Living and Creating with Melissa Merrill

Happenings while I was gone.

Of course the mail keeps coming and amongst the stack of everything, catalogs, a couple bills, and junk mail, there was some good stuff. I am currently hosting a couple swaps so I received some packages from participants – Keep those coming.
I received a package from Michelle Cummings who hosted the tag kit swap. I had sent mine off the week before I left for vacation. Great turn around time. Here is the picture of all my tag kits. Such goodness in each.
needing to empty at least one of my memory cards before I can take any more photos. That tells you about how many photos I took on my vacation.

I also received the Song Quote chunky book from the swap I was in on the BookArtz group. Great to see all the different songs everyone picked. Also photo to follow.

While on the cruise there were the informal trades going on. Luckily I heard about them in time to create some ATCs and charms to trade. I was happy to trade with who ever.

Got to bring home this little suit case. Read on and find out what was in side.







On to more pics from the cruise. Some of my class projects and others of the cruise. Enjoy!


The first project was this fat book. We made using Tims Grunge board for the covers. Inside are the new papers from Heidi Swapps line. I think it is called Travel.




Below is the lovely tin that all the embellishments came in. the book fits so nicely. I have not done any filling of my pages yet. Though I am sure what goes in it will be from my Alaska cruise.


















Tim's new Idea-ology line. We got to work with and make some charms or necklace pieces. What ever we wanted, it was pretty much free time to create with these pieces.






All the fun stuff to create with and the cute bag it came in.









Ok, can you say loving Grunge board. this project we took a plane out wood framed mirror and added strips of grunge board to it. After we used the paint daubers on the grunge board and distressed it with sand paper and other tools.





Picture frame. We used the fragments and glued them to pictures that Tim printed out relating to our cruise to Alaska. then trimmed around the fragments and glued them all over the frame. Not sure what picture from my cruise I will be putting in it. I have alot to choose from.





Tim surprised us with having a rubber stamp created just for this cruise. So the stamp fits just so nicely in the little suit case. He told us after they were made he had the plates returned to him so no more could be made.










Some of the goodies I bought at the on board Emporium store.



















Ok, so while on the cruise these are some things that I ran into.





Big Waves. Definetly found out that my porthole window IS leak proof.







NCL takes Free style cruising to a new level. The Deck 14 level.










What a piece of Glacial ice looks like up close.






Some great chocolate covered Strawberries delivered to our rooms from Jim at Scrapmap.






And New friends. We found the lifestyle room on board for us to go and create while not in class. Gloria, Lisa, Earlene, Nancy, Astrid and Debbie W. Creating away.



A shout out to my new bud Gloria, the lady on the far left, it is her Birthday today.

So if you have gotten this far Congratulations. You get to hear about the give away I will be doing tomorrow. So come back and read even more.

Tah tah for now.

Melissa