On Being the Big 30....

Nope. Don't feel old. Honestly, it never really had the chance to cross my mind as of late. First thing is here, I told you pictures, I got no camera cord. Have no clue where on God's green earth where it is. None. It is making me quite upset. Guess that is what Saturday shopping is for.

My hubby is now working in Estevan, Saskatchewan as well. It is the town we lived in before we moved out to Alberta. It is nice for him to be out there and visiting old friends but I miss him profusely and all of that matter is stressing me out slightly, I believe that we are on the cusp of something HUGE here given the climate of the oilpatch between Alberta and Saskatchewan. That is all I'm saying. If I go further, I am treading on breaking one of my rules of keeping politics and personal life in the balance. This place is supposed to be about scrappin' and fun with little tidbits of life splashed here and there. Too heavy for here.


So, as for CSC4K, I told ya I got pics. Shopping Saturday. USB cord. But to fulfill your need to see pics, I will give ya some links.

Carol Wingert

Leica Forrest

Kristina Contes

Ronee Parsons

Hope I can give ya a slight fix until mine come along. Maybe give you a good read too.

Alright....as for the weekend itself. Great sucess! I keep hearing from people what a great time they had and that makes me feel so good to hear. West Edmonton Mall facilities had presented some unexpected challenges that ended up being beyond our control, but those ladies, attendees, voluteers, teachers, they were all troopers! My love goes out to all of you!


I started my weekend there on Thursday at about 11am. From the word go, I was runnin'. Tables to get set up. Teachers arriving to greet and get settled into their surroundings. Paper and embellishments to arrange. Things to haul from one area to another. Craziness. Sore feet. Little sleep.

The last one I had a trick to. I knew I had to be up at 5:30 am every morning. I knew I would have late nights every night. So.....I made sure when it was bed time I never looked at the clock. Didn't want to know. Ignorance is bliss as they say! Seemed to work, my mind stayed fairly sharp until Sunday at least.

The classes.

They were amazing! So many gorgeous projects and talented teachers. I really was in awe of seeing all the talent when the samples came trickling in over the coming months. To hear so may people being blown away when they saw the projects and attended the classes, so good to hear. Trish picked our talent well.

My classes, over the months I secretly stressed. I kept thinking to myself, "Ok Janine, you know you are teaching along the 'big dogs' now. These gals get paid to teach and travel everyday, can you measure up?" So, I focused. I made sure I crossed the 't's and dotted the 'i's and luckily at my day job I got to take a "Train the Trainer" course to help me along!

They turned out so good. The project. The classes. So happy that my 'students got something out of it that they can take away. New techniques. Introduction to new, fun products and their possibilities. The encouragement of creativty. The knowledge that what one may perceive as a mistake, may not be a mistake at all, but instead a opportunity to take something in a new direction. That the difficult gets easier with practice. All that.

I did it! Yippee! Feels good to know my first classes were just a learning curve. But enough 'bout that....

The Teachers.

Oh my word! What a fun bunch. Such diverse personalities in the industry and I admire them for their hard work but also for their talent and their charm. Yes, sounds gushy and all that cheese, but true.

Sally Griswold and Josie Celio as Iron Orchid Designs - these gals got a great sense of style. When you take a peruse through their designs for Prima you can see that style shine. I just want to dress like them! Vintage cool, California, with a flair for Old Hollywood. But they made me giggle. You could definitely tell those two were sisters!

Kristina Contes - You know what people love her or hate her but she reminds me of well, me, before kids. Fun-loving. Bright and full of fun. A girl willing to work hard and lend a hand when its needed.

Kelly Goree - This gal is a serious one with a good sense of direction and focus, but be warned! She has a wild streak in her. Good little sense of fun!

Michelle Van Etten - This girl. This girl is crazy! Life of the party. Love her! Daring, straightforward and shoot from the hip. When Trisha told me that I would love her cah-razy friend Michelle, she wasn't wrong. I can't wait to see her again and not be working!

Ronee Parsons - This girl is a deep thinker and incredibly intellegent. Always wanting to learn and understand. I got a chance to talk to Ronee the most out of all the gals. We had a chance to have supper a couple times and we talked about a good lot of things. I wish her well with her new book and Incredible Mess . You watch that, I see good things coming!

Carol Wingert - She was a people person. Loved her going and just sitting chatting to the croppers. Happy to visit and chit chat. A lady that I wish I would have got more of a chance to sit with.

Alright, got a few more teachers to discuss, I'll leave that until another day. Enough typing Janine, sheesh!