Summer Road Trip: Alaska

Thursday, June 28, 2018
Hey Y'all!

This summer has been all about our graduate getting to do epic things before she leaves for college. Her requests were Alaska and the giant redwoods of California. I got to add the Young Living Lavender Farm and seeing coastal areas along the way. Although the Pacific Northwest is not what I would call my perfect beach, they are beautiful and rustic and something that I am glad that I got to experience.


When I last updated about the trip we had reached Seattle. We spent a couple of days visiting family and seeing the area and then we loaded up on the Explorer of the Seas.



We had wonderful weather on the trip. Not as cold as it was in years past and a lot more sunshine. We spent our first day at sea. This was a great time to just chill and watch the ocean. It was cool enough that you needed to wear jeans to be out on the balcony but you didn't have to have a heavy coat. I ate breakfast out there and it was wonderful.



Our first port was Juneau. We decided not to book any tours on this trip and boy am I glad that we didn't. We walked around Juneau and then took the bus out to Mendenhall glacier. AC was hoping that we would be able to walk out on it but you aren't that close. There are some well kept trails that allow you to walk to a waterfall and then out to the ocean. The weather decided that we needed to experience what the locals call "liquid sunshine"... it started to sprinkle on us.








Our next stop would blow you way... literally! Skagway means strong winds and windy it was. The locals we visited with said that gusts can get upwards of 50 miles per hour, but we were there on a calm day. HAH! The winds gusts were 10-20 miles per hour the day we were there. We ate lunch in a local bar/ restaurant before we did a walking tour around the city, found a t shirt and head back to the ship.














Next up for us was Tracy Arm and what we thought would be Steward Glacier. The captain informed us that there was too much ice and that we would try the Dawes Glacier instead. I was sad that we couldn't get very close to this one either. The last trip we took we say Steward Glacier and got what I would consider really close. The best part about this glacier was getting to see the seals and their pups from our balcony.













Our last stop was in Victoria, Canada. Again we didn't plan a tour so we walked around. The walk over to the center of town was beautiful! We saw the Parliament Building, the harbor, China Town, and The Empress hotel. We found a pub overlooking the harbor and had lunch. It was a nice break from the ship.










IF you have never traveled to the western US or up to Alaska, add it to your bucket list! This is the most beautiful area! The landscape is so different from home and Alaska is stunning.

I would LOVE to be your Stampin'Up! Demonstrator!


If you are in the United States and not currently working with a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, you can order supplies in my online store, here.


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Get Ink'd #11 deerly miss you card

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Hey Y’all!
We are still on our annual road trip. Today’s card  I’m calling “Deerly Miss You”. I love puns and this card hints at that. I build the deer from Foxy and Friends stamp set and used the new 2018-2020 In Colors.


 The base  card is a top folding 5.5” x 4.75” crumb cake card.  I used Blueberry Bliss and Lovely Lipstick cardstock and the DSP stack to match the 2018-2020 In Colors. I LOVE this DSP because it is all stripes and dots! It come in all the color families. This is going to be a staple in my crafty space (aka the dinning room table).  Diamond gem stones add a finishing touch.

If you do not have a stamparatus yet or where a hold out like me, you are going to want one. From the moment I got the email about the stamparatus, I said “nope that’s not something I need”.  I watched all the videos and listened to everyone else talk about how it was a game changer and I though… um nope. And then I used one. After eating my words, I’m here to say yes you need on and yes it is worth EVERY penny! For just about every objection that you have, I can share with you a project that wasn’t possible or was so much easier using the stamparatus!

I made this card as a swap. It takes 4 stamps to make one image. Not a big deal, right? But I wanted each one to look EXATLY alike.  Eyes in the same place, antlers in the same place, legs in the exact same spot! That is where a stamparatus was a LIFE saver!!!  Boom 25 deers later and they all look the same. 

I hope that you are inspired to create something today!



I would LOVE to be your Stampin'Up! Demonstrator!


If you are in the United States and not currently working with a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, you can order supplies in my online store, here.


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Throw Back Thursday #1 Party Pandas

Thursday, June 21, 2018


Happy Thursday Y'all!
Have you ever seen a stamp set and fallen in absolute love with it? If you ask my husband that happens daily for me,  and maybe it does… today’s card is made with one of my all time favorite stamp sets! Party Pandas had me at hello and I still love them today!

One thing that is VERY important to me is to be a crafter first and foremost.  This means buying and blogging about the sets, techniques, and products that I love and use. Each year Stampin’ Up!  does retire stamp sets and products; and just like you I am sad to see some things go. Tempting, as it is to do a BOGO sale, I want to remain true to the idea that I am a crafty blogger first.  This is a bonus for you, my reader, because the sets I go googoo over will be the sets that I continue to blog about. My hope is to continue to inspire you to use the things you have purchased. 

Today’s card is one that I have made over and over again. There is something about the cheerful Party Pandas and the bright colors that makes my heart happy. One tip that I have learned along the way… thin craft foam! After I have die cut the windows that the pandas are going to pop out of, I lay the card front on a piece of white craft foam and mark where the windows are. Then I use a circle die that is larger than the windows on the card to make windows in the craft foam. This makes the card a little more stable. 

I used sponges to fill in the colored area behind each window. You could use any shape to make your windows and any color or Designer Series Paper in those windows.  A quick google search shows that this window card idea is not my original idea, but I think you’ll agree that it makes a super cute card!

I hope that you are inspired to create something today!


I would LOVE to be your Stampin'Up! Demonstrator!


If you are in the United States and not currently working with a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, you can order supplies in my online store, here.


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Summer Road Trip: time with family

Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Hey y'all!!

 Man do I miss my studio (aka the dinning room table) and being able to create things. But if I am totally honest, I had gotten to a place where my muse was tire. LOL! This summer I didn't have any commitments back home so I decided to stay the whole time on our family road trip. Several years ago, my mother in law retired and bought a pull behind camper. Her dream was to make memories with her grandchildren before they left the nest. This year our oldest is leaving the nest so this trip is bigger than in the past. And I decided to stay the whole time... not gonna lie camping is NOT my thing! I do not like being without air conditioning and the mosquitos tend to use me as a buffet.

Yeah, camping is not my thing BUT my kids are. And with Anna Claire leaving for college in the fall I didn't want to miss a minute with her. I currently have lots of bug bites but I am adding lots of great memories too. Our plan was simple, leave home the day school let out (or I was off contract) and head west to Seattle to board a ship and travel to Alaska. This was the thing Anna Claire wanted for her graduation trip... a cruise to Alaska. Once back from Alaska, travel down through the redwoods and Yosemite National Park. Then start back east to home.

I have already shared the trip to the Young Living Lavender Farm. Today I'm adding some photos from our time in Seattle. In a later post I will share Alaska and the redwoods!







I would LOVE to be your Stampin'Up! Demonstrator!


If you are in the United States and not currently working with a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, you can order supplies in my online store, here.


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