Oh, the pages we complete and the good times we share...

 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:

 Ruth Mountain Bed and Breakfast in Arab, AL

or this:

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.

A scrapbooking retreat is good for the soul

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!

Tables set up ready to go, all I need is for my scrappers to show!

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!

See the latest products and have the supplies you need when you need them

Completed albums to share for inspiration

Grand prize winners walk away happy (contests are usually based on completed pages)

Total strangers become friends in no time

Not unusual for someone to complete 3 Fast2Fabulous albums in one weekend - that's a lot of life documented!

Walk away happy with completed pages!

Sharing ideas is a big draw for many people

What Is Your "Why"?

As with any pursuit, whether it be heading to work every morning, staying home to raise your family, saving money for the future, making handmade gifts for others, growing a garden, or starting a new business, we are often posed with the question "what is your why?" Many people who want their own businesses crave the freedom of setting their own hours with the potential for unlimited income so they can spend more time with their family and less time in an office. When I signed up to be a Creative Memories consultant 13 years ago, none of those things were what drew me in. Now I will admit, I have loved watching the women (and men!) that achieve great success building teams and living the life of their dreams as they take their home-based businesses to amazing levels, but my career at the bank has always filled me with pride and ownership, so making Creative Memories full time was never my plan. What did I want when I made the decision to take the step from customer to consultant then? That's simple - albums at a discount! I loved the idea of saving money on something that I knew I would be buying and using for the rest of my life!

Now as I look back on the last 13 years (and as I look forward to what lies ahead) I reflect on all that this business has brought me. Yes, I have made money and yes I have saved money on my own album projects, but here is what else I have gained:

1.) The joy of being "creative"!  

I pick stocks for investment accounts for a bank (among other things but we will leave it at that for now.) Lots of research and analysis goes into what I do, and it is challenging and stimulating and I studied for MANY years to get to where I am. But I do still have that inner "school teacher" that loves the chance to let my creative juices flow!

A beach-inspired National Scrapbook Day event - thank you Pinterest for such cute ideas!

Using tools to make gifts for my scrapbookers - here I used the Creative Memories Border Maker System and the From the Kitchen Cricut cartridge for the grill

A little table decor to set the mood for my National Scrapbook Day event

2.) The joy of watching others bring their photos to life!

Knowing that you are the reason folks have a place to go when they need the best supplies for their cherished memories is priceless, and watching them finish an album and move on to the next project with excitement is a wonderful feeling. So many people tell me their pictures are trapped on their camera or on their hard drive and that they know they need to do something with them. What a great feeling I have when I can tell them that I CAN HELP!!! I give them what they need to tell their stories in a way that can be shared forever - quality albums and supplies, a place to work, and people to do it with! 

CM Group's Fast2Fabulous albums are giving people confidence that they can quickly finish a scrapbook without using stickers, papers, or scissors!

3.) Gatherings!

No one HAS to have "Crop til You Drop" workshops or retreats, but I have loved putting these on at least once a month for the past 13 years. The laughs and the completed pages are worth every bit of effort I put into making them fun and memorable, and there is something to be said for getting together with people who love their pictures as much as I do!

4.) A Place to Work and Supplies at My Fingertips!

Nothing like having what you need when you need it! I have found that having the right tools and the right workspace make a difference no matter what you passion might be.

5.) Watching others enjoy my albums!

This is my WHY!!!! While I did not have children when I first began, I do now, and knowing that they are enjoying seeing our stories told is all the reason in the world for me to continue on this wonderful journey of being a Creative Memories consultant and a (Panstoria affiliate for our digital projects!)

If all of this sounds good to you then start your own journey today with the CM Group! With no sales minimums and the savings benefits of being a consultant starting from day one, I would highly recommend it for anyone that loves to save money and spend time with their photo projects! Where will it take you? The blessings will surprise you :) To learn more about becoming an advisor check out my website and thanks for reading. Keep scrappin'! Fran

http://www.creativememories.com/user/fransmitherman

Forever LIVE in Atlanta, GA in September - I'm SO Excited!

I was thrilled to find out that Forever (the company that acquired Panstoria) was going to be hosting a 3 day event in Atlanta, GA in September of 2015! This is a great opportunity for scrapbookers, photo organizers, photo enthusiasts and anyone interested in capturing their memories and telling stories. All experience levels are welcome - there will be many sessions to choose from (not to mention 18 hours of dedicated traditional or digital cropping time - whoot!) There is a welcome reception on Thursday night, snacks, lunch, speakers and crop time on Friday and Saturday, a gala dinner on Saturday night, and a crop on Sunday that lasts until noon (no rush to check out.) Confirmed special guests include Glen Meakem, Founder and CEO of Forever, Inc, Tory Johnson, best-selling author of The Shift, Mike Carroll and Paul Schweiser, the developers of our beloved Artisan (Storybook Creator) and Historian (Memory Manager) software programs, the Pixies of Pixels2Pages, Nick Kelsh (renowned photographer and author of 9 books) and more. In addition to all of this all attendees will receive  goody bag with $200 worth of free stuff (hello - you had me at goody bag!)


The dates are September 24-27, 2015 and the event will be held at the Grand Hyatt in beautiful Buckhead, GA, near Atlanta. Save 20% on your conference fee if you book before May 31st and if you aren't local to Atlanta there are special block room rates at the Grand Hyatt and the nearby Hyatt Place. All the details are in the link below- shoot me an email at flafla@bellsouth.net if you have any questions and let's do this thing!

http://www.showclix.com/event/ForeverLIVE/tag/fsmitherman