GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM GOING ON A BOAT! (private joke for those who came on Crop and Cruise with us...lol!) Anyways...Yup! I know... it sounds crazy but I am going on another cruise:)

This past week I was contacted by a friend over at Scrapbook Trends Magazine. It turns out they are sponsoring a cruise to Alaska in May and they want me to teach a couple of classes! I am still waiting for some of the details but I do know that it will be a bit different than the event I was a part of in February but equally as fabulous I am sure! I do know that we set sail from Seattle May 10-17 and head to Alaska. One of the ports is Victoria, BC and I am super excited about that as I lived there for awhile as a kid and still keep in touch with a few of my friends from way back then so without a doubt I will see them while we are in port! YAY! I am sure we will see many magnificent sights throughout the week as Alaska is supposed to be GORGEOUS!

Upon my return from this cruise, I leave just a few days later for Amsterdam to teach several classes for a retailer there. We are putting the finishing touches on all of those details so I will show you sneak peeks of the classes and give you all those details in my next post! I have designed some fresh new classes for this event and they are GREAT! I am really happy with how they have turned out:)

That being said, I will not be hosting the Spring Fling Crop I had mentioned on May 1 and 2 :( I promised my family balance this year so I have decided to postpone our Crop and Cruise Reunion crop. We will most likely have one this fall instead. That way we can hopefully have some of our teachers from Crop and Cruise join us again for a weekend of fun!

So what`s up this week... well I have a lot of catching up to do! I was brutally ill this past week with that horrid flu so I will be kitting my classes for Scrapfest coming up in less than 3 weeks... that is for sure:) Working out the final details on the Netherlands as well :)

Before I run though... I want to share a cool little deal Prima has going on: Totally worth participating... besides I am not sure if it has been said here or not but we have some pretty cool retailers that we all want to stick around. Unfortunately in these tough economic times we will lose many of them if we do not support our local scrapbook stores. I do not know about you but a little bit of free bling is all I need to get out and shop...lol! Check it out...

Free Bling!

We know that times are tough and every dollar counts. So, to thank you for spending your hard earned dollars on Prima products, we are going to send you a free gift.

How can you participate?

It's easy!

Just send us your original receipt for $25 (or more) plus the UPC barcodes from your Prima purchases. Include a self-addressed envelope (we'll pay for the postage to get your prize to you) and we will send you a package of our Say It In Studs frame pictured on the right ($3.00 retail value). Please include your e-mail address so that we can let you know of upcoming specials like this in the future.

Sample by Donna Salazar

The fine print:

• Your receipt needs to be dated anytime between March 15th and April 15th, 2009.
• Product as pictured while supply lasts
• Prima reserves the right to substitute an item of equal value
• All receipts and UPC barcodes must be original - no mechanical copies permitted
• Prima is not responsible for missing/undelivered entries
• There is no limit to the number of times you can participate!
• Please allow 3-4 weeks processing time

Don't forget the UPC barcodes:

Send your entries to:

Prima Marketing, Inc
Attn: Customer Service
5564 Edison Ave

Chino, CA 91710
................................................................................................

Crafty Secrets gets some wings from Tattered Angels!

What a catchy title, eh? Okay... maybe not but it is a Monday and I have not had near enough coffee yet! BUT I do have to tell you what a privilege it was to play with Crafty Secrets this past month and combining it with my one of favourite things in the world... GLIMMER MIST and other yummy Tattered Angels Products.

Our design teams paired up for the month of March and we created projects using both companies products and the results were simply amazing! I created a few projects, but I will show you these two for now and show you a couple more within the next few days. This first one is a wooden heart that I painted and used the Glimmer Screens to create a funky pattern on the heart. I used some very cool Crafty Secrets Journalling notes and images to compliment the colour pallete and tucked them behind my hubby's photo. There are a plethora of other goodies on this project too that were all altered with Glimmer Mist including Prima Flowers and Lace and Riff Raff Designs chipboard and even the Vintaj brass embellishments. All of these additional elements compliment the Tattered Angels Embossed Regal Glimmer Chips that are used to draw attention to the photo and help to reinforce the theme:)
I do have to tell you a funny story about this project. It was pointed out to me that perhaps I did not choose the BEST photo. It is kind of a feminine/ girly project. There person that brought it to my attention kind of sent me for a loop and I did not know how to take it... should I be insulted... nah! The guy who told me was someone I dated in high school and I have barely spoken to him in 20 years sooooooo why would he bother to comment on that? But it did make me re-eveluate this project. So I asked my hubby! He has reassured me that his 6'4" frame of 260 lbs is manly enough to tolerate any slack from having his mug shot appear on something full of so much bling and floral enhancements! He ws touched that it was his photo I used and said he would be hurt if I replaced it with a photo of my neice or something. SO for that... I love you babe! I am glad you are manly enough to tolerate my girly stuff...lol! I hope yo all can appreciate it as much as I do:)
Okay, so I was also playing around the other night with some Creative Scraps from Crafty Secrets. They sponsorring a couple of my upcoming classes at Scrapfest., I LOVE all of the vintage images and fun little quotes! SO I made a very Quick and Simple layout featuring a few of them from the Domestic Goddess collection. I paired them up with the Tattered Angels Embossed Glimmer Chip (crown) and the new Tattered Angels letters. It's something I am not too proud to admit... I am not sure where my domesticity went but it is official, it is GONE! I used to have it but not so much anymore... work has taken over my home and I vow to change that but in the mean time I had a BLAST creating this simple layout:) It makes me giggle as so many of the images in the Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps seem to be made just for me!

So, there you have it! Be sure to check out the other Design Team Members participating in this weeks' March Mix adn then drop by Tattered Angels and Crafty Secrets websites to enjoy some more eye candy! You will also DEFINITELY want to go to both companies blogs as they are giving away some pretty cool prizes as a way to wrap up this fabulous journey we have been on!


Lisa Zappa
Lauren Ferguson
Linda Duke


Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Website
Heartwarming Vintag Blog
Tattered Angels Website
Tattered Angels Blog

If you want to see some of the creations the other members have done over the past few weeks... be sure to check out the blogs listed below:

Pam Hooten
Heidi Blankenship
Sally Lynn McDonald
Michelle Van Etten
Vivian Peters
Vicki Chrisman
Michele Kovack
Nic Howard
Melissa Phillips
Marisa Grosson
Anna Wight
Elizabeth Hicks
Cheryl McAdam
Michelle Jackson


Check back tomorrow for all details pertaining to our up and coming Crop on National Scrapbook Day weekend... happy Monday ladies:)

Welcome Spring!

And all the fabulous fresh new things that come along with it:) I have to tell you... this has been a LOOOOONG winter and I am soooooooo ready for it to be over and done with. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH already!

I am looking forward to this spring more than most though... lots of exciting things on the horizon. I am blessed to have a few really cool events that I am going to be a part of! YUP! Scrapfest is coming up (April 17&18). It's going to ve another fabulous weekend full of cropping, shopping and CLASSES of course! I am fortunate to be able to teach 4 classes again this year and they are not going to disappoint you. Be sure to check out their site at www.scrapfest.ca to see what is planned and get your tickets fast as I know things are selling fast!

Also, I have recently been asked to come and teach in the Netherlands:) I will be there in May and stay tuned for further details on that:) I have been working on some fresh class samples that will be taught there and many of you on this side of the pond will also have the opportunity to take those classes as well, if you are interested!

There are numerous classes that will be taught here locally too... I just got word from Treasured Memories that we will have one there within the next few weeks. We will set a date right away and I will let you know when that will be and as always, we have some regusar classes in Sherwood PArk at Scrapbook Memories and More!

But the one thing I need for all of you gorls to do... especially local gals... check back here over the next few days as I will be releasing al the details for our Spring Fling Crop! The response for a folloow up crop for many of the gals that attended Crop and Cruise was pretty huge and we want to share some of the fun we had with everyone so mark your calendars for Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2! That is National Scrapbook Day Weekend and what a terrific way to celebrate! This is one event that you do not want to miss out on so be sure to check back here within the next couple of days... registration will be starting eithiin the next couple of days!!!

Okay... have a great weekend and I will see you back here Monday as I will be showing you some FABULOUS Tattered Angels creations using some fun products from Crafty Secrets!

March Mix with Tattered Angels and Crafty Secrets...

Okay, so with the days just flying by as the craziness of everyday life consumes every waking moment, I gotta tell you how much I enjoyed sitting back with a cup of coffee this morning, perusing the creations of the lovely gals listed below. As a member of the Tattered Angels Design Team, I was thrilled to hear that this month we were challenged to create a project using Tattered Angels and Crafty Secret products. My week is next week, so be sure to check back on Monday to see what I created but in the mean time... take a few minutes to check out what these extremely talented ladies came up with! You are sure to gain some inspiration for your own projects and love what they have created!
Marisa Grosson
Anna Wight
Elizabeth Hicks
Cheryl McAdam
Michelle Jackson
Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Website
Heartwarming Vintag Blog
Tattered Angels Website
Tattered Angels Blog

Speaking of Tattered Angels and Crafty Secrets... did I mention that they are BOTH sponsoring a couple of my classes at Scrapfest? YUP! We all know that Tattered Angels has been extremely supportive of my classes this past year... pretty much every project has some Tattered Angels somewhere and I travel with a plethora of colours wherever I go! Well, I am thrilled to say that Crafty Secret has hopped on board recently for my Shabby and Chic class at Scrapfest in Kitchener, Ontario (April 17&18). This class is bursting with yummy products from Black River Designs, Prima, Tattered Angels, Hambly and Crafty Secrets! If you have not slaready signed up... what are you waiting for? You will NOT be disappointed! Here is a sneak peek from the Shabby and Chic class...


Okay... so keeping this post short and sweet... run to check out the other design team members blogs from Tattered Angels and Crafty Secrets and have a GREAT week!

Back from PARADISE!!!!

What an amazing experience! As most of you know, I had the honour and privilege of being a part of the AMAZING Crop and Cruise team of instructors. In the months (almost a year) leading up to this event, I had the opportunity to work along side of these fabulous ladies planning the classes and events for the attendees. We all worked tirelessly to ensure that our participants had a great time and I think it was a success!


It blew my mind as an instructor to see just how very generous so many different companies in this industry are. On my first day in miami, this became apparent when I had to kit my clear album class. One has no idea just how many goodies it takes to assemble 125 class kits of this magnitude. I want to give a HUGE shout out to my clear album sponsors and say thank you so very much for making this such a huge success!!! The photo shown above does not even include all the product as so much of it was shipped directly to the ship! WOW!!!

So thank you again to my dear friends at the following companies that made my class possible...

PRIMA- Build-a-Book Clear Albums, Rings and Flowers
LUXE- fabulous papers, transparencies, rub-ons, epoxy stickers, ribbons, labels and alphabet stickers
HAMBLY- overlays
RIFF RAFF DESIGNS- gorgeous chipboard
SAKURA- glaze pens
RANGER- glossy and crackle accents
STIX 2- adhesives and glitter


ALSO... a GIANT thank you to TATTERED ANGELS!!! I am sure that most of you out in cyber space realize that I am sooooo lucky to be on the Design Team for this amazing company. when I approached them many months ago regarding this event, I was hoping for a few bottles of Glimmer Mist. NEVER in my wildest dreams would I have expected them to hop on board as my TECHNIQUE TREASURE sponsor and provide such amazing kits to all of our cruisers! Each Cropper of the Caribbean walked way with a kit bursting full of Glimmer Mist, glimmer chips, Glimmer Album, My Mind's Eye papers and a plethora of embellishments. Everyone had a great time learning some of the fundamental techniques for using this fabulous array of goodies.

So to all of the companies and people (Pom. Tami, Jennifer, Emily, Wendy, Michelle, Allison, Julia, Tim, Alessandra, Ben and Kara)...

THANK YOU!!!!!

so... how about a few pics from the trip. these are in no particular order. some i took but most were taken by others. I would LOVE some Hi RES copies of any of your pics that you may have taken on our trip as I would like to make a scrapbook for me too:)... please email them to me at trisha.lado@gmail.com... THANKS!

The above photo is one of the many fun shots taken throughout the week. I think this was in St.Thomas... look at that beautiful blue water! We were taking a nice belly shot when a wave came up and took us by surprise... needless to say it was a wee bit chilly...lol!

The amazing Deanna Hutchison... one of the most amazing people I have the privilege of knowing. She is by far one of my biggest blessings to come from this entire experience... (that goes for the rest of the team too:). We met last summer for the first time in real life and hit it off ever since. I am so grateful for her friendship and look forward to continuing to hang whenever I manage to get my butt out to the West coast!





Ahhh... now sweet Diane and I had a blast at our first port in Samana, dominican republic. her travel partner, Izzy, hurt her leg so she was unable to come on this excursion so Diane sweetly allowed me to tag along. i traveled solo so I had to tag along with others whenever possible!!! We had a great time touring the Mangroves, a few caves and then chilling on the beach afterwards. The best part by far though was the amazing ride back from the caves in the speed boat. 40 minutes at mach speed across the ocean when there were some pretty good waves made for one heck of a fun adventure!!! We laughed hard as we got soaked with the splashing... better than Splash mountain at disney... by far!
Here we are chilling on the beach for a short while before heading back to the ship:)





I am not sure if this is a sunset or sunrise but regardless... it was gorgeous just the same:)


So... skipping back to our first night on the ship, after we had our welcome party and gave all the attendees their amazing goodies, many of us stuck around to get to know one another and get the party started! Somehow that karaoke got going and that was the cue to either run away really fast or grin and bear it and join in on the fun!

Well, I for one grabbed the bull by the horns and played along! I NEVER sing as I tend to break glass with my voice but whet the hay... why not,right?! You only live once so we had a tonne of fun pretending to be rock stars...lol!

The week flew by in a flash. So many sights were seen, beaches visited, memories made but one of my favourites by far was our last day when we visited great stirrup Cay,Bahamas. We spent a few hours just relaxing before heading back to the great white north. Myself, along with Janique (Paws on Scrapbooking) and Jackie from Canadian Scrapbooker had fun floating around on this blow up raft until we hit a big wave and went flying into the water. It was too much fun I tell ya!



So as I wrap us this particular event and look forward to the next adventure in this wonderful journey called life, I want to thank Allison again for doing such a terrific job! It was a pleasure to work alongside some of the most amazing gals I have ever had the privilege of getting to know! With any luck, I will be able to do something like this again one day in the future. If YOU have the opportunity, I HIGHLY recommend it... you will not be disappointed! It was definitely one of the best vacation ideas I have ever seen! Whether you go with your hubby or family, with a friend or two or even want to go solo and meet some new friends along the way... Crop and Cruise should be something you consider. I LOVED being a part of it and I am sure you would too! Next one is set sail November 2010 (approximately). Stay tuned into the Cropa dn Crusie Website for more details to come in the near future!

so... that is about it for now. Again, a HUGE thank you to all of the Crop and Cruise sponsors... your participation is greatly appreciated and I know we are all extremely grateful for your generous contributions. Be sure to check out the following companies websites... without a doubt, there is something for EVERYONE!

(Thanks to Leica for all the logos, etc;)

a few that I don't have logos for:

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