So Ready to Relax

The fast-paced adventure that was Universal Studios is over. The obligatory visit to Gatorland completed. Our drive across the state ended in a safe arrival at Siesta Key, Florida.
Now begins the second part of our vacation, a true-blue, stress-free, sun-baked moment in the sun-literally. Our luxurious condo sits on Crescent Beach, a white sand beach on the Gulf of Mexico. We have our own lanai, Wendy's bedroom has its own queen bed, TV and bathroom, and the kitchen features Wolf appliances.
The weather is supposed to be perfect, except for a daily chance of rain in the late afternoons, and I have three books to read. We are sooooo ready to relaxxxxx...
Check back on my blog tomorrow, as there are loads of new challenges starting up, not just new Monday challenges but new monthly challenges, and I scheduled my posts to pop up all day long in celebration of them. Meanwhile, wake me when the sun goes down...

Wish You Were Here

We decided to take a break in the middle of our last day in Orlando, so I uploaded my photos and created a virtual postcard to send to my mom, sisters and co-workers. This morning we had a thrilling ride through and around Hogsmeade and made it to Hogwarts in one piece. I would have gone on the ride over and over again, but even though it was a virtual ride, Wendy wasn't exactly comfortable on it. And I didn't spend a penny on souvenirs today, but have a $10 gift card I'm going to use on a resort towel. It is so cool looking, will have to take a photo later to show y'all.
So, tomorrow is Gatorland, my daughter's fervent dream destination, I kid you not! And after that lovely visit, on to the second half of our family vacation!!

A World of Fun

What a day! We woke early again to start our day at the Leaky Caudron restaurat for breakfast in Diagon Alley. Evidently, Universal Studios is laid out like a grocery store, in that they put the one thing you came for at the very back!! We spent a good ten minutes hurrying toward the Hogwarts Express to take us to our destination. The trip on that train was worth the long walk, though. Sitting in one of the cars we were treated to a scenic view, complete with several characters. The silhouettes of Harry & Ron & Hermione went past our closed door and we heard them talking in the aisle.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a feast for the eyes. While I saw kids in capes and wielding wands that worked interactive displays, I held off with purchasing just a couple postcards for my scrapbooks. Speaking of which, I came back to our room and played with the photos taken today and created the page above. Paper, brads and frame from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, and the seashells from Rucola Designs Summertime freebie.
Tomorrow, we head to Universal Islands of Adventure, where we start our day at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade before visiting Hogwarts and all points magical. And if you don't recognize any of these "places" then you are not a Harry Potter fan!! LOL
As much fun as today was, I forgot to pack my gym shoes and am paying the price with poor tired feet and hips that want to lock in place! I will be more than happy to relax starting Sunday evening for our second part of vacation. More to follow!!

Putting My Time to Good Use

Since we had another full day in the car before getting to Orlando, I decided to play some more in Photoshop, as I am still a novice doing the 100% digital thing. But I had some fun creating a couple scrapbook layouts.

Here's one I made of my granddaughter's Dance Recital. I figured out how to outline her in each of several different photos and pop them all onto some patterned background paper from Mischief Circus. The frame and brads are from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles.
So, we arrived at our resort and spent the evening on Universal Studios City Walk. After stuffing ourselves at Bubba Gump's Seafood Restaurant, we walked it all off before calling it a night.

Tomorrow we start our day with breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron before seeing what Universal Studios has to offer. So far my only souvenirs are what I can scrapbook of our trip! (I know, I can't believe it either, but the week is young)
Btw, I am learning German, and practiced my numbers by counting the abandoned cars along the roadside (einunddreizig) and counting and naming ll my family members (zwei schwestern, null broder, eine tochter, etc).
So, we'll see what tomorrow brings. That's all for now, my crafty peeps. Have fun!

Summer Vacation - Road Trip 2015

Hello, crafty peeps! I am away from my craft room temporarily, but I feel the need, the need for blogging! LOL You should know me by now, I am a wordy chick!
Our day started at 5 pm, or O'Dark-thirty as my friend Heidi would put it. Hubby wanted to get on the road by 6 am and he was not disappointed. So we beat the morning rush on 294 and we waved goodbye to Chicago and headed for parts south.

The view out our windshield while winding our way through the Bluegrass Hills of Kentucky.

I casually remarked to hubby that it was too bad it was such a sunny day, as I couldn't get the sun out of my eyes to see ahead. I forgot that when you're traveling in the hills, you're closer to God's ear...

So, now we've stopped in Chatanooga at the halfway point of our road trip. Next stop is Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Move over, Harry Potter, we're on our way-we just can't apparate like you can, and we left our brooms at home. Save us some butter beer!

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Really, peeps, when Harry Potter World opened up in Orlando, I really didn't think that we'd get to enjoy a visit, since our kids were grown and taking the grandkids was just too much of a strain on our bank accounts. But we are all three (hubby, Wendy & I) Potter fans, so when we cast our votes for a family vacation, I was surprised and happy to make the arrangements.

Of course, Orlando is not really a vacation it's an adventure, so half of our trip, the last half, will be spent at a resort on Siesta Key, on the gulf-side of the state, lolling in the sun and sea, and sleeping in the sand. As much as I love Harry Potter, I love relaxing with the sound of the surf and a good read so much better!!

Happy crafting, peeps!

Another Sublime Challenge at the Outlawz Greetings

The only thing more sublime than a conversation between a fairy and a ladybug is an Anything Goes challenge! That's the new challenge this week at the Outlawz Greetings. This week's sponsor is Crafty Sentiments, and this jewel of a digi image is called "JEWEL."
I still have a box of newly-rediscovered papers on my desk, and while every project created this month has used papers from that box, it still looks over-stuffed with the wages of paper sin! But I am trying, as you can see from the photo of my newest card. I used 3 patterned papers and 2 different pieces of colored cardstock.
I colored my Jewel with Copics, and embellished simply with flowers, jewels, a butterfly charm and a cardstock sentiment sticker to finish off a simply sublime card. Now if the weather here in Chicago would just make up its addle-pated mind, it would be truly sublime. May is holding onto Spring with a tenuous grasp of temperatures, see-sawing from the 40's to 70's and back again, like a test drive on a super roller coaster.
But back to the challenge! The Outlawz Greetings is a challenge group that posts new challenges weekly on Mondays, with the last Monday of each month being an Anything Goes theme. The only stipulation on any paper-crafted project is to use a greeting or sentiment on the front of your creation. Please visit us for inspiration, and leave a comment or enter the challenge to share your artwork with us.

Challenges I am Entering:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
Opus Gluei - Garden Inspiration
Crafty Sentiments challenges - Anything Goes
Open-Minded Crafting - Inspired by a Song (Build Me Up, Buttercup
Hiding in My Craft Room - Any Holiday (May Day)
Brown Sugar challenges - Favorite Color Combo

Anything Goes in my Acrylic Album for Craft Your Passion

I got to play in my acrylic album again. This is my first album, second page. It's trickier than I thought as I always have to be mindful of the back side of each page I create. Today I used a large circle of cardstock and kept most of my project within the circle.
Craft Your Passion challenge blog begins a new challenge today. Their challenges are always Anything Goes. The sponsor this week is Oddball Art, and this little cutie is called Tasha. My arylic album is all about nature and its furry animals. Today I was inspired by one of my favorite books, Secret Garden. It is a very old one, and I have a first edition in print, as well as the book in my Kindle library. After coloring my image with a  mix of Copics and Spectrum Noir, I fussy-cut her and her little friend before adhering her onto my page.
Then the fun began. I used a Sharpie oil-based white paint marker to give both my page and my frame a border of tiny dots. After stamping the sentiment on a cardstock journal sticker, I used a mix of tiny white flowers along with silver shimmery enamel dots. I like the way the page turned out, especially as the album will be a present for a special friend.
Oddball Art has a bunch of cute and whimsical images. Check out the STORE and then come join us at Craft Your Passion challenge blog this week!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes (no cards)

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes (no cards, ATCs)

Die Traumfabric - Secret Garden

Oddball Art challenges - Add a Butterfly or Dragonfly

Our Creative Corner - April Showers Bring May Flowers

Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes

(Pin)spirational challenges - Inspired by Pinterest (I used a lighter blue but I love using blue, green & yellow together)