Friday, September 28, 2012

And Now for Something Completely Different

Last week, I actually made some cards.  I know, it's been forever! But, as usual, having a little push makes me get off my duff, and my friend Janet invited us all for a swap.  I've mentioned these before - everyone designs a card, brings all the materials, and we spend the evening making each others cards to take home.  It's fun, it's creative, and it's a great chance to catch up with friends.

Here are the cards, in no particular order.

Janet, our host. You can't tell but the centerpiece is embossed in gold, giving it nice dimension.

Cathie's card. It looks a little fuzzy because the button stands out enough that the scanner can't focus.  The dress form is covered in a pearlized paint that gives it a lovely shimmer.

Ruth got my award for elegance and simplicity. The flowers are stamped on watercolor paper and then painted, giving it a lovely delicate feel.

I did not do Grace's card justice.  I was rather cautious and sparse on coloring in the wreath - her sample looked beautiful and autumnal and was really lovely.

It's completely lost in the scan, but the lighter paper on Jamie's card actually is a pale green with a little shimmer to it.  Somebody else stamped their turtles marching all the way from the back to the front, which was brilliant. And what a great card for a masculine birthday - those are always the hardest. Maybe not as elegant as Ruth's, but simple and fabulous.

This was my card (it's actually on a white background). I was inspired by a makeup bag fabric I had just picked up at TJMaxx, so I used a rainbow ink pad in Autumnal colors for the leaves and did a simple collage.

Shona's card.  The ghostly leaf images are done by sponging ink directly onto glossy paper, and then using water as "ink" on your stamp to lift off some of the color. (Use a dampened paper towel as your ink pad). Then we ran it through an embossing folder and lightly sanded to make the tree stand out.

There were only 7 of us, and although I missed getting to catch up with everyone who couldn't come, it was nice to be able to get through all of the cards and not go late into the evening. And now I'm feeling a little inspiration to get working on the cards I need to get in the mail!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Falling Behind

We are into the second week of school here, and I still feel like I'm wondering what happened.  In theory, all the kids are at school all day and I have plenty of time for housework and everything else.  In practice, everything else has exponentially expanded and I'm behind on housework and groceries and everything else.

Can I blame the fact that John is travelling every week? Not that he does a lot of housework (he is a whiz at laundry, though). But having another adult around does keep me more honest in terms of cooking dinner vs. getting pizza, and it does make things like back-to-back back to school nights more manageable.

Not to mention I'm much better about getting to bed on time when he's around.  Maybe THAT'S the real problem.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Same Thing Again

I've read several blog posts today about they weren't going to blog about 9/11 because they feel like its all been said before.

It probably has.  But that doesn't mean it isn't appropriate to say it again.  My children are young enough (even the 17 yr old) that they don't really remember, and one wasn't even born when it happened.  My 9th grader's Social Studies teacher told the class he was in 7th grade at the time. The generation that is teenagers now has only the vaguest memories, if that, of 9/11, and we need to tell them.

Tell them where you were when you first heard. Tell them how you felt. Tell them how the country reacted. Tell them everything, and if they're old enough, watch the videos. Because this horrible, extraordinary event bound our country together in a way that still makes my eyes well with tears. If we forget the sacrifices, knowing and unwitting, that were made that day, we do a disservice to those that were lost. We are a country that has survived revolution, civil war, world wars, assassinations, and horrific terrorist attack.  Like it or not, it is part of our national fabric now, and is part of what makes us Americans.

So say the same things again, about a beautiful day in September that became unforgettable in the worst way, and how you experienced it. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." Let's not forget.