• Blog - Creativity

    T Tuesday: Duluth edition

    Last week I mentioned that Mini-me and I had traveled to Duluth immediately after her return from Costa Rica. She was participating in the state archery tournament.

    We drove up on Friday and went straight to J’s apartment since he goes to college in same city. We took him shopping and to eat before leaving him back home and heading to our hotel. It’s a new hotel in the same harbor area of the historic town of Duluth, MN.

    This was a view out our hotel room window. According to the in-room brochure, the silos were used for powdered cement storage. They kept them when developing the site for historic value.

    Mini-me and I enjoyed some lovely appetizers as a late night meal as we enjoyed the view.

    After our meal we ran back up to the room and grabbed a coat before venturing out for a walk since we were on the south side of the lift bridge…a view we hadn’t ever had the opportunity to enjoy.

    Little did we know that they had a nightly bonfire with free s’mores!

    The next morning we set off for the tournament. Mini-me’s coach gave her a nickname that has absolutely nothing to do with her actual name but has stuck…at least with her archery folk.

    I decided that she should really have it on her bow case. I used my silhouette to create a vinyl sticker with her new namesake. Her coach laughed so dang hard…totally worth it!!

    Yesterday I actually got creative….I made about a dozen cards.

    After going through a bunch of my craft stuff and bringing it to my neighbor to share I was inspired by my conversation with her to make more cards. She has and a group to locals have “adopted” many deployed troops for years. Writing letters, sending supplies, gifts and treats. One thing she said they always want is cards to send home. Sending cards and letters home helps pass the time. And really…who doesn’t love a good old piece of snail mail from a real person!!

    I decided right then and there to set some time aside to make some cards. It’s beneficial for me AND them. I get to stretch my creative muscles which evidently are going unused too often and they get a few cards to mail home.

    This week is really up in the air for us…Today is was nearly 70°F and Weds-Fri we could get anywhere from 6-24 inches of snow. Crazy!!! This winter just won’t quit.

    What are you doing today?
  • Art - Blog - Creativity

    T on the 2nd edition

    Ok this is one of those crazy days that happens…we have a crossover post.

    Honestly its likely a good thing because I have so many things to talk about but have nothing prepared and I’m already late to the party. How does that happen?

    Anyway…Mini-me made it back from Costa Rica on Thursday evening…we left for Duluth the next morning. Busy weekend then back to school on Monday. WHEW!! What a crazy few days.

    I’ll share more about all that in another post but I thought I’d at least share a bit about the coffee Mini-me brought home the Doka Coffee Plantation.

    I borrowed this photo from Twitter of the group tossing the raw beans in the air.

    This is one that we’ve opened and tried. It’s very good. It seems to me that the caffeine content might be a bit higher than what we usually drink. We haven’t tried the other kind she brought back yet.

    Now on to Second on the 2nd….

    I have been attempting to join more challenges lately. Before I rejoined the workforce I participated in challenges regularly and it really kept my creativity flowing. Here’s a post from on of those fun challenges I did way back when.

    Take a look….

    7/15/2013

     Sage and SepiaThis is the last week of Summer of Color! I can hardly believe it.

    This is the color combo I’ve been voting for each week. The strange thing is now that I got it…I had trouble making it work. The photo color is a bit off for the green but my “Photoshop fu” is off this morning.

    I painted the background with sage then distressed it a bit.  After adding the sepia elements, I used some white rub-ons for visual interest. The bride and groom are my maternal grandparents circa 1929.

    Incidentally, this is my 1000th post! WHOA! That’s a lot of blogging. Thanks to everyone who continues to read. I love it when you leave comments to let me know that you’ve been here.

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    Thanks for stopping by my twofer post today!

    What are you doing today?

     

  • Art - Blog - Creativity

    T Tuesday: somewhere in paradise edition

    We are temporary empty-nesters as my neighbor so perfectly phrased. The boy is off at college and the girl is traveling around Costa Rica. Crazy!

    I’ve been keeping up with her through a few random texts and Snapchats…otherwise I’m using social media to see photos from their adventures.

    Mini-me sent me this photo she took at the Irazú Volcano.

    And this one of the La Fortuna waterfall. They rode horses to get to there then swam at the base. WOW!

    Meanwhile in MN…we are watching the snow melt. 🙂

    I am so excited that she has this opportunity..once in a lifetime.

    AS far as myself…I’ve been knocking things off a todo list. Feels good. There just haven’t been enough hours in the day or week lately. I’ve been creating and experimenting with my supplies. I think these may become tags….or at least tag backgrounds…or starting pointsAnother thing on my list for this week is to clean up this chaos. I want to streamline and phase out some things that I really never use, are too old and junked to use or lets face it…never liked in the first place but hung on to it anyway.

    It’s a big job but I think I’m up for the challenge.

    Mini-me comes home on Thursday. Friday we leave for the state archery tournament. Well, at least she gets to sleep one night in her bed.

    What are you doing today?