Zicam and Cookie Dough...

So I have been down sick for a while and I blame Zicam and Cookie Dough (well not seriously but they could be an easy scapegoat). As I layed in my bed, dead to the world (expect for my kids when they needed lunch, they don't care HOW haggered momma looks), I could hear the news announcements of the recalls for Zicam (my BFF) and Nestle cookie dough (my secret BFF that nobody knows about). What kind of world do we live it that we can't stick zinc soaked homeopathic swabs in our nose and eat raw cookie dough by the spoonful and hope that we stay healthy? It just so happened that I had dabbled with both not to long before...

Well All of that just to tell you all that I have been sick, down right flat on my back sick for the past few weeks. It started when I came back from Buffalo (june 1st), creeped itself up and then totally hit me when I got home from my class at Scrap N Yap (June 14th).

This has been a good time for me to slow down, catch up on some well needed rest and just reflect. It is always great to take time out and relax and I realized that this was totally God's way of telling me to SLOW DOWN! Yes everyone, God put mommy on a time out! I have been on the go for a very long time and it was only a matter of time that my body would catch up and demand me to take a day(s) of rest that I had been depriving it.

I think about the story of Creation in the book of Genesis and how God in his ever loving spirit created each and everything on each specific day and how on the seventh day he rested, even though he was God. It never occured to me until our pastor had mentioned it that if God takes a rest, well than it must be as an example, because there is no reason for God to rest, he's God. So with that being said... I was on a long and much needed rest...and now I am trying to catch up with everything. It is tough starting a new position on getting sick, yet Tattered Angels gave me the grace needed to get well. Amazingly enough I still got my work done, and I can't even remember how I did it all!

So to catch you up on a few new things, here are some cute little Flair buttons I made for Facebook, You can get yours too on Facebook, just send me a message and I will send it to you via Facebook. If you would like to add me as a friend, just let me know where we met or how you came about my blog. You can find my FB at Elizabeth Del Real Hicks. My profile pic is a sassy mothers day pic my husband took of me that doesn't even look like me!

I love these little flair buttons. I especially love the one that says "I approve of Global Glimmerization". I mean, what scrapper doesn't want to be on a quest of Glimmerizing the WORLD one page at a time??? Tee hee... tell me your thoughts on Global Glimmerization... I would love to hear what YOU think!

thanks for stoppiing by!

~Liz

Some Tattered Angels SNEAK PEEKS!

To see more pics of the Holloween and Nature Chip Tiles, check out the Tattered Angels Blog!!!!!!!

I also listed the NEW FALL and HOLLOWEEN colors and described them so that it would be easier to understand. I just heard about the NEW WINTER colors and let's just say.... they are going to rock Glimmer Mist like no other!!!


www.mytatteredangels.com

Enjoy!

By George...I need your HELP!

So... this post is to ask for you help for a summer fun project the Hicks family is doing this summer.

First let me tell you a little story about my husband. One day about two months ago, my husband came home with a dollar bill that had a stamp on it. The stamp (similar to the one below) had the email address, www.wheresgeorge.com . He remembered the site and sat our oldest son down and showed him how people all over the world would track where the money they spent went, literally. This produced an on going "date" every night that my husband came home, our oldest would sit down at the computer with daddy and input the new bills daddy recieved from change throughout the day.

After logging many bills the boys noticed that none of their bills were traveling or being recorded. Now for a grown man, this comes as no surprise, but for a young boy of 7, well he just couldn't understand.
So that brings us to this past week, where me and my oldest got the idea to give Daddy a stamp for (like the one below) for Fathers day. The stamp came early so we decided to give it to Daddy early so that he can use it on the bills immediately. So for Fathers Day, Daddy recieved a foam door hanger from our daughter that said, "WORLDS BEST DADDY", an imprint of our second sons foot with a poem that talks about growing up like Daddy, and a where's george stamp from our oldest son. This made Daddy so happy!

So now as the boys check in their bills each day, the now stamp them with the image below in hopes that some kind person out there will enjoy seeing where their money has gone.

now here is where I need help... I have ten one dollar bills that I would like to send out to ten people in hopes to create a chain of bills that the boys can follow. If you are interested in helping or having your kids be a part of our experiment please email me at primadonnaliz@yahoo.com . I will send out the 10 bills to various locations and try to create a chain that they can follow. I am hoping that at least one of these lines will create a vein to follow. If you would like to create your own where's george account, it is free and a great way to keep the kids using their brains during the summer. The site shows the bills, how the add up and keeps impecable statistics on the where abouts of the bills.

Also if you are interested in getting a stamp, I found them here at Stamp Connection, a wood mount stamp is only $4, so it is a pretty cheap investment.

And for all of you RULES kinda people (I only know this because I fall into this category!) I looked on the site in regards to any violations that may occur by defacing currency and found these links that put my mind at ease.

Where's George FAQ's: http://www.wheresgeorge.com/faq.php

Federal site: http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/104

So if you are interested in helping us out, please let us know. The bills are intended to be spent, so definately spend them, but if you could just please log them in and comment on where you used them.

Thanks for your help!

winners and some cool Bad Girls classes!

First off let me just say Thank you to everyone for your many thanks on this new journey. I am excited to have this opportunity to do what I love. I am blessed to be surrounded by like minded artist who love creating and sharing their talents with others in education. That being said I do believe that we have some winner!

SO the winner of the 5 one ounce bottles of Glimmer Mist from the blog post is:

Here are your random numbers:
3
Timestamp: 2009-06-13 15:54:13 UTC

http://jenscrappinpalace.blogspot.com/

and the winner of the Prima Product from the subscribers list is:

Here are your random numbers:
5
Timestamp: 2009-06-13 15:56:57 UTC

Rochelle Spears

Girls please email me your addy's at primadonnaliz@yahoo.com


Also Bad Girls classes are going on NOW! WOW can you believe the AMAZING concepts these girls are teaching??? I just went over to check out Jenn's class and seriously it is FULL of information that will blow your mind!

So here are the two classes that we have going on for June, there is a lot of fun stuff going on over at Bad Girls so make sure to check it out! Bad Girls Kits site

Photoshop Color Pop!

Online Class taught by Jeni BoisvertJune 25th - 27th$25.95 - Click here to purchase

This super simple and fun hands on approach to Photoshop is a great starting point for beginners and intermediate users that want to bring their work to life! I will guide you along using Adobe Elements 7. I will share with you some tips and tricks that I use, as well as some of my "secrets" for getting custom color and having it do what you want it to do for the look and feel you are going for! Photoshop is as limitless as your imagination, and this class will open up a whole new world for you. You will learn Color Enhancements, as well as other looks for your photos such as Vintage, Color Splash, Color Wash, Black and White looks. We'll learn about blending modes and layers, as well as a cool trick for working with layer masks in elements that are otherwise only available in higher versions of Photoshop. We will also be making fun banners and blinkies! This Class includes a private forum as well as video instruction and a downloadable .pdf file. As a special bonus you will have access to some custom downloadable papers and brushes made exclusively for this class!

Alternative Photo Printing

Online Class taught by Jen MatottJune 15th -17th $29.95 - Click here to purchase

Class Description:Are you bored with regular photographs on photo paper? Do you long to add more texture and interest to your artwork and pages? This in depth class is for you! I will show you how to print photographs and images onto alternative surfaces. Basically, any surface that will fit through your printer is free game! I will walk you through from simple photo editing to getting the most effective image from your printer. Forget the traditional way of using photographs... this class will have you recycling materials, playing with digital techniques and using media in a whole NEW way!!! I will share my secrets to printing on ribbon, metal, transparencies, and even sandpaper! You will not find this class anywhere else except on Bad Girls! Join me for a fun and addictive technique class!

I will have tons of stuff to share this week from my travels and such. I also will continue to do giveaways at least one a month so hop on over or sign up for updates as I really need to share my stash!

Thanks again!

~Liz

My bit of Joy to share... with of course a giveaway!

It is official...

I can now announce that I will be joining the staff of Tattered Angels. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching and designing for them and now I will thoroughly enjoy working for them! I have been hired by Tattered Angels to be their Education Coordinator. I will be assisting the team with all things educational and also helping to develop and stream line educational system for them that will insure that no matter where you are or who you are being taught by, you will get the same educational experience.

This being said, you will notice some changes in my blog... I will no longer be an Endorsed Educator for Prima Marketing Inc. I have enjoyed my time with Prima and am excited with where their team is headed, but with this new position I need to readjust my priorities and make it a point to give my full attention to this new position. I will finish off the remainder of my contract and teach Prima classes through the end of June. I will continue to design for Bad Girls kits and SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L as I really do enjoy having a creative outlet to retreat too!

So with my good news, I want to pass along an RAK or giveaway to celebrate!!!

I will randomly pick a winner for TWO prizes:

First prize being a set of 5 one ounce bottles of GLIMMER MIST in a variety of colors. For this prize I will randomly pic a winner from anyone who posts a comment to any thread on my blog from today till friday (midnight PST). I will announce the winner Monday Morning after I tally the comments and pic a random winner.

The Second will be a BIG assortment of my Prima goodies. (acrylic album, lace, flowers, bling, the works!). This prize will be randomly picked from my subscribers list, so if you are a subscriber, you are already entered! If not, just sign up to the right and you will be entered into the rak. For all subscribers, you will get updates when I post something new on my blog and if I do any RAK's or have any information of manufacturers releases or RAK's than you will be the first to know! I will pick a random winner on Saturday so you will need to be a subscriber by friday at midnight (PST) to qualify. I will post the winner on monday when I post the other winner.

So you can see where my heart was on monday when I did my previous post. I just cannot express enough just how important it is to be confident in who you are and what your purpose is. I know that I may not always be doing what it is I am doing now, but I do know that regardless of where I am or what I am doing, that it is purposeful and that it is in the hands fo God. I would much rather be yanked away from doing something I love than to be going against his purpose for me. And even if you are not sure just what your purpose is at this moment, just have peace in what it is you are doing right now, when the time is right... it will find you! It may not always be what we WANT it to be, but it will always be what we need it to be at the right time!

Thanks for all of you love and support through the years! Here is to new adventures and new friends to be made along the way!

~liz

FLY...

This week brings so much realization for me. I think back to when I first started this blog and where I was then, it blows my mind to think how dramatically things change. Growth is good. Although there have been times of pain and fear, I know that whatever my purpose is, the journey will always involve growth. You never get to where you are expecting on a clean straight path, it always seems to be some alternate route that gets you there or alternate destination that you finally find, and yet it still feels comfortable.

If there is anything that I would like for my friends or students to know is that "Possibilities are Endless". It has been my motto since I began teaching in the industry. There are no limits to your potential and although the end result may seem like a speck of light at the end of a long dark tunnel, it is still there and still possible. I originally used this motto in refference to finding all the potential in your scrapbook product, but in reality it is so much more. These words sustain dreams, and can truly liberate any predetermined limits you may have inside.

I found a few quotes that I truly think capture what it is that I am trying to state. Although I may not always agree with the different authors ideas or beliefs, these few pearls of wisdom I do agree with.

“Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly.” -Richard Bach


“If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise.” -Robert Fritz

“There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder” -Ronald Reagan

"And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 Websters Translation

This world is truly ours for the picking. I keep this in mind as I deal with various situations in both my everyday life and work. And although things may not always end up the way we think they should, there is comfort in knowing that the end result is exactly what is needed at that time.

Now I bet you all are wondering just WHY I decided to teeter on the brink of being philosophical, well there is change in the works... big changes and what it all boils down to is that I am grateful, for where I am now, where I was two years ago, and what I will be doing in the future. And with these few words of encouragement I can only hope that those who read can see themselves for their full potential and reach out of their box and grab onto their FULL purpose. In my own retro spec, I have had to weed through a ton of self doubt to get where I am now. I can only hope that sharing a little optimism with my friends will help give them the courage to see themselves in a way that they never saw before. It took my husband's encouragment before I went into a major meeting with a manufacturer to help me realize that my perspective was skewed. I told him I was scared, he told me it wasn't fear just excitement. That was all it took for me to realize that I wasn't powered by fear, but rather joy and excitement. It was this change of perspective that helped me to realize that my main purpose was to pass this feeling onto my children so that they not know the grips of fear, yet understand the difference between the two. That their potential in life not be limited by fear, yet celebrated and encouraged.

So to sum up this LONG blog post. Always know that the good is around the corner, and although it may not come wrapped in the pretty red bow that you expect, it is there just the same. You are worth it and you DO have what it takes. No one can take that away from you unless you give them permission to. And last but not least, never measure yourself to someone else, because it will always dissapoint you. Just know that YOU are perfect just the way YOU are and that your purpose may not be the same as the person next to you, but it is just as important!


Thanks for stopping by and being a part of my journey.

~Liz

The NEW Bad Girls...

Is OOOOOHHHHH so Good yet still BAD!

I am pleased to announce that I have been asked to be one of Bad Girls *NEW* Elite Artiste! I am rejoining the ranks with Wendy Rago, Jeni Boisvert, Cari Fennel, Gina Dejong, and Jenn Mattot. I am absolutely thrilled, this is going to be amazing!!!

Bad Girls is taking a different Direction in their kits now. For years now Bad Girls has been the leader in Kit Clubs offering amazing kits that are both fresh and innovative. With Wendy's passion for teaching, it just makes sense that she take her kits a little deeper and offers vintage kits which are already her specialty and yet now take them to an educational level. Each kit will come with a tutorial of sorts that will compliment your kit. The new kits have been a huge hit. Here is a picture of the main kit. You may want to cruise the new site. Check it out, I am sure you will love it!

And as promised... we have our first Bad Girls Class available taught by Jenn Mattot.

Jenn is an Art Teacher in New York and her scrap work is fabulous. She is an Elite Artiste for Bad Girls and a designer for Black River Designs. She can seriously rock paper.

Alternative Photo PrintingOnline Class taught by Jen MatottJune 15th -17th
$29.95 - Click here to purchase
Class Description:Are you bored with regular photographs on photo paper? Do you long to add more texture and interest to your artwork and pages? This in depth class is for you! I will show you how to print photographs and images onto alternative surfaces. Basically, any surface that will fit through your printer is free game! I will walk you through from simple photo editing to getting the most effective image from your printer. Forget the traditional way of using photographs... this class will have you recycling materials, playing with digital techniques and using media in a whole NEW way!!! I will share my secrets to printing on ribbon, metal, transparencies, and even sandpaper! You will not find this class anywhere else except on Bad Girls! Join me for a fun and addictive technique class!

I just know you all will love it. Take a peek and let me know what you think!

XOXO

Liz