Skywatch Friday - Go Fly A Kite

A blue sky day in Southern California - I was fascinated with all these curved 'sail' kites - although you see only a few in this photo there were dozens along this very broad beach, very cool. Lots of surfers and sailboards too, just another sunny day in California.

Visit the SkyWatch blog to see what the sky is looking like far and wide around the planet.

Too Hot to Cook ... (CHA Peek)

Stamper Anonymous / Tim Holtz
Displays at the RSC in Carson

It's WAY too hot to cook around here (don't fret, I'll be cooking anyhow) but even in extreme heat I had to make some cards today. Thanks to my son's loan of his PC I can show you what I've been up to.

Stamp Credits: Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous
Stampin' Up! (Text)
Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Inks

These cards were made using stamps from Tim Holtz / Stamper's Anonymous new stamps, they'll be debuting at CHA, but were sneak-previewed at the 'Original Rubber Stamp Convention' in Carson this past weekend.

Stamp Credits: Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous
Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Kaisercraft Bling

There was eye candy in every direction, lots of fun products coming out, and as usual the displays were fabulous. I like seeing what's out there, and how people are using it, lots of inspiration. Luckily for me, the Carson show is only about 15-20 minutes from my home, so I usually get over there to cruise around and see what's new.

Displays at Stampers Anonymous Booth - Tim Holtz

Molly and Flynn are visiting their uncle, my brother, in Switzerland right now - lucky ducks! My parents are there too, so they're exposed to way more family than they're used to right now. They'll be seeing even more family soon, but I'll tell you about that later :) At the end of this month I'll be packing my bags to join them, adventure awaits. Disclaimer - this is not my suitcase (but I wish it was :)

Stamper Anonymous / Tim Holtz

Displays at the RSC in Carson

Bad Man, Temptress and Tease!

Ack, can't post pics today, but here's some eye candy for you:

Tim Holtz is a very bad man! Check out these new releases from Tim through Stamper's Anonymous. 'Nuff said.

Wendy Vecchi - grungeflower temptress! New stamps from Wendy through Stamper's Anonymous, you really have to see what Wendy does using her stamps and Tim's Grungepaper, amazing!

Rachel Greig is a major tease! Check out Rachel's Darkroom Door blog for her new releases - right now all you can see is the tins, but they're sure to contain some major goodness :) (Update - the new stamps and papers are posted - wow, they look great!)

I went to the Carson rubber stamp convention today and saw Tim and Wendy in action, so much fun. There's just too much tempation out there right now - lots of new stamps and great samples to get you thinking of new ways to play with rubber and ink. CHA is coming, and most paper arts companies are releasing new products. I'm not going to the Summer CHA, but I'm certainly tuning in to blogs and websites to see what's new on the scene. Stamper's Anonymous made their summer CHA products available at the convention today. Bring it on!

Zen Ruminations

Stamp credits: Stampin' Up!, Hologram Sparkle EP Ranger Distress Inks (Tim Holtz)
Cuttlebug texture and die cuts

Zen wanderings:
If a blogger can't post to her blog, is she still a blogger?
If a creative person can't post their dabblings online, are they still creative?

I'd like to think the answer to both of these questions is 'yes', but I'm wondering about that - I've let the lack of a computer totally leave me blocked and stalled, it's a pretty interesting picture of how technology dependent I've become, or maybe it's just that without the blog I'm not journalling. I should experiment and resurrect my pen-and-paper journalling, maybe I'd be creative and have time to create since I wouldn't be glued to a computer... One of my favourite things is when the power goes out, at night, so you get out the candles, and you have to find ways to be entertained without TV, stereo or computer. Aha! Books, board games, playing instruments, good old fashioned conversation - they all become entertaining again once we're disconnected from our electrical friends. I think my household needs a 'virtual blackout' once a week so we all assemble in one space without the conversation killers of TV and computers, no wonder the art of face-to-face communication is dying.

So hard to capture the sparkle on camera ...

Not having my own computer is forcing me to explore features of blogger that I've ignored until now - like scheduling a post to appear on a later date. We'll see how that works out when this post appears (or fails to). For now, I'm wishing my Mum a happy birthday, with my thanks for being a very wonderful mother. The older I become the more I see and know, I've always been grateful for my very loving mother, but I know now that not everyone receives the same love, nurturing and care that my brothers and I were lucky enough to experience growing up. Thanks Mum!

Stamp credits: Stampin' Up!,

Stamper's Anonymous (Tim Holtz numbers),
Ranger - Distress Ink & Perfect Pearls (pearl and green),
KaiserCraft bling
(the camera doesn't capture the pearly shimmer on the tag ...)

So, back to Zen, what IS the sound of one hand clapping? How technology dependent have you become? This post was written on Saturday, and with the benificence of the internet powers-that-be will publish on Tuesday, can it really be? We'll see.

4th of July Sushi

Part of the fun of a holiday is the traditional foods that go with the holiday, don't you think? For me, part of the 4th of July tradition is sushi. Before you think me totally lacking in the appropriate patriotic holiday sentiment, let me explain. We have a great 4th of July ceremony each year at The Korean Friendship Bell, a gift from the Republic of Korea for the American Bicentennial. It stands on the edge of our peninsula, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in an elaborately painted pavillion, and is only rung on certain days of the year. The path to the pavillion is lined with the flags of each state, cheerfully flapping in the breezy sky, the overall effect is a dazzling display of color and charm.On the 4th of July there's a gathering of dignitaries from the USA and South Korea, a flag ceremony, invocation from a local pastor, the national anthem and several patriotic songs by local singers (including a cantor from the local Jewish temple), a benediction from a local Korean reverend, funny and moving speeches wishing the USA a happy birthday and hoping for reunification of Korea. At the end of the ceremony, the speeches, prayers and singing, the bell is rung 16 times - once for each of the 13 original states of the USA (the crowd shouts out the name of each state as the bell is rung) and three times for 'the peaceful and democratic reunification of Korea'. Unfortunately the Korean Consul couldn't make his scheduled appearance this year, one of his staffers stood in, the Consul was called to a meeting with the President thanks to some shifty behavior (aka rocket launches) by North Korea yesterday.

After all of this, a local Korean-American group hands out refreshments - water, sushi, chips and soda, something for everyone. Usually I subject the kiddos to their annual 'photo for mum' ordeal, but this year they escaped as my daughter is out in the desert dirt-bike riding, and my son had suffered enough after being dragged to my favorite way to celebrate Independence Day at an hour when he normally would have been rolling over for some more zzzzzs :)Still to come at our house - a more traditional US style BBQ, and watching fireworks from our deck (because we can see tons of them from up there, and I don't have to deal with crowds, parking, etc.). In my search for traditional fare - burgers and buns, apple pie, fresh fruit - I discovered a new fruit at Trader Joe's, well, new to me, called "Apriums" - yes, and apricot and plum hybrid - really delicious! The sun is blazing, blue skies shining, birds are singing - Happy 4th of July. Since this is truly a nation of immigrants, what better way to observe it than with a multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-faith celebration?

Speaking of the sky, check here to see what other skywatchers see when they look up and out: Skywatch Friday

This was the benediction at today's service, I'm a sucker for anything that ends with peace:

May The Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,

and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,

and give you peace.

How do you celebrate the holiday?