January 31, 2023

Onslaught of three Cyber Bullies - Speaking out ~


BEVER BE SILENCED - The Truth prevails .. 

 Im tired of being silent - about three Bullies in social media ! 

The truth is out on this onslaught on social media now since 2016 .. from three grown jealous women ! 


 I have decided to tell my side of this ongoing ridiculous onslaught of three grown women trying to defame me on social media one of them  since 2016  over a snowman .. yes I said 2016  and snowman !! 


I will not use their real names in this statement - and please do not write me to ask. If you don't know them already then it’s a good thing because who needs friends like these women !


Bad Grandma  #1

This was a dear friend of mine well  I thought, I did her hair for 25 years and as we became good friends she asked me to teach her how to solder and make jewelry fun box Shrines  al the things shes soldering now! We sat at my kitchen table as I shared hours of my skills and knowledge while providing her all the supplies she needed to go home and solder! I gave her everything ! 

This  friend was able to attend many of my workshops as my guest and again received free supplies.  She maybe paid 75.00 on occasion but most were free classes she happily received! 

 

She attended an Art camp on the Oregon coast for a generous discount  and only paid $250.00!  At that same Art camp, in my opening speech I had told her how much I had always admired her creativity and what an inspiration she she had become during these years.  She cried her eyes out during my speech and told all of us there that her own family had never even admired or recognized her creativity. I spoke from my heart.  She is one the more incredible artists I had ever met ! 


I had been warned by so many others over the years of who she really was, and how she's wronged  others in the Art world. My sister-in-law is married to the son of a local artists (in the 80s) and Bad grandma copied this artist and shamefully, this case ended up in the hand of lawyers for her wrong doing!  But, giving her grace, I trusted her. shame on me! 


I can tell you this, deep down inside, I KNEW BETTER  to  NOT let her in my circle!   I question why we don't we listen to or recognize those little signs ! My husband had never liked her around and constantly told me almost every time she was here, ‘you're going to be sorry teaching her anything’ and ‘why are you so good to her!’!  I even invited/encouraged her teach both at my studio and at an art camp!  I introducing her to my whole world of art and friends. sadly 

Honestly I thought I could help her become a better person, and for a few years I did! I witnessed her heart open up to others more  … it is too long of a story to go here, but those of you that know, sadly really know how much she had changed . 


In 2017-18 - Mutual friends that she met in my home studio workshops kept telling me  more things she was doing behind my back. she was teaching ,  and grabbing students from my classes she attended!

She was not tech savvy at all, so I helped her with everything to do with anything on the internet, including ordering her supplies for her.  Again, many times never charging her a thing! I did not mind at all because that’s what good friends do!

 

I created her a blog - that’s what we did back then- blogging.   Because she couldn't figure it all out, I always did her posts for her .  I taught her Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I had no clue that  my kindness would backfire within the social media world. She still today has 3-4 Instagram accounts because she repeatedly loses her password and must create a new account! she doesn't have me to help with that anymore ! Who knew I was training an enemy ! 


Finally, I could no longer tolerate the lengthy betrayal of a long  25 year friendship and her using me ! 

I wrote to her on her blog that I hosted (off my own blog)  ,  I wrote her a post  of everything I had wanted to tell her for a couple years, it all spewed out.  I detailed how she hurt me and how I should have known better from her past behavior.  I told her how I should have listened to other mutual friends who repeatedly warned me over the years. I left this note on her blog for maybe about 6 hours, allowing enough time for her to see it as she got the notifications on the posts , and then I closed her blog forever !  

She hadn't updated her blog for a few years, and the blog was quite stagnant, ensuring she was the only one that would see it, but honestly I didn't care who saw it, its my own words of truth! .  


I am not a confrontational person at all and so many rapidly warned me , so for me to even do this was way out of my comfort zone, but I had to get it all out of my head and heart, I was so very DONE with her !  It was not easy on me; it took me a couple years to truly recover from this betrayal of a treasured friendship.  I didn't want to let anyone else do what she did to me, my trust was so broken!  I loved her family; her husband is one of the best men you will ever meet.  I was very close with one of her daughters, she worked for me several years ... it was sure hard to just end it all.


I have not spoke to Bad  Grandma since 2018 - 

Betrayal of a friendship is difficult, but I needed to cut it off immediately.  She taught at my Oregon coast retreat in 2018 - We were not speaking then, but being professional, I let her complete what commitments were originally planned. It wasn't easy for me at all to have her there, but I did the right thing!  She rode to the retreat with three other students, and she complained about all of them to the girls cooking at the retreat.  She complained about how it was the longest ride ever and just nonsense crap about them.  And much to my surprise, ironically she has become their good friends now! Why you ask - in order to keep a close connection to me!

If anyone asks me about her in class, my response is always, I have not seen her in a while, I think she's doing great! - I refused to make this about no one but her and I.  Sadly we do not share the same behavior and are very much the opposite with her ongoing smear campaign in my name.


Since 2020 ( ish ) she posts on her Instagram account that she sees her work on Pinterest and it leads to my Website - saying that I am not giving her credit to her hard work and I have stolen such photos, and or copy her work .   It’s always a little different story each time she fires up ( depending how much alcohol she consumes )  Not to mention, she doesn't understand Pinterest or social media. I always  post students photos from Classes and  it leads you to the class they took from me  .. I deleted all my photos connected to her being here in classes last year .. 


She posts these pictures claiming that I need to be stopped while slamming my name and continues year after year. I do post students work that link to the class they took, the pictures she's referring to are from classes she took 10 years ago ! I removed them all last year off my Pinterest . 


  After forensic analysis, these recent Pinterest posts are not posts that I have created but have been associated to my blog and workshops- anyone can create a post and link to me…but the creator can be identified.  The reality is that the ‘original creator of the Pinterest post linking to my blogs and workshops’ needs to be stopped!working with Pinterest legal side was a wonderful delicious I made, it took me right to the creator of a fake Terri Brush account , this person was posting them often , and lucky the forensic side of Pinterest is a really great paper trail .


Then Bully number two and three all join the bandwagon and further fuel the onslaught claiming that I am stealing their work!  This further fuels the fire for others to unknowingly criticize, degrade and threaten me again and again, and year after year.   


Please understand that when my students take my classes,  I have aways taken pictures of their work and put it on my instagram and Pinterest and my website ! They all love it, including Bad grandma! Sadly at the onset of the onslaught, I scrubbed Pinterest of my created posts thinking this would stop the ridiculous accusations.   Here is a post she recently made, that I am featuring her work  on pinterest and giving her no credit for all her hard work ?? HUH it was a Retreat she attended that I taught her how to make these? total nonsense !


These pictures I took of her work, some in her studio, after a class here at my studio I took ALL the students to her studio to shop !.. she sure was Happy I did that ! and Now all the sudden these pictures she says I claim ! .. NO ... the keeps reposting theses same pictures off Pinterest now for the lat 5 years making it look like I keep posting them !.. 












It’s her only tool to jab me, she thinks it’s wrong these show on my Pinterest page and lead to the class she took (for Free let me remind you!). she obviously does not understand Pinterest ! 




The reality is that if she had an issue with me for posting her work (from 10 years ago) in my class on Pinterest, she could have come to me and asked me to delete them!!  even easier she could have contacted Pinterest to ask for them to be removed !   


She has slandered me now for so many years it’s become all a Big blurr- and I honestly could care less - other than the fact that I am tired of it and saddened by the extremely mean comments, messages etc ., received from people she is telling .  


 I also realized how easy it is to file a complaint with Pinterest to  have a photo removed with evidence you own the original photo !.. so WHY didnt she have the photos removed if thy bothered her so badly ! .  we all know WHY !.. remember I had to help her do everything on social media ! .. 

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Dirty Mouth Aussie  #2 

This one is a real Doozy – a pitiful trucker mouth , that has a history of trying to ruin many many artists life ! what a truly miserable jealous women !  - I have never met her and never so glad I didn't !  but I was having her come teach here at a Retreat in 2020.


 She refers my students and followers my CRONIES !!  she says they all BULLY her which is quite funny because none of them know a thing about her nor about this ! so my guess is her trucker mouth is leaving her own slime trail ! 


Dirty Mouth  Aussie 2 was coming in from another country to teach at in Idaho at a Retreat .Two  other women were hosting and then planned to teach at my studio her resin book. 
In early 2020 she contacted me to indicate that she had to cancel teaching at my studio as the Idaho Retreat was canceled due to lack of students and she wouldn't be coming to the United States.


Moving forward in 2020 - covid hits and our world changes.

My next online class had just opened  which I had been working on several months , - it was learning to make  your own Tin types and Tin Type jewelry.  Oh Boy, she suddenly attacks me telling me I was copying her resin book!  I told her she was welcome to view my online class, it's nothing to do with her resin books.  Note, I have never even made a resin Book!  Also, she doesn't teach how to make tin types, she uses vintage ones?  Makes no sense right !  How did she contrive that I was copying her at all? 


I won’t get too much into her bad behavior - she wouldn't even go look in my online class, and I even tell the students in my class to look her up that she teaches a cool resin book they would love! She also repeats that I bully her terribly and ruined her business.  I think not, as she single handedly ruined her own business. I have never at any time bullied her nor anyone, nor have I identified who these players are.  They have all looked bad from their own behavior.

Unfortunately, she joined forces with Bad Grandma!  I don’t think, they have never met but what the share in common is that they both don't like me!  OK, whatever!  


As bad grandma makes her yearly slanderous post about me on her instagram , Dirty mouth Joins right in and shares it on her Facebook Platform and off they all go!   She refers to her as her Beautiful Friend, makes me laugh they don’t even know each other! and honestly if Bad Grandma ever met her,I say with a laugh she would not like her one bit ! .. 

*I will also add that I got a Death threat from  a women from her country  , well documented paper trail !  A Death Threat to me , that I am being watched I better watch my back ! This has been reported  to authorities , and is not taken lightly by  Law ! I hope this person enters USA this year , justice will be served  ! handcuffs would look good on you  ..  Just remember if you want to make threats to anyone , a trail on social media, your phone etc  is easy for them to track ,even if you delete it ! 






Each year these posts instigates a shit storm of mean people firing ridiculously harsh messages to me! 

These people are clueless as to what is true and if someone defends me with facts, they immediately get deleted and blocked! Where there is smoke there is fire…seek the truth.


Their slanderous behavior instigates others to send me hate messages.  I even received a death threat  which has been recorded with the police department.  A death threat is a serious crime not to be ignored. 



Who knew the Art world could become so damn ugly!  Really, who knew old women can behave so ugly!  Old Grandma is in her 70s and I think it is time to GROW UP! I always wonder what the HELL do here husbands go thru and miserable they must be with such unhappy wives.. 


Snowflake # 3 

This is a tough one!  And Snowflake is the only one I give very little grace to on this!  There are many fingers pointing so many directions and I have just been informed of who is the bad actor behind most of it!   Sorry but I cannot think of a better name for this person keeping this stupid snowman ordeal going on and on! Now Snowflake has jumped on the slander bandwagon with the two above mentioned bad actors attacking me every chance she gets!   She has repeated her claim since 2016 to continue this on social media 7 years now! its a situation we will never agree on . 

So lets go all the way back to 2016 - yep do you even remember 2016! 

I teach my Holiday two day workshop every year, and  it’s a super fun class… a caged snowman and some snowman ornaments..

Snowflake had gifted me this snowman ornament, it was hanging on my studio tree.





Everyone in the class was taking pictures of all the ornaments on that tree and lots of them were gifts from others.

a 4th person who knows nothing about the art world has jumped into the slander slime trail -   is the big player is the game, she/he took the ornament off the tree and set it on the workshop table and took pictures of it.  Many students were taking pictures of all the ornaments on my tree, as they always do when they arrive at my studio for EVERY CLASS ! 


Turns out  this dead weight   posted it on instagram, she/he was here at class, and I’m not quite sure if Snowflake saw it on her page or a friend of snowflake quickly told her that I was teaching her snowman due to the picture that was posted by Bad Actor mistakenly told her friends  ! This person also bought my class sample ! 

I knew immediately that this looked like I was teaching her snowman ornament.  I can honestly see why she thought that!

I told the ENTIRE class several times that day that this was not our project and that referenced the artist that made that ornament. I even talked to a mutual student  friend of Snowflake and Ithat takes both our workshops  ,if she would make sure and let her know that I DID NOT TEACH that snowman.

Here is what the Students made that weekend, (See pics below.  The caged snowman was sitting on a tin reflector, so she thinks I copied that vintage tin reflector from her snowman, they all had lots of vintage ephemera in their kits and always do in al my classes , snowflake isnt the only person to use vintage ephemera !   

it’s all so stupid!   REMEMBER lets all go back to 2016 - you know these worms were bullies in high school ! 

Aren’t we are all adults and professionals and yet she is going to fight about a snowman?  COME ON! Let's fight over the snowman for 10 more years ! your looking more and more ridiculous .. 

Snowflake jumps on the band wagon with the others, joining forces with the on the defamation of my character claiming that I have copied her snowmen several times.   Remember we're still in Since 2016!  Yawn .. grow up ! 

If she actually owned the snowman copyrights she should do something about it Right !! ….but there is no copyright on snowmen…. She did not design the snowman…Snowmen were created long before she was born! 








This just goes on and on!  They all three post the trap line on their social media, so people read and just assume I'm doing all this fabricated montage of garbage! 


So, I won’t say too much about dead weight   because she/he become a bigger player in this path of destruction since 2016! I was recently informed, she/he took the pictures of the ornament on the work table that day which I knew and watched her do.  but recently was told she/he got home and DID copy Snowflakes snowman and  made more and gave them as gifts and sold some in her work office !!! toy can't make this crap up !... they all deserve each other ! 

Unbelievable that this game has continued since 2016!  Note, I have not talked about this ugly mess as it’s such a long land stupid story of trash talking women attacking me to what benefit?


I have ignored but I will no longer!   I won’t say more other than it will be stopped!  If you believe them, I urge you to do some research! Those threatening me and sending mean messages, you really don’t know me at all!


The message behind this shitstorm is that when you read something on social media, is that it may not be true!  Never just assume things are true !  Seek out the facts People! 

 

Sadly, this has changed everything about what’s in my studio that students can see and photograph!  Inspiration used to be such a compliment right! with Pinterest you can learn anything for free ! 


 Every teacher goes thru all this same BS .. it's part of what we do .. haters gonna hate !  Misery LOVES company .. 


I am going to close with this - - I am not perfect and neither are they , I am sure there are plenty of people that don't like any of us over art !  . - it’s part of putting yourself out there.  Coupled with business success is a stiff  competition and jealous people that want to see you fail for them to succeed.  Yet, there is plenty of room for us all to succeed in this world of art! Can’t we all get along and support each other?


When you see grown women attack someone on social media or anywhere , do you ever wonder,

 gosh this could be me they attack next !  Are these people I want to be my friends? I think not!


If you are friend with them you are NOT a friend of mine!  .. keep them close to your side.. 

All of you just watching need to be brave and tell them how you feel !.. but I will warn you , it’s all a one sided fight they will delete anyone telling the truth ! .. 



IF you think it's ok what they are doing then you do not know me at all ... and shame on you for not speaking out and asking quesions !. Although those that do try to Artie on their trashy pages , get chewed up and spit out, I mean how dare they let anyone comment the truth  about tme ! A one sided bullshit story would be considered  Politics ! 




If someone is attacking your character, it’s against the LAW!  

Cyberbullying is against the law worldwide!  

*There are very strict guidelines with big consequences. 


If you are being bullied, speak up immediately.


  Why I waited all these years was stupid- but stupid no more! I am Speaking LOUD and CLEAR ! .

 

I am grateful for all my kind friends and supporters who do know me and do support me.  It saddens me that I must explain and defend myself.  I thought that with being quiet, it would all go away.  These attempts to cancel me for all these years have not been successful, but enough is enough!

 And Thank you to the grooves  of letters I have received on so many stored who these women have attacked in the past ! Their history she has enlightened me of the support of the the bully nonsense they also do to others ..  


May 19, 2019

Look for me Teaching in 2019-2020


Here is where you can find me teaching in the next year ..





2019-2020 Schedule 

May 2019 - Art camp in Newton Kansas   Sold Out 

July  Jewelry Boot camp 2019  Terris Studio  - Sold out 

 August 2019  - Hosting Mariolina from Milan Italy -
Workshops   at Terris Studio  SOLD OUT 

 September 2019  in Scottsdale Arizona - SOLD OUT 

 October Light and Fire Retreat Italy  2019   -2 spots left !  

November 2019  - Art Camp in Terris Studio - SOLD OUT 


December -   Booked private classes  SOLD OUT 



January 2020


 Scottsdale Arizona 

 SAVE THE DATES -January 31-   Feb1 - Feb 2 2020

You can go to Tucson Gem show right after this weekend of classes !  dates fall so you can go shop ! ..

                                   Scottsdale AZ OPENS for registration 

June 30th 2019   5 pm pacific time zone 


February 2020

TBA

March 2020 

TBA 


 April 2020  



May 2020 

ART CAMP ! 

May 14-17th 2020
NEWS  for this is shared May 24th 2019

Opens for Registration 
May 27th 2019 

Click here to register  and read more..


June 2020

TBA 


July 
Jewelry Bootcamp at Terri's Studio 
July 16-18 2020 

Opens for registration 
July 29th 2019 

 click here to read more and register .. 


 August 2020

TBA 

September 2020

TBA 

October 2020 

 Light and Fire Retreat Italy !! 

More Announced Sept  1 st 2019 
 We cannot wait to announce our guests ! 


May 16, 2019

Have you always Wondered ?




I get so many question every year about  so many things I have decided to do a BIG post and answer all your questions ! ... so lets get started !..  bear with me tho, I'm not good at talking about myself.. Im very shy and VERY PRIVATE .. I'm not sure how long this post will even be here for viewing but Im going to try to get it all out so you can see a taste of how this all started ! 

 How did you get started in Soldering ? 

I had been working in Papier mâché designing for the gift world for over 12 years and was also a  full time hairdresser and wife, and mother of two small children along with the caretaker for my mentally ill mother..  Life was more then crazy busy , I had even taken on a bigger role of a Licensing agent to License artists in their art work.. With this job it took me to China as  a Licensing agent and designer for the products along with  quality control... This was a whole new life for me going to China and honestly I wasn't loving it.. I saw so much untruth , lies and STOLEN aRT , so many artists  that have no idea their work is mass produced in China  ! Every day I was blown away ! .. I can only imagine in the world there now with social media how easy it is for them to copy any of us. and they do  ! ...  I had designed Papier mache figurines for 12 years for two companies and it was taking its toll on me, running a busy salon, and the recent death of my mother was a real pit fall in my life.. absolutely shattered me at 36 years old and no mother ... my heart knew she's  in a better life then the real struggle  of bi Polar and mental illness..
With the passing of my mom, my heart really struggled creating art , its hard to feel creative when your heart is so shattered and broken , I remember hearing of Debbie Thiebault loosing her son, and watching her struggle getting back her creative edge , so I knew I wasn't alone ..

I threw it all away .. 
 I purged all my art supplies , and I mean ALL of it .. I  did not think I would ever do anything artsy creative ever again!..   ....I just felt lost and empty, struggling to go to work,  trying to find what my new life was suppose to look like ! I was slowly sinking into depression.. something I had never experienced before..  One day I woke and could not go to work, it went on for several weeks to where I wasn't leaving the house , I was sinking fast into depression..
I remember one day my dad came over and just held me and cried , he was so worried I was getting hit by the same illness that eventually took my mothers life MENTAL ILLNESS ! ..
Those were words I did not want to hear, and I went reluctently  to see a Dr .... The Dr of course put me on Depression mediation and it scared the life out of me, I saw my mom struggle my whole life with pills and medication the ups and downs of the real sadness of  bi polar life !

After about two weeks taking these pills I threw them all away, I did not want to be in a medicated state of mind, I do not like medication and I can tell you why ! my mother was an addict , she would take any medication she could anytime anywhere , she went to every doctor from Seattle to Portland ,her drug of choice was pain pills !.. I had seen my mom being taken away several times in straight jackets and put in padded rooms in mental hospitals all due to her taking pills and mental illness ..  this is so common with mental illness, all they want to do is feel better ! my mom was beautiful and the best mom she knew how to be ! she had a nervous break down when I was in the 6th grade and life was never the same ! .. All this flashing in my head I decided pills were not for me and I was NOT walking this same road !.. I fought off all the depression getting back to work and doing what I loved , owning a busy Hair salon and being a good mom !.. I was lucky my drepression was short lived and I was able to get myself  thru it . we had lost my mom and franks mom 10 months apart so I completely fell  down thru all that .. it was some pretty hard hard years of many many  family  losses...

2004-  After all this I lost my father  suddenly .... I cannot even describe this and it is still a  struggle today to talk about it.. He was my best friend, my rock , my father  .... I fell deeper into a dark dark hole.. at 39 years old I was lost completely lost ...


Lets take a jewelry class 


 Lets fast forward  , one of the friends that worked for me in my  salon  surprised me with a Sally Jean class in Portland ! I had not clue who sally jean was or even what soldering was ! I DID NOT WANT TO GO , I did NOT want to learn jewelry , remember I had thrown away all my art supplies I didn't even own a paint brush ! LOl.
So off we go to Portland, me fighting tooth and nail , telling my friend lets just leave at noon and go shopping !! ..
We arrive at Sallys Studio .............. big sigh ...... it was the most beautiful room I had ever seen, everything in that room looked like everything i love ! ,turquoise , robin egg blue , pretty stuff  and just so so unbelievable how it touched my broken heart .... I about cried, but quickly remembered we were making jewelry ! YUK !! hahaha .....
 As the day progressed I found my heart racing of happiness, I was so EXCITED , I LOVED the soldering and Jewelry part !The class  was so fun was beyond anything I had ever even imagined !  After two days  in class , I was in Love with soldering ! my friend that took me  wasn't having as much fun  LOL ,  haha she burned up everything she could with that soldering iron and shecwasn't making pretty things !!

I came home a new person, its hard to really believe something so simple can open your heart back up ! .. a few months later I was back for another class at Sallys Studio, again as I walked in my heart just burst with happiness and Love for that place  , it was like Sally was my twin I loved everything she touched and so did a lot of people, Sallys classes were sold out all year long, she was in the prime of her life ! anyone that attended was addicted ! .. She was a very good additcion to my new healing heart !

1 year later 

Art camp Started and On the Road I went teaching !  ! 

Lots of Teaching for many years in Arizona !  
Jo Packham attened Art camp ! I was featured in Where Women Cook Magazine ! and several other publications over mamy years ..

Beth Editor of Jewelry affair Magazine,   she came to Art Retreats and classes ! 
The Beautiful Deb Hodge !  
Carolyn and Terri  meet with the Estate for cooking classes ! we may have ran over a Giant snake this DAY !! 

Art camp on the Oregon coast ! do you see your self ? 
cooking class In Italy ! 

Barb Solem, Marianee Solem and the Solem girls attending Art camp in 2010! .. 
wine thirty in San Diego ! at the Sweet Jane Jolee Penthouse ! 
my Very first class at my home !! Many many years ago !.. 8 students ! 2007
My friends were begging me to teach a class on soldering, so many wanted to learn this fun new hobby I grew to LOVE ! .. I would always laugh it off until one day several pinned me down and. I agreed .. I had 4 ladies over to solder.... O M G  can I say BEST DAY EVER ! I was so HAPPY teaching and helping them learn a new hobby ! my heart exploded seeing how HAPPY it made people,  it was the most rewarding thing I had done ! .. from there it just took off, I had a Salon Website that I added a few classes too, sold out, sold out , sold out.. I could barely keep up ! I had an instant following , it was crazy truly how it just took off over night  !

2007 one of the ladies said lets do this at the beach ! Lets call it Art Camp ! I said LETS GO! .. This is how my retreat life started ! we packed several cars, sold 15 seats to camp and BAM there was a new beginning a Retreat now called ART CAMP... just like that ... I put it on my website , Sold out , always selling out the same day I listed it !  it was crazy how fast this took off.. people were starving for Retreats and gatherings of women !... I had not known there were so many broken sad women needing the same thing I needed ART and SOUL , Friendships , creating, inspiring life changing Retreats !  ......


How did you end up doing Retreats in Italy ? 


I met Carolyn Peeler here at my studio in several classes, Tiffany Kirchner Dixon had brought her to class ... I loved her from the second I met her .. I dont remember exactly how many classes Carolyn came too and she attended and taught at several of my Art camps..
Carolyn sent me an email and said I have a proposition for you , can we meet and talk when I come to class ! .. Yes I said.. I believe this was 2013  ..
Carolyn arrived with HUGE portfolios  albums of Italy.. she sat me and Frank down and shared all her  new love of Italy ! she was beaming showing her family photos of Italy and the Estate where they all stayed . she was a good salesman ! LOL .
THIS is where La Dolce VITA Retreat was born ! She wanted to partner together and start a Retreat in Italy !... I told her I know Retreats and have a great following  but I dont know a thing about Italy.. she told me this is where I come in, I can teach you about Italy and you can teach me about how to host Retreats ! .. it truly was the perfect combination . We designed every avenue of the Retreat together as a team and it was absolutely a lot of blood ,sweat and tears ! ..



It was off the the Races ! We did months and months of planning just to get the Retreat to go live for sale.. I was still doing Art camps twice a year so adding another retreat in a foreign country really took it to whole new level of WORK !.. Carolyn was fabulous, this girl LOVES travel, there is no denying that ! .. We planned every detail of the Retreat hour to hour to every detail on beds and gifts and swag, something I knew well from Art camps, this is something thats always a big part of Art camp as well...100s of hours face timing and meetings ..

2014- it was show time!! .. Our retreat sold out same day , two weeks of retreats ! we were ecstatic ! we brought on Tiffany Kirchner Dixon as our Photographer, we also needed another helper ! it was the perfect trio !! .. We immediately started planning the next year and so on...

La Dolce Vita Retreat - 2015  Sadly  I was badly burned on my feet ! a pot of scalding hot water was dropped and it landed on my feet ! We were just finishing week 1 retreat and this happened ! OH bOY what an ordeal!!.. We had not planned anything to what we would do if one of us got hurt ! .... it ended up I was VERY  VERY badly burned !!..... long story short I had to come home to get proper care, it was a long lengthy healing process ! Although  Carolyn and I  were apart I was right beside her all the way ! ..

There has been many rumors about the accident and that the women that dropped the kettle of scalding water was drunk.!!.. I honesty can tell you this makes me RAGE with anger !!... no one has any right to even think that comment,  let alone make that comment !!! !..  She was NOT DRUNK .. she did have a glass of wine, she had just bought a bottle of wine from the Estate and was singing and dancing with us cooking in the kitchen..( Me , Her and Tiffany)  I loved seeing her smiling and happy as she had  devastating life changing news upon her arrival to Italy... The accident was just that, an accident!!! ..The pot caught her apron as she used it as pot holders , the apron tipped the pot out of her hands ... she was also badly burned on her arm and hand...We were both treated at the  Siena Hospital..  Can you imagine dropping a large part of scalding water and badly injuring someone else, and then years later hear the rumors she was drunk ! .. she absolutely was NOT ! its really shameful that this was told to others ... I love her with all my heart and we remain GREAT friends !... things happen, life changes in an instant, I was just always VERY thankful I was the one hurt and no one attending the Retreat ! ... it could have been a real awful situation ! ..

2016 - as normal we were planning our spring La Dolce Vita Retreats , I was healing and just knowing I would be fine by the time it was Italy time....... all our plans were made we face timed weekly all these years going over plans and details.. We were truly a great team both wanting the same visions of our Retreat ! ... It was just a few moths until we were to leave and I had to cancel.. my foot was still not good, I was having terrible nerve issues with pain.. I was pretty devastated I wasn't going to be back in the saddle as fast as I thought I was .. who know that many  months later I was still having such pain ! I have a new perspective  for Burns and Burn victims !
 Carolyn and I had decide to hire Amy Hanna to take my spot for that spring  Retreat ! .. I Love Amy, and oh my gosh I could not think of a better fill in ! Amy had taught at several of my Art camps and everyone always loved her ! . I spoke with Amy several times preparing her for her Italy teaching ! The retreat came and gone, it was so hard to watch from home ! but with true fashion it was another successful La Dolce Vita Retreat..
Carolyn and I immediately started working on the next years retreat ! there is so much panning behind the scenes to any Retreat ! People have no idea really of all the back side work ! especially in a foreign county ! ..
With a lot of thought I had decided to pull away form being co-owner and partner , as my healing of my foot was quite a painful and a lengthy process, I didn't want to hold Carolyn back and keep trying to find fill ins for me not able to attend .. Carolyn has a true Travel Passion, its her life and it shows she's truly amazing at hosting ! . Carolyn is truly just such a kind gentle spirit and this really ignites her travel bug like no other !  it was VERY hard to let it go as I had also fell in LOVE with Italy..  We worked GREAT together , it was truly some of the best times of my LIFE ... Carolyn has La Dolce Vita still going strong and it will always have  a pieces of my heart , it was our baby ! when you Birth something its always a big part of your Heart... It makes so around of her seeing her thrive and doing so well..
 2018 -We had talked  a lot about me making a return to Italy with La Dolce Vita Retreat.... I had put a lot of thought of how to return , and would I ever return to Italy?... I loved Italy but I  also had  some very hard memories of Italy and my Burns .. I was often asked if I was scared to go back after getting so badly burned .... that answer was always no, I wanted to go back and prove I was Ok, I wanted to see Paola and the friends I had made in Italy !..

With a lot of thought I had chose to start my own Retreat in Italy { Light and Fire Retreat} although going back to  La Dolce Vita would have been so easy to walk right back in , I wanted a Retreat more about Jewelry ... The first person I told was Carolyn , it was tough for me as it was so IMPORTANT  she was the first person I told, we had a great relationship and I did not want that to change.. and of course she answered in True Carolyn fashion wishing us nothing but Happiness !..

Carolyn is going strong with La Dolce Vita Retreat and it makes me so so proud of her ! when I say its her Passion I am not kidding ! she eats, sleeps drinks in Foreign travel  and it shows ! I HIGHLY recommend La Dolce Vita Retreat  to anyone !


 Light and Fire Retreat took off like a red rocket ,  I am so blessed to have a continued amazing following that return over and over again  for all these years ! I am blessed to have Shana Kai as by business partner with this new venture Light and Fire Retreat , its been a great Joy to travel with her and learn our own path in Italy.. I dont plan on doing Retreats in Italy to many years,  we have 2019 , and 2020 on the books, after that I believe we will be relocating to a new fun ESTATE someone ! ( stay tuned ) I LOVE Italy , but I have a HARD time doing the same thing over and over and over .. I want to see new and explore ! .. Although it easy to do the same Venue and country as you learn to know it well...  we will see where it takes us  .. you never know what life has in store.. I certainly Thank Carolyn for showing me her travel Book and introducing me to the great country I now Love  Italy ! .... if it wasn't for her I  would never have been doing a retreat there ! ... and vise versa, I had the following and retreat knowledge to get her going as well... we were meant to be ..



Fast forward .... 
I am now in 2019 Art camp is still going strong on its 11th year !!  I do as much as I can , Teaching has forever changed my life , being a retreat host has even done more... I dont think I could ever work so hard but yet feel so rewarded ! people thank me for changing their lives all the time, the letters I get about how Art camp and Retreats changed them FOREVER and I remind them, no they changed my life!.. I love ever single women thats crossed my path, I am a better person because of all these women ! ...

Terri , what would you do different ? 
 well ...... there is lots of things !... this business took off so fast it was mind boggling.. remember im shy and quiet and leading a Retreat now . most my friends are still in disbelief  , they just cannot believe I do this for a living  !!   If I could give any advise I would say DONT teach something you had to pay to learn for free ....  WHY you ask, well they will be your next competitor ! you paid to learn so why teach anything free ???  Those that want to learn all they can from you for free are  never a true friend ..... Ive learned a to in the past 15 years , life with out parents, Life in a NEW Busy fashion, I go full speed and need to learn to slow down..
I would advise anyone - TAKE THAT CLASS you dream about.. save up and Attend a Retreat somewhere , it TRULY is  life changing !!...Ive realized Life is SHORT , dont wait ...


 I guess if I could end with any kind of closing .. 
 Life is not easy and no one has the easy life even if it looks like it..

It may look easy but remember people only post happy photos , the dark side is not on social media ! because someone page looks perfect and happy it is not always that glamorous !... your not alone being sad and feeling like you dont belong.. you DO !.. ...... Behind every cover is sadness and broken women.... I think we all need to love more and hate less... There is room for all of us in the world...
Its a tough world now with all the social media, it wasn't like this when I got started !  we all need  to find that passion, a drive, something to look forward too.... were all broken and looking for something to help us thru life ! ... Help  someone today, smile, talk to them  , its the BEST Medicine !

I thank Sally jean  Alexander for teaching me to solder, it changed my life forever and ever amen ....
I hope you can all be thankful for that person that helped you out of a rut or how to move forward, or how to follow that Dream... Always give credit where credit it due ....

Make time for Art , Travel and Girlfriends its the best medicine to Happiness !! ..

My favorite saying is my Maya  Angelo and it is absolute the TRUTH ! ...  Make someone feel good today and every day ...




February 6, 2017

Oklahoma City ! I love going to Paper Crown !!

I just got home form the BEST weekend Ever ! I have to say going here to teach and I LOVE IT! I truly have Never met such loving wonderful women !.. and it sure doesn't Hurt when you LOVE the store Owner !!.. Here is Me, Heather my wonderful worker on the back side of things ! and Cindy Winter !..we were all  a little worn out  at the end of the weekend !! .. 
Heather, Terri ,Cindy 
Here is some pictures of students work Below !! They all are so Creative ! and so Lucky to have this store to go take wonderful classes !! I'm so JEALOUS !! . the wonderful Jackie Peters teachers there and her classes always look so beautiful!..
There is a NEW Online workshop Milagros part 3 starting in March ! you won't want to miss this fun Online class !! a teaser of some techniques above ! 


Look at these sweet bezels Jackie made ! aren't they just beautiful ! 
they are awaiting ice resin! My favorite resin !! 
This class we learn to make bezels, doing layers and layers inside !! 


Look at these Beautiful Flowers I got from Cindy ! have I mentioned I LOVE HER !!.. 


Have a Happy February Everyone ! 
Terri