be yourself: live with passion

just popping in to say hi...

...and to let you know that even though I've been swamped for the past week, I finally have a handle on the kits and class prep...being swamped has kept me away from blogging, twittering and facebooking :).

Kits are all packed, boxed and labeled...and USPS will be picking them up tomorrow.  If you ordered a kit, or have signed up for a class, thank you!

My bags are packed for this evening's class...and I'm excited about it as well as the full house tomorrow.

I owe a special thanks to Vern and Ashley...together, the three of us handled over 20,000 parts and pieces that went into the kits.  There's an amazing amount of small stuff...especially given the fact that we are working with small collages.

It's really been a fun and exciting month here at creatologie...and I can't wait to share next month's project with you.  Stay tuned...it'll be coming at the beginning of June.

Hope that you have a great Thursday...and a fabulous weekend coming up.

Hugs,  Carol

"Hugs, Carol"

This morning, I responded to a friend's email and signed off with "Hugs, Carol".  I do that a lot with people that I know.  I started thinking about why and I honestly don't know what got me started other than I am a huggy person.

If you've taken my classes, you know that I hug a lot...in fact, you've probably gotten one.  I think it turns some people off...and I try to be sensitive...but I sometimes just can't help myself.

I grew up in a huggy family.  From the time I can remember, I was hugged by grandparents, aunties and uncles, and older cousins.  We hugged when we arrived at each other's homes...and we hugged when we left (which made for long hellos and even longer goodbyes :)).  My mom tells me that I would often randomly hug some of the older people in our church...I was just a squirt at the time but I do remember that...and that the hugs often netted me some candy from their pockets and purses.  Did I hug knowing that I would get candy?  No clue...I was too young to remember the whys behind what I did.

This morning, I went back to some of my photo archives to look for huggy pictures.  The "archives" are the old magnetic albums filled with pics from my Kodak Instamatic camera...that camera was a real workhorse as I LOVED taking pictures...to the point that everyone in the family would cringe when I walked into a room with that little black thing.

Here are a few pix of what I found:

Here's one of my grandma and grandpa during the celebration of their 50th anniversary.  I love this one because, although my grandparents hugged on us grandchildren a lot (especially my grandmother), they didn't have a lot of PDA's (public displays of affection).  My grandmother was a hoot...truly a drama queen.  She would envelope us in a huge hug, rock us back and forth and whisper in our ear that we were her favorite grandchild.  It wasn't until we were adults that some of us cousins figured out that she said that to every one of us.

Here's one of my mom and dad...it just makes me grin...Dad was really into the spirit of it...Mom was a little embarrassed, I think.  It's really cool growing up knowing that your parents really love each other.

Here's one of Vern and me in college on our way back from a school sponsored Spring Break road trip to Florida.  Vern's huggy too...thank God!  Sheesh, do we ever look young!

Here's one of Ashley and me at my in-law's house in Pennsylvania.  Ash loves to hug, too!  I'm feeling a bit nostalgic about this picture as my in-laws are moving out of this home in a couple of weeks...after 40 some years, they have sold the house and are moving into a retirement community.  They're happy about the move...but it's a bit sad to know that they are leaving the home that has so many family memories.

Ashley was so into hugging that she named her absolute most favorite, go everywhere with her bear, "Huggy".

So, if you get an email from me...and it's signed "Hugs, Carol", think of these archived photos and know that I had no choice...it's obviously in my genes!

What about you...is your family huggy?

me...this morning

bare feet

pj's

a smile on my face

3 cups of coffee before 6 a.m. (hence the smile)

my 500th post!

I can't resist them...

...even when I tell myself that I already have tons and don't need anymore.

...even when I have no clue where I'm going to use them.

...even when I'm running out of storage space for them.

What are these things that I can't resist?

Yep, you got it...BUTTONS!

I wanted to share with you the new additions to my collection...purchased from The Quilters Gallery, one of the vendors at Inspired.

The buttons were offered as eaches...but one of the charming things about old buttons is the card to which they are attached...so I bit the bullet and bought the card.  Told you that I just can't resist :)!

The hearts on the left are glass with foil backs, the center and top cards are clear glass and the ones on the right are couture buttons from Paris.  The three loose buttons are old MOP's...they consistently are on the top of my list of favorites.  These three have some beautiful carvings on them...I can see them on a vintage lace wristlet or a vintage style tote...ohhhh, the possibilities.  I think I'm going to use the Parisian buttons on a linen jacket that I plan to tea dye and alter...I'll post a pic when it's finished.

I love reading about the backgrounds of people in the world of art...and I'm amazed at how many of the artists played with their grandmothers' buttons when they were young children. 

My grandmother had a large candy tin filled to the brim with buttons...and I spent countless hours sorting and counting them...and separating my very favorites into their own special pile. 

What about you?  Is it buttons that you can't resist?  Or...maybe something else that captivates you beyond logic?  Looking forward to finding out!

BTW, the ledger papers in the background were purchased at Jenni Bowlin's booth...love the faded blue gray color of the paper.  Jenni and I were trying to figure out if that was the original color of the ledger, or if the color changed to that with age.  If any of you know your vintage and antique ledgers, would you shed some light on the subject?

 

what's up with kits...

Wow, it's been an amazing month!  This morning, I sold out of the Bohemian Betwinchie Journal kits...that was fast!

I had to reserve a certain amount of kits for my classes at Scrapbooks, Etc. and if they aren't all used by class sign ups, then I will add them to my PayPal storefront.  So, if you missed out, stay tuned...my classes are Thursday evening, May 28th and Friday morning, May 29th, and there are openings.  So, if you are local and you missed out on the kit, just call the store at 480-854-2303 and get yourself signed up.

OVERSTOCK SALE: 

Do you remember the Loves Notes kits that I had done for February?  If you don't, here's a detail picture of the heart that hangs from the metal envelope.

The metal envelope is 9 1/2" wide and 9" tall at its highest point and the book that slips inside is 6" wide by 9" tall.

It's really not a Valentine book...just a book to celebrate those whom we love and who love us...a great way to keep little notes, pictures of special people, etc.  And, if you don't want the Love Notes title, there's an extra sheet of parchment paper so that you can print your own title.

I had to order a lot of metal envelopes in order to get the the price point that I needed...and ended up making more kits than I usually make.  In order to free up space for all of the new products coming in for this month's kit as well as future kits, I am offering them at a 25% discount...that's only $30.00 per kit!  Wow!

These kits will be shipped within the US only and shipping is $9.00 per kit.  If you have pre-ordered a kit this month and want me to add this one to your box, I will refund any excess postage collected.  Can't beat that...a kit on sale and reduced postage, too!

As far as any previous kits, I've got less than a handful of Life is Beautiful as well as Owl Book kits...and the Create banner is sold out.  Again, if you order any of these and have me ship them together with your pre-ordered Betwinchie kit, I'll refund any excess postage.

It's exciting to see the passion for creating...and thanks to so many of you who send me pictures of your finished projects!  What an inspiration you are!

Hope you have a great weekend...don't forget to take some time to create!

the cycle of inspiration...

I had mentioned in an earlier post that one of my responsibilities at SIA in Australia was to do a breakfast talk about myself.  After I had given the ladies a little glimpse into my life, I talked about a subject that all of us are intrigued with...the subject of INSPIRATION.

I've had the privilege of being interviewed on numerous occasions...these would be interviews for magazine articles, online sites, guest artist spots, etc.  One question that has been on just about every list is, "Where do you get your inspiration?".  The answer for me is very simple...everywhere!  I find it in books, magazines, cooking, gardening, travel, hanging out with friends, teaching others, etc.  But here's the rub...not all of us get inspiration from the same sources and not every source provides inspiration each time we're exposed to it.  So, I usually mention that to find what what inspires you, figure out what got you excited to start the last number of projects you did and loved.  Was it a class, an article you read, some flowers you saw in your yard, or maybe something you saw on someone's blog?   Keep yourself immersed in those things...and that is the start of the cycle.

This is the way I see the continuation of the cycle.  You have this feeling of inspiration...you just have to create something.   So, you have to go from feeling creative to an IDEA...getting your IMAGINATION in sync with your inspiration.  So, with an IDEA comes the actual creation of something.  Now, it can stop right there, or you can continue the cycle right back to inspiration.

The next step, if you choose to continue the cycle, is to IMPACT others...i.e., SHARE the inspiration and ideas.  For me, that's simple...I just teach and share through classes and through creatologie kits...maybe through a guest spot on an online site...or maybe through my blog.  Maybe you share your inspiration and ideas in the same fashion...or maybe you share in the way that Heather Kennedy, one of the attendees at Inspired, did.  Heather emailed me a couple of days ago about taking what she learned about book making in my journey journal class and teaching it to her young children.  It's with Heather's permission that I post these photos...they made me cry!

 

Doesn't that just warm the heart?  And, a brayer, no less!!!  I feel like a proud grandma, or something!

And that feeling, that warming of the heart that comes with sharing with others, takes you right back to the beginning of the cycle...inspiration!   After reading Heather's post and seeing the pictures, I just wanted to go to my studio table and create...it was an amazing feeling!

I've been getting lots of emails from women who attended my class (and there's something on its way to you (wink))...most of you have told me that you finished your project and that you know how you will use it.  Thanks for sharing...it's been a joy to read your emails.

I'm guessing that most of you who attended the event were inspired...I know that all of you created projects...now I hope that you go out and continue the cycle by impacting others, getting re-inspired and creating more art!

Looking forward to hearing about how you have impacted someone with your inspiration and ideas!

 

I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D. (that's me!)

On my flight home Sunday from teaching at the Inspired event in Charlotte, I began reading The Shack.  At the beginning of Chapter 1, I read the following:

"Two roads diverged in the middle of my life,

I heard a wise man say

I took the road less traveled by

And that's made the difference every night and every day. 

-Larry Norman (with apologies to Robert Frost)"

It hit me as I reread it that there was some direct application there to the amazing weekend I had just experienced.

It was this past weekend that over 250 women took the road less traveled by...over 250 women took themselves out of their comfort zones...over 250 women were willing to try something that they may have never done before...over 250 women gave themselves the opportunity to possibly develop a new passion for a different art or craft...over 250 women came together as a community to support each other and to make a difference.

I applaud each and every one of them for being willing to take the less traveled road, the road that may have caused them to learn and grow as artists...and I really hope that it makes a difference in how they view themselves as well as in how they create their art.

I want you to know that being around this group of women made a difference in my life...both night and day!  I felt so energized and had a hard time sleeping because of it...they were the ones responsible.  I loved their enthusiasm and how hard they worked in my class to keep up.  I confessed to each of the classes that I really PUSH my students because I wanted them to come as close as possible to finishing their projects...and that as a student, I would probably be somewhat stressed, but grateful at the end because it was pretty much done.  I appreciated how tickled they were with themselves and their accomplishments.  If any of you reading this were in any of the six classes, I just want you to know that you were awesome...and that you totally made my weekend!

As usual, I took very few pictures, but I know that there's a DVD coming of pix taken by a pro (that would be Paolo)...can't wait to see all of the pix that he took.

I did get some at the beginning and at the end and remember, those of you who took my classes, you promised to email some to me :)!

Here's the tail end of registration...awesome hand painted and stamped binders inserted into monogrammed bags filled with goodies...just awesome.

There was a short welcome on Thursday night and all six of us instructors were presented with a necklace of hand made charms put together by the women who were in the charm swap.

Thanks so much to each one of you...the necklace is amazing (and amazingly heavy, too) and is currently being worn by one of the dress forms in my studio.

Donna asked each of the teachers to create a piece of art that sat on an easel outside of our classroom doors.  At the end of the event, the pieces would be raffled off and the proceeds of the raffle would be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation For The Cure.

It was exciting to be part of this fundraiser...$1600 was collected and will be donated.  Way to go!

This was the piece that I created.  It was constructed primarily of hand dyed fibers and fabrics which were supported by two canvases. 

There were LOTS and LOTS of little beads and yes, I did stitch every single one of them! 

Here's a pic of Donna and me at the very end of the event.

I told her that my hubby wouldn't let me come home without a picture of me with Donna...not true, of course...but I had to make her feel a little guilty.  She was a great sport...it was a long weekend, and she worked so hard before the event so that everything would run smoothly.  Thank you Donna, Bill and Kandi...you were so organized...all I had to do was to show up!

I did end up losing most of my voice by Saturday night.  There were 3 three hour classes on Friday and then again on Saturday...and I talked a lot in my classes...hence, no voice.  I'm finally getting some of it back.

Here's a pic of some really cute chicks hanging out on the floor after the event was over...the Glitz Girls, Cameron, Jennifer, Margie, Melody and Christy...love you chicks!  It was great spending time with you.

Here are some more cute chicks...three of the teachers...I'm bummed that I didn't get one of all of us together...but this is Paulette, Jennifer and Susan.

Loved, loved, loved meeting and getting to know them, as well as Tejae and Cheryl.

A great event deserves a great ending...this was the "shuttle" that took us to the airport at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday.

A Cadillac Escalade stretch limo, complete with wet bar, mirrored ceiling and disco lights...filled with tired, but excited, women...lots of chatter (especially considering how early it was)...and most of all, a community of women who took the road less traveled.

I am INSPIRED!  Can't wait to do some creating this week...and, I'm looking forward to hearing from those of you who took my class!  Thanks...you made it special!

join the "betwinchie" (tm) craze...

...head over to my creatologie blog and take a look at the next new thing to swarm the industry...and you can say you saw it first here...and bought it first here, too! :))

Here it is...hanging from some barn boards in my yard!

How can you resist the minis...and the awesome handle?

Anyway, read all about it on my other blog...I'm excited about sharing this one with you and teaching the project at Scrapbooks, Etc. on May 28th (5:00-8:30) and May 29th (10:30-2:00).

Hope you have a great evening...I'm off to pack...heading to Charlotte for INSPIRED VERY early tomorrow morning.  Yippee!

Do you test the waters or just jump right in?

If you had asked me that question yesterday, I would have emphatically said that I test the waters.

Today, I would give you a totally different answer...I would say, "It depends."

So, why the change in answers?

Yesterday, I was rummaging through my entry closet searching for a certain color of embroidery floss.  What is embroidery floss doing in my entry closet, you might ask?  Well, remember when I told you that I've pretty much taken over the house with my art/craft stuff?  OK, 'nuff said!

Anyway, while looking for floss, I came across this embroidery project I had done as a child.  I'm guessing that I was about 11 or 12 when I did this piece.  It's crewel embroidery...that is, done with wool yarns and was really quite an ambitious project...ambitious because I had never done any stitching before and, ambitious because the completed size is 18x24...huge!

Obviously, it needs to be pressed and stretched...and framed, of course...but, there are so many completed projects in just that state and no place to hang them so they continue to sleep in my entry closet.

This project got me thinking about all of the various crafts I've done since I was a child and how I literally just jumped right in.

My first sewing project (using the huge factory machine we had at home) was when I was about 8 years old.  I made a stuffed pig pillow.  Mom told me to start with something simple...she, an experienced seamstress, told me that it was really hard to stitch a square into completed sides.  Did I listen?  Of course not!  So, I struggled and ripped out and restitched but, at the end of the day, I had my big stuffed pig pillow.

Then, there was a paint by the numbers set that I wanted.  Again, it was huge...I'm guessing about the size of this embroidery piece.  Mom suggested that maybe I wanted to start with something a little smaller.  Did I listen?  Of course not...are you sensing a pattern here?  That was a great project...took me way longer than a day but I felt like a real artist and a real painter by the time I was finished...and I actually blended some of the colors toward the end of the project.

Over the years, my arts and crafts have followed this pattern...just jump right in and do ceramics, just jump right in and do a complex (and tiny thread count) counted cross stitched sampler, just jump right in and cook a gourmet meal (not a tried and proven one) when company is coming over, just jump right in and start scrapbooking, stamping and altered arts (all at one time), just jump right in and start teaching memory art...so, I guess for that part of my life, I'm a just jump right in kind of person.

But, if I'm going swimming any time soon, you won't find me just jumping right in.  I'll be the one sitting on the edge, dangling my feet in the water for a bit, then sliding in to my waist, then dunking my shoulders, then, finally getting my whole self wet.

What about you?  Test the waters or jump right in kind of person?

kit update...

Ashley and I have been busy putting them all together and they are so full that we're having a hard time sealing off the tops of the kit bags (tee hee)...a good situation to have, right?

Today is box and label day and they will be picked up by the Postal Service tomorrow.

I wanted to say thanks to all of you who ordered.  It has been a stupendous month...there were more pre-orders placed in the first two days than ever before...so many, that I had to adjust the number of kits that I was planning to make to add more.  Woo Hoo!

As mentioned in the email blast and blog post, kits are scheduled to ship out the week of April 27th...I'm cutting it a bit close, but tomorrow's still the week of April 27th...phew!

So, stalk your mail person next week...and have fun putting together this "Life is Beautiful" kit.

Happy Friday!