Can you believe how fast this week has gone by?!?! It has been an amazing week to day the least! From the return from an incredible trip to not one but TWO new Creative Design Team members!!! Wow what a week!!!
Not a lot to report here at "Beloved Keepsakes" central headquarters! LOL I am working on the big announcement that will be coming soon along with several files that I hope to have up in the store next week to share with you!!!
Speaking of new files - I haven't asked lately - is there anything special you are looking for? Anything you need to finish that special layout or to complete your album?? If so - leave me a comment - any ideas that I use - the person who gave it to me will get the file or the title for free!!!
Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!
Until Next Time!
Cya~
Lori
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Announcing....
A few days ago - I introduced you to Lynn Barwald, the first member of my "Creative Design Team". Well today I would like to introduce you to the second member of the team -
Bec H.
Hello let me introduce myself,
I am what I call a ‘still staying at home’ mom. I prefer to work outside the home, but for the last 13 years have stayed at home because my husband and family love it that way. I have four children, and one grandchild.
I’ve spent many hours volunteering at our school watching my children grow up. With only one teenager still at home, that chapter is almost complete.
I have always loved all crafts from sewing to cross-stitch and scrap booking. Most of my spare time is spent using my two favorite toys, my computer and blue wishblade. Each time I create a new layout for my children’s memory books I get excited. My children still bring their mementos home to me because they know I get so much joy from scrapping them.
I am looking forward to being inspired by you all. Thank you Lori for including me on your Beloved Keepsakes Creative Team.
Bec
South Texas
Most of you will remember seeing her layout in the "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover" Challenge in which Bec tied for third place with her submission "Pawpa".
Bec also submitted a layout a few months back using my "Hiding behind the Camera" cutting file.
And today for the first time - I would like to share with you a layout that Bec designed using my "Bubble Bath" cutting file!
(you can click on the photos to get a larger image)
One of the things that I soooo love about Bec's style of scrapping is that she is a Hybrid scrapper! (Hybrid Scrapbooking is defined as combining traditional and digital elements on a scrapbooking page).
I personally have never done the digital thing - but from the looks of Bec's layouts I am totally missing something for sure!!!Please help me welcome Bec to the "Beloved Keepsakes Creative Design Team"! She is going to be an amazing addition and you need to make sure you keep watch of what she has to share next!!!!
I think you can tell we have a very diverse set of scrappers on the team! I can't wait to see what they come up with and how we will all grow as Beloved Keepsakes continues to grow!
Until Next Time!
Cya~
Lori
PS - Speaking of growing - I have a HUGE announcement coming in the next few weeks for all of you that do not have a personal cutting machine but LOVE the Beloved Keepsakes designs!! So stay tuned!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Children's ATC Challenge at Paperthreads!!!
Do you have kids that love to play in your scrapping stuff??? Then sign them up for the Children's ATC Challenge at Paperthreads!!!
(click on the photo to enlarge the size and read all about it!!!)
Until Next Time!
Cya~
Lori
(click on the photo to enlarge the size and read all about it!!!)Until Next Time!
Cya~
Lori
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Annoucement!
So here it is - the big announcement you have all been waiting for!!!!
I have created and assembled my very own personal CREATIVE DESIGN TEAM!!!! Whooo Hooooo!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am by this addition to my staff!!! I personally have been on several design teams in the past and I was always sooo shocked that someone liked my work enough to have me showcase their items.... and now here I am with my own "creative design team"! WOW!!!!
So today I would like to introduce you to my first "Beloved Keepsakes Creative Design Team" member.....
You probably remember her from the challenge as she was the 2nd place winner -
Since childhood Lynn loved working on arts & crafts projects and in 1992 one of Lynn’s many hobbies became a full time business when she and her husband began exhibiting and selling their handmade glass and crystal jewelry at the Florida art shows. They sold Lucky Charm Jewelry after 14 years, with a mailing list of approximately 6,000. Prior to that, Lynn had been employed at IBM for 19 years and shortly after became certified in colored gemstones with the Gemology Institute of America (G.I.A.). In addition, being a Dale Carnegie graduate, she grew her interest in motivational speaking and became a weight management lecturer.
Always ready with a camera, Lynn found scrapbooking to be a fun and creative hobby. After seeing people’s excitement in her pages and projects, Lynn delighted in the joy and satisfaction of developing and teaching some of the skills and techniques she discovered along the way. Mixing and matching all the artistic experiences from jewelry to scrapbooking gave rise to a new love… stamping and card making. Now, you will find Lynn at home and in the local scrapbook and stamping shops sharing her high energy and enthusiasm in classes and workshops.
I am sooo very excited to have Lynn on my team!!! Here is a few examples of her work!
I have created and assembled my very own personal CREATIVE DESIGN TEAM!!!! Whooo Hooooo!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am by this addition to my staff!!! I personally have been on several design teams in the past and I was always sooo shocked that someone liked my work enough to have me showcase their items.... and now here I am with my own "creative design team"! WOW!!!!
So today I would like to introduce you to my first "Beloved Keepsakes Creative Design Team" member.....
You probably remember her from the challenge as she was the 2nd place winner -
Lynn Barwald
Since childhood Lynn loved working on arts & crafts projects and in 1992 one of Lynn’s many hobbies became a full time business when she and her husband began exhibiting and selling their handmade glass and crystal jewelry at the Florida art shows. They sold Lucky Charm Jewelry after 14 years, with a mailing list of approximately 6,000. Prior to that, Lynn had been employed at IBM for 19 years and shortly after became certified in colored gemstones with the Gemology Institute of America (G.I.A.). In addition, being a Dale Carnegie graduate, she grew her interest in motivational speaking and became a weight management lecturer.
Always ready with a camera, Lynn found scrapbooking to be a fun and creative hobby. After seeing people’s excitement in her pages and projects, Lynn delighted in the joy and satisfaction of developing and teaching some of the skills and techniques she discovered along the way. Mixing and matching all the artistic experiences from jewelry to scrapbooking gave rise to a new love… stamping and card making. Now, you will find Lynn at home and in the local scrapbook and stamping shops sharing her high energy and enthusiasm in classes and workshops.
I am sooo very excited to have Lynn on my team!!! Here is a few examples of her work!
Lynn's "Pirate Essentials" Card was published in the September 2007 issue of the Rubber Stamper magazine.
Lynn also hosts some of the most amazing classes - so if you are in the Wellington, FL area - make sure you check out her class schedule and pop in for an awesome class or two!!
You can learn more about Lynn or check out her class schedule on her website.
You can learn more about Lynn or check out her class schedule on her website.
Please help me welcome Lynn to the "Beloved Keepsakes Creative Design Team" by leaving her a message in the comment section!!!!
I am just so00o thrilled to have you on the team Lynn!!!
Keep watching for Lynn's projects featuring Beloved Keepsakes items - coming soon!
Until Next Time!
Cya~
Lori
Until Next Time!
Cya~
Lori
Make sure you tune in later this week for the introduction of the next addition to the "Beloved Keepsakes Creative Design Team"!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Need a vacation?
Have you ever gotten back from your vacation and think - "Man, I need a vacation to recover from my vacation?!?!" LOL That is how I am feeling today!!!
I am going to try and not bombard you with tooooo many photos - as I think I ended up with 194 total from our "mini vacation" this weekend (and the sad thing is I didn't take as many photos as I normally do!!!)
We left on Thursday to head to Crystal River, FL. The day started out quite lovely - but the weather channel was predicating something much different! So after a 5 hour drive we finally arrive to our camp ground and as we are checking in - the bottom fell out!!!! I mean it was raining!
We decided to ride around for a little while check out the area and wait for the rain to stop - well after about an hour - the rain hadn't stopped yet so we decided to try and find an Internet connection (thank goodness for wireless and laptops!!!). We finally found a signal in this small little town and pulled up the weather channel - man oh man - it wasn't looking good! Hubby made the decision that we were going to go a head and get the tent up even if it was raining... so back to the camp site we went!!! (Needless to say I was praying the whole time for just a little break in the weather!)
As we pulled in we got that small break in the weather and we busted butt to get camp set up!We got our tent up, the bed made and then it started raining again! So we decided the heck with trying to cook at camp as the rain had now turned into thunderstorms!!! So off to dinner we went!!!
We got up on Friday morning to a VERY wet and soggy day! It was extremely overcast and WINDY!!!! I was soooo worried that they were going to cancel our Manatee tour due to the weather!!! We headed on out to the bay to meet our boat and Cpt. (Did I happen to mention it was WINDY?!?!)
Our Cpt arrived and she was awesome!!! We were suppose to have three others with us on the tour that day - but they didn't show - so it ended up just being Hubby, me and the Cpt Doreen! Now that is what you call a "private" tour for sure!!!
We headed out into Kings Bay - Cpt Doreen was a little worried about the weather and the effect that it was going to have on the Manatees - so we went to the "Three Sisters Springs" which is this awesome springs that makes this incredible cove. Her thought was if we were sheltered from the wind and the weather - the manatees may be around and more playful... and there is where we had our first encounter with the Manatees!!!
Even though we were under tornado warnings - this was the coolest thing ever!!! The sky was overcast but overall the temperature wasn't too bad and the water was still pretty clear! I could go on and on and on about how awesome it was to swim and play with the manatees. They are like huge puppies! They love to have their bellies rubbed, the love to give you kisses and hugs... they like to try and sneak up on you - it was incredible!! But instead of rambling on and on- here are just a few of the photos that we took!
Can you say "Up close and personal?" LOL
This is me with one of the babies!
This is hubby with one of the manatees!
This is hubby scratching one if the cows... she liked it sooo much she actually turned over on her back!!! LOL
This manatee loved hanging out at our boat ladder! He liked to be petted on his head!
This is me again (whew I kind if look like a manatee in that wetsuit!!! Bahahaha).
After spending about 5 and a half hours swimming with the manatees and riding around the bay- the weather starting turning a little ugly so we headed back to the dock for lunch! About twenty minutes after we ate lunch - the bottom let lose -and I mean it STORMED!!!!!
I think all in all we ended up with several inches of rain and 25 to 30 mile per hour winds - the night was rough! But our tent man - it held out and kept us safe, warm and even dry!!!!
The next morning - the skies were clear but the temperature was dropping so we decided that we had had enough of camping and that we would spend the night in our own bed that night!!!! So we packed up camp and headed out!
Before heading out of town we went to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park - and even though there was still 20 mile per hour winds we were able to see most of the animals and visit with even more manatees!!!! It was probably the best state park I have ever visited in my life!!!
Due to the storms the night before, all the rain that had fallen, a westerly wind and a high tide - the spring was out of its bank - so we actually had the rare treat of seeing the manatees come up to the bank and eat the vegetation that they normally couldn't reach!!!!
I am going to try and not bombard you with tooooo many photos - as I think I ended up with 194 total from our "mini vacation" this weekend (and the sad thing is I didn't take as many photos as I normally do!!!)
We left on Thursday to head to Crystal River, FL. The day started out quite lovely - but the weather channel was predicating something much different! So after a 5 hour drive we finally arrive to our camp ground and as we are checking in - the bottom fell out!!!! I mean it was raining!
We decided to ride around for a little while check out the area and wait for the rain to stop - well after about an hour - the rain hadn't stopped yet so we decided to try and find an Internet connection (thank goodness for wireless and laptops!!!). We finally found a signal in this small little town and pulled up the weather channel - man oh man - it wasn't looking good! Hubby made the decision that we were going to go a head and get the tent up even if it was raining... so back to the camp site we went!!! (Needless to say I was praying the whole time for just a little break in the weather!)
As we pulled in we got that small break in the weather and we busted butt to get camp set up!We got our tent up, the bed made and then it started raining again! So we decided the heck with trying to cook at camp as the rain had now turned into thunderstorms!!! So off to dinner we went!!!
We got up on Friday morning to a VERY wet and soggy day! It was extremely overcast and WINDY!!!! I was soooo worried that they were going to cancel our Manatee tour due to the weather!!! We headed on out to the bay to meet our boat and Cpt. (Did I happen to mention it was WINDY?!?!)
Our Cpt arrived and she was awesome!!! We were suppose to have three others with us on the tour that day - but they didn't show - so it ended up just being Hubby, me and the Cpt Doreen! Now that is what you call a "private" tour for sure!!!
We headed out into Kings Bay - Cpt Doreen was a little worried about the weather and the effect that it was going to have on the Manatees - so we went to the "Three Sisters Springs" which is this awesome springs that makes this incredible cove. Her thought was if we were sheltered from the wind and the weather - the manatees may be around and more playful... and there is where we had our first encounter with the Manatees!!!
Even though we were under tornado warnings - this was the coolest thing ever!!! The sky was overcast but overall the temperature wasn't too bad and the water was still pretty clear! I could go on and on and on about how awesome it was to swim and play with the manatees. They are like huge puppies! They love to have their bellies rubbed, the love to give you kisses and hugs... they like to try and sneak up on you - it was incredible!! But instead of rambling on and on- here are just a few of the photos that we took!
Can you say "Up close and personal?" LOL
This is me with one of the babies!
This is hubby with one of the manatees!
This is hubby scratching one if the cows... she liked it sooo much she actually turned over on her back!!! LOL
This manatee loved hanging out at our boat ladder! He liked to be petted on his head!
This is me again (whew I kind if look like a manatee in that wetsuit!!! Bahahaha).
After spending about 5 and a half hours swimming with the manatees and riding around the bay- the weather starting turning a little ugly so we headed back to the dock for lunch! About twenty minutes after we ate lunch - the bottom let lose -and I mean it STORMED!!!!!
I think all in all we ended up with several inches of rain and 25 to 30 mile per hour winds - the night was rough! But our tent man - it held out and kept us safe, warm and even dry!!!!
The next morning - the skies were clear but the temperature was dropping so we decided that we had had enough of camping and that we would spend the night in our own bed that night!!!! So we packed up camp and headed out!
Before heading out of town we went to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park - and even though there was still 20 mile per hour winds we were able to see most of the animals and visit with even more manatees!!!! It was probably the best state park I have ever visited in my life!!!
Due to the storms the night before, all the rain that had fallen, a westerly wind and a high tide - the spring was out of its bank - so we actually had the rare treat of seeing the manatees come up to the bank and eat the vegetation that they normally couldn't reach!!!!
Let me tell you - this was a trip and an experience of a lifetime!!! If you EVER have the chance to go to Crystal River, FL - I can not stress to you how AMAZING this experience was!!! Hubby and I have done some pretty cool things together - white water rafting, we went snorkeling in St. Lucia, jetsking, panning for gold in the Mountains, treasure hunting on the beach - I mean all kind of cool stuff... but so far this has been the coolest thing either one of us have ever done!!!
So there you have it - a small recap of our trip!!! I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos and reading about our encounter!!!
Make sure you come back tomorrow as I have a very exciting announcement to make!!!
Until Next Time!
Cya~
Lori
So there you have it - a small recap of our trip!!! I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos and reading about our encounter!!!
Make sure you come back tomorrow as I have a very exciting announcement to make!!!
Until Next Time!
Cya~
Lori