Quietfire and Wizards

Yesterday Gladys and I gave each other our Christmas present ~ we got ourselves a Spellbinders Wizard to share.  I currently have custody of it because Gladys has some projects that she has to finish for Christmas.  I on the other hand have nothing but time to take this puppy out for a test drive.  That's not entirely true, there are a million things I should be doing...    So I've cut and embossed and cuttlebugged and so many more things... once again I have no idea what I am doing but am having a great time anyway. 

This all started with an innocent enough visit to see Suzanne at Quietfire Designs yesterday afternoon.   We were looking for some sentiment stamps specifically for Christmas cards and she has some of the most beautiful ones I've seen.  Check out her website (and Blog)  http://www.quietfiredesign.com/

So we were wandering around her remarkable space, full to the brim of every Art supply known to woman (and many I have never heard of) and one thing led to another and before you know it we were cutting and embossing with her Wizard.  The coolest stuff!  http://spellbinderspaperarts.com/

So today this is what I have done.  Note,  not one card was assembled in the makings of this day!

I cut the star and forgot to emboss it before I removed it from the star "nestability" so I decided to emboss it with the poinsettia Dreamweaver stencil.  It's very pretty :-)

Here's another Dreamweaver stencil that Gladys already owned.  Yes, we do love trees.

I messed up the cutting on the vellum stars but it was a happy accident because they fold out 3D so nicely!  And yes, that is black paper... destined for a Christmas card.  I have been hanging out with Gladys a long time now!

I don't know what I will do with this one but its the left over ink from tree stencil that I brayered onto a piece of scrap paper.   Maybe it should go in a journal page, that is, if I ever start one.

These are some of the stamps Suzanne made, her caligraphy is brilliant.

I did decide to "muck" with my oh so simple cards after all.  They just needed a little bling.  So I added some stitches and dots with a jelly roll pen called clear star.  It really did perk these up.  Suzanne had the perfect stamp for these cards.  I think that "All hearts come home for Christmas" really does belong inside a card  for Peace.

This little lantern I made following directions in a book Gladys got from her book club.  It has an LED tea light in it so it's very safe, and quite cute I think. I'm toying with the idea of making some miniature ones for my Christmas tree.

friends and family ~ rock solid

So, this is what happens when Gladys comes over and we play!!! The objective of the day was to explore flickr and picnic but somehow we got shanghaied into Picasa. Gladys wanted to know how to collage a series of her pictures and before you know it.... tada! We were away.

This particular collage is not one I will attempt again anytime soon as it took lots of memory (and time) to percolate. But what a fun tool we have found.

The other great thing that happened today (besides having my sister and nieces sing Happy Birthday on my answering machine) was spending time with Gladys made me appreciate how very lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family (she is actually both!) I totally crawled out of the maudlin little pit I dug for myself last night. I know from experience that time really does heal all wounds; you just have to give yourself the opportunity to feel the grief in order to overcome it.  I think I get that now.

Rainbow Quiz

Try out this fun personality quiz.... my friend Gladys found it and I'm sharing her discovery.

Your rainbow is intensely shaded orange, indigo, and white.

What is says about you: You are a contemplative person. You appreciate a challenge. Others are amazed at how you don't give up. Friends count on you for being honest and insightful.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Painted garbage cans! What's next?

Yesterday Gladys and I painted a garbage can.   Now I know that sounds odd but I have to tell you it was the most fun I've had in ages.  It's a gift for her son who undoubtedly has a great sense of humour.   She got this idea from a set of pasta bowls that she is giving him, and from the fact that his family is so large they need a full size garbage can in their kitchen. Hard to imagine isn’t it!

The first picture really makes me smile because Gladys is the only one there with a head. (And NO she isn't standing in the can).   For quite a while the fat chef’s were all headless. It was most disconcerting. Once they got heads it even got weirder because none had faces yet. We decided to finish the faces with sharpie pens so the paint has to be really set for that step. I can hardly wait!  Our base coat was Krylon paint for plastic and it was fantastic coverage.   http://www.krylon.com/products/

I love that I remembered my camera for this event, and  I love even more that I can record it in a blog. Now I will have this day forever. Yay!

The more art blogs I read the more I am beginning to realize it isn’t just about the photos or the art that is being produced. It’s about the process and the recording of time going by (so very very quickly).   We are all making a visualtrack of our lives.  Am I allowed to makeup words here?  

Well, Yes I am.    This is my blog.

Here a brief look at our progress ~ with one bonus picture of the cutest (and he knows it) dog in the world.
Fat Chef Weekend pic's slideshow

May 21 ~ Favorite day so far

I have been waiting for this since I got here. Today we got up early (what’s new Gladys would say) and took the bus down to Pier 17. We walked along FDR drive to the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. The weather was remarkable for our foray across state lines. The bridge itself is even more magnificent up close and everybody who told us we couldn’t come to New York and NOT walk the bridge was so right.

The amount of people going into and out of Manhattan Island via the bridge is surprising and the rigid division between pedestrian and bike lane startling. God help you if you step into the bike lane!

Looking back at Manhattan Island from the bridge was a real kick.  Look at those skyscapers!

Here I am with my foot in the Atlantic Ocean for the very first time.  I'm a Pacific ocean gal!

From the park at the base of the bridge on the Brooklyn side of the Hudson river, the view of the city is spectacular.  It's too bad Linda decided to go back to the city on the bus.  Gladys and I are crazy enough to want to walk back!  It must be at least 95 degrees today. Whew!  Starbucks, here we come for iced coffee.

Just look at this tower of strength. 

What a feat of engineering.

http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn/

Day two, New York City

It took me the entire day yesterday to get here so for me this is really day one in The City that never sleeps. Our day began with Linda getting up at the crack of dawn (even though we went to bed minutes before the crack appeared) running across the street and getting us coffee, tea and of course bagels for breakfast. What a woman!

We headed directly to Times Square to pickup our hop-on hop-off bus and New York City passes thanks to a great tip given to us by a friend from work. Once Gladys got through interviewing (and I say this with only the most love and respect) the multi-national fellows who sell the passes, we got on our first open top double decker bus and were off!  http://www.allnewyorktours.com/city-tours/hop-on-hop-off-tours

We had agreed to ride the entire tour, listen to the history and info spiel of the guide and then decide where we wanted to hop off on the next round. We didn’t make it very far when we hopped off because some store or other caught our eyes. It took most of the day but we managed to hop back on and finish the tour. Wow, this is some city. We all bought pashmina’s from a street vendor to ward off the chill of the upper deck of the bus. And we learned to duck really fast... the buses just sail under the trees and street lights. Amazing.
Battery Park

Along the way we all madly snapped pictures. This particular building is just one of the structures that makes New York an architectural wonder.

http://www.iacbuilding.com/interactive/content.html

Arrival ~ The Big Apple

This can't be real. That's my first thought after arriving in New York City. Am I really here? I left my rural BC home at 9 am this morning and here I am sitting on glowing red stairs in Times Square. I flew into La Guardia, NJ from Vancouver today. It was the best flight I’ve been on, mostly because the plane was ½ empty and sadly because Sweetie wasn’t sitting beside me saying “do you think that engine sounds funny? ... I really think there’s something wrong”.    Needless to say, he really hates to fly.

So I flew across the continent by myself, rather intrepid I must say! I feel like I have arrived in another world by the time I reach the baggage claim area. I have never heard so many different languages spoken in one small area. What I would later realize is very indicative of New York City.

I met a funny interesting woman named Sandy as we were waiting forever for our luggage. Turns out she was from the Island and had traveled alone but was meeting friends as was I. We decided to travel to our respective hotels together. Best idea of the day! Our cab driver and I use the term loosely was nothing if not NUTS. For some reason he was obsessed with bad 70’s TV shows and the entire trip from New Jersey into Manhattan he was paying more attention to his DVD player than the road.   Hair raising... and oddly... entirely expected.    I was very relieved to be deposited outside my hotel in one piece but felt guilty that Sandy had to travel on.

By the time I got checked in it was midnight but I was still shocked that Gladys was in bed. I must note that she is on day 7 of a whirlwind trip to New York via Pittsburgh. Needless to say I dragged her out of bed; we met up with Linda who had also just checked in.... and off we went to Times Square. I am so glad my first look was at night. It is truly spectacular, pictures just don’t do it justice.   Thank goodness Gladys had the forsight to bring her camera because these two pictures are hers!

The first picture I have taken this trip is the view from our hotel room window.  You might not think much of it, but to me it was beautiful.   I have dreamed of this moment... my dream included a rooftop terrace complete with  billowing curtains, landscaped gardens, wonderful wine and a stereo pumping out Barbra Streisand - that should give you some idea of what year my dream began.  Not exactly the New York from my dreams, it's bigger and grittier and so much more alive than I could ever imagine....

Day one ended with Gladys, Linda and I across the street from our hotel at Smith's Bar laughing, drinking and plotting until almost 4am.   Linda fed us pizza from a nearby vendor, and this set the tone for the entire trip. I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO WAKE UP TOMORROW MORNING!