Imagination Celebration Projects

I just finished up my projects for the Imagination Celebration Silent Auction. The wonderful Z Becky Brown sent me this gorgeous purse to design.


Back View
Side View
Front View


Where Your Heart Is/Imagination Project sent me the lamp to design. Both designs make me happy!!! (And, isn't that the key to anything we make...does it put a smile on my face or on the face of someone I love!?!)

The time is HERE!

I'm so excited to be able to finally share!!! Here is a sneak peek at the first 16 papers in my Scrapbook with Passion line licensed to Sugar Tree. They will be in Booth #2028 so feel free to stop by and check them out if you get to go to CHA in Vegas next week.

I hope you enjoy working with the papers as much as I enjoyed creating them. My goal was to paint papers that my girlfriends (and myself!) would love to use. Papers that had a hand-painted/artsy look, yet were simple and non-intimidating to use. I love to "build-in" design to the papers so that there are open spaces-perfect for adding photos, while still including vibrant shapes, flowers or patterns. There are 4 lines with 4 coordinating papers in each line. Each line has what I call an "icon" paper with a bold pattern, a "word" paper (simply because as a scrapbooker I love papers with words!), and then two coordinating papers that can be used alone or in conjunction with the word and/or icon pages. If you go to my website and click on "create", you can see each of the papers and layouts in a larger size.

While you are on the website-go to "teach" and check out all the information for the Des Moines JDF Crop for the Cure. This is going to be an amazing fundraiser held in downtown Des Moines all for a good cause-Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Donna Dewberry of "One Stroke Painting" fame will be teaching classes and demonstrating her amazing painting techniques. Brenda and I will be teaching classes using the new paper line. Brenda is making these adorable clipboards (big and small) for class and I am doing a photo canvas and layout classes. Registration was LIVE yesterday and classes are limited to 30 so sign up soon.

We leave next Sunday for Vegas! I can't wait, but still have a few things to do...

Preparation

CHA VEGAS & IMAGINATION CELEBRATION
The BIG show (CHA Winter in Vegas) is only 2 weeks away. Everything is kicking in high gear here. I got two adorable projects in the mail last week-a "Naked Lamp" from Imagination Project (Where the Heart Is) and a Z Becky Brown purse. I'm busy designing these projects and the finished pieces will be auctioned off at the 2nd annual "Imagination Celebration". I'll post photos when I am finished. What fun!!!

Brenda Huisman, Sarah Bond, and me "behind the scenes" at last year's Imagination Celebration

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Imagination Celebration...it is a big party/silent auction/fundraiser/reward ceremony all put on by Scrapbook Retailer Magazine. Last year the silent auction featured original work from many of scrapbooking's most incredible designers-there were items from Chatterbox, Heidi Grace, David Walker, Mary Engelbreight, and so many more...I came home with an amazing silk tapestry scrapbook bag designed by Sarah Bond. It is gorgeous and very functional-the perfect bag to carry my portfolio around during shows. I can't wait to see what this year holds.

SCRAPBOOK WITH PASSION PAPER LINE
I'll be adding sneak peeks of the new paper line over the next few days. We are putting the finishing touches on the website as well. Everything should be updated and ready for the show very soon. You will be able to go to the website and see all 16 of the paper designs that Sugar Tree is releasing. Watch for fun layout designs, too!

TRADESHOW TIPS
A few tips for those of you heading to the show...comfy shoes (did I say COMFY shoes!). Plan on walking for miles... Don't forget some snacks for your bag and some bottled water. Bring a big smile and a portfolio showcasing your best work. Rememeber your business cards, a daily log of who to see and what booths you must not miss, and maybe a handout to give to important contacts.

African scrapbook

One of the coolest things that happened this Christmas break-in and out of all the normal holiday fun and chaos-I got to help my brother-in-law "scrapbook"! He is a college Jr. and was home on Christmas break. He had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Zambia in Africa this summer and had some amazing photos and stories from his trip that he wanted to "do something with". He found an old book and I gathered some supplies for him. I gave him some pens, some natural colored papers, ink, adhesive, a few alphabet stickers with a few "5 second" instructions and sent him to work. I was totally blown away and inspired by what he created. After working a few days, he sent me an email saying "To be honest, I never thought scrapbooking would be this much fun". I must admit I laughed outloud.

In the beginning, we talked about how to organize the book and I recommended he think about an appropriate framework or chapters for the book, instead of just thinking chronologically. He decided to organize the book in the framework of "Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation". Can you tell he is a theology major!?! The Creation section shows photos of Victoria Falls and the safari photos. The Fall section outlines the overwhelming AIDS epidemic and its effect on the orphans. He spent his time in Zambia working and teaching amongst the orphans and the Redemption section focuses on the work that is being done to help to help them get an education and nourishment. The whole book is about taking a risk and following where the path is unknown.

Isn't that the story of all our lives... following, but not really knowing what the outcome might be. I may have started this project with the thought of inspiring him to make a cool scrapbook, but he ended up inspiring me. "Teach, so that you can learn".