Registration for the Fall Retreat at the Bertram Inn 2011

Please join us for a weekend of scrapping fun at the 4th Annual

Fall Retreat at the
Bertram Inn
in Aurora, Ohio
with Work in Progress Kits
November 4-6, 2011

You’ll enjoy a whole weekend at a beautiful hotel--The Bertram Inn--eating the most delicious food. All you need to do is bring your scrap supplies, and the rest will be left up to us! Check in time is 2:00pm on Friday, November 4th. You will also be permitted to set up at your table in the ballroom at that time as well, where you’ll have an entire 6 foot table all to yourself. There will be a welcome reception served that evening, and the ballroom will be available day and night for however long you wish to stay. When you decide to retire to your room, you simply leave your table and return to it the next morning! On Saturday, you return to where your table for a full day of more fun! There will be a breakfast buffet served to us right outside our ballroom, a boxed lunch and later on we will also be served an early dinner. I elected to set it up this way so we all have room to enjoy a fondue bar on Saturday evening without feeling the least bit guilty!! You know we need that chocolate to keep the creativity flowing. And just like the previous night, you retire at your leisure and return to the same spot the next day.

On Sunday, you’ll be served breakfast, and check-out time is 2pm. You are free to continue scrapping until 3:00pm in the ballroom. And believe me when I tell you--you won’t want to leave.

Now, if that wasn’t enough--I will be offering a very limited amount of break-out classes on Saturday. Once registration is complete, I will reveal a list of classes and you can decide to partake in these or not--it is simply an option. Most of the break-out classes will be short and sweet, and project related (since Christmas will be on all of our minds by then for sure!). Pre-registration for classes won’t begin until July 1st, and since class size is limited, it will be on a first-come basis. More information will follow. I can’t say enough about the facilities at the Bertram Inn. The food there is what sold me on doing this entire event, and I hope you take a chance and decide to join me for a weekend you won’t soon forget! The hotels also offers a restaurant and a variety of other amenities, and if you’d like to see more of what is available, please visit the website at The Bertram Inn.

Accommodations and Pricing: Prices listed are for the entire weekend package, including meals, a water station and scrapbook space with proper lighting. Availability is on a first come basis, and deposits are NOT refundable. The first deposit (half of the fee) along with the registration form is due by Saturday, March 19, 2011, with the remainder due by Sunday, October 8, 2011. When registering, please list all roommates, as seating will be assigned. Pricing for 2 nights and above meals listed are:

Single Occupancy:$445 per person
Double Occupancy:$329 per person
Triple Occupancy: $299 per person
Quad Occupancy:$279 per person

**Please note, there has not been a price increase in two years, and we do our best to make this event FUN and AFFORDABLE!!

**For more information, or to reserve a spot for the weekend, please email Trish Turay at Turay413@gmail.com.

Name:___________________________________Address:________________________________________________________________________________________________Phone ________________________Email:_______________________________
Room Request: (circle one) Single Double Triple Quad

Roommates:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Amount of Deposit:___________________________________
Type of Deposit (circle one) Cash Check Paypal* (*will be charged a 5% fee for paypal fees)Please make all checks out to Trish Turay and send them to:

Trish Turay
9291 Victoria Lane
N. Ridgeville, OH 44039.

If you have any questions at all, please email me at Turay413@gmail.com, and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can.

I look forward to seeing each one of you there!

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Thank you, Pinterest. I found this delightful recipe there, tried it out, and am hooked. You can read all about it here. They're egg-less, which makes them perfectly safe to chow!

Enjoy your day!

Alter Your T-Shirt with Shimmerz Coloringz

Every summer, I find myself buying all kinds of fun t-shirts with lots of awesome graphic designs.  Last summer, I had this idea of altering white t-shirts with mist.  While it was not a groundbreaking new idea, I was relieved that it went smoothly when I finally executed the idea successfully "on camera."  I used the new Shimmerz products that you can find here, but Maya mists would work equally well.

So here is my video! 

Fun with favors

and cards...

Went to a Stampin up party recently and got some of the cutest ideas. Here is an ice cream cone card we made using the scalloped circle punch, only punching out just over half of the scallop.

And enclosed in this sweet package is one kit kat bar. Using a 6 X 6 sheet of paper you wrap your kit kat bar and then crimp the edges.

A great way to give a little something with a card for a teacher gift or co worker.

Have You Seen This? - The Smash Book

I am SO going to make one of these...



I keep a writer's notebook (well, actually scads of them), and I sometimes tuck little bits of non-writing stuff in there to mingle with my poems and lists and musings, but this whole idea of saving random bits and pieces of my life and snippets of inspiration just seems, well, so FUN! And the name of

This little concept is apparently the brainchild of K&Company, and here is how they define it: SMASH. For all the moments and musings that stick. A series of uber-cool books that come with a SmashStick, which is a pen on one end and a glue stick on the other.

And look: there 's a whole blog dedicated to the Smash Book.  Here's a post on that blog that talks about the genesis of Smash.

Apparently, these little books aren't available quite yet, so I might just turn one of my writer's notebooks into a project like this. But I definitely want to buy a real Smash book because I NEED that SmashStick!

Project Life Share

I know a lot of you guys out there are into Project Life, and so today I thought I'd share a few pics of my album and share a bit of my process... (*Sorry for the dark pics--my regular lens is out on loan!)
First off, this is my third year doing this. I remember hitting several walls the first year--especially in February when I realized I had to "keep up this pace". I later had a change of attitude and didn't put so much pressure on myself to have the "perfect" photo or element every single day. Letting go of my expectations was SUCH a release for me...

After that first year, I remember thinking I would not go on and do another one. It was a lot of work, one more thing on my To Do List, blah, blah, blah. When I put the last journaling spot in with the last photo, and I took that completed book and showed my family, my attitude quickly changed. I was SO thankful I did it.

Now, I am not like many who only use Project Life as their single source of scrapbooking. In fact, I think doing only everyday shots sometimes does a disservice to milestones, longer stories, lessons I want my my children to hear from me, etc. For me, I use it for just everyday stuff. And that really counts.

I'm working with the Amber Project Life edition this year. Love the fun, bright colors that make me smile. My girlfriend and I swapped a few of the journaling spots (she got the other edition) so we could mix it up a bit. I do not use the binders that come with the kit once the year is over (I use We R Memory Keepers 3 Ring binders exclusively for all my family albums, and they're all color coded). I do use my binder throughout the year and keep all my stuff in there at hand in our living space so I can find it easily. Our kids journal in it often (pretty much weekly). I love that their handwriting and viewpoints are captured. I also use divided page protectors and baseball card protectors to add elements that I also love--tiny pictures, fabric swatches from a recent home improvement project, bits of mail, a receipt, etc. Helps to add to the feel of our lives right now.

A while back, I started a process that works for me and develop my pictures weekly. That being said, I do own a Canon Selphy CP780 and I LOVE IT. It is perfect for little photos or something that is needed in a pinch. I have an HP printer that I also enjoy, but mainly use those for larger prints, not my Project Life stuff. As I've said before, I love Costco's photo processing--so I mostly get my prints there or online. If you are new to this and are starting to feel overwhelmed, I would recommend finding your own rhythm and stick to it. Whatever works!

I found this recent quote SO perfect for this project... And for those of you who need a little daily reminder to write, I've found this site to be extremely helpful. It sends you an email reminder, and all you have to do is respond for your daily post! OhLife is fun...and perfect if you have trouble with the journaling part.

I'd love to hear about your Project Life Projects, and any suggestions you might like to add! Feel free to leave any questions as well.

Enjoy your day!

St. Patty's Day Inspiration

Wanted to share a few St. Patrick's Day ideas with you today. You know it's a favorite holiday of mine! :)
Rainbow cupcakes make me smile!! How fun are these?

These free printables from TomKat Studio are perfect for classroom parties...

Ahhh...yes. A garland of shamrocks. LOVE!!

My love affair with felt continues. This banner is just too cute!

This idea using a rainbow theme knocked my socks off. I'm SO doing this with our kids! You have to check it out--so cute!

This Keep Calm poster put a smile on this Irish face! :)

This one is cute, too! You can find the free printable here.

This handprint idea is right up my alley! I'm thinking I have a canvas around here somewhere for this very project...

Enjoy your day!

Weekend Project

A while back I found myself very inspired by this::

So I took some of this...

black foam core

as well as some of this...

elmer's tack removable adhesive putty

and came up with this::

My version:
black foam core cut in 13x13 inch squares.
attached to the wall with 3M removable adhesive.

Now I have a gallery on my studio wall for current or favorite paper projects.
The 12x12 layouts seen here are attached with the Elmer's removable putty.
A very doable weekend project.
A very affordable project.
A very fun way to keep your work out in a gallery-esque fashion.

March 2011 WIP Kits

March Main WIP Kit --SOLD OUT

Contents of this kit include: 18 papers total--12 Patterned Papers (Echo Park For the Record), 6 cardstock (2 sand-able Coredinations Cardstock and 4 non-textured cardstock), one For the Record Sticker Sheet--Elements, 1 For the Record alpha sheet (containing 3 alphas), Jillibean Soup Alphabet Sheet, Jillibean Soup Element Sheet, Tiny Type Alphas in yellow--Cosmo Cricket, Tiny Type Alphas in Ivory from Cosmo Cricket, 2 yellow Bingo Sheets, 1 Plastic checkbook cover, 3 black and 3 white 4x4 envelopes, 2 handwriting strip sheets 12" long, 7Gypsies mini label stickers, 18" black lace trim, 18" red gingham trim, and 15" kraft and black hemstitch trim, various buttons and cabochons, 5 yards of red and white baker's twine, 2 leaf stick pins from Little Yellow Bicycle and 12 stamped shipping tags (see photo below).

March Project Kit--SOLD OUT

Contents of this kit include: 6 6x6 7Gypsies Lillie patterned papers, 3 Teresa Collins metal book plates, 1 hard cover book and a binding mechanism to create an altered book binding, 1 roll 7Gypsies red book binding tape, 3 milk caps, 3 XL manila shipping tags, 1 square shipping tag, 2 transparencies for book interior, 1 Jenni Bowlin label paper, 1 7Gypsies knob for the book cover, 1 Making Memories package of alphabet stickers, 3 die cut tags/postcards, various die cuts, flowers, paper clips, photo turns and binder clips to create finished project.

March Add-On Kit--$22

Contents of this kit include: 7 12x12 Patterned Papers (Colorbok, KI Memories, American Crafts, DCWV) and 12 6x6 Patterned Papers (My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose Mabel), 15" orange felt ric rac, 3 felt die cut butterflies, 6 star brads, 2 mini brown paper bags, Jillibean Soup alpha stickers in green, Jenni Bowlin die cut label card, 15" aqua polka dot trim, 15" red herringbone trim, and one white photo frame with ribbon hanger.

Altered Wooden Spools

I've been inspired by wooden spools lately. I especially loved how crafters would make photo holders of them. Such a fun way to display your favorite photos & be able to change them out when you want. I took a different approach with mine & added tiny photos to the spools, like a film reel, for fun.

I wrapped each one with yummy October Afternoon papers, embellished with hearts, rub-ons & my favorite family photos (photog by Ali McLauglin). Super easy & nicely displayed on our fireplace.


Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's day & enjoy the rest of your week filled with love :)

March WIP Kits Delay

Normally, our kits go up for sale on the 15th of every month. They have for the past 4 years, without fail. In an effort to get new product from CHA, I had to push back the reveal of the kits to the 17th (Thursday) this time around. Trust me, I agonized over the decision. But I think it was worth it. And as a teaser, know that the glorious Echo Park For the Record collection will be involved. :) I hope you understand. My sincerest apologies for the delay!! I hope you find it worth the wait...

Happy Valentine's Day!

In addition to my regularly scheduled Valentine greeting, I'd like to share my latest love with you. Pinterest. Have you heard of it? If not, you will. It is a website where you can catalog your favorite things on the web. If you were into bookmarking favorite items (creative inspiration, books you wanted to read, photos or quotes you love, etc.) then this place is for you! I promise, you will be addicted (you're warned!). If you would like an invite and don't want to wait on their wait list to join, feel free to email me at Turay413@gmail.com and I'll do my best to keep up with requests! I've been enabling friends all weekend long...ha!
I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Faux Paper Ribbons

Feburary's kit contained a sheet of paper called Flour Sack from October Afternoon that looks like batched-together ribbons to me, so an idea came to me and I created this layout. Since the sheet of paper looks like ribbons, I might as well cut them out as if ribbons :)

Here is a pictorial tutorial how I did the ribbons. I know I could use scissors, but I'm way too lazy for two snips! lol.

Here is a close-up look at the faux ribbons' edges. I used Helmar Zapdots to give a few of them some added dimension.  I also intermingled a few pieces of real ribbons into the mix, just to add to the texture of the page.  Overall, this was a page of experimenting with an idea and I like the end result and I will probably implement this again on another page in the future :)