The Scarf's The Thing

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The Keys 4 Art (Last Day)

Sorry that this is so late today. My internet server didn't want to let me sign on this morning so I have been waiting to get on to get this stuff posted.

Anyways I wanted to post the remainder of the photos yesterday but I ran out of time. I had to get my nails done and then take my Dad to a Dr.'s appointment.

The photos from yesterday were from that Saturday from around lunch time. After that we went back and played some more doing something that I can't remember. That evening we went to a local bar on the shore to have a few drinks and watch the sunset. The first bar we went to I have no idea what the name was. Pirate something or other. LOL!!

This was were we sat which faced the sea right above a dock where the boats came in and out. From the left it's Eileen, Jen, Me, Marita, Sue and Juliet peeking over her shoulder. (Elena was taking the photos.)

This is the view we had of the ocean.

They even had a pirate ship that you could rent to go out on for the day.

Just like 2 peas in a pod. (Marita and Gina.)

Gina and Elena.

We then decided that the mangrove trees would be in the way to see a good sunset so we headed off to a hotel on the beach called "Big Chill".

Marita snags this set of couches so we can settle down for some mango mojitos and munch on some good food. We snacked on conch fritters, artichoke spinach dip and calamari. Hmmmmmm good!

The sunset never showed itself since there were clouds all day. We even got rained on for about 5 minutes but we didn't mind at all.

After the sun went down they turned on underwater lights so we had a very beautiful glow to lounge by.

Well that's all of the photos I have of my trip. I am usually accused of being a camera nazi but this time I just enjoyed the view without taking too many pictures. I want to thank everyone for their comments and also thank the wonderful ladies I got to meet that week. It was something I will never forget.

Hair Adornments Aplenty

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The Keys 4 Art

These photos aren't from one specific day but I wanted to share them anyways.

I know that I said in another post that I wished I had taken some pictures of the journals that everyone did. I managed to take at least one that I didn't remember about so here it is. From the left this is Jen, Gina, Marita and Sue. (Except Jen doesn't have her journal.) The bottle of Vodka was from the previous night. Unfortunately there are no pictures of the girls being thrown in the pool at Manny's party that night but Jen, Juliet and Nicole all came back soaking wet.


This is Manny the owner of the Marlin which fed us several times. Manny is the one that is folically challenged. Next to him is Bernie, which is Elena's husband and the ring leader herself Elena.


If I remember right this was on Saturday and this is a plate of ribs that Manny served us up. They are actually Bernie's ribs that he cooks at the Marlin every Saturday morning. Let me tell you.... I am not a rib eater but these were the meatiest ribs I have ever seen and the barbecue sauce that Bernie makes is to die for.

Eileen, Nicole and Marita.

Gina and Jen.

As you can see the ribs were enjoyed by all as was all of the delicious food we ate that week.

That's all for today so be sure and check back tomorrow.

More Time At The Beach

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The Keys 4 Art (Day 3)

So the beginning of day 3 started like the previous ones. We all trickled in for breakfast after a late night of chatting and art work. Once everyone was ready we hunkered down to do a class with Eileen on a technique she learned from taking a class with Lynn Perella. We had our background done and dry from yesterday which consisted of taking different textures and adhering them to our rosin paper. Things like tissue paper, textured wallpaper, corrugated cardboard, sting, onion bags, etc. Now we were charged with the task of covering the wonderful texture with colors of paint. Any color anywhere, just keep applying it until you were happy. Once that was done we started applying black and white images of people, birds, music, clocks, etc. When that was dry it was time to play with the water soluble oil pastels. We colored the images using the pastels either wet or dry and could blend them with the water or leave them as is. The resulting layers of the collage could be framed in one entire piece or Eileen showed us how to cut and fold it to make a book. I opted to do the later so you will see mine has a slit in it in the photo below.

Without further ado here is each of individually with our grand works of art.

Jennifer Rogers-Daniels

(California)

Jacquie Valdespino

(Florida)

Gina Goodling

(Oregon)

Elena Vigil-Farinas

(Florida)

Eillen Bellomo

(New York)

Patty Hogan

(Florida)

Marita Kovalik

(Oregon)

Linda Davis

(Florida)

Lillian Mederak

(Canada)

Juliet Arrighi

(Virginia)

Valerie Brincheck

(Michigan)

Sue Young

(Illinois)

Here we all are on the balcony, outside the craft area, with all of our masterpieces.

So that's all for today....be sure and come back tomorrow to see more.

Perfect Parasols

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The Keys 4 Art (Day 2)

So what do I talk about now? There are so many memories of this trip that I want to get them all out before I forget them all. And trying to keep them in order is making my brain hurt. LOL!!!

Anyways.... Gina and Marita were picked up by Elena's friend Jacquie and spent the morning recuperating at her apartment while Elena and I went to Miami airport and picked up Eileen, Jen and Sue. (We had some sushi at a little Japanese bar while we waited for all of them to arrive.) Elena tried to get me to try the "Cuban" coffee but I can't stand the taste of coffee. (I hear this stuff will put hair on your chest and is only drunk a shot at a time.) After everyone was gathered we headed off to a Cuban restaurant called Versailles and had a fabulous meal. Afterwards we were serenaded by the Spanish version of a mariachi band.

Starting at the "red shirt" and going around the table clockwise, this is who everyone is. Marita Kovalik, Gina Goodling, Sue Young, Jennifer Rogers-Daniels, Juliet Arrighi, Jacquie Valdespino (standing) me, Lillian Mederak, Elena Vigil-Farinas and Eileen Bellomo.

The food was awesome and I got to try all kinds of new flavors. There was fried plantains, fried yucca which is kinda like a french fry, fried ham and cheese sticks (don't know what they were called) with a wonderful dipping sauce. We all had some really good Sangria and nibbled on each others dishes all night. It ended with a wonderful dessert called tres leche (spelling?) which means "triple milk". It's a sponge cake with 3 kinds of milk soaked into it with whipped cream on it. It's enough sugar to make your body go into insulin shock but it was delicious.

Once we got back to Key Largo we had to stay and chat to get to know each other so I know the 3 of us that stayed in the big RV didn't get to sleep until almost 1am. (Gina, Marita and I got the RV suite.) The cute thing is that there was a package each night from the pillow fairies and we had no idea who was doing it. The first night was a package of ear plugs and 2 fortune cookies from fabric with a saying in each one. I thought I had it figured out that Nicole was the one doing it but I was proven wrong later. (Nicole is Elena's sons girlfriend and lives with them.)

The second night was a roll of this cool packing tape with images printed on it. When I thanked Nicole for it she looked either confused or satisfied but I wasn't sure which. (I still had no idea it wasn't her.)

The next night we got this package of cards and a luggage tag for our suitcases. I have no idea what I will use the cards for but they are extremely hilarious. (Is still have no idea who is doing this but I am sure it is not Nicole because of her reaction the night before.)

The last night we got this little package from the 2 pillow fairies which contained a couple of ATC's from our perpetrators. The culprits turned out to be my fellow RV mates Gina and Marita. The "b@#$%'s" had been lying to me the whole time and I didn't suspect a thing because they each got a package every night too. All I can say is payback is gonna be painful.

So on the second day....

I am usually an early riser but I didn't haul my ass out of bed until about 8am. Once we all got breakfast and everyone else had their shot of cuban coffee the "sisterhood" started in a frenzy.

Patty, Jen, Eileen and the back of Lillian's head are having breakfast.

Everyone busted out the goodies in the beach bags and exchanged all the other gifts we brought for one another. Once they all got their hands on the journals that I brought it was decided unanimously that they wanted to work on them so they could be bound before they all left. Before the journal was started we all gessoed the background of our rosin paper for Eileen's class on Lynn Perella's workshop. (More explanation on that tomorrow.) The first technique I showed was the Drunken Scotch technique on the ticket frame for the front of the journal. (I then showed then how to make it into a shaker box.) Once that was completed to a chorus of oooooo's and ahhhhhh's the next technique I showed was something I have dubbed "Inlaid Embossing". (The video tutorial will be forthcoming so don't fret.) It's a way of layering embossed images on top of a smooth layer of thick embossing powder so that it looks like it's inlaid. Some of the powders even ended up looking like copper enamel ware so I think it was very cool.

Juliet, Jen, Eileen and Nicole all busily working on embossing or painting. (The suspected Pillow Fairy looks too cool, calm and collected at this point.)

Linda and Patty are busy working on embossing also. They are 2 of Elena's Scrapbooking buddies that didn't join us at the restaurant. (You can just see me in the mirror from the other room if you look close.)

Gina is happily embossing away. Occasionally her and Marita would get into little squabbles over where some supply disappeared to. Then the ensuing "mine, mine, mine" could be heard and we all had to join in. (like the seagulls from Finding Nemo.) By the end of the week we were sure that Elena's Blue Macaw, Pancho, would have picked that one up but so far he hasn't.

I think we all ended up at a local restaurant called the Marlin for dinner but I am still in a daze from it all. I can't remember what we did after dinner when we got back but I'm sure it will come to me eventually. (I just hope no one has any compromising pictures of me from that night.)

Be sure and come back tomorrow for more details....