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/

Exciting Days Ahead - and Our Winner!

Tomorrow afternoon we're on our way to find the best and most meaningful scrapbook supplies at CHA. Can't wait!

Paige, Nancy and I will be posting once a day from the show with pictures of the goodies we see and stories to share. We're really looking forward to your comments and feedback.

And make sure you read my blog AND go to Scrapbooking from the Inside Out during CHA - we'll be playing games and having giveaways to celebrate this most important Scrapbooker's holiday!

Here are some of my favorite moments from the summer 2008 show:

See a trend? I love to be inspired by women of depth - Renee, Melody and Ali are artists and businesswomen I admire for their connection to the meaningful in life and helping people access it.

Congrats to Veronica for winning the Inside Out mini kit for guessing the sneaks I posted last time...Veronica, please email me your snail mail address at rachinla@aol.com and I'll get your goodies out to ya right after the show.

Hugs, everyone, and see you at/from the show!

CHA, Here We Come: Passion and Vision

In just a couple of days, my amazing colleagues (and friends), Paige and Nancy will be joining me for a wonderful journey to the center of the earth...better known as the Craft and Hobby Association's Winter Trade Show.

CHA is a great time for many reasons - not the least of which is its main purpose - to see and feel all the new products that are available to the craft world so we can choose what we'll be including in our future kits

It's also a great chance to connect with others in our industry - artists, designers, and other retailers.

For both those reasons, I'm REALLY excited about next week. There's so much inspiration available in the form of media, texture, color, design, and even in displays. And for me, being around inspired people is very uplifting. Not because they're 'celebrities', but because I love to understand the heart and soul of passion and vision - whether regarding businesses that are about being of service, or creating art, since I cherish both.

My goal is to use my time at CHA to grow in my ability to infuse our kits, our site and our community with passion and vision, about ourselves, scrapbooking and the world around us.

Here are a few things (and I mean JUST a few...too many to share right this second) we've already seen online that we're excited about...

More to share soon, including pics and our reports from CHA, hilarious photos of what you know will be some crazy adventures, and the sneak of Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's February kit...stay tuned!

Let's see if you've been out there scouting sneaks...if you can identify the 4 lines or items above by manufacturer and line or item name, please comment with your response. The first person to guess all 4 correctly will win a mini-kit from Inside Out! Have fun...