{we are} storytellers

{a little bit of gratitude}

hello! {storyeller} jennifer here. all i can think of to say is "wow!" seeing the art that you have been creating and sharing with us has been so inspiring! you have truly and deeply touched us! it is so amazing to me to see that even though we come from different places and have different stories, we all have the same basic reasons for telling them.

it reminds me of this quote that i found several months ago.

"When you look back on a lifetime and think of what has been given to the world by your presence, inevitably you think of your art, whatever it may be, as the gift you have made to the world in acknowledgment of the gift you have been given, which is the life itself... That work is not an expression of the desire for praise or recognition, or prizes, but the deepest manifestation of your gratitude for the gift of life." - Stanley Kunitz

i see this underlying sense of gratitude in the pages you have created and behind every reason given for telling our stories. we are grateful for our families and friends, every experience and every moment, both sweet and challenging, in our lives. we want to share this gratitude with those we love and the world... that is why we are telling our stories.

we are so grateful for all of your encouraging comments and emails! keep on linking us up to your gorgeous library cards and inspiration pieces and have a wonderful day!

{storyteller} jennifer22

{storyteller: nikki}

Credits:
Truly Modly Deeply kit by Emily Merritt and Amy Hutchinson
Alpha by Angela Powers
Love Beauty Marks by Two Sisters Designs
Tabs and Tags by Amy Hutchinson
Drop Shadows by Traci Murphy
Fonts: CK Love Note and Pea XOXO

{storyteller: Dixi}

Credits: Free Spirit collab by Two Sisters Designs and Marcie Reckinger.  Itty Bitty Epoxy Alpha and Life Strips 1 by Emily Powers. Tabs & Tags, Sticky Strips, and Mini Label Alpha by Amy Huthinson. Flower from Truly Modly Deeply collab by Emily Merritt and Amy Hutchinson. Dictionary Words, Doodle Trims and Unravelled by Emily Merritt.

{inspire us}

Unfortunately things haven't been going the way we have planned this week, but that is usually the case in life, right? We plan and plan and the best laid of our plans sometimes go haywire and don't give us the results we had ultimately hoped for.
But, in spite of what's happening with the site, we must go on. After all, that's what part of our art is all about. Dealing with the day to day things and how we turn those that may not be part of our plans into something inspiring that help us grow into the people we are.
Since I have been part of this site, something in me has changed. Before, I was just a scrapper, hoping to tell my story with creativity and the inspiration that others give me on a daily basis. But since I have been a part of this wonderful site and have made friends with such creative, inspiring women, I have found a new purpose in my art. I have seen my scrapping style change and also my perspective in how I see my layouts develop into more than just a page, but a story.
About a week ago, I asked the girls to post inspiring things on our private forum. Whether it be photos, art, drawings, colors....whatever. Since then we have found so many beautiful things across the web that we can use as inspiration in our pages and product. Things that we hope may help us to inspire you now and in the future.
But this week, as I take the reigns of the blog (teehee!) I want to ask all of you to inspire us here at {we are} storytellers. Scrap a beautiful, inspiring page. It may be full of inspirational journaling, awe inspiring photos or just plain artsy! Post it to the gallery of your choice and link it back here in the comments section for all of us to see.
Next Saturday, I will pick 3 of the most inspirational layouts to be featured here on the {we are} storytellers blog on our opening weekend!! I will choose one layout from each of the three categories I just spoke of (journaling, photography and art).
The deadline is 5pm CST on Friday to get your links in!
Remember...don't just scrap.................INSPIRE!

{storyteller} mandy

{site update & a handful of sweet iNSPiRATiON}

let's talk...what we know: site not open, service provider xxxx (fill in the x's, i won't go there because children might be reading over your shoulder), everyone on both sides of the screens are very excited and you all have been INCREDIBLY UNDERSTANDING (which we cannot thank you enough for your comments and emails--MWAH!)

we've made a decision to move to a new service provider. we just don't want to spend anymore time on what may, in the end, still not have the site up and running at the level that you all deserve. moving means it's going to take a lot of work and time. the last thing that we want is the excitement that you all have for our site to turn into frustration by not knowing when we are going to open. i totally get that feeling to 'check in' and 'refresh' in hopes that something you've been waiting for changes. we so don't want that to continue any longer.

we've decided the best thing to do for all of us, mostly you, is to set a new launch date for the site and move forward from there. we'll launch the site on february 21, 2008 (hey, that's just one little week later, right!?!) in the meantime, we're going to keep designing new products, creating inspirational layouts and POSTING to the blog. so, keep coming by daily and we'll be here. also, make sure that you've signed up for our newsletter. it will be a great way to stay up-to-date, and most importantly, keep telling your story by scrapping your own layouts.

again, we cannot thank you enough for your words of kindness, support and encouragement. what a wonderful community!

take care!

deann

but alas, i do not leave you empty handed. i turn over the blog reins to the incredibly talented {storyteller} lisa who has a dose of {iNSPiRATiON} for you!

hi there!  {storyteller} lisa here. i hope everyone had a great valentine's day and at least had a piece of chocolate to make it that much sweeter!  some of us are still reveling in candy, and can't get rid of it fast enough!  it seems that as soon as we get rid of the candy here it's time for another holiday and more sweets!  well, it's not that fast, but you know what i mean.  in my household, the children live for the holidays and anticipate each one with reasonable certainty that there WILL be candy to look forward to.  there are sweets that we associate with each coming season and holiday that we have to have and not do without.  In the fall, mainly october, we break out the candy corn.  at christmas, it's candy canes.  we are now at valentines and we have sweethearts, and the pink and red m&ms.  next is easter and jellybeans!

i have been encouraged to scrap and tell the story about these little candy traditions we have and i want to encourage you too!  what fun little things do you associate with each season or holiday?  it doesn't have to be candy.

here's a sketch for you to interpret, reverse, flip, or not use at all, but do scrap.  create.  please tell your story!  we all want to hear!

{we're calling it a night}

looks like 'best laid plans of mice and men..." (you can decided who the mice are, and i'm not pointing any fingers, but if i were sitting across the desk from our service provider right now, they would not see a happy face!) we'll give it a go again in the morning, and as i hope you all can see, we're doing everything we can to keep you updated. i know it's hard to wait, and we sure appreciate your patience. in the meantime, don't forget to check out emily's post on {iNSPiRATiON} and download angela's wonderful library card template. we look forward to reading about why you are a storyteller.

happy valentine's day, there's a few hours left for those of us on the pacific coast and beyond, and we'll see you all in the morning and we'll give it another shot and see if we can't get this site open for ya!

take care!

{we are ALL storytellers}

{update: emily powers here. we are all anxiously awaiting the opening of the site. we are working on getting the technical issues resolved so that we can provide quality customer service. while we wait, i thought we could use a little iNSPiRATiON!}

we are ALL storytellers. "because there is a natural storytelling urge and ability in all human beings, even just a little nurturing of this impulse can bring about astonishing and delightful results" (the art of storytelling).

how we tell our stories differs from person to person, but the human themes that crisscross our lives and our art are the same. because we get so caught up in telling our stories, we don't often reflect on WHY we are storytellers. over the last few weeks, the wst family has reflected on why we are storytellers. now it's YOUR turn.

my sister, angela, created this sweet little template for you. simply create a piece of art that showcases why YOU are a storyteller. upload your finished page to any gallery you like and link us to it in the comments below.

we'll be looking at all of your stories and spotlighting a few of them from time to time throughout the rest of the month. on february 29th we will surprise several lucky scrappers with {we are} storytellers gift cards.

make sure you bookmark the wst blog. i think you will find that you are iNSPiRED on a daily basis!

okay, ready?!?! GO. create. live.

{open, open, open...}

that's what i've been saying since about midnight LAST night...open, open, can we just OPEN!

{we just updated our launch page, so i thought i'd drop it in here for you all...}

Update - We are planning to open the store and gallery around 5:00pm pst. If it makes you feel any better, we're in the same boat, just on the other side of the screen. We're ready to go, but our hosting vendor is needing to make some changes in order for you to actually be able to download your products from the shoppe. We 'could' open, but what fun would that be if you couldn't get what you paid for - lol! We say "around" because we just don't know how much longer they are going to need on their end to make this all run as efficiently as it can be, and more importantly, you deserve! Hang in there, we promise we won't run out of inspiration or great product for you, and as we keep saying around here, 2/14 is just the start...the rest is yet to come.

i have to thank you all for the support you've already given us. we're just a small little site with a lot of heart and we can't wait to provide you with inspiration and education to take with you on your storytelling journey.

take care!

{store opening update}

wanted to jump in over here and give you an update on what's going on behind the scenes at {we are} storytellers. we are a little shoppe of amazingly creative and like-minded artists who are looking to be a part of something a bit different. what we may lack for in size, we sure make up for in spirit. we are a site that will be focused on cultivating an environment that is positive, inspirational, educational and supportive. we are all so passionate about telling our stories and we can't wait for you to be a part of it.

we've got a few more wrinkles to work out (i mean what fun would it be if you can't actually download your product, right!?! LOL) but we are well on our way to opening our doors and inviting you in. check back throughout the day, but we're thinking around 5pm as it stands right now.

we've hoped you've enjoyed getting to know each of us and the reasons why we feel it is important to tell our stories over the last couple of weeks. we've really had fun being able share with you. we hope that we will inspire all of you to do the same.

thank you so much for your support you've already given us and we look forward to what the future will bring for all of us.

thanks for your patience.

take care!

{storyteller: deann mcdaniel}

credits:
Truly, Modly, Deeply by Amy Hutchinson & Emily Merritt
Grunge Lined Paper by Emily Merritt
Tabs and Stitches by Amy Hutchinson
American Typewriter (font)