I'VE MOVED

Please come visit me at my new site:  LindaBarutha.com

Slowly but Surely

I'm finally starting to recover from the past month of hosting a retreat and one day expo.  So much fun, but I don't realize just how much stress I take on until I start to really relax.  Sunday's event was in such a beautiful setting!  Here are some pictures I snapped right after we finished setup.

It was a beautiful, fun day!  Thank you to all who participated!  Now, back to my recovery!

April Recap

Well, well, well.  It has been quite the month for me!  After planning for an entire year, the Creatives Retreat has finally come and gone.  With all of the planning now behind me, I really have to thank every single person that attended the retreat.  YOU are what made it a success!  YOU surprised me with your joy, laughter, smiling face and incredible attitude.  YOU lifted me up!  Because of YOU, my cheeks still hurt from the smiles and laughter.  What a great medicine that is!  So, THANK YOU!  I truly am blessed!

And, to answer everyone's question, yes, I will be planning another Creatives Retreat for next year.  But I won't spend a whole year planning it!  LOL!  That's just too much stress!  So, if you attended the retreat and want to get your two cents in, be sure to complete the retreat survey you were sent earlier this week.  If you didn't attend this year's but want to join us next year, simply subscribe to my newsletter here or at Live, Laugh, Love Retreats, and we will keep you in the know.

TGIF!

Another quick video

I can't believe I'm even showing you this quick video, because my allergies are terrible and you can really tell by looking at me.  BUT, for the sake of art, I just had to give you some quick info.  The project I show you was made combining Penny Black stickers and Faber-Castell 50's Diner Gelatos.  I have the gelatos in stock right now, and my neighbor, Polkadots and More, has the stickers.  You can see her video showing the stickers being used another way here:  http://polkadotsandmorestore.blogspot.com/p/online-purchases.html

So, get creative!

Finally Spring?

I can't believe it's almost April and we still have snow on the ground.  But, on the bright side, the sun has actually been making some appearances and those snow piles are getting smaller every day.

Sorry I've been so MIA, but this week I actually was able to take some time off from my regular job and spend some much needed time at home.  Since we moved into our place in December, I really haven't had a chance to get my home organized.  I can't tell you what a great feeling it is to slow down and just spend ours organizing drawers and closets.  Long overdue.

The past two days I've been in the shop creating art for quite a few venues.  The Brook Life Church in Mukwonago has asked me to display some of my artwork on their walls next week.  On April 19th I'll be participating in a one-day Marketplace at The Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva, so plenty of handmade goods need to be made.  Then, on May 5th at Badger Farms in Madison I will sell my items at their one-day event. On top of producing classes and products for Linnie Blooms, you might say I'm just a tad busy:)

I'll leave you with this cheery sight.  A newly-created altered apron I did for Linnie Blooms:

Enjoy this Good Friday!

Scrap It Girls

Last week, some of the Scrap It Girls Design Team joined me at Linnie Blooms to play with Faber-Castell Gelatos.  Boy, did we have fun!  We each decorated our own tote bags and I'm so happy that everyone just did their own, beautiful designs.

Check out Kimberly's site today for an awesome giveaway!  http://www.scrapitgirl.net/index.php/2013/03/17/st-patricks-day-give-a-way-save-the-date/

Midwest Meetup and more

Well, this week truly flew by!  But today was soooo much fun!  I was up at 5:30am to get ready and drive down to Naperville, IL to attend the Midwest Meetup, which was graciously hosted by the beautiful Jennifer Rizzo.  There were 25 of us that met at an adorable boutique, Room 363.  So much beautiful eye candy!  My friend, Teresa Cash (aka the Smilemaker), lives just minutes away from this location so I was lucky enough to hook up for coffee with her first.  It was so amazing to meet women from IL, WI, IA, MI, and even KY!  Fellow bloggers that do what we do   because it's our passion!  Fun stuff!  Thank you so much Jen, for hosting this meetup.  LOVED IT!

And, I truly wouldn't have been able to go without having someone hold the fort down at Linnie Blooms for me.  But if you know my friend Jill, then you would understand that she did oh so much more wonderful things in my shop!  She spruced it up, rearranged everything, cleaned and basically just put her magical touch to it all!  THANK YOU JILL!  It's so amazing when you find someone that you can trust to treat your baby like it was her own.  So, I'm going to need to take some new pictures to show all of you!