Jason Hall has a PhD in life. At the age of fifteen, he broke his neck and became a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down. With determination and zest for life, he attended Brigham Young University on a full-tuition scholarship and became the Student Body President. However, his greatest accomplishment during college was that he married Kolette Hall! Following graduation, he worked as a financial planner, where his success immediately earned him a place in the top 5% of those in the industry. Just a few years later, he was in another life-threatening accident in which he was hospitalized for thirteen months with over 20 surgeries and six years of rehabilitation. Through it all, Jason's fighting spirit and positive attitude survived to help him emerge stronger than ever.

He shares his engaging message of overcoming and optimism with corporations and groups across the globe and joins Kolette as she travels to scrapbooking conventions and shows. Jason loves scrapbookers and scrapbookers certainly love him!

Jason is currently working on writing a book called, The Champion Inside which is due out just in time for Creative Escape 2008 and it will accompany his DVD by the same title. To find out more about Jason, go to www.championinstitute.com.

Jessica has always been interested in scrapbooking – she just didn’t know it! From her first Fisher-Price camera (that really worked!) given to her on her seventh Christmas, to the short stories she wrote through elementary school, Jessica was putting the pieces of her scrapbooking foundation together for future use.

Introduced to Creative Memories at a Yuma, Ariz., workshop in 1998, Jessica immediately jumped into the scrapbook craze with both feet. With a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism, scrapbooking just was a natural fit for her . After discovering the “new” three-dimensional embellishments that were hitting the market in early 1999, Jessica branched out from her original style and began seeking out the latest products, styles and techniques.

Last year, Jessica launched Kits2Remember, a scrapbook idea site and online store that focuses on the latest techniques used with mini albums and home décor projects. She scrapbooks about 10 hours a week, attending crops, conventions and workshops regularly and teaching technique-driven classes at dozen scrapbook stores around Southern California. She loves sharing the hobby with others – and turning hobbyists into addicted enthusiasts.

Jessica is an Orange County, Calif., native, and is wife to Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant and air traffic controller Rodney, mother to two boys, Will, 5 and Xan, 1, and owner to three boxer dogs, Slade, Marble and Ripley.

Visit Jessica’s Scrap Happenings blog at: www.jessicaguthrie.blogspot.com

Jenni Bowlin resides in Nashville, TN with her husband and two young sons. She is the owner and the creative force behind Jenni Bowlin Studio - a web-based company offering monthly papercrafting kits and inspiration and most recently an exclusive product line that can be found in Paper Arts stores across the country and on the web. Everything she creates has a vintage edge and a general "re-invention" theme. She is a published designer, having landed on the pages of Creating Keepsakes, Autumn Leaves Publications, Family Circle and Mary Engelbreit Home Companion. Jenni is also an accomplished teacher, offering classes at stores and conventions across the country.

You can find Jenni's work and products at www.jennibowlin.com.

Kelly Goree lives in the beautiful horse country of Kentucky with her husband of 10 years and her three rambunctious little boys. She was introduced to scrapbooking in early 2000 just after her oldest son was born and it quickly became a favorite hobby then all-out passion. She'll tell you if she's not out chasing her boys, you can find her scrapping!

Kelly is a full-time staff designer for BasicGrey where she is a driving force in designing work for classes, tradeshows, catalogs, and HSN and QVC events. In 2006 she had the honor of being a Memory Makers Master and has over 300 published works that can been seen in the pages of Memory Makers, Creating Keepsakes, Better Homes & Garden's Scrapbooks Etc., Scrapbook Trends, Paper Trends, Scrapbooking & Beyond and other scrapping and paper arts publications.

Kolette Hall believes in using art to enhance life and empower ourselves – and empowering is what she does best!  Married to Jason Hall, a quadriplegic and motivational speaker, they have had their share of challenging circumstances.  With a masters degree in education, she uses these life lessons to inspire, motivate and encourage crafters all over the world to embrace “The Art of Living Well.”  Under the Kolette Hall brand, she is a licensed designer for Hampton Art and Provo Craft and has owned her own successful scrapbooking company.  She is also a popular instructor of the Big Picture Scrapbooking workshops “The Art of Choosing Joy,” “Giving Well” and coming Spring 2008, “The Art of Becoming More.”

Kolette and Jason join us as a team this year as they teach us all a little more about living the best life possible. www.kolettehall.com

Tim Holtz is a Designer & Senior Educator for Ranger Industries, one of the leading manufacturers of innovative inks, paints, and embossing products. Tim plays an integral part in the development and design of cutting edge paper crafting products. Tim has also teamed up with various key companies like Advantus, Tonic Studios, Design Originals, and Stampers Anonymous to bring unique products that work hand in hand with Ranger's extensive lines.

As a well known designer, Tim travels across the country and internationally to educate and introduce people to his world of unique ink techniques and so much more. His DVDs and books are filled with creative and inspiring projects for beginner paper crafters and beyond. He truly lives his motto that "Creativity is an endless journey where we should always take the scenic route."

For more info about Tim or his products visit www.timholtz.com.

Janet Hopkins lives in Frisco, Texas with her husband Rick and three children Taylor, Mckinley and Jake. She started this journey called scrapbooking twelve years ago and is amazed by how much the industry has grown and evolved since then. Her work has been published in all of the major publications as well as the cover of Creating Keepsakes and Scrapbook Trends Magazine. She has contributed to over thirteen idea books including Ribbonrie and Paper Cachet for Making Memories and was a featured artist in the book Trendsetters by Scrapbook Trends. Her latest work can be seen in the pages of the just for looks idea book.

Janet's fulltime position is Education Coordinator for the Heidi Swapp brand. She is an experienced educator having taught at stores and conventions across the country and truly has a passion for teaching people new ways to use the innovative products on the market today.

Laurie Stamas resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband and two teenage daughters. As a scrapbook designer she likes to think outside-the-box creatively, but craves simplicity. In 2004, she won the Creating Keepsakes Hall-Of-Fame contest and continues to have designs published in magazines and idea books. Laurie loves teaching and has worked as an instructor for Big Picture Scrapbooking, local stores, convention classes, and privately. Her television credits include: DIY Network show SCRAP and local appearances on Phoenix’s Channel 12 Arizona Midday program. Laurie has worked as a designer for Autumn Leaves, Artistic Impressions, Junkitz, Basic Grey, Scrapbook.com, and other industry favorites. Laurie is working full-time in the fitness industry in addition to maintaining her passion for scrapbooking! To see examples of Laurie’s work, visit: lauriestamas.typepad.com.

Heidi Swapp is living a self-entitled 'crazy life!' and feverishly photographing every twist and turn to capture it all in her scrapbooks! She is a passionate scrapbooker and has determined that it's more than a hobby, it's a lifestyle! Heidi is the creative force behind her own signature line of scrapbook supplies produced by Advantus Corp. She loves to share her passion and ideas thorough classes, magazine articles and idea books, but especially Creative Escape! Currently, Heidi lives in Beijing, China, with her husband of 13 years, Eric, and their five children...and loving the adventures and photo opps that living abroad has to offer.

To catch up on Heidi, and find out more about her goods, visit www.heidiswapp.com