Crazy 4 Challenges C4C89

Hi Friends! It's Crazy 4 Challenges time again! Yay! This week, Joanne's challenge is to create a card with a favorite vacation or activity. Oh boy, this is going to be a long post. . .:) Hehe!

Be sure to play along with us this week and stop by C4C and check out the fabulous cards the design team created or stop by their individual blogs:

* Barbara Anders

* Cindy Haffner
* Frances Byrne
* Jessie Rone
* Joanne Grzelak
* Joycelyn Pelkey
Lynda Benden
*Silke Ledlow
* Silke Kittmann
* Tammy Hershberger
Vicki Garrett

One my most memorable trips was our trip to Europe in the winter of 2009. We were there for 21 days. We traveled to 7 different countries: England, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and France. I loved each an every country we visited. I decided to focus my card on Paris. I just love the vintage shabby chic look of French design.

I collaged the images in Photoshop. I downloaded all the images from the Graphic Fairy blog. She has a ton of free vintage images and ephemera! I just love her blog! Go check it out!

Are you getting tired of my crochet flowers? LOL! I think I've used one on every card or project I've created for the past week. I had dyed the crochet flower using SU Tempting Turquoise and I also dyed the seam binding bow with the same color as well as Melon Mambo. I also stuck a pin adorned with jewelry beads through the bow.

Because this week's challenge at C4C was to focus on a favorite vaction, I decided to show a few pictures of our trip to Paris. This photo is of my daughter in front of the Eiffel Tower.

We rode the elevator to the 2nd tier of the Eiffel Tower. The view was spectacular but it was an overcast day so my photos of the city from the top of the Eiffel Tower was a bit "gray" looking. It was beautiful regardless. Paris is such a beautiful city.

At night the Eiffel Tower is lighted up. Well, actually most of Paris is lighted up at night. We spent New Year's Eve in Paris and it was a zoo. Did you know that they close down the streets entering Paris during New Year's Eve? You can exit but you can't enter. People ride the train in and out of Paris and I was told that on New Year's Eve public transportation is free so you can party all you want and don't have to worry about driving.

This is a photo of the Arc de Triomph. There is an underground tunnel under the streets so you can cross the street safely. It's much cleaner and prettier than the underground tunnel in London. There are, I believe, 12 streets that converge at a round about with the Arc de Triomph at the center.

Under the Arc de Triomphe is the tomb of the unkown soldier.

OMG! I had a blast walking through the streets of Paris. There were so many stores, cafes and restaurants.

Of course, there was a McDonalds! See my daughter's happy face. She was like "ooooh, McDonalds!" LOL! She bought french fries there. She wanted to say she ate at McDonalds in Paris! We ate at a really yummy restaurant but I can't remember the name of the restaurant. It had the BEST shrimp pasta I've ever eaten. I'm not kidding!

All of Paris is lighted up at night It was so pretty! I thought the drivers were a bit crazy. See that little car to the left of the photo trying to turn left. I don't think I could survive driving through the streets of Paris or anywhere in Europe. I would definitely get into car accident. No one drives in lanes it seems. It's just wherever you can fit I suppose. I took this photo while in our tour bus.

This is the La Grande Roue . . .basically, this is the Ferris Wheel at the end of the street. It's temporary. . .it's taken down I believe after the New Year celebrations.

This is inside the Palace of Versailles right outside of Paris where King Louis XIV lived. I took a gazillion photos of the palace. This photo is of the Hall of Mirrors. The room is famous for its crystal chandeliers. Remember the story of the Hope Diamond? Well, the Hope Diamond was cut from the French Blue diamond owned by King Louis XIV and it was stolen while the diamond was at the Palace of Versailles. It later reappeared but it was cut into a smaller size now known as the Hope Diamond.

This is my daughter standing in the courtyard of the Palace of Versailles. This is only one section of the Palace. The Palace is humongous and so beautiful. There is a huge garden on the other side of the Palace. My daughter and my husband walked through the garden but I didn't. It was so cold the day we were there, I just stood at the balcony near the palace that overlooked the garden. Oh well. . .I'll return to France one day and next time, I'll be sure to walk through the beautiful garden.

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to share my photos. I have such wonderful memories of Europe. I took so many photos because I didn't want to forget anything. I've shared a few of them throughout the past year or so but I have a ton more to share. I'll post them one day. . .:)

Anyway. . .that's it for today! Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!!!