Spring Break Escapades

Whew! Talk about a whirlwind these past 2 weeks have been! I flew off to Philadelphia the first week of break to be a part of my dear friend Jennifer's wedding. She was a beautiful bride (of course!) and the wedding and reception were at the amazing Mendenhall Inn. I tell you, the reception area was gorgeous. The big chandelier, the gorgeous purple flowers and the overall hospitality of the place was unbeatable.

I wish I had a few days to see the sights there but between the bridal shower, luncheon, rehearsal dinners and last-minute errands with the bride, my 4 days there went by in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

I met many of Jennifer's friends from Florida, the U.K. and even Australia. The good hearts and sincere warmth of all of Jennifer's friends definitely speaks novels about what an extraordinary person she is.







Meanwhile, hubby and and the kid flew down to L.A. to visit family and spend a day at Universal Studios. A good time was definitely had by the looks of the pictures.







After returning home for a day we ended up taking a last-minute camping trip since warm weather needed to be taken advantage of. We kept it close to home and complete with water since both were hubby's "requirements." The kids enjoyed themselves, Darren caught the only fish of the trip (that's my boy!) and lots of good food and conversation ruled our 3 days there.











So it's back to school today and thankfully I have Mondays off so I am taking the day today to recover from these past 2 weeks.

Oh, and did I mention that we're off camping again in less than 2 weeks? The kids have 4 days off of school for Easter so let the countdown begin: 10 days til takeoff!

Spring Break is here!

Today officially marks our first day off of school (and work for me!) for Spring Break. I always look forward to these 2-week breaks in order to rejuvenate and relax. I managed to finish my Alphabet Soup ATC's for the SiStv swap I'm in. They didn't turn out as planned but isn't that part of the scrapping process? You get one idea in your head and something completely different is the result.



I had these other layouts done a while back but hadn't bothered taking pictures of them and doing the uploading (lazy, I know!) These pages were designed by Nikki Peterson's class last month at Picture Me Perfect. I made a few changes here and there to a few of the pages. Nikki had a SF Giants layout but I couldn't in good conscience NOT change mine to an A's layout.









Ginger and I are having a scrappy day tomorrow at Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley. We are going to do our best to finish LAST year's camping album. For some reason, this album continues to elude us. We just can't seem to get inspired to finish it. I think it's because we have SO many photos from SO many camping trips, it's just become overwhelming. But, with the camping season on our heels, we want to get this album done!

Wish us luck!

Oh, can't wait to get KL's Kenner Road project, "Lovely Vintage" in the mail. It's going to be perfect for my Easter album.

Tim Holtz blog winnings {YAY!} and other random thoughts

As promised, here's what I just got in the mail from Tim Holtz for winning on his blog last week. I'm thrilled!

I ran into this free photo editing program on Amy Tan{gerine}'s blog called Be Funky. Check out these puppies:





Fun, huh?

So, who has been watching American Idol? Any favorites yet? I think it's going to end up being Danny or Adam in the end. I also love Lil Rounds. She reminds me of Mary J. Blige, one of my favorite artists.







Since we're on the subject of music, I bought U2's newest CD, "No Line on the Horizon" and I have to admit that I wasn't wild about it the first time I heard it; but, I am now loving it. I compare the album to an experience. Each song build on the previous one.

I am HIGHLY bummed that their tour dates were released a few days ago and there is not one Bay Area date. I hear they'll be back in 2010 so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll play in Oakland or San Francisco then. Until then, I'll just have to keep listening to the CD and watching their amazing 4-song set I Tivo'd last Friday when they did a live concert for Good Morning America at Fordham University. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Some Tim Holtz Inspiration and Some Luck

So I follow Tim Holtz's blog religiously and I've been posting daily on his blog for the past few days because he's doing a giveaway for 5 winners daily for the next 5 days. Well, I can't believe that I am one of today's winners!! I'm not sure what I'll get in the mail but I'll be sure to post it as soon as it gets delivered to my doorstep. I'm hoping for some of the new alcohol ink colors or one of his new stamps. I adore his designs! Here are a few that I have my eye on:





I watched this video yesterday with him using a dust remover can of compressed air with alcohol inks and glossy paper. It's called the splatter technique and it looks so fun! I don't know how he thinks up these things but I'm sure glad he did!



He also has a new product coming out called the refillable pen.



You put alcohol ink into it and then you can use it to draw or color directly onto Prima paintables or other transparencies. You can check out that demo video on the link above.



I am definitely going to have to get my hands on a few of those pens.

Oh, and Tim Holtz is going to be teaching 2 days of classes at Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley on April 17th and 18th. I hope I get lucky enough to sign up because his classes sell out quickly.

OK, off to try the splatter technique!

Is it March already?

These past few months have really flown by. Where do the days go? I have been looking forward to this particular month because my good friend Jennifer who lives in Delaware is getting married on the 22nd of this month and I am going to be in her wedding. I haven't seen her in a few years so it'll be a fun reunion and wedding wrapped up into one. Here's a picture of her and I in New Orleans back in 2007.



Another occasion I've been waiting for is the release of U2's latest album, "No Line on the Horizon." It comes out on Tuesday and I've already pre-ordered it from iTunes. Yay!





They'll also be announcing their upcoming US tour next week and I hope I can catch a show here in the Bay Area although I really don't want to imagine the ticket prices just yet!

On a crafty note, I hope to work on the last few of the layouts I didn't finish during Nikki Peterson's class a few weeks back as well as starting an 80's themed mini-book using the latest collection from SiStv. It came in the mail on Friday and I can't wait to dig in and use it all. It's filled with a rainbow of colors and bits and baubles of yummy goodness.

OK, off to continue reading the third book of the Twilight series. I'm so addicted!!!