Stitch In Time

Sakura Con 2012

My husband was in the hospital all week and I was feeling guilty that the kids were being neglected.  So when my husband got out of the hospital today, I told my daughter she and I could spend the afternoon together and I let her pick our venue.  She picked Sakura Con, the Northwest anime convention. 

First of all this is what it looks like when your daughter goes to the hospital to pick up her dad wearing a Final Fantasy Costume... I'm sure we didn't stand out at all.

our son seemed a little confused...

then with dad safely at home, we were off to the convention...

the costumes were amazing...

and the shopping was pretty wild too...

I was so engrossed in Poison Ivy holding a snake right across from me..

I didn't notice there was another snake right next to my head.  EEK!

All in all a really interesting day, and I'm glad I got to spend it with my daughter.  But I'm looking forward to a nice, family Easter tomorrow.

 

Shopping in Leavenworth

We just got back from spending a couple of days in Leavenworth.  Spent a lot of time shopping this time around.  My two favorite stores are Paprika (Sophisticated Hippie) and Pine Hill Mercantile.  They are right next to each other and I love the way the show off their merchandise... stamped shipping tags, wire baskets, old barnwood, suitcases, and torn cardboard to name a few.  If I had my own store I think it would look something like these:

Mt. Rainier today...

We are tired, sunburnt, and hungry.  But it was worth the trip.

Vintage Circus

I took the kids to a circus exhibit which turned out to be better than I had imagined.

I loved the vintage posters around the exhibit...

Speaking of a flea circus, they actually had a flea circus!  So cute...

Only one among us was brave enough to try the high wire...

Lots of circus costumes to try on...

There was a wall you could peek through...

and see things like this...

And just lots of fun things to see and do.

Travel Portfolio - Leavenworth

We went to Leavenworth last weekend.  I used a portfolio from 7 Gypsies to hold all of our pictures, receipts, etc.

Most of the elements came from the May 2011 Project Kit from Jenni Bowlin.

I made a little photo holder with my Sizzix machine and then just added pictures and some business cards.

Our trip was fantastic.  We stayed here, at "The Hutte" at the Enzian Inn.

The cabin was overlooking a golf course and you could even walk under the waterfall...

The inside of the cabin was gorgeous.  It was built by the father/son owners of the hotel.

A bedroom/bathroom/sauna/Jacuzzi downstairs and a living room and kitchen upstairs.

When I looked out the kitchen window in the morning...

this is who was there to greet me...

plus mama and the baby.

 

Breakfast was provided across the street at the hotel and they had everything... made to order omelettes, fruit, eggs, ham, french toast, every pastry you could imagine... which means the only thing my son could find to eat was oranges.

Every day during breakfast the owner of the hotel climbs out on the balcony ledge (4 stories high) and plays the Alphorn.

After breakfast we played a round of golf, and did some shopping before coming home.  A really fun trip!!

Antique Shopping

Spent last weekend visiting the Country Village in Bothell.

It was easy to find... you just look for the giant chicken!

Not to mention the live chickens that were just walking around..

We loved the cute shops, beautiful gardens, and everything else there.  Especially the antique shops.

The Well Dressed Home

We came upon this lovely store today...

It was filled to the brim with all sorts of goodies...

Old cabinets, silver trays, vintage chandeliers...

gorgeous jewelry (my daughter got a pair of Olivine Glass earrings)

worn books and knick knacks...

it was definitely my kind of store...

I highly suggest if you are ever in Bothell, Washington...

 

you treat yourself to a visit to "The Well Dressed Home"

 

I Love Lucy Museum

When we were at Universal Studios we came across the I Love Lucy museum.  I didn't know such a thing even existed.

Lucy has always been one of my favorite actresses.  

I loved checking out all of the fashion, including the riding outfit she wore in Auntie Mame.

And I really loved seeing a minature of the I Love Lucy sound stage.  I love how Ricky's club is right next to the kitchen..

Have an Emmy or two..

She really was one of a kind.

Epcot - Japan

My kids favorite country in Epcot.  They especially loved the shopping...

Epcot - United Kingdom

When we first decided to go to Florida everyone told us our kids would love the Magic Kingdom and be bored with Epcot.  It turned out the opposite was true.   They were not excited about Disneyworld (too hot, too crowded), but they loved Epcot.   One of their favorites was the UK, where we saw a Beatles' band, red telephone booths, and a toy store full of Alice in Wonderland goodies.