Gratitude

Over at Korie's Blog, We Will Always Have Paris, she started my little gray cells (thank you Agatha) bubbling away with her post on Tuesday:

"Creating this layout inspired me to start journaling for this month -- May 2009. I think it will be fun to go through these layouts years from now and laugh about what I was loving at the time. I'm sure ten years from now, I'll point this layout out to my husband and say something like, "Remember blogs?"."

She has done this to me before (I think last year, but I didn't act on the subliminal message) ..... I started thinking about my many gratitude journals I use to keep in the 90s and early 2000s. I stopped a few years after I had open heart surgery the end of 2003. I kept one through 04 and then started traveling and kept one now and then (still keep one now and then now...). Don't really know why I stopped writing every day except life started getting full of other things to do once the heart valve was repaired and I was bursting with energy.

Yes, I have some visual journals, some art journals, some craft notebooks to put bits and pieces in -- BUT I don't have a current gratitude journal. I'm thinking, thanks to my Korie, that it might be time to start this exercise again. Maybe for one month. I was also pushed this way by the purchase of the digital copy of ART journaling by Somerset Studio. I highly recommend that you purchase a copy for $9.99. I also see they are offering a copy on a CD which will cost you $9.99 plus shipping & handling. Very easy to download.

SO, too many messages are being sent my way by the munchkins in the universe. ..... Would you believe I found a "Gratitude Journal" Stamp -- I know - NO WAY... Yes I did!

It is also true that if you write down 5 things you are grateful for each night, you do become a more positive person. I have no doubt about this. I had a lot of trouble doing that in 1998 when my mother died. Had trouble with that when my Cricket baby boy kitty died in April 2005 - and that might have been the last time I wrote in a "gratitude journal." I remember writing a tribute to him and closed the book.

SO, once again - too many little messages streaming my way, so, so, so ----- here is what I am going to try to do....... I bought a book at Queen's Ink when I had a class with Claudine Hellmuth and put it aside. I grabbed it last night and started working ON it not "in" it! I would like to take a photo each day of something to put in the journal. I love the red book and loved the tag I had purchased last year (yes, I was hoarding it.... but the right moment came along to use it).

You wanna journal with me for one month - it is not a life time? At least write down five things you are grateful for that day. That's all. Five little things. At the end of the month, let me know how you feel! Check in with me and I will also let you know how I'm doing.... so many books, so little time... sounds like a Twilight Zone episode in the making. (Some of you may be way to young to remember that one episode with Burgess Meredith!) dododododododododododo (twilight show theme song.....)

Paperwhimsy Quote in the Honeysuckle

Just got the May 3rd Whimsy Quote Challenge completed. This time little Hilda (these are all poems by Hilda Conkling) was about a butterfly in the wind:

"All of a sudden

Blown to my hand

Wings of dewy color,

Silvery flaky dust among my finger

I wondered where he had come from?

I asked him where he was going?"

I really love the next line and wanted to incorporate it some way in my image page but did not:

"Butterfly words are faint

But I heard his answer...

I never know!

I never know!

I am a wanderer in the wind"

This challenge was a little different from the past ones. We could select our own color combination BUT we had to incorporate tissue paper texture on the background. Had to use a butterfly, silver, word or phrase from poem, and one other PaperWhimsy image.

The tissue paper was fun to work with. . . I usually love a messy playtime. I had gel all over the place including the poster board, my clothes, and my fingers! I used pink tissue paper and then spritzed several colors of my Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist. It is so lovely and sparkly..... This is the first time I have really used tissue paper like this and I did use it on both pages. You know, I figured once I got that messy I might as well do both pages. My motto - don't waste the mess!

I had the image in mind I wanted to use. After cutting her out I cut up a Prima Floral embellishment (I have to admit when we finish this little book mine is gonna be bulky!) to add to her skirt. A little petal as her head gear.

The "silver" was giving me some problems until I realized I could cuff the hand given to us in the collage sheet.I cut some silver leaves and sewed them onto the hand. All in all, I am pleased with this work.

I left the poem page basically alone this time instead of decorating it. I thought it was beautiful enough without any assistance! For some reason, I could not get a really clear photo and decided not to use it here. I will retake and load on the PaperWhimsy site.... I need to run and get some chores done and then...... I have to get projects ready to take with me for a three day weekend crop in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. I am looking so forward to it!

Odd Day in Honeysuckle Breeze

Today is "Odd Day" and I think there are several significant things about today.

(1) I'm odd at times and openly admit it. I think I'm normal but some think I'm odd.



(2) AND guess what I'm listening to: "Odd Hours" by Dean Koontz. A great book about "the nice young fry cook with the occult powers is Dean Koontz's most liable creation." Don't you think it odd that I am listening to Odd's adventures on Odd Day?


(3) I make some odd art work at times. A little mayhem never hurt anyone..... maybe...


According to Google:

"For the mathematically challenged, Thursday's date, 5/7/09, is one of only six this century that will feature three consecutive odd numbers. Numbers lovers say the rare occurrence is an excuse to celebrate. "The previous stretch of six dates like this started with 1/3/1905 — 13 months after the Wright Brothers' flight," said Ron Gordon, the Redwood City teacher who enthusiastically promotes these numerical holidays, like Square Root Day on 3/3/09."

What can you say, just another strange factoid I picked up watching TV this morning!

Happy Odd Day wherever you are. Perhaps you are in the Land of Odd vs the Land of Oz? I know -- lame -- very lame -- but it is Odd Day and only 6 happen in this century. Rejoice your oddness no matter what age it was...... Hmmmmm, do you think I was born odd? (this is not a question I will ask my brother.)

Honeysuckle Breeze Postmark

Yes, I did get my Rolodex cards in the mail yesterday. This is a short post but wanted to show you all of them together....

Here is the front of all four:

And here is the backside:

OK, I can now concentrate on some other creations I haven't worked on for a while like my "Off" the Walls Notebook. Got some new stamps from Michelle Ward and am anxious to play with them!

Rolodex in Honeysuckle Breeze

OH boy, got my last two cards done for my swap over at paperwhimsy. Hooray. I really loved this since I started a Rolodex just over a year ago. These will be fun to receive in the mail. I have used a general theme in these cards.....

One letter - making a four letter word. You have to use a paperwhimsy image and a paperwhimsy embellishment. As a reminder, my first card was "D" for Doll and the second one was "N" for Nest. You also have to do the backside of the card with "artist" info. I used my "avatar" over on the forum page and then added one other image plus a dictionary page defining the word I was working with.

Here is my third entry: "C" = Chic. I love these two gals and used pink wings. The background is from my downloaded paperwhimsy sheets and is part of what I call her English Cottage series. I printed all of these out on Vellum the first time and then went back and reprinted on poster paper.


The backside has the same image with a "bow" and "shoe" from other image sheets.


My fourth entry is: "P" = Pout. I debated about that word since it has a negative connotation at times but it is a funny word to me. When I was a teenager I was arguing with my dad and stormed upstairs and slammed my door. I then stewed and came back down to argue the question again and, once again, stormed up the stairs to my room. After stewing the third time and marching back downstairs, my dad said - You really have to learn how to "pout." You storm upstairs, slam you door, and DON'T come back down because you have to remember you are not talking to me." Geez Dad - that's no fun!



Hmmmm..... Little girls really know how to pout! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Neglected Murderess -- MAY DAY

It is the lovely month of May and rain is pitter pattering on my window. If it is the merry month of May, it is time for ....... Edward Gorey and his highlighted Murder Mistress Lettice Finding. *applause* *applause* As always we start with the before photo of this eerie drawing by the master of suspense and mystery.

"Lettice Finding shot Edgar Cutlet whose mistress she was, during the interval of a touring company production of Rosmersholm in Manchester in 1934." Now, first of all Ibsen is gonna cause you some angst and a little depression. Come on folks, remember The Doll House? Remember Hedda Gabler? This Norwegian hunk obviously had a hankering for this type of woman, especially in Hedda. When I saw that production recently I was ready to go on and pull the trigger for Hedda - yes she had the gun aimed at herself! Henrik, Henrik, who done you wrong? (OK, enough of my ramblin'.)


When researching Lettice and Edgar, I came upon an interesting factoid..... love that word... regarding "The Ballad of Lettice Finding & Oscar Cutlet." This is worth a visit over to YouTube. Here is an animated music video for Huxley Vertical Cabaret Nouveau animated and directed by Eric Power of Clear Productions. The story and art work were inspired by whom-other-than our very own Edward Gorey and his illustration of Lettice. You should go over there right now and have the music playing in the background while you lament this post on dear "he done her wrong" Lettice. Love the music and the animation!


OHHHH Poor Lettice. Here is my interpretation of the events that lead to her infamous shot heard through the theatre (or where ever you want her to be)..... OK I did add a new wrinkle to the story and I will let you figure that one out. For Edgar, I used background leftovers from my paperwhimsy quote challenges. I wanted to clean stuff up and use instead of toss. I also love printing the images for the challenges off on dictionary paper. Gale rocks at paperwhimsy! (Gale, I apologize if I wasn't suppose to use these images - not sure of all the rules just yet!)

For the illustration, I used one of the my digisheets from paperwhimsy. I love these curtains and used them once before on Miss March. This time I cut out the "center" and sewed them onto the illustration. I then added some left over fringe which I thought worked well for the "theatre."

I debated about adding "paint" to this month and after "thoughtfully" reviewing - OK I am exaggerating here..... I did succumb to the paint and once again used Claudine Hellmuth Studio paint, landscape green. I found the "gun" on images and give credit here to Eric Power of Clear Productions. I found the gun before I found the YouTube rendition!

And the mystery I added....... oh well, why not. Off to grocery shopping in the rain and then back to finish up my last Rolodex card so I can mail them off tomorrow. Laundry almost done. I LOVE you EDWARD GOREY. Oh how I do! Hmmmmmm.... what if...... and so my dear friends, with stars in her eyes she heads out into the storm (I love my make-believe worlds as long as I am not driving in them...).

Good night, sweet prince, may visions of sugarplums dance in your head!

Scrap for a Cause

Today, was all about donating to the American Cancer Society through participation at this year's Scrap for a Cause. I love this event and have no qualms donating money. One way is to purchase tickets for wonderful gifts donated from different individuals and companies. The gals that organize this (THANK you Jennie!) are great and so focused on raising money. Last year it was for Breast Cancer and this year it is for Cancer in general. I know someone who is suffering from the "treatment" for his cancer. It just kills you to watch someone fight so hard and then with treatment feel so bad. I purchased three t-shirts for him and his family -- "Cancer Sucks" - I think it says it all. I got to spend the day with Beth and Amy -- that was fun. We will all see each other in another two weeks at a weekend crop in Harper's Ferry. Today I worked on my Christmas album for my niece and will show you photos later. Got it all done!!!! YEA. Now it is time to make dinner and then come back up here and work on the MAY Neglected Murderess calendar. . . . Yes, Ed Gorey is calling me.... Hi Eddie...