Hello Dear Friends,

I am excited to share my amazing Creative Memories weekend!!!

As many of you know, I am coming out of a season of emergencies, lots of love, lots of….dare I say it…yes, stress and loss. It has been a very very long journey but one I wouldn’t trade one moment for any of it. I loved my parents and though I honestly would never want to go through anything like this again, I look back now and know I was exactly where I needed to be. I had amazing love and support from people I could never imagine being in my life!! I am so very very blessed and so very very thankful!!

As a result of this journey, I had become very very ill this last month. And I couldn’t nor could the medicine get all cleared. I had signed up for a CM Crop and Connect in north Texas but couldn’t see how I could be there much less be apart of this weekend. I prayed and prayed and though not any better and decided go….there are hospitals there too!!  I had decided by Thursday if not better, I would need to go to the hospital.

I am soooooo thrilled I went!!! My Sweet Husband and youngest went with me. And when I signed up to go, I bought some groupons for them to go and have a wonderful vacation as well!! We caravaned up to our location in Richardson, TX. We checked in quickly to the hotel. And then I made my way to the crop.

I didn’t know a soul at the crop and thought…no problem, I am so tired I will be able to sit quietly and get my albums done. HA!!!

I signed in and found my way to my assigned table. I was the first one there and loved looking at all the beautiful and perfectly planned gifts at each seat that ranged from CM tote, CM notebook with pen, pencil with a heart, trash bags, beautifully made treats to snack on, etc!!  Each table had a linen white table cloth with lovingly made name cards. These ladies truly worked so hard to not only make it beautiful…but later I found out, really thought through who to sit with who!! WOW!!

As I began to get myself organized, in came in my first table mate. A very beautiful and lovely lady that sat to my right. She was grace and eleganc wrapped up in one. She has one of the sweetest smiles I have ever seen. Every part of her was beautifull put together and perfectly planned. As we became more aquainted she had lost her husband in the last year and instantly began to share.

Then these two beautiful fireballs arrived and completed our foursome. They both came in and knew the routine. They in a matter of moments set up all their supplies, arranged their carts all the while chatted and smilled and laughed!! They all three were genuinely pure joy!!! I later found out they all three knew each other for over 20 years!!

How easy it would have been for them to talk only to each other. How easy it would have been for them to go off and do their own things. It was clear to me how much they loved each other and genuinely were friends. As each of them were finishing up their stations ready for the conferenct, they all decided to take pictures at the photo booth area. They asked if I would like to come. I said sure, as I was certain I would gladly take their pictures for them.

Once we were at the area, I snapped pictures for each one’s phone. They were fun, hilarious and amazing women!! I loved watching their love for each other realizing these ladies were long time genuine friends to each other. I stood there and thought…how blessed they are to have each other!! And I remember thinking how happy I was for each of them!!

Then one of the sweet ladies said…hey, I will take a picture of you!! I said sure…and thank you. Then as a lady passed by, one of the gals said would you take a picture of all of us. So I prepared to step out and they said no!! You are with us!!! We all four stood there and giggled and laughed!!

So as we made it back to our table…I thought, well that was so sweet but these ladies can now go and do their thing. I decided, I will go on back and read my material/notebook folder for the weekend. Seriously, everything was so well orchestrated!! As I looked up, all 3 ladies were back as well. They began introducing each other…asking about me and the friendships began.

I am so humbled by these 3 ladies. In just one weekend, they literally brought me back to life. Each one so differet yet so focused on saving memories and having fun!! I had forgotten how much Creative Memories ladies love family, God and each other!! I was exactly where I needed to be. I needed the smiles, encouragements and pure joy that filled the convention hall!!! I was amazed at not only the quality of speakers, teachings but talent in that room. I was so giddy with the excitement of being back in Creative Memories I just couldn’t get my head around the projects. I loved playing with all the materials and adored all the challenges!!! There were endless drawings and I came home with 3 gorgeous albums…3!!!! WOW!!!!!

Each day was maybe a bit long by most standards….but I could have gone on and on. And yes, I was battling some serious health issues, I found myself one of the first to arrive and last to leave. I was in my groove. A groove that producced and grew more creative with each beautifully made product by Creative Memories. In the days of my first journey with CM I LOVED the products but felt a bit…honestly, limited. I am and have always been a bit outside the box gal. As I had discovered Creative Memories was bought and had come back slowly in time for me to make a very special album a few years back, I had resigned.

With all my family emergencies, planning was all I could basically get done. It was a time to love and care for my parents and I would trade one minute of being apart of their lives and final days on this earth. I just hadn’t thought much about making albums. I still have my 2 oldest graduation albums to finish and my son’s and dil’s albums to finish from their wedding. Besides, I have boxes and boxes of our own pictures to get busy with. I just ordered a bit here and there and that was enough. And I still received my discount.

Years ago when I was a CM “Consultant”, which we are now Advisors, I worked my business. I had scraps, attended events, booths and even a National Scrapbook Day weekend event!! I even helped pay for my husband’s grad school!! I was so thankful to have a job that I could be home, homeschool my children and help my husband. Then when all began to change, we were moving and we had an unexpected late in life pregnancy…that would result in our little sweetheart going ot heaven sooner than we wanted. Life had changed, Creative Memories had changed….I just let it go.

As I had rediscovered the Creative Memories comeback online, I signed up as a hobbiest and ordered a bit here and there for my projects. I missed the friendships and fun of scrapping together…but thought that part of my life was over.

I WAS WRONG!!!! Creative Memories LIVES!!! I had such fond memories of CM that I just couldn’t believe it could be the same. PTL, I WAS WRONG!!! Not only was the event beautifully planned, but the women were absolutely amazing!!! The smiles were everywhere, people were having a genuine blast!!! There was laughter, smiles and stories being shared!!! There were endless friendships to be made and encouragement galore!!

By the end of our Crop and Connect weekend, I realized not only did I again find the wonderful Creative Memories beautiful products, I also realized these were creative and fun friends I had been missing all these years!! I had almost an album finished as well as many fun project recipes completed that taught new skills and fun designs!! I also came home with 3 and yes I said 3, new albums I won in the drawings!!! 

What an amazing weekend!!! And the very best news to share is…I was physically better. After 3 weeks of serious illness, I was better!!! I needed to get away and have a genuinely stressfree joyful time!!! There is a scripture that I kept trying to focus on but with all that has needed to be done…just I couldn’t quite get a focus on.

Proverbs 17:22 (NAS) A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

I am home now. I have wondered to find things I could be creative in and yet I was just never as happy in them thinking they were not Creative Memories. I never imagined Creative Memories was back to this degree of the former company. And I am here to attest, they are and so am I!!! I have decided to begin with sharing with my community and see if I can gather friends and new friends together so we can scrap together and save our families’ memories!! And I can share all about my amazing new journey with Creative Memories!!!

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. JosephinesDesigns.com@gmail.com. I would love to share about this amazing company!! And more importantly, I would love to encourage you to be the story teller saving your family’s heritage to pass onto the next generation!!

And if you would like to take a peak at the Creative Memories goodies, here’s my website: http://creativememories.com/user/JosephinesDesigns.com

I highly recommend the Fast2Fab if you are feeling you don’t have time for scrapbooking or have allot to catch up on!! Or if you don’t want to have to think about colors and matching things together.

There are beautiful colors and designs and endless ideas for preserving your memories!!! And I am sooooo happy to be back and preserving my family’s stories!!

Serving Him….k