i make things

Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Day 6: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

Along the border of Northern California and Southern Oregon lies the hideaway-drive-thru Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Literally you drive through it on Highway 199. It's beautiful even during the winter rain.

I'm so glad I added this to my trip. Originally I was going to drive down to the "Drive-thru Redwoods Park" but it was so far out of the way that I decided to nix that and found this park. It was perfect for my trip. I wanted to turn northeast at Crescent City, California and drive to I5 in Grants Pass, OR. This park fit the bill to a tee.

I drove south on Highway 101 to Crescent City then headed Northwest and met up with Highway 199 which went right through the Redwoods.

Here's a snippet of the park map. (linked above)

There are several pitstops along the way where you can pull off the road and go hiking. One of my stops was the Amelia Earhart Memorial Grove.

I encountered huge downed reddish trees, ferns, and moss-covered trees.

One of my next pitstops was going down Walker Road to a campground.

Let me just say that driving down this one lane gravel road that had been rained on for awhile was not fun. It was ladden with huge thick ruts, mud up past my ankles, open water and treacherous non-existent shoulders.

A couple of times I met an oncoming vehicle and thought...I'm going to pull over toward the side to avoid hitting this guy and I'm going to get stuck with this rental car. Then what? Hopefully somebody has a tow rope and can pull me out.

I also had another fear while driving this tore-up road. That I would tear off my oil pan while bottoming out going thru the ruts that lined the road. Those ruts seemed like they were made by a drunk row crop farmer plowing the field for planting.

I pretty much decided, once I found a place to turn around, that I was not going any further down this road...as cool as the scenery was. I wasn't in the mood to either get stuck or wreck my rental.

So...onward. Kind of a bummer though.

I meandered along the highway trying to drive, stare and navigate all at once while looking through the haze of rain and fog.

Pit STOP!

I loved this stump. From far away it looked like it was just covered with moss and ferns but up close (on the right) it had this cool looking plant? moss? fern?

Anyway, it was neat.

I'll leave you with this. The common "Caution: Mountain Lion" sign I saw all over the place.

There are mountain lions so be wary. I know I was. I was honestly more scared of those mountain lions than I ever am of the bear I could encounter in my own home state. Bears will leave you alone unless you come between them and their young, then you're in trouble.

But Mountain Lions are a different story. They would stalk you for dinner. Bears won't. At least not the black bears in my neck of the woods (Minnesota).

 

 

 

 

 

Project Life 2015: Week 4 & Week 5

Week 4 was fairly small for me. I only had 3 pictures I wanted to showcase so I just grabbed a 4x12 page protector and went to town. I didn't want to do anything spectacular so I wrote my journalling on my picture and that was it.

The two chipboard pieces (No.1 and "So thankful for these times we get to spend together in our lives.") are both from the Ali Edwards Story Kits (First and Gathering)

For the golden gophers picture I blurred out the crowd of people in the stands so that you could actually see my title. (used Rockwell font)

I also decided to go with black and white pictures. Lately that's been my go-to. I like how it takes out all of the crazy different colors and you just see the pictures or your titles and embellishments take more of a stage or focal point.

WEEK 5:

The same thing happened with my week 5. I didn't have a lot of pictures this week. So I only grabbed 3 like Week 4.

Week 5 was all about food and fishing.

I had to work horrendous hours all week so Friday night I finally got some downtime and met Bruce out on the lake. I also took some time to make Chocolate Lasagna...oh so chocolatey and tasty.

The First of Many chipboard is from the Ali Edwards Story Kit: Firsts.

If you'd like to see more of my Project Life hoveron the crafts section of the navigation bar and then click on the Project Life section of the drop-down.

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you come back soon.

Cucumber Salad Recipe

What tastes like summer? Watermelon, freshly squeezed lemonade and cucumber salad. Nothing beats fresh cucumbers straight out of the garden unless you add some mayo, fresh dill, salt, sugar and a little vinegar. Waalah! Now you have a cucumber salad.

Here's what you do.

1. Grab 3 cucumbers and cut them up with your knife or slicer.

2. Thickness depends on your own preference. I prefer mine a little thicker. I don't like them wobbly when I eat them. So I cut them 1/8 of an inch thick or so. I didn't break out the ruler or anything, just eybe-balled it.

Throw these in some tupperware. Note: we are going to be keeping these in the fridge. Pick something that will keep these air-tight.

3. Gather your "mix" ingredients: white distilled vinegar (although I imagine apple cider vinegar might be tasty too. I haven't tried that yet though.), mayonnaise, salt, sugar and...wait for it....fresh dill (although you can use dill from a jar too. I have in a pinch.)

 4. Add ingredients to the bowl:

• 1 c. mayo
• 3 tsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. sugar

*Note: I figured out a handy trick while making it this time. I was trying to get as much of the mayo out of the bottle as possible and thought...why not put my vinegar in there and then shake it up and dump out? The vinegar should loosen the mayo up and make it a little more liquid, thereby make it easier to empty?

So...I tried it.

Worked like a charm!

Use whatever salt you have on hand. I wanted to use this sea salt w/grinder so that's what I chose but you could use regular table salt or pink Himalayan sea salt if you're feeling fancy. (I've got that too and will use that too depending on my mood or tastes.)

Add some sugar. I believe this helps balance out the flavors. You won't even know it's there but it'll be there helping out the entire taste sensation.

6. Whisk whisk until combined nicely. My preferred consistency is a little bit more liquidy so I'll add more vinegar if it seems too thick. If you like it thicker go for it. This is all about your own preference.

That's what makes cooking fun. You can adjust a recipe to fit your style.

Fresh dill...that sweet smell. It always reminds me of when I was a kid out on the farm baling hay. ahhh...fond memories.

7. Chop up this lovely piece of heaven very finely.

Take a peek at your pile and add more if you think it doesn't have enough. FYI I added more.

8. Whisk for a sec. into mixture.

9. Now pour over cucumbers, mix if you want each cucumber to be covered, seal and put in fridge. I let sit usually at least an hour or overnight. The longer they sit the better they get.

These cucumbers should last about a week or more. Although if you're anything like me they last about 2 days. I'm constantly going back to the fridge to stick a fork in and grab a few more. They are that tasty. :)

Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoy this recipe. Check the navigation bar for more recipes.

 

Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Day 6: Arch Rock, Brookings, OR

Arch Rock in the Samuel Boardman Scenic Corridor near Brookings Oregon was so incredibly beautiful. That entire stretch of Highway 101 is just a feast for the eyes. It's like the Buffet at Caesar's Palace, you just want to circle the entire stretch first and pick your favorites. The problem is that it all looks good.

This is how I see this stretch of road. The corridor is a buffet of scenic goodness. A photographer's dream. and I loved every minute of it despite being rained on most of the time.

p.s. I really love this picture despite the not-so-great coloring. I love how I was able to frame the coast using the trees. It makes me feel like I'm glimpsing at something that is special. The coast sits cozily within the frame of forest.

You can hike down to Harris Beach if you want to. I didn't quite make it that far but I did do a little hiking. (I had a place I needed to get to by the end of the day and had quite a ways to go yet so unfortunately I had to cut my trip a little short.)

I love these little wooden bridges they build over the creeks (pronounced "cricks" if you live in MN - LOL). They are cute and keep me from traversing a stream. Be careful though, when wet, they are slippery.

I almost biffed it running back to my spot here to get a picture.

Note: When alone, set camera on the edge of the bridge to get a picture of you in the back. You have to put something under the camera to lift it up though or it'll just take a picture of the railings.

This forest was a wonderland. Lush and filled with greenery. Plants, ferns, moss. I felt like I was in the rainforest again, almost. It was close.

The plant picture on the right is one of my favorites. The color was that green. I didn't adjust anything. The plant was that vibrant and colorful and with the moss underneath it, it just looks cool to me.

This is what it looks like while walking on the path. There are wood chips and pine needles on the skinny path and grass, moss, ferns and all manner of green plants along the edging. It's so cool.

There were some slightly steep areas along this trail next to some rocky cliffs. It was fun and a little dangerous. As you can see on the right there was the steep wall of rock and a nice drop off to the right. The path is really secure so I never worried it just always made me tred carefully.

p.s. You might think that this doesn't look dangerous and it really isn't. I just like to be careful being that I'm on my own and there is no cell service here and not many people out wandering the forest like me. So it's a safety thing.

Another steep part of the hill.

Some moss on the rocks and a little waterfall along this part of the path.

I love the leaf picture on the right. It shows how incredibly green it was there and wet. The leaves are soaked and just dripping with water.

Thanks for reading this post. If you'd like to read more about my adventures in the Pacific Northwest please click here for the summary page with links to all of my posts "PNW Road Trip".

 

 

Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Scrapbook

I just started my Pacific Northwest Road Trip Scrapbook Album. I'm so incredibly excited. I've been posting pictures of my trip over the last month or two and seeing all those pictures just makes me want to scrapbook them. (If you're interested in those pictures click here "Pacific Northwest Road Trip" for a summary page of each day by location.)

I wanted to start my album with the reasons why. Why did I go? Why a road trip? Why this particular time? Why? Why? Why?

So this first page is heavy on the words and light on the pictures.

In order to combat the heaviness of the right side I used large letters on the left with a bunch of different embellishments.

I've just been itching to use the dark woodgrain patterned paper and I think this is the perfect trip for it.

All the pieces on the left page were chosen for a reason.

The wooden car because it was a road trip in the Pacific Northwest and I did a ton of hiking.

It was definitely an adventure and everything that definition describes so I had to use that. Not to mention the "Story of a First" because I had never been to the PNW before.

I used the wooden arrow to make a visual triangle with the car up top and the navigation piece on the right page.

I used the two orange pieces to make another visual triangle with my bright orange raincoat on the right page.

Right page.

This was one of my favorite pictures of me from the trip. This picture was taken using a timer in Willamette National Forest. It was one of my favorite hikes and the most difficult. I knew. I had to use it.

I also wanted it to cover the width of the page. I wanted it to be huge! Kind of representing how "huge" this trip was for me.

I added the wooden navigation plot on the right just to try and bring the two pages together.

Here's the journalling.

I used a rockwell font because I really like it right now. It's a serif font and just looks old-school and fits my Pacific Northwest trip.

Thanks for reading this post. I'll be posting a new scrapbooking layout each Wednesday.

 

Project Life 2015: Week 2-3

I've found my title style for the year. Woot woot!

It's "week" using a Paislee Press brush. (Paislee Press Pictures+Words No.8) plus a large number in Bebas font.  Underneath the week will be the days of that week in a smaller Rockwell font. The date will be in the format of a roller stamp.

I also think I'm going to try and use a picture from the week as the background instead of cardstock or patterned paper. I like using that upper left-hand space as something more than just the title for the week but using it for another picture.

This week is only a one page spread. I didn't have a lot of pictures to post so I thought I'd keep it nice and easy.

I used some Ali Edwards Story Kit embellishments this week. The Love this card and the First on the First class picture.

The airplane is from a Heidi Swapp stamp set.

The morning magic is from Ali's Story kits: AM/PM and Magic including the magic dust behind the header.

I made the blizzard card using a large transparent rockwell font for Blizzard. A smaller Bebas font for Minnesota and my own siwrls for the blowing wind.

I'm having more fun creating digital words and embellishments as I get comfortable using Photoshop.

I tried to keep the page together by doing a visual triangle on the layout as depicted above.

I used a 1 inch punch to punch out part of the picture and put in an appropriate stamp. So an airplane for the SFO to MSP picture and a camera for the blizzard.

I really loved this picture and how it turned out with the title in the upper corner. It's such a beautiful morning sunrise and I loved how the graphics just enhanced it. It was fun.

Next up. Week 3:

The bulk of this week was centered around my nephew Lucas's baptism. I didn't take a lot of pictures this week because I was working A LOT and didn't really think about pictures or anything else.

I used Ali's Story kit for Firsts a lot this week. I have the digital version so I used the 3x4 cards and added my own journalling to them.

I did a couple black and white pictures this week because there was just so much going on I felt like it made more sense to take out the color so I could focus on the pictures. By taking out the color I don't get as distracted plus with a newborn it just seemed appropriate.

 

Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Day 6: Edition 3: Cave Rock

Driving along the Cape Sebastian Scenic Corridor was in a word "Scenic". I probably overuse that word a lot but it's true. In every sense. Scenic. So much so that driving down the cliff on toward the beach I HAD TO stop. I saw a turnout and just pulled over.

Despite the gray cloudy moorish skies and the constant rain I didn't care. I put on my raincoat and headed out to explore the rocks and the beach.

Driftwood, small stones and large rocks littered this beach. It was fun to walk around and explore looking for sea life.

That couple down there had the same idea as I did. Check out the surroundings and go for a walk.

Tide was starting to come in so I couldn't explore the big rocks as much as I would have liked.

I love how the moss grows on the rocks. It gives it that enchanted forest mossy look.

I don't know about you but sometimes when I'm walking along I like to just stop, sit down on a piece of driftwood and look out to the ocean. Smell the salty air and feel the crisp breeze across my face and through my hair.

It's peaceful and restorative. The beach will do that to you. Make you stop and take a breath and just enjoy. Relax and ponder your circumstances.

I'm pretty sure at that moment I was thinking, "I'm so glad I took this trip. I don't care that I'm alone. It's so much fun and I'm loving every minute of it even though I"m getting rained on most everyday."

FYI - It rains a lot. Not hard rain just soft and slow rain. I don't believe it slows anyone down around there. I know it didn't slow me down. It's the kind of rain where you need just a raincoat and a willingness to deal with it. Easy peesy.

Thanks for reading this post and if you'd like to read more about my PNW adventure click here "PNW Road Trip"

Make a Card Monday: Wedding - Meeting of Hearts

Spring is in the air and with spring comes the Wedding season. In fact I've got 1 for sure that already have an invite for.

I thought this week would be perfect to get a jump start on the wedding cards. (I want to be ahead of the game not scrambling to make one the morning of.)

Here's the full card. It's very simple yet I like to think elegant at the same time.

The basic ingredients:

• White card (I'm using 5"x6.5")
• White cardstock (rectangle approximately 3" x 5")
• 2 white cardstock hearts
• 1 black cardstock heart
• Large heart punch
• Pearls or gems (Mine are K&CO which I don't think you can buy anymore)
• Black cardstock (small amount for the bow tie)
• Black staz-on ink
• Letter stamps (old hero arts wood-mounted)
• 6" of ribbon - white or pearl
• Gray Le Pen
• Glue of your choice (I used e-z runner for the cardstock and red-tape for the ribbon.)
• Pop/Foam dots

I'd say this card took me maybe 15 minutes. I probably spent more time finding my tools than making this card.

1.  Cut out  your white cardstock rectangle. Center and adhere to the front of the card.

2.  Using Gray marker draw a line around the rectangle. Stay close to the edge of the cardstock. Then draw your second line about an 1/8th of an inch away from your first line. I added this as I wanted more definition. There seemed to be way too much white going on.

3.  Punch out your hearts (or use a silhouette or other cutting devise if you don't have a punch.)

4.  Cut down the center of your black heart stopping about 1/4" from the bottom.

5.  Next to your cut fold over part of the heart. You are making the lapels. You don't need to be precise with your fold just whatever looks good to you. Plus you are dealing with a small piece of cardstock it'll be hard to put a measurement to it.

6.  Fold over the other side of the heart and your lapels are done.

7.  Glue your black heart onto a white heart. This is your white button down shirt.

8. Make bowtie.

9.  Attach the bow tie you've cut and marker in the buttons.

10.  Put pearls or gems on your white heart.

11.  Place your two hearts down and figure out how you like it then glue down the black heart. (I like a little of it to fall off the edge but that's just my preference.)

12.  Place foam dots/pop dots on the back of your bride heart and glue down on page. The purpose of putting pop dots on your heart is to give it a shadow and make it stand out some from the white background behind it.

13.  Glue down your ribbon above and below your hearts.

14.  Stamp "Congratulations!"

I like to do a test run first so that I know how closely I need to align the stamps. As you can see below I drew a vertical line on a scratch piece of paper. This showed me how much room I had.

Next I wrote out congratulations and counted the letters which enabled me to see that the U was the middle letter.

I then started in the middle of my cardstock with the U. I stamped out the remainder of congratulations working my way toward the end (ulations) and then working from the middle to the front. (targnoc).

This enabled me to get it centered on the page.

After the test run I was good to go so I stamped out "Congratulations!" on the card.

15.  Write whatever message you would like in the inside of the card.

Done.

 

Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Day 6: Edition 2: Cape Sebastian State Scenic Corridor

Cape Sebastian was a lucky pit stop for me. I hadn't planned on stopping but the drive was so windy and scenic that I KNEW I had to make a stop. Once I saw the road sign for the Park I flicked on my blinker and bee-lined it off the highway and onto the winding road that was 200 feet above the beach.

The tree-lined drive out to the Cape was scenic and wondrous despite the fact that it was miserable and raining that day.

I parked here and looked out to a gray and cloudy sky but somehow I knew I should keep exploring despite the abysmal circumstances.

This greeted me at my next stop. On a clear day you could probably see for 50 miles down to Crescent City, California. Even though it was raining I still thought this was beautiful.

While I was walking along the cape I saw a hiking sign and a map and thought...hmm....I'm going to check this out.

I took the trail heading south to the beach. I wasn't planning on hiking very far but my feet just kept going because the trail and the views were epic. EPIC! E-P-I-C!

The trail alongside the cliff of the cape was like nothing I've ever seen before. It was basically a tunnel cut through flowering hedges.

Literally the hedges were about 4 feet tall. You'd walk along this path looking out toward your right to the open ocean and the drop off of the cliff. Then you'd continue through a tunnel of hedges and trees and the trail would open up again into a scenic vista of the ocean.

AWESOME! One of the coolest hikes on my trip and totally unplanned. (don't you love those lucky happenstances?)

The flowering hedges had these on them. I don't know what they are but I call them Oregon Coast's version of a bleeding heart. Is this a berry maybe?

After awhile there weren't as many vista's because the trail veered inward more into the spruce trees and the trail began to get much steeper and rockier on it's way down to the beach but that didn't diminish the beauty of this trail.

These trails were heavenly. On the top of the cape with dense trees sprouting up all around. It was so very green and beautiful. I loved every minute of it.

It was raining the entire time but while I was in the tunnels and into the forest I couldn't tell. That's how dense and thick the tree cover was above me.

There was one surprise vista I came upon. This huge rock with reddish coloration looked out onto the ocean with a very steep drop off.

This was what I looked at over the hedge. Pretty freakin' cool. Made me swallow for a second because I got a little nervous.

I ended up not making it down to the beach because I the trail became very rocky and dangerous. I had only worn my tennis shoes which weren't sufficient for this trail.

Had I known that it was going to be THAT cool I would have switched out into my hiking boots.

I ended up going back but loved every minute of this hike.

Thank you for reading this post. If you'd like to read more about my adventures click here: Pacific Northwest Road Trip

 

Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Day 6: Edition 1: Driftwood Huts on Gold Beach, Oregon

Gold Beach was definitely a gem. I didn't realize what laid in store for me that morning as I stepped outside the patio door of my hotel.

I splurged on a fancy ocean-side hotel and was just going to go for a morning beach stroll. Little did I know what laid in store for me as I walked through the beach grass onto the beach.

At first glance this beach only appeared to be a normal beach;  sand, rocks and driftwood.

There was enough driftwood laying around that I could use it to get some actual pictures of me. Not to mention the rain had not yet started so I could have my camera out without fear it would be drenched.

Taking pictures all alone is a tricky affair. For instance I hung my camera off of this old and weathered tree trunk root.

As I meandered down through the driftwood I saw a large pile of wood and thought...what's going on here? This seems odd. I mean the high tide can do strange things with floating driftwood but this quite a pile of wood.

But as I got closer to the pile I realized that it wasn't just a pile but a driftwood hut. A little house, adobe, shelter, etc. It was amazing.

As I walked down the beach I realized there was a whole slew of them. No other beach I had visited along the Oregon coast had these. This beach was special. It was incredible. I was so glad I decided to take a walk before I left for the next spot. If I would have skipped this beach assuming it was an ordinary beach, I would have missed this little village of driftwood huts.

After walking and exploring for awhile I started naming them because they were all different. Each of them had a niche that made them special and unique.

Here's a stroll down the Gold Beach Village of Huts:

I encountered this hut first. It was inglorious at best. Nothing really special. It's why I thought it was just a pile of driftwood.

It was long and thin like a trailer house or mobile home. Not particularly sturdy. I wondered if maybe the construction wasn't complete? It looked like a good start to something that could be better.

Onward...and this is where I started realizing there were more!

Loved the campfire with ring made out of beach stones and level stumps for sitting on.

Notice the 3 large logs they used going from the floor of the back diagonally out the front? That's what they used to layer the logs for the roof.

A view from the side.

Loved this one the most. It was epic. Built by a master craftsman. A person thinking about the future not just a one-night affair.

Look at this bad-boy. The tree stumps used as the base. How did they get them over there? Seriously? There is a stump on each side. Those had to be at least a couple hundred pounds a piece. This one took some serious man-power. Did the high tide place them in the right vicinity? Did they bring a truck and tow-rope onto the beach? Did they find a body-builder? A party of college kids with nothing to do? What do you think?

Close-up of the front door and inside. I could easily stand in here without hunching...fyi I'm only 5'4" so if you're taller than that you might have to schlump a little bit.

See the log threshold to walk over? Or is it a place to rub the gunk off your shoes before coming in? Either way.

The backside. See why I said this one was the palace? They used increasing sizes of logs to make this place sturdy and completely walled in. They used the beach grass kind of like filler or insulation. This place was built to last.

Did someone make this hut for themselves? Did they build it for random people to use? Is it single guy living further in-state that wanted a cheap place to chill during the weekends on the coast? or is it just a project for someone to work on during the weekends? Any other thoughts?

This one effectively had a sign saying "Keep Away" except there was no sign it was a labyrinth of logs and branches. Booby traps made to keep people out...unless those people are like me and were so curious they picked their way through the rubble anyway.

Not just a pile of logs, a strategic work of art. Made to stand up to man, beast and sea complete with a beach walking stick at the entrance.

A look through the doorway into the log cabin. If you look in the back it's almost like they used sand as cement to fill in the gaps between the mis-shapened logs just like you would do with a log cabin and mud.

From inside looking out and one of the side walls from the inside.

Awesome. I could have sat in this cabin with a friend, eating a smore and telling stories of the past. In fact, while I was in here it started to drizzle. I didn't feel any of it. That's how set-up this place was. I'd live here.

Kind of looks like a modge-podge of sticks but it was humble. It had the amenities it just wasn't glorious in it's magnitude like the Mansion was.

A look at one of the base pillars holding up the wall.

A view from inside looking out.

This one was wide enough across that I could have laid down and taken a nap right there.

Looks like a teepee, kind of. The right side isn't matched up with the left-side but it's still teepee-ish. Okay that's not even a word, I just made that up. It won't hold up in a scrabble game but you got the idea.

The coolest of the cool. The most inventive. The cost creative. The one you wouldn't see as a hut until you look closer. A diamond in the rough.

The cave door/opening. Very tricky to see unless you look closely. Like that girl in the back of the room who appears to be shy and unassuming but when you look closer she is a rare beauty content enough with herself to watch from afar.

A closer look at the cave.

This was one of the huts that I imagined was made by a hobo, man out on his luck, or a homeless person who needed a place to stay. It seemed like it was built as a true living quarters. Not just something fun to do but an abode.

The back wall was the sand dune and the other sides were made out of several layers of driftwood. It wasn't haphazardly made but designed with intent. The door was on the side instead of the front indicating to me that someone couldn't see inside easily without traversing through the gaggle of driftwood out front. It was purposeful in it's construction.

Details of the side.

All in all this beach was one of my favorites. I had the most fun walking and exploring all the huts. I kept wondering why? Why make them? Why so many on one beach? Class project? One person did it, then another, then another? How long did they take to make? How did they do it? Why were there so many different designs? Who lives in them? Does anyone live in them? Who uses them? Do they even get used?

My mind was just racing with all the possibilities and questions.

What do you think? Does anybody know the why?

Thank you for reading my post and if you'd like to read more about my adventures check out this link "Pacific Northwest Road Trip" it will take you to a page with a listing of all my stops along the Pacific Northwest.