another punched flower

This flower I found at splitcoast when I searched for punched flowers. It is made using a tag punch! I love it as well. People are so creative and fun!

It is funny, I pretty much had the same blog for today as I did last week. Do you ever have those weeks? Wow! I am sorry.

I have edited this post, and will share something else today. Then I will start planning for next week! ;)

This is an example of the difference between classic ink and craft ink. Classic ink dries fast, and works well for most projects. It does direct to paper prettier than craft when you are inking your edges. It is water based and is absorbed by the paper. Craft ink is thinker, takes longer to dry, and can be embossed. It is a pigment ink and dries on top of the paper. When using dark card stock, it shows up much more vibrant. They both have their place and purpose.
The one on the left is classic and the one on the right is craft.

Sharing...

...some of my favorite blogs! They are full of craftiness of all kinds! I get such inspiration from seeing what others make!!

Journal Junk
Outside the Lines
Little Melfie's World
Seeking Everyday Beauty
Ornamental
Present Past Collection
Altered State of Mind

Ok, that should get your creative juices flowing...off you go!

taking care of our memories

I was driving home from the airport on Saturday night and a Christian radio station was having a “Christmas in July” marathon – all Christmas music, all weekend. I thought the premise was a little silly and snickered as I reached over my Garmin (which was telling me that it was 97 degrees at 8 o’clock at night – don’t tell my husband but you wonder why I sometimes miss Alaska?) to change the channel. Just at that moment, I heard the first few notes of a song…

Bing Crosby singing Silent Night.

In an instant I was transported back 25+ years to Christmas Eve in my parents' living room with the lights dimmed and the Christmas tree twinkling against the window and my brother in his Star Wars pajamas as we sipped hot cocoa and opened one present each and this song played on the record player next to my dad’s chair. Then again back 15 years in that same living room as a young adult home from college putting up decorations as this song played gently as the backdrop of our laughter and storytelling. Then again just a few years ago in my own living room, sitting with a glass of wine and a fire in the fireplace, listening to this CD and aching for my husband who was off at war. All of this from a single song on a car radio on a Saturday evening in July.

You hear people say all the time that a song or a scent or a photo brings back a flood of memories – but as I get older I wonder if I shouldn’t be taking better care of those memories. Do I leave them to chance? Hoping that the next time I hear that song those same memories will come back to me? Or do I write them down…maybe on a piece of paper that I stick in that CD? I hear so often from scrappers that they hate to journal – or that they reserve it for “special” events…once in a lifetime moments that they need to capture in words because the pictures aren’t enough. But I believe that these everyday memories – these little snippets of our past – should be treasured even more, because these are the memories that our soul has chosen to hold on to and tuck away, ready to pop out and comfort or surprise you just when you need it – like in your car on a Saturday evening in July.

But once in a lifetime moments ain’t too shabby either. When we moved back to Georgia one of the first friends I made was Shealyn Cyr. I’m not exactly sure how it happened…as women do we met at a wives’ coffee on post and 15 minutes later were in a corner talking about our fertility issues and sharing our deepest feelings of heartbreak and loss. That encounter and shared struggle turned in to a friendship, which turned in to keeping each other company when the guys were gone, hanging out at block parties, meeting once a week for the greatest sushi on the planet, until one day she called me…

and said she was pregnant.

I have since said that it is a moment I will never forget. I will never forget the sound of her voice or what I was doing or grinning from ear to ear when I got off the phone or driving like a bat out of hell to get to her house or sitting around staring at each other in shock or seeing the PILE of pregnancy tests on her dining room table or deciding to go out for sushi anyway and standing in the parking lot trying to decide if she could still eat raw tuna. Or driving home and having my feelings about my own fertility completely blindside me and take my breath away. Or the fact that her pregnancy is an honest-to-goodness, bona-fide, Grade A, prayers answered miracle and I am blessed to have a front row seat to the whole amazing, incredible shebang.

NOW – of course, I will never forget it because I have put it out here for the entire planet to see. But how many moments like this have I forgotten? Or only vaguely remember? Moments that meant so much to me at the time, but I need this little ol’ brain to remember to get Triscuits at the store, or that my car keys are underneath a pile of papers on the dining room table – how can I expect it to also hold a lifetime of memories?

Shea knows (obviously) what I do for a living…and she has given me all the standard reasons for why she won’t scrapbook – doesn’t have the time, doesn’t think she is crafty enough (puh-leeze) – but I couldn’t care less. :) What I want for Shea – what I want for all of us – is a place (whether it is a scrapbook or a journal or a pile of scribbled-on index cards in a box in the closet) where we can take care of these memories. Man or woman, old or young, we need a place where we can turn to our memories when we need a good laugh, or a good cry, a chance to remember someone we’ve lost or reconnect with someone we’ve found. And so poor Shea will be inundated with some sort of memory preserving gift pretty soon…and my greatest wish is that she and her hubby and their baby and their friends fill it with a lifetime full of memories. I hope you will do the same for the people in your lives.

And with that…I will leave you with what I hope will be the first photo in their book – six-week old Baby Cyr (and Shealyn’s uterus – you can thank me later Shea for putting that on the internet). ;)

Beth

Dates and other stuff

Once a week I'll be posting our upcoming dates as well as locations who where the organizer is looking for volunteers to help and also locations where we could use some recommendations on space. I will be posting the information here as well as on the Facebook Group, Mycraftivity and the Yahoo Group (scrapbooking for a cause). I am truly hoping that once the readers at these locations get used to seeing our information they will start spreading the word and we will actually find the assistance we are looking for. Well you just never know and if we don't try then how will we know if this networking will work or not.

Anyways, here is this weeks information.

Scrapping 4 Inclusion Dates:

Upcoming events as follows (please see their web page for specific event details

St. Louis MO - Sept 20 - http://www.scrapping4inclusion.com/USA/StLouis.htm
Columbia MO - Sept 27 - http://www.scrapping4inclusion.com/USA/Columbia.htm
Tucson AZ - Sept 27 - http://www.scrapping4inclusion.com/USA/Tucson.htm
DesMoine Iowa - Nov 2 - http://www.scrapping4inclusion.com/USA/Des%20Moines.htm

Locations that need additional Volunteers:

If you live in these areas and would like to help with this event please email info@scrapping4inclusion.com

Pendleton OR
Orlando FL
Beaufort MO
Waco TX

Locations having difficulty finding space for their event.

The following locations are having some difficulty locating a suitable space to host their crop. If you live in the area and have any suggestions / recommendations for a location please email info@scrapping4inclusion.com

Orlando FL – space for 50-100 croppers

If you do not live in any of the areas listed above you can still help us by spreading the word - if you post on any message boards or Facebook or if you blog, please post our upcoming events, our volunteer needs and those locations needing to find space. Share all of the above information with those you are in contact with as you just never know who might be able to help.

Until next time. Have a good week and wish us luck with the networking!

Christmas n July?

I have heard from several of my CTMH customers that they wanted to get a jump start on making Christmas cards this year so yesterday was spent doing a Christmas in July card workshop. We had tons of fun! First we did a set of 10 from 3 (10 cards from one random stamped cardstock, one patterned paper and one solid cardstock) Then we did a pocket card with a pull out tag (great for glue dotting a gift card to) and a buckle card. Have you started your Christmas cards yet? :-)

A New Addition

No not a baby! Geeeeesh!

I’m talking about a new addition to the blog.

I wanted to have someone participate weekly on this blog to share experiences with raising a child with disabilities and the challenges of having them included. I wanted a presence here to be able to help keep all of the readers informed as to the value of inclusion, the challenges experienced in getting there and the rewards when you finally do.

I know that many of those involved with the Scrapping 4 Inclusion program are personally affected by a child with a disability in one form or another but I wanted someone who wasn’t involved in scrapbooking to join us. I wanted to help us expand our readership and reach out to the rest of the world and help us share what we are doing.

Diane Bubel and I have spoken about this and she graciously helped to connect me to someone who would fit with us and this project. I am very happy to say that starting hopefully this weekend or next we will have Lora Keller joining our blog. She has quite an impressive history of fighting for inclusion for her son. Her son Lucas will hopefully also join us to share his personal experiences. Lora will be providing me with a ‘bio’ of herself and Lucas and once I have the information I will post it here. In the meantime you can read her story on the Foundation's website found here .

I’m very excited to be working with Lora and Lucas. When Lora and I spoke this past week she mentioned to me some of the things that she hears often in her role as a teacher and something she can related to as a mom of a child with a disability and we are now collaborating on another project that will hopefully be able to assist parents, raise awareness for the Foundation and hopefully also generate some fundraising income. There are many things that I need to sort out first with this project so unfortunately I can’t get into any detail right now. Just suffice it to say that I’m excited and when all the little ducks are nicely lined up in a little row I’ll be happy to let the entire world know what we are doing.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and taking lots of pictures that will need to be scrapbooked. I know I am.

Tonight is my regular scrap night so that will be fun. I haven’t managed to scrap every Friday as it’s kind of hard during the summer but I’m managing to get in a few Friday scrap nights and I’m happy about that.

I’m still trying to keep up with my social networking goals and now that I have the structure of what I want to do and most of the logistics figured out I’ll be making the time to participate and grow these areas so that we can spread the word to more people. I will be posting a summary of this blog weekly on a Yahoo Group as well as on our Facebook Group and MyCraftivity. I’m closer to securing some scrapping videos to be posted on the Facebook Group page and I will also be publishing our upcoming dates and volunteer needs at these locations on a weekly basis. I’ll be posting that information here on our blog every Monday so if anyone knows of other places that this information can be posted at regularly please feel free to visit here on Mondays and take the information and post it wherever you want. The more the merrier in my mind.

Anyways, that’s it for now. Look forward to Lora and Lucas’s blog coming your way on Sunday’s.

Thanks everyone for all that you do to help make Scrapping 4 Inclusion a success.

I totally messed up!

Yes, Wednesday is my blog day, but I was at the beach for a few days without internet. Totally had no idea what day it was...you know how that can be? So I will thrill you with a few pictures from our trip.



We went to Disney's Vero Beach Resort like we do every July. It's a bit south of Cape Canaveral on the east coast of Florida. Yeah, it's still perfect like Disney...we totally love it. We went with my husband and kids, my mom and dad, my mother-in-law, my three sisters and a few of the brothers-in-law and kiddos. We had the beach, the pool, an exercise room(I didn't see the insides of that one!!) and great weather.

Here's most of our gang...

Our view off the deck...

The view of the beach cottage.

Vero Beach is home to nesting Loggerhead Turtles and they take great pains to protect them!!

We played alot of games...my fave is Rummicube! One of my neice's on the boogie board! Loads of shells and rocks!

Now to scrapbook it all! Photos of that to come... :D

Gotta love punches

I love my punches. they are such a great way to add color, flair, and shape to anything you do.
Plus, I am not such a fan of cutting. So I love punches that fit stamped images the best!
One of the ladies in my downline did a big tutorial on how to use your punches to make other flowers as embellishments. So clever. i love that the paper craft world shares their ideas so freely. It is fabulous. Stacey King of rebel inker was the inspiration for the following flowers.
She shows them at work on her scrap pages, I haven't done that yet. But will. Most if these flowers are made using various flower punches for the base and then added loops from the two oval punches. When I punch, I always punch upside down, so you can see what is going to be punched out. Also, when using two punches, always punch the smaller image first, then come around it with the larger punch, trust me, this is the easiest way. I love how versatile the punches are.
enjoy!

brainstorming

Sorry for being a little late...what a whirlwind week this has been! I've been on the road for the past eight days and have been reminded of what makes this industry tick - and I'm so inspired!

I spent last weekend in Chicago for Summer CHA - talk about an overload of fantabulousness!! CHA is the industry trade show for all things craft...scrapbooking, quilting, jewelry making, stamping, needlecraft, framing, paper crafting...it is HEAVEN for people like us who just can't get enough patterned paper and pretty ribbons and fun new tools! Of course I forgot to bring along my camera cord so I could show you some photos ;) but it is always so interesting to see what new products are out there and what the new trends seem to be for the upcoming season. Summer CHA is also when companies release their holiday lines - so there were Fall and Halloween and Christmas products GALORE! It's enough to put a girl in the mood for winter...especially in the 100 degree heat!! My favorite thing about CHA is seeing friends from other companies and getting to spend some time enjoying each other's company. It is like a high school reunion - except you don't have to diet beforehand! :)

From Chicago I headed to Scottsdale, AZ (where it was 106 degrees yesterday!!) for a week of brainstorming at Xyron. It is SO exciting to get a bunch of creative minds together to talk about the industry and come up with new product ideas...and we were TICKLED to have the chance to invite a handful of IRW girls to join us in Scottsdale for the week to participate. They really brought a breath of fresh air and a new perspective to the process - and it didn't hurt that we LOVE them and were happy just to get to spend time with them!! They are headed home this morning and I am off to shoot a whole gaggle of Xyron videos for the website. If you have never checked it out - Xyron has some DARLING projects and product tutorials available on their website (I am the tall goofy looking one with the short blond hair ;)):

http://www.xyron.com/enUS/CampaignsHome/Inspiration_In_Motion.html

I am reshooting the product tutorials today and adding some new projects - so check back in a few weeks to see what we've come up with!

Have a wonderful week everybody...hope you are enjoying those last few weeks of summer!!

scrapbooking knows no season

I do realize it isn't Halloween. But that is the fun of Scraping, you can scrap any occasion any time! This was one of the scrap club's favorite layouts. It is so simple. The roller wheel on the bottom of the pages was rolled in white craft ink, then you apply chalk to it. I love that look, it works best on DARK card stocks. For lighter cards stock, you stamp in versa mark, then chalk. Here is a chalk board card I made LOVE this technique.
Then I just added designer papers to the edges, and stamped and punched out little images. SUPER SIMPLE. That leaves lots of room for pictures, and journaling. So no need to stress over a meticulous layout, scrap and go! That's my motto.

It's tip time!!

25 ways to use ribbon:

• Tie through buttons
• Make a border using a variety of color & patterns
• Run along a pattern paper edge
• Wrap around a photo
• Use alphabet stickers on it
• Hang a photo from a ribbon hanger
• Stamp words on it
• Use with pre-made products to give it your “personal touch”
• Tie through eyelets or punched holes along an edge
• Attach to metal embellishments like paper clips, spirals, photo anchors, jump rings or safety pins
• Make a tie or bow and glue anywhere
• Hang tags from it
• Use for photo corners
• Wrap around or tie to slide mounts or large monogram letters
• Use to tie something closed like a mini-album, tag book, journal or card
• Make loops or tabs for opening or pulling out hidden journaling
• Attach a label holder with it
• Wrap around a pre-made photo frame
• Apply rub-on letters on it
• Tuck photos under a ribbon border
• Frame a picture or accent with ribbon
• Tie around journaling blocks
• Hang charms from it
• Tie around strips of cardstock or paper
• Use up your ribbon “scraps” to make a loop or tab border

Have a great week!!

why I love this industry

I spend most of my time behind a desk. Granted - because I telecommute I am in my PJs ;) but I am a desk-bound worker bee most of the time. When I tell people what I do for a living I always get the "you must get to craft ALL DAY LONG" response - but the sad truth is that I spend much more time planning, budgeting, and analyzing craftiness than I do actually DOING it or being among people who LOVE it like I do.

But not last weekend!! Last weekend I spent in lovely Duluth, GA - where I had my own IRW booth at the Scrapbook Expo. And what a weekend it was!! The other girl who was going to work the booth with me had to change her plans - so I called my Mom (she lives in Virginia) about 10 days ago and asked her if she was free for the weekend. She was - and dropped everything to fly down to Atlanta to help me out - and we had a WONDERFUL time. Since Don and I have been so far away for the past few years, Mom and I haven't had much chance to just spend some girl time together - so this was our opportunity to do just that. Mom manned the make-n-take table while I manned the cash register - and she was the star of the booth! All of the customers loved her and I think she really got a kick out of teaching...and she said she'd be happy to do it with me next year - so I take that as a good sign! :)

The second best thing about the weekend (hanging out with my mom being the first) was that it reminded me of why I am in this business:

I love that scrapbooking brings people of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, and beliefs together.

I love that the people we met included mothers and their adult daughters having some girl time (like us), old friends who drove in from around the south for a getaway weekend, sisters, young moms with their kids in strollers, husbands and wives, women who have been scrapping for 20 years and those who are newbies to the craft.

I love that two strangers can sit down at a Make-n-Take table and start chatting away like old friends.

I love that people still get excited when they find that perfect paper to match their vacation photos or their child's first communion.

I love seeing the joy on someone's face when they master a technique they never tried before, or create a project that they are proud of.

I love that even in this economy people still recognize the importance of preserving their memories and come out to support those who make their living in this business.

So thanks Mom - for rescuing me yet again and giving us the chance to spend a great weekend together. And thanks too to my fellow crafters for reminding me - even when I'm knee deep in budget reports or marketing plans - why I love this industry so much. See you soon!

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IRW IS ON THE RADIO...sort of!

Last weekend I also had an AWESOME opportunity to be a guest on the Terri O Show on Craft Radio Network. It was such a treat!! If you'd like to check it out - go to:

http://www.craftradionetwork.com/

click on the red box that says shows

scroll down to the Terri O show and click on segment #4 - Party Like a Craft Star!

Have a great week everybody!! Stay tuned next week for my report on Summer CHA!! WOO HOO!!!

Beth

I'm back :-)

Thanks to a little help from my mom I have a brand new computer and am back online. I should have tons of fabulous new projects to share but I have been concentrating on the people in my life.... spending time with my children and doing things around my home.

I also called one of our second grade teachers from last year. My family switched to a new doctor. When we talked about Jeremy's Aspergers this new doctor asked if a teacher had ever approached us about using a low dose of Ritalin with him. The doc said it was found to help some children with autism focus in the classroom. No one had ever mentioned this to me before and it kind of took me by surprise. Thankfully his teacher from last year is also a friend and I knew she would not mind a phone call so I called to ask her opinion. She said Jeremy was not an "out of his seat" kind of kid but that he did occasionally "check out" for a bit when feeling overwhelmed by a task. She also said he is usually able to redirect himself back on task after some processing time. We discussed how 3rd grade is such a huge year as far as learning new skills and her advice was that I should just mention to our 3rd grade teacher that the doc brought this up as a possibility if needed and leave it at that. As a mom I was always opposed to the use of medications like these but since I started working for the school district I have changed that opinion. I have seen very bright children struggle so hard every day because they just can't manage to even sit still long enough to learn.

It got me to thinking about how much harder "inclusion" and acceptance are for those children who DON"T show huge outward signs of being different. My Jeremy is an example. He has come a long way and can most times just blend in as part of the group so someone who did not know about his Autism might think he is just immature or bratty.

My oldest daughter is another example. It seemed we fought the school system every year since her Neurofibromatosis was diagnosed. Outwardly she looked like any other healthy teen. No matter how much information I provided her new teachers at the beginning of each year they always seemed to think there was nothing really wrong with her and fought her 504 plan that was in place. We did not ask for a lot...... we asked for her to be allowed to go to a quiet room to be able to do her biofeedback techniques anytime her pain got out of control, we asked for time extension for missed assignments when she was in too much pain to go to school, and she was medically exempted from PE because her PE teacher refused to accept that she needed to be allowed to judge when she was and was not in too much pain to participate. Her teachers' attitudes definitely had a negative impact on her ability to accept and cope with her diagnosis.

Why am I sharing all of this? I'm not really sure. This is just what my heart told me to post about today....... maybe just to get people thinking that not all people with disabilities have noticeable differences but they do all have needs just like anyone else. I love this organization and what it stands for and am honored to be even a little part of that.

Spending time with Mickey !

That’s right folks, I just spent a couple of weeks in Disney World with my family. A much needed holiday but unfortunately we didn’t really have any down time or relax time during this holiday. It was quite busy and fun filled but that’s perfectly OK with me. I took over 1700 photos on this trip. YIKES!

Here is a picture of the family in front of Walt & Mickey.

I am very glad to have such wonderful people blogging here. I bet I wasn’t even missed at all with everything the others have been sharing. You guys really are great!

I had the chance while in Florida to meet up with Shirley. She’s great! Loved meeting her in person. Nope, no photo of us together as we didn’t think of it until afterwards….. I know, I know, that was really bad of us. Well I’ll just have to make another trip down there sometime. Next time though I’ll go in a winter month as June/July was smoking hot there.

Anyways, on to other things. Diane Bubel and I have been chatting about the blog and how to incorporate someone who can speak about inclusion and the advantages of including children as well as the challenges faced by those raising children with disabilities. I think if we had that little piece it would add some value to this blog and it will help to empower those reading it to get involved. It will really bring home the message as to why we are all involved with Scrapping 4 Inclusion. Diane has spoken with a lady who’s son is disabled and in a wheelchair and she was very interested in participating with us. The thing is that I haven’t been able to reach her yet to get the ball rolling. I am working on it and hopefully that piece will start soon.

On the networking front, I recently took the plunge into Facebook in order to build up a group over there so that we have a network of others to help us spread the word. Facebook is huge and can be overwhelming but I’m managing so far. I have asked assistance from other group owners and this seems to be working so far. At last check we had over 240 members in our group. My first goal is to build to 1,000 members. Once there I’ll set a larger goal but for now I think this is attainable.

My plan, if you want to call it that, is to post on various locations (Facebook included) a few times per week. The things I plan to share are

1. Our upcoming events

2. Our volunteer needs (any organizer who is looking for additional help)

3. A summary of this blog to let everyone know what they are missing.

4. Scrapbooking technique videos (I’m working on a specific source for these which should be great if it works out).

5. Inclusion videos showcasing how great inclusion is for children.

I have a few places that I plan to network on and the ultimate goal is to get the name Scrapping 4 Inclusion out there to as many people as possible. This will in turn create the interest and word of mouth advertising that will bring in more attendees at events and eventually additional organizers. The bigger benefit is that we will be able to raise more awareness for the Foundation and more funds so that more children can participate in inclusive activities.

So that’s my update for now and a brief outline of where I’m headed. I’m sure there are a gazillion other things I could be doing but somehow they just haven’t hit me yet.

You know, I loved being on holidays but for some silly reason I missed working on this project. It takes up so much of my time but I get such enjoyment out of all the little successes along the way that when I wasn’t doing anything with it I felt like a piece of me was missing. I am very glad to be back at it and working on building.

For everyone who reads this blog, get out there and join our Facebook group and if you aren’t on Facebook then let all your friends know about it and have them join. The more the merrier.

Scrapping 4 Inclusion Facebook Group

Tonight is scrapping night but my friend Jean is now in PEI for the summer so I’ll be scrapping with another friend Kathleen over the summer. Kathleen always wants to scrap but it just never gets to the top of the list. She wants to make a couple of projects for Christmas and since I don't have my normal weekly scrapping partner this is a great way to get her going. I’m looking forward to getting 2003 finished (should be tonight). I’m sorry but I’m a chronological scrapper and I can’t change that. I absolutely have to go in order. At least I’ve been getting some digital scrapping done at work when I’m not busy so 2004 is already finished and I’m half way through 2005 so that means after tonight I should jump all the way to the middle of 2005. That’s a good thing cause 2006 has lots of pictures as we took a trip to Disneyland in California in 2006 and I took 900 photos of that trip alone. YIKES!

Here are a couple of the digital layouts I did today at work cause I was bored.

If I can get some of this recent trips photos organized I’ll create a little slide show and I’ll post it here so you can have an idea on what we did on vacation.

For now, happy scrapping everyone and enjoy the weekend.

Laurie

sum-sum-summer time

I love the summer. I love to go to the pool, beach, lake. Any body of water really. If you live in Texas, and are going to be outside from May to October, water needs to be included!
So, I figured we all need H2O pages. This is a simple layout, with BRIGHT fun colors. I like how the ribbon scraps and buttons add a bit to it, without taking away. I didn't use as many as I normally would, bc I like to have as many on hand for my scrap club ladies as possible. But you get the idea. I also like using the pop ups to add dimension. I was a bit worried about making a water page without pool stamps, but I don't think anyone will notice. The stamps have a nice summer feel.
Hope where ever you are, you are enjoying your summer.

Some great events going on now!

40 DAYS:

Ever been a part of a blog hop? What's that, you say? Well it's a bunch of bloggers hopping from one blog to another each day.

And that's exactly what we are doing in honor of a great friend and colleague of mine, Beverley Todd, aka the Guv, from the grande ole UK. In honor of her 40th birthday we are blog hopping for 40 days prior to her big day. At each blog there is a challenge or giveaway...so...hop on into the action and check out the blogs and prizes along the way. Here's where it all began. You can join on in even if you don't know the Guv or the other bloggers...just leave a nice comment and make friends...that's what it's all about! Oh yeah...it's all about the prizes, too!!!

Yesterday, my blog day was featured and I am giving away a seat in one of my upcoming online classes...so hop on over to my blog and leave me a comment to get in on the drawing. Keep following where Beverley leads us next in our 40 days of fun and celebration!

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A*Muse*A*Palooza:

Yup, it sounds like a way crazy name... but it is actually a heavenly stamping extravaganza event!! At participating stores around the country there will be designer/instructors from A*Muse art stamps teaching special stamping classes. Click here to find a store near you.

What? No store near you is offering a class? Rats! But wait!! Julie Ebersole will be teaching an online A*Muse*A*Palooza class at My Creative Classroom! YIPEE!! Julie is the Creative Teams Director, Lead Instructor and Senior Designer for A*Muse Art Stamps and the Design Team Coordinator on SplitCoastStampers.com, the world's largest online stamping community.

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My Creative Classroom is proud to be hosting the online class for the A*Muse*A*Palooza event.

This special class will be instructed by our very own Julie Ebersole(yep, she's an MCC Instructor, too!) and is available exclusively to those customers who purchase the A*Muse*A*Palooza 08 Exclusive Stamp Kit. The online class is free when you purchase the kit! Check out the kit info here. The stamp kit is gorgeous!! And you can win a free kit and a seat in the class just by signing up for the MCC newsletter. If you already receive the newsletter, you're already in the drawing!

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OK, that's not even all of it! On Tuesday, July 15, from 9pm-10pm CST, My Creative Classroom will be hosting an online guest chat/interview with Julie. Come find out more about this amazingly talented gal! As an added bonus, join us an hour before and after the interview/chat with Julie(that's 8pm-11pm CST) and chat with the MCC Instructors about all things stamping! Come find out about online classes. Gotta love it! When you log into the main MCC website, click on the Student Activity Center. The chat is in the Java Stop!

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If you have any questions, EMAIL ME for more info or check out the My Creative Classroom website.

:D

where oh where to have an event?

I know this is a topic that stumps many a scrapping/card making business chick. It is one thing to have a Tupperware party in someone's living room...it is entirely another to find a space for the same number of people to spread out and be crafty!! This is especially true when planning a Scrapping 4 Inclusion event - so with the help of my fellow I Remember When girls I've created this list that will hopefully help you get up and running for S4I...and for your own business!

churches and public libraries - note that some don't let you sell product on site...in which case you'd have to use them for classes only

Elks Lodge/Lions Club, VFW, Shriners - which is also a good way to get new customers...tap in to the wives of the members!!!!

Park/Recreation Centers

Check out the "senior living" complexes in your area. Many have "community" rooms and offer different kinds of classes to their residents - you may be able to rent the room for your own events or even teach a class or two!

Many housing developments have a clubhouse available to rent - if you don't live in the development find out if you have a customer/friend in the area who would be willing to sponsor you.

Schools! Find a teacher that is a scrapper and ask her to have a workshop in her room after school. The lunch room and library are also good locations in a school due to all the tables available.

County Extention Office - They are always looking for crafts to do with their homemakers.

Local small businesses - gift shops, florists, pottery painting shops, etc. These may have the space you need and be willing to sponsor an event in exchange for the publicity it will generate.

Ambulance base or fire hall or other town/community buildings.

Auto Dealerships - yes girls you read right! Some dealerships have large meeting rooms that they also dub as community rooms. Check with the GM or Sales Managers at your local dealerships.

Day cares - you may want/need to offer to split the crop fee with them; especially if your child attends, but it is a great way to get the other parents involved and for them to support the day care.

Misc club houses - golf clubs, gun clubs, etc...these types of outdoor groups don't typically use the club houses in the evenings, especially in the winter months. And if you or your spouse is a member, you may even get a better deal!

Find a local restaurant that has a banquet hall/room. Many will only charge for the meal - and you don't have to worry about buying, prepping, preparing or clean up of the food/meals!

I'd love to hear more suggestions - feel free to post and share if you've found a fabulous spot to hold your events!

Sorry I have been MIA

My laptop died an untimely death. I am checking in from a computer at the library to say I should be back up and running with my new computer by Monday

put your talent to work for you

We all have those people in our lives that we would do anything for, buy them anything they wanted, they just don't want anything. Then we are stuck trying to figure out a gift. I hate that. I have a BIG theory about why we give the gifts we do, but that is for another day. I have found that even the cheesiest home made gift, is the most appreciated, loved, and cherished. So, I try to make something for all my loved ones, even if it is to go with a bought gift. And once I make a certain item, I find that others ask for it at their gift times.
There is this fabulous website, STAMP ON THIS, she has all kinds of items you can make into gifts, or useful items for yourself. She is a great resource, with excellent customer service and prices. One day I asked her to start selling some items I couldn't find anymore, and she did of course, but also had these neat mouse pads. They have really been a hit. You just make your little scrap page, and then there is a slit in the side where you slide it in. It is wonderful! This is what I made my husband for father's day one year. To him, the best gifts can't be bought, and his boys are definitely at the top of his list as his best gifts to date! My niece had spent 6 months or so in New Zealand after graduating from college, doing a study program, so I used some pictures she had posted on her travel blog to make her one. What a neat way to keep those memories close. I have a brother that loves pictures of his extended family bc he has never married and doesn't get to see much of the rest of us, so I made him one with all the kids in the family. You can embellish it as much or as little as the person you are giving it to would like. That is the best part, you can tailor design it to your recipient. Their colors, and what is special to them.
So, I issue this challenge, next gift giving opportunity, put your talents to work, you can make a scrap page for a friend, one of the mini books for them to put pictures in for a baby shower, make thank you notes for a wedding shower. The sky is the limit. And nothing feels better than someone telling you how much it means to them that you made them something so special! everyone wins!
Hope you all have a great Independence Day celebration! Take lots of pictures, nothing like watermelon, fireworks, and swimming scrap pages!!!

Go green and love your scraps!

What better way to go green, than to use up those scraps?? Your scrap bin...(you DO have one, right?) should have all the fodder you need for a great card, embellishment or maybe even a tag book like this one. I made this last June totally out of scraps. Now, I'd like to tell you that it made a dent in my scraps, but no way! I am a scrap hoarder! I need to make about 50 of these to actually make a dent in my bin!! But my obsession is your reward...you get to use this great idea to make cute little tag books for all your friends!!
Have a great week! For those of you in the US...Happy 4th of July!

What America Means to Me

As I get older...journaling in my scrapbooks has become exponentially more important. That really hit home for me not too long ago when I was working on our wedding album (we got married seven years ago - do not mock me for being behind! ;)) and as I was organizing the photos I realized that I had already forgotten many of the special details that made our day so incredible. If I can't remember things about one of the most spectacular days of my life...how am I going to remember the everyday moments that bring me joy, make me think, or break my heart?

With that - and with the approach of July 4th - I have been inspired to share my feelings about this country on a few pages in my scrapbook. No matter what your feelings about the war, the current administration or the state of our economy - this country is ours to cherish, and I hope you will take a few moments over this weekend of parades and fireworks and backyard BBQs to jot down a few feelings of your own.

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th of July!!

************

I grew up in the Washington DC area. I rarely visited any of the monuments or went to the museums unless we had company from out of town. Our family went to the Independence Day and Memorial Day concerts on the mall every year. We wore our red, white and blue outfits. We sang patriotic songs. Our church always prayed for our nation's leaders and military people serving overseas. I had friends whose dads worked at the Pentagon or in some other branch of government. That was what America meant to me.

Then I moved to the South and started working in a job that put me in close contact with members of the military. My roommate was military, my boyfriend was military, all of my friends wore this country's uniform proudly. I dutifully sent them care packages when they were gone. I watered their plants. I picked them up in the middle of the night when they came home. We never talked about where they were, or what they were doing, or what it meant. My political views started to change a little. I became more interested in the news. I supported my friends and began to understand a little bit about military life. That was what America meant to me.

Then I met my husband. We moved to Hawaii. In August 2001 he left for Ranger School. We had no contact for three months. On September 11, 2001 our world changed forever. I sat on my couch for two days and wept. I prayed for the families of those who had been killed. I donated money to a fund for New York City firefighters and police officers. I put up an American flag in our window. I waited anxiously for my husband to come home to me - knowing that it wouldn't be for long. That we were at war. That was what America meant to me.

I have sent my husband off to war five times since we've been married. I have received hundreds of cards from school children to send to his men because they would be far away from home at Christmas. I have prayed every night to just see his face or hear his voice one more time. I have walked to the other side of the street when I have seen protestors downtown. I have shipped care packages from men and women at a Senior Center who wanted to do something for the troops. I have argued with people I love about the need for this war. I have received emails from strangers thanking me for my sacrifice and my husband for his bravery. I have wept at the feeling of his arms around me after so many months of being apart. I have taken photographs of yellow ribbons all over town. I have held my husband as we mourned the loss of his soldiers and friends. I have thanked God that I live in a country where I am free - where we are all free - to do and say feel all of these things without fear. THAT is what America means to me.