2007 Bay Area Scrapbook Expo

Last weekend I attended both days of the Bay Area Scrapbook Expo. In hind sight, I think I overdid it on the classes – I took ten. Most of them were terrific, I met lots of wonderful people, learned a few new tricks and compared notes on products and tools.

			My first class was” Take a Journey with Junkitz” where we worked on a mini album to capture vacation photos. They were really generous with the supplies and the project was great. I didn’t get close to finishing it, partially because it was my first class and I hadn’t warmed up yet and partially because it’s a 20 page album!
The next class was Rusty Pickle’s Family Pocketed Accordion which was a blast and a darling project. Our instructor was a sweetheart and as always, Rusty Pickle did a fantastic job with the album design.
Then I took Fall In love With Daisy D’s which was an 8”x8” accordion album. The paper was a little too soft and feminine for me (I like lots of color) but I enjoyed the class and the instructor, Michelle Grainger. She was a crack-up!
	Next I took Greetings & Salutations by Xyron – I loved the teacher! She was so down to earth and relaxed. We each had our own personal cutting system to use to make 10 greeting cards from S.E.I. products. What I liked about this class was that we got to dream up our own designs rather than the usual step by step project instruction you typically get. Don’t get me wrong, I take classes specifically for that kind of learning; this was just a nice change of pace, I enjoyed getting to know the other people in the class and learned a lot just by looking at their creations.
I had a two hour break to do a little shopping and was fortunate enough to enjoy a few make and takes. My absolute favorite and the hit of the entire show was 2daisies “Friend” wordbloom. For $5 you got to make an adorable mini album (you can buy the kit at our scrapbook boutique). Some complained about the one hour line but in my opinion…well worth the wait!
My last class of the day was Alexx Kesh’s Folding Album in a Box – This was a very unique project and a fun class. Lots of lots of flowers, ribbons, lace and mesh. My day ended at 8:00 PM and I was pooped.
		The next day I started with Rusty Pickle’s 8x8 card board album, Ode to Mom. This was yet another fantastic project by the Picklicious Designers of RP and a really fun class. The album is fabulous!
Next was a Date Album by Cosmo Cricket. They gave us a ton of extra paper and the album is super cute – We used Cosmo Crickets double sided cardstock which is gorgeous but a just not as durable as I’d like for this kind of book. I would have preferred the pages were mounted on chipboard.
Next was A Thing Or Two About Girls by QuickQuotes – The class was packed and there was hardly any work space for each student- I got there right as the class was getting started and couldn’t find a seat so I took my class kit and nice lunch break.
	After an hour and ½ rest I went to another Rusty Pickle class – the Girlie Girls Tag Album- I learned some great tricks and just loved working with the girlie girl papers- We may sell them in the boutique next month. This tag album is so fun and original.

The last class of the day and weekend was My Big Fat Chunky Book by Quick Quotes. I found a seat this time but we were squeezed in tight. The class was ridiculously fast paced and most of us were groaning because we couldn’t keep up. It was just a really big project for a short amount of time. The concept was great and I really liked the products we used – especially their new chalk ink. I just didn’t care for the pace or the instruction.

A few products I fell in love with while at Expo:

• Zip Dry adhesive
• Kokuyo Dot’n’Roller
• Tombo Aqua adhesive
• Glaze embossing pens

A theif named Fear

Of all the heists known to humankind throughout history, the greatest thief there ever was, was Fear. Fear has stolen love, wealth, success, liberty, creativity, invention, health, dreams and even life from many a great person. Fear has the ability to convince it’s Mark to literally hand over treasure, walk away from opportunity, hide from truth, discard relationships, refuse assistance, dismiss innovation and reject potential. We let Fear steal from us. We allow Fear to rob us of possibilities. We can make a choice not to.

I often find myself blocked creatively and otherwise because I am afraid to make that first step- to commit to a color, to waste a sheet of paper, to take a chance. The Fear grows in conviction if I remain idle. I become afraid to spend time on something that may not work, or to believe that I can do something only to find out I failed, or worst of all, to find out that I am devoid of any talent whatsoever. Where do you think fear keeps all the energy he steals from me? Does he have a giant vault with my name on it?

The next time I experience Fear I think I’ll say, “no you can’t have that!” and I’ll do the next right thing. If Fear suggests greater catastrophe, I’ll smile and say, “bring it!” And as my stomach dances around with butterflies and nausea, I’ll breath in deep breaths of acceptance and breath out my need for certainty. I’ll be me, whoever I am at that moment and use that Fear dripping energy to do exactly what I must. No easier, softer way; no hiding from the lessons or troubles that await me. I’ll put pen to paper, brush to paint, glue to photo, or foot to floor and I’ll keep the fate that awaits me. It is mine and Fear can’t have it.

Inspiration

Some of my greatest inspiration occurs when I am trying to fall asleep. There is something about the silence, the stillness of the dark that causes “out-of-the-box” thinking. I keep a journal and a pen at my bedside table and allow myself to break from my concentration on sleep to jot down ideas. I know that if I don’t put them on paper I’ll lay awake even longer trying to burn the thoughts into my memory banks for access in the morning or else, I’ll lose the ideas forever.

Tonight as I tried to drift off I kept thinking about passion. Not the kind we try to recapture after five or ten years of marriage, but rather the kind that drives us and brings about innovation.

There have been times in my life when I have felt completely devoid of passion, unclear what I am interested in or where I am going. Yet today, at time in my life, I am filled with passion and I have no idea why or where it comes from. I suspect that passion, creativity and hope are roommates in my psyche because where there is one, the others are sure to follow and once the three get to talking…well bippidee-bop, you’ve got inspiration instead of sleep.

Enough writing for now - it is time to play with the Basic Grey Pheobe paper I got in today. I just love the colors, patterns - the whole collection is gorgeous! Tomorrow I'll post some photos of the projects I did at Expo! The Rusty Pickle classes where dynamite! I've got to take some pictures to put in them!