got s.w.a.g.

Got milk? Ya. Me neither. Lactose intolerant.

But I got SWAG! Yep. Just returned from my SNAP! Blogging Conference on Sunday night. And let me tell you, friends… I got seriously “SWAGGED”. Yes ma’am!! Now, like me, you may lie awake at night, tossing and turning, wondering to yourself; “But what IS “SWAG”, actually?” Hmmm… I started playing around with the letters in my brain. Wait. Think I’ve got it. “Sweet Widdle Assorted Goodies & Givaways”. Ya. That sounds right. Nope. In reality, it means “Stuff We All Get”. Really? Wow. That is seriously b-o-r-i-n-g. Liked mine way better.

It will take several blog posts to tell you EVERYTHING about my incredible time in Salt Lake City. Truth be told; I am still slowly p-r-o-c-e-s-s-i-n-g all that I learned and experienced. Yep. It’s gonna take awhile, friends. There were “secret sisters” (another blog altogether!) and door decorating contests; “pajama parties” and “prom night”. We had AMAZING keynote speakers, sponsors and entertainment. The classes to select from were so wonderful that I found myself torn between “this one or that one” many times over. My only option…”eenie-meenie-miney-moe“. From the word “go”; it was truly a feast for the senses. Rooms set up like your favorite Pinterest boards come to life; detailed delights and surprises around every corner. And just to be surrounded by so much creative energy… Wow. I’ve just gotta say it again… WOW. Absolutely amazing, really. My brain is on super-duper serious overload. For the time being, I can only process SWAG.

To be continued…

A great big THANK YOU to ALL of our sponsors…

The Home Depot, Cricut, Miniwax, Duck Tape, Rust-Oleum, baby lock, RYOBI, Cents of Style, Elmers, World Market, Darice, Scotch, Jo-Ann, Homes.com, Thompson’s Water Seal, Simplicity, Sizzi, DecoArt, Moen, Gorilla, Charmed Collections, Lollipics, DohVinci, DCWV, Modern masters, hometaslk, Tough Press, IKEA, O’Keeffe’s Company, ruffle fabrics, Sweet!, Pick Your Plum, inlinkz, Wacom, Atly, American Crafts, The Ribbon Retreat, Art Gallery, Pollinate, WEAVE, Persnickety Prints…

off to SNAP!

4 / 23 / 14

http://www.pinterest.com/poeticwanderlust — Source: Tracy Porter poetic wanderlust

So it’s time. The “to-do” list is checked off, my bags are packed and it’s time to head to Salt Lake City for the SNAP! Conference. (lies, lies, lies. My “to-do” list is MILES from being completed, and I haven’t even touched my suitcase. I’ve got less than 24 hours as I write this post. Ya. Whatever.)

http://anightowlblog.com — Source: A Night Owl

So you’re wondering. What is SNAP!, exactly. Well, in all honesty… this is my first SNAP! Conference. But here’s my guess… Think “creative thinkers” meet “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” meet “middle school slumber party with your (new) BFF’s.” Ya. That’s a lot, isn’t it. Can’t wait!! We have “secret sister’s” and we bring “roomie gifts” ( Check out Kimberly, from “A Night Owl“). And, of course, there’s a slumber party and a door decorating contest! (Yes. I am 52.) Oh ya… and classes. Two and a half days of great classes!! Should be a BLAST!

Still wondering? Alrighty. Here is a direct quote from the official SNAP! site…

“Welcome to SNAP, where you’ll find creativity at your fingertips. There is something a bit different about being a creative blogger…Instead of dissecting life and examining the pieces like many online writers, we’re busy dreaming, sharing and building things up. We inspire one another and when we connect in ways that comfort and sustain, it is something truly extraordinary.

That is why we launched SNAP – a community where imaginative bloggers can come together; learn from one another and walk away invigorated.
The hallmark of this community? A three-day conference April 24-26, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah,targeting the best bloggers representing modern handmade, contemporary craft, mind-blowing events and DIY.
Take a step away from your busy life and join us for lots of laughter, hugging and replenishment. You’ll walk away with a stronger sense of community, enhanced skills and an even greater sense of self.”

Little-America-Hotel-Salt-Lake-City — Little America Hotel & Conference Center – Salt Lake City, Utah

So I’m sorry to have to say this, but I’m gonna have to give you a little break on the ole’ blogs here for a short time. (Suddenly, out of nowhere, she heard inconsolable weeping…) But no worries. I’ll be back in no time. (wink, wink!) Dawn (Joyful Scribblings) and I are gonna do our best to throw things on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… as we go along. Otherwise, we will just catch up when I return!!

live happy… Cathy

joyful scribblings

4 / 22 / 14

About a year ago, I stumbled across the blog of a gal named Dawn. “Joyful Scribblings“. I like it. She made a nice comment on one of my blogposts, so I went to her blog to “check her out”. (No. I’m not a creeper. That’s what bloggers do with other bloggers!) In the process, I stumbled across a “few” similarities… Married with a son and a daughter, an SUV and a brown 2 story house “in the suburbs”. A dog person with a sweet tooth and a frequent shopper at Ann Taylor Loft, Trader Joe’s and Target. OK. Nothing earth shattering so far. But then it went a little deeper. Self described as “a dreamer, a list maker, a person who is passionate about collecting ideas. All with a touch of sarcasm…“?? Oh my. She was describing ME! She went on to list two things that are on my “bucket list” that most people don’t even know about me… I would love to play the drums (yes. really.) and I dream of publishing a book of my writings someday. OK, Dawn. Whoever and wherever you are; You had me at “Hello”.

I immediately called my mom to inquire about the day of my birth. Is it possible that I might actually have a twin sister somewhere out there that someone just forgot to mention…? I told my mom that somehow, somewhere; I would meet this ~~obviously~~ “wonderful, amazing, All-American” blogger… named Dawn.

Several weeks later, I got an email request to participate in a group blogpost “Lazy Days and BBQ’s” from another blogger that I had never met. I was invited to come in as the resident “expert” (teehee!) on entertaining/table settings. That bloggers name? Yep. It was Dawn. Don’t believe in fate? Fair enough. Read on.

In the world of blogging, one of the really fun things is getting to “meet” people online that live hundreds (or even thousands) of miles away. I was excited to know where I was headed if I wanted to meet this new friend of mine at some point. As it ends up, this get together wasn’t going to cost much in the way of travel miles. Dawn lives less than five miles from my house…!! Ha! But wait! There’s more. Our daughters share the same first name. Our sons share the same middle name. And her son’s first name is what we were going to name our daughter when we thought she was a boy! Ha! And it just continues on and on from there. Some of our extended family similarities would blow your mind…

So we eventually met at a Starbucks to discuss the details of our “group blog”. Soon after, we decided to go to a “Blogging Conference” together in Chicago. The conference took place in July, and although we had only known each other for a couple of months, everyone thought we had been friends forever. Many even thought we were related! Too funny! One year later; we are great friends! We have lunch, we go on “double dates” with the hubbies, we share stories and problems and challenges, and we talk and text more than we probably should. We both love photography, food, crafting, the beach and have wonderful hubbies. We are a lot alike, but at the same time very different. Almost like the “yin and the yang” of the same person!

So off we go... Heading to Salt Lake City this week for another blogging conference. SNAP! (Talked about this conference in a recent blog called “creative thinking“) Both Dawn and I are really looking forward to going. It looks like a GREAT group of bloggers that will be there!! Our “peeps”!! Last year we (somehow) ended up taking matching Martha Stewart turquoise leather notebooks. Not kidding. This year?? I’m thinking maybe matching “Hello Kitty” lunch boxes…

So without further adieu; my friend, Dawn… “Although I consider myself ordinary, I’ve always believed I was meant to do and experience great things. We all are because we were created. I sometimes overlook the simple abundance and possibilities which surround me because I get caught up in the treadmill of life. My intention for creating this blog is to find the joy in the everyday. Joy is something you feel from within and makes your heart smile. Outward circumstances can’t affect it unlike happiness. I hope you find joy from within and follow your passions.”

Please hop over and check her out at Joyful Scribblings…

creative thinking

4 / 9 / 14

Creative thinking. That’s what I was thinking about today. Ya – Pretty much all day. Now I should have been thinking about dusting. My house ~~really~~ needs it. But there is always time to dust. Later. Back to the creative thinking… This is a subject that I think I could go on and on ~~and on~~ about… but I am really gonna try and make this a quick post. No really… Don’t worry though, we will revisit this subject again. And again. So my friend, Dawn (@ Joyful Scribblings – check out her blog!), and I are going to another blogging conference (SNAP!) in two weeks. This particular conference is geared towards more creative thinkers; people who blog about the things that I am passionate about. Photography, Food & Entertaining, DIY (Do It Yourself)/Crafting… love, Love, LOVE! So we are participating in some of the fun & creative “extras” at the conference – One of them being a “decorate your door” contest! That brings me to the task at hand for today… finding some of the goodies for our door, as well as other supplies for the conference. OK. So I try to go into crafting places like Michael’s, JoAnn’s, Hobby Lobby, with a plan. Maybe even a list. But I seem to subconsciously check all of that at the door somehow. My soul is suddenly filled with the hope and promise of possibility thinking. Ideas flow through my veins at an almost overwhelming pace. “I could do this. Or that. Or this and that and…”. Right. You get my point.

Truth is, creativity is a huge part of my life. Not just in what I do, but in who I am. It affects my actions, thoughts, decisions. It permeates my photography, my cooking, my decorating. It is why my dining room chairs are mismatched (on purpose) and I hate to iron. Or dust. It is deeply woven into my relationships, how I make friends, how I raised my kids. It is why I have trouble focusing; why my “to do” list never shrinks. It is me. Or, a (very big) part of me, anyway.

So I stumbled across an article tonight, from The Huffington Post, entitled “18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently“. Here were a few of the things they listed:

They view all of life as an opportunity for self-expression.
They surround themselves with beauty.
They get out of their own heads.
They follow their true passions
They lose track of the time.
They constantly shake things up.

Found the article to be quite interesting, really. Kinda, sorta made me feel validated, in a way. Like something on paper; in print. Something they have officially “studied“… Nice. We’re always looking for answers, explanations, excuses (?) aren’t we. I’m a Taurus, so I’m stubborn. I’m the oldest child, so I’m ~~bossy~~ responsible. Yadda, yadda, yadda. So tonight my brain is absolutely exhausted from all this creative thinking. Doggonit. No time to dust. It will simply have to wait until tomorrow.

“And then she remembered something very important… She was not bothered by dust. She was, after all, creative.” the end