Turtle Dreams - Vacation Photo Journal

I've got something new in the works!  Remember my little turtle watercolor?  How cute is he shrunk and copied on watercolor paper and mounted on a canvas mat?  I'm thinking of another class - this one in May.  Thoughts anyone??

The Cherry Blossoms are out!

The Cherry Blossoms are beginning to POP in Washington!  The boys asked me last night to take them into the city tomorrow to see them before they fall.  Last year we waited too long and many of the blooms were on the ground by the time we were able to get downtown to see them  (as you can see from this photo).

If I can squeeze out an afternoon this week (maybe tomorrow?), I'll yank them out of school early and head into town armed with my camera (and patience).  I bought the entire line of Basic Grey Kioshi paper thinking it would be perfect for a photo journal of the annual showing of spring color in our beautiful city.  Here's hoping!

Earth Day

Here's the layout for my class honoring the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on Aprill 22.  I am donating all my class fees to the Forest Stewardship Council.  The layout features all recycled or repurposed materials (with the exception of the little green ribbon!).  The paper is from Basic Grey's "Green at Heart" line which is made with FSC certified paper (meaning 85%+ of the content is from recycled components) and the ink used is soy-based, which uses fewer resources to make and is far more environmentally friendly than traditional petroleum-based ink.  Everything else is repurposed - an old drop cloth serves as the basis for the canvas flowers, old tee shirts are used for the colorful petals, and painted twigs serve as "prima-style" sprays. I'm charging a little more for this layout - $22, so that I can maximize the donation to the FSC.  The class is Tuesday April 20 from 6:00 - 8:30 at Scrapbooks-Plus in Chantilly, Virginia.  If you are interested in a kit and you are not in the area, you can call the store and order one.  The only additional cost will be shipping. The store's telephone number is 703-263-9503 if you want to sign up for this very cute, very earth-friendly, layout class/kit!!

Green at Heart - Double page layout class

I haven't taught a class since January and haven't designed one since last fall, so I felt like it was time to get back in the groove.  The newest Basic Grey just arrived last week and I just love the hot colors of the "Green at Heart" line.  In the spirit of recycling and with Earth Day just around the corner, I came up with a design that involved nearly everything "green", repurposed or recycled.  Twigs collected from my back yard, some fabric I had lying around, left-over canvas and a little paint all contributed to my "green" design.  Except for the ribbon, students will make everything by hand...even the flowers!

The Class will be taught in April at Scrapbooks-Plus. I'm still working out the date with the store, but it will most likely be Tuesday evening from 6:00-8:30 on either April 20 or 27.  Will announce the details when I have them.

More Squares

Heres' my progress on my squares.  Since I'm on vacation, I don't have any buttons or embellishments, so I used a small shell with a hole on its top for one square.  On the green square, it is a small stone from the Coppermine we visited on St. Pattie's Day.  The green in the stone is actually copper.  How Cool!  I tried to put a small shamrock in next to it, but after two attempts, it just wasn't working for me.  I'll be all caught up on the plane home tomorrow - Ugh! Back to the real world again!!

Mr. Turtle

Yesterday on our sail to Anegada, I spotted this really cute Loggerhead sea turtle swimming along side our boat.  I did a little research last night to get a glimpse of exactly what he looked like.  Tonight I drew him (well, watercolored him) while the boys watched "Bad Santa"

It's still wet, so tomorrow morning - before the rest of the crew gets up, I'll fill in a few more details.

I just love being on vacation and having time to do what I love. Wouldn't it be great if all we had to do in this world is what we love?  Sailing with our kids and painting sea turtles - ah - to dream!!!  Hope you enjoy your weekend and make some time to do what you love!!  And dream a little!

Another Square - Fleur De Lis

Here's my square for today - in the setting evening sun!

Watercolor

I've done a little sketching and watercolor while at the beach (since I don't sun bathe anymore!).  I've been sitting under a tiki canopy watching the boys play in the water, attempting to capture the beauty not only with my camera, but with my pencils.

This is the southern end of Mahoe Bay.  The water is spectacular, but the colors keep changing as the sun moves across the sky.  Guess I need to be faster!

Stitch in Time - I'm still behind!

I'm still behind but making progress towards my 48 squares.  These two newest ones are inspired by the lovely scenery here on Virgin Gorda.

Spring Break!

Spring break is finally here.  The kids got out of school on Friday for two whole weeks, so we packed up and headed south for a while. We are in the beautiful British Virgin Islands (and far away from the cold!).  This is the view from our pool, overlooking Leverick Bay.   I've brought some scrapping materials to make (and finish I hope) a photo journal of the island and of the vacation.  I sat out by the pool this morning and put a few of the pages together while my son swam in the water.  I also brought my stitching - I even did a square on the plane!!  So when the light is better in the morning, I'll shoot a few shots of my progress.

But meanwhile, here's some lovely photos of the beautiful Virgin Gorda (and yes, I even brought a printer so I could add photos to my photo journal).
Enjoy!!

This is Spring Bay.  The boys enjoyed jumping off the rocks into the surf.

These are the gardens below our our balcony.

A spectacular view from the overlook at Gorda Peak.

more to come......

Photo Journal Books

I've been putting together a lot of photo journal books recently.  For some reason I am finding more fulfillment from making these smaller themed albums than from scrapping in my favorite 12x12 format.
Here are a few pages from the Windows project from Carol Wingert that I just recently put together. I took her beautiful project and retooled a number of the pages to fit the theme of whimsy. My plan is to make this as an auction item at my kids school for some lucky parent to record their child's wishes and whimsies.

The introduction page was easy enough - just vellum printed with lime green lettering, a sizzix die cut flourish and a few Prima flowers.

This centerfold is my favorite page.  The tags allows for a child's journalling of "if I were Queen".  There are three tags in this layout - for photos or musings.

And if you had three wishes???

The left page is straight from Carol's design.  The right side is a photomat with a tag behind it.  I added the clipart of the rabbit from classic "Alice in Wonderland".

Hope these warmer days of spring inspire you to do something pastel and creative!

Stitching - Take Two

After posting my first stitching squares yesterday, I really determined that I didn't like the black border at all, so last night, while watching the Oscars, I ripped all of the black out from the border.  I even ripped out the voilet frame on the lst square, as I didn't think it worked with my desire to achieve a "SPRING" border.

So I set to work to catch up and to achieve a more pastel palette.  I'm much happier now!

And here is yesterday's square - official...my rendition of periwinkle that I hope will soon bloom under my crepe myrtle tree!

Stitch Along

Pam has invited a number of her friends and fellow bloggers to stitch along with her friend Amy for the month to celebrate a few birthdays.  I thought "why not" so , albeit a bit late on the month, I've created my grid of 1 inch squares and will be stitching with the rest of the folks involved with Amy's stitch along.

Since I will be 48 this year, I made my grid of one inch squares 8" x 6" to total the magic number of candles on my cake in September. I started my squares with black borders and am not sure I like it.  The spring look gets a little lost with all that black.  But no worries...I can always switch to something with the next four squares!  My embrodiery skills are not the best, but practice makes perfect!  And I definitely need the practice!!

Have a great Sunday.

Back from Texas

I have been travelling on business and just returned from a weeklong trip to San Antonio and Houston.  My friend Pam suggested that I must visit the By Design Scrapbook Boutique while in Houston.  Even though it was completely on the other side of the city from where I was staying, I stole away some time on Friday afternoon to visit the store that was designed by Heidi Swapp.

 And what a store!

If you like pink and black, this is your place. 

When walking up from the parking lot, you can't help but notice the room behind the front window.  The circular crushed velvet fushia sofa with its black and white pillows beckons you in to see the layout kits it displays.

There are lovely mini displays throughout the place.

When you walk in, the arched doorway beckons into a world of pink that I have never experienced before.

It was lovely and so much fun!

Glittered fruit, glass crystals, candied embellishments were at every turn.

I love this drape!  My husband would never allow anything like that in our house! 

And the displays of product as well as layout and project ideas were everywhere.

These huge frames adorned almost every wall, filled with many of my favorite manufacturers, like Prima and Websters.

And check out this crop room!

How about this for a place to relax after a night of cropping!

I bought their Le Bistro Rose kit of the month for December and February.  The December kit had many of the Webster's Winter Wings paper I have been searching for.  The February kit was awesome!  These kits are put together like design team kits, with no instructions or anything but lots of samples of different products that all work together.  The February kit contained lots of papers from Melody Ross in Turquoise, Emerald Green and Sunflower yellow as well as crystal, cameos, flocked butterflies and Prima flowers.  Absolutely lovely!  I can't wait to start working with it!

Needless to say, this diversion was a much needed break from an otherwise exhausting schedule.  If you ever get to Houston, this store is a "must" on your list of things to do.