Stamping with leaves

Stamp club recently did a project where we stamped with leaves and other natural items. It was fun and I was pretty happy with the results.

I painted the leaves with craft acrylic paint and just pressed it to the glossy cardstock. Only took a minute to dry. I then brayered on Ranger Adirondack inks.

The middle one was just a tip of an evergreen branch I had pressed into the inkpad. Think I am going to turn it into a holiday card. I love how the branch looks like trees. Makes me think of winter.

Great find at Tuesday Morning

Was thrilled to find these dessert plates at Tuesday Morning recently. They didn't have any "L" so I went with the "D".

Harbor Fest 2009

One of the major reasons I was happy about visiting Charleston was that my visit coincided with Harbor Fest which is a celebration of the tall ships. Something I have always wanted to see. Guess you could say they were on my "bucket list". It was so hot and sunny that day but worth it. I took so many pics. You could sail on the ships but most of the trips were sold out. You could also go aboard and tour the ships but the lines were so long I didn't try. I bought a great turquoise hat as a souvenier and because it was so hot I was shading my face. Plus it matched my purse and sunglasses.

The guys hanging in the mast sing and perform but I didn't see that.

I loved the yellow Romanian ship. It was one of the largest. There were ships from Uruguay, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, France and Romania there. There was a Connecticut coast guard ship. I happened to catch an officer leaving the ship.

The pics speak for themselves.

More Charleston

The second day in Charleston was all about the homes and architecture. I walked along East Bay and East Battery taking pics of homes I loved. I wanted to see Rainbow Row and all the little details that say Charleston to me. I parked (illegally) right on the street in front of Rainbow Row. I couldn't have had a better spot. I say I parked illegally because I didn't think the street was for tourist parking. I think you had to have a resident permit to park there but I took the chance and knew I was only go to be there long enough to take pics. I also walked down to the waterfront. I was really drawn to the harbor.

The cobblestone streets really impressed me. Hard to walk on though. I got a quick impression of what it must have been like on those streets long ago.

The gentleman, Philip Simmons, whose famous ironwork on the gates around Charleston had recently died and his funeral was being held this day. His work is in the Smithsonian. I took special note of any iron gates I saw and thought about his work. I don't know if I actually saw any of his gates or not.

The Hunley

Viewed the Confederate sub The Hunley. It is in preservation. No pics allowed inside. Our guide was very informative. The thing that stood out was why the sub never returned and that it had countersunk rivets. Considering when it was built that was surprising.

So I got creative -

This warehouse was next door. I could just imagine Crockett and Tubbs (Miami Vice) running an undercover op meeting with drug lords inside. Or Michael running from the building as Fiona prepared to blow it up (Burn Notice...a current favorite).

Yorktown

Toured the aircraft carrier Yorktown at Patriot's Point. They had the best gift shop! I was a souvenier slut and spent more than I usually do on a hat, t-shirt, Charleston recipe books and a palmetto design tote and license plate.

Back to the Yorktown - I loved the story of Scrappy and was amazed at how the planes have to hook that line to land.

You could see the Yorktown from just about any point in the harbor. It's an amazing landmark. The Medal of Honor museum is also on board.

Fort Sumpter

Really enjoyed the ferry ride to and from Fort Sumpter. Saw dolphins and pelicans. Only had an hour at the fort to look around and it almost wasn't enough time. Followed a guide around for awhile and then looked around on my own.

There are still shells lodged in the walls of the fort that never exploded.

Charleston

I was so lucky and excited to visit Charleston at the end of June 2009. It was my first visit there but I have wanted to visit for quite some time. I loved Charleston Harbor and spent the first day touring the area. Rode the ferry to Fort Sumpter and visited the aircraft carrier Yorktown.

Work in Progress

Obviously, I have just started this blog and it is a work in progress. As soon as I figure out what I am doing here I will be adding posts more often. Until then...enjoy all the open space. Claustrophobics welcome!