Exploding Box

This is the paper box I made that is sort of a mini scrapbook. It's about 4" tall. When you open it up you have many surfaces on which to put pictures, journaling, collages, etc. I have the instructions if anyone wants a copy.

Beach Trip

We went to Myrtle Beach with our friends Laura, Marijka and Annelies. We all had a great time playing in the water, jumping the strong waves, floating in the lazy river and playing in the pools. Even though we used sunscreen, we all got burned since we spent so much time in the sun. The girls are all very compatible (most of the time) and had a ball together. We relaxed a lot and I only got in the car once. We really enjoy their company.

Baby Bella

Click on title "Baby Bella"-- it's a link to see pics of our new cousin, Isabella Johanna Vinci, born 9/10/09. She is so beautiful and her parents Yvette and Frankie look great and have done such a great job! I can't wait to meet Bella and Yvette and see this great family. Details: 9 lbs, 21 inches, blonde hair and long fingers.

Wonder Park

Tessa loves making art, especially out of household trash, broken toys and other recyclable items. I found a Recycled Art contest and Tessa made this and entered it. It's an amusement park make out of pieces of toys and other stuff. She labeled each ride (Slumber Slide, Balloons, Tire Ring and Tower of Terror.) She even drew in people and put in an entrance and exit. Guess what!?! Her piece won Honorable Mention! Out of six pieces in her grade 3-5 age group, they selected First Place and Honorable Mention. I was so pleased for her (and proud of her), and I think she was pleased inside also. It was very creative and I hope she keeps making her art and submitting it where ever she can.

First Day of School

And they're off. 7:05 this morning. Whitney to middle school (6th grade) and Tessa to 4th grade. Both like the teachers they will have. They were excited today!

Countdown to Tucson

Everybody knows now that Whitney competed in an Ironkids triathlon in July and came in 2nd place. She qualified to compete in the national competition in Tucson, Arizona, on October 4th. I added this gadget that inserts a countdown to that date, but no matter how many times I set and save it, it does not show the countdown. It's about 47 days until we go. We can't wait--can you tell??

21st Century Cinderella's Slipper

Last is my entry. This 21st Century woman has more sense and does not wear the 4 inch heels that Cinderella wore. She wears a low, comfortable shoe, with soft insides and simple decoration. Well, this woman does, anyway. I'm so pleased with our entries and the fact that we did this. We saw so many beautiful and creative entries. They may do a hat contest next time--we'll be there.

Setta's Spectacular Shoes

Next, here's is Tessa's entry. She switched elements of a sporty shoe and a dressy shoe. Of course, I'm proud of hers too, and I know she was really happy with it.

Nouveau Posh

Well, the Stanly County Arts Guild is having a contest for art shoes called Art and Sole. We each submitted an entry. Here is Whitney with her entry entitled, "Nouveau Posh." She really had a good time decorating one of Tessa's old dress shoes. She used acrylic paint, a clay lady and a flower for decoration. She's pleased and I'm very proud of her entry. Our entries will be on display at the gallery downtown.

What's up with Eddie?

Well, over the last year or so, Eddie has been gradually getting more and more fit. Here he is at a triathlon in Wilmington back in April. He did great and wants to keep doing them. He's doing another one in 2 weeks and has been riding 16 miles on his bike regularly to train. Way to go Eddie--I'm so proud of you!

Counted Cross Stitch

This is one wall in our living room. The top is a counted cross stitch I finished when we first moved to North Carolina, and it won a Blue Ribbon at the Stanly County Fair. The one on the bottom is a cross stitch sampler done by my grandmother Mimi, Victoria Kopka, as a girl or teenager before she was married. Notice the similarity in that they both are of small cottages surrounded by flowers and trees. I'm so glad I thought to place them together.

Upside Down

This is the newest set of shelves in my craft room. Eddie and I took the wooden box valences off the windows in our bedroom. Ok, Eddie did the work, but it was my idea. Well, as he was bringing them outside he commented that they would make great shelves if turned upside-down. Well, he painted them Saturday during our yardsale, and then put them up on Sunday. In this case, it was his idea AND his muscle. I loved how they turned out. Now I have more storage, more room on my big counter, and a place to display some of our artwork. I LOVE them.

Bookmark Card

This is a card I made that has a removable bookmark. It's stamped on a glossy, white tag. The small stamp that I used over and over says "Friend to Friend". It's the first time I stamped on glossy paper. I was pleased with the results.

Cardattash

The other day Tessa came and asked me, "Mom, what's a cardattash?" Now, I have a fairly decent vocabulary, but I'd never heard of a cardattash. After a few questions we figured it out. There's a song out there that goes like this, "And if you threw a party, invited everyone you knew, you would see the biggest gift would be from me, and the CARD ATTACHED would say: thank you for being a friend." It's the theme song for The Golden Girls. Maybe they're watching too much Hallmark Channel. When they were up North visiting Sue and Mom, that seemed to be the best show they could all watch together. Those kids' stations are mostly filled with crap these days.

Journals

While the girls were gone, I got to missing them, so I made them some journals. These are the basic black marbled composition books that I covered with some gorgeous patterned paper Miranda had given me. I was very pleased with the turnout.

Bangle Bracelets

The girls and their friend Teri have begun doing wood turning with some fellows from the Southern Piedmont Wood Turners. Wednesday night they made some birdhouse ornaments and gorgeous bangle bracelets. I'm so excited about this venture and might try my hand at it also.

Whitney's Quilt Watercolor

Whitney did this also about a month ago. We love experimenting. I love painting or stamping together with the girls.

Tessa's Flower Watercolor

Here' a watercolor Tessa did about a month ago. We're having a lot of fun with our Dick Blick purchase. We have redone the craft room so that Whitney, Tessa and I can all do art at the same time with our space. Yea!

My Dream by Tessa

My dream is when I grow up is to be a famous artist! I have lots of dreams but thats my favorite!

Let's Get Started

OK, so I think I'm going to start this blog. It'll help us stay in touch with our families in other states. I think it might be fun, but we may not have time to keep it up, so this is an experiment. We already don't have enough time to do many of the things we like to do--stamp, knit, garden, bike ride. What makes me think there's time for this?! Always hopeful, I guess.