Belated Christmas Greeting!

There's just not enough time in the day to do everything I want to do. My blog is definitely one of those things that has been neglected. So...a very Merry Christmas to all my dear friends--even if it is five days late! Today is a special day, though: it is Larry's 41st birthday. He, though, is stuck in bed recovering from sinus and throat surgery. Not a fun way to spend Christmas, your birthday, or New Year's, I can assure you, but that's the way the doctor's office scheduled it. At least in his line of work Christmas is a very slow time of year; things will pick up a lot after January 1st when he'll be getting back to his "normal" self. It hasn't been too bad having him home. He stays in bed most of the time, and I'm getting my exercise going up and down the stairs checking on him and getting things for him. For his birthday I gave him two Auburn golf shirts and some AU window decals for his car. I think he liked them.

Another Christmas Card

Another use of Club Scrap Christmas stamps--this time from their 2006 set. This is another card done with the grid technique from the Technique Junkies newsletter. Very traditional look, I think. I just hostessed a Christmas card swap with members of the Club Scrap Chat forum. There were about 30 players, each making 10, 20, or 30 Christmas cards. The cards were sent to me, and I sorted and repackaged them, making sure each person got a variety of new cards. A number of players say they are holding onto their new cards as "keepsakes." I will be sending mine out, though, as Larry recently gave me a huge list of people we need to send to this year. Of course, if I send a handmade card to one person, I need to send one to everyone--can't remember the last time I bought a card from a store!

Christmas Cards

In the busyness of life, I've been trying to make some Christmas cards. I made a number of these for Larry to take to his colleagues in South Africa. The papers are from Club Scrap's Great Outdoors kit; stamps are from their Groovy Christmas collection. I love the whimsical look of the tree.

Has It Been...

...nearly a month since I've added to my blog? Between teaching the girls, keeping up with my husband's crazy schedule, doctor appointments, and crafting, there just isn't enough energy left, I suppose. BUT, I have just returned from a weekend of excitement--I attended the Virginia Rolling Retreat hosted by Club Scrap in Herndon, Virginia. What a time it was! I'll be posting photos of some of the projects we made. Goodness! Club Scrap knows how to introduce retreat attendees to some wonderful techniques, and we all came away with some great projects, new knowledge, and friends who are kindred spirits. If you love to craft, check out Club Scrap's website, and feel free to ask me about becoming a member. I'd love to share the love of Club Scrap!

Speaking of Club Scrap, they just unveiled their new, hip Christmas kits called A Very Groovy Christmas. There are two color options, both with funky designs. They will be flying off the shelves, though, so time is a'wasting! Get them while they are available: A Very Groovy Christmas. I've already ordered mine!

Post Office-Approved Dimension

Dimension seems to be all the rage with greeting cards these days. But, with embellishments come thickness and weight. When the postal rates went up a few months ago, so did the strictness about "lumpy" mail. Though the USPS website uses the example of a "pen" in the envelope as too lumpy, the local post office personnel are taking dimension too far and insisting that anything that can be felt through the envelope is too dimensional. This costs 17 cents more per card, which can really add up if you make and send a number of cards! So, I've been experimenting with embellishments on my cards that create dimension without creating lumps.

Using Close to My Heart stamps, I made the flowers and cut them out, adding dimension by crinkling the edges. The centers are made with Sepia Accents by Ranger Ink, adding visual interest without the thickness of brads, which are my preferred way to add centers to flowers.

If I send this card in the mail, I will lay a piece of thin bubble wrap over the front--it protects the embellishments and adds thickness, but more like a thick letter than an embellished card.

Mmmm...and I just realized that the card matches the colors of my blog! Now you know what my favorite colors are!

Trying a New Technique

I've never been much of a stamper, but I recently subscribed to the Technique Junkies newsletter, which has a host of stamping techniques in each bi-monthly issue. For my first TJ project, I wanted to try something that didn't necessitate going out and buying special supplies. This one uses paper, stamps, ink, a ruler, and a pen--I could do this! I had a great time making these, and I really impressed my family. If you are a beginning or seasoned stamper, the TJ newsletter has something for everyone!

Papers from Club Scrap kits: pumpkin--Wings & Farmer's Market, green--Workbench, cream--Musical Interlude
Stamps: Club Scrap's Refresh (fern) & Autumn Splendor (small leaf), Hero Arts (large leaf) (bought at Hobby Lobby)

A Very Pink Birthday Card

My beautiful little niece, Emily, celebrated her 4th birthday yesterday with her family's traditional family & friends cookout. Was trying to come up with a unique card for her, and this is my creation. The papers are from Club Scrap's Fizz kit (January 2007)--very pink, which is Emily's favorite color! The "4" was made using an UM (unmounted) stamp and embossed with black glitter embossing powder. I'm pleased with the result--might try to make up some more cards using different papers.

Collector of Memories

It's quiet around here today. One daughter is out shopping (thank goodness she's feeling well today!), one is working at the county fair giving pony rides (a friend owns the business), and one is at the movies with her dad (a rare treat for her). So, it's just me and our dear Jeannie, a former guide dog-in-training, who was a bit too energetic to lead a blind person--safely, that is.

While organizing my 2005 albums, which really need to get off the floor of my scrapbooking room and onto a shelf, I came across this layout I did last summer. The photo shows a bookcase in our living room that is full of memory albums--all scrapbooked, none are the "old-fashioned" kind of albums which can eventually damage the photos. Our collection of albums keeps growing, but when the girls have places of their own, they are expected to take their albums with them.

Which leads me to what I've been thinking about. One of my main "jobs" ar0und here is to keep track of the memorabilia and photos which come into the house. I try to keep them organized until I have time to work with them, and then they are lovingly preserved with scrapbooking supplies, of which I have way more than I could ever use. But I digress. My thought is that each family should have one parent who is a "collector of memories." Children need this. They need to be able to have items which bring back sweet memories put in a safe place, so that they can look back at them and reflect on those good times. Photos, ticket stubs, prize ribbons, certificates, birthday cards...these are all things that can be priceless in later years.

A poet, I am definitely not, but I wrote a poem to accompany this layout:

The Memories of Our Lives
They collect in drawers
And in boxes on floors--
The memories of our lives.

For the memories get lost
In the corners and dust
Unless someone takes the time

To sort and record
The photos and thoughts
The people, events, and rhyme.

And God bless the soul
Who scrapbooks with love
The memories of our lives.

I Guess It Was Time...

...for me to finally create my own blog. I always thought of blogs as foremost being created by either boastful people, or those who wanted to persuade others. I have to admit that I am neither. I've always hesitated to share myself or my accomplishments openly, plus I have never considered myself influential enough to get people to see things my way. Secondly, until recently, my experience with blogs has been with professional journalists. And journalism is something I've never wanted to try. Even personal journal-keeping has rarely been on my list of things to do, if ever. Sure, I did assigned journaling in school, I wrote in a diary a few random times, and I write all sorts of things on calendars that I save from year to year. But, I don't see myself as a writer.

Therefore, this blog will not be full of my views on life, politics, or the state of the world. (At least not at first.) My main focus is to have a place to show my favorite papercrafting projects to my friends and family.