96 Glittery Hours in a Little Bitty Nutshell

First of all, there is no way to ever put into words the amount of fun I had the last 4 days. Nor could I explain how fast paced it was. And how much talking I did. And laughing. I will post a few pictures to give you an idea. I took my camera out as much as possible,but I was "living this" and the camera was under used. Click on the photo to enlarge...beware of shiny glitter. The glare could burn your cornea. And I tried to link some of the names to their blogs...but if they don't work here, check my sidelines for their sites.

Some workshop photos....

Prada Schmada with Charlotte Lyons...give a blank canvas bag to 30 plus women, throw in some paint and fabric and you get unbelievable eye candy...no two alike.

Linda Richter is on the far right...she is from the Spring area of Houston and was on our flight. It was nice to meet her after befriending her online the last few months.

The very talented Cherie Wilson...she was in 3 of my workshops and her work was unbelievably beautiful.

My very first grommet!

Me, Charlotte Lyons and Karen.

Soldering with Sally Jean ....first time to solder but it takes alot of patience and slow, steady hands....hahaha....like that could ever happen with me. I'm not running out to buy a soldering kit anytime soon....but being around Sally Jean was a treat!
Watching Sally Jean solder....smooth like butter.

Me, Karen, my new friend Gina, with Sally Jean (the long haired blonde.)

Do You ATC What I ATC? An ATC is an Artist Trading Card. Much like a baseball trading card or Pokemon.....only an artist's work is on this 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 size card. This particular class involved making a scrapbook to hold your ATC's...it was taught by Carolyn Peeler but I never grabbed her for a photo.

Here's the front of the sample of the ATC book.

However, here is sweet Elizabeth Shea...who sat at our table. She is a retiree and was incredibly talented...and generous. She handed out her very own ATC and candy and other goodies. A true artist.

Santa's Secret Diary led by Pam Garrison...one of my favorite artist and blogs. She doesn't update much because she is busy leading workshops and raising children....but check it out. We were all given a kit full of the most beautiful papers and stickers. I didn't finish this project in class but cannot wait to get back to it.

This is the front of the sample Secret Santa Diary....a journal/scrapbook to keep all your Christmas photos, lists and receipts tucked away.

Group shot with Pam Garrison.

Vendor Night (think mini-Nutcraker Market...with shoppers dressed up in vintage prom attire or heavily sprinkled with glitter.) Most vendors were also participants in the workshops...including my good friend Stephanie. Karen and I babysat her booth some so she could also walk around and shop. My favorite part of the evening was sitting down at Sally Jean's booth and visiting with her.

Lots of shopping and photo ops....

Two new friends whose blogs I love to read and now I KNOW them. Jen Kershner on the left and Cammy Pollak on the right. Check out their blogs.

Cutest vendor...Princess Laserton...whose card read

"I make things. You like them."

How funny is that?

Karen, me, Gina Grable and Heather Ales....and baby. Thank you baby for behaving and staying put so your mom could attend Silver Bella 2008. Otherwise you would have had to be born into this world on a craft table covered in glitter.

Lunch with Mary Engelbreit. We were served a delicious lunch and then treated to a brief talk by Mary followed by a question and answer time. She is down-to-earth, humble, a little sarcastic and very understated. When asked if her house was burning, what one thing would she take....she responded, "Nothing. I would just get out. I love my things, but they're just things." When asked how she found balance, she responded, "There is no balance. Sometimes you do your art...sometimes you do your husband.......etc." Lots of giggles after that comment.

We were able to pre-order a print made by Mary just for Silver Bellas...and she signed them after the luncheon. This will be framed and treasured.
Karen and Mary.

Stephanie with Mary.....yes, Stepanie is crying. She warned us she would.

Teresa McFayden is the originator and organizer of Silver Bella. She lives in Omaha with her family who were there helping her behind the scenes. Here I am with Teresa.

Stephanie, my childhood friend, told me about Silver Bella and is responsible for signing me up...she and I roomed together but had no workshops together. She's the reason I have the slumber party hangover. We had 18 years to catch up on. I think we only got about 2 years covered. Whew...

Karen Lea was my traveling companion. When I decided to go to Silver Bella, she is the first one I thought of. I hit the jackpot when she agreed to go with me. Her generous husband gave me the frequent flyer miles and I am forever grateful. Karen and I were in all the same workshops and got to spend lots of time together. She doesn't like her picture taken but I was able to grab a few of her. She is a beautiful person, inside and out. She is my most generous friend and I hope she knows how much I love her.

Omaha.... if you are still here, I would like to show you a few photos of the only part of Omaha I really saw. Our hotel was situated in Old Market...a quaint old area of town.

Quaint, quaint.....cute, cute.

Someone is very, VERY patriotic.

I love these square windows with the vintage purses hanging in them....

An organic farmer's market in a bookstore we stopped in.......

Okay......I took the day off to unpack, do laundry and organize my swaps. Hahaha. Like that happened. The next post will be about the swaps.....stay tuned. The batteries died in my camera so I may have to get dressed and go get some. Yes, I'm still in my pjs at 2:30 in the afternoon. Life is good.