Creative Weekend with Teresa Collins

I've had this post started since Monday.... wow the week sure got away from me with all the doctor appointments & my Aunt being released from nursing home rehab Wednesday.  Anyway here it is...

I look forward to this weekend every year. It was 3rd annual Teresa Collins classes that Susan owner of EMI Scrapbooking organizes. It was so wonderful to be around creative women & Teresa is a great teacher.  her kits are very well designed, she shares super techniques that I use over & over becoming immediate favorites, & she is such an authentic, sweet, generous person sharing stories of her life honestly & with such heart.  Thankfully this year the weather was beautiful (no hiding out in the hotel laundry room due to a tornado heading down the street like last year).  During last year's event Teresa already commits to coming back again (yes even with the tornadoes).  So I've been looking forward to this all year.  My health has been dictating my life quite a bit lately which is frustrating.... so with lots of prayer, rest, Dr. injections, & prednesone I was able to attend.

This has been my motto lately.... "BELIEVE IN MIRACLES".  

I made this bracelet inspired by classes I take from Brave Girls Club Melody Ross. 

Words are powerful & I've learned to not beat up on myself with negative words.  With all I had been going thru this last month it took a miracle to get me to the event & to last thru the day & late into the evening.  It was a real blessing that I needed.  Spending time with creative friends.... de-stressing & revitalizing my spirit.

Sunshine streaming in my bedroom window & feeling pretty good started my day

I'm so the person who is never in pictures...... I hate it.

But I've grown to know it's important.  My family needs photos of me.

This is a photo I took of myself (can't believe I did that... that alone is a miracle lol) driving to the event.

I got to the store around 1 pm on Friday so I could help Susan finish up some last minute things.

She put me on making samples for the store above the new Teresa Collins lines in the photo below.  Mylissa brought some great photos of her sons for me to use.  I love the one she did with the hearts & an old photo of one of her sons.  So sweet & the colors in the photo were perfect for the Stationary Noted line.

The Friday night class started at 6 pm at the Holiday Inn Express in Cumming GA

This was the pretty display at the front of the conference room.  Love all the samples & inspiration

I had a spot next to TC & Kristy.

Complete with hot tea to keep me going...

Opened up my Memories kit.... this one is so me LOVE LOVE LOVE.  

See all the goodies inside.  Precut pages & full packs/sheets of goodies.  

That gorgeous bling is HUGE.

After class everyone is free to stay for a crop to finish up kit or work on whatever.....

I tend to gab more than create during that time as I'm starting to get tired.

lol it shows in the photo....

We had a very spacious room to rest

Saturday I was dragging a little.... 

took a shower & while fixing my hair was overcome with thankfulness that it's looking pretty good in spite of medicine that is making it a lot thinner.

So again I forced myself to take a picture so I can scrap it....

notice the products in the bottom propped on the tissue box.

I couldn't get the volume without Selma Hayek Nuance hair products sold at CVS.

Love the skin care products too & she has a great makeup kit for eye brows.

Then downstairs for a quick bite to eat in the breakfast room

(forgot to take a pix so used the one on the hotel site lol... it works)

TC created one of these for each person in the class (filled with some yummy chocolate).

Seriously this girl is super creative & SO thoughtful!

First class of the day was a mini using Far & Away

(Teresa said she named it after the Tom Cruise/Nicole Kidman movie... 

I love that one & seem to watch it a couple times a year whenever it's on lol)

I have to say NO ONE does a travel line better than Teresa in my book - love the classic style & generic theme...

Lots of pockets to hold all the ephemera we get on vacation

Showing us page by page how to put together....

Lots of little tricks, tips & techniques

I finished the basics & bound mine so all that is left is pictures and a bit more embellishing

Saturday's class was filled... 

After lunch we worked on a cascading interactive mini using Stationary Noted. 

I love the pops of red in this one.  

This is her sample that starts out small & each page after gets bigger. It's created mostly with the package of file folders.

This one was a bit more involved to put together so we had to pay close attention

Teresa showing us how to use the WRMK Cinch to bind our books

After the 2nd class the store was open so everyone could shop.  Susan/EMI Scrapbooking always carries every line that Teresa releases & is the only company that sells so well with customers buying 4 sheets of each paper & the mini book kits we create for sell the lines even get re-ordered.

Teresa was looking at the sample of a kit I created with her Tell Your Story line

After store we went out to eat

Susan & I split a rita... just enough or I would have fallen asleep lol

Then back for some late night scrapping. 

Teresa is so sweet that she goes around & chats with each person.

After long creative weekend & late night scrapping along with the time change.... 

Spring forward always kicks my butt

Packed up & ready to head home.

I know it looks like I was staying a week but I bring my pillow & need to buy the carry on size of back to match this one.  (Ralph Lauren Chaps - wheels spin 360 - this one was less than $40 at Ross).  And I brought my laptop in case I flared up & ended up in the room early so I would have something to do to keep me from being too depressed about what I was missing out on.... Thankfully that didn't happen!

Now looking forward to the Royal Caribbean cruise in October.  

Teresa shares all about it in a blog post here.

Sail Date- 20 October 2013 from Port Canaveral 

7 Nights Eastern Caribbean

Hope you have a fantastic weekend & get a chance to create some great memories.