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Ecco, School of Rock Retreat, scrapbooking

It feels so good to be home!  After a glorious weekend up in Oakhurst at ECCO with twenty-two other like-minded scrapbookers (and one self-sacrificing husband), I am home, unpacked (sort of), and contemplating sleep.

Roxybonds Scrappers (including me) were an unqualified success with the School of Rock Retreat.  We even have three deposits for retreat #2, Winter Wonderland.

Lots of beautiful layouts and cards were created, but more important were the bonds of friendship and love that were strengthened as we worked and told stories.  Above all, scrapbooking is a relationship business, as was well demonstrated throughout the weekend.

Here are some of our usual Second Saturday ladies, all together at ECCO.

From left: Trina, Fawn, Amie, and Sherri, taking a scrapbooking break.

V is for “validate”

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Exeter CA, papercrafting, power layout techniques, raining, scrapbooking, substantiate, validate

Dictionary.com defines “validate” as to “substantiate, confirm, legalize; to give official sanction, confirmation, or approval”.

My contentment while hanging out with the scrapbooking and papercrafting ladies in Exeter today validates the importance of memory keeping in my life and the lives of others. The two sisters on my left were sorting through their parents’ photographs across the past fifty years or so, the friend on my right was finalizing album pages that she had power-laid out ahead of time, and I was making greeting cards. The organizer of the day shared tips and techniques on die-cutting machines, and we all enjoyed hearing about the newest products.

And I had the lovely freedom of spending a Saturday morning scrapbooking, without having to do anything other than show up and bring a little snack to share. It doesn’t get any better than this! (I nearly forgot — it was RAINING as we scrapped!)

What validates you these days?

G is for “gather”

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A-Z Challenge, Close To My Heart, creative projects, inspiration, papercrafting, scrapbooking, Second Saturday Scrap

The gang at Dictionary.com defines “gather” as “to come together around a single point; assemble”.

That’s what we do at our Second Saturday Scraps each (drumroll, please) second Saturday of the month. We gather together at The Little House, 939 S. Chinowth Street, Visalia, CA, to scrapbook, make cards or other paper crafts, visit, eat, inspire and be inspired, commiserate, eat some more, and just have a wonderful day filled with creative female friends. I represent Close To My Heart scrapbooking and papercrafting, but we are not snotty about product here — if you like it, it doesn’t matter what brand it is or who sold it to you — you are still welcome. This coming Saturday (April 11) is our monthly gathering, and if you can’t be with us in the flesh, I encourage you to gather (there’s that word again) up a creative project of your own and work on it with us in spirit. We will be there from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., as I have to be at Olive Garden by 4:30.

And to read more about Second Saturday Scrap, go here.

Little Lambs Crop

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Close To My Heart, friendship, Little Lambs Preschool, scrapbooking

I spent today at the Little Lambs Preschool Crop in Exeter…the fourth annual fundraiser for the preschool. It is always so beautifully planned and executed, with fabulous food, adorable treats, more delicious food, great make-and-takes, and even more food. These sweet goodies showed us where to sit:

The little purse had chocolates inside, the dress held a lip gloss, and the pink stack was filled with peanut butter cups!

And these were our table centerpieces:

Can you believe these were made from paper? Adorable!

And to make life even sweeter, the card I entered won the card-making contest (but I forgot to take a picture of it!).

Friday night

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Close To My Heart, Etsy.com, Exeter CA, scrapbooking

I came home from work tonight to a lovely house: The girls snuggling in to camp on the living room floor, Lily reading poetry aloud and watching television, and Olivia building a cozy sleeping spot by the end table. We had company in the garage, too, figuring out how best to share the PS2. I, gratefully, did not need to make any middle-of-the-night shopping stops on the way home.

I am scrapbooking in Exeter tomorrow and, once again, I don’t have any new pictures printed out to use. But I have box after storage box of already printed pictures, just waiting under my bed. I look forward to my “naked scrapping” style, interspersed by pages with accents and journaling. And I have greeting cards “in process” for my Etsy store, too. I will drive over early and unpack my car, then come back into Visalia to work through the middle of the day, then back to Exeter until 11:00 p.m.

Very satisfying!

Stamp Camp

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Close To My Heart, Cricut Expressions2, Koinania Christian Camp, scrapbooking, Stamp Camp

I am running away from home this weekend in the company of 25 or so assorted other women — some I know, some just waiting to become friends. We will be hidden away at the Koinania Christian Camp in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains of California. The biggest challenge for me (besides not taking every scrapbooking project I own) will be the total absence of Internet and cell phone service all weekend. There is a land line in the office in case of emergency, which should be all we need, but I am pretty thoroughly tethered to my electronic media. I know the break will be good for me…if nothing else but to make me appreciate my phone and computer on a daily basis!

I’m taking my Cricut Expressions2 along, hoping to spend some time getting to know my way around it in the company of women who use theirs on a daily basis. I have been rather afraid of it, I guess “timid” would be a better word, having only taken it out of its box two or three times in the four years since I bought it. But every time I see the cards and scrapbook pages created from our Close To My Heart Cricut cartridges, I get all excited about learning how to use mine. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

My friend Jen posted on her Facebook page that she is looking forward to spending the weekend her sweatpants. I’ve been so engrossed in choosing my projects that I haven’t even thought about clothes, although my Clothing Fairy boxes included a lovely pair of yoga pants that will end up in my backpack now that she reminded me. What a lovely thought — choosing clothes just for comfort’s sake!

I will miss my family and my electronics this weekend, but will enjoy reconnecting with myself.

Superbowl weekend

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Avila Lighthouse Inn and Suites, Budweiser commercials, Karen Bowser, scrapbooking, Superbowl

A year ago on Superbowl weekend I was having an amazing Sister Scrapbooking Adventure with Melody at the Avila Lighthouse Inn and Suites, at Karen Bowser’s annual scrapbooking retreat. It was too wonderful, being able to scrapbook for two days and still get home to Daddy’s to watch the game afterwards.

This weekend is Karen’s retreat again, but Melody is happily in Maui with her husband, and I will be watching the Superbowl at home with my granddaughters (or at least I will be watching; they will probably be complaining about my choice of television shows).

I don’t really have a horse in this race, since the San Diego Chargers aren’t playing, but my heart has to lean towards the Seattle Seahawks. I love Seattle, and by extension, the Seahawks. But mostly I hope everyone plays a good clean game and Budweiser has another tear-jerking Clydesdale commercial!

Whichever team you cheer for, here’s my wish for a wonderful family and friends-filled football day. Enjoy!

Occupational hazards

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"Where Women Create Business", card making, creativity, Etsy, inspiration, paper packs, scrapbooking

Today I experienced one of the occupational hazards of working a variety of rotating shifts. I stayed up too late after work, woke up tired this morning and decided to skip church for sleep, and re-set my alarm for a weird time. I then woke up again and scurried around in a bit of a panic so that I wouldn’t be late for work.

As I rang the side doorbell so that someone could let me in (the restaurant hadn’t opened yet), it hit me: I had initially planned on taking the girls to church, which meant I wasn’t scheduled until 11:45. It was 10:20. In my defense, I must explain that I started work at 10:45 three days this week. Yikes! I quickly returned to my Jeep to regroup. What could I do in an hour (there wasn’t enough time to go home)? Of course! JoAnn’s Fabrics was just down the street, and I had received a coupon via text message earlier this morning.

I had a lovely time wandering through the magazines and scrapbooking supplies, and needed to work most of today’s shift to earn the money I spent on the goodies I found!

The Magnolia Way Stack by DCWV.

The Chateau Lavender Stack by DCWV

I picked up two beautiful paper stacks to use in card making this spring. (Card sets to put in my Etsy store…more about that later.)

One of my favorite inspirational magazines, “Where Women Create Business” by Stampington, Co.

I also found the newest issue of my quarterly source of inspiration, “Where Women Create Business”. And everything was on sale. Such a lovely way to spend a “found” hour. What would you do with such found time?

Traveling

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scrapbooking, transistor radios, traveling companions, World Series

There is such joy to be found in traveling with like-minded women. I don’t mean “like-minded” as in being in agreement on everything, but being equally open to new ideas and new experiences. Such were my traveling companions this weekend. The conversations began when we got into the car together, continued throughout the drive to Modesto, in the nooks and crannies between the church services, meals, a few hours sleeping, and on again today.

Case in point: Bathroom struggles. There weren’t any. Four women, one hotel room, one bathroom, limited time to get ready…an easy, relaxed calling of turns (two to shower in the evening, two the next morning). No one primping in the bathroom to the exclusion of the others. No one who devoted more than a few minutes to face and hair. Just pleasure in each other’s company and the happy exchange of ideas. Ideas about ministry, family, church, school, community, music, food, health…life!

So to Teri, Suzy, and Nancy…thank you. Thank you for being wonderful traveling companions, both “on the road” and here in town.

And to Walt, who brought me home so that I didn’t have to hang around during the after-convention meetings, thank you. Thank you for listening to the World Series on the car radio with me and remembering transistor radios at school. Thank you for being such a gentleman and schlepping all my scrapbooking stuff. Just thank you for being you.

Nancy and Walt “flying” the doves after the recessional.

Travel Day

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church history, Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, scrapbooking, Second Saturday Scrap

Today is a travel day…the annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin happens this weekend in Modesto, CA. I will be talking to congregations (as a vendor) about the importance of telling/keeping their church’s history through scrapbooks. I will also share the joys of our Second Saturday Scraps, and encourage them to start their own.

Happy Friday!