Home at last....and Captiva was amazing!

We rolled in just a bit ago and will post pics over the next few days of both the crop and the wonderful time Jill and I had on Captiva the past couple of days. Right now all I want to do is have a cold beer and chill. Love to all,

Update Hoe Down Crop Day Two

Yesterday was jam packed with fun and laughs. We met at the crop hall around ten for Gerri-anne's amazing class. She had the students working with Grunge board, crackle paint, Glimmer Mist, distressing inks, chipboard and acrylics...wow. The class was everything you could want in a class and more!

Lunch was a yummy chicken salad and great side dishes but supper was the crowing glory. Janet's husband spent long hours grilling up chicken and ribs and we had sides of mouth watering potato salad and baked beans.

I did manage to finish off a layout for my Nana album early in the morning and, during the afternoon and evening, finished my new kit for KnK which will premiere Oct.1 using the Retired Let's Do Lunch mini chipboard house and the Little Yellow Bicycle Halloween papers. This cute (if I do say so myself) little haunted house is a must have so don't miss it when it goes up for sale at www.knkclub.com. Pictures to follow later...camera and memory card are in the crop hall.

Kip Mitchell will also be premiering a Halloween themed mini album on Oct. 1 for KnkClub and, knowing our Kipper, it will be stunning. So, don't delay on Oct. 1 and order them both.

The highlights of the evening were a presentation by Sonia (aka Sophia)to G-a on behalf of so many of us, to Gerri-anne congratulating her for one wild and successful year as owner of KnK Club. The second highlight was the arrival of the Hoe Down Bandit who entertained us with 'his' antics and the give aways from KnK and Scrapbooks Etc. lss here in Bonita Springs WOW. You'll just have to check out the pictures later this evening when I can post them...this has to be seen to be believed

It is almost time for me to get myself organized and walk. I did about 3 miles yesterday and then had an omelet from Perkins Have done pretty well keeping to South Beach despite all the temptations.

More later...love to all.

Reporting live from the Hoe Down Crop

For some reason I can't upload pictures but if you would like a good laugh, check this out

http://picasaweb.google.com/JulesinParadise/HoeDownCrop#

More to come...we are having far too much fun and even getting a bit of scrapping done too!

One more day til the Hoe Down Crop

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...on the first of each month, I write and illustrate a tech column on the message board at Kit n Kaboodle (knkclub.com)and this month, G-a gave me the Hambly white frames overlay to play with.

I used Krylon ink in gold to do the frame for the heritage picture, a gilding process and Dew Drops for the flower and Adirondak pens in Eggplant and Pesto for the photo of the mermaid sand sculpture. I glittered on a 4th. but don't really think that one worked out as well as the other three. The details on the techniques are up at Knk. Just request a membership to access the mb.

Today is filled with packing, packing and more packing. Hope your day is a good one!

Some days we sit and some days we spin

and today was a sit AND spin kind of day. We did get our ride in out at Howard Park but, as goes the days of our lives, so went the morning. We missed riding out to the beach by one day. The causeway to the beach from the park closed yesterday. We did have a nice ride though and will go back!

We got my space over the closet in here put back together...E made me a second tier shelf. And we did get the guest room already for Jill. So that was a spin kind of thing. And, no...I am not packed for the crop but a box in here is filling rapidly with all sorts of 'have to takes'. I'm off Friday morning for the KnK Club/Scrapbooks Etc lss Hoe Down crop in Bonita Springs!

I went out for refills for my Hermafix and came back with 2 candles from Pier One, 2 magazines from Jo's and 3 bottles of H'ween glitter glue from Mike's ...no adhesive refill! Will try the Jo's in Ft. Myers on Friday so this extra coupon I have doesn't go to waste. A bit more sit than spin on this one.

Had a nice float in the pool and even read a few pages of the new Somerset Home (oh my heart be still!). And Scrap Scene announced the Gypsy Girls for Gypsy Rose Paperie (wink wink).

So, maybe I'll be more productive tomorrow and then again...who knows! Hope you are having a great day!

Counting the days until

Hoe Down Crop in Bonita Springs, Florida. KnKclub.com, in conjunction with Scrapbooks Etc. Scrap Store in Bonita Springs, is hosting the first ever Hoe Down Crop. The guest of honor is our beloved leader from Hilltop Memories and Traveling Crops and you can bet she'll be given the royal treatment as Cow Girl of the Crop! There are 3 classes being offered: Gerri-anne (owner of knk) is teaching an amazing class with a mini album, Grungeboard, tons of goodies and the whole thing is so awesome. Janet is our card cow girl and will help us create some super cards with Colleen's class a sweet ending to the whole she-bang with a double page layout!

So, get along little doggies and if you don't live in Florida, watch this site of pictures during the weekend. Your roving reporter will be ever vigilant is snapping shots of those you know and love. Wish you all could come as a good time will be had by all!

I need to scrap. I have to put the finishing touches on my tech column for KnKclub. com: Enhancing Transparency Overlays. This has been a fun tech with which to work.

Oh, and I have a little announcement on my altered art blog...

When we win the lottery...

this is what I shall make one of my first purchases...well, as soon as we get back from our around the world cruise that is and right after we get that pretty little villa in Italy.

Can't you just see it now...the perfect scrapbook retreat. While the brochure only lists four bedrooms, there is also the attic hide away, the study on the second floor and possibilities for a little bungalow or two out in back. And the dining room and great room both would make excellent crop rooms, don't you think. And E would die for that kitchen. Think of all the wonderful meals he could cook for scrappers and the treats he could create. And Linda and Gerri-anne, we have not forgotten you...plenty of room for you both to set up stores...maybe we should a/c one of the 3 garages?

And the price...a mere drop in the bucket...WHEN we win the lottery!

Kip's Non-birthday celebration

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men are often subject to change. E had run to the store for something and about ten minutes after he left, I heard a big boom. And sure enough, a transformer in the area blew. Sure am glad we have sky lights in the bathroom or I'd probably have looked a bit like a clown trying to comb hair and put on make up in the dark.

So, no electric=no a/c (and it has been in the upper 80s/lower 90s here today), no stove, noooooo lunch for the Kipper on her non-birthday!

Moving on to Plan B...after Kip and I shopped at RR, we headed home. After she 'opened' her non-birthday gifts (i use the term 'opened' loosely as I was out of wrapping paper), we took water and headed down to the lower lawn while E showered.

Our next stop was one of the restaurants here that we had yet to take Kip...Rusty Belies. I love the place! In addition to great food, the view is amazing. It is a bit of old Florida with a boat repair business on one side and shrimp boats tied up on the other. We ate on the open air porch right on the water and got a great cross breeze. We started with the complimentary hush puppies, followed by the great onion strings and then our lunch. Kip had the fried shrimp; I got the shrimp po'boy and E got the cheesy steak sandwich.

Of course, I had to tell on Kip and the waitress brought her a non-birthday treat at the end of our meal: a fried banana fantango...or something like that. It was so goooooooood and the Kipper shared nicely!

So, the power is back on...obviously and E and I will be dining on the muffalatas we could not serve for lunch as our supper!

Hey Kip buddy! Hope your non-birthday was a good one...and yes! you still have a few days left to be in that "other" age bracket!

So, someone we know is having a BIG b'day

this coming Wed. It is our very own Kipster! And, rather than cart her b'day gifts to Bonita Springs and give them to her there, since she is coming over for lunch today after we hit the 40% off Sale at Ruban Rouge, we'll come back here for lunch! and she can open her gifts then.

I'll post pics later just in case she roams through my blog before we meet up! So, stay turned. I think she will like them!

A Day in the life...

We took a drive out to the beach not long ago as we had been told the waves were really big due to the storms moving our way. Ahem, the teller of this tale was in error...the Gulf was like glass out at our beach. I did get this great pic of one of our feathered friends though and any trip to the beach is a good one, high waves or not.

Today, after E shopped and I cleaned, we headed down to the Sponge Docks for one of the little craft fairs that come through town from time to time. We did pick up some fliers for some spices and a E bought me a starter for a yellow Plumeria...we had one in Ft. Myers that was torn to shreds by one or the other of the hurricanes that ripped through in 04 or 05.

The boys were just pulling up as we pulled in and we are now watching football...well, some of us are and will soon bar b que some yummy stuff. I'm starving so hope we are eating soon.

Hope your Labor Day is going well.

More Tinkering Ink layouts for Janet's store

Janet, who owns Scrapbooks Etc. in Bonita Springs Florida gave me some Tinkering Inks papers and embellishments at a crop and asked that I do a few layouts for her store. I have done 5 so far but since I am going to give these to her at next weekend's Hoe Down Crop, I am pretty sure this is it.

The first layout is of my friend, Jadee's darling youngest daughter, Hanna. Her oldest daughter, Paige, has also been the topic of many of my layouts. I have to 'rent a kid' to do child layouts as we are still working on a grandbaby...I use the term 'we' in a general since! lol

The second is of E's cat, Just Jack (yes, we each have a cat...mine is Goofy). My friend, Jill, gave us a star jasmine as a thank you gift and Jack loves to sit among the branches. He plays king of the hill up on his perch.

And, the last is of my great niece and good scrap buddy, Kaela. Isn't this a cute pose. We did a photo shoot last time she was here. Shame this goes to the store or I'd give it to her mom.

My tee is up on the site at Gypsy Rose Paper and there are some new, and very funny, downloads.

You will also notice that I have added a store to the list on the left. Retired Let's Do Lunch has the cutest little chipboard houses. Karin, the owner, and her company will be featured at Scrapbook News and Review in Oct. in my column, "Featured Manufacturer" and I am using her darling little house for the Haunted House kit that will be available through Knkclub.com Oct. 1 with tons of Little Yellow Bicycle products!

Off to crash on the couch and veg out! Have a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend! And to my Louisiana friends, stay safe and dry and I am praying that Gustav sputters and stops smack dab in the Gulf.

TGIF and happy Labor Day Weekend

Top of the morning to you all. I hope whatever your plans for Labor Day weekend you have a great and safe one.

We're back to one car today until we can get the ol' gal, our van, towed to where our car guy has his shop. We pulled into the drive way after taking Kristen to the airport for her weekend trip to St. Louis and E couldn't get the car out of "drive". Hoping against hope that this is something simple, but time will tell.

We had a great morning yesterday. E had to go to the bank and I had to return my library books so we hopped on our bikes and cruised into town via the park and the Pinellas Trail. After we ran our errand, we stopped at Tulas' Trailside Cafe and watched the bikers on the trail and life in a small town while we ate a great breakfast. I felt like a regular Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote tv show).

Today is run run run day. We need new towels for our bathroom, new Crocs for E, and a fill up on a bunch of stuff at SAM's Club.

How come it is every time I find a gal who cuts and colors my hair exactly like I want, she moves leaving no forwarding address? This is the second stylist who has moved shops and I loved this one even more than the first one who I adored. Hope the new gal on Sat. morning can listen to me and 'see' my hair the way I want it. I've had a couple of them inbetween who didn't.

Hope to finish up two last projects off my desk and then scrap a bunch of stuff...got some new papers here that are making my fingers itch to play and an idea spinning out of control on what to create with them! Wish me luck.

Have a good one!

Cindy, Happy Stamper, (http://who-gives-a.blogspot.com/ gave me this award and I am excited a)because I felt I had lost touch with her and b) this is such a nice thing to get!

The rules...
(1) The winner can put the "I :heart: your blog" logo on their blog. Isn't it cute! :))
(2) Link the person you received your award from.
(3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
(4) Put links of those on yours.
(5) Leave a message on the blogs of the girls or boys you’ve nominated.

so here we go ( and don't worry if you don't see your name...one of these gals will nominate you for sure!)

Roz: because she is such an uplifting person and a Smoochie Girl (SM indicates other Smoochie Girls) to boot.(http://www.wolfepak5.blogspot.com/)

Carla: she is far too much fun and is often my partner in crime (http://reallifewithcarla.blogspot.com/)

Linda: she tells it like it is day in and day out and I admire that about her (http://eljaytalks.typepad.com/)SM

Chris: my morning coffee gal(http://ole682000.blogspot.com/)SM

Kip: because today is her last Open House of her teaching career and she is funny to boot (http://flkipper.typepad.com/)SM

Laura: she hosts the meanest game of BINGO I've ever played and I don't play games
and
last but not least
Pam from KnK: our DT leader and my wine thirty buddy extraordinare! (http://pambennett-afewofmyfavoritethings.blogspot.com/)SM

Playing haus frau

And am mercilessly cleaning out drawers and shelves in my work room...some things go into the trash, some go into the RAK box and some get marked for lss garage sale. About to take a break and hit the pool! Hope you are having a good one!

Song List is updated

Please let me know if you have any requests...fall songs, back to school songs, etc.

There are some I can't take off yet: Seal (I love his voice), Red red wine (my pal Pete's and my theme song), Crazy (my anthem), Blue Bayou (just because)

and for my dad: Teresa Brewer's Put another nickle in...

but I am open to ideas...

Finishing up some layouts

I have a stack of layouts that are half done or a quarter done that I usually take to crops to finish. But, the stack has been growing and growing and...well, you get the picture! So, I decided to tackle a few of these each week. This is our new house. Guess I can't call it new anymore since we've been here for 15 months now and my "new" car, Hot Mama, the transformer car! I love it.

Anyway, this is the latest of my efforts. Now where did I put the New House album?

Have a good one!

Quick post

Check out my Painted Ladies tee shirt I made today. http://jules-atoasttoalteredart.blogspot.com/
This was such fun...now back to your regularly scheduled program and thanks for looking!

Black Market Paper Society kinda day

The September kit from KnK is awesome and chocked full of goodies...felt paper from Doodlebug, tons of Black Market Paper Society's newest and greatest line, lot of texture, which is the theme for this month. There is grunge board and buttons and brads and a Hambly tranparency... And the velvet flowers...yummmmmm.

So I did these two layouts and a tri fold card which won't go up for a bit. And, I finished with my Back to School project kit for KnK which goes up for sale on Sept. 1, I think. So much fun!

My dad is back in the hospital with some problems from the chemo so any good thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

It's a new week in Paradise

I finished this layout for Janet's store, Scrapbooks Etc. in Bonita Springs, Fl, last week and just never got it posted. I love the vibrant colors of the Tinkering Ink papers and found paint to match with Claudine Helsmith's new line of paints, Studio. I sanded the edges of the letters. I cut out the flower shapes and layered them on foam squares for extra dimension. Hope Janet likes this one. One more to go!

Rob is coming over later for steak as we are celebrating his new full time job with PODS. He starts training Sept 2. He was originally offered part time but two days later, they called back to offer him full time employment! Yeah! The guys will spend the rest of the afternoon or early evening watching some football and that leaves me free to play here in my room. Double Yeah!

I have a new download from Gypsy Rose Paperie to play with along with some goodies left from this month's KnK kit. If you haven't seen that yet, you need to get yourself over to the site and take a look...this kit is loaded to gills!

Will post anything fun I come up with later today. Right now, if I don't clean up the room, the health authorities are going to slap a condemned sign on my door.

Hope your day is a good one.

"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou"

Well, no bread and the jug of wine was actually a very nice bottle of pinot gris but 'thou' was there x 2. Yesterday we headed up to Snookers for our Friday afternoon happy hour. It gets us out of the house and we meet new people plus the added bonus of chatting with our favorite barkeep there, Suzie!

We came home and thought about how long it had been since we just put on some cds and relaxed on the lanai. It is usually just too hot and muggy to do this in the summer here but we've had lots of cooling weather thanks to Tropical Storm Fay (who hasn't been as kind to all parts of our state...hope everyone is recovering fast).

So, we loaded the cd player with lots of wonderful music, grabbed a nice bottle of wine and headed to the back. We talked; E looked through cooking magazines and I read the recent Coastal Living and Southern Living mags...picking out some fall plants along the way for E to put on our garden list.

Andre Bocelli, Chris Botti, and Sarah Brighton filled our souls, the wine did the same for our senses and we chilled out! Love evenings like these.