What was I thinkin?

Having a Ball!

Last Friday night as I was trying to get to sleep in a not-as-soft-as-I-would-like-it-to-be  hotel bed, I thought to myself, "this bed just isn't big enough for Me, Kevin, Cole, and his new ball!"

Cole is almost 22 months old and he loves balls. It seems he is getting quite a collection of them. At each new destination we seem to end up buying Cole a new ball to help keep him happy and entertained during the day, while Kevin and I work at the convention. On our way home from Buffalo it was a $2.50 ball purchased at Target that kept Cole happy during the convention and while we sat and waited for several hours for our departing flight at the airport. I know, I need to enjoy it while I can, iPods are not $2.50. I have a 16 year old to keep me grounded in the realities of what lies ahead.

Our next trip is to Atlanta, Georgia. If you want to know our room number at the hotel - just ask for directions to the ballroom!

Maid of the Mist

The highlight of our Niagara tour was a boat ride that takes passengers past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the dense mist of spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls.The boats are named after an Indian legend -  The Maid of the Mist.

Since it was probably the most memorable part of our day at Niagara Falls, I chose to "tackle" my photos of the Maid of the Mist first. I used navy blue grid paper because I wanted something dark but not black. I used 8 of my photographs. Two photos to create the panoramic of the falls and 6 additional favorites that show my family and my good friend, Jaime Zenger, who was traveling with us.

With the page theme being the Maid of the Mist, I wanted to keep the layout simple and add just a few embellishments that enhance the romantic nature of Niagara Falls. Looking through my supplies I found the perfect metal photo corners and an old fashioned "broach like" metal square. I also added our 2006 laser cut year - with a photo behind it, instead of the usual background paper. With a 1x1 inch square space remaining to be filled (beside the date) I continued the photo that is behind the date to fill in and add a little intrigue.

Notice how the photo on the top left corner of the right hand page seems to continue the falls from the mosaic on the left. I love it when elements come together like that. I often expect that no one will notice those things besides me, but then it seems, to my surprise, someone always does.

Bluebonnets

This morning I was delighted to receive this e-mail:

Hi!
I met Tami on Saturday at the GASC in Arlington, and I promised to send her a photo of the bluebonnet mosaic I had made.
I had a wonderful time meeting her and I want to let you know that I absolutely love the mosaic process.

Thank you very much,
Debi Patron

It was wonderful to meet Debi in Arlington and when she told me she created a mosaic with bluebonnets I was thrilled. I have seen many wonderful photos of bluebonnets; But, I imagined how wonderful they would look as a photo mosaic.  Debi's fabulous mosaic includes a couple of adorable blossoms of her own, surrounded by those famous Texas flowers.

Thank you, Debi, for sharing all of your fabulous flowers with us.

Buffalo or Bust!

Okay, I admit it, sometimes I choose to go to certain scrapbook conventions because I really want to see the area. This year I had to make a choice between New Jersey (a show we have very much enjoyed through the years) or Buffalo, New York - a new Creating Keepsakes Convention. The decision was not really hard. I just had to go to Buffalo. I could not imagine missing the opportunity to go and see one of the greatest natural wonders of the world!

Buffalo is a great town with all kinds of intriguing architecture. I love cities with rows of houses and beautiful old churches.Of course, even the Buffalo architecture didn't make my heart beat like the first time I saw Niagara Falls. Standing there right next to the falls was scary, thrilling, breathtaking, and beautiful.

We scheduled time to see the falls on Monday after the convention but we couldn't wait until then. After set up on Thursday we drove to Niagara for our first viewing. It was a little dark, being close to 9 PM, and very cloudy outside but, the white water made it bright enough that my camera didn't need to flash.

This is a photo of my daughter Alexis. (click to see full photo) It was hard to choose just one or two or three photographs of the falls to show to you. I have so many great photos (I don't think it is possible to take a bad picture there.) It is definitely time for a mosaic! (I will post it soon.)

In the mean time, please read Sandi's latest blog on our trip to the great state of Texas. As she says - Texas Rocks!