Alaska Scrapbook Part 1 - Ketchikan

I guess I didn't get back on this blog as quickly as I said, did I? Anyway, Dave and took a wonderful cruise to Alaska on the Celebrity Solstice and then spent a few days in Seattle. We took the trip with my brother Kevin and sister-in-law Barbara, and Barbara's brother Jerry and his wife Christal. We all had a wonderful time.

I have started scrapping our adventures. Between the two of us, we came back with almost 500 photos. It has been really difficult to winnow them down to a reasonable number, and then select even fewer for inclusion in the scrapbook. Here are the pages from Ketchikan, our first port of call. Just imagine these pages side by side, left and right.

The first set is our arrival and docking in Ketchikan. It was about 7:00 in the morning of May 24.







Dave and I , along with Kevin and Barbara, took a trolley tour up the coast to seek out wildlife. We saw dozens of eagles, a salmon hatchery, and harbor seals.























Our next stop was at Saxman Village where there is a large collection of totems. They are amazing. One of the totems was a shame pole of Abraham Lincoln. There are several interpretations about why the Tinglit people decided Lincoln needed to be shamed, but the painting of his lips on the pole indicates that they felt he had misspoken about something.




Creek Street is a boardwalk of shops, museums and residences. During the gold rush days, it was the red-light district of Ketchikan.


One of the most famous of the "sporting women" in Ketchikan was Dolly Arthur. Her house has been preserved much as she left it upon her death in the 1970s. She is said to have conducted her last business transaction at the age of 72.




There is a funicular up the steep mountainside along Creek Street. At the top is a wonderful lodge and restaurant with a spectacular view.




My baby brother turn O.L.D. on May 24 too. We all made sure he wouldn't forget his birthday with a pirate theme.
























I am currently working on Tracy Arm Fjord and the Sawyer Glacier. I will post them as soon as completed. That's where a lot of our photos were taken. Alaska is so beautiful and we saw just such a small part of it.

Until next time,

I'm Back

I know - it's been a very long time. When I returned from Florida I myself was ill and the recovery has been long and arduous. I have sarcoidosis, which takes a lot out of me. On top of that, the treatment is prednisone which is in some ways a miracle drug, but comes with a whole list of nasty side effects that are unpleasant. The good news is I am feeling quite well now and have resumed all my creative efforts with a bang! I will be posting some of the latest here in just a few days.

I am also cleaning up my "woman cave" and will be selling some items, which you will find on the separate page on this blog. Look for that list coming in a week or two. I have great "stuff" which I love dearly, but I just have so very much that it doesn't get used. It needs to go to a new home.

So hang in there and come visit me again soon. Photos to be posted by Friday for sure!

Out of Town

Due to a family emergency, I will be out of town for an unknown period. I will be monitoring email as I am able, but will not be updating this site. However, my store is operational and ready for your orders any time, any day.

Hopefully I will "see" you all again soon.



Very Merry Everything Gift Card



Just a quick post to show you the 3 x 3 cards I created for a swap.  I love these small cards that are just right for gift tags or just because.



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Bright & Beautiful on Vellum

Today's card features a Bright & Beautiful star stamped on vellum over a sponged nighttime sky.

It is difficult to see the variation of colors in the background in the photo, but it really is beautiful. The effect was achieved with sponging ink over a heat embossed resist background. I wish I had taken photos along the way to give you a tutorial, but here are the steps I followed:


  • Using the Stars mask, sponge VersaMark Ink onto Whisper White cardstock.
  • Heat emboss with white embossing powder.
  • Sponge inks over the entire panel with a heavy hand. I used Marina Mist, Night of Navy and Elegant Eggplant.
  • Spatter Perfect Pearls over the background with a stiff brush
  • Stamp the star and sentiment onto vellum with StazOn.
  • Adhere the background panel to a Night of Navy A2 card base.


  • Trim the star panel to the desired size and adhere using minimal adhesive. I used small pieces of glue dots.
  • Embellish the star with rhinestones, sequins and candy dots using these to hide any visible adhesive.
  • Stamp a sentiment for the inside of the card on Whisper White with Elegant Eggplant ink.
  • Embellish as desired. I cut a star with the Framelits and stamped the pattern with Basic Gray ink.

This makes a stunning card and the steps are reasonably easy. I hope you will try to make a gorgeous sponged background for your next project!









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