More Hawaii Scrapbook photos

This layout is about the three boys and how great they were together!  I have never done a layout where I cut the photo across the center line - but it seems okay here.  I just hope his Mom isn't furious about me cutting his legs in half!  LOL  The paper is CTMH "No Worries" and it will be gone-gone-gone end of August - so if you think you need it, you'd better hurry!  

Baptism card

Would you believe it?  In all the goodness of my "North" studio, I didn't have a single cross stamp?  Amazing. Well, I decided to make a Baptism card without one.  The design paper that is under the circles and ribbons is one of the brand new Fundamental Basics designs.  The color is probably Pebble, but I'm not 100% sure.  LOL 

I used the new color Nutmeg to stamp the wreath branches (see my mess-up photo below - isn't that a GORGEOUS color?!), and Lagoon to stamp the flowers.  After trying to use a "wink of stella" pen, and having the ink run (OMGSH) I found that a Sakura Gelly Roll pen (Clear Star) worked to put a little sparkle in the center of the flowers. 

The inside was decorated with a piece of the dot design paper and stamped with a sentiment from the retired CTMH stamp set "Greatest Love".  I did manage to leave a small space for us to write a message to our new little guy.  

These two pages are all about the March for Science.  When the March was announced in January to be held on Earth Day (4/22/17) I knew that we would be in Hawaii.  I also remembered that there had been a significant response for the Women's March in Hilo, HI that day - so I started planning for us to participate in Hilo.  It was fantastic, and different, since it was in conjunction with the "Merrie Monarch Festival Parade" which is basically the culmination of a week long celebration of Hawaiian culture. 

I used CTMH papers, washi tape, fundamentals.  The yellow flowers came from Queen & Company (I think).  There is hidden journaling on the bottom page.  I use top-loading sheet protectors so the tag pulls out from behind the photo (and mat) and can lift out the top of the sheet protector.  

This was the first 2-page layout of my retreat.

We're still in the Botanical Garden.  About halfway through the hike, you come to the Pacific Ocean.  There were tall coconut palm trees, people fishing and collecting crabs, and more streams and small waterfalls.  On the bottom photo I put an arrow at what looks like a black rock.  On the lower photo I put an open circle around that "rock" which turned out to really be a black crab!  The little watercolored "cloud" says "amazing" (my photo didn't really capture it).  

More garden photos

The waterfalls in this garden were so pretty!  The big island is FULL of waterfalls - especially on the Hilo side of the island.  We were practically in the "jungle" part of the weather scheme here.  It was warm, but not too warm, and very humid (hence my big hair!).  

Plants at the Botanical Garden

On our honeymoon in January 2012 we walked through a gorgeous botanical garden near Hilo, Hawai'i.  The plants were not always recognizable because they were so LARGE, but I took photos of the sign posts with most of them to help us put it all together later.  

Back to the Big Island of Hawai'i

The first layout is of South Point.  We stopped out at the southern-most tip of the United States to see the view.  As we were watching a young man fishing off the huge cliff, we heard a blood-curdling scream!  As we looked, a woman hit the water below.  I thought she might have been pushed!  But it turns out, there was a line of people waiting to JUMP off that cliff into the water.  

On the second page you can see photos of Richardson Beach.  This is where Steve first taught me to snorkel and we met two huge sea turtles.  They came up to us!  We were so shocked, and I was frightened of them.  The waves were too wild the day we returned so we didn't get into the water, but I was so happy to discover that our little place still existed.  People in the water reported that the turtles were still there too!  💕

Coffee Break

So, does anyone else need a break from the scrapbook layouts?  How about a cuppa coffee?!  *giggle*  I used Tim Holtz coffee time stamps, CTMH papers and Cocoa ink, a scrap of ribbon from my stash, and on the inside, I did "direct to paper" with the new Mink ink from CTMH.  What a beautiful neutral color!!!

I actually made this one before my friends came to play - but I hadn't gotten it to the recipient yet so I didn't want to post it just in case she might see my blog!  My friend surprised me one evening when she showed up at the house with this:

Now, I would think that most of my friends realize I'm a feminist.  When she showed up with this mug - I could have just jumped for JOY with delight!  It's perfect!  With the "pussy hat" and the heart, and the outline of Minnesota.  Just perfect!

 

Hawaiian Ocean View

Part of the arrangement was that we could live in the Rectory (McKinney Place) and have a car to use while there.  We realized quite soon that there were not a lot of Ocean Views in Ocean View.  This was because of the "VOG".  (an air quality condition that is created and exacerbated by volcanic eruption).  The volcano has been erupting for years, but has been most active the past year with spectacular lava flows into the ocean via the lava tubes.  VOG did more than just obstruct our view, it also made many people feel like they had a perpetual sinus infection.

The plants and flowers are so amazing, even in a recent-lava-flow area like Ocean View.  We saw beautiful plants, from the Ohai tree that grows out of the lava rock, to the more tropical plants that grew on the "Hilo" side of the island.  There were tropical bird of paradise plants that bore white flowers and were 10 times larger than mine in Mesa, AZ, and there were bougainvillea that came in luscious colors that looks like Mango, Pineapple, or Papaya.  The standard Raspberry color is prevelant, too.  

If anyone knows the name of the tiny white flower that all bloomed on one day and were all gone the next day - let me know!  The red plant is called a "Ti".  

Mauna Loa Candy Company, Chickens, Lava Arch

Another two page layout with mixed themes!  The Lava arch photo was from a trip to Volcano National Park.  We were there in 2012, that was the day my Olympus camera died ( !! ) and I didn't get a photo of the arch.  This year (2017) I did get a decent photo!  Yay!!

The selfie was taken at our favorite restaurant in the village of Volcano, where we ate both trips to the island.  Chickens are wild on the islands although you can sometimes find eggs.  The Rectory at McKinney Place had several wild roosters that simply did not know the difference in the sun and the moon - they crowed day and night!

We didn't re-visit the candy company but the photos of the macadamia nuts were interesting since we found a very, very good food truck that parked weekends at the edge of a macadamia nut farm near Ocean View and we ate many nuts while we waited for our meals.  The two items in my hand are: 1) the way they fall off the tree and 2) the middle nut.  You still have to crack the shiny one open to get to the actual macadamia nut!  It's a LOT of work!

Scrapbooking - Akaka, Pe'pee'e, and Rainbow Falls

Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Pe'pee'e Falls are all very close to Hilo, HI.  We visited them all on our honeymoon in 2012 and again this year (2017).  We couldn't hike the Akaka Falls trail due to severe wind damage (many, many fallen trees - the trail was closed).  I'm still glad we stopped to see that it was still there!  

I used multiple "flip-flaps" on these two pages.  These are still loose, but once I put the pages into my album, I'll adhere the flip-flaps to the page protector lining them up over the photo (or Aloha) beneath.  It's a great way to add more photos without needing to add another two page layout!  

These two pages are miscellaneous Hawai'i things that didn't really fit in with any other trips / adventures.  The Kilauea Military Camp is where we stayed on our honeymoon, in one of the small cabins that is like a small apartment.  I've added arrows to indicate which cabin was occupied during which year!  LOL  We stayed a week in 2012, but only one night in 2017 when we needed to be in Hilo early in the morning (for the March on Science). 

Scrapbooking!! Punalu'u

I'm sure it's been AGES since I've posted any scrapbook pages!  I started this whole paper crafting adventure about 20 years ago with scrapbooking - it was my first love!  Then I slowly got into making cards, and learning new techniques that could quickly be accomplished on a card.  Before I knew it, my scrapbooks were being badly neglected!  Take this one, for example.  It's a combination "Honeymoon (2012) and 2017 Return trip" scrapbook that I'll just call Hawai'i.  We re-visited many of the same places and really enjoyed having the longer stretch of time (2 months) to enjoy the BIG island of Hawai'i.  

So, I won't give a lot of explanation on the pages, just know that I used 99.9% CTMH design papers, stamps, etc. on them.  

Another stamped background card - Cats!

This card uses CTMH cardstock and a slip of design paper while the kitties are a stamp set from My Favorite Things called Cool Cat.  I loved this stamp set immediately because of my own world famous  Mr. Bilbo Baggins but also because of the cute sentiments!  

Here's the inside of the card (a retired CTMH stamp set):

I suspect I'll not be posting this week much - my friends will be here and we will enjoy scrapping, adventures, and eating together!  LOL  Hope your week is wonderful! Hugs!