Tracy Weinzapfel Studios

More workshop photos!

I just want to share a few more photos....see 75 people is a lot!

Tracy

CHA Winter 2012! Workshop!

CHA Winter 2012 is off!!! The booth is ready, the team is in place and here we go! I will share photos of the booth but I am posting from my iPhone and am limited to 5 pictures and want to talk about my workshop today.

I was a nervous ball of energy until that was done and don't want to forget the day ever! From start to finish I was so grateful.

First off, all the prep I put into it paid off big time! Ever detail and tool I brought along was used. The amazing sponsors and what they supplied was awesome. I had wished I had more toolboxes but it was hard to gauge what 75 people looked like in one room. In fact, when we got to the room to setup I told Erika and Shelly to place toolboxes in the first 5/6 rows only so everyone would sit near the front. Erika looked at me and pointed out the whole room was sold out and every row would be occupied....gulp!!!

Second....the team! What can I say but every person from our design team was there and worked the room for me! Thank you Carisa, Carolyn, True, Cheryl, Grace and Martha.....oh man alive if I forgot anyone shoot me but posting from my iPhone!

A special shout out to Shelly for say "I'm on it" to anything and everything thrown her way. She was the media specialist and PR person for me. Thanks to her I have these photos on my phone to share. She was posting on Facebook and accepting those friend requests :) Also nice that "Aunt Shelly" was texting the twins for mom while I was busy....she hated being the bad guy when Joey asked to go in the pool. It is January! Thanks Shell!!

To Erika another special thanks. From start to finish she executed, organized, understood my details and more importantly calmed me down. She literally made me go potty and stop, look, and listen! Nothing like a curly headed Canuck to get your attention. Like I said....she gets the details! Thank you!!!!

Once I did take that much needed potty break I stepped outside to a big line of anxious crafters. These were the people who pushed "send" to spend the next 2 hours with me. They will never know just how much that means to me. So to those who spent that time with me getting creative....THANK YOU to each and every one of you!

Once I clipped that microphone I admitted to all how nervous I was and I needed 10 minutes to calm down. Linda in the front said I did not even take that 10 minutes and settled in. I loved it! I could not be more happy sharing what I love and those 125 eyes became 75 people right quick!

We had a great time...well I did! And I hope everyone else did. We glued (lots of Helmar glue), we painted and we misted! Later someone asked me the difference between teaching to 75 vs 10-20. I said that with 10-20 I get to know everyone, know their names, find out about their kids and with 75 I wanted to make sure I could reach and create down to that last row. I was also tethered to the microphone which nearly killed me but I hope I was able to do that!

Once my kit was into their crafty little hands it was amazing where they took my concept. Some were recreated like mine but many were right out of the creative box! It was exactly as I had envisioned it to be and more! We talked tips and techniques and despite the fact I was missed my beloved charcoal pencil we made do! We ended the workshop with giveaways which is always fun! so again THANK YOU!!

When it was over I loved talking personally to those who came up for a photo and was humbled when they wanted to photo my work! Like I said to one person.....our paths all crossed for a reason and we get one another!

As we left I "had" to cart the boxes back to the hotel....what I needed was that time to put my iPod on, breath and take it in...ok I needed to drop a tear too but that is my darn sensitive 40's kicking in! I just needed that time and glad I took it.

I was able to return to the booth and talk glue until 6. I appreciated all who came by to say they loved the class! Wow I had a lot to say!

We capped off that day with a champagne toast just as I hoped!

Last but not least if you took my workshop please do email your pages! I really do want to see and share! I hope I inspired you to "DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERY DAY!"

Tracy

CHA Winter 2012 Day Two (setup)

Day Two at CHA Winter, the second day of setup was another great day....phew! Since most of the heavy lifting was done yesterday it was an easier day on me. In fact, I designated the final displays to the design team and they came through big time! Special thanks to Shelly (prior designer and my friend) for her work and dedication. I swear when you surround yourself with these truly amazing people they just make you shine! And trust me these girls all light up with talent.

Throughout the day I was honored to meet them and have their work to display! Those Helmar Hotties got it going' on! I was able to catch a quick photo of just some of them today as we completed the setup. Our official team photo is Sunday morning. Thankful to all who are sharing their work with us and their time!

Today is also a big day for me..,.my much anticipated SOLD OUT workshop! I saw it on the marquee out front and of course I nearly wet my pants! Such a moment for me personally! Today 75 peeps will be sharing their creative time with me! I am not sure who is more excited...me or them!

All in all....so thankful! Something like this does not happen without a team! Today we welcome retailers and distributors and my fingers will be crossed.

So as the song goes "Say a little prayer for me"....beyond happy to have this experience and hope my fear of public speaking takes a hike for the day. Bring it on!

Updating through my iPhone so hope this works with pics! Have a great Sunday all!

Tracy

CHA Winter 2012 - Day One (Setup)

First day of CHA posting from my IPhone and see if this works...long, long day but worth it!

Leaving the kiddos is always hard and Mommy's boy Jojo was taking it hard so leaving was tough for me. Thank heavens the best Mom (mine) is home taking my place. So thankful!

We got the booth set up for the most part and it looks great. Those months of list making paid off! My dad joined us for the set-up which made things move along faster. It is always nice to have an extra set of hands let alone my dad!

He left and Shelly joined us to help at the Crafter's Home Vendor Fair from 6-9:30! Made for a long day but saw several of our vendors and took lots of orders! We were dead on our feet by 10 pm but starving! Shelly and I hit Outback for a very late dinner and punchy laughing!

All in all a great day which is all I could ask for! You never know with setup at these convention centers but thankfully everything got in and where it needed to be.

The best was when my dad drove away he stopped the car and said "Do you have enough money?" I am 41 and he still asks me that. Very thankful for my awesome parents for helping out. Like I said, without them this would not be possible.

So Day 2 of setup is here and I am excited to see my designers! They bring lots of excitement and their art. I lay here on bed with anxiety and look forward to what the day brings!

I have never posted from my iPhone so here goes nothing! Great way to share the Show!

Tracy

Getting Ready...Taking a Moment

The last few weeks/heck months have been busy ones.  I have been making lists, packing workshop kits, designing/kitting make 'n takes, shopping for things for our booth, and so much more for CHA.  It has been the focus of my life for some time and now just two days before I leave I see those lists shrinking and those boxes packed........

Those make 'n takes ready for some gluing....

It was just a few short years ago I was going to my first CHA and I had absolutely no idea nor could fathem that years later I would be coordinating a booth from top to bottom.  Taking just a moment this Wednesday morning to think about that.  We complain about those lists, angonize over what we may have forgotten, and even let that get in the way of what we have happening.

This past week I also went to a funeral and memorialized the life of a fellow mom and friend.  The room was filled and you could just see the impact this one woman had on every single person in the room.  It made me stop and put all those lists aside and think.  We are so lucky to have what we have in our lives (even the stuff that is not so great that we just have to get through)....but the impact we have is far reaching than we will ever know.  

I know that more than ever by those friends who have stepped up to help me out with so many things including getting my kids to/from and making me take time off to refuel!.  My parents, especially my mom for packing those kits one by one AND caring for the kids.  Could not do it without them!  The kids for stepping around boxes and even using them to hide behind.  So much more...

Last week I also got my biopsy report that all is a-okay and nothing to worry about so I carry on.  Yep, I get to carry on and mark those lists off, do what I love and share that with hundreds of people in my industry that are just as passionate about crafting and art.  I get to do that.  I also get to stop and be thankful.  Things do have a way of working out and they may not be perfect but they do work out. 

I also woke up to this email this morning that gave me a giant pep in my step.........

"Hi! I have truly been enjoying your ustream videos. You made a remark about not knowing if you taught us much and I just wanted to let you know how you've helped me. I'm going through some things right now that actually scare me. Life is scary to me right now but your last show inspired me to actually want to create again. Thus, I started my mini art journal! You may not ever realize the lives you touch by giving of yourself, your time, and your talent. Thank you so much for helping motivate me to actually get excited about creating again. I hope God blesses you richly for what you do! "

I am richly blessed and as I travel this week to share what I love I will keep this message on my phone just as a reminder.  You just never know the impact you have on those around you so matter what you are doing in life....make it a good one!

 

"Do not let your past rob your future. Each day is a chance to make a new beginning. Count your blessings, live with gratitude, and love with all your heart" ~Unknown

CHA Workshop Kits Packed!

The CHA Workshop kits are done and ready to roll!  100 of these babies packed up piece by piece along with 14 awesome tool kits to accompany them on each table. 

Tool Kits.......

and lots of Helmar adhesives such as to adorn the table.........

75 peeps and me are going to have 2 hours of creative time in my SOLD OUT WORKSHOP!

Thank you to my co-sponsors of my workshop:

• FaberCastell
• Buttons Galore & More
• DecoArt
• BasicGrey
• Maya Road
• Marvy Uchida
• Westcott
• Bazzill Basics
• May Arts
• Robin's Nest
• and of course lots of HELMAR!

Sneak peak of the completed art journal that we are making.........

I have had a lot of emails asking me if a kit is available for those who cannot attend CHA and the answer is YES!  A limited amount will be available and I will have details further on this in the future!  In the meantime I cannot tell you blessed I feel to be working with so many great companies.  The Helmar GLUE IS GONNA BE FLYING!  

Exciting details to follow on how WE can be creating this Art Journal together even if you cannot attend my workshop at CHA!  I am excited!  In the meantime, back to CHA preparations........2 weeks to go!

"You have everything you need inside of you to create a masterpiece...for you are a masterpiece! Dust off the cob webs of your imagination and create a work of art! Enjoy" ~Unknown 

Live Every Moment!

Last week was a week that was filled with many ups and downs.  The downs were pretty low as it included the passing of a fellow mom at school.  She is the mom of one of Micky's good friends so it hit close to home.  It got me thinking about the impact that each of us have on others and what do we truly leave behind.  She was a much loved mom, wife, daughter, volunteer and so much more.  It impacted all of us differently but by the tears and empty looks on my fellow moms at school last week we all just asked why.  As I said to a friend...the asking why is not what we should be doing but hugging those kids of ours and remembering that impact we do have on those we encounter so make sure to make the best of them! 

Last week I also had the pleasure of getting online and teaching a LIVE Helmar Ustream class where together we just Create!  I was in a creative funk and was caught up in all the CHA preparations........

Here is my completed page that I felt released me from my creative funk.

MATERIALS LIST:

• Helmar: Decoupage, 450 Quick Dry & Liquid Scrap Dots
• Ribbon:  May Arts
• Paints: DecoArts
• Ink: Marvy Heritage
• Stamps: Unity Stamps
• Ink: Winsor Newton
• Charcoal Pencil

Love the details of this page and cannot wait to take it to canvas:

I often find myself questioning my impact and sometimes I can feel it...it comes to me in an email like this one from Trudy:

"There ya go...inspiring me into making a canvas! Did my own thing but the drips and runs and free handing part of my sentiment is all your fault! LOL!  Hugs, True :D"

and this email from Angie Reece:

"my friend cindi  has been telling me about this u-stream class she has been doing.  it is tracy weinzapfel from helmarusa, doing a live craftie session every monday night.  i decided to try it out a few weeks ago .. (here's a link to the video if you want to watch...and you do.  it's amazing!) so i did.  and i got totally inspired.  then i had to work the next day."

and this message from Lillian Child:

"And I want to again thank Tracy over at Helmar USA for inspiring me to create on canvas.  She was such a huge inspiration for me to go outside of my comfort zone."

 

Next weekend Rene will be laid to rest and I hope she realizes the amazing impact she had.  I know I hugged my kids a little tighter and that small stuff I tend to sweat seemed less important.  I also felt beyond grateful that these and others have taken the time to share with me and email their work that truly inspires me.  It fills me up in ways I never knew possible. 

Life is way too short and we really need to fill our limited time with what fills us us and let the other stuff go........

"Never regret the choices you make, just believe in yourself and have faith. Life isn't perfect. It's a blend of joy and sorrow. But wherever life leads you to , it has a purpose." ~unknown

Checking In!

Where in the world have I disappeared to since New Year's?  Things have been a whirlwind of busy!  Well, I am ok and knee deep in my studio preparing for our biggest trade show of the year for us....CHA Winter 2012.  There are flyers to print, orders forms to copy, and best of all over 75 class kits to assemble for my SOLD OUT WORKSHOP!

My desk are budging from products donated by co-sponsors of my workshop:

• FaberCastell
• Buttons Galore & More
• DecoArt
• BasicGrey
• Maya Road
• Marvy Uchida
• Westcott
• Bazzill Basics
• May Arts!

I could not feel more blessed and lucky to be working with so many great companies.  The Helmar GLUE IS GONNA BE FLYING!  I have had quite a few emails bribing me to get people in since it is sold out and I am sorry to say you have to contact CHA.......They do have a Wait List though so make sure to get on that!  I am beyond excited!

Also for those who saw my post yes and sent good thoughts (thank you!), I am still waiting for the darn pathology report for the biopsy to come in and give me the free and clear so keep those fingers crossed.  Stitches come out this week and I feel much better.  Life is slowly getting back to normal and my parents are here to help with all the business of the kiddos!  Three sports is enough to remind them how thankful they are that their kids are grown and moved out.  On the flip side they could be back in Michigan freezing their rears off while it is 85 and sunny here!  I guess there is a price for the sun and that is playing taxi to three grandchildren :)

"Keep your life like a beautiful rose...a rose started as a bud, and slowly it opens up...like a rose, don't try and rush things in your life, just let nature/God take it slowly. If you rush things it would be like using your fingers to pull at the petals to open it quicker. Be patient and your life will become beautiful like a rose" ~Unknown 

My Word for 2012

I am not one to make resolutions but do like to select a word of the Year.  As I previously talked about HERE and in the begininng of 2011 my word for 2011 was TRUST.  My word for 2012 is .......PATIENCE

How do I plan on doing that.......The first order would be to slow down. For those who know me that is very difficult as my mind goes 20 million miles a minute, I have OCD tendencies (ok, maybe they are more then "tendencies") and sometimes I do sweat the small stuff.  I will continue to count my many blessings, be more in the moment and not take on so much on my own.  When life gets rough or I hit the bumps in the road I will try to remember that things always have a way of working out and what I may want just may not be what I need.  I will let it just be...

Teach me to be patient – with life, with people,and with myself. I sometimes try to hurry things along too much, and I push for answers before the time is right. Teach me to trust Your sense of timing rather than my own and to surrender my will to Your greater and wiser plan. Help me let life unfold slowly, like the small rosebud whose petals unravel bit by bit, and remind me that in hurrying the bloom along, I destroy the bud and much of the beauty therein. Instead, let me wait for all to unfold in its own time. Each moment and state of growth contains a loveliness. Teach me to slow down enough to appreciate life and all it holds.

Those words seem fitting as I set off into a great 2012 that I know will be filled with much love and blessings.  2011 ended on an incredible note and was a year of great knowledge, trust and forgiveness.  I look to 2012 to be just as wonderful and give me more time to slow down and let things happen as they are supposed to. 

What is your Word for 2012?  I hope you will share it with me.  This video is worth a view every so often and the start of a new years seems like a good time.

Much love, blessings and health in 2012 for us all.  We never know what life will throw at us but doing what we think best at the time with the information we have on hand is all we can ask of ourselves. 

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy New Year 2012!

I have debated what to write to close out 2011 and this picture (found on the internet, sorry wish I could give proper credit) seems most fitting for me...........

Out with 2011 that was amazing in so many ways!  It was filled with my wonderful family, my great friends......those near and far and fueled my heart with exactly what I needed.  To the many people who have crossed my path (old friends and new ones) this year and left a deep imprint on my soul.  To those I have met and to those I have yet to meet.  To those who made me laugh until there were tears running down my leg and to those who lent a shoulder to shed a tear.  To the journey that has brought me here today and filled my heart in ways I never imagined I raise my glass to you and say.......

Tonight I will take in the New Year with friends and family and toast...May you and yours be blessed with good health, happiness, and gratitude in the New Year.  I thank you for what you have brought to my life! 

Much Love and Blessings in 2012!

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." ~Steve Jobs