sparked. and how i would dearly love that little fire burning within might find you making a commitment next year to SparkNo.4...

spark the event.

heading out tomorrow morning...an event that has alluded me in the past.
but i am taking it on now.
looking forward to meeting blogging/online friends.
meeting new creatives.
learning new crafts and skills.
and simply enjoying the process.

every day gratitude class

 

I have the distinct honor of teaching this year at The Fall Retreat at the Bertram Inn 2011.

Trish from Work In Progress hosts this event every year. From all that I hear it is a wonderful retreat with opportunity to scrap, take classes, and simply be spoiled for a weekend.

The class, Everyday Gratitude, includes a full kit to make a journal to house, well, everyday gratitude's.  The subject continues to compel me to learn more about the gifts in our lives that bring forth a spirit of thankfulness and joy. I have been making gratitude journals for several years now, and have put together this class and kit exclusive to The Fall Retreat. We will be making an interactive book that include pockets, quotes, hidden pages and plenty of journaling space to write down elements of our lives that we love and bring us joy.

If you are in the Aurora area of Ohio the weekend of the November 4-6, I hope you will stop by, and attend this event. Or at least stop by and say hello.

Please leave a comment with any questions you may have. I enjoy hearing from you all.

workin' the kit. part 2

warning:: photo heavy post...

including this post there are a total of 15 layouts using October's Work In Progress kit.
I am guesting over at the WIP with all the details.