AJC 2011 Itinerary 27: We OBSERVEd and Celebrated 2 Great Dates!

My good friend Felicity not only celebrates her Birthday on July 4th, (As a Canadian, I’m sure she was ribbed about that date a lot in school); she also chose to be married on that date as well! As she puts it, ‘it was the best birthday present her husband could give her!’ and I suspect a date he would be hard pressed to forget!
Coupled with the July 1st Canada Day celebration, it makes for a nice long weekend and a terrific excuse for Good Party!
Happy 2nd Anni-Birthary! to my dear friend Felicity and husband Ken.
Hugs from Sophie, me and Mr. Bear.

Credits and Kits:
Hanging Rope Picture Frame: AJC11 Parcel 27
Background Red Paper: AJC Parcel 03
Sparkler Photo: mine © LadyNorth July 4 2011
Font: Antique Type

AJC 2011 Itinerary 26: oh i DO love to be beside the seaside...

While sitting around the campfire, Sophie had been regaling Kevin with her tales of travels using Mr. Wells Time Machine, to which Kevin had remarked rather wistfully that he always wanted to visit Monte Carlo in the 1900’s and began to sing.
“As I walk along the Bois Boolong
With an independent air
You can hear the girls declare
"He must be a Millionaire."
You can hear them sigh and wish to die,
You can see them wink the other eye
At the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo.”

Sophie was entranced and decided as soon as they got home, she would drag out the Time Machine and together they would go to Monte Carlo and have Kevin try his luck at the Tables.

With much whirring and clanking, (I really must have that looked at, thought Sophie) Mr. Wells trusty Time Machine deposited them safely beachside.
The first person to greet them was Ollie the 9 Armed Octopus and bon vivant, who sold balloons on the Promenade and at night, was a respected dealer and croupier at La Casino Del Mar, (one of the swankier casinos where he could deal blackjack at 8 tables at once while keeping one arm free for swindlers and pickpockets – no one was ever robbed at his tables!)
Ollie told them about ‘Sideways Syd’ (nice feller, bit of a flounder, has trouble swimming regular like, so he does it sideways) who had Snorkeling Gear for sale or rent and would fix them up ‘special’, “just say Ollie sent you.”.
True to his word Syd did ‘fix them up special’ (though he was rather taken aback at how to accommodate both Camel and Kiwi until he hit upon the idea of them sharing the same tank.
Here is a page from Sophie’s Scrapbook of her Monte Carlo Adventure with Kevin.

Credits and Kit:
For the most part, all Elements, Papers, Sea Creatures, Bubbles, Abalone and Gold Alpha from the Amazing kit: STEAMPUNK MARINE brought to us by the Letters R and T
(that Creative Team of Rebecca and Tangie)
Additional font: Tangie’s Tweedledee (I honestly never get tired of using it)
Balloon font: Ballonist
Blue Background paper: AJC11 – Parcel 03
Sand Background: DSA2

AJC 2011 Itinerary 25: CATCH ..A Falling Star*

To celebrate Midsummer, our stalwart campers Sophie and Kevin have lit a small bonfire and are watching for falling stars.
Thinking that this may be a way to entice a Star into the StarCage, Kevin (wearing the Perry Como Yellow Cardigan Sleeve) taught Sophie his Mum’s favourite song ‘Catch a Falling Star’.
(If you listen closely you can hear Sophie yodeling on the ‘catch a falling star’ repeat bits)

He first heard the song while still in the egg, as Mrs Kiwi had built her nest in the eaves of the local Whakatane Record Shop and of course she would hear all the latest records being played.
Mum was so enamored of Perry Como singing ‘Catch A Falling Star’, (she would warble it to the eggs while they were hatching) that one night she snuck in, hopped up on the desk, dipped her bill in the inkwell, and wrote a somewhat scratchy but readable Fan Letter which she had delivered by Albert, a kindly sea-faring albatross.
When Mr Como received that note and found out that a whole nest of New Zealand Kiwi’s loved his singing, he wanted to do something extra special for them; so he cut off the sleeve of his favourite yellow cardigan (knowing that the whole thing would be much too big) parceled it up and gave it to Albert to deliver for him! (no doubt a few swigs of rum and sea faring sea shanties were shared by Mr Como and Albert before departing)
It has remained in the Kiwi family ever since and is only brought out On Very Special Occasions and Only when Catch A Falling Star is sung.

*
Credits and Kits:
Background Moon and Sky: the net
Bonfire: c/o cousins Big Burn
Trees and Grass: AJC10 Tangie’s Parcel 48 asexton
Catch wordart: AJC11 Parcel 25
Falling Star: AJC11 Journey11 Beginning Parcel elements
A Falling Star: Tangie’s Duchess Font
StarCage: AJC11 Parcel 25 BRimmer
Music Staff: Bkerr paperborders Music Vol 9
Sophie is wearing her favourite Cowichan Toque
Kevin is wearing That Perry Como Yellow Sweater Sleeve

Here is the Immortal Mr C singing ‘Catch A Falling Star’ with lyrics.
Courtesy of Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U08iKG4tfFE

AJC 2011 Itinerary 24: LAUGH or Sophie and Kevin Go Camping...

*** in which a Universal Truth is Discovered.
(I will leave it up to my viewers to decide who the ‘Snorer’ is!)

Credits and Kits:
Kevin the Kiwi flew in by Air NZ c/o Tangie’s Parcel 22
Hands holding Poster: Tangie’s Parcel 22
Background Papers: AJC Beginning Parcel
Fonts Used: Tangie’s Tweedledee, MockTurtle and FivesevenAndtwo

Storyline based upon all my Girl Guide Camping years.

WOOHOO! Sophie and I have been PUBLISHED!

A few months ago I received this very mysterious 'secret squirrel' type private message on the AJC forum from Annie and Tangie (the AJC Tour Guide):
"A Request of Most Importance and TOP Secrecy!"
asking me (ME?!) if I would like to contribute an article with accompanying 4 layouts (they would choose 2) for the upcoming June Travel edition of the Artisan Guild Notebook?!

After a few 'are you sure you read that correctly' minutes and checking to see that it had been addressed to the right person, (as I have read and viewed the awesome and amazing digital artwork in that ezine!) I took a deep breath, swallowed the rest of my coffee and sent a 'sure I'll do that' reply back.

Then the panic really began.

For my article, I wrote, deleted, wrote some more, deleted, all the the time figuring that it wouldn't matter how much I wrote, they could just chop it down.
Well, IMAGINE my surprise, when they didn't, but published every darn word, including my punctuation typos! (lol)

So without further ado..

page1myarticle and page2myarticle

Considering the very talented contributors not only in the e-zine, but on the Caravan itself like SparklyDuck who was also chosen;
Sophie and I are very humbled and honoured to invited to share our Journey with you.