Friday, July 31, 2009

I went on vacay!

So, it was wonderful. First, I went to Las Vegas. Here's what you need to know about Vegas: It's soooo far to anywhere. I know I'd heard it before, but now I can attest from personal experience. It's crazy. Also, things are going on 24hrs. Here's what I did...

Arrived Saturday night (temperature: 103 F) and took a very long shuttle bus (which doubled as a very cheap tour) to downtown. It's not the strip, but it's very cool! The Fremont Street Experience is like a giant block party going on all the time...



The next morning I headed to the strip and checked into to my beautiful hotel, The Wynn Las Vegas.



They had a room available, so I settled in, then went shopping! (Really, I am so predictable.) I needed black sandals - and they have a FABULOUS Macy's. I also picked up the tickets for the night's show: O by Cirque du Soleil. After a bit, my friend Jim arrived and we had our first buffet experience! Delish! Although I did get distracted by the canteloupe, while Jim said I needed to focus on the "high ticket" items. Then we headed to the beautiful Bellagio for my first ever Cirque du Soleil experience. It was amazing. The show's main feature is a stage that moves up and down in a tank of water so people appear out of the water or dive from multiple stories above into it. My favorite part was these big swings that they got going really well and then dove from them into the water.

Afterward we watched the fountains at the Bellagio - Viva Las Vegas by Elvis.


The next day we tried to sit by the pool, but it rained! So, we were walking through a casino and saw that Wheel of Fortune was filming! After standing in line for a couple hours, we saw Pat Sajak and Vanna White! Crazy! Let me just tell you, the set looks much smaller in person. I thought it'd be huge, but really, it's not. The episode will air September 24 - and the final puzzle will blow you away!

The weather continued to get crazy - by the time I got back to my hotel room the words drowned rat applied to me.


The next day, Jim & I met for a tasty breakfast buffet, then he had to leave. I managed to get in some quality pool time before setting out on the trek of my life.


I walked more than 5 miles in one afternoon and I was pooped by the end! First, souvie shopping at Bonanza. They say it's the world's largest gift shop, but I don't think it's true. It is big, though! I got a couple fun things, then headed to the other end of the strip (remember, it's like 45 miles...) where I ate a SO GOOD veggie burger at Burger Bar then waddled to M&M World before picking up a crepe to-go in Paris. During all that walking (I wish I could describe how tired it made me) I bought a ticket for the late show of Blue Man Group. In one word: Bizarre. I enjoyed it even though I was wedged between two large guys that I didn't know and one had the leg-jiggle-thing, which means he burns more calories than me, but I thought I was going to have a blister on the side of my leg by the end from the constant motion. Grrr...

The next morning, I hauled my tired body to the airport, slept on the plane, then headed for Eastern/Central WA. Specifically, The Gorge Amphitheatre for Creation 09. I camped about as far as you could get from the stages, so the first day I only went over twice - too tired. (Man, I'm a wimp!) I had a pretty good time, although I learned something: This woman was not meant to camp alone. It's not nearly as fun if you don't have someone to share the experience of wrestling with the tent, swearing at the campstove when it blows out, and moving with the shade throughout the day.



I survived, although I left early - but not before hearing two really great concerts.

The first was Group 1 Crew. They've got a sort of Black Eyed Peas thing going on, but the part I was impressed with was that when they spoke it seemed fresh, and real. Like they meant what they were saying, and it wasn't just a memorized little blip between songs. It was almost like a mini-sermon, and I enjoyed it. Then, Newworldson. Let me tell you, those guys know how to do a good concert! They were one of the only groups that got enough applause to warrant an encore, although they weren't allowed because of "policy" or something silly. The drummer used a mic and mic stand as percussion instruments and it sounded really cool. They did a mixture of music - swing, reggae, rock. I loved it.

On that high note, I took my tired, sunburned body home. And when I went to work on Monday I felt like maybe the work problems weren't that bad, because there is life outside of my little tiny sphere. (Oh, and the sun still shines somewhere, if not in the Pacific Northwest - that was reassuring.)

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Excuses, excuses...

Anything to keep from studying for the PE. I have gotten so much done domestically and craft-ily. I washed the hand washing that I've been putting off for I don't know how long. I've done the dishes and the laundry. Now I admit, I must get crackin'. So, my final(ish) fun stuff that I made:

First, the card I neglected to photo last time. I used Gamsol and a fun stamp set (called Sushi) to make this one.


Here's the inside. I had fun using the Stickles glitter to make everything a little bit sparkly.


Next, a quick card I made for someone who likes "swishies!" and glitter!


And finally, my Saturday afternoon project this week, a pincushion. It's kind of big for a pincushion, but it's just right for a slice of cake. It was fun to make. I had to rip one seam and I need a funnel for filling them if I ever make another, but all in all a success. I didn't put the little rose that the pattern called for because I like the sprinkles look of the fabric.

Mmm... Cake. Well, I guess that's it for this time. I'm going on vacation next week. Cannot wait. I will get a tan. I will sleep some. I will have some fun experiences. I will blog about it when I get back. I promise!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Three Movies, Three Cards...

Hi there. I have a bit of a headache, so this will be quick. I made a few more cards (four, to be exact, but I only have pictures of three because I left one at work - oops). For the first one, I used colored pencils and Gamsol to color the cute little bugs. That was fun while I watched Last Chance Harvey (cute movie, by the way).


This next one is my least favorite. You know how Chanel said to remove one thing before leaving the house? Well, I think this card may need to follow that advice. But, I'm not sure. It's just not quite as cool as I want it to be. Definitely not as good as the movie I watched during this card making - He's Just Not That Into You.


And finally, on this card I was trying for a little more manly. Or at least a little less girly. This one was difficult to stamp white on chocolate brown. I finally ended up using white embossing powder in addition to the white stamp pad. This one I made during Tale of Despereaux. Man, that is a cute mouse.