Life is busy, and while we as a society are taking more photos than ever before, the challenge often comes in finding the time to put them in albums and tell the stories. Have you dreamed of doing something fun and meaningful with your photos but you just don't have the time,the space, or the lack of interruptions to do so? Join the club! As a working Mom and an avid scrapbooker, I have often found that nothing quite beats a weekend retreat when it comes to completing photo projects and having fun with others who share your love for preserving their memories. All over the country events are hosted at hotels, consultants' houses, bed and breakfasts, and conference centers, and whether there are 6 or 60 folks there to work on their albums, fun and laughter are never far behind. The scrapbooking community is everywhere, and more than likely there is something going on like this close to where you are - you just have to find it!
Imagine taking a weekend away (you deserve it by the way) and driving up to a beautiful sight like this:
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| Ruth Mountain Bed and Breakfast in Arab, AL |
or this:
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| Springville Camp and Conference Center in Springville, AL |
The worries of life start to slowly slip away as you imagine the days ahead of you. Just the thought of a good night's sleep and some good food (lovingly prepared by someone else!) put you in a good mood as the weekend stretches out in front of you.
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| A scrapbooking retreat is good for the soul |
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| A hotel, a conference center, or someone else's house means no laundry and no dishes all weekend long! |
As you find your spot to work, you are greeted with a gift at your seat and plenty of space to spread out and organize your photo projects. You don't get this treatment at home!
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| Tables set up ready to go, all I need is for my scrappers to show! |
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| It's not a retreat without a garbage bag for scraps and a goody bag filled with candy, tickets for prizes, and other assorted trinkets for the weekend |
As others arrive you begin to experience the true fun and fellowship of a scrapbook retreat - some of my favorite people in the world are people that came into my life at events like this and I am proud to call them friends. One even became my wedding photographer (she drove from out of town to be there for me!) I think about the last 13 years that I have been attending and/or hosting weekend retreats and I know my life is richer because of it. Completed pages and an outlet for creativity are the obvious benefits of weekend retreats and workshops, but there is so much more to the scrapbooking community than that. If you haven't attended a weekend workshop, I would highly recommend it - you will walk away happy, I guarantee it!
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| See the latest products and have the supplies you need when you need them |
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| Completed albums to share for inspiration |
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| Grand prize winners walk away happy (contests are usually based on completed pages) |
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| Total strangers become friends in no time |
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| Not unusual for someone to complete 3 Fast2Fabulous albums in one weekend - that's a lot of life documented! |
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| Walk away happy with completed pages! |
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| Sharing ideas is a big draw for many people |
