Relaxed and Rejuvenated

I am back from a very relaxing and enjoyable 2 week vacation in Cape Coral Florida. I can't begin to tell you how rejuvenated I feel. I was a bit worried about the 90 degree weather since I have started getting my own little personal heat waves. I picked up one of those hand held battery fans that can fit in your purse as my savior, but I was pleasantly surprised how comfortable I felt. I got up every morning and had my breakfast and coffee on the lanai and then went for a 4 mile walk with temperatures being in the mid 70's and a humidity of 80%. That sounds awful but there was a constant breeze off the gulf that kept it refreshing. By mid morning the sun and breeze had burned off the humidity. I guess it helped that I have recently lost 30 lbs and have been eating really healthy. When I was done with my walk it was into my swimsuit for an afternoon of sun and the pool. How much more relaxing can you get than floating in a pool reading a book and spending time with dear friends. Seeing the dolphins, manatee and stingrays in the beautiful sun and the lightning storms far off in the distance didn't hurt either.

Carol and I went to our favorite stamp store in Fort Myers called The Owl and the Pussycat. As usual that place has a tendency to do some major damage to my wallet. I purchased several stamp sets from Character Constructions. The one that I used for today's card is from the Paperdoll pARTs "Mannequin Cafe". It is a rather large dress form and I had grabbed my x-large acrylic block. I had a terrible time stamping it and I finally gave up and improvised. As all good stampers we know how to cover out mistakes- hence the white flowers on the dresses. I needed two Birthday cards and they both had some blank spots in different areas but at least they were in an appropriate place. The verse is a separate wooden stamp that they had and was so fitting.

There is a new metallic marker out by Sakura called Pen-touch Calligrapher. I used the gold to edge the navy card stock. The trick is to use it periodically even if you aren't using it on a project, at least draw a line on scrap paper. This will keep the ink fluid and the tip moist.

I hope you all are having a relaxing Memorial Day and remembering those that gave their lives so we could enjoy all the privileges we have here in the USA.

~Have fun and enjoy!