Rocky Mountain Swarm Just 6 Weeks Away

Now that we are about 6 weeks out it is time to start organizing your thoughts and materials so that you can make the most of your swarm time. Below are some links to some sites that you might find helpful:

http://organizedscrapbooks.com/got-photos-packing-page-kits-photos-finished

http://ezinearticles.com/?Getting-Ready-to-Crop-Create-a-Scrapbook-Page-Kit-in-5-Steps&id=1994964

http://danandsherree.com/2006/03/06/preparing_for_a_scra.php

http://www.ehow.com/how_2050192_pack-crop-weekend.html

Just a reminder that we will have goodie bags for each attendee. If you can, please plan on bringing at least 1 item (quantity of 13) to put in the bag.

Don't forget that final payment ($115) is due on May 26th. You can make your payment online at www.traditionsmountainlodge.com.

Rocky Mountain Swarm FAQ

Below is the start of the FAQs in relation to the Rocky Mountain Swarm to be held June 12-14 at Traditions Mountain Lodge. I will continue to add to this list as the questions come in so check back often. Read the next post below too as I've already provided several FAQs from the Lodge's website.

Does the lodge provide Cricut cartridges or should we bring our own?
The lodge has an expression, baby bug and I am also planning on bringing my Expression. I will bring my cartridges and a couple of new mats. The lodge also has several carts and I've included a list below of the carts I know will be there. I will also plan on bringing my Cuttlebug and embossing folders. I don't have very many so if you have some you might consider bringing those too. Please label your carts, mats, tools, etc with your name so there is no question at the end as to who owns what. For those who have a cricut expression, please try to bring your own mats. I will provide 2 for the group but things will go much quicker if you bring your own. If you want to bring your own cricut for your personal use, feel free to do so.

Do you have any fun activities planned for us?
I'm just starting to plan these activities and still want your suggestions and involvement. I have been corresponding with other swarm hostesses to learn more about what makes for a successful swarm. One of those lessons is to limit the number of fun activities since most people are there to craft. Here are some suggestions I've received so far:

• Goodie Bag - Definitely doing this (see below for more info)
• Trash to Treasure Swap - Bring your craft related items you don't want/use to swap with others
• Make a Name Tag for Your Desk (or another Attendee) Contest
• Bring a Layout or Double Layout to Swap
• Everyone Bring a Door Prize
• Card Front/Inchie/ATC Swap
• Best Layout Contest
• Pay Per Use Massage Therapist
  

What Should I Bring?
Anything and everything you need to work on your cards, layouts or projects. If you can, plan out in advance what you want to work on and print out your pictures. You might also want to bring your own Cricut, cartridges, mats, cuttlebugs and folders and favorite tools.

I have a craft related talent/technique I'd like to share. Can I do that?
Yes! I am setting up demonstration times so if you have a technique or talent you would like to teach others, let me know what you would like to do. Demonstrations should take no more than 15-20 minutes to teach and let the attendees try.

Demonstrations Planned:

• One-stroke painting on layouts - Pat (AltonGrandma)

Tell me more about the Goodie Bag
We will have goodie bags for everyone. If possible, it would be great if everyone could bring something to put in the goodie bag. This does not need to be a purchased item. Think ATCs, Inchies, Card Fronts, items from your stash - bags of fibers or ribbons, skittles, prima flowers, etc. Be creative!

Will We Have Door Prizes?
Yes. I will be trying to solicit door prize items from local scrapbook stores. I will also use part of the $10 donated by each person to buy a larger door prize (something along the lines of a Jukebox, cuttlebug, etc.).

Do you have an item you would like to donate as a door prize? These would be items of a higher value than Goodie Bag items. If so, just let me know.

Will We Have A Make and Take?
I have purchased a variety of 2 page scrapbook kits (1 for each person). I'm not sure how we will use them yet. There might be a contest or it might be just a fun kit for your goodie bag. Do you have a make and take project idea? Please share!!

Can we bring/drink alcohol?
Yes, the lodge does allow us to bring alcohol. Cassandra has volunteered to bring margarita fixins. I will bring Pina Colada fixins. Please drink in moderation as drunkenness will not be tolerated. This is so that we can ensure everyone has a good time.

Can I help in planning the swarm?
Yes!! Yes!!!! Yes!!!!! Let me know how you would like to help. Would you like to be in charge of the goodie bag? Would you like to contact scrapbook stores for door prize donations? Would you like to organize the demonstrations or the fun activities? Maybe you are interested in organizing the Trash to Treasure swap. Have more ideas?? Just let me know what you would like to do.

List of Cartridges That Will Be At the Swarm
If you are bringing your carts and are willing to share them, please email me your list and I'll add it here. Make sure you put your name on your carts, overlays, books, etc.

All Mixed Up
Alphalicious
Animal Kingdom
Cars
Celebrations
Christmas Cheer
Cuttin' Up
Doodlecharms
Dreams Do Come True
Fabulous Finds
George
Going Places
Happily Ever After
Home Accents
Indie Arts
Jasmine
Opposites Attract
Paper Doll Dress Up
Plantin Schoolbook
Pooh & Friends
Potpourri Basket
Sesame Street & Friends
Teardrop
Tinkerbell
Walk In My Garden

Rocky Mountain Swarm - June 12-14, 2009

Join us at Traditions Mountain Lodge June 12-14 for a Swarm!!

I use the term scrapbooking and cropping throughout this blog for simplity. These are generic terms and include cardmaking, paper crafting, swap projects, rubber stamp art, and other hand crafting projects.

The lodge's website has a great FAQ section which will answer most of your questions. Please be sure to check out the site and this blog on a regular basis for updates.

What is a SWARM?
A SWARM is defined by ProvoCraft (the makers of the Cricut) as one or more people coming together to craft using one of the Cricut machines. You do not have to own or even have used a Cricut to join us. The lodge has a Cricut machine and I plan to bring my Expression too. It would be great if those who own a Cricut can bring their cartridges so we can try out any we don't already have and enable those who don't already have a Cricut to buy one. You do not need to bring your machine unless you want to.

Where is Traditions Mountain Lodge?
Traditions Lodge is 5.4 miles from the intersection of Highway 285 and County Road 43 just 7 miles from the town of Bailey Colorado. From Denver, the trip is approximately 40 incredibly beautiful miles through hills and valleys of the Highway 285 Corridor. The mountain views are breathtaking! Click Here for the lodge's website.

How much does the swarm cost and what's included?
The cost is $175 per person. $165 of that is charged by the lodge and includes your room (4-5 ppl per room - separate twin beds - no bunk beds) for 2 nights, dinner Friday, all meals on Saturday, brunch on Sunday and snacks and soft drinks throughout the weekend. The extra $10 will be for extra snacks and door prizes and is payable at the door. If we get donations for door prizes and we don't need the extra snacks, then the $10 will be donated to a local charity.

Bedrooms are all furnished with linens, comforters, and extra blankets. Bathrooms are fully equipped with towels, blow driers, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, and soap. Your fee also covers unlimited use of the craft room, your own personal craft table with daylight light, use of the social area and big screen TV, all craft tools, the use of five bathrooms; use of the dining room for group meals, free wireless internet access, and on-site owners to assist with any special needs.

Check in time is 1:00 pm on Friday, June 12 and check out is 3 pm on Sunday.

How do I sign up?
We only have a total of 13 spaces available. You must first email me, Tammy, at tammy@iplanitmeetings.com to let me know you want to attend. I am maintaining the list of registrants and signups will be first-come, first-served unless special circumstances dictate otherwise. I will then email you to let you know that you have a spot or on a waitlist. Because life happens, I expect that not everyone who says they are planning on attending will make their required deposit by February 8th. If that happens then those persons will be removed from the list and those on the waitlist will be moved up into the vacant spots. I will email everyone reminders about making your deposit and the final payment but it is your responsibility to actually do so.

When is payment due?
A non-refundable deposit of $50 is due no later than February 8th. If you sign up after February 8th, your deposit will be due within a couple of days. The final payment of $115 is due no later than May 26th. You will make your payment directly to the lodge via their secured website payment form (click here). If you are not comfortable providing a credit card online, you may call the lodge directly at 303-816-7431. Please do not send me your credit card number. You must email me when you make your deposit (and make sure I have your first and last name) so that the lodge can apply your payment to our group reservation.

What happens if I have to cancel or don't make my payments?
The lodge requires a $50 non-refundable deposit. If you cancel you will receive back any payments made less the $50. If you can find someone to take your place (or we have someone on the waitlist) you may be able to work out with them that they pay you the $50 and the remainder to the lodge. If you do have to cancel at any point, please let me know so I can open up your spot to the waitlist or another interested party. I don't want to see late cancellations because it means (among other things) that your late cancellation may have prevented someone from being able to attend. But we all know that life happens...

If you do not make the required deposit by February 8th, your spot will be cancelled and given to another person on the waitlist. If you do not make the final payment by May 27th, your spot will be cancelled and your $50 deposit will be held by the lodge as a cancellation fee.

What should I bring?
You need to bring any supplies you wish to work with, your most comfortable clothes, slippers or cozy socks and jammies, and, if you wish to take a walk, then some comfortable walking or hiking shoes for the outdoors. It’s also a good idea to throw in a jacket or sweater even in the summer since, at an elevation of 8800 ft, we are always a bit cooler than the metro areas. The owner, Marge, is a Creative Memories consultant and has some supplies available for purchase. Don't expect a scrapbooking store nearby though.

What should I expect to accomplish or be doing?
You should expect to get to know some great people. I expect there will be a lot of talking (because I expect this to be all women) and laughter throughout the weekend. I hope that we will all learn new things from each other.

You can work on any type of scrap/craft project you desire. If you have a scrapbooking album you want to start or finish, get a head start on halloween and Christmas cards, complete those swaps you've signed up for, bring the materials with you. This is designed to be a scrapbooking/crop weekend so appropriate activities would be welcomed.

Are there other activities being planned during the swarm?
I am looking for suggestions of things we might (or might not) do during the swarm. Some ideas that have surfaced so far are:

• goodie bags (need donation of items for bags - qty of 13)
• garage sale (bring your unwanted, new or gently used scrapbooking related items to sell)
• swap (similar to the garage sale except that you swap for other items rather than sell)
• do a card or layout exchange (everyone would make cards or layouts to share with everyone else - can either do a one-to-one exchange or bring one for each person)
• white elephant exchange (scrapbooking related items only)
• name tag contest (create your own name tag to go on your work table)
• an instructor-led project (learn how to make a layout, card, etc.)

Some people prefer to just have time to scrap and don't want to be interrupted with games, projects, etc. Let me know what you might be interested in. Help me make this fun for you.

Can my husband/significant other or child come?
Chilren under 18 are not allowed at the lodge. Since this is a scrapbooking/cropping weekend it would not be approriate for husbands/significant others to be there unless they are also scrapbooking/cropping. Since we are also sleeping 4-5 people to a room it could be a little uncomfortable to have a man staying in the same room as the women. HOWEVER, I am not excluding men from attending and being a part of our weekend if they are there to scrap/crop. So far everyone who has indicated their interest have been women so that is what I expect the attendees to be. There are 2 rooms that sleep 2-3 people and as host I have reserved the right to assign those rooms based on special circumstances. We only get to use these rooms if we have more than 9 people sign up.

I need a ride
We don't have an official carpool set up but if you need a ride, let me know and I'll try to find someone near you to give you a ride.

I have more questions
First please check out the lodge's website to see if your question is answered there. If not, please email me, Tammy, at tammy@iplanitmeetings.com.


I hope you are able to join us for what will be a very fun weekend!!!! Please bookmark this blog and check back for updates. I will even try to post photos after our swarm.

Cricut Expression Electronic Diecutter

I had my 40th birthday while traveling for my 2 conferences. Before I left, my husband gave me a birthday card indicating that we would go get me a Cricut diecutting machine which was on my wish list. Today was my first full day back from the trip and it was just one of those lazy, do nothing but relax Sundays (I really needed that). Anyway, my relaxation for the day was to do more research on the Cricut to determine which machine I wanted and make sure that a Cricut was the right machine for me. I started my first scrapbooking project (actually 2 at the exact same time) in August, but I've been collecting scrapbooking materials for the last couple of years, just never found the time to sit down and do anything. So about a month ago I sat down to do my first page. It took FOREVER!!!! I had no idea it could take so long. I did not have enough of the letter stickers I needed just for the first page. Nor did I have the right stickers in the right colors. After 6 hours I finally had 3 pages started, but none of them were completed because I did not have everything I needed. I went to WalMart, Hobby Lobby and Michael's and bought a few things, but of course the one thing I needed was the same letter style stickers I'd bought 2 years ago which none of them had in stock. So a month later I still have 3 partially completed pages.

Shortly before my birthday I recalled an infomercial I'd seen on tv a few months ago for the Cricut. I thought it was interesting but did not see a use for it at the time. But after struggling with those 3 pages, I WANT one!! I love the idea of printing out letters on my choice of paper stock, color, etc. and in the size I want. I will no longer be stuck with white or black letters in just one size. I can also print shapes and designs all I want!! After researching all day and evening, I've decided on the Cricut Expression. Part of the decision is based on the paper size it can print on. Now that I know which one I'm going to get, I want it NOW. I can't wait to try it out, but realistically it will be probably after October 22nd before I get to really use it since I have another big conference coming up the 21st and 22nd. Once I get it though I'll post back and let you know what I really think of it.

Have a wonderful week!

Good Evening from San Antonio

I'm in San Antonio having just finished managing registration for 2 back-to-back conferences, one in San Antonio and another in Austin. Both conferences went very well and now I'm taking a few days vacation to "rest and relax". The weather in San Antonio is beautiful. When we arrived on Saturday it was very hot, but a cold front moved in Sunday and has kept temperatures in the mid 80s and humidity at a reasonable level. I've met a few people here who are evacuees from hurricane Ike. The ones I've met are staying at hotels in the area. Most left after the hurricane so they know how their homes weathered the storm. Most said they left due to lack of power, water and functioning toilets. The most heart-warming story was of a family at the Marriott Rivercenter who had a home in an area where nearly all of the homes were destroyed. They left before the storm so they did not know what had happened to their home. But that evening their 13-month old daughter took her first steps there in the lobby of the hotel and was going everywhere. Dad was crying and telling everyone who would listen about his daughter's milestone. He was so proud of her and it just made you feel good to how proud he was of her.

Speaking of being proud, I have to say right now I'm very proud of my 16-year old daughter. After having fought with her for years about homework, she has made an incredible turn around so far this school year. She is a junior and enrolled in a new high school as we've never liked her other school. We told her she had to prove herself and show us that it is worthwhile to drive her across town to attend this new high school. So far she has done just that. For this first month of school, she has done her homework every night without us reminding her and currently is standing at 7 A's and 1 B. Compared to 3 F's at the end of last year this is a huge improvement. Way to go Taylor!!! Keep it up and we will have serious discussions about a new cell phone and letting you get your driver's license.

The power of the hurricane and the damage done reminded me of how easily we can lose records of not only our daily lives, but also those who came before us. Gone are photos, family letters, official documents, etc. Today there are many official documents to tell the stories of our lives, but in history there was not so much documentation. Take for instance my mother's brothers and sisters. My mom had 6 brothers and sisters born about 25 years before her. Most of their births nor their deaths (all before they were 5 years old) were ever recorded. I've only been able to discover the names of 3 of the 6 children (Albert, May and Hubert). What is more strange is that 4 of the 6 were supposed to have been 2 sets of twins but other than a picture of my grandmother holding one set we have been unable to find official or unofficial documents of 2 sets of twins alive or dead. We've only been able to locate 1 birth certificate (for Albert) which does not indicate that he was a twin. Apparently my mom's surviving brothers (my grandmother had 7 more children after the first 6 died), do not know the names of those first 6 brothers and sisters. None had any idea of the names and there is disagreement among them about how many were twins and how many boys & girls there were. I recall my grandmother telling me a little about those first children, but I was only 12 at the time and don't remember everything she told me. I thought she told me that there were 3 sets of twins (1 set of boys, 1 of girls and a set of boy and girl). My mom is sure there were only 2 sets and then 2 individual births but the sexes are accurate so 3 boys and 3 girls. We just can't find the proof yet. We know where 3 of them were buried according to their death certificates, however apparently they did not have carved headstones and we've been unable to locate their actual graves in the cemetery.

So this brings me back to how easy it is to lose even official documents. As most genealogists know, courthouse and halls of records have been destroyed in fires, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and other natural and unnatural disasters. I know I would be heart-broken if I were to lose the family history research I've done. Much of my work exists on my laptop in either my family tree file or as jpeg or pdf files. Even though I've made many copies of my FTM genealogy file on flash and backup disks, all of these reside in my home and a fire or flood would wipe out all of those files. I've posted my family tree file to ancestry.com so at least I could recover the electronic file. I wish to suggest to everyone right now that you make backups that are kept away from your home or office. I now have an online backup service (Mozy.com) which I use to back up my computer documents automatically every single night. For most of my hard copies of documents, I've made an electronic copy to that I can recreate most documents. I do not have any original documents in my files so I don't have a need to keep those in a safe or safety-deposit box, but if you have those you might consider such protection. At the same time, let us not live so much in the past that we forget to document our current lives and enjoy them before they pass us by.

So to recap, here are some ways to protect/save your family history:

Use On-line backup services like Mozy.com (this is not an endorsement, just a service I use)Make backup disks on CD/DVD/external hard drives and store in location away from home
Make digital scans of original documents and keep in separate location, maybe with those backup CDs/DVDs
Publish your family history online via own website or sites like Ancestry.com
Print a hard copy of your family history file (Ahnentafel report is a good format to print lots of details) and store in safety deposit box along with original documents. Be sure to use acid-free paper to ensure long life of the information
Make a pdf copy of the same family history report and include it in your backups
Decide who should receive your family history collection should something happen to you
Share copies of your family history file with other family members
Make a digital copy of your scrapbooks to share with family members

My last suggestion is that you make a GEDCOM copy of your family history electronic file. GEDCOM is the "industry-standard" and can be opened and read by most family history software programs. However, while GEDCOM may be the standard now, in 5-10 years that may no longer be the case. If you put away your family history for a few years, it is important to open it and save it in a current format every couple of years just in case the software program you use goes out of date and production. Imagine in 10 years trying to open a file built with your favorite family tree software which went out of business 8 years before with no updates available. Also make sure that the media on which you copy you file is still in use. Just like the 5" floppy disk, CD's will soon no longer be the media of choice.


CD to make a backup of your family history file - 50 cents
Making a digital copy of your scrapbooks - $5
Printing a hard copy of your family history file at Kinkos - $25
Recovering your family history information after a catastrophe - Priceless

Wishing you a wonderful evening!

Welcome to My Blog!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Tammy and I am the mother of a 16-year old daughter and 7-year old twin boys. And no, twins are not double trouble. However their sister is a different story!

I am the co-owner of iPlanIt, LLC. We are a meeting planning and online registration company. Our clients are non-profit associations, membership organizations and some of the largest corporations in the United States. We currently have 3 full time staff, 1 almost full time independent contractor and numerous part time/temporary contractors. We are based out of Longmont and Arvada, Colorado, near Denver.

When I have time, my hobby is genealogy. I love playing detective trying to figure out who my ancestors are. I have so many branches off my main tree because I include everyone I am related to directly or indirectly. I have been doing genealogy since 2001, but had to take a 3-year hiatius from it when I started my own company (iPlanIt). For those 3 years, I was working 18-20 hour days, 7 days a week nearly every single week. I recently brought in a partner and we hired our first full time employee in May. Since then I've actually been able to get back to working on my genealogy. I use Family Tree Maker 2008 (which I don't like as well as the 2005 version) and have over 6,500 individuals and over 19 generations in my file. This seems like a lot of people until I see other trees with over 20,000 people. I have a lot of information I still need to add to my tree, but I've just not had the time. I still consider myself an amateur genealogist. Most of my research has been on the internet along with a couple of trips to the genealogy library in Salt Lake City and a number of cemetery transcription projects. I have not had the opportunity to do much onsite research or visiting court houses, local libraries, etc. I can't wait until iPlanIt starts operating on its own and makes me enough money to be in semi-retirement so I can do more genealogy.

I'm also working on writing a mystery novel about an amateur genealogist. I am still developing the characters and the situations. I wake up at night with ideas for the book so I've started keeping my laptop in my room at night so I can write them down. I had to start using my computer because I can't read my writing if I write by hand :-). So far it is very preliminary, but it has been fun. Who knows, this blog may become a way of trying out ideas or posting status updates.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!!