Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens

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I adore Christmas lights. My husband and I go a little overboard with lights on our house. And our tree usually has enough lights on it we don't even need a lamp at night! We make a point of driving around to see other's Christmas lights at least once, oohing and ahhing over flashing twinkle lights and yard displays.

So when we were invited to Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens, we were thrilled! If you'll recall, we visited Callaway Gardens this past Spring. We had a fabulous time and were excited to return. Callaway Gardens is such a beautiful place and there is so much to do! But the main attraction this time was Fantasy in Lights.
Fantasy in Lights is an amazing light display featuring over 8 million lights! Yes, MILLION! This season is the 20th anniversary of the event, which has been named one of the top 48 events in the world by the Chicago Tribune! It's also been named one of the top ten best holiday light displays in the US by mainstreet.com. Fantasy in Lights stretches over five miles of the gardens, and is comprised of fourteen displays choreographed to holiday music.
You can drive your personal car, if you wish. But I'd suggest riding the Jolly Trolley. The Jolly Trolley is an open air trolley and has a fun interactive soundtrack to accompany your trip through the lights. Since it's open though, you'll want to bundle up and maybe bring a blanket! Although on the night we visited it was fairly mild and we only needed a light jacket.
To give you an idea of what it's like to drive through Fantasy in Lights, watch my short video complilation of some of our favorite scenes. (Subscribers, click through to view video)

The lights are the star of Fantasy in Lights, but there is so much more to experience! On the beach are two large narrated scenes; the nativity and The Night before Christmas. As the ten-minute long story is told, different pieces light up in each display. It really is something to see!
You won't want to miss Callaway's Christmas Village either! It's 22,000 square feet (heated too!) of Christmas magic!
You'll find a ton of Christmas decor and gifts, yummy treats and drinks, and even Santa! You'll also find plenty of choices if you want to grab a bite to eat. We opted for a quick Smore's, roasting our marshmallows over a fire pit. It was a nice, fun touch that my kids enjoyed.
You can find out more about Fantasy in Lights, including dates and prices, on their website. It ends December 30, so be sure to make plans soon! Be sure to think about staying overnight too, since your Fantasy in Lights ticket also gives you daytime admission to the gardens. Last time we visited Callaway, we stayed in the Mountain Creek Inn. But this time we stayed in one of the cottages and oh my goodness.....it was gorgeous! With a full size kitchen and two bedrooms, we were set! And naturally we enjoyed the fireplace after dark! It was the perfect way to end an evening full of Christmas cheer.

To view more photos from our trip to Fantasy in Lights, view my Facebook album.

Keeping it real: My family was provided with complementary accommodations and admission to Callaway Gardens and Fantasy in Lights. All opinions presented here are my own.

Jake And The Never Land Pirates Holiday Episiode

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My kids love Jake and the Never Land Pirates on Disney Channel. I have to say, at first my son was a little scared of the show. But that didn't last long and now he's a big fan! So I was excited to find out that there will be a special holiday-themed episode of Jake and the Never Land Pirates on Friday, December 2!

The episode is titled "It's a Winter Never Land/Hook on Ice". Jake, Izzy, and Cubby awake to find that Peter Pan has left gifts and a Forever-Green Tree in celebration of Winter Treasure Day, and Captain Hook invites Jake and the crew on a winter treasure hunt throughout Never Land. Here is a sneak peek (subscribers, click through to view video):

Your kids won't want to miss this special holiday episode, so be sure to watch Friday, December 2, at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel.

Next year is going to be a great one for Jake and the crew. Not only will it be the launch of season two, but it will also be the premiere of the first-ever 45-minute series special! That special will be the first time we'll see Peter Pan in the series! Keep your eye on Disney Channel for more information about that!

Keeping it real: My family received an advance screener of the holiday episode along with Disney Junior Mickey ears and a Jake t-shirt. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Sam's Club and Chex Mix for the Holidays (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

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Who doesn't love Chex Mix? Well, okay...I don't. At least not the traditional kind. BUT! There are so many other varieties and other things to do with Chex that I do love! Like Muddy Buddies...Mmmmmmm I love those!

Sam's Club and Chex want to let you know that there are a TON of different ways to spice up your Chex Mix. They have an interesting idea they're calling a Sam´s Club Chex Party Mix-Change. It's like a cookie swap...but with Chex Mix! Sam's Club has everything you'll need for your party. And since most Chex Mix recipes can be made in fifteen minutes or so, you'll have more time to actually enjoy your party and guests!

Here is all you need to know to host a fabulous Sam's Club Chex Party Mix-Change:

• Set the date and spread the word. Announce your Chex Party Mix-Change using some of these festive invites.
• Mix it up. Use these mouth-watering Chex recipe cards including Chex Pumpkin Pie Crunch and Hot Buttered Yum Chex Mix and this shopping list to make party prep a snap.
• Share the fun. Use some of these easy tips & tricks to add some extra flare to your party and check out some of the packaging ideas so your guests don´t go home empty handed.

Visit ChexPartyMixChange.com for even more party-planning tips and be sure to also check out Sam´s Club, your one stop Chex spot that has everything you need to throw a Chex Party Mix-Change!

Our schedule doesn't allow us time to host a party, but I sure to plan to make some Chex Mix for our holiday road trips! I think it would even make a great Christmas Eve snack! I'm leaning towards the Chex Peanut Butter and Chocolate Blast!. Which sound good to you?

******************************WIN IT!!!*************************************
Winner has been notified. Thanks to all who entered!


One of you will win a prize pack that will get you well on your way to hosting your own party. You'll win a $25 Sam's Club gift card and a big Sam's Club size box of Chex.

To enter, leave a comment letting me know your favorite thing to do with Chex.

Comments will close at midnight EST December 20, 2011. A winner will be randomly selected and notified on December 21, 2011. Winner will have 48-hours to claim their prize. If not claimed, prize will be considered to be forfeited and a new winner will be selected. Open to US addresses only, please.

Keeping it real: We received the prize pack pictured above for review purposes. Disclosure: The Sam´s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Sam´s Club, Chex Party Mix and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Black&White : Exploration in Pen & Ink

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We have a new show coming up this Saturday July 7th at QPop Shop in Downtown LA.  The reception is at 7pm. So come on by to hang out with us!

Here's a piece by Ryan:
Title: Founding Frontier
6" by 12"
Medium: Pen, ink and spray paint on wood.


And this is my contribution to the show:
Title: Shy
5" by 7"
Medium: Ink stencil on paper.

Ryan started out his piece with a sketch on paper.   


















Then, he spray painted the wood panel to get the distressed texture before he sketched over it with these pens.















Ink wash on textured wood! 


I usually sketch my comp on computer, but this time I was crazy enough to do it on paper.
I had imagined this piece to be done in stencil technique. That was before I realized I haven't touch exacto knife in a long long time.  So there was a lot of experimental cutting and stenciling...With the help of transparent tape, I was able to mask off the small negative space.
Then, finished it off with pen detailing.Hope you guys make it to the show! It's way more fun looking at these in person.

Graffiti in Venice

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While everyone was having fun at San Diego Comic Con this past weekend, we were in Toluca Lake having breakfast and moping around about not having Comic Con badges this year.

Then we remembered talking about wanting to do graffiti at Venice Art Walls a while ago. 
Flash back to 2006. The day we moved from Ohio to New York City, we drove a U-Haul across the bridge into Queens, took a wrong turn down some alley under a highway and found this: 

















It was an amazing sight. Five Pointz is a 200,000 sq ft factory building covered entirely with graffiti. We were super inspired by this. We wanted to paint there, but before we had a chance, we packed up and moved to Los Angeles.

So the past Saturday we thought "hey, let's do it today."

Two art stores later, we got our spray paints and couple different caps. Caps come in various sizes, and there're also different variations of calligraphy caps.
We arrived and got a permit to paint. For the small walls, we didn't need to show any kind of portfolio. It's a good place to practice.

Ryan sketched out our new cat, little Gizmo.


We chose a space that didn't look like we would be tagging on anyone's fresh paint. And we got to work.


I didn't take a lot of progress photos since I was busy climbing up and down a wall. I have never seen people using ladders there, though. I started to wonder if all graffiti artists are just naturally really tall.
























You can buy these Montana Gold cans at most of the art stores. It's a low-pressure system spray paint. We found that the extra fine and calligraphy caps gave pretty accurate detailed strokes.


Finished! More next week, hopefully!