Sweet Photo Panel

Gosh! You have probably been wondering where I've been. It's been shockingly weeks since I posted. For a starter I went on a three day/two night digital scrapbooking retreat with my friend Sherry. She is so talented, and lucky for me, shared this amazing technique to blend your photo with paper. I used Creative Memories Storybook Creator. I am so excited to continue my education with this user friendly software. It just seems like conventional scrapbooking takes so much more effort compared to whipping up a digital page in minutes.

These are my grandkids, Ethan and Lauren. I love this sweet image of them.

I promise to post soon.

Winter Wonderland

Yesterday we spent almost four hours traveling across and back the upper peninsula on our way to Marquette to do last minute holiday shopping. There is not much salt applied to roads up here, mostly sand. It looks rather slippery, however, it is not. Our first stop was the North Pole, in Christmas, Michigan. My mom had her Christmas cards to mail. How cool is that to have your greeting cards postmarked with "Christmas, Michigan" on every envelope?

Check out these street signs!

Our holiday visit is rapidly coming to an end. My dear husband has been so patient with three ladies for the week, driving us all over the place. He usually refers to me as "Miss Daisy" when asked what have you been doing this week with those back home. Tomorrow we will have to sadly pack up again on our long drive home to southern Michigan. We will, of course, stop in Mancelona to visit my daughter, Amy, and her husband Derek to spend a few days enjoying each other's company playing cards and more Christmas celebration.

I am keeping warm and knitting some last minute gifts for family back at home. I think it may be time for some of my sister's fabulous hot chocolate. Jim Carey's movie "A Christmas Carol" is scheduled for tonight's viewing pleasure.

Holiday Visit to the Great Up North

Grand Marais, Michigan USA

Lake Superior, December 2010

Was it the "storm of the century?" Oh my goodness, it snowed and it snowed. We were trapped in the house for three days, but finally took a trip to town to see the waves on Lake Superior yesterday afternoon. It was brutally cold, windy, and the air chilled you to the bone.

Agate Beach, Grand Marais, Michigan USA

This is the famous agate beach in December. It is usually a nice warm beach that I visit in the summer months, so seeing it this way was incredible. We held on to the railing of the beach viewing deck literally, while the snow and sand blasted your face with a 35 to 40 mile an hour rate. Whew!

There are more photos to follow in the next few days. I have been having a great time craft supply shopping, and enjoying the company of my mom and sister in the upper peninsula since last Friday. It is difficult to stop playing to post the progress of the trip. I promise to show more very soon.

Over the River and Through the Woods

As the holiday season has officially arrived, my hubby Chuck and I will be making a call on Grandma (my Mom), and my sister Peg way up north in the upper part of Michigan. We have never made a trip to Grand Marais in the winter time. It will certainly be a major challenge if we are bombed with a huge snowfall.

I've wrapped a pile of gifts, packed my suitcase with art supplies, and began jamming clothes in another. We will probably be gone about 10 days. I can hardly wait to see their Christmas tree! Our ETA will probably be this Friday afternoon.

We love to watch movies when we get up there. Did you know that there is another Red Riding Hood movie lurking on the horizon? This flic was directed by the first Twilight director, Catherine Hardwick. It looks like the big bad wolf is doing his number disguising himself as Valerie's (Amanda Seyfield) boyfriend (Shiloh Fernandez), but really is a werewolf! The scenery looks absolutely gorgeous. Something to sink my teeth into this coming March in 2011. Ha! Ha!

I am going to be "back in business" on December 20th. I really want to show you photos this time of Michigan's beautiful winter scenery. It is like walking into the movie Dr. Zhivago.

(Remember to pause my music if you wish to view this trailer).

Hopefully, I can post some photos along the way. Have fun enjoying this special time of year.

Nancy

Gone With The Wind Art

GONE WITH THE WIND has always been one of my favorite movies. With my fascination with historical films and romantic aspects of the era depicting the saga of the War Between the States and the Old American South, I decided to make a fabric collage for my latest art group challenge.

Olivia de Havilland plays the character Melanie Hamilton. She is the epitome of an ideal southern feminine sweetheart. The film portrayed her personality with so gentle a voice, with never an inclination of rudeness or jealousy. It pained my heart to see a sister-in-law, quite selfish in nature, prey on Melanie's naiveness starring the famous character, Scarlett O'Hara. It is a film of both women in love with one man, but married to only one of them. And Scarlett, married to another, still longing for someone already taken. Then throw them into the sorrow of the Civil War.

I fall into this film every time I watch it again. So with that thought, here is my submission for a page in my latest art endeavor with the theme "Movie Stars of the Silver Screen."

I would also like to thank KC Willis, for presenting the opportunity to participate in her Collage Camp. The techniques I used for this collage were taught in her online class, and can also be viewed in her section of the book "Creating with Fabric," a Tweety Jill Publication by Jill Haglund. Both class and book can be purchased from the Lipstick Ranch, KC Willis, Proprietor.

Hearts With Wisdom

"It is in loving, not in being loved,

the heart finds its quest;

It is in giving, not in getting,

our lives are blest."