A Blog Called Wanda

Tiny Houses for Spring!

Hello crafty friends! Happy Monday - here's to a great week! I just realized it's been over a week since I blogged! OH NO! I've been a busy bee! We got our taxes done (ugh) and I had to get my car fixed (ugh). I've had some good photography jobs to keep me busy (yay), and I've been stitching and crocheting a lot too. I just haven't really been paper crafting. Sometimes that happens. I have a lot of creative pursuits, and not enough hours in the day, that's for sure. Today I have a super fun project to share with you. I spent almost the entire day in the studio yesterday. Had the music on, and there was sunshine streaming in the windows. It was a lovely, slow, creative day. It's been a while since I had one of those. I feel like my best projects come from those kinds of days. And I reallllly like today's project!

I used lots of supplies from Tim Holtz for this project. I also used the AMAAAAZINGGGGG new paper collection from My Mind's Eye - called Gingham Gardens. This paper collection was hands down my FAVORITE thing from Creativation this year. I literally stood in their booth with my mouth agape, drooling over this paper. I even tried to have my friend Becky distract them so I could rip it all off the wall and run! LOLZ. But, soon enough, I now have it in my hot little hands. And I bought everything!! Really excited to create with it. This idea for today's houses came to me when I popped open my eyeballs Sunday morning (before coffee even!).... Let's look!! They are tiny houses for Spring! I made three houses and had so much fun decorating them!! No stamping either! 

 

The Sizzix Die has two sizes of house on the same BIGZ die. You cut two of each house (front and back) and glue them together, and then glue the roof on. I used chipboard to make mine because I wanted them to be sturdy. I covered them with gorgeous papers in all different patterns and florals. Then I went through my stash and made them fancy. 

 

All the pieces were splattered with both Vintage Photo Distress Ink and White Paint. All the pieces were edged with a sponge dauber and Vintage Photo Distress Ink too. I really love the contrast between the soft colors and that juicy brown ink. Just makes it feel so shabby chic to me.

 

I used some other Tim Holtz Sizzix dies for the butterfly and the leaves on this house. I put on some chunky Rock Candy Glitter on the leaves as well. I used the Big Chat stickers to spell out words and phrases on each of the houses. Those stickers are a go-to product for me. Each pack comes with black and white stickers.

 

You cannot go wrong mixing and matching all these beautiful papers!! Don't be intimidated by all the pattern play!! Stripes, gingham, florals, houndstooth...it all works!! And it's soooooo yummy. If I lived alone, my entire house would be decorated exactly like this!! LOL. (Somehow I don't think my husband truly appreciates English Country decor!!)

 

The front/back, the sides, and the roof, are all different patterns on each house. I die cut the chipboard and then die cut the paper and glued it to the chipboard. The small house is paper with no chipboard. I think I prefer the chipboard better. It's more sturdy, but both are good.

 

 

 

Right now these are on display in my studio on a shelf with a candle and my old camera.... Just makes me happy.

 

 

 

This is what the tops look like.

 

Here are some in process photos....I like to lay out my projects first before I glue everything together...

 

Inking and glittering....makes me happy.

 

Some more close up shots of details...Ideaology embellishments, ribbons, enamel dots, word stickers...ephemera.... These are a few of my favorite things!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that was fun! Thanks so much for popping by my blog today! I hope you are doing well, and I wish you a happy and productive week! XOXO

As I'm typing this post and doing my supply links - I see that the entire paper collection is on SALE at Scrapbook.com! YEAH. (Maybe I should buy some more to hoard???) Also, I didn't realize that this Tim Holtz Tiny Houses Die was discontinued until after I made my project (boo). I did find some on Amazon and I linked them for you in my supply links below. (Thank you for shopping my links - I REALLY appreciate it!!)

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list/links for today's project. (Affiliate Links Used). 

Pinkfresh Studio Background Stamp new release blog hop!

Hey there everyone! I'm back today as part of another awesome blog hop! Pinkfresh Studio is launching a new release of beautiful background stamps! We are all showcasing different ways to use background stamps and there is tons of inspiration in this hop. So happy to be part of it! I made two fresh and bright cards that are just right for Spring. So ready to use vivid colors again in the craft room, aren't you?? There are prizes and tons of crafters involved today. So please be sure to read all the way to the end of this post! So happy to see you today! Hope you have a great week! 

First up is a modern and graphic floral card made with the awesome new Diamond Tiles Background stamp and the Simple Blossoms stamps! I always love to use black and white with pops of color. That is one of my go to card designs. This finished card is an A2 card base in white. I layered black cardstock first. Then I layered a white panel with the background stamped onto it in crisp black ink. My focal floral cluster sits onto a pretty banner...

 

 

I stamped and die cut out a bunch of flowers and leaves and set them aside. Then I die cut the pretty banner and the word die. The word die is layered with black cardstock and vellum. (I love that the Pinkfresh word dies have a background die too - it's so polished).

 

To assemble the card, I attached the banner with foam tape. Then I glued the words onto that banner. I layered the flowers and leaves, also using foam tape squares. I added black enamel dots to the centers of the flowers to make them pop.

 

 

My next card is a big square card! I wanted to feature that gorgeous Lemon Lush Background stamp!! The background stamps are 6x6"!! This finished card is a 5.5 inch square. The card base is white and then I layered pretty lemon yellow cardstock. I used another pretty word die to finish this card. Very clean and simple layout...

 

I stamped the Lemon Lush background stamp in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I used my favorite watercolor paints and had a fun afternoon water coloring this gorgeous image!!! Man, I love to sit and color!!! I love how it came out too.

 

It was really hard to photograph this card - I feel like it is so much prettier in person!! This image is great for anyone who likes to color: Copics, pencils, or watercolors...

 

 

Thank you sooo much for stopping by my blog today! If you're new here because of the hop - welcome! I hope you'll come back sometime!! Thanks to the crew at Pinkfresh for inviting me to join in the fun today too! XOXO

PRIZE ALERT PRIZE ALERT PRIZE ALERT!!! Pinkfresh will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog, and on their IG feed! WOW! Also, each stop on the hop will be giving away a $25 gift card on each of our blog posts. WOW! The winners will be picked from all the comments. Pinkfresh will pull the winners & post them on Monday, February 24th on their GIVEAWAY PAGE. You must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks. Good luck everyone!

Pinkfresh Studio We is offering free US or discounted international shipping on all orders $35+ From February 17-21. Please reference  the codes in the graphic below! One code for US and one for International shipping!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today's cards! (Affiliate Links Used) Thank you!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Hero Arts Spring 2020 Blog Hop! Fresh and Pretty!

Hey guys!!! Two posts two days in a row! Yahoooo! And, Happy Valentine's Day! The hubs and I are out vintage hunting today, and having a nice lunch together in this gorgeous weather. I hope you are having a delightful heart day too! Today is the awesome and GIANT blog hop celebrating the new 2020 Hero Arts Catalog release! It's Spring, and it's time to craft with color!! I chose some of my favorite brand new products from the catalog to share with you today. I made two cards and can't wait to share!! Be sure to scroll all the way to the end of my post to see the hop list and enjoy the inspiration. 

First up is a zesty lemon card with a cute sentiment! Squeeze the day! I used the gorgeous new citrus background stamp along with the new Zest Wishes stamps and dies to create this yellow, cheery card! I always looooove yellow in the Spring, don't you? (supplies are all listed at the bottom of my post) The finished card is a white A2 card base, then layered with kraft and they yellow and white! So fresh!

 

I stamped and die cut out the lemons, leaves and flowers. I colored them all with Copic Markers in greens and yellows. I hand cut the branch out from the stamp - stamped in brown ink.

 

The sentiment was stamped onto a banner and then I die cut out a couple more little banners for an accent piece. The focal point with the lemons is two die cut circles in white and yellow. This color scheme goes throughout the card. 

 

Here's a photo of that gorgeous Citrus Background stamp! OOH LA LA! It's red rubber, which means it stamps like a dream. I used white pigment ink and stamped it onto a kraft panel. It came out perfect the first stamp!! Love that about working with rubber. 

 

Here are my Copic colors for the lemons...

 

I placed the lemons and leaves onto the card using foam dots for more dimension! A few sparkly glitter enamel dots to finish it off!!

 

 

 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW CATALOG!

My second card is full of lovely Monstera plants!! I used the new Layering Plants dies and Greenhouse die cut to create a scene! It was such a fun card to create. The finished card is a teal cardstock A2 card base. I layered kraft with white and then all those yummy leaves...

 

I die cut out a ton of leaves first - in all different shades of greens. I inked all around the edges and the splattered them with white paint. On some of the leaves I used two different colors.

 

I also inked the pots with shades of terra cotta.

 

Here is the greenhouse panel. I die cut out the shape using the die. Then I die cut it a second time in white and fit the white part into the kraft opening. I layered a piece of vellum behind that to look like frosted glass!! I like how it came out - looks pretty on top of that teal.

 

 

 

The sentiment was stamped directly onto the kraft... Such a cute sentiment!! 

 

When I put the leaves onto the card I used foam dots to raise them up off the card. Aren't these leaves so beautiful?? I am going to use these a ton!!

 

 

PRIZE ALERT PRIZE ALERT PRIZE ALERT! Hero Arts will be giving away THREE $50 gift cards to the Hero Arts shop to some lucky winners drawn from all comments left across the hop.Comment by Wednesday Feb 19 at 11:59pm pst, Winners will be announced on the Hero Arts blog next week! Good Luck!

Thanks for coming by on this fun blog hop day to celebrate Hero Arts! The full hop list is at the bottom of my post. CLICK HERE or CLICK the graphic below to see my supplies for today. (Affiliate Links Used). I hope you have a great day! Happy Hopping! XOXO

BLOG HOP LIST FOR TODAY!! HAVE FUN!!

Hero Arts Blog
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Channin Pelletier
Debi Adams
Michelle Short
Caly Person
Emily Midgett
Janette Kausen
Ilina Crouse
Yana Smakula
Daniel West
Lydia Fiedler
Wanda Guess
Seeka
Laurie Willison
Amy Kolling
Erica A-B
Nichol Spohr
Jennifer McGuire
Libby Hickson

Introducing The Greetery - Lily and Palm Release - February 2020!

Hello everyone! Today is an exciting day! It's time to introduce the brand new, beautiful February release from The Greetery!! It's called Lily and Palm and it's all about Spring and Easter. Gosh, it's really all so beautiful and classic. I feel so lucky to be part of this team! Betsy blows me away each month with her vision and the gorgeous, timeless stamps and dies. I love Easter, so this release is particularly a favorite!! I know you're going to love it too. I'm sharing three projects today - as is the rest of the team. Be sure to pop over to The Greetery Blog today to see allllll the inspiration, and the links to the rest of the design team. All the new products will be for sale tomorrow morning! Yay! I hope you have a blessed and beautiful day! Now, let's look at some projects!!

First up is a gift/candy box and matching mini card. I am thinking this is a lovely idea for place settings at the Easter table. Or small gifts to give your friends and family at church. The pillow box holds a gift card or some candies.... I used the gorgeous new Lily Botanicuts Dies...

 

I made the pillow box using the Pillow Box Punch Board! I used the Summer Sketches leaves stamp and stamped onto the aqua paper with Versamark ink to add some interest. Then I assembled the box. I wrapped the box with vellum and added a small doily. The focal point of the piece is that gorgeous Stargazer Lily!!! It was SO EASY to assemble!! In all the die sets, there is a graphic sheet included to show you exactly how to put everything together. Love that. I used cardstock and then added accents with Copic Markers and white paint. I love how it came out!!

 

I made a mini note card from cardstock and did some simple stamping....Sometimes one layer looks so clean and pretty!!

 

Here's a close up of the flower and the stamping on the pillow box...

 

 

 

Next up is an Easter card in non traditional hues... The finished card is an A2 kraft card base. I layered white and teal and then white again to make my focus on the cross and palms. I used the new Caring Cross stamps and dies along with the Palm Botanicuts... SO pretty!!!!

 

The palms were die cut from Bristol cardstock and then water colored with distress inks. the cross was die cut with woodgrain cardstock from my stash. The sentiment was stamped onto vellum and wrapped around the cardstock layers. This is one of my favorite looks. In fact the very first stamp class I ever taught was all about how to use vellum!! 

 

 

 

I layered the palms in front of and behind the cross. I used liquid glue to glue them down. The cross is popped up with foam dots.

 

 

 

Lastly, is another Easter card made with the new Easter Jubilee Kit!! This kit is made up of dies, stamps and stencils and you're going to love it!! No one makes a kit like Betsy. She is a genius at designing things to work together so perfectly!! The finished card is an A2 white card base, layered with some pretty spring green cardstock and then a Crimped layer.

 

 

There are three stencils included in the kit and you use all three to layer down your base colors. In my photo, the first stencil was done with blue hues, the second stencil with green and the third stencil with purple. Then you go back with the stamps and add dimension to the flowers (dark green and dark purple). Like I said - genius!! The Easter letters fit inside the stenciled area.... love it!!

 

I wanted a watercolor effect so I splattered some more ink onto the panel. I added pearls for accents. And I used the new happy word die in purple and added it on top of the Easter part.

 

 

 

The color combinations for this are ENDLESS! I wanted to try something different so I used pretty purples....

Thank you for stopping by today! Please visit THE GREETERY Blog to see more inspiration! Please also remember to leave a comment on everyone's blogs to be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to The Greetery Store!! There are two gift certificates up for grabs! Scroll down to see the links to all the blogs for today! Happy Crafting! See you soon. XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the items I used in today's projects! (Affiliate Links Used).

 

TODAY'S INSPIRATION!

Kay Miller

Laurie Willison

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Keeway Tsao

Angelica Conrad

Lizzie Jones

Kelly Lunceford

Norine Borys

Wanda Guess

All My Love Vintage Typewriter Card!

Helllooooooo! Happy Monday and happy February! January seemed like it took forever! Geez. But here we are in the month of love! It's been really warm here and on Saturday we picked daffodils in our front yard already. Things are blooming for sure. Feels like the beginning of Spring. Hope you had a great weekend! I have a really fun project I'm excited to share with you. The idea for this card has been in my head for a while. I am really into old vintage typewriters with flowers. I love everything about that look and image. When Tim Holtz came out with his new Retro Type Die I knew I wanted to somehow create a typewriter card with pretty florals....

My finished card is a 5.5 x 5.5 inch square card with a kraft card base. I layered pretty patterned papers and mixed and matched flowers and type - another of my favorite looks....

 

This card has lots of layers and elements. It was an 'all day' card! I love those. When I take my time and create, and layer and all that good stuff. At first I made a pink typewriter, but then I changed it up and made an aqua typewriter so I could use pink flowers. All the dies are from Tim Holtz - and are outlined in the supply list at the bottom of my post. Those tiny type dies are awesome!!!! The sentiment is spelled out on a piece of vellum - that I distressed with ink and paint.

 

I die cut the typewriter pieces and the heart and a ton of flowers our of kraft core cardstock. I then sanded the edges and inked everything with Distress inks. I crumpled the vellum with my fingers...love how that came out. A pretty metal accent tied with twine. I enjoy mixing hard and soft surfaces in this way.

 

 

 

Here are some process photos of my die cuts...

 

OH that pretty type!!!

 

Here's the Typewriter and letter dies for reference.

 

I attached the typewriter to the card using foam tape. Then I used liquid glue to affix the flowers to the typewriter and to attach the letters to the vellum. Tip - use tweezers!! I added enamel dots to the centers of the flowers for a bit of shine.

 

For the flowers, I die cut them from kraft core cardstock. Then I layered them and inked them... Then splattered them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and then Copic Opaque White paint. (yes, this took a while!)... I let each layer of ink/paint dry before doing the next step.

 

 

 

 

I love how this card came out and I'm so happy to share it with you!! It's spring and valentines all rolled into one vintagey fun card. Hope you find it inspiring! This typewriter die is going to get used a lot. So many looks, and ideas. Yeah. Love it. Have a wonderful week - see you soon! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used for today's project. (Affiliate Links Used) 

Concord & 9th Guest Designer - January 2020 Release - Celebrate You!

Hey hey hey! Happy Friday! And it's my last Feature Friday for Concord & 9th for the January new release! Sad to have my guest designer gig ending... I so love working with the amazing people and products at C9!! Today's card is a bright and colorful birthday card made with the brand new Endless Birthday stamp set! It's such a fun set, perfect for birthday cards for peeps of all ages. I used vivid colors and made a square card to feature those awesome candles. I also popped in some of the balloons from the Tagalongs die set!! 

My finished card is a 5x5 inch square. I layered pretty turquoise cardstock and then the semicircle with the candles. This is a pretty clean and simple and graphic layout. 

 

The candles and the flames are two separate stamps so it's easy to stamp different colors. I stamped the flames in a pretty yellow ink. I went back with an orange Copic Marker and added a bit of accent color to really look like tiny flames. I die cut the candle image out with a large circle die cut, and then trimmed off the bottom of the circle.

 

I heat embossed the sentiments onto hot pink banners!

 

 

 

I made my own background paper by using one of the awesome sentiment stamps with some Versamark Ink - and just stamping it over and over on the panel. I also used white ink to splatter the panel. I think the white looks like confetti or something! A few sequins complete the card.

Thanks for stopping by today! Please head over to Concord & 9th to see their January release! What was your favorite thing from this month?? I so enjoyed sharing with you each Friday! I'm not sure what I'll be posting next, but I have some ideas! LOL. Hope to get in some crafting time this weekend in between outings!! Have an amazing weekend. XOXO

Please CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used for today's card. (Affiliate Links Used) CLICK HERE to visit Concord & 9th. 

Have a nice day! Beautiful bouquet from The Stamp Market!

Good morning friends! Happy Monday! Hope you have a nice day...and a nice week! I finished this card late last night and just got the photos taken, and couldn't wait to share it with ya! We had a fun and mellow weekend. We went to see Doolittle at the movies and it was so cute and fun. I am a huge Robert Downey Jr. fan so it was a treat for me. It was a light-hearted movie that made us laugh so I call it a win. I love how all the movie theaters have recliners now. OH man, how nice to really relax at the movies. One of life's simple pleasures for sure. Are you a movie fan? What's on your agenda for the week? I am getting back into my normal work routine and getting ready for taxes (ugh)... And I have my crochet group meet up on Wednesday night. 

My card today features stamps, dies and colors from one of my favorite new companies The Stamp Market! If you haven't checked them out yet, you must!! Amy's stamps are pretty and fresh and modern and SO CUTE. I'm totally obsessed actually. One of the best new companies to come along in a while. I used the new Oh So Lovely stamp set along with the Strips dies to create a graphic and bright card perfect for a friend!

The finished card is a white A2 card base, layered with red cardstock, stripes and then an oval...

 

The stamp set comes with tons of flower stamps, so you basically build your own bouquet! I stamped the leaves portion in pretty green and die cut it out with the matching die. Then I stamped a bunch of flowers in different colors and sizes and set them aside to assemble last once the rest of the card was done. The hand stamp is genius - it comes in two pieces! So it looks like a pretty hand giving a bouquet. How can you not love this??

 

The sentiment comes with the stamp set, and has a matching die! Score! I made the black and white striped background using the brand new Strips Dies! I die cut out several from black and white cardstock. I used an adhesive sheet to affix the stripes onto another piece of white cardstock (see the supply list for all the things I used). Then once the stripes were assembled, I used a stitched rectangle die to cut out the background layer. The red cardstock in the layering is the same color as the red ink used - this makes it look really nice.

 

I attached the bouquet and then the hand, using foam circles. I used Copic markers to color the hand, and the fingernails! (I mean, she had to have red nails, right?). I used two small foam circles on either end of the sentiment to affix it across the bottom of the stems.

 

I added a few hearts in with the bouquet, and also added a few enamel dots! Finishing touches!

 

This photo looks down onto the card to let you see the layers I built up!

 

I am so excited about this stamp set - I have so many more ideas!! The sentiments are beautiful tooooo....

Thank you so much for coming by today! I will see you soon, my sweet crafting friends! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies I used for today's card (Affiliate links used).... CLICK HERE to check out The Stamp Market Shop!

Concord & 9th Guest Designer - January 2020 Release - Sending some happy mail!

Hey guys! It's post #2 for me today! Happy Friday indeed! So many fun things to share! Today is my third project for my guest designer gig with Concord & 9th for January's new release! The products we're showcasing and featuring today are the Tall Type Tagalongs Dies and the Tiny Tagalongs Stamp Set. These two new products were made to be used with one of my favorite Concord & 9th Die Sets - Tall Type Alphabet! You guys know I used that one alllll the time. I decided to make a Happy Mail Card using the rainbow image from the Tagalongs Die set, and a pretty and fresh color palette!

This finished card is a white A2 card base, with a layer of soft pink and a second layer of white cardstock. I wanted it light and bright and pretty! 

 

I die cut the Happy Mail words from the Tall Type Alphabet (minus that second A of course). Then I die cut the heart and the rainbow from cheerful cardstock. I laid the images out before gluing them down and stamped the sentiment in black in the middle. I also stamped some random hearts onto that top white panel. I used liquid glue and my tweezers to affix the letters and the rainbow to the card.

 

I stamped and die cut out that sweet little letter and tucked it behind the H and the A. I also popped up that little pink heart with a foam dot.

 

A few clear gems complete this clean and simple card...

 

 

 

 

Thank you for joining me! I'll be back one more time next Friday to finish out my guest designer spot for January's new release! Something else fun is coming your way. I so enjoy designing with Concord & 9th supplies. Please head over to the Concord & 9th Blog to see what the other two guest designers have for you today! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see all my supplies used in today's card! (Affiliate Links Used)

 

TGIF with The Greetery! Winter Thank You Card!

Hey friends! TGIF! TGIF means Thank God It's Friday....but it also means The Greetery Inspiration Friday! I'm super happy to be sharing over on The Greetery Official Blog today! Woot! I'm also sharing here on my blog because, well sharing is caring! CLICK HERE to visit The Greetery Blog to see all the fun inspiration from Betsy and the rest of our team. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee that! Every Friday there will be a new project to inspire you to use your beautiful The Greetery stamps, dies and stencils. 

Today I'm sharing a pretty thank you card and I'm calling it - Winter Garden. This time of year I always need thank you cards. For Christmas presents, for parties I was invited to, for business associates. So I like to stretch my Christmas stamps and dies in new ways to carry on into Winter months by making thank yous. I thought it might be pretty to use the beautiful Pine Bough Botanicuts Dies together with the innovative and pretty Terrarium Die and create a Winter Garden.

 

That Terrarium die is SO pretty! I die cut it from Gold shimmer cardstock from my stash. I combined lots of textures on this card - I love the contrast between the woodgrain paper and the vellum and the gold. I used shades of Winter for this project: Icy blue, sparkling bright white, warm brown and all shades of green. I really love to combine textures on my cards and that's what I did here. Twine and enamel dots as accents add even more texture.

 

I die cut the pine leaves from watercolor paper and used small sponge daubers and Distress Inks to add shades of greens. Once the ink was dry, I splattered lots of white paint to look like snow. The background of the terrarium was also ink blended with Distress Ink. 

 

 

 

I used the little tag from the Sentiment Suites Basics to add a design element to the top of the card. The words are from the Christmas Caravan stamp set. I used Stazon Ink to stamp the gorgeous thank you sentiment onto a strip of vellum.

 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Please CLICK HERE to head over to The Greetery Blog and leave some love and get inspired!! I will see you soon! XOXO Have a fantastic weekend! 

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today (Affiliate Links Used)

Beautiful Sedona Arizona!!

Greetings! I'm back from a wonderful and fantastic trip to Arizona for Creativation 2020!! It was such a good trip - I am happy and renewed and inspired by all the sights and lovely people. My whole trip went smoothly and was super fun. My flights were on time and smooth. I rented an Air bnb for the first time and loved it! The Creativation Show was pretty quiet this year. It seems to get smaller every year. I saw so many of my crafty friends and got so many hugs and had so many laughs. My feet hurt, but my heart is very full!! No big product reveals this show... More beautiful new products from my favorite companies - but nothing that was the "IT" thing or tool. All my photos from the Creativation show are saved in my Instagram Stories Highlights! There are two folders (PHX1 and PHX2) and I think it's about 150 photos and short videos if you want to check it out!

I've been to Arizona several times, but always for the show or for work. And I've never rented a car or been able to sight see. This trip, I rented a car and went on a road trip the day before the Creativation Show started. I'm SO GLAD I did! I drove from Phoenix to Sedona on Highway 17 through the heart of Arizona. It was a magical, gorgeous day filled with beauty like I've never seen before. I wanted to share it all with you. Only a few times in my life have I seen a place so cool that it took my breath away. The Red Rocks in Sedona is now on that list! It made me feel small, and I felt the hand of God in creating His earthly masterpiece for our delight! It was a nice day for a drive - big puffy clouds and perfect temps. Hardly any people out. Just me and the cacti. LOL! 

WARNING: Lots of pictures ahead!

Here is the first view of the Red Rocks... It's a strange place, Arizona. You drive and drive and drive and see basically nothing. Then you come around a bend in the road and you see THIS! Like these giant rocks appeared out of nowhere! It was so cool.

 

It's hard to capture the scale of this place. If you look at the bottom corner of the photo, those are houses...that gives you some idea. I've really never seen anything like this before. I love to travel and see new things. It always changes you as a person...

 

 

 

 

 

These beautiful Saguaro Cacti are 100-200 years old!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw so many interesting plants!!!

 

This is up at the helicopter airport looking down over the entire Sedona valley...

 

 

 

This is the front side of the Chapel of the Holy Cross! It was SO beautiful! Built right into the side of the Red Rocks!! It was amazing and I'm so happy I was able to see it. 

 

 

Once you park your car, you walk up this cool ramp through the rocks and end up at the back of the chapel (the entrance). I just stood there in awe.

 

And this is the way into the Chapel.

 

THAT VIEW!

 

This is the inside of the Chapel. It literally brought tears to my eyes. It's very small inside with a few benches to pray at and lots of candles. I sat down and rested and said some prayers of gratitude for this journey and for all the blessings of this magical day.

 

I pulled off to the side of the road to take this shot. One of my favorites of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that's my recap of my road trip to Sedona! If you're in Arizona, I highly recommend making this drive! The town of Sedona was quaint and pretty also. I stopped at a few souvenir shops and got some snacks for my drive. There's a lot of shopping there and many resorts to stay at. I wish I had a few days, but I made the most of the time I had. I hope you're having a blessed and happy week! I'll be back on Friday with two crafty posts! XOXO