scrapping @ Memory Lodge

The weekend in Flagstaff could not have been any better! I have never been in such a scrapping zone! Quite frankly, I was a 'scrappin machine'! How could I not! There was so much creativity and inspiration going on in that one room. And, it helped that I came well prepared to do my Disney album.
This was the view I captured looking out the window while scrapping early Sat. morning. And yes, the mountains were that pink as the sun arose.
Sixteen of us scrapped in this huge room (below) in the back of the lodge of my dreams... while listening to oldies music, stopping only for yummy home cooked meals, to refill our coffee mugs and sleep.

This is the view of Memory Lodge as we were leaving Sunday afternoon. I remember feeling so happy as we left, knowing I had accomplished what I had set out to do. And having loved every moment!

Homemade pecan cinnamon rolls for breakfast! Need I say more...

We scrapped from early morning till 10, maybe 11 o'clock each night. The first morning I was up by 5:30 to scrap pages and savor that first cup of coffee. The room was so warm and cozy and peaceful. The atmosphere being so conducive to creating, how could you not be productive!
Do you see Miranda & Barb hanging some of our lay-outs for the group photo shoot? Our Creative Memory consultant Barb, that puts on these awesome retreats every year, then scraps the pic for her Memory Lodge guestbook album.
And speaking of Barb, be sure to check out her web site here.
Thanks Barb (and your dear Mom) for making the retreat sooo special! I can hardly wait for the October Retreat!

One of the many 2-page lay-outs that I did over the weekend. Oh, and by the way, I scrapped 120 Disney pics on 26 pages. That's 54 sides on 12X12 size pages. I have to scrap the Animal Kingdom day and I will be done with my Disney Album... trips from our first Disney trip with our kids in 1987 to our recent trip to Disney World.

What a creative bunch of gals!
And what made it extra special... making memories this weekend with my daughter Miranda and my daughter-in-law Nicole. Doesn't get much better than that, now does it!

And we won't be talking about the Packers. I mean, what can I say? I'm sad... very, very sad.

GO Green Bay Packers!

So, Miranda and I are going to our very first Scrapbooking Retreat in Flagstaff this weekend. My daughter-in-law Nicole and her Mom Beckie are going too. The low last night in Flagstaff was 7 degrees! Oh my gosh, I'm gonna freeze! But I can't wait! I'll be sure to take pics... oh, and warm clothes too!
My plan is to work on my Disneyland photo album... scrapping every single pic from every single time we went to Disneyland over the years and of course our recent trip to Disney World. I prefer doing topical albums rather than going chronological. Don't know how far I will get, but I'll be croppin pics and crankin out pages like crazy!
But you can be sure I will be back in the Valley for the BIG GAME on Sunday. The PACKERS vs. the GIANTS! And I will be putting on this baby... a gift from friends Don & Carol, for my 50th birthday last year. My very own Packer jersey!
You see, if they win, they'll be playing in the SUPER BOWL here in PHOENIX on Feb. 3rd!! YEAH! GO PACKERS!

50's citrus juicer

Clearly one of my very favorite finds in December was this juicer. And let me tell you, we juice a lot here in Arizona. We have a navel orange tree and a fruit cocktail tree that produces lemons and grapefruit and at one time produced valencia oranges. But unfortunately that branch broke off several years ago. I have just now started harvesting my citrus, so I am all 'juiced' about this baby!
I am still using the same electric juicer that I got from my dear friend Loren as a wedding gift 28 years ago. And I love it and plan on using it forever, for those times when I am juicing buckets of lemons for lemonade.
But I was so thrilled to find this 1950's, HEAVY-duty juicer at Savers for $2.99! Oh ya, I was shocked! These are highly sought-after and sell on Ebay for a hefty price. They last a lifetime because they are made of cast iron. I have it sitting on my counter ready to juice a lemon or an orange on a moments notice. So handy and vintage retro... and matches my vintage cast iron coffee grinder that I use every morning!
Well, a few days before Christmas, Tyler & I went to Jamba Juice to buy some gift cards and saw that they were selling a similar reproduction juicer by Metrokane for $59.00!. You guys, it was so cheaply made... plastic and chrome and so flimsy and light-weight. I couldn't believe it!
They just don't make em like they use to, do they? How sad.

Day 4 @ Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom was such a pleasant surprise. We loved that it was so lush and tropical. And of course we had been waiting all week for Mt. Everest! And it was SOOO well worth the wait!
Other favorites, the Dinosaur ride, the Kilimanjaro Safari and the Lion King Musical.





But first things first, guess what we picked up on our way to Animal Kingdom? You got it! A dozen Fresh*Hot*Krispy Kreme Donuts! Oh sweet Krispy, I've missed you so much.



Yes, Mt. Everest proved to be our most favorite attraction in all of Disney World! I was scared to death! But hey, I found out I love roller coasters! And, faster the better! Who knew!

After 4- 16 hour days in 4 Parks filled with nonstop fun, fantasy and adventure, we were ready to come home... exhausted but so grateful for all the memories and the 500+ pics that I will begin scrapping this weekend at my very first Scrapbook Retreat in Flagstaff, AZ!

Oooh, in case I forget- GO PACKERS!!!

Day 3 @ MGM/ Hollywood

Oh ya, lots of fun, scary rides- smokin, hot stunt shows- crazy, rockin roller coasters and LOTS and LOTS of fire! What a blast!
But I don't think I will ever like the free-falling on Tower of Terror... ever.






Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Show- unbelievable!

Extreme Stunt Show- waaaay cool! Yes, that would be a stuntman that you see on fire!

FANTASMIC!!!- I burst into tears at the conclusion of the show!

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith- 0-60 in 2.2 seconds, immediately into a loop! Seriously awesome!

vintage art piece

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Disney World post to bring you this.
Found this orange wooden thingy at Savers in December for two dollars and thought it would be perfect for my collection of wooden spools of thread. I have been wanting to photograph this funky piece of vintage art, so this morning I did just that. Yes, to me it's art. Full of color and texture and... panache. Sorry, but I have been wanting to use that word for a long time now, and well, this was as good a time as any!

Day 2 @ EPCOT

EPCOT was by far our most favorite of all!
We LOVED the WORLD SHOWCASE... CANADA, UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE, MOROCCO, JAPAN, AMERICA, ITALY, GERMANY, CHINA, NORWAY & MEXICO!
You literally felt transported to each country. Everyone working in that country is from that country. We could have spent hours talking to the people and exploring the little villages.



Miranda loved the United Kingdom and got most of her mementoes from there. She is a master at picking up accents, so she was in her element in England. I love the way they talk.











I personally loved France... the pastry shop, the street shows, this amazing film that shows the beautiful French countryside. The overall feeling is just so romantic and quaint.
And of course the IllumiNations Fireworks Show at Epcot was the best EVER! Yup, funnel cakes and fireworks... could there be any better combination!





I am Norweigan on my Dad's side, so I couldn't resist this silly photo op with my daughter!













And I am German on my Mom's side, so here we have Randy & Tyler wearing their cute, little Alpine hats. Just a little side story, when Randy was a little boy, his Dad was stationed in France and England. So, his very favorite souvenier was his Alpine hat... that he proceeded to wear THROUGH high school! I am not kidding!


Ok, so which alabaster wine stopper do you suppose I picked out from Italy? Umm, no dah, the lone aqua one!
Hey, check back for Day 3 @ MGM/ Hollywood Studios!

Day 1 @ Magic Kingdom

What a wonderful, magical, dream-come-true vacation trip-of-a-lifetime!!
Disney World was that and SOOO much more! I hoped to capture some of the magic, the fantasy, the wonderment. But as you well know... you just had to be there!
First of all, Day 1 was THE coldest day, THE deepest freeze that Orlando has seen in many, many years! How cold you ask? Well, 3 shirts, a sweatshirt, jacket, scarf, gloves and hat COLD! But we literally moved non-stop from the moment the Magic Kingdom Park opened at 9 AM till midnight! Thank God the next three days were much warmer.


The biggest surprise at Magic Kingdom was... CINDERELLA'S CASTLE! Oh my gosh, it was simply breathtaking! We could not seem to take enough pictures, as we endeavored to somehow capture its beauty and grandeur.



Our other favorite... the Haunted Mansion. (waaay better than the one at Disneyland) Very dark and haunting. We went on it three times! Sooo much fun!
And of course, who doesn't love the Peter Pan ride! Love, LOVE that ride! And love that I got this pic of Miranda and Tyler taking off to Neverland!






Miranda has had her picture taken with most of the Disney characters over the years but was especially thrilled to get this one of her and Peter! (Wendy wasn't too keen on being excluded from the pic, but Miranda was just glad Tink was no where to be found)
Did you know how much I'm like Tink? Yup, everytime I take that Disney character test, I am most like TINK!




Just so you know, Cinderella's Castle changes colors all night long! THE MOST GORGEOUS COLORS EVER!!
Miranda was able to witness the lighting of the Castle that evening. What a thrill to see the changes as the sky darkened. And the Fireworks Closing Ceremony is so emotional! I had tears pouring down my face by the end of the show!




Miranda shot this image of the Castle just as it went from this gorgeous aqua to the prettiest of pink.













We had a total stranger take this family shot of us (love how it turned out!) and yes, we were freezing but we were so warm and fuzzy inside cuz, hey, we're in the Happiest Place on Earth!
But let me tell you what, we were sure happy to get back to our warm hotel room that night and fall fast asleep under piles of warm, fluffy covers.
Check back for Day 2 in Epcot!

time to create in 2008

One of the things that I'm the most thrilled to have accomplished in 2007 was my craft/sewing room! Do you have any idea how much I love creating in that room?! Ok, so I haven't done a whole lot of creating... more like shooting pics and mending clothes and outfitting Mrs. McGillicutty. And can I just say, she has become quite the fashionista. Of course, if I had a figure like she has, I would too! I mean, we can't even share clothes! But that's another topic for another post...
So that leads me to another goal of mine... taking time to create... to do those things that I love to do ~ sewing, scrapping, designing, photography. I mean, it's not like I am needing inspiration to get me going. I have never been more inspired by all you bloggers that so willingly share your passions, your talents and inspire me to believe I can do anything you can do!

So enough is enough...
I have got to get started on all those projects I have swirling around in my head and make it happen! Now! In my favorite room, with my aqua phone, aqua Nano, Mrs. McGillicutty and me. I'm good to go!

You're not going to believe the story behind my vintage gingham apron collection!