I was just thinking about how fast this year has gone. Looking back at my pictures, all stored on the computer, I see there were a lot of great adventures along with some heartbreak. It's amazing how moving a picture can be, and how quickly it can remind you of these moments.

For our three year anniversary my boyfriend brought me to Monterey, CA to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is incredible. I especially loved the jellyfish display, with the perfect combination of the orange and turquoise. They also had the Seahorse Exhibit up and running, the variety of seahorses was pure magic.


A truly heartbreaking time came when my boyfriend's sister's family dog passed away very unexpectedly. He became very sick so quickly, even now I get teary thinking of him. We all loved Scooter. I am grateful for the pictures I do have of him. This particular one I was "messing around" with my camera. Scooter was getting a little love from his unlikely friend, the family cat, Xena.
I had only had my camera for a few weeks at this point and was spending a few days at Michelle's house, my boyfriends sister. She was teaching me how to use my camera. Michelle is an amazing photographer, check out her blog: MRSphotography.blogspot.com.

This final picture I took in my old neighborhood. I had been living with my boyfriend for over a year in Oakland. We had decided that it was time to move to somewhere closer to his family. When it the time to move was fast approaching, I became nostalgic about moving and decided to take pictures from our area. This one was of a cherry blossom tree a few blocks from our apartment. Looking at this picture I remember the warm day, the busy streets and all the good things Piedmont Ave. had brought us.

Amigurumi Bears and Bunnies

I have admired for a long time the cute crocheted stuffed animals other people have made. One day I thought I would try to make some cherries. After many, many tries I was able to finally figure out how to make a crocheted stuffed animal.
The dark brown bear on the right is the first one I made that I liked. I am better at attaching the plastic eyes rather than trying to embroider some eyes. The pumpkin in the middle is one of many I made for Halloween decorations around the house this year. I may even use them for my Thanksgiving decorations, along with a crocheted turkey.
I also made a few other bunnies. This rainbow one is one of my favorites. I love how bright and cheery it is and it was so fun to make, changing all the colors as I went along.

Taking Pictures

Growing up my father was always taking pictures. He would sometimes let me in to what seemed like his secret world. Our downstairs bathroom was used as his darkroom, the various chemical solutions tinging the room with their smell. I was fascinated as well as intimidated as a little girl by my father. I grew up seeing what taking pictures meant to him, and knowing I too wanted the ability to capture moments through photography. I quietly learned from him, and hoped to someday prove that I was able to take pictures just like my father.

DJ's quilt.

This is the second quilt I have made, this time using part of a pattern, and making the rest up!
My 5 year old nephew loves Pokemon and we often have long conversations about our favorite Pokemon, the moves they have, which is the best, the worst, the strongest. I love talking to him about it, really I am going to miss these conversations as he gets older. His mom Michelle asked me to make a quilt for him using the Pokemon material she found on ebay. I think she asked me almost a year ago! Well the whirlwind of my life finally settled down, landing me and my boyfriend in our new home in Walnut Creek, CA. I started the work on this quilt a month ago and finished the final touches last night. I cannot tell you how many times I called my best friend Sarah and my twin sister Katie for advice and encouragement! Often the calls would be late at night! Thanks to them, I made it and was able to finish my second quilt. Enjoy! Soon to come hopefully pictures of DJ with his quilt!!

A lovely day for a walk!

I am loving my new neighborhood, so amazing! Today I decided to go for a walk on the trail behind our apt. complex. Such a beautiful day and I loved taking pictures of all the blooming flowers. It really is an incredible thing to be able to go for a walk by myself in the middle of the day and feel completely safe. I couldn't do that in my last neighborhood, so this is a vast improvement. There was this statue that I wanted to take a picture of in my old neighborhood but needed someone to come with me. I didn't end up finding the time, but maybe sometime I will go back for the amazing sushi in my old neighborhood and can take pictures then! I know quite a few people who are missing that sushi place, the only reason my friends and family wanted me to stay in the neighborhood! Well enjoy the pics!

I love my new camera! It's a Nikon d40 and I am at the beginning stages of learning how to use it, but love the results I have so far.

A shift in my crafting.

We are well into the new year and I am on the path of crafting. I began this blog to showcase my card designs. That was the goal, I guess I achieved it in some way.
But I am moving beyond just making cards. I resisted it at first, but can't stop the creative energy pushing me in new directions!

Right now I have two quilts in progress. One for my nephew who is 5 years old. That quilt has a Pokemon theme. The other quilt I am making is from scraps of fabric that are in the range of blues, gray and orange. I am using the same pattern as the one for my nephew. The fabric in this post is for the quilt I am making as a practice quilt.

I am ready to see where this takes me!