Paper Bag Mini Albums

Oh my word, did I ever have an exhilarating time at this weekend's Woman's Wellness Retreat, hosted by the YMCA at local Key Center neighbor Camp Seymour. Along with various camp counselor-led activities like the climbing wall, archery, boating, and a ropes challenge course, there were camper/instructor-led courses on topics like creating your own makeup, bath bombs, henna paste, neck warmer/coolers... and of course, two opportunity for campers to CraftWithAnna!

I met women who attended guided meditations on non-traditional prayer, as well as ladies who learned information about how to "Make Change Stick," which, it turned out, was not the class I envisioned as I had read, Make A Change Stick lol. #Makers want to make change sticks! There was a book club discussion led by my cabin mate Scarlett on The Orphan Train. I got to know a vivacious lefty during what turned out to be an epically tall game of Jenga!
Now, about a month ago I led the teens at the Red Barn Youth Center through an easy to do project that is so customizable, it can be made for any occasion- and on the cheap! It's a class my friend DF developed, and she had even donated all of the class contents for the kids to use how they would. Of course, no two booklets were alike :-) I am always inspired by the creativity that is shown, and also by the amount of product they are able to cram onto small surfaces.
These books measure 6x6" and are made from paper lunch sacks. Yes, paper lunch sacks! By adding a few patterned papers and pieces of cardstock, these ordinary household items become unique memory keepers. I knew they would be the perfect project to teach at this weekend's Retreat... and it turned out to be an extremely enjoyed class for both myself as the teacher and for the students who took  time out from the great outdoors to make with me.
I saw a cat book made by a dog lover (?!), an album that was intended as a graduation gift, a "Kirk book" (turns out it was not an ode to Star Trek; Kirk was a meaningful marriage recipient), and even one or two that were for what I had in mind- camp memory keepers! To finish off our paper stash and kit contents, we even made some greeting cards that could be sent to loved ones we thought of while making our goodies... be still my heart!
Now, I've learned a few things in the course of my teaching career; first off, I should not drink wine before crafting with others if I plan to teach them how to do something :-) That wasn't a problem this weekend! Another lesson is that, if I start to make the same project at the same time as my students, I get kinda grumpy about helping others... and that is just not cool! So, during my classes I mostly walk around encouraging others and trying to be helpful when I sense someone not embracing their inner craft goddess. Plus, I get such a kick out of seeing what other's make, and I would miss that if I was all wrapped up in my own creation.
BUT, the next morning, I had the (brilliant) idea to collect a few cardstock momentos from campers whose company I enjoyed immensely. Paper momentos that I can now use to create my own unique- to- my- experience mini album- JOY! Double joy actually, with the potential for a soon third; reading those comments after my return home filled my heart with appreciative happy. The comments were truly touching, personal, and boosted my spirits- I will treasure the reading again and again. Once I've bonded paper to lunch sack myself, I can include those cards in the folds of my pages.

Towards the end of my appointed teaching time, I quickly ran through some simple ways to use leftover embellishments and trimmed off papers to make some greeting cards that could be sent out the old fashioned way- through the postal mail. Once I have my version complete, I'll do the same thing and send thank you's out to my new friends who shared their contact information :-)
To anyone reading this who I might have met this weekend, as well as my faithful blog readers~ thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!

Open Roads

Ventured over the pass last weekend to scout out some possible over winter residents. Our destination: somewhere around Cle Elum. I'd only found out the weekend before that all the hotels in the area were booked, so we knew we'd be camping, but where was to be determined.
Growing up, our family often pulled into a more hospitable campground than Mother Nature usually provides... not at all in terms of scenery, but definitely a campground is preferred when small children are about. Nevertheless we took our chances camping off the state land and were pleasantly satisfied with the conditions, site, and view at our camp.
The rushing roar of the river drowned out any noise and provided a blank backdrop for Rainier's guitar and song singing to fill the air. She strummed that thing over rocks, down to the river's edge, from atop a creosote-soaked bridge... I was impressed! "Sixteen Tons" amongst the boulders walking back from a hike was epic.
Soon enough we'll find out if Moe or Stoney, above will be rooming here for the winter. Their friend Rio is a perfect match for our pony Chippy, though, and regardless it'll be fun having them. High Country Outfitters runs trail rides, group overnights, and girl's camp all summer and leases a portion of their well-trained herd mules and horses out to riders from fall to spring. The owners, Stacy and Brian invited us up to peruse their wares so to speak.
It would have been really hard to choose but I had fallen for Stoney before we left after seeing him online, and Moe and Ray bonded- you can guess how that went. We're lucky to be able to afford this opportunity and I'm looking forward to getting more comfortable than I've ever been, riding and just being around the horses in general. Rainie and I have been riding Chippy a bit but I'm learning to recognize my weaknesses.

 

Into the Great Wide Open

Pure entertainment...

One of my favorite outdoor activities has always been camping with my family. As a little girl, my parents would load up a van or camper and we'd all head to the Nisqually valley where we belonged to a camping club with property on Lost Lake. The thrill of going was never as good as the exhausted glow that would surround our vehicle as we pulled out for I-5 and the traffic blocked drive home.

Pure Water

This weekend we took the girls up to the beautiful Lake Cushman area for some hiking and even a bit of river washing. The crystal clear waters of the Olympic National Rainforest are so pristine, and I couldn't help but think to myself how lucky our kids are to witness this kind of glorious growth with their own eyes.  To be able to say, I climbed inside a tree trunk! -and have photographic proof thanks to mom lol.


Pure Joy

There aren't many places I've been that seem to hold the magic that this forest does- even the Twilight fans have to agree with me on that one! It was easy to picture wolves running amongst the undergrowth, but actually it was the "watch for bears" sign that had me peaking over my shoulder from time to time. Once, a thundering approach actually did nearly frighten the dickens out of me, but when the gruntngly hefty teenager ran past me, I was able to laugh off the close call with a need for new undies.

Sitting Pretty Betweeen Bundros

The best one can hope for in a shared camp space is for good company, and I think this picture says it best; "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life."-Richard Bach.

Now, to see what I end up doing with all these amazing photos I took you'll want to subscribe to my YouTube CraftWithAnna channel. I'll have a neat mini album to share with you, using the pieces left over from the abundant June 2015 Scrapbooking kit from EmbellishKits.com . Thanks for stopping by!