Last full day in Maine ...and it rains...

Today was the last full day in Maine. We woke this morning to a huge thunderstorm and a deluge of rain… look closely and you can see the waterfall of rain on the steps...

We had nothing planned for today, just a day of relaxation and possibly some lakeside fun. Well, there was no lakeside fun to be had, although we did walk down to the lake to see this beautiful site…

They were very close to our shore. It appeared that Mom and Dad were fishing and feeding the little ones. It’s so amazing to see nature like this.

So, due to the rain and the many thunderstorms, Patrick and the kids spent the rest of the day watching all of this…

Yup. all 3 Back to the Futures, 1 Indiana Jones, Free Willy and a Homeward Bound II.

While I worked on laundry and some of this… (Bryce played with the metal too, I'll post his artwork this weekend)

these will be for something I'll be announcing soon! Stay tuned, I'm very excited but can't 'officially' say anything yet!!!

Andthen, just before dark, I took this picture…

Still raining. Look at all the sand washed down. It was pouring today!

Tomorrow we travel home.

Howdy Pardner!

We went to 6 Gun City today. It's located in Jefferson, NH.

On a scale from 1-10 on a value rating. 10 being highest, this is probably only a 4. While the kids had fun, it really doesn't offer much in rides and attractions. Don't get me wrong, we had a good time but when they tell you there is a waterpark there, well... I don't think one waterslide and one kiddie waterslide with a kiddie wading pool should really count as a waterpark. I'm glad we did the 6 Gun City trek this year and not another. Both boys loved it and were entertained fully for 4 hours. But at $78 for all of us to get in, I really needed them to be entertained for 6, you know.! So we were home early and we got some pictures near the dam and waterfall on Lake Keewaydin. Bryce and I went out on the canoe, we had dinner and then I finally got to do some crafting. The day was still a good one! I've got a triple play for you today! A slideshow of the day, a video of a rollercoaster ride and my work with the Flower Soft I bought yesterday...

OK, so... The Flower Soft is extremely easy to use. I think that when Bernadette and I share our wares I'll put mine in different containers. They really need to be 'fluffed'. It works better than directly from the jar. The jars keep them packed. And while you get the most for your money, it's just not the way it should be used. So this is what the paper looked like BEFORE I added any Flower Soft (the lighting isn't great, I was on the porch and it was getting dark)...

Pretty flat. Well, here's a little slideshow on what it looks like as you work with it...

And then I created little 'sprigs'. You'd put these in little paper cones and add to a card. Aren't they cute?

I'm Inspired to Bee Scrappy

Today was the day I went off on my Scrapbooking adventure... (if the relatives are reading... you can venture to the bottom of the post to see some of today's other adventures in Maine)

My first stop was in South Paris. Yes, South Paris. Of course, South Paris is in Maine, not France. I did get slightly lost getting to my first stop but once there, I was pretty pleased with myself. Whew! Thank you Google Maps. And... Dear Santa... I would like a Garmin for Christmas!

I met my friend Bernadette at Bee Scrappy. They are located at 20 Market Square in South Paris. She's got a great little store. A lot of scrapbooking and basketweaving supplies. She has a little turnstile that she sells handmade blank cards. I bought a few, they were so cute and although I did bring my camera, I didn't take a single picture. Oh, well. So what did I get at Bee Scrappy? I got a Snow Writer and some Glamour Dust. She used them on some cards and it was a gorgeous combo! I also picked up some Outline Stickers by a company called Anita's Art Stamps. I hadn't heard of the company. I'll have to look into it some more later. I was pretty happy because they had some Christmas Stockings that I think will be perfect on a Rolodex card that I need to work on. (When are they due Kerriann??) I also picked up a few Cuttlebug embossing folders after seeing the video on the 10 Seconds Studio website. Man, I can't wait to try them out! I try not to go to Michael's or AC Moore too often, so to find these on my travels meant they were meant for me!

From Bee Scrappy, Bernadette (and kids) and I were off to Inspire Me in Auburn, ME. Inspire Me doesn't have a website, just a blog. Cheryl does these wonderful tutorials on her website and one of the latest ones for her to do is on this new product called Flower Soft. Well she was fully stocked on them, so between Bernadette and I... we bought all the colors. Cheryl's store is in the basement of her home. Located at 401 Turner Street, it doesn't appear that she carries regular office hours. You kinda have to read her blog or newsletter to see when she's open. I had contacted her a few weeks ago and had already made arraignments. She was very gracious, welcoming us and explaining that we really needed to look around as she had a ton of stuff in a small space. Well! She must have! I walked out of there $95 poorer. But, in fairness it wasn't all mine. My good friend, Donna ordered a bunch of things. (Donna - you or your peeps will NOT be disappointed!!!) Anyway, what else did I buy? I bought some cool photo boxes that I'm going to decorate in metal. Some Flower Soft card toppers, wires and glue. I got a cute Ice Cream die cut, some rhinestone buckles (which I learned a cool technique on how to use them while I was there!!) and some mini paper stumps! Yup, tiny ones. I'm gonna test them out, maybe tomorrow night.
Cheryl's store was wonderful. She had stamps, scrapbooking papers (a little), alterable items, soldering stuff from Simply Swank, the Flower Soft products and a ton of other stuff. She was definitely a girl after my own heart with a small section dedicated to 10 Seconds Studio. I'm telling you now, this stuff is HOT! If you haven't gotten into metal yet, NOW is the time! And remember, I'll be happy to travel to teach. Just shoot me an email. We'll talk! Bernadette faired just as well as I, although I 'beat' her at both stores. (spending-wise that is) After finishing up with Cheryl, Bernadette went in one direction and I went home. Well, the camp home. I thought I got lost. I didn't go the way the Google directions told me to go but I did end up on the same street that Bernadette's GPS told us to go getting there. So, I still made it home (ahh. to the camp) safe and sound. I was happy to be there. I left at about 9:30AM and didn't return home until about 3:15PM. I've meant to play with some of my new stuff today but after putting away groceries, making brownies, playing Mancala, canoeing, making dinner and folding laundry, I just haven't done it yet. It's getting kinda late for today. Maybe tomorrow... I'll post pictures of my projects when I do. I promise!


And on to the family post.

Bryce and I went on a canoe ride just before sunset. I saw the loons out on the lake and I wanted to get a slightly closer picture. I KNOW I have to respect their space so I was very careful to not get too close and to not make too much noise while out there. They make the cutest little noise, if you listen closely to the video, you can hear them....
Oh, before I upload the video. Nana... Bryce say Hi! and that he loves you!!
Enjoy the video and listen closely. I had stopped paddling a LONG time before they swam by. They were about 50 feet away, maybe?

Storyland...

First a disclaimer... Mom and Gram are reading my blog (Hi! Mom, Hi! Gram!) so I'm keeping them up to date on what we are doing. This blog post has nothing to do with scrapbooking or metal effects. If you are just here to read about that, check back tomorrow. I'm off to Be Scrappy and Be Inspired tomorrow. I'll be sure to have some updates then.

Today we went to Storyland. It was a beautiful day for it. We got there at about 10AM. It was slightly cloudy and a nice 75 degrees. You really can't get better weather than that for an amusement park! I've created a little slideshow for everyone to enjoy. The first one is still some pictures from Sunday. Not only did we relax but we went canoeing, fishing, Bryce poured over the map of Storyland (tracking the train, of course!), a fire with Smores, hanging out at the beach and more swimming. We also watched a movie, had popcorn and just had fun together. So I'll show you that one first and then the slide show of today's adventures in Storyland...

Beautiful... Peaceful... What more could I say...

Lots of relaxation today. I hope you enjoy the view...

We're here!

We're here at the camp in Maine. We've already settled and enjoyed the lake. Caleb and Bryce played in the water as soon as we got here...

After Patrick and I brought in all our belongings, we let the boys swim and Patrick brought them out in the canoe.

More of the same planned for tomorrow...

Doo...Dooo. Doooooooo

Guess where I'm going tonight??

I'm off to Maine tomorrow. I hope I'll be able to post from there. Gram assures me there is DSL but we'll see. If I can't, I'll be back next Friday.

Yee HAW!

Not much going on today. I had some errands to do ...bring a TV to the recycle center, pick up my new glasses, test a metal technique out on the Quickutz Revolution but best of them all... stop by Bryce's camp to take some photos.

So what's cuter than a pony with a heart on it's butt?

Why... my very own Cowboy! That's who's!

Tomorrow is the last day of camp. But we're all excited about going to Maine. I've got another busy day tomorrow, I hope I remember to post.

A thunderous day... outside...

Image from Flickr taken by 5380Franco

After all the excitement of yesterday, today is quite thunderous. Outside that is. We've been having huge thunderstorms all day. A branch actually came off one of the trees in my yard and landed beside the barn. It doesn't appear there is any damage. We are having another storm right now. Huge boomers.

So what else is on the agenda for today? Well my Mom came over for lunch. This time we went out. It's not usual I have lunch dates every day, but it is common for my Mom to come over once a week to see us. We ate at Jamie's Restaurant and then went to Dairy Queen. Bryce was at camp so it was just Caleb, Mom and I. A nice lunch out.

I have a cute camp story to share, no pictures today just a story...

So, I know from the agenda that the Magician was at camp today.

Mom: Hey, buddy... did the magician pull a rabbit out of a hat?

Bryce: no, just a Yankee.

Mom: was the rabbits name Yankee or Yankee-doodle?

Bryce: No, Mom. No Rabbit.

Mom: Well what kind of an animal is Yankee?

Bryce: Well, he's kinda like a napkin thing...

Mom: Oh, Bryce... you mean a HANKIE!!!

I was laughing myself silly. Bryce has perfect English. You can understand every word he says, he's 5 so you should. But when he said Yankee, I totally didn't expect Hankie!!! I'm still laughing at it. Just the way he said, No Rabbit. Kinda a napkin thing... Yah, it was precious!

I've had some pretty nice emails about my Metal Fairy. Look below for her picture. Or click here: Metal Fairy. If you can't wait to take a metal effects class, call the Scrapbook Cupboard. (508-378-0008) We still have some spaces left in the Metal Cards Class that Donna Maligno and I are teaching on August 13th. I'll show you how to work the metal and then Donna will show you how to put the cards together!

Metal Effects is really easy to do. You can't really mess anything up when working with it. The hardest thing to fix would be if you put a hole in your project. Metal and holes, well they don't fix all that great. But it can be done! If you want to see who's getting into the metal, check out Donna Downey's blog. She created a beautiful album cover with just some metal and two different molds. Simple and elegant all at once. It just goes to show how versatile the medium can be.

I didn't do any studio work today but I will tomorrow. I've sketched out some stuff so it should be easy creating. I'm kinda lucky, I can create with or without a plan, although with a plan is faster. Yet I almost always deviate from my plan in some form or fashion. I guess it's all part of the creative process, right? I hope your day is a creative one!

A Busy, Busy day!

Another busy day today. It started with my dropping Bryce off at camp and then Caleb and I went off to my meeting. My meeting went very well.

I'm extremely happy to announce that I will be a guest teacher at the Stamp Act in Marshfield, MA. My class will be on Sunday, August 24th from 1-3PM. Here's a few pictures of what we will be doing...




I call her my metal fairy. She's complete with purse and heart wings. She's made from the large doll convertible and 3 different colored metals. If you would like to sign up, you can call the store at 781-837-5890. Space is limited.

After my meeting with Marie, I brought Caleb to the Coffee Shack to get a donut. Marie had recommended it. The woman behind the counter was so nice and kind. The coffee was fabulous! It was a great place to stop. She gave Caleb a free muffin just for being a good boy while I was in my meeting. That rarely happens anymore. It was nice to see that there are still good people in the world. I'll definitely be going there again!


When I got home my baby sister Erika was there.

And Nicole wasn't too far behind.

We all had lunch together. It's not often all three of us are together. I love my Sister's, they are great! Erika is the youngest, she's a hair stylist. Nicole is older than Erika but still 10 years younger than me. She's getting Married in February. Her dress is gorgeous! Here we are all together...

After lunch with the girls, I had emails and phone calls to make. Perhaps another opportunity in the works. Patrick came home and made Eggplant parmesan for dinner and then off to the Scrapbook Cupboard. After working a few hours there, Kerriann and I went out for Ice Cream. Evidently July is National Ice Cream Month and Kerriann really wanted to celebrate.

So we did...

What a great way to end a great day! Thanks, Kerriann!!!

M.O.M.

Today was Bryce's first day of Camp so I brought Caleb to see Pokemon at M.O.M. What a fun time. I've never brought either my kids before. I'm not sure why, it's within my 13 mile/minute radius* and it was cheap enough (only $6 per person). It was a great time, although it only lasted 20 minutes. I wish it could have been a bit more.

Caleb had a great time! I could see him trying to grab the 3D items off the screen! It was too cute!! He's 7 so he can understand the characters aren't there but I guess he just had to try. I probably would have too!

The Pokemon Movie wasn't really that great, it was hard to hear. While Caleb enjoyed it the best part, by far, was when they showed the 'Original Movie' at the end. It's real cool, you travel in a police car, a dune buggy, a roller coaster and a truck but the best part was when you traveled as you would if you were a tie fighter. Caleb was estatic! He loves Star Wars so he was thrilled to see it. He told me after that we were travelling through the Death Star. Ohhh... I'm so glad I did some one-on-one interaction with him today. I did tell Bryce when he got home that when Caleb goes to camp in two weeks we'll do it to. I'm thinking on Wednesday I might bring Caleb to the Go Carts. I think he'll enjoy that!

I've got a couple of appointments tomorrow and then I'll try again to upload video. Keep your eyes peeled!

My webcam...well I tried...

OK, I've fooled around with my webcam before (ask Kerriann, it was hysterical) but I've not posted anything from it. And I guess I won't be today. I tried this morning and then I tried again this evening. I want to make sure that I get this worked out, I might just want to post a technique tutorial someday. You just never know.

I was thinking that I would try to post something on my blog everyday for 6 weeks. Just to get used to it. Of course that sounds good but... well it might not happen. Especially next week when I'm in Maine. I suppose that will depend on the signal I get there. Gram tells me she has DSL, we'll see if I can get on there.

And... I thought I'd also include a little picture of my newly Baptised niece, Mikayla. Ooops, Ok, evidently you'll have to look sideways. I'll have to figure that out too. Better to get the kinks out sooner rather than later, huh!

EDITED:

Here's a picture the correct way...

You gals are the best. THANKS! for the comments. I'm thrilled that at least one person read the blog, nevermind 4 comments already! YAH! Oh, and Mimi asked about subscribing. I put a little widget on the side there so you can. Just in case you want to.

Tomorrow is Bryce's first day at camp. Caleb will stay home with me, I'm thinking about bringing him to see MOM at Jordan's Furniture. I think he'll like that. We'll see.

Class tonight was great! Karyn, Wendy, Sharon, Bree, Sue and Lacey all made beautiful pieces. It's always great to see what others come up with. My next Metal class is the Metal Cards with Donna on the 13th of August then More Metal Techniques on the 22nd of August. Maybe I'll see one of you there!

Almost ready...

I'm almost ready to put this up for everyone to see.

If you've snuck on here, post a comment... let me know what you think.

A good friend of mine mentioned that I should not only talk a bit about my life but maybe do a contest or a challenge. I think I just might. Let me think of something cool to do.

I might as well tell you what I've been doing today... other than putting blog stuff together, I've been playing in my studio. My studio is pretty small but it gets the job done. Here's a few pics of it...

It's messy. Super messy usually once I'm done. Those were pictures I took BEFORE I started playing. Can you imagine what it looks like now? I can't show you. Sorry. I don't want to be cryptic but I have a top secret project I'm working on. So I can't show you what it looks like now. Sorry, you'll have to wait.

Anyhow, not only did I play but I looked up some scrapbook stores in Maine. We're traveling there at the end of the week and I want to look around, see what others are doing. I hardly ever travel to other stores around here, so I might as well do some looking while vacationing!

Tomorrow is a busy, busy day. We have a birthday party (no gift yet, yikes!), a Baptism (no gift yet, double Yikes!!) and I'm teaching the Metal Jewelry Class at the Scrapbook Cupboard (nothing cut and ready yet, triple Yikes!!!). I'll get it done. I have plenty of time. It's only 11:32PM now. The birthday party isn't until 11AM tomorrow!! Plllleeeeeennnnnttttyyyy of time.

Alright, I think I'm gonna start putting my blog address on my emails. Is that cheesy? Let me know...

Let's test this puppy out...

OK, I'm serious. I'm thinking about starting this adventure... blogland adventure. Let's see where it takes me, huh? Wanna join the fun?