I'm SPARKED!!!

This past weekend, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a couple of days with some lovely women from all over the country — and beyond! They sure did SPARK my creativity!!! I laughed, I cried and I had a blast!




I was so concerned about leaving town because my hubby has a kidney stone and he was in pain. I hated leaving him, but thankfully he felt fine during the time I was away...





SPARK No. 2 was such a magical and special event, unlike any other creative event that I've been to. Elizabeth Kartchner, Rhonna Farrer and Margie Romney-Aslett are the creative souls behind SPARK, with the help of some very special friends and family. They are all three tremendously talented and so inspiring. In fact, I found myself teary-eyed just by watching the welcome video they played. It touched me! (I can't wait to get my completed SPARK video in the mail!!! Of course, I pre-ordered it! Teehee!!)




This event lifted my spirits, taught me so many creative techniques and inspired me to want to create something (too bad I haven't found the time yet! LOL!)

The decor was breathtaking! There were so many gorgeous details outside, in every room, on the walls and ceilings, on the tables, around every corner. It was definitely a sight to behold when you entered the main hall. All I can say is WOW.




We even had our picture inside a mason jar so we would know where to sit -- they moved us around so we could make new friends...



If I had to sum it up, I would say that SPARK was pure magic and I am so happy to have had this experience with my favorite SPARK sister, my partner in crime, my BFF, my conscience (when I'm spending too much! Teehee!) — Ady. That made this even more special for me.

We also met some lovely ladies, including Kris and Kim, identical twins who host a cool crafty website called The DIY Dish; Nancy, a fun and friendly lady who offered to take a photo of us when we didn't have our camera handy; Janelle, who runs a scrappy kit club in Indiana called Midnight Rooster; April Meeker from Second Sister, an amazing artist and jewelry designer; Jasmine, a friendly gal who we loved chatting with; and many more!!!

It was definitely a memorable experience that I will cherish. I told my hubby that it was much more than just a creative retreat — SPARK was all-around amazing. The ambience, the food, shopping at the Dear Lizzie Boutique, the teachers, the classes... loved it!!! We did very little scrapbooking, which is what I do mostly, and I liked that. Instead, I learned about digital techniques, photography, wet felting, canvas art and more. When we did scrapbook, I learned new stuff, like how to make some adorable paper and fabric flowers with Lizzy.



Oh!!!! And did I happen to mention that we were treated to an incredible concert outdoor in the garden??? The sweet, uber-talented, beautiful Mindy Gledhill sang some songs for us from her latest CD, Anchor. If you are not familiar with Mindy's music, you don't know what you're missing! Go check out her website and listen to her music and download it from iTunes :) She was awesome!!! More on this in my next post...

Peace and happy scrapping!
Vanessa