Wish you were there!

I've been promising some pictures... and you haven't let me forget! So here is a few I thought you might enjoy...

Let's start with this one on Laguna Beach... see, I was thinking of you! This picture makes me look like I belong on the show "The Little People" but I'm trying to squat down without getting my knee in the wet sand.





















The entrance way to the Convention Center where the winter Craft and Hobby Show was held. Although smaller that last year's show, there was still more to see and do than we were able to fit into our days.


















The show floor is full of color and texture and inspiration. These beautiful felted scarves were one of the things that really excited me. I love natural fibers and have always had an affection for felted wool.















One thing we always look forward to about the shows is meeting up with lots of designer friends, often over great meals. Around the table you see, Roann, Candice, Me, Niki, Carla and Jen. Great dinner, great friends, lots of laughs... priceless!

















"Did you hear that _____ ___ __ _____? Tonight is kinda special!" was repeated many times as we toasted each other's successes.














Just a little something Tim and his buddies whipped up with their new Grunge Paper. You can actually sew through it and emboss it in the Cuttlebug. It's thinner than the original Grunge Board and much more versatile. BTW, they're discontinuing all the pre-textured Grunge.

















Dang.... how did we "accidently" schedule ourselves an extra day in Southern California while our friends were suffering an ice storm back in Memphis? It was a rough day..... but someone had to live it!
Along came a bus oozing beach boys music and smelling of salt air, we just had to jump on board! Too bad we forgot to pack our surf boards and flip flops! Our driver took us to three beaches and told stories the whole way. I could amaze you with what I now know about Long Beach and it's history! Since we were such a small group we made some extra stops including walking out onto the rocks of Newport beach to the tide pools. Look one way and the homes were stacked like cord wood, look the other and all you could the see was pure nature. Whales are migrating in those waters this time of year so we'd hoped to get a glimpse, but didn't that day. (I think I may have seen two whales in the bay from the airplane the next day)

We had about 3 hours at Laguna Beach where we visited art galleries and several over-priced but interesting little shops. We spent the rest of the time on the board walk and beach watching the waves and a beach volleyball game. Our final stop was a quaint little seaside cafe where we washed down a cup of delicious clam chowder with an ice cold microbrew. Just Perfect.

Here are a few shots of our day on the beach....