June Vacation: Part 3

Flower & Garment District in Los Angeles

After searching through the streets of Los Angeles we finally found ourselves in the Districts! There is a jewelry, electronic, fabric, flower and garment districts. There may even be others I don't even know about. They are just filled with stores & stands selling things for dirt cheap. We stumbled across the Flower District, and it was wonderful! Warehouses filled with inexpensive foliage! Then onto the Garment District to find Michael the perfect pair of glasses.




Venice Beach

My memories of this beach are few, but they mostly include lots of brightly dressed roller bladers and body builders. That was not the vision we encountered this trip. Instead it was lots of tattood people, hobos, and others that I think were high, but I'm honestly not sure I know what that looks like. They were also selling all their wares at what appeared to be their beach side market which was filled with fun, eclectic goods. And the beach itself was gorgeous.

June Vacation: Part 2

Mike & Brit came in late Thursday night, so we woke up bright & early to get into Disneyland to get our Star Tours fast passes. Brit & I were most excited for our maiden voyage on Ariel's Undersea Adventure! You probably couldn't tell though from our attire. All day long we were getting giggles and comments on where we bought our cute seashell bras. My Dad was serious about us purchasing more of those, painting them and selling them "under the radar" at Disneyland. We did so many new things at the park we hadn't done before:

1. rode the revamped Star Tours - which was amazing & had us all wondering what took them so long to update it.
   
   
2. went to the petting zoo at Thunder Mountain Ranch - the goats were so cute & tired, they just let you hug them
3. rode the newest California Adventure ride Ariel's Undersea Adventure - seriously reminded me why I loved mermaids so much growing up, its definitely a close second to my longtime favorite Peter Pan
4. went to elecTRONica the new psychedelic dance party on Hollywood Blvd. in DCA and saw the most amazing Laserman!

We had a great time, but mostly just because we were together!

But... I have just a few more pictures I feel that I MUST share :) Enjoy...

Dead Center of the Park!

Our stinker husbands ruined what would have been a darling picture... although, I might love this version more. Not sure which is better: Jon's face or Michael's sneaky finger.
Michael really wanted to wear both our mermaid headbands.

June Vacation: Part 1

After a very fun & very long weekend, I am home. And as much fun as traveling is, nothing beats coming home to your mattress & pillows that are perfectly molded to fit your body.

Japanese Garden

So our weekend started out at 4am on Thursday morning. Jon & I woke up, got our pups packed & in the car & headed out. After little traffic and a couple pit stops we found ourselves in Irvine! On to our first destination, the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at CSULB. It was so spectacular. The pond had hundreds of Koi fish, and they had been trained to eat directly out of your palm. They even make this funny slurping sound! But the garden itself was magnificent! We got there a little late, just before it closed at 3:30pm, but luckily were able to enjoy its serenity and peaceful organization.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY

So I am VERY happy today! Why you might ask?

• because today is my last day at work this week
• because tomorrow Jon I will wake up at the crack of dawn for a road trip
• because I love being with Jon for long periods of uninterrupted time
• because that road trip is taking us to California
• because we are going to a Japanese garden in Long Beach
• because while we are in Long Beach we are going to Roscoe's for chicken & waffles
• because Mike & Brit will drive in before midnight
• because we are all going to DISNEYLAND on Friday morning
• because we will be riding the new Little Mermaid & Star Tours rides
• because we will watch Billy Hill & the Hill Billies with Dad & Rachel
• because we're going to the beach on Saturday
• because I have a cute new swimsuit to wear to the beach
• because I hope to get some color on my white legs

but mostly because I get to be with my family all weekend long!

In anticipation for the fun photos we'll be taking this weekend, here is one from our last trip to Disneyland! See you next week!

Task 8:

Create a self portrait, draw or photograph yourself. What do you see?

I was reading about celebrities who look beautiful all natural, so I decided to post a photo of me sans makeup!



I love this picture. I look very clean. I had just washed my face of all make up and put on the gobs of lotions, eye creams, sunscreen, etc that I use to keep my face looking lovely. I just felt soft.

In answer to this tasks question: What do I see?
I see someone who looks very much like both of her parents. Someone who has beautiful white skin (even if she sometimes wishes she could tan). Someone who has been blessed with a proportionate face. I think this person looks kind and sweet. I think this person has strengths she does not even know about, and fears she has yet to face. I think this person is beautiful!

Happy Father's Day!

I am so grateful for the fathers in my life!

I am a Daddy's girl three times over! I have a father, a step-father, and a father-in-law who all love me immeasurably! How did I ever get so lucky to have so many wonderful, strong, and faithful men as examples in my life?


My dad and I have always been able to talk about anything. We get along so well because we both have a love for the stupid, silly, and Disney. We always were able to have a good time, whether we went to the park, the beach, Disneyland, or even just on a walk around the neighborhood. He is the perfect example of someone who would give anything for those they love, and I try to emulate him.


This is my other dad who raised me. Although he is hidden in the back of this picture he was never hidden from my life. Always there to support and guide me, he was the quiet strong example I often think of when going through hard things.



This is the newest dad in my life. Although he didn't raise me through the terrible toes or my teenage years, he has taught me so much in the past three years about true devotion to family, and he has shown me a real love of gardening.

I am so grateful for these fathers who have taught me so much, and will continue to teach me.

Task 26:

Write, draw or paint something with your non-dominant hand.

Which is my left hand! It was difficult to draw, but it was even harder to color it in.

The Little Mermaid

Disneyland had the grand opening for "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure" at California Adventure this month. And Jon & I, and Michael & Brit are going! If you recall, Brit & I decided that we were going to go in costume to the new ride, in our mermaid bras we made at our craft night. Well, my super cute cousin Danielle just turned me on to this addition we could wear our mermaid bras with:

Silicone Mermaid Tails!



The tails can be purchased here for a mere $1,300.

As awesome as they look, I do see some complications

1. difficulty getting into said tail
2. difficulty getting out of said tail
3. difficulty riding comfortably on the rides
4. unable to walking through the park
5. getting kicked out for swimming in the "Finding Nemo Submarine Bay

Although, that would make us perfect candidates for this job.

Task 12:

Look at a child. See how connected they are to their creative self? Pretend you are a child and make something.

Jon's dad recently told me about when Jon's brother Adam was in about 2nd grade and they were having their Parent Teacher Conferences his teacher brought him a picture Adam had drawn of a tree, and it wasn't your average brown & green, it was filled with every color the crayola box could allow. The teacher very seriously said she was concerned because "trees aren't blue and pink." Mike really didn't think it was that big of a deal, but later asked Adam why he had drawn the picture like that. He said, as only a sweet little child can "when I squint my eyes, there is color everywhere."

I love that story! Children have such unique, yet such perceptive views of the world. Here is my tribute to making something through child-like eyes, completely colored in crayola!

Disney View Master

As a continuation of my last post, take a look at these other old View Masters from Disney.

Cinderella:
trying on the slipper
Chasing Lucifer
Happy Ending

Bambi:
Bambi & Butterfly
Grown Up Bambi

Sorcerer's Apprentice:
teaching the brooms
Commanding the Waves
Army of Brooms

Peter Pan:
Tinkerbell & Hook

And I'm sure there are even more! These are so fun to look back on!

View Master Reel

I found this awesome OLD school view master reels of Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid. I've always loved that version of the Little Mermaid, because it is so sad. There is only a happy ending because of mermaid's sacrifice.


She dreams of other worlds


After his ship sinks, she saves the handsome prince, and falls in love.


She watches to make sure he safely found.


She makes a deal to gain legs, but each times she walks it will feel as though she walking on shards of glass. And she will die if she does not marry the prince.


She finds the prince, but he is already in love with another.


She must either kill the prince on his wedding night or die, she loves him so much, she cannot harm him. She says goodbye to the bride & groom.


Her sisters lament her death, but she is received in heaven.

All in the Garden

We have our own little garden area surrounding our entry way. It makes me SO happy to see the little blossoms greeting me every morning.


This is our little herb garden box that Jon actually made last year. Its mostly filled with flowers, but there are a few chives that have grown back from the herbs we planted last year.


This is a juniper that Jon clipped to looking like a bonsai. It sits near the end of our box and we even have a solar spotlight which lightly illuminates it at night!


This is a hanging basket that Jon actually bought me for my birthday back in March. We don't know how, but it has survived all the snow and is still going strong! I think hanging baskets might be my new favorite way to display flowers.


We actually bought this flower basket on Saturday, from a little booth on the side of the road by the freeway entrance on Center Street. Only $15 for this beautiful, flower filled basket. I'm loving summer!


Beautiful entry way.

While I was outside Jon was having some bonding time with our pups.

Goldfish

This weekend I doodled with my niece Isabel. I wish I had a picture of Isabel's friendly house. But for now enjoy the colored pencil creation.

Task 19:

Do you keep a creative journal or have an inspiration board? Share!

I believe I already posted about this challenge here. Its my journal! I feel the most free and am able to doodle whatever I please in those pages. Plus, what is creating without dictating the motivations for your work. Journals are wonderful and I definitely suggest them.

I Love Manatee!

Talk about fat and happy!


I was always a big fan of manatees, but I was just reintroduced to the darling mammal. Everything about them is squishy, slow, and large! I kind of want one for a pet. At least I want to see one in person soon. And hopefully catch it doing this:

Task 24:

What is your "Creative Bucket List"? List 12 creative things you want to learn more about or that you want to do to inspire your creative soul.

1. To really know the Human Body - It is remarkable how many muscles are beneath the skin, and understanding how they bend, flex, and sit will help me draw fuller and more life like beings

2. Oil Painting - I want to learn to properly use this medium

3. Water Colors - I want to learn all the techniques so that I know my options when designing a picture

4. To go to the Louvre Museum in Paris and be surrounded by all my inspiriations

5. To illustrate a published book

6. To be in a magazine, either as the focus of an article, or possibly the author or design artist for the page.

7. My own Studio - just a room, nook or cranny to call my own that has a desk and some drawers.

8. Paint my children's bedroom walls with larger than life murals.

9. Open a booth at a local fair to do face painting.

10. To learn to play the piano - at least one song!

11. To make a demo CD of myself singing, preferably lullabies.

12. Direct a play.

Craft Night!

On Friday night, I spent my evening at Michael & Brit's house. Jon & Michael went downstairs to play Black Ops, and Brit & I got to make our crafts! We are going to Disneyland in a few weeks for the openings of Revamped Star Tours & the new Ariel's Undersea Adventure. So, in keeping up with our traditions of making Disney T-shirts we are making Little Mermaid shirts for us girls, and Star Wars shirts for the boys.

First we went to the dollar store for some supplies. The creme-de-la-creme of finds was: plastic seashell bras! We couldn't have planned it more perfectly.



So first things we wanted to paint the bras so they had some color.



While I painted, Brit designed & glued our darling starfish headbands!




We're thinking we'll wear bright colored shirts and nail polish and put some sparkles on & we'll be perfectly decked out for our trip!

However, while at the dollar store we found sparkly hair headbands that we transformed into LADY GAGA HAIR BOW HEADBANDS!



You can see the full tutorial for the Hair Bow Headbands and make one for yourself or your little ones for only 1 dollar!