Attended Tim Holtz Class

Today my sister, Maryl and I attended a Tim Holtz class. It was taught at Scrapbook Island in San Jose...it's a great store!

They gave all the students leis to wear.

The project we made was called, Creative Blocks. It was a fun project - we learned lots of new techniques.

 The class was really large, about 70 people, but it was very well organized and comfortable.

I was happy to see a few people I knew: Daniela and Nicky from Scrapbook Territory and not pictured, Ingrid.

The project used three mini canvases on one larger one. No scissors were used today!

Work in progress.

My finished project

Maryl's project

What a fun day, Tim is a great teacher, I can't wait to take another class from him.

New Anna Grffin Stamp

I just bought an Anna Griffin stamp from ebay that I just love. My sister Lana used it on some ATC cards that she made and I thought it was just lovely, so I had to get one for myself. I'm pretty sure the stamp was released awhile ago, it was produced by All Night Media. Here's a few projects I made with it today.

Tomorrow I'm taking a Tim Holtz class at Scrapbook Island in San Jose. I'm really looking forward to it, should be fun.

Last Vacation Pics

We're back home tonight after a wonderful vacation in Hawaii. I just wanted to share a few more great moments we had. My son, Christoper, will be a Junior next year, so thinking about college is around the corner. We decided to take a tour of Hawaii University while we were there.

Nice tennis courts.

Dorms

The University was really nice, much larger than I had expected.

Then, I was lucky enough to be in Hawaii when they were having their Hawaii All-Collector's Show. Thanks to my sister Lana for letting me know. It was a show for all sorts of things: toys, coins, vintage items, Hawaiian items, you name it, it was there. It was fun to check it out.

 My favorite booth was Vintage Rose. They sold items from Lilla Le Vine (http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/lilla.html). I bought this purse from them.

One of our favorite activities to do in Hawaii is snorkeling and Hanauma Bay has to be one of the best spots. We love seeing all the tropical fishes there, it's like swimming in a fish tank.

Whenever I go vacation, I take images to cut. I love to cut! So, before I leave, I make sure to print out and stamp images, so that during any down time (airplane ride for example) I can just cut. Well, it looks from the picture, that I had lots of down time, but I just did a little bit every morning...anyhow, this is everything that I cut from this trip. This is going to make a lot of projects!

And on a last note, I'm going to hold another workshop at my house on Saturday, Aug. 20th. The theme is "Shrink Plastic". Thanks to Tricia and Deb for suggesting the theme. If you're interested, let me know! I'll post more info soon.

Cameras Are Not Water Proof

Okay, most cameras are not water proof. Yep, I brought my daughter's camera into the water park, against her wishes, so I could take some pictures of the fun rides there. I didn't want to bring mine in because it's larger than hers. I guaranteed her it would be fine - NOT. 

I kept the camera in a plastic bag...

Inside a "water proof" container...

but somehow it still got wet and now her camera doesn't work.

 

Luckily the memory chip still works, so I was able to get the pictures off.

We love the water park on Oahu. It's so warm here, that when you get splashed - it feels great and the water on the rides is not cold.  We buy a season pass and go the water park a couple times each visit. It's a must do activity if you go to Oahu...just don't bring your camera!

More Vacation Pics From Hawaii

Makapu'u Lighthouse on Oahu

It's a 40 minute hike to the top of the Lighthouse hike, but what a beautiful view once you're up there. Down below there a couple of natural pools where you can see some people swimming.

We're big fans of Hawaii Five-O and loved to see the scenes from the show...

Status of King Kamehameha

Iolani Palace

Here the kids are snorkeling at our favorite beach, Lanikai.

It's a really nice beach in a residential area. The sand is really fine and the water seems warmer here. The coral is beautiful and you can see some really nice fishes and as you can see, not a lot of people either.

Shangri La

definition: A remote paradise place on earth.

What a great way to start a vacation then to visit Doris Duke's home in Hawaii known as "Shangri La". Doris Duke was once known as the richest little girl in the world. If you want to read a bit about her: http://www.biography.com/articles/Doris-Duke-9542083. She had built a beautiful home on Oahu.

Her pool and playhouse

Living room with glass walls that retract into the ground

Her own harbor

We couldn't take any pictures inside the home, but it was beautiful!

So, needless to say, we're back in our paradise on earth, Hawaii. We couldn't wait to eat at some of our favorite places again.

Our favorite restaurant for Ramen

Yum...Malasada!

Hope you're having a great summer!

Renegade Craft Fair and More...

Today, I went to the Renegade Craft Fair at Fort Mason in San Francisco with my sisters. The show is also on Sunday, so if you're in the area (or have nothing to do) you should check it out. Admission is free!

I was trying on this lace choker.

We watched this guy make a cute wool felting animal.

These are the items I purchased from the fair.

Then we headed over to Ghirardelli Square to go to the store Crown & Crumpet. It's an adorable store/restaurant. They serve tea and crumpets and have a small gift shop section. Don't you just love that 'Open' sign?

We also found this other adorable store at Ghirardelli called Gigi & Rose.

Next stop was this quaint French store in the city called, Bell'occhio.

I wasn't allowed to take any pictures inside, but it was very cute and filled with little French items. Here's some of the items we purchased.

And if you happen to visit this French store, you have to stop by Flax - a huge art store, just a block away. I could have spent hours in there.