Spark news...

Hey Sparks! 

It's Margie...Rhonna, Liz and I are CRAZY busy getting ready for CHA! We all have new product lines coming out, but are always Sparkin! Today I wanted to let you in on a little secret I have been keeping...

Spark #2 is going to be amazing...I know, I have said that...but it is! We have an amazing venue, amazing creative partners, amazing teachers {more to be announced} and now we have an amazing artist who is joining the Spark family...

You know when a friend of a friend introduces you to a friend of a friend? And you meet and instantly there is a connection? Well, this is how I met this Spark Sister...When I called her and told her about the Spark vision she "got it." She was excited and wanted to be a part of Spark...I get so excited when this happens! Spark is a feeling, and when you "get it" you want to share it, pass it along and build off of it...Be part of it...

I can't wait for you to meet Mindy...When she opens her mouth Sparks fly...She works with words and music...She is quirky, she is a mother, she is a wife, she is a story teller...She is going to share her words and her music with us at Spark...

More to come on Mindy...

Check back Monday...

happy Friday Sparks...Have a great weekend...

Create something fabulous!

Kiss kiss

m

a little FYI

Hi there!

Those of you fabulous ladies who participated in the payment plan for Spark--Megan will be emailing you by Saturday to let you know what you need to do next.

Hope everyone has a fun-filled 4th of July!!

xo

liz

Nice to meet you....

well, it will be nice to meet you in September when we all gather for the event. I have to tell you that when these three amazing ladies asked me to teach this year I jumped at the chance. I had heard such wonderful things about the event from last year so I am so so excited to be traveling to Utah to join in the fun this time. But I guess I should back up just a little and introduce myself...I am Janet Hopkins, co-owner of House of 3.

Just a little about myself, I live in Texas with my husband Rick and our four children so there is never a dull moment around here. I love anything vintage and the hunt for finding the vintage treasures is really the best part. We just recently renovated our house when our last daughter was born and I was lucky enough to redo my studio as well so I thought I would give you a little peek into where I create:

I think one of my favorite things in my space is my large island that I work on. It is two ikea dressers with a granite piece on top. Lots of storage and a great work surface that I can spread out on! My other favorites are my clock and my vintage cake pan that I use to store all of my buttons and jewels in so that they will be close to me when I need to rummage through them for that perfect embellishment for my next project.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a little piece of my world....I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones in September!

Janet

Show your face!

I feel like a tiny fish in a big pond here at Spark. I'm pretty sure it was a mistake that I got asked to be a teacher, but let's not tell the Spark girls, ok? Phew.


So. I am Wendy and I am a photographer. My husband and I are a team and we photograph a lot of things. People, mostly. Among our most inspirational subjects are children. I know, I know, it sounds like a Hallmark card, ew. But, really. Kids are walking, talking, occasionally tantrum-throwing examples of how to live life to the fullest. Everything is approached with an all or nothing attitude, and I think we can at times learn a lot from that.

From a photography standpoint, kids are a fascination. The range of facial expressions a kid will show us in a minute or less is pretty much amazing. I, like every other mom, like to take my kids out for little photo sessions for fun, and man, I get some crazy stuff. Take this photo, for example.


Just one second earlier his smile was as wide as Kansas. Here's what I think went down.

Isaac: (smiling, yea, even beaming) Can we play Chutes and Ladders now?
Me: No.
Isaac: FROWN FROWN FROWN.

You see? So anyway, I looked through the files and these were definitely the best, hands down. While at times I may wish that my kids could reign in their crazy emotions, other times I'm glad they remind me that life is about feeling. And once again I'm inspired to go experience life to the fullest. (yes sometimes I throw tantrums too, so what?)

Before I part, I'll give you shutter bugs one little completely-unasked-for piece of advice: Don't hold your trigger finger in the hover position just because that kid of yours is pulling a frown of the most EPIC proportions. Click away and just ROLL with laughter as you go through the images.

xo,
wendy

Mom 2.0: Defining A Movement

I stumbled upon this this morning and it inspires me...Weather you are a mother or not, you have a mother and can appreciate it...Being a mother is on of the most creative things as women we can do...
Happy first day of June...
kiss kiss
m

Happy Happy Birthday to Liz!!!

Today is a Special Day!
On this very day our darling Lizzy was born!
Happy Happy Birthday Spark Sister!
We are so grateful we call you friend...
Here's hoping you are having a wonderful day filled with family, fun and happiness!
We LOVE you!
Rhonna & Margie

Let the fun begin!

We are sooo excited!  Remember: this is what it's all about:



We want you to join us to Spark your Creative Spirit!

so....

You've got 2 options when you hit the Buy Now button:

Full Ticket: $350 Registration in full

OR 

Payment option 1:{sold out!}  $200 now, $150 by July 1, 2010.

**Note: If you select the payment option of $200, we must receive the balance of $150 by July 1, 2010 or your ticket will be sold to someone else and your first payment of $200 will be refunded, minus a $10 processing fee. 

OK. Let the creative Sparks fly!

Any questions contact Megan Aslett Megaslett@gmail.com

Spark Ticket

Full TIcket $350.00

FAQs: Hotels & info

Many of you will be coming in from out of state/town, so I thought I'd give you some hotel suggestions & some info on the venue location & distance from the airport.


Noah's is located right off of the freeway & is about 48 mi. from the Salt Lake City Airport.
So, you could stay in a hotel anywhere along your travel route, but if it were me....I would stay in 1 of the 2 hotels that are right there at Thanksgiving Point. We, Utahns call this: The Point Of the Mountain. Which just means, it's about halfway in between Salt Lake City Valley (which is where the airport is) & Utah Valley (which is where Spark will be held.)
So, the hotels there are on the way, in between & all that jazz. Only about 15 min. from the venue at Noah's.


But...the very reason I would stay in one of those hotels is this: They are right there, very close to the freeway exit to...*dun dun dun* THE Dear Lizzie Boutique!!!!


Yes, it's true. You could go visit this lovely little boutique in all its glory! (I don't want to ruin any surprises, but....suffice it to say, Dear Lizzie will be a lovely part of the whole Spark experience at the venue.) It is a straight shot East towards the fabulous mountains & you can get directions here.


So, the 2 hotels there are:
Marriott Spring Hill Suites
or
Hampton Inn


Grab your girlfriends, fly on in, rent a car & come & Spark it up with us! We are so excited!

Any questions contact Megan Aslett Megaslett@gmail.com

The low down: who, what, when, where, how much?

Who: anyone who wants to have their creativity sparked!

What: all inclusive 2 day Creative event & Artisan market filled with 4 major classes, 4 mini classes & mini mini classes!
this means: all supplies, 4 meals & drinks & all the Spark goodies & inspiration you can handle *& even a little indulgence probably*
Plus:
A unique, one of a kind Artisan Market that will be open the entire time...think: cool, funky, boutique at your fingertips. Can I hear a *hallelujah?*

When: 9am-10pm Friday, Sept. 10 & 9am-11pm Saturday, Sept. 11. (a little longer than last year so we can get Sparked even MORE)

Where: The amazing Noah's in Lindon, Utah. The entire facility will be ours including all of the modern conveniences like laptop connections, internet access & the amazing raw, funky*ness of the place! rooftop, gardens....*sigh* we can't WAIT!

How much: $350 Registration opens on May 1st at 10:00 am mountain time: HERE. on the blog. We will be accepting all credit cards via PayPal. See some explanation here:


So, here's a low down on HOW to register:

Click on the Buy Now button. As you can see PayPal will accept other credit cards.

Please include this in your Message To Sender in PayPal:
Name
Address
Phone
email
(we'll have a more detailed questionaire we'll send out to you once we get registration finished!)

For a review on everything the $350 includes:
-Ticket price includes Full Kits with all the supplies for every class, mini class & mini mini and let me tell you, they will be fabulous! (You will only be asked to bring your basic tools and a list of those will be given to you after you've bought your ticket to the event. These tools will, mostly likely, be stuff you already have on hand)

- Goodie Bag at registration. Not goodies to eat (though those will be there too), but sparky, amazing, fun, eye-candy goodies... :)

-And it also includes your food, which is:

Friday:
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks and drinks throughout the day

Saturday:
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks and drinks throughout the day
(your hotel stay is extra if you are not local.)

**Note: if you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know so we can make sure we are feeding you the kind of energy you need!

So, your Event Ticket will get you everything you need aside from travel and hotel accomodations.
If you are local, you're set.

If you are coming from out of town, you'll have some extra costs:

You will need to get a hotel.
Air or car travel...gotta get you here somehow!

**refund policy:

Full refund minus processing fee of $10 until Aug. 12, 2010.

After that we can refund 50%,

but after Sept. 2, 2010 there will be no refund.

NOTE:

Ticket price will go up to $375 after Aug. 12, 2010.

Any questions contact Megan Aslett Megaslett@gmail.com

a little more info....about some of our teachers!

We are pleased, excited and thrilled to introduce you to three of our Spark teachers for 2010...{we like to have some surprises!} They are the 'other person' that will *spark* our creative spirits during this event...& we are already so grateful for them. Let's meet these amazing teachers that will light the flame within us!

Meet Wendy Whitacre...
Wendy is an amazing photographer...She and her husband are the amazing team of Blue Lilly Photography...The two of them travel all over the country shooting some of the most beautiful photos and they teach workshops too...We have not met Wendy in person, but looking at her photos and talking with her on the phone I know we are all going to LOVE her! We can’t wait to learn, be inspired and wowed by Wendy!

Wendy is:

53% Crazy in love with taking pictures
30% Crazy in love with my clients
42% Crazy in love
3% Bad at addition
5% Rolly Polly
20% So fast that when I turn off the light at night, I am in bed before it is dark
18.32% precise
77% so fun that you will be actually smiling (or else)
2% sorry for threatening you
100% alive

You can find more about Wendy's personality (more than you'll ever need to know) by visiting Blue Lily's blog.
You can see her portfolio work at bluelilyphoto.com.
You can see her making a fool out of herself just about anywhere.

Emily Falconbridge
Em has been a friend of mine for years. Em has the most amazing artistic life. Everything Em does is done with love and creativity. Emily and her family live in Australia and will be returning to the states to live this Summer. We are so excited that we will benefit by having Em teach at Spark.

Emily is...

a lover of mess, color and handmade things!

As one of the original ‘freestyle scrapbookers’ she is known for her free-spirited use of supplies and turning the ordinary and recycled into something special!
An Australian gal currently living in the USA, her pride and joy is her nutty scientist husband Mick and three little sunflower sprouts Ivy, Yindi and Banjo.
She loves to teach and share her creative passion, and holds workshops all over the world as well as online.
You can find Emily’s work regularly in Creating Keepsakes magazine, the Autumn Leaves book series and www.todaysmama.com.

Janet Hopkins
If there is anyone that can knock your socks off with her amazing vintage mixed media art, it's Janet. She's a co-founder of House of 3 with our own Rhonna & she will surely bring a Spark to everyone's creativity with her incredible class!

Janet is:

an innovative artist who has found that there is an artist inside everyone...it just needs the opportunity to come out and to thrive.

Since finding her passion, Janet's work has been published in all of the major publications as well as the covers of several magazines. She has contributed to over thirteen idea books and has been blessed to have worked with some of the top manufacturers in the business.

...*** and our last teacher will be announced shortly! like we said....we have some surprises up our sleeves. *wink*

Just as a reminder...Registration starts May 1st...10:00 am mountain standard time

Any questions contact Megan Aslett Megaslett@gmail.com
She will be handling all questions and concerns...
kiss kiss,
Margie