a slight obsession starts with black paint.

Two weeks ago, I wrote an article about making your own silhouettes, here. It was my most popular article to date, bringing in over 35,000 hits in just a week!
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After that, it made me think a little bit. How could I make the silhouette a bit more interesting? How could I raise the bar.

So, this time around, I started to think smaller--- I printed off the photos as usual, cut the face line, and got out my trusty black paint.

And then, I *gasp* decided to take it one step further:

I collect old and vintage books, so finding the best one to use for this project was difficult-- BUT, I am sure I will have another project in the future that requires old book pages-- so I donated it to crafting purposes! You can find vintage books anywhere from your local thrift shop, to a Friends of the Library sale, garage sale, or even online. I won't rip something that I paid more than $1 for though!

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Next, I removed the inside of the picture frame I selected, and used it as a template for cutting the book page down to size.

When you do this, take a quick scan of the page and make sure there are not any strange words or phrases on it.

Find the middle of the page, and:

I would use an archival adhesive that is found in the scrap booking section of your local craft shop.
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Place the silhouette in the frame, and presto!

I love it!

I think mine make the perfect:

the queen of hearts, and her strawberry tarts

Sorry, if I am not answering my phone-- it's because I am off in my own la-la-land...

Around here, I am the queen of hearts-- making sure everyone stays happy, healthy, and fed. The old adage really is true, that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach-- I've seen it first hand! Today, the queen of hearts is making strawberry tarts-- to keep her guys happy.

I just got a box of puff pastry (I love that stuff!) and cut it into rounds. Then, I added a extra large, juicy, red, strawberry-- and a pinch of sugar.


I baked at 400 degrees until they were golden brown and puffy-- delish!

So easy.

So chic!

This afternoon I feel like I'm in Paris, instead of Utah. And, that's not a bad thing!

something is missing here...

When Jeff is gone, you can tell.

The house is quieter, the jokes are not as funny, and there is always too many leftovers after dinner.

The night time TV only glows with girl shows, the left side of the bed is cold, and time seems to go slower. Really.

I'm looking forward to the weekend, when you land your plane and we can be together again.

Because, missing you is just no fun!

everyone loves a...

especially when it matches your...

saying our goodbyes to Australia

The last day of Sydney was for last minute shopping. Our morning started here:

Which Australian candy bars to bring home? It was a tough choice.
(My favorite pick? Turkish Delight!)

Then, we headed out for a little:
The boys had a grand old time climbing, jumping, and looking at these:

I think they are so interesting! Why are they here? Where did they come from?

Just a straight shot down the hill is the:

We got a one on one lesson from Jeff about:

It's not as easy as it looks!
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The Botanical Gardens were amazing! I loved all of the interesting vegetation.

And of course, we had to have a sit in:

Walking back toward the Opera House was sad. We knew the end of our trip was near.

But, not without a stop for gelato!

It's always so surreal to experience the season that is opposite what you are use to.

As the day grew later, we headed to our last stop.

On the way to the bridge, it started to sprinkle. The wind picked up, and tossed us around a little bit. I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping for a blue sky, puffy white clouds, and a bright sunshine for a dramatic photo of the Opera House.

But, while we walked I saw something... a small bit of something starting slowly and growing all the way over the Opera House! It was even better than a blue sky!

And, just for a few seconds, the clouds parted and a beam of sunshine pointed directly at the Opera House. It was fantastic! I took a few photos, and then we continued on.

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As we reached the middle of the bridge, I looked over and noticed that:

I was so glad that we had stopped when we did to capture the rainbow! It was so worth the walking blisters, and whipping wind, and even the cold sprinkling rain.

Bondi to Coogee beach walk.

We picked the warmest day in Australia to trek from Bondi Beach all the way to Coogee. It was an amazing coastal walk with gorgeous views, breeze from the Tasmain sea, and interesting people along the way.

Bondi is one of my favorites! It's such a Sydney landmark, and I can tell why.

Being right there on the coast makes me feel like we are at the tip of the world-- you really realize that you are MILES and MILES away from home.

As the walk went on, we hit a few other beaches. Tamarama was next.

I love the colors of the water, so beautiful!

We could not have picked a better day!

We ate lunch along Clovelly beach... that is also where we all saw our first peek of something else! (hide your eyes, boys!)

Here I am contemplating if I should join in with the topless woman!? Ha, yeah-- maybe not.

I found myself saying these 5 words all along the walk:

The walk/stroll took most of the day-- it was 6 kilometers long or 3.72 miles.YAHOO!

the Blue Mountains really are blue...

Day four in Australia started out with a:

We all brought our books, magazines, and newspapers. Time for a little:

After about 90 minutes, we had made it to our destination! The Blue Mountains.
First things first-- a trip on the Skyway!


I'm a little nervous, it's pretty high-- and it's got a glass bottom!

Finally, after a while:

It was worth the wait with:

Our tummys do a flip flop while we wait for the:

The worlds most vertical train. It goes 52 degrees straight down into the rainforest. YIKES!

Here we gooooooo!

We find ourselves right atop the:

So glad we survived!

We enjoy the views. The two brothers pose in front of the Three Sisters. See them in the background?

Here son, please take my camera worth hundreds of dollars and take our photo.

We follow our marked path.

The trail takes us deeper, winding us around and around.

I love all of the:

Once we hit the end, we end up on a:

Once we get back up to the top, we explore the various trails. Most of what I remember is a lot of mud--- trying to keep my Chucks dry, and keeping my boys dry was a full time job!

When we were up at the Three Sisters lookout, we notice people standing on a bridge between one of the Three Sisters. After a bit of looking around, we find the trail head-- and make our way to them.
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My job was to head up the back of our hiking line-- I think that was the scariest vantage point! Those stairs, STEEP and a bit slippery! I remember constantly chanting my new mantra "Take it slow and easy, boys. Hold on tight. Take it slow and easy, boys. Hold on tight." all the way down, down, down.

"Take it slow and easy, boys. Hold on tight."

Finally, we made it!

WHEW!