The Travelers are Home! (Part 1)

Hello and big hugs to all!  We're back!  Yay!
I can't wait to catch up with you again!
I've missed you all dearly! How have you been?

It's amazing how quickly a month goes by...
...and yet, it is incredible how much can be squeezed into it!

I think it best to break this post up into 2 parts.  I have over 40 pictures to share with you...and I'd like you to still be awake at the end of them...haha!
Let's begin, shall we?

We started our trip in beautiful Santa Barbara.  Nothing like the feeling of the first days of vacation....all the worry of travel arrangements and packing, bills and mundane life behind you....all the thrill of adventure and promise of relaxation ahead...
I love to not only look around me, but up, as well...to soak in every bit of delightfulness.  I remember snapping this picture, taking in a deep breath....and being filled with such contentment :)

Maggie is the main focus of our journeys, so we try to plan lots of things that she'll enjoy...

The Santa Barbara Zoo had this great hill for the kids to slide down...

I love taking photos of animals and nature...so catching the gorgeous eye of this Hornbill was really neat for me...

We also visited a few Aquariums on our trip.  These were taken at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium near San Francisco.

Our little Wildlife Defender...haha!

We spent some of our time in the camp doing some crafts...

I was so impressed by Maggie's concentration!  Look at these stitches!

5 years old....and she only stuck herself once :)

The critters in this campground were very bold...coming extremely close searching the grounds for scraps.  We were ultra careful to keep everything locked away....

But even the car wasn't safe at this campground!  That was an unopened package of Nutter Butter cookies that some little creature nibbled.  We still don't know how the rascal got in and out of the car...

Maggie had made a cornhusk doll at a children's museum and decided to leave it in the nook of a tree right by our campsite for some other little girl to find... A curious Banana Slug came by to check out his new neighbor.

....and you just can't take a coastal trip without visiting lots of beaches!  Here's the start of a Sandcastle Fort in Santa Cruz...

We continued up the coast to visit a spot I've been excited to get back to!  Glass Beach in Fort Bragg...

This is where I collect all the sea glass I use for my handmade hair accessories.

Maggie played with seaweed and splashed around while Jim and I scoured the sand for treasure...

Here's what wet glass shimmering in the sun looks like close up....

As you can see, most of what you'll find are clear/white pieces, with brown being 2nd...greens are a distant 3rd with soft blue-green being scarcer.

Pink and blue glass (the blue you see in this pic is mussel shell) are the rarest of all here, and I actually managed to find a few pieces :)  Intermingled with these are broken pottery, the occasional milk glass or jadeite glass pieces and shiny shells.  I've started a few new hair clips, I promise to show you soon!

When we were back at camp, we'd take walks and explore the woods around us....

I'd look for places with what I like to call "fairy holes" in the trees....where fairies (and children) might like to play...

....and appreciate the beauty we found everywhere....

Flora and Fauna alike....

We stopped at a little town called Ferndale.... a favorite place to see charming houses...

...and be awed by one of the most beautiful cemetaries I've ever seen....

Maggie had never been to one and asked us if we could go in.  She wanted us to read the names as we passed each marker....  I think we all felt a little closer, a little humbler while walking hand in hand through this serene place to the top of the hill...

...and as we took in the view from the top, we held eachother a little tighter....

Life is truly a journey...and an amazing gift...

I'm so lucky to be here with a family that I love beyond measure....and to be able to share a part of my life here with you...

Kindred spirits....

I'll leave you now to absorb....

Then pounce on you again with more pictures...heehee...haahaa!

So glad to be back,

Cam

Ta Ta for Now!

My Dear Bloggy Friends!

How I will miss you!  We leave for our vacation tomorrow morning...
A month of this....

....a lot of packing and unpacking....long stretches of driving and longer treks to the porto-pots ;-P

...but a lifetime of memories for one adventurous Little Girl :)

We'll be back before you know it....with 100's of vacation photos to share...heehee!

Just warning you now!

Hope your July is filled with family, fun and laughter...

I'll be talking to you soon :D

The forest beckons,

Cam

Mad Sea Party Winner!

Hello My Favorite Blog Friends!!!

I want to thank everyone for their kind compliments regarding our Summer Haircuts and well-wishes for a wonderful vacation!!! You are truly sweet...and so special to me!

Well, on to the business at hand....heehee!
I told you I would try to come up with some entertaining way to choose my winner....

...it all starts with tiny little orbs of rubber....

...filled to capacity with cold water....

....74 numbers placed randomly on the hard concrete....

...and a little girl...

You see where we're headed here, right...haha?!

The plan was to have her throw the balloon, it would hit the ground, splash on a number.....done!

Well.....

After quite a few throws like this.....

Who knew they would bounce so much?!

.....lots of balloon pieces to pick up off the dirt....

8 more balloons filled...

...and all attempts to stay dry on my part failing due to back spray, popping while filling and other hose mishaps.... 

We finally....

Got our winner!

There was water everywhere....so we picked the one that the balloon piece landed in!

#70

That's Sarah

@ Hyacinths for the Souls!

Congrats!

I'll contact you to get this clip sent out to you right away :)

I appreciate you all so much!  Thank you for entering my little giveaways and for joining me on my Bloggy Adventure!  You're the best...really...makes me want to hit you all with water balloons!

Well, you know what I mean...haha!

Sending some Fun in the Sun your way,

Cameron (and Maggie)

Ch-Ch-Changes!

Hello Blog Friends!

I'm breezing in today on the winds of change...

First....no more Artfire Store!  Don't worry if you didn't notice its departure from my sidebar....no one did....haha!  I just decided that 1 store is enough.....and chose Etsy instead :)

On that note....just a quick reminder that the last day of my Jewelry Sale is tomorrow...y'know...just in case you were waiting to stock up or something...haha!

The biggest thing going on around here right now is preparations for a month long camping trip!
I don't mean RV camping either....my Hubby's a purist (and a little conservative in the money department...heehee) so it's tent camping for the 3 of us.  Up the coast to Northern Oregon and back down again.  We did a shorter trip last year...you can see the highlights here :)

We leave next week!  I'm going to miss you guys like crazy!!!!
*sniff*

....but back to the changes.....
The most drastic change that happened today was Summer haircuts for us girls...

Maggie is growing out her bangs, so we didn't want to go too short...

But, the back often got tangly and always needed to be put up for Karate class because her neck gets so sweaty....

Now, it's cool and stylish :)

As for me, the long hair I wanted "because it was easier"...started to wear out its welcome.  I love how long hair has versatility to put up or down, braid or curl.....but, all I ever did was put it in a ponytail and go. 

...and can you see all that gray?!  I thought having long hair made me look younger.  Kinda hard to pull off when you let your roots grow out that much cuz having that much hair makes it a pain to color!

So...snippety snip...and....

Voila!

I'll leave this one at Medium size...haha!
I'm loving it!  I can't stop fluffing it in the back...and feeling so cute in the process :D

Other changes include a room makeover project which I'm very excited about...but will have to revealed later....sorry, I can't wait to show you, though!

I'll be back on Friday with the results of the Mad Sea Party Giveaway.  Micki mentioned on her blog that I always select my winners in such interesting ways....that said, the pressure's on to make sure I don't dissappoint...haha!  I'll see what I can do ;-P

I'll be back sooner than soon.....with hair not in a ponytail!

Many hugs and more smiles,

Cameron

Mad Sea Party and Giveaway!

 Oh Alice....

Hurry along now child,

you're very late already.

Ocean currents make it much too hard

to keep the teacups steady!

Your place was almost taken

by a sneaky moray eel,

willing to venture from his hole

to find a savory meal.

So please take a seat.

They've nearly begun!

Stop splashing, keep still

and put your octopus on....

There now, isn't that comfy?

We saved this fellow for you.

He makes wondrous treats

and the tea's his special brew!

You need not lift a finger

he'll attend your every need.

And, I see that he likes you....

....he's included extra seaweed!

Welcome Fellow Tea Party Revelers!

I hope this bit of silliness brought a smile to your face.....
Please be sure to visit Joyce's Blog for more Alice in Underwaterland fun.....(a project we are working on together :D)

I had so much fun painting this piece and bringing to life such a strange scene....

If someone told me I'd actually want to create a painting of a girl with an octopus on her head serving tea...I would have told them they were mad...heeheeeheeehee!!!!

....And now, so am I!

I fear it is catching....but, if you have found yourself this far down in the post.....chances are you have already contracted this insanity already.....

Feels good doesn't it?!  Hahaheeheeehoho!!!

When my little girl saw the painting....she immediately broke out into giggles...and promptly spread them everywhere.  From her enthusiasm, an Undersea Tea Party was born :o)

We invited Jellyfish....

...and Mermaids....

....and surrounded ourselves with ocean goodness.....like these wave-y cookies :)

....Mermaid treasure...

...and booty...literally....haha!

We planned on Sea Cucumber and Cream Cheese sandwiches, but were most unfortunate to be out of cream cheese....

So we had Tuna instead...haha!

Ssshhhh...don't scare these little guys away before we get our mouths on them :)

It all came together swimmingly!

I'm sending huge hugs out to the wonderful Vanessa Valencia of A Fanciful Twist for hosting another year of teacups and mayhem! 

Hugs to you, as well, for coming to my party! 

To show you how much I adored your company, I'm offering a token of appreciation to one Party Guest.  I wish I could give a favor to all of you, but, alas....tis not possible :(

This Sea Glass Hair Ornament in the color of Black Tea and swirled in copper will, I hope, remind you of our time together.....

...and perhaps Octopus Hats, too...heehee ;-P

So, please leave a comment here along with any contact info you think necessary...and I will draw a winner next Friday, July 1st!

Hope to "sea" you very soon,

Cameron....still a bit giddy...tee hee! 

Sew Grateful!

This is Jacque...I'd have to say, that next to my Husband, she's my very best friend :)

She's the kinda crafty, supportive, easy to laugh with, liked by everybody, dependable friend that we all wish to find in Life.

I was lucky to meet her when our girls were just turning 1....taking Gymboree classes together....over 4 years ago now!  My Mom signed me up for these classes to get me out of the house (Thanks Mom!)
I was slowly going insane being at home all day with a new baby....not knowing any "Mommy Friends" to hang out with.

Jacque and Jenna have rescued Me and Maggie from boredom ever since :)

Jenna and Maggie are as different as day and night...Jenna loving to dress up and play with Princess dolls....Maggie loving to pretend to be an animal or get dirty....but they can be so cute together!

here they are at age 2

They have spent so much time together and are learning to compromise when it comes to the games they play.  There is usually at least one episode of pouting on my daughter's part for the 2 of them failing to agree on something.....but, they bounce back and enjoy eachother's company again.

The point of all this being.......having good friends is awesome! Now that we've moved and don't live 10 minutes away from eachother anymore, we really miss being near them *sniff*

So, to change the subject a bit....but stay with me....if you recall some bits and pieces Sheree sent me to make a doll out of.....

Part of the criteria was that we were to give the finished doll away.  Initially, I had no idea who I was going to give it to.  I didn't even know if I could pull the dollmaking part off...haha!

But, I gave it a go....and created this....

I didn't use a pattern, just sketched right on the fabric and cut it out.

I tried to use every single different thing Sheree sent....from the buttons, to the pretty purple doily, to the sheer fuschia sari fabric....and that lovely, lovely face! 

I had to figure out how to put hair on her....something I probably won't do again anytime soon...haha!

What a learning experience this project turned out to be.  It really pushed me to try new things and to get more comfortable with my sewing machine! 

While visiting last week, I told Jacque that I had made a mermaid doll.  Jenna overheard and showed me a picture of a mermaid doll she had lost....and still missed.  It was then that I knew that this doll was supposed to belong to Jenna!  I put the hair on the next day and added the rainbow yarn just for her.  She adores rainbows :)

This is a pic Jacque took for me just after Jenna unwrapped it.  I'm still waiting to hear what she named it!

She and her mom have made our lives so much more fun, so much...well, just.... more! ....and I love them for it!!!

Maggie wasn't interested in having the Mermaid...but was a little concerned about me making something for Jenna and not for her...I laughingly mentioned I could make her a dolphin (1 of her top 3 favorite animals) and they could play together with their dolls...

I say laughingly cuz half the time she forgets or never says anything about all the things she wants me to make her...and I just let the idea float away....

But, I wanted to make sure I followed thru this time...not only because I love her, but because I wanted Jenna to cross her mind when she played with it....

Here's what I made....she named him Jumpers. I made sure he was blue, her favorite color...

Again, I didn't use a pattern....but I probably should have. I had to rip a few seams out here and there.

I'm really proud that I actually made something that looks like a dolphin...haha! 

So how cool is it, that one of my best blog friends gives me an assignment that helps me to honor my very best friend.....that, in turn, celebrates the friendship of 2 special little girls in the process!  So very cool!!
So a great big hug to Jacque, for being the wonderful person, friend, woman she is....

A huge thank you to Sheree for being so clever and pushing the limits of my creativity...

A giant smile of appreciation to you for coming back here to read my ramblings...I'm amazed you have stuck with me this far...haha!

....and a wish on a star...for 2 little girls....

That the childhood memories of their friendship will always be fond....and kept dear in their hearts forever....*sniff again*

Go hug your best friend today :)

If they look at you strangely....you can blame it on me ;P

XO,

Cam