I just returned from 4 amazing days of scrapbooking in Orlando at Creating Keepsakes University. What a unique opportunity to meet other people who are passionate about scrapbooking, photography, and creating! I went solo, and I immediately met up with three great gals (Liz, Pauline, and Anna) who were also traveling alone. The 4 of us met for meals and crops at night, and for make-and-takes and classes during the day. I don't know how I could have found better companions -- these girls were such a delight. We've already emailed with each other and I hope to join up with them at CKU Houston (?) next June.
Thursday at CKU was jam packed with make-and-take projects -- I think we did 24 projects in 8 hours! I learned a few new tricks, played with products that I've never seen before, and came away with enough 6x6 pages to fill a little album. It was very liberating to just CREATE for an entire day, without the worry of what to do or how to do it -- no thinking, just creating.
Friday I attended 5 classes -- one of my favorites was Candice Stringham's "Shooting Through the Ages", about portrait photography. After taking my digital photography course this summer, I expected this class might be repetitive, but it wasn't. I am SO glad I took it -- Candice is down to earth, and her lecture was so pertinent to where I am in learning about photography. I got the chance to chat with her a bit about lenses and I now know what I'm going to ask Santa Claus to bring me this year. The last night of CKU they announced that Candice will be doing a Creative Photography Retreat sometime next fall, and I'm thinking that might be a good birthday gift for me from my sweet husband? We'll see! :)
The other Friday class that was such a blast was Tim Holtz' "Paint Outside the Lines" -- just a fun 90 minutes of playing with acrylic paint and trying new techniques. Tim is hysterical -- if you ever get a chance to take his class, DO.
Saturday was my all-day album track class, taught by Ali Edwards (yes, my scrapbooking IDOL). I know you are all wondering how big of a "fan" I was during my day in her class. Well, for the full story you'd have to ask my friend Liz who was in class with me, but I thought I showed a good deal of self restraint and only had Ali sign three things for me :) No, really, Ali was just a cool, normal gal. Her story is a great one -- she's only been scrapbooking for the past 5 years, but things really took off for her and her THIRD book just came out this month. Talk about talented.
I COULD post the picture of me with Ali, where I look like a TOTAL STALKER because we are both wearing the exact same oddly orange/red t-shirt and almost matching necklace (very strange! and I didn't even notice until the next day when I was going through the pictures), but then she'd have to take out a restraining order and I wouldn't be allowed to go to her class next year. Instead, I'll share this one...
Yes, that's me jumping for joy (actually, we are jumping for a photo that Candice was taking for the CKU slideshow) with Ali and two random girls who were trying to steal my moment in the sun. Just kidding, well, kind of just kidding.
I thoroughly enjoyed the album track -- we created an entire 12x12 album about a week in our lives. Such a different thing than you normally scrapbook but SO cool. I've got tons of work still to do on it, but it's shaping up and I'll be sure to post it online when I'm done. This was the last time she's going to teach that class, and next year it will be something completely new. I am absolutely compelled to be there next year to see what it is...
OK, so for the final highlight:
During commencement, they announced the winners of the contests for the week, and when it came time to announce the Album Cover contest, Ali did the announcing. It went a little something like this....
"And honorable mention goes to Lawren with a W Coope from Littleton, Colorado!"
Fun, huh? Not just to win for my work (and get really cool free stuff -- a big leather Making Memories shoulder case FILLED with goodies) but to have my favorite scrapbooker (I mean, Life Artist) announce my name. (By the way, the album cover I entered was the neat little 4x6 clear album from
Cocoa Daisy that I posted a few weeks ago --
click here to see it).
These are my new buddies -- Pauline, Liz, and Anna. Aren't they cute?
GREEN STUFF.
For all you green beans out there that were hoping I'd finally post something related to the environment, here are two quick green stories from the trip.
- I made the gal at the Starbucks in the Wyndham Orlando laugh each day when I'd bring in my little travel mug for a fill-up. She'd start giggling as soon as she saw me coming! I suppose she doesn't see too many of those at her location. I wanted to say to her, You mean to tell me EVERYONE who travels doesn't carry a reuseable mug with them? That's CRAZY.
- For those of you have been reading my blog regularly, you know that I have some unusual travel habits in addition to BYOMug. At the end of a trip, I normally carry home all of my recyclables in my suitcase (if I can't find a recycling receptacle somewhere during my visit). This time I was really feeling stressed about this because a) there was no recycling to be found anywhere on the property and b) we were given so many freebies during the event that my suitcases (yes, suitcases plural) were busting at the seams. I finally asked Pauline, a local CKU buddy from the week, if she recycled at home and would be willing to take my things for recycling. She was so gracious to take my items -- thank you Pauline! And it became a great opportunity to discuss recycling and being green amongst my new-found friends. Believe it or not, my new girlfriends were still willing to hang out with me, even after I let my true green color show!
That's all for now. I'm still riding on a creative high, so I better get scrappin'!
