Celebration of Life

I wish everyday could be lollipops and gumdrops but that's not reality.  A very dear friend's mother passed away recently and I was asked to do a photo tribute to Gladys.  Gladys called me her 'daughter' and  I was honored to be a part of her life.  She was 94 and was out gardening the day before she was hospitalized.  I thought I'd share her photos in hopes that they can help others to celebrate the lives of someone special when the time comes. 

The 20" x 30" posters were very easily put together at Costco.  You just upload the photos you want to use and then arrange them in the easy-to-use collage maker.  You can even pick the border width and color! Can you believe they were ready in one hour???!!!  And, they were pretty inexpensive too.  I adhered them to some foamcore with spray adhesive and I was ready to go.

In honor of Gladys love of gardening, I came up with the idea of having everyone take a little of her garden home with them.  A friend and I cut succulents from Gladys' Garden, 'planted' them in plastic cups filled with dirt, wrapped each cup with two colors of tissue paper (Gladys loved jewel tones) and tied them with raffia. It brought some color to the celebration and were cherished by her friends and family.

Gladys, you are missed.

Avila Valley Barn & See Canyon

I love Avila Valley Barn and See Canyon near San Luis Obispo, CA.  These two amazing places are right off of Highway 101 and worth the stop.

The zinnias at Avila Valley Barn were absolutely incredible!!!  You just might see some of the photos in an upcoming project I'm working on.

The displays are amazing!  I've done some of my holiday shopping here in recent years!  The jars are back lit with Christmas tree lights.

 Squash...

 APPLES!!!  Gopher Glen, a local apply farm, grows 62 different varieties and has the BEST apple cider!!!  Some in my frig chillin' as I type this!

 Such beauties!

 The fragrance was yummy!

 Grapes at Kelsey Winery at See Canyon.

Tons of peacocks roam the grounds at Kelsey Winery.

Apples, apples, EVERYWHERE there were apples!!!

Photo Display

Here's a great way to display all of those photos you have!


I have TONS of photos I've taken and wanted to display them in my new home. Here's the outcome - first, I laid them out on the floor to get a feel for what they'd look like, then I took a photo of the layout to make sure I knew where each one went. That's good in theory, but check it out - I expanded on it as I went along to fill up the huge wall.

I started by having my photos enlarged at COSTCO - it's super easy - just upload them to their website and in an hour you can pick up your awesome enlargements (and they're cheap!).

I bought some foam core at a local discount store (it's available at craft stores too) and some Aleene's Crystal Clear Tacky Spray (I LOVE this product!).

I sprayed the spray adhesive on the back of the photo then placed it on the foam core and smoothed it with my hands - I'd recommend a brayer next time for a super duper professional look. Oh, don't forget to protect your work surface really well before you use the spray - follow the instructions on the can too.

I laid the photo on a cutting board and used a box cutting knife to trim around the edges (hint - use a new blade and change the blade often so you get a good cut).

To adhere the photos to the wall I used a 3M product that attaches things to the wall and doesn't leave a residue when removed.

My display is picture perfect, I'd say!

My New Home

Wow, I feel like I haven't posted anything in quite awhile - I even had to stop and think how to start a post...well, I am in my new home and the craftiness in me has taken over. Take a look at these inexpensive and quick ideas to decorate your home or even for gifts.


I took several of these photos on my trip to London last year when I was visiting my high school friend, Kathy. All you need to mount the photos is the photo (of course) - I love to upload my photos from my home computer and send them to COSTCO - they're inexpensive and the quality is great and not to mention, they're done in an hour, some spray adhesive, foamcore, ruler, craft knife and mounting material of your choice (I used the 3M removable strips)
How to Make It
1. Spray the adhesive on the back of the photo following instructions on the can.
2. Smooth the photo on the foamcore with your clean hands.
3. Cut to desired size using ruler and craft knife.
4. Place the mounting material on the back and hang on the wall.



I've taken tons of photos the last couple of years, so I took my stash and laid them out to see how they'd fit over my couch - an after picture soon...