Shrink Plastic Halloween Treats

Here's a great idea for Halloween treats and a take home gift too! The cupcake decorations are made from shrink plastic, adhered to sticks with Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over or you could use double stick tape. After the cupcakes are devoured, remove the stick and it's now a cute pin!!! Check out this and other fun shrink plastic ideas at http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/guide-to-shrink-plastic/6325538

Memorial Service & Family

Yesterday was an interesting day filled with sadness, adventure and family. My family met in Bakersfield and then ventured out to the tiny town of Arvin for my uncle's memorial service at the Bakersfield National Cemetery. It is a new cemetery set among beautiful hills with majestic oaks. There was a 21 gun salute and the playing of taps. We went back to a restaurant in Bakersfield and heard about his life, his friends and his family. Uncle Warren was quite the daredevil - he loved to hang glide (he and my dad owned a hang glider together), they owned a Taylorcraft airplane together and they both loved to waterski. Hmmm...I think that makes my dad a daredevil, too!

My uncle built a Varieze airplane in his garage and people told of the first flights.

Twelve out of twenty-one first cousins were there. I hadn't seen most of them in seven years.

A cousin told us about Dewar's in downtown Bakersfield, so we had to go try the ice cream and 'chews'. So adorable inside!!!

The ceiling was so cute! They'd even glued some mosaic pieces to the ceiling and I do believe that is 3D paint accents.

RIP, Uncle Warren...

Life is so precious, my friends...the house across the street had a fire inside. Watching the fireman do their job and the care they are giving to my neighbor's dogs is fantastic! I have a high school friend who is a county fire marshall and every time I talk to him, I thank him for the tireless job he does.

Glass Butterfly Pen

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the tiny town of Harmony, California to pick up my sister-in-law's glass pieces she made at a glassblowing class at Harmony Glassworks. They have so many beautiful pieces in their gift shop and one in particular caught my eye - a glass writing pen with a butterfly at the end of it. They didn't have a color I really liked, so Chris, a glassblowing genius, offered to make me one using my favorite color burgundy. Isn't it beautiful??? Thanks, Chris! Here's there website http://www.ericdandurand.com/

Canned Heat

Morro Bay Harbor Festival

I didn't realize what a big deal the band Canned Heat was until after I heard them play at the Morro Bay Harbor Festival today...here's a bit about their history.

Canned Heat gained international attention and secured their niche in the pages of rock ‘n roll history with their performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (along with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who) and the headlining slot at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969.

It was a beautiful day in Morro Bay and there were tons of people enjoying several bands, lots of wine and beer and good food.

Morro Bay Avocado & Margarita Festival

Avocado and Margarita Babes in Morro Bay

Denise and Jean, former co-workers at Aleene's Creative Living, came up for 'green day' in Morro Bay - avocados and margarita's. I hadn't seen Jean in years and years - thanks ladies for an awesome day - loved shopping in my home town! AND, Leslie Ann, Denise's daughter, was our official photographer - she'll be 21 in just a few days - she's not the little girl I knew back in the Aleene's days - time does march on so quickly.

We tasted yummy avocado themed food including Avocado Ice Cream (it was OK, give me chocolate!) and we did partake in a margarita even though it was chilly.

Harbor Festival this weekend - always something fun going on in town.

See Canyon San Luis Obispo

Fall is Upon Us

The coast has been fogged in the last few days, so I ventured the 20 minutes to San Luis Obispo for some sunshine. It's amazing in less then 15 minutes the temperature went from 88 to 64. I took See Canyon all the way to the end and it goes into Perfumo Canyon Road that drops out by Madonna Inn.

I HAD to stop at Avila Valley Barn - it's overflowing with pumpkins, corn and many varieties of apples. I even picked up a couple Christmas presents in the gift shop. It's right off of highway 101 south of San Luis Obispo.

Butterfly Guitar

I was going through the photos on my cell phone and this one popped up - I saw this in a guitar shop on our trip to Washington and Oregon. Who would have thought?

Optometrist Eye Charts

On a recent visit to my optometrist, I was totally engrossed by all of the foreign language eye charts throughout her office.

Artichoke Flower

Saw this on a walk a few weeks ago - I'm not sure which is more yummy - an artichoke or the flower after it's too late to eat it.

The Cotton Ball Morro Bay

This amazing tree is made from fabric!! I saw it at The Cotton Ball in Morro Bay - fantastic fabric and idea place to be!

Party Food!

A friend let me borrow her house for a party and she wasn't even in town. Thanks Z! The flowers were from my yard.

Butterfly Wall Divider

My mom and I went to the gift shop at Apple Farm in San Luis Obispo and found a corner dedicated to butterflies...

Paper Mini Furniture

Apple Farm had cute little tables and chairs made from paper - amazing! (picture, not so amazing)

Grapes

Some friends I went to Santa Margarita a couple weeks ago - there was a divine nursery and this was one of the vignettes.

Rooster

The nursery was home to several birds, including this amazing guy! We went on out to Pozo - the home of great concerts - no concerts that day, but now I can say I've been there!

The Range Santa Margarita

We went to a most divine restaurant in Santa Margarita - The Range! Lemon Pound Cake with berries - yummmmmeeeee! The owners and staff were so friendly, they even came out to the car as we were leaving to tell us goodbye and thank us for coming...I think we'll go back!

Paper Bowl

I was at a meeting at Cal Poly last week and had to take a quick pic of a bowl someone made from paper and paperclips to hold apples. Too cute!

Car Wash

It took me a few seconds to remember where and what this picture was of...the car wash!!! They use several colors of soap - it's so fun and unexpected!

Harmony, California

I went to the town of Harmony today to pick up my sister-in-law's pieces from her glass blowing class last weekend. Here's the story about the TINY town of Harmony on the Central Coast of California.

Harmony Glass Blowing

Here's one of the pieces my sister-in-law, Nicki, made during her glass blowing class last weekend. Way to go, Nicki!

Another piece Nicki made last weekend in her glass blowing class in Harmony.

Granny Squares are a Go-Go

Granny Squares are Back!

The last couple of days I've seen granny squares twice! Once on Kathleen Sams blog and yesterday at a local nursery. Check out Kathleen's blog where she talks about how Granny Squares were the first thing she learned to create. Thanks, Kathleen for sharing the photo of the Granny Square Comeback!

"Who says granny squares aren't cool?! I just couldn't resist this dress worn by Cate Blanchett yesterday at the "Screen Worlds: The Story of Film, Television and Digital Culture" exhibition opening at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Sept. 17. " http://www.redheart.com/KathleenSamsBlog/tabid/227/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/80/Red-Carpet-Ready-for-a-Hot-Pot.aspx

“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso

Great words to live by.

COSTCO International Photography Contest 2009

Well, I did it and it was a tough choice! With a click of my mouse, I entered the COSTCO photography contest. You still have time - the deadline is September 30, 2009. It's a quick upload and you're done or you can mail it in. Details www.costco.com

You'll just have to wait until I win to see which one I chose...teeeeheeee....

Iced Carpet

I was going through my archive of many, many (too many!!!) photos to decide on one for the COSTCO International Photo Contest and ran across these photos - I was about to delete them, but had to share - too funny! Ice actually works to raise indentations in carpet from where furniture has been.

You let it melt and then vacuum!!!


OK, now I'll delete it!

Karen LaMonte at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma

I received a lovely note from Scott Wilkinson's Mom, Shirley. Shirley is a docent at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma and she gave us a tour when we visited recently. Shirley sent me a brochure and other information on Karen LaMonte. She obviously saw how enthralled I was with her work. I could have stood there all day and looked at this beautiful sculpture. AMAZING!!!

Thanks Shirley for the info. and all my best to you and Chuck.

I'm also very excited to hear that Dale Chihuly is coming to Cal Poly in November for a free lecture. Can't wait!!! I've already gotten four friends to join me.

Costco International Photo Contest 2009

Get out your cameras or dig in your archives and enter your best shot in the Costco International Photo Contest 2009

The theme is Give Us Your Best Shot and I am having such a hard time deciding which photo to submit. Is it a leaf photo or a shot from the Museum of Glass in Tacoma or maybe a picture of Morro Rock??? So difficult...

Here's a little bit about the contest:

Costco International Photo Contest 2009

International Grand Prize
$1,500 Costco Cash Card

National Prizes
First Prize: $1,000 Costco Cash card
Second Prize: $500 Costco Cash card
Third Prize: $250 Costco Cash card

All winners will also receive:
A two-pack leather photo album. Value of prize is $20.00. (Honorable mentions to be awarded at judges' discretion.)

You can check out last year's winners right here:

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200902/?folio=24#pg26

and for all the details the Costco website is: http://www.costco.com/

My Weekend

I am soooo looking forward to the weekend. So much happening, so many new and fun things to try! Line dancing class today (we'll see if I actually make it to this), shopping for a BIG party tomorrow night (clothes and a gift for someone I've never met), Music in the Plaza at the local mission tonight, the BIG party tomorrow night, a meet and greet for OLLI tomorrow - it's a fantastic program at the local university - unusual classes to anticipate over the next few months, Sunday a bbq with friends I haven't seen in months on their ranch and somewhere in there, I need to work on my book. Ahhhh, life is full!!!

Enjoy your weekend!
Joan

Camera Club

I'm heading out to my first camera club meeting tonight - after having a fabulous Canon Rebel for five years, I'm FINALLY going to figure it out! (I hope)

Melodrama

The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville

One of my friends arranged for eight of us to go to The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville in Oceano tonight to see Gold Fever at the Rough and Ready. It was a evening of hot dogs, sawdust on the floor, singing, hissing and booing the villain and good old fashioned fun. After two hours and the main feature was over, they announced it was time for the vaudeville and I have to admit I was rather disappointed because it had already been a long day. I laughed so much and so hard! It was a fabulous way to end the evening. It was nice to catch up with friends on the way down and back home.

Tomorrow night, a bunch of us are going to see Julie & Julia and then dinner. Can't wait!

Busy week as my book deadline nears...

Strawberries!!!

Strawberry Table Runner

I LOVE strawberries and never knew what to do with the empty baskets - I got the idea to cut them apart and make a stencil for a creative table runner!

What You'll Need
Table runner, 100% cotton
Strawberry basket
Scissors
Newspaper
Tulip Soft Fabric Paint - Matte Berry Red, Holiday Green
Tulip Fabric Spray Paint - Neon Green
Rubber stamp with strawberries
2 Make-up sponges

How to Make It
1. Prewash the table runner to remove sizing. Do not use fabric softener in the washer or dryer. Place newspaper on work surface.
2. Cut basket into sections. Lay across table runner.
3. Shake Neon Green spray paint. Spritz on table runner, carefully moving basket sections as needed around table runner. Let dry.
4. Dab make-up sponge into Berry Red paint. Dab on strawberry sections of stamp. Using a second make-up sponge, dab into Holiday Green and dab on leaf sections of stamp. Press stamp firmly and evenly on table runner. Remove. Apply paint for each stamping. Let dry.

Garbage to Garb

I read my hometown newspaper on-line every day and was delighted to see the crafty article From Garbage to Garb.

From garbage to garb
By Heather Halseymailto:Halseyhhalsey@HanfordSentinel.com

The old adage, one man's trash is another man's treasure, couldn't have rung more true than it did on July 23, when children in the Lemoore Summer Day Camp strutted down a runway wearing just that -- trash. Egg cartons, old socks and soda can tabs all made their way into the creations of the kindergarten through sixth-grade campers who worked for three weeks to design and construct the costumes before they hit the runway at the Lemoore Civic Auditorium.

The Lemoore Parks and Recreation Department's camp directors have been teaching their campers about "going green" since June 15 and all of the items used during the fashion show were things they'd collected to recycle or repurpose. "We wanted to have a 'Project Runway'-type fashion show but with the green theme," said assistant camp director Mallory Spoelstra.

The kindergarten through second-grade campers took the runway first to show off their carefully created hats that were decorated with everything from cotton balls to feathers.
Children at the Lemoore Summer Day Camp's fashion show wear hats made of recycled material.

"Every day at camp the campers receive breakfast and lunch in brown paper bags; they cut those bags and added a variety of recycled materials to the outside," said Spoelstra who served as the MC for the event. The fourth-through sixth-graders then hit the catwalk wearing everything from baseball uniforms to prom dresses. Fifth-grader Celine Davis of Lemoore wore a wedding dress that she had made with the help of fourth-grader Ashleigh Austin. They used white tissue paper to make the dress and white material to make the veil. Dustin Allen showed off a baseball jersey that he and Phillip Arterberry made out of used scarves. They even used straws to write "Allen" on the back.

Several parents attended the fashion show, including Natalie Piper of Lemoore, who came to see her 9-year-old daughter, Nora, show off a "prom queen dress" she made with the help of her 13-year-old brother Ambrose, who works as a "volunteen" at the camp."She was really excited and told me all about how she was making her dress," Piper said.

The fashions were judged based on their use of recyclable materials and the winners were awarded trophies made from recycled materials that were filled with candy. Third-graders Haile Yocum and Maggie Franckhauser walked away as the winners for a prom dress they made using green, blue and yellow fabric scraps. She also wore gloves made from socks, in which they had cut holes for her fingers."I kinda messed up but it made it kinda cooler," said Haile about her gloves. It was evident the children enjoyed making the costumes, but when camp ends on Aug. 7 they'll also walk away knowing the importance of recycling. "I really like the idea that this was a recycling runway because recycling is important and it will save the earth and help the environment," Maggie said.

Road Trip to Cambria

In celebration of my one year anniversary of moving to the coast, I invited a friend on a little road trip. We had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants along the ocean and then stopped at one of my favorite nurseries where I found this lovely fringed Shasta Daisy. I've been looking for them and here they appeared. A delightful day.

I had planned to spend some time reflecting on my last year and to see where I'd like my life to go over the next year, but it's been such a great year full of new friends and new things to experience that I didn't really feel the need to delve much deeper than that.

As for the next year, I'm working on that too through my volunteer work at COPE (Center for Obesity Prevention and Education) working with the team at Cal Poly and now at Univision to get the word out about the symposium and going full-steam ahead on my kids' book. Yes, life at the beach is amazing...