Time to Talk of Many Things:

... of  hope & SFAC 2015, of fundraising & tomorrows, and of cabbages & kings

Fundraising for Cystic Fibrosis
You are Making a Difference, Bringing Hope

   I am so excited to have our sixth annual 'Scrapping for a Cure' scrapbooking retreat in the books. It was a lot of fun and very successful. For our 2015 event, we had 48 participants, a dozen various vendors, and dozens of volunteers helping us every step of the way. I am so thankful for everyone that participated in any way and capacity. Because of you, we were able to double our fundraising from last year, raising over $8000 in donations for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We plan to present a check for $8400 to CFF on Saturday May 2nd at the annual Great Strides at the Memphis Zoo. With every dollar raised for CFF, we are truly making a difference in finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

   It may not seem much to volunteer an hour of your time or donate a little money, but when putting together a fundraising event, it all adds up to make a huge difference.

   My family and I got the opportunity to participate in a local CF run in April. We do it every year, and it is nice to chat with other CF families that are going through the same trials. This year was a little heartbreaking, though. Two CFers weren't able to make it to the event this year. One has been very sick and was still in the hospital. She is such a fighter and we think and pray for her regularly. The other one passed away shortly after last year's CF run. Both are under 15 yrs of age. It is hard to see the heartache, knowing that with a disease this severe, a simple cold can quickly change into something life threatening.  Though Kaitlyn has had a rough year and a half, I am so thankful for her health and her dedicated medical team. I know we are truly blessed. She is getting stronger with each passing month. With each fundraiser held to help find a cure, it gives each of us CF families hope.
                                           

We are already starting to plan for 2016, the seventh annual Scrapping for a Cure. We hope to have some details within the next month or two. Please be mindful of our Facebook and Website pages, they will have the latest information.

                                                   

To help boost our funds for the 2016 event, we are already starting our mini fundraising projects. 1) Fundraising Yard Sales!!- We will be hosting one in the Shoals Area (May)  and one in the Memphis area (June). If you have anything you wish to donate, we would greatly appreciate it....and feel free to come and shop! Dates, times, and locations will be posted on Facebook soon. 2) Tastefully Simple Fundraiser- If you have never tried Tastefully Simple, you are missing out. If you have tried it, reorder your supplies through me! I LOVE their products. In honor of May being CF awareness month, I am hosting a Tastefully Simple Catalog Party for the Month of May. A portion will be donated back to CF. We were able to raise $200 for CF from our last Tastefully Simple Fundraisers! To place an order, just PM me (Rachael McGuire, Alabama or Scrapping for a Cure) through Facebook. I will get you taken care of!

Thank you for your support in helping us find a cure for CF!

-Rachael McGuire

“Curiouser & Curiouser” : Our 2015 Teachers & Classes

“Curiouser & Curiouser” creative classes for our 2015 SFAC 2 Day Retreat:

We look forward to offering free fab grabs [wonderful free take-and-makes and demos] throughout the event for all to enjoy! And as standard, we are offering a great selection of classes for those that want to continue to learn in a high quality classroom setting from great instructors and at a reasonable price. This year we are proud to have a separate classroom space from our main cropping room. This means less distractions and better class time with the instructor.

So without further ado, let me introduce our instructors and their classes for this year. These teachers are donating time (and often some product) to help keep the prices of these classes as low as possible for our event. We thank them for their time and talent!

NEW: we have added an online shop for convenience for those that prefer to purchase online!

You can purchase tickets to the event and the classes listed below at https://squareup.com/market/scrapping-for-a-cure

(Seating is very limited and classes are primarily pre-register only. We cannot guarantee a class's availability the day of the event.)

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Judy Hardwick-

Our return croppers will recognize Judy from her talent, her creative classes, and her warm smile!

Judy is from Alabama and has been scrapbooking for over ten years and enjoys sharing

and teaching “faithbooking” classes whenever possible.

Her teaching experience includes faithbooking classes at Classy
Scrappers, Crop Connection, Scrapfest, Creating Keepsakes Convention, Croppin' 'Round the
Clock, Midwest Scrapbook Association, and Simply Southern Scrapbook Convention as well
as local classes, independently and with churches. She enjoys combining her gift of teaching
with her love of the Lord, photography, and scrapbooking. In her classes, Judy uses a variety
of techniques and embellishments as she encourages others to put their faith on their
scrapbook pages as they see God face to face in their daily lives. Check out her blog http://www.bepresentbereal.blogspot.com/

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“Look for the Magic”- Art Journal Class - by Judy Hardwick

Class Capacity: 20 – Price: $15 Friday March 27^th 1:30-3:00pm

Students will learn the basics of art journaling: upcycling and preparing your book; how to create stand alone pages as well as pages with their own thoughts. Students will also be shown the following techniques: sketching, creative lettering, painting over photos, and collage; with at least 2 of these completed on pages in their books. Students will not have a completed book at the end of class as art journaling is an on-going process...however they will have their basic book and the tools to continue this magical & wonderful journey!

Student Bring the following Tools:

• sketch paper [thicker than computer paper; Instructor will provide some]
• colored pencils [any brand, they do not have to be expensive, crayola is fine]
• scissors
• adhesive / glue stick
• quotes / song lyrics that they like

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Alissa Trowbridge-

Many of you remember Alissa's memorable card kits and superb classes from Eclectica. We are so proud to have her joining us at this event and donating her talents to provide us with 2 great classes that you just don’t want to miss!

Alissa has been scrapbooking and paper crafting for over 14 years. In addition to currently being on the Design Team at Back Porch Memories Kit Club, she has taught classes at local scrapbook stores and at industry trade shows throughout the years. She has also proudly served on a variety of manufacturer design teams.

While she loves scrapbooking, she is also quite taken with card making and altering. Alissa has been fortunate to have many of her cards and projects published in Paper Crafts, Card Maker, Scrapbook & Cards Today, various special edition card making magazines and industry publications.

Alissa currently resides near Nashville with her husband and son.

You can check out more of Alissa's stuff at Backporch memories blog http://backporchmemories.blogspot.com/
and purchase their kits here http://www.backporchmemories.com/

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“Perfect Vacation” Layout Class – by Alissa Trowbridge

Class Capacity: 23 – Price: $15 Friday March 27^th 3:30-5:00pm

Bon Voyage! In this vacation-themed class, you’ll create three designer projects - a two-page layout, a single page layout and a quick card using up the scraps. We’ll make all of this using the fun and versatile collection called “Perfect Vacation” by Imaginisce. These papers look great with traditional vacation pictures, but any weekend getaway, day trip or even “staycation” photos will do. Any work we don’t complete in class will be easy to finish back at your table or at home.

Student Bring the following Tools:

• Basic Tool Kit (trimmer, scissors, tape runner)
• Pop Dots
• Glue Dots
• Corner Rounder
• Ruler (if you like to be precise)
• Optional: photos for 2-page spread titled “Perfect Vacation”: (2) photos that can be cropped to 4x4” and (7) photos that can be cropped to 3½ x 3½“
• Optional: photos for single page spread titled “Good Times” that can be cropped to the following: (1) 3 ½ x 5½”, (2) 2½ x 3½” and (1) 2 x 2½”

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“6x6 Paper Pad Play” Layouts & Cards Class – by Alissa Trowbridge

Class Capacity: 19 – Price: $15 Saturday March 28^th 1:00-2:30pm

Are you a 6x6 paper pad collector? Or maybe you love the cute size but aren’t sure what to do with it? These adorable paper pads are an economical and FUN way to add to your stash, whether you’re a scrapbooker, card maker or both. In this class, we’ll create two single page layouts and four paper crafted cards using papers from a partial 6x6 paper pad collection - Echo Park’s darling “Simple Life.” Any work we don’t complete in class will be easy to finish back at your table or at home.

Student Bring the following Tools:

• Basic Tool Kit (trimmer, scissors, tape runner)
• Pop Dots
• Glue Dots
• Corner Rounder
• Ruler (if you like to be precise)
• Optional: photos for single page layout called “Lovely Day”: (3) 2 x 2” and (2) 6 x 4 OR (1) 6 x 4 and (2) 3 x 4”
• Optional: photos for single page layout called “Every Day is a Gift”: (1) 4 x 6” and (1) photo that can be cropped to 3½ x 3½”

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Melinda Everitt-

Our local croppers know the quality and style of CTMH director Melinda Everitt. Her local classes and events are always popular. We just adore the fun she has in store for us this year at Scrapping for a Cure!

“I have been a Close to My Heart Consultant for 7 years and have loved every minute of it. I joined because I love our fabulous products and wanted everything, so of course I needed the discount! The products were so easy to use that I shared my joy in creating with others and have now built up a team of fantastic Consultants. I love to teach so I have monthly workshops and crops. Customer service is of the utmost importance to me. Our tagline is "Let Me Show You How" and I believe in that! Email me for information on my crops and workshops or to schedule a fun gathering or workshop. I would also love to have you on my team of Consultants whether you would like to sell or just want the discount. I will help you become the Consultant you want to be”.

You can find Melinda and her CTMH products here http://www.melindaeveritt.ctmh.com and visit her blog here http://www.ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/

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“Relax & Stay a While” Summer Mini-Album Class – by Melinda Everitt

Class Capacity: 30 – Price: $15 Saturday March 28^th 10:00-11:30pm

You can almost hear the waves and feel the breeze in your hair & sun on your face just by looking at this beautiful mini album that Melinda has prepared for our event. Techniques will include stamping, sanding, dry embossing, fussy cutting, ink distressing and mini album assembly.

Students need to bring:

• basic tool kit: scissors, paper trimmer, adhesive
• 3D Foam Tape or Pop up dots
• sponge dauber or sponge
• warm brown ink (CTMH Saddle)
• Barn red ink (CTMH Barn Red)
• glue pen or Xyron
• rosin bag/baby powder/corn starch (to remove stickiness from stickers)

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Anna Maneclang-

We at Scrapping for a Cure are so excited to have Anna joining us this year to teach her beautiful art of lettering. Make sure to check out her local company Poplar Press on Facebook and at http://www.poplarpress.com

“Poplar Press is located in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Gil, and we are loving the simple little life that we've created together. Gil is a teacher and he is a huge help in running Poplar Press. Our Plott Hound, Sampson, and our Dachshund, June, are a big part of our lives too. I'm a grown up daddy's girl and my dad is one of my biggest supporters. My mom is also an artist. I am very lucky to have my sweet grandparents live right next door. Gil and I both attended Mississippi State University and we cheer for our bulldogs any chance we get. I went to the University of Memphis for nursing school and now (in addition to owning Poplar Press) I work as a pediatric nurse.

Designing and owning Poplar Press is a dream come true for me. I've always been an artistic person. I've dabbled in all sorts of different crafts, but my true passion is hand lettering and stationery. Through the years I've often had people tell me that they liked my handwriting, and I was always the kid in school who was getting in trouble for doodling all over her papers. I designed the invitations for my own wedding in 2011 and did all the calligraphy on the envelopes. I enjoyed doing those, but I never imagined that it would turn into what it is today. I had friends ask me to address their invitations, and from there my love for calligraphy and all things paper has grown and grown. Hand lettering takes something that we often take for granted--language--and makes it even more beautiful. I love the endless creative possibilities that stationery and calligraphy offers. I love that my inspirational prints and Bible verses can give people encouragement on a hard day and that my cards can bring smiles and fun to people. I always leave the inside of my cards blank because I really like to encourage people to write a message from the heart and not to just rely on a standard greeting card message.

Because I am self-taught, my calligraphy and lettering is not like any other artist's. Some of my pieces have been years in the making--quotes or verses that I have swooned over for years--and some of my pieces have originated from doodles on the side of napkins.”

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“Whimsical Calligraphy 101” Modern Calligraphy Class – by Anna Maneclang

Class Capacity: 15 – Price: $30 Saturday March 28^th 3:00-4:30pm

This class regularly retails for $55. Anna is providing us with a 45% discount and students are provided a basic calligraphy starting kit

Grab some of your friends and join me for a fun afternoon of modern calligraphy to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!

This low-key class focuses on the basics of modern calligraphy--this is not your grandma's calligraphy class! Modern calligraphy puts a funky twist on the traditional writing style. In this class you'll learn about the tools of calligraphy, the anatomy of lettering, and the movements of modern calligraphy.

These materials are included in the price of the class and are yours to take home with you:

• 2 of my favorite calligraphy nibs
• 1 pen staff
• 1 ounce of black ink
• 1 pad of calligraphy paper

A Very Merry Unbirthday to You!

Missed out on our early bird offer? Well, Don't be sad. We want to throw you an UNBIRTHDAY registration celebration....

Don't be late, check those clocks, and make sure you are not precicely 2 days late. Arrival time for our event is a strict 12:00pm on Friday HOWEVER... if you register by January 31st (must be postmarked by this date) you will receive an unbirthday guest ticket to arrive early. Unbirthday tickets allow you to arrive and begin set up and cropping at 10:00am that Friday. That's a bonus of 2 extra hours of fun time.

* those that have already registered have qualified for this offer and will receive an unbirthday ticket.
* sorry but Unbirthday tickets are non-transferable and can only be used by the individual named on the ticket.

Final Countdown for Early Bird Registration...

It has been a very busy couple of months for everyone but  we at Scrapping for a Cure wish you and your family a very merry Christmas holiday and a happy New Year!

We will be posting much more frequently in the new year but we wanted to give a final countdown reminder on our early bird registration. Only a couple of more days to get registration sent out. They must be post marked by December 31st. The registration form is located at our website scrappingforacure.com. If you need any assistance or have any questions please contact us at scrapping4acure@gmail.com

Thank you all for the love and support that you show us and  for supporting the fight for a cure for CF. May the new year bring many blessings and much joy to each of you.

----- Love, Tara & the Scrapping for a Cure Team

Back 2 Life, Back 2 Reality, Back 2 the Shoals

Back to Life

   Though it was so much fun at the beach, Kaitlyn and I are glad to be home and back into the routine of life. Kaitlyn went to visit her doctor last week and the results were great. Her lung function has leveled off since the previous month, something that hasn't occurred without additional medication help this whole past year. She has gained a pound and grown an inch! (Always great to hear for someone with a medical condition that makes it very hard to gain weight and flourish.) Her lungs sound clear and her lab work came back normal (for her). Was it the beach air? We don't know. She was also using essential oils, sleeping 10-12 hrs a day, swimming daily for exercise, and eating regularly. We are trying to change our lifestyle to include these extra health benefits to see if she continues to improve. Only time will tell. 

  On a positive note, she isn't scheduled to see her doctor until after Christmas. If all goes well, this will be our first year to spend Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas as a family since she was diagnosed in 2007. She is so excited to enjoy Halloween this year. It has been so long, she didn't even know what a Trunk or Treat was and that our church hosts one for Halloween. My creative kids decided to make their costumes this year out of cardboard boxes.....becoming the 'Boxtrolls'. I am so proud of them for working together, helping each other make the costumes. 

We had so much fun this past weekend visiting my family Murry & Tara Smith for their annual Halloween Carnival....definitely a better experience for us than last year. Last year, after traveling the 3 hrs, we arrived at their house with a sick Kaitlyn. She had seemed fine when we left home, but by the time the party started, she was running a low grade fever and couldn't keep her eyes open. She ended up sleeping through the whole party. 36hrs later, she was admitted to Children's Hospital in Huntsville, AL with a collapsed lung, the other lung completely dense with mucus, and put on oxygen for almost two weeks. Since then, this year has been very tough for her. But she is such a fighter, and our personal hero. 

Scrapping for a Cure Update

   Though Scrapping for a Cure is many months away, our committee members are always diligently working to get it ready. Our favorite part??!! Research (by cropping)!! Jill Worley spent over a week traveling to different scrapbook stores and crops, having fun and getting ideas for our event. Tara Smith & I will be heading to Arkansas next week for a huge crop. We love being pampered as croppers!!! We are having early bird registration right now. This runs through December 31st, 2014. All early birds will be entered into our big drawing: Hilton night stay, Breakfast for 2, and $100 Scrapping Bucks to spend at the vendor booths during our 2015 retreat! Don't miss out! You can find more information and a registration form at our website, www.scrappingforacure.com.

  

2014- Meet Kaitlyn

Meet Kaitlyn McGuire, our personal CFer. Kaitlyn was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was barely 18 months old, which followed with her first of many hospitalizations. In the beginning, we did not understand the battle facing us. We did not understand the questions that will come and may never have answers. Now, at age 8, she is still fighting this battle every day. She faces hospitalizations every 2-3 months, but her hope never dims. She has a strong support team made up of her parents, her brothers, dozens of aunts/uncles/cousins, and many friends she has met along the way. Her dream is a cure for cystic fibrosis. 

When Kaitlyn was 3, I wanted to take a proactive role in helping to battle this disease. I talked to my husband and called up a few sisters....and 'Scrapping for a Cure' was born. We wanted to help raise money for the non-profit organization, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in hopes that one day soon a cure will be found. Our organization started out small, at a local resort, with 15-20 participants. We came together to scrapbook for the weekend and help to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. After four years of hosting 'Scrapping for a Cure' in the North Alabama Area, we have moved it to the Greater Memphis Area in hopes to grow and reach more people. Not only do we want to raise money for CFF, but we want to raise awareness of CF in our communities. 

back: Anna Steinke, Jill Worley, Tara Smith
front: Teri Johnson, Rachael McGuire, Kaitlyn McGuire

In April 2014, we held our first 'Scrapping for a Cure' scrapbooking event in Memphis, TN at a local church. With it being our first time in the area, we chose to host a one day crop. With the help of two local girls, Jill Worley (having a brother with CF) and Tara Smith (Kaitlyn's Aunt), we were able to pull together a wonderfully successful crop. Our event committee including: Jill Worley, Tara Smith (Kaitlyn's Aunt), Anna Steinke (Kaitlyn's Aunt), Teri Johnson (Kaitlyn's Aunt), and Me (Rachael McGuire, Kaitlyn's mother),. With the donations of local businesses and generous participants, we were able raise over $4000 to donate to CFF.

Tara Smith, Tammy Case, Jill Worley, Cynthia Brewer, Rachael McGuire

We want to thank all of our participants, volunteers, and helpers that made this event possible. Due to the huge success, we have decided to keep this event in the Memphis area. We are already planning for our sixth annual event, a two-day retreat in Spring 2015. We will keep you posted on the latest details.