las vegas

Red Rock Canyon

| terriaw

Who would have ever thought Las Vegas had good hiking?!

Red Rock Canyon is only a 25-minute drive from the strip. It’s a conservation area surrounded by large red sandstone rock formations with a great variety of hiking trails to explore.

You know me, I love being on the trails!

The vegetation was so interesting to look at, very different from the plant life in the Midwest.

If you look closely, you might find some flowers. I loved the yellow, orange and purple combinations scattered throughout this area.

Ever see a prickly pear cactus in bloom?

Lots of desert palms.

This one could be an agave.

Plants growing out of cracks in the rocks… in the desert.

Speaking of red rocks, they were just as awesome to investigate as the vegetation and trails!

Even the views in this valley were stunning.

The mountains surrounding this valley were cool to explore too.

After such a fabulous day of hiking, I highly recommend stopping at Le Burger Brasserie inside the Paris casino for the Eiffel Tower Onion Rings – they are THE best post-hiking snack! It has become our routine every time we visit Vegas and Red Rock.

Some advice if you go hiking at Red Rock Canyon: bring sunglasses, sunscreen and comfy shoes to navigate the trails. Oh yea, your camera too. You never know what you’re going to find on the trail.

Art Cards – Week 21 – Vegas

| terriaw

We just spent the past week living the high life in Las Vegas to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary. What could be more fun than capturing Sin City on tiny art cards. Actually, I kept my cards simple and true to my illustration style.

I illustrated the infamous Welcome to Las Vegas sign on side 1.

I drew a marquee frame on side 2 and hand lettered some of our favorite activities. I wanted to add a couple rhinestones to that marquee frame but I can’t find them right now. Both sides have a layer of glitter chalk brushed over them, which is a little hard to see in these photos.

It’s so fun to look back on my art cards to date in 2011, to see the variety of work and expermintations!

We had such a fabulous trip that it was a little hard coming back to reality (especially with yard work and laundry to catch up on). Having to put on a long-sleeved shirt and socks for the first time in a week was a bummer! But it was great seeing my kitties again.

I kept a sketchbook while we were away, illustrating the highlights of each day, which I hope to share with you once it’s finished.

This was my first time keeping a travelog, so I plan to share some thoughts on how that went, the supplies I packed in my suitcase and what I ended up purchasing, mainly because we found the local Blick’s Art Supply store.

A Couple More Pictures

| terriaw

I have to confess that I still haven’t touched any fabric or my sewing machine all week. I don’t even have any UFOs hanging over my head; just one unfinished purse I started to design before vacation.

I have been so busy at work this week, and so tired when I get home. I took a two-hour nap after dinner last night, and then it was time to get ready for bed. I hope I didn’t catch a bug from some unknown sick person.

Would you mind if I showed you a couple more pictures from our trip to Vegas? I really love these so I wanted to share them.

These statues are from the side of the building at the Paris casino.

Maybe if you have been to Paris and seen these statues in person, you’re not impressed. But I love them! They are beautiful, and such a contrast to the rest of the glitz and glam of Vegas. They remind me of all the ornate architecture and sculptures we see on our visits to New York City.

I just love these old neon signs in the Glitter Gultch of Vegas.

We didn’t have enough time to see more, which I hope we can do on the next trip.

We walked down Fremont Street in the direction away from the old strip, where more of the old neon signs are on display.

I heard that the city of Las Vegas is finally doing something with the Neon boneyard, an empty lot where all these old neon signs have been sitting over the years, with the creation of a Neon Museum where those treasures will be on display.

For now, you have to pay and get special permission to get into the locked area they are stored.

Last but certainly not least, I love this picture of Dave from our hike in Red Rock Canyon.

He always freezes when someone points a camera at him, so he doesn’t usually have such a natural look on his face in pictures.

Thanks for indulging me!

Vegas Baby!

| terriaw

It was relatively easy coming up with a reason to be happy this Monday. I only have to work one and a half days this week because we are headed to Las Vegas for vacation!

We are looking forward to warm, sunny days, since our winter in Wisconsin has been cloudy and damp and cold. I am going to spend the week eating, drinking, shopping, and sightseeing.

I don’t have any photos (yet) to celebrate vacation or Vegas, so I will share a sneak peak of some new products I have coming out in my shop soon.

See you all in a week!