Today's Creations

Climbing Stone Mountain near Atlanta

2011-11-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

Just east of Atlanta, GA is a granite mountain called Stone Mountain. I had a post showing the carving on one side of the mountain recently, as well as the covered bridge and grist mill. The weather was so pretty I decided to walk up the mountain and share some photos.

I took my son up this hike when he was younger, but when I asked my daughter if she wanted to climb Stone Mountain, she envisioned rock climbing and repelling up the carved side! She declined going. Fortunately, there is a gentler slope to the other side of the mountain. I like to go in the park at the back gate, turn right and then the walk begins from a parking lot there. There are restrooms and water at the bottom and at the top. There is also a snack bar at the top and picnic tables about half way up under a pavilion.

The weekend after Labor Day one of the largest craft shows is held here at the park and it is named after these daisies...The Yellow Daisy Festival.

This is a Confederate memorial (the carvings on the mountain are Confederate generals), so the battle flags from the Confederacy are displayed. It is part of history.

It is a beautiful walk but you do have to watch your step!

I enjoy looking at the carvings people have made in the stone...many years old. I only saw one place where someone had used spray paint. While carving is graffiti also, somehow it is not as disgusting as spray paint.

When you get near the top, the incline gets a little steep, so there are handrailings to use.

There are also painted lines you can follow.

One of the things I enjoy about this walk is the interesting people you meet. Today I talked to Stanford, pictured below. There are people from all over the world that visit here...he recently met three people from Russia and I overheard some people from Australia on this walk up.

Downtown Atlanta skyline can be seen to the left and Midtown to the right. There is a sunrise service held here on Easter morning. I imagine a sunset would be glorious from up here also, with the skyline in the west.

If you don't want to walk, there is a skylift that you can pay for and take up. I took it once and I remember someone getting sick on the ride. The antennae at the top has Christmas lights, forming a tree.

On the lake above, you can see the steamboat and the bell tower. Below, if you have rocks, water and a boy, they are going to mix!

The top is such a peaceful place. Sometimes it is very windy but today it was calm, clear and beautiful.

I decided that since the leaves were so pretty, I would get another shot of the grist mill. They were, however, shooting a movie scene there, so I could not get to the grist mill, but I did take some of the movie set. I will have to go see the movie when it comes to the theatre to see this scene!

Above is the scene with the actors and extras. You can see the microphone in the foreground. Below is the monitor showing what the camera is recording. I think I would have loved doing movies!

But, I moved on before I got in trouble for snooping around and visited the bells...trust me, I can be brazen.

As you can see above, the bells were a gift from Coca Cola and were used in the World's Fair in the 1960's. I remember a girl from my school class went to New York for that and I was so impressed. I later went to the World's Fair in Knoxville in the 1980's (not so impressed). There are concerts at the bells as well as tolling at certain times on the hour. There are over 700 bells, so the sound is quite impressive.

The park is gearing up for the holiday season and snowflake lane is in place. We used to always take our kids there for their visit to Santa. Many memories at this park!

Hope you enjoyed this visit of the walk up Stone Mountain and surrounding areas.

Shelby County Farms Park

2011-11-10T15:17:00.000-05:00

While at Allison's house, I had the opportunity to go over to the park near her and walk. I have posted photos from Shelby Farms that I have taken in the spring, but I had never been there in the fall. I also had not ever been there when the playground was open, so I wanted to share some photos. It has been such a pretty autumn.

Below is an example of depth of field...showing how you can create different photos of the same scene by having different things in focus.

Below is an example of framing a scene with something closer up.

I love the layers of colors in autumn!

Usually when I am here, I walk earlier in the day and the playground is still locked. I was happy to be able to check out this great playground....I know Clayton will enjoy it when he is older!

Eventually, the arbor around the playground is supposed to be covered with plants. I am not sure what they will use on the arbors. All I noticed being planted there was maples.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this beautiful park during a different season of the year.

EK Success Holiday Punches

2011-11-09T14:56:00.000-05:00

Joanns had a great sale this past weekend...40% off punches and then an additional 25% off your entire purchase... I am such a sucker for Holiday items and I love punches that are designed well! Here is a gingerbread man punch that is a very nice size. I played with it on label paper and applied different supplies, like embossing powder, flocking, glitter...Since the details of the face, etc., also is included, I applied the details to the sticky side before adding the powder.

I think my favorites were the embossing powder, including a brown that puffs when heated (Ranger) as well as a metallic copper for a dressier look. The puff brown makes a gingerbread man that looks like the molded cinnamon ornaments that you might have made or seen. Even without the face, he is cute and would make a great garland for the tree with red ribbon between the men.

Another punch I bought was the snowman below. He was punched out of label paper. I also punched details out of colored cardstock and after applying them, put a coating of glitter over all the sticky areas. This is so pretty in real life. I am pretty sure that I can cut him some twig arms out of the twig wreath die I have from Memory Box (using sticky back cardstock, of course).

EK Success also has punches that will punch different layers. You can see the little lever you slide below for the three different options....the circle background, a solid snowflake and a filigree cutout snowflake. This is a really pretty design.

Below, I have layered the different layers, using pop dots to give them dimension.

All of these punches have the lever underneath to lock the punch shut for easier storage. Another new type of punch they have are the garland punches. The punched design have places to enable you to hook the pieces to one another and create a garland.

If you haven't looked at EK Success punches recently, you should....the holidays will be here soon!

Using HVAC tape for diecutting

2011-11-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

We have discussed using label paper or adhesive paper for diecutting, but here is another sticky paper I love to use...HVAC Tape. It is used for taping air conditioning ducts and is found at DIY stores, etc. It comes in different widths and has a liner on the back.

Here, I have used it to create these silver bells cut with a Memory Box die. I wanted to make tags to use with these treat bags. The ties that come with the bags are silver, so I decided to add a touch of silver.

Notice also that instead of making just a single flat tag, I scored the cardstock and had the folded edge inside the diecutting area, so that I get a tag that opens and has a place inside for a message. This tag die is also Memory Box.

Another cool thing about this tape is that it easy to color it. I am cutting Chrismas ornaments out of it and am going to try airbrushing it with Copics to match the postage stamps for this year. Foil tape is also great to pick up details when embossed.

HVAC Tape....a very cool thing!

Welcome Home, Little One...Birth Announcements

2011-11-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

One of the projects we did while I was at Allison's house was birth announcements....or actually, Welcome Home Announcements. While in the hospital, he had tubes down his nose and all sorts of medical things on him, so we decided to wait until he came home and I could get a photo we liked.

I suggested we have the post office weigh the cards to make sure one stamp was enough....well, much to Allison's dismay, the lady said that since the cards were "rigid", they had to be mailed as parcel post....for a considerable higher price!

We went ahead and put magnets on the back of the matted photo....who wouldn't want to look at that precious face...maybe I am a little prejudiced!

These were made with Memory Box monkeys die and stamps, an oval die and the inside was done on the computer. I would have done the name on the computer also, but we were using mats that had been cut previously for another purpose. I cut them from a quarter piece of cardstock and even though I only needed the oval for the other project, I thought the remaining mat might come in handy....and they did!

I felt like the message needed some brown on it and later thought a strip of brown across the top would have been a nice touch. But hey, we were just happy to get 35 of these babies done!

Step Cards

2011-11-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

I love step cards, pop up cards, easel cards....any type of card that has dimension. There are several tutorials on creating step cards, but you can also make your own design to match the elements of your card. I shared with you previously that I designed a couple of cards for Operation Christmas Card on the Spotted Canary website, one of which was a step card and another a pop up card.

You can create your own template to match the size of your embellishments or envelope. Here I began with the four inch square with the wreath. I begin a card with something like that, not knowing in what direction I will head. I also had envelopes I wanted to use, so I made the overall size match the envelope. The side steps are adjustable in size so I adjusted them to match my envelopes. The distance for the A sections above must match. When you fold all the mountain folds, the valley fold will score at the right place. I make a sample template for the size I want before beginning with the "real" cardstock. This is a center step cards, but you can also make a step on just one side.

I knew I had plenty of this green cardstock, the gold ribbon and envelopes in a specific size as well as the squares with the wreaths on them, so I began from there and this is what I ended up with. I also added some rhinestones on the wreath for a little bling.

I used an EK Success border leaf punch to punch leaves for my wreath as well as using it on sticky back cardstock to place across my inside panel. I will use the punched leaves from the sticky back cardstock on my wreath also, popdotting some of the leaves for more dimension.

I like using this Bible verse stamp from Serendipity Stamps as it can be used for so many occaisions...as a fall card for Thanksgiving, a sympathy card, a birthday card....and it can be used for any season. I think the recipients of this card will enjoy it. I think making step cards is fun!

Halloween Cards

2011-11-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, maybe this is a week late, but I was at Allison's for Halloween, but when I returned home, I had some wonderful cards waiting for me and I wanted to share them with you. All of these cards are designed so well and have so many wonderful details. Maybe they will give you ideas for next year or for other type cards.
Laura (above) created a card using punches (she is the punch queen) made into stylized candy corn...so cool! Love the glitter circle also.
Tina (below), used shrink plastic for the ghost and tombstone....and as Tina always does, so many layers and details. I always love her cards. Love the way the paper is colored in the background behind the haunted house....watercolor?

Clayton had also received a card like the one above from Yunetta. This card has some lovely glitter work on the image. Wish glitter showed up in photos like it looks in real life. I love window cards! Great design!

Kathy, one of the most faithful card senders I know, did the wonderful card above using embossing folder on beautiful paper that has the prettiest sheen to it (does not show up in photo). She also did something really cool on the candles to make it look like there is was dripping down the candles...maybe some kind of pen or smooch? I will have to email her.

And of course, the details on the envelopes....always such a welcome sight when you get the mail!
Thanks for all the Booooootiful cards! I really appreciate them!

Clayton at home

2011-11-02T07:41:00.000-04:00

Clayton has been home for two weeks and he is doing well. Craig had the first week home from work for fall break and then I came to spend a little over a week. Of course, there were a few photos taken!

Clayton is on a monitor from the hospital, which shows his breathing and heartbeats. When he gets upset and his heart rate goes over 230, a very loud alarm goes off. More important, when he doesn't take a breath for twenty seconds, a very lout alarm goes off. That has only happened to me once and it is scary. There are instructions on the fridge for doing infant CPR, but hopefully, we won't need that!

Above is the outfit Craig came home in the hospital in, but it is still too large for Clayton.

Above, Allison is adjusting the monitor leads. This stays on him, along with the cords and the attached monitor, all the time except for bath time. It means he is not very mobile, as it is a load to carry him and the monitor around. But, if having him home means having a monitor, then we will deal with the monitor! More photos to share!

Jackson's birthday party

2011-11-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

The theme of Jackson's birthday party was football. His mother graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law and Jason was raised as a Florida Gator fan, so they have a house divided. This year, Alabama definitely had the better team! Jackson had his own cake to demolish and really enjoyed the balloons.

I found this bib for Jackson when I was in Salem, Oregon. It was nice and big, which is good when handing a cake to a one year old!

At first, Jackson was very dainty touching the cake but he got into the action of playing in the cake. He did eat some, but I think he just enjoyed playing in the cake better.

This wide eyed look he gets reminds me of a photo of Jessica when she was a little girl.

Lots and lots of presents! They are coming over to visit cousin Clayton over Thanksgiving weekend, so I think Jim and I will come back and bring his mother.....photo session with both boys together!!! Fun times!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:50:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween! You can tell where I am from these photos....in Memphis with little Clayton! We printed this photo to hand out to friends and it was a big hit.

Clayton is ready with his Trick or Treat bag! I have been here a week and Allison had LOTS of projects for us to do, including making Halloween cookies to take to the hospital for all the nurses in NICU that took care of Clayton while he was there for seven weeks, for fellow teachers at school and friends at church. I began making these Jack-O-Lantern cookies when Allison was in elementary school. I make sugar cookie dough and then add an orange egg wash and faces made with candy corn (indian corn looks great also). I bake the cookies and the candy corn melts some, making really cool faces. I add stems and curly vines with green royal icing. Allison also had a cat cookie cutter that she had reallocated from my kitchen, so we made some black cats also.

I also decorated a box for Clayton to store his special cards in, like the ones below. In addition to the ones I made him, he received one from our friend, Yunetta (on the right)....a very cool card!

Hope you have a great Halloween....I have several things to catch up with on posts, like Jackson's birthday party and other projects on which Allison and I have been working. Have a great day!

Stone Mountain Park, Georgia

2011-10-20T14:57:00.000-04:00

I moved to the Atlanta area twenty five years ago and though I had passed through Atlanta many times in my life, I really did not know what Stone Mountain was until I moved here. One of the largest pieces of granite in the world, it has a carving with three men from the Civil War carved on the face.

During the summer, a laser show is shown on the face of the carving, while in winter the lawn is used for snow fun like sledding (man made snow). I also love the Daisy Festival, the largest craft show in the southeast, which is held the weekend after Labor Day. Numerous festivals and walks are held throughout the year and attractions, like the Ducks (I rode one in Boston) and cable car draw a crowd. I love to walk up the backside of the mountain to the top.

Another interesting thing at Stone Mountain is the covered bridge and grist mill, seen below. The covered bridge was moved here from the Athens area (which is the general area of the Watson Mill Bridge from yesterday's post).

Autumn is such a beautiful time of year to explore things in your area!

Label Paper in Paper Crafting

2011-10-18T06:06:00.000-04:00

When I find the little pads of adhesive paper on sale at the craft store, I often stock up as I like to use it for die cutting as it already has the adhesive on it. Another thing I use are labels. If I find the quarter sheet, half sheet or full sheet labels marked down at the paper store or at a thrift store, I always buy it. I use it for delicate die cuts like the spiderweb above or the wreath down below. Imagine having to glue those babies on!

Another use for the label paper is to adhere glitter. For the Jack o Lantern above, I die cut the pumpkin shape and punched out the face. I cut a small piece of label paper that would cover all the face holes, applied it to the back of the pumpkin and then just sprinkled glitter over the openings. this is much thinner than layering glitter paper behind the face.
Below, I did the same thing, only I used label paper as my background. I took the liner off, placed the wreath on the sticky surface (burnished it a little) and then sprinkled glitter over the whole surface....instant glitter paper and a delicate die cut attached!

I also use sticker paper or label paper to make my quilt cards. Here is one where I am attaching squares to label paper. I also use it for my strip quilt cards.

Label paper....it is a good thing!

Watson Mill Bridge

2011-10-16T14:43:00.001-04:00

I love covered bridges. There aren't too many of them in Georgia, but last week, I had the opportunity to go find this one, near Elberton, GA. Jim was playing golf near Lake Hartwell, so that gave me a good four hours to go exploring. On the way over to Lake Hartwell, I got on my iPad and started exploring the possibilities. There were several state parks in the area, most on lakes, but since the lakes are low, the views aren't all that great. Then I saw that this covered bridge, the longest in Georgia, was close enough I could go see it, so off I went.

The covered bridge is now part of the state park system, so hopefully, it will be around for many years to come. I drove through it and it is a looooonnnnggg bridge, for a covered bridge!

While out, I also stopped by the dam at Lake Hartwell. I have toured the Hoover Dam and am always fascinated by them. This is located on the border of Georgia and South Carolina, on Hwy 29 (the road that I 85 follows along)

Hope you enjoyed seeing the photos of this outing.

Operation Christmas Card

2011-10-13T05:37:00.000-04:00

I used another new Serendipity Stamps image to create some cards to send to the soldiers through Operation Christmas Card. You can read more about this move to send cards to our men and women that are overseas during the holidays at Spotted Canary. I actually did three different designs that are the cards being taught in the free classes at Spotted Canary. One of them is this cool pop up card. There is also a challenge there to post the card you are making for Operation Christmas Card for the chance to win a prize.

I love a quilted look, so I really like this Christmas tree stamp with the applique stitching around the edges. I added some buttons diecut (Memory Box) to carry the button theme to the other portions of the card and added some actual stitching. I do think I will pull out a star punch and punch some stars in the green around the tree.

The card flattens down so it can be placed in an envelope. The base is made with one half a sheet of 8.5 by 11 inch cardstock,

I am making a dozen of these to send in for Operation Christmas Cards. Hopefully they will brighten someone's holiday season!

Perlers and Potholders

2011-10-12T05:26:00.000-04:00

As a child, I loved to make potholders! Here I have combined two of my favorite crafts...Perlers and Potholders! While I don't usually use the little nylon loops (much prefer the cotton or wool for real potholders), they work great for this project.

First I did a melted Perler bowl using the colors of the potholder loops. I attached a chenille stem to create a handle and then tied loops on the handle. It creates a cute little basket for Jelly Bellies (wouldn't this be cute at Easter?).

I saw the loops used to decorate flip flops at a craft fair I attended last week. I also helped finish a potholder recently for my aunt who had started it and we were discussing how we much preferred the cotton over the nylon potholders....I said, Yes, the nylon ones came out so small they were only good to be a coaster. Since I think in the "If you give a mouse a cookie" pattern, the next thing I knew, I was making a coaster out of the nylon loops....then I was making a coaster holder out of Perlers...

You could used the potholder coaster in the Perler coaster or use them separately.

Something about the way the melted Perlers look remind me of those beautiful glass paper weights that you sometime see....

I added cork to the back of my Perler coaster...

These colors and craft supplies just make me happy! Oh, and the jelly beans were pretty good also!

Playing with Perlers

2011-10-11T05:16:00.000-04:00

I design for Perler Beads and do projects for the website. Sometimes I think of doing something they don't especially like, but you might like it.
Several years ago, we were at the cabin playing with Perlers and this was before the larger square pegboard and the new SUPER sized pegboard they now have were available. The kids wanted me to do their names in Perlers so I came up with a method where I put packaging tape down with the sticky side exposed, placed the beads on the tape and then I fused them (no pegboard was used). I have since then done this method with sticky label paper and it gives me a larger area on which to work. I did this double sided "Give Thanks" centerpiece this way. It is a neat method to do for names and images that are hard to fit on the limitations of a pegboard.

Also, if you have ever done shrinky dinks or shrink plastic, you might know that you can heat it with a heat gun or in the oven. Well, Perlers are traditionally heated and fused using an iron (I like to use the little travel or craft iron size), but why not try heating them in the oven? Here are some creations where I put the beads in baking pans (cupcake tin) or inside an open cookie cutter and then cranked the oven up to about 300 degrees.

Use a silicon liner or pan, non stick spray or parchment paper so the beads won't stick. Once they look like little melted rubberbands, they are done. I have even washed them in the top shelf of the dishwasher (no heat dry). You can use larger sized bowls or pans also, like grab it bowls or loaf pans....Lots of fun and fast and easy!

A Rosette is a rosette is a rosette...

2011-10-10T05:03:00.000-04:00

....or is it? When I purchased this Memory Box die to make rosettes, I really thought, this has very limited uses, but the more I play, the more ways I find to use the rosette die! First, let me say that the die works wonderfully! The score lines work great. The center piece could be used for a lot of things also.

To make the larger rosette above left, I simply put two pieces together. I also saw an owl in Crafts and Things Magazine with the eyes made with rosettes. I have also seen Christmas trees made with graduated sizes of rosettes.

I designed the turkey above out of Perler beads and then used a rosette to make the tail feathers...isn't he fun? A striped paper would be great for this purpose also.

These are addictive...I would love to hear any ideas you might have!

McDaniel Farm - Touch a Tractor

2011-10-09T04:54:00.001-04:00

This has been a beautiful week here in Atlanta and Saturday, the weather was great for "Touch a Tractor" at my local park, McDaniel Farm.

There were hayrides and crafts to buy...

Crafts to make and games to play.....

Old tools and farm equipment to see....

blacksmithing demonstrations....

Dances to learn....

Pumpkins to buy and decorate....

Animals to pet.....

Corn shuck dolls to dress with aprons.....

Tractors to try out....

What a fun time and what beautiful weather....I love autumn!

Serendipity Halloween Stamps

2011-10-01T10:44:00.001-04:00

Rubber Stamps are such versatile tools....you can stamp them and color them whatever color you want...you can do all sorts of edge treatment like cut and matted, torn, diecut, fussy cut...etc. You can create backgrounds. You can add dimension by embossing the paper and then adding a dimensional coating.....These Serendipity stamps are the cling stamps made of red rubber, which are my favorites!

I am having a great time with these new images.....but then, I always do love Serendipity images! I can't believe it is already October!

Field of Flags

2011-09-15T19:07:00.001-04:00

Field of Flags
Last Saturday, 3,000 flags were planted on the lawn of the Visitor Center at the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield in Marietta, GA, honoring those that lost their lives on 9/11/01. The flags will remain there through Friday, when they will be removed and sold by the organization that purchased the flags.

This battlefield was a site of a Civil War battle, the beginning of the Atlanta campaign.

Joyce and I drove over to Marietta today to photograph the flags. It was very touching. I hope the children that were there will remember the day they went to see all the flags and will some day understand what those flags mean.....

Halloween Books

2011-09-13T03:00:00.000-04:00

I have not been able to go to our Stamp Club much this year, but I was able to go last Saturday. We made these little accordion books. They are kind of a double accordion, sort of like a scissors lift, but I don't know what the technical name of them would be. I made two of them as I know a couple of fellas that might enjoy them someday.

There are seven little vignettes or panels, three on one side and four on the other. There is also the front cover to decorate. Below you can see the seven panels and below that the individual panels. I like to make cuts or punches or something of interest on each one.

The "BOO" was a notecard I had purchased marked down one year. I added the black behind the letters and cut the panel down to the three by six inches of the panels. I punched holes to look like eyes.

Below, I used the star design of the paper to make my cut. I glued the star inside the diamond.

A circle punch was used below and I hung the bat using beading thread as it is stiffer than regular thread. A thin wire works great for this also. The white spider web was cut from label paper with a Memory Box die....so very detailed and I think the liner from the label paper could also be used when adhesive is not needed.

The owl I did inside a common popup technique. Not sure what it is called but it is often used to look like a mouth. This one kind of looks like a hole in a tree with the owl hiding insdie.

The jack o lantern punch above makes a great opening and I used the punched pieces inside the diamond. Below, a die was used for the skull and crossbones. Since I was using duplex paper (black and white), I used the punched out piece inside the diamon.

Below, I cut around the Serendipity Stamps images to make a little scene. Such a cute pirate dog!!

I used seven panels, each constructed of a piece of cardstock and a piece of scrapbook paper, both 3 inches by 6 inches. The covers were matte board, covered with decorative paper.

Several years ago, I had some friends up to the cabin and these books were the project I chose to teach. This was a nice refresher course and I had a great time making them. I am proud that I finished them rather than starting them and then putting them aside, never to finish them. Surely I am the only crafter that begins projects and then never finishes them.....?

A visit with Jackson

2011-09-12T23:30:00.000-04:00

Jackson had changed so much since I last saw him in June. We stopped by Huntsville and Jim worked while I played with Jackson. I had bought him some clothes I wanted to get shots of him in, so we did a couple photo sessions. He is about ten a half months old, but is already in 18 to 24 month sizes. The new sandals his Mom bought him are fives and he could go larger. He will have a birthday party in October, but I am not sure the "birthday boy" hat will still fit him then.

I love traditional outfits like this john john suit, though his parents don't share that feeling. They call the rounded collars "girl collars". I bought this suit just to photograph him in as I knew they would not dress him in it. He is all boy though and I don't think anyone would ever mistake him for a girl.

He loved having free reign on the bed and we had a fun time. The little tongue twist above reminds me of his grandfather and dad who both often have their tongues in action when deep in thought.

There goes that tongue again.....he, like Addy, love the iPad and the children's books we have on it.

I bought him this monkey suit for Halloween. His dad was afraid it would scare him, but he started laughing when I showed it to him. He even pulled it into bed with him when he was supposed to be taking a nap. Another time, during nap time, he decided to relieve his teething gums by chewing on the wooden rail on his bed, just as he did on the pail handle below.

I love the little tummy pouch in the suit as well as the tail.....so cute!

We had a great visit and it seems that this year has just flown by! Before I know it, he will be walking everywhere and talking up a storm!

Welcome, Little Clayton!

2011-09-11T07:03:00.000-04:00

OK, I know I have been missing in action for a while....even my postman has put my mail on a vacation hold twice, on his own! I flew to Memphis on August 23 to work in Allison's nursery and spend time with her while she was on bed rest. Well, it seems that she was having contractions and I went directly to the hospital, arriving there shortly after she did. The doctors put her on magnesium sulfate to try to stop the contractions as she was only 31 weeks into the pregnancy. The magnesium did not help and on Friday, August 26, Clayton Finch Collier came into the world! He weighed 3 lbs, 1 oz and was 15 inches long. His breathing was actually very good once they got him stabilized after the C Section.

Craig, Allison, with Craig's Dad and grandmother....below, Jim surprises Allison by showing up in Memphis. She did not know he was coming. He waited to go to see Clayton until that evening when he wheeled Allison down to the Neonatal ICU.

I was amazed by the size of the diapers they put on Clayton. All the plumbing works great!

Clayton is already setting fashion trends. Below, he sports mint green booties and hat. You can tell he is a little jaundiced in the photo below, so his next fashion statement was his billi-light and shades to protect his eyes.

The shower for which I made the invitations, hosted by teachers that Allison works with, was still on a week later, so Craig's mother, Allison and I made an outing to go to the shower.

Allison and Craig both graduated from the University of Memphis so they go lots of cute little Memphis Tigers apparel. One of the teachers made a beautiful quilt for Clayton.

Clayton was put in an antibiotic for three weeks. They predict he will be in ICU for 4-6 weeks and I plan on returning to Memphis to help Allison when he comes home. I was able to get the nursery painted while there, and the furniture was all put together and set up. Clothes are being washed and everything readied for Clayton's coming home.

Allison has begun a blog, The Early Bird, where she will post updates if you are interested in checking that out. It is amazing how many people we talk to were premature or know people that were and we are always encouraged by the wonderful outcomes. The nurses and staff at Methodist Women's Hospital in Germantown have been wonderful.

On the way home (Jim came back to pick me up), we stopped off in Huntsville, so I had some Jackson time also. I will post some photos of him. He is at such a darling age now. I also need to make room at the top billing spot for Clayton once I have a photo I like. It will be a while before I get a photo of them together.

I guess it is a good thing that I did not insist on going on the trip with Joyce to the Northwest in August! Though Clayton was not due until 10/27, he decided to be born at 10:27 but on 8/26! Guess we need to work on the whole date thing and time telling skills!! Welcome little Clayton!! On this tenth anniversary of such a terrible event, it is nice to have something wonderful to celebrate.

Memory Box

2011-08-08T06:07:00.000-04:00

While in Salem, Oregon, Jan took me to her local stamp store, Stampin'Cat Studio. We went in on Monday for the MITI. I had met the owner, Lisa, at the Petersen Arne event I was working at in Portland, so it was good to see her again.

Like me, Jan loves die cuts. One of her favorite lines of die comes from Memory Box. I was not familiar with that line until this trip. While in the shop, I found that Memory Box has the cutest little set of monkeys!

Allison is doing her nursery in monkeys. I thought of birth announcements, etc., and before I knew it, I was getting monkey stamps and paper (from the Paper Zone there in Salem). Lisa told me there was a die for the monkeys but she was out of stock. I thought, well, I can just cut them out.

I checked out the website for Memory Box and then Dave's blog, and saw that he was making a cross country trip and would be visiting a shop in Atlanta, Rubber Stamp Fantasy. He had actually been there at Lisa's shop on Saturday, but Jan and I were too busy on the Oregon coast, which I have already shared.

A baby shower was planned in honor of Allison and she asked me if I could make the invitations. I began cutting out monkeys and then I thought, maybe I do need the die for the monkeys. I called Rubber Stamp Fantasy in Marietta and the owner told me yes, they did....they had the whole box. Well, when I arrived at the shop, I say, they did indeed have the whole box! They had A LOT of Memory Box product as well as Dave who was there teaching classes.

Above is a portion of the product they had along with more on the opposite side of this rack and more near the register. I found the monkey stuff also mixed in with the baby stamps. Memory Box also has a line of papers and cards to use with the products.

Dave, below, commented on the cooler weather we were having on Thursday....the rain had cooled things down and we didn't have a heat warning on this particular day! He was here two days and was teaching colored pencils and watercolors on Thursday.

Below, Dave is talking to a customer from the NW and Debbie, one of the owners at Rubber Stamp Fantasy.

Dave is signing his book for another stamper from Lawrenceville, GA, (where I live). Lawrenceville is on the opposite side of Atlanta from Marietta....probably a good thing, as I would spend way too much at Rubber Stamp Fantasy if it were convenient! I think I will do a post on the shop later.

Dave getting ready to teach colored pencil class in Rubber Stamp Fantasy large loft classroom...

The die and stamps coordinate with each other as you can see in this holly stamp....of course, I had to have the holly stamp! I like the little border that is made and the cut looks so much better than hand cutting!

The shop owner gave me a quick lesson on using the die cuts and stamps and I snapped some photos:

1. Stamp the image:

2. Cut a die on a piece of card stock and save the outside portion. The die work in most leading brands of die cutting machines. Lay that outside portion over your stamped image.

3. See the little holes that are cut? Use those as registration points. Use a pencil to go around the circle and then draw a dot in the center or cross hairs through the pattern on to the area around your stamped image.

4. Remove the pattern and place the die over the stamped image. Now you line up the circles you traced through the little holes in the die. Make the dot or cross hairs appear in the center of the circles. Use repositionable tape to secure the die over the stamped image and then run through the die cutting machine.

Thus, you are stamping first and then die cutting. You can save the pattern in the nice envelope in which the die comes. I think it would be possible also to diecut first, mount the die cut down and then position the stamp over the die cut using a stamp positioner. I will try that out and let you know, but the process shown here is very easy. Since I like to use foam tape to give the die cut dimension, I would have to mount the die cut so it was repositionable, stamp & then pop dot it.

Below is a mock birth announcement I made and hand cut the monkey. The leaves are a discontinued die from another company.

I always love when block lettering is mixed with script. Memory Box has several word stamps like the "Welcome Little One" and "It's a Boy!" stamps I have used here. Often the words stamps will also have a little "bonus" stamp on the end, like the baby bottle shown. The other one has baby footprints.

Once Clayton is born (hopefully not too soon!), I will add the date and weight and a photo on the opposite side of the opening.

Allison has been on complete bed rest since May. She is now 28 weeks so still has a way to go. We are hoping and praying little Clayton will wait to be born as long as possible.

Below is one of the forty invitations I made this week using one of the monkeys (there are three different monkeys) and the new die cut I have.

As I shared with you yesterday, I introduced Jan to MBT Shoes and now she has introduced me to Memory Box. I guess we are even! Both of our pocket books a somewhat lighter but we are both very happy with our new items!

Be sure to check out Memory Box!

MBT Shoes

2011-08-07T04:24:00.004-04:00

You are probably wondering where I have been since I was last posting about Oregon! Well, life happens but I am here and resuming my post about Oregon.

When I travel, I always take MBT shoes, basically because that is all I wear. Jan Castle, who I visited while in Oregon, asked about my shoes and she bought a pair after I left. I always warn people that they are not inexpensive shoes but that I really believe in them. Well, she just bought her second pair. Thus, this post is related to my trip to Oregon! Kinda, sorta.

Above, is a photo of me before MBT.....guess you could call it bmbt! Or you can just call me fat! LOL! I was at Tallulah Gorge with my mother and sister.

I first found out about MBT shoes while visiting the Mall of America while in town for the PGA Championship two years ago. Below is a photo of me wearing my very first pair on the very first day. I was at the Minnehaha Waterfalls.
At the Walking Store, they told me I shouldn't wear them to the tournament as they might take some time to get used to them. I think I would have been just fine wearing them!
I literally wore them out of the store and did not want to take them off.
For Christmas that year, Jim bought me a pair of MBT sandals. At the end of the summer, the tan lines on my feet were of those sandals!
Below, is me wearing MBT sandals while walking to a waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge.

Below, I am wearing the same sandals while at the Outer Banks.

Walking at the beach with my MBT shoes....

Whether I am on the sand, working a convention, climbing waterfalls or lighthouses, walking the neighborhood or at the farm or walking through pollen at a garden, I am wearing MBT's! There are a lot of wannabes our there on the market, and I have tried some of them, but they aren't the same. If you ever shop for shoes, I am sure you have seen all the "rocker" type shoes.

Joyce bought a pair before we went on the Rockies trip last year, but she said she felt unstable when she stood still. That is actually them working as you improve your balance. I am not sure if she ever wore them enough to get used to them....I hope she did.

Obviously, it takes more than a pair of shoes to lose over eighty pounds, but it does take activity, especially when you are my age. My MBT shoes help me get in that activity.

The PGA Championship begins tomorrow here in Atlanta. I have tickets for all seven days. I am not sure that I will be going all seven days as Jim won't go all week....as he says, someone has to work around here! I have, however, been known to strike off all alone....yes, it is true. But, the days I do go, I will be wearing my MBT's! After all, it is our anniversary! It has been two years since I first met my first MBT! I have been on the go ever since!

Oregon Coast

2011-07-16T08:47:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday, Jan and I drove over to the coast and spent a wonderful day! There are nine lighthouses along the coast of Oregon and we visited two of them. I had been along the coast from San Diego to San Francisco, but I had never been north of there (except when I went to Alaska). I would love to go to Victoria and then work my way down the coast of Washington and Oregon.

The weather was wonderful the whole time I was in Oregon. It was sunny and bright and perfect temperatures. This weekend, it was even mild in Atlanta....I think I brought some of that nice weather back with me!

Above is Cape Foulweather where there was a cute gift shop. Below is the view looking straight down at the water.

What a great view these homeowners have!

It was very windy along the coast and kites are very popular. Apparently, it is often cool there but it was very pleasant on this day.

Next, we will visit the lighthouse pictured in the photo at the top of this post.

Walking up Multnomah Falls

2011-07-15T06:11:00.006-04:00

There are several waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge that borders Washington State and Oregon. It is a beautiful drive with many wonderful vistas.

As I shared yesterday, I hiked up the tallest of the falls along here, Multnomah. Below is the shot I took from the brink. You can see the cars in the parking lot to let you know how far up we are in this shot. You don't get the roar that you get at the brink of Yellowstone Falls, but you are higher. There are eleven switchbacks on the trail and many beautiful flowers on the walk. There were many beautiful views of the river from the walk.

Below is a shot I took along the trail, which was paved and very nice all the way. It was uphill all the way until the last few yards where it went downhill. I had my camera bag with me with three lens including my very heavy 70-200mm (2.8) zoom lens and extender. I tend to use my wide angle on the way up and my 24-70mm on the way down. That way, I can get the wider vistas on the way up and the closeups of the flowers on the way down. I have become a little spoiled using two camera bodies so I don't have to change lens as often, but only took one camera on this trip. I had to decide....extra camera or another lens? I made good use of all three lens so glad I did not leave any of them at home.

Below is a shot from the bridge of the brink of the lower falls.

A few years back, there was a huge rock that fell while a wedding party was standing on the bridge and some of the people were hurt. The huge rock sits in the pool at the bottom of the upper falls. No one is allowed down there now.

This was a great day spent with Jan! Tomorrow we hit the coast....which of course, includes a lighthouse. The Pacific coast to the west, mountains and waterfalls to the east, gardens, beautiful homes, and covered bridges in the area.....what is not to love? Oh, and throw in very pleasant weather and no sales tax!!

Oregon Photos

2011-07-14T09:12:00.008-04:00

Last week, I flew to Portland, Oregon to do Craft Fest with Petersen Arne, a distibutor of EK Success products. Had a great time with Kara Ward, also on the Creative Artist Team for EK Success Brands and all the other people I met.

I then stayed over and took Jan Castle (a regular reader and commentor on this blog) up on her invites to come visit her. We had a grand time! She picked me up on Friday and we headed over to the Columbia River Gorge. We went to several waterfalls and had a picnic lunch she prepared with her wonderful tuna and fantastic Oregon bread I fell in love with! Then we headed back to Salem, where she lives with her hubby, Jim and little dog, Lady.

Above is the Multnomah Falls, the second highest in the US (Yosemite is the highest). I hiked to the top of it while Jan waited. She did walk up to the bridge. It was a beautiful walk and a beautiful falls!

There were several falls along the way.....Jan had scoped out this "framed shot" of the waterfall.

Because Oregon gets so much rain, plants and trees grow so lush! The flowers were just beautiful. The weather was beautiful the whole time I was there....in the 70's while the heat index at home was in the hundreds! The day I left, there was the misting rain that Oregon is famous for and allows the plants, fruits and nuts to grow so well there. I picked cherries and raspberries and blueberries and ate hazelnut bread....yum, yum!

The gorge was just gorgeous!!!! That is Washington State just north of the river (to the left).

Portland was also a neat city. Below is a shot from the West Hills I took from the car.

It also had a European flavor with all the bicyclists and I loved the Schwinn bicycle built for two!

Plus, though I was out of the hotel very little during the show, this was the second VW van I saw in one day, so I think there are more than average around here!

I saw many sights, so get ready for a visit to Oregon via the blog. Jan and I got along splendidly and even though seeing the sights was our priority, we did visit a few stores and got in a little crafting.

If you never have been to Oregon, you might want to consider it.....I loved it and do want to go back!

Jackson

2011-06-29T06:32:00.002-04:00

I am having problems getting photos to load. Hopefully these two I see will show up for you.

Jackson turned eight months old last week and I had the opportunity to spend Monday with him this week. We had a great time!

It was a beautiful day and we took a blanket outside and laid in the grass. That was after he had finished his work at the computer, of course!

I made a big circle on my trip, going to Memphis, Corinth, MS and Huntsville, AL. I passed five different places where the tornados of April 27th had hit. That was a day that will go down in history!

Hope these photos made it up and you enjoyed getting an update on my grandbaby!

Memphis Farmers Market

2011-06-28T06:49:00.007-04:00

While in Memphis, I visited another farmers market, this one downtown. You can visit their website here. Allison loves to go to this one so she thought I would enjoy it and asked her husband, Craig, to take me down there. There are two pavilions with plants, flowers, produce, seafood, bread, artwork....lots of cool stuff!

Craig is buying some cherry tomatoes below....he loves tomatoes.

I bought Allison a bouquet of flowers. Below, the vendor is putting together Allison's bouquet. These were some of the prettiest zinnias I have ever seen. I divided the bouquet when we got home and made one of just zinnias.

They use the flowers like the ones blooming at Shelby Farms Park and all along the roads.

Here are Allison's bouquets. Unfortunately, one of the cats jumped up to check them out on the coffee table and knocked over the zinnia bouquet, which sent water on Craig's wireless keyboard...not good!

The market is located near the Arcade Restaurant, one of the oldest in Memphis in continuous operation. Also, the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed and the Civil Rights Museum. Sometime when it is cooler weather, I would like to go to the museum, eat at the Arcade and then photograph the lights of Beale Street. I also want to go to the botanical gardens, maybe in the springtime. Have to always keep something on the burner and be making plans!

Spent Monday watching Jackson, so I just might have a few photos to share.....:-)

Shelby Farms Park, Memphis TN

2011-06-27T06:25:00.011-04:00

Beautiful flowers, great places to walk and a home for birds and wildlife....what is not to love?

If you read my blog very often, you know that I love to walk at McDaniel Farm Park near where I live. There is also a farm park near my daughter's house in the Memphis area that I love to visit. It is one of the largest parks in area located in a metropolitan area. There are now three green lines that intersect here at Shelby Farms Park, so it is a great place for bikers or joggers or walkers of all ages.

They have recently redone the playground so it will be a great place to take the new grand baby when he gets old enough to enjoy that sort of thing. I was always there early in the morning to walk, before the playground opened, so I did not get shots of it.

I spent last week at Allison's while Craig was out of town and I did go over to the park each morning to walk. There is a trail that is 2.75 miles long that takes you past all sorts of lakes, ponds, flowers, birds and even buffalo!

Below is the visitor center where the offices are located, trail information and classrooms.

One of my favorite ponds are covered with lily pads and blossoms. Looks like the orange winged blackbirds like it also!

Below are paddle boats available for rentals....

These yellow flowers with a burgundy center were blooming everywhere during this visit....

as well as the Queen Anne's Lace........

Bison in Memphis....who knew? Wonder how that coat feels when the temps get over a hundred?

Allison names her fantasy football team the Shelby County Bisons after them.

A bicyclist enjoys the wide open spaces.....

Trumpet vine puts on a beautiful show.....

When I see something iconic like a John Deere tractor, I like to take a photo of it. Never know when I will need to make a card for one of my grandsons with a tractor on it. Jackson already has a collection of John Deere tractors!

On another side of the park is the agricenter when they have a market. I love markets! I visited on Friday to get some produce.

I was fascinated by this pea sheller. I spent many hours as a child shelling peas, which I actually enjoy doing. Nothing like sitting out on the porch and shelling peas! This does make it much more convenient to get fresh peas though!

I am now in Alabama and will be watching Jackson today! Hoping to have a very fun day with him. Hope you have a great day as well!

St Marks Lighthouse

2011-06-25T04:45:00.007-04:00

I promised you some photos of the lighthouse at the St Marks Wildlife Refuge, so here they are...

Below, you can see the wildlife watching post near the lighthouse. It overlooks a marshy area, so it would be a great place to watch for birds.

I love the clouds that were present here. I always think of growing in up Florida when I see the high cumulus clouds. I am no cloud expert, but I believe that is what they are called. I think of Joyce now when I see clouds, especially at sunrise or sunset, as she says you have to have clouds for it to be spectacular as that is what takes on the color. Here they are just white and fluffy. Every once in a while, you will get lucky and a bird will fly into your composition!

Below is my favorite shot of the lighthouse with the white sand leading your eye towards the lighthouse.

I like to walk around and get shots from a lot of different angles.

Often, I will include some greenery in a corner to frame the shot.

Below, I had another bird fly into the photo. There were lots of birds there!

I guess I should be glad there weren't lots of gators, like the day the young man saw 64 of them...though that would have been exciting. Tina told me that from her experience on St. George, those gators can get around pretty fast!

Sometimes, I like to take a shot of a texture like this palm tree trunk. It could make a nice background.

The wedding for which I am doing the flowers next weekend uses sunflowers, so when I saw a stand of them on this day, I wanted to take some photos. As I got closer, I saw several signs that said, "You pick these, you will be shot!" Luckily, I was the only one doing the shooting...with my camera!

Here was one more lighthouse we saw this day. I don't get as excited about the ones with metal bases but I took a photo of it just to remember it.

Well, that is at least eight lighthouses that I remember seeing this year so far. Four in NC and four in Florida. No, make that nine. I climbed the one at St. Simons Island, GA in January.

Hope you have enjoyed them!

Cape St. George Island, Florida

2011-06-22T08:25:00.005-04:00

On our trip around the Big Bend in the Panhandle of Florida last week, we took the bridge over to St. George Island. There is a state park there and a light house that has been restored. The lighthouse was originally on the next island and it was pushed over by the water. The pieces were recovered and the lighthouse was rebuilt here on the main island. The bricks were cleaned and reused and heart pine steps were built. Each window has pieces of the granite that were in the original lighthouse. A museum and lighthouse keepers house is under construction next to the lighthouse.

The beach here made the list of top ten beaches on Mr. Beach's list this year.

Below, you can see the bridge that takes you to the island in a photo I took from the top of the lighthouse.....a very long bridge with lots of sea gulls flying around!

I have never had to climb a ladder in a lighthouse. It was a little difficult with two cameras strapped around my neck, but at least I didn't have the extra poundage to deal with!The top is all glassed in and there was a fan to help with circulation of air.

I have a postcard on my fridge that Tina sent me of the lighthouse when she and her husband were camping there. I would like to go back sometime and spend more time exploring the park and enjoying the beach.

This week, I am in Memphis, visiting with Allison. Her husband is in Little Rock, Arkansas for classes for school, so I am chief cook and bottle washer...water bottles, not baby bottles! Today, I take her for her weekly injection, basically the only time she leaves the house all week. She divides her time between the bed and the recliner. She declared this week that she is officially fat (as fat as one can be and weigh around a hundred pounds and be 22 weeks pregnant...LOL!)...she does have a little bit of belly and you can feel the baby moving around. I am catching her ironing up, though it will be a while before she will wear these clothes again!

I will go by and see Jackson on the way home. He turned eight months old yesterday. I am sure he has changed a lot since I saw him last. Then a wedding to do and then Portland...whoo hoo!!

Have a great day!

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge

2011-06-19T04:52:00.003-04:00

I grew up in Jacksonville, FL and we also lived there the first ten years of our marriage. I had never been, however, over in the "Big Bend" area of Florida. This is the part of the panhandle where the turn is made to go into the "panhandle" on the Gulf of Mexico side. After we finished the convention in Amelia Island and spent Sunday with family, we drove across I 10 and then before Tallahassee, dropped down to see St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. The first draw was the fact that there was a lighthouse, but I could have spent all day there! I talked to one guy that was fishing that told me that earlier in the year, he had seen 64 alligators there in one day! This looked like a place Charles Kuralt would have liked and may have even visited. Lots of bird watching to be had here!

I will have to share more shots of the lighthouse, which had a lovely, natural setting.

When Jim and I were talking about it being our 35th wedding anniversary, I said, just think, in fifteen more years, we will have our 50th....whoaaaaaa!!!!!! That made me feel really old! Then I got to thinking about my "bucket list" and things I would like to do while still able. One of them is to go snorkeling. I have always loved water, swimming, nature, the beach, etc. Jim, however, informed me after we were married that he really doesn't like the beach and didn't particularly want to go, even though we often did go before we were married. So, vacation trips specifically to the beach were out. Luckily, his conventions are often at the beach, so I get to go play alone.

This year I did go with a lady with whom he works and we had a great time. Last year, Allison and Craig came and we spent part of a day at the beach. It was a little out of my comfort zone to ask his fellow worker if I could join her, but after we had such a good time, I was glad I did. How often do we not get out of our comfort zone or not pursue something we really want to do just because it is too much trouble?

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge was a huge place and I really enjoyed seeing the area that we saw. I should say I saw...Jim sat in the car. Sure, it would have been easier to just go the usual way and not see all this beauty, but I am so glad we did go out of our way. While he does not enjoy the same things I enjoy, at least he tolerates me doing what I like, or most of it!

So, are you always taking the expected, easier way, or do you get off the beaten path? Just something to think about.....now I have to figure out how to accomplish this snorkeling thing!
We did go once about twenty five years ago, in Cozumel, Mexico. Jim does not swim and could not float, so it did not go well for him, but I LOVED it! Yes, I must go snorkeling again!

Sometimes Life is a Day at the Beach

2011-06-17T04:58:00.003-04:00

or even a couple of weeks! Every June, my husband has back to back insurance conventions in Florida. First in Amelia Island, just north of Jacksonville and next in Destin, on the Gulf. My family lives in Jacksonville so it is always nice to get back home even if for a short visit.
Here are some photos I took at Amelia Plantation. When I was growing up, there was no development on this part of the island and it was just Fernandina Beach. I used to go down a sandy little road and go out to a deserted beach to swim.

The last morning we were there, I did not think we were going to have a good sunrise, but the clouds acted as a filter and I could actually take a photo directly at the sun.

While I love the beach, I also love the swampy areas around Amelia Plantation. There are trails for walking and biking and a great island with a playground for children. The weather was quite nice during this stay. There are plenty of windswept trees like I love so much.

After this convention was over, we spent Sunday with family and then on Monday, headed west. We toured the "Big Bend" of the panhandle of Florida, seeing a couple of very nice lighthouses. We are now in Destin (Sandestin Bay Town) and I had a lovely day at the beach with a friend that works with Jim. I am tempted to drive on to Pensacola and go to the lighthouse there, but think with the price of gas, I will hold out for another trip. Plus, I would love to go on one of the mornings that the Blue Angels are practicing, but those tickets were sold out this week.

Some exciting news is that I am going to Portland, Oregon right after the Fourth of July, to do a show for EK Success. While out there, I am going to get to meet and visit with one of my regular readers, Jan Castle. How exciting!

Joyce and I also talked about doing a trip in the Northwest later in August, but that was before my daughter was put on bed rest due to her pregnancy. Her husband will be going back to teaching and I will probably be spending a lot of time in Memphis with her. The bed rest is helping her condition, so that is encouraging.

Jim and I will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. He surprised me early with a beautiful diamond pendant.

Hope you have a great day!

Life is not always a day at the Beach

2011-06-06T08:36:00.003-04:00

The stamp above is the Cape Lookout Lighthouse that I missed while in the Outer Banks and vow that I have to go back to see! As Jan, one of my readers commented, I now have the stamp so I have to go see it. I like her reasoning! LOL!
This is one of the Impression Obsession stamps I purchased during their sale (as is the verse stamp). My husband's office often asks me to make a card to send around the office for someone and this is one of those. It is for a man who is in the hospital due to an infection. I will often have several pages in the card as seen below, so there is plenty of room for everyone to sign.

The stamps above are Inkadinkado.

Just trying to put some of my new stamps to use!

The Elizabethan Gardens, Roanoke Island

2011-06-02T04:55:00.000-04:00

On our last full day in the Outer Banks, we visited The Elizabethan Gardens, located at Ft. Raleigh on Roanoke Island. The play, The Lost Colony, is also performed here in the National Park, but the performances did not begin until the week after we were there. There is a lot of history that took place in this area as it was settled by the English during the 1500's. The first English speaking person born in what became the United States, was born here on this island.

The gardens had a lovely gift shop where you purchased your tickets. They also had plants for sale just outside the gift shop. We had no room in the car for anything else, so I didn't even look at the plants!

Jim took the photo below, as his reach was higher....hmmm, might make a good photo for an anniversary card!

There were a couple of formal areas at the gardens such as this one.

The formal garden below was especially pretty!

I shared with you that my friend, Doreen's favorite part of the coastal areas are the marshes. If I had to choose my favorite, it would be the wind shaped trees. Farther south, the trees would be draped in Spanish Moss, but it is probably too cold here for the moss during the winter.

The tree below is about 430 years old!

There was a huge statue of Queen Elizabeth I, for whom the gardens are named.

The oak leaf hydrangeas and Rhododendron were in bloom.

Jim snapped a photo of me on the Power Shot (below). It was a very pleasant day and we enjoyed our visit. It was not a huge garden, but it was certainly worth the price of admission.

We are in a heat wave, here in Atlanta, so these shady, cool photos bring back pleasant memories. Last year, we had a severe heat spell in Atlanta, but three weeks of it, I was up in the Rockies surrounded by snow. My daughter and her husband had planned on leaving for the Rockies on Memorial Day, but that trip had to be cancelled due to her condition. It seems that two of the areas to which they were headed, Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone have areas that are impassable due to the late snows.

Hope you enjoyed this visit to this lovely garden!

Center Step Card

2011-06-01T09:27:00.004-04:00

Wow, I am making cards from the Splitcoast Stampers Inkling two weeks in a row...what's going on? This week's tutorial is a Center Step Card. I used some stickers I had and made two cards. I changed the measurements on the second card and made it to fit an A2 envelope.

Somehow, I messed up the measurements on the card above when I first made it so it did not fold flat. Thus, I had to change the center part score line and then trim off the excess card at the bottom. My philosophy is there is always a way to fix a mistake...well, usually!

I like the proportions of the one I did as A2. These cards would be a great place to use chain punches for those side panels. Here, I used some checkered wallpaper I had. I also used my new Smash Pen that is pen on one end and gluestick on the other. I love how it writes. I also always use my cutter bee scissors to cut ribbon...they are the best! Plus they look so cute with these cards....I couldn't resist putting them in the photo!

When I am experimenting with a pattern as I did to change the size of this card, I will often make one out of text weight paper. Then I have a pattern to keep of the new measurements.

After I spend some time in Florida with Jim on his business trip (and we will celebrate our 35th anniversary!), I am going to go to my daughter's house. She is expecting this fall, but has been placed on complete bedrest. She is almost halfway through the pregnancy. Five months is a long time to be flat on your back! Please remember her in your prayers.

I hope you enjoy this card design. It is a fun one and not that difficult to make once you get the measurements right! Allison wants me to make her some thank you cards for her to send to all the nice people that have prepared meals for them. I might use this design for some of them as it has a great "wow" factor!

Wright Brothers Memorial

2011-05-31T04:17:00.001-04:00

We spent three nights in Kill Devil Hills, home to Kitty Hawk where the first successful flight of a glider occured.

Most everytime I get on a plane, I am amazed at the fact that such a large piece of metal can get up in the air and stay there. Just the concept amazes me. I found the story surrounding the Wright Brothers to be amazing and I enjoyed this Memorial much more than I thought I would.

The hill where the Memorial is locate is not the actual location where the first flight occured as I had always thought. Below you can see the hill.

The Memorial itself is quite impressive and I wish I had paid more attention to what was engraved on the large monument. I have gone back and googled it (I love the Internet!) and determined that the inscription says: "In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur & Orville Wright Conceived by Genius achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable Faith." I knew that two of the three squared off corners had the words "faith" and "genius" but I could not determine from my photos what was on the third corner. It was "by".

The statues of the brothers are copies as the originals have had a rough life. They have been vandalized and stolen more than once. Why would someone do that?

The monument was constructed for the 25th anniversary of the first flight.

The actual flights occured just below the hill, the first three being very short. The fourth attempt is the one that lasted long enough to meet the requirements to be considered successful. The distance of the four attempts are marked where they occured. The Wright brothers used a rail to help in propelling their glider and you can see it there at the location.

Inside the visitor center, they have a replica of the glider they built and used. Below, a ranger is telling the story of the Wright brothers. It seems their mother, a mathmatics wiz and their teacher, had a lot of influence in their exploration. One of their best attributes was that they would not give up.

They would lie on the ground and watch birds and how the birds would tip their wings for control. The mathmatical equations they came up with and basic design of the glider are very close to what we still use today, over a hundred years past that historical first flight.

In honor of the 100 anniversary of that first flight, this sculpture was added to the park where children climb on and pretend they are flying on the glider. Just imagine lying there, controling the glider with your hips, feet and hands.

The flight was also captured on a camera, operated by a man who had never taken a photo in his life. He is also included in the sculpture.

Next time you take a ride on a plane, think about these two brothers who had a dream and kept pursuing it. Sometimes I am not sure if we still have that grit it takes to keep working on something, but I sure hope we do....solving medical problems and energy issues.

Today, I was reading an article about the France Airlines plane that went down a couple of years ago. It was telling that lift was lost....one of the concepts the Wright Brothers determined was necessary for flight.

I imagine that even if the Wright Brothers had failed, someone would have eventually figured out how man could fly. The Wright Brothers are the ones that did it and I say thank you! Imagine how different our world would be if we did not fly, something we take for granted today.

Photo Books

2011-05-30T04:49:00.000-04:00

Have you created any photo books or done digital scrapbooking? I would love to hear which companies you prefer.

The first photo books I did, I created when Sam's Club had an actual machine that you used in the store. Now, you just download the photos and make the book at home. It does take a couple of weeks to get the book. I recently did one for a lady at church who had a party for her 80th birthday. The book seemed a little too plain (this lady likes a lot of bling!), so I spiced it up a little by adding diecuts throughout the book and rhinestones on the cover. I think if I saw this book lying on a coffee table, I would be more apt to pick it up and look at it over the boring original book. What do you think?

I have done books on Snapfish and Shutterfly and I have seen books done on Blurb and Apple. I recently tried out a new photo book where you choose scrapbook paper and embellishments that are available for actual papercrafting.

Since I do like to travel and to shoot weddings, I would like to hear what your experiences have been with photo books...which ones do you love and which ones would you not use again. I guess this book would be considered "hybrid" as I did the book digitally but then added physical elements.

We will get back to the Outer Banks now...they have found the anchor from Anne's Revenge so I might need to go see that at the museum when I go to Cape Lookout! Also I noticed that St. George Island also made the Dr. Beach top ten beaches. It always amazes me how much I notice things mentioned about places I have visited (or will visit soon) after I am made aware of them. I am sure I will see references to the Outer Banks that I would never have noticed before.

Have a great and safe holiday weekend!

Diamond Fold Card

2011-05-29T04:38:00.000-04:00

The Tutorial this week on Splitcoast Stampers was for a diamond fold card. I am always fascinated with different folds and this is a very easy one to make. Since it is Memorial Day weekend, I decided to try one with that theme.

You can make a separate panel to place on the diamond as they did in the tutorial, but I just kept mine simple. This paper and embellishments are from K & Company. I am happy to work for a company that sells scrapbooking supplies like this "Americana", as well as scrapbooks for the branches of armed services, scouting designs, etc.

Just thought I would share a paper crafting project that I tried this week. I hope each of you will have a great holiday weekend and take a moment to remember those that have given their lives for our freedom.

Bodie Lighthouse

2011-05-28T04:02:00.000-04:00

Today we visit the last of the four lighthouses we saw on our trip to the Outer Banks. It is the Bodie (pronounced "body") Lighthouse. It was not open to climb.

There was black plastic sheeting over the glass of the top and windows.

I thought it was interesting how the windows were positioned differently on each side. Makes sense, though as that would provide more light.

There is a wooden boardwalk that goes out to a viewing area behind the lighthouse. There were some serious birdwatchers out there! The names of birds is something I would like to learn more about. I also need to carry my binoculars....like I am not already carrying enough equipment!

I loved the reflection of the lighthouse...always, when there is water or a puddle, look for a reflection!

Below are some ducks I saw that kept "ducking" into the water...I guess catching fish. Anyone know their name....anyone, anyone?

Below are some swans I saw...so cool! I had seen one at the Pea Island birdwatching stand but did not have my long lens and extender with me..from now on, just bite the bullet and carry it all with you, Holly! Plus the binoculars. Good thing I am working out!

The bird below reminded me of some I saw at the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska. It would all of a sudden dive bomb into the water. I must research this....afterall, I never have anything to do!

I enjoyed having Joyce with me on last summer's trip as she almost always knew birds and plants names. I remember her getting very excited when we saw a "dipper" in Yellowstone. Probably would have passed right by my radar!

When I see beautiful marshes, like the one below, I always think of my friend Doreen, in Charleston. She says the marshes are her very favorite scene. They are a great place to look for birds.

I was photographing this flower along the boardwalk when the ranger came and asked me if I saw something interesting. Seems they were looking for a rattlesnake they were trying to eradicate and he thought maybe I was looking at it....um, no, I grew up in Florida where there are many snakes. If I see a snake, I am not stopping to take a photo...especially a closeup!

Notice the warning about snakes below....Time to move on, I think!

I used this lighthouse on the front of my Smash book as the black and white rubber band matched the black and white bands on it exactly....very cool!

Much more to see, though we are out of lighthouses. I will have to make it to Cape Lookout eventually...afterall, I bought the stamp of it at the Impression Obsession sale! LOL!

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

2011-05-27T07:19:00.012-04:00

For lovers of lighthouses, this is kind of the "mother" of all lighthouses. It is the tallest and one of the most recognizable. It looks very similar to the St. Augustine, Fl lighthouse. The St. Augustine light is red at the top, while this one has red at the bottom.

We were staying close by and I had Jim drop me off at the park before the ticket office opens at 8:15 as I was the only one climbing it from our group. I am sure it is crowded in the summer, but crowds was not a problem on this Wednesday in May. I was the first to buy a ticket and had the light all to myself when I climbed it at 9:00, other than the rangers positioned at the bottom, half way and at the top. I told the ranger at the top that I was very jealous of her job. She said she loved her job! While we were standing there talking, we saw three pelican gliding by below us. I did not have my big lens on the camera, so it was a mental photo. Sometimes those are the best kind.

Later, the gang arrived and one of the rangers took this shot. I am holding the junior ranger bear I bought as the mascot for this trip.

We visited the beach and the original location before the lighthouse was moved after the gang arrived. Above is such a classic shot. Reminds me of the rubber stamps Impression Obsession has of the OBX lighthouses. Just might have to invest in some of those.
Oh, my, just looked at their website and they have a sale over Memorial Day weekend!

There are two buildings below, one of which is a museum.

I love the spiral steps inside a lighthouse. Some make a complete spiral and some have landings. A complete spiral is especially pretty to me...reminds me of a shell. Gotta love a wide angle lens!

I also liked the tiled floor in the base.

I had plenty of time while I was waiting the 45 minutes between buying my tickets and making the climb so I got this shot of some bunnies having breakfast next to the lighthouse.

The light station below is fifteen miles out. It is barely visible to the naked eye and is a good measure of visibility. This light services ships passing by as this area is famous for shipwrecks. I used my new 2x extender for my 200mm zoom lens and it worked pretty good! The ranger at the top constantly takes wind velocity readings and makes reports to the rangers below. If she hears thunder, the lighthouse shuts down for half an hour.

The shot below of the beach is also taken with the extender. This beach was listed on The Daily (my iPad newspaper) today as one of the top ten beaches in the country.

The bottom ring of the original location of the lighthouse was left in place. Eventually, it will be washed out to sea. The names of all the lighthouse keepers have been engraved on the stones of the ring. The light is now fully automated.

Below, the shot was taken from the top of the lighthouse using the extender, showing the original ring and a portion of the path the lighthouse made as it was moved on rails. You can see the ring just below the greenery in the sand.

Below is a sign giving information about the move.

There were several signs telling about the climb, which was a piece of cake to me. It is funny about all the warnings. Life in America, I guess. I was told I could not design Perler pieces to be used as cupcake decorations as children might eat the Perlers....really? Anyway, I did not have to step over any passed out bodies, but then I did have the lighthouse to myself. Why would you climb the lighthouse if you had a condition that could cause you to die? My MIL, for instance, is legally blind....she could not take this climb as she could not see the steps.

There were more warnings before you entered and at the halfway point. Another thing they are serious about is thunder. When I came down, it was closed. Guess the early bird does get the worm!

I am already making plans to visit the St. George Island Lighthouse in Florida on my way from Amelia Island to Destin, Florida in less than a month. Rough life, but someone has to do it.

I loved my visit to this lighthouse! I am currently doing a SMASH book of my trip to the OBX. In case you have not heard, a Smash Book (K & Company) is a flexible scrapbook/junk drawer/journal...aka FUN! Love how it is turning out! Click on SMASH above to learn more about it!

Ocracoke Island

2011-05-26T04:42:00.002-04:00

My visit to Ocracoke Island was much too short...you might say the length of an ice cream cone!
You can access the OBX from the north or the south. Since we were coming from the south, we had to take the long ferry to Ocracoke Island and then another to go on to Hatteras. Not having been there before, I wasn't sure where I wanted to spend time. I do wish we had had longer to explore this island. Jim and the ladies had an ice cream cone while I dashed around the marina and took a few photos. We did a little shopping (got Jessica's shot glass that she collects and post cards to send the kids), walked out to the lighthouse and then we were on our way to the next ferry. We got there two minutes after the ferry had left (leaves on the hour and the half hour)...my take was, Oh, we could have spent 28 more minutes in town....Jim's take was, we should have spent two minutes less in town...LOL! Different perspectives I guess.

This water tower makes me think of the Park Ranger at the top of the Hatteras Light (I told her I was envious of her job!) as she pointed out the different water towers you could see and how that helped get your bearings.

The photo above was from the ferry as we were coming into port.

I love nautical scenes....

Jim enjoying his ice cream next to the Kitty Hawk Kites store...at another Kitty Hawk Kites store, I got the coolest Life is Good shirt with the Hatteras Light as the illustration and it actually had "Outer Banks" on the sleeve. That is the first "specialized for a specific location" Life is Good shirt that I have seen. Love it!

I decided that having the ladies with us was kind of like having kids along..we had to find activities like eating ice cream or buying books while I did my thing (taking photos and climbing lighthouses).

I carry my small powershot camera for strangers to use to snap a photo of me...they get a little intimidated by the other two cameras! Jim sat in the car checking his email.....a different perspective again! It had been a long day!

This lighthouse was not one you could climb, but it was well worth the visit! The visit was just too short!

Currituck Beach Lighthouse 2

2011-05-25T04:20:00.000-04:00

The exterior of the Currituck Light is red brick while the inside is painted white. One good thing about having the brick is that it doesn't have to be painted. It is not as decorative at the patterned designs that are used to identify a lighthouse during the daytime, but it is very pretty.

Below is an illustration located in the bottom of the Currituck. It shows the lighthouses of the OBX. You can see this one at the northern portion, then Bodie ("body"), Hatteras (the tallest lighthouse and a "sister" to the St. Augustine one with the exception of the color at the top, St. Augustine is red, Hatteras is black and is taller), Ocracoke (can visit but not climb), and Cape Lookout.

I am going to research the Cape Lookout (diamond or checkered design) and try to go back. I saw the sign for it as we were RACING to make our ferry to get over to Ocracoke, but did not get to investigate. I do know you have to take a ferry to access it and I don't think you can climb it.

One thing I learned from the trip....like having children along, it takes a lot L..O...N....G....E....R to do everything with older people along. I never dreamed it would take over an hour to have lunch at KFC!

I try to adopt a "mascot" on each trip to include in my photograph for a future travel book for my grandchildren....on this one it was this little Junior Ranger Bear I bought at Hatteras. At some point, I need to assemble all these little fellas in one location....in my spare time, you understand. Remember the mascot for the tidal basin was the beaver and I had several on the Thelma and Louise trip?

I love the details of the lighthouses, including these hexagonal windows that I saw in two of the lighthouses. It made me wonder if the same company built both of the lighthouses.

The spiral staircase is on one side with a landing on the other. The window above is looking out at the Whale Club below.

The building below is a private residence that faces the lighthouse. Next to it was a gift shop/bookstore, where Jim's mother (who is legally blind due to macular degeneration) bought $80 worth of books...Jim got a little frustrated that she was buying books that she can not read, but I told him it is her money!

Hope you enjoyed this visit to the first of four lighthouses we visited while at the Outer Banks!

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

2011-05-24T06:43:00.006-04:00

Last week, Jim and I took his mother and her friend to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I had not been there before and it was a place along the Atlantic that I really wanted to go see. I love lighthouses and there are several in that area.

One of the ones we visited and I climbed was the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. It is in the northern portion of the OBX, as the Outer Banks is abbreviated. Just north of this area, the road ends and transportation is by four wheel drive only. There are jeep tours you can take to possibly see the wild mustangs of the area, but I didn't think our two ladies of almost 80 years old could handle jeep rides! I would have gone in a New York minute, but just stairs were a challenge for them.

My wide angle lens comes in very handle in a lighthouse. I love the stairs and this one had a very nice display at the bottom. This particular light is not part of the national park system but operated by a private organization. I was happy to have the opportunity to climb it.

More photos to come....

Michigan Mega Meet

2011-05-09T04:43:00.004-04:00

I traveled to Detroit Michigan to work at the Michigan Mega Meet in Novi for EK Success last week. I flew up on Wednesday and after we set up the booth, we held one of the sessions of the Round Robin. About fifty participants were in each of five rooms and we changed classrooms. Our class used the new Inkadinkado red rubber stamps that have a cling mount (Inkadinkaclings.....love them!), Inka's stamping mask paper (soooo much better than a post it note!) and EK Punches (I have said for years that EK makes the BEST punches!). It was fun and we survived the hurried classroom changes!

The show was held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Here, Dana is demoing the Martha Stewart punches, including the punch all around the page punches and the punch anywhere on the page punches.....both are so cool!

I did the Inkadinkado table, but I snapped this photo coming back from lunch and Becky is filling in for me. We used the mask paper, stamp positioner, the cling stamps, the glitter tray, glue pad, ink.....yeah, sounds messy and it could be! I definitely had the messiest table, but the other two tables were punches.....wow, only little pieces of paper for their messes. Oh yeah, I used chalks and watercolor. Spattering watercolor can really be messy! We had a great time!

My favorite part of doing a show is meeting other members of the Creative Artist Team. I had met Becky before, but this was the first time to meet Kathy (left) and Dana (right). We had a great time together. The rinse I put on my hair was a little redder than I intended....life is short and so are rinses! LOL!

One of my readers, Nise, had hoped to come to the show so we could meet, but with gas being $4.29 she decided she couldn't swing it, but another friend did get to come catch up with me. I met Lynn several years ago when I did the Auntie Amy show in Novi for the Rubber Stamper Magazine. I fired her off an email after arriving and she was able to come on Saturday. It was so good to see her again. We have corresponded over the years but it is always nice to see each other. I really didn't think we would meet again so this was a nice surprise!

Saturday's project I did at the Inka table was a glitter medallion and I had fun with all ages!

I shared a lunch table with these ladies from Ohio and was happy when they visited me at my demo table.

A few people asked me where I was from with my southern accent, but not too many. The crafter on the left is cutting out letters with our Honey Bee Scissors...those and Cutter Bee Scissors are the BEST for intricate cutting. The Honey Bee ones are teflon coated and you don't have to worry about things sticking to them.

Above, Brenda was taking sign ups for Spotted Canary. If you have not yet signed up, go to www.spottedcanary.com and sign up today! We were giving tshirts at the show as well as buttons.

Kathy Fesmire was my "roomie". She is from Tennessee and I am so happy to have a fellow CAT member that speaks southern! She was in my territory for recruiting SDU instructors, so I had spoken with her even before she came back on board as a CAT member. She has been a Making Memories Master and has written a book called, Time to Scrap. We had a great time together.

It was a good show and my only complaint was that Michigan being in early spring (or flying or not getting enough sleep or something) threw my sinuses into being upset and I came home sick. Their bradford pears were just now blooming while we are moving on to summer.

This week I will be heading up to the cabin to visit with Mr. Jackson and to help clean up after the tornado. Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!

Sandy Springs Garden Tour - Tanglewood Trail

2011-05-03T04:29:00.009-04:00

The third house on our tour was very interesting. While some of the other gardens were obviously kept by gardeners, this couple does it themselves, along with one of their daughters. They bought this property 29 years ago and cleared the property of weeds, water and scrub pines. They added a tennis court and pool as well as meandering paths with mature azaleas, rhododendron, mountain laurel, camellias, hostas, hydrangea and roses. Their nine grandchildren enjoy this enchanting gardens with all the little surprises on the paths.

I love forests areas like below....reminds me of what the area around the cabin used to look like!

Notice the working water wheel on the side of the barn below....

The hosta garden below also reminds me of my mother's hosta garden at the cabin...shade loving plants will not be happy there any longer.

The Japanese Maple looked like it was on fire situated in the sun. This nice cuple even had refreshments for the tour attendees, on the screened in porch overlooking their beautiful garden. I could tell that the azaleas had been beautiful earlier this spring and the hydrangeas will be beautiful soon. The Japanese Dogwood was lovely on this visit. Thanks for joining me!

Sandy Springs Garden Tour - Winterthur Drive

2011-05-02T05:18:00.008-04:00

The second house on the garden tour was located outside the perimeter, on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. This was my favorite garden of the tour.

A 100 foot pond with bog plants and waterlilies great you as you head to the back garden.

Above is the view from the river.

There were many windchimes and birdhouses. Below is the "wind chime garden"...I love windchimes and birdhouses!

Below, you can see the leaves from a giant leaf magnolia.

Joyce and I decided that we could sit here on this bench for hours. We wondered if the people that owned these beautiful spots spent much time in them.

I had never thought of using a mirror outside, but it is lovely in this cozy vignette...here's looking at you!

The owner's taste in art ranged from very classical to very whimsical.

The house is just as lovely as the grounds. The front doors were salvaged from a Danish castle circa 18th century.

I heard one of the volunteers say that the partys here could be quite grand....I imagine so! Thanks for joining me.

Sandy Springs Garden Tour - Glenridge Hall

2011-05-01T14:11:00.010-04:00

Joyce asked me to join her on the Garden Tour presented by the Sandy Springs Society, here in the Atlanta area. (Sandy Springs actually recently became a city itself)

We visited the gardens of five homes, the first being Glenridge Hall.

This home was built in 1929 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The estate consists of 47 acres. In front of the house are several native plants, including 80 year old mountain laurels. Behind the house is a multi-tiered rock garden with many perennials and annuals. There were some beautiful iris and peonies.

Hope you enjoyed this visit!

Tornado at Black Rock Mountain

2011-04-29T19:21:00.009-04:00

If you have read my blog many times you know how much I love spending time at the cabin my parents own up in the NE Ga Mountains. I love the trees and the smells and the cool air and the flowers that bloom....a lot of those trees are now gone.

It has been a very rough week in the southeast and I know many people lost their homes and many lost their lives, so I feel a little guilty complaining about losing something I love, but it is sad to me. Wednesday night, the same cell that spawned the storms in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham hit Lake Burton and then Black Rock Mountain in Rabun County. I have posted some photos from this past winter as I wanted you to see how many trees there were. You could barely see the ridge of the mountain, as there were so many trees even in wintertime.

There were also many trees behind the cabin. I would love to sit on the back deck in the evening and listen to all the birds in the trees....it sounded like a symphony.

I took this photo one foggy morning of the trees behind the cabin. It is weird but just last Saturday morning, I almost took another photo of the trees with fog.

When my parents left Tuesday, my mother said she had a premonition that a storm was going to come there. If they had been there, her car would have been crushed by the trees as the driveway is covered in fallen trees.

Below is what the hill behind the cabin looks like now. The trees were just stripped like they were matchsticks.

These two large trees barely missed hitting the cabin and if they had hit, considerable damage would have been done. Underneath them, I have a butterfly garden of astilbe. I almost worked in it last Friday but decided I would wait until I was up there with Jackson week after next. Jackson will never see these trees.

Unfortunately, one tree did hit the gable and the rafters are damaged, as the bathroom ceiling is bowing and broken.

The little cabin next door that has been there since the 1800's had a big gaping hole in it.

Notice how clearly you can see the ridge line now. You could never see that before.

The cabin across the street that is over a hundred years old was trapped. You could only get in to it by going on the path the workers had cut under the power line. The drive way was completely blocked.

My friend Lynn's driveway was blocked also. Notice how big the tree is below on her driveway and that was one of many.

See the man to the right?

Here is the tree that went through the roof.

Power lines are down everywhere and who knows when it will be turned back on...whole poles were twisted and laying on the road.

A short walk away, the other side of the mountain that faces town was just as peaceful and untouched as could be....

The campground at the state park is actually full....full of fallen trees and crushed vehicles. It is closed.

Even buildings down on 441 in Mountain City felt the storm's wrath....

You won't hear about the storm hitting here or at Lake Burton or even about the man that died at Lake Burton. Yes, it could have been a lot worse, obviously as seen in other areas.

We so often take things for granted and they can be wiped out in an instant.
But it is not the things that matter....it is the people.

The Artist's Box

2011-04-29T04:29:00.002-04:00

With so many stamp and scrapbook stores closing, it was a very nice surprise to happen upon a new one in Clayton, GA. Clayton is a charming little town with fun galleries and shops and it is just south of our cabin. It is located in the northeast corner of Georgia. While we can cross the state line and go to Franklin or Highlands, I think there is a lot to see in Clayton...especially now that there is a store with art and stamping supplies!

Donna (left) and Janie were there to greet us during their grand opening. The shop is located in the Savannah Shops, right along Hwy 76 and just off 441. Turn on 76W by the Dairy Queen and the shop will be on the right.

Donna and Janie talk to some younger customers and their mother. I love the shape of the doorway...the whole shop is very attractive.

One side primarily artist supplies and the other is stamping supplies. There is a small classroom/workroom area in the back.

Here is a portion of the stamping/scrapping side of the shop.

Copics have come to Clayton! Whoo Hooo!

Pens and paints and all kinds of fun things!

Best wishes to the owners of this shop...I am sure I will be a regular visitor! If we fail to support these types of places, they won't be there...and in case you haven't noticed, Walmart has decided to decrease their craft sections so don't count on finding things there!

A personal note: I had planned on spending the second week of May at the cabin with Mr. Jackson and family, but it seems that a tornado decided to skip around on Black Rock Mountain, so today, I head up there to survey the damage. I have heard that there are so many trees down that the power might not be restored for several days.

Jackson and family are lucky as they are among the few in the Huntsville area that have power, but unfortunately, their water went away yesterday. I feel so badly for all the people in the southeast that are hurting after the storm.

Callaway Azaleas

2011-04-18T07:04:00.001-04:00

I am experimenting with new ways to download photos on my blog, as the way I used previously is causing the photos to disappear. A week and a half after Joyce and I visited Callaway, I went back to check out the azaleas. I am posting this photo for Nise, who is still cold up north! Nice and warm down here in the south....I will see if this photo stays visible and experiment some more on ways to post photos. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Butterfly Easel Card

2011-04-12T15:50:00.002-04:00

I sure hope these photos show up as this is such a pretty card. I just can't figure out why my photos have been disappearing. I do apologize! I have deleted the other posts I had scheduled and did have to reload these photos, so hopefully they really will appear.

Anyway, when I went to the mailbox on Monday, I had such a nice surprise! My friend, Laura, had sent this beautiful card using what she calls a butterfly easel. I tried to do some photos so you could see it from the side. The very back die cut was done with a folded piece of card stock, with the fold being inside the die, so that you get a folded butterfly.

The other three butterflies, that Laura has embossed and inked, are pop dotted on top of the folded easel butterfly, adding so much dimension and bounce. This is such a happy card! Thanks so much Laura!

I always have a little let down when the Masters is over for another year, so this was a little bounce I needed on Monday! I will go to other tournaments (the PGA Championship is in Atlanta this year!), but there is only one Masters....and what an afternoon Sunday was! (I felt badly for you, Joyce across the pond....he really imploded didn't he?....but he is so young, he will have many more chances) I am definitely going to have to try making the butterfly easel.....or the same concept could be used for flowers....many things!

Old Town, Alexandria, VA

2011-04-12T06:06:00.000-04:00

We stayed in Alexandria, VA so Jim and I went to Old Town one evening for dinner. We ate at an Italian Restaurant down near the riverfront, but walked up King Street and I really enjoyed the old architecture. There was a lot of shops and I did get a Cherry Blossom Festival shirt and bag, but it was too late (and cold) to be out too long.

George Washington had a town home (Mt. Vernon is probably eight miles from here) here and there was a replica of his town home.

I did not make it up to Georgetown, but I always like to leave something undone so I have an excuse to go back. LOL! I would go back just for the Newseum!

Kentmore, Maryland

2011-04-11T05:58:00.000-04:00

When you cross the bay bridge, you arrive on the island of Kent. We found a community called Kentmore which had it's own landing strip and the houses had garages for their planes. Pretty cool! There were marinas and we ate at the restaurant below.

I walked around behind the restaurant where you had a view of the bridge. There were several huge container ships going by.

It was a chilly and drizzly evening and the crab soups we tried below really filled the tummy! I had the chowder and Jim had a crab bisque. Both were great! I had a broiled crabcake sandwich. I would hate to know how many Points Plus the chowder would be on Weight Watchers, but I did lose weight at my meeting. Probably all the miles I walked around DC!

I just love going to see places that I have never visited.

Annapolis, Maryland

2011-04-10T05:48:00.000-04:00

After visiting the Supreme Court, Jim picked me up and we rode up to Annapolis, home of the Naval Academy. You have to have a military id and DOD sticker on your car to actually go on the base, but we enjoyed the town. I did some "drive by shooting", sticking my point and shoot out the window and clicking away. The architecture was beautiful.

A military cemetery is always very sobering. The stadium where the Navy football team plays is off the base, so we got to see it.

We took the bridge on over the Cheasapeake Bay and had dinner. After that is the Delaware Bay and eventually, the Atlantic. It was a rainy, cold evening, but we enjoyed seeing this area that we had never visited.

American History Museum

2011-04-09T07:08:00.000-04:00

It was cold outside as you can see from this darling little girl. I was dressed in layers like her, so when I went in the Smithsonian Museum of American History, I was too warm and it was too crowded with school groups there for spring break, plus I was tired, so it was a quick visit. I did go in the exhibit of first ladies' dresses, which is always fun to see.

The other thing I wanted to see was the flag which inspired the Star Spangled Banner Anthem. When I took my children to DC when they were in fifth grade, it was hanging in the lobby. Unfortunately, though that was a great way to view it, it was doing a lot of damage to the flag. It is now displayed in a large case in the dark and no photography is allowed. It is now behind this wall. The museum was closed for renovations (this being one of them) the last few times I was in town, so I was happy to get to see the new display.

I love anything that involves car tags, so I really liked this framed art in the gift shop. I love the one they carry at Target of the map of the US done in car tags as well as the Preamble done in tags I have seen in a museum in DC. I guess that is because I am a travelin kind of history loving girl!

Reporting in from the Masters

2011-04-09T05:21:00.003-04:00

Greetings from the Masters! Friday was a beautiful day at Augusta National! We did not go on Thursday and we are staying at a different location this year and then my iPhone had the wrong time and then the batteries were bad in my binoculars with image stabilization. So it was kind of a rough start to a day that settled down and went well.

Jim bought a new white hat, which I told him would get so dirty. Our friends at sixteen hole pointed out that Emmitt Smith, the football legend, was sitting near us. We watched him play at Florida when he was a freshman in college (actually all three years he was there) ! Anyway, that new white hat now has Emmitt's autograph on it and won't get dirty afterall!

We met some nice people at the sixteenth hole and on Saturday will be showing a couple of friends from Nevada around. One of them has been there before with us but the other is a first timer. It is always fun to show a newbie around to see the beautiful grounds of Augusta National. Our friends that used the badges on Thursday were first timers and loved it!

My iphone is now behaving and I am enjoying the Masters app on my iPad. You can see the 3D cameras in use from our seats (they have two lens), but we are seeing the action in 3D....could be 4D today as rain is predicted. :-(

Can't take my camera in, but did have our photos done in front of the clubhouse. Trying to figure our why those security guards felt like they had to stand on Founders Circle and get in my photo!

Sunday we will see the people at the church we always go to on the Sunday of the Masters. Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Also, sorry that some of my photos of DC are coming up as "x's".....you know I hate it when that happens and don't know what causes it. The photos are there when I schedule the post, so just don't understand it. Also have some updated photos to show you of Callaway when I took a second trip there....plus, I am planning on going over to see Mr. Jackson and visit the Huntsville Gardens. I had to choose going with Jim to Mobile and going to Bellingrath or going to see Jackson, so Jackson won! He will be six months old next week!!!

Have a great day!

Photographing Washington DC Monuments

2011-04-08T06:35:00.000-04:00

I never tire of going to the monuments in Washington DC. Most every time I go, I see a different perspective or see something I have not noticed before. Framing other monuments or buildings from another is always a neat shot. Above, the Washington Monument is framed by columns at the Jefferson Memorial. Another favorite shot of mine is the Capitol from the Supreme Court Building. An example of looking down is the marking at the Lincoln Memorial of the spot where Martin Luther King stood when he presented his I have a Dream speech. I am not sure if I had noticed that before, but I had read about it so I looked for it this time. Also, be sure to look up, look down, look all around! The architecture in Washington is just so great!

The shot below is from the side of the Lincoln Memorial, looking all the way down the National Mall, towards the Capitol building. Unfortunately, the reflecting pool has been torn up for quite a while now, as it was that way on my last trip to DC. Hopefully, it will be complete when I return.

I had photographed the Korean War Memorial before, but somehow had missed this granite wall with the etching. In it you can see the etching, a reflection of the statues and a reflection of anyone passing by, so you get several levels. On Friday, when I walked around the tidal basin, there were puddles from the rain, and they made great shots of the cherry blossoms above. I mentioned this to someone that I asked to take my photo....she had not even noticed the puddles. Remember to look around for those framing or reflective opportunities. Look where you are going, but also turn around and look to see where you have been!

The Newseum

2011-04-07T05:35:00.001-04:00

I have a new favorite museum in Washington DC. It is the Newseum, which opened at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue (next to the Canadian Embassy, near the Archives and between the Capitol and the White House) three years ago. I have always loved history and watching and listening to the news. I remember as a young child watching the Kennedy funeral and seeing Walter Cronkite nightly on the news. I remember the number of dead from the Vietnam War being reported nightly. When I saw the headlines in the Newseum about the first heart transplant, I knew that happened in 1967. Even if you aren't a news junkie, you will still enjoy this museum. Since the weather was not very hospitable on our recent visit, this was a perfect day to spend the day! Even if the weather had been perfect, it was still a great way to spend the day! The admission is actually good for two consecutive days and I could have spent part of the second day there, but hubby was sick the next day and I wanted to walk to some of the monuments. I gave my tickets for the second day to a couple on the National Mall...I hope they went and enjoyed it at least half as much as I did!

There is a collection of newspapers going back to the 1400's. There are tv and radio clips of significant events for the last century. There are videos about news and the media, how civil rights was covered and the importance of getting the news right.

There were very touching exhibits such as the September 11 one above. This is part of the antennae from the World Trade Center and the newspapers on the wall showing headlines from that week. There is a video regarding 9/11 that made me cry and I saw many others crying. Also a video about a photographer that went towards the tower and did not make it. His camera and photos are there. Other touching exhibits were the one about Katrina and Pulitzer Prize winning photographs.

Above, there are eight sections of the Berlin Wall as well as a death tower behind it where the guards watched with guns for anyone trying to climb the wall. There were other things such as the door from the Watergate scandal, the DC sniper car where they shot from the trunk, and the cabin of the unabomber. It is just amazing the collection of items and footage that have been in the news. Tim Russert's office is there, with his sign, "Thou shalt not whine". Yes, the Smithsonian's don't charge admission and I do love going to them, but this one is worth every penny! Next time you are in DC and have a day or two, don't miss this museum!

Shooting Monuments Early or Late in the Day

2011-04-06T04:52:00.001-04:00

The monuments and buildings in DC are so pretty at night. I did not have my monopod with me on this evening, but often you will find a fence or railing of some type that you can use to stabilize your camera for a low light situation. It was still dusk in the shot above of the White House, so thus, that pretty blue sky. There was actually a pink tint to the sky, but it doesn't really show up much. Using a flash in this situation will not help. You need to take the photo with existing light. Fortunately, most monuments and buildings have a lot of light on them, so that helps matters. It was a little later below, by the time we made it over to the Washington Monument. It is not the sharpest image, but I think the colors look kind of neat. It was very cold and Jim was ready to get back to the hotel! He said it was snowing....I told him he was a whimp!

You can still see some of the pink tint in the sky on the shot below...either that or there is a glow coming off the beautiful tulip magnolia!

The shot below was taken across the street at the Supreme Court early in the morning. Once the sun did come up, the Capitol reflected the pink glow of sunrise and appeared pink itself. I included a shot of that on my Supreme Court posting.

Another cool shot to get at night is the lights of cars with the camera set on TV (time the shutter is open is longer). I took a couple shots looking down at the Capital at night but without a monopod or tripod and with a husband determined on hurrying, I didn't have time to experiment. That is one reason I love to stay in the heart of downtown if possible. I can go out at all my crazy times and do my own thing. We were staying at the end of the yellow line of the Metro in Alexandria, so I couldn't run the streets like the street urchin that I am! LOL!