Mariner of the Seas!!

Our Ship, so big and fabulous!! I loved my cabin all to myself. (Photo from Tim Holtz' blog)
In the hotel the night before we left. I was showing off my "altered" shoes.
Beautiful photo of Cobo San Lucas in the early morning. (Photo from Tim Holtz' blog)
photo from Tim Holtz' blog.
Our private corner of the ship....this is where all the fun really happened, classes, marketplace and the Studio....open 24/7...can you believe it???
Was this hard to leave? Oh, yeah!Photo from Sherry Goodloe. Her blog is http://www.gotart4u.blogspot.com/

I had a wonderful time on The Artful Voyage to Mexico! Had classes with Tim & Wendy ... made beautiful pieces of art! Made a travel journal, 2 pieces of jewelry & a collage box with Tim, and an art apron, a bulletin board and a fragment necklace with Wendy - learned new techniques, played with encaustic (wax) art, worked with Claudine Hellmuth's "Sticky-Back Canvas" - and, yes, I'll share pictures. Thank you for all that shared with me.

Glorious weather, except for the day Tropical Storm Patricia made the ship change its course. Scheduled stop in Cabo San Lucas on Tuesday, but Patricia wanted to be there more, so on to Mazatlan & Puerto Vallarta, then went back to Cabo. During the storm many suffered from seasickness, but with all the cures, many recovered soon. I was so fortunate that I didn't get sick....me from the midwest, never seasick..The days in Mazatlan & Puerto were fun - hot, humid, lots of sightseeing, some shopping. Both cities were beautiful & my tour guide was great!

I was on land in Cabo just wandering around, and saw a woman collapse from the heat, so I decided I didn't want to join her in the ambulance, and headed back to the ferry. Well, I was in the wrong line, listening to several people talking about their day They were so interesting I nearly joined them on the wrong ferry. Luckily, the guards caught my ships info, so I was back on the right ferry and back to the ship in plenty of time. I was going to go swimming, but it was so crowded. I just chilled in the Studio. We nearly lost three people who missed the boat, but they caught a Tugboat and was hauled up to the ship. It was witnessed by some of my new friends, and so funny when they described it. They weren't with our group naturally.

I can't thank these guys enough, Tim Holtz, and all his gang, Mario, Keychain, Michele, Jan, Wendy and Rick...all the Scrapmap group, Jim and Jaci. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but a big thanks to Jaci who found my long lost luggage. I'll add more later...got to go make some skinnys!!

Good to be home!!!

HOME SWEET HOME....yes, it's good to be home. My trip was one that can be called "Once in a Lifetime"....so wonderful, fun, entertaining, and yes, crafty. I never thought it would be as much fun, it was all that and more. I did lose my camera, either by accident or whatever, but have promises of photos to come to me. I loved the entire week. Made so many new friends, met fellow-mixed media artists from all over the world. I learned so much in the classrooms, and will finish my projects at my own pace. Tim Holtz has to be the greatest teacher I have ever had. His talent is beyond superb, and the projects amazing. His motto is to embrace imperfection, and that frees you so much to create what is within yourself.
We traded ATCs with most of the group, but I missed several people I'm sure. It was awesome to see everyone's style and talent. The days just flew by, and I was sad to say goodbye to all my new "pals". Luckily, we have a yahoo group, so we can continue to chat and do swaps.

My family was so happy to see me and a quick phone call to my sister for an update was positive news. My older sister is still alive, and hanging in there. Please send her all your prayers! She is in God's hands and we have to trust him.

I'll be posting photos as soon as I have them. So here is my ATC vest that I made and wore.
It is made of grunge-paper. It is study enough to wear and not tear. You can paint it, ink it, stamp on it, sew it and bend it to shape. So I cut out many ATCs and sewed it on my little pink sewing machine. This is the back, I'm having problems loading more photos, so will try again later.

Tomorrow is Party time!!

It's finally here, the day to pack and check off the list of everything I need for the next 8 days..
New clothes, extra camera card, jewelry and traveler's checks. Since I have two huge suitcases, I don't think I have to worry about space. I'm still finishing up the last bit of sewing on my ATC vest made of grungepaper!! Yes, it's like a patchwork vest, only all heavy-duty paper...decorated of course. I'll try and add a photo tonight.
We have begun some much needed household repair work, and the painter comes on Monday. Hopefully all the projects will be finished by the end of the month, including new flooring in the dining room. We never eat there, so I call it the sewing room. I can't remember when we tore up the carpeting, but think we'll have it painted with special floor paint. I love easy cleaning floors.
Tomorrow I'm off to the hotel where the pre-launch party will be, and then leaving San Pedro on Sunday. I'll be back on the 18th after 8 days of fun! I'll have plenty to share.
Have a great day, and think of me...