I FORGOT MY FLIP CAMERA!!! SERA POSIBLE?

Ok...first of all let me tell you that I have taken quite a bit of classes from many a teacher. The truth is I have my favorites. (I believe everyone does) With that being said, I have to tell you, if you ever get a chance to take a class with Ms. Donna Downey, artist extraordinaire...do yourself a favor, and sign up immediately. She is a fantastic teacher. Honestly. No kidding. I had the best time with my buddies, and I learned a ton of stuff.

I am a scrapbooker. I love the feel of accomplishment I get when I finish a 12x12 page and see the end results in a big fat book. Yet the truth is that I love to learn....and then teach. I am open to learn anything...as long as it's LEGAL in the U.S.A. So although my first love is Scrapbooking I love to learn something new. That happened to me. I learned NOT SOMETHING new, but a ton of stuff. What an amazing feeling to learn something, make it your own, and then pass it on. I learned something, and created my own. The fabulous Donna Downey, taught us so many wonderful little tricks. I learned to paint with watercolors...who knew my kindergarten teacher would come back in my sweet memories of yesteryear's. LOL We sprayed water on canvas, got messy, used inks and distressed all over the place, ironed, laughed like kindergartners, learned some more and got our own creative juices flowing in the process. Boy was this class really, really fun.
Here is Vane, Me, Ady, Fabulous Donna Downey, and Esther.

Look at my pretty book. I decided right there and then that this book was going to be my birthday book for 2010. (You all know, I celebrate the whole month...LOL). I decided to paint my little flowers on the cover and I used water color paints...took me forever so I suggested glimmer mist to my buddies and huala...quick instant gratification on theirs. Check out their blogs for their take on this project...too darn cute.

Here I am with my fabulous teacher...he,hee,hee.

Now I have got to tell you about this.....many people were asking our FABULOUS teacher to sign the Prima packaging we had our goodies come in...great idea...but it did not go with my vision of my book...so I got white cardstock and ask FABULOSA DONNA DOWNEY to sign my card stock...with the request that it had to be 6x 6.5 so it could fit my beautiful birthday book....She not only signed it, but look what she did for me...she painted this beautiful heart for me.....NOW IS SHE COOL OR WHAT? I have never had a teacher do that for me...isn't that sweet? (Although I did sit on Tim Holtz legs....DON't ASk!!! I wanted to die of mortification!!!) I was truly impressed with Ms. Donna. I loved that we learned so many things, had fun in the process...and it didn't hurt that I got this beautiful painting...I don't have the heart to cut it up, so my buddy Ady, came up with the brilliant idea of scanning it and then placing it in my book...promise to share the finished product.

It's not that often that I am highly impressed with teachers. I expressed this weekend that you have many teachers out there, but not all are effective teachers. How many times have you taken a project home and not only did you leave with an unfinished project but had no desire to finish it either.

An effective teacher gets their message across and inspires her students to continue to create. This weekend we got a teacher that not only made the class stupendously fun, taught us a ton of techniques, got her vision across and also inspired us to continue to create and go beyond our own creative comfort zone. We payed for a class. We got an excellent teacher.

Donna Downey is in my FANTASTIC TEACHER HALL OF FAME club.

Ady, thank you for my birthday gift. It was the best EVER! Love you girl!

Hugs,

Me