Tuesday, March 31, 2009

I'm Back!!!!!

And I had a wonderful time!!!! I thought I'd share a couple of pictures with you tonight of the first couple of days. As I get more edited I will share more. . .
Saturday we went to Sea World - this is my Monkey playing in the bouncey pit in the kids playground at Sea World. She was sooooo cute and just loving the freedom from her car seat and stroller.
Monkey loves Elmo, so it was imperative that she ride "Elmo's Flying Fish" ride. When we 1st tried to ride it in the morning she was unable to due to an earthquake!!!! We didn't feel it, but for safety reasons they closed the ride down for a bit.

Lunch time ended with strawberries and whipped cream for everyone (except me). These two were so cute sharing their berries.
We didn't really see many "Sea World" type animals - no Shamu or dolphins on this trip, mostly just playground stuff and the Pet Show. But I did get a few Flamingo pix.
I collect pressed pennies for Monkey - so at night we would put all of the pennies we had gotten that day into her little book. I started this on her 1st birthday trip, but she didn't really remember it. But after one or two pennies she learned to get excited about it. It was really fun for me.
She loved showing off her book after we added her new pennies. All of these loose ones are from Sea World!
Sunday we headed off to La Jolla - man was it cold and windy!!! I got a serious wind burn on my face and blisters between my lip and my nose - so ugly and hurts really bad - but totally worth it cause we had such a good time!
I had no idea So Calif had water this clear! It was amazingly beautiful.

I hope everyone was busy having fun while I was gone! I know I was busy having FUN!!!!

Friday, March 20, 2009

All Packed up and ready to go. . .

That's right, tonight I head out for a vacation up the coast of California with B&D and my Monkey! Two weeks ago I got a phone call from them asking if I wanted to go with them - I'm no fool and said YES! So tomorrow I will be at Sea World in San Diego with 3 of my favorite people. I have not been to Sea World in about 15 years! After Sea World we start driving up the coast, stopping at Monterey, Carmel, Hurst Castle, San Francisco and of course Alcatraz.
So, this is why I have been so absent lately. I have been trying to pack up kits for my upcoming classes, and get ready for my trip. I will be gone for 10 days and I will surely be sharing lots of photos when I get back. I hope you all have a great week while I am away.
Talk to you soon. . .
Adios!!!!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

I thought I was so careful. . .

I got my new computer installed today. I was so careful and made sure I backed up EVERY file on my old computer before we did the big switch. Well, I did manage to back up all of my files correctly, but I lost ALL of my favorite web places! All of the blogs I read, all of my banking and bill info, all of the places I order from online, all of the great ideas I have collected along the way. I am so bummed! But on the good side, I did get my new computer up and running before my old one totally died. It was on it's last leg! Thanks Darwin for hooking me up! It is good to have a geek for a son-in-law and to have your other daughter dating a geek - they really do take good care of me!
Well I am sad and gonna try to find a few of my web destinations that I have lost. I hope you all are having a great weekend!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Just can't stop myself!

That's right, I can't keep my hands off the new G45 papers! This one was inspired by a very very old photo album I have. It is a very simple black album that is tied together and has simple black pages. The photographs are all attached to the pages with black corners and the word "Photographs" is imbossed on the black cover in a really cool font. This is my modern take on a timeless classic, and filled with photos of Monkey all taken on 1 day. Although mine is not tied together I did embellish the front cover with a non-functioning tie to keep that old timey look. This album is 6 1/4" x 9 1/2" and has 20 black pages. The photos are from just an ordinary day with my monkey in my favorite outfit of hers. I turned them all sepia and used a deckle edge on the photos to go with the vintage style of the album.
Now that I have tis one out of my head on the shelf I have got to stop for a bit!

I did manage to get out of the house today before whipping up this album. Monkey had a play date at the park today with the 3 yo twin daughters of my neighbor. She suffered a few scrapes and bumps but she really enjoyed the park and the girls! Here's a few photos from our day. . .









This is Monkey when we got back to the house - she was POOPED!
I hope you all had a great day and I hope you have fun plans for the weekend. I am taking pictures of the 6mo old twins (the ones I watched on Tuesday - went well BTW) Friday morning and will be teaching twice on Saturday. Sunday I plan on cleaning up the house and resting! Talk to you all soon -

Monday, March 2, 2009

Hello Friends. . .

Nothing exciting to report today just thought I'd share a couple photos of my Monkey. She is 19 months old today!!!! So I decided to take her shopping before nap time. We ran up to Target to get this Elmo bubble blower and that's all, but she was too dang cute and after all it was her "birthday". So we got Elmo, and a new baby doll, a monkey pillow, a big ball, and some sidewalk chalk. It was 90* out today (sorry to my snowed in friends back East) and so that meant it was hot inside as well (being cheap and trying not to turn the AC on yet) so we played outside all day, before and after her nap.
Zsa Zsa loves bubbles too, and I am not sure who enjoyed the Elmo bubble blower more, Monkey or Zsa Zsa?
These next two pictures are part of a series of 6 of her cracking up! It was adorable and her face changed with each quick click of the shutter!


Well, I am babysitting 6 month old twins tomorrow at 7:30am!!!!!! So I better get to bed early tonight. Wish me luck - I will need it!!!



Sunday, March 1, 2009

There Are New Books in My Library Today

Last night I told you I would get some pictures taken today and I also said I started one more book. Well here are the pictures for both books. Of course they are both made with the new Graphic 45 papers - don't ya just love those papers!

PIECES of ME
This is an "All About Me" book. I will be teaching this book starting in April. It will be taught on Friday nights Starting on April 10th. We will meet 1 Friday a month for 3 months. By the end of our last class your book will be totally finished and all filled out. You wont want to miss this one! Get signed up soon. You can click on the photo to take you to all of the interior pages.

The Communique Journal
Another April Class - this one is on Sat April 4th. This is a blank journal with 5 wrapped signatures and torn edge pages. It has a Japanese Stab binding and an elastic strap at the fore edge to keep all of your pages straight and neat while you carry it around with you. This is a fun technique that you will all want to learn.

So that's what's been happening in my studio this week. Hopefully soon I will be back to share some more pictures of Monkey and the other fun stuff going on. But right now I must go bake some cupcakes - been craving them for a week now. It is time to satisfy the craving! Have a great week friends!

Whew, Where did the time go?

I am still alive and well for those of you wondering. I have just been busy. Mostly busy in my studio and with Monkey. Today I finished a big project I have been working on (why I have been gone so long). I hope to have pictures of it to share with you all tomorrow. And it will be on display in the store on Saturday for you to see in person. I also started another fun project tonight. Eventually I need to pay some bills, do my checkbook and mop these floors. But for right now I am treating myself to some fun in my studio. Well, it's late and I must hit the sack, but I just had to make a quick post 1st. I got chastised yesterday for not posting.

Here are a few fun pictures of my Monkey from this past week. Tuesday, Gary took her swimming and then back to the house for some fun Grampa time. Aren't they just so cute together!







Enjoy your weekend and be sure to take some time out just for you!!!!