100 Days of Summer-NOT

I WISH there were 100 days of "summer"! Alas, summer, as defined by Kevin, is from the end of one school year to the beginning of the next, and there are only 74 days between the two. 74 days of relaxing, unstructured freedom. Days to fill with swimming and board games (Bananagrams and Spongebob Monopoly are faves), a vacation to the beach (Disney this year), sleeping in and staying up late. Days without school. And in case I didn't emphasize it enough, DAYS WITHOUT SCHOOL! Yep...100 such days would be nice, but I'm sorta looking forward to the routines of fall. (Did I say that?!)



Supplies: Patterned paper-Simple Stories (100 Days of Summer collection), BasicGrey, Lace cardstock-KI Memories, Stickers-Simple Stories, Bingo Card-Jenni Bowlin, Chipboard letters-American Crafts, Letter stickers-BasicGrey.

The two little girls in the photos below are my daughters, now 28 and 30! I recently came across these photos from a company "picnic" on the beach in Biloxi. The kids swam in the murky gulf water while the adults played volleyball in the sand. Fun times.



Supplies: Patterned paper-Simple Stories (100 Days of Summer collection), BasicGrey, diecut paper-BasicGrey, flower-Prima, dye ink.

Lollipop Flowers

The whole family, my sisters and brother, our spouses and kids, all dressed up as hippies for Mardi Gras this year. During a break in the parades, Kevin posed with his cousins and a friend, hamming it up for the camera. I scrapped the picture with cool papers from the Basic Grey "Out of Print" collection. After assembling the page, and scattering a dozen or so punched flower embellishments over the top, it just didn't seem complete. The little flowers were cute, but not substantial enough. "Hmmm..." I thought, "maybe I could make some of those lollipop flowers I'd been admiring on other people's pages!" And I did. Sooo easy. Instructions: Cut out circles of varying sizes from patterned paper. Ink edges. Wet edges slightly and bend upwards. Let dry. Layer and finish off with a button.

I'll be making these whimsical, fun flowers again!



Patterned paper-Basic Grey (Out of Print, Wander, and Oxford Collections). Edge punch, flower punch, dye ink, mini-brads, ribbon, and heart pins.

New York, New York

On our first afternoon at Walt Disney World, we arrived slightly early for our reservation at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant so decided to take a short walk down the "Streets of America". The forced perspective of this scene is so cool! The background of buildings is actually a two dimensional "cutout", with painted facades. Step back and it is a realistic portrayal of the New York skyline. Although I didn't capture the entire scene in my photo, I was able to add my own illusion by extending the buildings onto the page using the various patterned papers. As for the rear-view photo of the family, let it be known...if you don't stop for a picture, I'll shoot your butt! ;)



I entered this layout in a contest at 2Peas and won stuff from one of my favorite companies, BasicGrey! Yeah!

Supplies: Patterned paper, chipboard letters, chipboard sign, and rub-ons-BasicGrey, Chipboard apple-Maya Road, Chipboard car-Cosmo Cricket, Taxi brad-Karen Foster, Calendar-Jenni Bowlin, ribbon.

To the Moon!

I had no grand plans for this title, and was only looking for a nice mix of naked chipboard letters when I stumbled upon an "0" that was long and skinny. Wow, what do you know, it was perfectly suited for a planetary ring!



Supplies: Patterned papers-BasicGrey, KI Memories. Chipboard letters-BasicGrey, Making Memories, and American Crafts'Thickers. Acrylic paint-Ceramcoat by Delta. Other-Spaceship pin, ephemera.

Triceratops Spin

On the day we went to Animal Kingdom, we hightailed it to Dinoland, expecting to ride Primevil Whirl, the calmer of the park's roller coasters. We arrived to find it boarded up, and down for maintenance. (I wondered why no one else was sprinting down the path behind us. They already knew!) So, while Laura set off to pick up Fast Passes for Expedition Everest, the more terrifying coaster, we had a leisurely spin on the "Tops", little dinosaur cars that went up and down, around and around...a tame ride to start the day, and one of the few on which Tommy would join us! Whee!



Supplies: Patterned paper-My Mind's Eye. Flowers-Prima Marketing. Chipboard letters-Basic Grey. Chipboard clock-Heidi Swapp. Flower punch, mini-brads, buttons.

Tomorrowland Speedway

This wasn't on my list of to-do attractions, so when Laura, Julie and Kevin got in line to ride the cars at Tomorrowland Speedway, I took a seat in the grandstands and took pictures instead. Kevin was not thrilled with his experience. The pedal on the car was extremely difficult for him to press and steering provided yet another challenge. "I'll never be able to drive!" he lamented. I assured him that when the time comes, he will be taller, stronger and capable. We have a few years yet. Thank goodness.



Supplies: Patterned paper-Basic Grey. Chipboard journaling spot-KI Memories. Cardstock letter stickers-Sticker Studio.

Temple Ruins

Disney's attention to detail fascinates me, especially at the Animal Kingdom theme park. Everywhere you turn, there are incredibly realistic interpretations of places near, far, or imaginary. In fact, the "Imagineering" is what sets this place apart from say, the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Along the Maharajah Jungle Trek, crumbling murals depict the history of Amandapur and its rulers. You can find the complete (his)story here. And as you walk the paths in the land of Asia, pay attention to the little things, such as the grouping of jugs and pitchers with a sign "Safe Water for Travelers", seen in the layout below.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Executive Designer Joe Rohde said "Detail is there to make you believe in the reality of the story you're immersed in." They have certainly achieved their goal. I didn't even realize there were REAL water fountains just below the cluster of vessels until I read about them in another of Shawn Slater's blog posts. To create such authentic detail, Disney designers actually went on location, researching Asian customs and practices. Now that's a job I'd love to have!



Supplies: Patterned paper and letter stickers-Basic Grey. Ribbon, lace, fiber, and buttons,