Zorbing

While we were on the North Island, Courtney and Ashley went Zorbing in Rotorua!  Zorbing is a very unique experience.  You roll downhill in a large inflatble globe .... think hamster ball!!  Zorbing offers two rides - a wet ride and a dry ride.  The first time the girls did the wet ride and the next time they picked the dry one.  The only difference that I could see is they put water in the wet ride and not the dry ride and they roll down different tracks.  The girls liked them both and I think could have stayed there all day Zorbing!!  It was a beautiful sunny day so Taffy and I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine and watching them roll!

Later in the day, we had reservations at the Polynesian Spa and Hot Spring.  We were all looking forward to that!  Well, it was the greatest experience.  The brochure made it look very luxurious and even my pictures make it look that way.  But let me assure you, it was not.  There were  about 6-7 shallow outdoor pools filled with mineral water that was very green.  They were all very hot - 100 degrees or more - each one a different temp.  No where did we see any chaise lounges or chairs to relax in (probably would have had to rent them!)  We assumed they would provide towels and even maybe a nice terry robe to use while there.  No - we had to rent towels!  Plus, Taffy did not have a bathing suit so they rented her one.  Even if we had wanted to put our things in a locker, there was a fee.  Believe me, nothing in New Zealand is free!!

Spiral Flowers

I am loving the new Spiral Die flowers!  And .... it is easy to use.  I watched a You Tube Video about making the flowers and got a few tricks and voila .... beautiful flowers.  We made a card wish a Spiral Die Flower on it in Stamp Club so every one could see how easy they were.  I love using the Coordinations paper and distressing them before rolling them up.

Flower made using Primrose Petals Coordination

• ·        Card stock is Primrose Petals.
• ·        Emboss Pool Party card stock with embossing folder.
• ·        Optional:  Distress edges of Pool Party card stock and Early Espresso card stock.
• ·        Stamp sentiment (at angle) from Perfect Pennants stamp set onto white card stock and adhere to Early.Espresso card stock.
• ·        Stamp banners from Perfect Pennants in Pool Party and Raspberry onto white card stock and cut out.  Adhere to card.
• ·        Wrap Pool Party ribbon around left side of white card stock.
• ·        Make Spiral Flower.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNmnSTl8LBM
•       Distress card stock with sanding block.
• ·        Adhere flower to card.

Pool Party Coordinations paper - distressed.  I also tipped the edges with blue ink.

Soft Suede Coordinations

I distressed most of these with a Standing Block.  I also used a dauber with White Craft Ink for the edges.

Of course, we had to make a Valentine card!  I thought this was a cute one and could also be used for an anniversary card. I used Love You More stamp set that is available through Stampin' Up until Jan. 27.  The DSP in this card uses Christmas paper (Season of Style) left over from the Holiday mini catalog.

• Card stock is Cherry Cobbler
• Adhere strips of Chocolate Chip card stock to top and bottom of DSP paper strip.  Adhere to middle of card.
• Use Embossing Buddy on white card rectangle first!!! 
• Stamp globe stamp in Versamark onto white paper & heat emboss with Copper Powder.
• Stamp globe 2^nd time with Versamark onto Coastal Cabana card stock and heat emboss.  Punch out globe with 1” punch  and adhere to globe with dimensional.
• Use Hearts Framelits (smallest heart) and cut out a heart from Cherry Cobbler card stock.  Adhere to white rectangle with dimensional.
• Layer white rectangle card stock onto brown card stock.
• Adhere Cherry Cobbler ribbon on right side and adhere to card

Stamp Club Cards for January

Yay!  I finally got around to updating the face of my blog.  Every time I do this, I learn something new - guess you're never too old to learn, huh?  I used My Digital Studio to do the hearts blog title but the rest of the stuff I did with Blogger.  Is it easy for you to read?  I always try to make the print large because I know my eyes need it!

I am feeling so much better.  Yesterday was the first day I started feeling like a human and today is even better.  I don't feel like I have to nap every few hours and I'm only blowing my nose about every couple of hours (too much information?!)  Sonny and I went out for dinner last night at My Sisters Cafe  and I could even taste the food.  Tonight we are going with friends for Restaurant Week at Chillfire, a restaurant I have been wanting to try for several months.  Can't wait!

It has turned really cold here.  It dropped to 19 degrees last night and tonight 11 degrees is predicted!  The high temps all week are in the low 30s but warming to the 40s by Friday!  Monday was a beautiful day - in the 60s.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel up to going out and enjoying that weather!  I'm mising those 80s we had in New Zealand!!

Here are a couple of the cards we made this week in Stamp Club.  I really tried to reduce the amount of stuff I had to carry downstairs for our card making and used one of the new Occasions stamp sets on three of the cards!!

File Folder Card

 For the file folder card, I followed a tutorial to make the folder using the Envelope Punch Board (love it!) that I found on-line.  It is easy to find instructions - just google file folder card and you will see many websites and videos.  I used the new Banners Framelits.  After you have made the file folder (I used Basic Gray card stock) -

• ·        Use Fancy Fan embossing folder to emboss front ½ of file folder
• ·        Use Fringe Scissors to fringe 2 strips of Crushed Curry. Layer under strip of Afternoon Picnic DSP.
• ·        Stamp “Life doesn’t have to be ….” from Perfect Pennants (Occasions Catalog) using Wisteria Wonder ink.  Use Banners Framelits to die cut banner. (use 3^rd smallest banner) 
• ·        Die cut Wisteria Wonder with Banners Framelits (use 4^th smallest).  Layer white banner onto purple.
• ·        Use open tab from Chalk Talk Framelit & cut opening onto top of Banner.  Thread Summer Starfruit ribbon through.
• ·        Make 3 flowers with clay and molds and ink with Wisteria Wonder, Crushed Curry and Coastal Cabana and glitter)
• ·        On inside, stamp sentiment and adhere strip of Afternoon Picnic paper   Trim to fit.

Base card is Summer Starfruit

Crisp Cantaloupe - this is the one we made

• 
  
• ·        Card stock is Crisp Cantaloupe.
• ·        Layer Birthday Basics paper onto Gumball Green card stock and adhere to left side of card.
• ·        Use Banner Framelit to cut 1 white (3^rd smallest) and 1 Raspberry Ripple (4^th smallest)
• ·      Stamp “MAKE a WISH” (Perfect Pennants set) with Gumball Green ink onto white card banner.  Layer onto Raspberry banner.  Wrap Bakers Twine around and adhere to right side of card.
• ·      Stamp “a” using Raspberry Ripple ink.  Punch out with ½” Circle Punch.  Adhere to sentiment with dimensional.
• ·        Stamp “confetti” using the Cupcake Punch and adhere to corners of card.

I prefer this card made with Summer Starfruit and that was my intention BUT I neglected to order Summer Starfruit last month and I only had one sheet left.  I also gave the gals an option to do the card in Bermuda Bay.

Weekly Deals and more pics

WEEKLY DEALS JAN 21-27

Ready for a few more New Zealand pictures?   We went to a Glow Worm cave on the North Island.  Ashley and Courtney enjoyed the caves while white water rafting while Taffy and I enjoyed a slower pace of riding in a rubber raft through the caves.  The glow worm is unique to New Zealand. Thousands of these tiny creatures radiate their luminescent light.  It was really cool to see all the hundreds of glow worms - looked like a million stars in the sky.  Unfortunately, it is so dark in the caves, pictures don't come out and you are not allowed to use a flash.

Taffy and I with our hard hats (with light) on ready to do some caveing.

These are spun by the glow worms and are hanging from the top of the caves.

This was our hotel for the night!

This was a real ship.  It is part of New Zealand's history as 12 were built for anti submarine patrol in the Islands during WWII and only a couple survived including this one, The Motunui, which is now renamed as The Waitanic.   Taffy and I were not too sure about the beds but it was the best sleep we had the whole trip I think!  So comfy!

This place also has an airplane and a hobbit house that you can sleep in. 



Enjoying a cool one after cave-ing
 

Christchurch Earthquake

This week is Stamp Club - had to change it since I was in New Zealand when we were supposed to meet.  Speaking of New Zealand, I just heard that they had a 6.3 earthquake today!!  Guess there's some things you are glad that you missed.  I don't think I would want to live in an area that is so susceptible to earthquakes, tornadoes or hurricanes.  New Zealand has over 14,000 earthquakes a year!  When we checked into the B&B in Christchurch, one of the ladies there told us they had had a couple of quakes the past few days - just small ones.  I guess they are just common place to them.  That is one of the things I was so surprised about in Christchurch - how much rebuilding was still being done - almost 3 years after the big quake hit them in Feb, 2011.  Most of the damage from that quake was in the downtown area.  We took a cable car ride and the conductor told us that the quake had been very shallow causing so much damage in the city.  The cable tracks were undamaged during the quake and they think that is one of the things that helped keep the streets together instead of crumbling.  There was a beautiful 19th century cathedral in the center of the city.  I wish I could have seen it before the earthquake. The spire and part of the tower was destroyed and the structure of the building was severely damaged.  It had been damaged previously by five previous earthquakes.  In March, 2012 work began on demolishing the building but in mid December, the demolition was halted by the High Court of New Zealand.  However, in early December 2013, the Supreme Court rejected a final bid to preserve the cathedral meaning that the diocese is free to demolish the building and build a replacement.  There is a group pushing for the building to be repaired but that will cost  millions of dollars.   In the meantime, the cathedral community has been worshiping in a temporary building, the Cardboard Cathedral which we visited.   The triangular prism building is fashioned from 98 interlocking cardboard tubes.  They also used timber, steel and a concrete base alongside the tubes.

Outside of the Cardboard Church - see cardboard tubes

Inside Cardboard Church - notice cardboard beams

 

That is not the only temporary structure that the city has.  They also have a pedestrian shopping mall built with brightly colored shipping containers.  It is very unique!

Pictures from Texas

I brought a bad cold home with me.  Luckily it didn't hit me until Friday.  I have not been out of the house since I got home and have not gotten out of my sweats!  Sonny was a sweetheart and went to the store for me yesterday and bought a case of ginger ale (which I have drunk half of it in two days!) and a decongestant.  One of my tricks for fighting a cold is to use Mentholatum ointment on my nose.  I rub it all over and inside my nose and it helps me breathe.  It grosses Sonny out!  I felt a little better today compared to yesterday so hopefully Monday will be a much better day. 

While I was in Texas, we had a visit from my son, Jeff, his wife, Darcie and their son, Jayce.  Oh, it was so wonderful to see them.  We have not seen each other in almost 6 years.  They came to Ashley's house on Dec 26th after their flight from Tucson.  We had a good visit, had Christmas with them, took them over to the Quadrangle at Fort Sam, and then went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants.  The next day Sonny and I drove to Austin and spent some time with them at Zilker Park and then enjoyed some BBQ at Stubbs. I had such fun with Jayce and it was such a joy to hear him call me Grandma! He is a typical boy and reminds me so much of Jeff at his age - very precocious, stubborn and definitely has a mind of his own!  I kept trying to take pictures and he would run and hide from me.  I finally was able to get a few pictures ... on the sly!  Such a sweetie!  Also, it was wonderful to spend time with Jeff and Darcie and catch up with their lives.  Just wish we'd had more time.

Darcie and Ashley

Darcie, Jeff and Jayce

Darcie took a picture of all of us.

Jayce and me

Jeff and Darcie
 

Jayce, me and Sonny at the Quad

I'm back with pictures from my trip!

I'm home!  I think this is the longest I've been away from home and definitely the longest I've been away from my husband.  But it was a great trip!   We arrived back in Texas Monday night from New Zealand after a full day of traveling.  We left Christchurch Monday afternoon at 4:30 pm; flew to Auckland; headed over to the International Terminal (about an 8 minute walk) and had to go back through Security to catch our flight to San Francisco (13 hour flight!); went through Security and Customs in San Fran. and caught our flight to Houston; and lastly our final flight to San Antonio where we landed at 9:30 pm .... still Monday!  Whew!  We were glad to be home!  I stayed at Ashley's a couple of days to get some rest.  So far, the jet lag hasn't been as bad as I expected.  Of course, I have been going to bed about 11 and getting up around 9. 

I'm going to try and share a few pictures with you for the next few weeks from some of our stops in New Zealand.

The Auckland Airport
 

We visited the Auckland Zoo and saw these giant tortoises!

We took the ferry to Waihike Island on Sunday from Auckland and visited several wineries.  These are some grapes hanging from the vine.

Having lunch and a glass of wine at one of the wineries.

Ashley and Courtney relaxing in our little apartment in Auckland.

Auckland Memorial - beautiful view of the city from here.

Baboons at the Auckland Zoo - one in tree and one on ground.  The one of the ground had covered himself up with a piece of cardboard.  We watched him climb up with the other one - carrying his cardboard and covering himself up again!

Love Birds at the Zoo

Our first gas fill up!  Wow!

 

STAMPIN' UP NEWS

Dates: January 11-February 10, 2014

The Details:  NEW Paper Pumpkin subscribers who sign up at My Paper Pumpkin between January 11 and February 10, 2014, will receive a FREE set of  2012-2014 In Color Stampin' Write Markers -a $14.95  value.  The Paper Pumpkin kits have been revamped to be better quality and better value!

• This special offer is only valid for new subscribers.
• Customers must sign up at My Paper Pumpkin
• The markers will be sent with the subscriber's Welcome Kit.  No coupon code is required. Anyone who signs up for a Paper Pumpkin membership during the promotion dates will get a set of 2012-2014 In Color Stampin' Write Markers.

SU has some exciting new products coming soon! New personalized stamps that you are going to love! And REALLY exciting new markers coming called Blendabilities. If you like Copic markers but don’t like the price, you will love these. Alcohol markers that blend beautifully and even a marker that removes color if you make a mistake. The chart shows the 12 color groups that will come in sets of 3 for 11.95 (US) So each dot you see below represents the 3 gradient colors that blend together. There is a set of 6 skin tones, and the color remover pen also. They are not refillable at this time so they can be a lower price point than other alcohol markers. They will not replace our regular markers – the alcohol markers dry too fast to use on your stamps or to use aqua painters with. Think of these as another color tool to add to your tool box. They are square and won’t roll off your table, bullet tip on one end, brush tip on the other. They recommend using the Memento Tuxedo Black pad (which we will carry also) and NOT using StazOn, which is an alcohol based pad.  When are they available? Not sure. They said this quarter, so maybe March? I’ll keep you posted.

 

 

 Also - 2 new Photopolymer sets are coming out and some news about SU manufacturing them in our Kanab facility. They can be stinky to make and even opening my package at home requires some airing out but they stamp so nicely!  Photopolymer stamps will be included in the annual catalog as well as be available in our clear mount cases!


Dates: January 11-February 10, 2014

The Details:  NEW Paper Pumpkin subscribers who sign up at My Paper Pumpkin between January 11 and February 10, 2014, will receive a FREE set of 2012-2014 In Color Stampin' Write Markers -a $14.95  value.  SU has redesigned the Paper Pumpkin kits making them better quality and better value!

• This special offer is only valid for new subscribers.
• Customers must sign up at My Paper Pumpkin
• The markers will be sent with the subscriber's Welcome Kit.  No coupon code is required. Anyone who signs up for a Paper Pumpkin membership during the promotion dates will get a set of 2012-2014 In Color Stampin' Write Markers.

Leaving on a Jet Plane!!

I am in New Zealand on a wonderful vacation.  I will not return until Jan. 13 so no blog posts for a while! 

Come back and visit me when I return!!

Pictures from New Zealand

Happy 2014

I have tried to download this for several days... not gooo Internet.  

We spent New Years Eve at the Auckland Sky Tower a revolving restaurant with awesome view s.