Scrapping 4 Inclusion

why we scrap

2008-11-05T09:04:00.001-07:00

I have been wracking my brain for the last week because I wanted to say something about the reasons we scrap. Not only the "I like to hang out with my girlfriends" and the "I love the pretty paper" reasons, but also the deep, heartfelt, life changing reasons - the ones that make us laugh out loud and the ones that bring us to tears. I had so many thoughts rambling around in my head that I couldn't get a handle on it - until I logged on to our IRW Instructor forum and found this story from an instructor in Charlotte, NC - LesliAn Orio. LesliAn has such a gift of storytelling, and her experience encompassed EXACTLY what I was trying to say but just couldn't find the words. So - thanks my friend for letting me share your story, and for reminding us all why we scrap. --Beth

On Friday morning the father of my dear friend and neighbor fell down his stairs at home. Thankfully his wife was home and they were able to get an ambulance for him within minutes. He was rushed to the hospital and they found a broken hip, broken ribs, collapsed lung and a variety of other issues. He was already recovering from a series of strokes that had left him a bit unsteady on his feet and likely what contributed to his fall.

Sunday morning, the husband of my neighbor came over and shared with us the sad news that his FIL had passed away a few hours before. He said that his wife had a request for me and would I please call her cell when I had some time to talk.
I am a fountain of emotional tears. I cry at Cottonelle commercials when the puppy falls whilst running in the yard, so I had to prepare myself to be strong for my friend and not let my tears and sadness be what she heard in my voice. Putting on a very brave voice, I called and asked what I could do for her. She asked if I would please take one of the recent photos of her dad (Carter and I had been guests at his early 80th birthday party in August) and have it blown up to be beside the urn of her father. I asked her what else I could do, as that would take me only a few minutes and her father had been such a gift of a joyous man in our lives and we wanted to do more. She hesitated and then asked if I could do 'something else' with photos, too. I told her sure and asked when the funeral was. Tuesday, 1 p.m.

So Sunday I spent several hours going through the photos I'd taken and that her 14 year old daughter had taken, and made a slew of 12x18, 11x14, 8x10 and 5x7 photos. I picked them up last night and came home and faced a blank canvas in the form of a black science fair tri-fold board Carter had picked up for me on the way home.
I went in my studio to create something to capture his life, but was blocked. Couldn't do it. Everything just looked 'wrong' and I knew she was counting on me to deliver a finished board in the morning. I laid down on our sofa with Jackson and Nick and some mindless movie they were watching and fell asleep. I woke three hours later, TV on and children off in their own beds and went back to my studio and started going through a stack of paper I have not looked at in at least a year.

At the very bottom I found a stack of the Jeneva 'My Walk' papers and it was as though my hands were no longer mine, but rather being used by someone else. I created a beautiful, balanced, coordinated presentation of photos and biblical quotes and plenty of titles with my WB. The colors of the papers went with the colors the family members in the photos were wearing and I had EXACTLY enough of each paper to accomplish what was needed, not a bit extra.

When I took it to my friend this morning, she was shaking as she hugged me and thanked me. She said it well beyond what she imagined could be done on such short notice. Her mother, a most delightful and radiant woman, reacted the same way when she saw it a few hours later.

The funeral mass was sweet and touching and the reception was a celebration of his life, not a teary affair of loss. The placed the photo board at the entrance for all to see and the vast majority had no idea I'd made it, but commented how great it was and how it truly captured his essence.

I was so honored to be asked to create that photo tribute and so glad they were pleased by it. Sometimes scrapping isn't about albums. Sometimes it is being able to take those same tools and create something that is to be viewed only in a condensed set of moments and to bring solace and peace and a smile to the lips of those who are feeling a void in their hearts. Every once in a while I get a whiff of wanting to throw in the towel and stop scrapping as my kids get older and I know their early years have been well documented.

This was a moment that further cemented for me the importance of being able to capture the essence of so many moments and to share it with others. To comfort in photos, not hugs or casseroles or running errands. It did not just help the hearts of his family to heal, but it helped me as well. It reinforced the images of his humorous self, of his giving heart and his winning smile, his 58 years of being crazy in love with his wife and the mischevious twinkle he'd get in his eye talking about his adventures in younger years.

2008-10-30T08:35:00.000-06:00

I always love the projects we make at SU! regionals. I especially loved this page we made. I would have never thought to use the negative in the chipboard for a letter, nor would I have thought to use the inside piece of the W for an arrow. I love the colors too. I also got a kick out of outlining the snowflake with versamarker, great detail. Love to learn.

last minute Halloween project - and a few laughs!

2008-10-28T06:52:00.000-06:00

Xyron has been hard at work creating more videos for you!

This DARLING Halloween project is the perfect last-minute gift or centerpiece...if you don't have a bucket to put your candy in this year you can make this one for yourself and be the talk of the neighborhood!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCB7CQ5-P4

And if you need a laugh - check out our blooper reel...we have a LOT of free time on our hands at the office. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQTRzgyRKs4

Happy Crafting everybody - and Happy Halloween!

Beth

I love Saturdays

2008-10-25T09:44:00.000-06:00

I work at school so it is a day off for em as well as the kids. My kids are all busy with their own things today so I plan on spending the day playing in my scrap studio.

I also have some exciting news that I want to share. I have been chosen as the Guest Creative Team Member for the month of November for http://www.shopscrapbooksupplies.com/store/

Besides getting some very cool product for my CT projects I am also being given a discount code to share with my friends for the month of November. The code will allow the customer to receive a 15% discount off of their first order in the store (minimum of $10 order before taxes, shipping, etc)
the code is PSREF. Feel free to share this with your friends also :-)

Christmas Wish

2008-10-23T08:28:00.000-06:00

Time for some Christmas pages.
I made this simple layout with one of the scrappin kits from SU!
I made 6 two page layouts from one kit! And had some odds and ends left over. Love the colors.

My Saturday post is a thought for the day

2008-10-18T09:36:00.000-06:00

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. ~Scott Hamilton

moma says

2008-10-16T08:51:00.000-06:00

My mom is funny. I adore her though.
She didn't much care for last weeks layout, it was too blah. So here is my redo. I do have to say I LOVE the pumpkin patch. Masking is a great way to make a realistic scene. And it came in handy when I wanted to sponge color around the pumpkins. Most of my scrappers sponged green on the bottom of the pumpkins, and I encouraged them to use a blend of gray and black, the blue was just out of place. These pumpkins were perfect for masking, easy to cut out.
Just stamp the pumpkin on a post it note, then cut it out, I did several layers of each so I could mask several at a time. Then stamp your focal object. Cover it with the post it version and stamp again, PERFECTO!
have a great weekend, I am off to PTA duties!

Wishblade dummies...unite!!!!

2008-10-14T18:18:00.000-06:00

If you are like me and own a Wishblade but feel like an idiot when you try to use it...Xyron has come to the rescue!! They've just released some AWESOME new step-by-step videos to help us computer illiterate people create beautiful projects!! I am SO excited...I've already created a bunch of cool titles and am now going to take on making my own lace paper!! I'm feeling crafty already!!

To check out the videos go to:

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

They've also uploaded an easier to understand manual...this gets better by the minute! Yippea!

Beth

quick

2008-10-09T08:13:00.000-06:00

By now you know I like for things to be fast. This was the fastest layout I have ever made. I am not totally happy with it, but it will work.
It has been a super busy week, and I am just happy to have put ink on stamps! I know you all have those days.

Today is National Card Making day

2008-10-04T16:48:00.000-06:00

In honor of that I am hosting a little challenge on my blog
http://peggysplace-peggys.blogspot.com/

Create a card/cards and upload anywhere that you can post a link to in the comments section on my blog post. You will get one ticket into a random drawing for some cool CTMH products for each card you share

Worl Card Day

2008-10-02T12:48:00.000-06:00

World Card Day is this Saturday, the 4th.
In Honor of that event, Stampin' Up! is offering all their card kits 20% off! Super cool deal.
I made all 18 of these Christmas cards in less than 30 minutes. It is a great way to stock up fast.

Xyron and YouTube together again!

2008-09-30T15:21:00.000-06:00

Looking for an inexpensive and crafty way to spruce up your home office? Check out this video! Jessica came up with this DARLING mail holder - perfect for your foyer, kitchen, office, or scraproom! This would be a great gift for the holidays too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GLf8Qy33wg

Beth

calendar

2008-09-25T10:40:00.000-06:00

I love these cute calendar kits!
They will make wonderful gifts!
so fun and easy, and you can use all your fabulous scrapbook talent to make them!

back at it

2008-09-18T08:09:00.000-06:00

It has been a while, sorry.
My sweet mom FINALLY sold her home, and I have been swamped with helping her and PTA stuff. But I got to be me again this week! It has been so very nice to get back at it. I often have to make several attempts at projects before I am happy with them, but this week, I was happy first try with several. That was a nice feeling!
Sunday is Scrap Club, and we will make this layout with basic gray, kiwi kiss, so saffron, and cameo coral. I love this stamp set. I think it makes a nice statement for cards or pages. I colored directly on the stamp with our watercolor crayons, and then misted it with water just before stamping. if you click on the image, you can see it closer and with greater detail. This is a fun technique that I haven't been able to get enough of this week.

holiday goodies are coming!!!!!

2008-09-16T12:16:00.002-06:00

Am I the only one who gets super excited this time of year...when all of the Halloween/Christmas products start coming out? And yes - I am one of those people who buys all of the Halloween stuff I can get my hands on even though:

A - we don't have kids

B - my husband won't let me dress up the dogs...anymore

C - I don't think the neighbors would appreciate some strange lady down the street (me) taking pictures of their children :)

Anyhoo - wanted to send some links to the latest and greatest that are on the way to IRW and/or your local scrapbook stores...happy shopping everybody!!

Beth

http://www.qbaroo.com/cosmocricket/main.cfm?categoryoid=1&productoid=31 - Cosmo Cricket Haunted

http://www.qbaroo.com/cosmocricket/main.cfm?categoryoid=1&productoid=37 - Cosmo Cricket Oh Joy

http://www.mylyb.com/frightful - Little Yellow Bicycle Frightful

http://www.mylyb.com/sharon_ann_christmas - Little Yellow Bicycle Sharon Ann Christmas Magic

http://www.imaginisce.com/Products.aspx?col=28 - Imaginisce Hallowhimsy

http://www.imaginisce.com/Products.aspx?col=29 - Imaginisce Snowy Jo

http://www.fancypantsdesigns.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=38_50 - Fancy Pants Happy Holidays

Same supplies: different look

2008-09-06T17:57:00.002-06:00

I am a lover of sketches. Usually my creations don't end up exactly like the sketches but they are a great jumping off point". When I first became a Close to My Heart consultant I had already used and loved their products for several years but did not own any of the sketch books yet. Right off the bat I had customers asking me why you would want to pay for a book of sketches when you would only use each sketch once. (They had a fear that all their pages would start looking the same.) So I set out to show them how easy it is to change a sketch up just by changing colors and a few small elements. Both of these layouts were done using the exact same sketch and stamp sets. I changed the color scheme, the angle of a couple of photo mats and few other small elements. When I display these pages by the open sketch book I sell the book like crazy :-)

fast scrap

2008-09-04T10:46:00.000-06:00

It seems I am always looking for fast ways to scrap. I want everything done quickly, maybe that is why I tend to overload myself. Who knows, but this is a neat idea I got at Stampin' Up! regionals a few years ago. I couldn't wait to get home and try it! It is simple, fast, and fun. A customer of mine makes one for each month for her daughter to put highlights of her child in. How great is that? I wish I had thought of that when my two boys were growing so fast and learning so many new things. The presenter at convention used her to mark things that were important to her each year. There are many many applications, and ways to alter it.
Take a file folder, cover with designer papers, for the pages they will all be the same width, but each page will be an inch longer, making the cascade. Attach with clips from an office supply, add ribbon and embellishments and viola... mini scrap book.

When I had to make this after regionals, I used my favorite paper, brown and pink, so then I didn't really want to put my boys in it. so I made a book about all the trips I have taken with my dear friend to see clay concerts, we have been all over. So it serves as a travel log as well. As you can see, I need to finish it.

Got Xyron?

2008-09-02T17:23:00.002-06:00

So many times at expos and crops people will come by our IRW booth, see the Xyron machines out on the table, and say "I have one of those - but I've never taken it out of the box"! Once we let them try it out they are TOTALLY hooked...but since I can't come to everybody's house (as much as I'd love to - you know how I feel about home cooking!) and show them how to use their tools - Xyron has done the next best thing!

We've created a series of videos that demonstrate how to use every machine that Xyron carries. We don't have them all done yet - but hopefully will have a complete library by the end of the year! So get your Xyron machines out of the box, click on these videos, and get crafty! :)

Beth

Adhesive Runner - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpEAHLh7JX8

500 (NOT the 510...that is coming later) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8gIIFZn74A&feature=related

250 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPV0Cybwz6s&feature=related

150 (also known as the "X") - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI_o0zLDUUE

2" and 4" adhesive runners (also known as Cheetahs) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHzziZMYOCQ

Saturday post on Sunday

2008-08-31T18:04:00.000-06:00

This weekend I would like to share about my new position with the school district. I have been working in the elementary schools here for about 6 years now.......... first as an autism para-educator and then in the title One Program.

At the end of last year I was approached by my building principal and asked to consider applying for a brand new program that was going to start up this year. I was hesitant and not wanting to leave a position I knew I loved for something "unknown".

On inservice day this year he approached me again and said the position was still mine if I wanted it and people in the district office felt my experience as a nurse, writing training programs for people with developmental disabilities, and what they had seen me able to accomplish when working in the autism program all led them to believe I needed to be a part of this new program. I am not a person who embraces change........... I tend to try to avoid it as much as possible. But, after praying on it for a night, I decided if this was where God thought I could best serve this year I would go there and I emailed my building principal to tell him I would take the position if they still wanted me to.

So I spent what would have been the last 2 days of my summer vacation doing some specialized training, helping set up the classroom and meeting the other 3 members of the team for the new ILC (Intensive Learning Center) . The head teacher is new to me but I think I will like her. the other 2 staff are woman I know already and I think we will work well together. and I am excited to be part of the ground level of building a new program designed to teach students at the level they need rather than trying to make them fit into a place where they really don't

School starts Tuesday................... wish me luck! :-)

back to school

2008-08-28T12:35:00.000-06:00

I wanted to make a little something for my boys teachers, to start the year off. This is our small art journal. I added calendar pages to it and stamped the pages to match the front papers. I love these little books and the teachers did too. These little journals will make all kinds of cute things. I have seen them as recipe books, mini scrap books, you name it.

Here is Jonathan giving his to his teacher, he wanted to take her an apple, but was glad to have this. I am sure she'd rather have this as well! ;) Can't believe I have a second grader!

And here is Jeremiah after he gave his kindergarten teacher hers. She loved it too. My mom says I will have to make her something each week! But Jeremiah plans to not get in trouble at all this year. I hope he can do it!

Photos from the weekend

2008-08-27T08:23:00.002-06:00

NOTE: It is very difficult to post the day after Beth does. I am literally bawling over the death of her friend(see yesterday's post). How can anything I say be of any use after that? She has such a way of writing that clenches the depths of your heart and soul. And she says she "can't blog". You are mistaken, my friend! You have a gift and even though you say you are not mushy and emotional, it's in that soul of yours. Keep it open and keep on writing!

I wanted to add to the Scrapper's Dream Vacation thought that Beth spoke of yesterday. Words cannot truly express the depth of what happens at an SDV event, but I think Beth captured it quite thoroughly. I always come back after vending at an SDV event(this was my third) with a new love for women as we share our hearts and souls during the weekend. It's a scrapping weekend...yes, but as Beth said...it is so much more.

So on to the photos!

Here's most of our 10'x20' booth. Beth and I each have quite an extensive inventory!

Our Xyron adhesive display. It was nearly empty after the event was over. We love us some Xyron!

Here's the great Suzanne Mulet manning the Make & Take table. We had a new project each day and everyone loved what they got to make.

Beth is at the cash register and Suzanne is in the background in black. They both have really cool hair!

Looking out into the sea of scrappers. This only shows maybe half of the room. The vendors line the walls. It is amazing how much stuff these women bring!! The poor bellmen!

So if SDV ever comes your way, you've gotta get your girlfriends and head on over for a scrappin' good time!

celebration and sadness

2008-08-26T16:46:00.002-06:00

I had the incredible opportunity to spend last weekend in rain-drenched Orlando as a vendor at SDV - Scrapper's Dream Vacation. For those of you who have never heard of it - it is everything the name implies. An entire weekend of non-stop scrapping, shopping, food, fellowship, music, dancing, laughing, crying – and…as an added surprise – we even had Mickey Mouse! Along with my fellow S4I-er Shirley Pando and our friend Suzanne Mulet we had a WONDERFUL time at our I Remember When booth – and thanks to Suzanne’s freaky ability to stay up until the wee hours – we actually manned the booth AROUND THE CLOCK!!

But SDV is also something else. In December 2006, SDV’s Founder Nancy Bohrer was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Throughout 2007 she shared her story with attendees at SDVs around the country – encouraging women to get mammograms and do their monthly breast self-exams. In December 2007 she was declared cancer free – and last weekend (and SDVs held earlier this year) was a celebration of her victory and of her life and of her strength. This was my first SDV so I did not know Nancy personally, but her story and the inspiration she gave to others around her was evident in every face and every hug and every moment. It is a powerful feeling to be in a room full of women of every age, background, ethnicity and circumstance - all lifting one another up in celebration and fellowship. Truly something to behold.

http://www.dreameventsinc.com/index.cfm

After such an invigorating weekend I returned home energized and inspired and motivated…until I opened an email from the sister of a dear, dear friend in Anchorage.

When my husband and I moved to Alaska I immediately went on the lookout for friends. I began teaching scrapbooking classes at a community school and in my home – and one night this firecracker of a woman – Joy Riggs – arrived on my doorstep and my life was never to be the same. Joy was from South Africa and had moved to Alaska as a single mom, found and married her soul mate, and just went about living life to its utmost. She was old enough to be my mother, was funny and sarcastic, felt deeply and loved openly, adored my husband and my dogs, and she and her family took me in as one of their own – inviting me for meals, checking on me when Don was gone – she just had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the room whenever you were with her. She was larger than life.

When Don and I left Alaska in February she and her husband Max attended our going away party and something just didn’t seem right. She seemed tired, didn’t really interact with anyone – I selfishly attributed it to her being sad that I was leaving, but I would later find out that she had just been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor – but didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to “ruin my party”. So – for the first few months we emailed back and forth…her always with an upbeat attitude and jokes about her treatment, me telling her how wonderful I thought she was and how much I missed her. Eventually her sister Theresa started writing for her because typing was too difficult – and on Sunday Theresa sent her final email. Felicity (Joy) Riggs died on August 24th – a little more than six months after her diagnosis. She was a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a grandmother, a life force, a blessing to everyone who knew her, and an absolute joy in my life – in everyone’s life. She will be missed beyond measure.

So this weekend was truly one of celebration and sadness – and a profound reminder to celebrate the victories, be inspired by the miraculous, and cherish the everyday moments you share with those you love.

To Nancy – thank you for being such a brave and boisterous voice for women – for teaching them to value their bodies, their health, their friendships, their stories, and themselves.

To Joy – your friendship and generosity, the lessons you taught me about love and living, your coming in to my life was a gift I will never be able to repay. Thank you for sharing yourself with those around you so freely and fully…we miss you.

Beth

A day late again

2008-08-24T08:23:00.000-06:00

As I was doing my morning emails I realized I missed my Saturday blogpost. We are gearing up for back to school here and these last days of summer are just seeming to fly by.

I wanted to share an update on my friends who took their son back East for some specialized therapy.

They had bad news and good news. The bad news was because Nick had recently had hip surgery they could not do the full therapy routine. The good news is there was dramatic results from the therapy they did do. His family is already planning for how to get him back there again next summer.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that !

2008-08-22T23:31:00.000-06:00

Well I couldn’t decide what to blog about today so I’ll talk about a few things.

Today was the last day of work for my very good friend at our office. We’ve been friends since I moved to Calgary almost 15 years ago. Actually I met her about 6 months after we moved here. In the last 14 or so years we have both been through quite a bit. She got married and then divorced. I had another baby, we both lost our fathers a couple years apart and I have lost my mom. As friends go, we’ve seen it all. Also during the last 14 years we have spent a few of them working in the same company on two different occasions and two different companies. In this current company she was on the 9th floor and I was on the 12th floor so we really only saw each other for lunch but it was still nice to work in the same place. With her leaving today it really only means we wont’ take the elevator together when we meet for lunch, we’ll have to each walk a couple of blocks now to meet. That’s the only real difference but it’s still one of those changes in life that brings excitement and challenge and I’m very happy for her.

Now on another totally different subject - Social Networking. I always thought I was a people person and a great socializer. Why am I having such difficulty figuring out just what to do with our Facebook group. I have no idea how to build it yet I see silly, totally useless groups reach 10,000 members in a matter of weeks. Something is truly wrong with this picture. Oh well, I am certainly not the type of person to give up so I will plug away with trying to find ways to build the group. I am very happy though with being able to showcase the Xyron videos on our site. The first one is up there now so go check it out.

Then of course we have the actual events and the background work that goes into them. We have 7 events coming up

St. Louis MO - Sept 20
Columbia MO - Sept 27
Tucson AZ - Sept 27
Las Vegas – Oct 25
DesMoine Iowa - Nov 2
McKean, PA – Nov 14
Union City, PA – Nov 15

This is exciting of course but there are still over 30 organizers out there who don’t have a date yet and I have to wonder just what I can do to help them out. I feel like I should do something but what…… so in chatting with an organizer last night I have decided that one thing I can do is try to get more corporate support, more prize donations, more discounts for the event attendees. Maybe if I do that then things will start to take hold and move ahead. I know people are out there doing stuff but sometimes when you don’t see it happening it’s hard to actually accept it as reality. I’m not making sense, am I? Well to me I make perfect sense lol.

If anyone knows of any companies out there who like to support fundraising events please share the info with me. More specifically if anyone has a direct contact that might make this process easier I’d love to have that info as well. For now I’m going to go back to my corporate list and then I’m going to add some other ones, more specifically sites like Shutterfly and Snapfish that focus on photo gifts, photo books and other great stuff. I never thought of having them become sponsors, thanks Val for the suggestion.

Well that’s enough business for now. Tonight is scrap night and my regular scrap buddy comes home at midnight so I’ll go pick her up at the airport. I am scrapping with another friend tonight who is trying to scrap with us more regularly. Then tomorrow it’s time for a short garage sale to unload a few unwanted items and then a pool party at the neighbours place as summer is quickly coming to an end.

Oh and some other really cool news. I shared with you that my daughter started a job at West Jet airlines a couple of weeks ago. Well last night I finally got the chance to check out her flight benefits and the flying benefits with other ‘partners’ with West Jet. I can fly just about anywhere in the US for likely around $200 return which is awesome. Now I need to just figure a few other little things out (like vacation time) and then I’m really hoping to make my way out to one or two Scrapping 4 Inclusion events next year. That makes me very very happy.

Well have a great weekend everyone. I know I will.

Laurie

cutting hair doesn't change the boy

2008-08-21T11:42:00.000-06:00

Back to school photos are perfect for scrapbooking!
My little guys go to a school that has a strict dress code in regards to hair. So they spend the entire summer growing out their hair, and it gets just long enough to do something fun with, and it is time to cut it all off for school!

It is funny to me, we went for hair cuts yesterday, that is the first set of pictures and then I took the final picture today (bc she puts colored gel in their hair and they spike it up) and Jonathan has on a guitar shirt and Jeremiah has on a camo shirt in both pictures! Which just goes to show, cutting off their long and treasured hair doesn't change their style at all! ;)

I am excited about these pages bc the idea came from Liz, one of my scrap clubbers. Stampin' Up! has new card kits and she ordered one for a scrap page, so I just got in my card kit and thought I would use it as a scrap layout too! Thanks liz for the idea!!!
Here are the cards that the kit makes.

S4I and I Remember When join up to get your creative juices flowing!!

2008-08-19T08:55:00.001-06:00

I am so, so, so excited about this!! As many of you know, I Remember When is owned by Xyron, and as part of my job for Xyron I do all of their product/project videos. Many of you also know that Laurie has started an S4I page on Facebook. Well...thanks to Laurie's GENIUS-ness and her amazing ability to think outside the box - I am THRILLED to report that the S4I page is going to be the Facebook home for all upcoming Xyron videos!!! What a great way to spread the message about S4I and reach a HUGE community - not only of crafters but of those raising and teaching and loving a child with special needs. YAY Laurie!!

The first video in the series has been posted to YouTube and should be on the S4I page soon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7VF9YFrhMg

And if you haven't already joined S4I on Facebook - come on over!! See you there!!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8331191634&ref=ts

Beth

Anyone interested in a FREE online class?

2008-08-19T08:47:00.000-06:00

Yep, I said FREE!

Two great online instructors are team teaching at My Creative Classroom. Kylie Hopkins and Shirley Pando combine their scrapbook experience and teaching talents to bring you Scrapbooking 101. This FREE class will run for two weeks beginning September 1, 2008. Stop by daily to learn techniques, tips, play games, participate in challenges, win prizes and more! Did I mention PRIZES???

CLICK HERE to register and join the fun!

Saturday share

2008-08-16T17:34:00.002-06:00

today's share is a gift idea..........thinking ahead for Christmas. This makes a great teacher's gift

This is an altered CD. I covered both side with papers, added some stamping, a cute snowman stamped embellishment, some glitter, and some ribbon for hanging on the Christmas tree

a fast way to scrap

2008-08-14T13:03:00.000-06:00

I love this idea of taking a manila file folder and making it into a scrap book.
One of our simply scrapping kits is more than enough to cover the folder, and make the inside pages and embellishments. This was a lot of fun to make, fast and easy too.

My day...

2008-08-13T20:26:00.000-06:00

I am sitting at the Orlando airport this morning as I wait for my plane. I am flying out to Charlotte, NC to work for Scrap-Mart at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Charlotte.

I can't help but listen in to the conversation of two women sitting behind me. They talk about domestic abuse and the Safe House that is just north of where I live. They speak of the security and the fence that protects its inhabitants and the different needs of the women and children in the house.

The young man sitting in front of me is writing in the last page of his leather-bound journal. He is totally focused on his writing. I see in his belongings a travel book littered with Post-it arrows peeking out of the pages.

People are coming and going...talking, sitting quietly, working on laptops, in mouse ears...remember this IS Orlando!!

I meet a 24 year old woman in a wheel chair. She tells me she has lyme disease and describes the havoc it has brought to her life. She comes to Charlotte from Florida for treatments every month.

Now I sit in my bed at the hotel blogging to you. My coworkers are in the next room(it's a suite!) and discuss work and family.

Just had to share my day before it ends. Even those seemingly small things that are happening all around you are important, too.

My Saturday share a day late :-)

2008-08-10T15:07:00.000-06:00

This was completed as a guest Creative Team Member assignment for one of my favorite websites. I love how you can build in layers on the acrylic page frames and there is a ton of altering of items that went on here. This was my first time playing with the Tim Holtz Grungeboard and I had a blast inking it and applying stickles to it

08-08-08

2008-08-08T23:50:00.001-06:00

There are many people who think that today being 08-08-08 is very lucky. I heard that a lot today from many sources, general chit chat, news, local papers, radio etc.

I wasn’t really sure what I would blog about today when it dawned on me on the way home from work that I should blog about the date. It’s not like it comes around all that often.

With all the talk about ‘luck’ it made me think about whether or not I actually believe in the concept of luck. I personally tend to believe more in fate then luck. I think we are all faced with choices in life and we certainly have some control of what direction we take in life but we don’t have full control. I don’t attend church and I wouldn't consider myself a religious person but I do believe in God and I believe that we are all here on earth for a purpose. I don’t really believe that some people are lucky over any others. I think that their lives are just different, that’s all.

I think we all make our own luck. It’s in how we perceive the things that happen in our day to day lives.

What do you think? Do you think some people are luckier than others?

In a word I feel that I am BLESSED, not lucky or unlucky…..but BLESSED!

take it with you

2008-08-07T06:49:00.000-06:00

These little mini scrapbooks have been hugely popular here, so that means, they have probably been around for a while... but someone might enjoy talking about them.
I got little ID badges at Wal Mart (12 for $1.50) and with 4 you have the perfect mini book. I love adding the ring to clip it onto my bag. A friend has a two page one attached to her work ID. These are big enough to express your creativity, yet small enough to have with you everywhere you go!
Looking at these pictures that were taken just last summer when we went to Glorietta, New Mexico (Sunday School training week) I can't believe how much my boys have changed and grown, it seems like more than a year has past. There is pictures of their back to school hair cuts, which we are getting ready to do again. Time really does get away from you. Yet some things change very little. My youngest still loves Texas Tech (we aren't sure why, he just does, my theory is bc we like Baylor and University of Texas) and only wears Camo. My oldest still likes to "rock out" (which is what he is doing in one of his pictures). That is interesting, a year later we are a lot the same, yet very different. Even a mini scrapbook can bring forth all this emotion. Thus supporting the reason we scrap.
Enjoy your Thursday, I am still anxiously waiting my new catalogs from Stampin' Up! I know there is going to be really cool stuff in there. Like the Sizzix Big Shot! woo hoo come on brown truck!

I am so excited! But keep it hush, hush!!

2008-08-06T08:47:00.002-06:00

I have some exclusive info, but you can't tell anyone...it's not been announced yet!

At My Creative Classroom we are beginning to bring in new teachers to the pack of existing ones. They have been going though a 6-week training to learn how to teach online classes. Teaching online classes is WAAAYYY different than teaching face-to-face classes. So much more to consider and much more prep work.

The New Instructor's class is the same type of class that I went through to become an instructor there last year, only we were the guinea pigs, as we were the first teachers through the course. OMG! It was so hard! I kept telling myself, "Don't quit, it will all be good once you get through"! Everything techie I know I learned at MCC!!! Really! And now I almost feel like a pro! LOL!

At My Creative Classroom we will be having our Fall Kick-Off event the week of September 8th. ('Yours Truly' is in charge of it!!) We will be introducing the new instructors, having a New Instructors chat, and having a few games and PRIZES(!).

Mark your calendar so you will be there. And if you haven't already done so, head on over to the MCC website and sign up for the FREE newsletter so you know when all the new courses and events will be posted.

There's lots coming up at MCC!!! It's gonna be a good year! :D

six words

2008-08-05T17:48:00.002-06:00

I sometimes think Skype is the work of the devil. It can turn a well-meaning, productive day in to a three-hour chat with your brother on the pros and cons of Facebook, or a four-way insult fest with the people sitting at the cubicles next to you, or…like today…an afternoon long quest for the meaning of the universe in the form of life slogans.

My friend Amy (not IRW Amie…but another Amy who is equally as fabulous) owns her own company and was “interviewing” with another company for a project. In one of the emails, along with some innocuous questions, was this:

Can you summarize your life mission in six words?

Amy was fascinated – as was I. So we spent the rest of the afternoon working hard at our jobs (and by that I mean searching out fellow Skype-friends and asking them the same question). Can six words define you? In a life full of responsibilities and priorities and hopes and dreams – how do you choose? As Amy so eloquently put it “how you've lived until today, how you want to live, what you want to see in others, what you want for your friends/family, as a role model, how you want to be remembered, personal or professional or spiritual… then to take the whole thing down to 6 words for it ALL...” – it was quite daunting! Interestingly enough – some people were able to come up with a mission or two in just a few minutes, while some people are still pondering. What pops in to YOUR mind when you read this question?

So I’m going to post some of the responses here (including my own – with the *). These come from people of different genders, ages, careers…and when I put them all together in a list I felt uplifted, if that makes any sense. As if maybe by spending a few minutes (or all afternoon) thinking about this we might each be inspired to inch towards our mission a little each day. Please share yours if you are willing…and thanks Amy for turning my plain ol’ ordinary work day in to a quest for something better. Maybe Skype isn’t so bad after all! :)

Beth

Be proud of how I’ve lived

Don’t work more than you play

Success and happiness for all involved

Financial growth and a happy life

Live with honor, respect and loyalty

Serve others, live fully, be loved*

Set goals and do my best

where do you get your inspiration?

2008-08-03T08:20:00.000-06:00

I spent this weekend and a good part of the week attending and teaching for the Close To My Heart virtual convention. This is held each year in conjunction with the in real life one for those unable to attend. There were amazing classes featuring projects, business tips, website how to's and so much more. My creativity is now on fire and I am hoping for some play time in my scrap studio after church today.

Oh look there’s a butterfly……..

2008-08-01T22:40:00.000-06:00

Distracted……. that’s how I’ve been feeling lately. Lots to do, keeping very busy yet feeling like I’m just not getting enough done. I feel like I’m off chasing butterflies. Do you ever feel like that?

I know that there are only 24 hours in a day and seven days a week yet most weeks I feel like I could use more time.

It’s frustrating for me because I’m a very organized person and usually I’m quite productive. I’m the “List Queen” for sure. The one good thing about all of these distractions is that they are all GOOD things. Like my new found love for digital scrapping. I keep reading more and trying more things and that just pushes me to want to do more but then there’s that time thing and the fact that I keep running out of it.

There’s also my new little project which seems to be on my mind a lot lately and it’s just beginning yet it’s driving me to try to do more things.

Then of course I’m trying to build up Scrapping 4 Inclusion and our networking to help build the program and most days I feel like there is more that I could be doing to help this along.

I do absolutely LOVE everything I do and these distractions seem to take me to some really wonderful places. If only I could focus just a little bit longer before chasing that butterfly. I guess that’s part of the characteristics of being on the creative side of life.

Most days I have to admit that I feel guilty in following all the little whims that come up. I feel like I’m not finishing things. When I stop to think about it I do realize that it is the butterflies in life that make us who we are.

I would love to hear from others on how the creative distractions of life have altered your path and if anyone has any suggestions on how to stay just a little more focused I would love to hear it.

Oh and to finish off I want to share with everyone that this week my daughter was offered a full time job at West Jet Airlines. It’s a fantastic company and tons of people apply their regularly so it’s not that easy to get in there but she did. I’m so proud of her.

Have a great weekend!

another punched flower

2008-07-31T07:58:00.001-06:00

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...

2008-07-30T19:12:00.000-06:00

...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

2008-07-29T19:45:00.006-06:00

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

2008-07-28T22:17:00.000-06:00

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?

2008-07-27T08:20:00.000-06:00

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

2008-07-25T19:03:00.000-06:00

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!

2008-07-24T12:52:00.000-06:00

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

2008-07-24T09:34:00.000-06:00

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

2008-07-23T07:03:00.000-06:00

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

2008-07-17T08:16:00.000-06:00

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!!

2008-07-16T10:34:00.000-06:00

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

2008-07-15T15:35:00.003-06:00

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!

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

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 :-)

2008-07-12T11:35:00.000-06:00

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 !

2008-07-11T18:51:00.001-06:00

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

2008-07-10T10:04:00.000-06:00

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!

2008-07-09T08:53:00.012-06:00

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!

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

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.

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

where oh where to have an event?

2008-07-08T16:11:00.001-06:00

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

2008-07-08T14:34:00.001-06:00

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

2008-07-03T08:01:00.000-06:00

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!

2008-07-01T20:19:00.002-06:00

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

2008-07-01T17:48:00.006-06:00

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.

boys vs girls

2008-06-26T12:37:00.000-06:00

So , I have a real hard time following page maps, not sure why, bc I can when making cards, but scrap booking I can't. So I had looked at ideas for days trying to come up with a layout for my stamp club and was completely uninspired. So when I sat down with my paper, I did the pink page. I loved it. I love the colors, and the punches, the stamps, you name it. I used craft ink so that I could use light colored ink on the dark paper. Here is the funny part, then I realized that most of the club has BOYZ! You have to admit that is funny. So flowers and pink were a no go. The great thing is, it was super easy to do the blue pages. Change the colors and punches, and stamps... and viola, boy page. Stranger still bc I have two boys, and no girls. Sometimes, you just can't fight the pink!

Pictures from my trip...

2008-06-25T08:43:00.004-06:00

Last week I was flying the friendly skies from Orlando to Chantilly, Virginia. I was working for Scrap-Mart at the Great American Scrapbook Convention. It was a great show, but I have no pictures of the booth or of me and my crew. :-(

But after the show we had some time to kill before our flights out of Baltimore, so we ventured to Washington, D.C. and Georgetown University. What a cool town! Check out these pictures.

The campus can be seen in the distance across the bridge.

The Univeristy Seal. This looks so cool with all the dimensional detail!!Don't ask me what a Hoya has to do with the Bulldog mascot...I don't know! But I love this picture of the cascading flags!

What gorgeous old buildings on campus! There's a clock tower, too, that chimes throughout the day. The town has such character...cute little shops and restaraunts. The brownstones have got to cost a fortune!! We were there on a Sunday and apparently that's the only day you can park on the street. So during the week where does everyone park??? Yep, that sign below says Pennsylvania Avenue. We didn't have enough time to stop in and say hi to George W. But I did see the White House from a distance. What a gorgeous view! A personal note about this whole journey into D.C., is that I grew up about 5 miles from here in Hyattsville, Maryland. My dad was a firefighter in D.C. in the late 50's and early 60's. As we were driving through the city I decided to give him a call to see if he could guess where I was...yeah right! He told me that his fire station was right outside of Georgetown! Oh how I wish I would have called him earlier and gotten a photo of his station!! He got a chuckle, though, as I told him the streets we were passing. He loved living there and working there. Great memories. Now to scrapbook these really cool photos!! :-)

summer slowdown

2008-06-25T06:21:00.001-06:00

Hey gang! Due to technical difficulties (aka - I'm an idiot and should not be allowed to use computers) I could not log in yesterday to post - so I'm hogging Shirley's Wednesday! Sorry my friend!

With the economy in distress - those of us in the direct sales industry (and in other retail businesses) are seeing a slow down in sales. While this can be scary - I want to share a few tips for helping you get through this period so you can be ready for business to be BOOMING!

Take a break! If your business is still going strong or you've already got events on your calendar I would not recommend this ;) but if things are slow for you - get out and enjoy the summer! So often we get wrapped up in work that we forget to enjoy those lazy days of summer...the neighborhood pool, backyard BBQs, gardening, garage sales, the ice cream man - and am I the only one so busy talking about/teaching scrapbooking that I don't have time to DO it? Enjoy this quiet time to create some beautiful projects, learn some new techniques, and fall in love with this wonderful hobby all over again!

Do a little Spring...er...Summer cleaning and organizing! Clean out your scrap space and have a scrapping yard sale or donate items to charity. Organize your files so when tax time comes around you aren't overwhelmed by piles of receipts and invoices. Look for a place to have your fall events, scan magazines and websites for workshop ideas, create your own website, start a meetup group - there are so many things we want to do to grow our business but we are "just too busy" to find the time. Well...we've found it! Set aside the time you would have been teaching a workshop to do some organizing and planning so your business is ready for growth.

Keep these tips in mind any time you have a slow down (mine is usually around Christmas/New Years). It is always good to take a step back and evaluate your business every once in a while - whether you are experiencing a summer slowdown or business is booming. You never know what brilliant ideas you will come up with!

Saturday Share

2008-06-21T10:15:00.000-06:00

Well first I wanted to share about the fundraiser I went to last weekend. my CTMH basket auctioned for over $100.00 so that was pretty cool. Especially since the "auctioneer" was new to doing this and he obviously knew nothing about scrapping or scrappy supplies LOL But, on a serious note, love the way our community comes together when there is someone in need. Shouts of "it's all for Nick" could be heard as bids went higher than the value of the items in some cases.

Last night all my kids had things going on. One of Joshua's friends invited both the twins over for a sleepover and Amanda had a girlfriend over to watch the debut of "Camp Rock". (In case you don't have teenage girls this is a musical movie starring some teen heart throbs called the Jonas Brothers). So mom had a friend over also and spent the night (and a good bit of the morning) in my scrap studio. I visited more than worked but did finish one layout I was very pleased with. I LOVE sketches and how they often take on a mind of their own when being used on my pages. I am sharing the sketch (which was a challenge on one of my online sites) and my take on it.

I followed the sketch pretty closely but originally the picture in my head was a layout about prayer. As I added the strip of photos on the bottom I was visiting with my friend about how this photo shoot was the first time the major size difference between the twins really hit me. It also hit me looking at the photo of the two of them how Joshua acted very much like a "Big Brother" to Jeremy even then. Thus the title "Big Brother" and the journaling.

try something new

2008-06-19T09:12:00.000-06:00

The thunder here has me in a bit of a hurry, but I wanted to blog early, well, not late.
This is a little calendar book I made for a friend, using our designer papers and chipboard elements. So fun. We are on the PTA board together, and she loves my calendar book, so I made her one to love. Not exactly scrapbook, but you can take the same supplies and create something fun and new... stretch yourself, and be amazed! Just don't forget the ribbon.

I am in love with patterned papers!

2008-06-18T09:31:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but I love patterned paper. And recently, the color black has to show up in everything I do. Don't ask me why...there is no logical answer.

This past Saturday I had my monthly crop in my home and actually got to scrapbook some photos...I made two double page layouts and one single! I am so excited bacause it seems the more your "job" is in the scrapbooking field, the less you actually scrapbook for yourself! KWIM??

OK, on to the patterned paper. I absolutely love Scenic Route! This paper in the photo below is Cape Town Signal Hill Floral from the Cape Town Collection. It totally caught my eye and I had to make one of my layouts with it. Thing is, there's only one sheet to a pack and it is so busy...what to do???

Well, I decided to hand cut portions of the flowers and use that as a sort of border. That way I got to use the paper that I love, but it didn't "rule" the show. I really like how it turned out. The photos are of my neice's high school graduation last year. Her colors were red and white, and totally worked with the Cape Town paper.

Hey, do you see that cool black mesh-looking stuff peeking out from behind the main photo? It's called Punchinella...it is fun plastic ribbon that is left over after sequins are punched out, often called "sequin waste." Use it on altered book pages, or as a stencil for creating backgrounds or for ribbons on potted plants. It is a bit over 3" wide and comes on 50-yard spools. You can get it at SkyBluePink...they have some of the coolest things!!

Have a great week! :D

song of the south

2008-06-17T12:11:00.014-06:00

I am a city girl - born and bred. Born in Chicago and raised in and around Washington DC...and I love all things city. The culture, the food, the nightlife, the architecture, the attitude - I even love the subway! I NEVER thought I would leave DC and I could never imagine wanting to live my life anywhere else. That being said - living in a city isn't for the faint of heart. Never make eye contact with people on the street, don't talk to strangers, and ALWAYS act like you belong...even when you are lost or confused or scared. Show no weakness.

A few years after I graduated from college - in DC of course - I got an invite to move down to Fort Walton Beach, Florida. I figured I would spend a summer or so down there and goof around - then head right back up to DC where I belonged. So - being the world-wise modern woman that I was...I packed up my stuff and headed on down 95 to my new - but don't forget - temporary home.

Now, when you are in your 20s you don't exactly get up at the crack of dawn. And - if you are driving 14 hours by yourself - that means you don't exactly get to your destination before dinner. So that night, VERY late that night - I needed gas and found a little hole in the wall station that looked abandoned but had a neon OPEN sign winking at me through the window. So I got out of my car - surveyed my surroundings, and started pumping gas. As I was standing there holding the nozzle I suddenly heard the door to the station open and saw a man approach me. I immediately stuck my car keys between my fingers, got my footing, and as he came closer to me I whirled around and in my best 'don't mess with me voice' said "What is it YOU want?"

Smiling up at me with a relatively toothless grin from underneath a grungy old baseball hat, this 200-ish year old man said in the gentlest southern voice I'd ever heard - "Well darlin'...I just want to make sure that you are alright - it is a late night for a little lady to be out all by her lonesome!"

Thus began my love affair with the South. And 15 years later I have never looked back.

So why do I bring this up now? Because two months ago my husband and I moved back to Georgia after three and a half years in Alaska, and yesterday I had to drive to Macon for a site inspection. One of the things I love MOST about the South is that to get from one place to another you don't HAVE to take the highway. Oh sure you CAN...if you are one of those city folk who is always in a hurry and too busy talking on your cel phone to enjoy the beauty of the day - but I like to take the backroads. The tiny towns with the tinier town squares, the proud displays of patriotism and faith, the fields of cotton and the groves of pecan trees, the old pickup trucks, the mom and pop diners...coming back to the South has given me a sense of quiet that I haven't felt in a very long time. And, having left the South behind before - I am grateful to be one of those lucky few who knows how good they have it.

Now don't get me wrong. The South, like anywhere else, isn't perfect. Coming from a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-ethnic family and community - I grew up believing that people didn't think "that way" or say "those things" anymore. I have been shocked into silence and angered into action many times during my life as a Southerner. But I have also been given an incredible gift. Living in the South has taught me that I have the courage of my convictions and that I will not stand idly by when someone is mistreated or misjudged. That I won't just SAY things should change, but will actually work to make that change possible. How many people have been given the opportunity to look that deeply in to their own soul and be proud of what they see?

So...to keep with the scrapping theme (which I never really seem to get around to ;)) I am challenging myself (and you) to do a page or a mini album or a wall-hanging or whatever moves you - about the place your heart calls home. Because tonight - with the crickets singing to me outside my office window and my husband waiting on our front porch with a glass of sweet tea, I leave you with some of the million reasons why the South will always be home to me - no matter where our lives take us.

100 year old trees draped in spanish moss dancing in the summer breeze
when I was checking out at the grocery store and showed the cashier my Alaska driver's license, we ended up having a five minute conversation with the clerk at the next register and the three people behind me in line...and no one got impatient

hot boiled peanuts and sweet tea (both of which have some sort of Beth-enticing drug in them...ask anyone at IRW)
our friends' kids call us "Miss Beth" and "Mister Don"

wonderful, incredible, fanciful, quirky old Southern traditions (like wearing gianormous hats and drinking mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby)
the first weekend we were here we stopped at a farmer's market and a woman saw our military tag, got out of her car, came over to our window and thanked Don for his service

the rich storytelling of, determined preservation and protection of, and deep respect for this country's history
we have friends with names like Bubba and Dot and Kibby

FRIED TURKEY...seriously...the greatest food product EVER created

when I left on a business trip four days after we moved in, our 75-year old next door neighbor brought Don a homemade pecan pie because she knew "he would need some good home cookin' while his wife was gone"

green fields full of God's bounty as far as the eye can see
going to the Cotton Pickin' Fair or the Watermelon Festival and eating a fried twinkie or a funnel cake while you ride the tilt'o'whirl and check out the prize winning chickens and quilts
because it has made me...me.

'Night y'all...

Beth

PS...Oooh! I almost forgot! The new IRW catalog is FINISHED!!!! Come check it out at http://www.irememberwhen.com/catalog.asp and see why I worship the ground Amie walks on!! Great work my friend!!

an example of community

2008-06-12T16:47:00.000-06:00

I know, I know........ I am posting out of order again but I am not sure I will have time for a Saturday post. Read on to find out why and I am sure I will be forgiven :-)

On Saturday I will be helping my friends with a hot dog feed and auction to help raise money needed for them to take their 11yo son to from Oregon to Michigan for specialized therapy that has shown dramatic results in children with cerebral palsy. Nick was born 2 months early (only 3 weeks earlier than my twins were born) and among other issues related to prematurity he has Spastic Quadrilateral Cerebral Palsy. His family is awesome in their interactions with him and the community, their faith that God indeed has a plan for their son, and their constant fight to be sure he has every opportunity to be all that he can be. They leave me in awe and also very thankful for how healthy my twins are. Yes we have one that deals with autism but he did learn to speak ( so well and so much in fact`that we often laugh about the days we thought he would never talk) and his daily struggles seem so minor in comparison with what Nick deals with every day.

There was a wonderful article in out local paper but for some reason when I try to post a link to the article it will not work. If you would like to read more about Nick and his family as well as their journey just google "Nicholas Seggerman: and "Taking A Leap Of Faith"

new perspective

2008-06-12T07:44:00.000-06:00

Well, This lay out is kind of plain, but there is a reason. But what it evolved into is really the point of today's post!
This simple layout is from a simply scrapping kit. Which I adore. Those kits are wonderful. You get materials to make at a minimum of 4 2-page layouts!!! I went easy on the supplies, because I plan to use this kit at my next Scrap Club, in which there are 10 ladies. I love the colors. My 7 year old came out into my scrap room and saw the pages and got very excited. He wanted to choose the pictures and placement. Since this was a layout I was doing for "work" I hesitated, but gave in. He picked great pictures from two recent events. Then he wanted to do the journaling. That I haven't placed on the pages yet. He took a full 8.5 X 11 and wrote so much. I have cut strips of white to let him re-write the highlights on. The thought bubbles on the photos were his idea as well. So, I think how neat each scrap book would be with a layout that has been taken over by it's subject. He had comments to add that I would have never thought or even known to mention. And how precious to have it in his handwriting? This was a special day, and a special layout, I challenge everyone to make a mom and me page! It will give you new perspective. I have often found that kids are so much more creative, naturally. They aren't as constrained by the "rules" we have about colors, shapes, etc. They just do what feels right, and nine times out of ten, they are! So, instead of cringing the next time Jonathan wants to help me, I will try to remember how special this was. Here is our almost finished pages.

Xyron 150 Tutorial

2008-06-11T12:15:00.008-06:00

Well, it is so nice to follow the "dip queen", Beth(see yesterday's post)!! No, I don't have a recipe, but I do have a little tutorial that will make you life much easier and totally fun!

So, how many of you own the Xyron 150? You know that little "X" adhesive machine? Maybe you have used it once or twice, or maybe you've never gotten it out of the box!! I won't ask you to raise your hands, because I wouldn't want to embarrass you...but you know who you are! :D

Here's a little tutorial on how to use it so you can get the most out of this cool tool! You can use the Xyron 150 with anything that is up to 1.5" wide and a thick as a nickel. In this tutorial I am using a piece of cardstock, but try it with ribbon, letter die cuts, and rickrack, too. It will give you edge to edge adhesive and turn your item into a sticker.
So here's your Xyron 150. AS you can see, it fits easily in the palm of your hand and is the perfect size to pop into your crop bag.

The adhesive refills come in either permanent or repositionable. I personally only use permanent, but the repositionable adhesive is great to use with your die cut letters, so you have time to play with the placement and can get them straight. The refills slip in and out of the bottom and will "click" into place. You will be able to see what type of refill is in the machine through the little side window.

Slide your paper into the top until it touches the adhesive.

Pull it out from the bottom until the entire piece comes through.

Tear it off at the plastic serrated edge.

Rub your finger on the top plastic piece to ensure that all the adhesive is on your paper.

Pull off the top plastic...

And now your paper is a sticker with edge-to-edge adhesive.

You will not want to be without this great little tool now that you know how cool it is!!

Enjoy! :D

the secret of my popularity

2008-06-10T15:06:00.001-06:00

My friends...what I am about to share with you is the secret to becoming the most popular neighbor, wife, friend, hostess and party-goer in town. You might be saying to yourself:

"self - what is it about Beth that makes her the most popular girl around?"

Is it her winning smile and sparkling personality?

Is it her gentile demeanor and quiet lilting voice?

Is it her stylish wardrobe and witty conversation?

Have any of you guys met me??? :D

No my friends...the secret to my popularity, the reason I am at the top of everyone's invite list is...

are you ready for it...

get out a pad and paper...

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP!!!!!!!!!!

which from now on I will call Beth's "desperate for a blog topic" Dip ;)

I am not joking when I say that I TRULY do believe that this dip is the reason I get invited to parties (winning smile and stylish wardrobe not withstanding). In fact - at the first Wives' Club meeting I went to here I was hoping to meet some friends, get reacquainted with the area, etc. After the meeting someone usually sends out an email to everyone with a recap - a little something about each new person, what we did at the meeting, etc. Following is an excerpt from said email:

"Several people have asked that the lady with the spicy chicken dip share the recipe. If you brought that dip would you be willing to email the recipe to everyone?"

Good stuff.

So - because you guys don't refer to me as "the lady with the spicy chicken dip" - I'm going to share my secret. Be forewarned though - if we are ever at the same party and you show up with this dip I may poke you in the eye with a fondue fork or shrimp skewer or whatever is handy. Some people have great laughs or nice cars or beautiful clothes - I have dip. :) This is the GREATEST FOOD PRODUCT EVER...I got the recipe from my MIL and at any given event I will eat so much of it that...well...as my mother would say - we don't discuss such things in polite company. TMI!!! TMI!!! :D

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

3-4 c. cooked shredded chicken
16oz cream cheese
12oz Frank's original hot sauce (fair warning - this dip is S-P-I-C-Y!!!)
1 c. ranch or blue cheese dressing
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients except cheddar cheese in a saucepan. Heat until bubbly. Put in casserole, sprinkle with cheese and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips - or shovel it in your mouth with your hands because it is so darn good that you can't believe you made it!

Enjoy!

----------------------------------------------

Now - because I am a woman of my word and I said I was going to share my S4I event planning with you I'd like to give you my first little tidbit of advice:

S4I tip #1 - before you go running off at the mouth to everyone about how you are going to blog about planning an event in your area, be sure you REGISTER on the S4I site so you don't get BUSTED by Laurie when she blogs about new people who are signing up to do events and puts your name in big ol' print for everyone to see!! Now...I don't know anyone like that (except me) - but if I did I'd tell her (me) that she was a giant goob. ;)

Seriously though - I've got some great leads for places to have my event:

I found a hotel in town that just re-did their ballroom and business has been SUPER slow for them - and they are working with me on a low rate because they want the opportunity to have other local folks come to the hotel and see the changes!

You might have the same luck if there is a new restaurant in your area or one that has a party room - if they aren't well known in the community I bet they would welcome the chance to get some good word-of-mouth advertising! And the great thing with restaurants is the meals are right there!

I also talked to a guy with the local VFW - they have a GREAT space and the room rental rate is pretty good - you could also talk to the Elks or the American Legion, or there may be a union hall in your area that has meeting space available.

I'd love to hear tips and tricks any of you have for finding a location...I hope to have a decision and a date by the end of the month! WOO HOO!

Have a great week everybody! Beth

The Ripple Effect

2008-06-08T23:13:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday night everyone. I was going to blog on Friday but I was as bit frustrated and was worried I might say something that I shouldn't so instead I waited until tonight. I am hoping it helped but I'm still frustrated I must say.

I have been spending tons of time trying to work on social networking. Building up my list of friend and inviting people to my group. I spent most of my time working on the Care2 network so far. I got frustrated cause I'd see petitions and groups etc growing to help animals in all respects and one of the common things said is that 'they can't speak for themselves'. Now don't get me wrong I love animals. I have 2 puppies and I completely 100% support these programs to assist animals. What frustrates me is that children, especially those with disabilities, also can't speak for themselves (for the most part). Many children can speak of course but what I mean is that some of them don't realize they aren't being included, they don't understand the value of inclusion but WE DO! so why is it so challenging to find people who will help me speak on behalf of the children. OK, rant is now over.

This is a photo of the ripple effect. This is what I'm trying to create. One small action (talking to someone else about inclusion and Scrapping 4 Inclusion) and how that can grow bigger and bigger. I'm trying to find others who will help me do this and it's been, I'd say, more challenging then anything else so far.

I have a fantastic group of volunteers who are organizing their local events and I want to do everything possible to help them. I can't be there physically to help but if I can create a big enough ripple then eventually people will start contacting them directly. This is my goal.

In decided to google the words 'ripple effect' and I found this great blog that explains perfectly what I'm trying to do and how most people naturally think about the 'business' or 'whats in it for me' part first. This guy wrote a book and does public speaking to show others how much more effective they will be if they start with the 'personal' part first, the relationship aspect, the real person first, then the rest just seems to fall into place. Check out this blog posting to see what I'm talking about. RIPPLE EFFECT BLOG I have joined his Yahoo group so hopefully I'll have more insightful things to share about helping to create the ripple effect in the future.

I give you a challenge. Talk to someone you don't know about Scrapping 4 Inclusion and what we are doing and ask them to share with a friend or someone they know. Maybe it's a simple as asking them if they are on Facebook and if so, get them to join our group. You just never know how much that next person you talk to might change your life. I have found many many people are shaping the direction of my life these days and I've only personally met a few.

OK I am moving on to throw my stone in the water and create that RIPPLE that I'm looking for. I'll keep throwing stones in the water until I get it working. I don't give up easily and that's a good thing. I might try a little more with Facebook this coming week just to give myself something different to work with.

Hope everyone has an awesome week ahead.

OH AND ONLY 13 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL WE LEAVE FOR DISNEY WORLD. Wooo Hooo.

Laurie

I have to share :-)

2008-06-08T08:24:00.000-06:00

OK, I know it is not Saturday anymore and not my day to blog but as I was having my morning coffee and checking out my favorite blogs I found a quote on one ( http://www.inkysmiles.blogspot.com/ ) that I just have to share here. It is just so "right on" and totally supports the message and purpose of scrapping 4 inclusion and the Bubel/Aiken foundation!

We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.”—Max De Pree (b.1924), author, former CEO of Herman Miller, Inc.

CTMH TV!

2008-06-07T16:59:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot to share a bit of exciting news with you. Close to My Heart has put video podcasts on the consultant websites that show scrapbook and stamping techniques and teach some very fun projects. You can view it on my website. Go to www.peggysauvie.myctmh.com then click on the link on the left for new ctmh tv and enjoy :-)

Saturday share :-)

2008-06-07T08:35:00.000-06:00

I was tickled that Saturday was my assigned day to post and share because Friday night is on the calendar as mom's scrap night but I have to admit to not creating anything new last night. My autistic son was in the mood to read to me. First he read his all time favorite story...... "The Boy Who Grew Flowers" It is one I found for him through my friend Gail who sells Barefoot Books. These are THE most wonderful books.................. the artworks is bright and colorful and the books are very high quality. Anyway this particular story is one I purchased for him for Christmas last year. Without giving too much away it is about a boy who spouts flowers..... out of his head! He is quite embarrassed about this fact until one day a new girl comes to school who is also different from the others. They connect in a special way and he finds out the thing that makes him different from everyone else is what makes him special to her. It is a totally awesome story and Jeremy loves it. He has brought it to school to share with his classmates and our school counselor loved it so much she ordered herself a copy to use in her talks at the beginning of each school year. These talks are about how everyone is different and that is what makes them special.

Anyway, I had to put my scrap night on the back burner to enjoy this time with my son. But I do have to admit while he was cuddled in my lap and reading this favorite story and several others my mind was wandering a little and I was creating some projects in my head. One of them I hope to get down on paper today is about that book with a photo of the cover and journaling about what the story means to Jeremy and how he is so special to us.

So my layout share for today is not a new one but one done a long time ago. This is my twins at 2 weeks old and still 3 weeks before their due date. (That is a real rose in the enlarged photo to help show how tiny they were.) This photo shoot was before the word autism became a part of our daily lives. Both of the boys have grown and learned so much since then. And I as a mom have learned that they are each special and unique and exactly the person God created them to be.

My challenge to you today is to create a layout about someone in your family and what makes them the special and unique person they are.

It IS Thursday, right?

2008-06-05T06:33:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite layout, so far.
I cased it from my downline, she is amazing. I love the colors, and would not have thought to use them. They are Bashful Blue, Real Red, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White. I used chipboard pieces for the "I" and heart. The Priceless stamp set for all the red images, and Big Deal Alpha for my letters. This page has RUB ONS! I love rub ons. It is almost scary how I love them. In January when they first came out in the SU! catalog, I was putting them on EVERYTHING! I think that is why I love them so much. You can put them on anything, and trust me, I have! ;) Our rub ons come in white and black. I was excited because our Sale A Bration ones also came in old olive and close to cocoa. Back to the layout, as you can see, I am not a journaler, I still need to do that, but there is a place for it! These are my two cute boys. They are glad it is summer. Jonathan told me a while back, on one of those days when it was grand central station here, and people were coming and going in my stamp room, "mom, you know people only like you for your crafts!" As soon as he said it, he realized it came out all wrong, and tried to fix it, which I think made it worse. Ah, kids. That has been our joke around here since then. So yesterday my youngest over heard me tell his dad that, and he got so upset. He said, "O! no mom, people love you because you are so much fun, ...... and you are real sweet!". I have to say, I think that was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. If you knew Jeremiah you would understand, let's just say he doesn't have the gift of encouragement, and girls in general are still a big waste of space to him. So this coming from him, was HIGH praise!
Hope you all have a GREAT weekend, we are headed to the in-laws in Houston!!! fun times.

Tidbits and moments to remember

2008-06-03T22:28:00.000-06:00

I am sitting here at the Orlando airport Tuesday June 3, 2008 at 7:30pm EST. Our plane has just arrived and we are waiting for the passengers to disembark so we can get on the plane and be on our way. I will be working for the next 5 days with Advantus, Corp. (Heidi Swapp, Cropper Hopper, and AMM totes) at the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, TX. I will be joining the team from the corporate office as we work the booth for the show. I promise to post pictures if I remember to take them!! :D

As I sit here eating my sandwich, waiting for them to call us to begin loading the plane, I think about the many changes I have seen in airports. I remember how you used to be able to walk your friends and family up to the gate of the plane to wave goodbye, and also be there upon their safe arrival home from their trip. In the "old days", the airlines used to feed you meals on your plane trip, too.

As I drove to the airport this evening, I was listening to the local news on the radio. One headline I heard was, "This could be the beginning of the end of the Hummer". High gas prices, ya think? On another tidbit of news they were talking about how Barak Obama is close to winning the Democratic ticket for the upcoming Presidential election. There was also speculation as to whether or not he would choose Senator Hillary Clinton as his Vice President. This is an historic event...the first time in history that a black man OR a woman or both(!)could be elected to the Oval Office! This is big news!

All this stuff is just sitting in my head as I think about today and go about my business. What the world was like, what changes I have seen through my life. I think these are the important things that we need to write about in our scrapbooks and journals. These days are the "good old days" that we will talk about to our children and grandchildren. The little tidbits of how life is changing and what our lives are like now...that's what the generations after us will be so thrilled to know...if we only will write it down.

Woudn't you treasure hand written postcards, letters and journals from your grandparents? I'd love to know the secret to my grandmother's spaghetti sauce, or how much she loved to crochet. I'd love to know why my grandparents got married and what life was like for them growing up. I think that the seemingly mundane things about our day is what is really important. Do we really record it? Or do we just let it pass us by?

I have never been very good at journaling on my scrapbook pages, but the more I think about these things I want to record the facts, the feelings and the emotions that my days hold. That is the stuff that matters...and the moments to remember.

gratitude

2008-06-03T15:14:00.001-06:00

So I know last week I said I was going to write about planning an S4I event and sharing my journey with you. That is still my grand plan – but something happened to me yesterday that I feel compelled to share – and really…what better place than an entire planet of strangers via the internet? Oprah would call what happened to me an “ah-ha” moment, I would call it a “God slapping me upside the head telling me to get a grip” moment - which is probably one of the many reasons why she has a tv show and I…uh…don’t.

We have a project at IRW that is behind schedule. It is coming along, and it will get done – but it has caused a lot of frustration and angst – and has really stressed us (Amie and I) out over the last few weeks. I am technically on vacation this week, but the stress of this project has caused me to be grouchy towards my family (who we are visiting) and I’ve been sneaking off to do work instead of spending precious and rare free time with my husband. If you’d asked me on Sunday to name some things I was grateful for – I would have been hard pressed to give you a list. Then came Monday.

This is a picture of our friend Colby Umbrell a few summers ago. We were making fun of my husband Don because Don had invited Colby over to "help" move the entertainment center in the background, and Colby had essentially strapped it on his back and carried it up the stairs by himself.

On May 3, 2007 - 1LT Colby Umbrell was killed by an EFP in Mussayib, Iraq while he and Don (and thousands of other brave men and women) were on a 14-month deployment. Yesterday – Monday - I took Don to Arlington National Cemetery to visit Colby’s grave. For those of you who have never been to Arlington…it is a humbling, overwhelming, inspiring, heart-wrenching journey. Once you have lost someone dear to you it also becomes personal - a place of sadness and pride, of questions and of healing. But I am ashamed to say that even while we were driving there I was thinking about work. I was not thinking of my husband or how he was feeling, I was not thinking of Colby, I was not thinking of the stories of sacrifice and braveness all around us. I was thinking about that project and was completely wrapped up in my own head. I was missing the moment.

As we drove through Arlington to Colby’s gravesite Don got quiet, and when we arrived he asked me if he could be alone for a few minutes. So I stepped a few feet away…and as I stood there watching my husband mourn his friend, listening to the wind rustle through the trees and the birds singing and the tinkling of a red, white and blue windchime that someone had hung from a tree – I was suddenly overwhelmed with…I don’t know if you’d call it a new perspective or an epiphany or God slapping you upside the head – but the best word I can think of...is gratitude.

Now – my friends will tell you that I am not the most introspective person in the world. I speak my mind more often than I should, I am quick to react (positively and negatively) and I believe in actions more than words or ideas. But at that moment – in that place – I was reminded that if you do not come at the world with a sense of gratitude…you will spend your whole life worrying about the little things and miss what really matters. I have to admit that even though I’ve heard that for years from talk shows (yes – Oprah again) and self-help books and well-meaning motivational speakers – it never really “took” until we were standing there – Don and I – saying goodbye to a friend and finding our own sense of peace.

With that said…I am going to sign off with my list of gratitudes from yesterday – and then my husband and I are on our way to the beach for a few days of rest and relaxation. That work project? It is almost done – and when it is done it will be fabulous – and you can bet Amie and I will be filled with gratitude.

I am grateful that:

I remember every day that I am blessed beyond measure that my husband came home, when so many did not.

We had the chance to know Colby and call him a friend – even if it was just for a short moment in time.

Out of the pain of Colby’s loss I have made a friend in his sister Casey and met an incredible set of role models in his parents – Mark and Nancy.

This job that sometimes makes me crazy is the same job that – when Colby died – rescheduled an entire management team retreat and gave me a week off so I could attend both his memorial service and funeral.

Even when we are sad, there are reasons to celebrate – the same afternoon Don and I were at Arlington, on the other side of the country Amie’s best friend Tania gave birth to Audrey Jean Rose…happy, healthy, and loved. Welcome to the world little one!

Saturday Share :-)

2008-05-31T08:22:00.000-06:00

This layout was created for my National Scrapbook Day workshop ladies. I have been stamping in my scrapbooks almost as long as I have been stamping and was thrilled when CTMH went all acrylic a few years ago. It is SO easy to stamp on your pages and even to create your own patterned paper (which I do quite often when I can't find that paper that is like the picture in my head) when your stamps and blocks are clear so you can see exactly where you are placing them.

This layout was created in response to my ladies who wanted to learn about a technique called random stamping. The circles and stars on the white daisy cardstock are created using one of my favorite CTMH stamp sets called "Star Struck". The secrets to random stamping is to start with your largest image and stamp in "triangles" then go back and fill in some using smaller images and the same technique. The ink colors are watermelon, ocean and hydrangea which match the colors in the "Whoops A Daisy" paper pack. I also stamped my jounaling block using an Image from the "Ticket Tags" set and the open space on the right will have a carousel from the "Laughter" set when mine comes in

I am in such good company

2008-05-30T10:43:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone.

First of all I want to welcome all of the S4I guest bloggers Peggy, Beth, Shirley and Kris. You guys are awesome. I'm in good company that's for sure.

I might soon regret asking such fantastic blogger to join me as I'm going to look like such a rookie compared to them. Well I guess I am a rookie so I should look like one then

Beth.... oh Beth.... for someone who has never blogged you certainly have a nack for it. I'm in awe of your writing and humor. Oh and I do hear the word 'no'.... it sounds like this

"I would love to"

You just need to live in my world to understand my perception of the english language. lol

OK so I'm officially the Friday blogger just so you all know.

At this point I'm not sure what I want to share other than the fact that hopefully soon we will have another guest blogger sharing about living with a child with a disability and the value of inclusion. Be patient, it's coming soon to a blog near you.

We are getting closer on some dates for locations. I hope to have some new ones to announce really soon. Off the top of my head I can remember that Las Vegas is getting closer to a firm date as well as Des Moines Iowa. I'm sure there are others.

We have 2 new registrations for event locations. One of which is Beth and the other information is at home and I can't remember where she's from but she's another IRW instructor so YAY for our wonderful partnership with IRW.

I'm going to be spending lots of time over the next few months diving head first into the 'social networking' world. I'm pretty good with most technology and I pride myself on being up to date with new trends etc but this world of social networking is somewhat scary. I just never jumped in at the beginning and now I see great value in it for building up our network and spreading the word. The first place I'll be spending some time building is at Care2. It's a social network of do-gooders. Over 8 million registered participants all of whom are there to make a difference in our world. I should be able to find myself a few people over there who would be interested in helping us spread the word.

The next two places are crafting social networks. One is http://www.mycraftivity.com/ and the other is one that has been recommended to me from a few of the IRW instructors and from Beth herself. I haven't even opened an account there yet but it's called http://www.cr8everydaycrafts.com/ and it looks like a great group of craters there as well.

The final social networking leap will be to Facebook. YIKES. I started a group there but that place is just so overwhelming I backed off. Once I master the other three places I'll take another crack at FaceBook.

Blogging and Social Networking are the places to be these days. They are the wave of the future and I need to get on that wave and ride it for a while. Part of my job as the creator of this program is to get it out there and let the world know about us. Build up a team of organizers and spread the word about our program so that when a local event is taking place people will know about it and really want to participate and get involved. This kind of building apparently takes ALOT of time. Who knew that I couldn't build Rome in a year or two. Oh well, as Beth so wonderfuly put it...... one small step.

Well gang I am really looking forward to how this blog is going to build and be very interactive and I'm anxious to start getting the rest of the world involved with commenting on it. Please if you are reading this blog let us know what you think. Have you got any suggestions? Please share them.

Today is a 'reminder' day for me. If you read my initial story FOUND HERE you will know that shortly after I heard "that voice in my head" there came a day where I asked God for a sign to let me know what I was to be doing with my life and 1.5 hours later I was laid off from the job I truly hated (I don't hate many things). Well that was 2 years ago today and I can't believe I'm here doing what I'm doing. Some days I think.... wow it's been 2 years already and I can't believe I'm still doing this ..... and then other days I think...... I've only just begun. Isn't it weird how things happen in life. I guess this is what I am meant to be doing or it would have run it's course by now. OK enough living in the past.

Tonight by the way is my Friday scrapping night at my neighbours. I love Friday nights. It's time to chat and catch up with my friends and time to hopefully get a layout or two done. Some nights are more productive then others but on average I get about 4 2pg layouts done each Friday. Oh and it's 'take out' night so I dont' cook either. Woooo Hooo for Fridays!

Sometimes, if there's lots to say I just might blog on Sunday's too but not all the time.

Well by for now everyone and I'll see you next week.

Greetings from Texas!

2008-05-29T07:12:00.000-06:00

Howdy ya'll! I am Kris, or Texaskris on the internet. I will be your Thursday blogger. I am thrilled to be here, thank you for having me!
As for the introduction, I will try not to talk to much, but don't hold your breath.
I am a stay at home mom to two wonderful and active boys, ages 5 and almost 8. I have been married for 13 years to the most wonderful man. My husband is the full time youth and education minister at one of the many Baptist churches here in central Texas. We were called to serve at BMBC the weekend after we were married, and I wasn't much older than some of the youth! It has been a fun ride. I started selling Stampin' Up! 6 years ago. I have loved every minute of it. I have met some wonderful friends, have has some amazing opportunities, and have ministered to ladies because of it. How fun!?!?!
I met Laurie with S4I last year when she "randomly" contacted me about hosting an event. I get so much junk email, that I often delete them without much thought if I don't recognize the sender or title. Her message title had the word "inclusion" in it, so it instantly got my attention. I am familiar with that term, see, I am for all practical purposes a "Claymate". So I knew about Clay's foundation and dream of inclusion. It also hit home for me because in my area, there is a high population of children with autism. In our small church we serve 3 children with special needs. My heart for inclusion is watching how interacting with a special needs child affects my boys. They need that interaction. And it saddens me that their elementary school doesn't have a program at all for special children. I gladly took on the role of organizer for S4I in my area.
I am also VERY involved in the boy's PTA. In fact, next year I get to make the PTA scrapbook for our school. So, between my husband, children, church activities, running my Stampin' Up! business, and PTA there isn't much time for hobbies. But I do have a few. I have a great friend that I enjoy going to movies with, traveling to see music concerts with, and other silly stuff. I love music, magazines, and surfing the web for craft ideas to make and give. I love to have people at my house, and we often do. I tend to get overly involved in my children's interests, for example when Jeremiah loved Batman, I could tell you all kinds of stuff about Batman and DC comics, or when Jonathan loved The Wiggles, I could sing any of their songs and tell you all kinds of random facts. I have to admit I am really enjoying our current passions, Jeremiah is into the Marines (and also wants to sell Blue Bell ice cream, because you eat all you can and sell the rest) and Jonathan loves the Jonas Brothers. So what a happy home... which brings me to my first scrap layout to share, HOME.
Did I mention that my mom is living with us? Well, when I was looking through my files of what to start with, she suggested this layout, she loves the colors. So, being the mommy's girl that I still am, I did as she suggested. I have a monthly scrap book club that gets together and does a layout and then we order and take turns getting the hostess benefits. This is one of those layouts. It uses Groovy Guava, Ruby Red, Blush Blossom, Old Olive, and Certainly Celery card stocks and inks. I also used our punches for embellishments, the large oval, tag, scallop circle, 1 1/4" circle and 1 3/8 inch circle. I love roller wheels, they have so many functions, a background, or a focal point, an accent, the sky is the limit. I colored the houses from the roller wheel and the boys I stamped with our watercolor crayons and blender pens. The "h" of home is one of our new sticky cut letters. It is just like sticky strip, except it is in letters, I added some of our cosmo glitter to it and it just sparkles. I added a rhinestone brad to the tag for some added bling! Also on the tag I used the direct to paper technique with ink pads, just drag your card stock across your ink pad until you get the desired look. You can't go wrong with ribbon, ever. So I added some matching double stitched ribbon. A few stamps for accents and that is how I scrapbook. Simple with lots of photos. I love that everything SU! sells is in coordinating colors. The paper, inks, markers, crayons, glitter, ribbon, brads, EVERYTHING they make is in one of their exclusive colors, and it makes projects worry free.
I look forward to sharing some ideas, techniques, and Stampin' Up! products with you each week! If you ever have any questions, please feel free to check out my blog, http://texaskrisstamps.blogspot.com/ and I am pretty sure you can contact me through there.
Happy Thursday everyone!

Livin' life in a new way!

2008-05-28T08:19:00.001-06:00

Hi, I’m Shirley Pando…Wednesday’s blogger here on the S4I blog. I want to introduce myself a bit before I start chatting up a storm!! :D

I am a wife of 20+ years to my husband, Howard; mom to three teen boys(!); and “mom” to an aging black lab. We live in beautiful Longwood (Orlando), Florida just minutes from Mickey Mouse and Disney World!
I have my own at-home scrapbooking business as an Independent Scrapbook Instructor with I Remember When. I host monthly crops, vend at events, and have a website called Scrapbook and Paper where I sell products, kits and premade items.
I have been a product demonstrator for Xyron, Inc. and have created projects for the Xyron website and product packaging.
I have traveled the U.S. working the consumer scrapbook shows with Advantus, Corp. and Scrap-Mart.com.
I am a Creative Arts Instructor with My Creative Classroom.

OK, on with the chatting…

So, guess how much it cost me to fill up my (gas guzzling) SUV last week??? NO, not $50, not $75, but $96!!!! Can you believe it? And that was for regular unleaded! As soon as my long and lanky teens move out, I'm getting me a hybrid!!

I also was recently on a plane flight for a business trip. I had to pay an extra $25 (each way!) for my second piece of luggage, which houses my very important makeup, beauty items, and shoes. Can't live without that, right?? But do I really need to pay the airline to let me bring my luggage with me???

I cannot believe how fast the price of things has sky-rocketed! Pretty soon we’ll all just stay home and get to know our neighbors…hmm, interesting thought, huh?

So what does all this have to do with scrapbooking? Well, a lot, I think. With all of these rising costs, we’ve got to do something to save money in other areas. But where?? Well here’s a suggestion…how about taking online crafting classes! Save that precious gas in your car and stay in those P.J.’s! There’s no need to go anywhere to learn new techniques or make a great project…learn in the comfort of your own home.

Say hello to My Creative Classroom! MCC is a virtual learning center, where the pursuit of creativity takes many forms. Our courses are highly interactive and facilitated by talented teachers ready to assist you on your creative journey. My Creative Classroom focuses on Art and Craft classes; from altered art to scrapbooking to card making to stamping to candle making to art journals to sewing and everything in between. It is our mission to provide our students with an outstanding learning experience.

I am so proud to be a Creative Arts Instructor at My Creative Classroom. The classes I teach focus on altered arts, scrapbooking, paper arts...and a little mixed media thrown in for fun! We have a fantastic teaching staff full of people who are as passionate about crafting as you are! And because of the fact that we have students and Instructors from all over the world, I get to share my passion for crafting with people I would otherwise never get to meet.

Check out just two of the classes I am teaching now at My Creative Classroom:

"Our Family" 12 x 6 Handmade Album class begins June 10th. CLICK HERE for more info and to sign up.

Enjoy the Journey/Travel Workshop begins June 16th and a second session starts July 17th. You can choose which one works best for you. CLICK HERE for more info and to sign up.

"See" ya next week! :D

one small step...

2008-05-27T13:01:00.001-06:00

"My name is Beth Kingston...and I am blog-o-phobic."

is what I said to myself when Laurie asked me if I was interested in blogging for S4I. I was envisioning myself sitting in a room full of other people who also don't blog - coming up with excuses to get myself out of what was about to happen. "I'm too busy." "I travel too much". "I barely know how to use my computer". "No one wants to read what I have to say". The truth was that I was a little intimidated and I had no clue what I'd ramble on about - but if you know Laurie like I have come to know and love Laurie over the past few months...she can't hear you when you say no. :) So here I am. Beth Kingston - first time blogger, proud Army wife, Instructor Programs Manager for IRW and recent transplant to the South - trepidaciously coming at you from cyberspace. One small step at a time.

For those of you who don't know about I Remember When (IRW) - we are a Direct Sales company that offers brand-name scrapbooking supplies with the personal touch of home parties and workshops. But we are so much more than that. The thing I have always loved most about IRW is our instructors' deep sense of community and friendship - with each other, with their customers, and with the world at large. When other instructors have needed prayer in times of crisis - these amazing women have rallied prayer vigils around the clock. When instructors have loved ones deployed - letters and care packages and words of encouragement come from their IRW sisters all over the country. When an instructor suffers a loss or celebrates a blessing or just needs to know they are loved - their IRW family is there. It is truly something to behold. So when Laurie asked us to join S4I as a National Partner, I knew we had found our calling. So many IRW instructors are raising, teaching, mentoring, or loving someone with disabilities - this was the perfect opportunity to combine their passion for the hobby and their ties to their own communities to raise funds and awareness for such a special group of children.

One of the other things I've always thought set IRW apart is that we "walk the walk". Everyone on the management team is also an instructor - we have to meet our minimums, we get the same discount as everyone else, we do home parties and workshops, we use the products we carry - so we know what questions a customer might ask because we've got customers of our own. We also know what it feels like to put on that first open house and worry that no one will show up! :) As Laurie and I put this partnership plan in motion I was feeling really good about the program and how great this was going to be for IRW and we decided to have a kick-off conference call. Laurie would be on the call to talk about Scrapping 4 Inclusion and I would be on the call to explain what IRW was going to do to support the instructors and how easy it would be to put on your own event. We were about 24 hours out from the call when I said to myself (can you tell that I talk to me quite a bit?) "How on earth can you tell these girls how easy it is to put on an event if you don't do one too?" To me - this was the ultimate example of walking the walk. Not only encouraging these girls and telling them how successful they could be - but actually doing it WITH them. Finding a place and picking a date and marketing the event...right down to deciding if we want chips or cookies with our catered lunches. Every single detail - one small step at a time.

So that is going to be the theme of my Tuesday blogs. I will share my journey from deciding to hold an S4I event in my town to the planning and marketing to the day of the event and beyond. Along the way you'll hear from other IRW instructors who are at all stages of their journey - we'll share our triumphs and our challenges, our funny stories and those days when we just want to pull our hair out. This is such a wonderful opportunity for anyone who wants to take it - scrapbooking has always had a way of bringing people together, and this is YOUR chance to inspire your community to do just that. So Tuesdays are for those of you who want to do an event but just don't think you can...WE'LL DO IT TOGETHER.

One small step at a time...

Exciting New Blog Format

2008-05-25T20:15:00.000-06:00

Well I figured I should pop in here to announce/explain our new Exciting blog format since Peggy has already introduced herself to everyone.

Starting RIGHT NOW! the Scrapping 4 Inclusion blog is taking on a collaborative format which I'm hoping will help take us to where we want to go. The unfortunate thing is that I'm not really sure where that is..... I guess that's a good thing ...... now we can just go wherever.

The new blog format will have contributors from three of our volunteer organizers. They will be sharing layout ideas, techniques, new products etc. Things that every scrapbooker is looking for.

We will also have one day where someone from the I Remember When team will stop by and share their experiences in being involved in the Scrapping 4 Inclusion program.

Of course I will be blogging too about Scrapping 4 Inclusion and what's going on and I'll also take the opportunity to share person things as well cause I just like to talk.

We are also working out some last minute details to have another guest author stop by weekly who will be able to share with you her experiences as the mom of an autistic boy. She will be our voice with respect to Inclusion and why it is we are all joining forces to help make a better world for our children. Hopefully this piece will be added in a week or so. Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyways, that's the new format. I hope you all like it and please feel free to comment and let me know if there is anything else we can be adding. It's very difficult sometimes to find just the right things to talk about to ensure you are providing value to your readers. Hopefully this new format will do that for us.

Have a great Memorial Day!
Laurie

Formally introducing myself

2008-05-24T19:19:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. I thought I would pop in and make a post to formally introduce myself. My name is PeggyS. I live in NE Oregon (transplanted from Upstate NY). My "real" job (the one that pays the bills) was as an autism paraeducator and more recently as a title one paraeducator with the local school system. When we lived in NY I helped open and run one of the first dual diagnosis (psychiatric diagnosis combined with a developmental disorder) in the state. I also teach scrapbooking and stamping and I am an independent consultant with Close to My Heart. The layout I chose to share is one of I did as a CTMH demo using a favorite photo of my 3 youngest chidren.

I am mom to 4 miracles. My oldest is Ashleigh (18 and living on her own so not in the layout). Ashleigh has a genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis. The main issue with her disorder is fibroid tumors that grow and move and attach themselves to nerve endings and cause a great deal of pain. She also has a pretty significant secondary scoliosis and adhesions on her eyes. There is no cure..... all we can do is manage her symptoms as best we can. Amanda is 13. She is a TAG student and most definitely my "glass is half full" gal. Joshua and Jeremy are 9. They are genetically identical but don't look anything alike. We think it may have something to do with Jeremy's autism. Thanks to my training and early interventions for him he has come a long way socially and behaviorally but still deals with many food texture issues and he is much smaller than his brother.

So, as you can see, the scrapping 4 inclusion program touches issues near and dear to my heart and I am honored to be a part of it and help with it in any way that I can.

Partnership with I Remember When

2008-04-21T14:19:00.002-06:00

Wow am I excited to finally announce this.

I Remember When has officially joined the Scrapping 4 Inclusion program as a National Partner to benefit The Bubel/Aiken Foundation (TBAF).

Interested IRW instructors will work with Scrapping 4 Inclusion to promote the program and offer fundraising crops in their own communities. Instructors will benefit by having guidance and support from IRW as well as from the entire Scrapping 4 Inclusion team. In turn the Scrapping 4 Inclusion initiative will grow across the country. Both partners will benefit from this collaboration but most importantly, working together will help bring inclusive programs to more children.

IRW is a direct-sales company that provides the personal attention of a home-based business with the variety and versatility of brand-name scrapbooking products. Offering the latest products and techniques, IRW gives crafters the opportunity to express their own creativity in a fun and educational atmosphere.

“IRW is thrilled and honored to announce this partnership with Scrapping 4 Inclusion. We envision a relationship where our instructors can share their passion and knowledge and support while building relationships and awareness throughout their communities. We believe in this program and in the generosity of spirit that our IRW instructors share. We look forward to a wonderful partnership!” Beth Kingston, Instructor Programs Manager, I Remember When.

I am so thrilled and excited about where Scrapping 4 Inclusion is headed and this partnership is a fantastic way to move forward.

I had a conference call just last week with some of the IRW Instructors and they were very excited about this collaboration and they were eager to get going. This just makes me more eager to get going too.

If you haven't heard of IRW before, go check out their site www.irememberwhen.com

Well I'm off to finish the web site overhaul that I started this past weekend.

Event Locations

2008-04-17T08:59:00.005-06:00

The following is a list of locations where events are being planned. I'm posting it in a blog post so that I can hopefully link to it in the margin as I'm truly hoping this listing will be getting bigger really soon.

This listing will be updated regularly.

Tucson, Arizona
San Francisco, California
Castle Rock, Colorado
Orlando, Florida
Sebring, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Indianapolis, Indiana
Des Moines, Iowa
Worcester, Massachusetts
Detroit, Michigan
Beaufort, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Las Vegas , Nevada
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Gloversville, New York
Greensboro, North Carolina
Wilson, North Carolina
Cincinnati, Ohio
Pendleton, Oregon
Erie, Pennsylvania
Pendleton, Oregon
Erie, Pennsylvania
Columbia, South Carolina
Dallas, Texas
Waco , Texas
Northern Virginia
Lovetsville, Virginia
Mount Vernon, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Appleton, Wisconsin
Casper, Wyoming

Some Great Publicity!

2008-04-11T12:49:00.003-06:00

We are getting some great publicity from The Professional Scrapbook Retailers Organization® (PSRO™) and this is very exciting. This opens up so many additional opportunities to get the word out about Scrapping 4 Inclusion as well as Let’s ALL Scrapbook.

We will be working closely with PSRO over the next little while to help reach the Scrapbook Retailers out there and get them engaged in our program.

The Professional Scrapbook Retailers Organization® (PSRO™) is a nonprofit international trade association that bridges together scrapbook retailers and suppliers. A member association of PMA®, The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations, PSRO supports its members through the focus on efficient operations, profitable retail strategies and ongoing professional development – with educational programs, business services, publications, industry research, networks and trade shows. Visit http://www.psro.org/.

The PSRO has a monthly newsletter and members can read the archives of newsletters HERE.

The April PSRO News Clips Bulletin Board mentions the Let’s ALL Scrapbook program. You can read it HERE.

This is a link for the PSRO News Clips archives, the link for the newsletter archives is http://www.pmai.org/index.cfm?ci_id=26686

Then today another mention of the Let’s ALL Scrapbook program was published in the PMA daily Newsline International. PSRO members can read that one HERE. (the link takes you only to that day's news, but members can access archives. Let's ALL Scrapbook was mentioned 4/11/08)

This is a wonderful breakthrough for Scrapping 4 Inclusion to gain more recognition in today’s marketplace. This will hopefully help the initiative grow and gain some more momentum.

Look for some more really really exciting news next week on another development to help us grow and become a household name in the scrapbooking community.

On a personal note, my youngest daughter turned 10 this week. Double digits just make me feel old sometimes. That just came up way too quickly for me.

Have a great day everyone and Happy Scrappin!

Laurie

Let's ALL Scrapbook

2008-03-30T23:20:00.002-06:00

Wow, I didn't think I'd get another blog in before the end of March but Wooo Hooo, here I am.

As you can see from the logo above, Scrapping 4 Inclusion if finally ready to launch the Let's ALL Scrapbook program.

It's nothing fancy, trust me, it's a simple instruction manual that takes a small paper craft idea and puts everything down in step by step instructions so that anyone and everyone can get out there and offer a craft session for children with and without disabilities.

There are many communities out there where there are no inclusive programs for children with disabilities to participate in. The Let's ALL Scrapbook program is designed to make it really easy for anyone to create an inclusive environment for children without being overwhelming. A small step towards bringing inclusion to the kids in your community.

You can download your copy of the manual HERE

Scrapbooking.com will be issuing an article about Let's ALL Scrapbook in their May issue and they are also publishing the information to their business clients over the next couple of weeks. What a great way to get some exposure of the program at all different levels.

Visit the Let's ALL Scrapbook page of our website to view a slide show of photos and a video of the pilot program that was offered at the A.E. Finley YMCA, Raleigh, NC last summer. You'll see just how much fun the children had.

I hope you are inspired to offer a similar program in your area. Please share this information with anyone and everyone you know, someone out there is looking for something fun to do to give back in their own community, you just need to help show them how.

Have a great last day of March.

Laurie

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone

2008-03-17T15:06:00.000-06:00

Well it's March 17th already. Happy St. Patricks Day to all.

Well the New Mexico event was successful. They raised over $500 at last count. Our organizer was busy planning her move at the same time so I have yet to get her to 'guest blog' for us about her event but I'll keep working on it. I think it's important to hear from those at the front lines.

Not much else to report today unfortunately. Boy there really are alot of things that go on behind the curtains that keep me busy that I can't really report on yet. I wish that were a little different but for right now I don't have too much to share.

I have been doing some digital scrappbooking though and it's fun. If I could keep track of the kits/products that I use I would post some layouts but without being able to give credit for where I got the products I really shouldn't post them. I'll try to keep better records of what I used on each layout so I can at least post a few of them. I'm certainly not that good at it yet and there are tons of things to learn but it's exciting to try something new.

I want to mention My Craftivity again as it's a growing social networking site for crafters. I was about the 60th member and they have over 600 now. It's growing quick and people are starting to network with each other. It's FUN, you really should get over there and join.

www.mycraftivity.com

See ya soon!

Friday once again

2008-03-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again, Wow. I love Fridays. It's my regular scrap night with my neighbours.

This week has been quite busy for me. Working on some behind the scenes things that hopefully I can share here really soon.

I will be releasing the Let's ALL Scrapbook program manual after Easter. I'm excited to get this out there in the hands of many people who will hopefully bring this inclusive program to their own communities. Let's ALL Scrapbook is an easy to follow program manual outlining an inclusive scrapbooking program for kids (with and without disabilities). Look for that at the end of the month.

I've been dabbling in digital scrapbooking this week. It's fun! Maybe if I remember over the weekend I'll post some of my layouts so you can see. I think I'll end up being more of a hybrid scrapper in the end.

Look for a blog early next week giving you some details on our New Mexico event that's taking place tomorrow. Maybe if we are lucky and Kris our organizer isn't dead on her feet we might get a 'guest blog' from her. Keep your fingers crossed. It's always exciting to hear from the organizers and I can't wait to start sharing that will all of you (if there's actually anyone reading this blog :))

Cheers and have a great weekend!

Laurie

Only every 4 years!

2008-02-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Do we get to have a Feb 29th.

The day has been like any other day for me. Friday is my normal 'scrap night' but tonight I'm having a 'girls group' gathering at my house instead. It will be a fun way to celebrate this extra day we have been given. Sometimes I wish I had more extra days.

Anyways, just wanted to pop in quickly as I haven't managed to blog yet this week. Wow and tomorrow is March already. I hope everyone else is in control of their time a bit better then I am right now. I can't beleive it's March tomorrow.

Over the weekend I'm really hoping to do my first digital scrapbook layout. If I do I'll post it here. I'm excited to try it out.

In closing I just want to say

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL THE CROP IN NEW MEXICO. I'm thinking of you Kris in these last few days of planning. I'm sure you're event will be tons of fun.

Have you joined www.mycraftivity.com yet! What are you waiting for!

Great new site

2008-02-22T10:00:00.001-07:00

I really need to get better control of my time. It's going by too quickly and I'm just not getting everything done that I want. This blogging thing is something I have to get better at too. I need to remember to blog every couple of days with just small pieces of information. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll get better as time goes by.

Lots on the go right now but nothing that's concrete enough to share quite yet.

I do have one thing that I want to share, it's a great site, a new type of social networking. I'm going to try to build up a network there to help us really get the word out about what we are doing.

My friend at F&W Publications (Memory Makers Magazine) asked me to join this site a couple of weeks ago as it was just starting. I've never been in at the beginning of anything so being somewhere around the 60th person to join was kinda cool.

It's called MyCraftivity www.mycraftivity.com

You have to register like any other social networking type of site (Facebook, Myspace) and you can create your own page, host a blog, upload photos etc. It's really a great little site. There are pushing 300 members now so it's certainly growing.

What I like about it is that it is focused on all things CRAFTING. You can join a group of scrapbookers, painters, or quilter etc. Join all of them if you want to. It's a great place to get ideas and share ideas on many types of crafts. I know many of us are involved and passionate about more that just scrapbooking. I can't wait to see where this site goes in the next few months.

Join now and check it out. Oh and don't forget to join the Scrapping 4 Inclusion group while you are there.

Have a great weekend

February - the month for LOVE!

2008-02-13T13:18:00.001-07:00

Everyone seems to be talking about Valentines Day these days. I know it's tomorrow but I've never really been a believer in celebrating your LOVE for anyone or anything on one specific day.

Yes I have received flowers in the past for Valentines Day but I've told my hubby more than once that I'd much rather him buy me flowers on a normal day for no reason at all. That's just how I feel about Valentines. It's a day for retailers to make more money selling 'stuff'.

Now this year we did something a bit different for my daughter. She is 9 and of course loves to take in those silly little Valentines cards to all her class mates. Well over the last few months she's taken quite a liking to the art of 'stamping' so this year she made her own cards and stamped each one of them and wrote a cute littel note to her friends. Things like "your cool" and "awesome". She really enjoyed it and I think this year giving these cards might actually mean something to her. Hopefully her friends will like them too.

Well I'm kinda in a little bit of a slump myself these days. I've got lots going on and wheels are turning all over the place but it just feels like with all this motion going on we aren't really going anywhere. Have you ever felt like that? I'm sure it will pass but it really makes me reflect on what I've done and what I still want to do and of course..... what can I be doing better to make those wheels go a little faster. Hopefully I'll come up with something.

In the meantime I have finally finished the instruction manual for the Let's ALL Scrapbook program. It's in the hands of the Foundation currently for their review. Then I'll release it and spend some time marketing it. It's really just a simple instruction manual to help anyone and everyone implement a 1-2 hour scrapbooking project with children. The goal is to get as many people out there as possible to host these craft sessions to get children together. Including kids with and without disabilities so that, even for a short time, they can experience what INCLUSION is all about.

Even if one person takes the initiative and implements just one class for 25 kids then there are 25 more kids with and without disabilities that are one small step closer to understanding and accepting each other for who they are. Inclusion can become a way of life if we all just take one small step at a time. Let's ALL Scrapbook is a tool to help others guide our communities towards inclusion, one step at a time.

For those who do celebrate it...... HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Laurie

Ahhhhh February or should I say Brrrrrr February!

2008-02-05T09:47:00.001-07:00

I'm slightly in shock right now as I just can't believe it's February already.

This month will mark the 2 year anniversary of my Mom's passing and these last 2 years have just flown by. Really makes you wonder sometimes if you are really making good use of your time here on earth. I'd like to think that I am, but still time goes so fast and I don't feel that I get enough done on any given day. I guess when I look at the big picture it looks better. That's what I'll do….. just look at the Big Picture and not worry about what I didn't get done today.

Now having said that, I've been meaning to blog and just haven't gotten around to it so today is the day to get that blog done. I really need to do this more often. The unfortunately thing is that there isn't that much to report on a regular basis but I'll do my best.

Today though I am very EXCITED!

I want to announce our very first PLATINUM SPONSOR for Scrapping 4 Inclusion.

Simply Cardstock - monthly cardstock kit club. They are donating a prize to 50 of our events and also offering a discount coupon to every single scrapbooker that attends our events this year. How exciting is that! Vicki's brother has CP and her parents had to struggle for everything for him so Vicki clearly see's the value in assisting our communities to become more 'INCLUSIVE' for all children.

Thank You Vicki and Simply Cardstock for being our first Platinum Sponsor. Please visit their website for information on their monthly kits. www.SimplyCardstock.com

I have three other sponsors from the Digital Scrapbooking world and I'll announce those tomorrow. I'm glad to have some digital sites on board as there are many scrapbooker who do both digital and paper scrapbooking so it's nice to have everyone included together. I know that I personally am looking forward to my dive into the digital world. That's coming up here really quickly as I just finished the photos for my daughter that weren't on digital. Everything else is now digital so I'll be doing a combination of both types of scrapbooking from now on and it's exciting.

Hope everyone stays warm. Happy Scrappin!

Today is my brothers birthday

2008-01-29T13:53:00.001-07:00

Well Happy Birthday Tim!

I now officially didn't forget his birthday. The problem is that I really have no idea where he is or where he's living these days so I'm not sure I'll be able to reach him to wish him a happy birthday. I'll give it a shot tonight. I think I'll have to try the younger brother to see if he knows where the older one is.

So January is almost done and it's time to do a reality check! What did I accomplish this month. Time seems to fly by so quickly that if I dont' do this often then I'll lose track of time and I won't get where I want to go.

So what did I accomplish this month.

Followed up with all the organizers to confirm who is on board for 2008. Still waiting to hear from 17 of them so that's not too bad.
Sent out some requests for corporate sponsorship. I have over 300 to send out and I think I've sent about 60 or so. Not as good as I'd like.
Started a blog.
Opened a Facebook account and started a Scrapping 4 Inclusion group.
Kept up contact with Memory Makers Magazine, working on building our partnership.
Received products and made final decisions on promotional items.
Started another business - this took up some of my time I must admit but it's kinda exciting.

So what do I want to make sure I finish before the month ends - in like 2 DAYS!

Send out more corporate sponsorship requests - at least get to the half way mark
Try to confirm the other 8 pending organizer leads I have.
Open up account for promotional items and let all organizers know about it.

The good thing is that I did accomplish something and I'm excited to say that we have had one event completed this month, we have two more events with dates and I have confirmed 3 sponsors for prizes so I'm excited about that. I will announce who the sponsors are once they confirm the sponsor level that they are joining us at.

OK, full speed ahead. I want to accomplish TONS in February!

Have a great January 29th everyone.

Friday already!

2008-01-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

Where on earth does the time go.

I can't believe it's Friday and I think I only managed to blog once so far this week. I really must get better at this. I guess it's not a big deal right now because I think I'm still pretty much talking to myself :)

These past couple of weeks have been very busy for me. I decided since I didn't have enough on my plate that I should also start a business. Wow, why do I do this to myself. I think it's cause I really believe in this product and it will sell itself (for the most part) and it's just something that happened. One thing I have learned in the last couple of years is that these things happen and sometimes instead of ignorning them we really must take a good look and take a chance. There is a reason this kinda happened when it did.

Actually I had hoped to find a way to make an extra $5,000 per year so that I could travel to at least a couple of Scrapping 4 Inclusion events every year. This little business I think will do that for me and potentially alot more. I'm looking forward to having the flexibility to really get out there in the field and attend a couple of events every year. I'm excited!

We have a new organizer on board that found us through someone else's blog. That's very exciting. I just love to find out how people are finding us and to see that the internet really can help spread the word. I'm sure that when that blogger put up my link they never really thought that it might lead to a new event. One simple thing really can make a difference. Just like one person can make a difference.

Hopefully soon my blog posts will be a little more informative. Right now we are just really getting started for 2008 so look for many more exciting things for the future.

Have a great weekend and Happy Scrappin! (tonight is scrap night with my neighbour - wooo hoooo).

Here’s to 2008

2008-01-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

Wow is all I can say. I can't believe that it's January 23 already.

2007 passed with a blink of an eye and now January is almost over too.

Time really does fly when you're having fun!

Today I am very happy to report that we have 2 more event dates for 2008.

March 8 - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

May 17 - Wilson, North Carolina

I'm so excited about what Scrapping 4 Inclusion can accomplish this year and we are off to a great start already with one completed event taking place in January in Lovetsville, Virginia.

The goal for 2008 is to hold 100 Scrapping 4 Inclusion events across the USA.

Right now we have almost 60 volunteer organizers communicating with us about doing an event in their community. Out of that we have 36 confirmed locations for 2008. Still working on confirming the others and I'm always trying to find more.

The statistics show that there are millions of scrapbookers in the USA and I know that there are plenty of those who would just love to get involved and help the Foundation bring inclusion to ALL children. The problem that I see is that they don't know about us yet. You can't help a cause that you know nothing about, now can you?

You're thinking to yourself, what can I do to help? TALK, TALK TALK.

The more people who talk about Scrapping 4 Inclusion and The Bubel/Aiken Foundation the more word will spread and I know for a fact that eventually it will lead right to that person who is looking for something just like Scrapping 4 Inclusion. That 'perfect fit' where someone can take their hobby and do something really good with it.

How can you help TALK, it's easy…… put a link to my blog on your website or blog. If you have a Facebook account go find me Laurie Weishar and add me as a friend and join the Scrapping 4 Inclusion group. There are so many people on Facebook and if we can get just some of them TALKING then we can really make a difference.

Wow, as morbid as this might sound, my mom is likely rolling over in her grave right now at the fact that me TALKING is actually making a difference in this world. Ever since I entered the world of "school" I don't think I ever got a report card that didn't say "Laurie talks just a little too much with her classmates"……… STILL DOING IT AND LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

OK, enough talking for today! Off to get some work done.

Have a great one!

Laurie

How it all Began:

2008-01-17T09:45:00.001-07:00

You guys are going to get the full, unedited version of this story. The "REAL" story, not the abridged 'professional' version.

In early 2006, I experienced an especially difficult event that dramatically changed my perspective on life. I had been in a job that I was very unhappy at and had been there for 3.5 years at this point. My mom got sick in January of 2006 and passed away in February just before her 64^th birthday. I wasn't ready for that (like we are ever really ready for it).

I will admit that the months that followed were likely the beginning of a depression for me and I thank God that I emerged from it quite quickly as it's quite a scary place. Every day I said to myself "there must me more to life then this". Life couldn't just be about going to a job I hated (yes I hated it and I don't hate many things). I didn't want just another job and had no motivation to look for one. I was searching….. searching for my purpose in life.

On Wed May 24 I watched the finale of American Idol. I usually watched the show every year but in all honesty I never watched all episodes. I usually missed some along the way. I started following the show at the end of season 1 and watched most of season 2, didn't really care for season 3, then watched probably 70% of season 4 and 5. However I was watching the final show from season 5. Out of the 5 seasons I had 2 favourites, Clay Aiken from season 2 and Chris Daughtry from season 5. Honestly I was very upset when Chris was booted out of season 5 so I'm kinda surprised that even cared enough to watch the final show. I'm very glad I did because that very next day was the turning point in my life. I hadn't seen Clay Aiken since season 2 and I was happy when then brought him out for the finale of season 5 during those 'awards' they were doing. I found it quite entertaining and boy had that boy changed in 3 years. Little did I know that 2 minutes of a show would somehow spark the events that would take place in the days following.

Anyways, it's pretty amazing when life takes a total turn and you can actually pin point when it happened and how. Not that it makes any sense but at least I know when these life changing moments happened for me so I can share them with all of you.

So, on with the story. That very next day I woke up with those same depressing feelings and searching for my 'WHY' in life. What was I here for? What was I to do with my time here on earth? Too many questions without answers. Have you ever woken up with a song in your head that you find yourself singing all day? Usually it's one that you don't really like but none the less it happens to people all the time. For me on that Thursday morning it wasn't a song, it was Clay Aiken talking to me. This is what he said…….

"It's important that I make a difference in some way. It's not necessarily about how I make a difference but I want to make sure that I do." - this was something he had said early in season 2 of Idol 3 ½ years before.

Over and over again, all day long and then the next day and the day after. It was like that song that never ends.... he wouldn't get out of my head. In order to stop this voice I decided I would listen to him and go find out what it was that he did to make a difference. I very quickly found The Bubel/Aiken Foundation and the work they were doing with Children with and without disabilities. What the Foundation was doing was amazing and make total sense to me. I wouldn't have thought for a minute that expecting ALL children to be able to play and enjoy life together would have been such a challenge. To be honest I hadn't noticed before and was quite shocked to find out just how often children weren't included in simple things like summer camp.

Moving on……

OK so can you picture it…… slightly depressed, lost woman searching for her purpose, going to a job she hated every day and now on top of everything else I felt like I had become a stalker looking into what Clay Aiken had done with his life. Looking back, it was quite funny.

So now on Friday June 2 I was sitting outside at my van during lunch, listening to Clay read me his book (I got it on CD to listen to it on the way to work) and I was crying. I looked up into the beautiful blue sky and I said "OK GOD, I get it, I'm supposed to do something with my life. I just don't know what you're trying to tell me. I need a sign of some sort, something, anything".

Note to Self: Be careful what you ask for.

Not more than one and a half hours later I was laid off the job I loved so much (NOT!) and I was given a severance package that allowed me to take some time off and figure out my life. WHAT A GREAT GIFT FROM GOD. Must have been from Him cause I asked for something. Talk about a sign. It still gives me shivers when I share this story. I'm amazed at the turn of events in such a short period of time.

So after much soul searching, questioning, research, planning, and lots of faith I started Scrapping 4 Inclusion. Putting scrapbooking with the Foundation just make perfect sense for me.

Now 1 ½ years later I'm working with the Foundation helping to include children with disabilities into LIFE! I'm working with some great people and we are all getting to scrapbook our way to making a difference. I've never enjoyed life like I do now and it's all because I was strong enough to listen to Clay talk to me. God picked him to send me the message, who knows why, who really cares..... I listened and that's all that matters.

I know, WOW! that's quite a story. Makes you shake your head sometimes. It still amazes me when I look back at things and realize just how I got to where I am today. Faith is a very important thing. Faith in yourself, Faith in God, Faith in the world and people around us…..I have always felt that everything that happens in life, happens for a reason even the bad stuff. Life's up and downs put you where you need to be the next day. You need to have strength and faith. Sometimes you just need to close your eyes and move forward. I'm very thankful every single day that I followed where I was being led to, even if it didn't make sense to me. Maybe, just maybe it's not supposed to make logical sense.

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation

2008-01-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't get back here over the weekend but somehow life took over and I spent time on other projects.

I actually spend Friday night scrapping with my friend/neighbour Jean. We try to do this every Friday night. It seems it's the only time we get to scrap and sometimes it's the only time we get to catch up with each other. I love my Friday nights!

Now on to The Bubel/Aiken Foundation. I want to share with you some information on the foundation that we are supporting so that you understand just what Scrapping 4 Inclusion is all about.

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation was co-founded by Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel in 2003 to serve children with special needs. Clay had the experience of working with children with autism both before and while he was attending University for his Special Education Teachers Degree. It was the relationship that he developed with a then 13 year old autistic boy Mike Bubel and his mother Diane Bubel that the basis of this foundation was started. Both Clay and Diane felt strongly that if they could open doors and open minds to the value of inclusion for all children, with or without disabilities, this world would be a better place.

Here is what Clay and Diane had to say about the Scrapping 4 Inclusion Program:

"I am excited about the possibilities of Scrapping 4 Inclusion. Through doing something that people love, people have the opportunity to find out about the need for inclusion. It gives us the opportunity to build our presence in local communities and inspire people to make a difference in the lives of children with developmental disabilities," Aiken says.

"Scrapbooking is a hobby that many people enjoy and a wonderful way to preserve your memories. How nice and fitting it is that those who cherish and wish to preserve their memories are giving children with disabilities a chance to create memories of their own. My thanks go out to all those involved in these wonderful events!" says Diane Bubel Co-Founder of TBAF.

The Foundation provides services and financial assistance to promote the full integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of those without. The Foundation strives to create awareness about the diversity of individuals with disabilities and the possibilities that inclusion can bring. ALL children deserve the opportunity to learn, live, and play together.

Scrapping 4 Inclusion and the Foundation organized a pilot program called Let's ALL Scrapbook this past summer involving scrapbooking with over 250 children with and without disabilities. This program can be included as part of the existing Let's ALL Play inclusive summer camp program or run independently as a small-scale inclusive activity. Development of the Let's ALL Scrapbook program should be completed in the next month or two and at that point anyone and everyone can implement a similar program in their community. Look for more information on this topic later on.

To learn more about The Bubel/Aiken Foundation visit their website at www.bubelaiken.org

Testing the system

2008-01-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

This is a test.

No it's not a test of the emergency broadcasting system as I don't know how to make that annoying beeping sound on a blog. Even if that was possible I don't think I'd want to do it.

I'm actually just testing to see if this becomes a blog post with utilizing the blog by email. If it works then I'll be back with a real post soon.

Wow - I have a BLOG!

2008-01-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

This is cool. I've thought about doing a Blog for a while now but just never got it going.

This is my first blog post and essentially I'm talking to myself lol. I should be used to that, I talk to myself all the time. I really do love to talk so blogging I'm sure will become second nature.

For the first few blogs I'll spend a little time telling you what Scrapping 4 Inclusion is about, how we started, what we are doing and why.

Today I'll tell you what Scrapping 4 Inclusion is and then tomorrow I'm going to try to send a blog by email and I'll share with you how it all started. Sound good?

Well here it goes........

Scrapping 4 Inclusion is a nationwide awareness and fundraising campaign that solely benefits The Bubel/Aiken Foundation.

We are developing a network of volunteers across the USA who are organizing a fundraising scrapbooking crop in their own community.

In 2007 we raised over $12,000.

Our 2008 goal is 100 events and we have over 50 locations on board right now so we are already halfway there.

The mission of Scrapping 4 Inclusion is to combine one of the fastest growing hobbies in North America with the need for creating awareness and raising funds on behalf of children with disabilities and their advocates at The Bubel/Aiken Foundation (TBAF).

In a nutshell we are a growing group of volunteers who are having fun scrapbooking while raising money for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation. What could be better than doing something we love to do while making a difference for children all over the country.

Until tomorrow......