time out

we just got back from a perfect vacation in Maui a few days ago. we were gone for 9 days, which included flying time. the flight to Maui was on the fun side for all of us and the time change worked out quite well. {it was the return trip that zapped our enthusiasm!}

i'm not sure if it is possible to have a "bad" day in Hawaii. it was overcast or cloudy at times, but still hot! i don't think our skin has "tanned" since 2009....considering our Alberta summer was a bit of a sham last year. so the break from bright sunshine for a day was fine for us. we still had to use sunscreen though! it's amazing how accustomed we are in Alberta to see clouds or rain and get out the sweaters.



i miss doing this. nothing beats a morning coffee outdoors, wearing a tank top and shorts.
{fyi: this is me with a tan. i know. pathetic! i did learn that my daughter tans very easily and rarely burns. i am soooo jealous. i have stooped to a new low - jealous of a 4 year old!}

our condo was a block from the beach. apparently the street next to the condo was covered with water during the tsunami on March 11. however the complex had no water damage as a result. we heard that the tsunami warning sirens went off every hour all night long. we also heard mixed stories from the residents over the effects of the tsunami. from our perspective the part of the island we were at was more protected from it and had no long term damage. the ocean is quite interesting in how the waves, currents and tides work. natural disasters aside. it is no wonder fishermen have the stereotype of being superstitious.



nearly every beach we saw had some rock and reef nearby. at first glance this looked barren and rocky. however when we explored we saw lots of life! crabs, shells, urchins....can't wait to use those photos on some layouts.

we went to the beach every day. we swam in the outdoor pool every day. no one complained. ha!!



we did one longer road trip. we had to see the island volcanic crater. a highlight for the males in our family especially. amazing how lush it was on the outer side of the crater, below 8000 feet. inside and above the 8000 ft it looked desolate. it was also chilly. we totally forgot to pack a sweater that day, but we didn't need it. the tough Canadians we are!

i also took some photos of a plant that only grows among the volcanic rock. the Haleakala Silversword. that was cool! none were in bloom, but there were a few plants who had past blooming, so we got an idea of what it would have looked like. apparently they die after they bloom. and it can take up to 50 years before the plant will bloom. incredible. i'm sure they will appear on a layout soon enough!


one thing i did miss was my daily blog reading. i have my usual list of blogs to read, and always a few new ones. so i'm catching up! i'm so impressed with the Graphic45 new design team. i can't wait to see the designs that are yet to come. some of my favourites are part of the new team. i appreciate that there are lots of new faces. Crate Paper shared the most incredible tree Kinsey Wilson made out of pipe cleaners! the focus was on the decorations...but wow!

for my past 2 classes i have been raving about the Ranger Colour Wash. check out this challenge blog called Grungy Monday. this week their focus was on using the Colour Wash. lots of variety...my favourite is the faux batik scarf. i don't wear scarves....but this one looks so cool! maybe i could do a t-shirt for the kids?

then i came across an interesting contest. Simply Handmade surprised me with their April/May issue. now they shocked me again by using my project for a contest. make a comment on their Facebook Fan page to win all the supplies and the instructions for the project. go. do it!! the students in my Year In Review class know all about my LONG instructions. {i do try to keep them short!} when i submitted the project Northridge Media also wanted instructions, close up shots and any templates i used. i also made some templates for the flowers just for the submission. when i finally saw the issue i immediately noticed that the instructions in the article are much shorter than what i wrote! i'm hoping that those i know will enter the contest and that one of them will win. check out their video here and get the details. i can't deny how cool it was to hear my name said out loud in the video.

while i'm on the topic of contests....here is another one! did you see the Urban design team layouts for April? i was just there and saw them in person. they looked great in the photos....but even more amazing in person. the supplies in the store kits are mostly from Glitz and kept getting delayed in their delivery....keeping us all on edge. kudos to Jan for remaining calm and getting those kits out as fast as she did! Glitz has a challenge on right now too. go here for the details. you only have until May 4. wouldn't it be awesome to have one of you win?! aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!  i think there are a few of the monthly kits still available at Urban Scrapbook. or pick up your own favourites. whichever you choose, don't delay! their current products are my favourite yet. good luck!

next week i'll share some links and a quick tutorial on photo editing. i had some questions about what i did to get my photos to look the way i did in my previous post. i'll do my best to explain that process and share some great links.

enjoy your weekend. i am hoping to see more snow disappear...and not get replaced by new stuff! we were thrilled to see that most of it melted while we were away, then totally bummed to see so much of it fall the next day.