well hello there bloggers! i know it's been a while but i needed a few days to recover from the cruise and get my land legs back before i could sit down to write this post. all is better now and i'm ready to share all about our artful adventure at sea. i have to say it was definitely the best cruise yet in my opinion. i had such fun, so many laughs, got to spend time with friends both old and new, and shared creativity with my amazing students. thanks again to jim and team scrapmap for making sure everything on board the ship went smooth. thanks also to my team: mario, joy, richele, and monica for their tireless work before, during, and after all of the classes, and of course running the marketplace. the ship was over the top wonderful with good food, drinks, and all the amenities you could want for your paradise at sea. i must say the weather was hot, hot, hot, and not to mention humid, but hey we were in the caribbean so it's all good. the ports were beautiful, tropical, and i've never seen water so turquoise blue. our group this year had the most talented and amazing students who were willing to share their excitement and creativity all week long...
the workshops i planned for the cruise had a mix of technique and of course incorporating several found elements challenging everyone to acquire throughout our voyage. our first evening workshop was this fun travel mug where students created a personalized, one of a kind souvenir of the cruise because they were given a custom stamp of this years logo from stampers anonymous. this was a great ice breaker for many first-time cruisers and a fun project for our seasoned cruisers.
next up was our 3 hour journal class where we created this cool gate journal using custom art parts for covers, kraft resist, tissue tape, kraft glassine, distress stains, and more. we constructed the entire journal including several pocket pages from cardstock, fabrics, tags, and tabs so students could fill their journal throughout the journey. here are a few pages from mine as i included mini instax photos throughout the book along with lots of fun travel themed embellishments.
mid way through the cruise we had a quick late night workshop where students designed a wearable pocket watch from idea-ology. they got to select the theme and embellishments to make one as unique as their own creative style.
our final workshop was a 2-day 6 hour workshop and one i've honestly been wanting to teach but never have. it was a configurations tray! we incorporated lots of treasures i provided each student along with incorporating trinkets they have gathered throughout the cruise (check out the cool pirate ship i found for mine). the design of this tray also had a shaker insert where we included sand and shells from the various islands we visited. we also created a photo flip in one of the inserts using a small ring binder so photos could be incorporated in the tray. i also thought adhering a square of cork in one of the inserts would be a great way to showcase buttons or pins many collected from the various ports. all in all it was my favorite project from the week as each student had gathered unique elements from the voyage we all shared together considering i had to create my project on board before the class. a great way to capture and share those found mementos...
so now it's back to reality and back to work. although it is true this was my final "big" cruise, i have other things in the works for 2013 that i'll be sharing later next year. thanks again to all of my wonderful students and friends for making this final voyage such a memorable and creative one. thanks to all of the generous sponsors who made this an exciting cruise for sure. thanks also to you bloggers for waiting patiently for me to return, you were not forgotten at all so here is a video blog i captured of our crafting in the caribbean - enjoy...t!m
(note: song credit at the end of the video: good life by onerepublic)
Love the things u made. All those details. You don't have to find a treasure, you've made one yourself!
And a cruise in the carribean...WOW!!!!
xx Tessa
Posted by: Tessa | October 06, 2011 at 12:30 AM
great to have you back on dry land tim...look forward to all the new exciting stuff you have in store for us....hugs kath xxx
Posted by: kath | October 06, 2011 at 12:31 AM
Woweeee, look at all those goodies for the classes! Beautiful scenery! Thanks for sharing the experience and excitement of the cruise!
Posted by: Hitomi | October 06, 2011 at 12:32 AM
Amazing video, Tim thanks for sharing your trip with us all. Once again you arranged a perfect trip and I just wish I could have been there.
Posted by: Helen | October 06, 2011 at 12:34 AM
looks amazing, if I ever win the lottery, the first thing I will do is book a place on one of these fantastic Tim Holtz escapes :)
enjoy the break
Debz
x
Posted by: Debbi Glennie | October 06, 2011 at 12:37 AM
Oh what joy I had watching this video. With a big smile on my face. One day I know I will join in on the fun. Thank you so much for shearing it with us.Glad your home. Now get some rest. My regards to Mario. Ruthie
Posted by: Ruth Ales | October 06, 2011 at 12:38 AM
i absolutely love the shadowbox!
Posted by: Fejferek | October 06, 2011 at 12:43 AM
Looks like a Fabulous time! Wish I could have been there. I was saving my money to go one of these years but I guess I will have to wait until next year to hear about your new adventure. I am sure everyone will treasure this experience as will you. Thanks for sharing and all your inspiration Tim! We all appreciate it.
Posted by: Heather M | October 06, 2011 at 12:43 AM
the cruise looked so much fun. What great projects . Thanks for sharing :)
Posted by: steph Martin | October 06, 2011 at 12:43 AM
Thanks for sharing the sun, the fun and the excitement. Love all the materials and projects--wish I could have been there!
Posted by: Anne Porretta | October 06, 2011 at 12:44 AM