I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day and lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear a nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain; who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.
~Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914
Its another 4th Friday (where did August go?!) and time for another fun challenge from Paper Garden Projects. This month we want to see your Fall and Back-to-School projects. Cathy is offering a super cute Penny Black Hedgehog Birthday cling stamp to be drawn randomly from those of you who link up your projects at Cathy's place by Saturday, September 4th. You can see all the rules and that adorable stamp set here, at the Paper Garden Projects blog.
As I made it this Joyce Kilmer's poem kept popping through my head. One of my most fondest memories is of riding my bicycle down a lovely long hill (yes, I prefer riding down hills rather than up) in the peak of a beautiful Southern Indiana Fall. I was on one of those roads where the big hard wood trees grew over the top of the road creating a tree tunnel – and gorgeous Fall leaves were raining down. I wanted my card to capture how magical that moment was so my Fall tree has blue leaves and crystal sparkles – magical!
I went a little outside the box with my embellishment. It's the bloom off of a bouquet of artificial flowers. I just removed the plastic stem from the flower and knotted my ribbon up into the hole that remained.
The template for my card came from this week's sketch at The Pink Elephant Challenge (TPE81). The trunk of my card – oh my – this is why my card is a day late and I'm posting this on the fourth Saturday instead of the fourth Friday. I cut the trunk out of a wood sheet – not an easy task given all the twists and turns. But, oh, I like the way it turned out. Then, of course, I attached all those crystal stickers, and for just a little more pop, colored over the blue leaves again with the clear Spica pen. Oh, it's sparkly and luscious in real life.
Here are the Copic markers I used and the rest of the recipe.
- Fibers: grosgrain ribbon, linen thread
- Ink – Memento Rich Cocoa, Staz-On Timber Brown (on the wood sheet), and Copic markers (see below), Clear Spica Pen (yummy)
- Paper – Neenah Card Stock, Kraft, Kaiser Kraft Peachy Keen 6×6 paper pad. This paper pad includes 4 sheets of coordinating die cut tags, labels and borders, so, yep, my little tag is from the same paper pad.
- Stamp: Impression Obsession Elegant Tree Cling Stamp (G2162)
- Misc.: Artificial flower bouquet, Crystal stickers. Wish I had some of Paper Garden Projects gemstones. It would have been stunning to use coordinating colors instead of clear cyrstals.
I hope you'll add your projects to our Fall frolic – I'll be watching.
Posted in 
Well, me don't swim too tough so me don't go in the water too deep.
~Bob Marley
Hey all . . . welcome to the Paper Garden blog stroll. This month we're getting ready for Fall and Back-to-School. I'm still in denial that summer is passing by so quickly. Honestly, fall has always been my favorite time of the year, but in Texas, well, summer just kind of melts into winter and we're still in the middle of 100+ degree weather. Please pardon me while I still celebrate the last days of summer . . . with fall colors. (You know, always breaking the trend.) Do be sure to check out the gorgeous, gorgeous new fall stamps, paper, ribbon, etc., over at the Paper Garden Project shop.
While you hop along the garden walk, be sure to take note of each designer's name and their special garden walk word in their blog post. Once you finish your garden tour, you can send an E-mail to custserv@papergardenprojects.com with the list of designers and their garden walk word for a chance to win two cute Kraftin' Kimmie unmounted stamps,.
Mum's the word (terrible pun intended), my secret word is chrysanthemums (or mums for short – which is great for me, cause my daughter calls me "Mumster").
You have until midnight (EST) on Wednesday, August 25 to send your list – good luck and have fun checking out all the other fun Fall inspirations from the Paper Gardeners.
When my Tom and I were looking for a home in Waco, we weren't really looking for a house with a pool. But, we loved this house, and, well, it has a pool. Of course, we have absolutely no idea what we're doing. The prior owners turned off the pump when they left, and we didn't even know how to turn it back on . . . or how to test the chemicals, sweep the bottom . . . , you get the idea. Thankfully, our new neighbors came to our rescue before we had a chance to do too much damage. The dears spent two hot afternoons teaching Tom pool maintenance 101. This is my long overdue thank-you card to them for helping us stay afloat (sorry, another terrible pun intended).
It's been so long since I created a project with my Copics. I'm glad to know I still got it . . . i just had a hard time finding it. I'm embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to put this little guy together. My groove is definitely rusty. This past week's Sketch Saturday (week #116) kind of oiled the rusty parts (yep, I felt like Dorothy's tin man, needing quite a bit of oil to get limber again.) And, the Pink Elephant challenge TPE80 asked us to use ribbon and sparkles – yum.
Here are the Copic markers I used and the rest of the recipe.
- Fibers: brown grosgrain ribbon,
- Ink – Memento Tuxedo Black (great with Copics), Copic markers(see below)
- Paper – Neenah Card Stock, Kraft, Basic Grey Nook and Pantry paper pad
- Stamp: Eat Cake Summer Swim
- Tools: Nestabilities (20% off!)
- Misc.: Crystal glitter (for the water)
Enjoy the blog hop (have fun over at Andrea's place next) and stay cool!
And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.
~ Earl Mac Rauch
- After almost a month, the Crop Crib (my craft studio) is finally unpacked.
Here's the before.
The during . . .
and, drum roll, the after . . . (you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them).
Yep, that pale green had to go, so my Tom and I painted it this glorious gold to match the living/dining room.
Dad's roll-top desk is my workstation. Its drawers and cubbyholes are perfect for tucking in my adhesives, tools and play things. My Dad made the bookshelf to the left when I was a little girl just out of some scrap pieces of wood. It's been painted about every color imaginable and holds my tape/CD/LP player, an old tray full of embellishments, favorite scrapping magazines, etc.
To the right of Dad's roll-top is this great built-in student desk. It will be my cutting/embossing/tool station. Punches, Big Shot dies and paper trimmers are in the drawers and that fun old Samsonite suitcase holds my embossing folders and Nestabilities. My Dad made the steeple clock on the right for my Mom years ago – love it's gentle chimes. My sewing machine is tucked under the desk behind a big jar my mother-in-law used to keep flour in; I've re-purposed the jar to hold some of my scrap ribbon.
To the left of Dad's roll-top is this wall of cabinets. The two white cabinets are from Ikea and the sewing machine between them belonged to my Grandma on my Dad's side. Her feet went a hundred miles an hour pushing the pedals to make me clothes when I was little. Dad lovingly restored it.and it still works! The turquoise basket on Grandma's sewing machine was my Mom's sewing basket – we always reached for when we needed to hem some pants or fix a button. I found the white baskets inside the cabinets at World Market to hold my ribbons. If you click on the picture, you'll see that between the shelves is a display board of some of my favorite projects.
Across from Dad's roll-top desk and to the right as you enter the room is one of my favorite places to sit and read, cruise all your blogs, play on Facebook, etc. Sometimes my Tom will sit here and keep me company (or else, he complains, he's a craft widow). The portrait of the boy in the straw hat is one of my favorite art pieces. The portrait and the fern table beside the chair came from my Grandma on my Mom's side.
This closet is where most of the things went from those gazillion boxes. Saturday, when I unloaded the boxes, I filled up the original shelves in the closet so full, they came tumbling down. So, I tore out what was left of all the original shelving, trucked over to Home Depot and bought and assembled the strongest set of industrial shelves I could find. It was a perfect fit. If you click on it you'll see I used my trusty label maker on all the different containers. The clock to the left of the closet was a gift from my in-laws, hand-painted by a neighbor of theirs.
So, that's the nickle tour. As you can see, except for the boxes in the closet where I truly try to maximize storage, I like to find creative and vintage ways of storing my supplies. I love this room, not so much for is decor, but for the joy it gives me with all the treasures and sweet memories from Mom, Dad, my Grandmas, my mother- and father-in-law . . . So, no matter where I go, there I am, and I bring my precious family treasures with me.
Texas, Our Texas! all hail the mighty State!
Texas, Our Texas! so wonderful so great!
Boldest and grandest, withstanding ev'ry test
O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest.
~"Texas, Our Texas," the official state song of Texas, 1929
lyrics by William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright.
A few weeks back, Mark Jetton, from Deadbeat Designs, challenged the Texas Tuesday gang to make a project with a yet-to-be-revealed mystery stamp. We accepted, and I was happier than a tick on a fat dog when this gorgeous stamp, Texas our Texas, showed up in my mail. If you've been following the on-going saga of our move (God bless you!), you know I just finished unpacking my craft studio. So, this bookmark is a quick a dirty tribute to Texas and Mark's incredible stamp.
We're so crazy busy these days, that my Summer reading is just what little reading I can do during lunch breaks and before I crash to sleep at night. I love books that have a historical context, and, in honor of Texas Tuesday, let me share with you that one of my all-time favorite books is True Woman by Janice Woods Windle. Ms Windle tells Texas history through the eyes of the woman in her Texas heritage, from the Alamo to World War II. Think James A Michener as a woman of Texas lineage.
I stamped Mark's image three times on three different papers and then embossed the images with black embossing powder. Then I cut out the images to paper piece the final collage design. No Copic markers this time because embossing powder will ruin the nibs of the pens. I had these great tea/walnut stained tags in my stock. I've had them for a long time, so I'm afraid I can't tell you where I got them. Love their look. Here's the rest of the recipe.
- Embellishments – Stampin' Up! On Board Accent (chipboard star); Tim Holtz ideo-ology corners
- Fibers: Household string; Stampin' Up! retired ribbon originals (Jersey) that I tea stained
- Ink – VersaMark, Tim Holtz Distress ink (Antique Linen and Old Paper)
- Paper – Stampin' Up! retired designer series paper (Western Sky)
- Stamp: Deadbeat Designs Texas Our Texas (N416)
- Misc.: ranger Distress Crackle Paint (Clear Rock Candy), Stampin' Up! black embossing powder
Wanna see what everyone else made with the same stamp? Here's the rest of gang. And, if you want to play along, just click on Libby's blog below – she'll hook you up with a place to link your creations.
sanc·tu·ar·y [sangk-choo-er-ee] – noun, plural -ar·ies.
8. a tract of land where birds and wildlife, esp. those hunted for sport, can breed and take refuge in safety from hunters.
~Dictionary.com
My craft studio, we call the "Crop Crib" is back and my sanctuary is restored. I know – sanctuary might seem like an exaggeration for my craft studio. No souls are converted or lives preserved except, of course, my own. Honestly, though, without the easy access it gives me to ink, glue and glitter, well, it's just not pretty . . .
Yep, that's me trying to keep it together after a month without my studio, unpacking, starting a new job, unpacking, transferring to yet another new job, unpacking, well, you get the picture. Hee hee – so much better than my driver's license photo! I posted this on Facebook and got these great suggestions for a caption:
- I have to go now, my 147 cats need me.
- My son, Ben, to my daughter, Caitlin: " I told you, it was your turn to watch her!"
- MOM!!! SPIT OUT THE CAT FOOD!!!
But, my favorite caption for this self portrait comes from Elizabeth Gilbert in her book, eat, pray, love (Great Book!):
I had a sudden horrifying image of the woman I might become if I'm not careful: Crazy Aunt Liz. The divorcee in the muumuu with the dyed orange hair who doesn't eat dairy but smokes menthols, who's always just coming back from her astrology cruise or breaking up with her aroma-therapist boyfriend, who reads the Tarot cards of kingergarteners and says things like, 'Bring Aunty Liz another wine cooler, baby, and I'll let you wear my mood ring. . . .' Eventually I may have to become a more solid citizen again, I'm aware of this. But no yet . . . please. Not just yet.
Love how that woman writes!
So, stay tuned, pics to come of the Crop Crop – yes, I have evidence that it's restored. But, right now, I have to go play with glitter!
Heat, ma'am! it was so dreadful here, that I found there was nothing left for it
but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones.
~Sydney Smith, Lady Holland's Memoir
I'm still digging myself out from underneath the boxes (yes, Still!), but I'm doing it under the comfort of air conditioning and ceiling fans. Rumor has it, it's Hot! Everywhere! It's So Hot . . .
HOW HOT IS IT?
My cousin in Indianapolis (whaz up, 'Lainie) sent me this . . .
Tiffany Richards posted on the Paper Garden Projects Group that it's the kind of hot in Georgia "where your pants are wet when you get out of the car! There's nothing worse than a swamp butt!" What a riot!
Cathy over at Paper Garden Projects has a way to help you get away from all this heat. She wants to know what you all think about digital stamps. Just for commenting with your opinion, you can win this fun Kraftin' Kimmie summer stamp. Don't comment here at my place because, while I'd love to hear your opinion, it won't get you a chance at the stamp. Grab some cold tea, Long Island Tea if you can swing it, and hop skip to Cathy's place.
Enjoy, and, stay cool!
Yes . . . I'm still alive. Buried under boxes and going under for the third time. Moving has been such an adventure.
The Good . . .
- Wonderful new neighbors who welcomed us with wine on the patio, brought us their newspapers, taught us pool maintenance 101, and gifted us with a huge sandwich platter and chips on moving-in day.
Dips in the pool, our sanctuary, where I've created a self-imposed rule to not think about all the boxes, worry about the kids or stress about our new jobs.- Messages and care packages from all of you making us feel missed, loved and comforted.
- My beautiful new craft room.
Yes! My new craft room has two windows and lots of built-in light, a desk, a ceiling fan . . . ah, someday it will be Heaven on Earth.
The Bad . . .
- I found my Patron Saint of Lost Objects, but now I've lost the accompanying prayer card. Still can't find the TV remote. (If I ever move again – God Help Me! – I will hide the remove from the movers!) We've finished unpacking all the kitchen and family room area and declared it the no-box zone, but lurking somewhere in the house is still a Cuisinart and a bunch of plates – probably with the car maintenance supplies!
- I haven't been able to post because (A) lost the cord to connect the digital camera to the computer for a few weeks; (B) new boss lady sending me all over kingdom come (aka Central Texas) on nursing home surveys; (C) trying to create more box-free zones; (D) haven't been able to create anything because the craft room is outside the box-free zone . . . see below!; (E) haven't been able to create more box-free zones because boss lady keeps sending me out of town (see B).
The Crazy . . .
This is my craft room – well, what I could show you of it, because it's so full of boxes I can't get past the door.
My family knows that creating and crafting are what keep me grounded and well, as close to sane as I can represent. It's gotten me through the toughest times. I'm a little on the crazy side these days since I can't even get a whiff of some ink, glue, paper, glitter . . . ah, my touchstone is in there somewhere!
A little homesick, seriously overworked, missing my kids, craving my touchstone . . . okay, I'll admit it, I'm a little on the whiny side. Save yourselves! But, don't give up on me . . . I'm coming up for air and safe harbor is in sight.
Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon . . .
must inevitably come to pass!
~ Paul J. Meyer
My fun paper craft toys are still boxed and in route to our new house. So, you get to put up with more stories about our moving adventures . . .
There it is – the BiG Mama truck that picked up all our stuff on Thursday.
My Tom e-mailed these picture to me while I was in Lampasas finishing up a nursing home survey. I got there just in time to see them pull out of Round Rock. Oh my! That truck looks bigger than the whole house.
It broke my heart to leave Austin and Round Rock, our home for 26 years. I cried all the way to the Title Company. Poor Title agent didn't quite know what to do with me. But, you'll be happy to know, I pulled it together, sucked it up, and signed all the papers that made me no longer a resident of Round Rock.
Hee Hee – Someone else may be living in my house – but MY initials will always be in the driveway.
This morning, we woke up in Waco as Waco-ans. We're still in the apartment my husband's company furnished until we can move into our new house next week. Being in an apartment, just the two of us, is kind of romantic, that is, after we recover from climbing the stairs to our third floor abode.
Still a little depressed over leaving Austin, I asked to drive by the new house and got to meet the current owners. What a lovely, lovely couple. We learned our house was built (in 1959) by Paul J. Meyers, for whom the Baylor University basketball arena is named. I Googled Mr. Meyer and learned he was a millionaire by the time he was 27 years old. He founded Success Motivation International, Inc., and was the first to condense books and record them on LP records and then on cassettes. How fun to have a house with such great history (and Karma!).
Getting acclimated to Waco, we drove out to the airport and the lake and sprung the dogs from their boarder for a 30-minute romp out to the nearby pond. Ah, the shade was sweet!
So, here's what I've learned about my new home, Waco . . .
- Cute little airport. So small, there's free parking and only one entrance and exit.
- Fun little burbs within the burb, even one called "Beverly Hills."
- The cookie section in my new neighborhood grocery store sucks. This is not good.
- Beautiful stop-you-in-your-tracks-gorgeous Southern women – with butt ugly purses. This has me completely puzzled – why are there so many ugly purses? I will get to the bottom of this.
- A lovely, locally owned scrapbook store just minutes from my new house. I expect I'll soon be to them what Norm was to Cheers!
If you've read all the way to here – thank you for letting me get all that out of my system. You are a trooper and a friend!
I missed participating in the Paper Garden Projects blog hop this week, but that doesn't mean you have to. There are some beautiful summer projects by my friends at the Garden!
Enjoy the stroll, have a wonderful Father's Day gentlemen, and I'll be giving sending more pictures of our adventures and mis-adventures soon.
Whoever dies with the most toys wins.
~Anonymous
I am not proud of this – in fact, I'm kind of mortified.
This is not the van they sent to move my house.
That's the van they sent just to bring the boxes, tape and other misc. packing supplies to get my house ready to move.
Tomorrow the real van shows up – the 18 wheeler. I'm not going to be there to see it – I'll be back in my new office in Temple. What an amazing site that should be – an 18 wheeler backing up to my house to take away 20,000 pounds of stuff (the mover's estimate). Wow, that's not even counting dust bunnies – another 1,000 pounds by my estimate.
Yes, someday, I really will post a paper-craft project. Don't give up on me . . . somewhere among all these boxes from my craft room is a project just waiting to be designed. Someday . . . Soon! Well, someday after June 28 when these boxes arrive in Waco.
Maybe, when the dust settles from this move, I should seriously consider going on one of those reality shows for hoarders.
Glorious St. Anne, I beseech thee to grant me guidance in finding all of those things that I have lost.
I also ask that you provide me with the foresight to put things in places that I will remember. Amen.
You guys will appreciate this . . .
Moving day started today! Rumor has it a big moving van showed up at my house and some men started boxing up my house in Round Rock, courtesy of my husband's new company. I only know this second hand because I'm in Lampasas in the middle of a nursing home survey. I'm singing praises to the Gods in the Heavens, Mother Earth, the cosmos and the universe, the Ying and the Yang . . . for anything and anyone who had a hand in arranging for some strong men to do all the labor, and let me just stress from afar.
My big assignment for our move was to find my Saint Anne figurine to watch over my move – to be our protector of lost objects – to make sure every thing was accounted for and found it's proper place in the new house. Only, I have the box she came in and the prayer card she came with, but . . .
I've lost my Patron of Lost Objects!
Oh, this is not good.
What is good . . . My Caitlin landed safely in Costa Rica and is having amazing, over-the-top experiences. She's blogging about her new life there, and you can follow her adventures at her new blog, Quarter Life Caitlin. I know I'm completely biased, but I think she's an amazing writer writing about amazing things. You might enjoy a peak.
