"Spark the Event" ignited an inferno in me....

I am going to try to find words to tell about Spark the Event.  This is challenging because there was so much happening every minute, I couldn't even catch my breath.  But I need to share my spark, it's my duty.  I have been given such a gift, I want to pass it on to you....so the best way I can share how amazing this whole experience was is to SHOW you with pictures.  Cause seeing is believing, right?

 Here I am beginning my spark journey, inspired by my surroundings of the mountains in Utah.  My first time there and definitely not the last.  The scenery, the people and the energy is all pure and fresh.

 How clever is this, just walking upon the door we begin to see the joy and beauty that awaits....

 My new friends Gina and Jennifer.  All these women from all over the country (even some from Japan!) came to ignite their creativity.  It was grown up girls art camp, and it was fabulous.

 I met Nancy Wyatt after being facebook friends and she is just as fun and friendly as you would imagine.  I was struck by the realness of everyone involved.  No one had a diva attitude or wasn't just humble and genuine.  How refreshing!  These are dynamic, successful women and they were all gathered together to help facilitate growth and bonding for creative women...

 the decor was happy and ingenious, using all recycled items.  Margie said they didn't spend a lot but you wouldn't know it, which is really creativity as it's best.  Use what you have around you.  You don't have to spend a lot to make something beautiful.  It's been my motto all along, and I loved seeing how the decorations were made with ribbon, yard and paper scraps.  I am going to implement some of the sparkness I saw at the shop...

 This is the uber talented Mindy Gledhill.  She is AMAZING.  She sang a song called "Anchor" and I was hooked. line. sinker.  I am bought her CD and I have since played it over and over, I can't wait to bring it to the shop and create whilst listening to that melodic voice....here is the cutie patooties website...
http://www.mindygledhill.com/

 I like this shot, the light was so nice, I was so overwhelmed with joy and took a moment to look out the window and thank God for all this goodness.  The talented Cathe Holden was kind enough to take my picture and she was also generous throughout the event in sharing useful tidbits of information about being in the creative business world.  Here is her awesome blog "just something i made"...
http://justsomethingimade.com/

Cathe is also a local to me living in the darling town of Petaluma, hopefully our paths will cross again soon...

 Here is our gorgeous food table, it was always charming, and lavish.  We wanted for nothing.  Included in the package was lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks galore.  I am amazed at the value, not to mention they showered us with freebies.  All of a sudden you would be deep in concentration, making a project and in would walk Margie saying "Who wants some presents?" and we would get a giant bag of scrapbook goodies....it was just constant goodness is all I can say.

 Here is the view from the rooptop of Noah's the gorgeous building where this was hosted...beauty everywhere....

 We had the whole place to ourselves.  The meals were in the big room downstairs and the various classes were all upstairs, the schedule was 8AM-9PM and we crafted and created like elfs the day before Christmas.....

 my spark homies: Nancy, me, Gina, Jennifer and Michelle.  What a great group of women, I never knew any of them before Spark and we bonded instantly.  I was surprised at how many women went by themselves, they were all brave and stepping outside their comfort zones, many having their first Mom getaway ever.  I think it helped form instant friendships and I know everyone who went has spark sisters they will stay connected to.

 This is one of the many classes, this is Donna Downey's class and this was my favorite of them all.  Why it was my favorite is because I love Donna's style, loose and free,and I used pan pastels for the first time.  I just found out about them and I love how non-messy and convenient they are.  I also liked how Donna's class was "do-able" in that we made a collage in an hour.  Some of the classes were tough only in that I wanted more time (and I am a fast worker), but her's was basic enough to finish in the amount of time we had.  I will be buying pan pastels ASAP as a result of this class, and I am now a big follower of her work.

 Donna showing the sample collage and explaining how to make it.  It was surprisingly easy....

 Donna is so down to earth and funny.  I loved meeting artists whose work I admire.  There is no pretentiousness with any of these ladies, which made it non stressful and uplifting.  Art can be intimidating and even if you were a beginner you would have been able to walk away with a finished piece of work and felt good about it.

 "Here is our work teacher!!" Loved this technique and will be doing more of it in the future....Here is Donna's blog for those interested in her work...
http://donnadowney.typepad.com/

 This is Christy Campbell Tomlinson, creator of "She Art" which is so popular right now.  She's as delightful and real as the rest, sharing her touching story of how "She Art" manifested through her father's death.  She made her first "She Art" for her sister to help her cope and it just exploded from there.  I am struck by how organic the whole process of art is, how if you just let go and create, what is meant to happen will happen.  This is powerful for me as I often struggle with wanting to know where my path is going.  I need to let go and let God, and see what unfolds.  If I try to force it , then I only get frustrated.  When I keep myself open things come to me, just like Spark.  I wasn't even looking for it but it came right to me.  I am so glad it did.
Here is Christy's "She Art" link for those interested...
http://christytomlinson.typepad.com/christytomlinson/workshops.html

 This is the darling Emily Falconbridge, queen of felting.  I had never felted before, nor did I even know what felting was.  It's a technique used with wool and this was our last class at Spark.  We made felted soap, which is an extremely relaxing and somewhat sensual process..  I shall take Emily's online felting class and continue to learn more about this art...here's a link to her blog if you want to check it out..
http://embers.typepad.com/e/workshops.html

 This was our dinner table for Saturday night, full of beauty and Spark.  I probably gained 5 pounds from all the yummy food and desserts.

 Here is the Queen, founder and creator of Spark, Margie Romney-Aslett.  She is so inspirational to me that I gave her my original red tutu of the tutu series.  I felt compelled to do so.  She has sparked so many women's lives and her leadership shows me what can be accomplished with hard work and ingenuity.  It is women like her that show us how to get there, by surrounding herself with other amazing women that support her vision.  By being genuine, funny and talented she has accomplished so much.  Honestly I know she does a lot more then Spark, she teaches, has a creative team and a whole lot more.  Here is her blog for those who want to find out more..I know I will be watching her rise to fame, cheering her on the sidelines and happy to Spark again next year...
http://www.margieromney-aslett.typepad.com/

 Here is another incredibly talented woman Sarah Sample, she performed on Saturday night and rocked the house with her beautiful voice.  She told us stories of how she wrote her songs and then we helped sing along and I had chills from the collective energy of the room.  It was hard not to cry at times, it was so powerful.  I also bought her CD's and have been loving playing them at home, keeping my Spark lit....here is Sarah's link, check her out, she is on her way to the top, no doubt about it...
http://www.sarahsample.com/music.php

 and then I met the darling, the delicious Chrissy Gardner.  It was love at first sight.  We are both cowgirl hippy's and we sparked immediately.  She is one of those instant friends, you can just tell by her smile can't you?  I have a big time girl crush on her and I look forward to collaborating on a hippy cowgirl line in the near future...here's miss fabulous's blog for those who want to know her...
http://www.chrissygardner.blogspot.com/

 and then after all this mind-blowing goodness, and I do mean mind blowing.  My head hurt from all the excitement we go to the Dear Lizzie store.  OMG is all I can say.  It is the best store I have ever seen.  My mouth literally opened and I think I might have even drooled a bit, I am telling you, it's GORGEOUS!  If I lived near this shop I would never need to go anywhere else for a pick me up.  Laura the owner is as kind and warm as all the other spark sisters and she deserves all the credit for making this slice of heaven.  I gasped when I saw these tutu's, I would never be able to resist if my daughter was small...

 The hardest part is taking it all in, every inch of the store is packed with beauty.  Very inspiring for me as a shop owner.  I saw some familiar things and some things I wanted for the shop.

Here is the link to Laura's store to find out more...

http://www.mydearlizzie.com/boutique

 This was one of the last pictures and I love it cause we were cracking up.   I saw someone get this drink (that I have in my hands) and I gasped, and said "What is that?!" It was a Fizzy Lizzie drink which is essentially cherry soda and whip cream.  What a perfect drink to finish off a perfect trip.  Nancy and I were laughing as I was trying to take a picture with one hand in the mirror and cheers with the other....Nancy is another multi talented woman who has her hands in many things creative.  Here is her blog to check out as well....
http://www.lovestocreate.com/

As I sit here writing about Spark I am still reeling from the weekend's events and happenings.  This magic is going to permeate my art and I am so excited to go to the studio tomorrow.  I expected to like Spark, I knew it would be fun.  But it far exceeded my expectations.  I made a Spark shrine with all my goodies, I have sparked up my dining room chandelier and I have yet to unpack.  I have been Sparkformed, as have all who went.  I can hardly wait to do it again.....here is the Spark website for those who care to look...
http://www.sparktheevent.com/