Summer is Great for a Harry Potter Event

Cousin Alex (aka: Hermoine) 

decided to throw a 

Harry Potter Movie Marathon Party!

Greetings at Platform 9 3/4 to board 

The Hogwart Express

Jared (aka: The Dementor) looms over the Party Treats

Audra (aka: Professor Trelawny) 

zaps me with her wand

as I take her picture

in the Hall of Flying Keys!

Breakfast was Basillisks & Rock Cakes (scones) 

Lunch included some Sirius Black Spaghetti & Dragon Eggs

Dinner was Potter Pizza & Butter Beer with Cauldron Cakes for dessert.

 Morgan (aka: moaning Mertle) & Audra 

grabbed the Nimbus 2000 & Firebolt 

during the scenes where Quiddich was being played!

Audra says spending 15+ hours watching HP 

in the company of her cousins & brother, 

(minus a little time out for horseback riding lessons, 

but culminating with a 'sleepover')

was the best time she's had all summer!

More on THE HOUSE mess...

Jared's room...kinda hard to find a place to sleep...

The Sun room....a tight little pass through place these days...

 The dining room...where NO dining is happening...

 The Living room, where everything is pushed into the center...

but we can still sit on the couch & watch a movie, 

(now that the plastic & tarps aren't covering it all up!)

The walls & doors are now repaired & painted! YIPPEE!!

SO...next week, it's onto 

fixing the hard wood floors~

Just HORSEing around....

I've had some fabric waiting to be sewn up

for quite some time now...

(I think it's been 4 or 5 years)

....yesterday I finally did something with it!

 This 'pony fur' is now a FUN 

blanket for my horse-loving daughter...

...& since I had my machine set up...

I used a fabric sample from my old 'sales rep days'

& scraps from previous projects

to piece together a little decorative pillow too!

...I wish I'd SEW more often...

2 terrific weeks...

of my online card making class has finally come to an end.

My Happy Thoughts & Treats

include having a nice little Handmade 

Card Stash now!

The card making class is nearly over

...but I'm still working away!

The last couple of days have been assignments with photos~

Here's the same photo 

of my cousin's kumquat tree...

used to 2 ways~

and lastly, a little fun for a friend~

The Card making class continues...

Here's my newest technique...

 Water coloring a base pattern, 

printing a floral design on the art paper, 

embellishing with rhinestones & ribbon (I used mesh) 

and accenting with a dimensional element. 

Again, mine isn't at all like the teacher's example,
but I still like that this class inspires me
to create my own version of the day's project.

Going to the Beach...but not to the sand!

2nd Cousins Playing Cards 

(see silly Maddy? she's a shrieker)

...and going to the Movies 

...and all hanging out together

...in the jacuzzi 

(since it was cold & windy & foggy 

up on the beach, most of the weekend)

but that didn't keep us from walking to DUKE'S!

 & that's where the Adults got in on the FUN TOO!!!

 What a GREAT TIME we had this holiday

weekend at my Aunt & Uncle's Place!!!

Cards....Day 5

Loved the little SEWING embellishments 

in the assembly of today's card!

 I spruced up the inside too & having fun!

Card Making Class (continued)

Day 1

Simple download & prints...that I embellished further...after a bit of motivation from Suzelle!

~ Day 2 is actually seen in my previous card making post ~

Day 3  ~ Was supposed to have a bunch of changes to the download, but I'm too cheap to go buy a program, so I've done what I can with what I've got...Pretty happy with the results too :o)

 Day 4 ~ Once again...pretty different from the way it was 'supposed to be'...but I'm really OK with the playing with real INK & PAPER, as opposed to a digitally altered version.

Today is Day 5.... & I'll have to see where this day's project takes me...