Everything WLCA @ CHA

OK, THAT would be virtually impossible. I just learned about an organization called 'Everything Mary' at the World's Largest Crop Attempt at CHA so it became the inspiration for my title! ;)

This was a fun crop!

First off, this is an enormous room!



Something over 300 people were there to spend up to 13 hours of creating, socializing, doing make-n-takes, watching demos and experiencing various products all organized by Scrapbook Royalty and the amazing volunteers in that organization.

Oh, and CHAs Craft Supershow was going on downstairs too if you wanted to browse the hall.

I was invited by some great people from the Crop in Orange to sit with them. I was amazed to realize that I actually knew quite a few of the folks who came to participate.

Some of my table mates..




I participated in some of the demos & make-n-takes like this two page Birthday layout:



Overall, it was an amazing day and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Will you be in Chicago next summer? Want to help us try again for the World's Largest Crop Attempt? Sounds like it will be at CHA again so keep a look out for that one!

Pam Hoffman

at the World's Largest Crop Attempt during CHA


Update 1/27/10: I learned that Scrapbook Royalty raised $10,000 for Kids in Need! Bravo SBR!

This is funny..

My boyfriend plays role playing games. He's done it for a loooong time!

He took a quiz and I told him to send it to me. Here's the result...

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Sorcerer (7th Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-12

Dexterity-13

Constitution-10

Intelligence-13

Wisdom-14

Charisma-12


Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.


Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.


Class:
Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Got a Minute? Give Us a Hand!

I want to tell you about a couple of online friends.

First is Juliann. She has many health issues and she makes a very good point on her blog...

"Chronically ill adults are overlooked by most “help the disabled” programs. There’s no Make a Wish program for fibromyalgia, no flowers and teddy bears for arthritis. I think it’s time that that changed, don’t you?"

I think so!

She goes on...

Here’s what I pledge: Any craft items donated to The Sick Chick Crafting for Causes will all go toward making treats for the chronically ill, their carers and medical professionals who deserve our thanks. I’ll make stuff out of raw materials or pass them on to other crafty folk whose budgets have been hit by disability and who would love to be able to craft. Any other items donated will also be sent to chronically ill & support people. If there’s anything that can’t possibly be used this way it will be donated to other crafting for causes groups.

Juliann made a specific request recently: "Can You Give Me a Hand?" If you would please visit and read her post, then send her the crafted 'hand' I think that would be marvelous!

The other online friend is having an anniversary and a Giveaway! Please Meet Erika Taylor over at Taylord Concepts.

Isn't it wonderful to have all sorts of people from all over in your network now?

Who do YOU like to connect with virtually? Do you know them in person too or just online? Do you LIKE meeting people this way?

Pam Hoffman

Scrapbook Expo!

I realize that things have been kind of quiet around here lately...

I was kind of sick a few days THEN I spent a goodly amount of my time getting ready for the Scrapbook Expo in Costa Mesa, CA and helping out Scrapbook Royalty with their CHA work - the Worlds Largest Crop Attempt and being personal assistant to Elena during the trade show portion.

SO, I'll report on the Scrapbook Expo a little bit here (more good stuff coming as i tried something new i want to share with you!) and I'll work to keep on bringing fun blog posts to you!

OK, this is the second time I went to the Scrapbook Expo and I intentionally went to enjoy the experience with no particular order to what I looked at or did and I actually did some shopping! One of the very best reasons to GO to the SE is to find good deals; and I did.

I stopped at Craft Fantastic and made this beautiful piece:



I'll post more about this later too.

I stopped by the Storytellers booth (i'm a member!) where they had a giveaway at specific times. Because I'm a member, they offered me a second set of the "Double Page Kit." So fun!


Happy Scrapper!

I saw some new things that I'll get into a bit more later too. One thing that was just fascinating was a Ribbon Organizer & Dispenser which Lou took a lot of time showing me how it works (video to come!):



Well, I could sure go on, and I was only there on Sunday. I want to get this out and I'll be relating more of what I experienced in a future post.

Did you go to the Scrapbook Expo in Costa Mesa, CA? Somewhere else? Do you know that they appear all over the country now? Have I excited you enough to check it out for yourself now? :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Pam Hoffman


*Disclaimer: As a member of "Storytellers" I will receive a material gain if you follow the link from here to there, sign up and make a purchase.

As for anything else I have reported here today, I have no formal relationship with them at this time other than making new friends!

Please Help Spread the Word!

Scrapbook & craft enthusiasts are going for a World Record in Anaheim, CA this month.

It will only take about 1000 of us to break the record for most crafters at a crop at one time!

Please help spread the word and if you can be there, Join Us!

The blinkie on my blog, upper right, can be snagged to help you spread the word.

If you can't get ahold of it for some reason (right click - View Page Source - copy/paste it) let me know and I'll send it along for you.

Thanks!

Pam Hoffman


OH, it's here too: http://campaigns.ratepoint.com/campaigns/22b820d5d01ba68ffabb80a89b60c94a?r=f52bd0df041ca19d3634c9516b21c782

First Crop of the Year!

NOTE: been sick in bed a bit the past few days, catching up for you here now...

One of my favorite crop events happens once a month in Orange, California. I know I mentioned The Crop in Orange before, it just so happens that yesterday was the first one of the new year and the first crop I've attended in 2010, and it was grand!

The crop was very well attended so we had a lot of good potluck food, plenty of items 'For Sale' that people brought (including me!) where I actually found a great set of acrylic stamps, all set for Valentine's Day!


Looking from the stage into the room [far left]


Looking from the stage into the room [mid left]


Looking from the stage into the room [mid right]


Looking from the stage into the room [far right]


For Sale Items [on the stage!]

I have Valentine's Day on my mind now - it's one of my FAVORITE holidays (that and Christmas) since my birthday is the day after V.Day!


Quilling craze since the Christmas ornaments (oh, i never showed you! i'll have to fix that..)


I LOVE Valentine's Day!

I even got a couple of things on my list done!


A thank you from scraps given to me (three people were saving them up for me!)

Speaking of the scraps from others...

Valorie, Jennifer & Erica brought scraps they've been saving for me. These 2 big boxes were just about full of scraps!


Some of them, getting sorted (w/help from my boyfriend)

11 more to go this year! Yay.

Do you have a favorite crop you like to go to? Are the people really great there too? Do share, you never know who will be inspired to come and you'll make a new friend!

Pam Hoffman

Here's the View Out Back!

Facing generally north the highest point visible from our place is Saddleback Mountain on the far right and I do a bit of zooming in on it.

Pam Hoffman
Introducing Mambo:

He's the old man of the house - almost 17 years old! Big and long - everything's long on him. All his whiskers were black - now a few are getting white. He's VERY social. Expect to be found if you are here! :)

Video on Blogger

Well, I know what happened earlier and you may want to know too.

Blogger seems to have updated their 'editor.' Seems that they ALSO volunteered me for the new one.

I certainly don't REMEMBER changing this setting and I certainly don't WANT the new 'editor' because you can't upload video, adding photos is real screwy with it and I don't like how some of the blog posts appear on the blog when it's in charge.

I found out when I mentioned it during a Mastermind call earlier today and the guys went into 'fix it' mode...

They tested it out and LO, they had the editor I'm used to.

And my lovely boyfriend actually found the setting where they made the change...


Oh, I may have found it myself.. eventually.

I might not have either. Not crazy about arbitrary changes when there isn't a real need and certainly when it happens without warning. Perhaps I just 'missed the memo'...

The real point of this post is to let you know that if YOU want to go back to the editor you remember, you can.

Here's where you find that "Global Setting" in a screen shot:

Just click on the radio button for the editor you prefer then [SAVE SETTINGS] button and Voila! You'll have the editor you prefer.

Seems odd that at the height of the importance of having video on your websites, blogger offers you a 'simpler' editor that won't allow you to add it at all.

I don't get it.

Pam Hoffman, geeky girl by day, crafter by night!

Our View Out Back...

Well I WAS coming in here to post a video I took of the view out thru our backyard...

Seems that blogger has been changed more radically than I thought.

Any idea how to hang video in my blog posts thru blogger now?

Inquiring minds, you know...  ;)

Pam Hoffman

January 4th Picnic

I realize that it is quite cold in some areas of the country (i used to live there!) yet here, in Southern California, we're having some GREAT weather. Not too hot, not too cold.

So we went on a picnic!

Very close to us is the Laguna Niguel Botanical Garden. It's one of our favorite places to get out for a picnic or a walk. The stuff planted there is just amazing.

While our visit today was much shorter than usual, we did enjoy a section we don't often get to.

We took in parts of the Girl Scout Tree Grove









Isn't this bird house adorable?

I thought this was just so picturesque, Jeff took the actual photo!

Seems like something is always in bloom around here...

Where do YOU like to get away from your life for awhile?  Have a special picnic spot?  What's the weather like by you?  Maybe this isn't even an option!

Pam Hoffman

How DO those seed pods work?

"Hi My Name is Pam and I'm Fiskateer #3198..."

OK, while this ISN'T quite an addiction and I don't REALLY need a 12 step program (unless you know of a way to do MORE crafting in 12 steps!) it sometimes FEELS like it!

Are You a Fiskateer?  Do you WANT to be?  It's a lot of fun!

First off, they send you a very nice 'thank you' for joining package...

Scissors engraved with my #3198! 
[Well worth the wait!]




THEN you are part of a local network (Cheryl is our lead, i'm in Southern California) and you get invitations to all sorts of fun events.  I've been to 2 of them locally already and missed one that was really fantastic.

I went to a "Spring Fling" a couple years ago - met Laurie there (from the Crop in Orange) and Cheryl & Jeannie & Jim, a husband/wife team of crafters.

Cheryl, our local Lead:

Lots of goodies, even edible ones...

And last summer I went to a Family Fun picnic and saw LOTS of fun people I'd been communicating with online, in forums, hadn't seen since the Spring Fling, at my local cropping group and it was fabulous.

Me creating the Make-n-Take in the Pavillion!

And the PRIZES!  Lemme Tell You, you WANT to be at these events for a chance to win some Fiskars and associated company prizes.

Are you salivating yet? ;)

So, let's get you started!

First thing, we need to get you over to the Fiskateers Website [just click on the link]...

It may seem a little confusing.  Just let it settle down then click on some of the people you see there if you'd like to get to know them better.  These are the Fiskateer 'Leads' and they organize the events in different 'regions' I suppose it is.

If you want to read the blog, you can click on that and if you have any questions, there's 'a Fiska-What?' link to learn more.

If you want to just JUMP RIGHT IN! by all means, click the "How to Join" link and you'll see '1,2,3,4' steps in a journaling box, the 5 Leads across the bottom and away you go!

Send email to any one of them and they will write you back with a link to get you going and you can do a lot on the website while you wait for your scissors (assuming they are still sending them out - ask when you write them maybe...).

Are you already a Fiskateer?  What's your number?

Pam Hoffman

Another view at the picnic! ;)

p.s. while doing research for this article, i found Fiskars TV - and an episode with Lead Wendy Jo!!

Christine Said I Could Give You This...

I'm studying  this right now...

How to Sell Handmade Jewelry Online and Actually Get Results. Weekly Lessons in Online Marketing from Zero to Profit

and in week 3, Christine made a point to mention that I could GIVE IT AWAY if I kept it intact.  Better yet, click on the link for the whole shebang!

We could study together!  I'm learning a whole lot already.  pam

*Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Handmade Results. I get paid if you follow the link from here to there and make a purchase.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2010.

Be it ever so goofy...