Spa-tastic!

Happy November, everybody! Kristine here, hijacking Jeanette's blog once again, this time to share the spa-tastic details of our recent Scrapbook Spa Getaway. What a blast Monica and I had hosting our eight contest winners: Christine, Christina, Tina (what is UP with the similar name thing?), Lynn, Carolyn, Michelle, Louise, and Tiffany. Each of you were a delight to get to know better, learn from, and laugh with—and each of you did some great recruiting to earn a spot at this fabulous retreat!

We started our weekend with a sneak peek at a new Workshop on the Go coming out in our Spring/Summer 2012 idea book—scrutinize the photos all you want, you won't glimpse the new kit, and all our winners are sworn to secrecy not to share their cards or layouts until January! We also created nine other layouts, a number of Art Philosophy projects and cards using our Cricut cartridge, and a great home décor wall calendar. These ladies had such focused mojo (and mad papercrafting talent!) that I think everyone finished ALL their projects by the weekend's conclusion—some even finished early enough for a relaxing round of Scrabble and Apples to Apples, and a rousing session of Christina on the piano. Perhaps the highlight was when Christina entertained us with "Home on the Range," which takes on new meaning when you can actually see deer (no antelope) playing right outside the window.

Our location was a terrific little cabin near Park City, Utah where deer families strolled and napped on the lawn as we watched. We received just a skiff of snow despite the weatherman's promise of more—I know the lack of a blizzard disappointed our girls from Detroit. Don't worry, Carolyn and Michelle, I have a feeling Old Man Winter will visit Michigan this season.

As we played games and savored a weekend of crafting in our jammies, we also learned some very important information, including:

• Virtually ANY comment is dangerous when taken out of context. Michelle captured an ongoing list of silly sentences we said and read them aloud at the end of the retreat to some serious laughter and giggles. Remember, ladies, what happens at the getaway STAYS at the getaway!
• Massages and pedicures are great! Check out the photo of those eight fabulous feet and their sassy pedicures.

• Everyone received spa services, and loved them, particularly Tiffany, who was dubbed the "Person Most Likely To Resemble Nick Nolte's Mugshot" after a massage. (see photo for proof!)

• Talking with Lynn Como will get your business gears spinning. This top-selling superstar spent a little time with almost every other scrapper, freely sharing her ideas and business savvy. You could always tell when someone had finished a "chat" with Lynn, because she was bursting with ideas, energy, and ready to charge up her business. Thanks for the adrenaline, Lynn!
• Michelle is a Cricut magician. We all learned a few handy dandy tricks and our lively layouts thank you.

It was great to spend a weekend completely free of the internet, television, and ringing phones—except for Tina's phone, which was buzzing frequently. This busy lady is moving into a new house in just a few days and had a ton of details to coordinate back in North Carolina, yet she still made time to escape and create and connect with the rest of us. So did EVERYONE, and that's what truly impressed me about these very different ladies. Some have children, some don't. Some work full-time, others are at home full-time. Some are relatively new to Close To My Heart, others have celebrated more than a decade as a Consultant. We spanned from Seattle to New Jersey, from currently expecting a baby to recently welcoming a grandchild. But what we all shared in common is a love of papercrafting, a passion for preserving memories, and a willingness to share, support, and help each other discover our creativity. 

I love that everyone can meet as Consultants and depart as true friends. Man, this is what it's all about, isn't it?

Oh, wait—and EATING. The weekend was also about eating. I couldn't help but capture a few photos of the fabulous fare prepared by our resident chef, Emma. Everything was perfect. Delicious. And don't you think food always tastes better when you don't have to cook it yourself? We really were spoiled. 

Everything we ate was tasty, but I absolutely had to snag Emma's sopapilla cheesecake dessert recipe to share with you. This stuff is change-your-life good. Here's the easy recipe (from AllRecipes.com, Emma said), in case you'd like to whip up a pan for Thanksgiving. I know it's going to grace our table this holiday!

SOPAPILLA CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

2 C. sugar (separated into 1 1/2 C. and 1/2 C. portions)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 (8 ounce) cans of crescent roll dough

1/2 C. melted butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 C. sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (175 degrees Celsius)
2. Beat cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough and use a rolling pin to shape each can of dough into a 9x13" rectangle. Press one rectangle into the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining rectangle of crescent roll dough.
3. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cheesecake along with the almonds.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown (about 45 minutes). Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares. 

Emma served it slightly warm with a side of fresh, sliced peaches. I have absolutely ZERO photos of this incredible dessert because I was too busy inhaling it to be bothered to fetch my camera. Please forgive me, I'm only human!

Finally, before everyone packed and repacked their bulging suitcases and tried to pretend they were all under 50 pounds each, we gave each attendee a specially designed layout. Every layout was as unique as the lady it was intended for—something to capture her personality, her style, her life, as interpreted by the talented CTMH art studio. It was a time for more tears, laughter, and of course, photos! I've included them here for everyone to get a gander. 

Thanks, ladies, for your amazing work as Close To My Heart Consultants—you do a great job showing product, sharing enthusiasm, and spreading the opportunity. It was an honor to spend the weekend with you. We hope you love your scrapbook, enjoyed the spa, and left recharged and renewed for real life!