there's no place like home....

I'm back. 

We had a grand time! 

So many fun memories as a family! 

We soaked in the sunshine. 

hit the trails. 

explored the Grand Canyon.

swam.

laughed.

ate yummy food.

 shopped.

& had such a relaxing time. 

I didn't take my computer & my family said, 'what? you won't be on your computer?"....it was so wonderful & just what we all needed.

But, of course, now it's time to get crackin! So many great things are on the horizon....I'm just inspired & giddy...things are falling into place & I feel so blessed & thankful.

When you're gone for over a week...things pile up...& while I tried to keep up with emails on my phone...taking pix & tweeting/facebooking along the way...

I felt like I missed out on blogging about a few things I didn't want to get lost in the cracks...so, here's a run down:

*House of 3 sale & closing
(eta: just saw Heidi put up her fave kit suggestions here. & I'll be sure to add my faves tomorrow!) 

* Wacom Tablets and Photoshop Webinar tomorrow: Tuesday, April 19th 2011
11:00am – 12:00pm PDT (US & Canada) Be sure to register & enjoy!

*Spark happenings: have you registered? You do NOT want to miss Spark No. 3!

* Something Splendid: My dear friend, Liz, has launched her new site. Check it out!

.....and a HUGE thank you for the support & amazing emails & messages about my Spring Mix kit. 

have a wonderful Monday! 

day 27: 6 week shape up and a WINNER!

 So fun to see your entries in the Wacom Pen Scrappers contest I hosted....THANK YOU to everyone!

and..without further ado...our winner is:

Nancy 

Congrats!!!!

& remember, if you didn't win HERE on my blog, you still have all month to enter to win over at Penscrappers! So....go, enter, win!

& for some fun articles...go over to the Learning Center under Workshops for some articles by me! ENJOY!

ok...so, NOW...onto our 6 week Shape up!  Today we are on day 27 & ALMOST a month...tomorrow is our 4 week mark! Can you believe it!?  I wanted to answer some questions I've been getting & give you some tips I've learned along the way on our 6 week journey!

Q: How do you record your goals? 

A: I have been writing them down in my Remarkable 2011 journal. And I do love that. But, I also have found a great little tool online & put the APP on my phone:

Lose it app. It's really helping me journal my food & exercise while helping me with my goals...right at my fingertips.

Q: What's your workout routine?  

A: I have been reporting in on my daily mile home page....which I love btw. I found it through my friend, Layle. & I love it because it tracks how much I walk, run & do my weight workouts.  Since it's still practically WINTEr...I have only been walking & running on the treadmill...& I'm looking forward to the warmer weather! holla!

I have also been DILIGENT with my fave weight workout: ChaLEAN Extreme routine. I just finished my first 4 weeks of Burn & today started my next 4 weeks of Push. wow. wow. wow. wow. wow. I love it!  I am getting stronger & I LOVE Chalean. She's great!

Q: How did you get off the sugar craving/addiction? 

A: You said your doctor had given you something.

This was a HUGE thing for me. Like I'd said before, I was a true addict. It was horrible!  But, w/in a week I was able to get off of it...& you know what? It's totally helped me!!!! It's called: Gymnema. It's all natural & it really curb my cravings, keep my blood sugar levels balanced & just made it easier with the horrible addiction I had. I'm not a doctor, so obviously I can't prescribe this, only tell you my experience. It works!  Talk to your doctor if you need help! :)

Q: I see you've been tweeting about Clean Eating. What is that? 

A:  This  magazine is so fabulous!  I love it. Online, you can get recipes, shopping lists, meal plans, read the forums, & get motivated. Plus, I love Tosca! She has a new book out called: Eat Clean diet: Stripped. Great recipes, & fat burning meal plans....to get that last 10 lbs off!  

Q: What motivates you? I can't seem to get motivated.

 A: I hear ya. Getting motivated is so difficult. Here are a few tips that have helped: 

1.  write down your goals & really stick with them. I learned SO much in the Soul REstoration class. It really helped me with my goals, figuring out WHY I do certain things & really getting down to what I want & how to get it. I learned I deserve to live the kind of life I've always wanted, but it will take hard work. There's no easy fix.

2. I watch Biggest Loser every week! LOL! It is seriously a HUGE motivator to me. I love it!

3. Think about Summer. LOL. that'll do it every time!

4. My health. I have had to make it my full time job to focus on getting my health back to where I can function, live & enjoy my life!  When my health was so compromised, I really had no choice...it is a HUGE motivator for me!

But, reality kicks in..I'm not motivated all the time. I get down. I want sugar. I don't want to work out...but, I have to pick myself up, blog & report to YOU! THAT is what really helps! So, thanks for all of your support..with me & each other. 

We can do this. 2 more weeks! It's never too late!

see you tomorrow for Check in Tuesday!

day 23: 6 week shape up & WACOM time!

 
Today, I feel so lucky!

I'm so excited about so many things:

No 1. Day 23 & feelin' great! How about YOU?  

No 2. Got my Blendtec yesterday & have been a healthy smoothie makin' machine. My kids are asking me to make the 'ice cream' kind of smoothies, but I'll hold off on that....too tempting for me now. I'm getting lots of yummy naturally sweet & nutritious recipes & trying them all! :)One of my fave, interesting tasting FAT BURNING recipes is from Tosca Reno>>>. go HERE>

No 3. My fave: Mindy Gledhill's Whole Wide World music video came out. It is truly one of THE most inspiring songs of all time for me...Just take a second to listen to the words. & all of you Spark sisters...do you recognize it? We had the lyrics all over the venue as well as in our Spark No. 2 video by JMills! LOOOOOVE it! Makes me soo happy!

No 4.GREAT response for the 6 Week Shape Up brush set! So happy you all like them...I LOVE them! So, thanks for the kind words & can't wait to see how you use them!

which brings me to ....

No. 5.  It's time for a Wacom Pen Scrappers contest! Do you want to win a Bamboo Craft? Well...I've got one to give away here on my blog!  The contest has to do with the FREE March kit over at Pen Scrappers called: Singing in the Rain. Go check it out here: You will see that you can enter over there, too! So, 2 of you will have a chance to WIN a Bamboo Craft!

So, anyway...I wanted to introduce you to the whole Pen Scrappers site..it's a GREAT resource for tutorials on HOW to do anything & everything with your Wacom in the Learning Center.  Lessons, Workshops, Photo Clinic, & the Tablet Playground.

Be watching, because some articles of mine will be coming up in the Learning Center really soon. I'll for sure share them here when they do, but for now...go on over & browse.

and...w/o further ado... our contest rules:

1. Use the Singing in the Rain FREE kit

with ANY other brush set; hint: the 6 week shape up brush set would be a fun addition...

&

2. Create an inspiring piece of digital art with a quote, photo...you know..whatever INSPIRES you. 

3. Share it with us on your blog, flickr, or use it to enter in the contest on Pen Scrappers in the forum...& then I'll choose a winner to WIN your own Bamboo Craft! 

**contest ends on Sunday night. 3.20.11 **

ok...ready? set...get LUCKY!

Webshow re-cap!

Thanks everyone for joining us tonight! It was great fun! Such a fun way to share our passion for creating! And, as Heidi pointed out during the show....it was a night to inspire! If you missed it, here's the recorded show. It's *almost* like you were there...I just wish you could keep the chat up! It's so much fun to have the LIVE chat feed coming in from the 500+ people all over the world! You guys rocked! thanks so much!
....and for being patient as we got the hang of switching from the camera to my screen! LOL....bumpy. but it all worked! So, when you are re-watching it...about 15 min. in we lose sound...but it comes back. be patient! *wink*

so....we gave you LOTS of info during the show & I wanted to give you the links to what were were talking about:


Wacom Pen Scrappers. Missy Brooks was our WINNER of a Bamboo Craft tablet complete with Photoshop Elements! wwooohoo! Thanks again, Wacom....we LOVE you! Thanks so much, Pam!

Jessica Sprague. Photoshop/Photoshop Elements guru-educator-extraordinaire. Thanks again, Jessica, for being there moderating, answering questions & offering our House of 3 peeps a fab discount for your fab classes! mmm*wah!

Second Sister Jewelry: April Meeker's fabulous jewelry adorned my neck during the show. She's amazing! LOVE It! thanks, love!

Formspring: the question/answer forum we've set up for any & all of your House of 3 questions. Go HERE for any Hof3 questions we missed during the show. And HERE for any questions for me...& Heidi will be posting hers soon, too! It's a great place to ask questions, get them answered & THEN they are always there...so maybe someone else has asked your question & you can find the answer..lickety split!

100 Creativity Exercises Workshop: This was the creativity secret I was sharing...in the jar! I LOVE these! The kit is fab & I really truly believe in them!
For a downloadable version OR a printed-out-packaged-oh-so-cute version:

Option:

Digital Download ONLY $25.00 Pre-Printed; Pre-Cut Packaged $58.00 International Packaged $85.00

the FAB new printable kits:
Mini Monogram Jewelry by Janet
& the Happy Ticket Printable kit....
all made with brushes...we wanted to show you what FAB designs you can do with brushes...& be watching the Inspiration House all week..we'll be sharing our projects using brushes!

and...last but not least....
the Magical Brush Kit.
the Digital Design Class Video.
and
the Bundle of both....
special pricing until tomorrow!

ok...tired. going to bed...I'll share photos of the cute Spring jars I created using the show freebie! good night!



ha ha. forgot to tell you where I got the grey paper straws: Hey YoYo. FAB store! and...mushrooms were from Bake It Pretty!

and...there's a prize for anyone who can tell me HOW MANY FREAKIN" TIMES I SAY "actually" in that webshow...geesh! I just re-watched it & it's my word of the night apparently. actually! LOL!


and. i promise. i will NOT chomp gum again during the broadcast. oy!

winner & Wacom contest begins!

Congrats, Natasha for winning a spot in Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas Class....it starts today & I'm so excited! It was fun hearing from all of you...I wish I had a spot to go to everyone!

And, it's December 1st. Go check out the Wacom Pen Scrappers site! This month the contest theme is: Gratitude. I love this in December! Normally we think of it in November, but really...isn't it fantastic to have that attitude of gratitude during the Christmas season? I think so!

So, look at what you can win:
Wacom Bamboo Craft tablet
Canon PowerShot A480 camera
Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist CD
Daisytrail DigitKit Collection 1 CD
100 iStock Credits
1 Year Free subscription to Paper Creations Magazine

fab grand prize, I'd say! So, get on over there, check it out & enter!

Be watching in the next couple of days, too! There will be a whole slew of new tutorials over there! I did one of creating a silhouette out of a photo like this.
It's super easy with your Wacom Tablet....fun Christmas presents, I'm thinking! I love this art! Such a great way to capture our family's silhouettes.

I grew up with memories of these old hand cut silhouettes of my mom & her 2 brothers framed in oval frames above my granny's fireplace. The story goes: one day a blind man came to my grandparent's door & he was doing these silhouettes for money. He'd feel the person's profile & cut it out of paper. Can you believe that? I wish I had a picture of my grandparent's mantle with these framed silhouettes! See how important documenting your every day memories can be?

I found some oval frames & am going to do this for our family to keep that tradition alive!

And..I've been working on a hand crafted Christmas around here.
wrapping paper
ribbon
doilies
newspaper
feathers
glitter.

you get the idea.

Last year I vowed to NOT spend any money on new Christmas decorations. (I think I even confessed it's a sickness I have..I just LOVE decorations & I had way too many!)

So..this year, I'm doing the same thing...I created some fun things with what I had on hand. (minus this fab vintage christmas wreath I got here!)
I'll take pics & show you! Of course, I've got House of 3 in the mix along with tons of inspiration from Spark! *wink*
Happy Tuesday!
R

exciting news!

Today is the launch for Wacom's Penscrappers. And, I'm soo excited & honored to be a part of the team! It's a new & improved site geared towards educating, inspiring & sharing info about the Wacom tablet: Bamboo Craft!

Look at all of these talented digital designers! They are all a*mazing! And each of us has prepared video tutorials in the Learning Center, on how to use your tablet in designing & scrapping! And...be watching...each month we'll have a contest/ challenge, free downloads & lots of cool stuff!
Wacom just plain rocks! They are one of our partnered faves on our House of 3 links page!
Love them!

And...speaking of House of 3, be sure to check out the newsletter going out....a 25% gRatitude sale from midnight tonight until midnight Friday night!...perfect for those last minute Halloween buys!
Did you see what Heidi did with her Spooky Stairway? Love it!
And....I just posted some fun Haunted Lollies!
Check it out here!

have a fab Tuesday!
R

Dear Wacom...I love you.

I got the new Bamboo Craft Touch in the mail today. Oh my...it's a*mazing.
Doodles are a breeze. Crafting is a dream. Art work is so easy.
a *must* have.
draw. trace. be free. i love you, Wacom!


I'm gettin' crafty with my Spark girls tonight! Jefra, Margie & Liz are on their way to my house...craftin' up the goodie bags...oh my! You will DIE at these delights! So fun!...and Sparkettes..be looking for an email announcing the Spark Soiree! oo la la! a private party at Dear Lizzie...Oct. 20th! *mark your calendars*...so excited to meet all of you locals! mmm*wah!

happy weekend!
r

Day 18:: The {21} Challenge & NEW Wacom Tablets!

Day 18: feelin' great today...only a few more days 21ers!!!! I feel like I could fly! I feel strong. energetic...like I can conquer anything!

(To Download: click to enlarge>save page>print)

Today's quote: "Energy & persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin

Yup....energy & persistence. That's what it's taken to get through this. And, I've seen all of you exhibiting some amazing persistence. I know it's not easy. I know you have bad days, but I've so enjoyed hearing how you've conquered!

(To Download: click to enlarge>save page>print)

What a fantastically empowering word! conquer! Don't you just feel strong saying it?
Now. feel it.
Let that energy carry you through the day! We can do this!

Ok, so yesterday there was a Press Release from Wacom about....the new Bamboo Tablet line! I'm dying. Look at this new Bamboo Craft !

Digital scrapbookers, memory makers, and crafters: Bamboo Craft is the perfect tool for unleashing your creativity! Get hands-on with your projects using both pen and Multi-Touch input for your computer. Multi-Touch enables you to navigate and work with your creative assets quickly and easily. The pressure-sensitive pen lets you create your own art, edit photos, add embellishments, and provide a personal touch with your natural handwriting and doodles.

I've been praising the Wacom Tablets for years...I do all my art, drawing, designing, photo editing, blogging...even navigating with my tablets! (NO sore wrists when you use the pen as your mouse!) And now with the new Multi-Touch input...wow! so incredibly cool! Be on the look out for some more great info from the great people at Wacom...I'll shout out when I can! *wink*

And...today's creativity exercise is all about creating something for someone...I'm getting some cool heart boxes all ready for gifts on this special day.
Share the love...5 for $50. Makes such perfect gifts! fill them with treats, love notes, gifts...the list goes on!

Ok..happy Day 18..stay strong on the weekend!
R