A New Whimsical Jewelry Box

Here's my latest creation!  I really enjoyed painting this one.  Actually I've had this box for a year and just got around to working on it.  I've been concentrating so much on the scrapbooks my painting has kind of taken the back burner.  It seems to be good for my creative juices to alternate between scrapbooking and painting.  Keeps me from getting burned out.

I really love the detail on this piece.  I will admit I resorted to wearing my magnifying glasses a few times!

I normally don't paint anything on the back.  But I decided to add a bit of pretty detail and besides that it makes a great place to sign my work!


I finished this jewelry box over the weekend while I was snowed in.  At least one thing good came from that snowstorm.  On a sad note my beautiful guppies were casualties of the storm.

We lost power on Saturday and the temperature drop stressed the fancy guppies.  I never realized they were so fragile.  The guppy tank is in my studio which is the coldest room in the house.  The power was only out for 3 hours but it was mighty cold outside and hubby was having some issues getting the generator started.  I wasn't worried about the turtle tank as it sits in the den right next to the gas fireplace which I had blazing nicely.

When the power came on I thought everything was fine.  The water temp had dropped down in the 60's but warmed back up quickly.  But the very next day my newest guppy which I just got last week wasn't looking so happy.  When I looked closely I could see that he had the dreaded ick.  I then had to brave the icy roads to get some ick medicine from the pet store.  I started treating them right away but it didn't help.  Alas within 3 days all the fish were dead.  Poor little things.

OK enough of the sadness.  On a happier note this jewelry box sold the very first day.  I had to quickly take photos before I sent it off.  A lucky lady received this for her wedding anniversary.  Another satisfied customer!

I have two more jewelry boxes to paint.  Hopefully I can get started on them this weekend.  Right now I have two whimsical candlesticks and a scrapbook to photo and list.  I think need a longer weekend.

Sharon

#whimsical art, #whimsical painting, #jewelrybox, #sharonstrouddesigns

It's Officially Christmas Time

Christmas Countdown in Holiday Hills

Busch Gardens Christmas Town is open!

This year Busch Gardens opened Christmas Town a week early.  Unfortunately due to my sprained ankle I didn't get to go to opening weekend.  But hubby and I did go on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Probably not the most convenient day as it was one of the $12 discount days.  The place was packed.  It took us forever to get in the park.  The traffic was lined up on all roads leading in.  I even heard later that it took someone almost 2 hours to get in.

You could definitely tell there were a lot of newbies in the park.  They had that totally lost look about them.  And for some reason they always want to stop right in the middle of the path and block everything up.  Somewhat trying to my patience.  But since I was nursing my bum ankle I wasn't exactly sprinting through the park anyway.

Dasher's Diner Buffet

We decided to give Dasher's Diner a try.  It's a buffet that's located in the Holiday Hills village.  In all the times we've been to Christmas Town we have never eaten there for some reason.  I kind of think it was due to Hubby's penchant for Festhaus German sausages.  But I persuaded him to step out and try something new.  I will say that Dasher's Diner is my new favorite place.  I started out very modestly with a salad, roll and chicken leg.  Then I moved on to chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes and gravy and grilled vegetables.  Very yummy.  On my next trip I got Swedish meatballs (on Hubby's recommendation), more mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables.  The vegetables make everything OK don't they?  I definitely think they do.  There was also a dessert bar.  I chose cherry cobbler.  All in all a very yummy and satisfying meal.

The Festhaus all decked out with lights

The park is beautifully decorated.  At night it's really stunning.  If you can stand the height I recommend going up the Nacht Tower.  I did it one time.  Beautiful but scary.  You really can see the whole park from up there though.

Each country has a different theme.  My favorite village is Holiday Hills.  I love that retro American style.  It really screams "Christmas"!  I also like France.  It's so pretty in blue and white.  OK, now that I think of it I love it all!

German village

There is a new show this year called Scrooge No More.  In my opinion this show is worth the admission price all on it's own.  I think this is the best show Busch Gardens has ever had and I have seen them all since the late seventies.

The sets are beautiful.  The special effects were top notch and the talent was way above what you normally find at an amusement park.  You don't want to miss this one.  I hope to go back soon and get better pictures.

Sharon

#ChristmasTown, #WilliamsburgChristmas, #BuschGardens, #Scrooge, #holidayfun,

More Fun at #Busch Gardens Christmas Town

Well, I've managed to go to Busch Gardens again.  I try to take advantage of any decent day that comes along (weather-wise).  Two pairs of wooly socks, two shirts, hat, gloves, ski jacket...and I was feeling pretty fine!  This time I tried to fit in some shows that I hadn't hit yet.  Actually I did see the Deck The Halls shows before but at the time I was so busy shoving a yummy prime rib sandwich into my mouth that I didn't pay it much attention.

This show is a mix of standard Christmas songs that are family-friendly.  If you go right at dinner time be prepared for a possible wait.  Seems like everyone wants to eat at around 5-6 and that's also when one of shows is scheduled.  Crowded!  It's a nice place to eat since it's indoors and WARM.  I recommend the prime rib sandwich.  Not to mention the carrot cake (my personal fav)!!!  Of course it's not on my diet but this is a special occasion, right?

Not sure what this show was.  It was in France where the theme is 12 Days Of Christmas.  The ditzy lady with the "wand" was a bit irritating.  Well...more than a bit according to my hubby.  Actually it was so crowded that I didn't get to see the full show.  I never saw the guy with the 5 rings on his head do anything.  Took his pic just because I liked his costume!  In the glow of the lights he was a lovely shade of purple and I LOVE purple!  I guess I need to go back at least one more time to watch this one.

This decorations in France are my favorite.  If you come up the hill from Ireland, through the path of green trees, you will suddenly find yourself almost blinded by blue, pink and white lights.  It never fails to get the 'ooh and aah' reaction from everyone.  Or should I say "Ooh la la!"

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Town At Busch Gardens

So far I've been to #Christmas Town two times.  The first time was for opening weekend.  The weather was almost perfect.  It was in the 60's.  Just cool enough to need a light jacket.  Of course I would have preferred 75 degrees but you can't have everything.

We also went the day after Thanksgiving.  Brrrr!  I should have gone with my first thought and broke out the thermals.  It was sooo cold!  Didn't stop the crowds though.  It's amazing how popular Christmas Town is becoming.  Busch Gardens really puts a lot into it.  They even have heaters placed all around the park to help the chilly willies like me!  And the lights are fantastic.  Not to mention the famous peppermint fudge hot chocolate.  Not on my low carb diet but what the hey!  I tell myself that all the walking will counteract it.

The decorations and carolers in England reminded me of a Dickens classic.  The only thing that was missing was Ebenezer Scrooge.

The shows are always crowd pleasers.  The one I like the best is Miracles.  Very beautiful sets.

Other than Christmas Town I've missed out on all the other festivities around here.  The Grand Illumination at Colonial Williamsburg was today but it was too cold for me.  I'm pretty sturdy in most ways but not when it comes to cold weather.  Give me summer!  Thankfully in Virginia it's not unheard of to have warm weather in December.  In fact it was almost 80 degrees on Friday.  Lovely!
I thoroughly enjoyed it while it lasted.  The perfect scenario would be a beautiful white Christmas that obligingly melts away on Dec 26!  Fingers crossed...

Sharon