#BisonSelfies

#bisonshoot #photogrid

If there is one message that is prominently displayed wherever bison are present, it is that they are Dangerous and that for No Reason should you get closer than 25 yards. They are huge and move fast... yet there they are, ambling across the road and walking right next to your car/rv! So how do you avoid the danger?
I felt pretty safe behind the glass windows of our motorhome, but you know men, they have to test their bravery (or something). I tried to channel my mother-henning instinct by just being sure to capture his "bravado" on camera.
Like I told the kids, if, God forbid, he gets gored, we at least want to know what happened! All breathed a sigh of selfie'd relief when dad got back in to the safety of our tiny home. A thourough chastising from the girls left him with a slightly sheepish grin on his face as he steered us onto the next vista site...

On the Road Again

Goodbye, Puget Sound!

Spunky looking out at Lake Cour D'Alene

Leaving the Key Peninsula was even harder this time. After a gloriously relaxing summer amongst splendid garden offerring,  we enjoyed reunions with many of our loving friends and family . We spent some much needed time worship as a family. We had spats and struggles, to be sure, but with support systems a plenty, the loneliness I struggled with while we were traveling earlier this year abated. 

We were able to work-something that's incredibly fulfilling to us both. Our kids froliced on a darm, swinging from a lofted rope swing, letting catfish nibble their feet, and foraging for their snacks with a new forever friend.

I walked through twenty year old memories with my parents and shared those special spots with our children.  My best friends both devoted hours to chatting (solving all the problems of the world over good food and better coffee). 

There were many people and places we didn't visit, I'm sad about that. My grandmother continues to age and her memory comes and goes; I worry thst I'm missing out on time I can't get back with her. Will she remember me? My heart aches with love thinking of her.

I console myself with thoughts of the adventures yet to come. Of friends we have to make and family we have long wanted to spend time with.  And the knowledge that, wherever we may roam, we can always return "Home."

Silver Lining

I see a lot of memes on facebook that I totally identify with, and usually just save them to my phone. Occasionally I even print and scrapbook them! This one is just SO the way I feel though, I had to share.
Have you ever struggled with how you are seen by another? Like, it seems so unreasonable, their "take" on you? Boy, I sure do. I think most of my acquaintances see me smiling, a lot, and though I have my beachy moments, in my heart, I am trying to be patient and understanding above all else.
So why does this post strike me... well, I used to be so closed off. I've chosen aloofness and to distance myself more many years, in many instances. But when I met Jaime, I felt it was time to change. I was inspired by her positivity. I think God placed her in my life to show me that, people can change. I know I did. That I continue to evolve. And some people find my kind of cheer irritating, sure. But I'm just going to keep on keeping on, and love them all the harder lol. "Nobody puts baby in a corner," right!?
Since being blessed by so, so many relationships I might not have pursued if I'd remained the same, I've come to appreciate my friendships all the more. I may seem overly optimistic to some, but I'm just trying to share the good news of this life, my meaning of life. Love others, lift them up, look on the bright side. Learn from mistakes, from misfortune, from unbearable sadness. God has a plan for each of us! We know not how each moment impacts the next... if you're ever feeling sad, lonely, unheard, not worthy, please, reach out and let someone like me help you see that silver lining. We all need a little sparkle in our life ♡ #whenindoubtjustaddglitter

Wrapping up our Dog Days

Reason to want to live in Del Mar number 515: Dog Beach. 516:Rock Stacks 517: its Del Mar, Hello!?!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Run off

Hmm, this paint pouring thing might be overly addictive... even the drips that fell onto my scratch paper surface look interesting enough to want to keep! I see an animal dipping his head to drink from a stream of water, how about you?

Sent from Del Mar, CA on my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Colorado Orange

After a scorching few days on the black top in Laughlin, it sure feels good to be down by the Colorado River cooling off. This color really popped across the background, and its pretty fun to heighten that effect with an app overlay... or two. The perspectives highlighted in each photo will surely need to be scrapbooked in the future "-)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Subject Sunset

Thought it would be fun to try to capture this sunset with watercolor paper. Had a bit of trouble with getting the water black enough, but in the end I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.


Then I tried my hand with some Crayola watercolors while we were parked out in the Quartzite desert. Let me tell you it sure was nice, sitting in my lawn chair in a tank top and shorts watching the sun set and painting with a daughter!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Technicolor Travel

With opportunities to create art coming in small batches, Ive found a lot of fun waiting to be had with a few finger flicks. Even the most mundane photos become masterpieces of travel momentoes once I run them through an app filter or two!

My go-tos are PhotoGrid, PhotoLab, Vinci, and Picas, with a little Color Splash Photo and Snapseed thrown in for good measure ;-) Did you know these are all available for FREE!? Sorry, even the best Michael's coupon doesn't compete with that price...

 

So what are your favorite ways to get creative quickly? Must have app(s) to fun-up your features?

Photos are from Joshua Tree National Park, Knots Berry Farms, our indoor #RVLife, & Quartzite BLM land.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Rain in SoCal

I thought the song said "they say it never rains in Southern California"? Well, today it is doing just that, although it's still 60* so I don't think this heavy mist really counts :-)
We were able to put our map reading skills to the test, exploring both Disneyland and LA's La Brea Tar Pits museum this week. Or as I thought of them, two of the happiest and saddest places on earth. I mean, shiny happy people one day, and the bones of animals who'd been trapped in ooey sticky black asphalt seeps the next!
We have set out for a southern spell of San Diego; visiting with friends old and not-met-yet (thanks Sophie), maybe The Zoo, & quite possibly a return to Anaheim to rendezvous with GrammaD all being entertainment options to consider for the next week ♡ Thanks to everyone for your continued well wishes and prayers, your faces are missed!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Disney In A Day

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Ventura wrapup

Sunshine in her hands

We checked the weather for back home and other places we've been along our route today, and have decided that we are in just the right place! 75° sunny and the perfect amount of breeze to cool us while we've been picking oranges and collecting stories about our relatives at my great aunt's house in Ventura ♡
 

After a truly delightful and relaxing time visiting my great Aunt Gladys and her daughters Kelly, Mona, and son Jeff, and cousin Brenda, we are braving the crowded highways of Los Angeles on our way to experience the Magic of CA in a completely different way. Well, I'm sure other families attend the Magic Kingdom hoping for an inexpensive day of fun, but I'm going to attempt to give new meaning to the words "cheap entertainment." My mom and dad always taught me that you don't have to spend money to have fun, and I intend to get over the admission price shock and deny the urge to run from attraction to attraction. I hope we get to see a lot, but there is a lot to see...
Homeschool travel lessons for today: we are researching "maps, and how to navigate with them", as well as, "What is Smog?" Something we Washingtonians-since-birth were blessed to live without ♡

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Lace Waves and Fashion Pants

At the advice of my friend Phaedra, we explored the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center this morning. It was so informative -and interesting too! Then we walked all of the 1000 plus feet of the Ventura Pier and even did a little wave jumping. I'm easing into shorts by wearing my Capri pants lol, don't want to blind anyone :-)

Glass of Sunset

Happiness is... watching your family frolic in the dunes as pre-sunset entertainment. Yep, I'll drink to that! Even Spunky watched tonight.
Thank you for a great day of sightseeing around Morro Bay, Ray!

 

 Thank you for a great day of sightseeing around Morro Bay, Ray!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Mt. Comparison

Although 300 ft lower in height than "our" Mt . Rainier,  Mt. Shasta was still a pretty, beckoning sight as we entered CA for the second time this week :-).

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Thanks Love Card

Thanks Card-

1. Fold a large cream cardstock base in half to 4.25x5.5”

2. Center and Adhere the Large Patterned Paper block to front.

3. Center and Adhere the Medium Patterned Paper block to front*

*if your patterns are the same, turn one to the reverse side for contrast.

4.Center and Adhere a Large Pink Doily.

5. Adhere a yellow stamped “Thanks” banner die-cut to the center of the Doily.

6.Under the banner die cut, center and adhere a Yellow Baker’s Twine Bow.

7. Adhere a yellow stamped “Thinking of You” banner die cut to the inside of your card.

8. Sign the back

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Happy Anything Card

1. Fold a Cream Cardstock Base in half to create a 4.25x5.5” card.

2. Adhere the Dark Green paper strip.

3. Measure a hand’s length of Green Baker’s Twine and cut. 

Tie the twine to the top of the Large Green Tag.

4. Overlapping the Dark Green paper strip, Adhere the Tag.

5. Adhere the Green Paper block.

6. Adhere one “Happy” Die Cut (3 choices).

7. Use a pen to complete your sentiment, i.e. St. Patrick’s Day, (Happy) Everything! , (Happy) Go Lucky

8. Sign the back!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

DIY Banner card

1. Select your favorite large patterned paper and fold in half.

2. Center and Adhere the Large Pink Doily to your card front.

3. Write a cute phrase on a coordinating banner sticker, i.e. I (Heart) You, You Da Man, etc.

4. Adhere the banner sticker to a coordinating small patterned paper strip.

5. Place 3 pop-up squares  to piece #4.

6. Peel off pop-up backings and adhere to the Doily.

7. Adhere Pink Heart Paper Tape to the bottom of the inside of your card, Trim Excess tape.

8. Sign the back!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Washi Tape Tag Card

1. Fold a piece of Pink Cardstock in half to create a 4.25x5.5” card

2. Center and Adhere a Large Pink Patterned Paper block.

3. Select and Adhere an Alternate Patterned Paper block to the front of your card.

4.  Adhere a Large Pink Doily.

5. Adhere a Paper Flower of your choice centered over the Doily.

6. Adhere a Heart Die Cut to the left of the Paper Flower.

7. Wrap the Small Tag Die Cut with a piece of Black Butterfly Washi Tape.

Wrap ends to the back of the tag.

8. Adhere the Tag on top of and to the right of the Heart.

9. Adhere a Pink Rhinestone Gem to the Tag top.

10. Adhere a coordinating Small Paper Strip to the inside of your card.

11. Sign the back!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

RVLife Meets Scrapbooking

There are so many times a day I stop and smile, thinking about how much I love the lifestyle we've chosen. Our space may be smaller but it seems easier to keep clean since we have fewer possessions. When we yell, it's not across the house at each other. When the kids are bored, we can send them outside (or threaten them with more schoolwork bwahaha). Our kitchen is now large enough that Ray and I can do dishes and cook at the same time! There is just one piece of my everyday "normal" that seems to be missing and makes my heart pine for the old place,  and that is...

SCRAPBOOKING.

Not that I don't have supplies along for the ride, oh you know I didn't leave home without them! A lot less if them, yes, but I like to think of that as a great reason to (someday) shop for more. No, what I'm talking about is the luxury I had and yes, took for granted, of being able to make a page at the slightest hint of inspiration. With an open door to my craft room and it's fountain of papers, embellishments and adhesives sitting out at the ready, I could easily start a page on a whim and complete it at my leisure. I loved it when my desk was clean and beckoning to me whenever I went to the bathroom, washed clothes, or, well it didn't matter where I was, the room's siren call would not be long resisted!

Now I must be more thoughtful about how I spend my time when it comes to crafting. Despite having more time on my hands than ever before, I must enjoy that time with my family. I must enjoy the great outdoors outside my door as never before! I have very little time when a hefty baby us not in my arms, and as much as I'd like him to help me, I can't have him touching the things I use i.e. adhesives, etc. It's not a sacrifice I mind making, BUT I do miss the 24/7 make fests I've been in the habit of creating for myself the last decade. I feel like so much of this chapter in our family's life story is being forgotten as it goes undocumented. Guiltily I think, "it's up to me to record all this fun we are having!"

All of this pining made this layout even more satisfying to create. It's the first page I've made since we moved into our moterhime, and the first picture of August I've scrapbooked. This little dude has me completely wrapped around his chubby finger and the sentiment on that large sticker is a nod to our connectivity. On his head he has a small hemangioma that his pediatrician told me is part of his placenta that broke off and was absorbed within the womb... so I like to think we share a special bond and cherish him all the more because of it ♡

So what gets in the way of your creativity? Is it physical, mental, or a combination. I urge you to break the block and "make" some time to follow your passions! Thanks for stopping to get crafty with me today,
♡

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Red Velvet

Next in my series of How She Dunnits, I have the Red Velvet Cupcake Card.

Starting with a white cardstock base cut at 8.5x11" and folded in half, I adhered a 4x5.25" block of red and white polka dot patterned paper flush with the bottom edge. To this I added a pretty white doily I got for free in a large package of 144 doilys in four colors from a gal on the Key Peninsula Buy Nothing site. Boy, do I love free embellishments, and this card features four of them. 
I had a little bit of red velvet paper left from an art journalling class I taught at KPMS last October. A half inch strip of that, notched at either end, made a striking base for my next layer. I love the monochromatic red on red and white on white mixed together.
See that white cardstock circle stamped in red ink with "from the heart ♡"- both free, including the ink! Thank you, Queen & Co. for the circle, Phaedra for the Tim Holz distress ink,  and another Scrappy Sister of mine for the stamp! 
This was a simple card with a lot of impact thanks to that rich red velvet paper in the middle. Any sentiment or color scheme would have made this card design shine, but I think the Red and white were excellent for Valentine's! And no, there's no cupcake involved. .. this is the Organic Anna version lol
So what is your favorite color combo for monochromatic mixes? Better yet, what's your favorite Valentine treat,   spending time with your sweetie or a sweet to eat? Comments below welcome! 

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Silly Pocket Tag Cards h

My life has been pretty hectic the last couple months, leaving very little "me," i.e. craft time. Crafting isn't just a hobby for me, it is also a source of income and more importantly, a therapeutic activity which my mind finds solace in the act of doing. So, going without has a profound and multifaceted effect; my supplies go unused, my talents are not utilized for the good of my wallet, and my creative urges go unsatisfied, leaving me restless and distracted by my desire to MAKE.
I have two upcoming excuses, er, opportunities to Have to do just that; an upcoming Yoda themed birthday painting party for a boy turning 8-and 15 of his friends!- & the Key Peninsula Cooperative Preschool ' s  now annual CraftWithAnna cardmaking fundraiser at Blend, February 10th at 6pm.
I thought it would be fun to share the 6 cards I designed for the event and tell you how I made them, in case you are looking for some inspiration or just want to know, "how'd she do that?"

My first card to share starts with a white card base. To this I've added a pink doily, offset and adhered to the top of the card in the left corner. The placement does not matter, but the bottom will get covered up so leave a fair amount sticking up.
On a red tag I layered a pink square stamped with red hearts. Through the punched hole at the tag top I tied a bit of red Silly String.
Next I ran my tape runner all along the edge and down the middle of a strip of dark red cardstock. I cut about a forearms length of that same red Silly String from Queen & Co.  I got it at convention a few years back. It's stretchy and shiny and oh so fun to use! When I wrapped the string around, I made sure to keep both ends tight against a gluey area, then I ran some more adhesive over those ends, for good measure. Before I placed this wrapped piece on my card base, I slipped that tag in behind.  Another way to say this would be that I made a paper doily, tag, twine sandwich. .. anyway there is a lot of texture going on here.
You could easily replace the Silly String with any kind of fiber; bakers twine comes immediately to my mind. How about you, what's your go-to string of choice? Do you make your tags or buy them pre cut, tie in a knot or tie in a bow- you know I wanna know, comment below :-)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Look at my little boy playing behind his first scrapbook page! Following the traditions of his sisters already <3

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone