Tracy Weinzapfel Studios

Getting Ready...Taking a Moment

2012-01-25T07:15:38-08:00

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!

2012-01-17T06:00:00-08:00

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!

2012-01-16T06:00:00-08:00

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!

2012-01-05T06:00:00-08:00

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

2012-01-01T06:00:00-08:00

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!

2011-12-31T14:48:30-08:00

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

Christmas Wrap-Up...Bringing the year to a close

2011-12-30T06:00:00-08:00

As Christmas comes to a close I want to say that I got everything I wanted. It was not about the presents under the tree or the yummy food. It was about family, friends and being in every moment. Funny how life is and where it takes you and what it brings you into your life. Everything has a way of working out and despite the stresses, bumps and bruises along the way it is important to count your every blessing. I did just that this season...

I was thankful for my family that was together......

New Friends and Old Friends...........Especially those girlfriends of mine (some pictured below but so many more!)

My studio: My heaven, my happy place....a place where I invite my creative friends into and I express myself openly.......

Christmas flowers.......I love flowers!

A glass of wine, the sunset, the beach.......three of my favorites that make me stop, look, and listen to what is around me especially when life gets busy....how can you not!

The beloved Furball who taught me not to sweat the small stuff and loves us all unconditionally! Nice to have this toasty bed warmer to wake up with....

My kids, my greatest joys who every day make me a better person......

I am blessed beyond belief. As I bring this year to a close I saw this saying the other day...

"You are exactly who, what, where you are supposed to be and you are lovely (anything else would just be plain ridiculous)"

From time to time I have doubted the path to get here and be me but have never stopped walking along and loving where it has taken me. 2012 brings a whole new year, new paths to follow and trust that everything has a way of working out. Counting your blessings is always the best path to follow!

Brights Blessings for your new year and your path ♥

"I'll never be on the cover of some glamour magazine. I'll never wear a crown or be a beauty queen. There are days I look like hell, ... There are days I show my age, But in my heart... where it counts I'm Beautiful all the same. I might not save the world, I'll never cure some deadly disease. Won't fly above the trees But I'll do my best to change the world a little each day. I'll do my best to make a difference, Touch the heart of someone as much as I can, Make a mark on the world where it counts. I know many who will try to put me down, Many who would love to see me fail, But I know who I am and that's where it counts." ~ Written by K.D. Storm

Christmas Day!

2011-12-29T06:00:00-08:00

Christmas Day started bright and early at 5 am due to the wake up of Joey. He was armed and ready to unwrap some presents. The twins are 10 and holding strong in their belief Santa and I will do anything to keep that. As always Santa left footprints on the paper that we set out (so Santa does not get ashes from the fire place on the floor otherwise mommy will get mad).

Santa also ate the cookies and gave the reindeer the carrots. We loved reading his reply to their letters....

With some coaxing Joey let us start the unwrapping at 6:00 am ......

Seriously I was still sleeping I think!

Grandma loved her picture Micky painted and Grandpa loved his new mug she bought him at the holiday boutique....

Santa did not overlook Penny!

Joey bought Grandma and Mom new rings!

Santa left some XBox games for the boys!

Along with lots of things like a down comforter for Joey, books, clothes, a watch for Micky the big gift was iPod Touch's for them all!

Santa must hold stock in Apple! I bet Steve Jobs is smiling from above!

The best gift of all was from Tyler to Papa......and it was a surprise for Tyler! When Grandpa got here Tyler had a box of Whitman's Chocolates and was not sharing. So Tyler found a rather large box under the tree marked "To: Grandpa, From Tyler"....the look on his face was priceless! It was even better when Grandpa unwrapped this giant box........

2 lbs of chocolate!

What an absolutely amazing morning! Then the questions started coming in from the twins: "Mom, why do the ashes from Santa's footprints smell like baby powder"....."Hey Mom, Santa wears Sketchers!"........oops! Santa was a little tired that night LOL! I had to duck away from those questions quick. We all need to believe. What a magical Christmas it was. We all got the gifts we wanted and even some we never could imagine. It is all about Jesus's Birthday and the belief...not just about those items found under the tree

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree." ~Roy L. Smith

Christmas Eve

2011-12-28T06:00:00-08:00

Any day I may stop sharing pictures from Christmas but I took so many and they were so special to me. Christmas Eve we relaxing and then we went to church to see the twin's in the Christmas Eve Program. There is nothing more than being in that moment watching them up there singing and boy do I love Christmas music. We had front row seats for this special performance!

I had an Inn Keeper and a Wisemen (Wiseman? Wise-something!).......

Michaela did a great job with her speaking part as the Inn Keeper...

and our ever Wise Cracker Joey was so cute (we kind of thought he looked like the Burger King guy)...

The singing was so cute (or in Joey's case the lip syncing).....

Very cute......

I just took it all in with the family.......

We all knew we had a huge ham dinner waiting at home cooking so it was home to a great meal.....YUM! That is what Christmas Eve is about.

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." ~Norman Vincent Peale

Family Christmas!

2011-12-27T06:00:00-08:00

What an amazing Christmas and to spend it with my family was perfect. I love it when I we have the occasion to get all dressed up and Christmas Eve for Church we did just that so I grabbed my camera much to the dismay of everyone.

We played this song the night we made cookies and this will forever remind me of my parents as my dad kept telling me that the girl in the video had pretty green eyes like mom...

I am lucky to have my parents, What an example they are......

My three favorite men in the whole world. They all make me feel special...

Three generations.....

The best Gram and Papa...

We are truly blessed......

Thanks Mom and Dad....I know the travel is long to get here but we love having you.....I love You.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas filled with good friends and family.

" When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." ~Joyce Brothers