What I've Been Up To

Here's proof that I've been busy...aka...this is what I've been up to lately. Starting from the top....This is a shadowbox project featuring the new 7gypsies Barcelona papers. Next is the new Photo Tray. It's a new product this release and is quite fun to work with. I like the size of each section and it worked perfectly for a holiday home decor project. The papers are from the 7gypsies flocked red Savannah line. The embellishments are all either 7gypsies or vintage finds. The grandkids are all ours! The next project is the August creative team challenge. 7gyspies is coming out with a new clear stamp of bird images. It's very cute...you'll love it. Our challenge was to create birds using the images from the new clear stamp (we didn't have the stamps...only a picture of what they'd look like) using any media we chose....paper, fabric, metal, whatever we wanted. It wasn't my favorite project ever. But it was okay. The next project is the July challenge. We were each given a different sized artist canvas that we were to alter using the new 7gypsies Victoria paper line. I used four different patterned papers, some vintage lace, a 7gypsies bingo card from their ephemera packet and a picture of one of my ancestors, Olivia Talbot. I used pages from an old dictionary around the sides. It's tied with a piece of vintage ribbon and embellished with an old clear button. The final project is the new 7gypsies Photo Stand. I used the new Barcelona papers along with the Nottinghill 6x6 paper pack and some papers from the Gypsy Market line. I think the Barcelona paper is my new favorite. It's so versatile and fun to use. I made dividers to put between the photos in the photo sleeves (that come with the photo stand) to separate the various sections and to add a little description/journaling about each section of photos. Whew! That's a huge load off my mind to have the projects all finished and delivered to Deb so she can take them to CHA this week. So I'm done with projects....only until the next one. I know I have a granddaughter wanting to make a summertime album and another who wants to spend the day making jewelry. Anyone else with a request??

Lazy Days of Summer

I guess you could say I've been lazy....not updating my blog and all. But I promise, I've been busy. Really.
The creative team for 7gypsies has been given several "assignments" this month. I can't say too much, since most of the items relate to new products to be released next week at CHA in Orlando. However, I can say that they are coming out with a new clear stamp set. Our first assignment was to create something in the image of at least one of the new stamp images. We could use any material we chose. That was definitely a challenge. Let me just say that I was glad when I'd finished that one. I'll post pictures next week after the big release. The second challenge was to alter an artist's canvas using the new line of paper to be released. That was a much easier assignment and one I enjoyed doing so much that I made a "practice" one and thoroughly enjoyed the process as well as the end result. Here is my practice canvas using the Gypsy Market paper line. The picture is an ancestor of mine, Suzannah Talbot.

I was also given three projects to complete for CHA next week. I'll post pictures after next week. I've finished one, but the other two will have to wait until the paper arrives. Hopefully, tomorrow it will be here. No pressure....but I have to have them back to Deb by next Wednesday!! Yikes! I have them all planned out and ready to go as soon as the paper arrives. Cross your fingers that the big brown truck stops by our house tomorrow!
For one of the projects, I had to take pictures of the grandkids. It's a Christmas project and I needed holiday pictures. Since it's nearly impossible to get them all together, let alone all looking at the camera/smiling at the same time, I opted to take their pictures individually. Mark helped me rig a "studio" on the carport. We bought a huge painter's tarp and we hooked it over a rope strung across the carport so we could take advantage of the good sunlight. The tarp was large enough that it was not only the backdrop, but also the "floor" for the pictures. We set up a small artificial tree that I'd tied red bows onto and I used both my fun red stool and an old wooden chair as "props" for the kids to sit on. They were great sports because it was deathly hot every time we took pictures. Thanks to my kids and grandkids for helping make this possible. I'll share one photo of each of the grandkids.





I've also been busy going with grandkids to Mark's summer program activities. Erin took her girls one day last week to see the Bradys and the desert animals.


And last Tuesday we went to the Diamondbacks' game with Dan and his family. We were lucky enough to get a great shot of Mark and Matthew with Baxter the Bobcat (the team mascot). Coincidentally, Mark found out that he knows the guy who is Baxter. Small world.

And lest I forget, we were able to go to Gammage Auditorium last week to see Wicked. It was a wonderful play with great music. Erin, Brian, Eliza and Libby went, too. The girls particularly enjoyed it because they listen to the sound track and know the songs well. Libby struggled a little bit at the end to stay awake, but she made it and was happy she did.

Last Saturday was Eliza's last swim meet of the summer. She did really well and has greatly improved over the summer. She got one third, two seconds and her relay team took first place. Way to go, Eliza. She was the anchor leg of the race and when she realized that they'd won, she was so excited.

On Tuesday of this week, the summer program went to Broadway Palm again to see Jungle Book. Brian and his kids got to go this time, so I went along with them. They LOVED it....even Luke. Dallin got tickled when Baloo was trying to run away from the monkeys and he was able to help the monkeys find him. He just giggled outloud. It was funny.


And today the summer program kids went to see Harry Potter. I couldn't pass up the chance, so I tagged along. It was a good movie. I was glad that I remembered enough about the books I read to keep up and to recall the various characters.
Tonight I finished the Christmas project and tomorrow I'll wait for the new papers to arrive. In the meantime, it's off to Wet & Wild. I hope it's not too hot!! Who am I kidding??

Happy Birthday, America!

As a family, we got together tonight to "celebrate" the Fourth of July. We met in Mesa at Oregano's for dinner. It was such a fun time. Mark and I, along with Erin, sat at a large table with eight of the nine grandkids. They all wanted to sit together. So we all sat at one table and the rest of the parents and Luke sat at the other table. While we waited for our pizzas, they brought out small pizza pans and a ball of pizza dough for each of the kids to play with while they waited.








That was the best idea. They kids had a ball playing with their dough. They were just disappointed, though, that they didn't cook their crusts. Oh, well. Some of them just ate some of the raw dough. Kids! The pizza was good and when it was gone, we ordered pazookies. We should have ordered 3, but those at our table split 2. The kids kept asking for another helping. They LOVED it. After dinner, we gathered on the restaurant patio for a group picture.



Aren't they just the cutest kids you've ever seen? I wish we could get together like today more often. We'll have to make that a goal.

Girls' Camp!

This week Mark and I have been at girls' camp. It was at Camp Lo-Mia in Pine, AZ. It's the same camp I went to from the time was 12 years old! Some things (but not a lot) have changed. It was a wonderful camp for the girls. However, it was a bit stressful for Mark. Monday morning started off with the busses being almost two hours late!

There was no answer at the bus company and their voice mailbox was full, so you couldn't leave a message. By the time they got to the stake center, everyone was already hot, but eager to get on the bus and get going to camp. The theme of camp was, "Once Upon a Time". The thought behind was it was that the girls are writing their own stories and how it turns out, is up to them. There were lots of princess things/fairy tale sorts of things/crowns and bling. The stake camp leaders had a different customized outfit for each day of camp.



They even had matching blinged-out jammies. So darling! The YCLs had a different personalized t-shirt for each day. They were cute, too. And they also had lots of bling. Even the Caper Queen decked out her wagon with rhinestones and fun decorations. Anyone would want to clean with those tools!




The cooks even got into the swing of the theme. The first night, they had a royal feast and all of the table decor/dishes were fit for a queen or a princess. They even named the various foods at each meal with royal names. Everyone went far and above what was expected. It rained a good little rain the first afternoon. It was so refreshing and really cooled things off nicely. Mark and I had planned on spending the nights at the Best Western in Payson. However, after we got there, Mark said he felt like he needed to stay at camp this year. So we got the luxury accommodations of the "honeymoon suite". All I can say about that is that we survived.



We hadn't planned on staying at camp, so I had to quickly run to Wal-Mart to purchase bedding, pillows, towels, wash cloths and some bar soap. The worst part of camp was that a couple of girls had to be sent home, and Mark was the one who got to deal with them and their mothers. That wasn't his favorite time of all. But he did what needed to be done and tried to make it as painless as possible. There was lots of wildlife at camp. We saw several deer, a squirrel or two, several robins, 3-4 rattlesnakes (yes, they were alive!), a coral snake, a rat and a skunk. Personally, I saw the squirrel, robins, one of the rattlesnakes and the skunk. The first night I got up to use the restroom and when I walked toward the bathroom, Janet Frampton was on the couch reading a book. I asked her if she knew why the lodge door was open. She wondered the same thing, so I went to shut it. About halfway through the dining area of the lodge, I noticed a skunk going to town on some food under one of the tables. I quick retreated and closed an inside door that separated the skunk from the stake staff. I decided to use a different restroom and hurried to bed. The next morning, skunkie was out of the lodge, but his crumbs were all over the floor. Someone had dropped some strawberry shortcake from the night before, and he sure enjoye it! We saw the rattlesnake across from the sacred grove. He'd just eaten, so he was a bit lethargic and wasn't moving around a lot, but he sure rattled. They called the fire dept. to come get it, and he sure was mad when they picked him up. I'd estimate that he was between 4 and 5 feet long. EEK! They put him in a 5-gallon bucket and were going to relocate him away from camp. He did not like being the bucket and tried with all his might to push the lid off. The third day of camp was hike day. The first, second and third year girls went on a hike and the fourth year girls went canoeing. After the girls returned to camp, the stake staff had a Royal Spa area set up in a grassy spot by the craft cabin.



They'd set up shade awnings and three kid's blow-up pools. The pools were filled with cold water and the weary hikers could soak their tired feet, and were given neck and shoulder massages. They were also given ice cream bars to enjoy while they enjoyed their spa time. The stake leaders thought of EVERYTHING. It was a very spiritual camp and one I won't soon forget.



We had to leave on Wednesday night because Mark had to be back at work today. We left camp about 7:30 pm and were planning on being home by 10. It was raining hard when we left camp and it was beautiful. As we were coming down off the mountain and were about 15 miles east of Camp Verde, we were coming around a curve and it looked like there had been a small rock slide and there were rocks on our side of the road. There wasn't time to swerve around them, and we hit the biggest one, of course! Almost immediately the tire was flat and we limped to the side of the road. Luckily, we had cell phone service and could call AAA. But when Mark got out his AAA card, he noticed it had expired the day before. Just our luck. But he called anyway and the lady let him renew over the phone and restore our service. They sent out a tow truck and the kind man changed our tire. There was very little room on the shoulder of the road, so he was just barely off the road. Sort of scary. And it was very dark. Luckily, though, it had stopped raining.

He got the donut tire put on and we were on our way, but he told us we couldn't drive more than 50 mph on the donut. Do you know what it's like travelling on the freeway at 50 mph? You feel like you're parked and everyone else is zooming past. But we finally made it home around 12:30 am. We're grateful we made it home safely. In the daylight today, we looked at the flat tire and there was a 4"+ gash through the tire and a slight dent on the tire rim. We were lucky. It will be a memorable camp, for sure! But today was back to work and back to reality.