Black Sands Beach

It is cold and snowy here in Minnesota. We just had a big storm and it's April. It's pretty out and normally I don't mind it but, I am ready for sunshine. I am trying to remind myself that it was only a month ago that I was in Hawaii. Here is one of the amazing places I went to in the Aloha state. The Black Sands Beach on the Big Island. Sea turtles, sunshine and soft, warm sand...

It's snowing and raining here today! I'm using my picture of Akaka Falls from a month ago from my trip to Hawaii to cheer me up out of the gloom!

I'm having a sale in my shop and I'd love it if you stopped by! You can click on the link next to my blog!

Shop Status Sunday!

I've been working on new updates for my shop. I hadn't put much work into it beyond the basics since Dec. I got busy with New Year's Eve and then got sick and then went out of town! Phew!

Now there's a new ABOUT page: Girly Geek Chic that I think is great! I love the layout. ETSY is still the best!

I have also begun lisiting new pieces; including things safe for sensitive ears:

Snippets of a Dream

I'm going to post a few pictures from my vacation I just took. I will be back later with lots of pictures and posts and info about everything!

Public Enemy

I went to see Public Enemy in Dec. I have always been a fan of Chuck D.- especially as a book lover, he's pretty important to the fight against censorship. The show was tons of fun. He and Flavor Flav had a lot of positive energy.

How to put together an Arabian Nights Party without crying(mostly)

Setting up the New Year's Eve event I do with four of my friends for about 300 people is a lot of work. And freaking out. But, it never fails to be absolutely worth it. Here are some pictures of the set up which we plan for 8-10 months and create in a non-stop marathon in a week. Hardly anything goes as planned but, I like to think it makes us better creative people because of the resource ideas we have to generate on the fly. I'll post pictures of the actual event soon.

The Very Charming Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I recently took a little road trip down to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I had never been to Iowa and it is a neat state. The reason for the trip was to see the Mucha exhibit at the National Czech and Slovak Museum. The exhibit was stunningly beautiful. I sadly could not take pictures inside but I did see some other great places such as the Brucemore Estate where scenes of Gone with the Wind were filmed and stayed at the very wonderful Belmont Hill Bed and Breakfast. Mucha was an amazing person. It was breathtaking to see his pieces in person after seeing them reprinted so many times in my life.

Much of Cedar Rapids was destroyed in a terrible flood about 4 years ago. But they are rebuilding and there is a lot of beauty to be found here. I look forward to going back.

Most Ginormous Christmas POST ! HOORAY!

I love holidays. All of them. Days set aside to make us stop, have fun, appreciate and be nice. I like it!  And one of the best is the Christmas season! Here is a HUGE collection of pictures from the American Swedish Institute, Macy'sSantaland and family and friends homes! Happiest of Holidays to everyone! 

A Yearly Visit to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival

I love going out here every year: MN Ren Fest. It's done for the season and I did go about a month ago but, that's no reason not to share pictures. We always start with a breakfast somewhere we love. This year we had a perfect meal at Pizza Luce. I have never had anything but excellent food here. They are so accomdating to dietary needs and the staff is always friendly.