March Guest Designer: Stacy Cohen

We are so thrilled to have Stacy Cohen joining us this month as Guest Designer. We couldn't have planned a more perfect kit for her to use too. The products and emotion seemed to be the right match. Here is a little bit more about Stacy and she is also sharing one of her layouts with you today.

Meet Stacy Cohen

I live in Los Angeles, California with my loving husband, our two wonderful little daughters, and two cute kitties. My girls are the inspiration for all my creative projects... I call them my little muses.

I started scrapbooking in September of 2004 and I have been hooked ever since.
Scrapbooking is my hobby, passion and creative outlet. I always say, "It's cheaper than therapy!" I'm a very slow scrapper, often spending several nights on one layout. I love to fuss over all the little details and get everything just right. I would define my scrapping style as romantic with a touch of shabby chic. My pages don't feel complete without a flower (or two, or three or four). My work has been published in Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbooks Etc., Scrapbook Trends, Memory Makers, Somerset Memories, Cards, Simply Handmade, Scrapbook Inspirations, and Scrapbooking m.m. I am on the design teams for Creating Keepsakes and Prima.

Here is one of Stacy's stunning layouts using the GRACE kit.

Background: A few years ago I read an interview with an actress and she talked about the importance of living her live with "grace".  I had to stop and think about what this means in general, and what it means for me personally.   To me, living my life with grace means treating other people with gentleness and kindness.  This has always been one of the rules I live by, and a value that I have instilled in my children since an early age.  Of course I'm not always perfect, but I do strive to treat people the way that I would want to be treated. 

Technique:  I used a dinner plate to trace a circle onto the cardstock, then I painted the circle with gesso. While the gesso was still wet, I sprinkled on some white glitter.  Next I cut out the center squares of the Pink Paislee trellis paper.  I cut a circle out of the trellis paper and adhered it to the gesso/glitter circle with 3D adhesive.  As a final touch, I added liquid pearls to the trellis design. 

Want to see more of Stacys' work using this month's kit? Click here to view the gallery. And to see even MORE Stacy, make sure to visit her blog by clicking here. 

And mark your calendars! We are having a Design Team blog hop this weekend and Stacy will be joining us! Fun, fun, fun!

Blog Hop and Giveaway…Join Us and Create Your Future at CRAFT!

Welcome to the First Stop on the
CRAFT: Creating Reflective Art for Transformation
Blog Hop!

This event is brought to you by our team at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, the premier source for inspiration to explore your inner world. Six talented and well-known instructors will be leading creative and meaningful workshops using our generous sponsors’ latest and greatest products at this intimate, boutique event right on the beach in beautiful

Santa Monica, CA, November 11-13, 2011.

(We've had a couple of technical glitches in the hop...please scroll to the bottom of this post to make sure you grab all the links!)

You’ll spend a magical weekend focused on embracing who you truly are and gaining the skills, techniques and tools to use our craft to understand yourself more deeply on an ongoing basis.

Are you just beginning at this blog? Make sure you stop at all the blogs on the list so you don't miss all the project, venue and special event sneak peeks
and your chance to win one of six kits!

If you get lost, a list of all the stops on the hop is at the end of this post.

CRAFT:

Three full days of crafting, creativity and camaraderie for only $450

(three consecutive monthly payments of $150 each.)

Spots are still available for this unique, pampering and heart-expanding getaway.

Register now at the event blog HERE.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

  • 6 emotion-focused, technique-teaching personal workshops ~ All CRAFTers participate in every class. No need to choose ~ they're ALL yours in CRAFT’s ocean-view,

beautifully styled, creative space

• 4 special Art and Soul experiences

• Scrumptious breakfasts and lunches from Hollywood hot spot Urth Caffe

~ Friday, Saturday and Sunday

• Sweets, treats and beverages all day long

• Transportation from The Ambrose to and from the Annenberg Beach House for all workshops and activities via the CRAFTy Cab

• Oodles of workshop supplies (you’ll just need to bring your basic tool kit – checklist to be provided later)

• A fabulous welcome gift, a CRAFTy tote filled with goodies,

valuable giveaways and fun prizes!

*Lots more details on girls’ night out dinners, airport transportation, location, hotel and event venue and more are available HERE.

For questions, comments and special requests, please email event coordinator

Paige Ramos here.

The Dates:

November 11-13, 2011

The Times:

Workshops from 9-5 each day, broken into two sessions.

WHY SHOULD YOU COME TO CRAFT?

 What really sets CRAFT apart is unique mission of Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, kit club, inspiration source and online community. Thousands of participants all over the world have used SFTIO’s resources to explore their deepest emotions. They’ve lifted themselves and each other exploring Freedom, Gratitude, Anticipation and Wonder. They’ve faced their inner doubts and fears delving into Regret, Yearning, Loss and Vulnerability.

SFTIO’s trademarked and industry-exclusive approach to artistic motivation is the heart and soul of what makes us unique. Our monthly inspiration page with hand-selected music, stock photography, quotations and deep journaling prompts elevates scrapbooking to an expressive art form where members are guided to truly explore their inner worlds.
Click here for links to past Inspiration Pages to see more.

SFTIO raises the bar even more by providing challenges using the prompts that add a design twist, teaching members to use ‘visual journaling’ – powerful symbolism – to combine right and left brain expression. The result? Meaningful, rich, pages and projects that reflect all of who you are, Inside and Out.

CRAFT workshops will incorporate a variety of tested, proven multimedia inspiration tools combined with the special talents and techniques of a stellar teaching staff, supported by Art Therapist Rita Coufal, PhD and Artist/Therapist Joy Mauldin, PhD.

Growth is a journey…not a destination. And it’s a most personal one…only you know what you need out of this experience. In the intimate, supportive setting we've created for you, you’ll have the opportunity to practice being more and more yourself.

Our take on scrapbooking and creativity isn’t about a quick fix, or a set of ‘positive thinking’ reminders. It’s about a deeper approach, telling your truth – pretty or not, looking at both sides of the coin, and leaving our weekend together with the
creative skills and tools to be more fully expressed in your life.

THE INSTRUCTORS:

While you’ll be learning amazing techniques, styles, tips and techniques in every workshop, these are not cookie-cutter sessions – you’ll be challenged to dig deep, learn about yourself and personalize your project to reflect who you are and who you want to be.

American Crafts Design Team and Product Designer
Hambly Screen Prints Design Team

Mixed Media Designer
Copic Certified Designer

Creating Keepsakes Dream Team 2011
Lily Bee Design Team
Jillibean Soup Design Team

Copy/Creative Editor for Northridge Publishing
American Crafts Blog Hostess/Design Team

Founder and President,
Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Creating Keepsakes Dream Team
2011 Prima Design Team

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? REGISTER NOW.

And now for a giveaway!

In celebration of CRAFT, SFTIO is giving away FIVE kits to FIVE lucky readers…make sure to leave a comment (before Noon Pacific Time on 9-15) on each blog you visit in the hop to increase your chances of winning. Tell us please, in your comment, what emotion you’d love to explore in your scrapbooking! Winners will be chosen from all blog comment entries and will be announced on 9-16 on the SFTIO blog.

For your next stop, make sure to check out Stacy Cohen's blog. Good luck and we hope to see you at CRAFT!


Hop List:

SFTIO: http://scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.blogspot.com
Stacy Cohen: http://stacycohen.blogspot.com/
Linda Barber: http://milesofpaper.blogspot.com/
Paige Ramos: http://thebumpyride.blogspot.com 
Amy Tan: http://amytangerine.blogspot.com/
Paige Evans: http://chrisandpaige.blogspot.com/
Tammy Onderdonk Klass: http://createdreamlive.blogspot.com/
Seven Gypsies: http://www.sevengypsies.blogspot.com/
Ly T. Le: http://www.lytlescrapper.com/
Melissa Elsner: http://theprofoundbrunette.blogspot.com
Jillibean Soup: http://www.jillibeansoup.typepad.com/
Rita Barakat: http://letsembellish.blogspot.com/
Kai Baldwin: http://www.enjoytheridetoday.blogspot.com/
CRAFT Blog: http://craftbeachretreat.blogspot.com/

SIX and Counting!

SIX!

Are you ready to find yourself here?

As we count down to our registration opening on June 18th,
here’s your first look at the details of
CRAFT: Creating Reflective Art for Transformation!

Six days left until you can sign up of one of the
24 spots we have available for our premiere boutique event.

We have a lineup of incredible instructors that you’ll love…teaching six full length classes over three days of peaceful, meaningful time for YOU.
No need to pick your favorites, everyone takes every class
in our small intimate group setting overlooking the Pacific.

We’ll be offering three scrapbook page based projects, one canvas project,
a journal project and a special mixed-media project.
Every class will focus on emotion, and will be totally personalized and customizable to your specific life circumstances, needs, challenges and where you want to grow.

While you’ll be learning amazing techniques, styles, tips and techniques in every class,
these are not cookie-cutter sessions –
you’ll be challenged to dig deep, learn about yourself and
tailor your project to reflect who you are and who you want to be.

In alphabetical order…

Creating Keepsakes Dream Team 2011
Lily Bee Design Team
Jillibean Soup Design Team



Creating Keepsakes Dream Team 2011
Prima Design Team



Copy/Creative Editor for Northridge Publishing
American Crafts Blog Hostess/Design Team



Mixed Media Designer
Copic Certified Designer



American Crafts Design Team
American Crafts Product Designer
Hambly Screen Prints Design Team



Detailed bios to follow with samples of their work!

I’ll be joining them in integrating the emotion piece into our projects, and will be leading our closing session on how to use the tools we’ve practiced together in an ongoing way in your crafting and life.

Creator, Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Six more days until registration opens…stay tuned for our daily announcements!

Tuesday...we'll be announcing our SPONSORS!