I'm Certified!!!

[Warning: there is a lot of reading to do today, but I promise that it'll at least be interesting...]

One of the things I wrote on my New Year's Resolution list (which actually was the ONLY thing I wrote on that list - lol), was to get Copic Certified by the end of the year.  It's something that I really have been wanting to do ever since I picked up my first marker and started to color.



At the end of last year I was able to take a class at my LSS which lasted 1 hour and kinda got my feet wet a little as far as different techniques, etc.  But the certification class really went into the history of copics and so many other aspects of using this marker that I had not known before.  When I found out they were going to be teaching a class in Miami I immediately spoke to hubby about registering and he suggested we make a weekend family getaway trip about it.  Something different from the norm.  So we were able to find a really comfortable hotel room at the Marriott and drove down on Friday early evening; just in time to meet up with a friend I met through YouTube -Yeya, her husband and daughter at a nice Cuban spot.  The food was delicious and the company was great!!  It was our first time staying at the Marriott, we usually are a Crowne Plaza type of people, so we weren't sure how we'd like it, but it was so yummy.  THAT BED!!!!  UGH!!!


[view from our room]

[even Giovanni loved his bed]


I woke up at 6am on Saturday, February 25, 2012 with an excited/nervous feeling in my gut.  It was the day that I would spend just about 7 hours in a classroom setting with other students learning more about this huge craze.


As I waited for Yeya to pick me up from the hotel, I started to question whether I'd be able to complete the class.  I wondered how many people would be there.  I even wondered if the teacher would be snooty or super nice.  We had a delicious breakfast at the hotel and made our way to the 10th floor.  At the end of the hall was our designated room and the closer I got to the door the more anxiety built.  lol.  When I stepped in and saw about 25 seats, I knew I'd be okay.  The overwhelming feeling I was experiencing might have been because I thought there'd be over 100 people there.  LOL.  What do I know?  No one (that I know of) has ever talked about it before!  I thought we'd get there late and there'd be no more supplies or seats available to sit next to each other.



The morning started out a little slow.  Lori Craig basically covered (as I said before), the history of this company, but after our 1st break the day began to take speed.  It was on to taking out our markers and taking out our pens and getting to the nitty gritty!!


[I'm really proud of that pineapple!!  lol]



I loved everything about this day.  I loved seeing the different faces (even men) in the room that showed an interest in this art.  I loved that I was able to be among friends.  I say friends because my friend Sharon (my 1st meet-up friend from You Tube), who I had been trying to convince to take the class with me, actually showed up with minutes to spare and with just 1 seat available to the right of Yeya and I.  It was perfect timing and it was such a sweet surprise!!  Hehe.

 

I loved that I actually did learn so much and it motivated me to get better, to study this art more and to get me excited about taking the Copic Intermediate Certification class.  I think I did well.  The fact that I was able to test-color on different copic papers and get a feel for the quality and the ease of coloring helped me so much!!  I had been (kinda) struggling with blending colors easily and I honestly thought it was me.  LOL.  I mean, it could be me, but when I used the X-Press It brand paper I could not believe how soft and beautifully everything flowed.  That day I vowed never to buy another type of paper again.  As soon as I got home I ordered a small 25 pack of the X-Press It paper and am still currently waiting to get it in the mail... (which is probably why you have not seen many colored images lately).

**UPDATE**  I received the X-Press It Blending Card paper yesterday and CAN'T WAIT to get started using it!!!



That evening my husband and I celebrated my new accomplishment with dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and I can't believe how I've never had their Red Velvet cheesecake.  It was TO DIE FOR!!

[chicken marsala with bowtie pasta]



The next day I had planned on visiting a local scrapbook store (by Sharon's house) which did have the X-Press It paper in stock, but soon found out that they're closed on Sundays.  So we made our way to the 2nd stop on our road trip back home and had lunch at hubby's favorite pizza spot in Miramar, Fl., called Antonio's Pizzeria.  I think they changed the sauce recipe, but this is the closest to NY style pizza I have found in Fl.  YUM!!


We had also planned to stop by IKEA to stock up on some spice racks for my punches (which are literally falling off the wall and onto my desk), and I came across a terrific deal that I could not pass up.


I found a cute small - medium sized white desk (that matches my craftroom decor) for only $20!!!  Can you believe it?  I fell in love.  And being that I was in the process of updating my room anyway, I thought I would get rid of my drafting table.  I felt bad getting rid of it, after all, it was my first ever craft table.  She's the one that was with me when I first learned how to use eyelets and use a paper piercer.  I thought about selling her, but quickly changed my mind once my room was all put together and changed around. 



[dad helped by steam cleaning my carpet]


[Giovanni is helping me screw on the legs of the new table - lol]


Anyway, in the process of cleaning, organizing and moving things around I acquired a serious back injury that left me in bed for 4-5 days.  I literally could not get up and needed the assistance of hubby to slowly pull me out and help me walk to the bathroom.  It was such a painful experience (that I'm still suffering from), which taught me all about the art of patience.  If I had been patient enough and waited til the weekend when hubby was available to help me with the room, then I would be just fine right now.  Thank God I have such great people in my life that were able to take Giovanni for a few days because the 1st day I could barely make us breakfast and change his diaper.  I was in agony.  I'm still very sore and very slow in moving around, but at least I don't need hubby's help anymore.

The good news is that I have a newly organized room that I plan on sharing with all my You Tube and blog followers.  If you follow my Facebook you would have already seen a few changes, but not entirely.  I like to give sneak peeks of things to draw interest and keep people guessing... it's fun!!  haha.  So hopefully by the end of March I would have made time to get better organized, put everything in it's place and record a full room tour, and take photos for my blog.  Until then, I will leave you with "sneak peek" photos of what everyone on facebook saw... it's only fair, right?


[this used to be the desk that held my laptop, and basically all the incoming/outgoing packages would sit on it for days/weeks - such a waste of good space]


[And here Giovanni is testing out the new desk and tending to mommy's blog] 
[He loves anything electronic, especially computers!]


Thanks for checking in and KUDOS to you if you read all my ramble.  LOL.

x0, Damaris 

P.S.  I learned the hard way that 1 vicodin = nice, and 2 vicodins = dizzy!!

4 comments

Scrappy Pink Corner said...

Oh, Damaris. Don't feel bad about patience. We all go through that. Us women have none when it comes to having something done around the house, especially our crating rooms. We want it done now and don't realize things take time, like paint has to dry, and walls have to be built. I still go to the grocery store and look for a bottle of patience. LOL. I can't wait to see your craft room. I have never made a video and so many people ask me for one, but I just don't have the drive for it. Maybe one day. Making a video is on my list and posting it on youtube is also.
I am so glad you were able to take the copic class and become certified. That is awesome. I would love to meet you. Maybe when they have another crop at the Paper Niche you can come down and stay the weekend.
Have a great week. Get better and try to rest.
Ana

jessica said...

Sorry I haven't been around in a while....I have followed all your posts and seen all your fabulous projects!! Congrats on being copic certified...I had no doubt you wouldn't pass...your coloring was gorgeous to begin with and I can not wait to see what your start creating again!
Thanks for sharing all these fun pictures!! It looks like a trip well worth it :)
Hope your back is feeling better soon...take it easy you don't want to hurt yourself anymore! But on another note your room is fabulous!!! Looking forward to seeing it all!
Take care and Happy Hump Day!

Unknown said...

Congrats on your certification!!! Glad to know you feel better :)

sarajeank said...

Haha I love your posts girly!!CONGRATS on your certification!!!WHOO-WHOO!Sorry you got hurt but I am inpatient too.Geo looks soo cute in the pics.I cant wait to see your room tour and your copic images.Oh your right about the vicodin,HAHA.Thanks for sharing,sarah