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It’s hard to believe today is already the 4th of July.  It seems like just yesterday it was the beginning of June and we were in Maui for the first time.  It was a really fun trip and thankfully we had no flight delays. That is definitely the longest I’ve been on a plane before and I can’t say I loved that aspect, but it was definitely worth it once we were there.

We stayed at the Polo Beach Club condominiums. It was right at the edge of Wailea and Makena. It didn’t have the amenities that the resorts did, but it was quiet and the beach was less crowded, plus all the resorts were within walking distance if we did want to eat at one of the restaurants while we were there.

We were lucky to have a path next to where we were staying that you could walk along the ocean for almost 2 miles.  It went past a number of resorts and if you were up for a long walk, you could make it to the Shops at Wailea as well.

This egret accompanied us on one of our morning walks. They were far to busy hunting and eating lizards to be bothered by or concerned with us.

One thing I found interesting is that there were chickens everywhere in Maui.  They were all around the resorts, outside the grocery store and even in the MacDonalds parking lot.

The first morning we were there, my husband did the sunrise bike ride down a volcano. The sunrise certainly looks amazing, but it isn’t something I regret not doing.

These are just a few of the sites we took in. We made the most of the 10 days we were there, but all of us were also glad to be home when the time came.

Since then, I’ve been trying to carve out time to make journals in-between the demands of being a parent and caring for an aging parent and it isn’t always easy.  I just finished a couple of themed journals.  Both are from digital kits from My Porch Prints.

This one is called Enchanted and it’s the first time I’ve made a night themed journal.  I really do love full moons so I enjoyed making this one quite a bit.  Here are a few pictures of the journal. More pictures can be found on the Themed Journals page of my website.

The second one is called The Naturalist.  I had made one kind of similar to this  a few months ago, but it sold right away.  I liked it so much that I wanted to make another one somewhat similar to the first one.  If you would like to see more of this journal, just head on over the the Themed Journals Page and you will find more pictures.

Last but not least is this cute little junk journal.  I call this one Bitsy.   More pictures of this cutie can be found on the Junk Journals page of my site.

I hope your summer is going well, wherever you are spending it.

Until next time!

Of all of the digital journal kits I’ve acquired, Alice in Wonderland is the one I have the most of.  It’s definitely one of my favorites, and so far, I have sold almost every one of the Alice journals I have made at each Craft Guild show I do every year, as well as Sky Pony Gallery.

This one is especially chunky and has pockets throughout, filled with journaling cards and tags, as well as an envelope and folio filled with Alice in Wonderland ephemera.  It also has four tabs that you can move to whatever pages you like, but that are also as adorable as they are functional.

So without further ado, here are the pictures of my latest Alice in Wonderland themed journal.

Until next time!

After my previous art doll experience, I felt the need to prove to myself that I could make a doll that wasn’t terrifyingly ugly.  So I bought a few different  patterns with instructions from Etsy and got to work.

I make these three dolls that I really like. They aren’t perfect, but they are not bad for a first try.

I definitely needed to add a bit more stuffing to the face of the rabbit, but she was the first one I made, so mistakes were made. This was also a very difficult pattern for me to follow, as I am not an experienced seamstress.

I made the cat second and created her dress from a vintage quilt I purchased years ago that I never knew quite what to do with.  The mouse was my third attempt and I love the overalls. I eventually made a little tote for each one and included a small handmade notebook inside.

These were for sale and the 2023 Craft Guild Spring Show and I’m happy to say that the cat found a forever home.

Unfortunately I don’t have enough free time right now  to make both journals and handmade dolls, so I really need to concentrate on one over the other.  I did however purchase lots of patterns for when the time comes that I do have more free time to create once the girls are in college.

School seems to start earlier and earlier every year. This year they had to audacity to start today, which is August 10th.  It makes no sense to me, because it is definitely still summer here, with the temperatures reaching 100 plus degrees every day.  No one should have to go back to school when it is still this hot out!

When I was growing up, we got out in May and went back after Labor Day.  Summer really felt like summer, not just some extended break.  If I thought my kids were going to be smarter for having their summer cut short, perhaps I could get on board, but judging from a lot of the kids I’ve met since I’ve become a mom, my generation definitely isn’t dumber for not having gone to school less days a year.

At least we had a good summer this year and a spectacular vacation.  To be honest, most of the times we go out of town, I am ready to come home at least two days before the vacation is over.  Not this time.  The house we rented was amazing and right on South Ponte Vedra Beach.

The beach was public, but felt private and was clean and not crowded at all.  We were able to eat on the deck every day and the ocean views from inside the house were amazing.  At night, I would go out on the third floor balcony just to look at the stars because you could see so many of them.  In the mornings, I enjoyed coffee on the deck, while the sun rose over the Atlantic Ocean.

By 11:00, it was time to enjoy mimosas on the deck.

I loved waking up and being able to walk on the beach first thing in the morning. I really miss those walks since we’ve been back home.

You can click the link below to watch a short video.

Beach video 1

The girls did a lot of body surfing, some boogie boarding and a lot of digging in the sand.

boogie boarding video

Another great thing about where we stayed is that we were just minutes away from St. Augustine, which is a charming city, rich in history and definitely worth a visit.

If only I could have fit him in my suitcase!

I will end with a couple of sunrise photos.  They were stunning and this was definitely the best vacation we’ve had in a long time.  I still find myself wishing that we were still there.  It’s definitely now one of my favorite places in Florida and I want to, not only go back to Ponte Vedra, but also stay in that same beach house!

This was the sunrise on our last day.